Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and automobile

Older car, cold weather?

Richat — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:12:40 -0800

My car's getting older, and I have recently moved to a new place with no garage. I'm worried about it starting in cold weather. More details inside! I've got a 2000 VW Golf, gasoline, not diesel. I've had a garage for years, and so never bothered with a block heater, which is pretty standard issue hardware in Northern Ontario.

I'm wondering, I suppose, if there is a better approach to the old block heater idea, which warms the oil in most I've seen. My battery is orginal as well. So far, at -15 celsius, the car's starting ok, but beginning to sound like it's not liking it too much.

Up here...we'll hit -25 to -35 Celsius (which is down to -31 F) eventually. Part of me would like to avoid a solution that means sucking electricity all night.

Any ideas?

Please identify this bitchin' car from the 70s

bonobothegreat — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:45:07 -0800

Can you identify this exotic car I saw a month ago on the highway, heading towards Stratford, Ontario? It 70s vintage, low and boxy, sort of like a Delorean or a Lamborghini with gullwing doors. Painted flat black with electric orange trim. I think it had a name like Brookline or Brooklyn. I vaguely remember seeing one in a magazine when I was a kid in the 70s and I remember the paint job being one of it's distinguishing features. I've thrown this description at Google in different combinations but nothing is sticking.

Automechanicfilter: The Case of the Thirsty Tank

desuetude — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:47:45 -0800

What could be some reasons why my gas mileage is very suddenly and dramatically craptastic? The decrease in fuel efficiency happened directly after I got stuck driving my car on a flooded road through deeper water than it should've been asked to handle. The car didn't stall, but it felt very close to stalling, and the steering was "stiff" for a few minutes. However, the functioning of the car returned quickly to totally normal. Except that my gas mileage is reduced by nearly half.

It's not running particularly rough or loud, using more oil than usual, running hotter than usual, or anything else that would signal an obvious "car is working too hard" issue.

The gas tank has been run down nearly to empty and filled, fuel injector cleaner has been used once. It's been a couple of months, so it's not resolving itself, that's for sure. And no, nothing's leaking when it sits.

It's a 1996 meticulously-maintained Neon. So yes, it's getting up in years, and I know that some cars lose fuel efficiency as they age, but this was a VERY dramatic change.

Auto-broker, good or bad idea?

furtive — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:13:48 -0800

Does buying used through an auto-broker make sense for me? I'm in the market for a used car (1-4 years old, one owner, still under warranty) but I live 90 minutes away from the nearest urban area with a proper used car market. To compound things my truck is on it's last legs and every trip out I expect it to be the last. This makes shopping around for a used car rather difficult.

It dawned on me that there must be a market for auto-brokers, and googling them found me several in the nearest city. Does anyone have experience with these? What should I be aware of? I don't mind paying a few hundred extra for the convenience.

Lead Foot Equall/Not Equall Need Brake Job

Liver — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:35:49 -0800

Theoretical brake wear: Do brake pads wear out faster, slower, or at the same rate if you brake later and harder than normal? Let's say you have two drivers, Alice and Bill, each with their own identical car.

Let's say Alice is a professional race car driver and Bill is a normal vanilla defensive driver. Alice drives her regular car at legal speeds on the open road, but because of her professional skill and training, tends to brake much later and with greater foot pressure than Bill would making the same journey.

For instance, while traveling 60 MPH, they both see an approaching red light. Bill applies the break gradually and takes 1000 ft to come to a stop. Alice doesn't apply the break until she is closer to the light, and applies more foot pressure, coming to a stop in 500 ft.

Over the long run, does Alice need new brake pads before Bill, or do they both need new brake pads at roughly the same time?

I can see it going either way. Either Alice needs pads sooner because she brakes harder, applying more force to the pads, or Alice and Bill both wear pads at the same rate, because they are doing the same amount brake use, only with different short-term usage patterns.

Or maybe I'm missing something entirely and you can help me understand.

Minor accident, am I being an ass.

evilelf — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:20:20 -0800

SUV backed over my tiny Miata, what should I do? Well, instead of trading in my clunker Jeep in for a minivan this summer, I decided to buy a 17 y/o Miata to help survive my horrible commute (at least on the nice days). The Miata is in great shape (low miles) for it's (17y/o) age. Unfortunately, last night a huge (Acadia) SUV backed over it while parked on the street (I was not in it). The owner of the other car was nice and coo-operative (I'm pretty sure I have all the info I need from them) and the damage looked minimal. Thing is while it looks like it may 'buff out' (the damage is only to the nose piece which is body colored plastic), I really do not have the time/inclination to fix it myself. I am going to get professional estimates in the morning. However, I feel a bit of an ass going after the person who backed over it for a professional repair (the car is 17 years old after all). If it were my Jeep I would have said just let it go, but this car was pretty much mint.
The person who hit me claimed they had not had an accident in 40 years (though I drought they were much older than 40), but my car had not had one in 17!
Opinions?

Where can I donate a car to be used for auto repair training?

EatenByAGrue — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:55:04 -0800

I'm looking for a charity that will take a non-operational car, use it to train people in auto repair by fixing it, then sell it or give it to someone that needs a car. This is in the SF bay area. I realize that the tax law no longer treats car donations favorably, and I'm not really interested in how much of a deduction I get. Nor does it matter to me what the charity is, as long as it's for what I think is a good cause.

I'm mainly looking for two things:

(1) that the proceeds from the car's sale (or the car itself, if not sold) go as much as possible towards the charitable cause, as opposed to a middleman; and

(2) that the charity provides disadvantaged individuals with an opportunity to learn a marketable skill by teaching them for free or at a reduced cost how to fix cars, and specifically the car being donated.

I seemed to remember a radio ad from a few years back when car donations were all the rage describing a charity operating according to just this scenario, but I don't remember it and all my web searches have only turned up organizations outside of California. Thanks for the help.

What should I do for my beloved car?

mustard seeds — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:51:55 -0800

Recommended maintenance for car after winter storage? I just took my car out of storage after nine months out of the country. While I was away, my brother stored my 2007 Nissan Sentra in his garage in Seattle, Washington. Just before I left, I changed the oil and checked the tire pressure, but I also neglected to do a bunch of other important things that I didn't know about at the time. For instance, I did not fill up the tank with premium gas (or add fuel stabilizer) and I didn't disconnect the battery (although my brother claims he started the car every few weeks). If there was anything else I was supposed to do, I didn't do it. I'm sorry, car! I just drove it around for the first time today (to Jiffy Lube to change the oil), and it seems to be running fine so far, although the tire pressure light is on (even after the Jiffy Lube guys filled up the tires).

I'm planning on driving the car cross country in a few weeks and I want to get the car in as good of shape as possible. I checked old posts here and googled around, but I haven't seen much that addresses newish cars. Is there anything I can do to reverse the potential damage I caused my car by storing it improperly? Or even a way to find out whether I have caused it any damage? Thank you.

Zipcar Update?

The Whelk — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:35:30 -0800

Daytrip Dreamin': I've read the previous question about Zipcars in NYC, but it's about a year old and I have some specific questions. I am considering joining, but have heard that the availability is not terrific. What's it like for a daytrips out of the city? Any big problems? Does it make sense if you're only planning to use it 2 or three times a year?

Why have 2000 miles disappeared from my odometer?

srrh — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:23:10 -0800

My odometer has gone backwards by about 2000 miles. What caused this and should I be worried? I drive a 2000 Pontiac Firebird, 6 cylinder automatic with a digital odometer. As of Thursday morning, my car had a bit more than 65000 miles on it. I can't remember exactly how much, but between 65000-65500. Today, I started my car to go to work, and my car now has 63027 miles on it. The miles seem to be going up as normal now. What caused this? Should I be worried? Is this something I need to have corrected or fixed, or could it be a one time thing? Thanks for any help, and I'll supply any other info if you need it.

Finding a new car mechanic

Silentgoldfish — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:07:41 -0800

I'm looking for a new car mechanic in Melbourne, Australia and/or tips for finding a reliable one in general... I moved to Melbourne a little while ago and it's coming up time to service my car. Where I used to live I had an awesome mechanic who was honest, blunt, and never felt like he was ripping me off despite my ignorance of most of what makes my car go. He was the kind of guy that when someone else would try and sell me stuff I didn't need he'd tell me if I really did or whether I could get away for another few years with what I already had.

Unfortunantely, he couldn't recommend anyone in Melbourne, and while I found him through word of mouth no-one I know here can recommend anyone similiar.

Any tips or tricks for finding another guy as good (and most importantly, honest), or any direct recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Links & resources for doing business in India.

meta.mark — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:48:04 -0800

Does anyone know of useful links or resources for running a car manufacturing company in India? For a project in my international business class, I have to write a business plan for a car manufacturing company in India. I was wondering if anyone knew of any useful information such as car regulations or current trends in India. Any information will be useful.
Thanks.

Oli Heater that uses Waste Engine Oil

franklen — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:39:38 -0800

What are the pros and cons of trying to switch heating systems from a traditional furnace to a waste oil heater that burns used gasoline engine oil, particularly for an automobile repair garage? I work with small businesses in my city, and recently, two auto shops have raised the question of trying to facilitate the use of burning waste engine oil to heat their spaces. We live in Syracuse NY where the Winters are long and cold, and paying for oil can be quite expensive).

And p.s. if anyone knows of a good manufacturer, distributor, etc of these types of units, I'd love to know.

Cheers ~Frank
www.alchemicalnursery.org

Where can/should I register my car?

Maia — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:18:19 -0800

From Washington state, but going to college in Massachusetts. What state should I register the car I just bought? I bought the car in Mass, and am currently there. However, it looks like I need a Mass driver's license to register the car here. Also, it probably doesn't make sense to register the car here since I am leaving as soon as I graduate.

However, if I want to register the car in Washington, it needs to be notarized in Washington state or done in person at a DoL office.

What to do? I want to be able to drive as soon as possible!

Worth the trouble to try to sell my car piecemeal?

Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:32:54 -0800

[Posted for a friend:] I posted this a while back. Today I was talking with someone about the car, and he offered me $400 for it. He's coming back by on Monday. Quick recap: it's a high mileage 97 Hyundai Sonata with a busted transmission. I could try to sell the car piecemeal and might end up getting more money if I did it that way (everything but the transmission is mechanically sound, the tires are new-ish, the radio is new, etc.), but who knows how long that would take. I'm thinking that it's not worth the hassle but I don't know for sure. I'd appreciate some additional perspective.

Looking for an antique automobile renter/dealer in Florida panhandle, South Alabama, or South Mississippi?

bamassippi — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:52:34 -0800

Looking for an antique automobile renter/dealer in Florida panhandle, South Alabama, or South Mississippi? I'm getting married in October and my fiance and I want to drive away in an antique Cadillac.

Does anyone know of any antique dealers, renters, shop in the Florida panhandle or South Alabama?

It has to be a Cadillac... her father's a dealer for GM. We really don't care which model... but preferably something older than 1950 (something along the lines of 1931 Fleetwood or
1941 Series 60 Special).

No really, I want to skid.

Netzapper — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:17:20 -0800

RaceCarFilter: I'm speccing out my rally car. What do I do about brakes? I'm building a rally car from a turn of the century Toyota Celica, one of the cheap trims--not the turbo version. I've tracked down the perfect adjustable coilover suspension. Now, I need adjustable brakes. And to disable ABS.

I have literally no idea what part I'm looking for to accomplish this. A race-specific master cylinder? A complete new brake system? A widget that I must fabricate?

Ideally, I want to be able to adjust the brake bias (fore/rear) without tools, from somewhere under the hood (it must not be adjustable from the cockpit). Failing that, or if such a thing is more than a couple grand, I'd be content with being able to adjust it in the garage--even by swapping out parts, I guess.

Also, how do I disable ABS in the cheapest, most reversible way? Do I just pull the leads to the ABS computer or to the hydraulic actuators? Will it squawk when I plug it back in? If the ABS is on, will it play nice with my adjustable bias? (As a bonus to the Celica application, how would I kill ABS on a Subaru?)

What's wrong with my car?

amro — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:33:34 -0800

What is wrong with my car? As you can hopefully see from this photo, there is something large and metal that I believe is a part of the rear axle pressing hard into my rear passenger side tire and making it bulge out rather dramatically. There are more photos here. It's clearly not driveable, and I'm having it towed to a garage in the morning. But I hate looking like a dumb broad when I describe what's going on with my car to a mechanic, and I also fear that, to someone less than scrupulous, I have a big target on my head that says, "I'm a sucker and you can charge me anything!" Unfortunately, I don't yet have a trusted mechanic in my town (although I'm asking around tonight among local friends for recommendations). Therefore, I'm hoping to get at least an idea from you fine folks as to what could have happened. I don't recall going over any large potholes, and I didn't have an accident. The car just began making a loud noise, faster or slower depending upon how quickly the tires were rotating, as I drove home from work today. The noise obviously came from the metal pressing against the rotating tire, but I can't pinpoint anything that might have caused the axle, or whatever is pressing into the tire, to come... undone. Any thoughts from the more mechanically inclined? I'll be checking in and happy to provide any additional information. Oh, and it's a 2006 Saturn Ion, automatic tranmission.

Are my car's dents worth fixing?

aliasless — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:22:21 -0800

Are my car's dents worth fixing? I have a lot of dents on my 2002 Honda Civic from living in Chicago. I've since moved to an area that is much easier on vehicles. A reputable body shop gave me an estimate of $2100 to make it look like new. The dents are all cosmetic but make my car look terrible for a vehicle that's only 6 years old.

So, is it worth it? I plan on holding on to this car for at least another 3 or 4 years. Yes, I'll mentally feel better driving a car that doesn't look like a POS, but financially, does cosmetic body work translate into better resale value down the line or would this just be a sunk cost?

Help me lug luggage and Costco stuff in my car

acoutu — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:47:45 -0800

Help me stow more in my 4-door Civic sedan. I've got a 2000 Honda Civic sedan. Two kids in car seats. Stroller (double or single, depending on what we're doing.) My kids will be in car seats for years to come (to age 9).

When we want to go for a picnic or a trip to visit family, we have next to no storage space, if we take a stroller. We'd like to be able to take a big suitcase, diaper bag, diapers, possibly some gifts, etc. For the next couple of years, it would be nice to take a stroller with us, too. It would also be nice to go to Costco or a grocery store and take the stroller or some luggage. Christmas holidays are a real challenge.

But we only drive 3000-5000 km per year. Our car is low mileage. We barely drive it. These storage issues are mostly weekend and holiday problems. We rarely go on long road trips. Most of our driving is in the city, although sometimes we go to the suburbs. We might like to go on a 500-km trip once or twice a year, but not necessarily.

I'd like to avoid buying a minivan and instead stick with the Civic, if possible. Woiuld a roof top carrier help? Is there something I'm not thinking of?

What else could help us store more in and around the car? It must be easy and secure. I'm willing to get creative -- maybe we should have something other than a big suitcase. Inspire me, please!

We live in an apartment building and must fit through the garage door. We have no storage locker and no real room to store any car gear in our condo.

Thanks for your help.

So, on Monday I went to move my car only to discover that my front windshield is all cracked up and I have a lot of questions.

nooneyouknow — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:14:41 -0800

So, on Monday I went to move my car, after 4 days of being parked in the same place, only to discover that my front windshield is all cracked up and I have a lot of questions. From my cursory internet research it looks like the damage is too extensive to be repaired. How long does it take repair/replace a windshield? Ballpark, how much will it cost to get it replaced? My car is a 2004 Hyundai Elantra sedan. Do all of the glass repair people really come to your house to fix or replace the windshield?

My deductible is 500, since I assume the windshield will probably cost less than that to be replaced, should I file a claim with my insurance company, Progessive, anyway? Will my rates go up if I go through my Progressive? Progressive likes to use Safelite "or an affiliate in Progressive's network of approved glass shops". Anyone know anything about Safelite?

What about going to a Hyundai dealer to get it done? My car is still under warranty. Is the glass you get at the glass repair shop as good as the glass you get from the dealer? My windshield is tinted at the top, will the replacement be tinted?

Should I file a police report? I have no idea how it happened or who did it. It happened sometime between 7pm Thursday and 10am Monday.

Anything I should look out for in this process?

Ford's Law?

Exchequer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:44:28 -0800

Is there a precursor to Moore's Law for internal combustion engines? If so, can you provide details, please?

Car CPR

bitteroldman — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:16:15 -0800

So after cleaning my car out of a snowbank and driving it about 100 yards the car just dies. It eventually restarts but a big BOOM seemed to come out of the exhaust as I start moving again. Did I break my car? So we had a big snowstorm this weekend, and I spent the afternoon shovelling my car out of a snowbank. I did a pretty thorough job, even cleaning what I could under the body.

This evening I needed to move the car, and as I was driving down the street, the car just died as I was hitting the brakes. For what it is worth, I was driving pretty slow but I didn't really "warm up" the car although I did spend at least 45 seconds manuvering out of my parking space.

The car would not start for a few minutes. Then finally after turning the key and holding it in the "starting" position for about 15 seconds, the engine finally started. As I started off, a big BOOM came out - it sounded like it was coming from the exhaust (although I can't be too sure), and while I drove back, it seemed like the car sounded louder but weaker than normal.

It is very possible that there still was some snow stuck under the car. Could this have had the reported effect? Did I kill my car? What was that boom? Is it safe to drive?

A few facts:

- Daewoo Lanos 2000
- Parked since Friday night (it is Sunday night now)
- Current temperature is about 15 degrees F
- I did a complete job clearing out the snow. The "exit path" from where I parked to the street was clear of snow. There were no piles of snow to drive through. I cleared everything.
- The car has never been affected by cold weather. It has always started even at temperatures way lower than this
- The only time the car "stalled" was during a flood, where I think some water might have touched the wiring, but it was OK a few minutes later.

Do any of the various car search sites out there NOT require you to know in advance what make of car you want?

ArgentCorvid — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:14:17 -0800

Do any of the various car search sites out there NOT require you to know in advance what make of car you want? So, after putting my car on its' roof on the ditch last weekend (no one was hurt, thank God/Allah/The FSM), I suddenly find myself in the market for a new car.

All of the car search sites I have come across so far want me to already know what make of car I want. I really couldn't care less who made it, as long as it's reliable and has most of the features I want.

Is there a site out there that will ask me what features are important, then suggest a car, and possibly allow comparison with others?

I'm in the Midwest US, since it probably matters.

Tell me about remote starters for cars.

damn dirty ape — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:59:28 -0800

Tell me about remote starters for cars. I'm thinking of getting a remote starter for my older saturn, but honestly dont know much about them other than marketing claims. Can some remote starter owners tell me about cost, installation, everyday usage, things to watch out for, etc? It sounds like such a tempting toy, especially in the winter. The car is an automatic and has a factory alarm.

The only catch here is that I park on the street so the radio on this device has to be good enough to start the car from 100' or so. I usually get a space in front of my building but not always.