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The Car Thread ... !
- Thread starter D.T.
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I think that became quite a ludicrous concept once other manufacturers were releasing vehicles with Apple CarPlay as a standard radio feature lol. Not to mention you can now buy third party car stereos now with it for a couple of hundred quid.
Indeed. I don’t know why more car manufacturers don’t embrace Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Easier for us. Easier for them.
I'm sure it's because they still have to pay for R&D for their own GPS'. Not everyone wants to use CarPlay Android Auto, and people may still want a vehicles built in GPS. They are used to being able to pass the cost along to a lot more customers, now they have to keep it going, and have a lot less to pass it onto.
I think car companies could save a lot of money as the built in satnav craze is well and truly over in 2022. With the likes of Waze and Google maps with smartphone popularity, CarPlay etc should be standard by now. My 2015 Audi has a satnav and it’s appallingly over complicated and I have no need to use it when I can use the navigation through my iPhone.
I still know people who don't want smart phones (granted they are older), or don't update their phones (my parents both have iphone 6). So, the people who actually have the money to walk in and buy a car in cash on a whim, still have to be taken into account.
Ref: 2012 Fiat 500 Saga:
It was the the front wheel drive CV axels, both of them leaking grease, fixed $4k warranty work. I paid $200. Also the sway bar is reported as slightly bent, not covered due to impact damage. I have no clue what impact that might have been as I’ve had none other than a pot hole or two.
Question about the sway bar, if one is bent is this a safety issue? I opted to allow my neighborhood mechanic to do this repair, for less than it would be as a dealer repair, but is there a rush?
Think about this, the car cost $18k new, I added a $3k Lifetime mechanical warranty and have had about $14k of warranty work done on this car. It’s 10 years old with 50k mikes on it. I like this car for local transportation but would not like it if I had paid the $14k if that warranty had not been in place.
Remember, Fiat pulled the plug on the USA market. Is this car a big seller in Europe? And is it as troubled mechanically in Europe? My car was built in Mexico… so much for an Italian vibe.
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Ref: 2012 Fiat 500 Saga:
It was the the front wheel drive CV axels, both of them leaking grease, fixed $4k warranty work. I paid $200. Also the sway bar is reported as slightly bent, not covered due to impact damage. I have no clue what impact that might have been as I’ve had none other than a pot hole or two.
Question about the sway bar, if one is bent is this a safety issue? I opted to allow my neighborhood mechanic to do this repair, for less than it would be as a dealer repair, but is there a rush?
Think about this, the car cost $18k new, I added a $3k Lifetime mechanical warranty and have had about $14k of warranty work done on this car. It’s 10 years old with 50k mikes on it. I like this car for local transportation but would not like it if I had paid the $14k if that warranty had not been in place.
Remember, Fiat pulled the plug on the USA market. Is this car a big seller in Europe? And is it as troubled mechanically in Europe? My car was built in Mexico… so much for an Italian vibe.
I would call that CV Boots, The rubber boots can tear, or the strap that holds the boot in place may not be on right. They would only need to be replaced is if the there was damage to he bearings because of moisture getting in. But dealers like to simply replace parts, instead of repairing.
Depending on how hard it is to access, it may be easier to remove the front subframe with engine. Either way, you would have to remove the suspension to get the CV axles out.
Sway bar. Unless it is fully compromised (post pictures), a simple bend should be too big of a deal. But if the sway bar goes, it could drag on the ground. Worst case, you could be in a turn, while the sway bar is under tension, then let go, causing you to have a sudden shift in center of gravity, causing you to have to correct steering. This could be dangerous. But in reality, I've never heard of a sway bar failing except after years of rust in a winter salt area. It would be helpful to see how much damage there is, before anyone can honestly say if it is immediate or not. Your neighbor should be able to crawl under and see how bad it is, and snap a picture for you.
Most sway bar swaps are very simple, but if you are going to pay out of pocket, a lot of people opt to upgrade to an aftermarket (cheaper and better). It will be stiffer and improve handling over stock. But knowing that you have the same warranty I have, you may want to see if this would void the warranty before going aftermarket.
Ref: 2012 Fiat 500 Saga:
It was the the front wheel drive CV axels, both of them leaking grease, fixed $4k warranty work. I paid $200. Also the sway bar is reported as slightly bent, not covered due to impact damage. I have no clue what impact that might have been as I’ve had none other than a pot hole or two.
Question about the sway bar, if one is bent is this a safety issue? I opted to allow my neighborhood mechanic to do this repair, for less than it would be as a dealer repair, but is there a rush?
Think about this, the car cost $18k new, I added a $3k Lifetime mechanical warranty and have had about $14k of warranty work done on this car. It’s 10 years old with 50k mikes on it. I like this car for local transportation but would not like it if I had paid the $14k if that warranty had not been in place.
Remember, Fiat pulled the plug on the USA market. Is this car a big seller in Europe? And is it as troubled mechanically in Europe? My car was built in Mexico… so much for an Italian vibe.
They are popular here in Europe but they are also known to be quite unreliable. I would say $14k of warranty work on a 10 year old car with just 50k on the clock is totally unacceptable. If I were you I’d get it sound and then offload it while it works.
Not that I need to tell someone British this, but don't forget also that the "hood" is what we call the convertible top.
As a side note, I nearly bought an XK8 before I bought my MG. Among other things, I'm rather fond of the AJ-V8, and my daily driver car for several years was powered by the Ford-only 3.9L version of it.
By the way, unless there's been an engine swap or an add-on, the car on the previous page is not supercharged. The factory supercharged version was the XKR.
Also, it's pretty hard to mistake an NA engine for a supercharged engine if you actually know what a car engine is supposed to look like. It's hard to hide a supercharger, and especially on a V engine when they tuck it right in the middle of the V.
Also, it's pretty hard to mistake an NA engine for a supercharged engine if you actually know what a car engine is supposed to look like. It's hard to hide a supercharger, and especially on a V engine when they tuck it right in the middle of the V.
Holy cow! I have had a total of four front CV/axle assemblies replaced on two previous cars (both Subaru Foresters). Those ran between $300-$400 per axle (out-the-door cost, parts plus labor at a reliable independent mechanic). If you watch the process on YouTube it's not really major surgery, especially for a mechanic at a shop.
Looking online, an OEM CV axle shaft assembly for the 500 runs about $250 per part. Given that, I don't understand how the same job on a Fiat 500 costs more than it did for my Subie by a factor of 5...even when going with a dealer. But at least you weren't out of pocket for the quoted 'cost.' It sounds to me like the mechanic is milking the reported cost of his warranty work by a massive margin.
Hmm, it is a dealer, used to be the Fiat dealer in Spring, Texas, and is now Northside Imports. They have to send pictures to the warranty provider (GM?) and explain why they are proposing what they proposing, before the warranty will be honored. Maybe they were damaged?
Suggestions on an inexpensive replacement car? This Fiat runs on gas and gets 40MPG on the highway. When we were looking at this, I checked out a Mini Cooper which was substantially more expensive. When purchased in 2012, this vehicle was about $18k. Imploding at 50k miles, it could be argued I got what I paid for, yet with the warranty I purchased, I mitigated that a bit.
Yes, it’s not supercharged. The auction itemized manifest stated it was according to the underwriter, which I assume was not listed properly with the XK8-XKR variant. Not uncommon these vehicles don’t list everything and/or are missing specs’ when listing auction vehicles. That, and this was my first ‘British’ blind buy.
Also, if you know anything about blind auto auctions, you can’t physically touch the vehicles when they are ‘on stage’ in a rolling stance for 60 seconds only showing what you see from 20 feet away. But these types of actions also have the best prices given the limitedness of what the buyer can see/touch/hear, ect.
It drives perfect. It does need a battery and a wheel restoration with the chrome, which I can take care of that with in a day. And it has no visible leaks!
Oh, I’ve been using 93 octane, which it seems to respond well to.
Also, if you know anything about blind auto auctions, you can’t physically touch the vehicles when they are ‘on stage’ in a rolling stance for 60 seconds only showing what you see from 20 feet away. But these types of actions also have the best prices given the limitedness of what the buyer can see/touch/hear, ect.
It drives perfect. It does need a battery and a wheel restoration with the chrome, which I can take care of that with in a day. And it has no visible leaks!
Oh, I’ve been using 93 octane, which it seems to respond well to.
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I own two Ford Fiestas and I love them both - cheap to run and fun to drive. One 2013 SE and one 2018 ST (turbo). The SE has averaged 38mpg over 120,000 miles of driving, the ST averages about 31.5 mpg and is a total blast to drive. The SE runs on 87 octane, the ST requires 91 (93 ideally). The SE cost about $19k new and including oil changes I've spent about $5k in maintenance over 9 years of driving - that includes about $1300 for a set of winter wheels and two sets of snow tires, probably $1000 in brake work, and maybe $300 or so for rear struts. So nothing serious. The clutch is still biting strongly and has lots of life left. The interior has held up well, though it doesn't feature 'premium' materials.Suggestions on an inexpensive replacement car? This Fiat runs on gas and gets 40MPG on the highway. When we were looking at this, I checked out a Mini Cooper which was substantially more expensive. When purchased in 2012, this vehicle was about $18k. Imploding at 50k miles, it could be argued I got what I paid for, yet with the warranty I purchased, I mitigated that a bit.
One important caveat though - both my Fiestas are manual transmission cars. I have driven the automatic version and it is a catastrophically bad transmission that has almost single-handedly ruined the Fiesta's reputation in the US. Avoid at all costs.
You can pick up a really low mileage manual Fiesta SE in good shape for $14-16k from a dealer - practically a new car. An equivalent used ST will probably cost another $4k. They don't sell the Fiesta in the US anymore though, so you'd be buying another orphan - but parts are going to be cheaper and WAY more common than for the Fiats.
If you want something more premium that is like your 500 the Mini is probably the way to go. I've driven them and they're great on the road. But it will be more expensive than either Fiesta and not necessarily a better drive than the ST IMO. An alternative would be a Honda Fit or maybe a (hard to find) Mazda 2. I would avoid the Chevy Sonic and Spark, the Sonic's 1.4 turbo is intriguing but I have heard bad things about reliability and they didn't impress me in test drives.
What sort of mileage are you doing? Have you considered a cheap EV. An older i3 would be in your price bracket unless you do regular long trips.Suggestions on an inexpensive replacement car? This Fiat runs on gas and gets 40MPG on the highway. When we were looking at this, I checked out a Mini Cooper which was substantially more expensive. When purchased in 2012, this vehicle was about $18k. Imploding at 50k miles, it could be argued I got what I paid for, yet with the warranty I purchased, I mitigated that a bit.
People would love the is ply of using Android Auto and CarPlay sections to use the better maps and best with EV using Plugshare or others instead! What EVs have soon use more and more attention needs to put in on inside of the car!
From an EV owner perspective, basically having complete ‘iPad functionality’ on the center display is more than I could ask for in my 22’ Model S. I’m still adjusting myself, but anything from ‘live maps, traffic updates, data recording, vehicle dynamics’, everything is right there for the driver. And after spending an extensive amount of time this weekend driving, Apple CarPlay really isn’t even missed by me, because the integration that Tesla offers is so tightly knit, that it’s relatively seamless between the driver and the vehicle. It really is bliss.
I do find it rather humorous. A screen to buy so you can use modern connectivity in a Tesla. They really did make a lemon.
Great battery life. Poor everything else.
I think new cars are already overloaded with features, and the trend is worsening.
Technology in cars is great when it’s designed well. But touch screens in cars are not great. Physical buttons are safer.
But a car they make in 2022 where you can’t use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto sounds very behind the times.
So, this product actually debuted at the ‘consumer electronics show’ [CES] in Las Vegas. According to the link, it’s only compatible for the Model Y/3. (So that would automatically rule me out for this product.)
I like the idea of what it’s selling, but I think the execution isn’t quite there for a $500 add-on feature. You’d really want to have android/CarPlay and a ‘front facing display’ to pay this price point, which it sounds like the initial install is also rather cumbersome.
You also have to disconnect the ground power from the car, which I’d rather not do. And then at some point, there is running specific wires to this unit that you have to do so under the dash, which is also something I’d avoid.
The majority of consumers (Tesla owners) likely won’t pay this price point for such a niche product that does have somewhat of a steep install curve.
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