Singles' Car Questions Tips & Advice thread (married folks can post too..)

[zeroturbulence]

No way! Lexus cars are the most expensive to maintain, sure they may go fast, but so will your cash ....stick with the tC Scion it's more cost effective!

As long as you don't use the dealership for service, an older lexus doesn't cost that much more to maintain than say a toyota camry. Someone in my family owns a 2009 lexus suv and their oil changes, air filters, etc.. doesn't cost a lot. The thing is that an older lexus will have plenty of aftermarket parts available for the same price as parts for an old camry or honda accord.

A newer lexus would be expensive to maintain because it doesn't have a lot of aftermarket parts available yet and if its under warranty it has to be serviced at a dealership.

 

[posthuman]

As long as you don't use the dealership for service, an older lexus doesn't cost that much more to maintain than say a toyota camry. Someone in my family owns a 2009 lexus suv and their oil changes, air filters, etc.. doesn't cost a lot. The thing is that an older lexus will have plenty of aftermarket parts available for the same price as parts for an old camry or honda accord.

A newer lexus would be expensive to maintain because it doesn't have a lot of aftermarket parts available yet and if its under warranty it has to be serviced at a dealership.

yeah -- lexus is toyota's luxury division, so even though there are expensive bits on lexi (?) they are still imported by toyota. more $$ for any import than a domestic, but as imports go, next to honda toyota is probably the most popular still, so there there are a lot of parts floating around for it, which means relatively cheap.

parts for a VW, audi, bmw, etc - and even my subaru are more expensive because not only are they import, they are less common, and an audi or bmw is generally just overpriced in every aspect lol.

the dealership is always more expensive, often WAY more $$ than an independent shop. probably a better warranty on labor than some places, but i avoid dealerships completely unless someone's insurance is paying for it!

 

[zeroturbulence]

As long as you don't use the dealership for service, an older lexus doesn't cost that much more to maintain than say a toyota camry. Someone in my family owns a 2009 lexus suv and their oil changes, air filters, etc.. doesn't cost a lot. The thing is that an older lexus will have plenty of aftermarket parts available for the same price as parts for an old camry or honda accord.

A newer lexus would be expensive to maintain because it doesn't have a lot of aftermarket parts available yet and if its under warranty it has to be serviced at a dealership.

In fact, I own a 2000 bmw that used to be my dad's and stuff like tires, brake pads, air filters, etc.. cost about the same as for my 2004 honda accord. When my dad first owned the car it came with a warranty and he had to pay a lot for service at the dealership. Now it gets serviced at an independent shop.

 

[zeroturbulence]

yeah -- lexus is toyota's luxury division, so even though there are expensive bits on lexi (?) they are still imported by toyota. more $$ for any import than a domestic, but as imports go, next to honda toyota is probably the most popular still, so there there are a lot of parts floating around for it, which means relatively cheap.

parts for a VW, audi, bmw, etc - and even my subaru are more expensive because not only are they import, they are less common, and an audi or bmw is generally just overpriced in every aspect lol.

the dealership is always more expensive, often WAY more $$ than an independent shop. probably a better warranty on labor than some places, but i avoid dealerships completely unless someone's insurance is paying for it!

Actually the lexus parts from lexus are expensive no matter what year even though they're made by toyota. Same with bmw. Its aftermarket parts that are cheaper.

 

[LeonT]

I own two Volvo wagons (2001 V70 and 2016 V60). The 2001 has just a little less than 400,000 miles on it, and I use it for projects and for a lot of around town driving. Last week as I was pulling into my driveway, I got a message that said "transmission service urgent" and then the transmission completely failed. I had it towed to Volvo, and they confirmed what I already knew - the transmission needs to be replaced. The cost is $3500. At this point, should I scrap the car and just use my V60 more (it's a lease car, so I'm not really worried about wear and tear), or should I fix the V70 (My parents bought it brand new in 2000, lots of family memories)? Cost isn't really an issue, I just don't like to throw away money. Also, the V70 is in really good shape and looks like it has maybe 70,000 miles.

 

[missy2014]

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh where do you get gas petrol from?

(dont answer)

but I did have a question a more serious one you know those car warmers to warm food ? Well is there anyone that take some form of a battery with out plugging it in to the cigarette lighter thing? I.e this would be handy for bus drivers my dad has just retired but it got me wondering

 

[Sonflower]

Hi Sonflower. I googled this real quick and apparently it is a real issue. Not only with your SUV but with a lot of newer cars because manufacturers are being forced by the EPA to start using stainless steel caps on lug nuts instead of chrome plating them like they've always done in the past..

The new lugs made w/stainless caps are easily damaged by the powerful air wrenches that mechanics use to take them off. They have to be extra careful and make sure they're using the right size socket for them. Anyway, when the cap gets damaged/loose then moisture and rust devlops inside the cap and that causes the lug to swell and not work right.

Luckily, you can find chrome plated replacement lugs for your vehicle for a whole lot cheaper than what the dealership charges. Here is one link that someone said they bought for their Ford Escape. You can enter your car info at Amazon and it will show if this fits your vehicle or not. Only $21 for all 20 lugs..
https://www.amazon.com/DPAccessorie...ord:escape&keywords=2014+ford+escape+lug+nuts

+1 on you are getting ripped off.
+1 on get another opinion about them, and if you really do need some, get just a couple for about $1 or $2 apiece at autozone or advance or o'reilly etc.

i don't know why anyone would tell you your lugnuts need to be replaced -- all they are is nuts that thread onto some bolts and keep the wheel tight and in place. they don't "go bad"

zeroturbulance did some research and his comment above is the reason they need to be replaced. They are bad because of human error. Also the above comment explains why I can't get then at autozone or advanced etc. He did find them for cheap on amazon though.

So my thought is, after seeing you and ZT and maybe even one other person talk about not using a powerful air wrench...how do I keep that from happening? Do I just demand they don't use those on my car? I feel like once they take my car they can do whatever they want and I won't see it. If I have to replace them, and I'm pretty sure I do because I was shown how swollen some of them were, I don't want them screwed up again by human error. It seems a bit unjust I have to pay for something that is the result of human error that isn't my own.

 

[missy2014]

Have you ever stood up on top of the roof of your car or did cart wheels on it whilst someone was driving??
best organic way or diy / homemade solution for restoring the colour on the front of our car its fading? I prefer not to purchase $$$ products for this and curious is there was a homemade solution

 

[T_Laurich]

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh where do you get gas petrol from?

(dont answer)

but I did have a question a more serious one you know those car warmers to warm food ? Well is there anyone that take some form of a battery with out plugging it in to the cigarette lighter thing? I.e this would be handy for bus drivers my dad has just retired but it got me wondering

Open ur breaker box/fuse box and find a 12v fuse and tie into it...
This will bypass ur need for a cigqrette liter

 

[T_Laurich]

I own two Volvo wagons (2001 V70 and 2016 V60). The 2001 has just a little less than 400,000 miles on it, and I use it for projects and for a lot of around town driving. Last week as I was pulling into my driveway, I got a message that said "transmission service urgent" and then the transmission completely failed. I had it towed to Volvo, and they confirmed what I already knew - the transmission needs to be replaced. The cost is $3500. At this point, should I scrap the car and just use my V60 more (it's a lease car, so I'm not really worried about wear and tear), or should I fix the V70 (My parents bought it brand new in 2000, lots of family memories)? Cost isn't really an issue, I just don't like to throw away money. Also, the V70 is in really good shape and looks like it has maybe 70,000 miles.

Find a used transmistion that is certified tested to work...
Then if you have a friend who is ASE certified, pay him to put it in and sign for it...
This should give you a 3 year waranty with spending about 2 grand cash...

Personally if you cant do that option, or better by doing it yourself, it is best to junk the car...
I know it is sad, with nostalgic cars... But in my opinion, your paying the price to get another vw same year and model to keep this running...

 

[T_Laurich]

zeroturbulance did some research and his comment above is the reason they need to be replaced. They are bad because of human error. Also the above comment explains why I can't get then at autozone or advanced etc. He did find them for cheap on amazon though.

So my thought is, after seeing you and ZT and maybe even one other person talk about not using a powerful air wrench...how do I keep that from happening? Do I just demand they don't use those on my car? I feel like once they take my car they can do whatever they want and I won't see it. If I have to replace them, and I'm pretty sure I do because I was shown how swollen some of them were, I don't want them screwed up again by human error. It seems a bit unjust I have to pay for something that is the result of human error that isn't my own.

If a shop breaks a part they are obligated to pay for it... I am going to assume your a woman, and no offence but majority of women dont really know how to correctly haggle when someone has jipped them over mechanically...
Basically it is like this, your taking your $1000 purse to have the handle restitched and the shop accidentally puts the handle in a shredder...
You make them pay for the damage they caused...

Also any worthy shop should know the difference between steel and stainless... Just by the make and model you can make a really good guess.... But mistakes do happen...
Next time you go in to a shop for tire rotation, repair, or new tires... Politely tell them that last time a shop damaged your lugnuts because they are a soft steel...
And if that shop damages them... They are obligated to pay UNLESS you signed a payper that says they are not resposible for small damages.

 

[Fenner]

I have a 2011 Chevy Impala Sedan, I need to buy tires before winter. I need all season tires. Do you have any you can reccomend?

 

[LeonT]

UPDATE: Decided to fix the V70 and give it to my 16 year old brother who just got his liscense. Since the 01 V70s have historic issues with transmissions, Volvo agreed to cover half. My brother is in Texas, so it should be easier on the car there.

 

[zeroturbulence]

zeroturbulance did some research and his comment above is the reason they need to be replaced. They are bad because of human error. Also the above comment explains why I can't get then at autozone or advanced etc. He did find them for cheap on amazon though.

So my thought is, after seeing you and ZT and maybe even one other person talk about not using a powerful air wrench...how do I keep that from happening? Do I just demand they don't use those on my car? I feel like once they take my car they can do whatever they want and I won't see it. If I have to replace them, and I'm pretty sure I do because I was shown how swollen some of them were, I don't want them screwed up again by human error. It seems a bit unjust I have to pay for something that is the result of human error that isn't my own.

Oh I'm sure autozone or advanced would have them too. I just posted the amazon link because I found it during my search. Anyway, all those shops use air wrenches. Their arms would fall off if they had to use regular wrenches to remove lug nuts all day. The car makers just need to figure out how to make chrome looking lugs that won't start to fall apart after a few tire changes.

 

[zeroturbulence]

I have a 2011 Chevy Impala Sedan, I need to buy tires before winter. I need all season tires. Do you have any you can reccomend?

I always shop tires online at America's Tire/Discount Tire (they're the same company - not sure why they have two names). They have customer ratings and reviews for each tire. Then I drive to the store and get them. It will tell you on the website if your store has them in stock or not. (Sorry I don't know who makes the best all-season tires)

http://www.americastire.com/dtcs/home.do

 

[zeroturbulence]

Have you ever stood up on top of the roof of your car or did cart wheels on it whilst someone was driving??
best organic way or diy / homemade solution for restoring the colour on the front of our car its fading? I prefer not to purchase $$$ products for this and curious is there was a homemade solution

Fading color could be either oxidation (if its a very old car that doesn't have a clearcoat), or clearcoat failure (the clearcoat is starting to turn white and peel off).

If it's clearcoat failure then the only real fix is repainting it. I know because I am in the process of repainting my honda due to that same reason.

If it's oxidation (turning chalky but not peeling at all, can rub with fingers and see color on your fingers), then you can get some meguiar's ultimate compound or a similar auto polishing compound (not wax) and polish it back to its original shine.

Oh and I didn't even know food warmers for cars existed!

 

[renewed_hope]

Two months ago I purchased a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze and I absolutely love it. I call him baby and he gets 40 miles to the gallon Highway. I also have free WiFi and Onstar for two years, however I noticed a small technological problem with my Bluetooth. When I go and connect it, it immediately disconnects. I have this issue off and on and it's been happening more frequently and I want to know what could be causing it. Don't get me wrong I can live without it, but it is a nice feature to have

 

[JesusLives]

When I was young I was a wild Mustang....just like this one..

I've grown older and now I have gone Rogue....funny how my cars have reflected me as a person because I am certainly a Rogue Blond....lol

 

[zeroturbulence]

I don't know much about bluetooth unfortunately, but nice cars u got there Grace!

Love that mustang, Darlene! The rogue's nice too.

 

[Ultimatum77]

I have a 2011 Chevy Impala Sedan, I need to buy tires before winter. I need all season tires. Do you have any you can reccomend?

Michelins are the best and worth the comfort if you can afford it...it's seriously like riding on air, you don't feel pots/bumps and it isn't just b/c of name-brand...I've compared it to cheaper tires on the same car, and the ride is a lot better/less occurence of flats...
I forgot the name b/c I think they d/c'd it but it was an all weather tire like MX2 or something, anyway that tire lasts super long 4-5 years at least if not more depending on your driving habits/like hard braking/fast acceleration which rubs the tire off a little more...

Goodyears are good too, slightly better than the other "off-brands", excellent traction around corners/wet roads, it really grips well....their wrangler and all season tires are good

Hankooks are good and get the job done (more economical) but you'll feel the potholes lol they originally came with my car and I was glad to replace them with goodyears b/c michelins were out of stock... my butt thanked me a lot when driving...