Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

crkyolfrt · March 2013

If it blows cold on 3 and 4, then I suspect is probably just the #1 and #2 fan speed resistors that are shot. It'll be wired so that the compressor won't cycle unless there is at least a fan to blow the evaporator off.

If only my repairs were so simple and affordable

tjc78 · March 2013

I didn't think there would be connection between the resistor and the compressor, but that certainly makes sense and is probably a cheap repair.

roadburner · March 2013

This is for your DI engine gurus. How come my near 80K mile Grand Marquis has squeaky clean oil and my 13K mile Buick the oil looks extremely dirty after only 1K miles after a change?

I'm not sure that DI is responsible; I change the oil in my DI Mazdaspeed 3 every 7,500 miles and the UOA results have been excellent(using Mobil 1 5W-30).
Back in the early '80s I owned a 1974 Monte Carlo as well as a 1979 Plymouth (Mitsubishi) Arrow 2.6 GT. The Chevy's oil would look clean for almost 3000 miles while the Mitsu's oil would turn jet black within 200 miles after an oil change- and both cars got the same oil: Valvoline 5W-30.
Go figure....

nyccarguy · March 2013

I know Sirius/Xm is a favorite recurring theme here on SFTSF. Back in 2011, my Dad (who turned 67 yesterday) bought a lifetime subscription for his (then) 2010 Tahoe & my Mom's 2011 Cayenne. A few months later he traded his 2010 Tahoe in for a shiny, new 2011 Tahoe. I called up Sirius/XM to transfer over the lifetime subscription. They told me that the new 2011 Tahoe has a 12 month trial subscription. Trial subscriptions cannot be cancelled, but to call back when the trial subscription is up and they will transfer it over with no problem.

Fast forward to February 21, 2013. I call up & tell them I want my lifetime subscription to pick up when my trial subscription runs out.

"Sir, we have no record of you having another lifetime subscription other than in your wife's 2011 Cayenne."

I gave them the 2010 Tahoe's VIN, my AMEX card. Nothing. I dig up a piece of paper with the old radio ID & finally they see that MY DAD'S lifetime subscription was cancelled by someone else. Re-Instating it should not be a problem. We'll get back to you in 7-10 business days.

I call up about 4:15 pm. Speak to one guy. Tell him the story. Give him both radio IDs. He puts me on hold. "Sorry sir, lifetime subscriptions on built in radios are not transferrable."

Really? Nobody ever told me that. May I please speak to a supervisor?

I get put on hold. A woman picks up the phone. I tell her the story. She puts me on hold. Tells me she's sorry, but lifetime subscrptions are not transferrable.

I tell her that I never cancelled the subscription and I'm still alive. If she won't transfer, then just give me a new lifetime subscription free of charge.

"Sorry sir, we cannot do that."

Ma'am. Don't be sorry. If you cannot transfer my lifetime to my new radio, then credit me the lifetime subscription minus the 13 months I used it.

"We will not issue you a new lifetime subscription for free. If you'd like, you can purchase a new lifetime subscription for $799."

WHAT! What country are you in?

"I am located in Cairo, Egypt."

I am then told that she will not put me on the phone with anybody else & that she is the shift manager. I tell her to transfer me to someone in The United States.

"We don't have any offices in the United States."

CLICK

So to sum this up, after a full hour, this expletive hangs up on me.

I call back & am on hold right now for what appears to be just over 24 minutes.

breld · March 2013

I'm laughing, but I share your frustration. Our various purchases over the past year required phone time with Sirius/XM to transfer accounts, or add new ones. I can't say I've ever had a pleasant experience with Sirius.

It's common knowledge that you can generally get a deal better than the standard subscription rates, but that requires getting on the phone with them - it's almost not worth it.

stever · March 2013

While twiddling your thumbs on hold, there's always Twitter and Facebook.

fintail · March 2013

Wow, what a mess. I was able to transfer the remaining 7 months on my old subscription without a problem, but the phone call did take about 30 minutes. I am 99% sure I was talking to someone in the Philippines, FWIW. More job creators in action.

nyccarguy · March 2013

Sorry guys. I'm so mad that I thought this was STORIES FROM THE SALES FRONTLINES. We often speak about the evils of Sirius/XM!

stever · March 2013

I'm sure the folks following the XM & Sirius Satellite Radio discussion would be interested in your story too.

mark156 · March 2013

Well, I didn't ask how they repaired it but the tire was removed from the car while it was being repaired.

I noticed that there is a soft purple pluggy thing where the repair was done. :sick:

Mark156

mark156 · March 2013

Having a salesperson hang up on me would have sent me through the ceiling too.

Just for the record, I will NEVER pay for radio. I have it for life on the Bentley (so I guess I kinda paid for it) but the Honda comes with XM for 3 months..... the '07 Honda came with XM for a year.

I have CD's and an Ipod.... no need to pay for radio.

Mark156

Sandman6472 · March 2013

Absolutely agree...have the kids iPods and plenty of cd's but I'll admit, I love it when I do get a car with sat radio but it's not a deal breaker as long as I've got music! Driving and music go hand in hand for me...just like peanut butter & jelly...they're just meant to be together!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

rae52 · March 2013

Hey Sandman!

I just moved from Jersey to Boynton Beach six months ago; been reading your critiques {find them fascinating}. How can I get a gig like that? I'm retired also! Since I cannot post my email address let me know how we can get together on this - ok--thanks

Rich

stever · March 2013

You can try marking your email public in your Profile, although it doesn't always "take" due to some odd bug.

rae52 · March 2013

Steve, I tried your suggestion but the software refused; any other ideas/suggestions?

laurasdada · March 2013

I third that emotion. 27 "terrestrial" radio presets, six cd changer, ipod and usb inputs. Sorry, I ain't payin' for radio, either. Oh, yeah. And a cassette player in the 'ol Lexus! Hey, hey, my, my. Rock and Roll will never die!

Sandman6472 · March 2013

I still have cassettes somewhere in the house. I do love channels 6, 7 &8 but not gonna pay for it unless the price was such where it was a no brainer. Have no problem with my current playlists and the shuffle feature is great for me as I like to be surprised on the next song and don't ever look at what's up...makes for a better ride.

two trips today, Lauderdale to Ft. Myers and then West Palm back to F.M. Should be a nice day and hoping to get cars I've never driven before!

The Sleepy Sandman :sick: :shades:

kyfdx · March 2013

.. I am such a rookie.. posted this in the wrong discussion...

Sold the '87 BMW.. gets picked up tonight... that's two cars in six weeks..

Shopping hard now... just two cars for three drivers...

ateixeira · March 2013

Your computer must have a flashing red light above it, going off along with an alarm. RED ALERT!

fintail · March 2013

Funny thing, when I migrated my old subscription to the new car, it made their system think I canceled my account, and I have received cheap offers - one was like $4/month for 6 months. I think when my subscription is up, I will hint that I want to cancel, and see what kind of offer I get. It has worked with Comcast when I mentioned it.

I feel dumb paying for radio, but most Seattle area stations aren't too hot (we don't even have an oldies station anymore), and I like the surprise of what will be played next rather than knowing the songs in my digital collection.

xwesx · March 2013

I've heard that people really like the fact you can listen to the radio coast-to-coast and not lose signal. That aspect is appealing to me (if true), but I'm also not really an "audiophile" when it comes to car stereos, so static and station-hunting doesn't bother me much.

fintail · March 2013

Oh yeah, it is nice taking a cross-state road trip with no interruption, or renting a car on the other side of the country and knowing the stations. I am not an audiophile either, but I am a little picky about what I listen to while driving - not a fan of 21st century pop and some other formats.

An issue I find here is that tree canopies seem to block signal.

ateixeira · March 2013

with no interruption

Not if you go through any tunnels. Satellite reception would be lost.

I go through a tunnel in Baltimore if I ever head north. In VA on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel if I'm on the shore.

Beautiful drive but the tolls are killer.

corvette · March 2013

I really like the Alt Nation channel. I've heard a lot of new music that I wouldn't have heard on my Pandora stations. In my area, the FM stations are either Top 40 (but only the really clean Top 40 and never anything racy like Flo Rida), country music, or NPR.

It seems like Pandora is sometimes slow to incorporate new releases into their database, or to play them on my stations.

michaellno · March 2013

Not if you go through any tunnels. Satellite reception would be lost.

There are some canyons here in Colorado that are so deep that the satellite radio signal can be spotty. Glenwood Canyon (I-70) is one of them.

fintail · March 2013

I have "Lithium" in my presets, as I was young in the 90s. I also like the ambient electronic music, and the 80s/First Wave channels, and some oldies. Around my area, it is a lot of mainstream pop/easy listening/country/talk. Some highlights are an alternative station, one that plays a mix, a classic rock station, and others I don't care for.

fintail · March 2013

I can go from one end of WA to the other with hardly a tunnel. The trees are the biggest issue, especially in my area. Not a big problem.

stever · March 2013

I've lost Campfire, RadioBlagon and Paxahau is dicey. The fun net radio ones come and go; hard to support the sites. Or the stream URL will change and you have to go hunting for it again. KCRW Eclectic is usually good. (Xwes, KSUA has been lousy lately. :shades: ).

Currently it's snowing for the second day in a row (over 10" so far) and it's 22°F out, so I'm listening to HawaiianRainbow.com. :shades:

tjc78 · March 2013

Lithium, 80s, 90s, classic vinyl and classic rewind are my favorites. Honorable mention goes to Octane (if I'm in that mood) and don't laugh.... Hair Nation.

The funny thing is Rewind/80s/Hair Nation are basically all 80s stations. My wife hates it all, lol

I was a Stern listener, but he lost me about a year ago. That show simply lost something without Artie. At least the Philly area has a decent morning show on the rock station (Preston and Steve 93.3)

nyccarguy · March 2013

Funny thing. Howard is still fantastic & very witty. I too liked Artie. The thing about the show that I can't stand is the fact that Howard is OFF more than he is ON. 5 days a week became 4 days a week. 4 days became 3 days. And if there is ever a holiday, he's off the air for 2 weeks, not to mention his normal vacation. The time off ruins the continuity of the show along with the same callers who Howard puts on for his amusement (Eric the midget, Eric from Hoboken, King of all _____, Underdog Woman...)

breld · March 2013

Beautiful drive but the tolls are killer.

We don't have much in the way of toll roads here in Colorado, but the one major one we do have is the one I use to take my kids to school and pick them up from their mom's (and vice versa). $10 each way, so I'm easily paying a car payment a month in tolls.

But the alternative routes are killer traffic-wise, so it's worth it.

michaellno · March 2013

$10 each way, so I'm easily paying a car payment a month in tolls.

But the alternative routes are killer traffic-wise, so it's worth it.

Ouch!

The only time we use E-470 is when we go to the airport or the wife and daughter go to Southlands for shopping.

When I traveled for work, I was so pleased when the toll road opened and I could take it to DIA rather than 225-70-Pena Bl. At least I was able to expense the tolls.

xwesx · March 2013

Interesting thoughts on the satellite radio. Isn't it buffered? I would think 10-20 seconds would be a good amount to account for intermittent loss of signal. I'm surprised it is so popular if it has sketchy reliability. :sick:

stever · March 2013

You'd think so (plus they put repeater gizmo in lots of tunnels I think). Shoot, when I shut my laptop off, the radio will keep playing for 10 or 15 seconds. I think I'd rather have the $100 a month mifi gizmo and try to keep the bandwidth under 10GB a month. Be nice to browse while riding shotgun and listen to net radio.

kyfdx · March 2013

Is that your car for sale on the Fest?

tifighter · March 2013

The only reason I'd ever consider satellite radio in the car is if I could ever find KEXP on it, and of course, Fin has access to that locally anyhow. One spotify subscription takes care of me in the car and home, and doesn't lock me into a 'radio-like' presentation like pandora, although they offer that too.

ateixeira · March 2013

Tolls add up but my downtown parking costs about what a Cruze leases for. :sick:

jpp75 · March 2013

The only time I use it is when work is paying for it, which is most of the time. When I lived out here last summer I found it hard to justify the cost.

Our office is near Boulder so it's a straight shot from DIA but still pricey.

fintail · March 2013

I think it must be buffered - usually takes a few seconds to cut out once in a parking garage or tunnel.

I bet it buffers better than streaming phone-based audio though.

corvette · March 2013

"I bet it buffers better than streaming phone-based audio though."

I tested this with Pandora one time, and it appeared to buffer the entire song once a new song began playing. Works well when you're on a fast connection. I used it driving through the mountains before and it worked pretty well.

nyccarguy · March 2013

In my Prelude, I have the antenna mounted inside by the windshield because I didn't want it on the roof. Reception is decent, but cut out driving under every overpass. The BMW's satellite reception is great. No tunnels or garages. The XM in my wife's Pilot almost never cuts out. It is outstanding!

mark156 · March 2013

Yes, the XM does lose signal in the Honda and Bentley around mountains/trees, etc. Even though the Land Rover has the ability for XM, I don't recall them offering a free service so I can't comment on it's reliability.

I still won't pay for radio. Even in the Bentley (life time XM), I usually listen to my favorite regular classical radio station (88.5).

Mark156

roadburner · March 2013

I really like the Alt Nation channel. I've heard a lot of new music that I wouldn't have heard on my Pandora stations. In my area, the FM stations are either Top 40 (but only the really clean Top 40 and never anything racy like Flo Rida), country music, or NPR.

The SiriusXM unit in the '02 stays on either Alt Nation or 1st Wave 90% of the time. Louisville area FM radio is a vast wasteland for anyone who doesn't like country or top 40...

breld · March 2013

Yup - that's my 530i listed there.

kyfdx · March 2013

Thought so.... very nice..

Too bad you don't live 1500 miles closer, so I could low-ball you...

michaellno · March 2013

Thought so.... very nice..

Too bad you don't live 1500 miles closer, so I could low-ball you...

What? No link to the ad?

Will be dropping off the radar for about a week. Heading to California tomorrow to visit the family. Am hoping to talk my dad into buying a new computer -- the one he has is at least 10 years old.

I'll try to check in when I can.

qbrozen · March 2013

Too bad you don't live 1500 miles closer, so I could low-ball you...

Hey, wait a sec. That never stops folks here from lowballing ME!

dieselone · March 2013

An issue I find here is that tree canopies seem to block signal.

I've definitely experienced that too. Anything that can block the line of sight to the satellite for more than a few seconds will drop my signal for Sirius.

I've subscribed to Sirius for about 4 years now. I'm thinking about dropping it when my current subscription is up in June. Though I know I will miss it. Streaming music via my phone is fine around town, but when I head out of town service can be spotty, just not enough 3G/4G coverage in rural illinois. There are miles of road south of me where if you're not on the interstate (and it's not great on the interstate either), the phone is essentially useless.

breld · March 2013

Here's the link to the posting:

530i listing

I have intentionally listed it a bit high, but it's not out of line with other listings for similar cars. It's not the bargain used BMW, but for someone who is targeting a sport/manual E39, it should be a pretty nice find.

Sandman6472 · March 2013

Would love Sirius/XM as I lover stations 6, 7 & 8 but not paying for it. Just stopped by my stereo guy and he closed shop in January...very bad economy here I guess. Went to his competitors place to see about adding an aux port to my '06 Civic, it was standard on the '07's naturally! Seems like it's gonna be almost as costly as just swapping out the head unit. He showed me a Clarion CZ202 unit which has the aux and usb port plus Pandora radio but the price was a bit much, $360.00 about and not sure if I want to spend that kinda cash right now. The dash would look a bit different to, he showed me the stuff they'd need to use to do a seemless install but since I've got so many cd's, just not sure if the expense is worth the convienence factor or the fun factor. He did say it wouls sound better on lower volume even with my existing MTB amp but still thinking. Plan on keeping the car as I've been mulling over the idea of trading it in with the gift coming my way very soon but it really is not logical. And she who must be obeyed would have a coronary actually. She just lost her main job and now, we have too many drivers so I've been cut back drastically.

So please folks, talk me out of doing this, please. Though it would be so cool to have a new stereo and it sound even better than it does now, I'm just so hesitant. Luckily, the guy said it can all be put back to stock once I do sell it so that's a plus. Do I want to spend $360 on a want as I do not need this and my cd's will give me the same result for $0 dollars. Decisions decisions. Best to take the gift and put it to work in my retirement accounts especially now is what I'm thinking as I type...put it into the retirement accounts!

Help me guys!!!

The Undecided Sandman :confuse: :sick: :shades:

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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