Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[Manhattanboy]

I love Aston Martins. So I’ve owned two Jaguar F Types which are a poor man’s Aston lol.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Anyone owned a Jeep Wrangler? Thinking of buying one to replace an aging X5 for the winter months. Can you get away without snow tires on Wranglers?

Any chance you would be able to rent one for a week or something to try it out? I owned one for a weekend and immediately sold it. Gutless, rattles, awful handling, loud...just the worst.

As for tires, it's more about the rubber compound than the vehicle. I did just put all weather tires on my f150 that I'm going to try at the start of this winter. If they're good, I'm going to sell my Blizzaks so I don't have to swap twice a year. Swapping tires on three vehicles is such a pita and I'm sick of it.

[Fuzz]

I can't imagine a jeep with all season tires would feel very safe at all in the snow.

[InglewoodFan]

Not super applicable, but I have an older TJ Wrangler that I use as a second car. I have all terrains on it and drive it to work in the winter - disclaimer is work is 6 km away on surface roads. I wouldn't take it on any high speed road if it was slippery - short wheelbase and high centre of gravity makes it skittery as eff. I throw it in 4-High if things get too hairy. A newer Wrangler has a longer wheelbase, traction control, etc so it would likely be pretty sure-footed around town. I'd still throw winters on for a lot of highway driving.

[TorqueDog]

Manhattanboy, I will say the F-Type definitely gave me pause when deciding to buy another Vantage. I've driven a few F-Types including both the S/C V6 and the R and both were a great driving experience, comfortable, and both made their own fantastic noise. And man, the prices after a year or two make them a really tempting buy. But after talking my wife's ear off about buying another Aston for who knows how long, I think she'd have made me return the thing if I didn't come home with the one I said I was going to.

Originally Posted by you&me

I'm sure I've said this before, but IMO, the majority of negative remarks made online with regard to how bad the early single clutch transmission are is WAY overblown and perpetuated mostly by people with limited or even no experience at all with them.

I've owned or at least had significant seat time (friends cars, etc) in a good chunk of these cars... SMG, early F1, E-gear, RTronic and Sportshift... the gears can be a little slow to engage when shifting from R to D, etc, but I've found that the gear changes when you're actually on the move to be fine. I mean, they're obviously not imperceptible like a full auto or the latest dual-clutch boxes, but in some ways I actually prefer the kick-in-the-pants feel

I'm glad TorqueDog got the car he wanted and it's nice that he knew better than to listen the general negativity online regarding these cars & transmissions... He might have ended up with a worse car for it.

Thanks man. I've been living and breathing these cars for a while even after I sold my first one, so I'm well versed in the cars, differences in equipment and changes across model years and submodels, performance, how to drive them properly, doing one's own maintenance, etc. Similar to you, it doesn't bug me if someone has driven both and prefers one over the other, but when someone's coming from a place of ignorance, I haven't much time for it.

A big part of the hate-on people have for the SportShift is actually because of AM's first attempt using a completely unrelated Tremec ASM gearbox in the original Vanquish. It had its quirks as all single-clutch ASMs do, but unfortunately Clarkson got a hold of it, and proceeded to complain to no end how the 'stupid flappy paddles' wouldn't allow him to drop two gears while he was damn near redlining the thing, thus preventing him from grenading the bloody engine. He also was forgetting that these single clutch units work best when you drive them like a manual; slightly let off the throttle as you change gears. The SS transaxle is an unrelated gearbox to the unit in the Vanquish, and receives most of its critiques courtesy of that damn Top Gear Vanquish episode. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Top Gear, but the show for better or worse has resulted in a lot of people having very strong opinions of cars which they've never had a sniff of the interior hides, much less some quality time behind the wheel.

Where V8 Vantage is concerned, both manual and SS/SS2 cars have a heavy flywheel and single-plate clutch, and it negatively impacts both cars in being slow to rev (especially in the early 4.3L) and how the clutch engages and disengages. AM has a pretty well-documented history of financial woes, so some components like manifolds, TPMS, flywheels, and clutches are all built to a price. The twin-plate clutch found in the V12 Vantage is a common upgrade along with a lightweight flywheel for V8 owners and transforms the car and -- especially in the case of the SportShift -- alleviates pretty much every complaint one may have with the thing.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Your opinion isn't worth the powder to blow it to hell if you haven't driven both.

Oh, I can absolutely crap on it, because manual transmission snobbery was what we were bugging you about in the first place.

I know what an automatic feels like. Some of them are better than others, some of them have better paddles, some require you to use the paddles and won't auto-shift. It's still not a manual. Here's how you can tell: does it have a third pedal and a gear shift stick? If not, it's not a manual. [manual snobbery]And it is therefore objectively, inherently inferior.[/manual snobbery]

It always strikes me as telling the way that marketing departments try to name their non-manual transmissions in a way that makes them sound like a stick shift. "Auto-shift manual" or "sequential manual" or "powershift manual" or "intelligent manual" or whatever. Either just buy a real manual, or stop lying to yourselves and embrace what you're actually driving. Which, in your case, is an exceptionally beautiful vehicle.

[BsFaninCGY]

Ok, so now that I've got my brakes replaced (thanks again Timun) it's time to start addressing some more cosmetic issues on my new-to-me 2012 Yukon.

First up - it looks like the former owner must've lived on a rural property somewhere as this thing was DIRTY. Like, caked in dirt in every possible nook dirty. I bought from a dealership and had them detail the interior, exterior and engine bay but the underside is still crazy dirty. Pics:

Spoiler!

So, I'm wondering what my options are here. Is there somewhere I can take it and do a good DIY cleaning? Am I better off paying someone to do it? Does it even matter?

After that's clean, there's the rust issue. I've never owned used and never really had to deal with rust nor do I know where to begin. Should I be looking into undercoating? Or is there a rust inhibitor that works well? I'm hoping to keep this for 3-4 years so would like it to be in decent shape when I do go to sell it. Here's a few more pics of rust in the wheel well areas:

Spoiler!

Finally, the dirt has also gotten into my spoiler and I guess over the years fell onto the back windshield and the wiper rubbed it in real good. The back glass is really scratched up and distorts headlights behind me in the nights. I was hoping to tint this a bit darker for security reasons but am wondering if I'm better off replacing the glass first. Has anyone ever done something like this on their own (replacing the glass)? I'm guessing tint won't make any improvements to that distortion so no real sense in doing it until the glass is switched?

Spoiler!

Ok, that's about it for now. If you can't tell, I'm not too experienced mechanically. Good at learning from forums and Youtube tho and willing to give most things a try on my own. How much of the above is a problem here in Calgary - will the rust spread slower because of us not using salt in the winter?

[Sliver]

Yeah, I'm considering a GTI in the spring for my wife's commuter car and geez you hear a lot about how great the DSG is, but I just can't wrap my head around how it can be better than an actual manual. It doesn't compute for me.

I also hate paddle shifting. I only use paddles to gear down like on a hill or something, but never for going up through the gears. It's the least satisfying thing in the world.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by BsFaninCGY

Ok, so now that I've got my brakes replaced (thanks again Timun) it's time to start addressing some more cosmetic issues on my new-to-me 2012 Yukon.

First up - it looks like the former owner must've lived on a rural property somewhere as this thing was DIRTY. Like, caked in dirt in every possible nook dirty. I bought from a dealership and had them detail the interior, exterior and engine bay but the underside is still crazy dirty. Pics:

Spoiler!

So, I'm wondering what my options are here. Is there somewhere I can take it and do a good DIY cleaning? Am I better off paying someone to do it? Does it even matter?

After that's clean, there's the rust issue. I've never owned used and never really had to deal with rust nor do I know where to begin. Should I be looking into undercoating? Or is there a rust inhibitor that works well? I'm hoping to keep this for 3-4 years so would like it to be in decent shape when I do go to sell it. Here's a few more pics of rust in the wheel well areas:

Spoiler!

Finally, the dirt has also gotten into my spoiler and I guess over the years fell onto the back windshield and the wiper rubbed it in real good. The back glass is really scratched up and distorts headlights behind me in the nights. I was hoping to tint this a bit darker for security reasons but am wondering if I'm better off replacing the glass first. Has anyone ever done something like this on their own (replacing the glass)? I'm guessing tint won't make any improvements to that distortion so no real sense in doing it until the glass is switched?

Spoiler!

Ok, that's about it for now. If you can't tell, I'm not too experienced mechanically. Good at learning from forums and Youtube tho and willing to give most things a try on my own. How much of the above is a problem here in Calgary - will the rust spread slower because of us not using salt in the winter?

We use salt now and have for years: https://www.calgary.ca/transportatio...ow%20and%20ice.

[BsFaninCGY]

Must be one of those things I heard somewhere and assumed was true.

I guess that makes the rust treatment even more pressing...

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by BsFaninCGY

Must be one of those things I heard somewhere and assumed was true.

I guess that makes the rust treatment even more pressing...

It was definitely true in the 90s when I was young. I liked it so much because you could totally clean and polish your car during weather below say 10 degrees and then it would just stay sparkling clean for weeks because the roads weren't always disgusting and soupy. Nothing looks more striking than a perfectly detailed car during a season where everyone is rolling around in super dirty cars. The downside was we used way more gravel so you were always getting windshield chips (even more than now).

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, I'm considering a GTI in the spring for my wife's commuter car and geez you hear a lot about how great the DSG is, but I just can't wrap my head around how it can be better than an actual manual. It doesn't compute for me.

I also hate paddle shifting. I only use paddles to gear down like on a hill or something, but never for going up through the gears. It's the least satisfying thing in the world.

Well, if it's going to be a commuter car, consider that one of the least pleasant things about a manual is being stuck in heavy traffic with one. I still love my manuals, and would absolutely get one in another enthusiast car, but navigating the rush-hour Deerfoot parking lot in my E39 M5 was only made better by the fact that I was in that particular car, because otherwise it was kind of annoying. It definitely was annoying in my 6-speed Wrangler Unlimited, and I think that vehicle probably had the best clutch engagement and lower end torque for that kind of thing.

Give one a proper drive, tell the sales guy you're skeptical of the DSG and want to know what it can actually do. If you need to know how it could be better than a traditional stickshift, take it through a curve while being at the top of the rev range and needing to shift up to power out of the corner.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Well, if it's going to be a commuter car, consider that one of the least pleasant things about a manual is being stuck in heavy traffic with one. I still love my manuals, and would absolutely get one in another enthusiast car, but navigating the rush-hour Deerfoot parking lot in my E39 M5 was only made better by the fact that I was in that particular car, because otherwise it was kind of annoying. It definitely was annoying in my 6-speed Wrangler Unlimited, and I think that vehicle probably had the best clutch engagement and lower end torque for that kind of thing.

Give one a proper drive, tell the sales guy you're skeptical of the DSG and want to know what it can actually do. If you need to know how it could be better than a traditional stickshift, take it through a curve while being at the top of the rev range and needing to shift up to power out of the corner.

Yeah, so true. She does the crappy bumper hump on Deerfoot, too, so a manual there can be a total pain. I'm willing to have her put up with that so I can bomb around in the GTI on the weekend, but driving both is probably the smartest thing to do. The other factor is I want my kids to learn manual, so this is a good opportunity to get a car they can learn in as well.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, I'm considering a GTI in the spring for my wife's commuter car and geez you hear a lot about how great the DSG is, but I just can't wrap my head around how it can be better than an actual manual. It doesn't compute for me.

I also hate paddle shifting. I only use paddles to gear down like on a hill or something, but never for going up through the gears. It's the least satisfying thing in the world.

It’s more fuel efficient, quicker, easier to drive, and everyone can drive one.


Get the manual.

I’ve literally, never come across a vehicle where’d I’d prefer the automatic to manual. /manual.elitist

[burn_this_city]

We had a DSG GTI, I wanted the manual but my wife was insistent on an automatic commuter. The transmission is expensive to maintain, flush was over $500 at VW. The clutches will also wear over time, so eventually it needs replacements. It was lightning fast at shifting for 2012, and it was better to tune, the manuals slipped the clutch at APR Stage 2 power levels.

[Table 5]

I'm sure the DSG is fine, but I feel like the Golf is pretty much the ideal car to have with a manual in. Like at the very end of the run of manuals in mass-market cars, I picture that to be the last car that comes with a stick.

[cam_wmh]

Corsi,
Just read the new 400z will have a manual. Hopefully, Nissan updates their multimedia etc, as they should have a winner.

https://www.motoring.com.au/nissan-c...w-400z-126167/

While I’m on my perch, good to see Gordon Murray put a proper transmission in the McLaren F1, gen2; T.50

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...-t50-revealed/

Unlikely I’ll get to drive one of those though.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Sliver

The other factor is I want my kids to learn manual, so this is a good opportunity to get a car they can learn in as well.

If we were having kids, I would absolutely keep a manual transmission in the stable for them to learn on.

Of course, if we reversed course and magically popped one out today, it would be 2034 before they'd start learning to drive, and I have a feeling that a really high percentage of cars will not have ICEs, and that's already the case with manuals.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I don’t know if this is something you guys might be able to help with.

I want to buy a summer type car. I’m not gonna be commuting by car anymore so I thought I might sell my current car and buy something more fun.

My priorities would be around $20k price (so obviously used), nice exterior aesthetics, manageable maintenance costs.

Now, here’s the thing, I am NOT a manual enthusiast. A manual V8 is of absolutely no concern to me. Blasphemy I know.

A Scion FRS or Subaru BRZ being the types of vehicles that interest me.

G35? Genesis coupe? 370z? (even if it makes Silver angry)

I’m afraid of any lower priced, high end cars with older model years due to maintenance. Is that a fair assessment?

Now, I do currently own a Scion TC, which I like, but is a little too vanilla. I could keep it and just pimp it out. But I have no skill myself so I’d need a mechanic to do it. And I don’t know the first thing about it (Think homer when he buys Snake’s car on the Simpsons). Thoughts?


All suggestions welcome. Even v8 manuals, as long as it meets my criteria for price, looks and maintenance.

Oh and I’m not buying VW. Golf is out. Don’t ask, it just is.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I'm sure the DSG is fine, but I feel like the Golf is pretty much the ideal car to have with a manual in. Like at the very end of the run of manuals in mass-market cars, I picture that to be the last car that comes with a stick.

A DSG just seems pointless in a Golf for me. You have a perfectly great little 1.8L 4 banger city car, and now the automatic transmission options for it is going to be something insanely expensive to maintain, and requiring frequent service compared to a basic torque converted auto.

What does having a DSG add to the experience of driving or owning a Golf? Nothing, in my opinion. A manual is the perfect option for those cars. Or, for those not in possession of a left leg, a traditional automatic. Modern variants perform so well vs. a DSG for way less hassle that it's just not worth speccing these cars with a dual clutch.