Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

ateixeira

I use a California water blade, then just wipe the outer edges with a slightly damp cloth.

I timed it right as we got seriously heavy rains that evening, and the water beaded up and rolled off nicely.

It's pollen season here so before that there was that yellow film on the whole car. From some angles the car looks green (it's blue).

Hoping this keeps the pollen from sticking.

abacomike

I did a Rain-X treatment on 2 of my cars.

Who else hates the residue on your hands when you're done? I should wear gloves!

I used to use RainX on all my cars, but the newer cars like Mercedes, Lexus, BMW, etc., have a permanent chemical on the front windshield that disperses the rain water from the windshield while driving. At speeds of 40+ mph, I don't use my wipers unless it is a torrential downpour.

I believe RainX treatments last for 3-6 months, if I'm not mistaken. Great product, but yes, it leaves a residue on your hands - I used to apply it with gloves on.

stickguy

interesting. It is odd that the rear wheels get much dirtier than the fronts on the volvo. Never had a backwards car like that before.

and the pollen here is terrible. I washed the RDX, then did the interior, before putting it back in the garage. When I took it out later, I realized it had a layer of green all over it, and I don't really have any trees near the driveway.

tjc78

Yeah, didn't even bother washing the cars this weekend. They will be covered in an hour.

stickguy

I had to. they were filthy.

I do have a big California Car Duster that does a good job taking the pollen off if it is dry. That keeps them looking better.

michaellno

Did a little preventative maintenance on the CX-7 today. Took it to my local auto parts place to have the battery checked. Was only putting out 337 cold cranking amps, so I bought a new one. 5 year warranty for $122.

While I was there, I had them install the K&N air filter I've had for the past six months. Between the two, I had to reset the radio presets and clear a check engine light -too much air getting in.

Seems to run better but I'll let the wife decide.

steine13

Guys,
I haven't really been a member in good standing -- I used to be years ago -- but what happened this weekend makes me rethink the "keeper" mentality.

I've probably mentioned this before, but my wife is an antique dealer on the side; no big deal, a little profit here and there, but it's something she enjoys doing. So we always keep a vehicle that can haul, and I don't mean 0-60. The last decade, it's been the 2003 Sienna that we bought when our daughter was little.. a year from now, she might be taking lessons in it. Anyway...

This week is the Ann Arbor show. So Madame drives down there Fri morning to set up; Sat she'll take her Cruze (daily driver); Sunday she takes the van, loads it up at the end of the day, and drives home. That was the plan.

Friday she calls me as I'm leaving work: She's sorry but something's wrong with the car. Tire pressure warning light is on, there's a noise, and a horrible smell outside. Only started as she was coming back into town.

Long story short, front right caliper is stuck, wheel gets hot, pressure goes up, light comes on, pads burn up... it all makes sense. And needs fixed. By Sunday morning.

How can this be? These were just replaced, no? A quick record check shows they were done alright: In 2008. So they're bad again, right on schedule. Great. Home Improvement gets put on hold, and this thing needs to be done by Oh-dark-thirty Sunday. Autozone has the parts on hand, and theyr'e reasonably inexpensive: $300 for calipers/rotors/pads for both sides, including some small parts. $80 back in core charges, if I'm lucky.

I spent most of Saturday just doing one side. The bleeder screw comes off because it's "froze up," as we say in the midwest -- there goes the core return. The rotor will -not- come off period. A google search unearths three trusted methods: beat it off with a sledge hammer, cut it off with a sawzall, or get it red-hot with a torch before breaking it loose. I settle on the sledge hammer method, aided and assisted by PB blaster. After two hours, the rotor is off, and the rest of the job goes more or less OK.

But the point is this: Here in the rust belt, if a car absolutely needs to run, the best bet might be to buy a new one every six years or so. Two years ago, nothing bad actually happened, but there were some incidents of hard starting. Two hours from home with the van loaded to the gills, that's no fun. I had the intake manifold cleaned and that fixed it, but even that took a couple, three hours of 'net research.

Tomorrow, I'll tackle the driver's side on the van, and hey, the Vibe is 6 years old and one of the brake pads is getting thin, so guess what, might as well do a full brake job on that as well. Meanwhile, I have a house that needs renovating, an interesting job that I really enjoy, and little time or patience for this car stuff.

I don't know what I'll do.. reasonably sized minivans are no longer to be had. The Mazda5 would be OK but I don't think it'll be big enough... and no flat load surface with the seats down. Everything else has gotten absolutely monstrous.
And a Transit Connect is $24k sticker for a pretty cheesy vehicle. We shall see.

Thanks for letting me vent. At any rate, I feel a second punch coming on for 2013.

Cheers -Mathias

abacomike

Thanks for letting me vent. At any rate, I feel a second punch coming on for 2013.

I am a fairly new poster here, but I can tell you one thing - your venting allowed me to "vent" my need to chuckle to myself because your "vented" thoughts were truly therapeutic for those of us in need of a place to vent our frustrations. In layman's terms, I enjoyed reading your post - great job of getting what's on your chest off your chest. And thanks for the "chuckle!"

stickguy

I agree about the reliability aspect. Sure, you can milk anything with enough time and money, but that doesn't do anything for the trust aspect.

In our house, my wife has no tolerance for getting stranded. 1 strike rule. And I don't have the tools or deep knowledge to work on it myself so will be dealing with a shop.

Her car also does the travelling duty, and that is often done at odd times (nights, sundays) and through the middle of nowhere. Not a place you want to be breaking down.

so once her wheels start getting needy or persnickety, we will be shopping!

I can put up with more for my car, since that is for around town duty and does not get used much, but I still don't want something that I can't relatively depend on.

I know what you mean too about rust belt. Some of the stuff I see on the roads in upper NYS scares me.

Sandman6472

With almost 119k on the clock and a wonkey a/c unit, I have a feeling that we may not make it till 2014 for a new ride for Mrs. Sandman but as we discussed tonight, if things do go south quickly, we can always park the Mazda temporarily and use the daughter's Accent for a time. Personally for the amount she drives, she does not need a vehicle to sit in her apartment parking lot but the wife feels differently. We live about a 20 minute ride away from her so if we're needed, it is very close for us to get there. I again mentioned to her that she really needs to try a few vehicles so she makes the correct choice when the time does come. Personally, I do not think she'll be totally happy with an Accent and think the Kia Rio is a better vehicle and a better looking one. The size though may be a problem on a daily basis. I have convinced her to use the Accent when the kid is on school break & park the Mazda at her apartment for a few days at least. She needs to see if she can live with the smaller size and less powerful vehicle...personally, I think she really needs to get the same size one she has now or one with at least as much power. But at the end of the day, it is going to be her vehicle and it is her funds that will be used for this purchase.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

qbrozen

I was thinking about our van this weekend too. We haven't had it all that long but have over 72k miles on it, 50k of which are ours. In that time, it has warped the rotors, continues to eat tires, given up the ghost of the DVD player, broken the third row (still not replaced as I fight with an online junkyard to get my money back), and now this weekend it went into an overheating fit. Jury is still out on that one, but adding about 1.5 liters of water/coolant stopped it. If that was the only problem, the question is where the hell did that water/coolant go?? So I'm concerned about that now.

tjc78

But at the end of the day, it is going to be her vehicle and it is her funds that will be used for this purchase

Sandman, you don't have to answer this and I won't be offended. A little before my wife and got married we joined bank accounts, credit cards, etc. It made everything so much easier working out of a community "pot". We have friends that seem to keep things separate, like it appears you do. How does that work? It just seems like it would be easy to fight over who pays what.

As for the car, IMO a Civic, Corolla, Focus, Elantra etc is just so much more car than an Accent or Rio. At the end of the day for a few thousand more you get a more roomy powerful car at a small FE penalty. A good friend of mine just picked up a loaded Focus. Wow, small cars have come a long way. It's really nice.

tjc78

If that was the only problem, the question is where the hell did that water/coolant go?? So I'm concerned about that now.

Uh oh, head gasket time.

qbrozen

thought about that, but i'm not seeing any other evidence. It is very strange. And, on top of that, it didn't suck the coolant from the overflow tank. The tank was locked in at the minimum level, yet the radiator took all of that coolant/water to top off. Then I ran it up to temp again and it held steady while the tank stayed at minimum, so I topped that off, too.

Sandman6472

My pension check goes into our joint account as does most everything else. She was an only child and was on her moms accounts which passed to her when she died. Thus, she has her own funds from her mom which she keeps separate and I have no knowledge of what assets she has...she uses these funds to purchase her vehicles. I also have some funds and some more in the pipeline from my side of the family which I also use to purchase my vehicles. We also have separate business accounts now since we're both independent contractors at our jobs to pay our quarterlies. So it really isn't that complicated and it works...eventually our kids will get what's ever left. I've had a contentious relationship with my siblings, 2 of whom have since passed, over our parents estates and I am now executor of my dad's estate but not my mom's...pretty crazy stuff due to dysfunctionality and parents who had assets. No offense, but I hate lawyers...and they are really expensive!

She wants a small vehicle next time which I disagree with...I think your choices are right inline with my choices and we have discussed this at length but she's quite stubborn and wants what she wants! So I told her to check 'em all out and let me test drive the final product that she wants and then we'll negotiate. It's just not worth it to go round and round here, trust me on this!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fintail

So she has say in her vehicles and has her own money, but you can't buy the car you really want? Time to lay down the law, makes me glad I'm single :shades:

tjc78

Thanks for the explanation! I see what you mean now, from reading your posts I couldn't put a handle on exactly what you meant. I also completely understand the "wants what she wants" comment. This is something I learned during the wedding plans. Yes, dear!

ateixeira

she has her own funds from her mom which she keeps separate and I have no knowledge of what assets she has

I read it differently than fin.

You're a closet Sugar Baby and you don't even know it! :shades:

Time to get something nice for yourself. Your backup plan are those assets you know little about.

Plus, leave something for the kids and that could de-motivate them, you gotta spend it on yourself!

I should start a CCB Support Group...

sb55

"Happy wife, happy life"!

How come "Happy husband, happy life" just doesn't work the same?

stickguy

because it has never been tried?

stickguy

AKA the continuing saga of the Acura TL.

in our last episode, the TL was taking multiple rides on a flatbed to the Ithaca Honda dealer to finally get a new battery and Alternator. So since the fall it has been running fine.

But, today get a call from the kid telling me the back window was down and wouldn't go up. both switches did the same thing (some grunchy noise trying to go down, and nothing going up). He called back to say he tried again, and heard some bank, and now the door rattles when he closes it.

and of course, it had to be down when it happened (and they go all the way down, so can't even grab it to try and pull it up). And he has to park outside behind the house he lives in.

So, it will be heading back to the dealer tomorrow afternoon to get taken apart. I assume it is the regulator/motor but who knows. Or how long for them to get parts at the Honda dealer for it.

The dang car couldn't wait 1 more month, since he graduates and comes home Memorial day weekend. But I guarantee, as soon as he (please!) finds a job, this car is going. Almost made it through graduation, but still, for 5+ years it has been overall a good car, just feeling its age, usage and 170K miles at this point.

corvette

I've never owned one, but I would assume that it's common for minivans to eat brakes and (especially) tires because they have to move a lot of weight when they start/stop/corner. Also, I think most minivans use passenger car tires instead of truck/SUV tires, which might be more durable for handling that kind of weight without wearing out.

ateixeira

Shouldn't be a complicated fix....

ateixeira

Knock on wood but I've only changed tires and battery once in 61k in my van. Just add gas.

I wash it whenever it rains.

stickguy

not cheap though. I called my local Acura dealer and the part is $170 (rear window regulator/motor) and labor is $180. So most likely looking at $350 or so from the local Honda dealer (he is 4 hours away from here).

no, assuming that is the problem, not a gigantic deal. Just really annoying since I was probably not keeping the car that much longer, and this is lost money (meaning no ROI).

and going back to Mathais' post yesterday, why it can be really tedious trying to milk the old wheels too long.

stickguy

our odyssey was not that bad. the OEM michelins were shot in 30K, but the replacement Yokos were doing OK at 45K on them when I sold it. Had at least another 5K left.

Brakes? I just did pads (didn't touch rotors) at 75K, though I did have the pads (front) replaced under warranty at about 18K.

given the size of the beast and the loads it carried, 50K+ on pads is OK.

nyccarguy

Stick, my senior year @ Ithaca, the driver's window of my 1992 Chevy Beretta GT fell partially into the door head first. The window. Was so big and heavy that it literally separated itself from the channels. This was a problem that the dealer, glass place, & body shop could not fix correctly. It just happened to me in the dead of winter! I was able to pull it up & not use the window, but it was damn cold.

corvette

"No offense, but I hate lawyers...and they are really expensive!"

None taken... For what it's worth, from what I can gather, many lawyers hate their jobs much of the time.

roadburner

not cheap though. I called my local Acura dealer and the part is $170 (rear window regulator/motor) and labor is $180. So most likely looking at $350 or so from the local Honda dealer (he is 4 hours away from here).

no, assuming that is the problem, not a gigantic deal. Just really annoying since I was probably not keeping the car that much longer, and this is lost money (meaning no ROI).

The day before I sold the 528i I lowered the RR window-so I could hear a local sports radio show-while I was putting a few gallons of gas in the tank. Up to that time I hadn't lowered that window for months. So of course the regulator grenaded. I managed to get the window shut and then I called the buyer and said that I'd either subtract the cost of the fix from the sales price or else she could take it to my indie shop(which she also used) and I'd pay for the fix. Perfect timing- for the buyer, at least... :P

stickguy

if he could have gotten the window up I would have ignored the problem, at least until he got home. But dropping all the way into the door (apparently on that car, they can do that!) took that option out of play.

maintaining an old car is hard enough, doing it from 250 miles away is a real pain.

steine13

I have faith in American retail.

Did the driver's side on the van in 1/2 the time -- as usual; the tools are out, and I know how hard to swing the hammer to beat the rotor off.

Everything goes fine & dandy until...
... I torque the banjo bolt into the caliper and strip it. With a torque wrench set to 23 lb. ft. no less.

Upon inspection, I didn't strip the bolt, but the reman caliper had stripped threads, which were helpfully painted over after rebuilding. At least there won't be a discussion who screwed it up.

As it turned out, not only was there no discussion, but the Autozone location that had another caliper -- not the one I bought the original parts -- swapped it out for me free of charge as a "warranty" item. That was really nice of them. I'll still have to shlep to the original store to return the cores and a couple of items that didn't get used, but overall, I'm happy. Did a quick test drive; tomorrow I top off the fluid (in daylight, thank you very much) and torque everything down and do an extended drive.

Then I'll do the Vibe, I guess.
REALLY puts the $133 lease payment on the Cruze into perspective.

Of course, I'm biking to work now the weather is finally warm-ish.

And ditto on the minivan tire-eaters. These vehicles would really benefit from LT tires and 45 psi pressure. I'm putting 40 in mine.

Cheers -Mathias

corvette

My dad and I traveled to Austin, TX this past weekend for the MotoGP race at Circuit of the Americas. I found a great deal on a compact car from Budget ($15 per day plus the various exorbitant fees and taxes they tack on), and they suggested I might get a Ford Focus, which I was excited about because I haven't driven the current model. When we arrived, I was given a 2012 Nissan Xterra S 4WD. Here are a few brief impressions.

The Xterra is really showing its age. The current model was introduced as a 2005 model, and was reasonably competitive at that time. The mid-grade 2012 example I drove had very little standard equipment. The key, remote, and the position of the ignition were the same as my 2002 Altima, and the brake pedal feel was similar. Oddly, this was endearing to me, since I've owned a couple of Nissans in the past. The 4.0 liter V6 has a decent amount of torque and sounds like a V8 at times, but it's not a fast vehicle, and in 2WD mode, the rear tires break loose very easily on gravel in spite of their 265mm width. Unlike most of Nissan's lineup, there is no keyless ignition or passive entry. The 2012 model is lacking in creature comforts. The MSRP was slightly under $30,000, and it lacked keyless ignition, an external temperature display, a trip computer, a cargo cover, a USB input, or any auxiliary audio input at all. These are features I have come to expect as standard in pretty much any vehicle made after 2010 or so. In 2013, the Xterra has been updated with an improved audio system which includes aux-in and USB, and the MSRP has been significantly lowered.

Driving the Xterra is a little awkward due to the giant blind spots to the front and rear. These blind spots are not as bad as the Honda Element, but Nissan could have done a lot better. In 2013, the optional navigation system does include a rearview camera, but this doesn't completely eliminate the blind spots. The ride is relatively bouncy, as I would expect from a body-on-frame vehicle with (I think) a live axle. Still, the ride is better than the 2004 GMC Canyon I used to occasionally drive. My example had an infuriating rattle from the rear cargo area at low speeds. Oddly enough, out on the highway, the Xterra did really well, other than the fact that I averaged under 20 MPG the entire time. One of the toll roads I drove on had an 85 MPH limit, and there was a high-pitched whistling wind noise above 85. The cruise control in most recent Nissans will not go above 89 MPH, so this was my cruising speed for that leg of the trip. The interior has a lot of hard surfaces, as is to be expected for this segment, but I could probably let my neighbors' boxer puppy chew on it for several weeks, and it would still look the same. Still, it's possible to include a few creature comforts like a trip computer and an auxiliary audio input in an inexpensive interior.

After a couple of days of driving the Xterra, I came to a damning realization: Back in 2007, I rented a 2.7 liter Dodge Charger sedan, which was a severely decontented (and uncompetitive) model sold only to the car rental fleets. I refused to consider any Chrysler/Jeep product for several years thereafter. If my first impression of Nissan was my rental of this 2012 Xterra, which I also feel is uncompetitive, I probably would not have considered any Nissan product for several years, which is why Nissan desperately needs to either update the Xterra or kill it off entirely. I don't expect it to ride and handle like a 350z or have an interior as good as a Maxima, but a few creature comforts and fewer blind spots would go a long way. I might even decide I needed another Nissan in the stable! :P

crkyolfrt

Pretty sure it's been tried..
But it is well known among victims, that a man's primary thinking and reasoning organ, gets mixed messages from below the shoulders (the heart) but then gets even more complex messages lying in a region well below that. Now that area can really complicate an otherwise fairly (seemingly) content life..

corvette

"REALLY puts the $133 lease payment on the Cruze into perspective."

Yeah, not only are you practically driving that car for free (only a few oil changes and tire rotations--the brakes and tires will last way beyond the term of the lease), you're getting the best 2-3 years of its life.

The left xenon bulb on my GLI flickers ever so slightly when the car is sitting still, and not so slightly when the car is going over rough pavement. Between that and the "Dunpop" tires, VW had better hope that JD Power doesn't send me a survey! :lemon:

crkyolfrt

Interesting, if not discouraging.. review on the Pathfinder wannabee.

Sounds like among their oversights, they shouldn't make that one available to rental companies.

I've never understood the Xterra after its first two years or so. Fish outta water for too much money when the Pathfinder checks all the boxes for just not that much more cost. It too quickly suffered a ridiculously high MSRP (Pathfinder territory of the times) considering the content, and your review confirms it on an up to date basis. Must make Nissan a PILE of money for those not in the know.

corvette

On the plus side, the pricing was lowered for 2013, and although a sunroof is apparently unavailable, I found that due to its aerodynamics, you can at least partially lower both front windows at speed with very little buffeting.

The current gen is in its ninth production year (which makes the rattle from the rear inexcusable) and is way overdue for a redesign. The current one wouldn't be that bad if it didn't have the jiggle of a live axle, and added a couple of creature comforts. There aren't many new smaller body-on-frame SUVs left in the marketplace, though. It's the Xterra, FJ Cruiser, Wrangler, or a pickup truck, unless there's one I've forgotten.

crkyolfrt

I have fond memories of my old 87 Pathfinder. Was a great truck. Somehow..over the years.. they lost their way and I attribute the inception of how they have marketed/built the Xterra (your comment about about the rattle..and I agree..no excuse whatsoever) a contributing factor. And of course now..fastforward a number of years and because Nissan felt they covered that price range with the live axled Xterra, they sent the Pathfinder way upscale and outta reach for the humble of household incomes. Apparently the new one is pretty nice on a number of levels..but again..price of admission puts it out of reach for many.

No matter what they do with the Xterra now, I think it will always be a wannabee.

Maybe they will offer it with a diesel...since that is probably the writing on the wall in the next few years. That might help it a lot. Remember all the hoopla when Toyota teased FJ fans that they were going to offer a diesel a few years ago? I know buyers who held off waiting for that one..and of course it never materialized. Might be an opportunity for Nissan to fill that niche.

corvette

"Maybe they will offer it with a diesel..."

A Jetta/Golf TDI would've probably been my second choice after the GLI/GTI, since it's the second-best engine choice in VW's small car lineup. But, as long as the gas version performs better than the diesel (and I'm not talking about MPG), I'll want the gas one. I actually would have test driven the V6 version of the Passat (in spite of the fact that the "loaded" version lacks xenon lights and other luxury features) if it weren't for the fact that none of the nearby dealers keep one in stock.

Nissan has historically been late to adopt new engine technologies, and with the exception of the 2013 Altima, their cars have been a little below par on the MPG ratings. That said, I generally like driving Nissans (even the Xterra) in the same way that a Ford, Chevy, or Dodge guy will find something to like in most of the products from their respective preferred brands.

ateixeira

You could find salvage parts but probably not worth the time and effort since you need to use the car, and it's not at your address.

I have a spare car, so when one of them needs something I can shop around, order, wait, and usually do it myself. I installed a soft top on an NA Miata. $460 total. To have it done would have been $1100.

Then again, I wouldn't do that work again. What a pain that job was. :sick:

stever

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nyccarguy

WOW, I knew the Xterra has been around for a while, but didn't realize it is in its 9th model year! That is an eternity as far as car years go. That rattle is UNACCEPTABLE & so is the insane mid $30K price tag.

corvette

"Then again, I wouldn't do that work again. What a pain that job was."

I say that about nearly every DIY job I do, but never seem to learn my lesson!

ateixeira

Some jobs are easier than I expected, changing the rear diff oil for instance.

Two bolts. Easier than an oil change (no filter).

ateixeira

...and maybe the sound barrier in her tuned C63 AMG:

http://youtu.be/klDiAqOi_oM

Not exactly who you expect behind the wheel of a new AMG.

Spending the grandkids' inheritance. :shades:

tjc78

She did a nice burnout too. Cool vid.

fintail

Go granny go! Of course, 60 aint what it used to be - even though when my mom hit 60, she was in a Camry, and my grandma was in an Oldsmobile at that age.

Let the rats build it themselves :shades:

breld

Speaking of minivan brakes, I took in the Ody for an oil change and left a few hundred dollars poorer after having all the pads replaced. At 55k miles, doesn't sound too out of the ordinary.

On another note, I got down to Dallas this morning for a conference. My reserved "mid-size" car at Hertz was a Mazda5, which I wasn't too excited about. The alternatives were a corolla, a hail-damaged Camry, a minivan or a pickup truck. I went over to Avis, and they were thrilled to replace the hertz reservation and offered me a Genesis for a lower rate than the Mazda5.

That's a nice ride. Not the sportiest handler of course, but real smooth and comfortable, with great acceleration. Shocked that the steering wheel doesn't telescope though. I would think it'd be a great buy on the used market.

ateixeira

Nice, that's usually a full size class.

tjc78

You sure the Genesis wheel didn't telescope? My 2009 did (it was power ). They must have changed the suspension for the better because mine rode like a truck.

nyccarguy

That's an awesome ride. Nice burnout too. She did say 60 something years old, but 60 definitely "ain't what it used to be." My Mom is going to be 65 & drives a Porsche.