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Comments
Second, talk about NO suspension travel ... the way we've gone on about "rough ride" and stuff, you ever been riding beside one of these lowboys and seen it bouncing and twitching down the road like its frame is bolted right to the axles? And those 35-series tires only compound the pain at every pebble!
Don't tell me it's all for the sake of looks. LOOKS? Well, if they're going for "stupid," then I guess they got what they wanted!
My opinion, ladies and gents; I'm not asking you to agree! But I know Todd will have his say, so go right ahead! I have my "Type-R" sunglasses on! Now, where did I put that Folgers can ...
Meade
Here's some light reading on suspension and handling dynamics you all might find interesting -- it even has a section on, oh lord, "ride quality!" :O
http://www.rqriley.com/suspensn.html
Meade
Some people tie their springs, or put on coilovers - that is the wrong way. Most of them don't bother to change the wheel alignment to compensate, and are left with a poorly handling low car that eats away their tires.
If alignment is adjusted, and the right spec shocks are used, then the car's handling characteristics improve TREMENDOUSLY! Not to mention the improved appearance with smaller gaps and openings in the wheel wells. Of course, you loose comfort, and part of the reason is because the shorter shocks are inevitably stiffer as well, to increase cornering response. But its an acceptable trade-off for the serious enthusiast. Also, higher quality, gas-fileld shocks have quicker response rates, as well as lower weight - further reducing unspring weight and improving handling.
FYI, MAPP-IV had a number of examples of both types (cosmetic-only as well as performance-based) lowering.
(Some of my terminology or explanations MAY be imprecise, feel free to correct and point it out!)
Meade
I thought they just took out the struts and bolted the axles onto the body
j/k
Come to think of it, This must explain why all the low-slung muscle cars, and sports cars, and even roadsters have high strut towers. Duh - I never made the connection before
And as far as spending $10K extra, I don't get why some people do that either. Makes no sense to me. I plan to go no higher than $1500 or so, including installation for the stuff I want.
EDIT: I checked the vw website, and found my sizes were spot-on for the Jetta, and these two diameters are identical, with a 0.0% variation. So there!
What does make it stand out is the perception of 'black space' which includes the gap as well as the tire sidewall, beyond the rim of the 15 inch wheel, which is two inches less in diameter than the 17 inch wheel. Jedi mind tricks, wheel/tire-style
Exactly what I achieved when I moved from 175/70-13 to 105/50-15 on my 95 Protege!
And tire 195/65 and 225/45 are the exact sizes of the tires as well.
What sparkplugs do you recommend? OEM, Bosch, etc...
Mazdafun, Paul, Todd: Thanx for responding to my questions. I already changed the air filter last week ($20 CDN from Mazda). I will do the front brakes in the spring and flush the system too.
I will change the spark plugs and the coolant (seriously considering it) in December and I will talk to Mazda about the AT fluid change. Should I let them "tighten the bolts" and "lubricate" the locks, etc??? Is that necessary? Will they deny warranty work b/c of it?
Dinu
sunlight and will fade and peel prematurely."
I didn't know that and I consider myself a car enthusiast. I would have thought that darker colors would be less resistant to sunlight and fade easier because they absorb the sunlight a lot more. Could you post a link that descibes this phenomenon?"
Silver is BMW's main color, also for MB, and for decades, before acrylic paints, silver lost its luster in 12 months. No amount of polishing would bring it back. That's why you don't see silver on older BMWs. Salesmen advised buyers to choose something else.
Reds, blues and greens fade quicker than colors like black and white, although, they too, oxadize. Dark greens in particular. Use cleaners sparingly since they take off paint. Wax and polish more.
Acrylic paints have helped a lot.
fowler3
What is that? The only tangible things that I can think of for a 30,000 mile service would be an oil change, transmission fluid change, spark plugs, air filter, and a coolant flush. I thought the rest of the stuff was just "inspections".
Meade
Hank, how was the GRE?
As far as tightening bolts, get your car up on ramps and poke around for any loose bolts underneath. I didn't find any on mine when I looked. Found some rust, sprayed some anti-rust on it to chemically change it into a primer-like substance.
Meade
http://www.velocityjrnl.com/jrnl/2003/vmd2867ml.html
Meade
This might change soon, as I am contemplating putting a parking pad in the back of my house and knocking down the patio that's there. It's old anyway and kinda sloppy looking, and parking is getting more and more difficult around my area. So it might be worth it in the longrun. Definitely will add value to the house. So if I do that, then I will start doing little things (oil changes, washing, etc.) at home.
It's gotten so old reading on all these forums that everytime someone brings up Jiffy Lube, or getting a service done at (oh lord don't say it)a dealer, they are told how they cold do it themselves.
Well 'do it yourselfers', I'm speaking up for the 'let someone else do its'! It doesn't make you a bad person, it doesn't mean you don't love your car, and it doesn't matter what you spend if you have the money and you feel comfortable with the person performing service.
Dinu
I too prefer to do things myself on my car, but I don't have space to do it. Next year (when the 2nd PRO will be bought) we're moving in a newly-built house, so I'll have plenty of space. I was even thinking of asking the builder to dig a hole in the garage so I can out a svc bay to change oil underneath the car. I bet it would cost $$$!
Dinu
Exactly. You can't put a price on piece of mind.
However, some people, including, to an extent, me, don't have the (a) knowhow, (b) time, (c) proper tools, or (d) work area to do vehicle maintenance. Case in point: I have a gravel driveway made up of large, railroad-grade gravel. While I am very used to changing my own oil and have been doing so since I owned my first car in 1985, and have all the ramps, oil pans, wrenches, and tools I need, it's still a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] (and the back, elbows and knees) to perform this menial task at my house. It's easier to just take the car up to my Goodyear guy and pay him $16.95.
Same goes for tire rotation. Yep, got the 2-ton floor jack and jack stands. But nowhere to place them.
(BTW, this all might be a moot point come November -- I've got a guy coming out to give me an estimate on paving my driveway this afternoon!!!! Merry Christmas two months early (maybe), Zoomster!!!)
Meade
You are right, that's one reason I'll let someone else do it. I could just as easily strip a bolt, or something as well as the shop. If I do, I have to pay for the repair, if a shop does it, they pay for it.
I get piece of mind letting someone who does this kind of work for a living do it, rather than doing it myself just to save a few bucks. If you don't have the time or the real desire to do it, you might hurry, not be as careful, whatever.
PS. Do you die hard do it yourselfers ever eat at restaurants? I would think for piece of mind you'd always cook your own food. Have you ever seen some of those kitchens?
As far as lubricating, I think they use spray silicone and a grease gun (from my last post-service visual inspection), and very messily I might add.
I started out getting most servicing done outside, but have decided to do more of it myself due to some screw-up. I think for the simpler tasks that I take on, they let the less experienced staff tackle. Also, I think they take short-cuts, like using the pneumatic impact driver both thread and tighten wheel bolts (I've had to replace damaged lug bolts twice due to damage done this way), and just rush the job in general.
The more messy stuff, I get garages to do, but I check it out after the work has been done. It still gets messed up on occasion, like when they forgot to put the seals on the new rear bearings on my '89 323 (I didn't notice any problems, but just had them replaced as preventive maintenance), leading to grease being spread all over my rear wheels and tires. Oh well. It pays to find a good garage. I still haven't found one yet that hasn't done something wrong, even those that have been recommended to me highly by friends. Guess I just have poor luck.
Ick. :P
It takes a lot more effort to cook, but we get sick less often.
Tell me what you think about this used Protege I found. Its a '99 Protege LX, $35,000 miles, all the "power options" (which I actually don't care too much about), spoiler, cd, etc.
Drove it yesterday. Since I'm used to driving old Lincoln's/Buicks/Trucks, any economy car feels really weird. This felt pretty similar to a Honda I was considering, and also Saturns I have driven in the past.
Did a Carfax on it today. The dealer had said they bought it at a car auction (its a Ford dealer and she told me they basically do this so they don't have a lot full of used Fords). Carfax said it was a lease/commercial vehicle. This doesn't alarm me as much as it might otherwise, as I have friends who drive work vehicles and have put 30,000 miles on those in a year, and this one seems to have low miles for being a '99.
Lets hear your thoughts!
As far as food goes, I don't eat at fast food joints that often. They have some pretty good quality stuff here in downtown Mpls, much better than I could do.
In my case, I'm taking my car in for routine service that's too back-breaking to do at home. I know what I'm taking the car there for, so there's really no way they can screw me. I'll only pay for what I ask for.
What you're talking about is people who are ignorant and/or inept. I would like to think that most of us here aren't described by those adjectives; therefore I thought this debate was more about convenience and preferences than carbuffs vs. idiots.
If we're going to debate the latter, then sure, I agree -- all idiots get screwed by mechanics. They can see 'em coming a mile away!
Meade
Bottom line is if doing your own maintenance is too much of an inconvenience for you, you have to let someone else do it. I can understand that this is the situation for many people. Luckily, it's not my situation.