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Car Talk (Page 19)
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subego  (op)
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Sep 27, 2019, 08:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
Wait, didn’t you have one of those econovans? Why are you renting? Did you get rid of it?
Still have it (edit: and still effing love it). The rentals are for when I have too much to fit.

This prop has been the main culprit. Just a little too long.

( Last edited by subego; Sep 27, 2019 at 12:22 PM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Sep 27, 2019, 12:07 PM
 
Which I needed to rent a van again for this weekend.

They gave me a shiny, new Transit 250 to **** up.

Time between walking in the door and driving off the lot... 3 minutes, 12 seconds.
     
Laminar
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Sep 30, 2019, 08:38 AM
 
Pulled my Rain-X back out and did the outside of the windshield with the original stuff and the inside with the interior anti-fog stuff. Tried a little harder than usual to do a good job.

This morning it was 71 degrees with 92% humidity and a dew point of 69 degrees. The windshield was crystal clear and the water fell right off of it.

I should probably do the other windows, too. Especially the back window - it's pretty flat without much slope, so water likes to sit there and I find myself running the rear defroster just to evaporate the water away in the mornings.
     
subego  (op)
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Sep 30, 2019, 06:50 PM
 
Did you have any wiper chatter, or did you not use your wipers?

The way rain reacts to the Aquapel treated window is hard to describe. Most drops, well... they kind of explode when they hit the windshield. That “mist” ends up sticking. Those remaining drops are so small the surface tension alone keeps them there.

As more drops come, sooner or later the micro-drops collect together into a large enough drop either gravity or wind takes them off the window.

The thing is, it’s much easier to see through a windshield with all those drops on a treated window as opposed to an untreated one. Rather than distort the view through the glass, it gets... I guess “noisy” is the way to describe it. It’s annoying, but I can still see through it with little issue.

Oh... drops flying up the windshield is kind of distracting.
     
subego  (op)
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Sep 30, 2019, 07:40 PM
 
In other car news, I seemed to have made it though the weekend without having to pay for any collision damage, though I guess I could still get a call tomorrow.

The Transit 250 was annoying in a lot of ways. Off the top of my head...

Throttle is too high off the floor. My foot kept slipping off.

Objects in the passenger side mirror are as close as they appear. The field of view is so small it’s almost impossible to correlate the regular mirror to the blind spot mirror.

The cargo doors have no keyholes, and after it’s been locked up, the unlock button is disabled until the key gets turned in the ignition. I genuinely want to kick in the teeth of whoever came up with that.

The entire window doesn’t roll down. It’s got fixed glass all the way forward from where the A-pillar starts. This makes it hard to grab the mirror to fold it in, and I kept smacking it with my cigarette.

No handle on the driver’s side to hold onto when you get in. JFC.


I guess I’d still take it just for the backup camera. The LED lights in the cargo area are very bright, which is the one thing I can say is an marked improvement.

It did have something resembling a suspension, unlike the E250s I’ve rented, but I’m not sure if it’s better in that respect, or just hasn’t seen enough abuse yet. Everything else I’ve gotten from them is at 60K miles, and this was half that. I got another Transit from them a few months ago. One of those tall mother****ers which forces you to walk inside the White Castle like you’re an animal. It was at 60K and the suspension was just as shit as the E250s.
     
Laminar
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Oct 1, 2019, 10:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Did you have any wiper chatter, or did you not use your wipers?
No wiper chatter. I use some kind of Bosch wiper blades that seem to work pretty well.

This morning it was 74 degrees and 84% humidity - the rear window was totally fogged over again but the front was nice and clear. I mowed last night and the mosquitoes were out so I didn't take the time to RainX the rest of the windows.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 4, 2019, 03:02 PM
 
Okay, I admit it.

Even though I complained about the Transit, I was kinda happy they gave me one this weekend instead of an E250.

The functioning suspension is nice.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 11, 2019, 12:08 PM
 
Here’s rain on an Aquapel treated window for the curious. Taken at a stoplight.



“Noisy” is the best way to describe it, but still usable.
     
Laminar
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Oct 11, 2019, 04:02 PM
 
Here's Rain-X at a stoplight after getting off of the interstate. The little drops blow back at high speeds and become bigger drops.

     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Oct 12, 2019, 09:28 AM
 
So is this stuff good or bad? Worth it?
Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 12, 2019, 07:10 PM
 
It’s starting to grow on me. It’s definitely better than without, but it’s also taking me a little time to get used to. Rain is supposed to behave a certain way, and now it doesn’t.

Which is weird.


Edit: I’d say it is worth it if it wasn’t for the chatter issues I’m having.
( Last edited by subego; Oct 13, 2019 at 01:00 PM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 12, 2019, 07:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Here's Rain-X at a stoplight after getting off of the interstate. The little drops blow back at high speeds and become bigger drops.

Same with the Aquapel. Never got above city speed that time, though.
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 13, 2019, 10:16 AM
 
what are you guys using for inside to prevent fogging?
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 13, 2019, 11:19 AM
 
I generally just keep the window open.


Edit: in the back of my van, I have four of what I think are the same type of bags mentioned upthread, but I got them because of their claimed odor control aspect. My van has some sort of chemical smell. It’s the only real complaint I’ve had about the thing.
( Last edited by subego; Oct 13, 2019 at 01:04 PM. )
     
Laminar
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Oct 14, 2019, 02:20 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
what are you guys using for inside to prevent fogging?
Rain-X has an interior anti-fog. It's pretty good, but requires good application so that it doesn't look smeary, which I've only managed once.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 17, 2019, 06:12 PM
 
Whoo-hoo! $2.50 for gas!
     
reader50
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Oct 17, 2019, 07:54 PM
 
I think it was around $4.50 in CA when I filled up a week ago. Arco, not Chevron. Around here, Chevrons add 50¢ to each gallon, so you know you're paying for a quality name.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Oct 18, 2019, 11:04 AM
 
I haven't bought gas in 9 months.
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 18, 2019, 11:38 AM
 
Went electric, or found a way to convert redstone to gas?
     
reader50
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Oct 18, 2019, 12:33 PM
 
There are other possibilities. Like that guy siphoning gas from police cars. Or he now buys kerosene for his personal helicopter.
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 18, 2019, 12:38 PM
 
He's gone all environmental like Doc and has converted his car to run on compost.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Oct 18, 2019, 02:40 PM
 
Got a Tesla. Car's great, their parts department is terrible.
     
Laminar
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Oct 21, 2019, 09:38 AM
 
I sold the wife's car last week after 7 years and 120,000 miles. So the the wife needed a car. I'd been keeping my eyes peeled for months for the right car, and I had it narrowed down to three by Friday. I pinged their sales guys and settled on the one I wanted - it was in Oklahoma, which was a good 6 hour drive away. So Friday after work I headed out to grab a one-way rental car. The closest Enterprise is at a Ford dealership. I pulled in with the M3 and yet again had someone stop and ask me what the hell kind of engine was in that car. I had reserved a "premium"-level car since I knew I'd be in there for a long time and it was only $25 more than a Nissan Versa.

I showed up and he offered me an Impala or...this.



2SS package, which is the 455hp 6.2L V8 and heated/cooled leather and all that junk. Not what I was expecting from a rental Camaro.

Bombed down to Oklahoma by 9PM and swung by the dealership to check out the car.



Went back first thing the next morning and bought it.



Heated/cooled/massaging seats, factory tow pack, 2.7 TT EcoBoost, all the cameras, CPO with 100,000 mile warranty. Was originally $64k new, I got it for less than half that with 36,000 miles on it. I love Lincoln depreciation.

Wife wanted a sunroof, I got her a sunroof.



Made it home by 6PM. Turns out the Camaro did better on gas for the same route - 24.4 vs 25.1! To be fair, the SUV is dragging around 1000 more pounds and has two more drive wheels.



Wife is pleased.
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 21, 2019, 10:58 AM
 
nice! sounds like you had fun too. I wouldn't even consider a 6hour drive to pick up a car. Maybe a boat, though...
     
Laminar
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Oct 21, 2019, 01:32 PM
 
We did it for my car a couple years back - road trips are fun, listening to podcasts, eating out, grabbing a hotel room. This time we couldn't ditch the kids anywhere on short notice and didn't want to wait another week or two. The car was a couple grand cheaper, better optioned, and with lower miles than anything available locally, so it was worth the drive. The dealer also hadn't put up any pictures or much detail, but I was able to run the VIN and get the window sticker and realized that this thing was DECKED OUT.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 21, 2019, 02:04 PM
 
When I last did this, all we had was a Faith No More cassette.
     
Brien
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Oct 22, 2019, 12:15 AM
 
I did a 9 hour drive to SLC to buy my GTI, but I got it for $8k off MSRP so it was worth it.
     
Laminar
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Oct 22, 2019, 12:48 PM
 
Found some winter wheels on Facebook last night. Originally for a 2018 Fusion but they share the same bolt pattern and center bore as the MKX. The Fusion uses 12mm wheel studs and the MKX used 14mm studs, so I was prepared to have to drill these out to the fit the bigger studs, but the holes are already big enough that they bolt right up! Stock wheels are 21", and winter tires for a 21" wheel would be ridiculous. These are 18", which was the same size the base model MKX came with, so it's not too far out of proportion.



     
OAW
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Oct 22, 2019, 01:13 PM
 
Nice!

OAW
     
Brien
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Oct 22, 2019, 11:21 PM
 
Just remember to swap your center caps!
     
Laminar
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Oct 23, 2019, 09:03 AM
 
Yes! I didn't check that they'd swap over, but I'm assuming they will. Here's hoping...
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 29, 2019, 08:01 PM
 
Had a chance to drive in heavy rain at night.

The wiper chatter seems to have improved a bit, but now a thin layer of water gets smeared across the windshield with each wipe. This hazes up the window for a few seconds until it evaporates. Annoying.

If I just let the windshield stay wet, it’s fine until I get a streetlight at the wrong angle and then glare completely wipes out my vision.

At the least, once this coating is gone I’m going to switch to Rain-X. I’ve still have a couple bottles from the underwater shoot we did over the summer.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 31, 2019, 01:38 PM
 
Sleet test. Worked well except for the smearing problem.

Got pics at a stoplight. First is right after a wipe, second is a couple seconds later.



     
subego  (op)
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Nov 7, 2019, 11:17 AM
 
Needed a new city sticker, so I used the opportunity to clean the haze off the interior of my windshield. This was surprisingly difficult, and still needs more work. Normally I use Windex, but decided to spring for some Meguiar’s, which supposedly won’t strip Rain-X/Aquapel (needed to do the outside so I could clearly see the haze on the inside).

Got me thinking... what do people here recommend for interior detailing? I’m about to have some service done, and I’m of the mind they do at least a slightly better job if the vehicle looks well maintained.
     
Laminar
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Nov 7, 2019, 12:29 PM
 
I use whatever I got in a Christmas gift box years ago. I'm not good about cleaning my cars.

I do use Meguiar's leather treatment stuff and treat the leather a few times a year, that stuff will crack and get ruined if it's not maintained.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 7, 2019, 07:07 PM
 
The van is easy enough to clean, it’s staying much cleaner than my previous cars. Enough so things like a dusty dash are beginning to bug me.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 10, 2019, 04:27 PM
 
Rented a car yesterday. Still really hate the thing where the engine shuts off when the car is stopped.

Oh... the instrument cluster was a touch screen, which is just absurd.
     
Laminar
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Nov 10, 2019, 09:43 PM
 
Wait...what car is that?? That sounds...awful. Like...they expect you to reach through the steering wheel to access some functions?
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 11, 2019, 09:25 AM
 
An X3... though thankfully, it looks like I‘m wrong about that.

There’s an unspecified “knob” I was supposed to press to see the odometer. It occurred to me long after that the one place I didn’t look was the instrument cluster, and it hit me the drawing in the manual could have been trying to depict that.

I double-checked though, and it looks like I was wrong. Still have no idea how to see the odometer..
     
Laminar
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Nov 11, 2019, 11:24 AM
 
Weird, all of my cars have the odo visible at all times. The trip meter can be shown or hidden, though.

Dropped my car off last night to get snow tires installed today, only to wake up to several inches of snow. Had to drive the racecar.

( Last edited by andi*pandi; Nov 11, 2019 at 01:22 PM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 11, 2019, 11:47 AM
 
My van pops it on as a courtesy when you open the door.

I needed the mileage to gas up (Zipcar), and ended up calling them. They have cellular access to the car, and gave it to me that way.

So, to get the mileage, the data, which is only a foot away from me, was sent to (I assume) a Verizon cell tower, goes through Verizon backhaul, makes its way to Zipcar HQ over IP, where a human reads it, and says it... then that goes back out over a phone line, gets digitized, transfers over to AT&T backhaul, is sent to an AT&T tower and then to my phone, which converts it to moving air.

Now there’s a First World solution if I ever saw one.


My tire appointment is Wednesday... second year in a row I waited just a bit too long, even though this is 3 weeks earlier than last year.
( Last edited by subego; Nov 11, 2019 at 12:24 PM. )
     
Laminar
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Nov 13, 2019, 04:26 PM
 
Made good use of my discount, new snow tires all around.









Found an uphill ice-covered road near my house and took everything for a test run.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B40HLFbjEtv/

I'm normally an advocate of front wheel drive over all wheel drive. With snow tires, you're able to drive in almost any condition just like you'd normally drive. You can accelerate at a reasonable rate without issue, and AWD offers no braking or emergency turning (off throttle) advantage.

But when you're talking about aggressive acceleration or going uphill in situations with little or no grip, AWD has a clear advantage.
     
andi*pandi
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Nov 13, 2019, 04:48 PM
 
There was an ordering snafu. Tires being put on tomorrow instead. Argh.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 13, 2019, 05:40 PM
 
Dropped my van off today. They’re packed to the gills.

The city throws a few curves where it’s nice to have AWD. Unplowed alleys. Getting in and out of plowed in street parking.

Also, after a decent snowpocalypse, there’s a river of thick slush at every corner of every side street intersection.
     
andi*pandi
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Nov 16, 2019, 09:35 AM
 
new tires! I didn't want to spend for the usual michelin defenders so the tire place recommended general altimax which is from the same facility and $200 cheaper. Let the snow commence!
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 17, 2019, 11:05 AM
 
I feel as ready as possible. Recall taken care of, tired up, fresh oil, fresh blades.

I could only test with wiper fluid, but the new blades seem to have less of a streaking/chatter problem on the treated windshield.

Also picked up a jug of “Car Guys” brand cleaner, but haven’t had a chance to try it. I’ll report back. It was the highest rated on Amazon in terms of being just straight cleaner with no shine ingredient. I like the idea of shiny, but I feel that’s just going to attract more dirt.
     
Laminar
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Nov 18, 2019, 10:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
new tires! I didn't want to spend for the usual michelin defenders so the tire place recommended general altimax which is from the same facility and $200 cheaper. Let the snow commence!
Those are legit. Probably some of the best bang for the buck snow tires out there. Plenty of RallyCrossers like them for offroad use because they're nice and durable, too.
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2019, 11:14 AM
 


Looks like a jackass magnet.
     
andi*pandi
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Nov 22, 2019, 11:51 AM
 
how much can it effectively haul? Cargo bed must not be any bigger than a subaru baja, and can it tow?

Looks like a movie prop.

(thanks lam for the tire approval - so far so good on wet roads!)
     
subego  (op)
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Nov 22, 2019, 12:21 PM
 
I can’t really figure out what it’s for.
     
 
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