Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

this filter talk reminds me that the RDX is over 2 years old and I haven't replaced that one yet. Though I think it is only up to about 14,000 miles so likely not too dirty. lives in the garage too.

at least I don't think I ever did it?

I will put a cabin filter on my shopping list anyway.

corvette

stickguy said:

but these days, certainly worth fixing anything.

Except a hooptie AMG ML, amirite?

(too soon?)

henryn

28firefighter said:

@henryn said:

6.9% D___! That's bad. Really really really bad. Like if your credit score was below 500 or something. A little quick math, that's $230 a month in interest. Crazy crazy. At 2.59% (from the credit union), you would only be paying $86 a month in interest. A serious difference.

600 or below you’re talking interest in the 20% range if you can even get approved. 6.9% was for people in the 600-700 range…

Credit unions are quite a bit more flexible about that. Especially a credit union paid for by your employer.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Still on the hunt for our house guest’s suv replacement. She was keen on the XC90 but I kept saying maybe she needs to consider buying something cheaper. My search pointed her to 2019 CPO Explorer, CX9, Flex, Durango, or Atlas. She is anti-GM and I am anti-CVT (nissan/infiniti/subaru). I showed her an MKT and she doesnt like the looks. Sent her a Corsair but I’m not sure its big enough.(?)

Awfully picky for someone with no car. Ah, well. At least she picked the right place to mooch when it comes to that little challenge....

kyfdx

henryn said:

kyfdx said:

.00290 MF approx = 6.9% APR

Also, since you are only paying down $2000 of the "loan balance", almost the entire $40K is subject to finance charges for the lease term. About $230/mo. of the lease payment is going to finance charges, in the $40K MSRP example.

6.9% D___! That's bad. Really really really bad. Like if your credit score was below 500 or something. A little quick math, that's $230 a month in interest. Crazy crazy. At 2.59% (from the credit union), you would only be paying $86 a month in interest. A serious difference.

It's a short-term lease. The only thing that matters in the end, is the monthly payment. $340/mo. for a $40K car is a steal.

nyccarguy

@pensfan83 , @28firefighter , @jmonroe , @jmonroe1

What did you guys think of game 1 last night?

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

28firefighter said:

I ran the codes and it is crankshaft a and b errors. On its face, a sensor issue. However, this code combo is known for being due to loss of oil pressure when a gasket on the timing cover blows. Given that under the hood reeks of burnt oil, the two codes, and my luck I’d say I’m toast.

Sounds like you've been doing some online research. What is the estimated cost for replacing the gasket on the timing cover for that make and model? Hopefully this is nothing like the oil change on a Bugatti...

The timing chain cover gasket on my son’s Fusion cost $2500 at the dealer.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

And speaking of interest rates -- if you've $10k sitting around, you might want to get in on this deal:

https://slickdeals.net/f/15758386-us-treasury-series-i-savings-bonds-inflation-rate-earnings-may-october-22-9-62-interest-annualized-for-6-months-limit-10k-year-per-person

U.S, Government Treasury is currently offering 9.62% Interest Rate (Annualized for 6 Months) in combined Fixed + Inflation Rate Earnings valid on newly issued Series I Savings Bonds purchased from May through October 2022. Limit of $10,000/year per person.

At current inflation rates that’s just about treading water.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

28firefighter said:

I ran the codes and it is crankshaft a and b errors. On its face, a sensor issue. However, this code combo is known for being due to loss of oil pressure when a gasket on the timing cover blows. Given that under the hood reeks of burnt oil, the two codes, and my luck I’d say I’m toast.

Sounds like you've been doing some online research. What is the estimated cost for replacing the gasket on the timing cover for that make and model? Hopefully this is nothing like the oil change on a Bugatti...

The timing chain cover gasket on my son’s Fusion cost $2500 at the dealer.

G could be easier. Not transverse mounted engine. Yank the radiator out and plenty of access!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

28firefighter said:

I ran the codes and it is crankshaft a and b errors. On its face, a sensor issue. However, this code combo is known for being due to loss of oil pressure when a gasket on the timing cover blows. Given that under the hood reeks of burnt oil, the two codes, and my luck I’d say I’m toast.

Sounds like you've been doing some online research. What is the estimated cost for replacing the gasket on the timing cover for that make and model? Hopefully this is nothing like the oil change on a Bugatti...

The timing chain cover gasket on my son’s Fusion cost $2500 at the dealer.

G could be easier. Not transverse mounted engine. Yank the radiator out and plenty of access!

No telling how badly he got gouged also. None of my regular independent guys would touch it so the dealer might have be emboldened with the price.

stickguy

Dealer is likely double on something like that.

corvette

I'm putting together a "looking list" for a daily driver to replace the Tundra in the (likely) event my Maverick doesn't get built soon. What do we think of the first-generation CX-9?

Michaell

corvette said:

I'm putting together a "looking list" for a daily driver to replace the Tundra in the (likely) event my Maverick doesn't get built soon. What do we think of the first-generation CX-9?

Isn't that a rebadged Ford Edge? Seems like a solid choice, with the 3.7L V6.

corvette

Same platform, but not a rebadge--it has a third row and is supposed to be sportier than the Edge, although I've never driven one. Like a lot of CUVs, it seems that the AWD units grenade themselves if the fluid is not changed.

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

@pensfan83 , @28firefighter , @jmonroe , @jmonroe1

What did you guys think of game 1 last night?

It was pretty good I have to say, after the first period anyway. We were watching at a local restaurant because of a heavy storm that knocked power out to us until sometime after midnight. We left around 9:30 because the boys had school and my wife and myself were planning to go into our respective offices. The Pens looked GREAT from the 2nd period on....I think they shocked everyone but themselves.

As for @28firefighter I'm sure he hated it since the Flyers were not playing

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

@pensfan83 , @28firefighter , @jmonroe , @jmonroe1

What did you guys think of game 1 last night?

Believe it or not, I didn’t watch it. I was going to but forgot. Then as I was watching the 11 o’clock news I heard they were already into the second overtime (I think) but decided to watch a Perry Mason black and white rerun at 11:30.

I guess I’m not a real hockey fan. However, you otta hear the sports talk show I’m listening to now. It sounds like I missed a good game but Perry Mason was pretty good too.

jmonroe

ab348

corvette said:

I'm putting together a "looking list" for a daily driver to replace the Tundra in the (likely) event my Maverick doesn't get built soon. What do we think of the first-generation CX-9?

Don't ask me for specifics because I don't have any, but I seem to recall a Twitter discussion among several local owners a few years back that was basically a "can you top this?" kind of thing regarding all the problems they had with their CX-9s, so I would think it might be troublesome at this age.

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

28firefighter said:

I ran the codes and it is crankshaft a and b errors. On its face, a sensor issue. However, this code combo is known for being due to loss of oil pressure when a gasket on the timing cover blows. Given that under the hood reeks of burnt oil, the two codes, and my luck I’d say I’m toast.

Sounds like you've been doing some online research. What is the estimated cost for replacing the gasket on the timing cover for that make and model? Hopefully this is nothing like the oil change on a Bugatti...

The timing chain cover gasket on my son’s Fusion cost $2500 at the dealer.

G could be easier. Not transverse mounted engine. Yank the radiator out and plenty of access!

No telling how badly he got gouged also. None of my regular independent guys would touch it so the dealer might have be emboldened with the price.

There are a number of jobs that the independents really don't want to get into. Topping that list is going to be troubleshooting electrical gremlins. Also high on the "don't touch" list would be leaking exhaust manifolds. Jobs that they do want: Number one would probably be brake jobs.

kyfdx

corvette said:

Same platform, but not a rebadge--it has a third row and is supposed to be sportier than the Edge, although I've never driven one. Like a lot of CUVs, it seems that the AWD units grenade themselves if the fluid is not changed.

A friend had one. They loved it. Engine died.

andres3

corvette said:

@andres3 - I had $1,000 auto deductibles at one time. I think it was about $50 cheaper per year. The last few loans/leases I've had, the lender required a $500 deductible.

If you strong-arm the lender my money is on that they will cave and allow you $1,000 deductibles. I've had to tell that to a few dealerships when buying cars too, as they often have an insurance page 49 of 50 on the paperwork to buy a car that defaults to $500 deductibles.

andres3

sda said:

How many miles on the Tiguan? If it tracks true and isn’t wearing the tires badly I think I’d pass on the alignment and accept a little less tire life.

I believe it has about 24,000 miles; I need to check on that. The tires are 3 to 5/32nd's; most of them being 4-5; so they are done after this Summer.

Figure it makes sense to do the alignment not for these tires, but for the next set. Also, my indy just did my TTS alignment for $125 (I think they forgot to raise that price for inflation like their hourly rate just went up). Not a big cost where you're not getting gouged.

corvette

I guess that's a "thank you, next" on the CX-9. Also in the running are a @qbrozen special 2008-12 Escape or Mariner with the V6 (the Tribute gets the boot because it never got the 240 horsepower V6). Other than that, a well-used RX/Highlander, Pilot/MDX, Sorrento with the V6, or some sort of minivan would probably fit the bill.

andres3

xwesx said:

andres3 said:

The Tiguan's check engine light ended up just being a bad battery. They replaced it free of charge under warranty.... I was sure a "prorated" charge was forthcoming, but no. GO VW!!!

On the other hand, the dealership said the air filter was "red alert" in need of replacement, the cabin filter was "yellow alert" and one of the tires was "red" while the other 3 were yellow. They said due to the somewhat uneven wear, she should get an alignment. Check this out, they quoted an absurd $60 per air filter, but also, $700 for a 4-wheel alignment because her Tiguan has "safety assist" features!!!!

And people say the term stealerships might be overused.....

Not to be overly contrarian, but the cost per filter doesn't seem overly absurd to me considering that I pay around $30 per filter for my car... and I then I still have to install them. Sometimes, that's a royal PITA in itself, but I can see a tech charging $30 each for them given the time involved.

If it includes "installation" the price is OK I suppose for a dealership. It wasn't 100% clear it included install, but since the alignment was $700 maybe that's a safe assumption. Not so bad, I agree. But the $700 is criminal!

It's a Tiguan, not a Bugatti Chiron. And even for the Chiron I'd want 10% off that $700 price.

In case anyone is still wondering, I declined the add services.

sda

@andres3 said:
I believe it has about 24,000 miles; I need to check on that. The tires are 3 to 5/32nd's; most of them being 4-5; so they are done after this Summer.

Figure it makes sense to do the alignment not for these tires, but for the next set. Also, my indy just did my TTS alignment for $125 (I think they forgot to raise that price for inflation like their hourly rate just went up). Not a big cost where you're not getting gouged.

I think my dealership charges $500. Their excuse is they have to calibrate the Adaptive Cruise and other sensors when an alignment is done. I'm at 27k, tires around 4-5/32, Bridgestone. This is the 3rd car that I've had that came with OE Bridgestones and none have made it to 30k.

pensfan83

Speaking of rates, 60 (3.5%) and 72 (3.75%) month loans from my employer in my general area. That accounts for direct debit from a linked checking, add .25% if debited elsewhere. Loans approved up to 115% of MSRP.

28firefighter

I'd have been happy with either the Kraken or Flyers playing, but really I don't follow the NHL at all.

I had the Infiniti towed this morning to the shop. I think it would have made it fine, but the error codes and oil smell had me concerned enough about loss of oil pressure that I didn't want to risk damaging the block with potential oil starvation.

au1994

I'd have done the same thing @28firefighter . That's definitely a better safe than sorry situation.

Hopefully its a simple fix.

Michaell

au1994 said:

I'd have done the same thing @28firefighter . That's definitely a better safe than sorry situation.

Hopefully its a simple fix.

I mentioned this to my friend in CA who has a G - his has about 75,000 miles on it.

xwesx

By the time a set of tires gets down to replacement levels, I don't think a depth variance of 1/32" is anything for alarm, as long as the tread on each tire appears evenly worn. If they were off by 1/32" when they were still on the new end (most new tires start with between 13/32" and 11/32"), then I would be looking at a culprit within the suspension or alignment. I think this is especially true with directional tires, which most seem to be these days, since you cannot swap them side to side.

breld

No one asked specifically, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the NHL playoffs last night.

breld

Busy travel week - I flew to Vegas yesterday morning for a work retreat, and then caught a 6:15 am flight this morning to Chicago as my son has his last final of his freshman year. Once he’s done with that, we’re hitting the road back home to Colorado.

Then wife and I are heading to London on Sunday for a week for vacation.

Michaell

breld said:

No one asked specifically, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the NHL playoffs last night.

When I saw the Avs were up 5-0 at the first intermission, I figured I didn't need to see the rest of the game.

Remind me again ... who's Matt Duschene?

qbrozen

I'm glad someone clarified this was NHL talk.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

corvette said:

I'm putting together a "looking list" for a daily driver to replace the Tundra in the (likely) event my Maverick doesn't get built soon. What do we think of the first-generation CX-9?

Isn't that a rebadged Ford Edge? Seems like a solid choice, with the 3.7L V6.

Just make sure that 3.7 isn’t the one with the internal water pump. If it fails it can be bad news.

qbrozen

Geico is just outstanding, I have to say. I was impressed with their handling of my leased 330xi incident, and now blown away by their handling of the Benz. Adjuster saw it this afternoon, made a determination, and already sent me all the paperwork. Paying me $18k for it and they are paying the dealer their bill, too.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

By the time a set of tires gets down to replacement levels, I don't think a depth variance of 1/32" is anything for alarm, as long as the tread on each tire appears evenly worn. If they were off by 1/32" when they were still on the new end (most new tires start with between 13/32" and 11/32"), then I would be looking at a culprit within the suspension or alignment. I think this is especially true with directional tires, which most seem to be these days, since you cannot swap them side to side.

I have directional tires on the Genny. I don’t know who thought those were a good thing but I don’t think they are. Given they’re not white walls (ain’t them things long gone by now?) I’m thinking I could reverse mount those suckers just as an experiment. Has anyone in here tried that yet?

jmonroe

au1994

qbrozen said:

Geico is just outstanding, I have to say. I was impressed with their handling of my leased 330xi incident, and now blown away by their handling of the Benz. Adjuster saw it this afternoon, made a determination, and already sent me all the paperwork. Paying me $18k for it and they are paying the dealer their bill, too.

Holy…That seems more than fair. I don’t remember what you have in it but this has to ease the pain a good bit.

au1994

jmonroe1 said:

xwesx said:

By the time a set of tires gets down to replacement levels, I don't think a depth variance of 1/32" is anything for alarm, as long as the tread on each tire appears evenly worn. If they were off by 1/32" when they were still on the new end (most new tires start with between 13/32" and 11/32"), then I would be looking at a culprit within the suspension or alignment. I think this is especially true with directional tires, which most seem to be these days, since you cannot swap them side to side.

I have directional tires on the Genny. I don’t know who thought those were a good thing but I don’t think they are. Given they’re not white walls (ain’t them things long gone by now?) I’m thinking I could reverse mount those suckers just as an experiment. Has anyone in here tried that yet?

jmonroe

I seem to remember some friends who had 5.0 Mustangs back in the day with directional doing this as they had the fancy car but no fancy paycheck to properly maintain it. It worked though.

corvette

@qbrozen - wow, that's a great result. What did you have in it? A high four figure number comes to mind, but that may have been Hoovie's.

jmonroe1

au1994 said:

qbrozen said:

Geico is just outstanding, I have to say. I was impressed with their handling of my leased 330xi incident, and now blown away by their handling of the Benz. Adjuster saw it this afternoon, made a determination, and already sent me all the paperwork. Paying me $18k for it and they are paying the dealer their bill, too.

Holy…That seems more than fair. I don’t remember what you have in it but this has to ease the pain a good bit.

————————————————

I agree but I can’t help but think @andres3 is going to find something wrong with this.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Geico is just outstanding, I have to say. I was impressed with their handling

au1994 said:

jmonroe1 said:

xwesx said:

By the time a set of tires gets down to replacement levels, I don't think a depth variance of 1/32" is anything for alarm, as long as the tread on each tire appears evenly worn. If they were off by 1/32" when they were still on the new end (most new tires start with between 13/32" and 11/32"), then I would be looking at a culprit within the suspension or alignment. I think this is especially true with directional tires, which most seem to be these days, since you cannot swap them side to side.

I have directional tires on the Genny. I don’t know who thought those were a good thing but I don’t think they are. Given they’re not white walls (ain’t them things long gone by now?) I’m thinking I could reverse mount those suckers just as an experiment. Has anyone in here tried that yet?

jmonroe

I seem to remember some friends who had 5.0 Mustangs back in the day with directional doing this as they had the fancy car but no fancy paycheck to properly maintain it. It worked though.

———————————————

And here I thought I was a genius. Did you have to go and break my bubble like that?

jmonroe

qbrozen

18 is darned close to what I have in it. I think, including taxes and shipping, I may be 20 into it, actually. But let’s not think about that.

I kind of ponder rescuing it.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Geico is just outstanding, I have to say. I was impressed with their handling of my leased 330xi incident, and now blown away by their handling of the Benz. Adjuster saw it this afternoon, made a determination, and already sent me all the paperwork. Paying me $18k for it and they are paying the dealer their bill, too.

————————————————

You owe that adjuster a case or two of some good stuff. Maybe even a truck load.

Good for you.

jmonroe

andres3

sda said:

@andres3 said:

I believe it has about 24,000 miles; I need to check on that. The tires are 3 to 5/32nd's; most of them being 4-5; so they are done after this Summer.

Figure it makes sense to do the alignment not for these tires, but for the next set. Also, my indy just did my TTS alignment for $125 (I think they forgot to raise that price for inflation like their hourly rate just went up). Not a big cost where you're not getting gouged.

I think my dealership charges $500. Their excuse is they have to calibrate the Adaptive Cruise and other sensors when an alignment is done. I'm at 27k, tires around 4-5/32, Bridgestone. This is the 3rd car that I've had that came with OE Bridgestones and none have made it to 30k.

I'm not sure those features are worth $500 at brand new purchase, and certainly not worth another $500 to calibrate every 3 years or so.

explorerx4

@qbrozen,
How many hours of your free labor did you put into fixing it?
I know wanted to fix it yourself, it just seems like a good time to move onto something new.

au1994

qbrozen said:

18 is darned close to what I have in it. I think, including taxes and shipping, I may be 20 into it, actually. But let’s not think about that.

I kind of ponder rescuing it.

Dude…

andres3

jmonroe1 said:

au1994 said:

qbrozen said:

Geico is just outstanding, I have to say. I was impressed with their handling of my leased 330xi incident, and now blown away by their handling of the Benz. Adjuster saw it this afternoon, made a determination, and already sent me all the paperwork. Paying me $18k for it and they are paying the dealer their bill, too.

Holy…That seems more than fair. I don’t remember what you have in it but this has to ease the pain a good bit.

————————————————

I agree but I can’t help but think @andres3 is going to find something wrong with this.

jmonroe

Nope. Geico is known to be good for "total" settlements. Other insurance companies seem to be Okay with totals too. It's when you get into repairs that they can be problematic. I think we should pass a law that all claims over $4,000 are automatically totaled due to excessive DV and lack of competent quality body shops.

Speaking of DV, make a claim for that with Geico and see if the opinion on claims service changes instantly.

henryn

andres3 said:

sda said:

@andres3 said:

I believe it has about 24,000 miles; I need to check on that. The tires are 3 to 5/32nd's; most of them being 4-5; so they are done after this Summer.

Figure it makes sense to do the alignment not for these tires, but for the next set. Also, my indy just did my TTS alignment for $125 (I think they forgot to raise that price for inflation like their hourly rate just went up). Not a big cost where you're not getting gouged.

I think my dealership charges $500. Their excuse is they have to calibrate the Adaptive Cruise and other sensors when an alignment is done. I'm at 27k, tires around 4-5/32, Bridgestone. This is the 3rd car that I've had that came with OE Bridgestones and none have made it to 30k.

I'm not sure those features are worth $500 at brand new purchase, and certainly not worth another $500 to calibrate every 3 years or so.


--------------------------end quoted material---------------------------------

I'm not sure what those "other sensors" are, but Adaptive Cruise is definitely not worth much to me as I never use cruise control anyway, adaptive or otherwise. Another instance related to what we were talking about earlier, totaling cars with electrical problems.

corvette

@qbrozen - ouch, didn’t realize you had that much in it, but it’s still a great opportunity to walk away from that money pit.

28firefighter

Great outcome, @qbrozen - even if you lost $2k, that still seems like a win. Do not rescue it.