The Car Thread ... !

[bunnspecial]

I started what should be a fun project this evening...if only I could get around 45 years of rust. I do have to say that the 18" breaker bar I bought a few months back was a very worthwhile investment. Once again, I'm finding myself back to the Hayne's manual "this bolt may be difficult to remove".

 

[iLog.Genius]

I do have to say that the 18" breaker bar I bought a few months back was a very worthwhile investment.]

I think if anyone plans on keeping their car long or works on their car, buying a set of tools is almost never a waste of money. Even if you use it once, the amount of time you save for having the correct tools on hand to make it a hell of a lot easier makes the purchase worth it. There have been so many times where I thought to myself, if I didn't have x tool, it would have taken me 2-3 times as long and would be a lot more difficult. Also, by having the correct tools, it allowed me to never see a BMW dealership outside of included maintenance. That in itself is a huge plus!

 

[iTurbo]

A couple tips for removing rusted bolts and nuts...

Always use a 6-point socket on a fastener that is difficult to remove. Typically socket sets come with 12-point sockets and these can strip off the hex, making removal much more difficult.

A MAPP gas torch can really help as well. It burns hotter than propane and can loosen oxidized/rusted fasteners easier. On really corroded fasteners it can help to go back and forth on the bolt/nut (with a wrench) to slowly loosen it and facilitate removal. Otherwise you could risk shearing the bolt head right off if you just attack it with a breaker bar.

PB Blaster, Kroil, and even WD-40 are your friends. I like PB Blaster myself. If you know you have a stuck bolt/nut, spray it liberally a few days in advance to allow the penetrant to soak in before attempting removal.

Another thing you could try is a crayon. If some threads are exposed, heat the fastener with a MAPP gas torch and touch the crayon to the threads. The wax will get drawn into the threads and should help with removal.

 

[bunnspecial]

A couple tips for removing rusted bolts and nuts...

Always use a 6-point socket on a fastener that is difficult to remove. Typically socket sets come with 12-point sockets and these can strip off the hex, making removal much more difficult.

A MAPP gas torch can really help as well. It burns hotter than propane and can loosen oxidized/rusted fasteners easier. On really corroded fasteners it can help to go back and forth on the bolt/nut (with a wrench) to slowly loosen it and facilitate removal. Otherwise you could risk shearing the bolt head right off if you just attack it with a breaker bar.

PB Blaster, Kroil, and even WD-40 are your friends. I like PB Blaster myself. If you know you have a stuck bolt/nut, spray it liberally a few days in advance to allow the penetrant to soak in before attempting removal.

Another thing you could try is a crayon. If some threads are exposed, heat the fastener with a MAPP gas torch and touch the crayon to the threads. The wax will get drawn into the threads and should help with removal.

Thanks for the tips.

I'm actually down to one stubborn bolt. Most of the bolts that were giving me trouble were 9/16s, so while I was at Autozone this morning picking up some other supplies(including PB Blaster) I asked for the "longest 9/16" box end wrench they have." Unfortunately, all torches were off limits as these bolts were right next to the gas tank....

I now have everything off except for the bolt that goes through the front eye of the spring. I actually have the nut off of it, but it has to be driven out of the frame and THAT's giving me trouble. The angle and clearance is poor for working it with any tool, although I have heated the snot out of it with a propane torch. The bolt will actually rotate(somewhat) freely-I'm just having issues with getting it to slide out.

 

[D.T.]

 

[A.Goldberg]

Whenever I scroll down and see your silly little avatar, I elicit the Pavolvian response. My keyboard is covered in saliva.

... And too a Ford of all things. Is it the car or just you. <3

 

[2298754]

gorgeous!

 

[D.T.]

gorgeous!

Thanks, when the Daewoo Club of America has its annual meeting, let's have it down here, and we can go to the restaurant where I took that photo. They have a Sunday AYCE brunch, MTO omelettes, crab, you-name-it, plus all-you-can-drink mimosas

 

[bunnspecial]

Thanks, when the Daewoo Club of America has its annual meeting, let's have it down here, and we can go to the restaurant where I took that photo. They have a Sunday AYCE brunch, MTO omelettes, crab, you-name-it, plus all-you-can-drink mimosas

And Ari can drive his new Daewoo down!

 

[2298754]

And Ari can drive his new Daewoo down!

I'll hitch a ride with him (provided it can make the long journey)

 

[AustinIllini]

Loving the XT5

 

[puma1552]

Loving the XT5

Curious what your thoughts are on the new Civic?

 

[AustinIllini]

Curious what your thoughts are on the new Civic?

It looks like a solid evolution of the Civic platform. It's likely good enough to be the best in its class. I applaud Honda for putting a great deal of character into their entry level model line. However, the way Honda looks now has been so bad for the progression of Acura, which makes me sad.

 

[senseless]

Recommend car maintenance schedule for 1920. What a PITA:
Change & flush motor oil: every 500 miles.
Clean spark plugs: every 1000 miles.
Pack Universal joints and transmission w/ grease: every 1000 miles.
Grind valves: every 5000 miles.
Align wheels: once a month.
Clean carburetor: once a month.
New piston rings: every 18 months.

 

[TheMacApple]

Curious what your thoughts are on the new Civic?

Careful with Honda., a few months back they fired all there top brass in hopes of regaining what they once were. Honda and Toyota alike had the reputation of longevity and great build and performance.
They got cheap and tried to ride there name alone for sales and $$$
Look into to forums. Honda alone -
CRV, engines shake bad at idle. No known fix.
CVT tranny couldn't get an all wheel drive up an icy driveway
Pilot- luggage racks coming off in car washes and major tranny issues where just this month had to freeze all sales till they figure it out...
Many more like body panels not lining up the list can go on and on
The new brass is trying to pull it together but they have a long road to regain trust as they once were

 

[2298754]

Curious what your thoughts are on the new Civic?

The sedan's exterior is pretty terrible. Looks like a CrossTour. Hopefully, the hatch will be better.

But everything about it is class-leading. Interior is fantastic and the features they're giving us seem great. I'm just annoyed that the 6MT isn't available with the 1.5T. That makes no sense to me.

It's a new Civic. It will sell like hotcakes. I'm impressed with the car, especially after the last gen POS Civic.

 

[arggg14]

Anybody drive a GTI?

 

[AustinIllini]

Anybody drive a GTI?

I wouldn't touch a Volkswagen. They are not at all trustworthy

 

[puma1552]

The sedan's exterior is pretty terrible. Looks like a CrossTour. Hopefully, the hatch will be better.

But everything about it is class-leading. Interior is fantastic and the features they're giving us seem great. I'm just annoyed that the 6MT isn't available with the 1.5T. That makes no sense to me.

It's a new Civic. It will sell like hotcakes. I'm impressed with the car, especially after the last gen POS Civic.

i saw these in person the other day. i was a little underwhelmed with the looks, particularly the back. i did sit in a base lx that the dealership forgot to lock after hours, the seating position is really low, almost too low for what the car is. trunk was huge, i was shocked. materials seem nice for the class. they also have insanely good lease residuals, but its more than made up for with hideous money factors that shake out to north of 4%. no thanks, its a ****in civic ffs.

i am still considering giving up the 5.0, and actually am considering a '15 ex-l (non-nav). i think its a better looking car, if nothing else. getting lease quotes in the sub $250 a month range for 15k miles a year and zero out of pocket at signing, which puts the selling price below $20k (sticker is 23660). really debating.

im to the point where im exhausted always having (owning) nice cars that i feel i need to detail meticulously and stress out about, i kind of want something disposable that i can just lease and throw away when im done and not really care about. just drive it, run it through the wash, leave it at that. no waxing, no detailing, hell id even run it through the brush car wash just because. it would almost be sort of liberating to have something i dont have to care about. im just exhausted after 15 years of nice car guy type cars. considering i still have my camaro and my wife will always have something nice, thats two cars right there to stress out about, may as well lighten my load and throw more money to retirement at the same time...? i told the honda dealer id be very interested at $230/mo, so the sales manager is going to present my offer to the dealer GM tomorrow to see what he says.

 

[arggg14]

I love the look of the new Civic and I too would love to lease one. I just don't know if I can get over the motorboat CVT.

 

[yg17]

I currently have a Jeep Compass as a rental and it is the worst ****ing rental car I have ever had, and I've had a Prius as a rental on multiple occasions. Does anyone here have one, and after test driving it, what made you return to the dealer and say "Yes, I like that car. I'll have it!"? Because I can't figure out why anyone would buy one when I've driven other comparable crossovers that are so much better.

 

[2298754]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pistolpete13/sets/72157658543070113

Didn't realize the 911 and Cayman were so close in size

 

[A.Goldberg]

I currently have a Jeep Compass as a rental and it is the worst ****ing rental car I have ever had, and I've had a Prius as a rental on multiple occasions. Does anyone here have one, and after test driving it, what made you return to the dealer and say "Yes, I like that car. I'll have it!"? Because I can't figure out why anyone would buy one when I've driven other comparable crossovers that are so much better.

I've had driven a Compass (aka Compost) a couple times as my work has a few of them to drive between our multiple satellite facilities ~2hrs away. It doesn't take more than 30 seconds to realize all of the shortcomings. I feel your pain, they're pretty terrible. There interior is junk, the ride sucks, they can barely get out of their own, noisy, hard to see out of, strange ergonomics, ugly as sin,... And the competition is so much better. There is literally not a single appealing factor I could find. Without exaggeration it's probably one of the worst cars I've ever driven, no offense to anyone who owns one.

I'm not quite sure what they were thinking for the manual shift mode either (besides having it in the first place, especially in such a terribly slow car). As someone who tends to rest their hand on the shifter, the design easily allows for accidental acitivation. Right/Left to shift Up/Down is very strange for me, somehow stranger to me than the BMW I come from where it's up to downshift and down to upshift. The method of deactivating manual mode is pretty non-intuitive in the Compass too (hold to the right).

My girlfriend formerly had a 2007 Prius, which is also not at the top of the my car to purchase list. It's ugly, lethargic, no dynamics, has that clattering lawn mower engine, clunky hybrid power train, annoying orchestra of mechanical noises, incessant beeping, atrocious snow preformance even with decent snow tires (no weight in the front)... I never found the seats very comfortable either. But it least it has its merit: Getting 47mpg around town in stop and go traffic, not to mention (for some) being the ultimate liberal/environmentalist lifestyle accessory and status symbol .

 

[determined09]

Hi everyone,

What would cause a back up assist to stop working on a F-150 ( My Dad's truck BTW) on the display Dad sees the following words " Signal not detected"? Could it be the camera in the back needs to be replaced and the Ford emblem on the tailgate needs to be replaced, too? Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. It's been at the dealership for two days now. Ford doesn't want to replace the camera. This problem comes and goes BTW.

 

[iLog.Genius]

Hi everyone,

What would cause a back up assist to stop working on a F-150 ( My Dad's truck BTW) on the display Dad sees the following words " Signal not detected"? Could it be the camera in the back needs to be replaced and the Ford emblem on the tailgate needs to be replaced, too? Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. It's been at the dealership for two days now. Ford doesn't want to replace the camera. This problem comes and goes BTW.

From my experience (Mercedes ML), it's likely the sensor itself and not the camera. Obviously two different cars but when a sensor is involved, it's almost always that. Surprised that Ford can't scan and determine the problem.