Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

abacomike

josephgonzalez said:

Hi everyone, Just a quick hello to other forum members. Over the weekend I bought a Peugeot 407 coupe 2.2L. This I think is a hidden gem of a car - I am very impressed and chuffed on how little I paid for such a nice car.

Hope you have many years of driving pleasure in the Peugeot.  When I figure out what "chuffed" means in context of your post, I'll feel much more relieved!!! 

abacomike

vernachildress said:

Hi all, I've got an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v, It’s been more than a year that i own the car and it’s a real pleasure. Looks like theres a wealth of knowledge on here and im looking forward to getting to know you guys!

Well, the "wealth of knowledge" you refer to in your post can't possibly include me since I have no idea what an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v is.  I'll need some time to research the wheels you are talking about.

graphicguy

abacomike said:

vernachildress said:

Hi all, I've got an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v, It’s been more than a year that i own the car and it’s a real pleasure. Looks like theres a wealth of knowledge on here and im looking forward to getting to know you guys!

Well, the "wealth of knowledge" you refer to in your post can't possibly include me since I have no idea what an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v is.  I'll need some time to research the wheels you are talking about.

Had to look it up myself, Mike.

It's one of these....

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Citroën_Xantia

ab348

Something odd about those two posts.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

What if there are lane markings and then there are say pylons, or worse one of those cement barriers they sometimes put in the lane when they are working on the road? Driving on I-74 through Cincinnati was like a slalom event.

There are trucks being tested on the Ohio Turnpike and a few other open road stretches for autonomous navigation. Driverless. I can just see one going through the Cincinnati zigzag which existed for a few months that @driver 100 refers to. Actually their goal is to use the trucks only for stretches between cities as I understand it. I see big legal problems.

driver100

I'll say;
Xantia


Peugot

jmonroe

abacomike said:

josephgonzalez said:

Hi everyone, Just a quick hello to other forum members. Over the weekend I bought a Peugeot 407 coupe 2.2L. This I think is a hidden gem of a car - I am very impressed and chuffed on how little I paid for such a nice car.

Hope you have many years of driving pleasure in the Peugeot.  When I figure out what "chuffed" means in context of your post, I'll feel much more relieved!!! 

Me too so I looked it up on Dictionary.com and got this:

chuffed1
adjective, British Informal.
1.
delighted; pleased; satisfied.

and this:

chuffed2

adjective, British Informal.
1.
annoyed; displeased; disgruntled.

It looks like our new poster buddy is covered both ways.

Somebody's got some splainin to do.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

Delivered the Mark VIII to it's new owner today so I've reluctantly deleted it from my profile. I don't think it wanted to go as the check engine light came on as I was moving it in the driveway the day after the buyer's test drive. How's that for luck?

I didn't want to deliver the car with a light on and I was about to make an appointment with my mechanic. Last thing I wanted to do was spend money on a $1000 car but I felt obligated. Then I recalled that the test drive was done with very low fuel level. I wondered if perhaps a speck of grit from the bottom of the tank had gotten into an injector. Just a wild guess.

So I took the car out on the road, got it up to about 30 and nailed it. Hit the gears just right. It shifted way down, took a millisecond pause and then opened up with a roar. RPMs popped to almost the 6000 red line, the hood rose and I was flying. It was the most fun I ever had in that car.

And luckily the CEL went out. It was if the old girl just wanted to go to a new home with a flourish. Delivered it to the new owner with any and all carbon totally blown out.

tjc78

@oldfarmer50
You gave the car a tune up... An Italian tune up as I like to say

cdnpinhead

Those of you who claim to watch Wheeler Dealers and/or know who Edd China is should be fully up to speed regarding "chuffed."

Speaking of which, I've seen that Mr. China will no longer be on the show, now that the Velocity channel has taken over the production. He's the reason I watched the show with so much pleasure, certainly not Mike.

One more thing I enjoy going down the tubes. Oh well. . .

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

Delivered the Mark VIII to it's new owner today so I've reluctantly deleted it from my profile. I don't think it wanted to go as the check engine light came on as I was moving it in the driveway the day after the buyer's test drive. How's that for luck?

I didn't want to deliver the car with a light on and I was about to make an appointment with my mechanic. Last thing I wanted to do was spend money on a $1000 car but I felt obligated. Then I recalled that the test drive was done with very low fuel level. I wondered if perhaps a speck of grit from the bottom of the tank had gotten into an injector. Just a wild guess.

So I took the car out on the road, got it up to about 30 and nailed it. Hit the gears just right. It shifted way down, took a millisecond pause and then opened up with a roar. RPMs popped to almost the 6000 red line, the hood rose and I was flying. It was the most fun I ever had in that car.

And luckily the CEL went out. It was if the old girl just wanted to go to a new home with a flourish. Delivered it to the new owner with any and all carbon totally blown out.

I had a window regulator die on the 5 Series the night before the buyer picked it up. 

ab348

cdnpinhead said:

Those of you who claim to watch Wheeler Dealers and/or know who Edd China is should be fully up to speed regarding "chuffed."

Speaking of which, I've seen that Mr. China will no longer be on the show, now that the Velocity channel has taken over the production. He's the reason I watched the show with so much pleasure, certainly not Mike.

One more thing I enjoy going down the tubes. Oh well. . .

Well, the most recent season was quite different from the earlier ones and nowhere near as enjoyable. Edd could not save it. Maybe the producers have learned a few lessons and will make some changes. The new mechanic, Ant Anstead, is well-regarded and a nice guy, so time will tell.

driver100

tjc78 said:

@oldfarmer50
You gave the car a tune up... An Italian tune up as I like to say

At least oldfarmer delivered the old Lincoln in perfect condition!

driver100

If you can get this car started you can get a $500 reward. I have shortened the story;

A Surrey family was on vacation in Victoria when they found themselves locked out of their new Toyota minivan.

The "nightmare" began on a sunset stroll Friday along Wharf Street, somewhere between The Keg and The Local.
John was holding the van's key in his hand, but he put it down to help his son Riley tie his shoes. Within minutes, they realized the key was missing.

Like many modern vehicles, the Toyota key has a special transponder chip inside, John explained, which means even if they broke into their own car, the ignition would be disabled without it.
And when they bought their van less than a month ago at Velocity Cars in Burnaby, they were only given a single key.

Because the van was imported used from Japan, the Higgins said, they were told that there was no way to replace that key anywhere in North America.
"Yesterday I got a call from a dealer in Bellingham who services imported Toyotas," John said. "And he said, the only way Toyota will cut you a new key is if your van is physically in a Toyota dealer in Japan."

"If he had given me this key, and said 'Guard this key with your life. It’s the only way to get into your car,' maybe we would have looked at things a little differently," Higgins said.


"John's been up all night watching YouTube," Maria added.
But videos he's found online have both convinced that they may need a hacker to help them get into their van.
"We have to find some guru who knows how to reset this stuff without frying the whole thing," Maria said. "Somebody on this planet must understand this stuff. I don’t know where that person is."
The Higgins are offering a $500 reward for safe return of their key. Otherwise, they say, the vehicle may have to be sold for parts, and they’ll be out thousands of dollars.
They ask its finder to contact them at 604-616-8384

Lost key could cost $1000s

abacomike

graphicguy said:

vernachildress said:

Hi all, I've got an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v, It’s been more than a year that i own the car and it’s a real pleasure. Looks like theres a wealth of knowledge on here and im looking forward to getting to know you guys!

Well, the "wealth of knowledge" you refer to in your post can't possibly include me since I have no idea what an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v is.  I'll need some time to research the wheels you are talking about.

Had to look it up myself, Mike.





It's one of these....





https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Citroën_Xantia

LOL!  You learn something new every day here.  We have 2 new posters on here and both have French cars.  What-da-ya-think-o-that?  I still have nightmares of my horrible experiences with a Peugeot in 1969 trying to find the headlight switch.  I hope that they redesigned that dilemma by now!  

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Because the van was imported used from Japan, the Higgins said, they were told that there was no way to replace that key anywhere in North America.
"Yesterday I got a call from a dealer in Bellingham who services imported Toyotas," John said. "And he said, the only way Toyota will cut you a new key is if your van is physically in a Toyota dealer in Japan."

I realize this is a serious problem for the car owners, and I sympathize. I wouldn't have bought an imported used car.

But as I read I thought, "Thank God it's not a GM product. If this were to have been a GM product with this kind of quirky problem, we'd be deluged with posts about how awful GM is and how their great uncle had a GM product in 1985 that did something or other. Or we'd hear other contemporaneous stories about failings of the US-based product."

I got an extra key for my son's Cruze on Ebay. Switchblade type, cut from a picture of current key I sent, and programmable in my driveway by ME.

'Nough said.

ab348

abacomike said:

LOL!  You learn something new every day here.  We have 2 new posters on here and both have French cars.  What-da-ya-think-o-that?

I think that it is highly likely both those posts came from the same IP address.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

If you can get this car started you can get a $500 reward. I have shortened the story;

A Surrey family was on vacation in Victoria when they found themselves locked out of their new Toyota minivan.

The "nightmare" began on a sunset stroll Friday along Wharf Street, somewhere between The Keg and The Local.
John was holding the van's key in his hand, but he put it down to help his son Riley tie his shoes. Within minutes, they realized the key was missing.

Like many modern vehicles, the Toyota key has a special transponder chip inside, John explained, which means even if they broke into their own car, the ignition would be disabled without it.
And when they bought their van less than a month ago at Velocity Cars in Burnaby, they were only given a single key.

Because the van was imported used from Japan, the Higgins said, they were told that there was no way to replace that key anywhere in North America.
"Yesterday I got a call from a dealer in Bellingham who services imported Toyotas," John said. "And he said, the only way Toyota will cut you a new key is if your van is physically in a Toyota dealer in Japan."

"If he had given me this key, and said 'Guard this key with your life. It’s the only way to get into your car,' maybe we would have looked at things a little differently," Higgins said.


"John's been up all night watching YouTube," Maria added.
But videos he's found online have both convinced that they may need a hacker to help them get into their van.
"We have to find some guru who knows how to reset this stuff without frying the whole thing," Maria said. "Somebody on this planet must understand this stuff. I don’t know where that person is."
The Higgins are offering a $500 reward for safe return of their key. Otherwise, they say, the vehicle may have to be sold for parts, and they’ll be out thousands of dollars.
They ask its finder to contact them at 604-616-8384

Lost key could cost $1000s

That seems rather rotten of Toyota to blow them off with a line like that. Couldn't the ownership proofs be delivered by email? Why would you have to physically ship the whole car. Sounds like they were being told a fish story by the Bellingham dealer. What does Velocity say? They should be responsible since they sold it with only one key.

tjc78

There is always a way.  If they get Toyota corporate involved, it can be fixed. 

In today's modern world there is no way the van is scrap metal.  It's a PR stunt. 

@imidazol97
well said 

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

That seems rather rotten of Toyota to blow them off with a line like that.

I wonder if this really should be on the selling dealer who sold the used car to the buyer. It's made to sound they did not tell the buyer of this potential problem. Was the buyer made aware it was an imported used car? Do they have Carfax or other alleged tracking sheets in Canada?

I wonder if toyota actually sanctions selling imported used vehicles in Canada. Apparently not or there would be a way to get replacement keys.

Reminds me of decades back where folks were buying "grey market" MB's and maybe other brands. New IIRC. Here in US.

imidazol97

Just washed son's Cruze after picking it up from airport parking lot after he left for a flight this morning. We keep it here then drop it off at airport lot an hour or so before his plane arrives.

Did a test drive a couple hours later and put it inside the garage. Three birds had bombed it already while parked under my Canadian Pear tree (a tall, narrow Bradford Pear type tree) that shades my driveway in afternoon.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

I'll say;
Xantia


Peugot

That Citroen looks like a late '80s Datsun. That Peugot looks like a mid-late '90s Chrysler Concorde.

Puegot pulled out of the market here a long, long time ago. It's been even longer for Citroen. If our new poster actually bought those cars, highly unlikely he got them in North America.

Agree with TJC about the Toyota key.....plain and simple publicity stunt. Why they pulled such a stunt, who knows? But, I don't believe any of that story!

driver100

A little more information RE Lost Key;

The key has a chip matched to the Toyota van's internal electronics and any replacement would have to be programmed with a code at the original dealership. They are offering a $500 reward for anyone who finds and returns the lost keys.

The Higgens family told All Points West guest host Richard Zussman that they had just bought the car a few weeks before and were only given the one key.

"There is so much technology in this car that we were unaware of because this is the newest car that we've ever owned," Maria said. "We just did not know how critical this master RFID chip key was."

Toyota Canada confirmed that they could not cut a copy of the key for the Higgens because the 15-year-old vehicle was imported and not intended for the North American market so they do not have the necessary technology.

Yeh, why would someone export the car to here, why would you buy a car and not get a duplicate key made right away? One reason I don't like one of a kind cars.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

A little more information RE Lost Key;

The key has a chip matched to the Toyota van's internal electronics and any replacement would have to be programmed with a code at the original dealership. They are offering a $500 reward for anyone who finds and returns the lost keys.

The Higgens family told All Points West guest host Richard Zussman that they had just bought the car a few weeks before and were only given the one key.

"There is so much technology in this car that we were unaware of because this is the newest car that we've ever owned," Maria said. "We just did not know how critical this master RFID chip key was."

Toyota Canada confirmed that they could not cut a copy of the key for the Higgens because the 15-year-old vehicle was imported and not intended for the North American market so they do not have the necessary technology.

Yeh, why would someone export the car to here, why would you buy a car and not get a duplicate key made right away? One reason I don't like one of a kind cars.

So, sounds like this is a case of someone who got a "deal" on a grey market vehicle. Deal isn't looking so good right about now.

This happens in the audio electronics world all the time. Someone finds a "deal" on an amplifier or other piece of gear. It happens to be meant for a different part of the world. Something goes sideways with it and they find out no one will fix it for them (or can, but charges an onerous fee).

ab348

graphicguy said:

Agree with TJC about the Toyota key.....plain and simple publicity stunt. Why they pulled such a stunt, who knows? But, I don't believe any of that story!

Well, there could be truth in it. Anyone here who buys a used JDM Toyota van has a few screws loose already IMO.

stickguy

doesn't the fact that the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car tip you off that it isn't from Canada?

andres3

suydam said:

andres3 said:

Asking repeated Toyota owners to buy a Chevy is a tall order given they value reliability as much or even more than the fuel economy. Maybe when the Volt has proven itself for a couple more years in CR. I think the initial results are great if I remember correctly, but the Volt has been changed a lot, and really hasn't been around a long time either way.

Well, I've been a lifelong Honda-Mazda-Toyota owner and I made the switch. The Volt has prettystellar reliability ratings, and most people lease anyway. I have met so many people who bought the Volt for the mpg and are surprised how much they love it. It's not a penalty box for sure.

______________

I have a feeling you are younger than my parents, if I had to guess. You know the old saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks? That being said, you do own a Buick, so maybe you are not younger! Ha!

I know the average owner age has been pulled down by Buick. Probably more due to death certificates than new buyers though

I'd feel more comfortable recommending the Volt after another year of "stellar" reliability results.

The Buick Encore is the first GM car we have owned. We took a chance on it because at there was no other vehicle like it. We just love how luxe it feels at a non-luxe price. Its kinda the Swiss Army knife of vehicles -- does everything well. The Volt, again -- there really isn't any other vehicle to compare it to -- nothing affordable with the combo of features, mpg, and lack of range anxiety. One tries something different when the usual manufacturers -- Honda, Nissan, Mazda -- aren't making the vehicles one wants to buy.


That makes more sense now. The Encore is a more traditional drive train and a less risky bet. You got it 3 model years sooner, so GM has proved itself to you firsthand. The Volt is less traditional, a bit riskier.

I don't think I could have bought the expensive S4 from Audi without first having had the trust built up from my much less expensive A3 purchase experience.

For example, a lot of people feel this way, which is why Hyundai is advertising lifetime battery warranties on their new hybrids coming out, and (others like Toyota) have very long warranties on the batteries. I'm imagining GM has followed suit, at least to match Toyota?

Honda was definitely not making anything that would keep me from buying an Audi, and the $200,000 NSX isn't going to work without chopping off a zero. It's good to see they have a new pipeline of cars and technology coming out.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

Another celebrity Lamborghini bites the dust:


Chris Brown's Aventador hits concrete barrier on Mulholland Drive. Off to the wrecking yard--a total.

Guess he should stick to his day job, no future Dempsey career for this guy.

andres3

graphicguy said:

This and that.....andres...yes, mine is the SH AWD version. ASpec has two choices of interior...the black you saw, and the red I bought. I could have lived with the red over black.

But, my second choice was Black over Red, which they didn't have. Then, there's the blue over red that I've only seen pictures of.....which clashes a little. That said, it's not like mine looks all the demure to begin with.

I believe the ZF 9 speed is mapped differently and has had a revamp as it's nothing like the last version of that transmission I drove in a '15 TLS I test drove a while ago.

I keep mine in Sport + nearly always. Only time I don't is when I'm on the highway. Speaking of which, you can tell where the car industry is going with autonomous driving if my TLX is any indication. Tried the radar cruise and lane keep on the interstate last night. A little unnerving having it hold a constant speed and slow down when coming on traffic and my hand barely touching the steering wheel while the car keeps itself in the right lane. That's something that will take me a while to get used to.

That '06 TL OF showed the ad for is actually a good car, even though the seller (if he's legit) knows nothing of his car. V6 is what it came with. First Acura I bought was an '04 version of that car. Fun car. Torque steer was bothersome, but once you knew to hold on tight on hard acceleration, you sort of got used to it. That's when Acura was selling something like 50K TLs per year. I think their goal for the '18s is something like 35K for the '18 MY.

As far as suydam's Volt. I think I mentioned I test drove one when I was replacing the CTS. I actually liked that car....a lot....just not enough to plunk down my greenbacks on it, though.

I think it's highly commendable and pretty "bada**" that you drive around in Sport+ mode pretty much all the time. Funny my salesman pushed sport+ off when we were coming into traffic and slowing down. Guess he thought I'd find late downshifts too "rough." Little does he know I drive a car tuned to shift similarly, if not even more abruptly/quickly.

I have to admit I put the TTS in docile mode for commute days (about once a week.) Still, I'm never behind anyone I start out side by side with leaving a red light.

Mr_Shiftright

the car was found abandoned like that. Oh, well, it's only $400,000.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

Delivered the Mark VIII to it's new owner today so I've reluctantly deleted it from my profile. I don't think it wanted to go as the check engine light came on as I was moving it in the driveway the day after the buyer's test drive. How's that for luck?

I didn't want to deliver the car with a light on and I was about to make an appointment with my mechanic. Last thing I wanted to do was spend money on a $1000 car but I felt obligated. Then I recalled that the test drive was done with very low fuel level. I wondered if perhaps a speck of grit from the bottom of the tank had gotten into an injector. Just a wild guess.

So I took the car out on the road, got it up to about 30 and nailed it. Hit the gears just right. It shifted way down, took a millisecond pause and then opened up with a roar. RPMs popped to almost the 6000 red line, the hood rose and I was flying. It was the most fun I ever had in that car.

And luckily the CEL went out. It was if the old girl just wanted to go to a new home with a flourish. Delivered it to the new owner with any and all carbon totally blown out.

When I told my story of Audi's like the RS4 needing to be driven with the pedal to the metal to be healthy and reliable @jmonroe didn't believe me. I suppose this is the "occasional" pedal to the metal.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Just washed son's Cruze after picking it up from airport parking lot after he left for a flight this morning. We keep it here then drop it off at airport lot an hour or so before his plane arrives.

Did a test drive a couple hours later and put it inside the garage. Three birds had bombed it already while parked under my Canadian Pear tree (a tall, narrow Bradford Pear type tree) that shades my driveway in afternoon.

 Can't trust those darn Canadians (Pear Trees) - they conceal many birds of a different feather!!! 

andres3

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Delivered the Mark VIII to it's new owner today so I've reluctantly deleted it from my profile. I don't think it wanted to go as the check engine light came on as I was moving it in the driveway the day after the buyer's test drive. How's that for luck?



I didn't want to deliver the car with a light on and I was about to make an appointment with my mechanic. Last thing I wanted to do was spend money on a $1000 car but I felt obligated. Then I recalled that the test drive was done with very low fuel level. I wondered if perhaps a speck of grit from the bottom of the tank had gotten into an injector. Just a wild guess.



So I took the car out on the road, got it up to about 30 and nailed it. Hit the gears just right. It shifted way down, took a millisecond pause and then opened up with a roar. RPMs popped to almost the 6000 red line, the hood rose and I was flying. It was the most fun I ever had in that car.



And luckily the CEL went out. It was if the old girl just wanted to go to a new home with a flourish. Delivered it to the new owner with any and all carbon totally blown out.

I had a window regulator die on the 5 Series the night before the buyer picked it up. 

Did that lower their planned offer (was a deal already made regarding dollar amount?)

andres3

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

vernachildress said:

Hi all, I've got an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v, It’s been more than a year that i own the car and it’s a real pleasure. Looks like theres a wealth of knowledge on here and im looking forward to getting to know you guys!

Well, the "wealth of knowledge" you refer to in your post can't possibly include me since I have no idea what an S2 Xantia 1.8 16v is.  I'll need some time to research the wheels you are talking about.

Had to look it up myself, Mike.







It's one of these....







https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Citroën_Xantia







LOL!  You learn something new every day here.  We have 2 new posters on here and both have French cars.  What-da-ya-think-o-that?  I still have nightmares of my horrible experiences with a Peugeot in 1969 trying to find the headlight switch.  I hope that they redesigned that dilemma by now!  

The first time I went to fill-up my S4 with gas, I think I wasted 10 minutes looking for the gas cover lid release lever/button. I couldn't find one, and I was a former Audi owner.

The secret trick is to push the lid inward, and it pops out (as long as the car is unlocked). Somewhere between 2006 and 2014 they went to this top-secret design.

andres3

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

A little more information RE Lost Key;

The key has a chip matched to the Toyota van's internal electronics and any replacement would have to be programmed with a code at the original dealership. They are offering a $500 reward for anyone who finds and returns the lost keys.

The Higgens family told All Points West guest host Richard Zussman that they had just bought the car a few weeks before and were only given the one key.

"There is so much technology in this car that we were unaware of because this is the newest car that we've ever owned," Maria said. "We just did not know how critical this master RFID chip key was."

Toyota Canada confirmed that they could not cut a copy of the key for the Higgens because the 15-year-old vehicle was imported and not intended for the North American market so they do not have the necessary technology.

Yeh, why would someone export the car to here, why would you buy a car and not get a duplicate key made right away? One reason I don't like one of a kind cars.

So, sounds like this is a case of someone who got a "deal" on a grey market vehicle. Deal isn't looking so good right about now.

This happens in the audio electronics world all the time. Someone finds a "deal" on an amplifier or other piece of gear. It happens to be meant for a different part of the world. Something goes sideways with it and they find out no one will fix it for them (or can, but charges an onerous fee).

I have a new policy regarding receivers and amps. Never pay to have them fixed. First, buy brands that have quality and reliability built-in, and secondly, if it breaks in some way, sell it as-is. I made the mistake of repairing a high-end Harmon Kardon receiver so that I could sell it for top-dollar. Granted, I let it sit for a very long time, but I tested it, and everything worked, and sold it. The buyer got it, and within 10 minutes reported that a channel of the amp went out (different problem than originally fixed by the repair shop; so couldn't blame them). Although I sold it as-is, my personal honor would have required the thing to work as advertised for 24-48 hours at least. Since it broke within minutes of being tested, I had to ante up.

Ended up paying in the two repairs what I sold it for. Broke even. The good thing was that the buyer took it back, and was glad I "warrantied" it for him.

bwia

I was watching a repeat of how cars are made on Travelocity. The subject car was the Rolls Royce (?) convertible. (Sorry I can't remember the name of the RR). Nothing unusual per se except for the introduction of  a piece of technology that I find facinating.

It is a GPS controlled  automatic transmission that puts the car in the appropriate gear at different points on a route, for example, up or down hills. Apparently the technology works well enouggh as I understand that this technology has trickle down to big rigs cruising the highways.

What do you think, is this  tech overkill or a useful improvement of the automatic transmission?

oldfarmer50

bwia said:

I was watching a repeat of how cars are made on Travelocity. The subject car was the Rolls Royce (?) convertible. (Sorry I can't remember the name of the RR). Nothing unusual per se except for the introduction of  a piece of technology that I find facinating.

It is a GPS controlled  automatic transmission that puts the car in the appropriate gear at different points on a route, for example, up or down hills. Apparently the technology works well enouggh as I understand that this technology has trickle down to big rigscreen cruising the highways.

What do you think, is this  tech overkill or a useful improvement of the automatic transmission?

Way too much nanny...but I'm a dinosaur.

abacomike

oldfarmer50 said:

I was watching a repeat of how cars are made on Travelocity. The subject car was the Rolls Royce (?) convertible. (Sorry I can't remember the name of the RR). Nothing unusual per se except for the introduction of  a piece of technology that I find facinating.

It is a GPS controlled  automatic transmission that puts the car in the appropriate gear at different points on a route, for example, up or down hills. Apparently the technology works well enouggh as I understand that this technology has trickle down to big rigscreen cruising the highways.

What do you think, is this  tech overkill or a useful improvement of the automatic transmission?

Way too much nanny...but I'm a dinosaur.

My 740i has something similar to that.  In the "adaptive" mode, the car is fed data about the contours of the road you are driving on and adjusts suspension damping to accommodate hills, curves, road surface, etc.  I have only used the "adaptive" driving mode a few times and really could not tell the difference.  I researched this and it does change the ride and handling based upon input data from the GPS.

A bit over the top for me!  

graphicguy

andres3 said:

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

A little more information RE Lost Key;

The key has a chip matched to the Toyota van's internal electronics and any replacement would have to be programmed with a code at the original dealership. They are offering a $500 reward for anyone who finds and returns the lost keys.

The Higgens family told All Points West guest host Richard Zussman that they had just bought the car a few weeks before and were only given the one key.

"There is so much technology in this car that we were unaware of because this is the newest car that we've ever owned," Maria said. "We just did not know how critical this master RFID chip key was."

Toyota Canada confirmed that they could not cut a copy of the key for the Higgens because the 15-year-old vehicle was imported and not intended for the North American market so they do not have the necessary technology.

Yeh, why would someone export the car to here, why would you buy a car and not get a duplicate key made right away? One reason I don't like one of a kind cars.

So, sounds like this is a case of someone who got a "deal" on a grey market vehicle. Deal isn't looking so good right about now.

This happens in the audio electronics world all the time. Someone finds a "deal" on an amplifier or other piece of gear. It happens to be meant for a different part of the world. Something goes sideways with it and they find out no one will fix it for them (or can, but charges an onerous fee).

I have a new policy regarding receivers and amps. Never pay to have them fixed. First, buy brands that have quality and reliability built-in, and secondly, if it breaks in some way, sell it as-is. I made the mistake of repairing a high-end Harmon Kardon receiver so that I could sell it for top-dollar. Granted, I let it sit for a very long time, but I tested it, and everything worked, and sold it. The buyer got it, and within 10 minutes reported that a channel of the amp went out (different problem than originally fixed by the repair shop; so couldn't blame them). Although I sold it as-is, my personal honor would have required the thing to work as advertised for 24-48 hours at least. Since it broke within minutes of being tested, I had to ante up.

Ended up paying in the two repairs what I sold it for. Broke even. The good thing was that the buyer took it back, and was glad I "warrantied" it for him.

I sell most of my used electronics gear on Ebay. I make a point of telling the buyer that I strongly suggest getting insurance as, even though I can guarantee that it worked when it left my hands, there are NO GUARANTEES it will work once FedEx or UPS gets done with it. And, if there are issues, it will be because of shipping, not any malfeasance on my end. It's used equipment, any thing can go wrong.

That said, I have a whole closet full of equipment that I plan on "getting around to using" some day. Most of the manufacturers are no longer in business. Just had to move a "heavy as a wheelbarrel of bricks B&K amp this a.m. to get at another piece of gear I'm repurposing.

jmonroe

ab348 said:

abacomike said:

LOL!  You learn something new every day here.  We have 2 new posters on here and both have French cars.  What-da-ya-think-o-that?

I think that it is highly likely both those posts came from the same IP address.

Well, if either one or both of them isn't a hit-and-run poster, we can ask them when they check in. Otherwise, you might be right...for the first time.

jmonroe

jmonroe

graphicguy said:

driver100 said:

I'll say;
Xantia


Peugot

That Citroen looks like a late '80s Datsun. That Peugot looks like a mid-late '90s Chrysler Concorde.

Puegot pulled out of the market here a long, long time ago. It's been even longer for Citroen. If our new poster actually bought those cars, highly unlikely he got them in North America.

Agree with TJC about the Toyota key.....plain and simple publicity stunt. Why they pulled such a stunt, who knows? But, I don't believe any of that story!

I agree, it's what people like to see on the internet.

Almost reminds me of pics of toilets mounted to walls, ceilings and doors.

Speaking of doors, something tells me I just opened the door for another round of that stuff.

jmonroe

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

the car was found abandoned like that. Oh, well, it's only $400,000.

More truth to the saying ..."drive it like you stole it".

jmonroe

imidazol97

abacomike said:

 Can't trust those darn Canadians (Pear Trees) - they conceal many birds of a different feather!!! 

The Cobalt has been parked there during day all week and hasn't been "bombed."

explorerx4

Just came back from the car dealer looking at GMC Acadia's with my future(next week), son in law.

imidazol97

andres3 said:

The first time I went to fill-up my S4 with gas, I think I wasted 10 minutes looking for the gas cover lid release lever/button. I couldn't find one, and I was a former Audi owner.

The secret trick is to push the lid inward, and it pops out (as long as the car is unlocked). Somewhere between 2006 and 2014 they went to this top-secret design.

You should have asked a Malibu owner. They've had it for a long time. Same with Cruze. Ahead of their time. LOL

driver100

abacomike said:

imidazol97 said:

Just washed son's Cruze after picking it up from airport parking lot after he left for a flight this morning. We keep it here then drop it off at airport lot an hour or so before his plane arrives.



Did a test drive a couple hours later and put it inside the garage. Three birds had bombed it already while parked under my Canadian Pear tree (a tall, narrow Bradford Pear type tree) that shades my driveway in afternoon.

 Can't trust those darn Canadians (Pear Trees) - they conceal many birds of a different feather!!! 

We get blamed for everything. I am not even sure there is such a thing as a "Canadian Pear Tree". We get blamed just because they happen to be called "Canada Geese" and because cold winds coming from the Arctic pass through Canada they are cold winds coming from ...you guessed it....Canada.

Canada Dry which is arguably the best ginger ale drink is one good thing, but it is now owned by Texas based Shwepps

tjc78

explorerx4 said:

Just came back from the car dealer looking at GMC Acadia's with my future(next week), son in law.

What did you think?  It's smaller now.

explorerx4

@tjc78,
My daughter had driven an SLT model on a business trip and really liked it.
They both like that it has the 2nd row buckets, so there is some room for the dog to get to the 3rd row.
Storage behind the 3rd row is small, 12 cubic feet, but you can just add cross bars for the rooftop cargo box.

stickguy

Driver, please take your darned geese back. They are overwhelming us down here, and trashing the neighborhood. Plus the dogs love to eat the poop.

stickguy

fill up the Jetta today, after 3 days of the princess commuting to delaware (about 90 miles/day). A few miles at each end in stop and go traffic getting to the highway, then mostly open highway in between. Amount of time stuck in traffic varies day to day. Got 34MPG on this fill. Not too shabby IMO.