Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

sda

explorerx4 said:

Cabin air filters can be a pain to replace.
I replaced the one in my F-150 and am not sure if I want to do it again.
Will have to see how much the dealer wants to do it.
Won't be for at least another 2 years.

The recent Honda’s we’ve had the air filter is a 5 minute job at most. The cabin filter, about the same. The only real pain is having to empty the glove box, which presents a good opportunity to go through its contents and file away records and trash unwanted items.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

I saw a hysterical weather report last night detailing the horrors of storm surge during every previous hurricanes. They painted a picture of being swept away from your bed in the middle of the night unless you fled inland. Irresponsible fear mongering in my opinion.

You're surprised by that kind of story?

stickguy

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

Wow. Just wow.

So, I'm an imbecile and/or handicapped because I don't wrench on my own cars?

Any other sweeping generalizations you'd like to make?

Exactly.

I did one brake job in my life years ago and vowed it would be the last. Just not worth the time and aggravation for me, and that was before all my physical woes came along. That's also why the disk brake conversion parts for my Cutlass sit in a a box in the basement, along with a replacement transmission in the garage among other things.

If people are up to doing those sorts of things themselves, great, knock yourself out. But put the attitude towards those who do not/cannot do things like that in a box and shove it into a corner somewhere (I could think of an alternate location but will restrain myself), never to be seen here again.

well said. Same goes for lots of things. Roofing is the simplest thing in the world. Just need some shingles, nails, a hammer and a chalk line to make your starting row. Anyone can do it. But I am still not going up on my roof.

You can look at taxes the same way. Everyone should be able to do there own, but many people don't.

tjc78

I only just turned 42 but I find as I get older the less I want to do.

At our shore property we wanted a deck. I priced out all the material and how I wanted it. I was all set to tackle it and then decided to get a quote. For the extra money I’m thrilled I didn’t have to mess with it. To top it all off, I’ll admit to the fact that he built it better than I could have.

I still tackle tons of little repairs and things like air filters, but anything big is getting the guy called.

On the hunt for a landscaper now to fix the mess I started pulling out all our shrubs.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

Wow. Just wow.

So, I'm an imbecile and/or handicapped because I don't wrench on my own cars?

Any other sweeping generalizations you'd like to make?

Exactly.

I did one brake job in my life years ago and vowed it would be the last. Just not worth the time and aggravation for me, and that was before all my physical woes came along. That's also why the disk brake conversion parts for my Cutlass sit in a a box in the basement, along with a replacement transmission in the garage among other things.

If people are up to doing those sorts of things themselves, great, knock yourself out. But put the attitude towards those who do not/cannot do things like that in a box and shove it into a corner somewhere (I could think of an alternate location but will restrain myself), never to be seen here again.

Don’t you have a “guy” who can do those things for you? I would think brakes and a tranny install would be within the scope of any competent mechanic with a lift. Especially on the relatively simple equipment of a 60s car. I myself have a guy for general repairs, a guy for AC, a guy for major stuff like transmission rebuilds and engine swaps, a body guy....

....and a guy for when all the above are on vacation.

stickguy

one nice thing about newer cars under warranty. No need for any guys. Acura is an oil change and rotation once a year for $50. Maybe in 5-6 years will need tires, and the Mavis shop has many guys with lifts and tools to do that.

fintail

I am the same way. I probably wouldn't do my own oil and brakes etc even if I had a garage. It doesn't cost that much, and it's much less mess (and maybe less opportunity for problems) to just have it done on schedule, or with another repair. I think the last non-filter type jobs I did were plugs/wires in the fintail about 15 years ago, and shocks 20 years ago (both have since been replaced by a pro). I've never done brakes on my own,

My dad loved doing all this stuff himself - he'd work on later model cars along with his oldies, I think he enjoyed it. He'd also spend all summer building a deck, taking his time and enjoying it, where if I did it. I'd be wondering when it would collapse

On that note, although he maintained his cars, he was the type to wash a car once a year, and didn't like yard work - so he was pleased when I developed neat freak tendencies about cars and got into doing the yardwork when I was maybe 10-11 or so.

tjc78 said:

I only just turned 42 but I find as I get older the less I want to do.

At our shore property we wanted a deck. I priced out all the material and how I wanted it. I was all set to tackle it and then decided to get a quote. For the extra money I’m thrilled I didn’t have to mess with it. To top it all off, I’ll admit to the fact that he built it better than I could have.

I still tackle tons of little repairs and things like air filters, but anything big is getting the guy called.

On the hunt for a landscaper now to fix the mess I started pulling out all our shrubs.

tjc78

I’ll clean, do interior stuff, etc ... but yard work/landscaping is my least favorite thing around the house.

explorerx4

Sort of just for grins, got a quote on my 2017 F-150 from Carvana.
Their offer to buy was just over 40K. I do owe some money on it, but could walk away with almost 38k.
Will have to seriously think about it.

stickguy

I am always shocked how much used PUs actually go for.

kyfdx

explorerx4 said:

Sort of just for grins, got a quote on my 2017 F-150 from Carvana.
Their offer to buy was just over 40K. I do owe some money on it, but could walk away with almost 38k.
Will have to seriously think about it.

You have a Limited?

mjfloyd1

Leftover 2019 Audi Allroad. White over gray. Don't know if discount is enough for a two year old vehicle tho. They also have some low mile 19 e trons.

https://www.royalontheeastside.com/new/Audi/2019-Audi-A4+allroad-b7a2c2400a0e0adf28121c4555e1f4e5.htm

explorerx4

@kyfdx,
Yes, a Limited.
I bought it new at the end of February 2018.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Sort of just for grins, got a quote on my 2017 F-150 from Carvana.
Their offer to buy was just over 40K. I do owe some money on it, but could walk away with almost 38k.
Will have to seriously think about it.

According to the “experts” car prices have peaked at a high level so if you want to sell I would take those good offers and run.

benjaminh

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/07/beancounters-to-the-rescue-office-staff-keep-honda-production-afloat-in-ohio/

"....This week, WOSU Radio reported that office workers at the Honda Marysville Auto Plant were called into action as autoworkers, helping to maintain output of Honda and Acura products as coronavirus cases rise in the state. The station obtained an email from a general manager at the plant, who called on “accounting, purchasing, and research and development” staff to take up temporary positions on the factory floor.

An employee anonymously told the station that it’s the first time they’d ever seen such an action taken, noting that the call-up occurred only after a voluntary effort failed.

“Due to strong customer demand for our products and the need to carefully manage production during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing some temporary staffing issues that require support from associates who do not typically work in production,” a Honda spokesperson told WOSU.

corvette

Wow, that sounds like that could result in quality issues in the future.

corvette

explorerx4 said:

Sort of just for grins, got a quote on my 2017 F-150 from Carvana.
Their offer to buy was just over 40K. I do owe some money on it, but could walk away with almost 38k.
Will have to seriously think about it.

That got me curious about my G37. Edmunds trade-in in clean condition is $7,680 and outstanding is $8,199.

Carvana offered me $10,905, which is not much less than I bought it for two years ago. I think this is twice that I've come out really well by heeding @qbrozen 's advice on buying a used car at the right price.

I have to say that's an extremely attractive and tempting offer, but at the same time, I still really like it and there's not a reason to get rid of it like there was with the Mustang, other than attempting to time the used car market. I doubt I'll pull the plug on it, even though it might make sense to do so.

stickguy

only makes sense if you don't actually need the car so don't want to replace it. Otherwise you have to deal with the tight market from the other end.

Not worth running my car through. Definitely well under water on the lease. But if they offered me enough to get out of it right now by turning over the keys and walking away, I absolutely would.

corvette

That's the thing, I don't need it, but like having it, even though I'm almost exclusively driving the Tundra right now to use up the miles on the lease. People are often wrong about our gut instincts, but I think I'd regret selling it just because the price is a bit higher than normal.

stickguy

then keep it. will be cheap enough to own for the next few years still.

roadburner

So...
My local dealer took in a 2016 M3 DCT- Yas Marina Blue, CF roof/front splitter/rear spoiler, Sakhir Orange leather. Very few options: M Adaptive suspension, H-K, Nav, Comfort Access, and that's it- absolutely no nannies.
According to Car and Driver it will hit 100 mph in 8.5 seconds and runs the quarter in the 12.2 seconds. So it's actually fast.
My wife is already in love with it, even though it's $6k over budget.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Wow, that sounds like that could result in quality issues in the future.

For sure. I can just see some accountant saying “that leather was too costly so I put in burlap”.

nyccarguy

corvette said:

That's the thing, I don't need it, but like having it, even though I'm almost exclusively driving the Tundra right now to use up the miles on the lease. People are often wrong about our gut instincts, but I think I'd regret selling it just because the price is a bit higher than normal.

Tough call. You’ve got a great combination of a sporty car & real truck (that happens to be very nice too). Might be time to move on from the Infiniti.

28firefighter

roadburner said:

So...
My local dealer took in a 2016 M3 DCT- Yas Marina Blue, CF roof/front splitter/rear spoiler, Sakhir Orange leather. Very few options: M Adaptive suspension, H-K, Nav, Comfort Access, and that's it- absolutely no nannies.
According to Car and Driver it will hit 100 mph in 8.5 seconds and runs the quarter in the 12.2 seconds. So it's actually fast.
My wife is already in love with it, even though it's $6k over budget.

Please buy this. Do it for me.

stickguy

sharp color combo. definitely not something you see every day. You only live once. If it is what you want, and your wife loves it, spend a little extra. Not like you can spend it doing much else these days.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

corvette said:

That's the thing, I don't need it, but like having it, even though I'm almost exclusively driving the Tundra right now to use up the miles on the lease. People are often wrong about our gut instincts, but I think I'd regret selling it just because the price is a bit higher than normal.

Tough call. You’ve got a great combination of a sporty car & real truck (that happens to be very nice too). Might be time to move on from the Infiniti.

Good point. Not sure what I would look for as a second car to replace the Infiniti, though.

nyccarguy

Just placed an order with Bernardiparts.com They are a Honda dealer in Natick, MA that sells OEM Honda Parts at about 20% off. Free Shipping over $75 (except if you order fluid, which I did).

I bought a Cabin Filter, Engine Air Filter, Can of Brake Fluid, 2 Quarts of Fluid for the rear differential, a new rear windshield wiper, & 2 crush washers (1 for the fill & 1 for the drain). Total cost including shipping is $95.75.

So when I swap out the cabin filter ($85 plus tax) & Engine Air Filter ($65 plus tax), I'll be ahead of the game.

tjc78

@roadburner

Write the check now. (Says the guy who has had way too many vodka and club).

Pretty cool car if I must say. Won’t see a twin, that’s for sure.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

My mechanic charges $150 Labor per axle for brakes. Plus parts.

Ouch.

xwesx

roadburner said:

So...
My local dealer took in a 2016 M3 DCT- Yas Marina Blue, CF roof/front splitter/rear spoiler, Sakhir Orange leather. Very few options: M Adaptive suspension, H-K, Nav, Comfort Access, and that's it- absolutely no nannies.

Wow; that's pretty! Tempting, for sure, though I suspect I would probably grow to resent its lack of a manual transmission.

xwesx

corvette said:

nyccarguy said:

corvette said:

That's the thing, I don't need it, but like having it, even though I'm almost exclusively driving the Tundra right now to use up the miles on the lease. People are often wrong about our gut instincts, but I think I'd regret selling it just because the price is a bit higher than normal.

Tough call. You’ve got a great combination of a sporty car & real truck (that happens to be very nice too). Might be time to move on from the Infiniti.

Good point. Not sure what I would look for as a second car to replace the Infiniti, though.

The beautiful thing here is that time is your friend in this case! Take all that you need... as far as the length of your lease, anyway.

xwesx

Regarding the automotive maintenance, I was not passing judgement on anyone, and, when I said "handicap," I did not mean that in a "physical disability" sort of way; a situational handicap is equally relevant. I hope that no one here took it as a personal slight; I was only marveling at the pricing structure @nyccarguy shared versus my own experience with the work.

I do find enjoyment and satisfaction in doing that sort of work myself, especially when I consider the amount of money I didn't spend just to not do it. Sometimes, even the odd exploratory jobs, such as fixing a leak on the Q7's windshield washer reservoir this year, are quite satisfying. On that one, I spent about $4 on a couple of seals (one for a sensor, the other for the pump), pulled the fender skirting apart when I was doing the strut work on the front passenger side, and took about fifteen minutes to dig the reservoir out. Upon inspection, it was clearly leaking around the fluid sensor. I pulled both units out and put the new seals in, reinstalled everything, and viola! Fixed. That was probably a $200 job at a shop (hopefully, including diagnostics).

ab348

stickguy said:

sharp color combo. definitely not something you see every day. You only live once. If it is what you want, and your wife loves it, spend a little extra. Not like you can spend it doing much else these days.

greg128

Possibly good deals to be had on used rental cars:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/07/hertz-given-approval-to-dump-200000-vehicles-asap/

stickguy

too bad there are very few cars at Hertz I would actually want to own. But worth looking at if you need one, just in case they have a rare higher option one of a car you like.

I wonder if they are just going to flood the auction, or try to move them through their own Hertz retail operation?

I did read the piece but not clear. It implies dealing with them directly but not sure they can handle that volume.

I do disagree about their unfounded comment that most rental cars are abused. Old wives tale. they are just driven like normal cars (the rare hi performance specialty rental possibly excepted).

roadburner

xwesx said:

Regarding the automotive maintenance, I was not passing judgement on anyone, and, when I said "handicap," I did not mean that in a "physical disability" sort of way; a situational handicap is equally relevant. I hope that no one here took it as a personal slight; I was only marveling at the pricing structure @nyccarguy shared versus my own experience with the work.

I do find enjoyment and satisfaction in doing that sort of work myself, especially when I consider the amount of money I didn't spend just to not do it. Sometimes, even the odd exploratory jobs, such as fixing a leak on the Q7's windshield washer reservoir this year, are quite satisfying. On that one, I spent about $4 on a couple of seals (one for a sensor, the other for the pump), pulled the fender skirting apart when I was doing the strut work on the front passenger side, and took about fifteen minutes to dig the reservoir out. Upon inspection, it was clearly leaking around the fluid sensor. I pulled both units out and put the new seals in, reinstalled everything, and viola! Fixed. That was probably a $200 job at a shop (hopefully, including diagnostics).

I know some people don’t have the ability, desire, are facility to perform any automotive maintenance. That’s fine. What bothers me are the people who actually take pride in their total ignorance of almost anything mechanical/technical and brag about paying someone to maintain/repair everything that they own, no matter how simple the task.

graphicguy

I know we have some Land Rover lovers in here.....

https://www.hertzcarsales.com/certified/Land+Rover/2020-Land+Rover-Range+Rover+Evoque-6e1155790a0e0ae77514c14fab80767b.htm

stickguy

typical luxury brand rental. very low on options.

nyccarguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

My mechanic charges $150 Labor per axle for brakes. Plus parts.

Ouch.

So the dealer wants $730 plus tax for new pads & to resurface the rotors (I’m not going to do this).

If I want to replace the pads & rotors at the dealer it would cost $1025 plus tax.

If I buy the OEM pads & Rotors myself, it costs $483.24. I’ve never done a brake job before. It seems simple enough, but there also does seem to be a lot that can go wrong. Lots of springs & clips that need to be carefully pried and prodded to get out. I’m sure the 1st one would be difficult, but I’d get the hang of it by the 3rd one. The 4th one would give me the most trouble. The Pilot has 51K miles on it. Suppose I get another 4 - 5K miles out of the brakes. In December it will be 3 years old. I’m OK with spending $300 once every 3 years to have my mechanic replace them perfectly while I’m at work. They aren’t squeaking or shuddering as of yet.

I might try to tackle the rear diff fluid myself. Stupid question, do I need 2 jack stands or 4?

roadburner

Here's the actual car I'm looking at.

stickguy

the rear diff, don't need any. as long as you are skinny enough to slide under the back end. I would not recommend trying that on your Prelude though.

how much would your local guy charge in labor to do the brakes? I bet 1/2 of what the dealer charges.

Last time I did brakes I went to Mavis. estimating the cost to me to buy the parts, with a coupon, etc. I don't think the labor was much more than $100-125 per axle. I was fine paying that. Plus they adjust whatever needs it, clean and lube it all, make sure the calipers are working right, etc. So more than just take out old pads, stick in new ones.

if you do it, try not to break anything related to the ABS system (sensors, wires, connectors). that will definitely eat into your savings.

oldfarmer50

greg128 said:

Possibly good deals to be had on used rental cars:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/07/hertz-given-approval-to-dump-200000-vehicles-asap/

I noticed one mistake in that article. He says rental cars go for less than dealers charge. I guess he doesn’t know that the majority of late model used cars ARE ex rentals.

I wonder if the 200k figure includes the 40k that Enterprise bought from them.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

too bad there are very few cars at Hertz I would actually want to own. But worth looking at if you need one, just in case they have a rare higher option one of a car you like.

I wonder if they are just going to flood the auction, or try to move them through their own Hertz retail operation?

I did read the piece but not clear. It implies dealing with them directly but not sure they can handle that volume.

I do disagree about their unfounded comment that most rental cars are abused. Old wives tale. they are just driven like normal cars (the rare hi performance specialty rental possibly excepted).

Well, not quite. Certainly, people renting cars to haul the family on vacation don’t drive crazy but most people will be a little more cavalier with a car not their own. People will be more likely to test speed and handling or take them off road. They spill food all over the seats. Some outright abuse them for spite or a YouTube video.

Most cars can take the abuse but I have my suspicions that the treatment they get as rentals will show up later in life.

https://youtu.be/xRONM5INHfs

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

xwesx said:

Regarding the automotive maintenance, I was not passing judgement on anyone, and, when I said "handicap," I did not mean that in a "physical disability" sort of way; a situational handicap is equally relevant. I hope that no one here took it as a personal slight; I was only marveling at the pricing structure @nyccarguy shared versus my own experience with the work.

I do find enjoyment and satisfaction in doing that sort of work myself, especially when I consider the amount of money I didn't spend just to not do it. Sometimes, even the odd exploratory jobs, such as fixing a leak on the Q7's windshield washer reservoir this year, are quite satisfying. On that one, I spent about $4 on a couple of seals (one for a sensor, the other for the pump), pulled the fender skirting apart when I was doing the strut work on the front passenger side, and took about fifteen minutes to dig the reservoir out. Upon inspection, it was clearly leaking around the fluid sensor. I pulled both units out and put the new seals in, reinstalled everything, and viola! Fixed. That was probably a $200 job at a shop (hopefully, including diagnostics).

I know some people don’t have the ability, desire, are facility to perform any automotive maintenance. That’s fine. What bothers me are the people who actually take pride in their total ignorance of almost anything mechanical/technical and brag about paying someone to maintain/repair everything that they own, no matter how simple the task.

I think you have to make a distinction between those who monitor the condition and maintenance of their cars and then direct a shop to do the work and folks who wait until a light comes on and then just trusts the shop to do anything they want.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

the rear diff, don't need any. as long as you are skinny enough to slide under the back end. I would not recommend trying that on your Prelude though.

how much would your local guy charge in labor to do the brakes? I bet 1/2 of what the dealer charges.

Last time I did brakes I went to Mavis. estimating the cost to me to buy the parts, with a coupon, etc. I don't think the labor was much more than $100-125 per axle. I was fine paying that. Plus they adjust whatever needs it, clean and lube it all, make sure the calipers are working right, etc. So more than just take out old pads, stick in new ones.

if you do it, try not to break anything related to the ABS system (sensors, wires, connectors). that will definitely eat into your savings.

My mechanic charges $150 per axle for brakes.

tommister2

@nyccarguy You might have mentioned this already...the last time I changed the rear VTM-4 fluid in a Pilot I needed a fluid transfer pump to get the new fluid in. There are affordable pumps available online.

fintail

Given some of the horror stories I have seen of rental cars with bald tires, I'd worry more about maintenance than abusive drivers. That, and like was mentioned, basic spec might be an issue for those who want toys. I've had rentals that appeared to be literal zero option cars, and the lux models always seem to be that way, on this side of the pond anyway (German fleets can have surprisingly loaded cars, because of course).

nyccarguy

tommister2 said:

@nyccarguy You might have mentioned this already...the last time I changed the rear VTM-4 fluid in a Pilot I needed a fluid transfer pump to get the new fluid in. There are affordable pumps available online.

Thanks! That’s something else I need to get. The current generation Pilots don’t use VTM-4 Fluid anymore. They use something called Dual Pump Fluid II.

explorerx4

Does anyone watch the Royalty Exotic Cars channel on YT? Their cars are always getting stolen(not returned) and damaged.

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

tommister2 said:

@nyccarguy You might have mentioned this already...the last time I changed the rear VTM-4 fluid in a Pilot I needed a fluid transfer pump to get the new fluid in. There are affordable pumps available online.

Thanks! That’s something else I need to get. The current generation Pilots don’t use VTM-4 Fluid anymore. They use something called Dual Pump Fluid II.

Rear Diff Fluid: Depending on the vehicle, it can be a pain. Brakes might be easier.