Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

I have a Black and Decker one that will run off the 20v lithium ion batteries that run my drill, weed whacker, leaf blower, and hedge trimmer. The cordless capability is a huge convenience. It will also stop once it hits your preset pressure. Very pleased with it.

tjc78

breld said:

Does anyone have experience or advice on a tire inflator?

I've had to check and correct the pressure on several of our cars recently with our cold snap - I have a small pancake air compressor and the related attachments to do the job, but that's literally all I use the compressor for.

I just thought a purpose specific tire inflator would be quicker and simpler.

I have a 12V and an AC unit. I always find them too slow and instead just drive up the street to the convenience store that has free air.

On my list to buy is a cheap Harbor Freight Pancake.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

There is a Ford dealer in Georgia that specializes in remarks ring lemon law buybacks. One of the YouTube car guys bought his wife a Lincoln SUV there. Supposedly it had been repaired, but it continued to have the stalling problem that caused it to get bought back in the first place.

It looked like LegitStreetCars did really well on the “structural damage” Escalade he bought for his wife.

Didn’t that Georgia Ford turn out to have a single pinched wire in the harness that intermittently would short and stop the car? I forget how they fixed it....or did it ever get fixed.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Sandman6472 said:

GG, glad to see your business picking up. Sure wish I lived nearer to ya as I'd love to work doing this especially on my n/s days. But for that kind of gig, one needs to be ready whenever they call or else it's a lost opportunity. I remember starting out that way as an independent contractor way back in 2013. Had my phone on me 24/7 because they'd call at the worst times and expect me there within an hour or less. Most times I could make it but when I transferred to the West Palm place, it was tough to get there that quick. But this doesn't seem to be an issue for ya.
I just got tired of not having a schedule to be honest. And it's so much easier tax wise for me to be an employee at this juncture. Love driving newer vehicles as I get to see what I could live with...and could not also! Just so glad that your small business is taking off so well. It's really the perfect retiree gig, like 99% of the folks I work with now are just that, older retirees like myself.

Thanks, Sandy! It keeps me out of trouble. Mentioned before, I’m not going to get rich doing it.

Love seeing what’s going on around the different dealerships in my general vicinity. I think most have paired back their staff to the point where the management questions whether they need to hire people (after the COVID thing subsides).

They are more than willing to have someone like me do their transport vs having an employee do it. Both pros and cons to that. But overall, at least most see my value. I’ve tried to get some business from the high line stores (namely BMW, Porsche, Benz, Jag, etc). But so far, those places prefer to be “high touch” with their transports. Eventually, one of them will need a quick transport and contact me. They’ll see how efficient it is to have me take the transport off their plate so they can get back to selling, managing inventory, etc.

Did a Honda transport last night, and another early this a.m. Have one slated this afternoon. I expect it will pick up even more tomorrow, which is where my retired friend will probably help.

Funny story from yesterday.....the (new) Sales Manger at my old Cadillac dealer called inquiring about my availability. Somehow, he got one of my flyers (I certainly didn’t drop it off to them). I told him how I worked, rates, etc. He seemed to be open to throwing some business my way and mentioned he could have a transport later in the day.

I called to follow up with him about it a few hours later. He answered his cell phone. He acted like he didn’t know who I was. Geez...I just talked to you 3 hours ago....

Finally, he said he didn’t need me. I asked what changed. He said....”I didn’t know you had a ‘history’ with the dealership. I laughed and told him my service was not based on that and I was available if he needed me. Not sure who told him about our little buyback fiasco, but apparently he got wind of it. No matter. I got a chuckle out of it.

What a male appendage. :@

oldfarmer50

breld said:

Does anyone have experience or advice on a tire inflator?

I've had to check and correct the pressure on several of our cars recently with our cold snap - I have a small pancake air compressor and the related attachments to do the job, but that's literally all I use the compressor for.

I just thought a purpose specific tire inflator would be quicker and simpler.

I have the B&D air station. Works from a plug or power port. When you hook it up to the tire the gauge will tell you your current pressure. Has worked well for me.

https://www.blackanddecker.com/products/power-tools/portable-power-tools/inflators/high-performance-inflator/asi300

I got it years ago for about 50 bucks but I must have gotten a rebuilt one because the one I listed says over $300. I wouldn’t pay that.

stickguy

Exact same one I have. Identical. And they were around $50 new. Only gripe, the gauge is pretty vague. Always have to check and tweak the result, but it puts air in just fine.

breld

Thanks guys - lot of options out there, but it does seem like a nice way to go instead of the full on compressor I've been using.

qbrozen

Tire inflator? Sure.

Mine kind of looks like this.



And, not long ago, I put a splitter on the output so I could have an airline at the back of the garage where I typically work on my car and then ran a line through the crawl space to the front of the garage where I mounted this.


Compressor is on all the time so the lines stay charged and I can just unreel the hose into the driveway to air up the car(s).

breld

Wow! I guess my little pancake compressor isn't all that unwieldy after all!

stickguy

Son just texted that he watched a Doug demuro video and fell in love with his next car. Audi RS6 Avant. Only $130k with options. Oh, plus dealer had a $50,000 ADM.

28firefighter

Test drove a Model Y Performance today because the Model 3 demo sold. Initial impressions are, (1) Holy F that’s fast, (2) I love the tablet and minimalist design, (3) the seats are brutally uncomfortable for me. I spent 15 minutes pulled off trying to adjust it and improve it, but my back is on fire. I think it’s the lack of adjustability of the seat bottom angle and the lack of thigh support - the bottom cushion could use another 2-3” IMO.

More later.

nyccarguy

Another benefit to the truck with a 6’ bed, you can always find it in a parking lot.

stickguy

any question about the drivers seat is an automatic fail to me now. Will never, ever talk myself into a deal if the seats are bad.

28firefighter

Alrighty. Today was my last day of work at my old job, so to celebrate, I decided I would test drive a Tesla Model 3 since it is a contender to replace the i3 when the lease is up. Scheduling the test drive was effortless - did it online, received a confirmation email, no problem. Then, Sunday night I received a call from the local Tesla store because the Model 3 demo that they had just sold and they would not have another one in inventory for about a week. They helpfully suggested that I do a Model Y Performance test drive because it would be very similar in terms of experience.

Arrived today about 15 minutes before my scheduled time. Store was empty but for one Model Y demo and one rep behind the desk. They took my information then walked me out to the parking lot to a Pearl White over White Leather Model Y Performance. Build quality on it looked to be pretty good inside and out. The test drive was unaccompanied due to COVID, so they gave my wife and I a brief orientation in the parking lot. Everything seemed pretty intuitive to me - it was a little strange adjusting things like mirrors, steering wheel, etc. from the tablet interface, but all made sense. Before I even left, I noticed that the seats seemed to be lacking thigh support, but they seemed comfortable enough so off we went.

Once I finally navigated out of the shopping center (U Village for locals), I was able to open it up a bit. One little quibble was that the driver's door seemed to have a fitment problem - almost like the window wasn't all the way up or something because I got a rattle at low speeds in the parking lot and then a whooshing noise at speed from a corner at the top left. Was not super impressed with that. The interior is very minimalistic indeed, but materials were top notch all around - soft touch plastics and leather materials everywhere. Of course, the tablet screen is just beautiful and is super responsive - basically beats everything on the market by a longshot. My wife noted that the white leather seats were quite dirty, which does not bode well for a car with only ~1000 miles on it. I'm sure they'd clean off easily enough, but it was unsightly. I would probably get a black interior.

Once on the road, the acceleration is laughably fast - it just has endless amounts of power. The acceleration mode can be adjusted between "chill" and "sport" which is probably a good thing. Thankfully, even in sport it is easy to keep it tame around town without much effort (no crazy tip-in or anything). The steering had three modes - "comfort", "normal", and "sport" each progressively heavier. I'd say that Sport is more akin to my ZHP, normal is perhaps a sportier-but-not-sport sedan, and comfort makes it feel like the Outback. Was nice to have the options and the ability to change it. Handling was really good, though the Model Y felt predictably a bit top heavy. The 20" wheels are harsh - no other way to put it. Especially on Seattle local roads they were noisy and you felt everything. I'd be legitimately concerned about damaging them within a few weeks of ownership. One good pothole and they're toast.

So, back to the interior. I really like the style and design of the interior. The tech has a lot of options, but it is intuitive and I did not have any issues finding what I was looking for. My wife didn't either. I messed with the stereo a bit and it was surprisingly quite good - options include FM, HD Radio, App Streaming (e.g. spotify), and Bluetooth Streaming. It does NOT come with Car Play. Normally that would be a deal breaker, but the software from Tesla is so good, you don't miss it much. My big issue, as I said earlier was the seats. About 5 minutes in, my back started really hurting. I pulled over and messed with the seats for a good while trying to fix the problem, but never really got to the bottom of it. From what I can tell, and this is common for a lot of the EVs, is the bottom seat cushion is simply too short and too narrow. They don't offer enough adjustment either. I think what would have helped is being able to tilt the rear of the bottom cushion down further and angle the front up, but alas, it just didn't go far enough. By the time I returned back to the garage, my back was on fire. I think what Tesla really needs is a sport seat option and that probably would solve it. The rep back at the store did make it clear that the seats in the Y and the seats in 3 are basically identical.

So, in summary...
(1) Holy moly it is super fast;

(2) Love the style, in and out;

(3) Love the technology;

(4) The seats are awful for me.

Given the seat issue, there probably won't be a Model 3 or Model Y in my future anytime soon, but it was still a fun experience!

xwesx

mjfloyd1 said:

Forty five to sixty minutes would not work for me if I was driving 1000+ miles (like when we go to FL). Adding 3 hours to a long drive. Ugh

I dunno. I might find it annoying from time to time, but after dozens of long trips (1000 miles is a day of one), I know that my body really appreciates a couple solid time-outs a day, and I'm sure my mind appreciates them as well.

imidazol97

When we travel, we have a cooler with water and diet soda. Make rare stops for 15 minutes for gas and rest room at 250 miles.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:

looks new. I would be worried it had too little use though. I guess you aren't afraid of needing to do a full refresh though (belts/hoses/fluids, etc,) to take care of anything that goes bad from sitting. Black though, not an attractive color for one of those but at least the interior isn't also dark.

Agree about maintenance. I asked questions but the answer was “it has had oil changes.” Lol

Well, considering the quality of the photos, what can you expect?

roadburner

qbrozen said:

Agree about maintenance. I asked questions but the answer was “it has had oil changes.” Lol

I ran into a dimwit like that when I was trying to find a decent E30 M3 in the early '90s. I drove one 1988 and all the idiot owner could do was say, "The oil has been changed every 4,000 miles." over and over.
I asked when the brake fluid was last changed and he said "Brake fluid?" End of story.

corvette

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Agree about maintenance. I asked questions but the answer was “it has had oil changes.” Lol

I ran into a dimwit like that when I was trying to find a decent E30 M3 in the early '90s. I drove one 1988 and all the idiot owner could do was say, "The oil has been changed every 4,000 miles." over and over.
I asked when the brake fluid was last changed and he said "Brake fluid?" End of story.

LegitStreetCars on YouTube called out a random M-B dealer for recommending "wallet flush" non-factory-recommended services like power steering flushes and fuel treatments when they hadn't confirmed the car was current on (factory-recommended) brake fluid flushes and the like.

sb55

breld said:

Does anyone have experience or advice on a tire inflator?

I've had to check and correct the pressure on several of our cars recently with our cold snap - I have a small pancake air compressor and the related attachments to do the job, but that's literally all I use the compressor for.

I just thought a purpose specific tire inflator would be quicker and simpler.

I have a 110v compressor. But this VIAIR is great to keep in the vehicle.

https://www.amazon.com/Viair-00088-88P-Portable-Compressor/dp/B005ASY23I/ref=asc_df_B005ASY23I/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198095685598&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9468025347998033655&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003046&hvtargid=pla-316724739814&psc=1

ronsteve

This one could be fun if I was actually shopping at that price point...

https://www.donfranklinlexingtonhyundai.com/used/BMW/2017-BMW-4+Series-lexington-ky-9ccbf5c20a0d04fe152db429d8b49f7a.htm

tjc78

That’s a really nice car, but black on black just does nothing for it.

tifighter

28firefighter said:

Alrighty. Today was my last day of work at my old job, so to celebrate, I decided I would test drive a Tesla Model 3 since it is a contender to replace the i3 when the lease is up. Scheduling the test drive was effortless - did it online, received a confirmation email, no problem. Then, Sunday night I received a call from the local Tesla store because the Model 3 demo that they had just sold and they would not have another one in inventory for about a week. They helpfully suggested that I do a Model Y Performance test drive because it would be very similar in terms of experience.

Arrived today about 15 minutes before my scheduled time. Store was empty but for one Model Y demo and one rep behind the desk. They took my information then walked me out to the parking lot to a Pearl White over White Leather Model Y Performance. Build quality on it looked to be pretty good inside and out. The test drive was unaccompanied due to COVID, so they gave my wife and I a brief orientation in the parking lot. Everything seemed pretty intuitive to me - it was a little strange adjusting things like mirrors, steering wheel, etc. from the tablet interface, but all made sense. Before I even left, I noticed that the seats seemed to be lacking thigh support, but they seemed comfortable enough so off we went.

Once I finally navigated out of the shopping center (U Village for locals), I was able to open it up a bit. One little quibble was that the driver's door seemed to have a fitment problem - almost like the window wasn't all the way up or something because I got a rattle at low speeds in the parking lot and then a whooshing noise at speed from a corner at the top left. Was not super impressed with that. The interior is very minimalistic indeed, but materials were top notch all around - soft touch plastics and leather materials everywhere. Of course, the tablet screen is just beautiful and is super responsive - basically beats everything on the market by a longshot. My wife noted that the white leather seats were quite dirty, which does not bode well for a car with only ~1000 miles on it. I'm sure they'd clean off easily enough, but it was unsightly. I would probably get a black interior.

Once on the road, the acceleration is laughably fast - it just has endless amounts of power. The acceleration mode can be adjusted between "chill" and "sport" which is probably a good thing. Thankfully, even in sport it is easy to keep it tame around town without much effort (no crazy tip-in or anything). The steering had three modes - "comfort", "normal", and "sport" each progressively heavier. I'd say that Sport is more akin to my ZHP, normal is perhaps a sportier-but-not-sport sedan, and comfort makes it feel like the Outback. Was nice to have the options and the ability to change it. Handling was really good, though the Model Y felt predictably a bit top heavy. The 20" wheels are harsh - no other way to put it. Especially on Seattle local roads they were noisy and you felt everything. I'd be legitimately concerned about damaging them within a few weeks of ownership. One good pothole and they're toast.

So, back to the interior. I really like the style and design of the interior. The tech has a lot of options, but it is intuitive and I did not have any issues finding what I was looking for. My wife didn't either. I messed with the stereo a bit and it was surprisingly quite good - options include FM, HD Radio, App Streaming (e.g. spotify), and Bluetooth Streaming. It does NOT come with Car Play. Normally that would be a deal breaker, but the software from Tesla is so good, you don't miss it much. My big issue, as I said earlier was the seats. About 5 minutes in, my back started really hurting. I pulled over and messed with the seats for a good while trying to fix the problem, but never really got to the bottom of it. From what I can tell, and this is common for a lot of the EVs, is the bottom seat cushion is simply too short and too narrow. They don't offer enough adjustment either. I think what would have helped is being able to tilt the rear of the bottom cushion down further and angle the front up, but alas, it just didn't go far enough. By the time I returned back to the garage, my back was on fire. I think what Tesla really needs is a sport seat option and that probably would solve it. The rep back at the store did make it clear that the seats in the Y and the seats in 3 are basically identical.

So, in summary...
(1) Holy moly it is super fast;

(2) Love the style, in and out;

(3) Love the technology;

(4) The seats are awful for me.

Given the seat issue, there probably won't be a Model 3 or Model Y in my future anytime soon, but it was still a fun experience!

Fair assessment. I'm glad to hear that you found the materials and fit okay; that's usually what gets people worked up, but hasn't been my own experience. Agreed on infotainment - everyone else is way behind. Not much to add on the power...it is...ample. As for the seats, you just never know. I prefer the seats in the X, and my wife prefers the seats in the 3. We are within 2" of each other, so it really isn't a height thing. But I am able to do a trip in the 3, so it's too bad it didn't work out for you. You mention wanting to raise the front of the bottom cushion - I do wonder if the 3 would be any different. The seats are the same, but the seat position is different because of the height so I wonder if the bottom cushion height would feel different, lower to the ground. Total speculation on my part.

Glad you gave it a chance.

28firefighter

tifighter said:

Fair assessment. I'm glad to hear that you found the materials and fit okay; that's usually what gets people worked up, but hasn't been my own experience. Agreed on infotainment - everyone else is way behind. Not much to add on the power...it is...ample. As for the seats, you just never know. I prefer the seats in the X, and my wife prefers the seats in the 3. We are within 2" of each other, so it really isn't a height thing. But I am able to do a trip in the 3, so it's too bad it didn't work out for you. You mention wanting to raise the front of the bottom cushion - I do wonder if the 3 would be any different. The seats are the same, but the seat position is different because of the height so I wonder if the bottom cushion height would feel different, lower to the ground. Total speculation on my part.

Glad you gave it a chance.

So I asked the rep about that. He made it clear I wasn’t the first person who had asked about that and said that from his understanding, the range of motion is identical - just that the Y seat is on riser. He did offer to schedule a test drive, which I’ll take him up on after I’m settled in my new job.

tifighter

28firefighter said:

tifighter said:

Fair assessment. I'm glad to hear that you found the materials and fit okay; that's usually what gets people worked up, but hasn't been my own experience. Agreed on infotainment - everyone else is way behind. Not much to add on the power...it is...ample. As for the seats, you just never know. I prefer the seats in the X, and my wife prefers the seats in the 3. We are within 2" of each other, so it really isn't a height thing. But I am able to do a trip in the 3, so it's too bad it didn't work out for you. You mention wanting to raise the front of the bottom cushion - I do wonder if the 3 would be any different. The seats are the same, but the seat position is different because of the height so I wonder if the bottom cushion height would feel different, lower to the ground. Total speculation on my part.

Glad you gave it a chance.

So I asked the rep about that. He made it clear I wasn’t the first person who had asked about that and said that from his understanding, the range of motion is identical - just that the Y seat is on riser. He did offer to schedule a test drive, which I’ll take him up on after I’m settled in my new job.

Might as well. If nothing else, you can floor it a few more times. Remember, the Y is the slowest one...

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Agree about maintenance. I asked questions but the answer was “it has had oil changes.” Lol

I ran into a dimwit like that when I was trying to find a decent E30 M3 in the early '90s. I drove one 1988 and all the idiot owner could do was say, "The oil has been changed every 4,000 miles." over and over.
I asked when the brake fluid was last changed and he said "Brake fluid?" End of story.

Most people wouldn’t know what you were talking about if you bragged about your regular brake fluid changes. On a daily driver appliance how much would it really matter?

28firefighter

Probably quite a bit if your brakes stop working effectively...

stickguy

This looks like a nice example. Nor bidding too high so far. Harder to find these super clean and reasonable miles, and not all monkeyed with.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/92y6bAGQ/2002-bmw-330ci-convertible

stickguy

And unless this has a late surge, well under what some here estimated.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3BlAp2nE/2008-subaru-impreza-wrx-hatchback

au1994

Wow, yeah both of those could be smokin’ deals anywhere close to that pricing.

28firefighter

The 3 series will need a cooling system overhaul. Budget for that if it hasn’t been done.

Shocked on the WRX. A bargain, IMO.

au1994

28firefighter said:

The 3 series will need a cooling system overhaul. Budget for that if it hasn’t been done.

Shocked on the WRX. A bargain, IMO.

Yes, time to do the cooling system from age if not mileage. 80-100k is the danger zone, so go ahead and get it done. I think one parts site sells the whole kit as a bundle which is handy. VANOS will be needed eventually. Any where close to the current bid and you’ve still got some room to not lose your shirt and you’d have a nice sunny day cruiser that will get up and move when prodded.

breld

That 330ci was bid to $8,350 and the reserve wasn't met.

I think the seller doesn't get how significant something like, oh, sport seats and a decent color would be. Without those, I think it was bid to a fair price.

stickguy

I’m ok with the black over beige. Not ideal, but interior saves it. And cooling system and other usual age items certainly factored in.

Seats, if they bother you that much, should be findable.

stickguy

Oh, Sube did finish at $10k. Pretty much as expected. Probably fair all around, which is nice to see.

28firefighter

That reserve was entirely too high on the convertible. Non-ZHP, non-sport? Come on.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

Probably quite a bit if your brakes stop working effectively...

Toyota recommendation for brake fluid change: When the fluid looks like it needs changing.

tifighter

I had a nice drive in the Z4 yesterday. I'm pretty impressed with the compromise achieved with the E89. It's not a sports car like a Boxster, but it's more engaging than the usual 3-box convertible. The engine makes nice noises and while it is soft, it will grip. But you have to do your part to set it up in the corners. This also means that the ride quality is surprisingly good. And this is with the optional M suspension, which usually means spinal death in many other BMW products I've driven. You can take this car on a trip. Interior room and comfort is very good for the footprint, and the interior quality is closer to baby-SL than the comparable SLK was (BMW didn't have a SL they were trying to protect, I guess). Not bad at all. As always, the blue color helps. Too bad they were dumb expensive new.

qbrozen

Damn. That manual ATS went for just $13k. Seems like a helluva deal.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

This looks like a nice example. Nor bidding too high so far. Harder to find these super clean and reasonable miles, and not all monkeyed with.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/92y6bAGQ/2002-bmw-330ci-convertible

So $8350 didn’t do it? Seller must really love it.

au1994

28firefighter said:

That reserve was entirely too high on the convertible. Non-ZHP, non-sport? Come on.

Yep, $8k and change was more than fair for that.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

Probably quite a bit if your brakes stop working effectively...

Toyota recommendation for brake fluid change: When the fluid looks like it needs changing.

Now there’s a good question, do car makers routinely recommend ANY brake fluid changes? Obviously, a severely water contaminated fluid on a car driven hard could degrade stopping performance but not everyone drives like a CCBA racer.

I change the fluid on my Mustang every few years because that’s the one vehicle I own that might get driven hard. I haven’t considered doing it on the other more mundane cars. No one who ever bought one of my well worn surplus vehicles ever showed any concern for brake fluid changes.

corvette

qbrozen said:

Damn. That manual ATS went for just $13k. Seems like a helluva deal.

Darn, I could’ve replaced the G37 with something similar for about the same price!

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

This looks like a nice example. Nor bidding too high so far. Harder to find these super clean and reasonable miles, and not all monkeyed with.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/92y6bAGQ/2002-bmw-330ci-convertible

So $8350 didn’t do it? Seller must really love it.

Perhaps they needed a garden planter.

roadburner

ronsteve said:

This one could be fun if I was actually shopping at that price point...

https://www.donfranklinlexingtonhyundai.com/used/BMW/2017-BMW-4+Series-lexington-ky-9ccbf5c20a0d04fe152db429d8b49f7a.htm

My first NCM had almost the same car- but it had the Dinan piggyback and exhaust. Much more fun than a stock 4er.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:

28firefighter said:

Probably quite a bit if your brakes stop working effectively...

Toyota recommendation for brake fluid change: When the fluid looks like it needs changing.

Now there’s a good question, do car makers routinely recommend ANY brake fluid changes? Obviously, a severely water contaminated fluid on a car driven hard could degrade stopping performance but not everyone drives like a CCBA racer.

I change the fluid on my Mustang every few years because that’s the one vehicle I own that might get driven hard. I haven’t considered doing it on the other more mundane cars. No one who ever bought one of my well worn surplus vehicles ever showed any concern for brake fluid changes.

BMW calls for a change of DOT 4 fluid every two years. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and as the moisture level increases the boiling point of the brake fluid decreases. The reduced boiling point may not be a big deal on a sedately driven older car, but excessively "wet" fluid can also do a number on a modern vehicle's ABS modules/pumps. Still, I'm not at all surprised that US automakers are not as concerned about the issue; I once heard a European engineer say that the difference between European drivers and American drivers is:

European drivers don't care if the brakes squeal- just as long as they stop the car.

American drivers don't care if the brakes stop the car- just as long as they don't squeal.

ronsteve

My Volvo called for a brake flush after 3 years, then every 2 years. I think the Acura is every 3 years.

cdnpinhead

I think climate enters into the brake fluid discussion. In AZ where it's really dry it's not nearly the concern it would be in a wet climate.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Agree about maintenance. I asked questions but the answer was “it has had oil changes.” Lol

I ran into a dimwit like that when I was trying to find a decent E30 M3 in the early '90s. I drove one 1988 and all the idiot owner could do was say, "The oil has been changed every 4,000 miles." over and over.
I asked when the brake fluid was last changed and he said "Brake fluid?" End of story.

Most people wouldn’t know what you were talking about if you bragged about your regular brake fluid changes. On a daily driver appliance how much would it really matter?

It matters. When the fluid gets old, bad things can happen. The most noticeable in any temperature is that the brakes can feel spongy - they just lose the crisp responsiveness they have with fresh fluid. The problem is, you don't really notice it in daily use. However, if you go to another car for a while, then back to that one... you'll quickly think that maybe something isn't right. The other thing is that, in very cold weather, you can get ice crystals forming in the fluid. This can sometimes cause orifices to clog momentarily... and that can be quite scary.

xwesx

I would say that three years is about right for a standard flush, regardless of mileage. I discovered an incredibly fast way to flush the fluid this year.... solo.

My MighyVac failed (bad seal), and I couldn't get a rebuild kit locally, so I just put a tube from the drain valve into the bottom of a bottle. I added a little fluid to the bottle to cover the end. Then, I opened the valve, got in the car, and just pumped the brake to the floor over and over about a dozen times. I got out, checked the fluid color in the tube, and then pumped a couple more times to get it to clear. Close the valve, pull the tube, and move to the next one. It worked beautifully, and took about fifteen minutes including removal and install of the wheels (can be done without removal, but much easier to access with the wheels off).