I’m too young to remember the 1970s, but I have recollections of a Cadillac-based abomination known as the “Castilian Fleetwood Estate Wagon.” Perhaps the recent success of Cadillac-based trucks made someone at the RenCen give the Cadillac Wagon a second look. Yet the CTS Sport Wagon isn’t a cobbled-up engineering afterthought, though it reeks of […]
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Posts By: Sajeev Mehta
Andy writes:
Sajeev, I enjoy your posts on TTAC and I wanted to ask a quick lease negotiation question. Currently BMW has very good lease rates on their 5 series models. Is there a smart way to renegotiate the 10k mile/year limit? That just seems like a lot of money for 10k miles per year.
Steven writes:
Hello Sajeev, I have a question along the lines of the Piston Slap article “Save Me From My X5.” I have a 2007 four door GTI with DSG that I purchased new on October 12, 2006. The car has just about 35,000 miles and the factory warranty is expiring October 12, 2010. I really like the car and would be happy to keep it for a few more years. I’m dreaming of no car payments.
I know someone who’s been in the fashion biz most of her life. Her affinity with handsome male models is not surprising, yet her insistence–a “shush” sound accompanied by a finger on their lips–that the Eye Candy refrain from voicing their opinions definitely got me thinking. Perhaps beauty and critical thinking are two circles that […]
TTAC Contributor Ingvar writes:
The family household beater has a limp. It’s a 1993 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, four door, with the 4.3. It’s original country of purchase was Germany, at least it says so on the dealer engraved license frame. Sometime in its life it moved to Sweden, my mother bought it from a neighbor some four years ago. She needed it to have as a trailer truck dragging the horse trailer around, so it only sees occasional use.
However, from the start, it has had a small but significant lean to the front right, as though the frame was slightly bent. If that is the case, what could we do about it? And if it isn’t, what is it then? Shock absorbers, or wheel alignment, or something else?
I haven’t had it checked, the only thing I have done, is usual maintenance, oil shifts, and getting air in the tires. Please Sajeev, you are my only hope.
TTAC reader Tiburon Guy writes:
Hey Sajeev: Long time reader, first time e-mailer. I have a 2001 Hyundai Tiburon that I inherited from my wife when we got married (dowrys are making a comeback!). It has 70,000 original miles and I’ve maintained it properly. Recently a problem arose that the dealer could not point out nor could my personal mechanic (ASC Certified) determine the cause or solution to.
It’s an automatic transmission. Sometimes when starting the car, pushing the release button on the shifter is downright impossible. It’s stuck and won’t engage, which means I can’t shift into gear. After a few moments of wiggling and pushing and jerking (and crying on my wife’s part) it will give and we’ll be on our way.
This doesn’t happen all the time though, it’s once every month or so. Any idea what could cause this and if so, what can I do to fix or prevent it from occurring? We are the only owners of the car and have not raced or abused it. I’ve hunted the forums on the Hyundai fan sites and I can’t find anyone with the same issue.
TTAC Commentator Robstar writes:
Hello Mr. Mehta, I am currently in Brazil visiting my in-laws. I am more and more falling in love with the 1974 1.5L Fusca (what the Beetle is called here) my brother-in-law owns. I can’t imagine they go for much in the US, and I thought it might be another fun car to stick in the garage. I’m not much of a do-it-yourself’er, so I have the following questions…
1) Is it going to be impossible to find a vintage “Fusca” that is not rusted out? (I’m in the Chicagoland area)
2) How hard is it to find parts for these? Considering the production run, I’d imagine it should be pretty easy.
3) What should I be cautious of when purchasing? (Also, I only want the 4MT. Not sure if they were made in an AT form)
4) Any idea what price range these go for? How about insurance for a married male in his mid 30s.
I’d be appreciative of any discussion & insight TTAC readers can give. I’m including (scaled down) pictures of the Fusca, the car that brought about this question…thanks!
James writes:
I have a 1995 BMW E34 530i, and I’m looking into getting it lowered. At first I thought this was a simple affair, that I just needed lowering springs. But some people are telling me that I can’t just put new lowered springs without buying new shocks that are designed to handle these lowered springs, for fear that I’ll wear my tyres out and possibly other components. I thought this might be true for going super-super-low, but these springs will only lower my car 1.5″ at most (Bavauto springs 1.0″-1.5″), if I’m lucky. Is this just my mechanic trying to sell some extra parts, or do I really need new lowering shockers, even for going just a little lower?
It was bound to happen. Combine the irresistible force of the Datsun 240 Z with the charming demeanor of TTAC’s “LeMons Racing Experience” (LRE) team captain, Troy Hogan, and we were bound to win something. And that point was the February 2010 running of the 24 Hours of LeMons in Houston.
We didn’t win the race, unless in 28th place counts as winning. But this time we got a prize, the highly coveted Index of Effluency now rests on our mantle: and it is the top prize in LeMon Land. To quote judge Murilee Martin,it is “the pinnacle of all LeMons awards….(given) to the team that accomplishes the most with the crappiest car.” While we always had the latter, the former is the textbook definition of “added perk.” And our new paint job (fashioned from the Paul Newman-era BRE racing livery) certainly looks trophy-worthy. The $1500 worth of nickels didn’t hurt either, even if we shouldn’t put them on the roof of the car for photography.
Scott writes:
Why is it that the radiator fan turns on when I switch the heater knob to “Defrost” and not in any other mode? I have a 2001 Subaru Outback that does it even with the engine off. Turn the key to “On”, set the vents to blow on the windshield, turn the fan speed on any speed except off, and the radiator fan will turn on (and I’m not confusing it with the heater fan. Open the hood and it’s one of the radiator fans spinning). My 1999 Toyota Camry doesn’t do it with the engine off, but does when it’s on.
When I sit with it idling and have the vents pointed at the windshield, you can hear the radiator fan kicking in intermittently as needed. In both cars, with the selector in any other position, the fans don’t run nearly as often. Both cars are the base four-cylinder models with the typical three-knob HVAC layout (both lack automatic climate control). Thanks in advance.
Monty writes:
I have a question regarding cold weather starting my 2001 GMC Sierra P/U. When the temperatures dip to -40 C (-40 F) wind chill is there an advantage to starting my truck and leaving the transmission in neutral (with the parking brake on)? It has 235,000 kms and is the S/L version (strippo) with the 4.3 V6 and 4 speed auto. The transmission is original and I had the fluid changed at 215,000 kms. I bought it with 206 on the clock, not sure what was done before me, but I check the fluid regularly, and it has remained the same colour and viscosity as it was originally.
The problem is that when I start to drive after the vehicle has been warming up for 5 minutes, it takes another 10 more minutes or so for the transmission to shift up into 4th gear. This adversely affects my fuel economy, and I’m worried that long term this may not be good for the transmission. I haven’t noticed too much of a difference this week warming the truck in neutral, but it’s been so cold that I don’t know if it’s helping at all. My father, who is in his 80’s, always advised to warm the transmission in neutral in winter conditions, but I’m concerned that he may be using a trick from the 40’s or 50’s for manual transmissions, and it may not help with the automatic version. And yes, I use a block heater once the nighttime lows exceed -15C.
In case you missed it, Paul Niedermeyer’s excellent overview of Lincolns greatest hits and misses is worth a second look, considering the “firsts” attributed to the Lincoln brand: halogen lights and clear coat paint (Versailles), gas charged shocks and auto dimming rear view mirrors (Fox Continental), composite headlamps (Mark VII) and the industry’s first use of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights in the Lincoln Mark VIII. And while some innovations quickly spread elsewhere, Lincoln’s HID system was outdated and orphaned in less than a decade. If you are crazy enough to drive an HID-equipped Mark today, finding a new bulb for less than $600 is impossible. And a used bulb fetches $100 or more on eBay. Such is life when you live on the bleeding edge far beyond anyone’s expectation.
Jason writes:
Sajeev, I have a 2002 Mercedes C320. I replaced the pre-cat O2 sensors at 94k miles as recommended by my service technician. This was in the summer of last year, so roughly a year and a half ago. Since then I have had the CEL twice for O2 heater circuit malfunction on the pre-cat sensor on the driver’s side. The first time I replaced the sensor and that was six weeks ago. Yesterday I start the car up and it’s back (verified at the Advance store with OBDII). Have I received two bad O2 sensors in a row, or could I have something going on with the car that is causing the O2 sensors to have problems?
Karl writes:
Sajeev, I am not sure if this has been covered before, but I am writing about washing cars in winter. I finally have a car that is new enough and nice to worry about keeping the body in good shape for a long time. It will not be driven that regularly, so I expect to keep it for a decade–I tend to keep my cars a long time. I remember reading long ago (okay, long, long ago) about not washing vehicles in freezing weather. Well, I live in Wisconsin, so that is a third of the year. I want my new purchase to last, so what should I do to preserve the paint and the body?
TTAC Commentator NN writes:
My wife’s 04 Mercury Mountaineer (V6, AWD) recently hit 65k miles. The transmission had been clunking around noticeably lately, and I realized that:
a) These trannies are prone to fail
b) We hadn’t yet changed the ATF on the vehicle.
I am aware of the argument that some people make that when tranny fluid is old not to change it because the varnish build up, etc. helps to hold things together. But I thought 65k was still pretty young so I told my wife to take it in and get the fluid changed. She took it to a local non-franchise, non-dealer mechanic–just a fluid change and flush, no filter change as the mechanic said it wasn’t needed. The very next day the “O/D Off” light starts flashing constantly, which suggests that the transmission needs service. This is the first time we have seen this light.
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