Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

The prior generation S-class has a deserved rep for being hard to live with, due to bleeding edge active suspension issues, and some electrical hiccups. The MY 2007 and later cars were much improved, and this one, from the second to the last model year of the platform, should be fairly easy, other than routine maintenance that costs more than that on a Civrolla. It didn't rack up those miles by being in the shop a lot.

This car is a RWD model with basic wheels, no Distronic, no pano (it has a sunroof, normal type - you can't order one without a hole in the roof). It does have Parktronic, but I think that was standard by then. Nav has been standard on S-class since MY 2000. The only thing I recall being an option that catches my eye is the wood steering wheel.

henryn said:

The cost of gasoline would be the absolute least of my worries. Heck, if I believed that fuel would be the biggest outlay, I would be driving one right now.

And just out of curiosity, what makes you say "sparsely optioned"? I can see NAV in one picture, what's missing? A sunroof? (which I don't like, and would pay extra to avoid?)

28firefighter

Boxster sold for $21,350 + buyers fee. Definitely a high water mark for a car that needed the IMS, Clutch, and RMS done.

tbirdmarco

 Wow everyone a lot has been going on in here the past few days or for me to keep up, ha ha nice stuff posted above west I agree with you deflect would be a good choice. 

ab348

A guy up the street has a black Equus and drives past my place a few times a day. From the front I’m not sure what it’s supposed to look like but it sure looks like a S-class from the rear. Does anyone know how reliable (or not) they are? I’d imagine the depreciation would be pretty stiff on them.

Mr_Shiftright

28firefighter said:

But my 5'11 frame fits just fine

Guess it's how you're built, skeletally I mean.

benjaminh

New Genesis G80 for $25k? This seems like it must be a miscalculation or misprint of some kind. 30k off of msrp?

https://www.hyundaioflouisville.com/inventory/2018-genesis-g80-3-8-awd-4d-sedan-kmhgn4je2ju248242

stickguy

nothing in the rebates and incentives tab to explain it. But, I will be happy to take it off their hands for that price.

kyfdx

Typo

28firefighter

Has to be a typo. 

fintail

I bet they meant 11K off.

Jump on it and see what happens, maybe they'll honor it out of goodwill

stickguy

oh, I read the fine print. There is a typo exclusion in there.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

oh, I read the fine print. There is a typo exclusion in there.

Makes me wonder if they did that intentionally to get people in the showroom?

roadburner

benjaminh said:

New Genesis G80 for $25k? This seems like it must be a miscalculation or misprint of some kind. 30k off of msrp?

https://www.hyundaioflouisville.com/inventory/2018-genesis-g80-3-8-awd-4d-sedan-kmhgn4je2ju248242

Hyundai of Louisville? Count on needing a long HOT shower after dealing with those jokers.

boomchek

henryn said:

fintail said:

Sparsely optioned, highish miles, black on black, ex-livery, maybe? Lots of flash for the cash though. These aren't generally too bad to live with - fuel for in-city driving might end up being the biggest pain. These cars were much improved in terms of reliability compared to the prior W220.

henryn said:

Now this I like:

https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/2012-mercedes-benz-s550/6725581531.html



I think I would look really good cruising around in that. The only problem is that the cost of upkeep would probably exceed the GDP of several small countries.

The cost of gasoline would be the absolute least of my worries. Heck, if I believed that fuel would be the biggest outlay, I would be driving one right now.

And just out of curiosity, what makes you say "sparsely optioned"? I can see NAV in one picture, what's missing? A sunroof? (which I don't like, and would pay extra to avoid?)

Some options included on these included:
-front cooled seats
-night vision
-rear heated seats
-rear climate control
-panoramic sunroof
-4Matic all wheel drive

boomchek

roadburner said:

benjaminh said:

New Genesis G80 for $25k? This seems like it must be a miscalculation or misprint of some kind. 30k off of msrp?

https://www.hyundaioflouisville.com/inventory/2018-genesis-g80-3-8-awd-4d-sedan-kmhgn4je2ju248242

Hyundai of Louisville? Count on needing a long HOT shower after dealing with those jokers.

Click on the link now, it's priced at $52k. Maybe whoever typed up the ad was dyslexic and mixed the 5 and the 2 around.

tbirdmarco

Nice,  on posted  above. 

tbirdmarco

Typos  no way wouldn’t be giving off that much 

nyccarguy

B16 service light is on in the Pilot. The important part is the 6 which denotes a rear differential fluid change. I called the local dealer as well as a local Good Year center where I've had the cars serviced before.

Full Synthetic 0W/20 Oil & Filter Change
Dealer: $45.95
Good Year: $58.00

Rear Differential Drain/Fill
Dealer: $99
Good Year: $119

Looks like we will be taking a trip to the dealer.

stickguy

My RDX called for rear diff at 15k, then again every 30k I think. So it should be due next oil change.

Trans and front diff are 30/60/90k intervals. Though only the diff is called for, the trans I due because I want to.

ab348

graphicguy said:

stickguy said:

oh, I read the fine print. There is a typo exclusion in there.

Makes me wonder if they did that intentionally to get people in the showroom?

A Hyundai dealer acting in a slimy manner? I'm shocked and appalled, I tells ya!

benjaminh

Speaking of regular maintenance, when I took our new CR-V to the Honda dealer in for its first oil change at nearly 7000 miles they wanted to rotate the tires too. I was on a tight schedule that day and so I said no, but the cost was $50 for rotating and balancing the tires, which seems fair. But if you do that almost every oil change it adds up. Perhaps this is penny pinching and pound foolish, but if you rotate and balance your tires six times over 6 years that's about $300—which is two new tires right there. I would never skimp on oil changes, but is it a mistake to think about skipping half of these tire rotations....? If the life of your average oem tires these days is c.60k miles, how many times do they need rotation during that time? Is three times adequate?

stickguy

I say so. Every 10k max seems fine to me. Though with my replacements, I get lifetime free rotations at mavis. Even the dealer was never more than $20 or so extra with oil change.

kyfdx

benjaminh said:

Speaking of regular maintenance, when I took our new CR-V to the Honda dealer in for its first oil change at nearly 7000 miles they wanted to rotate the tires too. I was on a tight schedule that day and so I said no, but the cost was $50 for rotating and balancing the tires, which seems fair. But if you do that almost every oil change it adds up. Perhaps this is penny pinching and pound foolish, but if you rotate and balance your tires six times over 6 years that's about $300—which is two new tires right there. I would never skimp on oil changes, but is it a mistake to think about skipping half of these tire rotations....? If the life of your average oem tires these days is c.60k miles, how many times do they need rotation during that time? Is three times adequate?

So, let's assume tires wear unevenly. (because, that's the purpose of rotating).
Less often rotation means incremental wear and tear on the AWD system. Also, if one becomes worn early, you have to replace all four, not just one.

And, if you change oil every 7500 miles, rotating at 10K means two extra service trips for every 30K miles.
I think most people would agree that rotations every 15K is too long.

Penny/Pound analogy seems about right.

(full disclosure: I can't rotate my tires... lol)

henryn

nyccarguy said:

B16 service light is on in the Pilot. The important part is the 6 which denotes a rear differential fluid change. I called the local dealer as well as a local Good Year center where I've had the cars serviced before.

Full Synthetic 0W/20 Oil & Filter Change
Dealer: $45.95
Good Year: $58.00

Rear Differential Drain/Fill
Dealer: $99
Good Year: $119

Looks like we will be taking a trip to the dealer.

stickguy said:

My RDX called for rear diff at 15k, then again every 30k I think. So it should be due next oil change.

Trans and front diff are 30/60/90k intervals. Though only the diff is called for, the trans I due because I want to.

I’ve never heard of that, nothing I’ve ever owned has needed a differential fluid change before 100k miles. Is this a “Honda” thing, or is this something to do with AWD (which I avoid)?

henryn

benjaminh said:

Speaking of regular maintenance, when I took our new CR-V to the Honda dealer in for its first oil change at nearly 7000 miles they wanted to rotate the tires too. I was on a tight schedule that day and so I said no, but the cost was $50 for rotating and balancing the tires, which seems fair. But if you do that almost every oil change it adds up. Perhaps this is penny pinching and pound foolish, but if you rotate and balance your tires six times over 6 years that's about $300—which is two new tires right there. I would never skimp on oil changes, but is it a mistake to think about skipping half of these tire rotations....? If the life of your average oem tires these days is c.60k miles, how many times do they need rotation during that time? Is three times adequate?

Rotating is reasonable. There is no reason they should need balancing. Unless one of the weights has fallen off, in which case you would probably have noticed and taken action sooner. I tend to buy tires at Discount Tires, and they provide free rotations (and balancing if you need it or just ask for it).

The last time I used QuickLane at the Ford dealer, they included tire rotation in the price of an oil change (somewhere south of $50). When I was at the Mopar dealer last year for oil change and state inspection, they did not throw in the tire rotation.

Mr_Shiftright

nyccarguy said:

B16 service light is on in the Pilot. The important part is the 6 which denotes a rear differential fluid change. I called the local dealer as well as a local Good Year center where I've had the cars serviced before.

Full Synthetic 0W/20 Oil & Filter Change
Dealer: $45.95
Good Year: $58.00

Rear Differential Drain/Fill
Dealer: $99
Good Year: $119

Looks like we will be taking a trip to the dealer.

Also the dealer will probably put in 0W/20 synthetic and not A-1 steak sauce.

Mr_Shiftright

28firefighter said:

Has to be a typo. 

Offer 'em $22.5.

stickguy

That specifically is a Honda thing. I’m sure other brands consider fluid lifetime, or at least 100k.

tbirdmarco

 New York car guy, funny my aunt and uncle have to bring in barest two for the same service not sure if they’re going to the dealer or twin Independent shop have to ask him. It’s not just a Honda thing have to do with my mom‘s Santa Fe when she had it every 15 or 20,000 miles or so. 

Mr_Shiftright

I need to find out how to do this:

qbrozen

Because everyone thinks they can build a better mousetrap. The rear diff in the honda VTM-4 system is way more complex than an old-school diff. It even has its own oil pump contained within.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you know---we do these things because we can, not because it makes sense.

There's a guy in Oakland who put 2 motors in tandem in his Mini, so he's way crazier than I could even dream to be.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

B16 service light is on in the Pilot. The important part is the 6 which denotes a rear differential fluid change. I called the local dealer as well as a local Good Year center where I've had the cars serviced before.

Full Synthetic 0W/20 Oil & Filter Change
Dealer: $45.95
Good Year: $58.00

Rear Differential Drain/Fill
Dealer: $99
Good Year: $119

Looks like we will be taking a trip to the dealer.

Bradd, you are going to need to consider changing your handle if you won't even bother with changing out your own rear differential fluid!

xwesx

I tend to rotate my tires in conjunction with the seasonal change outs. Since I tend to put anywhere from 5-7,500 miles per season on the vehicle, I just swap them every other year.

So far, so good. The only vehicle with which I have issues is the Forester, mostly due, I suspect, to the HD suspension. It tends to run slightly on the outside edge of the tires, and it is just more of a camber adjustment than the stock parts can provide.

ab348

qbrozen said:

Because everyone thinks they can build a better mousetrap. The rear diff in the honda VTM-4 system is way more complex than an old-school diff. It even has its own oil pump contained within.

That sounds like near-German levels of over-engineering.

Mr_Shiftright

Who cares as long as it works great for 200K?

nyccarguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

B16 service light is on in the Pilot. The important part is the 6 which denotes a rear differential fluid change. I called the local dealer as well as a local Good Year center where I've had the cars serviced before.

Full Synthetic 0W/20 Oil & Filter Change
Dealer: $45.95
Good Year: $58.00

Rear Differential Drain/Fill
Dealer: $99
Good Year: $119

Looks like we will be taking a trip to the dealer.

Bradd, you are going to need to consider changing your handle if you won't even bother with changing out your own rear differential fluid!

Is that a challenge?

suydam

Most dealers I’ve gone to include tire rotation with the oil change. With GM the first two years of maintenance are free.

benjaminh

suydam said:

Most dealers I’ve gone to include tire rotation with the oil change. With GM the first two years of maintenance are free.

My Acura dealer threw in 2 years of maintenance on my TLX, which is apparently what they do with all new cars. But for the new Honda CRV no such luck. Not a big deal. I'll get the tires rotated at some point...

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

Is that a challenge?

Yes!

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Who cares as long as it works great for 200K?

I wouldn't count on it.

Mr_Shiftright

I really have no info to judge that system one way or the other at this point.

tbirdmarco

Lol lol lol

stickguy

in the big scheme of what it cost to buy the RDX, a couple of possibly unnecessary fluid changes for $79 each is a minor drop in the bucket. But, a good reason to get the front wheel drive model instead!

ronsteve

Interestingly, the Acura dealer where I bought my RDX gives 2 years free oil changes/tire rotations on anything they sell, as do all the dealers in that company. They specifically detailed that it was 4 oil changes and 2 tire rotations, so we'll see how it all progresses.

The vehicle history they provide is AutoCheck, so I actually sprung for a Carfax and saw its whole history, and cross-checked against their work orders when they got the car and made it ready for sale.

Battery was replaced at 34K, transmission "serviced" at 38K.

Air filter, cabin filter, and new tires when they got it (39.5K), but they didn't actually "replace brakes" as the Carfax said; rather just turned the rotors. Pads are said to have 8mm front and 7mm rear.

Still trying to wrap my brain around premium fuel when Honda is fine with using 87 with the same engine (and the same tune!) in the Accord. Doing 2-3 tank tests to assess MPG and performance differences, but likely to feed it mostly premium since I've got the Costco membership.

stickguy

Ron, I have used RUG and PUG, and have never been able to tell a difference.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

Ron, I have used RUG and PUG, and have never been able to tell a difference.

But reading that Mini tech's story I posted a little while ago about how 87 octane helped destroy the bmw engines he was rebuilding gave me pause....Anyway, I'm sticking with 93 for my Acura. Costco premium is about 10 cents less than regular gas station premium, and with the Costco credit card you save another 4%, which gets it down to somewhere not far from regular at a regular gas station.

We do seem to have few Louisville people here. Are there four of us? I've lost track of who they are....

stickguy

your V6 isn't a direct injection engine though I am pretty sure. That seems to be the bigger issue in most cases. And even then, top tier seems to be what you need. Premium won't do anything for that. Not quite sure what that deal with the mini related to though.

benjaminh

stickguy said:

your V6 isn't a direct injection engine though I am pretty sure. That seems to be the bigger issue in most cases. And even then, top tier seems to be what you need. Premium won't do anything for that. Not quite sure what that deal with the mini related to though.

His V-6 might not be direct-injected, but my 4-cylinder Acura engine is direct injected. I guess I feel more comfortable skipping a tire rotation once in a while than I do ignoring the fuel recommendation from the manufacturer.

Consumer Reports did that test a few years ago where they didn't notice a difference in fuel economy between regular and premium in an 2015 Acura TLX. But that's not what I'm worried about. CR didn't run an Acura engine for 120k miles on regular and then compare it to an Acura engine that was run 120k miles on premium, and then take the engines apart to see how they were doing. Normally I'd expect an Acura engine to make it to 200k with regular oil changes and maintenance and the recommended fuel. And that one guy has his Legend at well over 500k. Will Acura engines burning regular have a chance at going beyond 200k? Or might they even have their life cut down to c. 150k? Who knows. In any case, my guess is that the power will probably be down by about 5% with lower octane fuel.

I did notice a tiny bit of knocking once in a while in hard acceleration with my 2008 Accord EXL 2.4 which I owned for 8+ years. Switching to mid-grade fixed that. That was an earlier and less souped up version of the 2.4 that's in my TLX. The 2008 was also before direct injection.

stickguy

I just base it on what the maker says, required vs. "recommended". Which means you might get a little more out of the tune, but car is fine without it.