Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

xwesx · January 7

corvette said:
@benjaminh - $790.76 all in with installation, disposal, tax, etc... I probably could have gotten CrossClimates from Costco for a bit more, but I don't have a membership, and I really like Discount Tire's service. The OEs are Continental ProContact TX. I'd have considered replacing them with the same type, but the Sumitomos are rated higher and are less expensive.

I have come to really like the performance of "all-terrain" (on-road) tires. In particular, the Geolandar ATs are far and away the best. I also love my Cooper Discoverer ATs (I think the current version is called "Road and Trail") on the Q7. The Coopers are very quiet and sure-footed. Also, still made in USA (one of the few brands that is).

xwesx · January 7

carnaught said:
I’ll say 37 punches for 2026.

I always seem to under-guess with the thought that recent buys will take certain members out of the running... (which is never the case!).

I'll go with 38. Or, if someone else took that, then give me the next higher that isn't taken yet!

ab348 · January 7

explorerx4 said:
I would have been closer to my predicted number if I hadn't bought a vehicle last year.

Hoist on his own petard!!

corvette · January 7

@xwesx - you were the first to pick 38! Also, I had Geolandars on my old Tahoe, and I never needed to turn on 4WD in the snow. Great tire when the going gets rough! (Also, I might have drifted it once making a right turn in the rain when nobody else was around--between those tires and the Stabilitrak, it stayed exactly where I intended for it to go.)

xwesx · January 7

I love shopping for new tires for some reason. But, I hate having to actually buy them. LOL

nyccarguy · January 7

I guess 30 punches for 2026.

andres3 · January 7

andres3 said:

breld said:
Wife and I took the 911 and Cayman in for routine oil changes today.

Total bill for the two…$740.

Good news is they didn’t find anything else that needed addressing.
So does it take longer labor times to change the oil in a Porsche, or is that OEM oil ~~$100~~$50/qt?

Turns out I was overly critical @breld

Just got my first oil change for the Macan Turbo 3.6 V6 that holds 8.6 qts of synthetic 5W-40.

1 hour labor. AI says that's justified for a Porsche oil change even when it's a standard front engine configuration. The labor rate was much higher 2026 rate at my local independent Porsche shop (they do all German cars). $309 after taxes and fees all-in.

Rear brakes at 4 mm but all is sound at 24,400 miles.

explorerx4 · January 7

@ab348.
I was thinking the same thing.

Not sure If I'll buy something this year although one of my kids wants to buy my Explorer.
If that's the case as of now my top 3 choices are:
25 Bronco Sport Badlands.
26 Explorer ST Line(with Street Pack).
04 Mustang Mach 1(red with 60k on it).

Sandman6472 · January 7

My credit card was hacked at Walmart.com 4 times on Monday! Luckily I saw the charges when I woke up, they had already texted my phone for confirmation, and called them to say these were all bogus charges. Canceled my card and overnighted me a new card through UPS that I had to sign for. Getting tired of folks doing this to me but lucky I check the accounts morning & night. Must give my company credit for acting so quickly on these fraudulent charges but guess they are use to it.

Getting used to my 225/40 tires on the GTI but still, not a fan. Definitely prefer the 225/45 size or even the 225/55 but not sure those would even fit, might have to do a plus 1 I think. But considering my 2015 and the 2025 seem to be the exact same body style, think the 225/45's should fit properly. But, it's going to be some time till I get to the point of replacing the current set up. Just hit 18 miles on the current ones and don't for see any trips to St. Augustine until late spring after tax season. Wife did tell me that the place she works for in Lauderdale is losing their current CFO in a couple of months. Not sure if the new person will keep her boss, the CPA she works for, or bring in their own guy. If it turns out her boss is out, our plans for moving would be moved up and we could possibly be going sooner then planned! Just have to wait & see how things pan out.

benjaminh · January 8

corvette said:
Looks like our final tally for 2025 was 35 punches. Congrats to our esteemed host @Michaell for hitting it right on the nose!...

To celebrate our winner, a 1-minute flashback of Oprah's 2004 "You get a car."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KRQZPv_wXU

kyfdx · January 8

Sandman6472 said:
My credit card was hacked at Walmart.com 4 times on Monday! Luckily I saw the charges when I woke up, they had already texted my phone for confirmation, and called them to say these were all bogus charges. Canceled my card and overnighted me a new card through UPS that I had to sign for. Getting tired of folks doing this to me but lucky I check the accounts morning & night. Must give my company credit for acting so quickly on these fraudulent charges but guess they are use to it.

Getting used to my 225/40 tires on the GTI but still, not a fan. Definitely prefer the 225/45 size or even the 225/55 but not sure those would even fit, might have to do a plus 1 I think. But considering my 2015 and the 2025 seem to be the exact same body style, think the 225/45's should fit properly. But, it's going to be some time till I get to the point of replacing the current set up. Just hit 18 miles on the current ones and don't for see any trips to St. Augustine until late spring after tax season. Wife did tell me that the place she works for in Lauderdale is losing their current CFO in a couple of months. Not sure if the new person will keep her boss, the CPA she works for, or bring in their own guy. If it turns out her boss is out, our plans for moving would be moved up and we could possibly be going sooner then planned! Just have to wait & see how things pan out.

It's MINUS one, not plus one. And, you can't do that on a GTI. I don't think they can clear the brakes on a 17" wheel.

You'll likely ruin the handling on your vehicle, in any of those cases

stickguy · January 8

I think sandy just means taller tires in the same wheels. So only worry would be rubbing but I doubt that would happen with such a small change. Can mess up your speedometer though.

My Elantra sport had 225/40 tires. Excellent handling but I lived in total fear of potholes.

nyccarguy · January 8

@Sandman6472

The theft and fraud that goes on with credit card information and online sites is just unreal. These big box stores like Target, Walmart, & Home Depot are really cracking down on the theft and stealing from the self checkout. I've seen a few videos on my Facebook feed where they explain how Walmart watches people switch stickers and not scan everything at the self check out. They let the people steal. Once they hit a certain dollar amount to make the charge not petit larceny, then they detain the people and get the police involved.

corvette · January 8

@nyccarguy - I was at my local $1.25Tree where they had called the police due to shoplifting and police responded and caught the perp. I overheard the clerk tell them the value of the items stolen was under $20... Such a waste of resources (for $1.25Tree, the police, the court system, the jailer, the public defender's office).

stickguy · January 8

It’s an investment in setting precedent.

kyfdx · January 8

stickguy said:
It’s an investment in setting precedent.

Yeah.. that's been working so well, for the last 50 years.

jmonroe1 · January 8

@kyfdx said:
Yeah.. that's been working so well, for the last 50 years.

——————————————————
I doubt there are any countries still left, in this day and age, that cut off the hands of thieves. But, however drastic that was, I have to believe that system worked.

jmonroe

Sandman6472 · January 8

Called again this morning for a new $127 charge and they told me it will be taken off by tomorrow. Did have the guy block anything purchased from Walmart.com as I never use that...ever. So now, it's blocked on this particular card going forward. Bought a few things at Walmart this morning & had no issues checking out. Will feel better once I see this last charge taken off my account though, as of now, still is showing on my pending charges. I will keep looking & call again to make sure it's gone though.

About the tire sizes, I'm a bit confused on it all but just know I'd like more of a sidewall for a smoother ride. Liked the 45 series on the old 17" wheels and hoping I could also do the same 45 series on my new 18" wheels eventually. Just want a smoother ride, that's all...don't want to feel everything like I do now.

andres3 · January 8

Sandman6472 said:
My credit card was hacked at Walmart.com 4 times on Monday! Luckily I saw the charges when I woke up, they had already texted my phone for confirmation, and called them to say these were all bogus charges. Canceled my card and overnighted me a new card through UPS that I had to sign for. Getting tired of folks doing this to me but lucky I check the accounts morning & night. Must give my company credit for acting so quickly on these fraudulent charges but guess they are use to it.

Getting used to my 225/40 tires on the GTI but still, not a fan. Definitely prefer the 225/45 size or even the 225/55 but not sure those would even fit, might have to do a plus 1 I think. But considering my 2015 and the 2025 seem to be the exact same body style, think the 225/45's should fit properly. But, it's going to be some time till I get to the point of replacing the current set up. Just hit 18 miles on the current ones and don't for see any trips to St. Augustine until late spring after tax season. Wife did tell me that the place she works for in Lauderdale is losing their current CFO in a couple of months. Not sure if the new person will keep her boss, the CPA she works for, or bring in their own guy. If it turns out her boss is out, our plans for moving would be moved up and we could possibly be going sooner then planned! Just have to wait & see how things pan out.

If the tire stores say the GTI can swing it, 235/40 may be an option for you. Lot of tread/rubber on the road for great handling, but just a bit more sidewall. Likely no need to change the wheel either.

2006 A3 sport package had stock 225/45R17.
My stage 2 A3 before I sold it had 235/40R18.

Some specialized 17" wheels might clear the brakes on a GTI, but if you have 18's, I'd just stick with them unless you hate their look.

imidazol97 · January 8

Sandman6472 said:
Called again this morning for a new $127 charge and they told me it will be taken off by tomorrow. Did have the guy block anything purchased from Walmart.com as I never use that...ever. So now, it's blocked on this particular card going forward. Bought a few things at Walmart this morning & had no issues checking out. Will feel better once I see this last charge taken off my account though, as of now, still is showing on my pending charges. I will keep looking & call again to make sure it's gone though.

About the tire sizes, I'm a bit confused on it all but just know I'd like more of a sidewall for a smoother ride. Liked the 45 series on the old 17" wheels and hoping I could also do the same 45 series on my new 18" wheels eventually. Just want a smoother ride, that's all...don't want to feel everything like I do now.

Looking at a Michelin Pilot Sport, a 225x40x18 rotates 825 times per mile.
A 225x45x18 rotates 800 times per mile: larger diameter.
A 215x 45x18 rotates 812 times per mile: so that works be barely taller on the 18 inch rims.

ab348 · January 8

You can never tell what might or might not fit when it comes to wheels on performance cars. When I bought my present ATS I wanted a set of winter wheels for snow tires since the standard setup on mine was staggered wheel widths and aspect ratios for the tires. I went to the dealer parts counter and the guy swore up and down that a set of Caddy wheels in his catalog would fit no problem. I paid for them and had the dealer send them to the tire shop. Imagine my surprise when they would not clear the front brakes. Thankfully the dealer had no choice but to take them back and refund me. The tire shop guy said no worries, I can get a set of aftermarket wheels I can guarantee will work. They did and are what I’ve used in the years since.

explorerx4 · January 8

" Just hit 18 miles on the current ones...".
The tires only have 18 miles miles on them?

andres3 · January 8

ab348 said:
You can never tell what might or might not fit when it comes to wheels on performance cars. When I bought my present ATS I wanted a set of winter wheels for snow tires since the standard setup on mine was staggered wheel widths and aspect ratios for the tires. I went to the dealer parts counter and the guy swore up and down that a set of Caddy wheels in his catalog would fit no problem. I paid for them and had the dealer send them to the tire shop. Imagine my surprise when they would not clear the front brakes. Thankfully the dealer had no choice but to take them back and refund me. The tire shop guy said no worries, I can get a set of aftermarket wheels I can guarantee will work. They did and are what I’ve used in the years since.

Tire Rack.com supposedly does more than just use an algorithm or rely on manufacturer specified dimensions. At least I think they'll stand behind anything their website says will fit (which is pretty conservative)..

Sandman6472 · January 8

1840 miles on them. I really don't drive that much. And I took it home on 7/2/25 so it's just over 6 months of ownership. There's many weeks where I don't go over 40 miles, give or take. I'm thinking I could do 225/45/18's next time without much difference in the overall ride, it would just be a bit smoother which is what I'm looking for. Or the 215/45/18's could work. Will have to see what the tire shop recommends when the time does come but do't expect that to happen for another 3 to 4 years. Am getting used to the ride though.

explorerx4 · January 8

@sandman6472,
I was going by what you wrote. 1840 makes more sense.
How about lowering the tire pressure a couple of pounds?
I'm assuming you can check it in the car or from the app(if there is one).

oldfarmer50 · January 8

“My credit card was hacked at Walmart.com 4 times on Monday! Luckily I saw the charges when I woke up, they had already texted my phone for confirmation, and called them to say these were all bogus charges. Canceled my card and overnighted me a new card through UPS that I had to sign for. Getting tired of folks doing this to me but lucky I check the accounts morning & night. Must give my company credit for acting so quickly on these fraudulent charges but guess they are use to it.”

I feel you pain as i had tge same thing happen to mine. First time ever in over 40 years. A bunch of sub dollar charges followed by a $1000+ purchase in Tampa. Nice if them to overnight your new card, i had to wait a week.

I understand there is a new scam out where you get a call or text supposedly from your bank fraud department asking about fake charges. You go through all the same procedures but somehow it’s a scammer just trying to get your banking info.

oldfarmer50 · January 8

Sandman6472 said:
Called again this morning for a new $127 charge and they told me it will be taken off by tomorrow. Did have the guy block anything purchased from Walmart.com as I never use that...ever. So now, it's blocked on this particular card going forward. Bought a few things at Walmart this morning & had no issues checking out. Will feel better once I see this last charge taken off my account though, as of now, still is showing on my pending charges. I will keep looking & call again to make sure it's gone though.

About the tire sizes, I'm a bit confused on it all but just know I'd like more of a sidewall for a smoother ride. Liked the 45 series on the old 17" wheels and hoping I could also do the same 45 series on my new 18" wheels eventually. Just want a smoother ride, that's all...don't want to feel everything like I do now.

That’s interesting since the last purchase I made before I got hacked was online at Walmart.com. They better check their security.

jmonroe1 · January 8

@oldfarmer50 said:
That’s interesting since the last purchase I made before I got hacked was online at Walmart.com. They better check their security.

——————————————————
I guess these fraud charges can happen with any CC but if these frauds happen at one particular site, I’d stop using that site.

jmonroe

stickguy · January 8

a good reason to have a few spare cards, in case one gets cancelled with no notice! Also why I have mine set to alert me any time it is used online, and for any purchase over $25.

tjc78 · January 9

At the dealer awaiting my new gold plated tire.... there is an identical white over black EQE 350 getting the same make and model tire in the same position fixed as well.

I should play Powerball.

tjc78 · January 9

Just saw a headline that Jeep is retiring all 4XE models as well as anything Chrysler branded that is plug in hybrid. Interesting, more and more manufacturers are cutting EV and PHEV production. GM said it is cutting and buying out contracts valued at 6B! Wow

So... I should have done this before I took the car in. I went over all the tires and see what could be the beginning of another bubble on another tire. Its barely there... gonna keep a close eye on it.

sda · January 9

@tjc78 said:
Just saw a headline that Jeep is retiring all 4XE models as well as anything Chrysler branded that is plug in hybrid. Interesting, more and more manufacturers are cutting EV and PHEV production. GM said it is cutting and buying out contracts valued at 6B! Wow

So... I should have done this before I took the car in. I went over all the tires and see what could be the beginning of another bubble on another tire. Its barely there... gonna keep a close eye on it.

VW Arteons with the OEM Continental 255/35/20 are very prone to sidewall bubbling. They must have a soft sidewall to provide a good ride. I have 245/40/19 on mine and I try to be very careful avoiding pot holes. My tires were about $300 each, expensive enough.

andres3 · January 9

I somehow lost my wallet over the holidays traveling. No one had tried to use the cards but I froze them all within 24 hours. It's easy to do in this day and age and a great modern feature when you think there's a good chance "it'll turn up found" in the next day or so. If you call to order new cards immediately, that'll force them to consider it lost and change your numbers and send you new ones; at which point finding your wallet after that is only good for the cash and DL. This is a good interim feature to just "freeze" them. Did it all online too.

Unfortunately for me, the wallet went into a black hole at the center of the galaxy never to be found again. When I was young my friends and I had a term for this, called "lost for life." We would often shout that out when a tennis ball went into certain neighborhood bushes that ate tennis balls (we'd play tennis baseball a lot - never broke a window).

au1994 · January 9

tjc78 said:
Just saw a headline that Jeep is retiring all 4XE models as well as anything Chrysler branded that is plug in hybrid. Interesting, more and more manufacturers are cutting EV and PHEV production. GM said it is cutting and buying out contracts valued at 6B! Wow

So... I should have done this before I took the car in. I went over all the tires and see what could be the beginning of another bubble on another tire. Its barely there... gonna keep a close eye on it.

Wow! How much of a loss could that be? I can’t imagine there was any margin on them anyway but there is no way they recouped the R&D dollars they spent.

corvette · January 9

There will likely be no federal government subsidies for the foreseeable future. It's a matter of cutting their losses.

andres3 · January 9

corvette said:
There will likely be no federal government subsidies for the foreseeable future. It's a matter of cutting their losses.

It's a shame when a product doesn't sell without subsidies; which basically means all of us foot the bill every time someone buys one.

xwesx · January 9

tjc78 said:
Just saw a headline that Jeep is retiring all 4XE models as well as anything Chrysler branded that is plug in hybrid. Interesting, more and more manufacturers are cutting EV and PHEV production. GM said it is cutting and buying out contracts valued at 6B! Wow

So... I should have done this before I took the car in. I went over all the tires and see what could be the beginning of another bubble on another tire. Its barely there... gonna keep a close eye on it.

That's a shame, really. I wonder if they are moving to a different (improved) technology, or just regressing altogether?

stickguy · January 9

It’s Stellantis so most likely they are just going out of business.

corvette · January 9

I do think standard hybrids and probably some plug in hybrids are financially viable with no subsidies, but it sounds like Jeep’s aren’t.

andres3 · January 9

xwesx said:

tjc78 said:
Just saw a headline that Jeep is retiring all 4XE models as well as anything Chrysler branded that is plug in hybrid. Interesting, more and more manufacturers are cutting EV and PHEV production. GM said it is cutting and buying out contracts valued at 6B! Wow

So... I should have done this before I took the car in. I went over all the tires and see what could be the beginning of another bubble on another tire. Its barely there... gonna keep a close eye on it.
That's a shame, really. I wonder if they are moving to a different (improved) technology, or just regressing altogether?

I've had good luck with Continentals and other high quality tire brands. The warranties are a bit hard to implement, but not impossible.

tifighter · January 9

@corvette said:
There will likely be no federal government subsidies for the foreseeable future. It's a matter of cutting their losses.

Plus the warranty costs are probably killing them.

corvette · January 9

Got the Sumitomos mounted on the Maverick. DT offered an alignment check, which I declined because the old tires wore evenly. No upsell on the certificates, wiper blades, etc... In and out fairly quickly. They definitely ride better, despite supposedly being a higher performance tire than the OE Continentals. I did the railroad crossing test and everything!

corvette · January 9

The driver's front has a fairly large weight on the outside, and the others have none on the outside. I need to test it at highway speeds, but so long as it doesn't vibrate, I'm good.

qbrozen · January 9

Hmmmm…. Dealer not too far from me has a 2011 Pathfinder with 72k miles. Based on the data, a fair deal would be the Sierra straight up swap for the Nissan. That is quite tempting.

corvette · January 9

@qbrozen - I love the sound of the VQ. I think the transmission coolers are the weak point on those.

roadburner · January 9

As I've mentioned before, for some reason the 4xe attracted a large percentage of buyers who completely lacked any ability to read for comprehension.
I think the nail in the coffin for the 4xe was the Samsung HV battery. No fix is on the horizon. At least Jeep has now warranted the batteries for unlimited time and miles. I still plan to hang on to ours for at least 3-4 more years.

greg128 · January 10

Here is a progressive trend I am sure we can all agree with - not

https://www.cbtnews.com/why-states-are-quietly-moving-to-restrict-how-much-you-drive/

Sandman6472 · January 10

I have Walmart.com blocked now but funny thing is I've never used that site! I always get an alert for any charges over $2.00, I'm that paranoid! Have started to cancel a couple cards as I really do have too many of them. Who needs all that credit anyways. They are useful as I don't carry a lot of cash with me but can be a real pain when someone hacks them! My account is correct as of this morning so am glad about that. Must give Chase credit, I do get a text once any weird charge shows up on my card. But if I don't hear the text, especially at night, have to wait till morning to call & dispute the charge. Never had a problem with any dispute so far which is great.

imidazol97 · January 10

Thanks for your post. I'm dropping my notification amt for one card to 50 cents to catch those test charges scanners put in. It's $100 currently. AND, I'm giving that number a special ring tone for incoming texts.

qbrozen · January 10

@greg128 said:
Here is a progressive trend I am sure we can all agree with - not

https://www.cbtnews.com/why-states-are-quietly-moving-to-restrict-how-much-you-drive/

Ugh. Click-bait titles are probably one of my top pet peeves these days. It made me read through to find out how they can “restrict” my driving. Answer is they won’t. They’ll just charge me for it. A very different scenario and just another money grab.

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