The Automotive Thread

[wilheldp_PE]

When we test drove my buddy's Model Y, she immediately got out and said, "I want one."

Yep, same. I wanted a Tesla since they were announced, but could never justify the cost of an S. Then I test drove one at an event for my company, and decided I could no longer resist. I asked the Tesla rep how long it would be before I could get a 3 without a pre-order (this was Spring 2016, just before the 3 was about to start delivering). They said it would probably be over 2 years, but the Model S 60 started at $60k. That was enough for me, so I pulled the trigger a month later.

 

[Orchid PE]

I'm slowly starting to nerd out on all of the EV stuff. Electric is my jam.

 

[bwin12]

I'm slowly starting to nerd out on all of the EV stuff. Electric is my jam.

I was 100% against the EV purchase in 2017. I have come to greatly appreciate the convenience of the EV. No gas stations, no maintenance (if there was I wouldn't do it anyways), quiet, smooth, fun to drive... I dislike a lot of parts of the particular car, but can't wait to get rid of it and get another EV. I will also say I don't think we will go full EV anytime soon, we will still keep a ICE around as we need two vehicles.

 

[bwin12]

Our normal family vehicle is a 2017 Silverado crew cab. It's a great truck, until Saturday evening. My wife was turning onto our driveway when the brakes decided to not function as they normally do. She had to pull herself off the seat and put all the force she could into pushing the brake pedal down before hitting the garage.

Chevy issued a recall in late 2019, and I had the recall done, that "reprogrammed" the computer regarding "excessive break pressure required occassionaly". Apparently, research has shown me, that did NOT fix the problem and on some (lots) of vehicles the brake booster loses pressure at low speeds and you have manual (old fashion) brakes when you are anticipating the power brakes you have been using for the last 58k miles.

As I have alluded to, this is a known problem on the 1500, Tahoe, Suburban across all the GM variants. I can not understand how this is not another recall, this time for the brake booster vs. a reprogram. I just don't understand (actually cynical me does) how the NHTSA would allow this to not be recalled. Maybe it is me, but I feel like the brakes, and proper brake function, is probably the most important part of a vehicle.

My wife has completely lost trust in the truck and GM. I feel the same about GM. But, I really don't want to get a different vehicle in the current market and deal with the financial implications of replacing a 4 year old vehicle that works well for us. She's looking at rentals for our Thanksgiving drive to her parents. I think the truck will be fine once repaired (as I would if they issued a recall for the booster pump) but will probably never buy a GM again. But then cynical me realizes that Ford, Ram, Toyota, etc. would probably do the exact same thing if there was a known issue with their booster pump.

Am I being overly dramatic?

 

[snickerd3]

Now is not the time to buy a car, just like now is not the time to buy a house. Both are overpriced at the moment. New cars are going to be on the basic end even though paying premium prices as the computer parts needed for all the bells and whistles are in short supply.

 

[jeb6294]

Was at the grocery last night and I get this text…

 

[jeb6294]

Belongs to a friend of hers at work. She didn’t actually buy it yet, but she already did all the bank stuff and told the guy we wanted it contingent on taking a look at it and making sure it’s as good as the pictures look.

 

[jeb6294]

They were both on shift last night so this morning they went by the storage place so the wife could take a look at the camper and Facetimed me for a bit too. Looks like everything is in pretty good shape...the pictures looked good, really good for a 2006, but it looked just as good in person. He's keeping the hitch which kinda sucks because weight distribution hitches can be pretty pricey, but in-laws have upgraded to a 5th wheel and they were just looking to get rid of their WD hitch. A bunch of other stuff is coming with it (electric cord, stinky slinky, water hose) too which'll save us some $$$.

Looks like we're gettin' us a camper.

 

[blybrook PE]

Congrats, I highly recommend getting a Macerator Pump for those times you get home and were unable to dump the tanks due to the local dump station being closed.

I put in an isolated dump station at the house that drains right into the septic system; best addition I've made in years.

 

[jeb6294]

When we had to fix the sanitary at the house I had them add a cleanout since we didn't have one before. I'm not sure we could get there by gravity, but if not, a macerator could be in the future.

The biggest issue is that it doesn't have an awning. It had one but it disappeared at some point. We've got an Easy-Up, but that's a much bigger PITA than pulling out an awning. He knocked $2k off and I found a place with replacements so that may be one of the first things.

 

[jeb6294]

Broke down and put new batteries, yes plural, in the truck yesterday. Diesel takes two batteries so it's a nice hit to the wallet, but figured I better if were going to be towing a lot. I had been nursing along the old ones with a charger/conditioner, but they were definitely on their last legs.

Went with the "high dollar" Wally World Maxx batteries this time. Did the Ford batteries before and both sets crapped out pretty quick. These have a 3-yar warranty and are 850CCA vs the 650CCA that were in there.

 

[blybrook PE]

I run the Wally MAXX batteries in the plow truck, which is a high current draw with a short recharge period. You'll notice a difference for a daily driver / tow rig over a part time rig; but I've appreciated the ability to hold a charge after being frozen for weeks on end.

I've put them against the name brand "Interstate", Napa and O'Reilly batteries in the same rig. Maxx has won out every time for longevity.

 

[jeb6294]

It's like I have to explain to my kids all the time, do you really think Walmart has a factory somewhere that makes car batteries or that they get someone else's more expensive batteries and slaps their sticker on it?

 

[snickerd3]

woohoo, i get to spend my saturday morning at the dealership. A recall on the hood latch, an oil change, and the trim around trunk door opening has started leaking water into the car when it rains.

 

[snickerd3]

I think they should throw the oil change in for free as an inconvenience for the recall.

 

[bwin12]

I think they should throw the oil change in for free as an inconvenience for the recall.

If a manufacturer did that I may be more inclined to buy from them. I mean honestly, when I'm shopping for my next 1/2 ton crew cab there's minimal difference (over the entirety) between a GM, Ford, Dodge or Toyota, I'd be included to factor this into my decision.

I'm also not brand loyal. I want leather bucket front seats, 4wd and a reasonable price and I'm happy.

 

[jeb6294]

It's here! It's here! Bit of a white knuckle drive getting it home from the storage place where it was at because we weren't able to take the time to get the weight distribution hitch adjusted right, but it's "only" 8-9k pounds so the F350 is more than enough. The wife is going to go to town on the inside...painting, sewing, etc...so we'll find a nice level spot closer to home and do that in a little while.

 

[snickerd3]

SUpposedly have an appt at the dealer with the Leak specialist to figure out where the water is coming into the car. Tried calling this afternoon to confirm the dude IS actually still going to be there before I drive the hr+. Got sent to voicemail with a we will get back to you within a business day line

 

[jeb6294]

Want to play one of those "spot the OSHA violation games? This is the current situation in my driveway. Found out the camper had a roof leak in the front corner. Hopefully shouldn't be too big of a deal. They make this stuff called Eternabond Tape that is made to stick to everything and stays put for 20 years. Got a 100' of 4-inch wide tape so I'm going to just seal up the entire perimeter of the camper and fix/prevent any leaks. Worst part is cleaning up the roof and the old sealant.

So, how many violations did you spot? DIY scaffolding with a 2x12 and a couple ladders (don't worry, the board has bar clamps holding it to the ladder rungs). Untethered shop-vac on the roof, and if you look really close, you can see the 2-prong to 3-prong adapter on the extension cord cause that's the cord that was out there.

 

[bwin12]

I feel like there is another with the waters proximity to the illegal electrical situation, but I'm a consultant now and got to delete OSHA requirements from my brain after taking the PE exam.

We bought a 33' Keystone Passport- I picked it up in Kansas yesterday and dragged it back to Denver (we have RV dealers here but the one in KS was $6k cheaper). I averaged 21 mpg on the way out and 7 mpg on the way home. There was one particularly horrible section (probably 3 MPG average) between Colby, Kansas and Burlington, CO where I almost quit because the wind was so bad. Of course, that is the section with wind turbines right next to the highway. Those engineers definitely did their research and put them in the right place.