Car Talk

Jon

Well-Known Member
Dec 16, 2008
15,259
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I'm certainly glad I traded in the Cruze on the Equinox before Snowmageddon hit this weekend! Wouldn't have been able to do half the stuff with the old car that I could do in this thing, with AWD especially. The 'Nox did a number on some of these drifts!
 

JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
28,632
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Hyrule
Back at my favorite mechanic.

My check oil light started to come on way too early...the sticker says I still have over 1k miles before I need another change. I added oil to it but the light still stayed on so gotta get that looked at. Also one of my fog lights is out so I figured I'd get 2 new ones. I thought abt doing that myself but it's way harder than changing the headlights so I'll just have my guy do it. I also did the thing I do every time where I ask him to give the car a once over to make sure it's good for all my Disney trips.

Let's see how much this all winds up costing. This guys is honest, like I've said here a ton before, so I'm not expecting anything too crazy.
 

goreds2

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2008
6,163
1,017
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OH H.....EYE OH
Back at my favorite mechanic.

My check oil light started to come on way too early...the sticker says I still have over 1k miles before I need another change. I added oil to it but the light still stayed on so gotta get that looked at. Also one of my fog lights is out so I figured I'd get 2 new ones. I thought abt doing that myself but it's way harder than changing the headlights so I'll just have my guy do it. I also did the thing I do every time where I ask him to give the car a once over to make sure it's good for all my Disney trips.

Let's see how much this all winds up costing. This guys is honest, like I've said here a ton before, so I'm not expecting anything too crazy.
Great you have an honest car guy. Good idea to have the oil light looked at.
Funny true story of my former Nissan truck that I put 385,000 miles on. My check engine light turned on at around 90,000 miles. I did not take to mechanic to check it out so it stayed on for over 290,000 miles.
 
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HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
49,832
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Toledo, Ohio
That reminds me to check the oil in my lawnmower.
I had to break it out for the first time of the season yesterday.

I should still have about 1500 miles before I have to take my car in.
 
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JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
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Like the mechanic told me over the phone last Thurs, the car just needed some oil added. Because it's an old car being a 05 model, it uses more oil. Once the light comes on though, it won't turn off until they turn it off using their machine. I got an oil change anyway cause why not? I was already there and I will be driving 500 miles this week. I'll keep a closer eye on it now and add oil before the light goes on if needed. I then took it for a car wash, vacuum and I wiped down the interior with those car wipes. It should be nice and happy now for my trip tomorrow.

The oil change along with the 2 new fog lights and labor put the total at $113. More than double the $40 I usually pay for an oil change but still not bad. I love my RAV and try to take care of it as best as possible. It's about to hit 120,000 miles. I'm hoping to keep it until I'm 40, which should put the mileage around 180,000-200,000. Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and the transmission will last deep into the 300k mile mark like goreds.
 

JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
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I think someone posted about this in another thread but I couldn't find it easily:

  • Cops found Varner in the backseat and Talbot in the passenger seat - there was no one in the driver's seat
So these were 2 professional men, not dumb teens. What were they thinking? I believe Tesla has been pretty clear that their autopilot system is more like an upgraded cruise control than a flawless self driving feature. They tell you to still pay attention to the road like you were driving. Neither of these guys were even in the driver's seat. They deserve what they got for being giant dummies.

Now the issue of the Tesla batteries being incredibly hard to extinguish once they catch on fire is another story. That's something Tesla needs to fix.
  • For four hours, they burned in a fiery wreckage while firefighters tried to put out the flames
  • They even had to call Tesla because the vehicle's battery kept reigniting, according to police
 

HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
49,832
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Toledo, Ohio
Stupid knows no financial boundaries.
They we’re trying to be silly and just flushed a lot of money.

Tesla has been clear, but you can’t count on people. They need to add a sensor that detects that there is a person in the drivers seat.
The battery tech is a lot more complicated. I doubt we’ll see one that’s less volatile for quite some time, but maybe they can come up with a fire suppression system that would help.
 
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IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
27,230
13,833
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Toronto, ON
Stupid knows no financial boundaries.
They we’re trying to be silly and just flushed a lot of money.

Tesla has been clear, but you can’t count on people. They need to add a sensor that detects that there is a person in the drivers seat.
The battery tech is a lot more complicated. I doubt we’ll see one that’s less volatile for quite some time, but maybe they can come up with a fire suppression system that would help.
My car can detect if someone is in the passenger seat to know whether to turn on the seat belt sensor. The technology has been there for years.
 

JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
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My car can detect if someone is in the passenger seat to know whether to turn on the seat belt sensor. The technology has been there for years.

Mine does too but it's just a simple weight sensor. My backpack triggers it when I head up on my Disney trips. That flashing passenger seatbelt light is annoying so I move the pack around to a spot that won't trigger the sensor. Tesla is supposed to be all advanced, they should have a camera or something better than a weight sensor to make sure someone is in the driver's seat.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
23,407
18,657
168
Vacationland
Mine does too but it's just a simple weight sensor. My backpack triggers it when I head up on my Disney trips. That flashing passenger seatbelt light is annoying so I move the pack around to a spot that won't trigger the sensor. Tesla is supposed to be all advanced, they should have a camera or something better than a weight sensor to make sure someone is in the driver's seat.
I'm confused; do they want someone in the driver's seat?
 

JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
28,632
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Hyrule
Check this out:


It's exactly what we were talking about earlier today. It was linked on Drudge.
  • Consumer Reports said Thursday that in testing this week it found it could “easily” get a 2020 Tesla Model Y to drive “even with no one in the driver’s seat.”
  • BMW, Ford, GM, Subaru and others use camera-based driver assistance systems to track movement of a driver’s eyes and head position to make sure they are minding the road. Tesla has sensors in steering wheels instead.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
23,407
18,657
168
Vacationland
So we all remember my last car, which met it's demise with Mrs. Scotch at the helm

1619702358871.png

and I replaced it with this

1619702402452.png

Well, as I mentioned elsewhere, our community band restarted rehearsals last weekend. It was a beautiful day, and we drove there in my car, with the top down. This was the setup

1619702566917.png

Meanwhile, Mrs. Scotch (reluctantly) took my car to visit her mom. On the way back to pick me up, she hit a massive pothole, which cracked the sidewalls on 2 of the run-flat tires. As it turns out, the tires were original to the car (12 years old), and a bit brittle. We tried to make it home, but I had to pull into the famed NH State Liquor store highway rest stop in Hampton, as the tire was smoking and coming off the rim.

We called a tow truck to pickup the car, and bring it to the BMW dealership that I have used. But we can't get an Uber driver to get us. So we stuffed ourselves into the tow truck, and now we're all at the dealership, 20 miles from home. Still no Uber. We ended up calling a taxi. Remember those?

On Monday, I was told (predictably) that I'd have to replace all 4 tires. And that's where the stimulus check went.