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The Car Thread ... !
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I think it's rated at 150w, so most non-high power consumption notebook power supplies, a USB type power block with multiple ports, nothing high watts like a blender or power tools.
Just completed my first ever oil change. It feels good to do the work yourself.Used Pennzoil Platinum.
Nice. When are you putting your stock wheels back on your car? Do you drive your Camaro at all during the winter/Fall since you have a Secondary winter wheel set up? Never used Penzoil before, I Have only ever used Mobil 1 Synthetic.
We have this killer little battery operated blender for beach drinks
Though usually we just pre-make them (or just go home for a refill, we're just a couple of blocks away)
Next few weeks. It will be in the high 20's- low 30's as a low a few more times. Once it is consistently high 30's-40's as lows they will go back on.
I have driven it when it has been nice out and the snow and salt is gone.
Its slightly Cold where I am currently, we were just in the 60’s a few days back. Pulled the SHO out recently and the GT will be back in a just over a week from the performance shop. (All cosmetics are installed). Do you have any modifications or is it factory stock?
Yes, ocassionally he does occasionally haul things like wood and other building materials. He has been known to finagle a snow blower into the back of the Range.
Thankfully the IS3 is a little bigger than the IS2 in the back seat. It’s tolerable for a little bit, but I wouldn’t try to squeeze 3 into the back seat. Not to sound stereotypical, but Japanese cars in general seem to be designed with smaller people in mind- my legs just fit into the front passenger seat of the RAV4 with the seat all the way back, anyone 6ft or taller I imagine would get uncomfortable if they wanted to sit with their legs outstretched.
I’m guessing the IS3 will probably be his last... assuming he decides to retire someday, which is entirely questionable. He is of retirement age but could be described as a workaholic.
I was trying to avoid saying that but you said it anyway.
Yeah, that is a fair judgement to make. However, some of Lexus's other cars seem to be built with the NA market in mind. I suppose a pickup would be a wise choice, but what about one of those small work vans?Retirement age tends to be just a number someone came up with. Life-work balance matters more than a silly number (apart from your general health).
I've sat in a first generation RAV4 once back when they were new. If memory serves me correct, I was practically sitting scrunched up. Honda, on the other hand, does some voodoo magic to make just about everyone fit in their cars and still have a massive trunk.
I don't think they'll beat a Nappa leather Audi interior, but if it's $10,000 less, I would consider it. Any less than that and you're right.
I have contemplated ceramic coating my SHO in the past. It has a metallic white platinum tri-coat, which is a fairly expensive paint process for being a white car (And it was an additional Purchase for that paint option), I checked several business sites in my city to see what the prices were to have it completed, and to say the least, I was awed how expensive it is.
One of two detailing shop offers ceramic coating for either a two-year protection, which is $2000 (or) three-year protection which is $3000. (Which includes a warranty package.) Both of those package actually include ceramic coating the wheels if applicable based on the wheel finish.
Factoring the cost/benefit ratio, I think the major benefits obviously are to protect the clearcoat from any type of oxidation, staining or etching. Being I don’t drive either of my performance cars during the winter, I’m not too concerned about the salt where I live due to winter conditions. But more or less its the protecting the paint from any type of fading or contaminant binding (Oil/dirt,ect).
Being that ceramic coating is hydrophobic and a polymer based solution, (What I did not know Interestingly enough), is ceramic coatings does not stop water spots forming on your car with Rain or washing your car from hard water deposits, which Apparently is a misconception about ceramic coatings.
But looking at before and after pictures with vehicles that do have ceramic coatings, the results are immediately notable how the vehicle really has an enhanced gloss appeal. So aside from all the protection from the outside environment(s), it does give it a very nice aesthetic appeal.
Aside from the price being expensive, I would likely opt for the three-year/$3000 option, but apparently the detailing shop needs the vehicle for at least 5 to 7 business days to complete the entire vehicle/wheels. (Which is longer than I anticipated). All together, I’m intrigued and might coat just the SHO and pass on the GT for the time being.
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Mine cost $1200. Most of the cost for ceramic coating is the prep work as they will have to do paint correction, etc to remove any imperfection to the extent they can cause once the coating goes on, the imperfection is sealed underneath.
I did OptiCoat Pro for my coating and they claim it lasts the life of the car. We shall see. But I was only out of my car for a day. As the place that did mine has a oven sort of speak that speeds the curing time. And then once I got it back, it stayed in the garage for a week as they told me to avoid getting it dirty and don't wash it, etc as it had to further cure after that. Your shop may prefer to control the whole process and keep it in a clean room sort of speak to get it to cure the whole way vs letting you take it and trust you will follow the process for allowing it to cure for warranty purposes.
Oh as for the use of Pennzoil Platinum, from the research it's one of the top oils today. It has a lower NOACK volatility score than Mobil 1 I believe, people who have done blackstone oil analysis has had the test come back really good, etc. Guess makes sense since the base comes from natural gas vs crude oil. I was debating between it and Amsoil Signature series. But I want to avoid as much possible dealer BS when it comes to them looking to voiding my warranty. So I wanted something that was Dexos 1 gen 2 approved. Even though amsoil claims their oil exceeds Dexos1 specs( they just don't pay GM the licensing fees, etc), want to avoid that hassle. Why I also didn't opt for Pennzoil Ultra Platinum because Ultra Platinum is only Dexos1 Gen 1 approved due to the higher use of calcium apparently makes it fail the LPSI test.
I also used the OEM AC Delco PF64 filter. I was initially thinking of going with a Wix filter, but there was a discrepancy between which filter to go with from what their website listed, but couldn't find it anywhere and what others told me would fit the Camaro. And the one people said would fit the Camaro SS has a 15 PSI bypass vs the PF64 22 PSI bypass. So again in interest of keeping everything close to OEM spec, I just went back to the PF64 the car comes with.
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Curious, did you ceramic coat your Camaro before you had the egg stain or after? Also, is the egg stain still somewhat present on the paint of your Camaro or is that gone?
I checked a few other sites that offer the ceramic service further outside my location, and there is one that offers six months protection for $1400, but personally, that makes zero sense to me why I would want six months of protection, when I could just opt for an additional $600.00 for two years of protection and not have to think about it in terms of longevity.
I’m going to schedule an appointment for late April, early May and have this completed before Summer arrives. I also did some additional thinking last night and I think I’m going to ceramic coat the Mustang instead of the said SHO, primarily because the Mustang is a black car, in terms of UV/contaminant protection with black paint, and I just painted/installed a brand new Cervinis hood last week, (I have to wait a month for the paint to harden) I think it’s a better idea to have the whole car ceramic coated alongside the new hood. The Only downside, is that’s another week that I will be without my Mustang that has primarily been out of commission with all the cosmetic/engine upgrades since March.
The only reason I opt for Mobil One is that’s all they offer from Ford other than Motorcraft (Unless a request is made otherwise for another brand), which Mobil One obviously has a much higher viscosity level. Even my other performance cars over the years, I have only ever used was Mobil One. Amsoil I have heard good things about, but’s it’s pricey. Even though oil for a car can be completely undermined by most drivers with their personal vehicles, I think it’s most crucial part, especially when it comes to performance vehicles.
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After the egg stain. It was a reaction to the event in an effort to prevent damage from similar acidic incidents. The egg stain is pretty much gone. Only thing left is the scratches the shell did which the ceramic coating does a nice job of hiding unless you look at certain angles.
Gas, Oil, Oil Filters, and tires. People take their cars to these quick lube shops and they use cheapo filters, they disintegrate, and RIP engine. With gas, I don't get why people want to cheap out and put regular gas vs the recommended premium. You hope the knock sensors work and adjust timing( which robs power and fuel economy). The cost difference between regular and premium is a cup of coffee from starbucks. Put the gas that will make the engine happy. If the cost difference of regular vs premium is enough to put you in the poor house, you can't afford the car in the first place.
Reading Camaro forums, I am amazed at how people spend at least $40K on their cars and then proceed to look for the cheapest ways to maintain their vehicles. Instead of a jack/stands or a good pair of ramps( like my race ramps), they will use wood to make ramps. Or don't want to spend the money for a winter wheel setup and try to drive with summer tires in the snow or just cold temps. They will spend a ton of money on the car, but look for corner cutting on maintaining it. I won't buy a car if I can't afford to maintain it using proper equipment.
I always buy premium unleaded for mine. But it's much more expensive than a coffee this side of the pond!
Not sure how you figure. It's significantly newer/more recent than the Giulia or the 3 series. The 3 series badly needs an update. The A4 is due in 2020. Nothing about it says "left for dead" and nearly every reviewer takes notice.
I think there are a lot of ignorant car owners that use poor judgement with little things when it comes to their vehicles in terms of how they treat them. For instance, using improper Oil requirements, putting 87 octane in a car that requires 91 premium, using third-party junk performance parts in their vehicles or even as little as improper waxing or washing a vehicle that cost $40,000.
Speaking of Camaros, I was on a 5 mile run on Saturday when a white Camaro SS with red stripes (2016/2017 model) passed me which sounded as if it was a Borla or Corsa exhaust set up. Sounded amazing. I have never driven a Camaro or even one of the newer models, I should really make an effort to do that sometime to see what they are like. The More I see SS, the more I like them.
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Viscosity is based on the specifications (VI, etc.), it's brand independent. Mobile One is also a group III blend, and while that allows for the "full synthetic" labeling in the US, it's no different than other G-III, and there are outstanding products from Motorcraft, Pennzoil, and if you really want to get hardcore (and spend a ton of $$$), Redline and others have a Group V based product
Bottom line: after quite a few performance cars, using various oil products, and several oil analyses over the years (some following road race and rally events, a major tow [27' center console ~450 miles to The Keys]), you can be pretty confident just about any modern product that meets the required spec is outstanding.
[doublepost=1522684086][/doublepost]I don't know if anyone [in this thread] watches Silicon Valley, but you should, it's such a brilliant send up to the SV/SF/Tech culture (it's painfully accurate, even when it's ridiculous
)Why am I posting this? Because last night, there was a Tesla plot element, hahaha, Judge got it _so_ perfectly correct
This statement makes absolutely no sense.
A higher viscosity "level" compared to what?
The API guidelines are pretty stringent in terms of what viscosity at a given temperature constitutes a marked weight of oil. The viscosity is given as a range, and there can be some variation even within one brands product line. "High mileage" oils are often at the higher end of the allowed viscosity for the grade while "fuel economy" oils are at the low end, but they all fall in that window set by the API for 5W-30 or whatever.
The current API specification for gasoline engines is "SN" and standard Mobil 1 in all grades meets API SN specs. So do most other major brands and product lines of oil(Valvoline VR-1, which I use in the MG, is not SN rated due to the additives used in it). High mileage does not meet SN specs, again due to some other additives in it.
In any case, I would not lose ANY sleep over running any SN rated oil of the appropriate grade in any modern vehicle. I like synthetics as a whole and really like Mobil 1, but I've used others without a second though. Walmart had a blow-out sale on PUP(Penzoil Ultra Platinum) which, by all accounts, is a fantastic oil and I used that for a few oil changes.
Thank you for the explanation. My understanding was a viscosity at a higher level, its not as prone to thinning and overall thickness conventional motor oil has, which wouldnt you want a higher viscosity oil in terms of performace, where as lower viscosity numbers are thinner, running hotter. So Using average motor oil can technically lose viscosity quicker, because it’s thinner and will wear quicker. Where is if you use a synthetic-based, it’s more protective In protecting engine parts, and then it less susceptible to thinning at higher/extreme temperatures.
However, if this makes sense, If a motor oil passes a certain range temperature, it receives a viscosity grade, which basically doesn’t matter which oil is used because certain oils are the same due to the engine temperature. The way I interpreted it was viscosity’s rating for example may be “W”, Which is used for colder temperatures, Which I was under the impression oils are tested for certain operating temperatures in terms of being used of higher performance vehicles . So, the a “W” (Which is a low viscosity number) flowing at a colder rate, helps with minimal engine wear. Or If you use 5W-30 motor oil performs at the temperature indicated, but still has the SAE 30 viscosity,
More or less, wouldn’t you want a heavier viscosity oil if its used performance car running at higher temperatures? With a full synthetic oil, its less susceptible to breaking down under higher temperatures, Which if you were to use an additive (Which I never have), wouldn’t it technically help the viscositys duration/overall longevity.
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