The Car Thread ... !

[bunnspecial]

I get that for sure. I wish my Acura had ventilated seats.

They seem to be going out of style, and honestly I don't know why. They keep things from getting "swampy" down below on a long(or short) drive in the summer.

Of course, some folks don't like the sensation. I remember my dad driving my(late) grandfather back from North Carolina in what was then my grandfather's MKZ(my grandfather's 90th birthday present to himself-my dad bought it from him a year and a half ago mostly to keep my grandfather from driving). In any case, my grandfather told my dad that they were going to have to pull over because he'd wet his pants. My dad looked down, and somehow or another my grandfather had turned the seat cooler on

The LS has a really neat feature that went away on newer FoMoCo products, and honestly I'm not sure why. Pushing both the heat and cool buttons simultaneously puts the seats in "automatic" mode tied to the climate control. Basically, when the air condition is going full blast, so are the seat coolers, and they ramp back as the AC turns back down to maintain the temperature, the seats crank back down also. When the heat comes on, so do the heaters-again proportional to how hard the heat is cranking. I quite literally never touch the buttons for the seat heater/cooler, and they're always comfortable.

On a similar note, the only control I ever touch on my climate control is the temperature rocker. I can't get over how many people have cars with auto climate control and don't let the climate control just "do it's thing." As everyone knows, it takes the AC compressor a few minutes to cool down, and the heater core a long time to heat up. Once they get up to temperature, the blower will run at full blast to get things cool fast and then taper back down to maintain the temperature right where you set it without blasting the blower in your face. I can tell when my mom's been in my car because the blower is always cranked up to full blast

 

[MatthewLTL]

1. Usually drum brakes are only used on cars as a cost cutting measure at this point, and at least in passenger cars I don't anyone still uses front drum brakes (I assume due to safety standards re:braking distance). Drum brakes are not as effective as disc, but given the majority of braking power falls to the front brakes, it's not as big of concerns. Drums are still very common in big trucks (semi's, dump trucks, etc). Drums usually are known to wear out faster, but tend to be cheaper parts-wise.
2. As someone mentioned, the resonator generally comes after the catalytic converter(s) and muffler(s) to usually provide increased sound reduction or to alter the exhaust sound in some way. Not all cars have them, some cars don't seem to make a difference with or without them.
The Impala went in and got a new resonator and FPR. According to the mechanic, the resonator was split open on the top and the FPR was so bad gas spewed out replacing it.
I was in the shop and under the car with the mechanic when he was inspecting the reason for the exhaust leak (to get a estimate). It has the cat 1st which connects to the resonator. The muffler is at the end. The resonator and muffler were one piece. He replaced only the resonator. The impala is now a DREAM to drive, So quiet you can't even hear it run and MUCH more power!

It's ok, I forgive you. Speaking of blemishes and such, a few days ago I had terrible luck, somewhat due in part to my own decisions, but it was not a good day for me.

First I went downtown to meet my girlfriend for brunch. In the attached picture you can see the damage magically appeared after returning to the car...
View attachment 563762


Second, I drive to my friend's place in and park in a no-parking zone (hazards and headlights on) to help him with his luggage. In literally 2 minutes I come back outside to a meter maid writing me a $75 ticket parking ticket.

Then we drove to Logan. The GPS ends up taking us a way that requires us to pay a toll. I realize my EZ-Pass is not in my car (gave it to my GF days earlier), great. I almost never carry cash on me, but together we scrounge up $1.25. Phew... I'll make sure I don't take a toll route on the way back...

So I drop off my buddy, drive out of the airport, and then see this large, looming structure in the distance. Yes, it's the exit tollbooth for Logan to I-90. Toll cost- $3.50. I had about $0.27 in pennies. So they gave me some sort of citation saying they'd mail me a bill. It doesn't say how much the fine is... But I think they're just charging me the toll +3.60 in processing fees? It's my first offense and I've read they give you a freebee. Otherwise I'm stuck with at least $50+ fine.

See the stuff that happens when you try and do good things for people? In the future I need to play my trips better, and actually keep cash on hand. I hope the State will spend my money well.

Parking in a no parking zone with your "I can park wherever the **** I want" lights on, going thru tolls with no cash? and you give ME ****?
Word to the wise, GPS' have a "avoid toll roads" option. I have both my GPS' set to avoid toll roads (do those exist in SE MN?) and avoid highways.

CAR UPDATE: DAEWOO STILL HAS A DRAG AND WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A EXHAUST LEAK ON/IN/AROUND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. IT'S GOING BACK IN IN THE MORNING.

 

[D.T.]

Alfa is coming back to the U.S. With this. The new 3 series competitor

AB had some really good, high res pics:

 

[A.Goldberg]

It must be a second dealership. I was in Greenwich a few weeks ago and Maserati was in the basement of the (huge) Ferrari dealership. The building next to the McLaren showroom.

I'm not surprised. The Maserati section of the dealership was dead when I visited. Audi/MB/BMW/Porsche across the street were packed. Even driving through the town, the locals seem to prefer high-dollar German/British metal.

Boston has its own share of NIMBY crap too. Every Maserati owner I see is a foreign student. Everyone else drives German/British.

On a side note, all Maserati has to do is dress-up the interior. It looks great and sounds fantastic. That's the only way they're going to get German buyers to jump ship. Maserati badge isn't enough.

However, if the rumors of a Porsche sedan come to fruition, it's game over for Maserati. Porsche knows how to build a car the correct way. They don't cheap out on the details.

Perhaps they did/do have the Maserati dealer on their main campus there now that I think about it. I'd have to check their website. I haven't been around that area in a while. To be fair, Maserati is just coming into fruition, especially with a more "affordable" car. It sense it will settle in nicely with things like Jaguar- nice cars that no one really buys. I'm sure in a couple years the brand will be diluted to a rebadged Chrysler 300 and 200 for the Quattroporte and Ghibli.

My parent's neighbor had a Quattroporte a 5 years ago? He said it was garbage. He had a lot of transmission and other mechanical issues, even with a low amount of miles, not used as a primary car. He held onto for 2 years and then traded it in for a 7-series. I think their poor quality is well reflected in their atrocious resale value.

I was just really mocking Greenwich's elitism. They often like to be considered the most prestigious place in CT (therefore the world). In reality, there are much nicer ("richer", etc) towns around them.

I remember when the current VW Jetta (MK6) came out in 2012ish and VW debuted it with a solid rear-axle and rear drums. There was huge uproar with the press and VW community. Eventually, they finally brought back discs because drums are just pathetic at that price point.

I do remember that. The beginning of that generation of the Jetta was a rocky start. There were not many happy VW fanatics. Cheap plastic dashboards, stripped down features, drum brakes, etc.

Alfa is coming back to the U.S. With this. The new 3 series competitor

3 series competitor, or 3 series?

As long as your plate # is linked to an EZPass account, you're fine. They will automatically charge you. In the winter, my old plate transponder would never work. I drove all the way to NYC without realizing I forgot my EZPass before.

Good to know for future reference. I told my self %$@$ and went into the the ticket line. The piece of paper they gave me tells me nothing other than there were be a $3.60 processing fee. I guess I'll have to see what happens.

It's a Matthew special!

I was literally about to say that.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Parking in a no parking zone with your "I can park wherever the **** I want" lights on, going thru tolls with no cash? and you give ME ****?
Word to the wise, GPS' have a "avoid toll roads" option. I have both my GPS' set to avoid toll roads (do those exist in SE MN?) and avoid highways.

I was using Google Maps. The route I initially chose to get there was toll-free, but I think it rerouted me traffic. On the way back, I completely forgot about how much the airport tolls were ($3.50 vs $1.25).

When you live in a place with almost no parking, it's quite common place to temporarily park your car, for less than a few minutes. Leaving the lights on is usually a clear indicator you're coming back soon. Going through the tolls without my EZ-pass was an accident, not having cash on me is common. Toll booths don't take credit cards. My girlfriend left her EZ-Pass in her old car, which belongs to her parents. She was traveling days earlier, so I gave her mine.

I see a profound difference between my actions and yours, do you know what it is?

- Me: I didn't pay a toll by accident, but I will likely pay it ~15x over if they fine me. I was not parked in a fire zone, nor was I blocking the vision, traffic, construction, parking spaces, fire hydrants, etc (this was a residential side street that's a dead end).
- I have accepted the laws and the fines, and have already paid the parking ticket and will pay the toll when I receive it.​

- You: Sliding around fishtailing, driving 60mph in a residential 30, risking blinding other drivers with illegal light operation and modifications, driving without brakes, driving with a 15mph idle, intentionally deactivating safety features, driving without operational turn signals, and inciting road rage through passive aggressive actions and excessive honking, etc. (I know I'm missing a bunch of others here)
- You refute laws saying you haven't been caught yet so you never will. You justify your illegal actions but condemn all others. You are above the law.​

Whats funny when I talked to the meter maid, he had the ticket in his hand and said "Are you leaving? If not I'll put it on your windshield?", as if to suggest now that I'm paying $75.00 for parking, I am now entitled to this nonexistant parking spot.

 

[A.Goldberg]

CAR UPDATE: DAEWOO STILL HAS A DRAG AND WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A EXHAUST LEAK ON/IN/AROUND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. IT'S GOING BACK IN IN THE MORNING.

Now that you're recording everything now, I'd be curious to see a documentation of this "drag" effect.

 

[2298754]

Word to the wise, GPS' have a "avoid toll roads" option. I have both my GPS' set to avoid toll roads (do those exist in SE MN?) and avoid highways.

No, that's pretty stupid. If A. Goldberg pressed that option on his GPS to get out of Logan Airport, it would've added, at least, an extra 45min-1hr, just to avoid getting on I-90. You end up having to get on Rt. 1 towards Revere and then you have to go thru some sketchy side roads thru the ghetto in Everett to get back into the city. And you have to avoid paying the toll again on Tobin Bridge. Huge waste of time.

The toll is worth it 150% of the time.

Parking in a no parking zone with your "I can park wherever the **** I want" lights on, going thru tolls with no cash? and you give ME ****?

You must not get out much. Parking in a no parking zone for a few minutes (with hazards on) is quite common in Boston or even NYC. There aren't dozens and dozens of open parking spots at every street corner.

The meter maid was especially being a jerk because they usually don't ticket you for something so small.

 

[MatthewLTL]

I was using Google Maps. The route I initially chose to get there was toll-free, but I think it rerouted me traffic. On the way back, I completely forgot about how much the airport tolls were ($3.50 vs $1.25).

When you live in a place with almost no parking, it's quite common place to temporarily park your car, for less than a few minutes. Leaving the lights on is usually a clear indicator you're coming back soon. Going through the tolls without my EZ-pass was an accident, not having cash on me is common. Toll booths don't take credit cards. My girlfriend left her EZ-Pass in her old car, which belongs to her parents. She was traveling days earlier, so I gave her mine.

I see a profound difference between my actions and yours, do you know what it is?

- Me: I didn't pay a toll by accident, but I will likely pay it ~15x over if they fine me. I was not parked in a fire zone, nor was I blocking the vision, traffic, construction, parking spaces, fire hydrants, etc (this was a residential side street that's a dead end).
- I have accepted the laws and the fines, and have already paid the parking ticket and will pay the toll when I receive it.​

- You: Sliding around fishtailing, driving 60mph in a residential 30, risking blinding other drivers with illegal light operation and modifications, driving without brakes, driving with a 15mph idle, intentionally deactivating safety features, driving without operational turn signals, and inciting road rage through passive aggressive actions and excessive honking, etc. (I know I'm missing a bunch of others here)
- You refute laws saying you haven't been caught yet so you never will. You justify your illegal actions but condemn all others. You are above the law.​

Whats funny when I talked to the meter maid, he had the ticket in his hand and said "Are you leaving? If not I'll put it on your windshield?", as if to suggest now that I'm paying $75.00 for parking, I am now entitled to this nonexistant parking spot.

There's more evidence of "selective-reading" I am not going to bother responding to any of them. If you ain't listening now you never will.
and just a F.Y.I parking illegally with your flashers on don't make it legal or ok.

Now that you're recording everything now, I'd be curious to see a documentation of this "drag" effect.

It's random. Since the car is going in tomorrow I won't have time to film it and knowing my luck it wont happen for the sole reason i'm recording it. The mechanic said when I called him up today that he noticed something with the rears said they wouldn't turn and act like the ebrake is on. The problem is NOT the caliper as the brake pedal has a normal feel and the car don't pull to the left.

 

[2298754]

Perhaps they did/do have the Maserati dealer on their main campus there now that I think about it. I'd have to check their website. I haven't been around that area in a while. To be fair, Maserati is just coming into fruition, especially with a more "affordable" car. It sense it will settle in nicely with things like Jaguar- nice cars that no one really buys. I'm sure in a couple years the brand will be diluted to a rebadged Chrysler 300 and 200 for the Quattroporte and Ghibli.

Spot on. This is exactly what Maserati will turn into eventually. I'm sure Alfa will fall into that category also, unless they realize you can't just put Dart trim pieces inside and fool Audi/BMW/Benz buyers.

I was just really mocking Greenwich's elitism. They often like to be considered the most prestigious place in CT (therefore the world). In reality, there are much nicer ("richer", etc) towns around them.

Lol yup. I know a few people from that part of CT (Darien, New Caanan, etc). They all mock Greenwich.

To be fair, there are plenty of places in Mass that have the same elitist attitude. Parts of Newton, Hingham, Wayland, etc. And I'm ignoring the Cape.

 

[2298754]

AB had some really good, high res pics:

Sorry. I was gonna upload the post, but forgot. Overall, it looks good. The front is a little iffy, but the profile and rear views are spot on! I saw a video on youtube and it seems to make a nice sound too!

Can't wait to drive it, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. Was very excited for the Ghibli and ChryCo made a mockery of the Maserati brand with that piece of crap.

 

[A.Goldberg]

There's more evidence of "selective-reading" I am not going to bother responding to any of them. If you ain't listening now you wont ever.

I will defer to Confucius on this one.

Lol yup. I know a few people from that part of CT (Darien, New Caanan, etc). They all mock Greenwich.

To be fair, there are plenty of places in Mass that have the same elitist attitude. Parts of Newton, Hingham, Wayland, etc. And I'm ignoring the Cape.

It is very possible we may know some of the same people in that case. They all mock each other, but towns like Darien, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, I think are all overall nicer places to live than Greenwich (based on factors beyond income, because they're all up there). I mock my town. Where I grew up will always be my home, but I am so happy to be out of that place. Keeping this on cars... when I was in 10th grade I had a classmate who literally had an emotional meltdown during 3rd period english class. Why? Because he didn't get a new Audi for his 16th birthday (he got a 3 year old Acura). Can you imagine the embarrassment? I could write a book...

Wellesley seems like one of the snootiest place in Mass I've experienced. I've never liked anyone I've met from Wayland for some reason, then again it's only been a hand full of people. I love Hingham, it's one of the few Massachusetts towns I'd consider living in permanently. The Cape is an interesting story and place in itself... though most coastal places tend to be very territorial and dislike outsiders in general.

 

[MatthewLTL]

I will defer to Confucius on this one.

It is very possible we may know some of the same people in that case. They all mock each other, but towns like Darien, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, I think are all overall nicer places to live than Greenwich (based on factors beyond income, because they're all up there). I mock my town. Where I grew up will always be my home, but I am so happy to be out of that place. Keeping this on cars... when I was in 10th grade I had a classmate who literally had an emotional meltdown during 3rd period english class. Why? Because he didn't get a new Audi for his 16th birthday (he got a 3 year old Acura). Can you imagine the embarrassment? I could write a book...

Wellesley seems like one of the snootiest place in Mass I've experienced. I've never liked anyone I've met from Wayland for some reason, then again it's only been a hand full of people. I love Hingham, it's one of the few Massachusetts towns I'd consider living in permanently. The Cape is an interesting story and place in itself... though most coastal places tend to be very territorial and dislike outsiders in general.

I have no idea how ANY of that is related to anything........
Also, I ain't ignorant.

 

[bunnspecial]

.Wellesley seems like one of the snootiest place in Mass I've experienced.

Ari,

I think I've told you about my "friend" (for lack of a better term) who lives in Wellesley. Everyone who collects the type of watches I do knows him-he refers to his collection as the "World's Greatest Collection" and I think he probably correct. Even so, we joke about it being the "black hole" as once he buys something it's rarely(if ever) seen again. We've also joked for a while that he only likes his wife and his cat, and we aren't even so sure about his wife

Also, I ain't ignorant.

If I didn't think this was serious, I'd be having a good laugh at this comment.

 

[MatthewLTL]

Bunn, you and Ari BOTH have selective hearing. I have repeated myself and CORRECTED several of you people time and time again. It's a lost cause so I give up.

You people make the biggest deal of the littlest things. WHO CARES my mirror is zip-tied on? WHO CARES I have seat covers and a Aftermarket shift knob? The fact you say the shifter and pedal covers are PINK just to piss me off is immature.

Theres is a BIG difference between being ignorant and just not giving 2 ****s about people's opinion.

 

[bunnspecial]

Matthew, I'm not sure if you realize the irony of stating "I ain't ignorant"

By the way, your pedal covers DO look pink in every picture you've posted here.

I wouldn't put something like that on my car, but the thing is any time you do something like that you have to accept that some folks are going to criticize-especially on the internet. Any time you post something on the internet, you are opening yourself to criticism. Either accept that it's going to come and own it, but you need to have thick skin to put anything like this up here.

Real life isn't a lot different. I've made stupid decision/done stupid things(I posted one earlier in this thread) and I own them. I've also made decisions that some people didn't agree with(it's literally an every day occurrence when you're in education-you can't make everyone happy). If/when I get criticism-ether online or in person-either I listen to it and try to do what I can to take it into account, or if it's baseless(as often happens when dealing with students who want an A without putting in any work) I just let it roll off. Learning to do this will get a lot further in life and make you a happier person.

 

[MatthewLTL]

Matthew, I'm not sure if you realize the irony of stating "I ain't ignorant"

nope not really. "Ain't" is a word so....

 

[D.T.]

The toll is worth it 150% of the time.

Totally. I always take the toll road (417 I believe) to Orlando International, you'd be _insane_ to go through the city to save ~$4.00

You must not get out much.

Well, he did say, no highways, no toll roads, assuming all the roads he uses look like this:

Sorry. I was gonna upload the post, but forgot. Overall, it looks good. The front is a little iffy, but the profile and rear views are spot on! I saw a video on youtube and it seems to make a nice sound too!

Can't wait to drive it, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. Was very excited for the Ghibli and ChryCo made a mockery of the Maserati brand with that piece of crap.

Yeah, the Alfa front end is, well, the Alfa front end. They established that brand design element and are sticking with it - I agree, not a huge fan, but the overall package works. The car sounds amazing in the videos I've seen!

I was remiss in reading the press release, but those appear to be carbon ceramic brakes?

I'm totally out of the loop with Alfas, just curious about pricing. Is this a $75K ride? $100K+?

 

[lucasfer899]

Bunn, you and Ari BOTH have selective hearing. I have repeated myself and CORRECTED several of you people time and time again. It's a lost cause so I give up.

You people make the biggest deal of the littlest things. WHO CARES my mirror is zip-tied on? WHO CARES I have seat covers and a Aftermarket shift knob? The fact you say the shifter and pedal covers are PINK just to piss me off is immature.

Theres is a BIG difference between being ignorant and just not giving 2 ****s about people's opinion.

You absolutely think some people will care, since you are posting it on the internet.

Matthew, I'm not sure if you realize the irony of stating "I ain't ignorant"

By the way, your pedal covers DO look pink in every picture you've posted here.

I wouldn't put something like that on my car, but the thing is any time you do something like that you have to accept that some folks are going to criticize-especially on the internet. Any time you post something on the internet, you are opening yourself to criticism. Either accept that it's going to come and own it, but you need to have thick skin to put anything like this up here.

Real life isn't a lot different. I've made stupid decision/done stupid things(I posted one earlier in this thread) and I own them. I've also made decisions that some people didn't agree with(it's literally an every day occurrence when you're in education-you can't make everyone happy). If/when I get criticism-ether online or in person-either I listen to it and try to do what I can to take it into account, or if it's baseless(as often happens when dealing with students who want an A without putting in any work) I just let it roll off. Learning to do this will get a lot further in life and make you a happier person.

Agreed.

nope not really. "Ain't" is a word so....

It may be a word, but it is an informal contraction that can be used in place of many other common referrals.
A "word" at that, of which I would never use.

 

[lucasfer899]

[snip]
Yeah, the Alfa front end is, well, the Alfa front end. They established that brand design element and are sticking with it - I agree, not a huge fan, but the overall package works. The car sounds amazing in the videos I've seen!

I was remiss in reading the press release, but those appear to be carbon ceramic brakes?

I'm totally out of the loop with Alfas, just curious about pricing. Is this a $75K ride? $100K+?

I feel the same about the front end, never been much of a fan of that styling, especially here in the UK where it looks especially bizarre with on off centre plate.
Probably going to be 3 series money, since that's the market it seems aimed at.

 

[lowendlinux]

Well, he did say, no highways, no toll roads, assuming all the roads he uses look like this:

Is that an internet grab or a picture you took because that is my kinda place.

 

[D.T.]

I feel the same about the front end, never been much of a fan of that styling, especially here in the UK where it looks especially bizarre with on off centre plate.
Probably going to be 3 series money, since that's the market it seems aimed at.

Yeah, in re-reading it sounds like they'll offer a range of model variants to make it an across-the-board 3 competitor, or at least a mid-spec 3 all the up to an M.

The problem in the states with brands like Alfa, is the dealer network. Everything else equal, I'd opt for a dealer that's < 5 miles away vs. 50, and with brands like BMW, or Lexus, you've got heavy dealer saturation, so it's easy to find one within a reasonable distance.

 

[D.T.]

Is that an internet grab or a picture you took because that is my kinda place.

Hahaha, the results of a search for "dirt road". But I was pretty selective in choosing the pic, yeah, I kind of dug on it too. Reminds me of some areas in south Georgia where my grandfolks lived

 

[2298754]

Yeah, the Alfa front end is, well, the Alfa front end. They established that brand design element and are sticking with it - I agree, not a huge fan, but the overall package works. The car sounds amazing in the videos I've seen!

I was remiss in reading the press release, but those appear to be carbon ceramic brakes?

I'm totally out of the loop with Alfas, just curious about pricing. Is this a $75K ride? $100K+?

I think it's basically going to be priced on par with the 3/A4/C Class. The pictures that we've seen are the top-spec M3 competitor (the one with the carbon ceramics). I want to see pictures of the base stripper model that will be going up against the lease-spec 320i with vinyl seats and halogens

Unfortunately for Alfa, this segment is tough. The LCI 3 series will be out this fall. The new A4 is around the corner. Everyone else (besides Cadillac) has a more established brand name/dealer network. Hopefully, they know this and price it accordingly.

 

[2298754]

The problem in the states with brands like Alfa, is the dealer network. Everything else equal, I'd opt for a dealer that's < 5 miles away vs. 50, and with brands like BMW, or Lexus, you've got heavy dealer saturation, so it's easy to find one within a reasonable distance.

This is tough to crack, especially in saturated markets, where this upcoming Alfa should be popular. Doesn't matter where you go. Boston/LA/NYC/Phily/etc. BMW/Audi/Benz/Porsche/Lexus dealerships are everywhere.

Hell, I have 5 Porsche dealers within 20 minutes of the city. Alfa? There's one about an hour away in central Mass. That's not going to cut it.

 

[MatthewLTL]

Can any of you explain the reasoning behind GM using Halogen bulbs for the Reverse Lights on the 2008-2012 Malibu?