TTAC Commentator Riz writes:

I’ve just got my first “commuter” car – 2009 Civic DX-G and I’ve been surprised at the amount of dew on all the windows most mornings and how much ‘crud’ dries on after rain. Compared to any of the cars/minivans we’ve owned or our current family driver (’06 Mazda 5) it’s really annoying. And it’s not just the front / back (although the lack of rear wiper is lamentable) – side windows are also an issue. So what’s the ideal product – RainX or another brand? And any concerns for application (like don’t get any on the non painted side mirror covers or that sort of thing)? And how long does it last? Note – this product needs to also deal with frost and snow as I live in Calgary.

Also – is this common on Honda’s? We’re looking at a new minivan next year, and if the Odyssey is more likely to do this than the Sienna then I’d like to plan for it.

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TTAC Commentator jpcavanaugh writes:

A friend has a 2005 Acura TL which he bought as a certified used car at about 2 yrs and 40K miles on it. He bought the extended warranty to 100K. I recall thinking “its an Acura, why waste the money on an extended warranty?” It turns out he was right: at about 60K, he noticed an occasional judder during transmission shifts. The dealer informs him that the transmission is shot, and that it will be replaced under his extended warranty. After a couple of days, he gets the car back (he did enjoy the RL he got as a loaner) and the car is fine. Until now.

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The weekend of October 24-25 was the third running of the 24 Hours of LeMons at Motorsport Ranch in Houston, TX. TTAC was there for the insanity.  And it was the fourth time our LeMons race car, a 1972 Datsun 240Z hit the track.  I was an honorary “penalty” judge this time ’round (props to Autoblog’s Jonny Lieberman and LeMon’s Founder Jay Lamm for that), so I did the best I could for my teammates when they got black flagged. But I’m no crooked judge, Jonny said I was too nice to other teams, too. No matter, it wasn’t enough for us to come close to victory. Then again, the Datsun Z is the butt of many a LeMon’s joke. What’s up with that?

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Since day one, the Cadillac SRX was a desperate underdog looking to dethrone the Lexus RX: Middle America’s CUV of choice. But the SRX was a muscular macho machine and the Lexus is an overstuffed Camry Wagon. Now, with a more mundane blueprint, Cadillac believes their latest SRX utility is “the new standard for luxury […]

TTAC Commentator Karl_Donina writes:

Hi, Sajeev. I want to know why it’s so fashionable for automakers to provide obnoxiously labyrinthine automatic shifter gates. It seems to have started with Jaguar’s innocuous J-shaped gates of the ’80s, but these days it seems to have become passé to provide a simple, easy-to-use linear gate — push button or hold lever to one side to move in a straight line out of park and through the gears, or back the other direction.  Now every shift, whether from 1 to 2 or N to R or whatever, requires inconsistent and annoying fore-aft and transverse movements. The gates on Subarus I’ve driven lately are ridiculous, as is the one in the Yaris I rented last week. And there are many more. Thanks for whatever enlightenment you can provide.

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TTAC Commentator edgett writes:

What is the correlation between driver’s training and safety? Articles suggest that improved driver training does not improve highway safety are simply counterintuitive. Granted that nothing supplants experience on the road, but surely having some idea of the braking and handling characteristics of your vehicle, before “experience” requires it, is of more than passing value. And how can we expect someone who is competent to drive a Honda Civic to drive competently when put behind the wheel of a Suburban or 15 passenger van?

If the Air Force ensures that pilots start off in small, light single-seat aircraft and lots of simulator time before getting a seat in an F15, doesn’t this suggest that education is worthwhile? This one has been hinted at in a variety of posts, but I don’t recall seeing anything where the issue has been covered in depth.

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TTAC Commentator Volvo writes:

Sajeev, today in a parking lot I was approaching a new Toyota Avalon from the side and at first thought I was seeing a recent Chrysler product. It had the bottom of the window about shoulder high to the passengers and the windows seemed rather short. As I walked through the lot I saw that many of the newer cars had that same look.  When I was a child it was called “chopped” and seemed to be a favorite way to customize post war Buicks. It went away until the early millennial Chrysler products (300 series as an example) and I hear it referred to as the “thug” look. The look now seems to be expanding across many manufactures’ lines.  Why is this? Fashion, safety, or efficiency? Wikipedia says it started in the late 40’s with Salt Flat racers to reduce aerodynamic drag by lowering the car’s profile. It then became popular as a Kustomizing look. I have not spent any time in these vehicles. How is the outward visibility? Do you have information or an opinion on this subject?
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Chris writes:

I have an ’04 Chevy Silverado 2WD pickup with the 4.3 6cyl and auto tranny. Between 1100 @1300 rpms I get a strong vibration that you can feel in the floor of the truck. It happens mostly while coasting or decelerating. It feels like the vibration you get driving a manual transmission in a high gear at too low RPM, therefore “lugging” the engine.

The trans fluid looks fine and is at the proper level. The truck has 45000 miles and a fluid change is probably in order as I bought the truck used with 36000. Any ideas? The truck runs and shifts well otherwise.

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A TTAC reader who wishes to remain anonymous writes:

I have to buy a 2nd car to be used mostly in the city with short highway trips, my problem is that I have a budget of $7,500.00 since a car payment is not an option at this time.

Clear title, no accident, reasonable mileage and low maintenance cost are high priority, after 2 weeks of detailed search over the internet, I’m down to three cars that I never thought I would be thinking about: 2007 Ford Focus Sedan, 2007 Nissan Sentra and (believe it or not) a 2007/8 Dodge Caliber. The mileage I have seen on this budget varies from 18,000 up to 45,000 miles. By the way, some cars don’t have power windows, which was a shock for me and almost a deal breaker, however, some of these cars have the best mileage and lowest price.

Any thoughts on which would be the best bet?

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Quick: name a major multinational automotive motorsport series where a rear-wheel drive, naturally aspirated vehicle isn’t the dominant player in the field. Sure, there’s a turbo here and Quattro there, but the Porsche GT3’s template is the recipe for success from F1 to the 24 hours of LeMans. This simplistic design demands predictable power and […]

Jim writes:

I just got new wheels and tires on my 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super, 245/45R19s to replace the stock 18s. The tire dealer put in 40 lbs of air, and when I said “is that a little high?” they pointed to the sidewall and said “look, it can take up to 51 lbs.” I’ve never run more than 36 lbs in my tires, but I’ve never had a profile this low before. Am I just behind the times?

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Jonathon writes:

Sajeev, I grew up and still live in Chicago. Following the habits of my parents, I always replace a battery after four Chicago winters. Can modern batteries withstand the cold climates better than their predecessors, or should I replace that 4 year old battery this fall?

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Yours truly, Sajeev Mehta writes:

Hello Piston Slappers, this S.O.S. is for anyone GM-savvy enough to tango with a 4.1L Cadillac. And live to diagnose another day: are you up for the challenge?

I acquired a 1986 Fleetwood 75 Formal Limousine (1 of 1000), which made me reconsider my stance on wrong-wheel drive GM products of the mid 1980s This was a $0.99 eBay purchase from a frustrated shipping company in the Houston Ship Channel who lost their overseas buyer. It didn’t run, until we installed a $20 ignition module. Which brought the less-than-a-buck Caddy back to life. Almost. So what’s the problem?

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TTAC Commentator ajla writes:

Hi Sajeev, I recently overpaid on my purchase of a 1986 Dodge Diplomat SE in order to save the car from meeting a grim end in the Cash 4 Clunkers program. The car is in good shape and has 98,xxx miles on the odometer. My question is this: The Diplomat has a 2bbl 318 V8, but every single gas station in my part of Florida only sells E10 fuel.  I’ve read that running E10 in a carbureted engine can cause some big problems. If this is true, what kind of trouble should I be expecting, is there anything I can do to mitigate the negative effects of E10, and how long do you think I have until issues start to crop up? Would I be better off just searching out a station that sells pure gasoline even if it’s fairly far away?

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