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2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Makes you wonder why a car manufacturer cheaps out so much on speakers but they have the best bean counters on earth so they must know what works and what doesn’t. Although it does make you scratch your head. Sometimes to balding.
jmonroe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRxDW64KMzw&t=2s
"The Ford electric motor boasts a couple significant refinements over the purchased motor in the Escape, according to Hajiabdi. “On the manufacturing side, we are utilizing the hairpin design, which is one of the best-in-class designs we have for the winding scheme for these machines. By using this hairpin design, we’re able to push more current while keeping the noise, vibration, and harshness performance to the limits,” he said. And Ford also improved the installation of the motor’s permanent magnets by embedding them directly into the motor’s rotor housing. “The way the permanent magnet is retained inside the rotor assembly, many suppliers and other OEMs actually glue the magnet inside the pocket of the core,” explained Hajiabdi. “But for this design, Ford is using the technology of molding the magnets inside the core. By doing that, one of the things that this enables is that we can push this motor to higher speeds which translates to higher vehicle speeds.”
https://www.designnews.com/automotive-engineering/fords-new-house-maverick-hybrid-e-motor-20-percent-lighter
EPA ratings out. 33 highway, 42 city.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Makes you wonder why a car manufacturer cheaps out so much on speakers but they have the best bean counters on earth so they must know what works and what doesn’t. Although it does make you scratch your head. Sometimes to balding.
jmonroe
I think the price pressures are sometimes huge. Long ago I read a book about the second generation Ford Taurus, the oval one that came out in 1996. Ford and the Taurus designers and engineers had thought that the car could sell at a premium price over other midsize cars, and they engineered some nice things into it assuming that. But when the car didn't perform that way in the market, they had to almost brutally go back and make the car cheaper by "value-engineering" lots of parts, trying to cut a couple of thousand dollars out of each car. For the standard stereo of a car I could see how in that situation they could switch from forty dollars worth of speakers (or whatever) to twenty dollars.
That actually also seemed to happen with my 2016 Honda Accord EX. That car had a rotten sound system, worse somehow than was found on my 2002 Accord LX. The bean counters had gotten to it, figuring I guess that those that cared about good sound would get the deluxe stereo on the EXL and above. That almost painful sounding stereo was one of the main reasons I traded that Accord in for my TLX, although in retrospect just putting in some better speakers might have fixed that issue. But there were other reasons I wanted to Acura....
Interesting is that my wife's EX CR-V has a good stereo. Sounds nice. Why would an EX CR-V sound good, while an EX Accord sounds bad? My guess is that it's because the CR-V is now Honda's best selling and most profitable vehicle. The CR-V is making more money for Honda, and so that team of engineers and bean counters are, I'm guessing, allowed to put in that extra $30 or whatever into the speakers.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a37996255/2022-audi-a3-s3-drive/
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because Audi is German and they probably don’t have the same confidence in their product that the Japanese have. Or maybe it’s because they are German stubborn and don’t feel that they have to be like the others. They have their own fan base.
jmonroe
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
The tag agency was right across where I went to high school down here from mid-tenth grade to graduation. Place still looks the same and even drove by our old house before my doctors appointment. The guy in the guard house let me through after I told him I lived here 50 years ago & just wanted to look see the old house. Same owners who bought it in 1973 from my folks and looks the same, a white house with a white barrel tile roof. Big house for tat time though, a 7/6 with a two car garage out back. Had a pool, sauna, shuffle board court out back. Folks got it for a bargain in 1969 as a Canadian doctor needed to unload it fast, so my dad told me years ago. Was a "right place at the right time" purchase, think they paid around $155K back then where now, bet it's worth $750K or more. Served our family well at the time, I finally had my own room for those 3.5 years.
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
My mother sold our house in 1971 for $21K. Granted, not the mansion that one seems like, but still.
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Maybe @Sandy’s father paid that Canadian doctor in worthless Canadian dollars that @ab348 talks about.
jmonroe
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Maybe @Sandy’s father paid that Canadian doctor in worthless Canadian dollars that @ab348 talks about.
jmonroe
No, back then they were worth something. For a time they were worth more than the US greenback in fact.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Yeah, there was a time that Canadians were trying to buy US models, for import to Canada.
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That sounds like they were being totally un-Canadian back then. It’s nice to know that’s been corrected lately.
jmonroe
A critical element in everything from engines to bodies is in short supply
BySteve DaSilva
Tuesday 12:56PM
Comments (332)
.... A global shortage of magnesium could result in a near-total shutdown of the auto industry — one that experts say could come by the end of this year....Essentially, you can’t make cars without aluminum. You can’t work with aluminum without using magnesium. And as of December, you may not be able to work with magnesium much — if at all. Amos Fletcher, analyst for Barclays, put it succinctly: “If magnesium supply stops, the entire auto industry will potentially be forced to stop.”
China has been in the midst of an energy crisis recently, with factories shutting down to conserve power. Unfortunately for the car industry, China is also the world’s primary supplier of magnesium — 85% of the world’s supply comes from the country. The most prevalent magnesium-producing town in China, Yulin, just ordered 35 of its 50 production facilities to shut down. The remaining 15 have been told to scale back operations by half, leaving production drastically reduced. This slowdown in magnesium wouldn’t be such an issue if the metal could be easily stored, but it’s got an incredibly short life span on its own. Magnesium oxidizes relatively quickly, and European reserves are expected to run dry by the end of November.
The situation in the US, luckily, is a bit more optimistic. While not nearly on the scale of China, the US is a global producer of magnesium as well. As long as American auto plants can get their hands on enough semiconductors, production shouldn’t quite hit a total standstill."
more at the link
https://jalopnik.com/the-car-shortage-is-about-to-get-a-whole-lot-worse-1847892481
The "good" dealership is 15-ish miles away, the OK/lame one is 1/2 mile away.
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Rebuild the engine assuming medium damage at worse case scenario to one side of the V6. Makes sense as my foot on the gas putting out black smoke from a timing failure causing 3 cylinders to die with valves open is starting to makes sense. Use guys from close to South of the Border, but recommended/good word of mouth for their quality of work in machining and rebuilding.
Sell the S4 broken to one of these "cheap" rebuilders.
Buy through "contacts" from the auction block "salvaged" S4's where the motor is still running for about $14-15K off the block?
One more reason why we have to get our manufacturing base back to the way it was.
But until someone turns off my air, I’ll get through this.
jmonroe
https://www.partrequest.com/auto-parts-detail/2013-2015-audi-s4-engine-assembly-3-0l-vin-g-5th-di-284468621366
oops. that is by Sacramento. Sounds like it should be down near San Diego!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Or, hybridize it with the @stickguy route: You can probably get a unit (S4) from Copart for south of $15K. Depending on bidding, maybe a lot less than that (and they have a bunch of them). Get one for $4-6K tops, pay another couple grand, maybe, for shipping, and you can likely get a solid engine for a decent price. Sell the shell of the car for scrap for $1,500 or so... maybe more if you wanted to part it out... and you'd come out okay.
Mechanic reports my engine is running fantastic now. Wrong replacement strut was mailed to him, however.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
they had other ones. I think there was a low mile (40k) unit for about $5,700, but free shipping.
better than an R8 V8. JRGO had to replace his, and that was $25K through the dealer (had to come from Germany). Part only, install is extra.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
https://www.autoshowcase1.com/vehicle-details/used-2008-audi-tt-3-2l-quattro-roadster-carol-stream-il-id-43851999
Maybe a good bet is to pull an oil sample out of it and send it off to Blackstone. Let them know (quick summary) what's going on. They can tell you how the internals look from a metals perspective. If there's lots of copper, aluminum, and silicon in there, the block might not be worth the effort.
A 14K new motor quickly made me forget all about a $350 dollar key FOB incident!
I don't like the Stinger with a 2.0T. It's not the motor's fault though. The K5 with a 2.0T or 2.5T might be the ticket.
I had my Q7 in to the alignment shop on Tuesday. They said it was a little out of whack, but not as much as I expected. The only damaged parts they could find are the rear strut mounts, and the lower bushings were just destroyed on them. I have a new pair of shocks on the way, and hopefully I can get them installed this weekend (if they show up on time tomorrow).
That actually also seemed to happen with my 2016 Honda Accord EX. That car had a rotten sound system, worse somehow than was found on my 2002 Accord LX. The bean counters had gotten to it, figuring I guess that those that cared about good sound would get the deluxe stereo on the EXL and above. That almost painful sounding stereo was one of the main reasons I traded that Accord in for my TLX, although in retrospect just putting in some better speakers might have fixed that issue. But there were other reasons I wanted to Acura....
Interesting is that my wife's EX CR-V has a good stereo. Sounds nice. Why would an EX CR-V sound good, while an EX Accord sounds bad? My guess is that it's because the CR-V is now Honda's best selling and most profitable vehicle. The CR-V is making more money for Honda, and so that team of engineers and bean counters are, I'm guessing, allowed to put in that extra $30 or whatever into the speakers.
I’m guessing that for every audiophiles like you there are twenty tin ear customers like me who can’t tell the difference. When the cuts come they want to offend the fewest people.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
You’re right about that. But today it’s easier because of the panic.
jmonroe
Makes you wonder why a car manufacturer cheaps out so much on speakers but they have the best bean counters on earth so they must know what works and what doesn’t. Although it does make you scratch your head. Sometimes to balding.
jmonroe
I think a huge percentage of drivers have no Idea how a decent audio system sounds- and/or don't care.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
True enough. Nothing a computer could have deduced, so who knows if even an MB dealer could have figured that out.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
But if you love the TT, then you love the TT.
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Looked on a website earlier, and our old 7/6 is now worth just over $1M, crazy but it says it's just under 5K living space. Somewhat small by today's standards but back then, it was pretty large. Was nice to see it again, even though we didn't live there very long.
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Say what? 5k is small? Yikes!
Benz will go up for auction, I’m pretty certain. I’ve been pondering other moves. We both use the Jeep A LOT, yet, I’m not terribly keen on making payments right now. The Escape will be with us here in NJ for a while. Maybe I’ll start tooling around in that and see how it goes. Wouldn’t be the worst thing if a $4k vehicle can serve as a DD. But, I do acknowledge I have been down this road before. I tried it with a $2k Equinox, and that did not go well. Plus, wife would not do well with that plan. I think the Jeep needs to stay for her use. So, yes, likely the future stable will be Sprinter, Jeep, Fiat, Charger. The Ford will go down south, and the Coronet will still be in pieces. Lol. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like driving the Sprinter.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I’m pretty surprised I made 3 punches this year. I honestly did not think any moves were in the cards when the year started. I’m not counting the Sprinter. Although we put down a deposit, who the heck knows how long it will take before signing and taking delivery.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S