Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car

Buying an used car in Ontario

tksh — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:57:23 -0800

What's the process to buying an used car in Ontario? I am about to buy an used car from a private seller and so far, I am just using this page from the Ministry of Transportation as my guide. It's a bit overwhelming though compared to buying brand new from the dealer. For example, which party takes care of the safety standards certificate?

Has anyone bought an used car in Ontario recently and can give an overview?

What are my best options if I only need a car for a year or less?

frippsie — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:34:03 -0800

My car lease is ending soon. I thought I wouldn't need a car for any longer than my lease terms. But now I do. What are my best options if I only need a car for a year or less? I only got this car because I accepted a job and moved to a city where a car is necessary for reliable transportation. I didn't expect to be here for longer than two years because my job is very stressful, and I see it as a stepping stone to something better. (I don't want to get sidetracked as to why I'm still here, but rest assured it's not the situation I want to be in.) I'm leaving my current job in a year's--or less--time. I would most likely be relocating to a place where I don't need a car at all.

However, I do still require reliable transportation for the rest of the admittedly indefinite time I am here. So should I get a new lease, buy out my current lease, buy a different car, or what?

Complications: I don't have the cash to buy my leased car outright--I'd have to get a loan. I don't want to be stuck with trying to unload the car in the middle of a lease or before the loan is paid off. Unfortunately, public transportation and walking/bike riding aren't good options for me. I do carpool sometimes, but I don't want to be begging rides 100% of the time.

I know this sounds a bit all over the place...that's why I hope AskMe can help me think about this more clearly, and hopefully offer some good suggestions! Thanks in advance.

Faint of butt

ignignokt — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:14:09 -0800

While I was driving him home from the vet yesterday, the cat took a dump in his carrier, which was made of cloth. (He was in the front passenger seat.) After taking care of that, I noticed it still smelled like cat feces in the car. I didn't see any stains on the seat, and I had to go, so I just rolled down the windows and went to work.

Later that night, it still smelled like cat poo in the car, but I had a bad, tiring day, so I left it alone and hoped it would be better today.

Unsurprisingly, it's not. So, I guess some secret poo liquid got onto my car seat. What method for getting rid of it and the smell maximizes efficiency and minimizes effort?

How ofter is my car going to get towed?

T.D. Strange — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:12:22 -0800

I just moved to Northern Virginia for a new job- how likely is it that my car with out of state plates will be ticketed or towed? The Virginia inspection law seems very onerous, and I've read horror stories of shady towing companies towing cars without inspection stickers from apartment parking lots even with valid parking passes. My car is registered out of state under my Dad's name and currently has a broken right front turn signal, so it certainly won't pass any kind of inspection at present.

I'm currently renting a room in a residential area about 90mins outside of DC and commuting in towards the city on a daily basis. I haven't had any problems yet and don't expect to get towed from the garage under my office building, but I plan on finding an apartment in one of the NoVa suburbs after the new year and I'm more concerned.

Assuming that I fix the turn signal, how likely is it that I will have problems driving my car around on a regular basis with out of state plates? I REALLY don't want to move into the city and walk out for work one morning to find my car towed by some shady towing company, so I'd like to give them a few reasons as possible.

Mazda3 won't start, don't think it's the battery. What could be wrong?

misskaz — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:46:30 -0800

My 2004 Mazda3 hatchback with about 20,000 miles on it won't start. It was last driven across the street to move for street cleaning on Wednesday with no problems. We just got in the car to go somewhere and it won't start. As you can tell by the mileage, we don't drive it a ton - mostly once or twice a week to get groceries or go to Target or something.

Symptoms:
1. Battery appears to be ok - all lights and accessories come on, remote entry works, etc.
2. When I first turned the key it made several strange clunks and clicks. All the dash lights flashed. Did NOT ever turn over. Subsequent attempts just make a loud click. Personally I think it sounds like more than just the battery clicking but maybe it's just really loud in this car. (To me, when the battery doesn't have enough juice to turn the starter, it makes a light "tick" sound, but this sounds more like a louder "clack" or "clunk" sound to me. Or I could be crazy.)

It has been really rainy for a few weeks now and the car is parked on the street. The tank is about half-full. I made sure it was in Park (automatic transmission).

Any thoughts about what this could be or things we can try to get it to start so we don't have to tow it to a mechanic? Are we missing something obvious to check? We live in an apartment and do not have a garage so getting under the car is difficult, but we do have some tools and are willing to poke around if there are simple things to try.

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.

Right ski roof rack?

Wood — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:25:23 -0800

I want to buy a ski roof rack for my late(st) model Honda Civic. Any suggestions? I'm concerned about any impact on the fit (seals) and finish (paint) on my car. How justified is this paranoia? Also I will likely eventually want to carry bikes or other cargo.

Did I really just flood my car?

grablife365 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:55:27 -0800

How easy is it to flood a car? I think I might have. Does it sound likely and what do I do next? I drove down the street a little while ago (in the middle) and as I got further it got deeper. Enough to where I could hear it outside my car, if that makes sense. It was enough to splash at my lights with little effort by the time I got to turn around.
It was getting deeper instead of just being that deep to start with.
Instead of going further I turned back around. The whole sad trip didn't even last two minutes not counting the sitting in the drive (slightly elevated).

When I got back I sat outside and the car seemed fine. No water inside, all lights and battery seemed fine.I'm tempted to rin out and check since its been almost an hour.
Should I be worried or does it sound like a 50/50 at most? Will checking now cause damage?

How can I calculate side force on my car?

krisak — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:22:57 -0800

Physics question - involving cars, air, momentum, force, etc... Basically - how can I calculate the side force from a crosswind on my car at any given speed? (Yes, I googled as much as I could and couldn't come up with a formula for this.)

First off, I drive a 2001 Mazda Miata. 155.7 inches long by 48.4 inches tall. Considering the shape of the car, let's assume 155x35 inches as a side profile.

I'm not sure if the front dimensions are important, but I can measure the front end if necessary. For the sake of the math, I think we should disregard the front end of the car - I don't know what the drag ratio and force necessary to push through the air are on this car.

I guess my real question is how do I come up with a figure for how much force a cross wind applies to my car? And, at any given speed, how does that translate into lateral acceleration? (I understand I may be asking the wrong question here.) I know that a 10 mph crosswind will have a different effect when the car is traveling at 5 mph versus 50 mph.

This question comes out of the fact that while driving to work this morning I almost couldn't change lanes due to an 85 mph forward speed coupled with a 50 mph cross wind. I know that at a 10 mph forward speed the effect of that side wind would be lessened, I just want to understand the math behind why.

I apologize in advance for being unable to phrase this question properly. :) Perhaps part of this question is meant to ask "how do I phrase this properly such that I can get a solution to the question?"

R Kelly is trapped in my trunk!

zerobyproxy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:23:27 -0800

I cannot unlock the trunk on my car! I have a 2004 Honda Accord. This morning, I put some stuff in the trunk and, in closing it, must have forced the locking mechanism to mis-align. I have used the latch (inside the car), the key fob, and the key in the lock itself. None work. I tried lifting the trunk while pressing the fob. I tried sitting on the trunk while pressing the fob. Nothing.

My backseat lowers, so I got my stuff out of the trunk and was able to watch the locking mechanism move when I pressed the fob. I just don't know what I should be looking for or trying when I crawl into the trunk to try to fix it.

Any ideas of where to start?

How do we fit all this stuff in a Hyundai?

RobotVoodooPower — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:17:34 -0800

What's the best way to carry cargo on extended road trip with a mid-size SUV? We are going for an extended road trip (>6 months) and are taking all essential possessions needed to work, live, and play on the road. We will need to take clothes, camping gear, personal stuff, computers, portable bikes -- about 70 cubic feet of stuff, we estimate. We also need the cargo secured when we can't take it all indoors (hotels, for instance).

Our ride is a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe with two passengers. The initial idea was to just pull a small cargo trailer, but is there any other combination of roof racks / trunk racks that would maximize our rolling storage capacity?

Where have all the control arms gone...?

FatherDagon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:42:23 -0800

Where did all the xB control arms go? I've been looking online trying to find a replacement lower control arm for my 06 Scion xB, and apparently there was a design change between the arms used in the 05, and the ones in the 06. I'm able to find control arms all over for 05 and earlier xBs, but after that I'm getting nothing.

Is there a reason the 06 arms are so scarce to find? The 05 arms usually sell for around 70-90 bucks, but the 06 version appears to only be available through the dealership and costs somewhere in the 400-500 dollar range.

Creak-creak-creak

pised — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:27:18 -0800

What's this creaking sound my car is making and how long should I wait to get it fixed? My car ('07 Jeep Compass) has been making a creaking sound when it goes over speed bumps and into driveways -- basically anywhere there's potential for a bump. It's been doing this for about a month or so now. My next service is the 3rd week of November, but I'll drive about 600 km before that. What's the likely source or problem that's causing the creaking? Shocks? Struts? Suspension? Should I bring it in for service right away or can it wait the 3 weeks and 600 km?

The car is regularly serviced (last time was late August) and it has over 25000 kms on it so far. There have been no other problems with it since I've had it. It's parked outside most of the time, on a very slight incline (always with the parking brake on), if that matters.

Under-maintained car is under-maintained. What now?

fermata — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:19:09 -0800

How should I keep my under-maintained 1999 Mazda Protégé running safely for just a few more months? My car, let me show you it. It's a 1999 Mazda Protégé with nearly 140000 miles on it. I've ignored most scheduled maintenance, because I am an idiot (I know that part already, you don't have to tell me), but it's generally kept running just fine. Lately it's been showing signs of age, and I've been getting increasingly nervous that it's going to break down in some incredibly horrible and expensive way at the worst possible time. I'd like to prevent that, within reason. On the other hand, I only need to keep it alive about another 6 months, through a Boston winter, so I don't want to spend a fortune on it.

So my questions are these. What major problems have I let myself in for by doing so little maintenance? And when I bring it to the mechanic to check out the funny noise it's been making lately, what else do I really need to get done?

A particular worry: I'm pretty sure I've never had the timing belt replaced. But it's an expensive repair. How stupid would it be to try to get through these last few months without doing that? (I've been reading that this model has a "non-interference engine," meaning if the belt breaks the engine itself won't be damaged, but I'm not convinced yet.)

The car is pretty beat up, too, and its resale/trade-in value is probably close to zero already, so I'm only worried about the next few months. I'd be grateful for recommendations from those of you who are less car-stupid than me.

Is there any way to estimate what a car & car insurance would cost me if I moved to San Francisco?

scazza — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:16:16 -0800

What are ways to estimate what a car and car insurance would cost me if I moved to San Francisco? I'm looking for what it would cost to have a reasonable, eco-friendly (not necessarily a hybrid, probably not a hybrid) car for 2 people in San Francisco. Something like a hatchback that's 1-2 years old. I live in NYC now so I have no idea how to go about estimating insurance and car loan payments. Resources? Thanks!

(There is a question about this from 2005, but I think things may have changed by now.)

Did the seat belt fail?

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:57:18 -0800

Automobile accident: Did the seat belt fail? What should we do? My wife was recently involved in an automobile accident. She was driving our 07 Kia Spectra and rear-ended a large SUV on an exit ramp connecting two major highways(no intersection or traffic lights involved), traveling at about 45mph. The ramp has 2 lanes, and the collision occurred when she was switching from the left-hand lane to the right. She was ticketed by a state trooper for "unsafe lane change."

Her injuries are, thankfully, limited to some severe bruising across her abdomen and shoulder, and pain that she describes as muscle soreness. The other driver did not leave the scene in an ambulance, injuries were probably less severe than my wife's.

My actual question concerns the seat belt. After the collision, the seat belt was fully extended and hanging loosely, and the buckle had come undone. The seat belt did not retract after the accident, and appears to have not locked during. That doesn't seem normal. We have photos of the seat belt fully extended and hanging loosely, not retracting, but when we went to check out the car a couple of days ago, the buckle seemed to be functioning normally, so it would be difficult or impossible to prove it came undone. Of course, I can't put nearly the same force on it by yanking that a high-speed collision would cause.

Should we contact Kia? A lawyer? Or is that totally normal and we should let it go? We're really thankful that the injuries aren't any worse than they are, but we also think something should be done about that seat belt, if it indeed malfunctioned.

If it matters, location is north-east edge of DFW metroplex.

Thanks.

BMW Is a No Go

slowtree — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:40:47 -0800

BMW 530I will not start. My mother owns a 2003 BMW 530I with very very low miles.
She drove the car yesterday with no Check engine lights and no issues starting it up. Today she tried to start it up and nothing happened (engine didn't try to turn over no clicks from the solenoid nothing) She called AAA who thought it may be a battery but when they got there they said it had a full charge (all lights, stereo etc all came on). She currently has it at the Shop but i thought i would do a little investigation for her. Shes older and the Repair shops tend to inflate repair costs for her generation in that area (South Florida) cause their patrons don't often know any better then to accept what they are told.

Who can hire me a car to drive from the UK to the Netherlands?

gonzo_ID — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:10:17 -0800

I need to hire a car to drive from Bristol, UK and to drop off in Haarlem Netherlands. Avis says no, europecar says no, hertz are difficult to get hold of. Suggestions? Recommendations?

Should I seek a personal injury lawyer after being rear ended?

zzztimbo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:42:07 -0800

Should I hire a personal injury attorney after being rear ended? I was rear ended while waiting at a freeway off ramp stop light. It was completely the other driver's fault. The driver even admitted fault to me, the other person that I hit (I was pushed forward into the other car) and the CHP that came on to the scene.

My issue is my car is an older BMW with high mileage. My insurance is claiming it will be a total loss. I'm thinking that I won't get much for the car. I don't think this is fair and would like to be give as much money as it takes to find a similarly configured car.

The car I was driving is a BMW wagon with manual transmission. It is pretty difficult to find one of these in my area (SoCal). Should I seek a personal injury lawyer?

Best recovery from a bad car deal?

anadem — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:43:18 -0800

Just over two weeks ago a young friend bought used car from a dealer who's 80 miles away. The car came with serious engine problems. The dealer says they'll take it back for a refund but won't return the full price she paid. They say they'll keep their costs, but won't even discuss on the phone the amount they'll return. How best can she get all her money back? My friend paid with cash and check. When she found the repair would cost a bit more than the check she gave, she put a hold on the check. But the dealer has the pink slip, so she has no title to the car and the dealer is threatening repossession because of the hold on the check.

The deal included a three month guarantee of engine and drivetrain, but the engine problem is a bad timing belt which is not covered by the g'tee. And the guarantee company say they have no record of the guarantee she has (checking the serial number) perhaps because the dealer didn't register it, or maybe just because it takes more than a couple of weeks to go through.

What options does my friend have? This is in California. The dealer is Rush Motors in Fremont. Should she return the car then take the dealer to small claims court? Would standing in the street outside the dealer at the weekend with a suitable sign help them decide to give a full refund? Is a lawyer the best option?

Some background: I looked at the car ('92 VW Passat) with her before she bought it. The engine made a noise which Radwan (the salesman at Rush Motors) said was because a hydraulic adjuster on the timing chain needed pumping up. I suggested it might be timing belt noise but Radwan and his sidekick insisted the car had a timing chain not a belt. Radwan said he'd get the adjuster fixed, and my friend went back two days later and bought the car (the noise was temporarily gone). The noise returned later that day, and she had the local VW dealer here identify the problem.

The car cost $5800 (I think) of which $4500 was paid in cash and $1300 as check. The repairs are estimated at $2300. My guess is (since these are such slimeballs) they will try to keep at least $1000 of her money, but maybe I'm unduly negative.

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.

I think fuzzy dice are actually kind of cute

kerning — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:50:56 -0800

What's a good present to buy a 25 year old newly licensed driver? My female coworker is (maybe) getting her driver's license this weekend, after 25 years of begging rides from her friends. I thought it would be nice for my department to give her a little congratulations present, since we have done nothing but listen to her stories about her driving lessons progress for the past 6 months. But I have no ideas.

One hitch is that she actually doesn't have a car, nor does she have plans to get one anytime soon - she'll be relying on Zipcar when she needs to go somewhere outside of the city (DC). So we can't buy her the normal fuzzy dice/carmats-type present.

Anything Prime-eligible from Amazon preferred, or things I can get locally (NoVa/DC area).

Why isn't it illegal to stand on the bus?

Mwongozi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:34:57 -0800

Why (in the UK, or anywhere else where this applies) is it illegal to drive without wearing a seatbelt, but legal for bus passengers to sit, or even stand without one? At least in the UK, if a passenger in a car isn't wearing a seatbelt, the driver is breaking the law.

How do I best purchase a wait-listed car?

rabidsegue — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:45:57 -0800

What is the protocol for buying a new car in seemingly high demand and non-existent supply? When is a wait list really a wait list, and how do I actually get this car? I am interested in buying a 2010 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI manual and am currently talking with 2 dealerships.

Dealership 1, referred by United Buying Services, took an "order" over the phone, supposedly entering it into their "order entry system" and provided a "Commission #," which I assume is specific to that dealership. The sales person did not request a deposit or any more information other than name, address, and phone #.

Dealership 2 took an "order," also over the phone, and requested all of the same information as dealer 1, but also requested car insurance policy #, stating that it's required by VW, and requested a deposit, stating that VW requires the deposit as evidence that I am a real buyer. I asked what happens to the $500 deposit if I don't buy the car due to unforeseeable circumstances and was told that it would not be refunded.

Neither dealer can provide a delivery date, and Dealership 2 went as far as to say that VW is not producing any manuals prior to the new year. I mentioned this to Dealer 1 who did not know anything about this.

Do any Mefites have advice on buying a wait-listed/pre-ordered car? Advice on VW/Sportwagen specifically? I am having trouble figuring out the best way to navigate these negotiations/choose a dealership so that I actually end up with a car in my parking spot as soon as possible.

Extending the life of my car brakes.

SoulOnIce — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:51:13 -0800

If I want to extend the life of the brakes on my car, how should I drive the hill close to my house? My subdivision sits right off a semi-major street. Approaching it from the east, the road is pretty flat, but then there is a 30 degree decline that goes on for about 150 yards, then the road levels out for around 50 yards at which point you'd turn right into the subdivision. If I want to preserve the life of brakes on my car for as long as possible should I (1) coast down the hill to the bottom, then apply the brakes firmly until I get to a safe speed in order to turn into the subdivision or (2) apply the brakes as I go down the hill, let up a little when we hit level ground (maybe even apply the gas a little if I slowed down too much) then brake as normal to take the right turn?

I know there a lots of variables that can affect things, but just in general, what is the best approach?