The Car Thread ... !

[RSB96]

I like it quite a bit better than the current one, which is too organic in design and I think has aged rather poorly.

The biggest problem I see with it is that the taillights look too big to me.

The interior looks very modern, clean and nice to me. The air vents give an industrial touch to the interior, I find them very nice and original.

The hatch version might fix the rear of the car a bit. In Europe will come the hybrid version with 131 hp that has been seen in the new HRV and TypeR version. This sedan version is not very clear to me if it will arrive or not, because the current version is hardly seen on our streets.

 

[bunnspecial]

There's a reason why I don't like others working on my car.

I mentioned having new tires put on a couple of weeks ago.

You're supposed to check the torque alloy wheels after ~50 miles or so, but hardly anyone does it, and I've never had one move in the past after doing it.

I figured I'd do it anyway yesterday, and what I found made me a lot less than happy. At least one wheel had a lug nut that apparently a gorilla had put on. I started torque checking them with a beam type wrench(which you can safely use "backwards") but quit on a few when I pegged the wrench at 120 ft-lbs. They took me standing on a 2ft breaker to move.

At the same time also, at least one nut on every wheel basically took at least 1/2 additional turn(the worst one took 1 1/2 turns) to reach the spec torque for these wheels(80 ft-lbs).

I know I should have checked it, but I've NEVER seen a shop mess up torquing wheels so badly. This is literally one of the easiest jobs on the car-you can train the counter person to do it if you need to! I need to remove the super tight ones completely and make sure they didn't stretch the stud, while I'm fortunate that the too loose ones didn't break or come off completely.

 

[SactoGuy18]

As for the new 2022 Civic--I like the design. The problem with the previous Civic model was that both the front and rear ends were "overly-styled" and just didn't look good even after the mid-cycle refresh a few years ago. I do expect the hatchback to be sold in the USA, since it will be built at Honda's Greensburg, Indiana assembly line. And there's a small chance we may see the hybrid version of the hatchback in the US market, probably using a high-power version of the e-HEV hybrid system.

 

[Nütztjanix]

There's a reason why I don't like others working on my car.

I mentioned having new tires put on a couple of weeks ago.

You're supposed to check the torque alloy wheels after ~50 miles or so, but hardly anyone does it, and I've never had one move in the past after doing it.

I figured I'd do it anyway yesterday, and what I found made me a lot less than happy. At least one wheel had a lug nut that apparently a gorilla had put on. I started torque checking them with a beam type wrench(which you can safely use "backwards") but quit on a few when I pegged the wrench at 120 ft-lbs. They took me standing on a 2ft breaker to move.

At the same time also, at least one nut on every wheel basically took at least 1/2 additional turn(the worst one took 1 1/2 turns) to reach the spec torque for these wheels(80 ft-lbs).

I know I should have checked it, but I've NEVER seen a shop mess up torquing wheels so badly. This is literally one of the easiest jobs on the car-you can train the counter person to do it if you need to! I need to remove the super tight ones completely and make sure they didn't stretch the stud, while I'm fortunate that the too loose ones didn't break or come off completely.

My (daily) experience with workshops is that hardly anybody uses torque wrench for fastening wheels. It's done with the impact wrench because that's easier and faster - and also quite dangerous, as these often have way too high torque. I've seen more than one sheared bolt …

 

[Apple fanboy]

My (daily) experience with workshops is that hardly anybody uses torque wrench for fastening wheels. It's done with the impact wrench because that's easier and faster - and also quite dangerous, as these often have way too high torque. I've seen more than one sheared bolt …

Not a ring spanner and a 2m persuading tube?

Gave my very dirty car interior a very thorough clean. Twigs, leave and soil everywhere!

 

[44267547]

As for the new 2022 Civic--I like the design. The problem with the previous Civic model was that both the front and rear ends were "overly-styled" and just didn't look good even after the mid-cycle refresh a few years ago. I do expect the hatchback to be sold in the USA, since it will be built at Honda's Greensburg, Indiana assembly line. And there's a small chance we may see the hybrid version of the hatchback in the US market, probably using a high-power version of the e-HEV hybrid system.

The previous Gen Civic was using faux honey comb vents in the front and rear bumpers, which is looked very ‘Auto-zone’ cheap. It’s a style that manufactures are finally moving away from that was initially started by Ford. Also, it was very rounded, now it’s flattering out.

To your point, you’re correct, this is a very mature looking design that Honda is using for the Civic. Although I don’t think it’s really anything to stark, but maybe that’s what makes it look so mature, and it seems like it’s bridging off the Honda Accord with Acura design elements if you look at the comparison photos. The interior also has quite a few changes that totally adopted the Honda Accord design, which isn’t a bad thing.

 

[JohnR]

This was at a local Ford dealership...crazy mark up on it.

 

[44267547]

$111,000? That’s not even close to what they are selling for in Michigan. Just with the carbon fiber package alone (Which is another ~$19k), starts at $140k here before taxes [OTD, probably closer to $155-ish]. For $111k, that won’t last long before its locally sold or ‘long range buyers’ take it.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Chatting with a chap I know on Saturday about cars and he had a horror story with his Hyundai Ioniq. It had a recall so he received a letter to take it to our nearest dealership which is in Hereford. Once he arrived he was told all their electrical engineers had resigned and he’d have to book it in at Bristol. He got to the other branch and they told him he’d have to leave his car with them and get a train home (3hrs). Finally got the car updated and he decided to get rid of it as it’s been buggy and the customer service is appalling.

No dealership would take this car in part ex for various reasons. He finally managed to get a deal on an Audi A3 in northern England. So why are dealers not wanting to touch these cars I wonder?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Chatting with a chap I know on Saturday about cars and he had a horror story with his Hyundai Ioniq. It had a recall so he received a letter to take it to our nearest dealership which is in Hereford. Once he arrived he was told all their electrical engineers had resigned and he’d have to book it in at Bristol. He got to the other branch and they told him he’d have to leave his car with them and get a train home (3hrs). Finally got the car updated and he decided to get rid of it as it’s been buggy and the customer service is appalling.

No dealership would take this car in part ex for various reasons. He finally managed to get a deal on an Audi A3 in northern England. So why are dealers not wanting to touch these cars I wonder?

That’s terrible. He’ll be happy with the Audi A3 I’m sure. German reliability.

 

[SactoGuy18]

The more I think about it, if I had the money I'd get myself a Tesla Model Y Long-Range with Autopilot (no Full Self Driving) and end it at that.

 

[Polly Mercocet]

The more I think about it, if I had the money I'd get myself a Tesla Model Y Long-Range with Autopilot (no Full Self Driving) and end it at that.

Once I move outta London I'm buying myself a blacked out Tesla Model 3 for sure. With Enhanced Autopilot because it seems to do most of what FSD does anyway and I personally believe FSD is a pipe dream for the foreseeable future.

Elon himself tweeted this the other day:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1387901003664699392

I think he's completely right and it isn't trivial either.

Autopilot will certainly get more advanced over time as a driver assistance system but FSD isn't just around the corner.

 

[Huntn]

My 2012 Fiat 500:

not my image
​

...with 50k miles on it developed 2 oil leaks, one at the forward engine seal and another in the vicinity of the oil pump. Is that common, or is this a case of Fix It Again Tony? Fortunately I purchased a lifetime maintenance warranty though MOPAR at the time of purchase ($3k).

This car waited for 3 weeks to get parts. Now the interesting part, although warranty company approved the repair, in the process of disassembling the engine, they came across a bolt that has seized (I think it is in the vicinity of the camshaft) and they were worried that they would break a sprocket (?) and when they asked MOPAR, MOPAR would not cover this because “the bolt as is was not broken”. What the hell?

I would describe a seized bolt as defective and if it hinders a repair, the expense of replacing it should be covered IMO.

Now the estimate cost of this bolt if broken is $50, which obviously in the big picture, is a drop in the bucket, but MOPAR nor the dealer would cover this expense, and they expect me the customer to pay for this? From my perspective this is not about cost but principle, and it’s absolutely chicken **** that they are refusing to cover it.

MOPAR has a dispute board where I will file a complaint, and I will check with my lawyer, but $50 is not worth a lawsuit.

Thoughts?

 

[Allyance]

My (daily) experience with workshops is that hardly anybody uses torque wrench for fastening wheels. It's done with the impact wrench because that's easier and faster - and also quite dangerous, as these often have way too high torque. I've seen more than one sheared bolt …

I had a part time job at local Honda Dealer and I watched the mechanics take off wheels with impact wrench, but NEVER used it to put them on. Honda had a special torque wrench preset to the proper torque to put them back on.

 

[Apple fanboy]

My 2012 Fiat 500:

View attachment 1770901
not my image
​

...with 50k miles on it developed 2 oil leaks, one at the forward engine seal and another in the vicinity of the oil pump. Is that common, or is this a case of Fix It Again Tony? Fortunately I purchased a lifetime maintenance warranty though MOPAR at the time of purchase ($3k).

This car waited for 3 weeks to get parts. Now the interesting part, although warranty company approved the repair, in the process of disassembling the engine, they came across a bolt that has seized (I think it is in the vicinity of the camshaft) and they were worried that they would break a sprocket (?) and when they asked MOPAR, MOPAR would not cover this because “the bolt as is was not broken”. What the hell?

I would describe a seized bolt as defective and if it hinders a repair, the expense of replacing it should be covered IMO.

Now the estimate cost of this bolt if broken is $50, which obviously in the big picture, is a drop in the bucket, but MOPAR nor the dealer would cover this expense, and they expect me the customer to pay for this? From my perspective this is not about cost but principle, and it’s absolutely chicken **** that they are refusing to cover it.

MOPAR has a dispute board where I will file a complaint, and I will check with my lawyer, but $50 is not worth a lawsuit.

Thoughts?

Thats why I've never taken out a warranty on a car. All the small print that says we will do X but won't cover Y or Z. It really doesn't give you anymore peace of mind in the end. Fight your corner if you can, but it will probably improve your life expectancy if you just swallow it!

 

[Huntn]

Thats why I've never taken out a warranty on a car. All the small print that says we will do X but won't cover Y or Z. It really doesn't give you anymore peace of mind in the end. Fight your corner if you can, but it will probably improve your life expectancy if you just swallow it!

I can’t comment until I see what the bill would have been without a warranty. I do know that if I had no warranty, the work would not be done at the dealer.

 

[bunnspecial]

I had a part time job at local Honda Dealer and I watched the mechanics take off wheels with impact wrench, but NEVER used it to put them on. Honda had a special torque wrench preset to the proper torque to put them back on.

I've been guilty of spinning lug nuts back on with an impact, but I do so with a low powered one(battery powered, usually ~300ft-lbs max) on its lowest torque setting and stop the first time I feel it hammer rather than just spin.

From there it's a torque wrench the rest of the way.

My 1/2" clicker died for no apparent reason(it won't click on any setting), so for now I'm actually using an old beam and pointer type where I need 1/2" drive. It's not as convenient to use as a clicker, but I like seeing when I'm coming up on the torque value, or being able to do things like see what torque is required to turn a bolt when it is turning.

 

[jeyf]

it is a 2012 so your getting your money's worth out of it.
you have done well

 

[bunnspecial]

I needed to have some parts sandblasted, and of course which of these makes more sense?

1. Pay someone $25 or so to do it

2. Buy $400 worth of stuff to do it myself.

Of course, I chose option 2. I didn't have an air compressor, and for a DIY car guy it's a pretty valuable tool for a lot of things. Unfortunately, sandblasting really needs more of a compressor than can reasonably even fit or have the power for now(much less afford), but I ended up with something that can do a reasonable job in short spurts.

I did learn a few things about sandblasting, though

1. You will get blasting media in places you didn't know existed

2. Trying to improvise your own blasting cabinet out of a carboard box isn't a great idea as it will just kick media back at you, but does at least recover some

3. Even with safety glasses on, you will still get media in your eyes. Fortunately it just saves you from direct hits

4. Say what you will about supply shortages:I was glad I had a small stash of industrial/construction grade N95s, and by golly I used one after getting a nose and mouth full of it when just using a plain face mask yesterday

5. Be ready to paint immediately, as stuff flash rusts within a minute of you blasting it.

Still, though, I was pretty pleased with my work. It's not perfect, but hopefully I've at least kept some rust at bay

This is part of a larger job to redo my rear suspension bushings, which have gone bad after 5 years. I'm going with poly, which will hopefully last another 50 years.

Here's it all taken apart on one side

Among other things, I'm replacing a lot of hardware and rebuilding the shock absorbers(seen top right-Armstrong lever arm hydraulic). Since the springs have settled unevenly in 5 years, I'm swapping them side to side. I didn't order shackles, but was finally able to clean up all the old nasty rubber I didn't get 5 years ago with the sandblaster. I also smoothed out the pins in the shackle on a bench grinder, again something I didn't do several years ago.

My first attempt at sandblasting-only a couple of parts here done

I finished everything for this side today, although I'm debating about completely replacing the suspension drop link. It would be fine aside from the fact that the rubber is shot in it and I don't think I can buy those bushings separately.

BTW, for those of you who don't seem to know any different, this is called "maintenance" and not "breaking down every time I drive the car."

 

[JohnR]

The more I think about it, if I had the money I'd get myself a Tesla Model Y Long-Range with Autopilot (no Full Self Driving) and end it at that.

That's what I have. No regrets

 

[Apple fanboy]

I needed to have some parts sandblasted, and of course which of these makes more sense?

1. Pay someone $25 or so to do it

2. Buy $400 worth of stuff to do it myself.

Of course, I chose option 2. I didn't have an air compressor, and for a DIY car guy it's a pretty valuable tool for a lot of things. Unfortunately, sandblasting really needs more of a compressor than can reasonably even fit or have the power for now(much less afford), but I ended up with something that can do a reasonable job in short spurts.

I did learn a few things about sandblasting, though

1. You will get blasting media in places you didn't know existed

2. Trying to improvise your own blasting cabinet out of a carboard box isn't a great idea as it will just kick media back at you, but does at least recover some

3. Even with safety glasses on, you will still get media in your eyes. Fortunately it just saves you from direct hits

4. Say what you will about supply shortages:I was glad I had a small stash of industrial/construction grade N95s, and by golly I used one after getting a nose and mouth full of it when just using a plain face mask yesterday

5. Be ready to paint immediately, as stuff flash rusts within a minute of you blasting it.

Still, though, I was pretty pleased with my work. It's not perfect, but hopefully I've at least kept some rust at bay

This is part of a larger job to redo my rear suspension bushings, which have gone bad after 5 years. I'm going with poly, which will hopefully last another 50 years.

Here's it all taken apart on one side

View attachment 1772072

Among other things, I'm replacing a lot of hardware and rebuilding the shock absorbers(seen top right-Armstrong lever arm hydraulic). Since the springs have settled unevenly in 5 years, I'm swapping them side to side. I didn't order shackles, but was finally able to clean up all the old nasty rubber I didn't get 5 years ago with the sandblaster. I also smoothed out the pins in the shackle on a bench grinder, again something I didn't do several years ago.

My first attempt at sandblasting-only a couple of parts here done
View attachment 1772075

I finished everything for this side today, although I'm debating about completely replacing the suspension drop link. It would be fine aside from the fact that the rubber is shot in it and I don't think I can buy those bushings separately.

BTW, for those of you who don't seem to know any different, this is called "maintenance" and not "breaking down every time I drive the car."

Sandblasting looks like fun, but would soon get annoying. Especially with the getting it everywhere! Hope it turns out well and lasts.

 

[Huntn]

My 2012 Fiat 500:

View attachment 1770901
not my image
​

...with 50k miles on it developed 2 oil leaks, one at the forward engine seal and another in the vicinity of the oil pump. Is that common, or is this a case of Fix It Again Tony? Fortunately I purchased a lifetime maintenance warranty though MOPAR at the time of purchase ($3k).

This car waited for 3 weeks to get parts. Now the interesting part, although warranty company approved the repair, in the process of disassembling the engine, they came across a bolt that has seized (I think it is in the vicinity of the camshaft) and they were worried that they would break a sprocket (?) and when they asked MOPAR, MOPAR would not cover this because “the bolt as is was not broken”. What the hell?

I would describe a seized bolt as defective and if it hinders a repair, the expense of replacing it should be covered IMO.

Now the estimate cost of this bolt if broken is $50, which obviously in the big picture, is a drop in the bucket, but MOPAR nor the dealer would cover this expense, and they expect me the customer to pay for this? From my perspective this is not about cost but principle, and it’s absolutely chicken **** that they are refusing to cover it.

MOPAR has a dispute board where I will file a complaint, and I will check with my lawyer, but $50 is not worth a lawsuit.

Thoughts?

@applefanboy
The 2012 Fiat 500 Saga continues.
The Good News: The dealer pushed the warranty company who agreed to pay the $50 for the broken bolt.

The Bad News: After putting the car engine back together they discovered that although the seals no longer leak, when it gets up to operating temperature the oil pressure drops to <4psi. Note before I took it it I was not getting a low oil pressure light. Then they took off the oil filter and discovered metal shavings. I spoke with the Service department manager who said things like they think the crankshaft is wandering, hence the metal savings. The described verdict: Catastrophic Failure, his words, they don’t do engine rebuilds, just engine replacements, about another 2 weeks in the shop. Waiting to see if MOPAR has a problem with this as it is their lifetime warranty. According to the manager this repair would run $7-8k.

The Good News Part 2: The warranty covers this kind of failure. My out of pocket cost should be the deductible $100.

I told the Fiat Dealer Service manager that I was close to 70 years old, had owned many cars, and have never had a car engine self destruct at 50k miles. This business with a seized bolt leads me to speculate that this engine was not assembled properly at the factory, but fortunately, MOPAR, not me will end up eating it.

 

[Apple fanboy]

@applefanboy
The 2012 Fiat 500 Saga continues.
The Good News: The dealer pushed the warranty company who agreed to pay the $50 for the broken bolt.

The Bad News: After putting the car engine back together they discovered that although the seals no longer leak, when it gets up to operating temperature the oil pressure drops to <4psi. Note before I took it it I was not getting a low oil pressure light. Then they took off the oil filter and discovered metal shavings. I spoke with the Service department manager who said things like they think the crankshaft is wandering, hence the metal savings. The described verdict: Catastrophic Failure, his words, they don’t do engine rebuilds, just engine replacements, about another 2 weeks in the shop. Waiting to see if MOPAR has a problem with this as it is their lifetime warranty. According to the manager this repair would run $7-8k.

The Good News Part 2: The warranty covers this kind of failure. My out of pocket cost should be the deductible $100.

I told the Fiat Dealer Service manager that I was close to 70 years old, had owned many cars, and have never had a car engine self destruct at 50k miles. This business with a seized bolt leads me to speculate that this engine was not assembled properly at the factory, but fortunately, MOPAR, not me will end up eating it.

Well if you get a new engine for $100 I’d say bargain! Looks like the warranty gamble paid off this time. Now if they could just do a respray for a more tasteful colour......😃

 

[Cnasty]

Whats the community's thoughts/opinions on the Challenger?
It has long been my dream car and I am in love with this combo here and negotiating on an order right now but I know prices are a bit escalated and may win out by waiting until 2022 are released and they clear the final 2020s out which are still out there.
Any fans/owners here?

Here is the spec I would want:

 

[Apple fanboy]

Whats the community's thoughts/opinions on the Challenger?
It has long been my dream car and I am in love with this combo here and negotiating on an order right now but I know prices are a bit escalated and may win out by waiting until 2022 are released and they clear the final 2020s out which are still out there.
Any fans/owners here?

Here is the spec I would want:
View attachment 1774625

Lovely colour.