Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

roadburner · July 1

explorerx4 said:
Oil stress is completely different on an NA engine than a DI engine, especially if turbocharged.

My MS3 was a TGDI motor and before I bought it I read lots of Mazda forum posts about how that engine just destroyed oil- especially if the oil was Mobil 1. I would post my UOAs (using Mobil 1) on those same forums and the "experts" would be conspicuously silent.

stickguy · July 1

for oil changes, after reading a lot and watching too many videos, I am not taking any chances with a DI Turbo engine. They are very sensitive to having enough clean/good oil. That was really a big topic on the Maverick Ecoboost pages.

I also won't go more than 12 months anyway, so at low usage, I never have to worry about going excessive miles between changes.

explorerx4 · July 1

I keep the paper and have spreadsheets for fuel mileage and maintenance costs.

roadburner · July 1

Speaking of my Mazda's UOAs, here's an example:

explorerx4 · July 1

The problem with modern DI turbo engines is low speed/annual mileage usage.

Michaell · July 1

@stickguy said:
I do it the old fashioned way. Every car I get, I start a manila folder and put all the paperwork in that, then every service, add the receipts. Very easy to find if you need them when selling! On the front of the folder, I just write down the date and what was done so I don't have to dig out the papers to check back.

Like you, I have a Manila folder for each car, but I use a spreadsheet to track the work done. Date, mileage, description of work, cost.

One tab for each vehicle. Just made the first entry for the Kia yesterday.

jmonroe1 · July 1

qbrozen said:
I need to be better about tracking service on my cars. I bought some stickers a while back and wrote a very long one for the Alfa. I should take a pic. That reminds me, I should write one for the Volvo. Although those new fangled cars tell you when to service them. I seriously can’t recall when the Fiat last got an oil change. I bought the stuff for it this week, along with trans fluid because the kid says it is slipping. I doubt it but I’ll do it anyway just because it is over 10 yrs old.

Oh, did I mention the Volvo’s plugs? When I changed them, all 4 had some buildup on the electrodes. Two were far worse than the other 2. I’d estimate at least half the gap was filled. And I had noticed a chuffing sound from the car when I’d hear the wife pull in or out of the garage. It seems far happier and sounds healthier now. Needing a special tool to remove the filter angered me to no end. And, even with the newly acquired tool, it took A LOT of torque to remove. Only supposed to be 25 nM when tightening. Either it is a poor design or the previous tech has no idea what 25 nM means.

————————————————
My money is on the tech screwing it up, literally.

Years ago on my GM V8’s, the rule of thumb for the AC Delco metal canned oil filters was no more than 1 1/2 turns once the oil filter gasket made contact with the oil filter can mounting assembly surface that was bolted to the block.

I had a friend who took his ‘72 GTO to a dealer who obviously didn’t follow that rule. After calling me one Saturday with a filter he couldn’t get off, even after driving a screwdriver through the can so he could grab both ends of the long screwdriver to try getting if off that way (an old shade tree mechanics trick back then), I told him if he could un-bolt the oil can mounting assembly from the block, I could probably get the filter off by putting the assembly in my bench vise and using a large pipe wrench to grab the heavy metal plate on the bottom of the filter can. That worked but it still took some umph to do it. Those old metal can filters with the large round gaskets seemed to glue themselves to mounting assembly if they were over tighten. Not something you’d want to screw up by over tightening the filter.

jmonroe

xwesx · July 1

explorerx4 said:
I keep the paper and have spreadsheets for fuel mileage and maintenance costs.

Mine is this way, too. I don't do much work at a vendor, and often my parts purchases are mixed (in terms of the cars intended for the various parts), so a folder by itself would be woefully incomplete in terms of painting a picture of what happened. Basically about as useful as a Carfax for one of my vehicles: Car purchased 1/1/2020. Car sold: 12/31/2030. LOL

jmonroe1 · July 1

stickguy said:
I do it the old fashioned way. Every car I get, I start a manila folder and put all the paperwork in that, then every service, add the receipts. Very easy to find if you need them when selling! On the front of the folder, I just write down the date and what was done so I don't have to dig out the papers to check back.

————————————————
Damn, why didn’t I do that instead of an oil filter log sheet like I used when the ‘05 XG 350 engine blew up and the dealer bounced the engine warranty because of a so called discrepancy with my paperwork?

jmonroe

roadburner · July 1

Each of my cars has a folder for receipts as well as a notebook to record fuel stops, maintenance and accessories.

Michaell · July 1

roadburner said:
Each of my cars has a folder for receipts as well as a notebook to record fuel stops, maintenance and accessories.

I, too, track fuel stops in a notebook, and a few times a year I'll enter them into my spreadsheet.

driver100 · July 1

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
I do it the old fashioned way. Every car I get, I start a manila folder and put all the paperwork in that, then every service, add the receipts. Very easy to find if you need them when selling! On the front of the folder, I just write down the date and what was done so I don't have to dig out the papers to check back.
————————————————
Damn, why didn’t I do that instead of an oil filter log sheet like I used when the ‘05 XG 350 engine blew up and the dealer bounced the engine warranty because of a so called discrepancy with my paperwork?

jmonroe

I didn't want to mention that incident again....trying to preserve your image for the new guys who joined after that particular adventure.

Michaell · July 1

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
I do it the old fashioned way. Every car I get, I start a manila folder and put all the paperwork in that, then every service, add the receipts. Very easy to find if you need them when selling! On the front of the folder, I just write down the date and what was done so I don't have to dig out the papers to check back.
————————————————
Damn, why didn’t I do that instead of an oil filter log sheet like I used when the ‘05 XG 350 engine blew up and the dealer bounced the engine warranty because of a so called discrepancy with my paperwork?

jmonroe
I didn't want to mention that incident again....trying to preserve your image for the new guys who joined after that particular adventure.

What new guys? All of us in this discussion have likely been around 10-15 years at a minimum.

stickguy · July 1

I have never written down MPG. I calculate it every time I fill up, and as long as it is as expected, I just reset the TC and move on. If for some reason it was much lower than it should be, then I would look into it. I also never reset trip 2, so that gets up to at least 10,000 miles.

corvette · July 1

Michaell said:
What new guys? All of us in this discussion have likely been around 10-15 years at a minimum.

I think he's calling us old.

corvette · July 1

I don't regularly log MPG, but used to. I just track it with every tank, although I usually do log it on road trips. Normally, I reset the trip computer with every tank--my driving conditions on a given tank vary fairly widely, so I'm not surprised to get the occasional low MPG tank.

I do log paid charging costs and the amount of kW on the Ariya. From there, it will be easy enough to extrapolate what it cost me to charge at home based on an average of 2.5 miles/kW and knowing my cost of electricity. (That ignores the very few times I've snagged a free L2 charger--the difference would be miniscule.)

I also try to measure (and log) tire tread depth, check the oil level, and test the 12V battery every 1,000 miles.

sb55 · July 2

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
I do it the old fashioned way. Every car I get, I start a manila folder and put all the paperwork in that, then every service, add the receipts. Very easy to find if you need them when selling! On the front of the folder, I just write down the date and what was done so I don't have to dig out the papers to check back.
————————————————
Damn, why didn’t I do that instead of an oil filter log sheet like I used when the ‘05 XG 350 engine blew up and the dealer bounced the engine warranty because of a so called discrepancy with my paperwork?

jmonroe
I didn't want to mention that incident again....trying to preserve your image for the new guys who joined after that particular adventure.
What new guys? All of us in this discussion have likely been around 10-15 years at a minimum.

I'm not a regular poster, but I have followed this and a couple of other threads since 2001 or 2002. And I am getting old!

mjfloyd1 · July 2

I was surprised when my daughter’s 4xe ate her most recent two 12 volt batteries. Each time, the battery was replaced at a Jeep dealer and each time, the dealer that replaced the battery said that they could not see the replacement in their system so I had to dig the paperwork out of the glove box.

jmonroe1 · July 2

mjfloyd1 said:
I was surprised when my daughter’s 4xe ate her most recent two 12 volt batteries. Each time, the battery was replaced at a Jeep dealer and each time, the dealer that replaced the battery said that they could not see the replacement in their system so I had to dig the paperwork out of the glove box.

————————————————
Is it possible that the wrong battery is being installed?

jmonroe

mjfloyd1 · July 2

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Is it possible that the wrong battery is being installed?

jmonroe

I honestly think they had some bad batches of batteries - it is on the forums. The other one for those with towing package is larger and you have to modify the battery holder base to make it fit.

New battery has 3 yr free replacement from Jeep so we will see

My 4xe has wobble issues and hers has 12 v battery issues

laurasdada · July 2

Wife's X3 was recalled due to improper rear door locks (for US market). Dealer said 4 hour job, so followed her in the M240, dropped off her car, grabbed some free cookies/soda and went to a nice brunch and then the final Mission Impossible movie (fun, but a bit too much mythology and extreme suspension of disbelief. As well as Tom Cruise running).

They recommended brake flush as car is ~3 years old and over 30k miles, price was reasonable, so we said okey dokey. The also noted rear tires at 3+/32 and fronts 4+/32. As I want her to have runflats, somewhat limited selection. Dealer quoted the OEM Pirelli Cintuarto P7 RF, $424/tire mounted and balanced. Said we'd get back to you, grabbed some more cookies and soda and off we went (me to BJs for gas, her to Whole Foods to spend our retirement funds).
Got home, researched tires. Anyone have an opinion/experience with Bridgestone DUELER H/P SPORT AS RFT vs Pirelli's? Different category, but for her doesn't matter. Bridgestones decently rated on Tire Rack and available at Costco, a bit less expensive. Have requested my local guy to quote, too.

M240 remains a delight to drive, love the feeling of the thick steering wheel and, of course, the I6. And being topless. But annoying rattle somewhere on passenger side persists (I think in dash, behind glove box, I continue to try and locate it).

oldfarmer50 · July 2

xwesx said:
True, Q!

For the tracking, I have a spreadsheet for each vehicle with two tabs: fueling and maintenance/repair. I jot down the date, mileage, and provide a description at the very least. If I'm feeling spunky, I'll put the cost in there, too, but the longer I have my cars, the sadder doing that makes me feel.

That’s amazing. I just pull the receipts out of the glove box and check the date and mileage of the last service.

oldfarmer50 · July 2

mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner said:

That was the rub; the Wrangler only calls for an oil change every 10,000 miles or so.

I figured an oil change every 8 months would do no harm😎

I didn’t mean to open up a can of worms with my oil change comment. I’m sure for roadburner his cars and driving style can tolerate 10k OCI perfectly fine. Maybe I’ve been watching too many YouTube videos where they have to dig sludge out of engines with a screwdriver after following manufacturer’s extend change schedules.

I tend to be OCD on OCIs so I’m always looking for validation that changing oil every year after 1-2k miles isn’t a waste of money.

kyfdx · July 2

laurasdada said:
Wife's X3 was recalled due to improper rear door locks (for US market). Dealer said 4 hour job, so followed her in the M240, dropped off her car, grabbed some free cookies/soda and went to a nice brunch and then the final Mission Impossible movie (fun, but a bit too much mythology and extreme suspension of disbelief. As well as Tom Cruise running).

They recommended brake flush as car is ~3 years old and over 30k miles, price was reasonable, so we said okey dokey. The also noted rear tires at 3+/32 and fronts 4+/32. As I want her to have runflats, somewhat limited selection. Dealer quoted the OEM Pirelli Cintuarto P7 RF, $424/tire mounted and balanced. Said we'd get back to you, grabbed some more cookies and soda and off we went (me to BJs for gas, her to Whole Foods to spend our retirement funds).
Got home, researched tires. Anyone have an opinion/experience with Bridgestone DUELER H/P SPORT AS RFT vs Pirelli's? Different category, but for her doesn't matter. Bridgestones decently rated on Tire Rack and available at Costco, a bit less expensive. Have requested my local guy to quote, too.

M240 remains a delight to drive, love the feeling of the thick steering wheel and, of course, the I6. And being topless. But annoying rattle somewhere on passenger side persists (I think in dash, behind glove box, I continue to try and locate it).

We had the Duelers on my wife's last X3 (2017 model). They were much better than the Pirellis she had previously. Better ride, better tracking.

Michaell · July 2

@laurasdada - we just had the RFT discussion about the Sportage. One thing I mentioned to the girls is that the RFTs will ride a bit harsher, due to the stiffer sidewall to allow for run flat driving.

If your better half is OK with that, I don't see any other issues (other than cost - $424/tire? Your retirement funds will be depleted quickly at that rate)

stickguy · July 2

I would get normal tires and a spare. It is an option on the X3

kyfdx · July 2

stickguy said:
I would get normal tires and a spare. It is an option on the X3

The last set of RFTs we had were fine. The first set on a 2011 model were terrible. But, 140K, 10years and 4 sets later, they were pretty good.

tjc78 · July 2

What a morning… work laptop took a dump (less than six months old). Service desk said the code it’s flashing means either motherboard or ram slots.

Half the office is on vacation so I went on a wild goose chase to see if there was an old one to jump on for the day. Went through about 50 keys trying to get into the storage room. There were a few laptops but none that had login info.

So the boss says order a new one for myself and pick it up. Ugh Best Buy didn’t like our company CC and took forever to process the order. Finally got a verification call from them and it’s ready to pick up 5 hours later.

Have a meeting at 3.. and getting out of here. Best Buy is on the way home

xwesx · July 2

Hey, there's as holiday coming up *very* soon. Hang in there!

Michaell · July 2

And there was a holiday yesterday, if you lived in Canada.

laurasdada · July 2

tjc78 said:
What a morning… work laptop took a dump (less than six months old). Service desk said the code it’s flashing means either motherboard or ram slots.

Half the office is on vacation so I went on a wild goose chase to see if there was an old one to jump on for the day. Went through about 50 keys trying to get into the storage room. There were a few laptops but none that had login info.

So the boss says order a new one for myself and pick it up. Ugh Best Buy didn’t like our company CC and took forever to process the order. Finally got a verification call from them and it’s ready to pick up 5 hours later.

Have a meeting at 3.. and getting out of here. Best Buy is on the way home

My advice to you, and I was pre-med, is to start drinking... I mean, is to retire!

laurasdada · July 2

stickguy said:
I would get normal tires and a spare. It is an option on the X3

Hmmm, I'll have to look into that, dive into the floor of the hatch.

I want her to have RFs just for the reason they exist, in case she gets a flat. Gives her the option of trying to make it home, calling me or AAA (or BMW? She's still under warranty, does that include roadside assistance? More to investigate) vs. being stuck roadside.

roadburner · July 2

laurasdada said:

stickguy said:
I would get normal tires and a spare. It is an option on the X3

Hmmm, I'll have to look into that, dive into the floor of the hatch.

I want her to have RFs just for the reason they exist, in case she gets a flat. Gives her the option of trying to make it home, calling me or AAA (or BMW? She's still under warranty, does that include roadside assistance? More to investigate) vs. being stuck roadside.

I believe BMW provides roadside assistance while the vehicle is in warranty.

tjc78 · July 2

@xwesx said:
Hey, there's as holiday coming up very soon. Hang in there!

And I took the 7th off too!

@laurasdada
There is a glass of Eagle Rare waiting for me at home … (or maybe Weller 12)

laurasdada · July 2

Michaell said:
@laurasdada - we just had the RFT discussion about the Sportage. One thing I mentioned to the girls is that the RFTs will ride a bit harsher, due to the stiffer sidewall to allow for run flat driving.

If your better half is OK with that, I don't see any other issues (other than cost - $424/tire? Your retirement funds will be depleted quickly at that rate)

Thanks, I don't think she's noted any difference from the CX-5 to the X3, tire/ride-wise. She just loves the X3, thinks it's luxurious. Wait'll she sees the Flying Spur! Yeah, no idea why I'm obsessing over that Bentley... it's as big as a whale!

laurasdada · July 2

And, prattling on... Driving to/from the BMW dealer in Hyannis yesterday, I spotted 3 Lucid Airs! As well as a couple of Lambos, a Ferrari Lusso and an Alfa 4C... on a flatbed.

xwesx · July 2

laurasdada said:
And, prattling on... Driving to/from the BMW dealer in Hyannis yesterday, I spotted 3 Lucid Airs! As well as a couple of Lambos, a Ferrari Lusso and an Alfa 4C... on a flatbed.

And how many A7s? Uh huh. Very prestigious, indeed!

driver100 · July 2

Michaell said:
And there was a holiday yesterday, if you lived in Canada.

Canada Day.....July 1st.

driver100 · July 2

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
I do it the old fashioned way. Every car I get, I start a manila folder and put all the paperwork in that, then every service, add the receipts. Very easy to find if you need them when selling! On the front of the folder, I just write down the date and what was done so I don't have to dig out the papers to check back.
————————————————
Damn, why didn’t I do that instead of an oil filter log sheet like I used when the ‘05 XG 350 engine blew up and the dealer bounced the engine warranty because of a so called discrepancy with my paperwork?

jmonroe
I didn't want to mention that incident again....trying to preserve your image for the new guys who joined after that particular adventure.
What new guys? All of us in this discussion have likely been around 10-15 years at a minimum.

My wife thinks it is odd that I remember the year of events by trying to remember what car I was driving at the time. When I joined Edmunds I just bought my 2006 BMW X3.......the years have flown by, it seems like it was only a year ago. 20 years of posts! They should put mine in a time capsule!

jmonroe1 · July 2

laurasdada said:

Michaell said:
@laurasdada - we just had the RFT discussion about the Sportage. One thing I mentioned to the girls is that the RFTs will ride a bit harsher, due to the stiffer sidewall to allow for run flat driving.

If your better half is OK with that, I don't see any other issues (other than cost - $424/tire? Your retirement funds will be depleted quickly at that rate)
Thanks, I don't think she's noted any difference from the CX-5 to the X3, tire/ride-wise. She just loves the X3, thinks it's luxurious. Wait'll she sees the Flying Spur! Yeah, no idea why I'm obsessing over that Bentley... it's as big as a whale!

————————————————
But costs a little more.

jmonroe

stickguy · July 2

cars in the fleet is about the only reliable way I have of narrowing down when something happened. Helped when I was swapping them out quicker.

imidazol97 · July 2

@xwesx said:

Since the oil was changed the prior AMW!

What is AMW?

mjfloyd1 · July 2

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
But costs a little more.

jmonroe

How much does a whale cost?😳

nyccarguy · July 2

@driver100 said:
Canada Day.....July 1st.

You’ve had your place in Florida long enough. Time to let that Canada day nonsense go. Happy 4th of July!

stickguy · July 2

splits time, gets to celebrate both. Like the people that get Chanukkah and Christmas.

explorerx4 · July 2

Maybe some of you know about this fire.
It had to be tough for the guy to walk around and describe the damage to his dealership.
8 minutes in, The ducks survived!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJJdAFe_zU

driver100 · July 2

nyccarguy said:

@driver100 said:

Canada Day.....July 1st.

You’ve had your place in Florida long enough. Time to let that Canada day nonsense go. Happy 4th of July!

I really like both countries. I am in Canada for 7 months, and Florida for 5 months...I am only allowed to be in the U.S. for a total of 6 months in a year. I worked for a U.S. company for 16 years, so I celebrate Holidays for both countries...I really like Thanksgiving, it comes in Oct in Canada, and Nov in the U.S., twice as much turkey!

corvette · July 2

driver100 said:
I really like Thanksgiving, it comes in Oct in Canada, and Nov in the U.S., twice as much turkey!

After eating way too much dry/bland turkey in my youth, I was convinced that the Pilgrims ate turkey because it was available, not because it was tasty, but having the traditional Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at Ruth's Chris a few times made me reconsider my stance on turkey.

driver100 · July 2

corvette said:

driver100 said:
I really like Thanksgiving, it comes in Oct in Canada, and Nov in the U.S., twice as much turkey!
After eating way too much dry/bland turkey in my youth, I was convinced that the Pilgrims ate turkey because it was available, not because it was tasty, but having the traditional Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at Ruth's Chris a few times made me reconsider my stance on turkey.

That's why they have stuffing and cranberries, and when you have all the extras it makes a very decadent meal, one that we only have a few times a year, making it extra special.

jmonroe1 · July 2

corvette said:

driver100 said:
I really like Thanksgiving, it comes in Oct in Canada, and Nov in the U.S., twice as much turkey!
After eating way too much dry/bland turkey in my youth, I was convinced that the Pilgrims ate turkey because it was available, not because it was tasty, but having the traditional Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at Ruth's Chris a few times made me reconsider my stance on turkey.

————————————————
Most people follow the cooking directions that come with the turkey, mainly cooking until the pop up thingy pops up. When that thing pops up the bird is over cooked. Mrs. j cooks the turkey for about an hour less than the recommended time and she always puts the turkey in one of those plastic cooking bags. You’ll never have a dried out bird cooking it like that.

jmonroe

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