Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

fushigi

Mitsu includes free traffic for life and has for a number of years. No Sirius subscription required; mine uses FM broadcast data.

The map data does not change; it cannot wear out so it shouldn't be considered a wear item. It will become out of date - effectively broken - as new roads & interchanges are built and the POIs will constantly change.

Case in point: Not having a current map caused me to miss an exit as Missouri had moved an exit a few miles. Not good when you're trying to make it to a funeral service with a car full of grieving relatives. Along those same lines, if the roads leading to a hospital or police station have changed then out of date maps are a safety issue.

Anyway, as in-car Internet takes off we'll start to see self-updating maps. Subscription at first but eventually free.

abacomike

fushigi said:

Mitsu includes free traffic for life and has for a number of years. No Sirius subscription required; mine uses FM broadcast data. The map data does not change; it cannot wear out so it shouldn't be considered a wear item. It will become out of date - effectively broken - as new roads & interchanges are built and the POIs will constantly change. Case in point: Not having a current map caused me to miss an exit as Missouri had moved an exit a few miles. Not good when you're trying to make it to a funeral service with a car full of grieving relatives. Along those same lines, if the roads leading to a hospital or police station have changed then out of date maps are a safety issue. Anyway, as in-car Internet takes off we'll start to see self-updating maps. Subscription at first but eventually free.

Mercedes includes a free 3-year subscription to traffic and weather which is provided by Sirius - thus it is satellite fed data to the car's computer.  The weather map is overlayed with radar info about location and severity of rain/snow/storms and even show tornadoes and hurricane systems.  All of it is Sirius provided along with traffic that is visually displayed on the NAV maps.

I had to pay for traffic and weather on my 2014 CLS - 70.00 a year.  I found it worthwhile due to where I live.

oldfarmer50

tyguy said:

Subaru Outback "Take 2".

Last time I posted I mentioned our brand new Outback had been hit by a hail storm in transit to the dealer. Long story short, the dealer purchased the car back, Colorado taxes and all. They had a similar Outback in transit that was scheduled to arrive shortly after returning our Outback, and the dealer gave us a loaner in the meantime since we had already sold our minivan. When the new Outback arrived my salesman noted it didn't have all the features we wanted, and included remote start which we didn't order, so he wanted to have the dealer's service department add the missing hitch and auto dimming mirrors.

I was sort-of okay with the situation until I learned about the remote start, which is a deal killer, and when they couldn't remove the option, we essentially cancelled the deal and started over by ordering a new Outback from the factory to our specifications.

Subaru promptly delivered a brand new 2015 Outback loaner to replace the dealer's loaner while we awaited ours to be built in Indiana. The loaner is close to ours in specifications except for missing Eyesight and a factory tow hitch.

Fast forward a couple of months and my sales rep just let me know our new Outback arrived at the dealership, and for those that remember my first experience, he was quick to point out there were no holes drilled in my new bumper per my instructions :-)

Monday they'll have the clear bra installed and then we'll pick up our third new Outback in a two-month span. What a bizarre experience, but I'm grateful both Subaru and the dealer stepped up to make the situation right. If anything good came out of this, it would be that I now have an Outback with no holes in the front bumper, and instead of driving 3,000 winter miles on my new Outback, I did so on loaner vehicles. Plus my insurance went down for a few months by removing one of our cars.

Oh, and I love the Outback. If I were to total our 2012 Impreza I'd replace it with another Outback in a heartbeat. I'll post a more in-depth review later.

Did you ever get an explanation of how the deler delivered a hail damaged car to you? Was someone at the dealer just dumb on the pre delivery inspection or was it something more sinister?

In other news I was just watching the end of a Meachem auctions from Florida where a 1968 L88 Corvette went for $535k. Didn't catch what made it so valuable but I did see a 67 go for $90,000 just because it had an auto tranny with a big block. One of 16 made like that.

I'm watching the next auction program and they are talking about a 67 Vette where the owner bought it new, only drove it at night, never let anyone ride with him and after 2900 miles put it away for 45 years.

What's the point of buying it in the first place?

venture

oldfarmer50 said:

tyguy said:

Subaru Outback "Take 2".

Last time I posted I mentioned our brand new Outback had been hit by a hail storm in transit to the dealer. Long story short, the dealer purchased the car back, Colorado taxes and all. They had a similar Outback in transit that was scheduled to arrive shortly after returning our Outback, and the dealer gave us a loaner in the meantime since we had already sold our minivan. When the new Outback arrived my salesman noted it didn't have all the features we wanted, and included remote start which we didn't order, so he wanted to have the dealer's service department add the missing hitch and auto dimming mirrors.

I was sort-of okay with the situation until I learned about the remote start, which is a deal killer, and when they couldn't remove the option, we essentially cancelled the deal and started over by ordering a new Outback from the factory to our specifications.

Subaru promptly delivered a brand new 2015 Outback loaner to replace the dealer's loaner while we awaited ours to be built in Indiana. The loaner is close to ours in specifications except for missing Eyesight and a factory tow hitch.

Fast forward a couple of months and my sales rep just let me know our new Outback arrived at the dealership, and for those that remember my first experience, he was quick to point out there were no holes drilled in my new bumper per my instructions :-)

Monday they'll have the clear bra installed and then we'll pick up our third new Outback in a two-month span. What a bizarre experience, but I'm grateful both Subaru and the dealer stepped up to make the situation right. If anything good came out of this, it would be that I now have an Outback with no holes in the front bumper, and instead of driving 3,000 winter miles on my new Outback, I did so on loaner vehicles. Plus my insurance went down for a few months by removing one of our cars.

Oh, and I love the Outback. If I were to total our 2012 Impreza I'd replace it with another Outback in a heartbeat. I'll post a more in-depth review later.

Did you ever get an explanation of how the deler delivered a hail damaged car to you? Was someone at the dealer just dumb on the pre delivery inspection or was it something more sinister?

In other news I was just watching the end of a Meachem auctions from Florida where a 1968 L88 Corvette went for $535k. Didn't catch what made it so valuable but I did see a 67 go for $90,000 just because it had an auto tranny with a big block. One of 16 made like that.

I'm watching the next auction program and they are talking about a 67 Vette where the owner bought it new, only drove it at night, never let anyone ride with him and after 2900 miles put it away for 45 years.

What's the point of buying it in the first place?

Last year I saw a 427c.i., '67 Corvette coupe identical, as far as I could see, to one I used to have sell for $70,000. Almost made me throw up a little.

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

roadburner

A 1988 M6 identical to the car I sold in 1992 for $24k went for $56k at auction earlier this year. I think that price was an aberration, but values are definitely headed north; I would almost certainly have to pay over $30k for a nice one...

driver100

roadburner said:

A 1988 M6 identical to the car I sold in 1992 for $24k went for $56k at auction earlier this year. I think that price was an aberration, but values are definitely headed north; I would almost certainly have to pay over $30k for a nice one...

If you had invested $24000 in Cisco shares in 1992 the would be worth $1.3 million today.

With normal investments your $24000 could be worth about $60000 today, so you didn't lose too much by selling the car....and, btw, you would have had costs to maintain the car.

Calculate Current Value and Shares Since: February 16, 1992
Investment Date: Original Shares: Original Value: Current Shares: Current Value: Percent Return:
Feb 16, 1992 291 $ 23,971.14 45,941 $1,300,139.61 5,323.77%

Value Cisco Shares Chart

abacomike

driver100 said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida. The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

Driver, remember that I have had Mercedes vehicles for many years.  Even I find out things I didn't know about.  The only way to truly discover what you have and how to display it is to read the manuals and the manual on your hard drive cover to cover.  I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

venture

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

Driver, remember that I have had Mercedes vehicles for many years.  Even I find out things I didn't know about.  The only way to truly discover what you have and how to display it is to read the manuals and the manual on your hard drive cover to cover.  I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

You guys sit in the car and read the manual? I can hardly stand to sit on my couch and read them. You're a better man than I am.

I threw out the bait twice, but nobody bit. Did anyone try, using voice commands naturally, saying, "I'm hungry" and see what happens?

abacomike

@venture‌

I'll bite, venture.  I'll try it tomorrow when I go diwn to the car, if I remember.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

I had no idea that info was available Mike. Real men don't ask for directions and they don't read manuals. Besides, reading the manual is just a bunch of words unless you do the things while you are reading it....that could take days to cover most things.

It's easier for me if Mike keeps feeding me information.

driver100

venture said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

Driver, remember that I have had Mercedes vehicles for many years.  Even I find out things I didn't know about.  The only way to truly discover what you have and how to display it is to read the manuals and the manual on your hard drive cover to cover.  I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

You guys sit in the car and read the manual? I can hardly stand to sit on my couch and read them. You're a better man than I am.

I threw out the bait twice, but nobody bit. Did anyone try, using voice commands naturally, saying, "I'm hungry" and see what happens?

I agree, if I read the manual I would forget most of it by the time I needed it anyway.

Once when the car was low in gas the screen automatically listed the nearest gas stations and wanted to know if I wanted to get to one of them. So, I thought the "I am hungary" line might work. Have you ever asked it where you can get some "General Tso's Chicken"?

I do believe you can ask the GPS to list restaurants, but you would have to use the right voice prompt.....I don't think "I am hungry" would work.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tyguy said:

Subaru Outback "Take 2".

Last time I posted I mentioned our brand new Outback had been hit by a hail storm in transit to the dealer. Long story short, the dealer purchased the car back, Colorado taxes and all. They had a similar Outback in transit that was scheduled to arrive shortly after returning our Outback, and the dealer gave us a loaner in the meantime since we had already sold our minivan. When the new Outback arrived my salesman noted it didn't have all the features we wanted, and included remote start which we didn't order, so he wanted to have the dealer's service department add the missing hitch and auto dimming mirrors.

I was sort-of okay with the situation until I learned about the remote start, which is a deal killer, and when they couldn't remove the option, we essentially cancelled the deal and started over by ordering a new Outback from the factory to our specifications.

Subaru promptly delivered a brand new 2015 Outback loaner to replace the dealer's loaner while we awaited ours to be built in Indiana. The loaner is close to ours in specifications except for missing Eyesight and a factory tow hitch.

Fast forward a couple of months and my sales rep just let me know our new Outback arrived at the dealership, and for those that remember my first experience, he was quick to point out there were no holes drilled in my new bumper per my instructions :-)

Monday they'll have the clear bra installed and then we'll pick up our third new Outback in a two-month span. What a bizarre experience, but I'm grateful both Subaru and the dealer stepped up to make the situation right. If anything good came out of this, it would be that I now have an Outback with no holes in the front bumper, and instead of driving 3,000 winter miles on my new Outback, I did so on loaner vehicles. Plus my insurance went down for a few months by removing one of our cars.

Oh, and I love the Outback. If I were to total our 2012 Impreza I'd replace it with another Outback in a heartbeat. I'll post a more in-depth review later.

Did you ever get an explanation of how the deler delivered a hail damaged car to you? Was someone at the dealer just dumb on the pre delivery inspection or was it something more sinister?

In other news I was just watching the end of a Meachem auctions from Florida where a 1968 L88 Corvette went for $535k. Didn't catch what made it so valuable but I did see a 67 go for $90,000 just because it had an auto tranny with a big block. One of 16 made like that.

I'm watching the next auction program and they are talking about a 67 Vette where the owner bought it new, only drove it at night, never let anyone ride with him and after 2900 miles put it away for 45 years.

What's the point of buying it in the first place?

Last year I saw a 427c.i., '67 Corvette coupe identical, as far as I could see, to one I used to have sell for $70,000. Almost made me throw up a little.

Never have to worry about any of my old cars winding up like that although whenever I'm behind a truck hauling I beams I wonder if I use to drive one of them

venture

driver100 said:

venture said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

Driver, remember that I have had Mercedes vehicles for many years.  Even I find out things I didn't know about.  The only way to truly discover what you have and how to display it is to read the manuals and the manual on your hard drive cover to cover.  I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

You guys sit in the car and read the manual? I can hardly stand to sit on my couch and read them. You're a better man than I am.

I threw out the bait twice, but nobody bit. Did anyone try, using voice commands naturally, saying, "I'm hungry" and see what happens?

I agree, if I read the manual I would forget most of it by the time I needed it anyway.

Once when the car was low in gas the screen automatically listed the nearest gas stations and wanted to know if I wanted to get to one of them. So, I thought the "I am hungary" line might work. Have you ever asked it where you can get some "General Tso's Chicken"?

I do believe you can ask the GPS to list restaurants, but you would have to use the right voice prompt.....I don't think "I am hungry" would work.



It works for me. I was just wondering if I'm the only one. Actually it asks if I want to see restaurants nearby or in a city (then you name a city). If someone was hungry, a person would think they would like something nearby. Man!

venture

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

oldfarmer50 said:

tyguy said:

Subaru Outback "Take 2".

Last time I posted I mentioned our brand new Outback had been hit by a hail storm in transit to the dealer. Long story short, the dealer purchased the car back, Colorado taxes and all. They had a similar Outback in transit that was scheduled to arrive shortly after returning our Outback, and the dealer gave us a loaner in the meantime since we had already sold our minivan. When the new Outback arrived my salesman noted it didn't have all the features we wanted, and included remote start which we didn't order, so he wanted to have the dealer's service department add the missing hitch and auto dimming mirrors.

I was sort-of okay with the situation until I learned about the remote start, which is a deal killer, and when they couldn't remove the option, we essentially cancelled the deal and started over by ordering a new Outback from the factory to our specifications.

Subaru promptly delivered a brand new 2015 Outback loaner to replace the dealer's loaner while we awaited ours to be built in Indiana. The loaner is close to ours in specifications except for missing Eyesight and a factory tow hitch.

Fast forward a couple of months and my sales rep just let me know our new Outback arrived at the dealership, and for those that remember my first experience, he was quick to point out there were no holes drilled in my new bumper per my instructions :-)

Monday they'll have the clear bra installed and then we'll pick up our third new Outback in a two-month span. What a bizarre experience, but I'm grateful both Subaru and the dealer stepped up to make the situation right. If anything good came out of this, it would be that I now have an Outback with no holes in the front bumper, and instead of driving 3,000 winter miles on my new Outback, I did so on loaner vehicles. Plus my insurance went down for a few months by removing one of our cars.

Oh, and I love the Outback. If I were to total our 2012 Impreza I'd replace it with another Outback in a heartbeat. I'll post a more in-depth review later.

Did you ever get an explanation of how the deler delivered a hail damaged car to you? Was someone at the dealer just dumb on the pre delivery inspection or was it something more sinister?

In other news I was just watching the end of a Meachem auctions from Florida where a 1968 L88 Corvette went for $535k. Didn't catch what made it so valuable but I did see a 67 go for $90,000 just because it had an auto tranny with a big block. One of 16 made like that.

I'm watching the next auction program and they are talking about a 67 Vette where the owner bought it new, only drove it at night, never let anyone ride with him and after 2900 miles put it away for 45 years.

What's the point of buying it in the first place?

Last year I saw a 427c.i., '67 Corvette coupe identical, as far as I could see, to one I used to have sell for $70,000. Almost made me throw up a little.

Never have to worry about any of my old cars winding up like that although whenever I'm behind a truck hauling I beams I wonder if I use to drive one of them

LOL. Good one.

venture

And all through the house...

Everyone left a few minutes ago from being here for Christmas dinner. All shapes, sizes, and ages of relatives.

It's really nice being able to host the holiday dinners. It's also nice when everyone leaves.

Since I started doing grounds keeping at a baseball field a few years ago, I spend most of the days during the spring and summer alone. I'm starting to relish the solitude. I wonder what that means?

abacomike

venture said:

And all through the house... Everyone left a few minutes ago from being here for Christmas dinner. All shapes, sizes, and ages of relatives. It's really nice being able to host the holiday dinners. It's also nice when everyone leaves. Since I started doing grounds keeping at a baseball field a few years ago, I spend most of the days during the spring and summer alone. I'm starting to relish the solitude. I wonder what that means?

You're old - like the rest of us!!!  Don't have to dabble in meaningless conversation with people you don't want to talk to anyway; no kids nagging you to borrow the car; no parent-teacher conferences where you have to smile as the teacher tells you he/she isn't working up to their potential; no one yelling at you to mow the lawn or go to the store to pick up a few things; no one telling you to lower the volume on the TV because it's too loud; etc., etc., etc.

Solitude isn't all that bad so long as it's because you desire it rather than being forced into it!  But every so often I do miss the kids nagging me to throw the ball around or take them to the mall or the movies.  And I certainly miss my wife laying her head on my chest making her feel secure.

So, there's the good, the bad, and the ugly of getting old!!!

roadburner

We meet with my wife's brother and his family for an afternoon at their place before Christmas. For Christmas it's just my wife son and uncle. That's all the family I have left.
Heaven!

venture

abacomike said:

venture said:

And all through the house...

Everyone left a few minutes ago from being here for Christmas dinner. All shapes, sizes, and ages of relatives.

It's really nice being able to host the holiday dinners. It's also nice when everyone leaves.

Since I started doing grounds keeping at a baseball field a few years ago, I spend most of the days during the spring and summer alone. I'm starting to relish the solitude. I wonder what that means?

You're old - like the rest of us!!!  Don't have to dabble in meaningless conversation with people you don't want to talk to anyway; no kids nagging you to borrow the car; no parent-teacher conferences where you have to smile as the teacher tells you he/she isn't working up to their potential; no one yelling at you to mow the lawn or go to the store to pick up a few things; no one telling you to lower the volume on the TV because it's too loud; etc., etc., etc.

Solitude isn't all that bad so long as it's because you desire it rather than being forced into it!  But every so often I do miss the kids nagging me to throw the ball around or take them to the mall or the movies.  And I certainly miss my wife laying her head on my chest making her feel secure.

So, there's the good, the bad, and the ugly of getting old!!!

I think you are on to something there Mike. Except for the lawn and picking things up at the store. My wife still asks for that. I don't mind.

It's nice that my one daughter and the grandkids are within walking distance if need be. I pick the kids up after school almost every day so I get to see them at least 5 days a week - usually more. The other daughter and her husband are within a 5 or 10 minutes drive. My son and his new wife now live in Baltimore so that's a few hours away.

One day at a time buddy.

graphicguy

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Ab....do you use Siri Eyes in your ATS? It's good. Caddy integrates it well. CUE saved my bacon a couple of times yesterday. Was in the shopping chaios, going fron downtown Cincinnati to the far northeast 'burbs delivering presents. CUE identified congestion and rerouted me around it automatically.

Mine has CUE but not Nav. What is Siri Eyes? Guess I should look it up.

AB...Cadillac CUE has integrated Siri voice instructions (iPhone iOS and app voice management/recognition) if it's paired with an iPhone. For example, I hit a button on CUE, and can ask "find the phone number of the closest Panera Bread". Siri will then dial and connect the call through CUE.

driver100

venture said:

And all through the house...

Since I started doing grounds keeping at a baseball field a few years ago, I spend most of the days during the spring and summer alone. I'm starting to relish the solitude. I wonder what that means?

I have been wondering about this myself. I think lots of friends is more important during teen years, probably 20s and 30s. Buddies to play golf with seems to gain some importance going into 40s. I think some people...men especially get enough social relations from meeting guys for golf, tennis, or some other similar activity....even car racing, hmmm.

As we get older we value doing the things we really want to do, we don't have patience to have friends just to have friends. We may have some friends who have similar values and interests so we can still spend time together. But, friends do require a certain amount of energy, and unless the friendship is very satisfying, it is hard to find that extra energy.

Anyway, those are random thoughts....I am still trying to come to some real conclusions.

robr2

venture said:

driver100 said:

venture said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

Driver, remember that I have had Mercedes vehicles for many years.  Even I find out things I didn't know about.  The only way to truly discover what you have and how to display it is to read the manuals and the manual on your hard drive cover to cover.  I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

You guys sit in the car and read the manual? I can hardly stand to sit on my couch and read them. You're a better man than I am.

I threw out the bait twice, but nobody bit. Did anyone try, using voice commands naturally, saying, "I'm hungry" and see what happens?

I agree, if I read the manual I would forget most of it by the time I needed it anyway.

Once when the car was low in gas the screen automatically listed the nearest gas stations and wanted to know if I wanted to get to one of them. So, I thought the "I am hungary" line might work. Have you ever asked it where you can get some "General Tso's Chicken"?

I do believe you can ask the GPS to list restaurants, but you would have to use the right voice prompt.....I don't think "I am hungry" would work.

It works for me. I was just wondering if I'm the only one. Actually it asks if I want to see restaurants nearby or in a city (then you name a city). If someone was hungry, a person would think they would like something nearby. Man!

In my Explorer I can say "I'm Hungry" and it will list nearby restaurants.

robr2

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

Ab....do you use Siri Eyes in your ATS? It's good. Caddy integrates it well. CUE saved my bacon a couple of times yesterday. Was in the shopping chaios, going fron downtown Cincinnati to the far northeast 'burbs delivering presents. CUE identified congestion and rerouted me around it automatically.

Mine has CUE but not Nav. What is Siri Eyes? Guess I should look it up.

AB...Cadillac CUE has integrated Siri voice instructions (iPhone iOS and app voice management/recognition) if it's paired with an iPhone. For example, I hit a button on CUE, and can ask "find the phone number of the closest Panera Bread". Siri will then dial and connect the call through CUE.

I don't the phone number of Panera Bread, I want to go there!!

My Ford Touch also asks if I want to call them once I select the restaurant.

[Deleted User]

nyccarguy said:

@tyguy‌

I'm glad you are checking in & all is well with the 3rd Outback. Got a question for you. When you start the car up in the AM or after work, does it idle high at about 1900 RPM & then settle down when you put the car in Drive or let it idle for more than 2 minutes?

Yep, both Outbacks we've driven thus far have fast idled just as you mention. I understand the PZEV versions are a bit more aggressive in duration with the goal of reaching operating temperature as quickly as possible. We opted for ULEV instead of PZEV. I also have noted that even when driving with the engine below operating temperature the CVT will adjust its ratio to keep the engine turning a few hundred RPM higher compared to when I drive the same road at the same speed when the engine is warm.

[Deleted User]

oldfarmer50 said:

Did you ever get an explanation of how the deler delivered a hail damaged car to you? Was someone at the dealer just dumb on the pre delivery inspection or was it something more sinister?

No real explanation other than the delivery guys missed the damage. All the industry insiders we've talked with, including Mike here, have mentioned that the dealer was likely informed by the transit guys about the storm and damage. The dealer said they didn't know, but there's no real way to verify what happened pre-delivery. I do know that either Subaru or the dealer paid a large Colorado tax bill in the end, so only the state came ahead in this transaction. I wonder how many other cars were damaged in the same rail station by the same storm?

venture

robr2 said:

venture said:

driver100 said:

venture said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Driver, have you tried the wearher feature yet?  You select the top right "world globe" on your main screen, press on it, then rotate the controller clockwise until you get to weather. .

Mike, that is great information....I didn't have a clue that would be available. That is exactly why it would be very wise for dealers to have classrooms to explain these features. I have made a note to look into that when we get back to Florida.

The E400 has these little storage pockets attached to the front of the two front seats. They are fairly large and I find it very useful for lots of stuff...they are probably the size of a small glove box. My wife wants hers removed because she says if her legs are back she can feel it. I said we could find out if it can be removed....she said it can and will be removed. Oh well!

Driver, remember that I have had Mercedes vehicles for many years.  Even I find out things I didn't know about.  The only way to truly discover what you have and how to display it is to read the manuals and the manual on your hard drive cover to cover.  I just found the "instant" mpg chart on the main screen using the controller.  I always used the settings screen in the center of the speedometer for mpg's - never knew I had one that updates every 60 seconds on the NAV screen.

You guys sit in the car and read the manual? I can hardly stand to sit on my couch and read them. You're a better man than I am.

I threw out the bait twice, but nobody bit. Did anyone try, using voice commands naturally, saying, "I'm hungry" and see what happens?

I agree, if I read the manual I would forget most of it by the time I needed it anyway.

Once when the car was low in gas the screen automatically listed the nearest gas stations and wanted to know if I wanted to get to one of them. So, I thought the "I am hungary" line might work. Have you ever asked it where you can get some "General Tso's Chicken"?

I do believe you can ask the GPS to list restaurants, but you would have to use the right voice prompt.....I don't think "I am hungry" would work.

It works for me. I was just wondering if I'm the only one. Actually it asks if I want to see restaurants nearby or in a city (then you name a city). If someone was hungry, a person would think they would like something nearby. Man!

In my Explorer I can say "I'm Hungry" and it will list nearby restaurants.

Great! I like that. It's a cool "parlor trick".

laurasdada

In the Jag, I say, "I'm hungry" and the headlights shut off!

isellhondas

When we did a delivery on new cars, we insisted that the buyer do a walk around making sure there was no damage. Some buyers did this in ten seconds while others would take a good fifteen minutes. Some would pick at specks looking for damage. Their kids were the worst at finding "damage" that didn't exist.

Then we would have them sign a form. I would write " NO DAMAGE" and have them sign the form. In a nice way I would let them know that once they drove off the lot we were no longer responsible.

It that point, they would know I was very serious and some would re inspect their cars. I had no problem with that. I wanted them to be satisfied and I wanted to protect the company.

I once delivered a car to a woman that had zero damage and she signed the form. She stopped at
a store on the way home and "something" had put a scratch and a dent on the rear bumper.

Two hours later, she returned with her nasty husband and they insisted I had delivered the car like that. This damage was bad enough that anyone would have seen it immediately.

Long story. We refused to repair the damage and she gave me a lousy survey.

Another time a salesperson noticed a tiny scratch during the delivery inspection that the customer didn't even see. It was pointed out to the customer, noted on the form and an appointment was made to repair the insignificant scratch.

When the car was brought in, the whole side (the opposite side from the scratch) of the car was badly scraped! It looked like it had been scraped on a garage door.

All of a sudden the customer forgot how to speak English and demanded that we fix the entire side of the car!

Luckilly the salesperson had written "small scratch apx 1/2 inch long bottom of LR door"

We had very few problems but we made sure to disclose everything!

cdnpinhead

Aren't people wonderful?

abacomike

@laurasdada‌

When I bought my car, I bought something to get me from one place to another safely and comfortably.  I did not buy my car to have a conversation with a new-found friend.  I think if I pressed the voice button on the steering wheel and said, "...I'm hungry..." I would hear a response like, "...so eat something schvinehunt...!"

@isellhondas

That was a tough part of dealing with customers.  If there was a scratch or a ding in a new car we were delivering, I would be called by the detail manager informing me of the problem.  The very first thing I would do would be to check my 500 new car inventory to see if I had an identical car in stock.  Usually I did so I would substitute the damaged car with another.  If I did not have another one, I would check my incoming cars and other dealers for a dealer trade.  If none of those avenues succeeded, I would involve the customer in making a decision to change colors or equipment or to have a special detailed come in to repair the damage to the customer's satisfaction.

It never made sense to try to camouflage the scratch or ping dent by a quick fix.  In the end, it would cost my dealership a bad survey.  That is why if a customer returned a car to the dealership and complained of a minor blemish or scratch knowing full well that it was not there when the car was delivered, I would still repair the blemish at no charge to the customer.  But if the customer came back and there was more than acceptable damage which I knew was not there, I would refuse.

It's all about customer relations and surveys.

ab348

When I took delivery of my Regal in 2011 the dealer noted a scratch on the rear bumper cover. I could never see it. Regardless they took it in the first week I had it and fixed it allegedly - I still couldn't tell.

roadburner

cdnpinhead said:

Aren't people wonderful?

Nothing will destroy your faith in humanity faster than dealing with the public on a regular basis.

imidazol97

Serpentine belt failure, cont.

Here's the offending part


I've decided the problem was my mechanic did not do preventative maintenance on the pulleys. The belt had been on a long time, it was a long life Gator belt by Dayco, IIRC. It should have been removed and all the pulleys for water pump, AC compressor, power steering pump, and alternator checked along with the idler tensioner pulley that's in the above picture.

I am my mechanic, so it's my own fault.

isellhondas

roadburner said:

cdnpinhead said:

Aren't people wonderful?

Nothing will destroy your faith in humanity faster than dealing with the public on a regular basis.

That is so true.

After having been involved in retail management my entire life I've seen and heard it all and it does make a person cynical.

The car business was, BY FAR, the worst for this.

Unfortunately, it's the bad ones that made me jaded.

isellhondas

imidazol97 said:

Serpentine belt failure, cont.

Here's the offending part


I've decided the problem was my mechanic did not do preventative maintenance on the pulleys. The belt had been on a long time, it was a long life Gator belt by Dayco, IIRC. It should have been removed and all the pulleys for water pump, AC compressor, power steering pump, and alternator checked along with the idler tensioner pulley that's in the above picture.

I am my mechanic, so it's my own fault.

It's hard to check everything.

There are always some items that are wise to replace while you are "in there" but this can get expensive at the same time.

I think I've told this story before.

When I was managing a large shop I learned that it is never wise to do a customer a favor.

I know this sounds mean spirited but it seems to backfire every time.

I once had a young woman bring her VW beetle in with a worn out clutch. She was a single mom and according to her, very low on funds with lots of bills to pay.

This was around the holidays and she was almost in tears when she dropped the VW off.

I asked the guy who I assigned to job to to see if there were any corners he could cut.

After he had dropped the engine ( 15 minutes later) he brought me the throwout bearing and asked my opinion. We both thought it looked and felt fine so we reused it and probably saved her 20.00.

Guess what failed a month later?

Her dad calls and tells me.." WHAT KIND OF A SHOP DOESN'T REPLACE A THROWOUT BEARING WHEN THE DO A CLUTCH JOB"??

Guess what I got to replace for free?

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

Serpentine belt failure, cont.

Here's the offending part


I've decided the problem was my mechanic did not do preventative maintenance on the pulleys. The belt had been on a long time, it was a long life Gator belt by Dayco, IIRC. It should have been removed and all the pulleys for water pump, AC compressor, power steering pump, and alternator checked along with the idler tensioner pulley that's in the above picture.

I am my mechanic, so it's my own fault.

BTDT- The idler pulley bearings on the BMWs I deal with get pretty noisy before they fail; I ignored one a bit too long on my wifes 528i and it decided to fly apart as she was turning into the parking garage at he work. What a mess- and entirely my fault for not promptly dealing with it.

oldfarmer50

isellhondas said:

When we did a delivery on new cars, we insisted that the buyer do a walk around making sure there was no damage. Some buyers did this in ten seconds while others would take a good fifteen minutes. Some would pick at specks looking for damage. Their kids were the worst at finding "damage" that didn't exist.

Then we would have them sign a form. I would write " NO DAMAGE" and have them sign the form. In a nice way I would let them know that once they drove off the lot we were no longer responsible.

It that point, they would know I was very serious and some would re inspect their cars. I had no problem with that. I wanted them to be satisfied and I wanted to protect the company.

I once delivered a car to a woman that had zero damage and she signed the form. She stopped at
a store on the way home and "something" had put a scratch and a dent on the rear bumper.

Two hours later, she returned with her nasty husband and they insisted I had delivered the car like that. This damage was bad enough that anyone would have seen it immediately.

Long story. We refused to repair the damage and she gave me a lousy survey.

Another time a salesperson noticed a tiny scratch during the delivery inspection that the customer didn't even see. It was pointed out to the customer, noted on the form and an appointment was made to repair the insignificant scratch.

When the car was brought in, the whole side (the opposite side from the scratch) of the car was badly scraped! It looked like it had been scraped on a garage door.

All of a sudden the customer forgot how to speak English and demanded that we fix the entire side of the car!

Luckilly the salesperson had written "small scratch apx 1/2 inch long bottom of LR door"

We had very few problems but we made sure to disclose everything!

I don't remember the original post but didn't tyguy say he didn't see the damage until later? How would you have handled that?

It's amazing what some people will go through to avoid taking personal responsibility.

venture

When I bought my car, I bought something to get me from one place to another safely and comfortably. I did not buy my car to have a conversation with a new-found friend. I think if I pressed the voice button on the steering wheel and said, "...I'm hungry..." I would hear a response like, "...so eat something schvinehunt...!"

Fair enough. It just makes it extremely easy.

What about "Weather Map"? Does it open the map or are there other gyrations you have to go through?

abacomike

venture said:

When I bought my car, I bought something to get me from one place to another safely and comfortably. I did not buy my car to have a conversation with a new-found friend. I think if I pressed the voice button on the steering wheel and said, "...I'm hungry..." I would hear a response like, "...so eat something schvinehunt...!" Fair enough. It just makes it extremely easy. What about "Weather Map"? Does it open the map or are there other gyrations you have to go through?

Venture, I'll be honest with you - the only times I press the voice activation button on the steering wheel is when I want to set a destination in the GPS/NAV system.  I know it will make phone calls to anything or anyone on my contacts list on my iPhone.  I know it will change from FM radio to Sirius radio ( I say "SAT radio") and to disc, video, AM, iPod, etc.  I know it will change stations on verbal commands.  But as for going to Gas Stations or restaurants, I have never tried it.  I just need to remember to play with it when I am in the car.

Even if it does respond to voice requests, I'd probably never use it.

As for the weather map, I just use the controller (like a mouse) and turn it to GLOBE, press, turn to weather, press, turn to map, press, and rotate to zoom in.  If I remember, tomorrow morning I'll play with the voice activation to find out what it can do.

venture

abacomike said:

venture said:

When I bought my car, I bought something to get me from one place to another safely and comfortably. I did not buy my car to have a conversation with a new-found friend. I think if I pressed the voice button on the steering wheel and said, "...I'm hungry..." I would hear a response like, "...so eat something schvinehunt...!"

Fair enough. It just makes it extremely easy.

What about "Weather Map"? Does it open the map or are there other gyrations you have to go through?

Venture, I'll be honest with you - the only times I press the voice activation button on the steering wheel is when I want to set a destination in the GPS/NAV system.  I know it will make phone calls to anything or anyone on my contacts list on my iPhone.  I know it will change from FM radio to Sirius radio ( I say "SAT radio") and to disc, video, AM, iPod, etc.  I know it will change stations on verbal commands.  But as for going to Gas Stations or restaurants, I have never tried it.  I just need to remember to play with it when I am in the car.

Even if it does respond to voice requests, I'd probably never use it.

OK. Good enough. I found that I use voice recognition for as much as I can - except maybe climate control. I don't usually mess with the temperature unless Mrs. Venture is in the car. Then I have to turn up the temperature on her side and turn on the heated seats (which I rarely use - it feels like I'm on fire...LOL).

driver100

Talking about all these great features, like voice command........

My friend who bought a new 2014 Lincoln MKZ said his car makes a beeping noise if he goes over the speed limit. I have never heard of this and I don't see how that could be possible.

Has anyone heard of this feature? I think maybe it makes a noise for some other reason, it's just a coincidence it happens at the speed limit.

abacomike

@driver100‌

Have aver you set up your Mbrace services yet, driver?

BTW, in the Mbrace App for iPhone, you can set a speed limit if you loan your car out to the kids, and if they exceed the speed limit set, you get texted.  Also, you can set up a perimeter for your car when you give it to a valet to park.  If the car leaves the perimeter you set, you can be texted or called by Mbrace.  It also has a locate feature.  If you park at s mall and forget where you parked, the app will find your car for you and direct you to it.

As for a speed limit setting, there are cars that have that feature.

jayrider

driver100 said:

Talking about all these great features, like voice command........

My friend who bought a new 2014 Lincoln MKZ said his car makes a beeping noise if he goes over the speed limit. I have never heard of this and I don't see how that could be possible.

Has anyone heard of this feature? I think maybe it makes a noise for some other reason, it's just a coincidence it happens at the speed limit.

We had that feature in our 1958 Buick. You set the speed manually at the speedometer and it gave you a nasty sound when you went over. That was the Estate wagon with the huge toothy front grill. Manual windows and no a/c.

abacomike

My most embarrassing moment in the car business occurred when I was selling Lexus from the floor.  You may remember that the dealer I worked for was (and still is) the highest volume dealer in the country.  I remember this incident because it took place one Christmas Eve day.

The customer was a young married man who was buying an RX330 for his wife as a Christmas gift.  He was not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination and barely came up with a down payment that satisfied Lexus Financial Services for their low interest 60 month loan.

We walked the lot (we usually had close to 100 in stock at any one time) and he found a beige exterior RX with beige leather seats.  He got a great deal on the car, as I remember.  I brought the car to the detailers to prep for delivery and completed the usual paperwork.

The detailer brought me the key which meant that his car was parked in the delivery line.  We got up and I went over the car with him to make sure he understood how everything worked.  I told him to bring his wife in the day after Christmas and I would show her how to operate the NAV, radio system, etc.

He got behind the wheel and drove off.  About 10 minutes later, he pulls back into the dealership complaining that the RX would not shift properly through the gears. He left the engine running and what seemed like red transmission fluid was literally pouring out from underneath the engine.

I apologized profusely and offered to exchange RX's with him (we always had duplicate vehicles in stock).  I walked him inside and went back out to the lot to find him another RX.  I brought it up but the MSRP on the replacement was $650 more.  My manager approved replacing the RX with the higher priced one with no additional cost to the customer.

I redid all the paperwork, delivered the new car to him, and as he put the car in D (drive) the RX jerked, shook and flat out died.  And wouldn't you know it - transmission fluid was pouring out from under the engine.

It was useless to apologize again for two RX's that had incorrectly assembled transmission lines that were broken because of missing brackets that held the flexible tubing out of harms way, but I tried anyway.  

All I can tell you is that he left with his trade after cursing me and the dealership out for selling defective cars.

As a result, mechanics inspected all the RX's we had in stock and found several others with the same problem.  The problem was corrected and Lexus was notified of the problem in case there were others around that suffered from the same leaking transmission lines.

My manager was sorry for me because I had spent 8 hours trying to sell this poor guy an RX.  So he issued me a $350 spiff bonus.  He said I didn't sell a car because of a product problem, not a salesman's error.  That doesn't happen very often in the car business.

But I can sure tell you that I was super embarrassed as a result of this fiasco.  From that day on, every time I sold and delivered an RX, a churning sensation would present itself in my abdomen.  Just the thought and recollection of this experience is causing me some upper intestine distress!!!

imidazol97

abacomike said:

It was useless to apologize again for two RX's that had incorrectly assembled transmission lines that were broken because of missing brackets that held the flexible tubing out of harms way, but I tried anyway.

First comment, I thought all those Toyota Lexus's were perfect to hear stories from supporters through the years. Interesting to hear such a story fitting the reality of my motto that "all cars put their wheels on one lug nut at a time." They all can have problems. It's the dealership behind the car that really makes the difference. Yours was probably willing to go through the cars to find one without the flaw to replace the one he purchased from the way it sounds.

Weren't the cars test driven by the mechanics after they were prepped?

abacomike said:

But I can sure tell you that I was super embarrassed as a result of this fiasco. From that day on, every time I sold and delivered an RX, a churning sensation would present itself in my abdomen. Just the thought and recollection of this experience is causing me some upper intestine distress!!!

A salesperson who cared about the car and the customers; "Priceless" as the Mastercard advertisements go.

driver100

abacomike said:

@driver100‌

Have aver you set up your Mbrace services yet, driver?

BTW, in the Mbrace App for iPhone, you can set a speed limit if you loan your car out to the kids, and if they exceed the speed limit set, you get texted.  Also, you can set up a perimeter for your car when you give it to a valet to park.  If the car leaves the perimeter you set, you can be texted or called by Mbrace.  It also has a locate feature.  If you park at s mall and forget where you parked, the app will find your car for you and direct you to it.

As for a speed limit setting, there are cars that have that feature.

Jayrider and Mike. The way he explained it, he doesn't set anything. If he passes a sign that says 50 mph zone, and if he is over, the car beeps. I don't see how it is possible, but, that's what he said. I think he misunderstood or explained it wrong....unless speed limit signs send out a signal.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

It was useless to apologize again for two RX's that had incorrectly assembled transmission lines that were broken because of missing brackets that held the flexible tubing out of harms way, but I tried anyway.

First comment, I thought all those Toyota Lexus's were perfect to hear stories from supporters through the years. Interesting to hear such a story fitting the reality of my motto that "all cars put their wheels on one lug nut at a time." They all can have problems. It's the dealership behind the car that really makes the difference. Yours was probably willing to go through the cars to find one without the flaw to replace the one he purchased from the way it sounds. Weren't the cars test driven by the mechanics after they were prepped?

But I can sure tell you that I was super embarrassed as a result of this fiasco. From that day on, every time I sold and delivered an RX, a churning sensation would present itself in my abdomen. Just the thought and recollection of this experience is causing me some upper intestine distress!!!

A salesperson who cared about the car and the customers; "Priceless" as the Mastercard advertisements go.

In response to "...weren't the cars test driven...?"  they all are after they are PDI'd (pre-delivery inspection).  But the transmission lines were drooping because of a lack of braces/brackets being  installed. After being driven 3-5 miles, they may not exhibit the problem.  Remember, they are also driven in Japan to get them to the ship and driven again from the boat to the Vehicle Preparation Center.  So, after several trips, the problem presents itself.

I would have done anything for the poor customer - but I sure couldn't blame him for not buying an RX for his wife to drive after those two experiences.  These are rare problems for Lexus, as they are for most car manufacturers.  Think about the air bag manufacturer (Takata I believe) whose products have turned the automobile industry upside down due to s problem with deployment injuring drivers.  That is significant.

I do not remember if the problem with the RX's was significant enough to cause a recall or not - or just issue a service bulletin to inspect the transmission lines on certain RX's as they arrived at the dealerships - but it sure cost me a sale.

I agree that all cars are put together similarly and at any given point in time, any car can be a lemon.  It happens all the time.  I have been pretty lucky with Mercedes, though.  A 2012 E 350 whose fuel injectors were leaking and needed to be replaced and a 2015 that was built without two systems - not bad considering I am running 8 for 10 outstanding Mercedes products.  8 cars out of 10 that never had to be brought back for anything - not even an adjustment.

This 2015 E400 I now have is perfect in every possible way - 512 miles on it already after only 2 weeks.

stever

jayrider said:

We had that feature in our 1958 Buick. You set the speed manually at the speedometer and it gave you a nasty sound when you went over.

One of my Mom's Buick wagons had that feature in the 60s. She was a notorious speeder and occasionally we would dial it back to 60 and scare the heck out of her when it would buzz. She still wouldn't slow down any.

thebean

driver100 said:

Jayrider and Mike. The way he explained it, he doesn't set anything. If he passes a sign that says 50 mph zone, and if he is over, the car beeps. I don't see how it is possible, but, that's what he said. I think he misunderstood or explained it wrong....unless speed limit signs send out a signal.

I would bet it has something to do with the NAV system.  My aged Garmin unit shows the speed limit on the screen (in the format of a little speed limit sign).  Maybe the system interfaces with the NAV and stores the limit and beeps if you go over it.  Or maybe it is just magic.

roadburner

If I couldn't turn that speed limit Safety [non-permissible content removed] Chime off completely I wouldn't buy the car. I know that you could set a warning at any speed you wanted in older BMWs- I'd sometimes set a friend's car to 35 mph or less when they weren't looking...