Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

jayrider

If that's the only issue you have with the car, I'd live with it until it becomes a problem. Cruising at 65 in 5th gear what are the rpm's ? Maybe you need the engine spinning a bit more to get the response you want in 5th gear. How does it perform in cruise control at 65 ?

stickguy

28, is this problem from before you got the new TC, or after? or both?

if before, it sounds like it could be tranny related, but if it continued after the replacement not as likely!

ronsteve

"Don't even bother looking at anything else; just find the right BMW. You and I both know that you won't really be happy with anything else- and I don't want to listen to you complain about the car you are driving for another four years."

Four years? That's enough to get your CCB card pulled!

Sandman6472

But Road,buying the right car, just like most of your current stable, so why torture yourself & her also. The right car is out there just waiting to be found and you will find it...eventually. Remember, life is all about timing, pure and simple. You don't know me at all, but the one thing in life that I've learned
over these past 56 years is that things happen in life for a reason with timing being the key ingredient...timing is the key!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

28firefighter

Stick, the problem was present both before and after but now that the TC was replaced it is very easy to explain.

When driving at 65mph, the rpms are 2250. When I lightly press the accelerator to speed up instead of the engine revving and me speeding up, it will drop to say 1800rpms and not increase in speed. If I want more power even a bit, I have to punch it and force a downshift. Happens in regular, sport and tiptronic mode.

We shall see...

roadburner

Four years? That's enough to get your CCB card pulled!

Three actually; I bought my 1975 2002 in late 2008.

corvette

TC still slipping or possibly a valve body problem? Disclaimer: These are just guesses--what I know about transmissions will fit on a post-it. :mad:

stickguy

I know about as much as you, but it seems suspicious. Wonder if the tranny was otherwise compromised? either that, or it wasn't the TC? something caused it to fail though.

Heck, that's why I drive a stick!

crkyolfrt

Now from that description, I wonder if there is a dead spot on your DBW potentiometer?

From your first post I too was thinking fuel starved. Now, less so.

Think too if the TC communicates with the FI if a bad sensor measuring at that threshold, is creating a symptom like a dead spot on a DBW.

28firefighter

Things were much improved on the commute this morning, but frankly I have no idea why. The car seems to be pulling much harder than it was - I wonder if it had to do with the fuel/oxygen adaptations finally updating from the DME update.

Also, the e46 later models are not a drive by wire IIRC, I believe it is a throttle position sensor that takes care of determining the position of the accelerator.

We'll see - I'm not holding my breath that anything is better just yet.

kyfdx

Stuck in traffic on the interstate this evening... I'm following a Grand Prix... I think a turn of the century model.. It has after-market smoked tail-light lenses... They look dark gray, then the normal red when the brakes are applied.... which was a lot, due to the traffic..

They just looked really strange when they lit up...like they were moving.. and, then I realized.. The right taillight was 60% full of water! And, it was sloshing around.. The left one was about 25% full...

I have no idea how the bulbs were still working, or why the rest of the wiring wasn't shorted out...

corvette

I hate the smoked head/tail lights. Talk about a safety hazard (of course, so are vehicles with inoperative lights, which is even more common).

au1994

I can't stand 'em either. In states that require a vehicle inspection, I can't believe they are legal. Even states that don't require an inspection for that matter.

What can make sense about dimming the signal to everyone on the road that you are stopping or reducing the amount you can see at night?

isellhondas

You would THINK that everybody would want their tailights to be as bright as can be to alert other drivers.

So, let's smoke them to reduce the light output by probably 50% and let's be sure to buy cheap aftermarket ones that leak water.

While we are at it, let's tint our side windows as dark as the law allows to reduce our night vision and let's do this in Seattle where the sun rarely comes out!

Sandman6472

Sometimes people amaze me with their choices like the ones mentioned above...seems pretty stupid to spend $ on these things which add no benefit to the car. Some mods are really ridiculous yet some just add to the goodness of the car. Larger tires/wheels can help when we're talking about 14" or 15" tires...can make the car drive more smoothly when the right application is used. Or something like a strut tower brace in the engine compartment. Useful add-ons. Or for me, adding an amp & better speakers since I enjoy music so much when I drive. Just wish I had the aux so I could listen to my ipod...that came out in the '07 model, not the '06 that I've got. Now that was a stupid decision to not add it to the '06 model year. But I think y'all get my drift here.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

tjc78

Just wish I had the aux so I could listen to my ipod.

They sell modules that can add that if desired. I had it done to my 06 Avalon for around $200.00.

rayainsw

'Or for me, adding an amp & better speakers..'
You mean like in this Corvette?

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v298/rayainsw/overthetopVette/?action=view&cur- rent=P1260652OverTheTop.jpg

au1994

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for personalizing a vehicle. Heck, I had a Jeep for a while which is the king of aftermarket parts.

What I don"t get is stuff like the smoked lenses which are just dangerous, IMO or in the case of the Jeep, jacking it up so high to the point it is dangerous, uncomfortable and drinks gas down into the single digit MPG's. Just overkill.

nippononly

Some mods are really ridiculous yet some just add to the goodness of the car. Larger tires/wheels can help when we're talking about 14" or 15" tires..

What I think is really ridiculous is when I drive through the poorer parts of the area, and I will see $2500 cars like 10-12 year old Buicks and Cadillacs (and the occasional 20 year old Lexus) with $5000 in rims and tires installed, often in radii so big (22", 24", or more) that they had to RAISE the car's body to fit the wheels underneath. Those things must ride like crap, they must be hard to get into, and really? Spending $5000 on glitzy rims in the aftermarket just to be installed on a tired old car that is about to breathe its last??

Some very questionable choices there....

When I am looking for used cars, I automatically ignore any ads for cars with aftermarket rims. It may limit my choices a bit, but not enough that I can't still find a sweetheart car in the model of my choice.

fintail

I'm the same way when looking at used MB - aftermarket wheels are usually a bad sign, especially if they are blingy off brand stuff. I also don't like to see aftermarket stereo gear.

kyfdx

... the interesting part was that they were full of water....

(pay attention.. there will be a quiz at the end of the week...lol)

laurasdada

"I have no idea how the bulbs were still working, or why the rest of the wiring wasn't shorted out... "

Must have been Lucas electronics. Only work below sea level!

kyfdx

Speaking of Lucas...

I could go for a Newcastle...

corvette

Got the new Pirelli tires installed today. Wasn't planning to pull the trigger so soon, but I went to a local walking trail last night, and when I got back in the car, the TPMS light was on. When I got home and pulled in the garage, I could hear air escaping from the right front tire. I found a medium sized hole in it. Knowing it wouldn't make it until morning, I went ahead and installed the mini spare.

Cost to mount and balance 4 new tires and dispose of the old ones and do a four-wheel alignment was $137, not bad in my book.

No complaints in the 20 miles or so I've driven on the Pirellis.

roadburner

I'm the same way when looking at used MB - aftermarket wheels are usually a bad sign, especially if they are blingy off brand stuff. I also don't like to see aftermarket stereo gear.

Me too. I won't even consider a BMW with chrome pimpmobile wheels; if the owner is that stupid I can only imagine the quality of maintenance the car has received...

akangl

They sell modules that can add that if desired. I had it done to my 06 Avalon for around $200.00.

Yup, they do, the best one I've seen is by USA SPEC, they make several honda specific ones. I had one added to the Pilot on Tuesday and so far it works flawlessly. Its iPod specific, so will work with any iPod and iPhone, also charges the unit.

So far I've added autostart (can start the Pilot from my iPhone), HIDs, iPod adapter, running boards, and vent shades.

I may tint the windows a bit more, depends if the shop is going to use my car as a donor for their tinting class or not.

Next on my list is a sport bar and some off road lights for the front, that's probably it for the Pilot. I'm really happy with how it is now. The HIDs are amazing, very happy with how much more light they put out than the stock halogens.

isellhondas

I agree on the wheels. They do nothing but detract from the value.

When we took in trades we would actually deduct for aftermarket wheels unless the owner had the stock ones to give us.

Another problem is the fact that if one of the wheels gets damaged, there is a VERY good chance you will never be able to match it since they discontinue wheel styles almost as soon as the make them.

Window tinting would kill the sale on used cars. We would pay a professional to remove it on cars that were traded in. It's miserable to get off once it's been applied.

tjc78

I've seen the USA-spec adapter. Nice unit, I had the Peripheral iPod2Car its basically the same thing. The wire for it was in the center console, and it charged and controlled the Ipod from the radio or steering wheel controls. The only thing that didn't integrate was the titles didn't show on the radio display. My current car does that, its a nice touch.

stickguy

I have a usa spec unit in my Odyssey. Works great. charges the ipod, and integrates the stereo buttons (to skip songs), but nothing on the display (only 1 line on that car anyway).

the other nice feature is that it also has a set of RCA jacks too, which I used to plug in my XM unit. Doesn't charge it, or integrate to the stereo, but does eliminate the crappy FM modulation connection.

Sandman6472

$137.00 is all you paid for all that? How much was each tire, like 15 bucks? Something's not right here??? :confuse:

The Sandman :confuse: :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

Didn't the Pilot come with an aux plug in or a USB port so the ipod could just be plugged in? Strange since it's a more upscale SUV.

The Sandman :confuse: :sick: :shades:

akangl

Didn't the Pilot come with an aux plug in or a USB port so the ipod could just be plugged in? Strange since it's a more upscale SUV.

It has an AUX port but after a week of trying to make that work I gave up and had the USA SPEC ipod adapter put in. The AUX port didn't like to keep a cable plugged in, you could only hear 1/2 the song before having to fuss with it again. Very distracting while driving.

The only way to get a USB port on the Pilot was to purchase an EX-L/Nav or a Touring, neither of which are sold in Alaska due to the Nav not working here.

I'm having a brush guard and offroad lights installed in a couple weeks, that's about all I'm doing as far as add-ons. If I do tint it will only be if its free, otherwise I won't bother.

Hubby is looking at small SUVs, he's thinking hard about trading the Civic in. He drove a CR-V today, but I could tell when he got back he wasn't thrilled with it. I'm at a loss on what to point him towards in that price range and fuel economy bracket.

stever

I think he already had the tires and that was the cost to install all of them?

Akangl, I just don't get the Nav issue. Garmins work fine in Alaska, even with the satellites way over on the horizon. Maybe the maps aren't updated too good, but I don't understand why the Nav wouldn't work there. Too cheap to put AK maps in the unit?

I got a new GPS for a recent trip to Puerto Rico and it has Alaska maps in it. Even downtown Talkeetna. Looks like Honda could get it figured out.

corvette

Indeed. I bought and paid for the tires a few weeks ago. Was going to wait until the next service to install them, but got a flat Tuesday. $137 was the cost of installation, disposal, and an alignment.

stickguy

small SUV? Give the Hyundai Tuscon a hard look. Nissan Rouge is a good deal too.

kyfdx

Look at the Rogue, too....

Sandman6472

Have sat in a couple of these at the dealership in the past few weeks & was unimpressed with the interiors...just o k. The Tuscon I sat in had nice seats & dash layout...a bit more modern. They seemed to be a bit big, would like something that's the same size as my current Civic. But I'd bet there are better incentives for the Nissan since it's already 3 or 4 years into the current generation. The exterior of them is pretty nice so it'll all come down to how they each drive. Since they're both car based, the ride should be pretty nice overall. Any hatch is going to have some noises & other sounds, such is the nature of the beast.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

mark156

Akangl, I just can believe your hubby was not totally impressed with the CR-V. I would like to hear what he was disappointed about.

If I remember correctly, our NAV on the CR-V worked in Canada when we took the motorhome around Lake Superior in the summer of '08. I think I would have remembered it not working. Even if I didn't punch in an address, I use the map feature to see what streets are around.

I just recently bought a new NAV CD ($189) since we tow the CR-V around the country. Once the motorhome is parked, the CR-V is our true adventure seeker. I wanted the most current up to date CD as new roads are built all the time. The NAV has saved us many times..... wouldn't have a car without one.

Mark156

fezo

The only way to get a USB port on the Pilot was to purchase an EX-L/Nav or a Touring, neither of which are sold in Alaska due to the Nav not working here.

That's pretty sad considering the rental base Hyundai Accent I had six months ago had a USB port. Crank windows and no power locks but it had a USB port.

Sandman6472

Hyundai really has come a long way in the past few years, sort of like Honda & Toyota were in the early '90's. I see great things for this company & we're lucky...we already own one!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

akangl

I just can believe your hubby was not totally impressed with the CR-V. I would like to hear what he was disappointed about.

His biggest complaint was lack of legroom, he said it was uncomfortable. That's an issue he has in most cars, his Civic included, although not as bad as the CR-V.

He drove a Hyundai Tuscon last night and loved it, said the legroom was great, but its been kinda kicked off the list since you have to buy a fully loaded limited with nav to get a sunroof. With a price tag over $30k thats not going to happen.

I'm pushing him towards a Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium, all the options he wants for $27k and its a Subaru. He'll drive one next week, hopefully its comfortable enough. I understand where he is coming from, he spends 4-5 hours in his car on the drive to work, it needs to fit and be comfortable.

On another note, after almost wrecking the Pilot yesterday, it now has new winter tires. That was scary, tried to make a turn and it plowed straight ahead in the deep snow, nearly hitting another SUV, thankfully she got out of the way. :sick:

kyfdx

Was looking at an Acura RDX, today... at the car show.. (not directly..that front end could put an eye out!). It states right on the sticker, that the NAV won't work in Alaska...

It just amazes me that car manufacturers can sell technology in a new car for $2K, that isn't even as good as what you can buy for $100 at Best Buy.

stever

Pretty pitiful.

kyfdx

The new Saab 9-4X crossover is a nice looking unit... Heck, I didn't even know Saab was coming out with this! You'd think the SUV Host would have clued me in.... oh, wait... never mind.

My wife has an X3, and wants the new one when her lease is up in October... From the show, I'd say the X3, Saab 9-4X and the Volvo XC60 are at the top of the list, with the Tiguan and RDX next..

Why not the Q5? Tight access getting in the front seat.. Audi B-pillars seem very far forward, compared to other vehicles...

If it was my choice, I'd pick the MINI Countryman... but, she hates the way it looks..

roadburner

If it was my choice, I'd pick the MINI Countryman... but, she hates the way it looks...

My wife recently said that she wants to drive the X3 for another year or two and then trade it for a CPO Countryman- although she also wants to check out the X1 when BMW NA finally decides to bring it over here. The only problem with the Mini is that the dealer group that got the franchise doesn't have a very good track record when it comes to service...

akangl

Was looking at an Acura RDX, today... at the car show.. (not directly..that front end could put an eye out!). It states right on the sticker, that the NAV won't work in Alaska...

It just amazes me that car manufacturers can sell technology in a new car for $2K, that isn't even as good as what you can buy for $100 at Best Buy.

As far as I know the Acura Nav is hard drive based and will work in Alaska. The Honda Nav is CD based so will not work in Alaska. Of course XM radio won't work up here either.

I had the first issue with my Pilot today, was getting ready for a birthday party and had to set up the 3rd row which meant I had to take out the husky cargo liner. I could not get the rear hatch open, I tried for a bit, hubby tried, nothing. My daughter noticed it was caught on the rear bumper, on closer inspection, yup, it was. So it will go into the dealer on Tuesday and hopefully they will fix it, I really need the rear hatch to open.

My daughter and her friend said the 3rd row is horrible, lol.

lilengineerboy

That's pretty sad considering the rental base Hyundai Accent I had six months ago had a USB port. Crank windows and no power locks but it had a USB port.

Honda lags with stuff like that...they don't have a passive entry system on any of their cars, their iPod interface is poor, etc. They are definitely technology followers. European cars are typically technology leaders (for better or worse) and Asian manufacturers are typically followers (Lexus had tape decks in some of their vehicles until last year).

Hyundai and Ford seem to be pushing technology on mainstream vehicles, primarily to attract buyers and gain market share.

mark156

You know, I really don't care for the auto start button feature that's offered on cars now. The Bentley has a choice of using the key as it has an ignition but the Land Rover does not.

I like the Honda for that reason, not too techie. I guess I'm getting old, I like a regular key ignition because it gives you a place to keep the key in the car as I really don't like the key fob in my pocket. The key fobs are kinda bulky and I forget sometimes if I valet the car, I walk off with the key in my pocket and they can't bring the car back without the key! LOL!

Mark156

ab348

Agreed. Karl Brauer over at Inside Line actually did a good piece recently on the perils of pushbutton start/keyless techno in cars, and concluded that it is largely ill-designed and poorly implemented. I don't like it either. And now I see where GM has announced their version of MyFord Touch, more useless techno junk.

Actually Karl has a couple of articles on this. Here's the FIRST, and here's the SECOND.

kyfdx

I'm betting against it, since it states it right on the Monroney sticker...

It's also possible that the RDX and the MDX don't use the same system...