Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with auto

Need for Speed

Vindaloo — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:05:33 -0800

What is the most powerful car you can buy for around $25k? A friend of mine loves fast cars and is looking to purchase a new car to replace his SUV. What he is looking for is a combination of good looks with great acceleration (top speed isn't a big priority, see speed limits). I was suggesting the Mazda Speed3, but he thinks there must be a better or more interesting choice available.

Here are the basic criteria:
- Total must be under $30k.
- Car must have a back seat.
- Car must be able to accomodate a fairly tall driver (6' 2")
- Car must be reliable.
- Preferably new, but interesting older models could be considered.

Basically he is looking for what could be described as a good car, but with fantastic performance. The price tag is what makes this challenging. What do you, MeFites, say?

'75 Dodge Tradesman in dire need of assistance!

letahl — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:17:25 -0800

Remember the Manimal? Well his buddy Big Bird is in a bit of a pinch... Any classic Dodge mechanical types out there? We were driving on a rough road in my 1975 Dodge Tradesman and -blam!- Big Bird started making some crazy shake rattle and rolls. She started overheating and, upon investigation, we realized the belt that attaches to the cam shaft to the alternator to the fan (slash water pump?) wasn't in place. This piece had broken.

It was an adventurous ride home, because the car was overheating, yet the battery wasn't charging, so there were only so many stops we could make. Meanwhile, it was 4 in the morning in the middle of nowhere. But we made it, barely, and now need to fix up the problem.

So what is that piece? The fan bolts on top of it and, we think, that both attach to the water pump. The nearest mechanic is not in driving distance, so we'll have to order the part on the internet. Can anyone point us in the right direction? Anyone have a website they would recommend for old car parts? We're aiming to have her up and running again in two weeks.

Thanks for any help you more mechanically minded mefites can provide!

Transfer Case Lease?

inquisitrix — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:27:08 -0800

What is a transfer case leak? We are thinking about buying a 1990 Range Rover to haul around artwork for my future business. It's listed at $1500 which is a bit above kbb value, but I plan on offering less because they state it has a transfer case leak. Can anyone tell me what that is and what sort of costs might be involved? Thank you!

Whay do they blur license plates on TV shows?

fixedgear — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:53:24 -0800

Why blur license plates on TV shows? What can one do with a plate number? I mean, you can't search it unless you are a cop, right?

Recommend a mechanic in Vancouver BC

PercussivePaul — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:41:32 -0800

Can anyone recommend a mechanic in Vancouver, BC, preferably in the westside? I have a 1992 Toyota Camry, it's due for an oil change but I also want to get a full inspection done because I have a road trip coming up. There are no problems that I know of, but it's been a while since I took the car in and it's starting to show its age; it wouldn't surprise me if something needs to be fixed. However, I don't want to get stuck for unnecessary repairs so I need someone trustworthy.

The last place I took it to was the Toyota dealership in East Van, but their prices are really high. Plus I moved to 4th and Alma and it's pretty far out of my way now. (I commute to UBC every day). I've asked the few friends I know who have cars but most people have a kind of 'meh' opinion about the mechanics they've been to. Anyone have any recommendations?

It doesn't necessarily have to be close to my house (though that would be nice), but either way I don't want to go back to the dealership if I can help it.

Do I Call The Cops, And Where Are We Towing This Thing?

The_Partridge_Family — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:51:13 -0800

AutoAccident101: a) Do you always call the police? Surely if you don't the other party could later deny involvement. b) If your car is undriveable, when the tow truck turns up and they ask you, "where would you like it towed to?", where the hell do you get it towed to? Sorry for the two-parter - they're just questions that I've never had to answer but would like to be prepared for.

On one hand it seems daft to call the police for every minor ding, but then if it was caused by someone else - perhaps whose vehicle was not damaged - and they say at the time they'll cover it, they could easily renage later, right?

And the towing thing? I don't know where I'd get my car towed to. It seems kinda stupid to tow it to my house where I can't do anything with it, and I don't carry an encyclopedic knowledge of body shops either in my area or in the area accident could occur.

Getting latex paint off a car

dw — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:28:41 -0800

Yesterday I managed to rub my car against a steel pole with about umpteen layers of latex paint on it. It left a streak of latex on my car. How do I get the paint off without wrecking the clear-coat finish of my car? So I'm at the gas station, and I'm backing my car (1996 Contour) up to the pump at about 2-3 MPH, and after I do so I notice I'm too close to the pump. So I slowly back out, move the car over, and then realize what this weird noise I heard twice was.

There are these steel poles filled with concrete that are there to protect the gas pump from, well, people like me hitting them. The poles were covered with about 100 layers of white latex paint. I was too close to the poll, and the top of my wheelwell rubbed against it.

The physical damage doesn't appear to be much -- a tiny dent that looks like it was hit by a hail stone. But it did deposit this white line of latex paint on the car. There was no green paint on the pole, and a little bit of picking at the white paint revealed the green clearcoat is still there, so that gives me hope I can get the white paint off and that'll be good enough. (I'm about to sell this car in a couple months, anyway.)

So, how do I get it off without wrecking the paint underneath? Buff it off? Goo Gone? Any ideas?

Minneapolis/St. Paul Auto Glass Replacement Recommendations

hootch — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:38:33 -0800

Recommendations on an auto glass company in Minneapolis/St. Paul? I need to have the windshield replaced on my 2001 Toyota Corolla. Does anyone have recommendations on companies in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area that could do this cheaply? As I don't have glass coverage, that's my main requirement. I'd also like them to come to me to replace it, but I'll bring it to them if it ends up bringing the cost down.

Old Car: How to decide on repair vs. replace?

Juffo-Wup — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:39:05 -0800

I drive a 1992 Toyota Camry with just over 203,000 miles on it. As far as I know, the car is in good mechanical condition except that the rear struts are in fairly desperate need of replacement. How do you calculate the payback period for repairing an old but paid-off car, and how might you use this information to help decide whether to repair the car or buy a newer used car? The Camry is paid off, starts reliably and runs smoothly and quietly. It burns about three quarters of a quart of oil every 3,000 miles, but its rear struts are shot. They make rattling noises going over even the mildest of bumps and over the past few months, the car's ride has become increasingly rough because of this.

So far, I have only obtained one estimate on repairing the rear struts and that estimate was $1,200. That sounds high to me and I plan to get one or two more estimates but regardless of the actual cost, I don't know how to compute the payback period of such a repair. (I'm also not sure that a 'payback period' is what actually needs to be computed in order to make an informed repair vs. replace decision.)

If I were to purchase a newer car, I would most likely buy a 2002-2004 Toyota Corolla, for which I would pay about $10,000. Given my credit rating, I expect the monthly payment on a 4-year $10,000 loan to be about $250. My monthly insurance payment would also increase by about $50, resulting in a net monthly car payment increase of $300. I could afford this but would prefer not to pay it if I don't have to; that is, if it wouldn't cost me even more money to keep my current car running. I expect that I could sell my car in its current condition for about $1,000, which I could use against the first three months' payments or as a down payment, lowering the loan's principal by $1,000.

My initial line of reasoning was as follows: If I pay $1,200 to repair my car, and the car works for another 4 months without needing any further repairs, I will have broken even on the repair since $1,200 divided by 4 (months) is $300. I soon came to realize that this line of reasoning assumes that the car would become undriveable within 4 months if I do not have it repaired. I do not know whether this is the case but I suspect that if push came to shove, I could probably drive the car to and from work (40 miles round trip) for at least another four months without repairing it, letting the ride become rougher until the car possibly shakes some other vital component loose into a state of total malfunction.

As far as other maintenance goes, I replaced the battery and flushed the engine's coolant last year, flushed the transmission fluid (because the torque converter lockup mechanism was sticking; the flush completely fixed this) and replaced the radiator (its plastic end-cap had cracked open) about two years ago, installed new rotors and calipers on the brakes about two years ago, had the air conditioner's condenser replaced about four years ago, and replaced the timing belt at 150,000 miles. I replaced the front struts about 5 years ago as they had gone bad. I'd say the tires have about 25,000 miles left on them.

If I drive the car until it literally dies, I guess I'd be on the hook for the cost of towing it to a junkyard as well as a couple days' rental until I could obtain a newer car. If I preemptively buy a newer car, I feel like I'd be unnecessarily making large insurance and loan payments.

Is there some general formula that can be used in situations like this to help indicate whether a repair is worthwhile? I would also appreciate any specific advice any of you may have.

Recommended auto mechanic near Arlington, MA

Mayor Curley — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:29:25 -0800

Do you have a mechanic to recommend near Arlington, MA? My beloved old Volvo has a bunch of little issues that need addressing. I'm in Arlington Heights, but I will go a bit out of my way if anyone has someone reliable, reasonable and fairly timely to recommend.

ABS + Brake lights lit - is my Windstar safe to drive?

neilkod — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:14:11 -0800

Is my car safe to drive? My 2003 Ford Windstar's ABS + Brake lights intermittently go on. Searching yields lot of noise but I'm not sure what to make of it. Most of the search results are either 44-page forum threads, unanswered questions, or just things I don't understand. Of course, its a weekend and no service places around are open. We are planning on taking a 2hr drive this afternoon - I'd like to know if my van is safe to drive. Or at least, is there a definitive site I should be reading? I'm overwhelmed by the number of auto-repair sites/forums.

Additionally, the lights are not always lit - my most recent 4-mile drive yielded no lights at all. My brake fluid was on the lower-end of the acceptable range, but I just added more(haven't driven since). However, the manual says that low fluid would light just the brake light and not the ABS light.

According to search results, a common issue seems to be heat; we're having a scorching July in Utah.

I'm not sure if fordwindstarrecall.info is relevant, i have the brake + abs light issues but not the fuse/speedometer/cruise control issues.

A local Autozone said there are no error codes reported by the car's computer, but i'm not sure if that would include brake codes. The common code getting kicked around is c1185.

How to free a stuck brake piston?

sergeant sandwich — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:28:57 -0800

Car-repair-filter: Any mechanics got a trick for freeing a stuck brake piston? So I decide to replace my brake pads this afternoon. I do 3 sets and everything's fine. When I get to the last wheel though, the pads are worn way down, and one of the two pistons on the caliper is funny looking. (I couldn't tell you how it was funny, it just looked odd, for some reason I can't put my finger on.)

Anyway I pull the old pads, grease the shims, slap the new ones in there, and get to the part where you have to push the pistons back into the caliper. The first one went in fine, but the funny-looking one only went in about halfway, and wouldn't go any further.

I tried using a C-clamp and some cardboard to push it in, and opening up the bleeder valve, but the thing still wouldn't budge. So, it's stuck, somehow, probably cocked sideways in its hole. I put the old pads back on (cause the new ones wouldn't fit in the half-open caliper), bled the lines and it drives fine.

I understand that I'm probably looking at doing a caliper rebuild (blahhh), but I'm wondering if there are any trick-up-the-sleeve kind of things that might allow me to free the piston without taking the damned thing apart. If it matters, this is a 1997 Toyota Supra, ABS, two-piston front discs. Thanks!

How do you negotiate with insurance companies after an accident?

FlamingBore — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:31:04 -0800

How do we navigate auto insurance negotiation post accident? My partner was involved in a major auto accident this past week. We're now trying to figure out all the insurance craziness. Looks like all the other AskMeFi questions are dealing with someone else's insurance company and we're only dealing with hers. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

On Monday she was driven off the road on I-91 near Holyoke MA. The other driver did not stop and no one has come forward with his/her license plate details, etc. There were witnesses and the police report indicates she was not at fault. She is lucky to be alive and is thanking her lucky stars that her 15 year old Audi took the bullet for her.

The car is totaled (we're pretty sure, as are all parties who have seen it thus far) and we're just waiting to hear from the insurance company. How can she best navigate this situation to get the most from her insurance company to replace the car?

The car was a 93 Audi 90s with about 108k miles on it. She was paying for full coverage. She maintained it well and had recently put in about $1600 worth of work into it.

We've been told that she can negotiate with the insurance company. We've also been told that they are likely to offer her considerably less than the NADA book value, but she should push back on them saying that's the guide to go by.

Is there an insurance adjuster in the house? Any tips, suggestions or insider information to make this as non-excruciating as possible?

Baby You Can Drive My Car

seawallrunner — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:15:27 -0800

What happens to concept cars unveiled in Auto Shows? Are they street legal? Are they even drivable - or for display only? If they are for display only - then what is the bare-minimum set of car features, that allows a car to be shown at a show? On the other hand, if the cars are street legal, are they ever made available for sale, and how can ordinary mortals not connected to the auto industry purchase such a car?

Why is my minivan not selling?

neilkod — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:02:39 -0800

Why is my van not selling? I have a minivan listed for sale on autotrader and some of the local classified sites. The van has been on autotrader for a week and a half, on online classifieds for about three. The van in question is a 2003 Ford Windstar with only 45k miles. Real nice, clean, blah blah blah.

I've priced it at $8400, which about $300 less than what KBB estimates for this model/condition.

Outside of the spammy types, I have had not one inquiry on my van. Is this a poor time of year to be selling a vehicle? Do I have it priced to high? Are people scared of minivans because of high gas prices? Or do I just need to be patient?

It's gettin' hot here in Texas

Brandon1600 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:41:59 -0800

(AutoRepairFilter) I'm so close to fixing my Nissan Frontier's A/C. I have to replace a leaky hose... or do I? What is the cheapest way for a budding DIYer to handle this? I received some outstanding feed back from this thread a little while back. I used some UV dye and noticed leaks at both ends of the rubber A/C hose going from the compressor to the condenser. Their seems to be a couple of ways to handle this. According to this site, I could remove the hose and replace it which would require cutting the ends with a hacksaw and recrimping them, or I could try some of this handy-dandy sealant but I doubt it works. Does anyone have any experience in doing this? It seems these hoses go bad quite a bit so I assume it's a pretty routine thing to do for someone who normally works on their own car. Thanks in advance

Where can I find a car database?

pb — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:15:40 -0800

Where can I find a database of American cars? I need a database of American cars that includes make, model, and year for a web application. I want to build drop down menus that let people choose their car like you see on Kelly Blue Book, Consumer Reports, and dozens of other sites. Is there a standard database that powers these menus?

Would you like to supersize that oil change?

wondercow — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:43:26 -0800

Are the "extra services" that the oil change shops offer ever worth it? I'm not particularly gifted in the field auto mechanics, so I have my car's oil changed at a local chain quick-lube shop. It seems like every time I go in, there is something that the computer says is due for my car. I have been to several different chains, and they all seem to do this. "Sir, according to the computer, it is recommended that you have your transmission flushed today." "The computer says that your ____ fluid ought to be changed today." Since I don't know much about auto maintenance, I never know how to respond to these sorts of questions. Are these "upgrades" ever worthwhile?

Last time I had my oil changed, they wanted to change my power steering fluid, and I said yes. The flushing machine had a window in it and I could see some sort of muddy brown fluid leaving my car and then a nice clear-ish fluid returning. It seemed like a good idea at the time and made me feel good about how I was treating my car. However, I thought about it later and realized that I have never heard of anyone ever, ever having their power steering fluid flushed and that this was probably a complete waste of money.

Today, they wanted to clean my fuel injectors with my oil change. I didn't want to be taken again, so I declined. Now I am wondering...are any of these oil change "upgrades" ever worthwhile? I see from my car's manual that the manufacturer has outlined a required maintenance calendar. However, I am of the school of thought that it is better to spend $30 on preventative maintenance now than $3000 a few years down the road when something important wears out. At the same time, I'm sure that some services they offer are just a plain old waste of money.

What do you think, hivemind? What sorts of services are and aren't worth it? In case it matters, I drive a 2004 Honda Civic with just under 40,000 miles, but any generic auto maintenance advice would be appreciated as well.

Are these Volvos good?

Korou — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:51:45 -0800

This question is for my friend. He's looking to buy a more fuel efficient car (he gets 10-12 mpg from his Suburban—wants more like 20-25). He is looking at Volvo cars, specifically the 2000-2002 S60's, S70's, and C70's. Evidently the convertible models from the early 2000's weren't that safe. Looking to spend $11 grand or less. What information do you have about these Volvo models? What should he look out for? Are their similar convertibles to the C70 with similar MPG and better safety/maintenance records?

US auto rental advice

daveyt — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:38:25 -0800

Some advice please on auto rental in the US please? I'm travelling from the UK to LA later this month, we're doing a car trip round CA and NV. I've done it before a few times, but my girlfiriend hasn't so its a chance for me to show the place off for a while. I've booked a car through Alamo, i'm reasonably experienced with auto rental in the US, but this time i actually paid attention to the little things.

I would like to get the Sirius thingy so we can listen to BBC, I only have a small tolerance for RRRROCK RADIO and preachy guffins and I dont like Country or Western.

When comparing 'like for like' on the hertz site for a car with sirius, to a car on alamo of same size but no sirius, the cost is quite different, and more importantly, Hertz dont seem to include the protections Alamo do for the price - ie they include LDW, but not CDW. So the price is significantly higher for Hertz with CDW than Alamo without. Is there something about Hertz that makes them special?

I know there are USians who must rent cars all the time and have vast experience of this, whats some general advice around all of this?

(The car is being picked up/dropped of at LAX btw)

Tips for pimpin' my ride

FireStyle — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:52:44 -0800

I have this fantasy of deckin out my car... fast and the furious style. I drive a '99 Chrysler 300M fully loaded (minus the sunroof). I was thinkin of getting some ground effects to give it a tougher look, but still maintain it's classy appeal, and some nice rims to complement the classier (yet aggressive look). Also for interiors, I was hoping there is some kind of heads up display to show engine stats, radio info and more, as well as a nice receiver. How much would I be looking to spend? Any tips,pointers, links, are literature would be great!

My car was repoed and auctioned and now they want my soul!

eve28 — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:55:34 -0800

My car was repossessed and auctioned and now Honda wants the difference paid in full. If I could have made the payments I would have...are there any lawyers out there that can help answer my questions, worries and anxieties? So I have hit some seriously hard times over the last few months...so serious that I was unable to pay my car note. After I lost my job over the winter I tried to work something out with the dealership, Honda financial and anyone who thought that they might be able to help. So needless to say my car was repossessed and now they want me to pay them the $8500.00 difference that they lost at the auction. This was a 2007 Honda I bought after I was in a severe car accident last summer and it was only 8 months old when they took the car.

Now before anyone says that it is my fault and I should have paid my bills, understand that my decision was based on living in a home or living in a car on the streets of LA. Not an easy decision, but I had to make one. I choose to live in a home where I felt safe and secure.

Honda financial has now sent me a letter saying that I have to pay them $8,500.00 or they will send me to collections and heaven knows what from there. I am really worried that now they will try to come after me financially in a harder manor like freeze my bank account, or garnish my wages. I just started my new job a month ago and have been behind on a lot of bills and with my car accident in June, things in my life have been teeter tottering between the good, the bad and the ugly, mostly the ugly.

My brain is racing and I don't know what to do. I thought about calling them and trying to work out a deal hoping they will accept an offer of $2K and allowing me to make monthly payments (for a car I no longer have). But is that absolutely ridiculous? I think it is. I couldn't even afford the payments before, that's why it was repossessed.
I know there are lawyers and doctors and people who have been through this same exact situation, so I am asking for your help. Does anyone know what I should do? Should I contact them on my own? Should I contact a lawyer? What do I do? Anything would be of great help. Thanks everyone for your time.

Should I bail out of my SUV now?

revan — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:36:11 -0800

Should I dump my SUV? I have a 2006 Expedition, I've only put 12,000 miles on it since I purchased it new. My commute is 12 miles round trip and I only drive it in the winter and when it rains in the spring and summer, I bike on all other days. My concern is two fold. First, I am currently under water on my loan and will have to come up with around $5,000 on a trade or private sale. Second, if I keep the vehicle am I effectively throwing good money after bad, will this vehicle be unsellable / undriveable in a few years. I know that my question requires some prognostication, but I would appreciate some opinions.

Insurance claim against other driver denied. So what now?

Anonymous — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:18:30 -0800

Insurance claim against other driver denied. So what now? Two weeks ago my step daughter was involved in a collision. She was turning left at a four way stop, and was hit in the passenger side rear door by someone going straight on. She said she had let someone else through, then was taking her turn when he hit her.

The other driver said he was taking his turn, and she pulled in front of him. He also said that he was traveling at less than 5mph when he hit her. The police officer obviously didn't agree, asked him twice if he was sure of that, and suggested he look at our car before answering. One look at the damage made it obvious he was going a lot faster. (This is a fairly large intersection, so it is possible to build up speed, especially from a rolling stop).

He was ticketed, my step daughter was not.

Now his insurance company (Farmers) has denied our claim, saying he has a witness (who my stepdaughter never saw, and who did not talk to the police), who says that he had the right of way.

Our insurance company are now saying that they might pay his claim against her, and are no help for our claim as we had 3rd party insurance.

So now we have a written off car, a bill for towing and storage that is growing rapidly, and face future higher premiums.

So what do we do now?
Do I pay the $600 storage to get the lien off the car, sell it to a junkyard?
Sue Farmers?
Go to the other driver's court date?

(Oh, this is in Oregon)

Recommend a VW mechanic in PDX

maniactown — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:10:39 -0800

Can you recommend a Volkswagen mechanic in Portland or Eugene, Oregon? My Check-Engine light is on and I need to get the oil changed in my 2000 VW Eurovan. I'd prefer to find an honest, independent VW mechanic rather than patronize a dealership. Thanks!