..... my car............ -.-*

T.L

Well-Known Member
I always buy my vehicles with all the options.
The first option is to always pay cash for them.
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
My father, whom was a auto mechanic, loved car shopping and making deals...

I approach it completely different. I'm a bit of a minimalist, and hate paying for stuff I likely will not use... I also view a car as a point a to point b device, not as a luxury. I also refuse to give a auto salesman too much leeway in the deal.

So...

On a new car I actually research it on-line first.. pick the absolute lowest model that has what I want to see in it, and figure what options I need from there. I try to look at the insurance standards assigned symbols for the car as well as if you know what doing, can potentially save on insurance that way.

Generally speaking, for me, the options I want are generally practical or protection, and can sometimes be had elsewhere cheaper
- floor mats
- step in protection plates
- rear hatch protection plate
- front acrylic hood shield (aka bonnet protector)
- cargo are mat
- license plate frames
- roof cross bars for roof rack

I will then before going to a dealer do the following:
- print all that up right from the manufacturer site, with the manufacturer costs and part numbers,
- pick two colors from the web site
- plus my current trades worth based on several sites,
- plus my credit score...
- see if there are any on-line manufactures incentives
- see if there are any on-line dealer incentives
- if I went to the auto show recently, ask on specials from attending (note some dealers allow all these to be stacked)

Then go in for a test drive to make sure I'm comfortable in it, show them the paperwork, and state 'I want the car on these pages at this price'.

I may not come out with a haggled deal, but I found that all the above combined makes the process many times smoother than on the spot decisions.

EDIT: One other thing I do... I make a bit of a list of notes to get answers on before going... so can either ask them, or just present them the list and get them answered. I actually tried contacting manufacturers before purchases, and find that rarely works as well as it should...
 

ThreadWeaver

Beware of Dog. Cat not trustworthy either.
NanuNanu14 said:
Good News!

I recently made the last and final payment on my truck!

What a glorious feeling it is to know that something is yours, and that no-one can (legally) take something away from you.
Please don't say that.  It jinxes you.  Someone can legally take your pretty truck from you: It's called a lawsuit.  All they have to do is convince a jury that wasn't smart enough to get out of jury duty that you're at fault.  So keep your nose clean until your truck devalues itself to where it's not worth taking from you.

Rather depressing, huh?  Now you know one of the reasons why rich people like their gated communities (besides being egalitarian snobs).
 

seitora

Well-Known Member
I got a 2015 Cruze in December 2014. Red. I live in Alberta, a province with lots of resource projects, and something you don't realise if you don't live in provinces or states like that is that there are a helluva lot of black and white work vehicles compared to other colours (contractors especially use white so they can put on decal advertisements). I park at a mall or wherever that has a large parking lot, I can go out and be all "Black, black, grey, white, white, white, white, dark blue, white, white, red-oh, there's my car!"
 

T.L

Well-Known Member
I don't know if it is an issue in the northern hemisphere, but down here in Australia, the UV from the sun tends to fade the pigment from red paint.
Just something to keep in mind.

White cars tend to reflect heat from the sun whereas black cars get hotter
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
White is the one color I specifically avoid... It is good in that it reflects heat better than pretty much any color... but it is bad in that it shows everything...

Generally, for myself I'll go with a lighter shade of blue, green, beige or platinum... My mother likes silver.

As for parking lots... I tend to get laughed at in my workplace, as I prefer station wagons, but you would be hard pressed to find any such in the area I work... I generally don't go down the car isle looking at color, but brand or by type. By brand I see Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Jeep, Land Rover, with a few more mundane types (like Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, and Subaru) mixed in. By type I see lots of SUV's, with some minivans, and a handful of sedans.
 

rukia8492

Well-Known Member
So the blower motor went out in my trucks AC and now I have to replace that and to top it all off for a while my radio had been wierd with one corner at the bottom going in and I never paid it any mind.

Well I decided to check out the radio area in the dash. I found where someone had broken the brackets where it hold the radio in and had propped up the back end of the radio with a child's sippy cup. I decided to check it out and found a note from my ex-wife wishing me the best of luck with expensive repairs to the radio system.

Ok she broke a bracket I'm out 20 bucks. Big deal I'm more concerned with that AC blower motor so I can get cold air while driving in this Florida summer weather.
 

rukia8492

Well-Known Member
Yeah well I'm not concerned about the radio that much as it's an easy fix. What I'm concerns about is that damn AC blower motor and the pain in the ass it's going to be. Florida in the summer with no AC mean you're in for a bad time while driving.
 

T.L

Well-Known Member
Most modern blower fans are held in with 3 bolts under the dash above the passenger's feet. 
A simple test of the blower fans brushes is with the fan switch on lightly tap the base of the casing. If the fan starts to work then it's either a poling armature or worn out brushes. Brushes can be replaced if your looking for a cheap fix.
To replace the blower fan is a fairly simple job. Just remove the 3 bolts unplug the electrical conection and that's it.
 
The blower motor on the F150 is located on the firewall on the passenger side of the engine. It should be easy to access and replace.
 

rukia8492

Well-Known Member
I know it's easy to replace, it's a case of it's going to be hell to replace it in this heat down here. I've got a parts store that has one and they are holding it for me till Friday when I get paid.
 

seitora

Well-Known Member
I drive less than 10,000 km a year in my car (km, not miles, so like 6000 miles and change). Woot. Won't run into vehicle problems for a while at that rate.
 

rukia8492

Well-Known Member
So I fix one issue and 2 more pop up on my truck. The ball joint on my drivers side front wheel is going bad and the doors that open to the back part of the cab aint working. The top of the unmatched when I pull the handle but the lower part doesn't. Right now most important part to get fixed is that ball joint and I'm ordering that in the morning and I'm getting the entire parts for both sides so I don't have to deal with it again for a while.
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
rukia8492 said:
So I fix one issue and 2 more pop up on my truck. The ball joint on my drivers side front wheel is going bad and the doors that open to the back part of the cab aint working. The top of the unmatched when I pull the handle but the lower part doesn't. Right now most important part to get fixed is that ball joint and I'm ordering that in the morning and I'm getting the entire parts for both sides so I don't have to deal with it again for a while.
Smart move... you almost never want to replace suspension or break parts on one side only... you not only generally want wear to be even between them, the fact one side went is a good sign that the other side may well be about to go as well...
 

rukia8492

Well-Known Member
Yeah I learned that lesson when I was a young pup helping my granddad with his truck
 

rukia8492

Well-Known Member
So last weekend I was supposed to do the repairs on my truck well that plan ended up crashing into a ball of flames. State decided that all inmates were to be locked down and all staff had to work extra days and hours cause of planned riots.

Here to the Saturday the 2nd of trying again.
 
Time for me to get another car. The engine in my Town Car seized up last Sunday when I was going to Lansing. It was the original engine so for it to last 25+ years is not bad. I am looking at getting a old school Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, or a Chevy S-10 Blazer.
 

seitora

Well-Known Member
In 2020, I drove 3,000km to change jobs. Not counting that, I probably drove under 1200km last year (but I put my car on a trailer for the move, so those 3000 km don't go on my car). My gas costs have plummeted. However, since I drive literally so little and don't drive enough to even recharge my battery on 5-minute trips, it was the end for my 7-year-old car battery. It still started at about -5°C and warmer, but below that needed to be pre-warmed. Since it's already past the 5-year-mark and I get cold winters, it was time for a new battery.
 
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Shirotsume

Not The Goddamn @dmin
My car is absolutely going to need a new battery, and probably a trip to the mechanic's after all the covid stuff is over. it's probably ran a combined hour and a half since march, mostly just me running it a little bit to try and keep the battery alive and things moving at least a LITTLE every few weeks.
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
I'm working from home since March, and all the people at my location were made permanent home employees back in October since the company decided we were just as productive from home as office. I try to do little trips here and there withh my 4 year old Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen with AWD ... and I've been getting regular maintenance... so I'm good.

My moms Volkswagon Tiguan is older, and not driven even as much as that, but the battery was replaced only 2 years ago, so it is probably fine. It does need tires though. We've been making an effort to start it up occasionally and run it for a bit.
 

ThreadWeaver

Beware of Dog. Cat not trustworthy either.
Because it's so cold here, I make sure to run my car at least once a week, for at least long enough to come up to full temperature + 10 minutes, otherwise the moisture builds up in the exhaust system and shortens its lifespan. If you park your car outdoors, may I suggest a solar battery maintainer? Just plug it into your cigarette lighter (assuming your car doesn't disconnect it when the ignition is off) and it will keep your battery topped. They have regular ones you can plug into outlets, but those are a pain to connect (directly to the battery usually) and disconnect easily.

I too have only about 3000 miles in the last year and I live in a distant suburb. I'll need an oil change soon as it's coming up on the one-year mark. My truck is either 6000 miles or one year on an oil change, whichever comes first.
 

seitora

Well-Known Member
Next week I have to do a round-trip of about 700km. That will basically be the same as my total cumulative driving since March.
 
Question. How can I reset the computer in a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Edition with the 2.4 VIN Code B? Someone before me had the key copied not realizing that the vehicle uses a chip/transponder key and it shut the vehicle down. I have the battery disconnected and I have no idea what else I can do.
 

ThreadWeaver

Beware of Dog. Cat not trustworthy either.
Question. How can I reset the computer in a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Edition with the 2.4 VIN Code B? Someone before me had the key copied not realizing that the vehicle uses a chip/transponder key and it shut the vehicle down. I have the battery disconnected and I have no idea what else I can do.
My google-fu is telling me that the only way to reset that is to bring it in to a dealership and pay them to make new keys/unlock the computer. Search terms, "resetting pt cruiser after keylock shutdown"
 
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