Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

I hate run flats. One nice thing about speccing out an X1. one of the options ($150) was a temp spare. And a no-cost option (first box checked) was no run flats.

though I guess could go belt and suspenders, and get both!

Michaell

stickguy said:

I hate run flats. One nice thing about speccing out an X1. one of the options ($150) was a temp spare. And a no-cost option (first box checked) was no run flats.

though I guess could go belt and suspenders, and get both!

She likes the run flats ... but, she's driven on them for most of her driving history (2010 MINI had them, too).

Found the Pirelli's at the local Discount Tire ... looks to be under $800 total, with install, taxes and fees.

stickguy

Geeze. I can get new sneaks on the RDX locally for less than $600, and those used to be really expensive. I actually think I would put on (if I had to do it now) the new Cooper CS5. Got good reviews, and a good deal.

the Mini must have a smaller tire than that beast. But I guess RF adds cost.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Geeze. I can get new sneaks on the RDX locally for less than $600, and those used to be really expensive. I actually think I would put on (if I had to do it now) the new Cooper CS5. Got good reviews, and a good deal.

the Mini must have a smaller tire than that beast. But I guess RF adds cost.

205/55-17 is the tire size. Not a lot of choices available. And, I do suspect that the RF technology adds cost.

I think I had the CS5 on one of our past SUVs. I really liked the Coopers.

sb55

nyccarguy said:

I had some fantastic loaners from the BMW dealer when I leased my 328xi. I got an X1 once which I really liked. They gave me a 335d that I didn't want to give back I loved the torque so much!

My BMW had a CEL this week. For a loaner, I got a 2016 340 loaded including M-sport package with 265 miles on it. Pretty sweet and was really fun in the Sport + setting.
BTW, my 535D needed an oxygen sensor and according to BMW it's better to replace both of them at once. As long as the car was there they threw in wipers and a brake fluid change. The dealer loves charging BMW for every thing that they can! Didn't cost me a penny.

rayainsw

sb55 -
More about the 340 'extended test drive', please?
Thanks,
- Ray
Still on my radar - at the top of my budget...

nyccarguy

sb55 said:

nyccarguy said:

I had some fantastic loaners from the BMW dealer when I leased my 328xi. I got an X1 once which I really liked. They gave me a 335d that I didn't want to give back I loved the torque so much!

My BMW had a CEL this week. For a loaner, I got a 2016 340 loaded including M-sport package with 265 miles on it. Pretty sweet and was really fun in the Sport + setting.
BTW, my 535D needed an oxygen sensor and according to BMW it's better to replace both of them at once. As long as the car was there they threw in wipers and a brake fluid change. The dealer loves charging BMW for every thing that they can! Didn't cost me a penny.

Sounds good Skip! Good to hear from you. Summer season winding down? That 340i is one sweet ride. My problem is that equipped like your loaner, the car has a $60K price tag. 3 years down the road it will have a CPO price tag in the mid $40s. Please torture me with a more in depth review.

How do you like the 535d so far?

Mr_Shiftright

corvette said:

I liked the Pirelli P4s I had on my Altima. The P6s are marketed as a performance tire, but have really bad reviews.

I've read reports of Pirellis "chunking out", and poor treadware.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

corvette said:

I liked the Pirelli P4s I had on my Altima. The P6s are marketed as a performance tire, but have really bad reviews.

I've read reports of Pirellis "chunking out", and poor treadware.

Ugh, that's not good news.

I just called the local tire place and had them ordered from the warehouse.

Mr_Shiftright

Some people like 'em. I think it depends which Pirelli you buy. Read the reviews for your tire at Tire Rack and see what's up.

slorenzen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Some people like 'em. I think it depends which Pirelli you buy. Read the reviews for your tire at Tire Rack and see what's up.

Over the many years I've been driving, I've owned a LOT of different tire(tyre?) brands. Goodyear, Yokohama, Toyo, Cooper, Pirelli, Nokian, Semperit(remember them?), etc.

I have always had my most satisfactory experience with Michelin.

andres3

Every tire brand makes both good and bad tires it seems. You have to research which are worth the money, and which are not. Some brands are better at avoiding wading too deeply into the bad side of the equation.

qbrozen

And if what I have heard/read is correct, some are just rebranded from an off-brand manufacturer.

jpp75

ab348 said:

One of the unfortunate aspects of my Cadillac ownership experience is that while I always get a loaner, it is always a Chevy from the in-house rental desk of the Chevy-Buick-Cadillac-GMC dealership I leased it through. So lots of Malibus usually.

Wow, that's surprising. Seems like Cadillac as a brand still has a lot to learn about customer service.

qbrozen

Has nothing to do with the brand, really. That's a dealer decision. My Caddy dealer, although connected to other lower stores, gave only Caddy loaners. And when you decided to wait instead, it was in a huge waiting room with big TV, free coffee, free doughnuts, and free wifi.

andres3

I think the manufacturer could do more to insist their high end brand treat customers as high end customers. No Caddy loaners = no bonuses and other possible sanctions.

roadburner

sb55 said:

nyccarguy said:

I had some fantastic loaners from the BMW dealer when I leased my 328xi. I got an X1 once which I really liked. They gave me a 335d that I didn't want to give back I loved the torque so much!

My BMW had a CEL this week. For a loaner, I got a 2016 340 loaded including M-sport package with 265 miles on it. Pretty sweet and was really fun in the Sport + setting.
BTW, my 535D needed an oxygen sensor and according to BMW it's better to replace both of them at once. As long as the car was there they threw in wipers and a brake fluid change. The dealer loves charging BMW for every thing that they can! Didn't cost me a penny.

I've also driven a 340i M Sport; it's a pretty nice sport sedan. And you can now get an M Performance Power Kit for the 340i/440i- which boosts power to 355hp (+35hp over stock) and torque to 369 lb-ft for auto (+39 lb-ft over stock) / 355 lb-ft for manual (+25 lb-ft over stock).
That said, I'd still rather have an M240; it gets the MPPK as standard.

nyccarguy

roadburner said:

sb55 said:

nyccarguy said:

I had some fantastic loaners from the BMW dealer when I leased my 328xi. I got an X1 once which I really liked. They gave me a 335d that I didn't want to give back I loved the torque so much!

My BMW had a CEL this week. For a loaner, I got a 2016 340 loaded including M-sport package with 265 miles on it. Pretty sweet and was really fun in the Sport + setting.
BTW, my 535D needed an oxygen sensor and according to BMW it's better to replace both of them at once. As long as the car was there they threw in wipers and a brake fluid change. The dealer loves charging BMW for every thing that they can! Didn't cost me a penny.

I've also driven a 340i M Sport; it's a pretty nice sport sedan. And you can now get an M Performance Power Kit for the 340i/440i- which boosts power to 355hp (+35hp over stock) and torque to 369 lb-ft for auto (+39 lb-ft over stock) / 355 lb-ft for manual (+25 lb-ft over stock).
That said, I'd still rather have an M240; it gets the MPPK as standard.

Or an ///M2 that would rock your world!

ab348

qbrozen said:

Has nothing to do with the brand, really. That's a dealer decision. My Caddy dealer, although connected to other lower stores, gave only Caddy loaners. And when you decided to wait instead, it was in a huge waiting room with big TV, free coffee, free doughnuts, and free wifi.

It's interesting in that they used to provide real rentals from Budget or whomever, but with the proviso that they had to be a GM car if GM was going to compensate them through the warranty process. So I think they got smart and set up this in-house rental agency that only rents to service customers, whether warranty or otherwise. It is unbranded and has no outside nor even any inside presence. Someone comes over to you when they are writing you up at the service counter with the contract and takes a photocopy of your license then hands you the keys after you sign the documents.

This dealer is in an older facility, so the "customer lounge" is a corner of the showroom with chairs, free coffee, some newspapers, and an annoying TV that is on all the time. Meanwhile salespeople. other staff, and customers wander though the area constantly, conversations are going on, phones are ringing, etc. Not very pleasant.

sb55

nyccarguy said:

sb55 said:

nyccarguy said:

I had some fantastic loaners from the BMW dealer when I leased my 328xi. I got an X1 once which I really liked. They gave me a 335d that I didn't want to give back I loved the torque so much!

My BMW had a CEL this week. For a loaner, I got a 2016 340 loaded including M-sport package with 265 miles on it. Pretty sweet and was really fun in the Sport + setting.
BTW, my 535D needed an oxygen sensor and according to BMW it's better to replace both of them at once. As long as the car was there they threw in wipers and a brake fluid change. The dealer loves charging BMW for every thing that they can! Didn't cost me a penny.

Sounds good Skip! Good to hear from you. Summer season winding down? That 340i is one sweet ride. My problem is that equipped like your loaner, the car has a $60K price tag. 3 years down the road it will have a CPO price tag in the mid $40s. Please torture me with a more in depth review.

How do you like the 535d so far?

As for the "test drive", we had the car for 2 days and put about 180 miles on it. Since the dealer is about 25 miles away 100 miles was my commuting to and from the dealer. And the wife put most of the other miles on it.
The sticker was in the glove box and it was about $56K. Also, keep in mind that this is northern Vermont and the 340 had x-drive, as most BMW's have up here. In addition to M-sport it had cold package and leather. Surprisingly, the Sirius was even working.
I had a 2010 535T x-drive before the 535d x-drive we have now. I like the 340 sport seats. Even though the wagon had SP and sport seats, the 340 seats seemed slimmer and the leather didn't seem as nice as in the 5 series. I didn't play with them a lot and don't know if they do the 20 settings as my old car. I'm still not crazy about the dash top screen, but maybe I'm just used to the built in look. The I-drive is the same as in my 2014 535d.
I did play with the engine/chassis settings: when you start it is on "comfort", but push a button and it will go to "sport" and push it again and it will go into "sport plus" which turns off the dtc. I don't know if "sport plus" changes the engine mapping more than plain "sport", but it really accelerates and handles great in "sport plus". The other setting is "eco-plus" and I didn't use it. I don't know if the M-sport exhaust is louder than a "regular" 340, but it seemed louder than I than the last 3 series I was in. I did set the trip computer and it was getting about 26 mpg. Pretty good considering it isn't broken in.
So, would I buy one? If it was my only car, maybe. But since I'm now an old fart, I do like the 535d better for what it does. It also has "sport", "comfort", and 'eco-plus", settings (no "sport plus"). Surprisingly the settings really change the personality of the car and it can be driven hard in "sport". Plus, it has been averaging 35 mpg. Pretty good for a largish car. The 2010 wagon was only getting about 21 mpg, so I am impressed. The range is about 600 miles. My wife mostly drives the 5 series. Since we have a NC Miata for my fun car and also own a Silverado, so am pretty covered in the car choices.

corvette

andres3 said:

I think the manufacturer could do more to insist their high end brand treat customers as high end customers. No Caddy loaners = no bonuses and other possible sanctions.

Yep. Just make it a question on the satisfaction survey: "Were you given a Cadillac loaner?" 

toomanyfumes

I have Pirellis on two of my cars. The Mustang has Zero Nero's with little over 20k on them. (Not sure of exact miles, I have winter tires also.) They are noisy and are pretty well worn. They are O.E.M. tires, though. The MKX has Scorpions, 36k on the O.E.M. tires, they make a little noise but the tread is O.K., I might replace them before winter.

corvette

I wonder whether Ford ever started using Firestones as OE tires again after the Explorer fiasco?

Sandman6472

Continentals on my Gold, Pirelli's on the A3 with one being purchased 2 months back due ti the wife hitting a curb and a bubble forming on the side. My friend at Tries Plus got us a replacement for about $50 less otd than the Audi store. He said he can get me most tire brands from his warehouse so will give him a shout when I'm ready. At 22K now and have at least 5/32nds all around, if not 6/32nds but won't wait till they're almost balding as think that's unsafe. Figure by 30K, I'll just spring for a new set. Also plan on swapping out the battery around the 2 year mark since in our South Florida heat, that's pushing an oem one. Since Audi replaced the wife's a few months back under warranty, she's all set for awhile.

The Sandman

(P.S. Spoke with a Mini owner and saleslady today and she said they drive like A BMW. Anyone care to comment on this?)

corvette

sandman_6472 said:

(P.S. Spoke with a Mini owner and saleslady today and she said they drive like A BMW. Anyone care to comment on this?)

Been a while since I drove one, but they seem to hold the road like a BMW. Overall driving experience is that of a lighter car, they don't have the same solid feel as a (generally heavier) BMW.

mjfloyd1

andres3, I don't know if you saw this about TD1 on audizine

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/725240-Audi-seems-to-be-getting-more-strict-with-TD1

Mr_Shiftright

corvette said:

sandman_6472 said:

(P.S. Spoke with a Mini owner and saleslady today and she said they drive like A BMW. Anyone care to comment on this?)

Been a while since I drove one, but they seem to hold the road like a BMW. Overall driving experience is that of a lighter car, they don't have the same solid feel as a (generally heavier) BMW.

Er.......no....just no. The wheelbase is short, so the ride tends to be somewhat harsh and choppy on all but the smoothest roads. Just drove a 2014 and my impression was that it's a great handling little car as long as the roads are smooth. Once you get into the rough stuff, you tend to pogo stick and it's not certain if the car will go exactly where you point it.

Torque steer is still an issue with the turbo model.

Great fun, though.

Sandman6472

Sounds like great fun and that's what I want now. My Golf is fun to drive even with the nanosecond of turbo lag if I don't hit the accelerator right. So far, enjoying the ownership experience and just not sure about the extended warranty as I've, we've, never bought one before on any vehicle. Thinking of just socking the funds away in a special account just for future repairs and see what happens. I knew going in with the Golf and the A3 that there have always been reliability issues but we're not leasing folk, so we each bought. Maybe that wasn't the smartest decision but so far, hers has been flawless and mine, just one issue.
Think we're doing pretty well here and will decide on a plan once I get the 30K service done as after that, am on my own. Will also go visit the nearby V W/Audi indie store right down the street and talk with them.

The Sandman

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

Has nothing to do with the brand, really. That's a dealer decision. My Caddy dealer, although connected to other lower stores, gave only Caddy loaners. And when you decided to wait instead, it was in a huge waiting room with big TV, free coffee, free doughnuts, and free wifi.

Yeah...that's how my (current) dealer is. Plenty of Caddilac loaners for even routine services. And, if it isn't going to take long (like an oil change and tire rotation), they have an office I can work in with pastries, starbucks, Big TV, etc.

They usually give me another CTS. They've never given me an ATS, although they have an ATS-V that they've been trying to sell for about 10 mos. I tell them they should put that in the loaner fleet because they might get some bites.

stevedebi

corvette said:

I wonder whether Ford ever started using Firestones as OE tires again after the Explorer fiasco?

Wasn't it mostly the fact they were under-inflated, rather than the brand?

corvette

stevedebi said:

corvette said:

I wonder whether Ford ever started using Firestones as OE tires again after the Explorer fiasco?

Wasn't it mostly the fact they were under-inflated, rather than the brand?

Yes, I think Ford spec'd the inflation pressure at 26 PSI to improve ride comfort. But they blamed Firestone and stopped using them as OE after that.

tjc78

Isn't the whole Explorer/Firestone fiasco the reason we have TPMS as standard equipment now?

stickguy

Got texts from my son today. He was "just out looking" at Audis. You know how it progressed. To numbers, hard sell, but at least he walked (and looked enough to realize numbers were weak). But, plans to go back with a lowish ball counter Monday. This all 6 months before his lease ends. He wants new, bad. At least looking at buying now.

ab348

tjc78 said:

Isn't the whole Explorer/Firestone fiasco the reason we have TPMS as standard equipment now?

I thought it was the reason Firestone is now a Bridgestone brand name and no longer an independent company.

breld

So I'm in Shanghai for 10 days on vacation.  We have some friends who are here on a 2 year work assignment, so we figured we should take advantage of having a host and a place to stay. 

I don't travel internationally much, but it's always fun to see the different cars offered in other countries.  Lots of Audis and VWs here.  Our friends/hosts say that the A6 seems like the "standard" uber ride.  Saw an A5 sportback earlier today.  And a couple 1 series hatchbacks. 

Walking around this afternoon, this "boutique" car showroom caught my eye so we stopped in to take a look.  "DS Automobiles?"  Apparently it's a spin off of Citroen.  The purple car was some very sleek wagon concept.  The other hatchbacks were very cool and seemed extremely "configurable" much like MINI.

jpp75

stickguy said:

Got texts from my son today. He was "just out looking" at Audis. You know how it progressed. To numbers, hard sell, but at least he walked (and looked enough to realize numbers were weak). But, plans to go back with a lowish ball counter Monday. This all 6 months before his lease ends. He wants new, bad. At least looking at buying now.

What model was he looking at? Hopefully the S3.

corvette

Neat cars! Enjoy your trip to Shanghai, breld!

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

"The Color" for the Golf R is obviously that cool hue of blue. The car looks positively stealthy in White (shown) and Black (I've seen before). Something to consider.

stickguy

jpp5862 said:

stickguy said:

Got texts from my son today. He was "just out looking" at Audis. You know how it progressed. To numbers, hard sell, but at least he walked (and looked enough to realize numbers were weak). But, plans to go back with a lowish ball counter Monday. This all 6 months before his lease ends. He wants new, bad. At least looking at buying now.

What model was he looking at? Hopefully the S3.

A3 with navi. His budget doesn't support an S, regardless of how bad he wants one

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

jpp5862 said:

stickguy said:

Got texts from my son today. He was "just out looking" at Audis. You know how it progressed. To numbers, hard sell, but at least he walked (and looked enough to realize numbers were weak). But, plans to go back with a lowish ball counter Monday. This all 6 months before his lease ends. He wants new, bad. At least looking at buying now.

What model was he looking at? Hopefully the S3.

A3 with navi. His budget doesn't support an S, regardless of how bad he wants one

How's he doing as far as miles go? Is he going to lease again?

stickguy

I think he should, miles are fine (short commute) but he is looking to buy this time.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I think he should, miles are fine (short commute) but he is looking to buy this time.

Couldn't find a VW diesel, huh?

Sandman6472

Was at Audi store yesterday to get the A3 washed/vacuumed and the base price of a 2016 A3 is now $30,900, went up a thousand since 2015. Saw a black over black in the showroom and even wife agreed it would've been a bad decision to have gotten that combo, she's happy with her white over black now.
Again, besides her tire issue, it keeps going and going like the battery bunny. Same with my Golf, no drama at all so am very pleased. Not sure I'd want anything else right now except a Mini to be honest. Glad that I've found the perfect vehicle!
My detail guy is super busy but texted he can get over in a couple of weeks to do all four hopefully. Naturally, the two that stay outside 24/7 are in bad need especially the Accent plus it's headlights have frosted over. Figure the bill is gonna be big but the kid likes her Accent and with only 27,150 on the clock, wants to keep it for awhile. Totally agree!

The Sandman

qbrozen

sandman_6472 said:

Was at Audi store yesterday to get the A3 washed/vacuumed and the base price of a 2016 A3 is now $30,900, went up a thousand since 2015. Saw a black over black in the showroom and even wife agreed it would've been a bad decision to have gotten that combo, she's happy with her white over black now. Again, besides her tire issue, it keeps going and going like the battery bunny. Same with my Golf, no drama at all so am very pleased. Not sure I'd want anything else right now except a Mini to be honest. Glad that I've found the perfect vehicle! My detail guy is super busy but texted he can get over in a couple of weeks to do all four hopefully. Naturally, the two that stay outside 24/7 are in bad need especially the Accent plus it's headlights have frosted over. Figure the bill is gonna be big but the kid likes her Accent and with only 27,150 on the clock, wants to keep it for awhile. Totally agree! The Sandman

Keeps going? How many miles are we talking about here?

corvette

sandman_6472 said:

Saw a black over black in the showroom and even wife agreed it would've been a bad decision to have gotten that combo, she's happy with her white over black now.

Black over black looks great when it's clean, but it's hard to keep clean, and the swirl marks that inevitably appear drive me mad (my white cars have them, too, but dark colors show them much worse). It really confounds me that black on black is still popular in some of the hottest areas of the country.

ab348

nyccarguy said:

"The Color" for the Golf R is obviously that cool hue of blue. The car looks positively stealthy in White (shown) and Black (I've seen before). Something to consider.

I was able to look at one up close today, at the house of a friend of a friend who has one. White but with different wheels than those shown, 19" with a gray (not silver) paint finish in more of a Y-spoke design. Car is really nice inside. Had cool blue led razor-thin light strips on the door sills and the inside upper door trim, very neat. Easy to miss that it is a Golf R at least to the casual observer, ID is rather inconspicuous.

stickguy

Driving the sonata this weekend around the finger lakes, on a weekend away. Some real steep hills, where really had to flog the whip to get moving..or kick down a few gears. But found out where the power is.

Was on a country back road, 2 lane, and needed to pass a truck pulling a travel trailer. Finally saw a gap, and pulled out and punched it. Went from 60 to 85 amazingly quick, with no noise or drama. Just zipped right up and flew around him.

roadburner

ab348 said:

Car is really nice inside. Had cool blue led razor-thin light strips on the door sills and the inside upper door trim, very neat.

Those led accents must be a new German design cue; several of the newer BMWs have them- some can be configured into different color combinations. The G12 Seven ambience lighting can be configured in a minimum of six different ways.

andres3

corvette said:

andres3 said:

I think the manufacturer could do more to insist their high end brand treat customers as high end customers. No Caddy loaners = no bonuses and other possible sanctions.

Yep. Just make it a question on the satisfaction survey: "Were you given a Cadillac loaner?" 

That's exactly the question I found on my Audi customer satisfaction surveys for service.