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There have been HUGE improvements in recent years regarding rust problems.
At our store, we would buy cars at auction that had been in snow belt areas. If you lifted the hoods there would be white powder on the aluminum parts and you might see a bit of rust on some of the bolts. I wouldn't say that was a major problem.
I lived most of my life on the coast in Southern California. Lots of salt air and our cars NEVER rusted. Now, Florida does have high humidity so if you couple that with salt air like you might get in the keys I suppose there could be a problem. I really don't know.
Of course, the sales guys in the southern states could be over stating the "problem" just to scare you.
link title
Another one of interest might be the Buick Rendezvous. If you don't like the car, just buy the seats. They're a sort of suede and comfortable as all get out. Dave
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Sorry to hear about the passing of your cousin and your nephew's son getting injured. Wish him a quick recovery.
Some great advice you have there. Sometimes, it's hard to stop and smell the roses.
As usual, I am late to the party.
So the good news is your wife is flexible on the color. That should making the task of finding a suitable one much easier.
I am going to chime in on the buying a car from 'up north' and from a 'coastal city'.
Not sure what part of CT jwilliams lives in, but here in central CT, they don't use salt anymore. Better yet, they don't use a salt/sand mixture.
Last July we spent a week in the Outer Banks. It was pretty much record heat and humidity every day. When the dew dried out in the morning there was a white residue left behind (dried salt).
Before I take a long trip, I always check the oil in the Explorer and usually clean things up in the engine bay while I am at it.
When I got back, I checked the oil and when I opened the hood I could not believe the deterioration I saw. It's not like I even took it out onto the sand, which I had in the past.
It would be a good idea to ask the dealer to put the car on a lift so you can give it a quick look underneath.
Just tell them ordinarily you would be happy to look under it without the lift, but you tweaked your back doing one handed push ups.
Other than that, factory CPO, not dealer CPO.
If you get black, sign up for the Jmonroe school of detailing course.
He'll probably give you the Edmunds member discount.
Secondly, I wouldn't worry to much about getting a car from up north. It takes a lot these days to rust out a car, they are heavily rust proofed when made. I have had several cars that have seen 10+ Chicago winters with no rust. Its almost harder to get a car to rust than to keep it from rusting these days.
As for coastal cities the only time your car will get exposed to salt is from ocean spray and unless your right next to the ocean you won't get much of that.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
BTW, I am trying to take a picture for 'Isell', but my old digi camera has finally given up the ghost. I took a couple of shots, but it doesn't work anymore.
If I have a chance, I will grab the wife's high end camera and get the shot.
One of the vehicles has left, and I am not sure how much longer the window of opportunity will be open. I would rather post the picture than have to just describe it.
I’m with a lot of the others here about not being overly concerned with a used car from the North. As mentioned, years ago (50’s thru the mid 80’s) having a car that saw salt was a big problem but now with the coatings that new cars receive at the factory that isn’t as big of a deal anymore. Back in the years I just mentioned, around the Burgh and many other Northern cities, if you didn’t get your car rust-proofed by either the dealer or an after market place your car was pretty much doomed if you kept it 7/8 years. I preferred the Ziebart store because I saw and had success with their rust-proofing product and application of it.
I would be much more concerned about a car from a coastal area with high humidity, where the car is constantly bathed in the warm moist salt air than I would be with a Yankee machine that saw salt occasionally in the winter. ‘explorer’ said this in post 58798 and although I wouldn’t have thought it would be that dramatic for just a short vacation visit you might want to consider this when leaning solely towards a Sunbelt car.
FWIW, I'd also go with some sort of extended warranty if the Caddy is going to be the car. Not for the rust problem but for the mechanicals.
Just my late input about this subject. I would have posted earlier but my employer is taking advantage of me lately and I just got to this forum now.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Where in Ohio the car lived, if it were a residential owner, would make a difference. If you can get the VIN from the used car ad on the net put her here:
https://www.dps.state.oh.us/atps/
This will tell you some info about the car's record in Ohio. IF it's from the northern part of the state, especially the Sandusky east part, I'd expect more salt time. My grad school roommate always joked about salt season in his Shaker Heights area starting in October through May.
I saw one SRX while I was looking online. I think it was far way. But the Record Chex program (not CarFax) listed it as being in Ohio in Dayton originally. Ironic. Then it had been "retitled" in PA after many thousands of miles and year or more. Odd. Not a car I'd trust.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I needed some info on Toyota dealers in Albany , NY. There are a couple: Northwest Toyota in Latham,NY and Lia Toyota in Schenectady,NY. Both are equidistant from Albany. Do you folks have any suggestion for either of those? Northwest has about 50 reviews on Google/Dealer rater and majority of them are positive and they are BBB accredited with A+ rating. Lia has 25 reviews and majority are negative and they are BBB rated at F- with many complaints listed. Sadly only 1 review on Edmunds.
I know you have to take all these reviews with a grain of salt-- so that`s why I wanted if any of you folks can recommend one of them. One of our relatives has to replace the whole front bumper on an 05 Avalon.Thanks. :shades:
based on your research, Northwest seems safer, but I guess it depends on what the complaints were for. And how important a pleasant buying experience is vs. a potentially better price.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I agree with most of the above advice. There should be no issue with late model cars from the northern states.
I like the CPO or factory warranty extension, for 6 years or 100k. The warranty price sounds reasonable, and well worth it on a car with lots of electronic gizmos.
I would advise against choosing a black car. They only look good for an hour or two after detailing. The last black car I bought was in 1965, and it was my last. I care too much about my car's appearance and with a black car it becomes a full time job.
Neither of the 'northern' cars had any damage from rust that concerned me. The 2005 has some rust in bottom of spare area. I think a snowy, wet tire full of salt was probably thrown in there.
On a lease return, I would look CLOSELY for damage from ownership or accidents. Both of ours have/had damage. I didn't look closely at either car while buying because these are the wife's car and when she likes one, I just try to work a decent price and didn't look closely at the car.
Prior damages found on the 95 during the time we owned it: (This car had only 13,000 miles when we bought it in 1997.) (The things below are NOT a complete list of things that broke on the cars.)
It had been hit in the passenger door. It had scratches in the door glass on both front doors. The arm rest had significant wear. The windshield had been replaced and about 8 inches just in front of the driver was not sealed at all. (Cold hands on the steering wheel during the first extended drive at below freezing weather brought this out. Local glass shop asked first thing if it was a lease car. He said damaged glass is replaced in the auction lot and he had seen bad seal jobs before.) The driver door lock button fell inside the door panel. The tabs on it were broken off and it had been repaired with duct tape holding it in place.
I think this car had been broken into. Possibly more than once. The scratches in the door glass might have been done when someone was trying to push the glass in to get to the lock. I think the lock button might have been damaged at the same time. I think the arm rest was a replacement out of an older car.
The 2005 (38,000 miles in 2007, probably a 3 year lease) has been hit in the rear driver side behind the rear tire. One of the wheels does not match the other 3. When carefully viewed it has many more scratches in the finish than the other 3. The dealer replaced, before we bought it, one tire that had been 'run low on air' and damaged. So, one wheel and tire was possiby damaged in a wreck and replaced with used. Another tire was excessively dry rotted. One valve stem with tire pressure monitor might have been damaged from salt. It leaked air and you could not remove the valve core, it was frozen in place. Even with tire pressure monitors on all tires, I think the previous owner generally ignored checking tire pressures and ran them low.
Overall, from this history, I feel lease cars are not 'cared' for by a leaser. Since they are not keeping the car for more than 2 or 3 years, they just don't care. If you are buying a lease car, and the vast majority of used Cadillacs are lease returns, you should CLOSELY look the car over before purchasing.
If you are buying a Cadillac, BUY AN EXTENDED WARRENTY!!!!
The one I have on the 2005 was bought from Black Cadillac in Pa. The local dealer where we bought the car no longer sold GM extended warranty. What he sold did look pretty good, but I paid more for a GMPP from Black's. You can buy a used car, run the factory warranty until just before it expires, and then buy a GMPP extended warranty.
Entended warranty is NOT bumper-to-bumper. Bumpers, trim, interior trim, dash, door hinges, belts, hoses, frame, glass, carpet, rubber, lenses, moldings, body panel, water leaks,etc are NOT covered. This is from my GMPP contract.
Does a 2009 SRX have a Northstar, or some other motor?
Northstars are great motors, with a couple of terrible problems. The motor had a small re-design in about 2001, and the horrible head gasket problem was reduced, but I don't think it was totally eliminated. The transmission is bullet-proof, except for a solonid for the lockup which is buried deep within the tranny. To correct either of these requires a removal of the motor/tranny and costs multi thousands of dollars to repair.
Cadillacs are filled with electrical stuff. And they fail. I will not go over the things that have broken on our Cadillacs, but there is a pretty long list. And I've not kept any of them for a significant amount of time or milage. The current 2005 has 53,000 miles, and things are breaking on it. I just take it in, pay my $50 deductable, and let them fix it. My 2002 Accord had one thing fixed, a driver door lock module that liked to lock itself. My 2006 Ridgeline at 33,000 has never been back to the dealer.
Richard, good luck on the Cadillac. But if you keep it past the factory warranty, get an extended. Just a couple of repairs could recoup the $2,000 or so an extended warranty will cost.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
As others have said, I don't really think it matters much anymore though. First, the metal body panels are all coated with one thing or another (depending on manufacturer) to keep rust away. 2nd, there are many more composite and plastic parts on cars these days that don't rust at all. Lastly, the model year you're looking at hasn't been on the road more than about 18 months. So, you should be fine.
Even the cheapest automatic car washes has a cycle to clean the undercarriage of salt these days.
I'd say you've got nothing to worry about.
After about an hour of steam bathing, the store manager calls me into the service bay and shows me worn front brake pads on my 1999 Buick Regal. The pads on right front were almost gone due to a sticking piston he says. Rear brakes are at 50% and are okay he says. The back tires have worn on inside, I never noticed, and need to be replaced. Also he suggested a brake flush... and I need a new battery, 50% prorated. The Kelley Explorer tires he priced suck, so I would probably buy tires elsewhere.
Grand total of $731. The front brakes (itemized at around $250, plus $90 for brake flush) definitely need replaced. I probably have 3 or 4k miles before the rear tires are shot. The battery will probably be around $50.
I email the mrs. about the needed repairs, she suggests we go look at new cars this afternoon! Can you believe it? I will go do some tire kicking and ice cream licking, but I'm probably too.... uh.. frugal, to buy new right now. The repairs on my Buick are routine maintenance items, and the car is running good (knock on wood), so will probably hold off. Still, who knows. Maybe if they make me an offer I can't refuse, maybe 10 grand under invoice, I'll be back later this evening with a good story to tell. :P (licker face)
I have no problem whatever with upselling me on items that are really needed although the chain stores can really go overboard especially one very well knowm muffler chain.
A lot of people hit the panic button when something like this are needed and they tend to trade in some perfectly good cars.
GG--
I don't know if you knew this, but one reason Detroit--and SE MI--rely so heavily on salt is that they have an abundant, hence cheap, supply under the city in the form of huge salt mines. Cheap salt is not only detrimental to cars it increases the salinity of water near highways by as much as seven times. It's not helpful to the Great Lakes, either.
I think MI has been experimenting with other chemical salt mixtures which are less corrosive, but they are expensive and their environmental impact isn't fully researched.
I remember asking my father why he got a new car every 5 years figuring he must have conducted a cost/depreciation analysis. Turns out that by the 5th year the rust was noticeable enough that even he couldn't ignore it. This explains why he and my mother can now keep their cars much longer. His last car that exhibited rust was a 1990 Dodge Shadow and by 2000 it looked pretty bad around the rear wheel wells--bad enough that my brother tried working magic with the infamous Bondo. Still, it was much sounder than the five year old stuff he owned in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, which included my two hand-me-downs.
The 45 year old concrete floor in their garage looks terrible, a result of years of freezing and thawing and salty water residue.
If the upper midwest and northeast are the rust belt, I guess OK and the south must be the "sand" belt because that's all I ever see them use around here.
Gogiboy
I've never had such a thorough vehicle inspection on an oil change. They had all 4 wheels off showing me the remaining disc pad thickness, and tire wear. I'm thankful they did, as I can take their recommendation of new brakes more seriously. I'm also more of a believer in having the brake fluid flush, as the sticking piston in caliper is likely due to rust if not changed... I've read, and seconded by store manager.
Oh, they also said the front right turn signal is bad... 11 bucks. :sick:
Yeah, that's what I did as soon as I drove away from Goodyears. There is an independent right across the street from me that I've taken my car to a few times. They are affiliated with Napa, so I'm sure they do good brake work.
The independent is about $80 less. Both charge around $160 for ceramic pads for the front. Which is a lot higher than I expected.
10k off msrp is doable. BMW will sell you a 100k 7 series sedan for 90k. Don't forget the free maintenance for 4 years -- includes brakes
hmmm, that free maintenance might be that little extra something that helps close the deal. Thanks.
The front brakes (itemized at around $250, plus $90 for brake flush) definitely need replaced. I probably have 3 or 4k miles before the rear tires are shot.
A quality set of pads (I’ve been using Wagner lately) probably cost $65 tops at an auto parts store. A year ago this was the price for my for my ’05 XG350 and for Son # 2’s, ’05 Mazda 6 a couple months ago. If the piston/s are sticking the caliper/s should be replaced or the sticking problem will ruin the new pads prematurely. However, I doubt the $250 price included any calipers because Son #2 got a price around $250 and that was just for pad replacement but you’d have to ask to know for sure. $90 for a brake flush sounds typical at these places. Now you know why I do these jobs myself especially if you were sweating just waiting. The way I look at it, if you’re going to sweat it should have been from doing the job not waiting for an upsell when you went in for an oil change. :confuse:
Both of my Son’s can do this job for a lot less than $250 (without calipers). Should I book an appointment for you? No, don’t ask, you can’t afford me. I will have to earn enough to pay my next months dues here. So, go with the lower bidders on this job.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Hmmm...I know where I will take the next used car I am thinking about buying !! Cheap oil change and an even cheaper inspection !!
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
That stinks. The store manager did mention taking the caliper apart, an lubricating or reconditioning the pistons. He doesn't have a price listed in the estimate he gave me, and didn't mention needing new calipers. Maybe that means he's doing it for free?
The independent guy said you either have to resurface or replace rotors when putting in new pads. I knew it was suggested, but he made it sound like its the law or something. Both places are charging around $45 per rotor turned... which seems really high. Maybe I'll get some 1500 grit sandpaper and do it myself.
Just put new calipers, rotor, and pads on them, flush the system, and be done with it. You can get the parts from autoparts stores much cheaper than you are being quoted. I don't have rotors cut anymore, just replace them. Haven't had a rotor cut in probably 15 years. Check prices at the above online autoparts website, or any other online or local autoparts chain.
You can't get a rotor true with sandpaper. If it is thinner in some places, you'll get a pulsation in the brake pedal, particularly noticeable in heavy braking @ slower speeds.
Hope you got a cup of customer lounge coffee. Great stuff. Color and consistency of used differential fluid. Just saying.
The independent guy just called back. Quoted a price of $40 per rotor, which is cheaper than turning them. So I'll buy the rotors.
Thanks for the link. But isell says it's poor form to bring in your own parts to a shop to have work done. Says it's like bringing a head of lettuce and vegetables to a restaurant and telling them to make you a salad for half the price.
Sorry, I was joking about turning the rotors myself. These dang blasted emotorcons aren't working. If tidester and kirstie ever get back from vacation I'm sure going to complain. :mad:
Currently braking fine though.
I'm not a coffee drinker... never saw the appeal. I'm hoping one day us non-coffee drinkers will be treated equally at dealership customer lounges, and be given a choice of Kool-Aid, lemonade or some other type of non-coffee drink. :lemon:
I've always done the brake work myself, so tend to only think of parts costs on these types of jobs....when I think of the cost of repair.
Seems about time to make a reference to pounding salt... haven't seen that used around here in awhile.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
My guess is that depends on the shop. I use an independent mechanic, it's hard for him to stock a lot of parts (space and cost considerations) so he only has common parts that fit most cars. That means that in most cases he has to order a part from the auto parts store but if you bring in your part that saves him the trouble.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
(That's a winky emotorcon in case it doesn't show up)
I would also guess that a small independent shop where the owner actually works on the cars himself is less interested in the few bucks of markup on a part than on creating a lasting relationship with his customers.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Hey, they're working just fine here after only three page refeshes.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Son #1 goes to a guy like that when he doesn’t want to or care to do the jobs himself. Having three small sons of his own and the sports activities that they are involved in, I don’t know how he has the time to put air in his tires.
This guy has his son, who is in his mid thirties, working for him and another old timer. The son works on the newer cars because he’s gone to some factory training with his father’s money so the shop gets a pretty good mix of customers with cars of all ages. You wouldn’t believe how many cars this guy has in his parking lot waiting for jobs to be done.
Just last Friday night my son drops off his ’95 Trans Am track car to have the cooling system flushed and new antifreeze installed along with a new lower temp thermostat. My son called on Thursday asking if he could drop off the car on Friday night and pick it up some time on Sunday with the car parked in the lot after they closed on Saturday. The owner said, “Only if you bring in the thermostat so I don’t have to spend the time ordering one and waiting to have it delivered, otherwise drop it off next Wednesday”. As I said; the car was dropped off on Friday night with the new thermostat on the passenger seat.
This guy is unbelievably good and reasonable to the point that my son has no worries about the job being done right the first time every time and the garage is right on his way to and from his house, less than 2 miles away. Some kids have all the luck.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
you should be asking for good body shops.
any body shop can get oem parts.
Is you son going with standard coolant?
If the damage is enough that the headlights need replacing, there is probably damage underneath the bumper cover.
Here is a link with prices for oem parts
There is a big difference in price between the cover for a car with fog lights and one without them.
Hope they find a good shop.
I agree that for a small job like this it’s probably not worth it to get the part but this garage has done the same thing with larger jobs like brakes and an alternator. It all started with my son buying an alternator for his '02 Altima about 2 years ago and then not having time to do the job so he called the guy, as usual he wanted the car back quickly, and when he said he had the alternator the guy said, “just bring it in, I’ll have the car ready by quitting time”. You can’t beat dealing with a place like this.
As for the antifreeze he put in the vanilla grade Prestone because one of his track buddies, who also has a ’95 Trans Am, says he’s tried other more expensive antifreeze brands and feels the Prestone is just as good as long as it’s changed every 2 years. Speaking of antifreeze, I’m due to replace the 5 year stuff that came in my 05’ XG 350. I usually do this kind of stuff myself but I might take it to my sons indy guy to have it done along with a system flush.
It’s that time of year again guys so start thinking about this for your car/s.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
If you have actually had a sticking caliper, the rotor has probably run hot at times when the caliper didn't release. It is on its way out.
My recommendation is to put on GOOD rotors and use rebuilt calipers (cheap for some cars, more expensive on others--check Advanceautoparts.com, e.g.). I'd recommend the NAPA Ultra which are Raybestos' High Technology rotors.
While I don't turn original rotors, I would have a replacement quality rotor turns after one or two pad replacements.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
A local Detroit TV station conducted an expose that found workers at the North Jefferson plant which makes the 2011 GC repeatedly, and openly, using their lunch breaks to drink alcohol and smoke dope at a nearby park. When Chrysler management was informed they suspended the workers, replacing them with sex addicts who claimed they were "breaking in" the back seats (just kidding about that last part).
So we have Chrysler auto workers, surrounded by 20% unemployment in SE MI, who work for a company that's on a lifeline subsidized by the US taxpayer and whose employer has spent the last two or so years jettisoning workers, plants and dealerships, who feel entitled to take drink and drug breaks. Wow!
As a taxpayer, I'm just thrilled that we are assisting Chrysler through this difficult time. Does anyone believe that this is an isolated incident?
If Richard goes to test drive one I hope he asks for the Margarita and Mary Jane trim package (Code: M&MJ). :sick:
Gogiboy
Errrr, I'd be careful about asking the quick buck shops for Kool-Aide? You know what happened to Jim Jones believers.... :sick:
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I found a good shop from a recommendation of a friend where they will put your parts on with no attitude. The repair business has competition in our area. Apparently the labor hours are good enough they just want the work.
That's good because their parts prices quoted from the local full-price dying breed old line parts suppliers are about 50% over the list price for items.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
To all of you here: Thanks so much for your input on purchasing cars from the North. Bottom line seems to be that it's not too much of a concern. I also did some research on weather history during 2008 and 2009 in Ohio, Michigan, and New York. The range of snow during those years averaged any where from 3-36 inches, depending on locations in those states.
I'll continue to keep you posted on our progress.
Richard
Now, most certainly there are other reasons why these plants shut down. But, some of the workers didn't do themselves any favors by showing up to work drunk and stoned. IIRC, there were even reports of prostitution in the parking lots (before, after work and during breaks). UAW turned a blind eye. GM and Ford did not. Plants are gone.
You make an excellent point about the state of the Jeep plant. That kind of news really pisses me off. We're funding Chryco. 20% unemployment and folks feel that their $40/hour job is so secure that they can show up "under the influence". My opinion....shut it down. There's a city not far away near Dayton OH that's begging for work (since DHL pulled out). I bet Chryco can find some very diligent, conscientious and willing workers more to their benefit there.
As far as the rust issue.....I really can't remember the last time I saw a true rust bucket around these parts. I'm sure they're around.....just not in the frequency I remember from the past. I think cars are built much, much better than they were even 5 years ago.