Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

did you remember to replace the bearings while you were in there?

xwesx

Oh, and this is a, uh, bonus shot? Comparison of the new hub versus the old hub...




If you look at the rim of the old hub (lower right corner of photo), you can see where I definitely beat the snot out of it to knock it loose.

nyccarguy

@xwesx - nice job! Thanks for sharing the photos and the play by play.

oldfarmer50

There’s something of a bidding war going on with that 92’ Labaron that was posted a few days ago. I predicted $4k but it’s now closing in on $5k with 2 days to go.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rJz0BjBz/1992-chrysler-lebaron-gtc-convertible

As much as I liked those I’d be out at that price.

xwesx

stickguy said:

did you remember to replace the bearings while you were in there?

Dang! I KNEW there was something I was missing!!!! lol

Thankfully, the hub assembly includes the requisite bearings, so no need for pressing this time as I did with the Q7 last year. I actually could not find an option to just purchase the bearings so I could then press them. If I had, though, it would be a much tougher job because there would be no way to accomplish it without pulling the spindle from the car in order to press out the rusted hub assembly.... and then I would need to reuse the rusted parts.

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

If you look at the rim of the old hub (lower right corner of photo), you can see where I definitely beat the snot out of it to knock it loose.

You're a man after my own heart. With my MG it was the generator (not alternator, this was before that) bushing. I carried spares and could replace one in well under an hour.

With my Datsuns it was U-joints -- they all had six (two on the driveshaft and two each on the half axles in those days). In any event my wife's 1600 (that was before they called it the 510) and my 240Z needed regular replacements of the U-joints. I dedicated (scrapped out) a couple of sockets for the pounding out and in of those cps with their needle bearings.

Good times.

xwesx

cdnpinhead said:

With my Datsuns it was U-joints -- they all had six (two on the driveshaft and two each on the half axles in those days). In any event my wife's 1600 (that was before they called it the 510) and my 240Z needed regular replacements of the U-joints. I dedicated (scrapped out) a couple of sockets for the pounding out and in of those cps with their needle bearings.

Oh, that would be SO much fun! /sarcasm-off

My plow truck eats U-joints (and the associated shafts, unfortunately) on a somewhat regular basis. One of the projects this summer was replacing the passenger side front u-joint and both axle shafts. It gets expensive to do that year after year!

Michaell

Watching Road House for like the 127th time.

I still cringe when they destroy the 560SEC at the end.

tjc78

If you like wagons this scene hurts too.

https://youtu.be/gLjU_QzPa7A

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

There’s something of a bidding war going on with that 92’ Labaron that was posted a few days ago. I predicted $4k but it’s now closing in on $5k with 2 days to go.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rJz0BjBz/1992-chrysler-lebaron-gtc-convertible

As much as I liked those I’d be out at that price.

same here.

I was also following this one (another of the Wichita YouTube boys did a video on this). Interesting, but shocked it sold so high.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3Rqpa1am/1993-toyota-previa

Hoovie freed up some cash flow on this one.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9e0x0Wk8/2000-bmw-m-coupe

and finally, I really kinda liked this one. Seems like a good value for what you get.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rb0AwMwL/2001-chevrolet-corvette-coupe

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Watching Road House for like the 127th time.

I still cringe when they destroy the 560SEC at the end.

What? No love for the ‘65 Riviera that gets trashed?

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

There’s something of a bidding war going on with that 92’ Labaron that was posted a few days ago. I predicted $4k but it’s now closing in on $5k with 2 days to go.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rJz0BjBz/1992-chrysler-lebaron-gtc-convertible

As much as I liked those I’d be out at that price.

same here.

I was also following this one (another of the Wichita YouTube boys did a video on this). Interesting, but shocked it sold so high.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3Rqpa1am/1993-toyota-previa

Hoovie freed up some cash flow on this one.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9e0x0Wk8/2000-bmw-m-coupe

and finally, I really kinda liked this one. Seems like a good value for what you get.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rb0AwMwL/2001-chevrolet-corvette-coupe

That C5 Corvette seems like a good price. I’ve seen lower mile (30k) examples near me listed for around $20k.

nyccarguy

Have you guys seen this 45K mile Automatic Prelude on Cars & Bids? It was at $4,200 yesterday AM.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vyYzW4R/2000-honda-prelude

kyfdx

Michaell said:

Watching Road House for like the 127th time.

I still cringe when they destroy the 560SEC at the end.

I cringe through the whole movie...

sda

xwesx said:

Oh, and this is a, uh, bonus shot? Comparison of the new hub versus the old hub...




If you look at the rim of the old hub (lower right corner of photo), you can see where I definitely beat the snot out of it to knock it loose.

Great job, I enjoyed your pics of the progress. I’m sure your wife is pleased.

sda

xwesx said:

cdnpinhead said:

With my Datsuns it was U-joints -- they all had six (two on the driveshaft and two each on the half axles in those days). In any event my wife's 1600 (that was before they called it the 510) and my 240Z needed regular replacements of the U-joints. I dedicated (scrapped out) a couple of sockets for the pounding out and in of those cps with their needle bearings.

Oh, that would be SO much fun! /sarcasm-off

My plow truck eats U-joints (and the associated shafts, unfortunately) on a somewhat regular basis. One of the projects this summer was replacing the passenger side front u-joint and both axle shafts. It gets expensive to do that year after year!

Does it go turn U joints because of the stress/load put on them by plowing?

omarman

sda said:

xwesx said:

Oh, and this is a, uh, bonus shot? Comparison of the new hub versus the old hub...




If you look at the rim of the old hub (lower right corner of photo), you can see where I definitely beat the snot out of it to knock it loose.

Great job, I enjoyed your pics of the progress. I’m sure your wife is pleased.

This could be the start of a youtube channel. Brake-Alaska by Wes

sda

So far two thumbs up on the Passat. It drives really well and has decent power with that nice turbo thrust early on. It feels faster than it is but still about the same as the Accord which I’m fine with. It tracks straight as an arrow which is a pleasure on the interstate on and on roads where the camber tends to switch back and forth. Road noise, though a little higher than I expected is still quieter than the Accord. Most of the noise seems to be tire related. It has Bridgestone 235/45/18s which are evenly worn and have about 7/32. Bridgestone tires are not my favorite. I’ve had them on several cars as they were Oem and none have lasted longer than 30k. Seats are firm and comfortable, controls logical and easy to use. The stereo is good, at lower to medium high volume the sound is decently full has good depth and sound staging and is a bit better than the Accord. It does seem to distort earlier at higher volumes than the Accord, both have a 6 speaker set up. I do wish it had the Fender system. The VW dealer where I bought it is about 50 miles away so I got some good seat time on my way home. Like most German cars it is a natural on the interstate. Gas mileage seems to be tracking around 30mpg on regular gas. I will try to post pics later. For some reason when I try to upload from my phone they don’t carry over.

xwesx

sda said:

Does it go turn U joints because of the stress/load put on them by plowing?

I'm not sure. It might just be the limited slip differentials, but I only ever use it on snow. I don't generally put the chains on it anymore so as to allow more wheel slip, yet it still seems to break at least one U-joint per winter.

xwesx

sda said:

Great job, I enjoyed your pics of the progress. I’m sure your wife is pleased.

I guess I'll find out soon - she's using it for the first time this morning. I'm sure she will say something like, "It's fine."

tjc78

sda said:

So far two thumbs up on the Passat. It drives really well and has decent power with that nice turbo thrust early on. It feels faster than it is but still about the same as the Accord which I’m fine with. It tracks straight as an arrow which is a pleasure on the interstate on and on roads where the camber tends to switch back and forth. Road noise, though a little higher than I expected is still quieter than the Accord. Most of the noise seems to be tire related. It has Bridgestone 245/45/18s which are evenly worn and have about 7/32. Bridgestone tires are not my favorite. I’ve had them on several cars as they were Oem and none have lasted longer than 30k. Seats are firm and comfortable, controls logical and easy to use. The stereo is good, at lower to medium high volume the sound is decently full has good depth and sound staging and is a bit better than the Accord. It does seem to distort earlier at higher volumes than the Accord, both have a 6 speaker set up. I do wish it had the Fender system. The VW dealer where I bought it is about 50 miles away so I got some good seat time on my way home. Like most German cars it is a natural on the interstate. Gas mileage seems to be tracking around 30mpg on regular gas. I will try to post pics later. For some reason when I try to upload from my phone they don’t carry over.

Are they Bridgestone EL400? I hated those on my Avalon

Michaell

kyfdx said:

Michaell said:

Watching Road House for like the 127th time.

I still cringe when they destroy the 560SEC at the end.

I cringe through the whole movie...

Actually, my back is turned to the TV. I just listen while answering lease questions.

Not sure I could concentrate the same if I had something like "Sophie's Choice" on.

sda

xwesx said:

sda said:

Great job, I enjoyed your pics of the progress. I’m sure your wife is pleased.

I guess I'll find out soon - she's using it for the first time this morning. I'm sure she will say something like, "It's fine."

tjc78 said:

sda said:

So far two thumbs up on the Passat. It drives really well and has decent power with that nice turbo thrust early on. It feels faster than it is but still about the same as the Accord which I’m fine with. It tracks straight as an arrow which is a pleasure on the interstate on and on roads where the camber tends to switch back and forth. Road noise, though a little higher than I expected is still quieter than the Accord. Most of the noise seems to be tire related. It has Bridgestone 245/45/18s which are evenly worn and have about 7/32. Bridgestone tires are not my favorite. I’ve had them on several cars as they were Oem and none have lasted longer than 30k. Seats are firm and comfortable, controls logical and easy to use. The stereo is good, at lower to medium high volume the sound is decently full has good depth and sound staging and is a bit better than the Accord. It does seem to distort earlier at higher volumes than the Accord, both have a 6 speaker set up. I do wish it had the Fender system. The VW dealer where I bought it is about 50 miles away so I got some good seat time on my way home. Like most German cars it is a natural on the interstate. Gas mileage seems to be tracking around 30mpg on regular gas. I will try to post pics later. For some reason when I try to upload from my phone they don’t carry over.

Are they Bridgestone EL400? I hated those on my Avalon

Potenza RE97AS, actually 235/45/18, not 245, my bad

kyfdx

sda said:

xwesx said:

sda said:

Great job, I enjoyed your pics of the progress. I’m sure your wife is pleased.

I guess I'll find out soon - she's using it for the first time this morning. I'm sure she will say something like, "It's fine."

tjc78 said:

sda said:

So far two thumbs up on the Passat. It drives really well and has decent power with that nice turbo thrust early on. It feels faster than it is but still about the same as the Accord which I’m fine with. It tracks straight as an arrow which is a pleasure on the interstate on and on roads where the camber tends to switch back and forth. Road noise, though a little higher than I expected is still quieter than the Accord. Most of the noise seems to be tire related. It has Bridgestone 245/45/18s which are evenly worn and have about 7/32. Bridgestone tires are not my favorite. I’ve had them on several cars as they were Oem and none have lasted longer than 30k. Seats are firm and comfortable, controls logical and easy to use. The stereo is good, at lower to medium high volume the sound is decently full has good depth and sound staging and is a bit better than the Accord. It does seem to distort earlier at higher volumes than the Accord, both have a 6 speaker set up. I do wish it had the Fender system. The VW dealer where I bought it is about 50 miles away so I got some good seat time on my way home. Like most German cars it is a natural on the interstate. Gas mileage seems to be tracking around 30mpg on regular gas. I will try to post pics later. For some reason when I try to upload from my phone they don’t carry over.

Are they Bridgestone EL400? I hated those on my Avalon

Potenza RE97AS, actually 235/45/18, not 245, my bad

Those are OEM tires on my GTI, as well. Typically crappy OEM. Bridgestone makes some great tires, but these aren’t it.

I’m getting new shoes on Wednesday!

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

Have you guys seen this 45K mile Automatic Prelude on Cars & Bids? It was at $4,200 yesterday AM.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vyYzW4R/2000-honda-prelude

a slushbox in a Prelude is an automatic rejection.

stickguy

that Passat still has the 1.8t motor? Worked well in out 2015 jetta. Plenty of get up and go, and good mileage.

corvette

kyfdx said:

sda said:

xwesx said:

sda said:

Great job, I enjoyed your pics of the progress. I’m sure your wife is pleased.

I guess I'll find out soon - she's using it for the first time this morning. I'm sure she will say something like, "It's fine."

tjc78 said:

sda said:

So far two thumbs up on the Passat. It drives really well and has decent power with that nice turbo thrust early on. It feels faster than it is but still about the same as the Accord which I’m fine with. It tracks straight as an arrow which is a pleasure on the interstate on and on roads where the camber tends to switch back and forth. Road noise, though a little higher than I expected is still quieter than the Accord. Most of the noise seems to be tire related. It has Bridgestone 245/45/18s which are evenly worn and have about 7/32. Bridgestone tires are not my favorite. I’ve had them on several cars as they were Oem and none have lasted longer than 30k. Seats are firm and comfortable, controls logical and easy to use. The stereo is good, at lower to medium high volume the sound is decently full has good depth and sound staging and is a bit better than the Accord. It does seem to distort earlier at higher volumes than the Accord, both have a 6 speaker set up. I do wish it had the Fender system. The VW dealer where I bought it is about 50 miles away so I got some good seat time on my way home. Like most German cars it is a natural on the interstate. Gas mileage seems to be tracking around 30mpg on regular gas. I will try to post pics later. For some reason when I try to upload from my phone they don’t carry over.

Are they Bridgestone EL400? I hated those on my Avalon

Potenza RE97AS, actually 235/45/18, not 245, my bad

Those are OEM tires on my GTI, as well. Typically crappy OEM. Bridgestone makes some great tires, but these aren’t it.

I’m getting new shoes on Wednesday!

Might as well, while they're in there replacing the clutch.

mjfloyd1

Those Breld clutches seem to live short lives 😂

corvette

I was still having an awful smell in the Tundra and noticed it was especially pungent when the HVAC first turned on. I decided to pull the cabin air filter and found this:



The black stuff is insulation from somewhere in the truck, I think. Some of this junk fell into the blower motor and I wasn't able to get it out from the top with a Shop Vac. Blower motor made an awful racket afterwards, so I pulled that.



It's running and smelling better now. Apparently, the HVAC intake duct doesn't have any sort of mesh guard on Tundras or a lot of other Toyotas and this is a common problem. I'm looking into what can be done to create a better seal.

sda

stickguy said:

that Passat still has the 1.8t motor? Worked well in out 2015 jetta. Plenty of get up and go, and good mileage.

It’s the newer 2.0t, 174 hp, 184 tq. From what I’ve read it isn’t any quicker than the 1.8t.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

I was still having an awful smell in the Tundra and noticed it was especially pungent when the HVAC first turned on. I decided to pull the cabin air filter and found this:



The black stuff is insulation from somewhere in the truck, I think. Some of this junk fell into the blower motor and I wasn't able to get it out from the top with a Shop Vac. Blower motor made an awful racket afterwards, so I pulled that.



It's running and smelling better now. Apparently, the HVAC intake duct doesn't have any sort of mesh guard on Tundras or a lot of other Toyotas and this is a common problem. I'm looking into what can be done to create a better seal.

How about gluing a piece of window screen over the opening? One of those pieces of junk is so big it looked like a bird.

corvette

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

I was still having an awful smell in the Tundra and noticed it was especially pungent when the HVAC first turned on. I decided to pull the cabin air filter and found this:



The black stuff is insulation from somewhere in the truck, I think. Some of this junk fell into the blower motor and I wasn't able to get it out from the top with a Shop Vac. Blower motor made an awful racket afterwards, so I pulled that.



It's running and smelling better now. Apparently, the HVAC intake duct doesn't have any sort of mesh guard on Tundras or a lot of other Toyotas and this is a common problem. I'm looking into what can be done to create a better seal.

How about gluing a piece of window screen over the opening? One of those pieces of junk is so big it looked like a bird.

One of the DIY solutions is to cover the air inlet with gutter guard. Involves drilling into the sheet metal behind the cowl. I'm thinking I will stop parking it in the garage and consider doing the gutter guard if it happens again.

I never saw the carcass of the critter that was in there. The Shop Vac sucked it up rather quickly!

stickguy

it's a lease. Just let the next owner clean it out if it needs it again!

sda

I thought I attached pics, but no. I haven’t had this issue until about 3 weeks ago. Not sure what has changed.

corvette

sda said:

I thought I attached pics, but no. I haven’t had this issue until about 3 weeks ago. Not sure what has changed.

Pic attachment has been broken on the mobile website for me for years now. :@

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

I was still having an awful smell in the Tundra and noticed it was especially pungent when the HVAC first turned on. I decided to pull the cabin air filter and found this:



The black stuff is insulation from somewhere in the truck, I think. Some of this junk fell into the blower motor and I wasn't able to get it out from the top with a Shop Vac. Blower motor made an awful racket afterwards, so I pulled that.



It's running and smelling better now. Apparently, the HVAC intake duct doesn't have any sort of mesh guard on Tundras or a lot of other Toyotas and this is a common problem. I'm looking into what can be done to create a better seal.

How about gluing a piece of window screen over the opening? One of those pieces of junk is so big it looked like a bird.

My '68 Cutlass uses some wire mesh over the opening in the cowl used for cabin ventilation. It is coarser and more robust than standard window screening but finer than some of the heavier-duty wire mesh I've seen. The individual openings in the mesh are perhaps 1/8" or 3/16". I have seen similar bulk material at hardware stores. On the Cutlass, the factory put down a bead of some sort of sealer around the perimeter and then used some short large-headed screws to secure it around the outside edge.

imidazol97

Hardware stores have a plastic version of hardware (metal) screen with about 1/4" openings that can be cut and pressure fit into openings, held by the pressure against the edges or you could use construction adhesive to tack the edges against the surroundings.

qbrozen

T&C is finally in for service today and assessment of the electrical gremlins. I have a Pacifica rental. I see now why my wife poo-poo’d it when she went to test drive it a couple of yrs ago. While it is nice enough inside, and seems tighter and quieter, it is too tightly sprung. Not just a little, but to the point of being outright annoying. And it doesn’t help in the handling dept. it still leans like a small sailboat in a tropical storm. So her T&C feels far more planted and more comfortable on the highway. If I wanted a more car-like experience, then the Pac would be a good choice, I suppose. But, then again, I’d just get a car or wagon instead. Not sure what we’d do if we needed a new 3-row vehicle. I suppose we’d wind up with a Japanese or Korean minivan or go back to a larger SUV.

tjc78

One thing I really love about our Enclave is it rides really nicely without being overly floaty. I figure if I have to drive a vehicle like that I want it to be as comfortable as possible. The Michelin tires and laminated glass also make it super quiet.

Sandman6472

No dice on fixing the axle boot today. I have an early production 2015 model and the only way to get the correct part is through VW. The part he got didn't fit, apparently they did some kind of change in April of 2015 and he can't get the necessary part from VW till tomorrow. Work the next couple of days, so bringing it back on Thursday morning and will use Lyft to get home and back again later in the day. A slight hassle but hey, no one ever said life was fair! Surprisingly, he said the brakes were all fine but will ask him again when I drop it off. Said everything else looked good and that I seem to keep the vehicle in pristine condition. Said he can tell I take care of it...and I do.
So it will be a bit more than is original quote but I blame that on VW, not him. Fix it and hope that nothing else goes wrong. Will hit 65K probably tomorrow and glad I've decided to keep it for at least another year. The logical decision and the less costly also. Just hoping that the new 2021 GTI is as good as it's gong to look!

tjc78

Anyone have any seat time in an XT6? It is kind of an oddball in the GM line. It is bigger than the Acadia or XT5 (same wheelbase) but a little smaller than the Enclave and Traverse.

Reviews aren't spectacular but I like the looks and based on a quick look the MF's look mighty attractive along with $2000 GM loyalty.

au1994

No seat time but I’m with you. I love the way it looks and saw a white one in person at lacrosse this weekend. Definitely sharp and worth a look if they lease well.

stickguy

I sat in one last year when at dealer to test drive the XT4. It was certainly nice inside. But big.

ab348

tjc78 said:

Anyone have any seat time in an XT6? It is kind of an oddball in the GM line. It is bigger than the Acadia or XT5 (same wheelbase) but a little smaller than the Enclave and Traverse.

Reviews aren't spectacular but I like the looks and based on a quick look the MF's look mighty attractive along with $2000 GM loyalty.

I had one as a service loaner for a day, white over black. On the plus side it didn't drive anywhere near as barge-like as I expected, and was very smooth and comfortable. It wasn't exactly nimble but it wasn't bad, and drove smaller than I expected. The latest iteration of CUE is very straightforward. It had the same 3.6 V6 that GM uses in everything so it wasn't blazing fast but was better in that department than I expected, probably due to the transmission. I like the looks of the XT6 much more than the XT5.

On the downside, I didn't think it was worth anywhere near the sticker price unless you could get a huge discount. I might have felt differently if it had different colors inside and out. But big discounts often happen on Caddys, especially this time of year.

tjc78

Once we are in the new house I'm going to check one out. Wife said she liked it, so that's a plus.

I'm looking at a fairly basic one (not a Sport). They seem to come in a little under 60k and are still really equipped. An Enclave Avenir is 60K as is a modestly equipped T6 XC90.

xwesx

tjc78 said:

Anyone have any seat time in an XT6? It is kind of an oddball in the GM line. It is bigger than the Acadia or XT5 (same wheelbase) but a little smaller than the Enclave and Traverse.

Reviews aren't spectacular but I like the looks and based on a quick look the MF's look mighty attractive along with $2000 GM loyalty.

A Cadillac'd version of the Traverse? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! You know what works for you, so if the #s look good, then what's not to like?

ab348

Looks like Honda has cleaned up the front end of the Accord a bit for 2021.

stickguy

looks pretty similar to me. I did see a preview on the facelifted Ridgeline. That looks a lot different

qbrozen

Oh boy. Service advisor called this eve. They have a laundry lost of things, most should be undef warranty. He is going to call in morn for approval. I couldn’t hear him clearly because he caught me in the car, but I heard control arms bushings, timing cover leak, some kind of steering leak, and some kind of coolant leak, I believe. As for the electrical gremlins that I thought was likely all one connector since they started at the same time, they say are 3 different things. Some kind of speed sensor in the steering wheel for the cruise, the seat control switch, and the passenger seat belt.

I am doubting control arm bushings would be covered but he seems to think so. The one thing on his list not covered were brakes. He quoted me $900, to which I said I’d take care of those myself.

69,400 miles, for those curious. I’m anxious to see the receipt. Could very well be this is the trip that makes the warranty worth it. My son was asking about the warranty. I tried to explain it but he can’t comprehend what “lifetime” means for a car. Lol.

stickguy

annoyed today at the VW dealer (which is already absurdly expensive for normal service). Kid had to take the Jetta in for the 40K service, which they warned was expensive (even more than the last one which was high). So I actually stopped in last week to find out what it included (and of course, look at a GTI...) and told the guy what they were going to do that did not need to happen. Which was cabin filter (we did that ourselves) and brake fluid change (since they did that at the 30K service, about 9 months ago). So I pointed that out to the (not very bright) service writer who supposedly adjusted the appointment.

Kid knew this morning when she took it in to make sure they knew not to do the filter (which they of course forgot was not needed, so good thing she reminded them) but she had no clue about the brake fluid. I forgot to remind her, but also (incorrectly) assumed they were smart enough to know that it was just done. Nope.

so they call her late today (4:30) saying it was done, and gave her a ridiculous amount due. And said service was open until 6. So I assumed they screwed up and went with her to be "the heavy" (IOW the person yelling at them if needed). got there at 5:30, to find out all the service department people leave at 5, and only a cashier was there until 6:00. who of course could do nothing, and said there was no one in the complex (3 dealers) who could adjust the bill. So either pay it as is, or come back tomorrow during the normal work day hours. figuring it is easier to get resolved when they don't already have the money, back into the loaner car and home, with a trip back at lunch tomorrow.

very annoying. But I told the princess to be prepared to start crying if they try to play hardball because we will be filming and she will be going viral! So if you see a short blond girl in a VW service department trending on twitter rampage, that will be her!