Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

So, last week my oil indicator light showed I should change my oil (15% oil life left). Interesting thing.....Caddy pays for scheduled maintenance. But, I only had 6,300 miles on the odo. It's running sythetic, too.

I know my BMW didn't throw an oil change light until I hit over 12K miles, who also covered scheduled maintenance.

Both had turbo motors.

I asked the CAddy service advisor if that was abnormal. He asked if I did a lot of city driving. It's actually close to 50-50 city/highway. He then asked me if I was an "agressive driver". Well yeah! I'll run it up in the rev range fairly regularly. He said that was probably the reason.

Although, he said it isn't unusual for the oil minder to come on anywhere between 5K and 10K miles.

Don't feel bad I got the change oil soon light on the Lincoln at 3600 miles using synthetic. I'm wondering if somebody put in the wrong oil last time. I got charged for the real stuff so I hope not. Would that indicate a problem? The car is 21 years old after all. Could I be spewing chunks of engine into the oil?

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

So, last week my oil indicator light showed I should change my oil (15% oil life left). Interesting thing.....Caddy pays for scheduled maintenance. But, I only had 6,300 miles on the odo. It's running sythetic, too.

I know my BMW didn't throw an oil change light until I hit over 12K miles, who also covered scheduled maintenance.

Both had turbo motors.

I asked the CAddy service advisor if that was abnormal. He asked if I did a lot of city driving. It's actually close to 50-50 city/highway. He then asked me if I was an "agressive driver". Well yeah! I'll run it up in the rev range fairly regularly. He said that was probably the reason.

Although, he said it isn't unusual for the oil minder to come on anywhere between 5K and 10K miles.

Don't feel bad I got the change oil soon light on the Lincoln at 3600 miles using synthetic. I'm wondering if somebody put in the wrong oil last time. I got charged for the real stuff so I hope not. Would that indicate a problem? The car is 21 years old after all. Could I be spewing chunks of engine into the oil?

The oil life computer in your Lincoln is an abaqus.

roadburner

Yes, an OLM of that vintage is almost certainly not calibrated for synthetic oil.

sda

Ahh, nap time! To be so lucky!

stickguy

@bwia, the problem with a lot of cars now (including Acura) is there is no time/mileage requirement to follow. Just "follow the minder and go in when it tells you". Sometimes (but not Acura I don't think) it tells you also don't go over 1 year. I did discover recently that the OLM in my RDX does not take into account time, since I hit a year and it still just said 50%. I would have been at least 1.5 years probably if I waited for that to come on!

I did it based on time, and just went through the list of other items with the service writer (since the minder in my car gives you all that when it finally tells you to get serviced) and decided nothing else should be due other than OFL and rotation.

henryn

It is important to remember that the OLM does not in any way, shape, form, or fashion actually measure or test the oil. It applies a mathematical formula based on temperature and revolutions and certain other factors which the manufacturer is not willing to disclose. If the manufacturer specifies the use of synthetic oil, then their calculations will (most likely) be based on the assumption that you are indeed using synthetic oil. If your owners manual did not specify "only synthetic oil", then in no way would the OLM be making calculations based on that.

If you chose to go by another method (as in you accidentally reset your OLM), then I believe 5,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first) would keep you within guidelines for pretty much any make or model.

Exception, obviously, for @oldfarmer50 and his Lincoln.

stever

This OLM subject is confusing to me. "Direct measurement oil life indicators measure the condition of the oil -- the opposite approach to the system described above (algorithm-based). This method uses sensors to sample the oil and determine its remaining life based on any of the following:

•Conductivity -- how easily electric current passes through the oil (typically, the lower the electrical resistance, the more contaminants are in the oil)
•Mechanical properties -- piezoelectric sensors can tell how thick the oil is by the force feedback it gives when sloshing around
•Soot concentration -- dirty oil's days are definitely numbered
•Presence of water -- water is an impurity in oil, since it hampers the oil's effectiveness and can corrode metal surfaces" (howstuffworks.)

This article from machinerylubrication.com is also interesting (and probably more reliable than an article from How Stuff Works).

Interesting that the sensors can detect soot and water in the oil.

cdnpinhead

. . .I believe 5,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first) would keep you within guidelines for pretty much any make or model.

As do I. Our Pathfinder, which lives on dino oil, has had it changed every 5K miles 34 times and is still running strong(ly) and uses nothing between changes unless there's heavy-duty work in the Rockies involved.

stickguy

Steve, I think it depends on the particular car. Costs more for the fancy system, and older cars certainly aren't going to have it.

fordfool

I frequently come across a number of these lease deals in the Sunday Auto News:
the greater the car’s MSRP, the cheaper the lease (with the same lease terms,
down payments, etc.)

2016 Fusion Luxury SE MSRP $28,550 $279 per month.
2016 Fusion Energi SE MSRP $35,170 $269 per month.
(both 36 months, 10,500 miles, 15¢ per mile overage, $0 down)

Or

2016 MX-5 Miata MSRP $25,865 $445 per month
2016 CX-5 Sport MSRP $26,195 $319 per month
(both 36 months, 10,000 miles, 15¢ per mile overage, $99 down)

Either the dealers or manufacturers really want to move the more expensive
iron or there is a trunk load of trunk money with the higher MSRP models.
Possibly the more expensive models depreciate a lot less.

Now I’m looking for a Lamborghini Veneno for about $39 per month.

stever

stickguy said:

Steve, I think it depends on the particular car. Costs more for the fancy system, and older cars certainly aren't going to have it.

Yeah, still seems like the fancier sensors are just plugging in numbers to @henryn's algorithms - sort of non-destructive type testing with better numbers that trigger the light instead of the "time/distance" monitor in my older minivan. I want Blackstone readouts on the fly.

stickguy

@fordfool that is the way it works. All depends on the lease factors, and the residual has a huge impact. Plus the biggie, how much lease cash the manufacturer is dumping into the deal.

Michaell

fordfool said:

I frequently come across a number of these lease deals in the Sunday Auto News:
the greater the car’s MSRP, the cheaper the lease (with the same lease terms,
down payments, etc.)

2016 Fusion Luxury SE MSRP $28,550 $279 per month.
2016 Fusion Energi SE MSRP $35,170 $269 per month.
(both 36 months, 10,500 miles, 15¢ per mile overage, $0 down)

Or

2016 MX-5 Miata MSRP $25,865 $445 per month
2016 CX-5 Sport MSRP $26,195 $319 per month
(both 36 months, 10,000 miles, 15¢ per mile overage, $99 down)

Either the dealers or manufacturers really want to move the more expensive
iron or there is a trunk load of trunk money with the higher MSRP models.
Possibly the more expensive models depreciate a lot less.

Now I’m looking for a Lamborghini Veneno for about $39 per month.

stickguy said:

@fordfool that is the way it works. All depends on the lease factors, and the residual has a huge impact. Plus the biggie, how much lease cash the manufacturer is dumping into the deal.

Exactly - way more lease cash on the Fusion Energi than on the Fusion SE.

For Mazda, the MF on the Miata is crazy high, which accounts for the higher lease payment.

Only five variables in a lease, and two of them are fixed by the manufacturer - the MSRP and the residual value.

And, I'll take issue with the depreciation statement. We find that higher trim levels often have lower residuals.

For example, the 36 month, 15,000 miles per year residual on the Honda Accord LX is 55%. However, if you add the Honda Sensing to the LX trim level, the residual drops to 54%

For the top of the line Accord Touring V6, the same lease term residual is only 49%.

And, I'm sure you could lease the Lambo for $39/mo - only have to come up with $225,000 due at signing, plus taxes and fees.

houdini1

sda said:

Ahh, nap time! To be so lucky!

LOL, just the way our dog sleeps !! Looks like a great dog!

nyccarguy

The Pilot is aligned

nyccarguy

stickguy

Nice thing at my Acura dealer. Even on the $29.95 coupon, they checked the alignment without being asked.

stever

A reporter is interested in doing a fun feature story on "chronic car buyers" i.e. people who regularly shop for and/or buy cars. If you're willing to share your story and experiences, please reach out to pr@edmunds.com by no later than July 8, 2016.

ab348

Looks like all they actually adjusted was the Toe specs.

jmonroe

When I took the Genny to the local Hyundai dealer (the one that screwed me when the XG350 engine blew up) last Friday for my free first oil change (the car had 4998 miles on it), I told them I wanted full synthetic and I would pay the difference. I also told them that I did NOT want them to wash it. The service advisor said they had a note in their system to NEVER wash my car via their machine but to wash it by hand. So, the guy says, "how about a nice hand washing Mr. jmonroe". I said, "no thanks it was just waxed so please don't touch it".

When the guy comes to get me in the waiting room the first thing he said was, "we didn't lay a hand on your car except to do the oil change. With that nice wax job, I can see why you didn't want us to touch it. Whoever did the detailing for you did a really nice job, who was it"? I told him it was me. He seemed very surprised, then asked what wax I used. I told him Collinite 845 and he said he heard of it but never used it but would try it the next time he did his car. Then he a got a little wacky and said, "unless that is, you'll do it for me".

When we got to the desk I asked how much I owed for the synthetic oil difference. His answer was, "no charge we took care of all of it for you".

Maybe the place has changed since they got a new SM and service manager as I mentioned in a previous post. But I'm still going to keep an eye on them to be sure.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

cdnpinhead said:

. . .I believe 5,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first) would keep you within guidelines for pretty much any make or model.

As do I. Our Pathfinder, which lives on dino oil, has had it changed every 5K miles 34 times and is still running strong(ly) and uses nothing between changes unless there's heavy-duty work in the Rockies involved.

I still use Dino oil in the wife's PT. Don't mind changing it more often since it gets driven so little. It currently has 32,000 miles and isn't due for it's 3,000 mile change for another 1000 miles. I should probably change it on a time base instead but I can't remember when I did it last.

My van is on it's second year w/o a change but since it's only driven about a thousand miles a year now and it's going to the scrap yard this fall I don't care if it isn't best practice.

cdnpinhead

I'd have wanted some kind of "objective evidence" (say empty bottles) that they put synthetic oil in the vehicle. Talk is cheap.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead said:

I'd have wanted some kind of "objective evidence" (say empty bottles) that they put synthetic oil in the vehicle. Talk is cheap.

I hear what you are saying about proof of what oil was installed and I've always wondered about that myself. So, a few years ago I did a very unscientific test in my garage between dino oil and synthetic. When the oils are side by side, I couldn't do this unless they were, I can feel a very slight difference in the feel of the oils between my fingers. And, for me, a more positive difference is the smell of the two oils.

Like I said the oils have to be side by side because even though the synthetic oil has a more pronounced different smell than the feel of it, if you gave me a sample of each and asked me which was which, I couldn't tell you unless they were side by side. I know this sounds pretty bogus but I can tell the difference in smell.

From the very first time Mrs. j's Subie oil was changed, I have had synthetic installed. I remember mentioning my doubts to a guy that worked in one of the labs where I worked and he said to give him a few drops of the synthetic from the dip stick and he'd do a burn test and then use a sniffer and from that he could show me if it was actually synthetic or not. I did this for about 3 oil changes and it always showed I got synthetic. Since I'm now retired I don't have the use of that lab to give me proof so I'll have to rely on my smell test.

Of course, I could always do it myself and know for sure but I have been letting the dealer do it for the last 4 years or so.

jmonroe

Sandman6472

Hit 19,345 today when I pulled into the garage and going in tomorrow for the 20K service. Car's driving fine except need some instruction on the back-up camera and it's lack luster picture and it seems to stumble just a bit when I touch the accelerator from a stop...seems to happen on a regular basis. Like it misses for just a split second, it misses and then jerks into going. A bit annoying since the wife's A3 is more seem less as is every other Jetta I drive at work. And most of those at work have the smaller 1.4t engine now. Will tell the service writer so they can check the fuel injectors and or turbo. Very annoying because I know these engines can run seemless.
GG, most postal workers do have secure jobs if they are good workers. Very rare for them to fire anyone unless they do something really bad. Most postal workers see it as a long term career, just as I did. I was told early on "you'll never get rich, but you'll make a good living"! And this is definitely true, we're not rich but we make a decent living. I am truly blessed and thank G-d daily!!

The Sandman

sda

I don't know the year of my neighbor's Jetta TDI that he just got as a company car for the new job he just started. The car is not new, but looks nice. I like these 5 spoke wheels a lot and don't recall seeing them before.
Not a very good picture.

snakeweasel

cdnpinhead said:

I'd have wanted some kind of "objective evidence" (say empty bottles) that they put synthetic oil in the vehicle. Talk is cheap.

But how would you know what was in the bottles is now in your engine not some else's who had their oil changed earlier?

That is unless you stood their and watched them put in the oil that you brought in yourself.

oldfarmer50

On used cars how would you guys factor in an accident reported on CarFax which is listed as "front end collision with another vehicle" and "no airbag deployment"?

What would you look for other than the obvious like uneven tracking or tire wear?

sda

I prefer lighter color interiors and have grown to appreciate the carpet being black instead as the same color as the rest of the interior. Though it still shows dirt, it doesn't look soiled when vacuumed. A pet gripe that I have is how Honda equips their cars. With the EX you still get a non-leather wrapped steering wheel. The less expensive Sport gets a leather wrapped wheel. What gives? I did find a leather cover that works well. It took about an 1.5 hours to install, and feels really nice. Since this was my first install I think I learned a couple of tricks to make a future install (if needed) to look even better. By the way, it seems to be holding up well as I installed it when the car had less than 1000 miles.

snakeweasel

jmonroe said:

Like I said the oils have to be side by side because even though the synthetic oil has a more pronounced different smell than the feel of it, if you gave me a sample of each and asked me which was which, I couldn't tell you unless they were side by side. I know this sounds pretty bogus but I can tell the difference in smell.

No, just sounds like the feel and odor of both are so close that it is hard to tell the difference without a direct comparison. Like how a 10 pound ball is heavier than a 9.5 pound ball, picking up just one and it's hard to tell if it is the 9.5 or 10 pound ball, but pick up both and you can tell which is heavier.

stickguy

I think the only car of mine that gets synthetic is the Jetta. and that is entirely up to the dealer but I think all VWs spec synth. plus it is a lease, so I don't care.

The RDX I believe gets semi-synth. I have no clue about the Hyundai, but probably the same.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer,
Look at the bolts that hold the radiator and fenders on. Check around the front of the car for pieces that look like they are different ages.

Sandman6472

Used a blend in my Tucson and the same in the Accent. Going in at 10 tomorrow for the Golf's 20K service, just hit a bit over 19 and even that is too long to me. Trying my best to keep it running well since I've heard these can be tempermental at times! Just looing for a drama free experience!

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright

oldfarmer50 said:

On used cars how would you guys factor in an accident reported on CarFax which is listed as "front end collision with another vehicle" and "no airbag deployment"?

What would you look for other than the obvious like uneven tracking or tire wear?

I'd look for wrinkling along the inner fender liner. I'd also check door gap alignment and hood alignment.

Sure, tire wear might indicate something. If you see a lot of chipping on the front end that usually means cheapo paint job. Also look for clean unpainted bolt heads in the radiator shroud, along the inner fenders, hood hinges, etc. The more clean unpainted bolts you see, the more work was done.

A car can take a pretty good oblique smack and not deploy.

roadburner

My BMWs all get BMW 5W-30 synthetic when the cars call for it, while the Wrangler and the ZTR mowers get Mobil 1 10W-30- changed annually. The bike gets fresh Castrol Power RS Racing 4T 10W-40 every year as well.

nyccarguy

@jmonroe - I wouldn't trust those guys any further than I could throw them! At least they listened to you about NOT washing the car.

Prelude runs on Royal Purple 10w 40 fully Synthetic
Pilot runs on Mobil 1 5w 20 Full Synthetic
Subaru runs on 5w 20 (I think) Full Synthetic from the dealer

graphicguy

OldFarmer...was having a car conversation with a friend of mine. We had noted how many PT Cruisers are on the road and how, for the most part, they look in pretty good shape. I remember when they first came out. There was a furror over the folks who wanted to buy one.

They turned out to be pretty darned durable cars.

Accident cars?

-mismatched paint (usually see a very faint line where the new paint was blended with the old paint if you look clost enough)
-fender bolts that look like they've been wrenched on (a little rounding of the heads)
-areas in and underneath that look clean while the surrounding areas are either dirty or rusty
-extra clean door jams and hinges, or they look newly painted
-smell of bondo and/or solvents in the car

Then, there's the more obvious......

-overspray underneath the car, or inside trunk lids. hoods, doors
-paint on the tires/wheels
-misaligned trim and/or body panels
-aftermarket windows, windshields, rear glass
-misaligned steering wheel cover (air bag deployment)
-mud/clumps of dirt in wheel wells
-New carpets or musty smell (water damage)

I'm sure others have more hints.

houdini1

sda said:

I prefer lighter color interiors and have grown to appreciate the carpet being black instead as the same color as the rest of the interior. Though it still shows dirt, it doesn't look soiled when vacuumed. A pet gripe that I have is how Honda equips their cars. With the EX you still get a non-leather wrapped steering wheel. The less expensive Sport gets a leather wrapped wheel. What gives? I did find a leather cover that works well. It took about an 1.5 hours to install, and feels really nice. Since this was my first install I think I learned a couple of tricks to make a future install (if needed) to look even better. By the way, it seems to be holding up well as I installed it when the car had less than 1000 miles.

Whenever I have a car with a light colored interior, I usually put in dark floor mats.

nyccarguy

My legacy is the 1st car I've ever owned with a beige interior. I like it. Especially with the black floor & carpeting

stickguy

I had some black ones back in my HS/College days. Nothing like black vinyl in the summer, in a car with no AC.

Normally try to stay away from Black now. My Accord had black leather, and was often hot and somewhat cave like. Black cloth in my tC was not quite as bad.

no desire to get black insides again if i can help it. I like a lot of the browns, otherwise some sort of beige/gray will be fine.

the dark dash and carpets though really sets off the light seats and looks quite snazzy.

roadburner

It's now official; next week I begin work as a BMW Genius at my local dealer. I'm looking forward to it; I've talked with others in the position and I couldn't find anyone who wasn't pretty happy with the job. You can read more about it here.

stever

Cool. Can't wait to get some help from you to pair my phone.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

It's now official; next week I begin work as a BMW Genius at my local dealer. I'm looking forward to it; I've talked with others in the position and I couldn't find anyone who wasn't pretty happy with the job. You can read more about it here.

Is that like an Apple Genius?

Hey since you're a genius what do you make of this:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5648167514.html

jmonroe

roadburner said:

It's now official; next week I begin work as a BMW Genius at my local dealer. I'm looking forward to it; I've talked with others in the position and I couldn't find anyone who wasn't pretty happy with the job. You can read more about it here.

Congrats on your new dig but c'mon man, a genius? How long do you think it's going to take them to figure you out. It didn't take us guys in here long at all.

Hope you don't have to work crazy salesmen type hours.

jmonroe

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

Is that like an Apple Genius?

Hey since you're a genius what do you make of this:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5648167514.html

It's a bit like Apple's model; I help match customers up with the right car, offer test drives and then hand off to a salesperson. After the sale or lease I may help with deliveries. There's also some training assignments to keep the sales staff up to date on new technology. One important thing that the Genius does is invite new customers back to the dealer under the "BMW Encore" program- Encore is designed to answer any questions a new customer may have. BMW does not want to get dinged on third part surveys due to a customer not being able to figure out the technology.

As for the Fahrenheits? I actually considered one a long time ago. Nice cars but I don't think they are nearly as valuable as that C/L seller thinks.

jmonroe

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe - I wouldn't trust those guys any further than I could throw them! At least they listened to you about NOT washing the car.

Prelude runs on Royal Purple 10w 40 fully Synthetic
Pilot runs on Mobil 1 5w 20 Full Synthetic
Subaru runs on 5w 20 (I think) Full Synthetic from the dealer

I know what you're saying, but so far, they seem to be a different place.

Unless you do your own oil changes, how does anyone know for sure what is being put into the crank case. I hope my age isn't showing here but I don't plan to do too many more oil changes myself and I'm retired now so I can't blame it on not having the time to do it.

If nothing else, at least they didn't have the chutzpah to charge me extra for putting in synthetic oil when they actually put in dino oil.

FWIW, I have an upcoming sales tale about Son # 1 selling his '08 T&C but I'm holding off until it's a done deal.

jmonroe

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

Unless you do your own oil changes, how does anyone know for sure what is being put into the crank case.
jmonroe

Was this the same store that said on the bill they put in a different weight of oil in your Sonata than refused warranty because of a small error on the record keeping on your part? I looked up Hyundai warranty and found many folks complaining about the rigorous interpretation of the terms by Hyundai when it would benefit them avoiding a repair.

laurasdada

roadburner said:

It's now official; next week I begin work as a BMW Genius at my local dealer. I'm looking forward to it; I've talked with others in the position and I couldn't find anyone who wasn't pretty happy with the job. You can read more about it here.

Congrats, sounds like a job you'll enjoy. Getting paid for what you do here for free!

So, how's the employee discount?

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

Unless you do your own oil changes, how does anyone know for sure what is being put into the crank case.
jmonroe

Was this the same store that said on the bill they put in a different weight of oil in your Sonata than refused warranty because of a small error on the record keeping on your part? I looked up Hyundai warranty and found many folks complaining about the rigorous interpretation of the terms by Hyundai when it would benefit them avoiding a repair.

Yes, this is the same dealer but like I said before it appears that it is a different place now.

jmonroe

bwia

roadburner said:

It's now official; next week I begin work as a BMW Genius at my local dealer. I'm looking forward to it; I've talked with others in the position and I couldn't find anyone who wasn't pretty happy with the job. You can read more about it here.

Cool, the job sounds interesting. I thought one would be utilized after the sale rather than before. Most new high end buyers are technology challenged and a good use of the genius would be to demonstrate the tech, even going to their homes to sync their garage door openers and download apps such as remote start, turning on the HVAC and stuff like that.

Congrats

driver100

We are on page 1000....wow, how time flies!

I have been away in Pittsburgh for a few days. What a great city! We saw Frank Lloyd Wrights Falling Water...voted best designed house in the USA and possibly the world. Took the Ducky Tour and the Duquesne Incline, and ate at the fabulous Montery Bay restaurant overlooking the city. A remarkable city that is a great example of a city with a thriving downtown.

Roadburner, sounds like the perfect job for you...you will have passion for it. It sounds like fun, and it is exactly what I said dealers of premium cars should do....have classes or one on one is even better, to teach their customers how to get the most from their cars.