Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

tjc78 · March 18

@Michaell said:
I like how the car reminds you to keep your hands on the steering wheel.

That’s the icon for the adaptive cruise/self drive mode.

Lights up green when the system is active.

roadburner · March 18

@tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:
I like how the car reminds you to keep your hands on the steering wheel.

That’s the icon for the adaptive cruise/self drive mode.

Lights up green when the system is active.

Yes, Distronic Plus is the Mercedes name for
Level 2 autonomous driving. It also flashes red if your hands have not been on the wheel for a certain time (usually about 20 seconds) when Distronic is activated.

oldfarmer50 · March 18

Just got my paycheck and I got another raise. Got one 6 months ago so they must not think of me as too bad of a screw up. They also paid me retroactively back to Feb. 1st. $18/hr. for driving cars and laughing with friends. It doesn’t get better than that.

A lot better than my first job as a dish washer for $1.65.😫

sda · March 18

Two features I would like not have to turn off after each restart. Auto stop and lane assist. Credit to auto start, it works well and starts unobtrusively. I doubt the gas savings amounts to much, and the constant restarting can’t be good for the starter or engine. Or my nerves. Lane assist is a bit aggressive. If I am trying to avoid a pot hole or change lanes without using the turn signal, it will about yank the steering wheel from my hands. It can be a bit unnerving.

stickguy · March 18

both my cars have lane assist but you can turn it off permanetly if you want. The Acura actually has 2 levels I think. The little shake to let you know you are on the line, and active nudging when the ACC system is turned on (even if not set). That is only mildly annoying. Auto stop start on that car is part of the start up routine to turn it off. If I forget, I get a rude reminder at the first stop light. It is pretty abrupt on that car.

Not an issue with the Maverick since it is the whole point of a hybrid. And it is amazingly seamless.

roadburner · March 18

My start-up routine on the C43 is to disable the auto stop/start and open up the exhaust. I need to get both coded so they stay off or on.
Lane assist is pretty benign so I just leave it alone.

corvette · March 18

Turns out, the Pathfinder I rented had LDW but no lane assist. I didn't see a button or menu function to turn off LDW. It had stop/start, but it was a very mild version that seemed to kill the engine for a max of 30 seconds or so. I know the Maverick will stay turned off longer if conditions are right.

laurasdada · March 19

A7 annual oil change and state inspection today. Not surprisingly, couldn't complete inspection due to cords exposed on inside of front tires (I didn't expect the cords to be exposed, but thought they might not pass depth).

So, need new tires within the next week or so. Think I'm gonna go with the Conti DWS06+; somewhat limited selection for all-seasons for the A7. N/A at Costco or BJs; they do have the Michelin Pilot Sport AS, but a bit more expensive than the Contis. And Tire Rack reviews the Contis overall higher.
Any opinions on the Contis vs the Michelins?

Or do I buy a new car which comes with new tires? Perhaps a question for a different thread.

But between the stock market, unexpected mean cards in Vegas and now new tires, I seem to have picked a bad day to give up a paycheck...

nyccarguy · March 19

Obviously buy a new car that comes with new tires silly!

I have never hesitated to spend more money on Michelins. Unless the Contis are 1/2 the price, I’d stick (no pun intended) with Michelins.

explorerx4 · March 19

If you get the right Conti's, they last longer than Michelins andare cheaper.

stickguy · March 19

I have not bought tires in a long time either. I should make that another goal besides having leased my last car. Bought my last tire!

corvette · March 19

I bought Conti summer tires for the Mustang and they were really good. The Maverick also has OE Contis, which are surprisingly good for an OE tire, but will need replacement by 30k miles, or so. Will probably try something different.

explorerx4 · March 19

Our 2013 Escape got 72K out of the original Conti's and they only got replaced because winter was on the way.

sda · March 19

awesome. play on your best audio.

https://youtu.be/uHLRgvNh6Lk?si=1xD1jxL3koKQ5XBO

stickguy · March 19

the Lariat Maverick has Michelins. They seem fine and are wearing well at 8k miles. The Acura has Continentals with almost 27K on them in 5 years. Drive fine, but I think they are getting noisy, or maybe it's just they are noisier than the Maverick. Seem to have decent tread still and even wear, so not sure how long they will actually go. Can probably hit 40K if I ignore the age component (since that will be potentially another 4 years). Though in the current fleet that is the car that will get snow use if it happens, so I am not pushing them too far toward bald (plus the wife drives it). I already did some research to pick out replacements. Just not looking forward to the $1,200 hit to put them on any time soon!

Michaell · March 19

stickguy said:
the Lariat Maverick has Michelins. They seem fine and are wearing well at 8k miles. The Acura has Continentals with almost 27K on them in 5 years. Drive fine, but I think they are getting noisy, or maybe it's just they are noisier than the Maverick. Seem to have decent tread still and even wear, so not sure how long they will actually go. Can probably hit 40K if I ignore the age component (since that will be potentially another 4 years). Though in the current fleet that is the car that will get snow use if it happens, so I am not pushing them too far toward bald (plus the wife drives it). I already did some research to pick out replacements. Just not looking forward to the $1,200 hit to put them on any time soon!

$1200 is still cheaper than a new car!

Closing out my mom's estate this week, so I'll be getting a little bit more money from it.

Planning on attending to some deferred work on the Subaru - my local shop has noted a few things:

1. Coolant flush and refill
2. Tie rod ends need to be replaced
3. They claim there is a slow leak from the timing case, and are recommending a degrease service to identify the source

I don't have the prices associated with these recommendations, yet. Wanted to solicit the collective wisdom here to prioritize the above.

jmonroe1 · March 19

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
the Lariat Maverick has Michelins. They seem fine and are wearing well at 8k miles. The Acura has Continentals with almost 27K on them in 5 years. Drive fine, but I think they are getting noisy, or maybe it's just they are noisier than the Maverick. Seem to have decent tread still and even wear, so not sure how long they will actually go. Can probably hit 40K if I ignore the age component (since that will be potentially another 4 years). Though in the current fleet that is the car that will get snow use if it happens, so I am not pushing them too far toward bald (plus the wife drives it). I already did some research to pick out replacements. Just not looking forward to the $1,200 hit to put them on any time soon!
$1200 is still cheaper than a new car!

Closing out my mom's estate this week, so I'll be getting a little bit more money from it.

Planning on attending to some deferred work on the Subaru - my local shop has noted a few things:

1. Coolant flush and refill
2. Tie rod ends need to be replaced
3. They claim there is a slow leak from the timing case, and are recommending a degrease service to identify the source

I don't have the prices associated with these recommendations, yet. Wanted to solicit the collective wisdom here to prioritize the above.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
I suggest you get a couple quotes and at least one from an indie shop.

I know you're not going to do the work but tie rod ends are pretty easy to replace. However, after they are replaced, its a good idea to get the car aligned and that is not a DIY job.

Let us know how it goes. Good luck

jmonroe

stickguy · March 20

Degreasing the front case should be easy. And DIY if you want. Fixing a leak won’t be.

Seems very much due for a coolant flush based on age. Tie rod ends, you would have to take their word on that. But should not be a huge job.

corvette · March 20

Degreasing the front case sounds like something you can DIY in a car wash bay. Coolant can probably wait. I'd prioritize the tie rod ends, especially if you're getting noises or other symptoms.

laurasdada · March 20

Thanks for the input! Still deciding, although I think the Conti is the better overall tire/value (from TireRack tests), BJs offers some extra services that local shops don't when buying.

Why is life so difficult!?

Michaell · March 20

Thanks for the feedback. My local shop is part of a franchise chain, but I do trust them. I can get a second opinion, however.

I'm not hearing any odd noises or slop in the steering.

The coolant is probably due based on age.

The big thing - and one I didn't mention earlier, but has been talked about - is the CVT fluid. So many varying opinions (both here and on the Outback FB group) as to whether, or when, it should be done.

cdnpinhead · March 20

Michaell said:
The big thing - and one I didn't mention earlier, but has been talked about - is the CVT fluid. So many varying opinions (both here and on the Outback FB group) as to whether, or when, it should be done.

This guy does a lot of work on Subarus and seems to know what he's talking about, FWIW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR3eZZcgoZ0&t=927s

Michaell · March 20

cdnpinhead said:

Michaell said:
The big thing - and one I didn't mention earlier, but has been talked about - is the CVT fluid. So many varying opinions (both here and on the Outback FB group) as to whether, or when, it should be done.
This guy does a lot of work on Subarus and seems to know what he's talking about, FWIW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR3eZZcgoZ0&t=927s

Thanks for this!

Looks like I'm going to just leave it alone for another 50,000 miles.

sda · March 20

@Michaell said:
Thanks for the feedback. My local shop is part of a franchise chain, but I do trust them. I can get a second opinion, however.

I'm not hearing any odd noises or slop in the steering.

The coolant is probably due based on age.

The big thing - and one I didn't mention earlier, but has been talked about - is the CVT fluid. So many varying opinions (both here and on the Outback FB group) as to whether, or when, it should be done.

You might try your Subaru dealer. At least for a second opinion. Don't tell them what the indie place suggested, just do an overall inspection. I have found the dealer pricing to be competitive. They use oem parts and have the brand expertise.

tjc78 · March 20

I’m on the other end of the spectrum… my Ram oil life is at 23%. I’m curious if I can make it to 8/2 (lease end). Probably not, so should just do it now.

Just spent $10 on a cabin filter because I used the AC for the first time yesterday and it was super smelly/musty. Hopefully the filter helps that otherwise the dealer is gonna have to do something about it

ab348 · March 20

Funny first-time experience this morning. I was crossing the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge this morning, which is a 3-lane suspension bridge across Halifax Harbour and a twin to the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. The bridge deck has an arch to it so oncoming traffic is partially obscured from view until you approach the high point of the arch. As I was going up to that point I could see a large cloud of what I first thought was smoke appearing in the oncoming lane. After a few seconds I realized it was steam. Then I saw the source, a BMW X3 spewing steam from under the hood and escaping through every possible gap. I don’t know how the driver could see. I hope he made it to the other side. Poor devil.

abacomike · March 20

I just had to change my email address because I have a new TV and Internet provider. It's taken almost 2 months so far to update my new email address with my credit card companies, lease payment, mobile phone carrier, and about 100 other providers. It's been total misery, to say the least.

Interestingly enough, I tried changing my old Edmunds email address to my new email, and I have been totally unsuccessful in completing this miserable exercise. So I hope someone at Edmunds is reading this post so I can get some assistance. I realize that my "sign-in" email address has to remain as is in order to keep my account, but I just want to make sure that if Edmunds needs to contact me, they have the new email address. I tried changing it manually through my setting here on Edmunds, but to no avail.

Give an old man a break!

stickguy · March 20

I have a couple of Email addresses that I don't think I can ever change. Hopefully Comcast keeps supporting the one of them.

oldfarmer50 · March 20

What I get from that video is to not buy a Subaru with 101k miles on it because the fluid probably has never been changed.

stickguy · March 20

unless I had records I would assume every car never had it changed. Because nobody changes it.

tjc78 · March 20

I can’t even imagine changing my email address. I’ve been using this one since 2005 when I bought my first house and started a Comcast account.

Believe this or not … I was able to have my Mom’s Comcast email taken from her account to mine when we moved her in.

It was not an easy task and took many, many phone calls.

abacomike · March 20

@tjc78 said:
I can’t even imagine changing my email address. I’ve been using this one since 2005 when I bought my first house and started a Comcast account.

Believe this or not … I was able to have my Mom’s Comcast email taken from her account to mine when we moved her in.

It was not an easy task and took many, many phone calls.

I have had a Comcast email account since 2000. My condo association, which represents over 5000 residents, contracted with a new internet and streaming TV service provider about a year ago - internet already up and running which is paid for by my HOA - TV scheduled to be connected in 3-5 months. Comcast was unable to match or come in lower than a competitor.

I am not happy about out this because I will have to set up Prime, Paramount +, MAX/HBO, NETFLIX, Peacock and YouTube with my new TV provider’s system all over again and that is no fun if you’ve ever had to sign in with codes, etc.

I guess “…when in Rome…!”

abacomike · March 20

Rory McElroy played outstanding golf last week and won the Players Championship in a 3 hole playoff Monday morning - $4.5 million is what he received. It was played at Sawgrass TPC in Ponte Vedra FL, just a few miles from my brother’s house. He said traffic was horrendous as it is every year up there.

stickguy · March 20

my oldest one is a Comcast domain too and we have not had Comcast since we left Jersey 3 years ago. Thankfully they let you take it with you. I thought it required paying an annual fee (which I would have done) but apparently not, which is nice.

Not even sure I could figure out how many services that is tied into, either as the login or recovery. Edmunds being one of them!

ab348 · March 21

I'm glad I was an early adopter of Gmail shortly after it launched since it is agnostic re. whatever internet provider you use. My oldest brother had to endure the change of email address issue when he switched from his longtime provider to a competitor when he sold the house and moved into a new apartment that only allowed one provider to service the entire building. He ended up moving all his stuff to Gmail as well.

Apparently one of the large providers here (Bell) is no longer offering email addresses using their domain. name.

Kirstie_H · March 21

abacomike said:
I just had to change my email address because I have a new TV and Internet provider. It's taken almost 2 months so far to update my new email address with my credit card companies, lease payment, mobile phone carrier, and about 100 other providers. It's been total misery, to say the least.

Interestingly enough, I tried changing my old Edmunds email address to my new email, and I have been totally unsuccessful in completing this miserable exercise. So I hope someone at Edmunds is reading this post so I can get some assistance. I realize that my "sign-in" email address has to remain as is in order to keep my account, but I just want to make sure that if Edmunds needs to contact me, they have the new email address. I tried changing it manually through my setting here on Edmunds, but to no avail.

Give an old man a break! </p>

Can you send us an email from your new email address? help@edmunds.com. I'll see what I can do.

graphicguy · March 21

One of my friends I walk with at the local park just got a new Camry for his wife. We went for a drive in it last night.

White pearl with black top and red leather interior (I'm a sucker for red leather interiors). It's an XSE, all loaded up except for AWD. Pretty nice vehicle for around $40K. JBL stereo was nice. He let me drive it about 15 minutes or so. "Sportier" than I remember any Camry I had ever driven to be. Wouldn't mistake it for a sports car, but still a decent handler.

Not fast by any stretch. But, the CVT did not have any of the rubber banding effect that most have.

Nicely appointed and built. Seats were stiff, but it's new. These are getting mighty close to Lexus territory.

Haven't had my Accord for a while. So, going from memory.....Accord rode and handled better and I think is/was quicker. I like the looks of the Camry better, though (red leather strikes again). My EV6 feels roomier on the inside.

Hard to make a judgement because of different driving conditions but the Camry seemed to rely on the ICE more than the Accord does (which was barely perceptible). So, the Camry felt a bit coarser. Liked the Accord's seats better. They seemed to have more bolstering and nicer leather.

My recommendation? Both the Accord and the Camry are very well done, modern cars. Choosing between the two, given their bullet proof reputation? Buy the one that's cheaper.

qbrozen · March 21

Good grief. Doesn’t seem like it was so long ago you couldn’t even get a Camry over $30k.

tjc78 · March 21

@qbrozen said:
Good grief. Doesn’t seem like it was so long ago you couldn’t even get a Camry over $30k.

I remember my Stepdad not believing my hard loaded 2000 Solara V6 was 28K

graphicguy · March 21

When I was shopping around last Summer, there were a wealth of cars I looked at with a price above $40K.

-Mazda CX 50 with a turbo
-Honda CR-V
-Toyota RAV4

My EV6 came in at just under $40K with all the rebates.

I remember my first Acura TL with a 310 HP V6 all loaded up with surround sound stereo had a $38K MSRP.

My 2011 BMW 335i ix was knocking on the door of $48K, though.

My 2014 Tahoe LTZ had an MSRP of $50K+, but it was steeply discounted.

xwesx · March 21

I know I am well behind the times, yet I am adding my change....

1. Tires.

Personally, I have consistently found Continental tires to be pretty mediocre in any class I buy them. They tend to wear well, but they just don't have the same performance as other options, and, while not the most expensive, they are *way too* expensive to be mediocre. I have written the brand off my list of considerations.

2. Outback maintenance.

Unless you're oil-averse, a "slight leak" from the timing case cover is a non-issue, and could be for either a long while or forever, whichever comes first. On these engines, the most likely source is one of three locations: Crankshaft seal, oil pump seal, or camshaft seal(s). Of these, only the oil pump is a significant concern, because that can go from slight leak to major issue in short order. I'd just watch it and take action if the leak gets significantly worse. The biggest issue is that you have to do 90% of the work just to find out where it is leaking, so if you're committing to the inspection, you're essentially committing to the fix. Alternatively, just inspect and repair when you are in there to replace the belt (if yours is a four-cylinder.... I don't recall now).

Coolant flush. Meh. I can honestly say that I have *never* "flushed" the coolant on any of my vehicles. Sure, I have flushed a radiator or two (both the engine radiator and the cabin heater core), and I've changed my coolant many times (drain/fill), but a true flush just seems like overkill.

CVT fluid change. As long as you do it right, DO IT. Transmission fluid of any type is one of those things that is grossly neglected as a whole. Even manufacturers neglect these in order to get their TCO numbers down because they know that the transmissions will, largely, last well outside of warranty (and then it isn't their problem any more when the tranny fails due to aged fluid). In contrast, there is not a single OEM that advertises their transmission products as lifetime fills. 60K intervals is about right for the Subaru CVT in normal conditions.... and the same goes for differentials (front and rear on Subaru). This is just a drain/fill.... not a flush (again, unnecessary).

ab348 · March 21

xwesx said:
I know I am well behind the times, yet I am adding my change....

1. Tires.

Personally, I have consistently found Continental tires to be pretty mediocre in any class I buy them. They tend to wear well, but they just don't have the same performance as other options, and, while not the most expensive, they are *way too* expensive to be mediocre. I have written the brand off my list of considerations.

To me when it comes to tires, there is Michelin, then everything else. I've had Bridgestones, Goodyears, and Goodrich tires and none of them came close to Michelin.

2. Outback maintenance.

CVT fluid change. As long as you do it right, DO IT. Transmission fluid of any type is one of those things that is grossly neglected as a whole. Even manufacturers neglect these in order to get their TCO numbers down because they know that the transmissions will, largely, last well outside of warranty (and then it isn't their problem any more when the tranny fails due to aged fluid). In contrast, there is not a single OEM that advertises their transmission products as lifetime fills. 60K intervals is about right for the Subaru CVT in normal conditions.... and the same goes for differentials (front and rear on Subaru). This is just a drain/fill.... not a flush (again, unnecessary).

On that bolded point, didn't Nissan say that with their CVTs that had a habit of failing? I've read stories of people who revivied their failed Nissan CVTs with a drain and new fluid.

oldfarmer50 · March 21

The wife of a guy at work just traded in a 2020 Honda CrV with 32k miles for a Subaru Crosstreck. Would you guys consider that an upgrade?

FWIW, I would bought that Honda off them if I’d known they were trading.

kyfdx · March 21

oldfarmer50 said:
The wife of a guy at work just traded in a 2020 Honda CrV with 32k miles for a Subaru Crosstreck. Would you guys consider that an upgrade?

FWIW, I would bought that Honda off them if I’d known they were trading.

A definite downgrade

xwesx · March 21

ab348 said:

On that bolded point, didn't Nissan say that with their CVTs that had a habit of failing? I've read stories of people who revivied their failed Nissan CVTs with a drain and new fluid.

Well, I cannot say one way or another if an auto manufacturer actually makes their own unit, but it is far more typical that a subsidiary or independent OEM sources the transmission. If you go to buy that unit directly, there is always a maintenance interval.

stickguy · March 21

I would have bought it too. And I don’t even need it.

The subs though has a lot more tech most likely. And is smaller. Some people like that. Other than the size class not at all a downgrade really.

stickguy · March 21

Didn’t BMW and probably MB call their transmissions sealed units with lifetime fluid?

ab348 · March 21

stickguy said:
I would have bought it too. And I don’t even need it.

The subs though has a lot more tech most likely. And is smaller. Some people like that. Other than the size class not at all a downgrade really.

I’ve never paid much attention to Subaru. My boss many years ago had one and it developed the chronic piston slap issue a lot of them suffered from back in the day. I visited the Subaru Canada web site today and I still don’t know what to think. You can only get a black interior here in most of their models so that’s strike one for me. Most seem to have CVTs so that’s strike two. Not much there that wowed me.

corvette · March 21

oldfarmer50 said:
The wife of a guy at work just traded in a 2020 Honda CrV with 32k miles for a Subaru Crosstreck. Would you guys consider that an upgrade?

Downgrade. I think my former law partner was still driving a 2006-ish Buick Lacrosse, which had undoubtably reached hooptie status, and got a new Crosstrek to replace it. Also a downgrade in terms of refinement, but not in terms of looking presentable or repair frequency.

roadburner · March 21

stickguy said:
Didn’t BMW and probably MB call their transmissions sealed units with lifetime fluid?

They aren't/weren't "sealed" but there's no dipstick. I spoke to a ZF tech at a BMW CCA tech event and he advised a 60k ATF change interval, I think Mercedes may still recommend an ATF change at around that interval.

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