Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@graphicguy yes we all shore can!

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@stickguy racking up those miles! lollollol

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@anony_posts newer member hear welcome from me! so what cars do you have in your fleet?

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@anony_posts just wondering what did you sell or do in the auto feald? sounds nice getting an dealers lisance! would love do do that one day and have an small used car dealer ship!

Michaell · November 2017

After a little bit more research, I think I've narrowed the replacement tires on the Subaru to two:

General Altimax RT43
Yes, these are the same tires that @stickguy will be getting for the RDX. 700 wear rating, 6 year, 65,000 mile tread life warranty. $681 total cost through Subaru dealer (tires, mount / balance, tax, etc.)

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
I've had Coopers in the past and really liked them. 640 wear rating, unlimited time, 70,000 mile tread life warranty. $714 total cost through Subaru dealer.

Wife won't care, so long as they are quiet and deal with rain and snow.

stickguy · November 2017

so basically, you are copy catting me since those are the 2 I was picking between? I take that as a compliment, and validation!

xwesx · November 2017

Regarding tires, that sounds like a solid plan, and reasonable price, considering that you are also saving a lot of your own effort having a tire that will have a long life (not to mention the dollars saved, too). One thing to consider, though, is how long you expect them to be on the car. The materials stiffen after about five years, and I find that cold weather performance drops off. So, if you don't drive a lot of miles, you may not get full use out of them before you ought to replace them again.

stickguy · November 2017

one thing about getting them at the tire store (it really never occurred to me to shop the dealer!) is they include lifetime free rotations (not sure about balancing). So might require an extra stop when I get the oil changed, but at least can save the $20 per rotation!

If Wes is right, and after 5 winters they suffer, I really should be due since this coming up will be the 6th winter. Bought the car in September 2012.

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@xwesx rite on the tires! 6 years max! speaking of that next year going to get sum new ones for the thunderbird! tires look and seam good but car has bin off the road 6 years so who nos how old the tires are on it!

corvette · November 2017

Michaell said:
After a little bit more research, I think I've narrowed the replacement tires on the Subaru to two:

General Altimax RT43
Yes, these are the same tires that @stickguy will be getting for the RDX. 700 wear rating, 6 year, 65,000 mile tread life warranty. $681 total cost through Subaru dealer (tires, mount / balance, tax, etc.)

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring
I've had Coopers in the past and really liked them. 640 wear rating, unlimited time, 70,000 mile tread life warranty. $714 total cost through Subaru dealer.

Wife won't care, so long as they are quiet and deal with rain and snow.

I thought Pirelli was the only manufacturer with an unlimited time tread life warranty--I guess Cooper has joined the club. That said, I've never known anybody who made a successful tread life claim, and I'd never knowingly run my tires all the way down to 2/32" unless it was a car I never drove in the rain or snow.

stickguy · November 2017

Marco, tires have a date code on them (month/year of manufacture). if you can find that, you will at least know how old they are, though not how long they have been on the car. But on an old car that doesn't drive much, not as big a concern IMO.

stickguy · November 2017

Vette, yeah, running at 2/32 would have to be in warm temps, dry roads only. Not something I am likely to find around here all winter.

Sandman6472 · November 2017

As of this afternoon, mileage on the Golf was 35,941. Within a couple of minutes of driving home from work, see a notice about check the coolant and now there’s a red triangle on the dash. Got home and the car has 35,966 and decided to let the car sit awhile. Went out ten minutes ago and turned it on and yep, that red triangle is still there!! Looks like I’ll be going to the dealer first thing to see what’s up. Will have to get them to find the cause and document it so if they say it’s nothing and next week it comes back again, they’ll still be responsible in some way. Had a premonition that something was gonna crop up right around the 36K mark and guess I was right here.
Not a happy camper right now and just hope it’s not some major thing. As I told the wife earlier, not gonna play games with this vehicle for too long and if it’s not going to stay reliable, I’ll just start looking seriously for something newer. And I’m thinking that getting something “cheap to keep” is probably the best solution if I happen to go down that road. And a long warranty will be crucial since I’ve been spoiled with being under a warranty since December of 2013. But just hoping this is just a minor issue and it will behave itself going forward as would like to keep it another year or two really. A great vehicle over all and really has been very good up to now.

The Sandman :@

Sandman6472 · November 2017

Same thing happened on the Audi a few months ago the wife just reminded me. They put some water in and all was fine so hopefully this will be a similar issue. Like I said, not really in the mood to buy something again so soon, and with a wedding in the future, not sure what the plans are and how much coinage will be needed. Luckily, the kids know we’re not Rockefellors and very close to retiring and we live well under our means. We want to enjoy our retired years and not have to go to them for anything. I think my daughter will be o k with a small but tasteful event that she will be very proud of.
So buying a new vehicle is just not gonna happen for awhile if I can help it!

The Sandman

Michaell · November 2017

The weather was a bit dicey today here in Colorado - freezing temps, some sleet, some snow. Fortunately, it's the daughter's week to drive. However, they did have a "slippy" moment on the drive home today (wife's word choice). Hard to tell the difference between water, black ice and mag chloride, and they hit a bit of black ice in the MINI.

So, it's been suggested that I get new tires for the Outback, pronto.

Normally, I'd use Discount Tire, but they don't carry either of the choices that I really want. I'll take one more look at what they do have, and how much it costs. We've had the car for 32 months and it has only 23,000 miles on it. It gets maybe 8-10K a year, given that the wife and daughter split the driving. If I can get 30,000-40,000 out of the next set, I'll be perfectly happy with that. That will get us to when the car is paid off.

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@stickguy have to look and finde the date coad on them and yes so so trew don't have to worry much on an car not being driven much you got an point! they ride nice from what we saw the other day! so will see!

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@sandman_6472 hope it is not an big thing rong! hoping for the best for you Sandy!

stickguy · November 2017

Michael, get one of the choices at the dealer. So I get a real life reference on at least one option!

Actually should get what you want, though I did do considerable research to come down to this short list.

kyfdx · November 2017

Unless I'm going to a suspension shop for other work, I always try to get my tires locally. I love TireRack, but in practice, it's easier to shop local.

Now, if you are buying a winter tire/wheel package, that's a different story.

stickguy · November 2017

I agree about tire rack. Most local shops I would use will match price anyway, and Mavis has pretty much the same price anyway already.

Michaell · November 2017

stickguy said:
Michael, get one of the choices at the dealer. So I get a real life reference on at least one option!

Actually should get what you want, though I did do considerable research to come down to this short list.

Frankly, I'm just piggy-backing on your research.

I really liked the Coopers we had on the VUE, so I'm likely to go that route again.

I looked again at Discount Tire - anything similar in terms of tread life is going to be way more expensive, so I'll be calling the dealer today. Hoping to get in on Saturday - though, @breld (and wife), @jpp5862 and I are hoping to attend the Denver Cars and Coffee on Saturday morning.

Stop the presses! I found another chain (Big O Tire) that also carries the Coopers, and they are about $6 less per tire than the dealer. And, I can get them installed today.

stickguy · November 2017

Cool. Hope you get to try them in snow so can report back. I probably will hold off another month or 5 weeks.

qbrozen · November 2017

Walmart also has those Coopers

Michaell · November 2017

qbrozen said:
Walmart also has those Coopers

Yes, yes they do. For a decent price, I might add ($20 less than the local tire store).

But, they have to be shipped. Once the wife wants something done, she doesn't have a lot of patience. And, I've bought from Big O before - they have a pretty good track record with customer service.

Michaell · November 2017

stickguy said:
Cool. Hope you get to try them in snow so can report back. I probably will hold off another month or 5 weeks.

Looking at the long term forecast, I see 50's and 60's for the next 10 days. But, that could change. If it snows and the Outback is at home, I'll take it for a spin and report back.

stickguy · November 2017

Cool. Want wet and drive reports too!

Walmart was the same price, maybe $10 less, than Mavis. Probably save a bit on install, but then again, it's Walmart. But good coverage on the road hazard warranty!

ab348 · November 2017

Tomorrow I'm getting a set of Pirelli Ice Zero FR snows installed on the ATS. Never had Pirelli tires before but they did well in the evaluation below and were the best value unless I wanted to go to an off-brand like Hercules.

This is a good summary of snow tire performance (prices are C$): https://www.apa.ca/wintertire_reviews.asp

roadburner · November 2017

I ran Cooper UHP all-seasons on the MS3 and X3, as well as one of their touring all-seasons on the '02. I was pleased with their performance in every application.

Sandman6472 · November 2017

Shuttle just drove me home. A leaking water pump and a bad thermometer is the diagnosis. Going to take a few hours so service gal strongly suggested I take the shuttle home and will have them pick me up around 3 or so. Glad they found something concrete and will fix it.
Walked their lot and found a red over beige 2016 Tiguan SE with around 16K for 19,900. Plus a couple 2017 white Jetta’s with miles between 9K and 11K for around $17,750. One had a black interior, the other beige. Definitely tempted to be honest but, with the 2018 models comes the great new warranty so would be dumb to buy used right now. Really am a perfect candidate to lease except I just drive too many miles now. I like being under warranty, pure and simple, and don’t want older than 6 or so years.
Hopefully this will be the last issue for awhile and glad I made it under the warranty wire as suspect it would’ve cost somewhere around $500 or so. Just something not budgeted for!

The Sandman :@

kyfdx · November 2017

Don't get too caught up with treadwear ratings. Did you know they aren't comparable across different brands?
@capriracer explained this at one time.

xwesx · November 2017

stickguy said:
If Wes is right, and after 5 winters they suffer, I really should be due since this coming up will be the 6th winter. Bought the car in September 2012.

Tires can physically last quite a long time.... I have a set on my Econoline that I purchased in June of 1995! HOWEVER, I would never have a set this old on a daily driver - particularly not one that will drive long distances. Aside from cold performance, old tires build up (and handle) heat differently, and this is a major contributing factor in blow-outs.

You're likely just fine using tires five or six years old; I'm just saying that there is degradation in performance at that age (even if the tires have few miles).

Sandman6472 · November 2017

Am very happy with my run flats to be honest. Never lose air pressure, not noisy like I thought they would be and hold the road nicely. Couldn’t be happier with them and would do it again to be honest.

The Sandman

tifighter · November 2017

kyfdx said:
Don't get too caught up with treadwear ratings. Did you know they aren't comparable across different brands?
@capriracer explained this at one time.

The last thing I want is for my bottom to be dependent on a set of tires with over 50000 miles on them. Whenever I hear someone talk about how great their tires were for lasting 60-80000 miles, I just cringe. Fresh rubber for me, please...

ab348 · November 2017

roadburner said:

stickguy said:
It was on the news. I know I saw/heard that someplace.
This morning I read the official recall documents and no mention is made about parking outside. As a practical matter, the affected circuits aren't live once the car is shut off.
I also talked to several of our techs today and they told me that they have only seen the situation described in a few isolated cases- and that none of them were remotely close to catching fire.

This seems to be coming from BMW:

http://www.autofocus.ca/news-events/news/bmw-issues-big-recalls-to-fix-components-that-could-catch-fire?hootPostID=18321aedc0f9670835be9a80e5dda0ff

I can't imagine that the author just made it up.

roadburner · November 2017

BMW's PR people might be saying that but there is no mention of it in the official internal/external recall documents. This is an excerpt from the notice sent to the affected customers:

Do I need to stop driving my vehicle?
No. The possibility of this issue occurring is extremely rare.
However, you should stop driving your vehicle if any of the following warning signs occur:
- You see smoke entering the interior through the heating and cooling air vents.
- You smell smoke, or a plastic burning odor, in the interior.
If any of these warning signs occur, then as soon as possible, carefully move away from traffic, pull over to a safe location, and shut off the engine. All occupants should carefully exit the vehicle and move to a safe location away from traffic. Do not continue to drive your vehicle.
Dial 911 in the event of an emergency or contact an authorized BMW center immediately to have your vehicle brought to the nearest authorized BMW center for inspection and, if necessary, repair.

mlevine · November 2017

I look for tires at local places like firestone, good year, and even Costco. Where I live, it seems tires get worn out a lot quicker. Lucky to get 15K and that is with rotating every 6 months or every 5K.

ab348 · November 2017

roadburner said:
BMW's PR people might be saying that but there is no mention of it in the official internal/external recall documents.

This CBC story references a BMW spokesperson:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bmw-recall-1.4385978

Michaell · November 2017

mlevine said:
I look for tires at local places like firestone, good year, and even Costco. Where I live, it seems tires get worn out a lot quicker. Lucky to get 15K and that is with rotating every 6 months or every 5K.

I've actually had someone tell me that the composition of the roads here in Colorado wears out tires faster.

That's a new one, for me.

Sandman6472 · November 2017

Am in a 2017 Jetta SE, same colors as my Golf. That 1.8t engine is a real hoot, makes my 1.8t a real dog!!! No turbo lag whatsoever and just a touch on the accelerator has immediate forward thrust. I could get used to one of these suckered, it's like keeping mine on "S" mode 24/7 actually. And this Jetta gets better mpg's to boot. Have no clue why the smaller they go,mother faster they go with no turbo lag???
Man, I want one of these puppies!!!

The Sandman

Michaell · November 2017

The SE has the 1.4T, not the 1.8T

xwesx · November 2017

Not sure if the newest generation of turbos have this, but there are electric turbos out there now, and they are supposed to eliminate turbo lag because they can spool independently of the exhaust flow. Traditional turbos don't spool up until often after 2,000 rpm, so that power band from idle to >2,000 rpm is without "boost."

Offerings like "twin turbo" also served to reduce turbo lag by including smaller individual turbos that could spool faster (i.e., require less exhaust pressure), but they still depend on the flow of exhaust gas and, therefore, include some level of lag.

sda · November 2017

Michaell said:
The weather was a bit dicey today here in Colorado - freezing temps, some sleet, some snow. Fortunately, it's the daughter's week to drive. However, they did have a "slippy" moment on the drive home today (wife's word choice). Hard to tell the difference between water, black ice and mag chloride, and they hit a bit of black ice in the MINI.

So, it's been suggested that I get new tires for the Outback, pronto.

Normally, I'd use Discount Tire, but they don't carry either of the choices that I really want. I'll take one more look at what they do have, and how much it costs. We've had the car for 32 months and it has only 23,000 miles on it. It gets maybe 8-10K a year, given that the wife and daughter split the driving. If I can get 30,000-40,000 out of the next set, I'll be perfectly happy with that. That will get us to when the car is paid off.

My experience with Discount Tire is they can order the tire you want even if it isn't listed and will match pricing.

Michaell · November 2017

Done and done.

Big O got me out the door in 45 minutes. The drive home wasn't long enough to form any impressions.

stickguy · November 2017

the Coopers?

I should get them if for no other reason, that was the name of my late (and still missed) doggie that appears on the green background in all of my posts!

iluvmysephia1 · November 2017

I love that Cooper puppy, stick!

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@Michaell nice nice glad you found an tire shop chane near bye that has the tires that you want to put on the Faraster! so did you get them instoled today? and nice cante wate to hear all avbout the cars and coffy you all are going to on Saturday!

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@sandman_6472 glad all was covered under your worintee that ws close! hope you are good for an few years now! and nice lowner car they gave to you!

tbirdmarco · November 2017

@Michaell saw your posting on the current page sorry about that glad you got the tires instoled!

Michaell · November 2017

stickguy said:
the Coopers?

I should get them if for no other reason, that was the name of my late (and still missed) doggie that appears on the green background in all of my posts!

Yes, I went with the CS5s.

Familiarity from one of the two VUEs we had (but, I can't remember which one it was now)

stickguy · November 2017

continue to be impressed by the Elantra. Had to run out to Petsmart last night. Probably about 5 miles, all local roads with various stop signs and stop lights (that I always get caught at). So, normal around town stuff. TC said I got 31 MPG going, and coming home (a slightly different, more open but longer route), 33.4. Considering my one mostly highway (but still 20% local streets) run (coming home from dealer) returned 36+, I think that this might be the Hyundai that is actually underrated for MPG on the window sticker. At least I hope it is!

going to try and take a little road trip this weekend to finally get it opened and and a few miles on it. Really curious what it will do on a straight highway jaunt.

2 weeks and almost 100 miles of my own, and still liking it! Really grips well ripping around an off ramp too. Much different than the Sonata which was tuned for comfort.

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