Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[Titan]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

I dunno if this is one upmanship, or self deprecating humour — hopefully make ya feel better...

I had a 2013 Golf R. We gotta family cabin, in Windermere. Had both bikes on my roof rack, heading back from the cabin. It was raining the whole damn way home, which is rare for that drive all the way to Calgary. So i had my sunroof, visor closed.

...

Pulled up to my condo parkade door. Buzz my window down, still pissing rain.. quickly beep the garage reader, to avoid getting too wet.

...

The ####ing rack bars affix to the roof, with these little nibs, and tore the roof about 3 inches on one side.

$13k insurance claim. Fortunately, not too many neighbor’s around for my panicked, and embarrassing clean up.

Sorry for your loss. But what kind of simple, lame, inattentive piece of living room furniture would do that? Right Table 5?

[Titan]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Long story short, I'm an idiot who needs to stop putting things on his roof, and need someone to help me with fibreglass repair. Any recommendations in town?

In case Cam thinks I am a total assclown, T5 did the same thing, which is what he was referencing here.

[Titan]

Huh. Assclown gets through.

AssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAs sclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssc lownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclo wnAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclown AssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAs sclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssc lownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclo wnAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclown AssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAssclownAs sclownAssclownAssclownAssclown

Plus triple post score. CP Yahtzee!

[Scroopy Noopers]

I’ve had a couple Hyundai Accents in a row here, but we are looking for a larger hatchback for around $10,000. So I was looking into the Toyota Matrix, naturally.

I would have never thought to search for this, but there are Mercedes B Class with reasonable KMs for around that price range... I’ve been watching some videos and reading some reviews but I’m not exactly sure what to trust. To me it seems like a huge hatchback (exactly what we want) with a great interior, significantly more soundproof than my Accent, and efficient. Is it just because it’s dorky looking that these are affordable used cars? Anyone have any long term experience with these, either generation?

[bossy22]

My brother's engine in his Hyundai Sante Fe just went. He was driving, check engine light started flashing and it started making noise. He got it to Hyundai and left it there. They checked it out and said his engine is shot. New one will be $6600.
Is $6600 worth it? He has 300002 kms on it.

Crappy thing is, he had it in last week for service and to get his brand new winter tires installed.

[bossy22]

So my son is looking at a used car at a dealership. They said all of the maintenance was done there, so he requested the service records. They said no because of privacy. Is that correct, or is it BS?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by bossy22

My brother's engine in his Hyundai Sante Fe just went. He was driving, check engine light started flashing and it started making noise. He got it to Hyundai and left it there. They checked it out and said his engine is shot. New one will be $6600.
Is $6600 worth it? He has 300002 kms on it.

Crappy thing is, he had it in last week for service and to get his brand new winter tires installed.

I would get a second opinion both on what the issue is and the cost of replacing the engine. An engine from a wrecker installed by an independent garage would probably be way less than that. My father in law had a new engine put in a Chrysler sedan for ~2500.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by bossy22

So my son is looking at a used car at a dealership. They said all of the maintenance was done there, so he requested the service records. They said no because of privacy. Is that correct, or is it BS?

I've heard that some dealers adopt this as blanket policy just to save themselves having to do it and the liability should they miss redacting anything. But I would respond by saying they should be able to redact any private customer information on the service records prior to turning them over (edit: by this I mean show you the records, not give them to you -- unless you end up buying the car), and if they are unable or unwilling to do so in order to earn your business, then you'll take said business elsewhere.

My V8 Vantage came with a folder of all the maintenance paperwork, from the initial RIV importation forms, to manufacturer recall checks, servicing and maintenance from both independents and Aston Martin franchised dealers, etc. It appears all they did was take the documents, obscure the personal information using a piece of paper taped over it, make photocopies, then gave me the redacted versions. I just looked over them this morning and you cannot see any personally identifiable information from the invoices. No names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. Black marker works too. It's like 15 minutes of work.

[chedder]

Thoughts on the 2021 mazda 3 gt? 2.5 liter turbocharged engine and awd. 250 hp and 300 lb/ft. Pretty much every option including all the safety nannies and heads up display. Somewhere around $35,000. To me that sounds like a pretty fun little car. Just wish the awd could be had with a manual transmission.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by bossy22

So my son is looking at a used car at a dealership. They said all of the maintenance was done there, so he requested the service records. They said no because of privacy. Is that correct, or is it BS?

Well they can choose to disclose them or not. The problems is that the records will show the name of the previous owner (likely contact information as well) and that goes angainst privacy regulations. Now what I do is print them off and go through with a sharpie or white out and scratch out all names. I will then go over the records with them but do not "give them" to the prospective buyer, they're not theirs "to have".

The worse thing that could happen is the new car owner, calls the previous car owner and starts grilling about their old car. "How did you get my number?" "The dealer gave it to me" or "It was on the service records". That's a problem.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by chedder

Thoughts on the 2021 mazda 3 gt? 2.5 liter turbocharged engine and awd. 250 hp and 300 lb/ft. Pretty much every option including all the safety nannies and heads up display. Somewhere around $35,000. To me that sounds like a pretty fun little car. Just wish the awd could be had with a manual transmission.

New Manual AWD wagon eh?
It’s either;
* VW AllTrak. (This might be it’s last year in NA)
* Subaru Impreza

That’s it.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

New Manual AWD wagon eh?
It’s either;
* VW AllTrak. (This might be it’s last year in NA)
* Subaru Impreza

That’s it.

Yeah. Thought about the alltrak but the power the new mazda puts out might make up for the lack of manual gear box. I can't imagine the vw having much jam. Impreza sounds like it doesnt have a great motor or gearbox. I'd likely go for the 3 sedan anyway as everyone says the hatch has terrible blindspots. Just have to wait until they arrive to take for a spin.

[speede5]

I'm a Mazda fanboy so I would push you that way, zoom zoom is a thing and I like it.

The only major issue I've ever seen in them is premature rust and I don't know how the newer models are holding up.

[calgarygeologist]

Does anyone have any experience with getting a GM 5.3L engine replaced either at a dealership or independent mechanic? What is the approximate cost? Where did you get the work done?

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Where's the best place to get remote starters installed? Better to buy online and get installed locally, or are there competitive places for both purchase and install?

I liked Simply Structured. Their shop is in the middle of nowhere so you'll have to either leave your car there and arrange for a ride back or stay there while it's done.

That said, I didn't appreciate how many amps a remote starter draws. Kills my battery in -20 temps in 5-7 days if not started.

[Dion]

A woman I know got a 1988 Cadillac Sedan Deville from her grand father early in the summer, It's in excellent shape and has low milage on it. I recently found out she was using regular gas instead of the recommended Premium gas. She did it save money.

I told her she needs to use Premium from now on.

She wants to know if she done any damage to her engine? She says it's sluggish.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Dion

A woman I know got a 1988 Cadillac Sedan Deville from her grand father early in the summer, It's in excellent shape and has low milage on it. I recently found out she was using regular gas instead of the recommended Premium gas. She did it save money.

I told her she needs to use Premium from now on.

She wants to know if she done any damage to her engine? She says it's sluggish.

I'd double check the owners manual to see if it actually needs premium. I checked a cadillac forum and it looks like 87 (regular) is actually the recommended octane for that car. As for feeling sluggish, it's an old and slow car. 0-60 is like nine seconds so relative to almost any modern car it will feel very slow.

[Fuzz]

Wooof. That's back when they had the proportions all wrong. You can tell, because the trunk is only big enough for 2 bodies.

[billybob123]

The 1980s 4.1L V8 didn't have a ton of juice (150ish HP?) dragging a 3500 lb sedan makes it pretty sluggish even when new - add in 32 years aging.

I loved that 80s GM sedan styling when I was younger in that era.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Dion

A woman I know got a 1988 Cadillac Sedan Deville from her grand father early in the summer, It's in excellent shape and has low milage on it. I recently found out she was using regular gas instead of the recommended Premium gas. She did it save money.

I told her she needs to use Premium from now on.

She wants to know if she done any damage to her engine? She says it's sluggish.

It's sluggish because it's a 1988 Cadillac Sedan Deville. It's meant to be a big couch on wheels and float you to speed rather than rush you.

As far as premium fuel goes, it is a waste of money in that car, and especially if she lives in Calgary. That engine is a 4.5L V8 with a 9.5:1 compression ratio.

- First reason, our altitude: air density is lower at these elevations, you aren't getting as big of a 'bang' in the combustion chamber.
- Second, the vast majority of gasoline in Canada (except Shell 91 and Chevron 94 per burn_this_city) is 10% ethanol blended, and ethanol has 25% less energy than pure petrol. Again, less energy in the bang.

Now, if it was a forced induction engine like a turbo? Sure. But that car will run just fine with the regular stuff. It probably just needs a tune-up; plugs and wires, ignition... and a reset of expectations that any 88 Cadillac will provide an exhilarating drive.