Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

PF_Flyer

Good one from while I was at my buddy's tire shop/garage this morning. Someone brought in their vehicle that was losing air in the right rear tire. When they took it apart they found that the wheel was cracked on the inside and someone had removed the tire, put duct tape on the cracked rim and remounted the tire. Red Green lives! (even on a VERY pricey ride)

imidazol97

The gas cap doesn't match the rest of the paint! LOL

PF_Flyer

imidazol97 said:

The gas cap doesn't match the rest of the paint! LOL

Maybe that's the way those matte finish M-Bs come? Not something I shop for regularly

oldfarmer50

PF_Flyer said:

Good one from while I was at my buddy's tire shop/garage this morning. Someone brought in their vehicle that was losing air in the right rear tire. When they took it apart they found that the wheel was cracked on the inside and someone had removed the tire, put duct tape on the cracked rim and remounted the tire. Red Green lives! (even on a VERY pricey ride)

What do you want to bet that whoever did that charged the owner for a new wheel?

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Driver situation is different though. Only the Florida car is on the policy in the US I assume.

I also would not want my car sitting unattended for 5 months like that, but maybe that’s just me! I don’t like leaving them for a week when we go on a trip!

My solution for driver100 is for him to leave his Florida car in my driveway. Every November I’ll bring it down to him and bring it back up in April. In between I’ll take it out on the road every now and then just to make sure his tires don’t get flat spots. I’ll even run it up to redline a few times to keep the carbon out.

All for the price of my airfare one way in spring and fall.

qbrozen

stickguy said:

I also would not want my car sitting unattended for 5 months like that, but maybe that’s just me! I don’t like leaving them for a week when we go on a trip!

I trust mine to not have parties while I'm gone.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

I also would not want my car sitting unattended for 5 months like that, but maybe that’s just me! I don’t like leaving them for a week when we go on a trip!

I trust mine to not have parties while I'm gone.

I wasn’t sure if he was talking about leaving his cars or his dogs.

andres3

Uber or Lyft could prevent the starving for the week in FL waiting for transport to catch up.

andres3

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

stickguy

You should dump it and get a new car

imidazol97

Is the streaking and mottling on the wheel surface in the dish around the lug nuts permanent as well?

I recall the chemicals in the wheel products I bought for chrome wheels were fairly strong. The warnings were adament about rinsing completely.

imidazol97

As far as the lug nuts, the finish coating may have been weak or just susceptible to the cleaning products.

Just buy new ones--20 X $$ = $$

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

My question is is why does your wheel say "NO RACING"?

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

carnaught said:

@snakeweasel. sharp car. Congrats!

BTW, you can negotiate the Autonation otd price. I'm not sure about all of them but that was the case when I bought my '19 TAH.

My understanding is that they have used cars as one price but will negotiate new cars. I did check some sources on car values and did determine that the price was low. Their OTD price was less that what Kelly Blue Book has as a typical listing price, so I believe the deal is good. That's not to say I didn't try.

They are pretty rigid about their pricing. I did get an extra $200 for our Passat trade-in, but our salesman said he was very surprised they did that.

C'mon man. Did you really expect him to say otherwise? You've been around long enough to know the game. You're supposed to walk away feeling you made a good deal.

jmonroe

andres3

imidazol97 said:

As far as the lug nuts, the finish coating may have been weak or just susceptible to the cleaning products.

Just buy new ones--20 X $$ = $$

These were specialty lug nuts, 5 mm longer for the 5 mm spacers my 380 mm big brake kit required. They are also supposedly forged and German metal so they were like $4/bolt (I'm sure with some profit built in since I had them do the brake kit at the same time for a low install price).

Now I'll have to research the bolt size and length (OEM + 5 mm) specific to these aftermarket wheels.

I hope the rusting residue spread to the wheel is not permanent. I imagine the paint on the wheel is protected and will clean off with some elbow grease. Now those wheels, they are pricey like jewelry.

driver100

stickguy said:

Driver situation is different though. Only the Florida car is on the policy in the US I assume.

I also would not want my car sitting unattended for 5 months like that, but maybe that’s just me! I don’t like leaving them for a week when we go on a trip!

Yes, and btw, when we aren't in Florida the car has minimum insurance while it sits in the garage.....when we are in Florida my car at home is on minimum insurance. Some policies only cover you for up to 90 days out of the country, ours covers us for up to 6 months.

We used to go back to Florida in July, to take the car out and check on the house. Too difficult getting everything up and working again only to shut it down in a few days. My car sits in the garage for 7 months, just STABIL in the gas, tires inflated a few pounds extra, trickle charger on the battery.....a friend puts steal wool in the exhaust pipe to prevent mice entering.....but, that seems a little OCD. I did put some mice repellant stuff in the engine this time to discourage mice from eating any wiring in the engine....only because mice ate the wires in a neighbors Lexus, but they were the ones made with soy coating that Toyota used to be environmentally friendly, for a few years.....$8000 worth of damage.

PF_Flyer

Just speculating... since you said the car was at the dealer for 2 weeks, think it's possible those are different bolts than what you had on there? Just thinking that the bolts aren't anything really special and would be ready at hand if one got lost. If the rust was due to something too strong or being left on too long, wouldn't the bolts all show similar rust? If there was a bin of bolts (say where they put them for safe keeping while wheels are off) and you grabbed 5 for each wheel, they might look that way from laying around, various states depending on how long they were sitting in the bin. Just thinking out loud.

If it was a corrosive/abrasive, wouldn't there be some damage/indication on something besides the bolts?

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

Looks like flood damage, maybe the lot boys drove it in the river. Check for wet carpets too.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

My question is is why does your wheel say "NO RACING"?

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

My question is is why does your wheel say "NO RACING"?

Maybe because you shouldn't race with rusty bolts!

jmonroe1

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

not sure what it costs to own the spare car (insurance, maintenance, etc.) but another option is to just ship one of your regular ones down in the fall and back in the spring.

That's what "REAL SNOWBIRDS" do. The car carriers are starting to arrive here now in my condo community. Most common plates are NY NJ PENN ILL. The Quebec/Ontario plates usually arrive in November.

I read somewhere that there is a possibility that Canadians will be able to stay longer here in the US to escape cold and snow - the issue still remains health coverage.

I've heard my Delray Beach SIL say several times, she knows what time of the year it is just by noting which way the car carriers are going. Make sense to me.

jmonroe

driver100

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

not sure what it costs to own the spare car (insurance, maintenance, etc.) but another option is to just ship one of your regular ones down in the fall and back in the spring.

That's what "REAL SNOWBIRDS" do. The car carriers are starting to arrive here now in my condo community. Most common plates are NY NJ PENN ILL. The Quebec/Ontario plates usually arrive in November.

I read somewhere that there is a possibility that Canadians will be able to stay longer here in the US to escape cold and snow - the issue still remains health coverage.

Canadians won't arrive until later, since we are only allowed up to 6 months in the U.S. They are getting closer to extending that time to 7 months for over 50 year olds. For Florida, that demographic spends money, and is not much trouble - a lot of extra $$$s are at stake.

Our health plans allow us to be out of the country for up to 7 months at a time, so that works. I think in our case 5 to 5 1/2 months would be sufficient. We leave some free days for day trips of smaller trips so we don't get into trouble.

Now it is all computerized, the U.S. and Canadian border people are cooperating, and they know exactly how many days we are in the U.S. during a one year period. If you exceed 182 days, they immediately seize 30% of your world wide assets, and you can go to court and try to explain or come up with a reason you should get that back.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

Looks like flood damage, maybe the lot boys drove it in the river. Check for wet carpets too.

Those bolts look like they are really worn....looks like they have been removed and put back many times.

explorerx4

Lug nuts were probably switched. Someone at the shop either has them on their car now or sold them.

tjc78

explorerx4 said:

Lug nuts were probably switched. Someone at the shop either has them on their car now or sold them.

This

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

So after getting my car back after 2 weeks from the dealership, the wheel bolts on one particular wheel are rusted out like this:


I think I figured out the puzzle after some long hard thinking.

1) the car washer/detailer did a great job cleaning the car this time (much better than usual)
2) He's using too strong or abrasive cleaning products, which, while effective, if carelessly used, like leaving on a wheel without rinsing for a prolonged period of time, could cause major rust.

What do you all think? The bolt in the best condition on this rear wheel (where they did work) is equal to the worst bolt on the other 3 wheels).

If I were you, I'd be more concerned about the torque of those lug nuts than the appearance of them. Another if I were you...I'd be checking the torque of them before your next trip to the grocery store, let alone your next trip around the track because they've already shown they don't have respect for lug nuts. Yeah, I'm paranoid about that kind of stuff.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

If you ever wondered who will be driving those “driverless” cars, watch this....

https://youtu.be/_sBBaNYex3E

stickguy

I would worry more that the lug nuts he had were extra long, and I would bet if they put different ones on, they are standard length

stickguy

This guy!

andres3

stickguy said:

I would worry more that the lug nuts he had were extra long, and I would bet if they put different ones on, they are standard length

Pretty sure they are the same lug nuts. originally, I thought maybe they mixed up the parts with other cars/garage bolts lying around, but, I was assured that was almost impossible for the following reasons:

1) Each tech has a magnetic shelf/cubbie area by each lift.
2) OEM Audi wheels have differnet lug nuts, that wouldn't fit these wheels correctly, and they all have plastic caps of some sort, so you wouldn't see the rust even if they were rusting.
3) the standard wheel lug nuts for these wheels are short, but barely shy of meeting spec (3 threads rather than the required 5 or something).

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

If you ever wondered who will be driving those “driverless” cars, watch this....

https://youtu.be/_sBBaNYex3E

That was amazing! The thing that impressed me the most was the subtlety with which the robot balanced itself after performing each stunt much like our leg and arm muscles adjust our motions. Very impressive. Almost human like stability and movement.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

This guy!

I don’t know, Arnold messed him up pretty good. Poor customer satisfaction.

fintail

Now I want to see it deal with a multi-lane merge or a roundabout or a busy 4 way stop.

abacomike said:

That was amazing! The thing that impressed me the most was the subtlety with which the robot balanced itself after performing each stunt much like our leg and arm muscles adjust our motions. Very impressive. Almost human like stability and movement.

abacomike

After my walk today at the mall, I accompanied one of my walking buddies to the Mercedes dealership where he wanted to buy a new 2020 E 450. He had been out test driving them and getting pricing for the last 2 days and was ready to get the car - which is why he asked me to help him with negotiations.

They had a grey sedan with beige leather interior that he liked. MSRP was $69,580 - nicely equipped with the options he preferred. He had no trade so this was a purchase for 50% down and special financing by MBFS at 1.99% for 72 months,

After running the numbers and doing research on Edmunds, TruCar, etc., I felt that a good price on the car would be $4000 under MSRP + tax and DMV fees - and no dealer fees. So we offered $70,000 out-the-door for the car. I knew the manager would not accept that offer because it was significantly below his cost.

He came back and said he would do it for $71,650 otd. I told my friend that he should counter at $70,250 otd, which he did. The manager said he could not do it for that price, but he could at $71,450. I stood up along with my friend, shook his hand and thanked him for his time. We then headed for the front door of the showroom.

I had discussed this approach with my friend before we got to the dealership. I know these cars have not been selling well and the 2020's haven't been out very long. But as I told my friend, the buyer must control the process - not the dealership. We opened the front door and just as we were about to walk out, we heard those wonderful words, "you got a deal"! They had sold a car for under invoice, but I am sure there was trunk money on the car because of the new engine coming out next year - not to mention the 1% they make on the loan (.99 % is the buy rate). So they had an additional $1000 +/- on the financing over 72 months.

He loves the car and the deal was a good one for September on a 2020.

stickguy

You the man Mike!

tjc78

I tell everyone to get up and walk out ... best negotiation tool there is.

Myself .. I will never negotiate at the dealer again. Email / Phone is the way to go.

stickguy

more time efficient, if you can get them to participate!

28firefighter

My current/upcoming punch was done over email.

stickguy

my last car was both. I found the deal through Honcker, until I found out how far away they were and they lowballed the trade, and I decided to switch colors. while dealing with that I stopped at a different dealer (not one of my local 2) to show her the choices, and ended up negotiating in person. Did not nail down while there, but they called shortly after we left to say they reworked the #s based on new incentives, and would do the deal.

abacomike

Yesterday, I bought the Xfinity "xfi" pods in order to increase the signal strength of my home WiFi. I am connected to Comcast (Xfinity) for my TV cable, internet and WiFi. I have their "BLAST" internet speed which is 175 mbs to the computer and router. I only use my iPhone 8+ - no other devices. But I use my phone for WiFi all the time.

The router is in the far back end of the condo in the master bedroom. My bedroom is in the front of the condo which is about 35 feet from the router with 2 concrete walls separating the rooms. I was unable to get a strong signal (only 2 bars on the phone) and the speed was only 35-40 mbs.

The kit is not a repeater. It is composed of 3 pod plugs which you plug into a wall socket. Each pod must connect to the phone by using their Xfi App - holding the phone next to the pod as it is activated. Then, you have to name the pod (living room, bedroom, dining room, etc.) entering the info in the App. You do this for the 3 pods beginning with the closest pod to the router.

So I activated one in the living room, one in the dining room and one in my bedroom. Once they are activated, it creates a network throughout the condo and joined with the router.

The cost was $125 for the 3 pod kit - the App was free. The results are amazing. I am getting all 3 bars on the phone for signal strength and 110 - 155 mbs all over the condo. In my bedroom, where I have my 55" TV and recliner, I am getting 85-125 mbs speed which is almost triple what I was getting before I installed the new system.

If one of the pods disconnects, the App alerts you and tells you which one is disconnected (which is why you initially name the pods). What a difference!

tjc78

My router is in the basement and all over my house I’m full signal and D/L at 180 mbps. I’m surprised you had issues in your condo.

Glad the pods helped. Good idea from Comcast.

driver100

stickguy said:

You the man Mike!

+1 I am impressed. When I am ready buy come up and go with me Mike.

driver100

tjc78 said:

I tell everyone to get up and walk out ... best negotiation tool there is.

Myself .. I will never negotiate at the dealer again. Email / Phone is the way to go.

But, how do you do the trade in via phone/email?

stickguy

I gave them all the info about the car, and they gave me a number. No different than Carvana really, it is just contingent on it being like you told them it was.

sda

When I thought I had finalized the purchase of the Q5 I discovered it only had one key. Knowing getting another key could be expensive I made getting a second key part of the deal. They declined and I walked. As I was driving home, about 15 minutes later I get a call they will replace the key. The key would have cost $500 had I been forced to get it retail.

snakeweasel

well picked up the 428 today. Drove it home and became a disgrace to BMW drivers everywhere, I used my turn signals.

Delivery went well, in and out maybe 90 minutes. Given a quick rundown on basic stuff on the car. Signed some paperwork with the finance dude and off we went. Just got to go back in a few weeks to meet with someone to give us more detailed instructions on operations.

The one thing I really liked was the heads up display.

stickguy

HUD is really nice once you get used to it.

Congrats on a big upgrade. Hope the wife enjoys it!

tjc78

driver100 said:

tjc78 said:

I tell everyone to get up and walk out ... best negotiation tool there is.

Myself .. I will never negotiate at the dealer again. Email / Phone is the way to go.

But, how do you do the trade in via phone/email?

Exactly like Stick said. Describe what you have accurately. I never have a trade, so that does make it a little easier.

ab348

snakeweasel said:

well picked up the 428 today. Drove it home and became a disgrace to BMW drivers everywhere, I used my turn signals.

Delivery went well, in and out maybe 90 minutes. Given a quick rundown on basic stuff on the car. Signed some paperwork with the finance dude and off we went. Just got to go back in a few weeks to meet with someone to give us more detailed instructions on operations.

Did they make you watch the instructional video that is mandatory for new BMW owners?



:laughing:

(Image edited slightly to satisfy community guidelines)

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

snakeweasel said:

well picked up the 428 today. Drove it home and became a disgrace to BMW drivers everywhere, I used my turn signals.

Delivery went well, in and out maybe 90 minutes. Given a quick rundown on basic stuff on the car. Signed some paperwork with the finance dude and off we went. Just got to go back in a few weeks to meet with someone to give us more detailed instructions on operations.

Did they make you watch the instructional video that is mandatory for new BMW owners?



:laughing:

(Image edited slightly to satisfy community guidelines)

I was going to post that saying it was a picture of me taking delivery.

dino001

ab348 said:

Did they make you watch the instructional video that is mandatory for new BMW owners?



:laughing:

(Image edited slightly to satisfy community guidelines)

That guy in front on the right is me...