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The Car Thread ... !

AutoUnion39 said:
Yeah, they're pure crap.

The latest story I got from my buddy was about a Cherokee. 100 miles in, wiring harness started smoking. Dealer gave them his money back. Dealer sent the car back to Jeep. They saved the VIN and ran it a few days ago. It ended up at another Jeep dealer 2 hours north as a used car.

A Cherokee they sold... got towed back in a week later because the driveshaft fell out on the highway. How is that even possible?

I don't trust these cars one bit. Hell no.
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Yeah, I know two with transmission issues that had to be rebuilt. Another the front differential exploded, causing other front end damage (axels if I remember correctly). The electrical issue killed the entire infotainment, HVAC, and gauge systems and ended up having to have the dash removed and system rewired. My neighbor has one, I haven't asked him about it but about a month ago it disappeared for a week and there was a patriot in its place. I wonder what that was about...
 
MatthewLTL said:
i have yet to see any of those from the early 2000s that aint, most of them are rusted piles of heap
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Funny, but that's not true of most of the '97-'02 Camrys around here(and there are a LOT of them). Sure, many have clear coat failure and other cosmetic issues, but I see more rust on American cars of the same age. The exceptions are the rotted frame Tacomas.

No cars these days rust like they did 30 years ago-whether American or foreign.
 
bunnspecial said:
Funny, but that's not true of most of the '97-'02 Camrys around here(and there are a LOT of them). Sure, many have clear coat failure and other cosmetic issues, but I see more rust on American cars of the same age. The exceptions are the rotted frame Tacomas.

No cars these days rust like they did 30 years ago-whether American or foreign.
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The sad thing is that those rusted Tacos are still worth stupid money. They hold their value like nothing else.
 
Has anyone had bad experiences rolling their excess loan into the cost of a new car?

I know financially they say don't do it, but we may have to pull the trigger and do it just to get out from this lemon we got. It's my wife's 2009 VW Tiguan. We have owned it now for 3 years after getting it as a certified used car from a VW dealership. Since we bought it (and the extended warranty) we have had to put in an extra 5 grand in repairs and are sitting on another 2 grand of repairs for it. We have reached the point where we are just going to take it to CarMax, take what they will give us for it and roll the excess into the next loan.

Will probably get something that is much better for the mileage and end up paying about the same payment we currently make.
 
I'm looking at a previously leased 2008 G37 sport. The Carfax doesn't show an oil change until 22,000 miles, right before the dealer sent it to auction. Is it possible the lessee never bothered to change the oil in 3 years?
 
senseless said:
I'm looking at a previously leased 2008 G37 sport. The Carfax doesn't show an oil change until 22,000 miles, right before the dealer sent it to auction. Is it possible the lessee never bothered to change the oil in 3 years?
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Carfax only knows what's reported to them. If the owner did the oil change themselves, or took it to a shop that didn't report to Carfax, it wouldn't show up. I didn't even know until now Carfax showed maintenance history. I thought it was just accidents and ownership changes.
 
Good news and bad news regarding my e60. Good: my uncle who previously owned an e60 gave me a set of bmw rims and sport tires (run flats, naturally). Bad news, my airbag fault warning just came on. Great...

MatthewLTL said:
i have yet to see any of those from the early 2000s that aint, most of them are rusted piles of heap
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bunnspecial said:
Funny, but that's not true of most of the '97-'02 Camrys around here(and there are a LOT of them). Sure, many have clear coat failure and other cosmetic issues, but I see more rust on American cars of the same age. The exceptions are the rotted frame Tacomas.

No cars these days rust like they did 30 years ago-whether American or foreign.
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I'd have to say most of the rusty cars I see around from that era are Dodge/Chryler/Jeep products, particularly the rocker panels. Also, Mercedes from that era seem to be rust buckets. I feel like every E320/430 I see has rusting quarter panels.

Most cars that are that old don't seem to have rotting rubber hoses and quite the level of problems. I've said it before I know plenty of people with well over 140-200+ thousand miles on Toyota/Honda products with no repairs beyond the normal maintenance.

Everybody has their own needs and preferences, but the mpg of the Lanos isn't impressive for a subcompact and the power is completely absent, so it's not much of a trade off. All accounts of the interior quality sound quite dismal. As they say, there's no accounting for taste, I just don't see what the draw to the Daewoo is. The reviews generalize decently reliable mechanics (makes sense being GM parts), but the electronics seem to be an issue amongst reviews.

What's the 0-60 time out of curiosity.
 
yg17 said:
Carfax only knows what's reported to them. If the owner did the oil change themselves, or took it to a shop that didn't report to Carfax, it wouldn't show up. I didn't even know until now Carfax showed maintenance history. I thought it was just accidents and ownership changes.
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There are reports on the Carfax for emissions and inspection, but only the 1 oil change. Is there's a penalty for not doing oil changes when the lessee turns in the car?
 
senseless said:
There are reports on the Carfax for emissions and inspection, but only the 1 oil change. Is there's a penalty for not doing oil changes when the lessee turns in the car?
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Emissions and inspections are presumably reported to the state, hence why Carfax has that data. Not sure about penalties for not doing oil changes, I would think so, but I dunno.

Like I said though, Carfax is only as good as the data reported to them. Just because it doesn't say it had regular oil changes done doesn't mean it didn't have regular oil changes done. And just because it doesn't say it has been in a major accident, doesn't mean it hasn't been in a major accident. Carfax is nice for what it does report (obviously, if it says it was wrecked and rebuilt, run far away and don't look back) but it shouldn't be the gospel. Still do the due diligence you would when buying a used car in the era before Carfax and the internet.
 
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A.Goldberg said:
Good news and bad news regarding my e60. Good: my uncle who previously owned an e60 gave me a set of bmw rims and sport tires (run flats, naturally). Bad news, my airbag fault warning just came on. Great...





I'd have to say most of the rusty cars I see around from that era are Dodge/Chryler/Jeep products, particularly the rocker panels. Also, Mercedes from that era seem to be rust buckets. I feel like every E320/430 I see has rusting quarter panels.

Most cars that are that old don't seem to have rotting rubber hoses and quite the level of problems. I've said it before I know plenty of people with well over 140-200+ thousand miles on Toyota/Honda products with no repairs beyond the normal maintenance.

Everybody has their own needs and preferences, but the mpg of the Lanos isn't impressive for a subcompact and the power is completely absent, so it's not much of a trade off. All accounts of the interior quality sound quite dismal. As they say, there's no accounting for taste, I just don't see what the draw to the Daewoo is. The reviews generalize decently reliable mechanics (makes sense being GM parts), but the electronics seem to be an issue amongst reviews.

What's the 0-60 time out of curiosity.
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1. no big deal, The impala's had a christmas tree on the dash for years.
2. I also see a ton of Fords rotted out or GM vans with rotted rockers.
3. The car get's 26 city 36 hwy. That is much better than most cars of this era and much better than most of the early hybrids. I now average between 18mpg and 30mpg city which varies greatly based on distance driven. Also I don't have any electrical issues.
4. 11.7 seconds from online specifications. Never timed it myself, The car rarely goes above 50

I seemed to have solved to surging coolant issue. Seems, when I was yanking out the A/C Relay and fuse, the no-purpose Power Window Relay, I inadvertantly, yanked a relay labeled "RAD CPNTROL" which seems that without it, the engine was being cooled by just the Accessory cooling fan and the main cooling fan didn't work. Yet each fan has it's own replay.... go figure
 
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MatthewLTL said:
The car get's 26 city 36 hwy. That is much better than most cars of this era and much better than most of the early hybrids. I now average between 18mpg and 30mpg city which varies greatly based on distance driven. Also I don't have any electrical issues.
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2001 Toyota Carolla 32/41(I have a friend who has one, and commuted with him from Louisville to Frankfort 5 days a week. I bought the gas and can confirm that these number are close)

https://www.google.com/search?q=2001+toyota+carolloa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=2001+toyota+corolla

2001 Honda Civic 36/44
https://www.google.com/search?q=2001+toyota+carolloa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=2001+honda+civic
 
MatthewLTL said:
1. no big deal, The impala's had a christmas tree on the dash for years.
2. I also see a ton of Fords rotted out or GM vans with rotted rockers.
3. The car get's 26 city 36 hwy. That is much better than most cars of this era and much better than most of the early hybrids. I now average between 18mpg and 30mpg city which varies greatly based on distance driven. Also I don't have any electrical issues.
4. 11.7 seconds from online specifications. Never timed it myself, The car rarely goes above 50

I seemed to have solved to surging coolant issue. Seems, when I was yanking out the A/C Relay and fuse, the no-purpose Power Window Relay, I inadvertantly, yanked a relay labeled "RAD CPNTROL" which seems that without it, the engine was being cooled by just the Accessory cooling fan and the main cooling fan didn't work. Yet each fan has it's own replay.... go figure
Click to expand...

If an airbag light is on typically none of the airbags work. Not to go back to this argument again, but inhappen to see the airbag statistics and clearly see the risk of driving with active airbags is minimal compared to the risk of driving without airbags.

It sounds like you might have some electrical issues. Your CAM sensor, the computer issues you have, the O2 sensors, etc.

Rad probably stands for radiator.

So you're saying you've only been using the accessory fan to cool your car? Perhaps your main fan is dead?

Are you running your car without all these fuses?

-----

Your surging coolant-
- This is probably an air pocket unless your engine in overheating, in which case that's not good news at all.
- If you're not overheating, you either need to bleed the air or find out why you have air coming in
- This is more evidence of a blown head gasket tbh. Your oil and coolant don't have to mix for there to be a blown HG. Although once it reaches that point you know you have big problems.
 
With any cooling related issues, don't also forget to check for a crack in the(plastic) reservoir. This will usually cause a coolant leak and boiling, but a high crack may not necessarily leak and a small crack can still maintain enough pressure to prevent all-out boiling.
 
A.Goldberg said:
If an airbag light is on typically none of the airbags work. Not to go back to this argument again, but inhappen to see the airbag statistics and clearly see the risk of driving with active airbags is minimal compared to the risk of driving without airbags.

It sounds like you might have some electrical issues. Your CAM sensor, the computer issues you have, the O2 sensors, etc.

Rad probably stands for radiator.

So you're saying you've only been using the accessory fan to cool your car? Perhaps your main fan is dead?

Are you running your car without all these fuses?

-----

Your surging coolant-
- This is probably an air pocket unless your engine in overheating, in which case that's not good news at all.
- If you're not overheating, you either need to bleed the air or find out why you have air coming in
- This is more evidence of a blown head gasket tbh. Your oil and coolant don't have to mix for there to be a blown HG. Although once it reaches that point you know you have big problems.
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1. I have made It clear, I don;t car about statistics, The amount and kind of driving I do would not have me benefit from them. Slow-speed airbag deployments are more harm (from statistics) than good.
2. I think those codes were a fluke. I have unplugged both the MAP and MAF sensors doing maintenance thru the years and on of those most likely triggered the O2 Sensor code. Yanking the ECU fuse to clear the codes makes the only code in the system a Cam sensor code. Several mechanics have told me that when the cam sensor doesn't work it reads the crank sensor so not having a working cam sensor isnt even a major issue.
3. Nope, The main fan didn't work from the removal of the "RAD Control" relay. Putting that back in makes both work. Not sure how or why when the fans have seperate relays.
4. I have no power anything (other than steering, brakes), A/C has no freon, so yes I am running it without these relays/fuses. I would yank the dinger fuse so it stops nagging me like a woman when the door is open, but if I remove that fuse, it also means my radio wont work. I can also pull the fuse to stop any of the dash lights from working but i am hesitant to do that.
5. It is impossible to get air in my kind of system, the expansion tank acts as a bleeder and the air just escapes. I have bled the system properly (much different than cars with rad caps).
bunnspecial said:
With any cooling related issues, don't also forget to check for a crack in the(plastic) reservoir. This will usually cause a coolant leak and boiling, but a high crack may not necessarily leak and a small crack can still maintain enough pressure to prevent all-out boiling.
Click to expand...

I have an expansion tank. if there were leaks i would have to actually ADD coolant.
 
Just had the pleasure of driving Chevy Malibu LT for a week and was impressed! :)

2013_Chevrolet_Malibu_Eco_1SA_--_02-29-2012_1.JPG



2014-chevrolet-malibu-989-p6.jpg
 
MatthewLTL said:
1. I have made It clear, I don;t car about statistics, The amount and kind of driving I do would not have me benefit from them. Slow-speed airbag deployments are more harm (from statistics) than good.
2. I think those codes were a fluke. I have unplugged both the MAP and MAF sensors doing maintenance thru the years and on of those most likely triggered the O2 Sensor code. Yanking the ECU fuse to clear the codes makes the only code in the system a Cam sensor code. Several mechanics have told me that when the cam sensor doesn't work it reads the crank sensor so not having a working cam sensor isnt even a major issue.
3. Nope, The main fan didn't work from the removal of the "RAD Control" relay. Putting that back in makes both work. Not sure how or why when the fans have seperate relays.
4. I have no power anything (other than steering, brakes), A/C has no freon, so yes I am running it without these relays/fuses. I would yank the dinger fuse so it stops nagging me like a woman when the door is open, but if I remove that fuse, it also means my radio wont work. I can also pull the fuse to stop any of the dash lights from working but i am hesitant to do that.
5. It is impossible to get air in my kind of system, the expansion tank acts as a bleeder and the air just escapes. I have bled the system properly (much different than cars with rad caps).


I have an expansion tank. if there were leaks i would have to actually ADD coolant.
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I see the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.
 
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I often wonder how someone like MatthewLTL even ended up on this site; doesn't exactly seem like the typical Apple customer.

Anyway, in other news, nothing like parking your car in your driveway at 6:45 and then coming out at 8:15 to go get some food, sitting behind the wheel, and instantly noticing the nice big dent on your hood right in front of your face, then getting out of the car and finding a golf ball in your yard 10 feet away, of course with no note. Not too thrilled at all, sent some pics to my top-notch PDR guy to get his take on it. Be nice if people had the decency to have some personal responsibility and leave a note. I especially appreciate someone practicing chip shots in the direction of my property.

19777098025_a4cd284f3d_b.jpg
 
puma1552 said:
I often wonder how someone like MatthewLTL even ended up on this site; doesn't exactly seem like the typical Apple customer.

Anyway, in other news, nothing like parking your car in your driveway at 6:45 and then coming out at 8:15 to go get some food, sitting behind the wheel, and instantly noticing the nice big dent on your hood right in front of your face, then getting out of the car and finding a golf ball in your yard 10 feet away, of course with no note. Not too thrilled at all, sent some pics to my top-notch PDR guy to get his take on it. Be nice if people had the decency to have some personal responsibility and leave a note. I especially appreciate someone practicing chip shots in the direction of my property.
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He seems fairly typical to me. He probably has less money but the rest of his personality traits are the same.
 
MatthewLTL said:
1. I have made It clear, I don;t car about statistics ...

Slow-speed airbag deployments are more harm (from statistics) than good.
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Umm ...

puma1552 said:
Not too thrilled at all, sent some pics to my top-notch PDR guy to get his take on it. Be nice if people had the decency to have some personal responsibility and leave a note.
Click to expand...

I've seen magic from a good PDR guy, good luck!
 
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