Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

Your driveway appears to be on a 90% grade. Must be tough.

Michaell

ab348 said:

Your driveway appears to be on a 90% grade. Must be tough.

Thanks for that, ab. Gave me my first chuckle of the day.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

My wife worked today.  I washed the Pilot inside & out with the kiddos.  I busted out my griot's garage random orbital & waxed the family hauler.  I'm very pleased with the results:

Nice!!!

fezo

Must be some grip on those tires!

Mr_Shiftright

Come over to my place. My Mini is filthy. I have extension cords.

nyccarguy said:

My wife worked today.  I washed the Pilot inside & out with the kiddos.  I busted out my griot's garage random orbital & waxed the family hauler.  I'm very pleased with the results:

roadburner

As a former concours participant and concours judge I couldn't tolerate the grimy condition of the MS3's engine compartment any longer.

Before:


After:


But still not a clean as the Club Sport:

fezo

Wowzer! What did you use on that?

stickguy

Looks like new.

roadburner

My first BMW(a 1973 Bavaria I bought in 1983) is still going strong in the hands of it's fifth owner- and eben made it on to the cover of the program for The Vintage this year; it's the blue one with the driving lights:

roadburner

fezo said:

Wowzer! What did you use on that?

I just use diluted Simple Green in a spray bottle and an assortment of detail brushes. I finish it off with 303 Aerospace Protectant.

abacomike

roadburner said:

Wowzer! What did you use on that?

I just use diluted Simple Green in a spray bottle and an assortment of detail brushes. I finish it off with 303 Aerospace Protectant.

Like new!  What do you charge for a complete detail?  I'll send the airplane tickets to you - one way only - OK?

driver100

ab348 said:

Your driveway appears to be on a 90% grade. Must be tough.

Good one ab!

I am wondering if nyc lives in Sherwood Forest....he sure has a lot of trees in his yard.

The Pilot looks really nice in those pictures. I always liked the boxy looks, reminds me of a Range Rover. The 2016 model wioll be quite different and it seems it will have a lot of nice changes, especially if you like your cars more curvy
:

explorerx4

For cleaning under the hood, I just dampen an old towel and rub the surfaces down. Some places I'll use a wet (retired)toothbrush get into crevices. Plus I usually vacuum out the leaves, pine needles, helicopters, etc..
I would never steam clean or pressure wash under the hood.

fezo

Well, here's just what you need! In interest of production gains GM is cutting out lunch for the folks making the Colorado. http://jalopnik.com/gm-workers-are-losing-their-lunch-over-the-chevrolet-co-1706863745?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+jalopnik/full+(Jalopnik)

"The Wentzville, Mo., factory recently cut an unpaid lunch break, part of a broader schedule reshuffling that eliminated the six-minute production lulls between shifts. The result: An extra 18 minutes of production in a three-shift day, which should translate into more than 3,500 more trucks a year. "

Would you want a truck that was built in that 18 minutes?

abacomike

Fezo, back in 1964-65, there was a 2-3 month strike at GM which was finally settled in early 1965.  As a graduation gift from my Dad, he had ordered a 1965 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport with a 327 c.i. V8 in the 2-door coupe.

When it came in, the paint on the car was "streaked" like a cloth had been rubbed up against the right side of the car when it came out of the paint "bath" at the factory. How it ever passed quality control is any body's guess.  They tried re-painting the car several times, but to no avail.  It looked like a repainted new car.

That's what happens after a long lay-off.  They had to rebuild another one for me.  But I remember they had to take out the rear seats for some reason and they found 3-beer cans and a Pepsi can under the rear seat along with a brand new wrench.

Moral of the story - don't buy or take delivery of a new vehicle too soon after a strike or lay-off or from a plant where the employees are not happy with their new contract!!! 

stever

So, the workers will get paid to eat a sandwich on the assembly line and they'll make a few more bucks? Doesn't sound bad, assuming the union work rules are okay with it. Better to try to meet demand now than miss out on a bunch of sales that may slack off (will the factory start two hour lunch breaks if gas pops $1 and sales tank?).

fezo

Not that I'd ever buy a Colorado but I have no interest in buying any vehicle built by starving workers. You figure they'll eat a sandwich with one hand while installing your brakes with the other?

Mike - I remember a truckload of stories like that back then. Can and bottles in door panels were popular. 

andres3

abacomike said:

Fezo, back in 1964-65, there was a 2-3 month strike at GM which was finally settled in early 1965.  As a graduation gift from my Dad, he had ordered a 1965 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport with a 327 c.i. V8 in the 2-door coupe.

When it came in, the paint on the car was "streaked" like a cloth had been rubbed up against the right side of the car when it came out of the paint "bath" at the factory. How it ever passed quality control is any body's guess.  They tried re-painting the car several times, but to no avail.  It looked like a repainted new car.

That's what happens after a long lay-off.  They had to rebuild another one for me.  But I remember they had to take out the rear seats for some reason and they found 3-beer cans and a Pepsi can under the rear seat along with a brand new wrench.

Moral of the story - don't buy or take delivery of a new vehicle too soon after a strike or lay-off or from a plant where the employees are not happy with their new contract!!! 

Passed Quality Control? The better question is if there was any quality control.

berri

Back in those days with all the union rules and cost it could sometimes actually be cheaper to crush and replace than fix a production line screw up. The UAW ended up holding the door open for the Japanese makes thanks to their behavior and the cost cutting it forced the D3 manufactures into. Sad

driver100

berri said:

Back in those days with all the union rules and cost it could sometimes actually be cheaper to crush and replace than fix a production line screw up. The UAW ended up holding the door open for the Japanese makes thanks to their behavior and the cost cutting it forced the D3 manufactures into. Sad

I sometimes think we have to be really thankful to Japanese car makers. What would the D3 would be producing if they didn't have to try and compete with the foreign brands? And, what would customer service be like in that case?

graphicguy

Not thinking that story about cutting out lunch at the GM Truck plant is entirely true. First, the UAW would NEVER agree to that. And, I'm not sure they can do that given the current Federal Labor Laws, either. Something's not adding up.

First real job I had out of college was back in the '80s. There was a Fisher Body plant not far from the college I graduated from. They made body parts and panels (1/4 panels for Camaros, Firebirds and Monte Carlos,....roof panels for Cadillacs, B Pillars for all sorts of cars, etc).

There were very rudimentary robotics being used at the time....mostly robotic arms that lifted, placed and removed parts from very dangerous press machines. I had a newly minted,freshly printed degree in Computer Science. The entire computer industry was just really beginning to blossom outside of the banking industry at the time.

Anyway, there still weren't a whole lot of programmers out there at the time and GM came to my campus ready to scoop up any and all of us that they could. I was salaried and for a single guy fresh out of college, was making pretty good money with them. Being low man on the totem pole, I got 3rd shift duty (we ran 3 shifts, 7 days/week). We didn't have the protection of the UAW, so they worked us sometimes for a month straight, without a day off, sometimes 10-12 hours a day (they did pay us some bonus money based on the lack of computer downtime...like we could affect that).

While I wasn't in management on the manufacturing floor, every once in a while, I had to go to the shop floor to show a machine repairman (who was Hourly/UAW) how many degrees to adjust the computerized arms (we controlled the timing with the computer driving it). They would hiss the sight of me, first, knowing I was so young, making probably as much or more than they were, given they had a skill and 20 years of experience. Moreover, they did their best to sabotage the equipment. Just one of many times, I remembered they had to adjust the arc the robotic arm approached the part in the die. I told them the arc it had to be adjusted to.

No sooner had I returned from the shop floor to the computer room, I got a call on my walkie-talkie (how we communicated then) to get back to the shop floor. The repair guy adjusted the robotic arm in the wrong arc...by about 3 degrees, or just enough that the arm first crashed into the die, and then was crushed inside the die as it lowered. In brief, one very expensive robotic arm and the hydraulics the operated it was ruined, and two die pieces had to be reworked, which would take a die maker about a month. In short, the part that was being made (a t-top IIRC) could not be made.

An inquiry happened, in which the repairman and I were quizzed about the communications. He said I told him to adjust the arm 3 degrees differently than what I told him to. Fortunately for me, every communication we had with the shop floor was documented and given to his foreman before we left the floor,which I had done.

What happened? He was suspended for a week without pay, a drop in the bucket compared to the damage he caused. Plus, it was like a vacation for him given the hourly people were asked to work mandatory overtime regularly.

I didn't get much time off with that job, so I didn't have much time to spend what I was making, but when I did, I partied like a rock star. During model changeover, usually around July 4th, I had two weeks off, mandatory. Being salary, I got paid, too. I remember taking my (then) girlfriend on a road trip, jumped in my new Trans Am, drove from Cincinnati to San Francisco (first trip out west) and back again. One of the best times of my life. Some stories I could tell bout THAT trip.....;)

Michaell

I'm sure there are experts who can address this question ... and, if you're not an expert, then weigh in with an opinion, please:

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/34615/general/x/bank-denied-to-lease-me-what-can-i-do-now#latest

fezo

Have the 2015 Relay for Life Hope Lodge NYC coming up June 18. I have a team that's realy just me walking but without these folks I'd likely not be around so if interested in helping out (I'm trying to be good and not post a "click here to donate") drop me a line. If you're not happy I'm still here ignore this. Or donate GG's CTS....

graphicguy

Just an update....got a response from Cadillac's Rep who reached out via Edmunds. The rep punted...stating she essentially couldn't help me with my case. So, back to stalling me, passing me off, etc. This is why I'm staying the current course.

abacomike

graphicguy said:

Just an update....got a response from Cadillac's Rep who reached out via Edmunds. The rep punted...stating she essentially couldn't help me with my case. So, back to stalling me, passing me off, etc. This is why I'm staying the current course.

I had a feeling this would happen.  I had hoped GM would step up at this point, but I guess things really haven't changed there as much as they have advertised it has/had.  I wonder if all manufacturers are like this.  I have no use for Mercedes-Benz as you all know - they don't follow up either.  I have heard horror stories about all manufacturers - I guess we wouldn't hear the good stories here - just the bad ones.

stever

I don't think the CSR can do much after the case gets escalated (to the BBB in this case).

jpp75

stever said:

I don't think the CSR can do much after the case gets escalated (to the BBB in this case).

I don't think the CSR can do much at all other than make it seem like they're responding.

dino001

But wait - don't they all get perfect surveys from 98 percent of customers? Riiiiight.... We all know how it works now, doen't we. Any even small suggestion for improvement is a "failed" survey, so desperate dealers drop those who dare. This all confirms to me - sitting there smelling their own f..ts, that's what all this customer relation offices are good for.

Considering what happened to GG, Mike had it great, he shouldn't complain (of course, that's all relative). BTW, I must say I was lucky, too. I complained in my first service survey about pushing the outrageously expensive and necessary services (you know, the proverbial wallet cleaning) at my first "free" service. They never published my comments (as they do for all those positive ones), but they still kept me and stopped pushing them. Since then I also got a survey only once, two other times nothing came in the mail/email.

28firefighter

jpp5862 said:

stever said:

I don't think the CSR can do much after the case gets escalated (to the BBB in this case).

I don't think the CSR can do much at all other than make it seem like they're responding.

This was my experience with Ford Social Media outreach with my sister's car. They truly wanted to help but their hands were tied.

bwia

graphicguy said:

...I didn't get much time off with that job, so I didn't have much time to spend what I was making, but when I did, I partied like a rock star. During model changeover, usually around July 4th, I had two weeks off, mandatory. Being salary, I got paid, too. I remember taking my (then) girlfriend on a road trip, jumped in my new Trans Am, drove from Cincinnati to San Francisco (first trip out west) and back again. One of the best times of my life. Some stories I could tell bout THAT trip.....;)

Let me guess, you made a pit stop in every state that resulted in a short gun wedding.

houdini1

stever said:

I don't think the CSR can do much after the case gets escalated (to the BBB in this case).

The CRS responded here after GG had posted that the case had gone to BBB. Why bother then ?

driver100

houdini1 said:

stever said:

I don't think the CSR can do much after the case gets escalated (to the BBB in this case).

The CRS responded here after GG had posted that the case had gone to BBB. Why bother then ?

Just to show they care!

abacomike

bwia said:

...I didn't get much time off with that job, so I didn't have much time to spend what I was making, but when I did, I partied like a rock star. During model changeover, usually around July 4th, I had two weeks off, mandatory. Being salary, I got paid, too. I remember taking my (then) girlfriend on a road trip, jumped in my new Trans Am, drove from Cincinnati to San Francisco (first trip out west) and back again. One of the best times of my life. Some stories I could tell bout THAT trip.....;)

Let me guess, you made a pit stop in every state that resulted in a short gun wedding.

You mean a "sawed off" shot gun wedding or a semi-automatic pistol wedding?  Don't know of any other "short" guns! 

driver100

graphicguy said:

Just an update....got a response from Cadillac's Rep who reached out via Edmunds. The rep punted...stating she essentially couldn't help me with my case. So, back to stalling me, passing me off, etc. This is why I'm staying the current course.

Thanks for the update....I was hoping maybe when they heard the word "arbitration" they would make a bit of a move - that seemed to get Audi's attention to some degree. I guess there is some rule of economics that says car manufacturers are better off fighting these cases than giving in. That is why the lemon laws had to be made. It is a shame though, I think they lose a lot more than they gain.

GG, You are right to stay the course.

driver100

My friend had a 2008 bmw cabriolet in 2010.
Then he shows up for a coffee and he has a 2013 bmw 7 Series
The Maserati won't go in the snow so he also buys a 2013 Fiat as well.
Then he trades in the Fiat for a 2013 Genesis.
About 6 months later, in late 2014 he trades in the Genesis for a 2014 Audi S4
Today I show up for a tennis game and he is sitting in an Audi S6 V8!

Does 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, 400+ horsepower.
He traded in the A4 and the Maserati to get the S6.

It is a great looking car, and has everything including 20 inch tires.

abacomike

driver100 said:

My friend had a 2008 bmw cabriolet in 2010. Then he shows up for a coffee and he has a 2013 bmw 7 Series The Maserati won't go in the snow so he also buys a 2013 Fiat as well. Then he trades in the Fiat for a 2013 Genesis. About 6 months later, in late 2014 he trades in the Genesis for a 2014 Audi S4 Today I show up for a tennis game and he is sitting in an Audi S6 V8! Does 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, 400+ horsepower. He traded in the A4 and the Maserati to get the S6. It is a great looking car, and has everything including 20 inch tires.

The key here is "does it also have 20" wheels"! 

bwia

abacomike said:

bwia said:

graphicguy said:

...I didn't get much time off with that job, so I didn't have much time to spend what I was making, but when I did, I partied like a rock star. During model changeover, usually around July 4th, I had two weeks off, mandatory. Being salary, I got paid, too. I remember taking my (then) girlfriend on a road trip, jumped in my new Trans Am, drove from Cincinnati to San Francisco (first trip out west) and back again. One of the best times of my life. Some stories I could tell bout THAT trip.....;)

Let me guess, you made a pit stop in every state that resulted in a short gun wedding.

You mean a "sawed off" shot gun wedding or a semi-automatic pistol wedding?  Don't know of any other "short" guns! 

Oops! my bad.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

My friend had a 2008 bmw cabriolet in 2010.
Then he shows up for a coffee and he has a 2013 bmw 7 Series
The Maserati won't go in the snow so he also buys a 2013 Fiat as well.
Then he trades in the Fiat for a 2013 Genesis.
About 6 months later, in late 2014 he trades in the Genesis for a 2014 Audi S4
Today I show up for a tennis game and he is sitting in an Audi S6 V8!

Does 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, 400+ horsepower.
He traded in the A4 and the Maserati to get the S6.

It is a great looking car, and has everything including 20 inch tires.

The key here is "does it also have 20" wheels"

! 

Yeh, I suppose it does

*****I don't buy tires or wheels too much these days so I haven't checked wheels/tires lately. I did notice the wheels were pretty large compared to the E400's, and the print "on the tire" said "20", and that combined with a senior moment led me to print that slightly disjointed observation.

Mike, what I did fail to mention is, that I think he is ahead of you in the CCBs contest. 3 weeks ago he traded in his wifes aprox 2009 MB M-Class for an A6.

graphicguy

bwia said:

graphicguy said:

...I didn't get much time off with that job, so I didn't have much time to spend what I was making, but when I did, I partied like a rock star. During model changeover, usually around July 4th, I had two weeks off, mandatory. Being salary, I got paid, too. I remember taking my (then) girlfriend on a road trip, jumped in my new Trans Am, drove from Cincinnati to San Francisco (first trip out west) and back again. One of the best times of my life. Some stories I could tell bout THAT trip.....;)

Let me guess, you made a pit stop in every state that resulted in a short gun wedding.

Y'all are funny. Being young and knowing everything, given our nahlidge, we didn't plan well...just threw some clothes in a duffle and off we went. Stayed mostly in MOTELS (which are quite different than Hotels, unbeknown to us). Not the cleanest places in the world once you got to states like MO, for example. We met hustlers, drug dealers, "spiritual people", good souls, sad souls, all sorts of people we never had exposure to before. Saw some absolutly awsome parts of the country that makes you certain of a Deity. Met some people that made you believe the same. Met others who made you wonder if satan was right around the corner.

In short, the trip changed both our lives. She moved to Hawaii shortly after that trip, on just the same sort of whim. Urged me to join her, but I never thought I'd get as good of a job, again (little did I know, then). Lost track of her about 20 years ago.

About the Caddy CSR, I don't know how many "I don't knows" or how many more "I can't help you(s)", or how many more "give us another chance to disappoint you, again" until I say enough is enough.

Yes...staying the course.

BTW....Traveling for work and got a Kia Soul as a rental. What do these sell for? High teens low 20s? Yes, plenty of hard plastic, but roomy, comfy, pretty good steering and brakes. Amazes me how a correctly operating steering system in a $20K Korean economy vehicle can feel better than the steering in a $60k Cadillac Sport Sedan.

For the price, I recommend it.

abacomike

Driver, I certainly am not in a contest to see who buys the most cars.  Right now, I'm happy with what I've got and have no plans to buy another car in the near future.  What it is "is" what it is! 

stever

The one I want is like $26k (pano and widgets). Love to hear more impressions, assuming you get to drive the Soul another day or three.

bwia

No politics---but I was wondering whether any of you saw Anthony  Bourdain's "CNN places unknown" on Iran. In the last segment of show they showed some Iranian lads hanging out with their restored American big iron from the 70'sales and 80's era.

Among them were a Mustang, Camaro, Firebird and trucks and SUV's of every stripe. Like typical American kids they were hanging out with girls, drinking beer, and burning rubber. 

Who knew Iran had a car culture?

abacomike

bwia said:

No politics---but I was wondering whether any of you saw Anthony  Bourdain's "CNN places unknown" on Iran. In the last segment of show they showed some Iranian lads hanging out with their restored American big iron from the 70'sales and 80's era.

Among them were a Mustang, Camaro, Firebird and trucks and SUV's of every stripe. Like typical American kids they were hanging out with girls, drinking beer, and burning rubber. 

Who knew Iran had a car culture?

Actually, not much of one.  The Ayatollahs keep a firm grip on the populous.  Men have much more freedom to do things than women.  The culture is very economically depressed because of the pressures placed on the country by the U.S. and European countries.

graphicguy

stever said:

The one I want is like $26k (pano and widgets). Love to hear more impressions, assuming you get to drive the Soul another day or three.

Steve..,.driving the Soul through tomorrow, in Austin. Only negative so far is a terrible stereo. Definitely need to go aftermarket on it.

ab348

graphicguy said:

About the Caddy CSR, I don't know how many "I don't knows" or how many more "I can't help you(s)", or how many more "give us another chance to disappoint you, again" until I say enough is enough.

Through all of this, have you had any discussion with the Cadillac Regional Rep whom you dealt with during the incident with the original CTS back in December? It sounded like he was helpful to you during that whole process.

graphicguy

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

About the Caddy CSR, I don't know how many "I don't knows" or how many more "I can't help you(s)", or how many more "give us another chance to disappoint you, again" until I say enough is enough.

Through all of this, have you had any discussion with the Cadillac Regional Rep whom you dealt with during the incident with the original CTS back in December? It sounded like he was helpful to you during that whole process.

AB...he's stepped out of the picture.

Back to the Soul. Good seats. Sits up high, good visibility. Smooth automatic trans...kicks down quickly and up shifts smoothly. It's short on power, but it seems everything in this price range is. Doesn't sound like an industrial tractor but gives off a slight growl that's well muted. Materials seem good for the class.

No shudders, vibrations, or rumbles.

Good use of space. Lots of hard plastic. Screwed together very well. No squeaks nor rattles at all....in a rental, with 6,000 miles on the odo.

driver100

abacomike said:

Driver, I certainly am not in a contest to see who buys the most cars.  Right now, I'm happy with what I've got and have no plans to buy another car in the near future.  What it is "is" what it is! 

Mike, that is a good way to be...perfectly satisfied with your current car. I am too, I can't think of any car I would rather have than my E400. My friends S6 is a beautiful car, and they did a great job with the interior. I still like the E400 more, I know it is still the right car for me.

We have planned a trip to Europe for late September. Land in Amsterdam, train through Belgium, a few days in Luxemburg, on to an ATP professional tennis match in Metz France, then the train to Stuttgart Germany and we have tickets for a 2 hour tour of the Mercedes plant. There is the Mercedes and the Porcshe museums in town too. People give these places rave reviews. I am looking forward to the trip...hope there are free samples.

driver100

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

graphicguy said:

About the Caddy CSR, I don't know how many "I don't knows" or how many more "I can't help you(s)", or how many more "give us another chance to disappoint you, again" until I say enough is enough.

Through all of this, have you had any discussion with the Cadillac Regional Rep whom you dealt with during the incident with the original CTS back in December? It sounded like he was helpful to you during that whole process.

AB...he's stepped out of the picture.

Back to the Soul. Good seats. Sits up high, good visibility. Smooth automatic trans...kicks down quickly and up shifts smoothly. It's short on power, but it seems everything in this price range is. Doesn't sound like an industrial tractor but gives off a slight growl that's well muted. Materials seem good for the class.

No shudders, vibrations, or rumbles.

Good use of space. Lots of hard plastic. Screwed together very well. No squeaks nor rattles at all....in a rental, with 6,000 miles on the odo.

It is amazing what some of these lower price cars give you these days. A new Passat is probably $24 or $25K and it really has all the features you really need, and it is comfortable and rides well.

Keep us up to date on how you are doing with the Soul:


The one I wouldn't want to be driving is the Nissan Cube:


Mercifully, they stopped making them in 2015.

dino001

"Give us another chance to disappoint again". That's funny. Driven to tears funny, of course.

stever

graphicguy said:

Only negative so far is a terrible stereo. Definitely need to go aftermarket on it.

Gee, if I swapped that out, I'd lose the LEDs that flash and change color to the beat of the music.