Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

There are four components that can cause the clutch pedal go all the way to the floor:

Failed clutch release bearing

Failed slave cylinder

Failed clutch master cylinder

Broken clutch linkage
///////////////////////////

yeah, none of those 4 can translate as "a driver so bad that she can wear out a clutch disk in 6 months and 8K miles", which even if they did, would not cause this condition.

Hammer VW, and hard. I can't believe this will get out of the dealer level once someone up the chain, that has a clue, reviews all the data.

corvette

roadburner said:

Driver's Audi and now this fiasco make me extremely hesitant to deal with those automakers.

Unfortunately, I’m far less surprised to see this from a VW dealer than from Audi. Audi has finally “arrived” as a viable alternative to BMW and MB, and they seem to keep their dealers on a tighter leash. The VW dealer network still operates with the mentality that they’re offering a very low budget BMW—like they’re peddling 1990 Geo Metros as a more affordable 1990 Civic Si.

roadburner

We couldn't make everyone happy, but when I worked at my BMW dealer we looked for ways to go the extra mile rather than cut a customer off at the knees.

corvette

I suspect the amount of bonus money at stake for having good CSI scores is a lot higher for the luxury makes.

nyccarguy

@breld - has she been given a loner car to drive?

stickguy

and I would bet that Breld will never sniff a sat survey on this issue.

breld

I’m always looking of course for the next fun car, so the fact we had a clutch failure on one Golf in the family just expedites that. We won’t exit VAG completely - for one we’ll keep the daughters Jetta and two, the wife would consider an Audi (or another Macan).

And yes, wife and I were discussing earlier how there is generally a higher level of service with luxury makes.

@nyccarguy - no approved warranty repair yet, so no loaner either.

breld

With all that said...I drove that 2001 Protegé MP3 this afternoon. It was quite a time capsule - exterior had a few minor blemishes, mostly related to wheel rash. The interior was phenomenal. And it was surprisingly engaging to drive.

Also drove two manual Accords. A previous gen (2017) Sport model and a new Sport 2.0T.

As a second car, the new model is overkill of course. Very smooth and quiet, and the manual added some fun, but obviously it’s no “Accord Type R.” As an only car, it’d be great.

But as a fun companion to the V90, the previous gen Sport was great. I found the naturally aspirated 4 cylinder surprisingly quick and more engaging to drive with the manual. It lacks most modern safety tech as well as a moonroof and heated seats, but again, it’s a second car.

And of course, the previous gen is much more affordable than a new model, even if j could find one used.

stickguy

yeah, but a large (on my scale) 4 door sedan as the fun/toy car? Nah for me. but as always, YMMV.

if you want a Honda but something sportier and smaller, look for an ILX 6 speed. That was basically a Civic Si with much nicer seats and a lot more goodies.

I could live with this.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/799796318/overview/

breld

If I can find an ILX like that I may have to take a look.

kyfdx

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

stickguy

breld said:

If I can find an ILX like that I may have to take a look.

well, according to cars.com, there are 15 for sale in the country! How far are you from Houston?

stickguy

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

if this one doesn't work out, try to hustle GraphicGuys kid out of his!

Michaell

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

SE with plaid interior...

breld

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

SE with plaid interior...

Yup - SE manual, dark iron blue over plaid. 13k miles.

kyfdx

breld said:

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

SE with plaid interior...

Yup - SE manual, dark iron blue over plaid. 13k miles.

👍

rayainsw

Happy New Year All !
Hope everyone is doing well.
Life has been happening, but wanted to check in here -
and update the group on my most recent CCBA adventure.
I have finalized an order for a 2020 BMW M340i.
Delivery expected in 7 - 8 weeks.
So - why another car so similar to what I have been driving for 30,000 miles?
1 – BMW feel [ steering, ride, handling, seating comfort & support, controls, etc. ] is just right, for me.
2 – The 3 series size is just right, for me.
3 – The M340i has much more HP [ +62 ] and more TQ [ +39 ] vs. my 2016 340i.
C+D: quarter mile 12.3 sec. @ 114.
Quote from the C+D test: “...hits 60 mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds and its 30-to-50-mph passing time of 2.4 seconds is in league with vastly more powerful cars. It feels like by the time you're fully in the passing lane, it's already time to pull back to the right. And yet the B58 straight-six remains the pinnacle of smoothness, almost electric in its vibration-free power delivery.”
4 – Equipped exactly as I want it, the deal increases my payment by only $5/mo. vs. my current lease.
5 – My ordered car has a HUD. I have had this before & have missed it. The display is large & sharp.
6 – Ordered mine with a heated steering wheel – again something I have had before & have missed.
7 – Adjustable front seat side bolsters.
8 – Main instrument panel has added flexibility in displays.
9 – Apple Carplay added.
10 – The Navigation system [ larger, sharper display ] now includes Over-the-Air (OTA) updates for map data up to 4 times annually.
11 – M Sport differential.

So – I feel like I am not giving up anything I like [ a lot ] and gaining improvements that also mean a lot, to me.
- Ray
Patiently awaiting delivery . . .

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29833923/2020-bmw-m340i-by-the-numbers/

M340i Standard Features:
https://www.bmwusa.com/standard-features.iframe.standard-features.203Q.html

3.0-liter BMW M Performance TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder, 24-valve 382-hp [+62] engine and Torque 369 [+39] lb-ft @ 1800 to 5000 rpm.
My 2016 340i: makes 320 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 330 lb-ft of torque from 1380 to 5000 rpm

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

A lot of you guys know A LOT more about this than I do @cdnpinhead , @roadburner , @qbrozen .

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.autoblog.com/amp/2016/12/08/how-to-troubleshoot-a-clutch-pedal-sticking-to-the-floor/

This is why I wanted driver to ask the service rep to explain how a worn clutch equal pedal stuck to floor. I’m dying to hear the answer. If it were me hearing that from the horse’s mouth, I’d first pose that question, then gently tell him he shouldn’t be explaining problems to customers when he has no clue how a drivetrain even works.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:

jmonroe said:

qbrozen said:

corvette said:

Updating the punch list - is this a 2019 or 2020?

'19

https://www.freeholdhyundai.com/new/Hyundai/2019-Hyundai-Ioniq+Plug-In+Hybrid-8a79c14a0a0e0a6b4da79abd49aded43.htm

Congrats on the punch. Have fun with it and give us your early impressetions.

My how times change. In 2005 when I came to Edmunds and visited the old forum, Stories From the Sales Front Lines or something like that, I was maybe the second guy, I think @snakeweasel was the other dope who owned a throwaway. Now it's almost fashionable to own one. Not many people can say they are ahead of the curve but that's a burden I've learned to live with for most of my life.

Congrats again.

jmonroe

What does “a throwaway” mean?

More importantly, how does it differ from a “wannabe”?

I've answered this before. Either you weren't listening or you're showing your age, so I'll say it again. A Genny is a wannabe and lesser model Hyundai products are throwaways. Got it? Don't make me have to say it again. :@

jmonroe

Does that mean if your Genny is a hooptie you can’t throw it away? I’m so ignorant when it comes to this modern terminology.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

Michaell said:

suydam said:

No I don’t get it. If a throwaway is a beater, that’s hardly Hyundai for a very long time now.

Exactly - my son, stepson, daughter in law and ex-wife all drive Hyundai vehicles. All are expected to be held long term.

Man, you guys gotta lighten up. You missed the humor I was throwing out. If I believed what I was saying, do you really think I'd have owned as many Hyundai cars that I have (4 so far). I think you get very good performance and reliability for what you pay. Geez, I thought the regulars in here would know that.

jmonroe

Hey, this is a serious board. Better take that humor over to C&C.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Dropped the Tahoe at the mechanic just now to get the oil leak looked at. Hope it’s something easy and cheap, otherwise I may actually be looking at the auto show next weekend.

My Chevy was leaking from the main seals at about 114k miles. Expensive if I had it done at a dealer but fortunately I knew a mechanic from work who had his own shop at home who did them cheap.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

if this one doesn't work out, try to hustle GraphicGuys kid out of his!

Better yet, I know a guy who has a totally loaded up TLX A-Spec in pristine condition for sale!

stickguy

If they do lease takeovers, I can find another!

graphicguy

@rayainsw .....WOW....that’s quite a car! Big Congrats! Color(s)?

Well....2020 is off to a rousing start. Plus, @breld is on the prowl!

stickguy

Breld it’s a January two-Fer to make up for lost time. Possibly a 3 peat if the GTI ends up in Ohio!

cdnpinhead

Very nice, Ray -- I'm sure you'll enjoy the M car. I've lost count of the number of cars you've had since your LS, but I'm still driving the car I replaced mine with, a '08 Acura TSX.

Wishing many happy and safe miles!

graphicguy

There’s some truth about the higher end car brands seemingly offering better car buying and owning experience over “lesser” brands. I also noticed that the higher end stores have sales people who are much more tenured than the lower end ones. Probably because of a better work environment and more focus on customer satisfaction.

Speaking of which, my Kia store, while relatively new and in a nice area, wasn’t good or bad in the buying experience. Nothing to brag about and nothing really to complain about (although I did have to take it back for them to do another detail as the original one was shabby, at best). Additionally, my sales lady, while nice, really wasn’t familiar with the car since she’d only been there a couple of weeks (came from a Chevy store). Most of learning about the car has come from watching YouTube videos.

They keep sending me surveys about my “satisfaction”. As my sales lady said...”if you can’t rate me excellent, call me so I can fix whatever is standing in your way of rating me the best”. I called her and said there was nothing she could do about the shabby new car detail. And, I won’t “ding” her on the survey since she’s new (although, I don’t think that’s a good reason. She had over 24 hours to familiarize herself with my car before I took delivery). Therefore, the best I could was to not respond to the survey at all.

She didn’t seem happy about that, but c’est la vie! I told her I believed I was doing her a favor by not filling out the survey honestly.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

I can't believe the Lexus dealer kept my Mom's 2016 Cayenne with over 80K miles. They gave my parents $23K on the trade in.

https://www.lexusofmtkisco.com/used-Mt+Kisco-2016-Porsche-Cayenne-Base+NAVIGATION+PREMIUM+PACKAGE-WP1AA2A23GLA05987

Just about a 30% mark up from cost. I know that’s how they do it with regular cars, interesting to see them do it on high end as well.

breld

Congrats @rayainsw!

That is quite a car!

nyccarguy

breld said:

If I can find an ILX like that I may have to take a look.

Don't forget the Civic Si comes in coupe & sedan. Light, Turbo, 6-Speed Stick, Limited Slip Differential, LED headlights, heated seats...

rayainsw

graphicguy - Thanks.
"Color(s)?"
Dark blue over dark brown \ "Mocha".
- Ray
Very similar to current . . .

roadburner

rayainsw said:

Happy New Year All !
Hope everyone is doing well.
Life has been happening, but wanted to check in here -
and update the group on my most recent CCBA adventure.
I have finalized an order for a 2020 BMW M340i.
Delivery expected in 7 - 8 weeks.
So - why another car so similar to what I have been driving for 30,000 miles?
1 – BMW feel [ steering, ride, handling, seating comfort & support, controls, etc. ] is just right, for me.
2 – The 3 series size is just right, for me.
3 – The M340i has much more HP [ +62 ] and more TQ [ +39 ] vs. my 2016 340i.
C+D: quarter mile 12.3 sec. @ 114.
Quote from the C+D test: “...hits 60 mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds and its 30-to-50-mph passing time of 2.4 seconds is in league with vastly more powerful cars. It feels like by the time you're fully in the passing lane, it's already time to pull back to the right. And yet the B58 straight-six remains the pinnacle of smoothness, almost electric in its vibration-free power delivery.”
4 – Equipped exactly as I want it, the deal increases my payment by only $5/mo. vs. my current lease.
5 – My ordered car has a HUD. I have had this before & have missed it. The display is large & sharp.
6 – Ordered mine with a heated steering wheel – again something I have had before & have missed.
7 – Adjustable front seat side bolsters.
8 – Main instrument panel has added flexibility in displays.
9 – Apple Carplay added.
10 – The Navigation system [ larger, sharper display ] now includes Over-the-Air (OTA) updates for map data up to 4 times annually.
11 – M Sport differential.

So – I feel like I am not giving up anything I like [ a lot ] and gaining improvements that also mean a lot, to me.
- Ray
Patiently awaiting delivery . . .

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a29833923/2020-bmw-m340i-by-the-numbers/

M340i Standard Features:
https://www.bmwusa.com/standard-features.iframe.standard-features.203Q.html

3.0-liter BMW M Performance TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder, 24-valve 382-hp [+62] engine and Torque 369 [+39] lb-ft @ 1800 to 5000 rpm.
My 2016 340i: makes 320 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 330 lb-ft of torque from 1380 to 5000 rpm

I loved the M340i loaner I had a while back. My only complaint was that it was AWD and lacked H-K. As I’ve said before, if I could get a 2 Series with the M340i engine, diff, and IP it would be just about the perfect car for me.

corvette

kyfdx said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

SE with plaid interior...

Yup - SE manual, dark iron blue over plaid. 13k miles.

👍

Is that an offer, or has the cat got your tongue?

28firefighter

graphicguy said:

There’s some truth about the higher end car brands seemingly offering better car buying and owning experience over “lesser” brands. I also noticed that the higher end stores have sales people who are much more tenured than the lower end ones. Probably because of a better work environment and more focus on customer satisfaction.

Speaking of which, my Kia store, while relatively new and in a nice area, wasn’t good or bad in the buying experience. Nothing to brag about and nothing really to complain about (although I did have to take it back for them to do another detail as the original one was shabby, at best). Additionally, my sales lady, while nice, really wasn’t familiar with the car since she’d only been there a couple of weeks (came from a Chevy store). Most of learning about the car has come from watching YouTube videos.

They keep sending me surveys about my “satisfaction”. As my sales lady said...”if you can’t rate me excellent, call me so I can fix whatever is standing in your way of rating me the best”. I called her and said there was nothing she could do about the shabby new car detail. And, I won’t “ding” her on the survey since she’s new (although, I don’t think that’s a good reason. She had over 24 hours to familiarize herself with my car before I took delivery). Therefore, the best I could was to not respond to the survey at all.

She didn’t seem happy about that, but c’est la vie! I told her I believed I was doing her a favor by not filling out the survey honestly.

Surveys are a mixed bag, IMO. If you read any of the car sales subreddits or read posts from dealer folks over on leasehackr, you'll see that most surveys end up being a considerable part of their livelihoods. When we're talking about skinny deals where they made a flat commission, usually $150, your bad or un-submitted survey response can end up costing them big money from either the dealer or manufacturer, even for something completely out of your sales person's control. For someone new to a dealership, it could be the difference between living to see another month or being let go. It is a faulty system for sure.

If there is something really critical that I felt was missing from one of my deals, I will make note of to the sales manager and ask them to fix it. A detail would fall into that category if it was poorly done. Otherwise? I just give top marks across the board and leave my actual thoughts in the comment box. The GM of the dealer will see the comments in the comment box, but it won't be a ding to the dealer.

My deals are bottom of the barrel and I use positive surveys as a way to ensure I can go back and ask for another one in the future.

roadburner

In other news, I’m getting quotes from my insurance agent for a GTS, M2, Veloster N, and 370Z.
How’s that for manic cross-shopping?

stickguy

Until you have a Ram PU and mini on the short list together, you ain’t shopping.

oldfarmer50

28firefighter said:

Bad bad form, especially given the history we have with driver's former A4 clutch. I'm a big VW guy but this is enough to turn me away...

Didn’t driver100 find out later that his wife had loaned her car to a relative who may have been cruel to the clutch?

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Breld it’s a January two-Fer to make up for lost time. Possibly a 3 peat if the GTI ends up in Ohio!

Ohio! Ohio! Come on, now..

kyfdx

rayainsw said:

graphicguy - Thanks.
"Color(s)?"
Dark blue over dark brown \ "Mocha".
- Ray
Very similar to current . . .

Really nice. I had one as a loaner, this summer. Ridiculous power.

kyfdx

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

SE with plaid interior...

Yup - SE manual, dark iron blue over plaid. 13k miles.

👍

Is that an offer, or has the cat got your tongue?

Still checking flight schedules, and drive times..

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

corvette said:

kyfdx said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:

@breld Now, what are the details on the GTI? 😏

SE with plaid interior...

Yup - SE manual, dark iron blue over plaid. 13k miles.

👍

Is that an offer, or has the cat got your tongue?

Still checking flight schedules, and drive times..

Ah yes. The long distance purchase scheme. I know it well.

pensfan83

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

Breld it’s a January two-Fer to make up for lost time. Possibly a 3 peat if the GTI ends up in Ohio!

Ohio! Ohio! Come on, now..

And a ZHP in Seattle?

corvette

The auto show looks pretty skimpy this year. No Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Kia, Infiniti, Lexus... Kind of wanted to check out the Kia Telluride since I've seen a lot of them on the road, but I guess I can look at the Hyundai equivalent.

carnaught

@rayainsw, very nice car - congrats!

Out of curiosity, does it have the digital dash (sorry if I missed that)?

graphicguy

roadburner said:

In other news, I’m getting quotes from my insurance agent for a GTS, M2, Veloster N, and 370Z.
How’s that for manic cross-shopping?

Curious....did you test drive the GTS? If so, thoughts?

pensfan83

corvette said:

The auto show looks pretty skimpy this year. No Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Kia, Infiniti, Lexus... Kind of wanted to check out the Kia Telluride since I've seen a lot of them on the road, but I guess I can look at the Hyundai equivalent.

All the main brands are represented at the PIT Auto Show but they've cut it back to just a Friday through Monday event over President's Day weekend. We'll go because we'll have a purchase later this year and we need to see some of the potential replacements in the flesh.

stickguy

Ohio, Kentucky. Potato, potato.

Philly car show, we lost BMW and I think caddy last year. This year I think it’s just MB. That one is odd, since they always were a featured make, and had a huge display. Shared a separate wing with Lexus. I assume that hall will be shut down this year.

Oh well. Quicker to get through and over to Oscars for cheesesteaks and beer!

stickguy

pensfan83 said:

corvette said:

The auto show looks pretty skimpy this year. No Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Kia, Infiniti, Lexus... Kind of wanted to check out the Kia Telluride since I've seen a lot of them on the road, but I guess I can look at the Hyundai equivalent.

All the main brands are represented at the PIT Auto Show but they've cut it back to just a Friday through Monday event over President's Day weekend. We'll go because we'll have a purchase later this year and we need to see some of the potential replacements in the flesh.

Always fun when we are actually in the market. The wife will be a lot more into it this year.

stickguy

I’m really on the edge of my seat out here. Anxious for the next installment of “as the clutch (doesn’t) turn”

graphicguy

@28firefighter ...I did talk to the Sales Manager about the poor delivery detail. He said he'd talk to the detail dept (which also happens to be the same one my old Cadillac dealer used....same dealership group). He said to bring it back and they would redo it. My sales lady spent all of 3-4 minutes going over the car with me. Understand, this is a car that's totally loaded with lots of tech and features. She dismissed most of my questions with "I'm new here".

She got another sales person to talk with me about a small portion of the tech, but he was brief as well.

The 2nd detail took 3 hours, which I appreciated the thoroughness, but good thing I had a friend with me who picked me up to run errands given they didn't even give me a loaner to make up for their mistakes.

Love the car. The dealership? I'm not sure any of the Kia dealerships in my area are better. They all seem to be prone to high turnover (there was not one person who I recognized there from the first time I drove a Stinger a year ago).

Big difference from my Acura dealership, but I expected that. So, not really complaining. But, I'm not giving an "excellent" survey, either. As they say, the devil's in the details. A little effort would have gone a long way. If much of the sales person's compensation is based on survey results, I would think they would make a modicum of effort to be customer focused.

I dunno...am I being too harsh?