The Car Thread ... !

[S.B.G]

Oh Ok, thanks for clarifying. There was another post you insinuated:

“One car I have, I have a lot of fun with. I have a department car I got from my Sheriff after they decommissioned it. A 2014 Dodge Charger, RWD.“

So I thought it was your car, which is how you made it sound in two different posts, but now it’s your department car handed you got from the ‘the sheriff’ and ‘you run it’ as you mentioned. If you ‘run a Department’, why would they hand a squad car down to you? (You don’t need to answer that, I’m just thinking out loud.) Because in Michigan, retired squads are are sent to auction. (Ask me how I know that.😁) Heck, I can’t even have/buy a squad handed down to me without having to go to auctions first per agency guidelines even with cash in my hand.

I realize I’m grilling you, but I just wasn’t clear what your wording meant and I found it odd that ‘your department‘ would give you a squad car (when that’s not how it works), But it’s not really yours to begin with either, but handed to you from ‘the sheriff,’ but you run the the department as said. Strangely worded and scenario. (That’s just the detective nature in me. Not trying to start a rift with you, but ya know.)

Every jursidiction is different in how they handle cars, so to say "when that’s not how it works" isn't always the case.

In my county, the County (proper) owns the fleet cars, including the Sheriffs cars. So when the Sheriff is finished with one, the County will do one of three things with it. 1, send it to the scrap heap if it's in no condition to be sold. 2, send it to auction. 3, turn it into a pool car for all county employees to use, or assign it to a specific department, such as "mine". It will also have the county seal put on the doors, removing the Sheriff decals, of course.

Another county in Michigan may do things differently. I do know that some of the local PD's within my county will strip the cars down and put them on the front lawn for sale and do the sales by closed bid only.

So it just all depends on each jurisdiction in how they want to handle the fleet cars.

I do apologize if my posts on this Charger were confusing for you, that certainly wasn't my intent. I do not own the Charger in any personal sense of the word, but I do hold responsibility for it's use, maintenance and budgetary obligations as a department head.

 

[Matz]

Yeah, you just start breaking other stuff, that's why some of these higher power FI builds get well over $15K, all the extra cost for a transmission build, half-shafts, etc., and pop a motor, there's another $5K+

That NA build above would probably include doing the OPG/CGs, so it could safely/reliably spin over 8000 RPM, but that's like $1500 by itself (cheap parts, LOTS of labor). That's why I'm just got of sitting on what I've got, it's extremely quick as it sits, and already easily overpowers the tires.

My next minor mod: I'm waiting on the revised Velossa ducts for the MY18+, I had them on my '16, neat product, it isolates the air intake pack out to the grill, so you don't get a lot of backwash heat from the engine, definitely dropped my IATs around town a good 8-10 degrees. Those plus a no-Pony grill, and I'll cut out the corners, should look pretty neat too, getting them in matching orange.

You know, you should make an acceleration video I've love to see it run!

Sounds like you have a fine ride! Not sure it needs anything else, really. ‘Stangs are one of my favorite cars.

As for the accel video, that’s a thought. I just might have to do that.

 

[44267547]

@SandboxGeneral

No Worries. The 5.7 is a great motor. Super reliable. What’s great about the Charger interceptors, is they have loads of suspension, brake and additional cooling functionality that really make make them desirable for those who can find them not beaten down on. They will be harder to find moving forward, now that Ford dominates the police sector with the eco-boost revisions.

 

[MacBH928]

I always thought that electric cars while cleaner for the environment emissions...itself, its more expensive to operate as electricity price is high and generating more electricity means more CO2 fumes in the electric generators. While not sure about point 2, it appears that the e-gallon(amount of electricity needed to equal a the range a gallon of gas) is actually half the price of its gasoline counterpart! Electricity is cheaper!(at least in US) Now I see electric cars as the future. My only worry is...doesn't the battery die on an electric car and how large and expensive is it to replace? How long can an electric car live compared to a machanical car since it probably has 95% less working components.

and here is my gift to car enthusiasts thread: YouTuber Scotty Kilmer is an amazing channel!

 

[44267547]

I always thought that electric cars while cleaner for the environment emissions...itself, its more expensive to operate as electricity price is high and generating more electricity means more CO2 fumes in the electric generators. While not sure about point 2, it appears that the e-gallon(amount of electricity needed to equal a the range a gallon of gas) is actually half the price of its gasoline counterpart! Electricity is cheaper!(at least in US) Now I see electric cars as the future. My only worry is...doesn't the battery die on an electric car and how large and expensive is it to replace? How long can an electric car live compared to a machanical car since it probably has 95% less working components.

and here is my gift to car enthusiasts thread: YouTuber Scotty Kilmer is an amazing channel!

I’m currently looking into a Tesla Model 3 performance. I was actually just talking to my neighbor on the phone yesterday about his S P85, he put on about 40,000 miles and has had only a minor issue with the door-handle thus far. Doing some research on the market, I think a lot of Teslas are traded in somewhere between 40K and 85,000 mile marker, as the market is flooded with them in that particular mile range. And that’s partially because of the five year warranty/100k mileage or whatever come first. I imagine post warranty expiration, the repairs will be very expensive, given the controlled parts and service. Aside from the quality control issues, I think they seem to be relatively maturing, and they have some of the most advanced battery technology on the market.

Anyways, I don’t understand all the chemistry behind the battery composition and wear, but there’s loads of videos that discuss and breakdown the overall benefits and drawbacks.

 

[bunnspecial]

I always thought that electric cars while cleaner for the environment emissions...itself, its more expensive to operate as electricity price is high and generating more electricity means more CO2 fumes in the electric generators. While not sure about point 2, it appears that the e-gallon(amount of electricity needed to equal a the range a gallon of gas) is actually half the price of its gasoline counterpart! Electricity is cheaper!(at least in US) Now I see electric cars as the future. My only worry is...doesn't the battery die on an electric car and how large and expensive is it to replace? How long can an electric car live compared to a machanical car since it probably has 95% less working components.

and here is my gift to car enthusiasts thread: YouTuber Scotty Kilmer is an amazing channel!

For NOW, in most areas, the cost isn't even close. A quick look at Tesla Model 3 data anywhere from 24 to 29 kWh/100 miles. Around here, that's well under $3.00 worth of electricity to drive one 100 miles. We have it pretty good here at 9¢/kWh, although I think other areas are more expensive. Still, though, even at 20¢, you're nowhere near the cost of gas.

There are a couple of things in that, though. One is that a not insignificant portion of the cost of gasoline is taxes and fees to support road maintenance. The Federal tax is 18.4¢/gallon. States vary, but here in Kentucky it' 26¢/gallon and California goes up to 61¢.

For now, EV drivers are getting a "free ride" so to speak while they go out and wear out the roads the same as the rest of us(if not more so because Teslas are so heavy-a long range Model 3 is ~4300lbs and the highest trim model Ss are close to 5000lbs). It will be a matter of time before the government figures out how to tax them because, there again, just the fact that they use electricity doesn't mean that they're contributing to road wear any less than an IC vehicle driven the same amount.

In addition, I still think the "cleaner" point is debatable, but this isn't the place for that.

Heaven help you if you need to fully replace the battery pack...if you buy a used Model 3 for say $30K that will soon need a pack replacement, my guess is that you'd have come out ahead buying the equivalent trim new.

 

[MacBH928]

And that’s partially because of the five year warranty/100k mileage or whatever come first. I imagine post warranty expiration, the repairs will be very expensive, given the controlled parts and service.

Whats their to repair? its basically a battery turning a wheel around on the opposite of a combustion engine with all its fluids and coolants.

For now, EV drivers are getting a "free ride" so to speak while they go out and wear out the roads the same as the rest of us(if not more so because Teslas are so heavy-a long range Model 3 is ~4300lbs and the highest trim model Ss are close to 5000lbs). It will be a matter of time before the government figures out how to tax them because, there again, just the fact that they use electricity doesn't mean that they're contributing to road wear any less than an IC vehicle driven the same amount.

In addition, I still think the "cleaner" point is debatable, but this isn't the place for that.

I don't know heavier cars deteriorate the roads more, I thought asphalt is made to sustain all car sizes...that is of course until we reach 16-wheeler sizes. Also what makes an electric car heavier than a regular one? maybe the battery is heavy?

If electric cars are not cleaner for the environment, then why they were ever developed?

 

[bunnspecial]

Whats their to repair? its basically a battery turning a wheel around on the opposite of a combustion engine with all its fluids and coolants.



I don't know heavier cars deteriorate the roads more, I thought asphalt is made to sustain all car sizes...that is of course until we reach 16-wheeler sizes. Also what makes an electric car heavier than a regular one? maybe the battery is heavy?

If electric cars are not cleaner for the environment, then why they were ever developed?

First of all, it's not QUITE as simple as that. There are still things that you have in a normal vehicle like differentials with oil that needs to be changed. The batteries throw off a LOT of heat, especially when drained heavily in a short amount of time(i.e. doing the crazy acceleration).

For a while there were motor/drive train issues. I haven't followed closely enough to see if that's been fixed, but I know one owner personally who has been through 3 drive units with his Model S.

Plus, you still have body parts, interior parts, and all the technology interfaces that are similar to a traditional car. Early on in Model 3 production, there were issues with the touch screen(don't remember what exactly), and stuff like that can kill one down the road.

Again, haven't really looked at this in a few months, but collision parts were really expensive, hard to get, and had to be fitted at a Tesla facility. That runs insurance up a lot on them.

And yes, weight does have an affect on road wear. It's not a huge difference, especially since a lot of SUVs and things are as heavy as the heavier Teslas. Still, the are somewhat heavier than a comparably sized IC vehicle. And yes, batteries weigh a lot.

In theory(and in practice) an EV is more efficient(in terms of energy in being turned into moving the vehicle forward) than a comparable IC vehicle. The MPGe specs are supposed to compare this, and most EVs are 100+ MPGe.

In addition even when looking at fossil fuels, a stationary power plant is more versatile, can usually work at somewhat higher thermal efficiency than a car, and can trap/sequester the emissions better. IC vehicles need gasoline or diesel, and that's all they can operate on. Power plants can be designed to run a pretty wide variety of different fuels. There's also the elephant in the room of renewable energy(hydro, wind, solar, etc) that are becoming more common. So, at the end of the day it's good that EVs are not dependent on any one particular power source.

I don't mean to be 100% EV negative, it's just that there are reasons that I'd have reservations about buying any Tesla now, much less a used/nearly out of warranty one. EVs as a whole(which, by the way, are older technology in production cars vs. gasoline engines) are now coming into their own as a more mature technology that's actually now viable for things beyond running 20 miles around town. They're good for a lot of use cases, just not there for everything.

 

[44267547]

Whats their to repair?

I don’t know if that I would View it like that necessarily, I wouldn’t look at it like ‘What is their to repair’, more like ‘What is the cost to have something repaired’. There’s Tesla forums that could easily answer that question and more. If you think about the amount of on-board electronics, there’s plenty that can go wrong. Now, I don’t know anyone that had any severe issues with their Tesla, but again, you would have more specifics if you look at a Tesla forum where drivers are accruing well over 50,000 miles.

Oh, One thing worth mentioning, (is from my neighbors Model S experience), he went through three set a tires in one year, given the amount of torque that these cars produce, it just eats tread like crazy. So factor in a 20 inch wheel with a premium tire, you could be spending north of $4000 in tires a year alone. [Pending how much/fast you Drive accordingly.]

 

[bunnspecial]

Putting aside the potential for repairs to come up, at one time at least Tesla made it virtually impossible for independent shops(outside MA, which has a right to repair law) get any repair parts or procedures. Tesla is not part of the right to repair agreement that EVERY OTHER vehicle manufacturer has signed on to.

Even if your Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf breaks outside warranty, the parts and procedures to have it fixed by a shop of your choosing or even attempt to repair it yourself are out there. With Tesla at least, you have no assurance of that.

That's also putting aside the fact that a lot of the available repair procedures are horrendously complicated. Most any modern car is complicated and needs some knowledge and tools/resources(beyond what a shade tree mechanic can often figure out) to do a lot of jobs, but still the parts are there as are repair manuals(if you want to pay for them).

Practically speaking, any out of warranty repairs on a Tesla are pretty much going to be at the whims of their service centers.

 

[D.T.]

Whats their to repair? its basically a battery turning a wheel around on the opposite of a combustion engine with all its fluids and coolants.

To actually answer your question All the things that break/fail in cars: electrical systems, suspension parts, gears/gearbox/transmission, in car electronics, seat mechanisms, air conditioner/heaters, window motors, even brakes (and Teslas are way more complex since they're regenerative). While a Tesla doesn't have a internal combustion engine, it has, let's call it, "equivalent components" that can break: the electric motors (remember there's multiple), their gearbox/transfer mechanisms (i.e., even EVs have to get the power to the tires), the charging subsystem, the batteries.

FYI, many owners don't go through tires at that rate, if you've got an Model S, and you're doing constant standing start extreme launches sure. However, I know quite a few people with Teslas (MS, M3, Y), and they're getting way more normal tire consumption, just having X performance capacity on tap doesn't mean it inherently destroys tires (especially with AWD, which tends to prevent tire slippage, i.e., spinning and consuming tires).

 

[MacBH928]

I didnt know electric cars had gears and transmission, i thoughtbelectric power go to the wheel and just spins it as much power as you require it.

Many people here refer to Tesla and how expensive it is, but its not the only electric vehicle out there. I dont know if others are better or worse but I imagine Nissan and Chevrolette should be much cheaper in price and repair.

I honestly dont know why people are so much exclusively into Tesla's, i thought because they are more into exotic categories like Porsche and Mercedes

 

[44267547]

I really don’t think there’s anything really that exclusive about a Tesla. What you’re buying, is the experience and the cost savings of fuel. But in the same respect, you have a company like Tesla that wants to make these cars ‘fun‘ given they still really aren’t the ‘norm’ for everyday driving.

In my area, for example; three years ago, you maybe saw a Model S tesla driving around Sporadically, now, I see Model 3’s every single day. And that’s to show you Tesla expanded on the price points coupled with more affordability under the Model S, but also their production has obviously ramped up to meet the demands.
*********************

@AutoUnion39? Any thoughts on this topic? I always appreciated your feedback on Tesla and other car specs’, super knowledgeable. I’m Looking at that Model 3 we discussed a while back you mentioned through previous messaging.

 

[robbieduncan]

I didnt know electric cars had gears and transmission, i thoughtbelectric power go to the wheel and just spins it as much power as you require it.

My understanding was that Teslas were as you describe: single speed. The Porsche Taycan is 2 speed I believe. So it can both accelerate quickly and cruise at very high speed efficiently.

Some PHEVs drive the electric motor through the gearbox. My VW Passat GTE is like that. In that case I believe it's because the electric motor is small and low torque so needs the gearbox to compensate.

 

[D.T.]

My understanding was that Teslas were as you describe: single speed. The Porsche Taycan is 2 speed I believe. So it can both accelerate quickly and cruise at very high speed efficiently.

There's a pretty fun "race" video of a MS Perf vs. a Taycan TS, the Tesla actually matches the Taycan up till (I believe it was) ~100, but with the extra gear, the Porsche starts to pull away.

I didnt know electric cars had gears and transmission, i thoughtbelectric power go to the wheel and just spins it as much power as you require it.

Many people here refer to Tesla and how expensive it is, but its not the only electric vehicle out there. I dont know if others are better or worse but I imagine Nissan and Chevrolette should be much cheaper in price and repair.

I honestly dont know why people are so much exclusively into Tesla's, i thought because they are more into exotic categories like Porsche and Mercedes

Well, that was all pretty loosy/goosy terminology - which is why I said, "equivalent components", there's still, AFAIK, a differential (with gears), half-shafts, you know some kind of "transfer box" since it has two motors and is driving 4 wheels. The point being, there are failure components that include things that are common to any car (HVAC) and even though it's an EV, there's still "engine" related components that can fail, a good bit fewer than an ICE, but not magically immune to breaking.

Umm, they're not really "exotic" as a brand, I mean, a base Model 3 is a quick Camry Tesla has a big jump on charging tech / infrastructure, Musk is a very Jobs-sian like figure, quirky, outspoken, obviously an incredibly bright guy, his whole car philosophy is rooted in "saving the planet", which may just be lip service, but I mean, the dude builds spacecraft He elicits an extreme response in people, whether that's love or hate. As pointed out, there's also some problems with repairs, build quality, etc., we might consider an EV when our DD/RT lease comes up next May, I'll have to re-evaluate the market, I really dig on the upcoming BMW I4.


Check this out:

Watch this Video to Find Out What's Inside a Tesla Motor

Watch Watch this Video to Find Out What's Inside a Tesla Motor on Interesting Engineering. Explore the latest in technology!

interestingengineering.com

Some discussion of gears / tramissions:

EV Transmissions Are Coming, And It's A Good Thing - CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News! Recently, ZF announced a two-speed EV transaxle/drive unit, and around the same time, more details about the Porsche Taycan came out. For the Taycan, there was more confirmation that the vehicle will have a...

cleantechnica.com

 

[robbieduncan]

Well, that was all pretty loosy/goosy terminology - which is why I said, "equivalent components", there's still, AFAIK, a differential (with gears), half-shafts, you know some kind of "transfer box" since it has two motors and is driving 4 wheels.

Until someone ships a car with a motor per (driven) wheel a diff will be required. Not so sure on the transfer box. The 2 motor/4wd cars have 1 motor driving the front and 1 the back. With the Teslas they actively switch around between FWD/RWD/4WD as needed and as efficiency demands. In the Model S the switch to front motor/FWD when cruising as it's lower power draw

 

[D.T.]

Until someone ships a car with a motor per (driven) wheel a diff will be required. Not so sure on the transfer box. The 2 motor/4wd cars have 1 motor driving the front and 1 the back. With the Teslas they actively switch around between FWD/RWD/4WD as needed and as efficiency demands. In the Model S the switch to front motor/FWD when cruising as it's lower power draw

Sure, you still have to move power around, and even with 4 motors, I'm not sure how "direct" the drive system would be, i.e., it would likely still necessitate some kind of motor-to-wheel power transfer type mechanism. I only mentioned a transfer box as sort of a catch all for cases where power needs to be moved front-to-rear without a second motor (if such an implementation is a thing).

All the talk about drive systems, it occured to me: the motors/diffs are always connected (vs. a lockout/clutch sort of mechanism) on a Tesla, like if the front wheels are not engaged, the motors aren't "on", but they just spins freely[?] I guess with the OTF FWD/RWD/AWD system, it allows it to just basically switch on the motor at a specific power level, and *poof*, your drive system is at the exact power state you need.

We talk about packing up, moving to a large city, we'd probably roll both our cars into a single EV (I told the wife, it might need to be a Model S Perf, she said no sweat )

 

[robbieduncan]

My point was that to go round corners you need the wheels to turn at different speeds. So either separate drive trains/motors or diffs.

In terms of no clutch: there is no need. The electric motors can easily "free wheel" hence the tricks with using one motor/driven set of wheels or the other

 

[D.T.]

My point was that to go round corners you need the wheels to turn at different speeds. So either separate drive trains/motors or diffs.

Right, that was equally my point, carry on

Yeah, assumed that was the case with power/no-power, and like I said, that also allows for instant power allocation (with little to no mechanical inefficiency). Pretty neat.

My reasons for not owning one at the moment certainly don't stem from them not having some really slick tech.

 

[bunnspecial]

To actually answer your question All the things that break/fail in cars: electrical systems, suspension parts, gears/gearbox/transmission, in car electronics, seat mechanisms, air conditioner/heaters, window motors, even brakes (and Teslas are way more complex since they're regenerative). While a Tesla doesn't have a internal combustion engine, it has, let's call it, "equivalent components" that can break: the electric motors (remember there's multiple), their gearbox/transfer mechanisms (i.e., even EVs have to get the power to the tires), the charging subsystem, the batteries.

Just to build on what you said-

I don't know when I last had serious drivetrain issues on a modern IC car. They like an oil change every few thousand miles, and you should change the transmission fluid a lot more often than most people do. Most every "breakdown" you'll find is related to things like the cooling system(which, BTW, Teslas have), the alternator/charging system-which is a cheap repair-and my last super expensive repair was the A/C. Guess what too-Teslas have A/C and it doesn't work any differently than it does on any other car.

Aside from that, change your spark plugs at 100K miles or so, change your put a new serpentine belt in when you have issues, if you have a timing belt be proactive in changing it.

Catastropic engine failures are rare now. Most cars arrive at the junkyard with perfectly running engines, and plenty go 200K+ miles without ever having been "opened"(i.e. head, oil pan, etc). About the only serious thing I hear of happening is an engine overheading and warping the aluminum head, but depending on how bad it is, it can usually be saved if you care to.

As you said, all the other stuff outside the drivetrain that can break on any car is still there on Teslas and will wear out or break. Some of the fancy tech can be even more problematic than cars that use tried-and-true designs.

 

[44267547]

Sold my 2015 Honda Accord and picked up a 2019 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range! It's the cheapest one they make, but it's actually the next one up with some limitations (220 miles vs 240, live traffic on GPS, heated seats {though these work right now}, autopilot {not sure if it's active or not, will have to test it out})

LOVE this car! so much fun to drive

I realize this is an older post, but I remember you buying your 19’ Model 3. I’m just curious to see what your expectations have been thus far, dislikes/likes, or any of the above you want to provide feedback on. (I’m looking at the Perm. Pack Model 3 in white) You can also personally message me as in the past.

Thanks John.

 

[MacBH928]

There's a pretty fun "race" video of a MS Perf vs. a Taycan TS, the Tesla actually matches the Taycan up till (I believe it was) ~100, but with the extra gear, the Porsche starts to pull away.




Well, that was all pretty loosy/goosy terminology - which is why I said, "equivalent components", there's still, AFAIK, a differential (with gears), half-shafts, you know some kind of "transfer box" since it has two motors and is driving 4 wheels. The point being, there are failure components that include things that are common to any car (HVAC) and even though it's an EV, there's still "engine" related components that can fail, a good bit fewer than an ICE, but not magically immune to breaking.

Umm, they're not really "exotic" as a brand, I mean, a base Model 3 is a quick Camry Tesla has a big jump on charging tech / infrastructure, Musk is a very Jobs-sian like figure, quirky, outspoken, obviously an incredibly bright guy, his whole car philosophy is rooted in "saving the planet", which may just be lip service, but I mean, the dude builds spacecraft He elicits an extreme response in people, whether that's love or hate. As pointed out, there's also some problems with repairs, build quality, etc., we might consider an EV when our DD/RT lease comes up next May, I'll have to re-evaluate the market, I really dig on the upcoming BMW I4.


Check this out:

Watch this Video to Find Out What's Inside a Tesla Motor

Watch Watch this Video to Find Out What's Inside a Tesla Motor on Interesting Engineering. Explore the latest in technology!

interestingengineering.com

Some discussion of gears / tramissions:

EV Transmissions Are Coming, And It's A Good Thing - CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News! Recently, ZF announced a two-speed EV transaxle/drive unit, and around the same time, more details about the Porsche Taycan came out. For the Taycan, there was more confirmation that the vehicle will have a...

cleantechnica.com

Well if electric cars still have gears then they should require oil changing too my understanding is that oil cools the gears and prevents their damage. Most of what I read on the internet and youtube videos electric car owners seems to imply that other than charging their cars they do nothing else to it, it just works.

Are the charging cables standard or does each car manufacturer has a propriety charging nozzle?
I also wonder what goes into those batteries, lihtium ion? I don't what that is but how much of it exists in the world and what happens if it becomes rare.

Much respect to Musk for naming an electric car after Tesla, that guy was never paid enough respect by history. It works very well as a brand name too.

Until someone ships a car with a motor per (driven) wheel a diff will be required. Not so sure on the transfer box. The 2 motor/4wd cars have 1 motor driving the front and 1 the back. With the Teslas they actively switch around between FWD/RWD/4WD as needed and as efficiency demands. In the Model S the switch to front motor/FWD when cruising as it's lower power draw

Actually this is how I thought electric cars work, like an electric fan. electricity reaches the wheel and turns it as fast as you want, no gears or transmissions. I like the idea of the car being able to switch from FWD/RWD/4WD you don't have to choose one or the other but can have the best of everything. Is this possible with gas cars? I know 4WD can distribute power differently to each tire but I don't know if it can go fully FWD or RWD.

 

[bunnspecial]

Well if electric cars still have gears then they should require oil changing too my understanding is that oil cools the gears and prevents their damage. Most of what I read on the internet and youtube videos electric car owners seems to imply that other than charging their cars they do nothing else to it, it just works.

Are the charging cables standard or does each car manufacturer has a propriety charging nozzle?

To be fair, many people neglect the differentials in their rear wheel drive vehicles, and you'll hear of well over 100K miles without someone even thinking about it, much less changing it. I did it at 80K on my last RWD sedan-it's a nasty enough job that I actually paid someone else to do it(gear oil is stinky to start with, and heavily used gear oil has a lot of break down of additives that make anything it touches smell like rotten eggs for a week). I used a reasonably high volume tire shop that I use to do business with a lot, and they told me they rarely did more than one rear end change a month.

That reminds me-that's the only fluid I haven't changed in my MG, and I should see if I can get my mechanic to do it when he drops the engine and transmission back in. If not, I'll tackle it myself.

As far as plugs-Tesla does have their own proprietary one that allows Super Chargers to pump a lot of current in, and also keeps other EVs from using the Super Charger. There is a "standard" EV charging plug, and most of the non-Tesla public chargers you see have them. Tesla gives you an adapter to use these.

 

[44267547]

Looking ahead at current options to trade in my 2014 2.0 T Sonata as follows :

1.) Tesla Model S Perfm.
2.) 19’ Camaro 2SS
3.) Camry XSE 3.5 or Avalon TRD

Let me just pre-face by saying, I never wanted to own a Camry, because of how ugly they’ve been in the past, regardless of the reliability and strong resale.

But Not one person can deny or Not give credit to Toyota for what they’ve done with the Camry On styling. On my way home tonight from work, my local Toyota actually had a 3.5 XSE ‘blacktop trim‘ on the front of lot [It has everything you can think of.] Which the number one selling model is the 2.5 L trim (Price, fuel economy) and I believe there was a past report of a staggered number that Toyota only Produces 10% of the 3.5 XSE trims. So they’re not exactly all that ‘common‘, but this one has the ‘red pepper leather interior‘ that I really like as well. I haven’t driven one yet, but I did watch a review by ‘Savage geese’, and he said the power is there, but it’s throttled by Toyotas ECM. But talking to one person who owns the 3.5L trim, had said it has more than enough power to satisfy ‘the need‘. If anyone has any experience with the 3.5l trim in terms of performance, please chime in, as I’d really be interested to know someone else’s thoughts versus a structured video/canned review.

If this only had a V-8, it would be a ‘done deal’ With in the hour. But still..... In the least, I have to go drive this to make an informed decision.

 

[MacBH928]

browsing the web sometimes I hear weird opinions on car reliability. For example top 5 or top 10 can include cars like Audi, Mercedes, Peugeot...etc . My understanding is that the most reliable hard working cars are the Japanese and maybe the Koreans mainly Hyundai, which my favourite car mechanic, Scotty Kilmer seems to agree to. Maybe those are paid advertisements?

Am I missing something? there are a lot of jokes about car reliability like FORD(Fix or Repair Daily). Also Europeans seem to have an odd choice, they don't favour the Japanese reliability and rather go for stuff like Skoda, Renault, Fiat, and Seat. Sure I would like to check different cars out, but if I am paying thousands surely I will go with the most reliable brand than waste my investment and time in the mechanic shop.