Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

I ran the Highlander through the car wash on Sunday. Monday morning I woke up and it was covered in bird poop (as was my Prelude). I took some time tonight to give it a thorough exterior cleaning, then wiped it down with some Griot’s Spray on wax.

tjc78

Still looks good!!

Are you able to drive it, or do you need to have some work done?

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

I ran the Highlander through the car wash on Sunday. Monday morning I woke up and it was covered in bird poop (as was my Prelude). I took some time tonight to give it a thorough exterior cleaning, then wiped it down with some Griot’s Spray on wax.

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Does your wife have a washing machine large enough to wash the car cover when the birds get to it?

Cars look good for now though.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

@tjc78 said:
Still looks good!!

Are you able to drive it, or do you need to have some work done?

Thank-you!

It’s not safe to drive. Tires are bald & dry rotted. The car needs a lot of mechanical work (mostly maintenance) to be roadworthy.

nyccarguy

@jmonroe1 said:
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Does your wife have a washing machine large enough to wash the car cover when the birds get to it?

Cars look good for now though.

jmonroe

Thank-you. A true compliment from @jmonroe1 . Although I’d like to hear what @jmonroe has to say.

nyccarguy

Had the Prelude been fully functional, I might have been able to avoid some degree of aggravation today. Yesterday I dropped off my Jeep. I told the service advisor to please call me by 3:00 PM to let me know if it will be done or how much longer they will need it. I told her I work far away. I needed to do something at the town clerk’s office today (another racket) which went surprisingly smooth (just cost $90 plus a $3 ATM fee). 3:00 came and went so I decided to swing by the dealership. “Your service advisor isn’t here today, she called in sick. Dispatch is gone for the day (it’s not even 4:00) and I don’t even know what was done to your car.”

Ok. Can I have it back?

“Sure. It is your car. But I don’t know what’s wrong with it, so if you start driving and it doesn’t fee right, head straight here.”

Got the Jeep. Returned the Tundra. Got a ride back to the Jeep. I’m going to call tomorrow and make an appointment for next week while I am away in Disney/Universal.

Going to keep my mouth shut until I find out the car is fixed.

nyccarguy

I had literally 2 minutes to walk around the Toyota lot while I was waiting to be picked up. They had a GR86 Premium in Dark Blue with a 6-Speed and a $30K sticker. I saw 2 $40K Tacoma TRD Sport Access Cab - 6’ Bed - White (1 automatic, 1 Stick). They are definitely getting some cars in stock.

nyccarguy

I’m definitely getting old. I saw a really nice Volvo S60 B5 (I have no idea the current model designations) that looked really handsome. I also saw a brand new Camry SE that also looked sharp.

fintail

I use the Griot's spray carnauba wax on the fintail - it seems to work a lot better on old paint than any other brand I've tried.

nyccarguy said:

I ran the Highlander through the car wash on Sunday. Monday morning I woke up and it was covered in bird poop (as was my Prelude). I took some time tonight to give it a thorough exterior cleaning, then wiped it down with some Griot’s Spray on wax.

qbrozen

@nyccarguy said:
I’m definitely getting old. I saw a really nice Volvo S60 B5 (I have no idea the current model designations) that looked really handsome. I also saw a brand new Camry SE that also looked sharp.

Of course the volvo looks good.

You lost me at Camry, though.
I guess maybe one advantage is that an accident will probably improve it.

stickguy

I will take the GR86 please. I just can't pay you back for it for a while.

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:

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Does your wife have a washing machine large enough to wash the car cover when the birds get to it?

Cars look good for now though.

jmonroe

Thank-you. A true compliment from @jmonroe1 . Although I’d like to hear what @jmonroe has to say.

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As you know a few years back Edmunds whacked that guy and he lost all of his seniority. Since then he’s passed on some of his wisdom to me. So, you can rest assured I know how to judge a clean car when I see one.

jmonroe

corvette

@nyccarguy - that reminds me of when the Ford dealership lost my Mustang (which was in for service) on the lot because my service advisor was out sick. Apparently he was the only one in the entire building who knew where my car was... Imbeciles.

corvette

Toyota is already dipping its toes into the subscription shenanigans with the Toyota Connect stuff. They have various packages you can select from, generally free for the first year. I have the safety connect and the one that gives you cellular remote start on the Tundra. Here's the kicker: the conventional remote start, which is operated by the key fob communicating directly with the truck, says it is only complimentary for the first ten years of the vehicle's life. I guess they either send out a signal to disable it or it is programmed to shut down at that time unless you pay them more $$$?

jmonroe1

corvette said:

Toyota is already dipping its toes into the subscription shenanigans with the Toyota Connect stuff. They have various packages you can select from, generally free for the first year. I have the safety connect and the one that gives you cellular remote start on the Tundra. Here's the kicker: the conventional remote start, which is operated by the key fob communicating directly with the truck, says it is only complimentary for the first ten years of the vehicle's life. I guess they either send out a signal to disable it or it is programmed to shut down at that time unless you pay them more $$$?

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10 years? How could that possibly apply to anyone in here?

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

au1994 said:

laurasdada said:

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner said:

@nyccarguy said:

Brought the Jeep in for service. Not impressed thus far. Dropped it off. Go see the service advisor. Tell her I made an appointment. She takes my name. Asks what the problem is. Check engine light and it says “service vehicle charging system” when I try to plug it in. Also, the driver’s side left corner of the roof leaks.

Her response: “so how long can you leave it with us? This is an electric vehicle, ya know and not just anybody can work on it. And about the top - they all leak.”

I told her I needed the car back tomorrow because I rented a car for the day that isn’t cheap. I made this appointment a week ago and specifically told the woman whom I spoke with that I had a 4Xe plug in hybrid. I don’t work close and need to make sure I can get back here in time tomorrow night.

In the meantime, I rented a new tundra from the Toyota dealer. It’s all they had. Very LARGE!

That is inexcusable.

I get they don’t have loaners. When I called to make the appointment, I knew that I’d have to rent a car for the day, I also get that I’m paying way under market value compared to the 4Xe ‘s sticker price. They don’t know that. I can’t imagine bringing a $60 something thousand dollar 4 series convertible into a BMW dealership and have them say: “they all leak.”

Do all 4 series convertibles leak?!

The only convertible I’ve had that leaked was a 66 Mustang in high school. My 07 Wrangler was a soft top and once during a deluge when animals were lining up 2 by 2, it had a little trickle at the top of a window.

ZHP, ‘13 BMW and MB E350 were all no problem. The E350, even though a soft top, was very quiet on the highway.

The 22 year old top on my convertible doesn’t leak except in a sideways torrential downpour when the rain hits the seam where the glass meets the roof. I’ve had rain for days without a drop but car washes are interesting.
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Is duct tape illegal these days?

jmonroe

No but you might be mistaken for Red-Green.

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

au1994 said:

laurasdada said:

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner said:

@nyccarguy said:

Brought the Jeep in for service. Not impressed thus far. Dropped it off. Go see the service advisor. Tell her I made an appointment. She takes my name. Asks what the problem is. Check engine light and it says “service vehicle charging system” when I try to plug it in. Also, the driver’s side left corner of the roof leaks.

Her response: “so how long can you leave it with us? This is an electric vehicle, ya know and not just anybody can work on it. And about the top - they all leak.”

I told her I needed the car back tomorrow because I rented a car for the day that isn’t cheap. I made this appointment a week ago and specifically told the woman whom I spoke with that I had a 4Xe plug in hybrid. I don’t work close and need to make sure I can get back here in time tomorrow night.

In the meantime, I rented a new tundra from the Toyota dealer. It’s all they had. Very LARGE!

That is inexcusable.

I get they don’t have loaners. When I called to make the appointment, I knew that I’d have to rent a car for the day, I also get that I’m paying way under market value compared to the 4Xe ‘s sticker price. They don’t know that. I can’t imagine bringing a $60 something thousand dollar 4 series convertible into a BMW dealership and have them say: “they all leak.”

Do all 4 series convertibles leak?!

The only convertible I’ve had that leaked was a 66 Mustang in high school. My 07 Wrangler was a soft top and once during a deluge when animals were lining up 2 by 2, it had a little trickle at the top of a window.

ZHP, ‘13 BMW and MB E350 were all no problem. The E350, even though a soft top, was very quiet on the highway.

The 22 year old top on my convertible doesn’t leak except in a sideways torrential downpour when the rain hits the seam where the glass meets the roof. I’ve had rain for days without a drop but car washes are interesting.

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Is duct tape illegal these days?

jmonroe

No but you might be mistaken for Red-Green.



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Didn’t duct tape stop making cars after that model year?

jmonroe

corvette

Red Green? Needs more K-cars in the picture.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

Had the Prelude been fully functional, I might have been able to avoid some degree of aggravation today. Yesterday I dropped off my Jeep. I told the service advisor to please call me by 3:00 PM to let me know if it will be done or how much longer they will need it. I told her I work far away. I needed to do something at the town clerk’s office today (another racket) which went surprisingly smooth (just cost $90 plus a $3 ATM fee). 3:00 came and went so I decided to swing by the dealership. “Your service advisor isn’t here today, she called in sick. Dispatch is gone for the day (it’s not even 4:00) and I don’t even know what was done to your car.”

Ok. Can I have it back?

“Sure. It is your car. But I don’t know what’s wrong with it, so if you start driving and it doesn’t fee right, head straight here.”

Got the Jeep. Returned the Tundra. Got a ride back to the Jeep. I’m going to call tomorrow and make an appointment for next week while I am away in Disney/Universal.

Going to keep my mouth shut until I find out the car is fixed.

Is there another dealer close enough for you to try them?

au1994

Hard pass on the subscription services. Really, the more I think about it, the madder I get. Heated seats should be table stakes on a BMW. Just bury it in the price if you are hurting for money that bad.

explorerx4

A lot of new vehicles seem to be styled to styled to look pre dented from the factory.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

I ran the Highlander through the car wash on Sunday. Monday morning I woke up and it was covered in bird poop (as was my Prelude). I took some time tonight to give it a thorough exterior cleaning, then wiped it down with some Griot’s Spray on wax.

At work they make us park under a line of trees so not only do we get the gifts from birds but also a sticky bug sap that is a devil to remove.

nyccarguy

au1994 said:

nyccarguy said:

Had the Prelude been fully functional, I might have been able to avoid some degree of aggravation today. Yesterday I dropped off my Jeep. I told the service advisor to please call me by 3:00 PM to let me know if it will be done or how much longer they will need it. I told her I work far away. I needed to do something at the town clerk’s office today (another racket) which went surprisingly smooth (just cost $90 plus a $3 ATM fee). 3:00 came and went so I decided to swing by the dealership. “Your service advisor isn’t here today, she called in sick. Dispatch is gone for the day (it’s not even 4:00) and I don’t even know what was done to your car.”

Ok. Can I have it back?

“Sure. It is your car. But I don’t know what’s wrong with it, so if you start driving and it doesn’t fee right, head straight here.”

Got the Jeep. Returned the Tundra. Got a ride back to the Jeep. I’m going to call tomorrow and make an appointment for next week while I am away in Disney/Universal.

Going to keep my mouth shut until I find out the car is fixed.

Is there another dealer close enough for you to try them?

There are. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt because the service department is in my town (the sales is in another town). Will call today and make an appointment to drop the car off Sunday night (for Monday) and leave it until I get back from Florida next Monday.

tjc78

@nyccarguy said:
I’m definitely getting old. I saw a really nice Volvo S60 B5 (I have no idea the current model designations) that looked really handsome. I also saw a brand new Camry SE that also looked sharp.

B5 is the mild hybrid system that came out last year. Volvo in their infinite wisdom dropped the T6 powertrain from the S60. If you want a high performance S60 you have to get the T8 which gets really pricey.

corvette

@nyccarguy - enjoy your vacation!

tjc78

@nyccarguy said:
I had literally 2 minutes to walk around the Toyota lot while I was waiting to be picked up. They had a GR86 Premium in Dark Blue with a 6-Speed and a $30K sticker. I saw 2 $40K Tacoma TRD Sport Access Cab - 6’ Bed - White (1 automatic, 1 Stick). They are definitely getting some cars in stock.

Tacos seem to be pretty available. The broker on LH has had several recently at decent prices.

ab348

stickguy said:

I will take the GR86 please. I just can't pay you back for it for a while.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

I will take the GR86 please. I just can't pay you back for it for a while.

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@stickguy always seems to have his hand out.

Right now he’s knee deep in cleaning out his house for the move. He says he has a lot of old stuff he keeps coming across that he didn’t even remember having. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes across a ‘57 Chevy that someone gave him years ago. Then he’ll really be sorry he didn’t get a house with a 3 car garage.

jmonroe

stickguy

Many boxes of hot wheels, and a big box of Hess trucks is all I got.

More fun today. Running errands, and coming home the low tire message pops up in the RDX. Get home and check tire, and a big screw or bolt is in the left rear. Thankfully it’s toward the center and through the thick part of a tread block. Too late for Goodyear to get me in this afternoon but will be pumping it up and running over at 8 in the morning.

Fun never stops. But at least I was driving instead of my wife, and it was close to home.

nyccarguy

I'm certainly glad I made the decision to pick up my Jeep yesterday. I call today to speak to the service advisor. She's still out sick.

"OK. I'm sorry to hear that. Can I speak to someone who can tell me if anything was done to my Jeep yesterday?"

"yes. Let me put you through to the service dispatcher."

Left a message. Called back two more times. Didn't bother leaving a voice mail. Called back again, asked the woman at the desk if she could go find the service dispatcher. She kept me on hold for a little over 5 minutes and said: "I don't want to be kept on hold any longer." Let me see if I can get a hold of some information for you."

She just called back to let me know the Jeep wasn't even looked at. UGH.

I got the service manager on the phone. They have 3 mechanics there that are certified to work on the 4Xe Hybrid. 1 was on vacation. The other 2 were working on other vehicles and couldn't be pulled off what they were working on. The service advisor was out. I understand. I just can't believe the complete lack of communication. I told him I was going to drop it off Sunday night so they could work on it next week while I am away. He says he'll make sure it gets looked at early in the week and he will let me know what the problem is.

au1994

Its good to hear that they have more than one mechanic that can work on the 4xe. The lack of communication is still inexcusable.

They should have a process where someone can, at minimum, throw an plug into the OBD and get some idea of what’s going on. I do respect not pulling a tech off of the job at hand. If it was my Jeep and they kept getting pulled off, I’d be ticked.

au1994

Final nut on the X1 battery ended up being $400. $220 for the battery alone but I also had them do an oil change while they had it. $70 charge to diagnose it so probably $130 in labor to install and re-learn.

Don’t have the invoice in front of me so this is from memory yesterday.

greg128

While driving today on Sunrise Hwy on Long Island I noticed a new Mustang Mach-e in the next lane and was admiring the look and then noticed the light reflecting off of the bottom of the door. It was dark blue and at first I thought that the uneven appearance was caused possibly by a bad body shop job. But anyone with a new car would not accept that type of imperfection in the repair. I subsequently searched online for pictures of that area on the Mach-e and while most looked OK especially on the show models I did find a few with this wavy rocker area. It appears to be a separate piece in the body and if I bought one of these and had this type of imperfection I would not be happy. Here is an image from the internet I found and this is better than the one I saw

henryn

au1994 said:

Final nut on the X1 battery ended up being $400. $220 for the battery alone but I also had them do an oil change while they had it. $70 charge to diagnose it so probably $130 in labor to install and re-learn.

Don’t have the invoice in front of me so this is from memory yesterday.

Most places will not charge you a separate diagnostics charge if you have the repair performed. Or, to put it another way, they charge $xx for diagnostics, and if you have them perform the repair, that $xx amount is counted towards the charge for the repair.

xwesx

So, I've been working on my Q7 for the better part of the last week in order to fix the coolant leak (and oil leak, apparently) that it is suffering. It is a real PITA job, and I thought I would share just a bit so y'all could enjoy.....

All of these images are directly overhead on the engine, showing multiple layers as I dig my way down to the meat of the problem.

Removed some wiring/hoses, but this is basically the top layer showing the intake manifold (black part) in place:



Intake manifold removed; the "top layer" now is the EGR cooler:


After removal of the EGR cooler, you can see a "lake" of fluids surrounding the the oil cooler, which is the rectangular box directly below where the EGR cooler (and intake manifold before it) was located:


I spent a significant amount of time soaking fluids out of the valley here in order to bring the level of the fluids down below the bottom of the oil cooler. Once I finally did that and could see the bolts holding it in place, I removed it to leave only ONE LAYER left, which, I believe, is the Oil Cooler Adapter Plate. Nope, it's not complicated or anything....




If you notice in the lower left, you can clearly see where the coolant channel is for the oil cooler. I believe that it was either here, or at the gasket under the adapter plate, where the coolant leak originated. I still need to soak up 2"-3" of fluids in order to have the little pond there emptied out.

The truly crazy thing is that, technically, all of that wet, blackened area along the cylinder heads (left and right sides of the photos) and under the high-pressure fuel pump (top center of the photos) is *external* to the engine.... it should all be clean and dry. Yeah, not so much!

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

So, I've been working on my Q7 for the better part of the last week in order to fix the coolant leak (and oil leak, apparently) that it is suffering. It is a real PITA job, and I thought I would share just a bit so y'all could enjoy.....

All of these images are directly overhead on the engine, showing multiple layers as I dig my way down to the meat of the problem.

Removed some wiring/hoses, but this is basically the top layer showing the intake manifold (black part) in place:



Intake manifold removed; the "top layer" now is the EGR cooler:


After removal of the EGR cooler, you can see a "lake" of fluids surrounding the the oil cooler, which is the rectangular box directly below where the EGR cooler (and intake manifold before it) was located:


I spent a significant amount of time soaking fluids out of the valley here in order to bring the level of the fluids down below the bottom of the oil cooler. Once I finally did that and could see the bolts holding it in place, I removed it to leave only ONE LAYER left, which, I believe, is the Oil Cooler Adapter Plate. Nope, it's not complicated or anything....




If you notice in the lower left, you can clearly see where the coolant channel is for the oil cooler. I believe that it was either here, or at the gasket under the adapter plate, where the coolant leak originated. I still need to soak up 2"-3" of fluids in order to have the little pond there emptied out.

The truly crazy thing is that, technically, all of that wet, blackened area along the cylinder heads (left and right sides of the photos) and under the high-pressure fuel pump (top center of the photos) is *external* to the engine.... it should all be clean and dry. Yeah, not so much!

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That looks like quite a bit of work. About how many hours would you say you’ve spent so far? Looks like there is still a lot of crud to clean up which I guess will take another 3 pounds of rags.

Good luck and post some pics when you’re through. We’re hoping you don’t have too many extra bolts when you’re done.

jmonroe

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

That looks like quite a bit of work. About how many hours would you say you’ve spent so far? Looks like there is still a lot of crud to clean up which I guess will take another 3 pounds of rags.

Good luck and post some pics when you’re through. We’re hoping you don’t have too many extra bolts when you’re done.

jmonroe

Haha; you and me both! I have definitely been trying to keep the bolts (and other misc connectors of all sorts of styles) organized as I move through this. I still have one or two lost in the soupy pit of despair though.

How many hours? Including online parts hunting and reviewing oodles of videos online trying to find that ONE that might actually show how to make it through the difficult steps (answer: None do. They all love to skip over the challenging stuff that people actually need to know.)? Probably about twelve hours at this point. I try to get between 1 and 3 hours in per night depending on what time I make it home. Likely around seven at the car itself.

au1994

henryn said:

au1994 said:

Final nut on the X1 battery ended up being $400. $220 for the battery alone but I also had them do an oil change while they had it. $70 charge to diagnose it so probably $130 in labor to install and re-learn.

Don’t have the invoice in front of me so this is from memory yesterday.

Most places will not charge you a separate diagnostics charge if you have the repair performed. Or, to put it another way, they charge $xx for diagnostics, and if you have them perform the repair, that $xx amount is counted towards the charge for the repair.

He discounted the installation labor appropriately.

au1994

@xwesx I am seriously in awe of your ability and ambition.

nyccarguy

@au1994 said:
@xwesx I am seriously in awe of your ability and ambition.

+1

Bravo @xwesx

corvette

He should start a YouTube channel to show off his mechanical skills!

xwesx

corvette said:

He should start a YouTube channel to show off his mechanical skills!

I don't think I would do very well at that, because I would want to spend time going over the important stuff. Apparently, that's not what people want. They just want disorganized fluff content.

ab348

Geez, @xwesx , that’s simply incredible and a tremendous effort on your part. I’m surprised by the amount of what looks like oil sludge coating the area you exposed. Is that what it is? Is that normal?

cdnpinhead

xwesx said:

So, I've been working on my Q7 for the better part of the last week in order to fix the coolant leak (and oil leak, apparently) that it is suffering. It is a real PITA job, and I thought I would share just a bit so y'all could enjoy.....

Several on here are heading for the fainting couch and reaching for the smelling salts, having looked at these photos and maybe even understanding what they're looking at. I know better than to name names. I can learn.

That said, there's not much more satisfying than digging into an engine, finding the issue, fixing it, and enjoying the result, part of which is saving hundreds (or in your case, probably thousands) of dollars.

Michaell

I may not have the aptitude, the patience, or the tools to take on a challenge like that, but I do enjoy the description and the photos.

And, I’ll watch the occasional YT video on car repairs. I’ve learned a lot about how ICE’s work.

Fascinating stuff.

xwesx

ab348 said:

Geez, @xwesx , that’s simply incredible and a tremendous effort on your part. I’m surprised by the amount of what looks like oil sludge coating the area you exposed. Is that what it is? Is that normal?

No, not really much to any sludge at all. If anything, I would call what coats the top of the block along the sides of the cylinders "gunk;" in other words, it is just a sheen of oil and/or coolant embedded dust/dirt that has accumulated there. It actually cleaned up fairly well with just rags.

Sludge tends to be internal to the engine and is usually the result of poor circulation resulting in baked/gelled oil. Not good to have. There was some sludge inside the "dead" area underneath the oil cooler adapter, most likely the result of some seepage that allowed fluids in that cavity where it just sat.

Anyhow, tonight's progress to follow....

xwesx

Tonight saw me through to the final disassembly of the oil cooler at the top of the engine and initial cleanup of the surrounding area. If you'll recall, this is where I left it last night:


After spending another half hour or so soaking up the coolant/oil mix in there and ringing out my rag (over and over and over again!), I removed the oil cooler adapter plate and a vacuum-actuated coolant valve called a "cooling bypass line adapter" that mounts on the back side of the plate. I spent another hour or so after that continuing to carefully soak up fluids and, finally, drying out/initially cleaning the area.






I think this gets me to the end of the primary disassembly stage. I decided to replace the water pump while I'm doing this job along with an assembly called the "oil filter and thermostat housing assembly." These seem like odd bed fellows to share the same assembly, but that's German engineering! There's a method to their madness. As such, I will continue over the next few days by removing those parts and thoroughly cleaning the top and front of the engine in preparation for reassembly.

I just finished ordering all the parts I need because I really didn't have a good idea of what I *would* need when I started this project. Given the cost of them and the sheer number of part numbers involved, I figured this was the safer (albeit slower) route. Based on this order, it looks like this job will set me back about $1,300 (not including replacement fluids, which I already have on hand).

xwesx

Oh, and if you'll notice in that last photo that shows the block side of the oil cooler adapter plate's mating surface, The larger "square" section in the middle has a lot of gasket transfer from the plate side. Based on the condition of that gasket, I'm about 98% certain that this was the source of my coolant leak. I'm going to need to clean that surface up really well so that I get a good seal.

kyfdx

E46 BMWs are pretty famous for the Oil Filter Housing Gasket going bad. It really makes a mess. Dealer: 2 hours cleaning before we can make a diagnosis.

Which is why I use an independent. Still, it's a lot of work.

qbrozen

@xwesx , dang, that is lovely. Gotta love Audi.

Question: what the heck is that hose at the top pf the pic that looks like it is made of duct tape? It appears to be well clogged.

I would probably replace all those rubber hoses and clamps while under there, BTW.