Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

But what is that white stuff all around the car? Strange looking stuff!

That's northern sand. It blows in some days and then blows out. But sometimes it hangs around for a while.

Sort of like unexpected, not very well liked relatives who come for a few days to sponge off their kin?

imidazol97

abacomike said:

Sort of like unexpected, not very well liked relatives who come for a few days to sponge off their kin?

LOL

imidazol97

Have a safe trip today, driver100.

I'm not sure I'd blame the sporty car for the accident. I have had a lot of SUVs
cut me off and make dangerous lane changes. An Indiana car, a GM of some
sort, just came slowly over when her lane ended as KY I75 went from 3 back to
2 lanes in south Kentucky. Obviously couldn't read because there were signs about
the left lane ending for 2 miles in advance. Never cut her cruise control off of 80
from what I could tell. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid having her rear wheel
hit my front fender. Obviously deaf, because didn't notice my horn.

abacomike

All kidding aside, imid, I have not stepped foot in snow in over 25 years.  My first 45 year of life living with snow was more than enough for me!

imidazol97

Moving day. Taking a cargo van to Columbus to bring home larger items from son's
apartment to his new apartment. By getting the U Haul cargo van I get cruise
control. When I rented the 14 foot box last time, it did not have cruise control
and it's awful trying to keep the speed constant.

At least we're on our own schedule and don't have to hurry or wait
for someone else. Picking up van when hardware store opens at 9 am.
Driver100 and I both will be "On the Road Again" today.

imidazol97

I don't think I posted about my second water experience in the house. Ten pm
and saw slight moisture in carpet next to bathroom. Couldn't see water inside
bath area around baseboard. Next morning still showed moisture coming
where the carpet was pulled back. Removed strip of drywall behind stool between it and the other
bathroom's vanity sink and found a pinhole in a pipe. Happy Days.




In evening tried to unsolder the offending 1/2 in. pipe from a 3/4 in reducer
that has two 1/2 inch outlets on it. Instead, the 3/4 in end unsoldered right
against the double studs in the wall (that wall has the plastic stack pipe
in it so it was made thicker to accomodate that pipe. .
No way to continue water to house. My wife is holding her head in
her hands asking when will it stop?

Called retired plumber recommended by a friend of ours who has lots
of plumbing problems with her home. She's been through several
plumbers and just had her new one 2 days earlier. I called hiim at
7 pm. After I described problem, he asked if I was wanting him
to come tonight!!! Oh Yeah!

He said he had to eat first and he said even if he couldn't fix it, he'd know
what he needed to have to work it the next morning.

He's 25 minute away at home after doing some painting.
Discussed what kind of pieces he might need. He didn't think he had a 3/4 with 2
1/2 in outlets reducer in his
kit so I bought one at Lowes before he arrived at 8:30. Lots of his hoping he could
solder the 3/4 in pipe which was in between studs. He got it. 10:15 pm we had water.
Lot of burned wood from the torch but water lines were sealed.

Is that a good sign being able to get a person to come out in evening to fix my problem.
I thought about buying lottery tickets with my good luck.

jayrider

fezo said:

Nice blue.

BTW that snow is NO LONGER HERE! Let's keep it that way.

I have the same year and model Prius. Zero problems. CR rated as the car most likely to go 200k miles. Mine is silver -- I like yours a bit better. Great minds tend to spend alike.

cdnpinhead

fezo said:

Nice blue.

BTW that snow is NO LONGER HERE! Let's keep it that way.

Nice that there are still a few people left who aren't so paranoid as to blur out license plates.

Pretty color, and happy 3rd.

dino001

stickguy said:

China isn't that simple. They can build good stuff. If you want to pay for it.

I saw the flooring expose. I remember one of the makers when asked said that yes, they make flooring that meets the standards. It just costs more. and LL wanted the cheap stuff.

I'm sure there are buyers that get ripped off out of China, but I would bet that the vast majority know exactly what they are getting, and that is what they want to pay for.

Agreed. The Lumber Liquidators story started when a hedge fund analyst noticed that they had higher margins and lower prices than the competition, sugesting "too good to be true" story, which CBS simply confirmed. Chinese-made iPhones are highest quality merchandise and the price reflects it. However, Chinese manufacturers are also willling to cut corners, even at the expense of environment, or safety. When you want it cheap, ask no questions how, they will make a cheap.

fezo

cdnpinhead said:

fezo said:

Nice blue.

BTW that snow is NO LONGER HERE! Let's keep it that way.

Nice that there are still a few people left who aren't so paranoid as to blur out license plates.

Pretty color, and happy 3rd.

I wouldn't be paranoid about the plate but since that one was a temporary plate from Pennsylvania that's now long gone in the trash I figure it's really safe. Oh, and I wouldn't know how to blur it...

stick - I agree but to add another car space to the garage I'd be on he neighbor's property. He's a nice guy - I should ask him...

fezo

I'm not paranoid about things - here's my two youngest with my sister-in-law's dog -

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

stickguy said:

I love my home plug in inflator. Not super fast, but gets job done. For free!

Bought a metal housing pump at Harbor Freight for about $20 after 20% off coupon after watching
for a sale on that item. Works great from the car's 12 v outlet.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12V-100-PSI-High-Volume-Air-Compressor-69284.html

That's the one I have too. It's in the trunk for when I'm on the road and need a pound or two but that has happened only twice that I can remember. I also have a 30 gallon Sears high HP job but that is too inconvenient to lug out when I need a pound or two, so I also have a 3 gallon Harbor Freight pancake unit for my inflation needs most of the time.

I just took off the snow tires yesterday and when I took it out for a test drive, the TPS went off for the two rear tires after about three minutes of driving so I will fire up the pancake gizmo and put in what ever it needs. FWIW, neither the Genny or the Subie have a reset button for the TPS that I am aware of. On the Genny it resets after a few miles of driving when the proper pressure is sensed.

This winter it was pretty cold in the Burgh area so I had the sensors go off every other day in February but when I checked the pressure the tires were at the proper inflation. The Firestone dealer told me a while back that the sensors go wacky every now and then when it gets cold and I just proved that they were right. I never had this happen until this year so I'm thinking that the 09" Genny is showing its age. Time for a new ride cause those sensors ain't cheap!

Gotta start practicing my charisma with Mrs. j.

jmonroe

robr2

fezo said:

I'm not paranoid about things - here's my two youngest with my sister-in-law's dog -

Great picture Steve. How old are the twins now??

abacomike

This must be the week of all weeks for me and my stress level. There can be no other answer than I must have done something terribly wrong for the Heavens to reek havoc upon my poor, stressful life.

I took Dad for a walk at our Mall in Boca and then went up to the dealership where I bought my car and had them do a wash. As I always instruct them the car is to be given to "Will", and washed by hand because they have already scraped up my right rear wheel from the railing in the automatic car wash. This was approved by the management of the dealership.

So when I pulled in for my wash, they inspected the car (as they do to all cars to make sure there is no damage or if there is damage somewhere on the car, a note is made of it and shared with the customer) and I made sure the valet knew that it was to be given to Will who always takes care of washing my car my hand and always does a good job.

Well, when Will pulled my car up, I noticed that he was talking with the valets about something to do with my car. So I shouted to him, "...Will, did you break my car or something?" Well, it seems that the valet did not give the car to Will, but just left it in the wash line and someone else took it through the automatic was rack and, of course, this time they scratched and nicked the right front wheel. The first time they did this, they repaired the wheel since it was on the very outer rim of the wheel. This time, they did a good job and it even scratched the inner rim including the painted part of the wheel, with a deep gouge to it. It is something that just cannot be repaired like the first time they did this to my car.

I was furious, to say the least. After what's been happening this week with refrigerators, my iPhone making "ghost" calls to people, the master bathroom toilet going on the fritz along with the guest bath toilet, and the electric lights in the kitchen going on and off by themselves, and my brother visiting from Jacksonville, I had reached my maximum ability to handle any more stress. The banged up front wheel was kind of like the straw that broke the camel's back. I was irate with the assistant service manager who accused me of lying about the scratch because I had claimed it was scratched four weeks ago (of course when he checked, it was the right rear wheel they scratched, and this time it was the right front wheel), I let the SOB have it right there in front of the dealership with the managers observing what was happening. I said, "...what right have you got to accuse me of falsifying damage on my car when even the wash valet and the greeter valet all agree the car was not damaged before it was put into the wash line.

I tell you, I am so furious, I may never buy another car from that dealership again. The manager agreed to order me a new right front wheel to replace the damaged one, but it was the accusations of the assistant service manager that caused me to blow my top. Not only that, I specifically instructed the greeter valet to make sure
Will got the car and that it was hand washed to avoid damaging the right wheels of the car (that's where the rail is in the automatic car wash).

So, new Whirlpool refrigerator Monday morning, new guest toilet being installed on Monday afternoon, new lighting fixtures on Tuesday afternoon, new wheel being put on the the car Wednesday afternoon, and only God knows what else is going to happen between now and then.

Truly a memorable week!!!!

berri

When it rains, it pours - but the sun always comes back out at some point

fezo

The world's least identical twins are 13. They'll hit 14 in September and will be in high school!

abacomike

berri said:

When it rains, it pours - but the sun always comes back out at some point

The sun has been out for a week now without a cloud or a drop of rain. Maybe if it would get cloudy and rain hard for a few days, all this negative karma would wash away and I could get a fresh start on a new week? Nah, no matter what the weather, the excrement is going to hit the fan for me no matter what's happening weatherwise.

robr2

fezo said:

The world's least identical twins are 13. They'll hit 14 in September and will be in high school!

How's the nature versus nurture experiment going?

fezo

Going just great. They more or less behave like normal twins - best friends and worst enemies - but mostly best friends. Carrie's not much at all upset that Claire's just a whiz in school - usually her worst grade is about 96 - but Claire doesn't like the fact that Carrie is 4" taller. She desperately wants to break the 5 foot mark. I keep teller her there's not much she or we can do about that.

Of course it wasn't designed as an experiment but things happen...

driver100

fezo said:

Nice blue.

BTW that snow is NO LONGER HERE! Let's keep it that way.

Perfect color for the Prius....and it looks like a new car.

I saw a 3 series bmw in that color today and I thought it looked too.

It is surprising how many Prius's are on the road these days.

driver100

abacomike said:

My twin brother drove down today from Ponte Vedra Beach (just south of Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine) to spend a few hours with my Dad.  It was good seeing him (about 2-1/2 years since we saw each other).  

He he drove down in his new E400 Convertible.  Gorgeous car in white with red soft top and red leather interior.  It is much smaller that the E400 sedan and a bit tighter inside.  But with the sport package, the car is truly a knockout.  He said he averaged over 31 mpg at 75 mph. It's about 300+ miles from here to his house.

If I felt like I could be comfortable in the convertible or the coupe, I'd consider one. But it is not as comfortable as the sedan.

I get about 27.8 mpg but that is 80% highway, and there is always a slow down...so pronbably close to 30 if I went steady at 70 mph.

I was driving in SPORT mode today and what a difference. A lot more power and smooth ride....absolutely no lag time when I press the gas.

Makes driving a lot more fun, and mpg only went down by.5 mpg. Worth it, especially since gas is about $2.20 reg in Kentucky and Tennessee.

ab348

It was in the 50's F. here yesterday and today it rained hard for a bit and was foggy. So the snowpack on my property is down to 2'-3' and the big banks are now under 6'. Progress, but still a long way to go.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

Have a safe trip today, driver100.

I'm not sure I'd blame the sporty car for the accident. I have had a lot of SUVs
cut me off and make dangerous lane changes. An Indiana car, a GM of some
sort, just came slowly over when her lane ended as KY I75 went from 3 back to
2 lanes in south Kentucky. Obviously couldn't read because there were signs about
the left lane ending for 2 miles in advance. Never cut her cruise control off of 80
from what I could tell. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid having her rear wheel
hit my front fender. Obviously deaf, because didn't notice my horn.

Imid, good forecast on the driving. A few slow downs on the way, but not too bad. Probably cost 30 to 40 minutes overall.

Went by the Hoopie exit near Cincinatti and though the lanes zig zag all over it kept moving. There was road work further north that has been going on for about 5 years now, and looks like they will be working on it for 10 more years. Narrow lanes and lots of zig zagging.

Rest was good and we are in Findlay OH. Beautiful Drury Inn. Tomorrow should be about 350 miles and home by late afternoon if all goes well.

I agree, the accident could have been caused by the old guy in the Lincoln. But, the Dodge was in a lot worse shape, and though the older people can do weird stuff.....the worse drivers are usually younger ones who try to wedge themselves between cars and they take big chances trying to move ahead. I found the best thing is just to stay at a steady speed and let them cut in and out....who cares! I'll get there at the time I want to and they can risk higher insurance rates and speeding tickets.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

I don't think I posted about my second water experience in the house. Ten pm
and saw slight moisture in carpet next to bathroom. Couldn't see water inside
bath area around baseboard. Next morning still showed moisture coming
where the carpet was pulled back. Removed strip of drywall behind stool between it and the other
bathroom's vanity sink and found a pinhole in a pipe. Happy Days.




In evening tried to unsolder the offending 1/2 in. pipe from a 3/4 in reducer
that has two 1/2 inch outlets on it. Instead, the 3/4 in end unsoldered right
against the double studs in the wall (that wall has the plastic stack pipe
in it so it was made thicker to accomodate that pipe. .
No way to continue water to house. My wife is holding her head in
her hands asking when will it stop?

Called retired plumber recommended by a friend of ours who has lots
of plumbing problems with her home. She's been through several
plumbers and just had her new one 2 days earlier. I called hiim at
7 pm. After I described problem, he asked if I was wanting him
to come tonight!!! Oh Yeah!

He said he had to eat first and he said even if he couldn't fix it, he'd know
what he needed to have to work it the next morning.

He's 25 minute away at home after doing some painting.
Discussed what kind of pieces he might need. He didn't think he had a 3/4 with 2
1/2 in outlets reducer in his
kit so I bought one at Lowes before he arrived at 8:30. Lots of his hoping he could
solder the 3/4 in pipe which was in between studs. He got it. 10:15 pm we had water.
Lot of burned wood from the torch but water lines were sealed.

Is that a good sign being able to get a person to come out in evening to fix my problem.
I thought about buying lottery tickets with my good luck.

I like finding retired handymen, plumbers, electricians etc. They usually do a great job and they are doing the work because they like doing it...not just for the money.

Good move getting the part before he arrived.....that is a huge help.

abacomike

Driver, sounds like you are taking your time on your way back to the "essence" or "source" of why we get cold winters and so much snow.  After all, Santa and his Elves thrive on cold weather and tons of snow.  I believe "Old Man Winter" lives in the suburbs of Toronto where he lives 6 months a year.  The other 6 months of the year, he lives in the Canadian Rockies on a wind farm with the propellers facing south so as to ensure there are hundreds of Alberta Clippers "winterizing" the neighbors to the south - the USA.

Jack Frost has some Prime real estate in Winnipeg where he uses a 200,000 ton Toro to blow snow and cold air to the Dakotas and the States south of those Titons along the northern border.

You Canadians sure know how to "chill" relations with the U.S.  

Keep those blizzards "a-commin'", driver.  I don't know how the skiing industry could survive or be sustained without Our Canadian friends to our north.  Thanks driver.  

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Went by the Hoopie exit near Cincinatti and though the lanes zig zag all over it kept moving. There was road work further north that has been going on for about 5 years now, and looks like they will be working on it for 10 more years. Narrow lanes and lots of zig zagging.

My problem was that the zigzag lanes were done with angles. Usually they curve those changes to redirect the traffic. It caught me by surprise after driving 4 hours and more.

Glad your trip has been relatively uneventful. You're within shooting distance of Canada now. Hour and half and you're over the bridge.

graphicguy

So, just an irritating reminder that there are bad dealers no matter what the brand, I'm going to Indy for Easter to see my sister.

The windshield wipers on the CTS had been "chattering" for a month or so. Since it's been raining around here recently, I had some time yesterday open so I called the local Caddy dealer (not the selling dealer) to see if they could adjust the arms to get the chattering to stop. Wiper blades looked fine, I just thought there would be an adjustment on the arms that could be made.

During the call I asked if they had any openings for Saturday. They said they were slow...."can you come in now?".

Sure!

Got there. Told them about the wipers chattering. I go into the waiting area to get their snacks and vitamin water.

Don't know which thread I posted this , but this is the same dealer who slapped bright red wheels on an ATS coupe trying to do....not quite sure what....to sell the car.

Before I can get half way through my drink, the service advisor comes to me saying the wipers are fixed, to pick up my keys at the cashier office. Cashier office?

You can see where this is going. They wanted $67 for the new wipers installed.....on a car with only 4,200 miles on it.

I told them to remove them and give me the old ones back. How a request for am adjustment turned into $67 for new wipers confounds me. Smarter, service focused employees prevailed and they waived the charges

How this particular dealership, which is part of a large, local dealer group, was able to keep their Cadillac franchise is beyond me.

jayrider

How this particular dealership, which is part of a large, local dealer group, was able to keep their Cadillac franchise is beyond me.

Easy answer on that question -- they make GM money.

stickguy

It's a simple, profitable business model. you have something done, they charge. Many (most?) people will assume they are supposed to pay, and do. But if anyone (legitimately) raises an issue with the charge, waive it. Make more money out of that than never charging anyone!

In your case, of course they should have asked you first. But, I'm sure it got sent into the back for wipers, so they put blades on. Not even sure you can adjust tension on the arms, can you?

actually, since you got the new blades on, did it fix the problem? if so, then you did need blades I guess!

Mr_Shiftright

GENTLEMEN: Can any of you with past dealership experience help this guy out in our Answers Department? I think I know the answer but I'm not quite sure.

Basically he wants to know if his Mom enters into a contract on a car as primary co-signer, with him as secondary, and the dealer gives him the car, and then his mom refuses to sign the loan papers, what happens? (Apparently she thought he'd be the primary but the dealer put her as primary so that....well, I'm not sure why they did that).

http://answers.edmunds.com/answerquestion.aspx?questionId=201613

My impression is that the whole deal falls through and that the dealer might try to sign him up solo at a much higher interest rate. If I'm right, is he obligated in any way? He has possession of the car.

[Deleted User]

My apologies upfront. I'm going to post a longer writeup and use a few subsequent posts. Please feel free to skip if you don't want to read a long story

Yesterday I took the fam to the Wildlife Sanctuary northeast of Denver, and while we were in the general area we stopped by one of the Vietnamese soup shops near I-25 for lunch, which just happened to be located half a mile away from a VW dealer. What a perfect and coincidental time to check out a GTI. ☺

There were a handful of obvious sales guys meandering around the outside of the sales building and we were targeted before we even parked our Impreza. We did manage to make our way to the parked Golfs before a salesman was on top of us, giving me a glimpse of the only GTI I could see around, one with a DSG automatic transmission.

When we were met by the salesman I gave him the rundown: GTI with no sunroof, 4 doors, manual transmission, no preference for color at that time. We also chatted about the TDI as my Euro travels have left me a believer in the motors, but this next purchase was designed to be fun and engaging and the diesel would have to live up to that expectation.

We walked into the main sales building so the salesman could check inventory, and that gave us time to look at the models on the showroom four. I was shocked to see an R. Most dealers will only see one or two of those, and here was a black one with DSG sitting in the showroom, roped off from pesky buyers wanting to take a seat. More on that later.

The salesman quickly came back and said he had a Golf TDI S with manual transmission and four doors, and off he went to fetch said vehicle. When he cruised up in the Golf we found a filthy car both inside and out, caked in dust and mud. While he made a photocopy of my driver’s license I poked around the car, setting up the mirrors and driver’s seat for the test drive, and trying out Fezo’s “Two Jennifer” test, only it was the Two Ty test in this case (6 feet tall with long legs). I was a little disappointed to find the rear legroom lacking in comparison to our Impreza. Seated comfortably in the front there would not be enough rear seat legroom to allow an average adult a comfortable longer journey. My daughter then tried out her favorite spot, the middle seat in the back, and found herself crunched into an uncomfortable position.

The materials initially caught me by surprise as I’ve read numerous reviews praising the quality of the Golf interior. I started my materials inspection when I was seated in the back seat and noticed the interior door panels were shiny, which I thought was weird since just about every VW I’ve driven has used matte finishes. I put my hand to the door panel shoulder and found rock-hard cheap plastic that loudly resonated when I scraped my fingernail along the deep texture. Not impressed, not at all. That’s about when I noticed the leatherette seat material. Vinyl in American lexicon. And it felt like it. It was supple compared to most vinyl but definitely had a plasticky feeling. On the plus side the seats were very supportive of my back, and with more leg room I could imagine sitting there for a long drive.

[Deleted User]

I hopped out of the back seat and took notice of the floor transition trim, that piece of plastic your foot strikes as you’re getting into the seat. It was that same plastic as the door, no surprise there, but it had a recessed rectangular area that seemed to be crying out for another trim piece, maybe a piece of classy aluminum? As it was it the recessed area was full of dirt and definitely added to the cheap impression I was initially feeling.

We checked out the rear cargo area and found it a bit larger than the previous generation but questioned whether our larger dog could fit like she does in the Impreza. One terrific feature was the ability to drop the cargo floor several inches. You can either leave it elevated and hide flatter objects under the floor from view, or drop it and gain a much deeper storage well. Very nice. In the dropped position we thought our dog would just barely fit but she’d probably miss the cargo windows from the Impreza.

Our salesman appeared with my license and the test drive plate and let us know we could go out on our own. That’s always a pleasant surprise.

Up front again I checked out the materials and found them to be higher quality. The door panels featured the typical VW matte finish and a soft touch, and the dash a high quality one-piece design with matching matte finish. The front console area was surrounded by faux brushed aluminum trim that many have praised, but I found to be too abundant and too obvious a replica. The climate control was a manual, three-dial type and the radio a basic setup with a larger screen thankfully recessed into the console versus the trend of propping the screen on top of the dash.

The seat was not as supportive as previous generations, leaving me feeling like I was sitting on top of something rather than being hugged by it. No seat heaters are available in the S trim, and that vinyl material would rob your hind quarters of all heat in the Colorado winter. Being a warm day I couldn’t verify the motor heat up time, but I imagine in typical diesel fashion the cabin heat would be long in coming, and with vinyl seats and no seat heaters, cold-weather drivers would need to bundle up for the first part of their commute. Too bad they don’t offer cloth or seat heaters in the S trim.

The manual shift knob featured VW’s typical layout with reverse in the top left and requiring the knob to be pressed down to engage, which I absolutely love compared to other brands that place reverse in the bottom right and use a lever to engage. It just seems to make more sense to have 1 and R next to each other, and to press down on the knob instead of extend the fingers reaching for a lever.

Ready for our drive I cranked over the motor, and I swear, I could just barely tell from the sound signature I was listening to a diesel. VW has REALLY done their homework on the acoustics of this motor, and I even popped the hood to confirm it was diesel, and found it was the motor itself purring away, not an abundant use of sound deadening material.

[Deleted User]

Hopping back in I put the shifter in 1 and slowly let out the clutch to find the engagement point, which was very low to the floor. Good to know. With all of us seat belted in I pulled out of the parking lot into the Denver suburbs. There’s always a little adjustment time when driving a new manual transmission vehicle and this was no different. Usually that happens pretty quickly. In this case, I found it tricky to slip the clutch and accomplish a smooth takeoff, and the 1-2 shift to be a bit lurchy as well. My 91 Accord and 87 RX-7 had tricky first gears, and this Golf was even more so. New manual drivers be warned. With first gear I learned to modulate it fine but the 1-2 challenge persisted through the whole test drive. I struggled finding the right RPM and clutch let-out to consistently gain a smooth shift without the slight but tell-tale lurch. Gears 3 through 6 were no problem, and I found the clutch pedal resistance to be about perfect for my expectations. Even with the 1-2 challenge it was refreshing to be in a manual again.

Less than refreshing was the turbo lag and narrow power band of the new TDI motor and 6-speed combo. The torque is quite pleasing once you get into the boost and keep it there, but finding and maintaining that boost in traffic became a game. Even my daughter noticed. Lag…lag...BOOST….out of breath.

My test drive was simply too short to really learn the intricacies of the power train. In time I’m certain I would have mastered the gear changes and the power characteristics of the motor, and I would probably have learned to even love it. For the short test drive it was not a pleasing experience. The power band is very narrow and when driving in traffic or hills it will be necessary to shift frequently.

The suspension, steering, and the cabin noise were quite good. I was instantly at home with the suspension and steering as they mirrored other Golfs I’ve driven and felt much like my Subaru. Where the Golf absolutely destroyed my Impreza was road noise. The Impreza loudly exhibits road and engine noise, wearing me out over long drives and requiring frequent changes to radio volume. The Golf is serenely quiet in comparison and a refreshing change.

[Deleted User]

Pulling back into the dealership we found our salesman waiting for us, and as I handed him the keys I gave him a rundown of our impressions, ending the summary with a statement that a TDI Golf wouldn’t fit the bill, but we’re very interested in the GTI. The GTI has some of the same weaknesses, but the motor and upgraded materials make for a much more compelling overall package. We headed back into the dealership where he again checked inventory, and learned there isn’t a single 4-door manual GTI S in the state, and they had no manual 4-door GTIs on the dealership. And the 2015s are out of production. Bummer.

The salesman performed his requisite duty by attempting to slip us into something different. A used car? How about a manual Beetle? That last 2014 Sportwagen we have on the lot? The Jetta is sure nice. Nah. No thank you. We’re patient and in no hurry. We can wait for the 2016 GTI models to arrive, and custom order one to our specs if we like it. Maybe we could even convince VW to give us auto climate control without a sunroof (come on, VW!!!).

The R. As we were wrapping up with the salesman we chatted about the R sitting in the showroom with a $39,000 sticker. Honestly, it didn’t look overly impressive. Standard black paint, nice wheels but on par with the GTI, 4 doors, auto transmission. It’s a sleeper with a monster motor, AWD, and tight suspension. For those wanting one heck of a handling car without the “look-at-me” styling, this is probably it. Turns out this particular R did have a buyer with a deposit who offered to pay full-pop MSRP and dealer fees. After it arrived they turned him down and insisted on a $5,000 market adder, so they refunded the deposit and he walked, and now it sits inside a building roped off from the public.

(the end)

carnaught

"$5,000 market adder"?

No thanks, I'll shop at another dealer

stickguy

Ty, too bad it was an S. There is a pretty big difference in interior as you go up the food chain (at least in the Jetta, I though the Golf was less so). I have never driven the diesel, but I did test drive a base (as in sub-S launch edition) 2 door 5 speed. That was a hoot. sweet engine, and worked great with the stick. I think you would be shocked how much better that drove. of course they made it so you can only get it in a 2 door (S trim) if you want the gasser motor.

Based on that, I imagine that a GTI stick must be a total blast. But from driving the 1.8T, I would be all-in if they made a "baby GTI" sport model (basically an SE with a sports suspension and the 17" wheels). That would be the perfect configuration to me. Plenty quick, fun to drive, regular gas, and no 40 series tires.

driver100

abacomike said:

Driver, sounds like you are taking your time on your way back to the "essence" or "source" of why we get cold winters and so much snow.  After all, Santa and his Elves thrive on cold weather and tons of snow.  I believe "Old Man Winter" lives in the suburbs of Toronto where he lives 6 months a year.  The other 6 months of the year, he lives in the Canadian Rockies on a wind farm with the propellers facing south so as to ensure there are hundreds of Alberta Clippers "winterizing" the neighbors to the south - the USA.

Jack Frost has some Prime real estate in Winnipeg where he uses a 200,000 ton Toro to blow snow and cold air to the Dakotas and the States south of those Titons along the northern border.

You Canadians sure know how to "chill" relations with the U.S.  

Keep those blizzards "a-commin'", driver.  I don't know how the skiing industry could survive or be sustained without Our Canadian friends to our north.  Thanks driver.  

Actually, our winters aren't usually too bad. This winter has been an exception. We were supposed to have clear weather from Ohio to Toronto but there was snow...and it was accumulating, at about the 3/4s mark.

We are home, it is about 40F, looks gray and bleak...wish I was back in Florida.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Went by the Hoopie exit near Cincinatti and though the lanes zig zag all over it kept moving. There was road work further north that has been going on for about 5 years now, and looks like they will be working on it for 10 more years. Narrow lanes and lots of zig zagging.

My problem was that the zigzag lanes were done with angles. Usually they curve those changes to redirect the traffic. It caught me by surprise after driving 4 hours and more.

Glad your trip has been relatively uneventful. You're within shooting distance of Canada now. Hour and half and you're over the bridge.

Some construction sites had very zig zagging lanes...not rounded and curved. I made a point of not being beside someone else when I went around those curves.

There was no traffic so we got to Detroit from Findlay in just over an hour. The border was almost empty...I have never seen a quieter crossing.

The ride home took another 4 1/2 hours, glad we got through it all about as well as possible. One thing, poor Toledo, kind of looks like a 3rd world country...depressed and sad.

isellhondas

Mr_Shiftright said:

GENTLEMEN: Can any of you with past dealership experience help this guy out in our Answers Department? I think I know the answer but I'm not quite sure.

Basically he wants to know if his Mom enters into a contract on a car as primary co-signer, with him as secondary, and the dealer gives him the car, and then his mom refuses to sign the loan papers, what happens? (Apparently she thought he'd be the primary but the dealer put her as primary so that....well, I'm not sure why they did that).

http://answers.edmunds.com/answerquestion.aspx?questionId=201613

My impression is that the whole deal falls through and that the dealer might try to sign him up solo at a much higher interest rate. If I'm right, is he obligated in any way? He has possession of the car.

GENTLEMEN....????

Did some new people arrive?

I suspect your impressions are correct. Something smells here and without knowing all of the facts all I can do is speculate. I get a feeling this isn't going to have a happy ending.

fezo

Interesting things on that. To me most interesting is the fact that it shouldn't matter who is the primary signer on the loan. It goes on both credit reports and mom would get nicked for a late payment either way as the amount of the loan would be on her record either way. There's really nothing in it for the whoever is cosigning for something they don't own.

That said my mom cosigned on my first car. But neither she nor the dealer was 400 miles away.

[Deleted User]

driver100 said:

There was no traffic so we got to Detroit from Findlay in just over an hour. The border was almost empty...I have never seen a quieter crossing.

Driver, I could use your advice. In the near future I'm going to be driving from Detroit to London, Ontario on a weekend evening and then returning to Detroit on a weekday early afternoon. Any recommendations on how much time to allow at the border crossing?

Ty

Michaell

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

There was no traffic so we got to Detroit from Findlay in just over an hour. The border was almost empty...I have never seen a quieter crossing.

Driver, I could use your advice. In the near future I'm going to be driving from Detroit to London, Ontario on a weekend evening and then returning to Detroit on a weekday early afternoon. Any recommendations on how much time to allow at the border crossing?

Ty

It depends which crossing you use. Ambassador Bridge is the main thoroughfare; I should think that between noon and 3 it wouldn't be too bad.

The other approach is the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Off the beaten path, but it's generally not as busy. I stayed in Windsor for a week on business some years ago and used the tunnel every time I wanted to go to the US.

I've been to London several times on business; it's a lovely town.

driver100

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

There was no traffic so we got to Detroit from Findlay in just over an hour. The border was almost empty...I have never seen a quieter crossing.

Driver, I could use your advice. In the near future I'm going to be driving from Detroit to London, Ontario on a weekend evening and then returning to Detroit on a weekday early afternoon. Any recommendations on how much time to allow at the border crossing?

Ty

Ty, Michael likes the tunnel but I think you will find it more direct taking the Ambassador Bridge. If you are approaching on I-75 watch for the signs as you get to Detroit.

The bridge looks like a war zone. Barrels in place to guide you. A new bridge has been approved but it will be a number of years from now.

If you go on this site it will give you an idea of wait times.
WAIT TIMES FOR THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE

It can really vary though, depends on number of trucks, which week days, whether etc. Generally I would allow about an hour but you could get through in 10 minutes.

Have your paperwork ready, drivers license, pSpeed is in Kilometers 60 mph is 100 kms. When you cross the bridge you will be in the city of Windsor, speed is listed as "60" but that is only 36mph. Take off the 0 on 60 and multiply X 6.

Just answer questions at customes, do not add anything not asked, don't joke...those guys have 100% control.

I would go across the Ambassador Bridge because you come out on Highway 401 which will take you directly to London Ontario. It will take just over 2 hours if all goes well. If you want to stop the rest stop gas/food places are good, try Tim Hortons coffee.

Windsor is a mess now....lots of lights and zig zag construction. They are building the 401 so it will join up directly to the Ambassador bridge and the new bridge, but it is a huge construction zone for now. I'd allow 30 to 40 minutes to get through Windsor at busy times, 20 minutes minimum. When you get through Windsor there is a new turn-a-bout....go around and watch for signs to London 401. I think it is the second road off....GPS really helps with all this.

It is easier than it sounds and I just prepare for worse case senario. If there is anything else just ask. We are about 100 miles further East.

Michaell

driver100 said:

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

There was no traffic so we got to Detroit from Findlay in just over an hour. The border was almost empty...I have never seen a quieter crossing.

Driver, I could use your advice. In the near future I'm going to be driving from Detroit to London, Ontario on a weekend evening and then returning to Detroit on a weekday early afternoon. Any recommendations on how much time to allow at the border crossing?

Ty

Ty, Michael likes the tunnel but I think you will find it more direct taking the Ambassador Bridge. If you are approaching on I-75 watch for the signs as you get to Detroit.

The bridge looks like a war zone. Barrels in place to guide you. A new bridge has been approved but it will be a number of years from now.

If you go on this site it will give you an idea of wait times.
WAIT TIMES FOR THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE

It can really vary though, depends on number of trucks, which week days, whether etc. Generally I would allow about an hour but you could get through in 10 minutes.

Have your paperwork ready, drivers license, pSpeed is in Kilometers 60 mph is 100 kms. When you cross the bridge you will be in the city of Windsor, speed is listed as "60" but that is only 36mph. Take off the 0 on 60 and multiply X 6.

Just answer questions at customes, do not add anything not asked, don't joke...those guys have 100% control.

I would go across the Ambassador Bridge because you come out on Highway 401 which will take you directly to London Ontario. It will take just over 2 hours if all goes well. If you want to stop the rest stop gas/food places are good, try Tim Hortons coffee.

Windsor is a mess now....lots of lights and zig zag construction. They are building the 401 so it will join up directly to the Ambassador bridge and the new bridge, but it is a huge construction zone for now. I'd allow 30 to 40 minutes to get through Windsor at busy times, 20 minutes minimum. When you get through Windsor there is a new turn-a-bout....go around and watch for signs to London 401. I think it is the second road off....GPS really helps with all this.

It is easier than it sounds and I just prepare for worse case senario. If there is anything else just ask. We are about 100 miles further East.

driver, I wasn't advocating either crossing over the other, just pointing out that there is more than one choice. The tunnel dumps you in downtown Windsor; it would take a bit of navigating to get back onto 401 for the drive to London.

I've been following the new bridge politics with some interest; I wonder how many who read this post realize the Ambassador Bridge is privately owned? Not a government entity or NGO; a private individual. This on one of, if not the most, heavily traveled border crossing between the US and Canada.

ty, I will second drivers comments about customs; I was once detained at Pearson airport in Toronto for an hour or two to sort out my status on a business trip. Had to pay a $200 fine, for which I was escorted by a customs agent to an ATM to withdraw the money. The receipt stated "minor infraction of NAFTA".

I, of course, added the fine to my expense report.

stever

We'd hear occasional tidbits about the Ambassador Bridge even up in the UP.

nyccarguy

@fezo - the Prius looks great in that color blue.

@michaell - that's crazy that a private entity owns a bridge, much less a bridge that is a major border crossing between the US and Canada.  How is that even legal?

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

@fezo - the Prius looks great in that color blue.

@michaell - that's crazy that a private entity owns a bridge, much less a bridge that is a major border crossing between the US and Canada.  How is that even legal?

Try this ....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_Bridge

ray80

@nyccarguy ' that's crazy that a private entity owns a bridge' You haven;t been by this place in your travels ? : http://www.nps.gov/dewa/learn/historyculture/upload/cmsstgDFBRG.pdf

stever

Maybe we should throw in together and buy a bridge. I hear there may be one available in Brooklyn....

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

There was no traffic so we got to Detroit from Findlay in just over an hour. The border was almost empty...I have never seen a quieter crossing.

Driver, I could use your advice. In the near future I'm going to be driving from Detroit to London, Ontario on a weekend evening and then returning to Detroit on a weekday early afternoon. Any recommendations on how much time to allow at the border crossing?

Ty

Ty, Michael likes the tunnel but I think you will find it more direct taking the Ambassador Bridge. If you are approaching on I-75 watch for the signs as you get to Detroit.

The bridge looks like a war zone. Barrels in place to guide you. A new bridge has been approved but it will be a number of years from now.

If you go on this site it will give you an idea of wait times.
WAIT TIMES FOR THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE

It can really vary though, depends on number of trucks, which week days, whether etc. Generally I would allow about an hour but you could get through in 10 minutes.

Have your paperwork ready, drivers license, pSpeed is in Kilometers 60 mph is 100 kms. When you cross the bridge you will be in the city of Windsor, speed is listed as "60" but that is only 36mph. Take off the 0 on 60 and multiply X 6.

Just answer questions at customes, do not add anything not asked, don't joke...those guys have 100% control.

I would go across the Ambassador Bridge because you come out on Highway 401 which will take you directly to London Ontario. It will take just over 2 hours if all goes well. If you want to stop the rest stop gas/food places are good, try Tim Hortons coffee.

Windsor is a mess now....lots of lights and zig zag construction. They are building the 401 so it will join up directly to the Ambassador bridge and the new bridge, but it is a huge construction zone for now. I'd allow 30 to 40 minutes to get through Windsor at busy times, 20 minutes minimum. When you get through Windsor there is a new turn-a-bout....go around and watch for signs to London 401. I think it is the second road off....GPS really helps with all this.

It is easier than it sounds and I just prepare for worse case senario. If there is anything else just ask. We are about 100 miles further East.

driver, I wasn't advocating either crossing over the other, just pointing out that there is more than one choice. The tunnel dumps you in downtown Windsor; it would take a bit of navigating to get back onto 401 for the drive to London.

I've been following the new bridge politics with some interest; I wonder how many who read this post realize the Ambassador Bridge is privately owned? Not a government entity or NGO; a private individual. This on one of, if not the most, heavily traveled border crossing between the US and Canada.

ty, I will second drivers comments about customs; I was once detained at Pearson airport in Toronto for an hour or two to sort out my status on a business trip. Had to pay a $200 fine, for which I was escorted by a customs agent to an ATM to withdraw the money. The receipt stated "minor infraction of NAFTA".

I, of course, added the fine to my expense report.

Michael...I understand now about the tunnel, yes, it goes from one downtown to the other and would be out of the way. The Ambassador Bridge seems to be falling apart, it is always being repaired and the traffic flows don't make much sense.

Sorry for your problem at the border, but U.S. customs is just as bad. I have had similar experiences going the other way. I used to cross to see customers (just PR work, no selling) and one time they said don't say it is business, another time they told me I had to say it was business.

2 years ago me, my wife SIL and BIL crossed into the US. We all have Nexus cards. It was 5 a.m. and one lane had about 5 cars, and one lane said "Fast Lane". We all assumed "Fast Lane" meant Nexus card holders. The guy told me to pull in over at the main building. The customs guy asked me what I thought I was doing. I explained we all thought since there wasn't a Nexus sign fast lane meant it was for Nexus card holders. He started to yell at me that I had better learn all the rules about Nexus or he could make it so we will never get into the US again. He told us to sit down while he wrote up a report. After about 20 minutes I got really scared when he put on these rubber gloves. Luckily, he walked by us and went out to the car, and opened every suitcase and the glove compartment. btw, they can tear your car apart and you have to put it together again. He came in and yelled at me some more and said he had written his report and if we do something wrong we won't be allowed into the US again. We were catching a train to Chicago and we just made it with about 2 minutes to spare. I always spoke to him with respect and in a nice easy tone....but, I couldn't believe 4 people, all senior citizens who hold Nexus cards, could be treated like that for a simple mistake anyone could have made.

Interesting about the Ambassador being privately owned, I remember that now but forgot.