The Automotive Thread

[Dexman PE PMP]

Doesn't mean they don't exist.

 

[envirotex]

 

[Supe]

So there's an '06 S430 Mercedes for sale out in the parking garage. 100k miles, AMG Sport package, interior looks mint, exterior looks good aside from very minor paint wear and tear (scratch or two near trunk on rear bumper, a few speckled road chips up front.) They're asking $12k, I bet I could get it for $9k. Sure would take care of my "need a sedan" problem...

 

[snickerd3]

why would you ever "Need" a sedan?

 

[Supe]

why would you ever "Need" a sedan?

Because a two door hatch back is not conducive to toting kids around, especially when those kids are on the big side for their age bracket. All daily drivers moving forward will have 4 doors.

 

[snickerd3]

ah! you already have a small car. I am a large vehicle sort of person, MPG be damned. I learned how to drive in a chevy astro van and have never really been comfortable driving small cars.

 

[Supe]

When I had the rental Cadillac DTS, I was in love. This is pretty much a DTS, just RWD and with even more options. If the DTS wasn't wrong wheel drive, I would already have one parked in the driveway. I really want an STS-V, but they're still commanding way too much money for what they are.

 

[MA_PE]

When I had the rental Cadillac DTS, I was in love. This is pretty much a DTS, just RWD and with even more options. If the DTS wasn't wrong wheel drive, I would already have one parked in the driveway. I really want an STS-V, but they're still commanding way too much money for what they are.

I had an XTS as a rental. I want one.

 

[envirotex]

For luxury SUV/crossovers, I'd rather have this...waiting for some used ones to come around.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

The GLA's are nice. The AMG version though was a bit too "ricey" for a $55k+ vehicle. Mrs Dex really likes the GLA-250.

 

[envirotex]

^^^Me, too.

 

[MetsFan]

I test drove the new GTI this weekend and didn't come away too impressed. Sure it's fast, but it's also loud and a bit harsh.

So maybe I'm not ready to give up on my car yet but this rough idle issue is making me think twice. I had a cylinder 4 misfire a couple of months ago, which I cleared. The code never came back but the rough idle is still there. I swapped the cylinder 3 and ignition coils to see if the code would switch to cylinder 3, but it's still not throwing any codes. I don't know what to do at this point.

 

[Supe]

Have you done basic maintenance? (Plugs, wires). My Astra started missing badly around 55k miles. It was throwing VIR codes (variable intake), surging/sputtering, etc. Sure enough, it was worn plugs and nothing more. A byproduct of a high compression motor being detuned for the US market.

 

[MetsFan]

What are wires? Plugs are supposedly due at 100K and my car is at 73K, so I was waiting to see if the ignition coil was bad first. If no codes are thrown, I might just go ahead and do it though.

edit: oh spark plug wires. My car has ignition coils sitting on top of them, so if anything I would have to change those.

 

[MA_PE]

It's my understanding that you shouldn't have to change coil packs to change wires but I don't know what kind of car/engine you've got

 

[MetsFan]

I have a 2007 BMW 3 series. There are wires that plug into the ignition coil but I don't think I've seen any mention of anyone changing those in the forums.

Here's a video of what it looks like, skip to 4:30

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0aL1H_ZWxU

 

[MA_PE]

I see now. These motors dont have traditional spark plug wires, instead the coil connects directly to the plug. Despite the manual statinga 100k interval for plugs, you might try changing them out now at 73k. It couldn't hurt, isn't terribly expensive, and looking at the plug tips will give you an indication of how clean they are burning.

Here's a another nice write up I found for changing the plugs.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174217

 

[MetsFan]

You're right, at $100 it might not be a bad idea them out to see if it helps. Thanks for the link, I actually frequent that board pretty often too, haha.

 

[csb]

This listing on ebay has everything except "IMMA GONNA RAPE YOU, THEN KILL YOU, THEN RAPE YOU SOME MORE."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Sprinter-Base-Standard-Cargo-Van-3-Door-/121727607047

 

[Flyer_PE]

^All it's missing is a "Free Candy" sign on the side.