Kicking off another revival thread...This was last week, but put a new set of Continental TerrainContact AT tires on the ole Escalade, replaced with exactly the same tires that came off...I figure 7 years and ~80K kms is pretty good. I probably could've stretched another 6-12 months out of them, but they had some radial cracking and I didn't like worrying about a blow out with Mrs. Firm and the kids in it. Purchased and installed at Discount Tire, but went across the street to Firestone for their 'lifetime alignment' after the fact, figure we'll be keeping the truck so it'll come in handy.
Also gave it a good wash and a coat of wax.
(https://i.imgur.com/pM1jWZ8.jpeg)
Still looks great.
Agree Bubba.
Firm, didn't this unit spend some time in northern Alberta or NWT or something like that?
Yeah, sold new in Grand Prairie AB, and spent the first ~9 years of its life out there. Those owners sold it to a friend of theirs in Keswick ON, which is who we bought it from in 2016. Then it moved down here to TN with us in 2023, and we've driven it as far south as Destin FL...She's been around the block a few times, lol. It's got around 293K kms on it now, and really the only part that shows it is the front bumper which is pretty heavily road rashed and has a couple little cracks in it. I recently found a really nice, color matched, bumper for sale locally and grabbed it...one day when I have time and the ambition I'll swap it on.
Since Firm moved away, I still look twice at every white Escalade I see in the neighbourhood, and not a single one is even close to how clean his is - let alone one with nearly 300K on it!
I've been splitting winter daily duty between the LS460 and LC500... honestly using the LC more simply due to factory remote start.
Mrs. Hire's Mom-Wagon has been claiming centre spot in the garage during the cold months, so I'm relegated to the driveway.
(https://i.imgur.com/efoIzSs.jpeg)
That wagon is a thing of beauty.
Quote from: Bubba on Jan 18, 2025, 11:38 AMThat wagon is a thing of beauty.
Thanks! Hard keeping it clean inside with a newborn, but I had the piano black bits wrapped in PPF and have all-weather rubber mats all over the cabin and trunk area.
Mrs. Hire has said that it's the best car she's ever had and she wants to keep it for a long time.
My son has had a 2005 Corolla for about a year. Last week the charging system light came on and the battery wasn't charging.
We couldn't afford down time so I ordered an alternator immediately but before it arrived I cleaned the battery terminals, checked the grounds and and charged it.
I sprayed a bunch of WD40 into the alternator and (for fun) gave it a whack with a mallet, then cleaned the throttle body.
Car works better than when we got it a year ago. Better idle and much smoother at low speeds.
I guess I'll leave the new alternator on the shelf until the battery light comes back on.
Tip: I bought a USB phone charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter that shows voltage when the car is powered on. That should provide and early warning if the issues occurs again.
I have one of those in the Highlander, I agree they are a great addition.
I'd never have thought to spray WD-40 into the alternator, what made you think of that?
Quote from: Careener on Jan 20, 2025, 06:50 PMMy son has had a 2005 Corolla for about a year. Last week the charging system light came on and the battery wasn't charging.
We couldn't afford down time so I ordered an alternator immediately but before it arrived I cleaned the battery terminals, checked the grounds and and charged it.
I sprayed a bunch of WD40 into the alternator and (for fun) gave it a whack with a mallet, then cleaned the throttle body.
Car works better than when we got it a year ago. Better idle and much smoother at low speeds.
I guess I'll leave the new alternator on the shelf until the battery light comes back on.
Tip: I bought a USB phone charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter that shows voltage when the car is powered on. That should provide and early warning if the issues occurs again.
Nice to see you back here! Whatever happened to my old Jetta?
Quote from: Careener on Jan 20, 2025, 06:50 PMMy son has had a 2005 Corolla for about a year. Last week the charging system light came on and the battery wasn't charging.
We couldn't afford down time so I ordered an alternator immediately but before it arrived I cleaned the battery terminals, checked the grounds and and charged it.
I sprayed a bunch of WD40 into the alternator and (for fun) gave it a whack with a mallet, then cleaned the throttle body.
Car works better than when we got it a year ago. Better idle and much smoother at low speeds.
I guess I'll leave the new alternator on the shelf until the battery light comes back on.
Tip: I bought a USB phone charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter that shows voltage when the car is powered on. That should provide and early warning if the issues occurs again.
I say the mallet cured it ;D
Quote from: Tortoise on Jan 22, 2025, 12:51 PMI have one of those in the Highlander, I agree they are a great addition.
I'd never have thought to spray WD-40 into the alternator, what made you think of that?
YouTube videos. Very scientific approach...
Quote from: TheHire on Jan 22, 2025, 03:11 PMQuote from: Careener on Jan 20, 2025, 06:50 PMMy son has had a 2005 Corolla for about a year. Last week the charging system light came on and the battery wasn't charging.
We couldn't afford down time so I ordered an alternator immediately but before it arrived I cleaned the battery terminals, checked the grounds and and charged it.
I sprayed a bunch of WD40 into the alternator and (for fun) gave it a whack with a mallet, then cleaned the throttle body.
Car works better than when we got it a year ago. Better idle and much smoother at low speeds.
I guess I'll leave the new alternator on the shelf until the battery light comes back on.
Tip: I bought a USB phone charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter that shows voltage when the car is powered on. That should provide and early warning if the issues occurs again.
Nice to see you back here! Whatever happened to my old Jetta?
I had texted you about that. I sold it to a guy in Ottawa who promptly got into an accident with it. He gutted the interior bits and put them in an 04 Jetta that he ended up selling to someone in Mexico.
Got past 2 weeks of very 'Canadian' temperatures down here so I spent the day outside doing some automotive jobs and exercising some of the cars.
Rebuilt the hydraulic cylinder for the top latch on the SLK, and washed it.
Investigated an intermittent passenger side blend door actuator on the DTS - turned out to be old dried white grease on the mechanism that was causing it to bind up.
Took the 85 Trans Am, and then the 96 Formula out for some exercise.
It was a good day.
Quote from: Careener on Jan 20, 2025, 06:50 PMMy son has had a 2005 Corolla for about a year. Last week the charging system light came on and the battery wasn't charging.
We couldn't afford down time so I ordered an alternator immediately but before it arrived I cleaned the battery terminals, checked the grounds and and charged it.
I sprayed a bunch of WD40 into the alternator and (for fun) gave it a whack with a mallet, then cleaned the throttle body.
Sounds like it just had a brush hanging up. On many alternators you can just buy a brush set, sometimes comes with a voltage regulator too. On a Bosch you usually didn't even have to remove the alternator to replace them.
Thanks Blur
The local British Car Club in Memphis is surprisingly active, and the weather here this weekend was beautiful, so we joined the club on about an hour long run out to a local lake. Some fantastic roads, scenery, and got to check out a lake that's only about 15 minutes from the house but we'd never been to yet. XKR got to stretch it's legs too after sitting for about 2 months. Wanted to be top-down, but had too many complainers in the car ::)
(https://i.imgur.com/OyeJHNT.jpeg)
Plugged it in to charge. It's been awhile because this past weekend we went to the cottage in the Subaru, and for the past few weeks I've taking the commuter train downtown to work (5 km round trip to the park-and-ride) or working from home. Kind of sad seeing the low range at this time of year, but fully anticipated and expected.
Not me, but my dad rolled his Titan about 3 weeks back. Rear let loose on an icy stretch and he went over a steep embankment. Truck was on its roof when bystanders helped him out. Was -30 that day, but he ended up with only a couple bruises.
Truck was an '05, so not worth much. I'm helping him search for a new vehicle. He's still on an acreage so wants something with a box. A Ridgeline would be perfect but he wants to spend as little as possible. He's 79 and realizes he doesn't spend much time behind the wheel anymore and spending big dollars would be a waste. Used Ridgelines are pretty spendy around here. I'm going to look at a Frontier for him this week. The previous gen is a pretty solid truck. Should be able to get into a decent one for 15-20k.
What does a Ridgeline go for around your parts?
Older ones (pre-2010) are generally over 10k with 250k+ kms. Newer gens (2016+) are typically around 30k.
The Frontier I'm looking at is a 2016 Pro-4x with 172km. Asking is $18,900. Carfax looks good but it's at a corner used car lot.
Damn, that's a lot of money for a 10 year old Ridgeline.
If it's in good shape, that Frontier seems like a decent bet.
I'd almost prefer the Frontier, while severely dated, it's a good functional truck-truck. Would probably be appreciated by a 79 year old guy who was driving an 05 Titan.
Quote from: Firm on Feb 17, 2025, 05:42 PMI'd almost prefer the Frontier, while severely dated, it's a good functional truck-truck. Would probably be appreciated by a 79 year old guy who was driving an 05 Titan.
I agree Firm. However, the Ridgeline is likely a slightly lower step in height (would be easier for Mom) and likely less risk of losing control on icy roads with a front drive based AWD system in the first place.
Dad had just switched the truck out of 4WD when he lost control and rolled. He thought the road was good but ass end skirted out on him and he couldn't get it back. And yes, he had dedicated winters.
Anyway, he likes the Frontier (as do I) and will likely end up with one. Solid simple straight forward pickup. Just leave it in 4wd when it's greasy out :D
Was down with whatever virus for a pretty solid 3 weeks....Worse virus I've ever had as an adult at least. Testing negative for Covid & Flu, so no idea what it was, but it sucks, and I lost about 3 weeks of productivity. Finally feeling decent today, and the weather was nice, so I washed the DTS and give it a topper coat of wax. Then started tackling the paint correction work on the SLK....Got the roof and trunk lid done. Hopefully I can get the rest of it done next weekend, getting tired of it looking like a hooptie.
Friday I took the Green Firebird on a short road trip to a friend's place across the state line in Mississippi..about an hour each way. One of the longer trips I'd had that car on and it drove great, no issues at all. One of the local FM stations was doing a Vince Gill marathon, which was perfect coming out of that Pontiac'Monsoon' Equalizer stereo. 8)
I remember on the old Autos.ca website there was some talk/concern about CX-5 wipers. Well, mine started streaking so I replaced them this weekend. $40 taxes included for a pair of Bosch OEM wiper blades from my local parts store (Fat Guys Auto Parts freaking rocks), and it was probably the easiest wiper install I've ever done. One button press - no fooling around with adapters. Took about 10 seconds per wiper arm.
We went through a cold spell here a couple weeks back, when I was sick, and I noticed that the heat in the DTS was weak on the passenger side. It's dual zone, so I thought it was an issue with the blend door actuator for that side, so a couple weeks back I took part the glove box and lower dash on the passenger side and was able to confirm that the blend door actuator was working properly.
So I did some research and apparently when the heater core starts getting clogged the side furthest from the inlet/outlet pipes usually blocks up first, and the way the dual zone is setup, the passenger side uses the right side of the core, which is furthest from the inlet/outlet pipes....So, today I fought with the extremely tight access to the heater hoses, disconnected them, and then flushed out the heater core, first with water, then let it sit full of white vinegar for an hour, then reverse flushed with water. A shocking about of crud came out...looked like pea gravel, but you could crush it with your fingers, some type of mineral deposits or corrosion I guess. Not the first time I've flushed a heater core, but definitely the most gunk I've ever seen come out of one, there must be something about the design on this car that allows sediment to accumulate in it. I've been religious about flushing the coolant every 3-4 years too, so it's not like it's been neglected.
Anyway, test drive confirmed the fix....scolding hot heat on both sides now.
I also got Mrs.Firms Firebird out today, it hadn't been touched in at least 2, maybe 3, months, so I used it for my Saturday errands. Dang car still drives like new.
(https://i.imgur.com/bXaCTCl.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/F48Wn0x.jpeg)
Awesome!
Ya nice work Firm.
Did the passenger side axle on juniors Civic this morning. The inner CV boot was torn so just replaced the assembly. Got the axle from Napa, lifetime warranty but hopefully I don't need to use it. Honda wants about $400 so it was a no brainer considering the little runabout has 275k on it.
The job was surprisingly easy. An hour in total. Three bolts on lower control arm to separate hub, axle nut, pop the axle out, and replace. So simple.
CV jobs are either super easy, or a nightmare, no in between. I did one on a co-workers Malibu Max once, absolutely terrible. Wouldn't release from the trans, and then was a battle to get the new one to lock in right.
I had a first last Monday: a stay-behind car that won't start. Granted, it was -19°C and the Crosstrek had been sitting for a week (because press car), but still - 2.5 y.o. First time it ever happened, and that includes the Accent sitting for a month in front of the T-Can during Covid, in January.
Weird thing is that it started with the remote app while I was refueling the presser nearby. Saw the plume of exhaust coming near the place. It stopped after 10 mins, as usual, but barely cranked and did a lot of beeps and flashes when I tried to start it. A booster pack got it to crank. Colleagues there told me Subaru batteries were weak and often too small. Interwebs mention 3-5 yr lifespan for the oem units.
This morning I had "B" service, which includes a battery check, and sure enough they replaced the battery on warranty. So I'm good for another 3 years, will have it tested before the warranty runs out!
On the way back, had one wheel rebalanced for free at Costco - one of the stick-on weights had fallen off and I could feel a front-left vibe.
Now standing at ... 16,144 km.
Washed the inside and outside of the Bolt's summer rims last night. I should have done it back in November but I procrastinated so they've stayed dusty in the bags since then :P It'll be going to the garage next Monday for its tire change and a brake service.
The Subaru will wait until mid-April in case we go to the cottage. Early April snowstorms are very common there and snow plowing is generally lousy.
Alternator finally died on my son's Corolla after that WD40 emergency "fix" I did a few weeks ago.
I had ordered a new one at the time and I installed it yesterday and everything is good to go.
Quote from: Careener on Mar 22, 2025, 09:00 PMAlternator finally died on my son's Corolla after that WD40 emergency "fix" I did a few weeks ago.
I had ordered a new one at the time and I installed it yesterday and everything is good to go.
Nice..it's nice when things go smoothly.
Quote from: Careener on Mar 22, 2025, 09:00 PMAlternator finally died on my son's Corolla after that WD40 emergency "fix" I did a few weeks ago.
I had ordered a new one at the time and I installed it yesterday and everything is good to go.
I suspect the alternator on your Corolla is similar to my 2013 model. Any issues getting the bottom bolt out?
DTS made a 400mile round trip to Nashville and back flawlessly, nice because I've put a fair bit of time/effort into it recently. I maintain that there are only a handful of cars out there that can compare when it comes to just killing highway miles.
Broke out my A/C equipment on Sunday...The Silver Trans Am had a leak at the connection from the hoses to the compressor. When I replaced the compressor last year it came with a few different sealing washers for the hose connection, and no instructions on which to use...I guessed wrong. So took it apart, new combination of washers seems a lot better. Pulled vacuum and it held, so recharged it. Hopefully it'll be the last time I need to mess with AC on this car for awhile.
While I had the equipment out I hooked up the SLK, which had zero charge in it. It wasn't holding vacuum, so I tried listening for a leak but couldn't find anything. I put about half a can of charge (enough to get the compressor going), and some UV dye in it, ran it for while and then went over everything with the UV light and my freon sniffer. After about 45 minutes of that, still no sign of a leak, and it's holding pressure....Very weird. I noticed when taking apart my equipment that one connection was loose, so maybe that's why I was losing vacuum. Anyway, now I know how much charge is in it, I'll monitor it a couple weeks and see if it leaks down at all, if not, I'll charge it properly. If it does leak down, hopefully I'll be able to see the dye. All the AC components in the car are buried down low, so I don't want to start throwing parts at it without knowing where the leak is.
I'm constantly on the lookout for a clean DTS. Love to have one in the exact spec as yours. One came up recently on the coast with 81,000 km, looked absolutely mint but it had that horrible brougham roof package, Rolls Royce style grill, and gold ornaments. That stuff might fly on a 1988 Cadillac Fleetwood, but not a 2009 DTS.
Quote from: Bubba on Mar 23, 2025, 06:39 PMQuote from: Careener on Mar 22, 2025, 09:00 PMAlternator finally died on my son's Corolla after that WD40 emergency "fix" I did a few weeks ago.
I had ordered a new one at the time and I installed it yesterday and everything is good to go.
I suspect the alternator on your Corolla is similar to my 2013 model. Any issues getting the bottom bolt out?
The bolt wasn't bad. It was a bit of a pain wiggling the alternator out of there.
Quote from: Revelations on Mar 24, 2025, 01:07 PMI'm constantly on the lookout for a clean DTS. Love to have one in the exact spec as yours. One came up recently on the coast with 81,000 km, looked absolutely mint but it had that horrible brougham roof package, Rolls Royce style grill, and gold ornaments. That stuff might fly on a 1988 Cadillac Fleetwood, but not a 2009 DTS.
Yeah, they're getting scarce....Rust belt units are getting pretty rusty at this point, and down here in the south the mods you mentioned are super common, which ruins a bunch of them. One can fix an aftermarket grille/emblems, but those brougham style vinyl roofs pretty well kill it.
Quote from: Careener on Mar 24, 2025, 02:01 PMQuote from: Bubba on Mar 23, 2025, 06:39 PMI suspect the alternator on your Corolla is similar to my 2013 model. Any issues getting the bottom bolt out?
The bolt wasn't bad. It was a bit of a pain wiggling the alternator out of there.
That's good. I tried changing the belt on mine and could not get that bolt loose. I had to take the car to the shop to have them do it.
The little plastic piece that covers the bolt holding the rear wiper assembly together on the Crosstrek mysteriously fell off last week, so ordered and received a new one from Amazon. We could've gone without but I don't like missing/damaged pieces like that :P Gotta love paying $20 for a 3-inch long plastic part that probably cost 20 cents to manufacture.
Tire change and annual synthetic oil change are scheduled for this coming Monday.
Fifteen years ago today I brought the Tundra home. It's been my daily ever since. Should cross 300k this year/early next year.
Quick number crunch. I've put about 40,000 litres of gas into it. I should add it's a 2007 and had 46k when I bought it.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Apr 11, 2025, 02:57 PMFifteen years ago today I brought the Tundra home. It's been my daily ever since. Should cross 300k this year/early next year.
Quick number crunch. I've put about 40,000 litres of gas into it. I should add it's a 2007 and had 46k when I bought it.
That is certainly an impressively long ownership experience for a car enthusiasts daily driver. Here's to another 15 years and 300,000kms.
That's awesome, love a good long-term love affair.
I just finished putting new front driveshafts and wheel bearings on our '05 Outback. I've been waiting for warmer weather to do it and it's finally here.
PITA with sticky fasteners and rust. Broke the bolt that holds in the lower ball joint, just left it and took it apart at the strut above instead. It's getting up there, 388k on it now.
That's impressive k for an older Subaru.
Finished up the Outback maintenance with an oil and filter change. This time it got clearance priced Amsoil from Peavey Mart.
Didn't realize you guys had a peavey in eastern ontario, thought they were in the prairies only.
Quote from: Firm on Apr 18, 2025, 11:49 PMDidn't realize you guys had a peavey in eastern ontario, thought they were in the prairies only.
Tractor Supply Co became Peavey Mart some years ago, now Peavey is liquidating and closing down everything. Amsoil was 40% off IIRC
Quote from: blur911 on Apr 19, 2025, 07:21 PMQuote from: Firm on Apr 18, 2025, 11:49 PMDidn't realize you guys had a peavey in eastern ontario, thought they were in the prairies only.
Tractor Supply Co became Peavey Mart some years ago, now Peavey is liquidating and closing down everything. Amsoil was 40% off IIRC
Huh, I guess I wasn't paying attention. We had some Canadian Tire guys that went to TSC Canada for quite awhile and then jumped ship back to Canadian Tire, a couple of them are now Officers. The TSC that was in Milton ON was the closest to me, I used to go there years ago because they had the best price on Formula 3000 rustproofing, and sold it buy the gallon.
TSC in the US is a totally separate entity and they're still going strong....Carved out a profitable rural niche. Though I've gotta say, I don't quite get it. There's one about 3 minutes from us and I am disappointed nearly every time I visit; either out of stock on critical seasonal stuff (fertilizer, weed kill, etc) or they just don't have what I need at all. Now I just drive the extra 10 minutes to HD or Lowes.
Took the GTS off tender and did a shake down drive. Gonna try and daily it now.
Always a good feeling getting the toy out for the season. Hope you get to put some solid miles on it this year.
Weather has been good here, not extreme heat yet, so I've been leaving the DTS at home and commuting in the toys more frequently. Used the old silver T/A for the back half of last week and over the weekend. Easy to forget that it's 40 years old now as it's still a competent and comfortable commuter.
(https://i.imgur.com/exbKC1s.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qPaADB6.jpeg)
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Apr 20, 2025, 08:19 PMTook the GTS off tender and did a shake down drive. Gonna try and daily it now.
About time! LOL 😆
GTS? Did I miss something?
Quote from: Tortoise on Apr 22, 2025, 10:40 AMGTS? Did I miss something?
I do believe he bought a GTS Cayman either a year ago or a year and a bit.
Oh right!
My Prius has 262k on it now. Apart from 2 sets of brakes, it has needed NOTHING.
So I brought it to my mechanic and asked him to give it a very thorough going over and to find anything that needs replacing. I told him if something was borderline to mark it as "replace". So I gave him carte blanche to replace everything and anything that needs replacing.
He called back 2 hours later and said the inspection was complete. I steeled myself for the potential laundry list of needed parts. And then he said "Nothing". It needs NOTHING. He couldn't believe it himself and went over the car twice! LOL 😆
Pretty hard to believe not even a sway bar link was bad. Pretty incredible, actually.
All hail my mighty, reliable Prius Prime!
That's awesome. The Highlander has made me a Toyota convert. They're just so easy to live with.
At 18 years old, the HL's front right wheel bearing is finally going. That's a pretty solid run. And otherwise it just keeps on trucking.
Ya impressive Rrocket.
Another Toyota example. The front end including suspension and steering components is all original on my '07 Tundra with 285k, with exception of the shocks. It spent its early life dragging RVs down shit Sasky highways. And the front end is still tight. No loose feeling, no clunking. It really is quite amazing when I look at my buddies trucks with less than half the kms and have had an easy life and have had front end work.
I'm not a Toyota fanboy by any means. I'll likely not ever own another Toyota vehicle besides a Tundra, but they build a quality product.
Quote from: Tortoise on Apr 25, 2025, 08:14 AMThat's awesome. The Highlander has made me a Toyota convert. They're just so easy to live with.
At 18 years old, the HL's front right wheel bearing is finally going. That's a pretty solid run. And otherwise it just keeps on trucking.
Even a quality Timken bearing will set you back a whole $50 LOL 😆
Quote from: Bridgecity on Apr 25, 2025, 08:41 AMYa impressive Rrocket.
Another Toyota example. The front end including suspension and steering components is all original on my '07 Tundra with 285k, with exception of the shocks.
Seems even more unbelievable in your case.
Quote from: RRocket on Apr 25, 2025, 08:00 AMMy Prius has 262k on it now. Apart from 2 sets of brakes, it has needed NOTHING.
Amazing!
Quote from: Bubba on Apr 25, 2025, 09:29 PMQuote from: RRocket on Apr 25, 2025, 08:00 AMMy Prius has 262k on it now. Apart from 2 sets of brakes, it has needed NOTHING.
Amazing!
Yeah, I agree, that's pretty impressive.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Apr 25, 2025, 08:41 AMYa impressive Rrocket.
Another Toyota example. The front end including suspension and steering components is all original on my '07 Tundra with 285k, with exception of the shocks. It spent its early life dragging RVs down shit Sasky highways. And the front end is still tight. No loose feeling, no clunking. It really is quite amazing when I look at my buddies trucks with less than half the kms and have had an easy life and have had front end work.
Our 06 Escalade is similar...front end is all original, except for the shocks, 295K kms. Had an alignment done when I put new tires on it a couple months ago and the guy commented on the fact that the front end was still tight and held good alignment.
Quote from: Firm on Apr 26, 2025, 10:55 PMQuote from: Bridgecity on Apr 25, 2025, 08:41 AMYa impressive Rrocket.
Another Toyota example. The front end including suspension and steering components is all original on my '07 Tundra with 285k, with exception of the shocks. It spent its early life dragging RVs down shit Sasky highways. And the front end is still tight. No loose feeling, no clunking. It really is quite amazing when I look at my buddies trucks with less than half the kms and have had an easy life and have had front end work.
Our 06 Escalade is similar...front end is all original, except for the shocks, 295K kms. Had an alignment done when I put new tires on it a couple months ago and the guy commented on the fact that the front end was still tight and held good alignment.
Ya, that's been a solid truck for you also.
It will be interesting to see how the current gen Tundra holds up. Hopefully the engine is sorted now.
I went with my dad today to pick up a used truck. The guy selling said his neighbour has an 08 tundra with 108k kms. He said he'd pass his number to me if I'm interested. I declined, but having second thoughts now. I should at least find out what he'd want for it.
Well, the DTS developed a small coolant leak, which proved to be a real pain in the butt to track down, but I eventually found it at one of the gaskets that seal the 'coolant crossover assembly' to the rear head. The NorthStar V8 uses this coolant crossover to house the water pump and move coolant from one side of the engine to the other. It's an absolute bear to remove from the car (which is required for a water pump replacement). So, I had parked it for about a week and a half while I collected parts and made time to work on it.
Saturday got it setup in the garage and tore it down and got it all done....Started at 9am and finished at 9pm. Lots of disassembly to get things that are mounted to the crossover out of the way (air intake, throttle body, EGR, fuel rail, and all the coolant hoses). Then an hour of fighting the nearly impossible to access lower bolts, and then disconnecting enough of the wire harness to get enough slack to pull the crossover out.
Once out, I cleaned it up, installed a new water pump into it to hopefully avoid having do do this job again anytime soon, and then new gaskets. Wrestle it all back into the car and reverse the process...then fill, bleed, leak check etc.
It absolutely sucked....but it was easier than replacing the alternator and radiator, which I did back in December. As I've said before, it's an absolutely fantastic car, and engine, when it's working....but not for the faint of heart when it's time for repairs.
Couple photos of it torn down, the failed gasket, and then all back together (minus the plastic engine cover).
(https://i.imgur.com/ptNHZBw.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SIyWBUf.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GsJhl9s.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Yw1IJvI.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BXyxiaQ.jpeg)
Nice work Firm. That sounded fairly unpleasant.
A long day! But, a successful one.
This is a young man's game.
I don't do stuff like this any more.
Good work.
Got a new windshield put in the Tundra today. It replaced the original. I guess it was time. ;)
I also ordered new front rotors and pads for the truck. Fronts are vibrating pretty bad under light braking. Can't recall what brand I put on last go around but they've been vibrating lightly for quite a while. Ah well, Brembos are on sale at Ctire so I went that route. Rears aren't in stock so I'll pick those up when they become available.
Original windshield in your part of the world is pretty impressive!
Been a busy couple weeks and I haven't done much car stuff, but I did get the JAAAG out on Saturday for a good hour or so on the backroads.
(https://i.imgur.com/FXe8VoD.jpeg)
I swapped out the winter tires last week finally. Then this weekend on the way back from the cottage (in Quebec) my wife must have smoked a pothole because there's a wicked dent in the wheel and it's no longer holding air.
I'm now looking for a replacement set of tires and wheels. Which is nice.
Long Memorial day weekend here, but lots of rain and storms kinda slowed down my progress on car stuff, did get some done though.
Ordered a set of Bilstein shocks for the front of the Escalade. Should be here next week, the Monroe's I put on it when we got it almost 10 years ago are hanging in there, but can't be optimal at this point. She'll be making the 7 hour trek to Destin FL in a couple weeks, so figured I'd get some fresh shocks on before the trip.
Then between the rain I tinkered with the project MGB that we bought about a year and a half ago now...Hadn't run it in about a month, and it was giving trouble getting started. Went down the rabbit hole on the fuel system and ended up re-working it. It has an aftermarket Weber carb, and someone thought they needed an adjustable pressure regulator, but the aftermarket pump they're running is seriously low psi, so I removed the regulator, all the unnecessary hoses, and ran the fuel line straight to the carb with a nice clean filter. Starts and runs much better now.
Then I started playing with the lights, it had headlights and brake lights, but basically nothing else....2-3 hours of tinkering and everything works now; lots of little issues...bad connections at the fuse block, broken/disconnected wires in the trunk, bad grounds, bad bulbs...A good mess, but satisfying to get it sorted.
Electrical stuff drives me bananas...
Sometimes it's not bad...On the MGB, everything is easily accessible, there's no computers/modules to figure out, so it's 'clean' work - sort of a detective type approach. It can be satisfying.
I did the brakes on the Tundra on the weekend. Fronts were causing wheel shake, and the rears were pulsing also. The rears were done about 3 years ago, and the fronts about 5 years ago. Lots of pad life left, but rotors were no good. I don't recall what brand I put on but I typically don't by the cheapest and go with mid grade. Anyway, it didn't work out so well that go around. Ctire had Brembo's on sale, so I grabbed the pads from there and the front rotors. Rear rotors weren't available so I picked up Brembo's from a local parts store.
The improvement in brake feel and strength is pretty incredible, considering the pads that were on the truck were fine. No more sponginess, just a good solid and smooth brake feel.
I am having a bit of an issue with the parking brake. It wasn't holding well previously so I adjusted it while I had the rotors off. They spun fine by hand with the rotors on, so I knew they weren't grabbing much. When I took the truck for a drive they were making a racket. I said eff it, pulled into the garage and readjusted them to the position they were in previously. I was done at that point. However, they still made some noise after that (although much less), but after a day of driving are almost totally quiet, except when I take a corner hard there's a bit of noise. I know, this makes no sense. I need to pull the wheels off again and see what's going on.
Well the brakes look good, interesting to see that Brembo now has black shims on their pads, before leaving CTire I was in charge of the brake programs and I told Brembo a few times that people were over red shims, and a lot of customers (myself included) didn't want to see red shims.
I had a pretty productive weekend on the cars last weekend. Continued plugging away on the MGB project, got the interior panels back in it, swapped the turn signal flasher and now all the lights work, little things like that.
Installed new Bilstein 4600 front shocks on the Escalade, the Monroes I installed about 9 years ago were done. Easiest shock swap ever, didn't even need to jack up the truck, just cranked the front wheel to get access, two bolts, and that was it. An hour for both sides, including clean up.
On the MGA the engine is seized from sitting 40 years, I've been soaking it down with Marvel Mystery oil, and bought a big 1"5/16 wrench to try and turn over the engine. So far it's beaten me, it must be really seized up. Next step will be to put it in gear (3rd?) and pull it behind the truck up the driveway to see if the dragging force can bust it free. After that, I guess I am pulling the head.....
Got this photo from Saturday night, we had a birthday party for the girl, so I moved a bunch of the cars over to one side of the driveway so people could get through to the backyard easy. Not often that I had this many of them uncovered at once.
(https://i.imgur.com/qazHfMm.jpeg)
Nice looking fleet for sure Firm! That silver T/A looks wonderful 8)
Thanks, I was thinking the other day, I've owned that T/A since January 2015, over 10 years now. I've put about 30K kms on it during that time. When I got it, I did a bunch of work to bring it up to spec, and other than A/C repairs, I haven't done anything else since. It just works. Yeah it's slow, but the old carb'd 305 / 700R4 combo is ridiculously reliable, it rides and handles shockingly well (factory optioned WS6 suspension package), stops well (4 wheel discs) and still feels special to drive. Don't think there's a more appropriate car for bumming around rural West Tennessee on the weekends than an old T/A.
This ratty MGB has been on my side burner project list for about 18 months now, just tinkering with it maybe a couple hours a month for most of that time. The last couple weeks I've been a little more focused on it. It's finally coming around to looking decent...It starts easy and runs/drives quite well, paint has been polished out, most of the paint areas that needed to be repaired have been, everything electronic works properly, the interior is all complete and clean/functional, the trunk is no longer a garbage dump, so we're getting there. I need to pull the windshield and frame next to replace the seals - never done that before on an MGB, but apparently it's a frustrating job. Once that's done I've got a couple small things to wrap up, and then I can get it listed for sale, and hopefully out of my driveway.
(https://i.imgur.com/j0fZ77h.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Vmlr7FX.jpeg)
I love that color. Reminds me of the early Audi S4 nogaro blue.
I finally got the soft tonneau cover on my 94 Sierra today. Finding one was difficult, installing it even more so. The beaming hot sun was the answer, helped the vinyl stretch enough to finally fit nice. Trucks complete now and I'll soon be listing it.
(https://i.ibb.co/vxPgLjnX/94sierra.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ccFM2rnY)
Man that's a good looking truck. Standard Cab long bed with with 4x4 is probably a fairly uncommon configuration too. Should be an easy sell.
Those vinyl tonneaus can be a serious pain. I remember way back in the day I had one of those, but the snap style, on my Sonoma. In the winter I'd have to pour hot water on it to get it to stretch back on if I opened it.
Quote from: Revelations on Jun 03, 2025, 11:48 PMNice looking fleet for sure Firm! That silver T/A looks wonderful 8)
That silver T/A is one of my favorites in Firm's fleet. Must be because I was in my late teens when that gen came out & saw them everywhere all over the GTA. A good friend of mine's older brother had it in black/gold & it was pretty cool when he'd pick us up from grade 10 & give us a ride home. I remember a few years later after high school I was up in Wasaga Beach visiting my buddy & he & his brother both had C4 vettes (can't remember the exact years) and the old T/A was still there as a beater for whoever needed it in the family. So I took it for a good little rip and remember the crisp hard shifts from 1st to 2nd in the tranny.
Lots of good work here, fellas!
I did an oil change on my boat. I stuck my oil extractor in the dipstick hole. Done. Spun off filter. Replace. Add oil.
This was ridiculously easy.
One of the OE HID Headlight bulbs in the DTS finally gave it up. GM's phenomenal design here dictates that the front bumper cover needs to be removed (or very loosened) in order to remove the headlamp assemblies and replace the bulbs....So, 2.5 hours to replace both sides. I changed every bulb in the assemblies while they were out, so hopefully I don't have to do that again anytime soon.
I've continued plugging away on the MGB recently too...Cleaned up the engine bay, replaced the windshield seals (not fun), replaced a sketchy fuel pump, etc. Waiting on a parts order now for a factory stripe kit and a U-joint, once that stuff arrives and get installed I can give it a good detail and get it listed. Not sure how the MG market is down here in the south, but we'll find out.....would be nice to have one less car in the driveway.
This was a weekend or two ago, but got the Jag out for a nice ride to 'Mud Island'. An island (sort of) in the middle of the Mississippi river, just west of downtown Memphis. It has a nice park, a marina, some neat brick streets with some restaurants & shops, and some really nice southern style homes (big tiered screened in porches). Nice spot to cruise around a bit, and a big contrast from downtown Memphis just across the bridge.
(https://i.imgur.com/frVg8l1.jpeg)
Quote from: Firm on Jul 14, 2025, 10:21 PMThis was a weekend or two ago, but got the Jag out for a nice ride to 'Mud Island'. An island (sort of) in the middle of the Mississippi river, just west of downtown Memphis. It has a nice park, a marina, some neat brick streets with some restaurants & shops, and some really nice southern style homes (big tiered screened in porches). Nice spot to cruise around a bit, and a big contrast from downtown Memphis just across the bridge.
(https://i.imgur.com/frVg8l1.jpeg)
Very cool, remember seeing that last time I was down in Memphis! Jag is looking fantastic!
I did an oil change in the Tundra yesterday. Now sitting at 292k.
I also polished the headlights. I would post a before and after photo but doesn't seem possible from my phone to load one direct. Ah well.
Finally wrapped up repairs on this 78 MGB, originally acquired February 2024 out of north Mississippi and kinda chipped away at it as a side-project, very slowly. Needed a bunch of small fixes, some paint-work, and a deep cleaning. Installed a factory 'MGB' side decal and gave it a good fresh detail before taking some photos and listing it. Not a perfect car, will never be, but a good solid driver for someone looking for an entry type classic roadster. I wasn't sure how the market down here would be for a car like this, they are very common, but I was shocked....Listed for a fair price ($6900) on Marketplace and was absolutely bombarded with inquiries and something like 10K views in 3-4 days. So, it sold pretty quick and really close to my original asking price.
Nice to have one less project to spread my time on, and a little less clutter in the driveway is cool too.
(https://imgur.com/a/RjaB3Tj#MIOzvqj)
(https://imgur.com/a/RjaB3Tj#OC4pTCy)
(https://imgur.com/a/RjaB3Tj#Ox8YLNg)
(https://imgur.com/a/RjaB3Tj#Cn3k0tj)
Unrelated, but we had some nice weather last week (i.e the heat index was under 100F) so I commuted for most of the week in the T/A. Friday afternoon got stuck in an absolute monsoon of a storm, but even as a 40 year old car she handled it well, even hitting some really deap (6-8"?) standing water...no leaks, good defrost/AC, wipers kept pace, etc. Felt way more safe and secure in those conditions than you'd expect for something that old. Had some really good help getting it cleaned back up too.
(https://imgur.com/a/RjaB3Tj#Uxreznt)
(https://imgur.com/a/RjaB3Tj#kRZtJHn)
Having issues with image hosting so just posting direct.
photos part 2
Nice, I bet you are still sort of getting the lay of the land for what car enthusiasts like in that local. Who would have predicted such interest in a small English roadster, but seems like there is a market.
Do you have any Japanese or German cars that you'd enjoy buying and restoring? Seems like I only ever see the British stuff and American with you, so just curious.
Yeah, I honestly thought it was going to be a struggle selling that MGB here, but I probably could've sold 3 of them! Clean good looking little roadster with a stick shift for low $, I think that's what got people interested rather than it being an MG.
I've actually never owned a Japanese car...Only a handful that I'd ever have interest in; Miata, 240Z, SC400, maybe a Prelude, but I am really just not that into them. German stuff I can get into...I've owned 3 SLKs, including the one we currently have. I had a BMW 318CI ages ago too. I tend to favor Mercedes for whatever reason, but I keep my eyes peeled for Porsche's too as I've never done one and wouldn't mind trying it.
Quote from: Firm on Aug 14, 2025, 10:36 PMI've actually never owned a Japanese car...Only a handful that I'd ever have interest in; Miata, 240Z, SC400, maybe a Prelude, but I am really just not that into them. German stuff I can get into...I've owned 3 SLKs, including the one we currently have. I had a BMW 318CI ages ago too. I tend to favor Mercedes for whatever reason, but I keep my eyes peeled for Porsche's too as I've never done one and wouldn't mind trying it.
A nice Porsche 944 N/A would be a cool project for you. Parts are readily available for them, especially in the states at reasonable prices. 1986 and up are the ones to look for, as they have the updated dash that's much nicer than the earlier cars. Find one that needs a timing belt done, it's a big ticket item that owners don't wanna do (usually a $2k job) and do it yourself for $300ish. Then there's small things that are easily done like suspension refresh, sway-bar bushings, etc. Generally they're a pretty stout car & a non-turbo is still a fun car to drive, the gearing is lower than the turbo, so it's a little more playful. The turbo was geared tall and would just cruise along as a distance GT.
Yep, I've looked at some 944's over the years, just never pulled the trigger on anything. There are a few advertised locally, but they're very rough. Good tips too, thanks for sharing!
Changed the spark plugs in the DTS yesterday. Manual calls for them to be done at 100K miles, car is at 116K miles, and I believe these to be original, so definitely time to do them. Replaced with the exact same ACDelco Platinum, which to my surprise, were made in Japan just like the ones that came out of it.
Old ones - car ran fine, but these were obviously past their prime.
(https://i.imgur.com/p1yLv8U.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lSUvQTo.jpeg)
It amazes me how long plugs can last. Years ago i bought a 2002 Suburban 2500 with the 496 V8 from the original owner, had a light missfire and he said its probably because it has the original pugs and wires still...it had well into the 300's. Yes, the plugs were absolute junk and replacing all 8 smartened it right up.
GM really had their ignition systems figured out, always have been best of the lot in that area for some reason. HEI was far superior to anything else at the time, they did coil on plug right, and anything from the early 2000's onward seems to run forever on the OE components. Our Escalade just hit 300K kms and is still on the original coils...I did plugs & wires once just as maintenance.
Fords on the other hand eat coils like candy, and the German stuff loves throwing misfire codes if you stretch the replacement intervals at all.
Quote from: Firm on Sep 07, 2025, 09:49 PMGM really had their ignition systems figured out, always have been best of the lot in that area for some reason.
Not sure I agree with that when I was doing Corvette shopping...
The Highlander is still on it's original plugs. 240k km and 17 years. To replace them involves removing a bunch of stuff, wiper cowl and intake manifold, so my mechanic said not to bother. It seems to drive fine.
I tried to do the plugs on the SLK-55 when I had it, 16 freaking plugs & some were a HUGE pain in the ass to get to & I just didn't have the patience. Car had a valve cover leak, so when I took it to my mechanic to do that, I got him to do the 16 plugs as he was in there.
Quote from: RRocket on Sep 08, 2025, 01:03 AMQuote from: Firm on Sep 07, 2025, 09:49 PMGM really had their ignition systems figured out, always have been best of the lot in that area for some reason.
Not sure I agree with that when I was doing Corvette shopping...
Be a little more specific...If you're talking about LS based engine corvettes then I disagree, something needs to be really wrong for an LS to misfire. Tons of trucks running the same setup with huge miles and no maintenance. If you're talking LT1 Corvette, then yeah, the whole Optispark debacle is relevant - but that's 5 years and one engine that was only in performance cars (and some rare big boats).
Quote from: Gurgie on Sep 08, 2025, 08:44 AMI tried to do the plugs on the SLK-55 when I had it, 16 freaking plugs & some were a HUGE pain in the ass to get to & I just didn't have the patience. Car had a valve cover leak, so when I took it to my mechanic to do that, I got him to do the 16 plugs as he was in there.
Yeah, Mercedes (well, most Germans) suck for ease of replacement. Even my older SLK, you need some special tool to get the coils to pull off so you can get to the plugs, and the fairly pedestrian 3.2L V6 is also 2-plugs per cylinder.
Actually, the OptiSpark wasn't that bad. The problem was always moisture related. Either by a leaky water pump, washing the engine, or driving in a deep puddle. The unit became vented after 95 I believe and that allowed it to dry itself rather than hold the moisture and self destruct. But yeah, wasn't the greatest I guess lol.
Quote from: Firm on Sep 08, 2025, 10:14 AMQuote from: RRocket on Sep 08, 2025, 01:03 AMQuote from: Firm on Sep 07, 2025, 09:49 PMGM really had their ignition systems figured out, always have been best of the lot in that area for some reason.
Not sure I agree with that when I was doing Corvette shopping...
Be a little more specific...If you're talking about LS based engine corvettes then I disagree, something needs to be really wrong for an LS to misfire. Tons of trucks running the same setup with huge miles and no maintenance. If you're talking LT1 Corvette, then yeah, the whole Optispark debacle is relevant - but that's 5 years and one engine that was only in performance cars (and some rare big boats).
Yep, definitely Optispark. And "only" 5 years on their halo car. No biggie! LOL 😆
And C5 had ignition switch failures which were a known issue. My buddy went through 2-3! LOL 😆
He now has a ZL-1. No ignition issues on that one! :)
My Dad has had two cars with the Optispark system (both '94 Roadmasters), and both failed. I don't recall the reason for the first failure, but the second one went out when it was soaked with oil. I'm assuming the camshaft seal was leaking, but mechanic said that was fine, so I dunno.
Either way, the system is pretty notorious for failure.
I think the biggest fault of the system is it's location, it's directly below the water pump on the front of the engine....So if you've got a leaky water pump, or an oil leak in the area, it gets soaked and fails - like any distributor. As rev points out, later versions were better vented to help with the issue, but still, if it got drenched in oil or coolant it's likely going to need to be replaced. Easily remedied with with fresh Opti, and plenty of improved aftermarket units to choose from. That said, I've owned 3 LT1 cars, I am mindful of the problem, and have never had an issue.
LT1 isn't exactly a pedestrian engine though; F-bodies, Corvette & Roadmaster/Fleetwood. All the GM trucks of the era got the TBI or Vortec versions which were bulletproof. It was a fairly high-performance setup for it's time pushing 300hp in the Vette and 275 in the Camaro/Firebird. Keeping in mind, the Ford 4.6 of the time made 215hp. Even the much more advanced Lexus 4.0L or the Caddy N*, both of which were DOHC 32 valve units, made 260 and 300 respectively. The LTI setup really squeezed a lot of performance out of a very old engine platform and traditional tech.
I'm again reminded why you shouldn't own a TDI outside of the warranty. Well, at least an undeleted one.
I brought it to the dealer for a check engine light, it ended up being a fault related to the exhaust pressure control valve position. They ended up replacing a catalyst and exhaust pipe section because a flap was seized. The part alone is around $1200. Would have been a $2k repair after it was all said and done.
....and when I was driving home, the steering column started making a noise. Then, a few error codes appeared. Looks like the clockspring failed, so it's going back for another warranty repair.
I saw the new Tiguan, and I think it looks good. Shame about all the screens inside.
Quote from: Tortoise on Sep 09, 2025, 10:19 PMI'm again reminded why you shouldn't own a TDI outside of the warranty. Well, at least an undeleted one.
I brought it to the dealer for a check engine light, it ended up being a fault related to the exhaust pressure control valve position. They ended up replacing a catalyst and exhaust pipe section because a flap was seized. The part alone is around $1200. Would have been a $2k repair after it was all said and done.
....and when I was driving home, the steering column started making a noise. Then, a few error codes appeared. Looks like the clockspring failed, so it's going back for another warranty repair.
I saw the new Tiguan, and I think it looks good. Shame about all the screens inside.
Sometimes I really miss my 2015 Golf TDI, and then I read stories like that. IF fgc THEN extended warranty !
Yeah, I love the car. And there's nothing left like it on the market. But it's ridiculous that an 18 year old Highlander is easier to keep on the road than an 8 year old Golf.
Quote from: Tortoise on Sep 10, 2025, 08:49 AMYeah, I love the car. And there's nothing left like it on the market. But it's ridiculous that an 18 year old Highlander is easier to keep on the road than an 8 year old Golf.
Seems like a 19yr old 911 (Gurgie knocks on wood) is easier to keep on the road than an 8yr old Golf ;D
Do like your Golf though & the TDI does drive nice when there's no issues.
Washed and waxed the Crosstrek yesterday before it spends the next two weeks in manufacturer's yards. Still love that car, only 18,000 km in exactly 3 years thanks to "the hobby". I left it in the garage, have the doorjambs and door bottoms left to wax. Driving it to a conference in Quebec city next month so it's going to get some highway exercise.
Dealing with some health issues that are going to keep me down for a couple of months as well as in the process of moving, so put everything away for the season
Quote from: TheHire on Sep 12, 2025, 12:46 PMDealing with some health issues that are going to keep me down for a couple of months as well as in the process of moving, so put everything away for the season
Sorry to hear that - get well and try to get some rest through the move!
Quote from: Blueprint on Sep 17, 2025, 10:48 AMQuote from: TheHire on Sep 12, 2025, 12:46 PMDealing with some health issues that are going to keep me down for a couple of months as well as in the process of moving, so put everything away for the season
Sorry to hear that - get well and try to get some rest through the move!
^what he said :)
Yes, all the best.
Waxed the CX-90. Paint got all cloudy ;)
New Vreds today!!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/8936/85dqh5.jpg)
^Prius?
Did some work on the Maserati, which required using the lift in the garage, so I had to move out some of the F-Bodies...The Camaro hadn't been out in months, so I ended up taking it for a nice long drive, and then using it for my weekend errands.
(https://i.imgur.com/gDAtjJp.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/359kinL.jpeg)
Had new pads and rotors installed in the Golf. I had previously used Akenobo Euro Ceramic pads but I never really liked them. Decent wear and no dust, but the initial bite was really weak and it felt like more pedal travel was needed to get stopped.
I went with Zimmerman rotors and OEM pads, and it's miles better. I'm happy to deal with the dust for the better brake feel.
Quote from: Tortoise on Oct 20, 2025, 09:41 AMHad new pads and rotors installed in the Golf. I had previously used Akenobo Euro Ceramic pads but I never really liked them. Decent wear and no dust, but the initial bite was really weak and it felt like more pedal travel was needed to get stopped.
I went with Zimmerman rotors and OEM pads, and it's miles better. I'm happy to deal with the dust for the better brake feel.
I was always impressed with the Zimmerman rotors, used them on my old V70 & on Bella's 3 series.
Yeah, had them on my old red SLK and they were really nice quality Rotors. Used to be preferred by a lot of the German car specialists, might still be.
Quote from: Firm on Oct 21, 2025, 10:41 PMYeah, had them on my old red SLK and they were really nice quality Rotors. Used to be preferred by a lot of the German car specialists, might still be.
Had them on my 911
+1
I too used/use Zimmerman rotors on all my cars.
Put the winters on the MDX today. We are still loving this thing.
Enjoying this now that I have my license back... ceramic coat, polished the headlights and applied PPF to them. She now has about 63,000km...
(https://i.imgur.com/VpY8R4D.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wmwd2y8.jpeg)
That's a very nice luxury 350 Z! Styling has held up well on those.
Also, super clean vintage plates :)
I wanna know if he went to the Popeye's after he filled up, or skipped it because of his heart issue? ;D
Quote from: TheHire on Nov 02, 2025, 05:00 PMEnjoying this now that I have my license back... ceramic coat, polished the headlights and applied PPF to them. She now has about 63,000km...
(https://i.imgur.com/VpY8R4D.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wmwd2y8.jpeg)
I thought you sold this car on BaT?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-infiniti-g35-21/
Quote from: Oliver on Nov 03, 2025, 08:30 AMQuote from: TheHire on Nov 02, 2025, 05:00 PMEnjoying this now that I have my license back... ceramic coat, polished the headlights and applied PPF to them. She now has about 63,000km...
I thought you sold this car on BaT?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-infiniti-g35-21/
I thought so too....
Uh oh! Adi doing some shell bidding because the price wasn't high enough? LOL 😆
I can confirm that he did sell it, and recently bought it back from the guy who he'd sold it to.
Not a car you typically see with a handicapped sign on the dash. They issue those post-op? Not a bad idea to keep one mobile during the recovery phase.
Nah, the guy who bought it from us on BaT got his GT3 Touring allocation and had to lose something in his garage. Worked out because I REALLY love this car and want it as part of my own forever collection. It's super sweet, given day-one Infiniti dealer records, four keys including wallet card, sales brochure, etc. Six speed with the Brembos and navigation, with about 63,000km on it. Guy put maybe 300km on it in the year he owned it, and I scored it back for a little bit less than he paid us. I was pi$$ed when it sold for that little because I lost about ~$5K on that car, and I'd rather have kept it, but we honoured the deal and sold it anyway. Really glad to see it back.
Yes, accessible parking pass because I have limitations on walking. I haven't really been using it because I avoid places that involve lots of walking, but it's nice to have in case I do need it. I find myself getting winded pretty quickly.
Funny enough, they aren't vintage plates. Medical tags issued to doctors, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists with a Pharm.D degree. They have an old-style number sequence but they were actually issued in maybe 2021-2022. They were on my black Touareg V10 and my silver LS460 at some point. Touareg's gone and the LS got the "original" plates it was issued in 2009. I'm a bit of a plate autist...
On that note, the silver '09 LS460 is in long-term storage. Has about 150K on it and I'm saving it to give my son when he turns 16... in 15 years LOL. I'm going to try my hardest to instil the love of cars into him and start him off on a V8 that used to belong to his great-grandfather, and teach him the skill of manual on the S2000. If he earns it with responsibility, the cars are both his. His mother will need something more sensible by then that doesn't have 600+hp for him to be a silly boy with, though...
Quote from: TheHire on Nov 04, 2025, 09:20 PMNah, the guy who bought it from us on BaT got his GT3 Touring allocation and had to lose something in his garage. Worked out because I REALLY love this car and want it as part of my own forever collection. It's super sweet, given day-one Infiniti dealer records, four keys including wallet card, sales brochure, etc. Six speed with the Brembos and navigation, with about 63,000km on it. Guy put maybe 300km on it in the year he owned it, and I scored it back for a little bit less than he paid us. I was pi$$ed when it sold for that little because I lost about ~$5K on that car, and I'd rather have kept it, but we honoured the deal and sold it anyway. Really glad to see it back.
Yes, accessible parking pass because I have limitations on walking. I haven't really been using it because I avoid places that involve lots of walking, but it's nice to have in case I do need it. I find myself getting winded pretty quickly.
Funny enough, they aren't vintage plates. Medical tags issued to doctors, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists with a Pharm.D degree. They have an old-style number sequence but they were actually issued in maybe 2021-2022. They were on my black Touareg V10 and my silver LS460 at some point. Touareg's gone and the LS got the "original" plates it was issued in 2009. I'm a bit of a plate autist...
On that note, the silver '09 LS460 is in long-term storage. Has about 150K on it and I'm saving it to give my son when he turns 16... in 15 years LOL. I'm going to try my hardest to instil the love of cars into him and start him off on a V8 that used to belong to his great-grandfather, and teach him the skill of manual on the S2000. If he earns it with responsibility, the cars are both his. His mother will need something more sensible by then that doesn't have 600+hp for him to be a silly boy with, though...
I've always liked those Gs. I think that style has aged nicely, too.
I'd happily own one.
This was Halloween, so I am a week late, but this did put a smile on my face....Sonoma does a lot of sitting around in the garage these days, but for Halloween I brought it out and used it to haul our kids, and the neighbors kids, around for trick or treating....Big hit with the kids & moms as it was way easier to climb in and out of than any of the other trucks. Houses are pretty far apart here, so this is the way to do it.
(https://i.imgur.com/80bEs2g.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gPsCo6Z.jpeg)
Swapped the two CX-30's to their winter wheels and mats, did the mats on the CX-90 - tires will have to wait for my muscles to ache less (we took down a pair of 10' Juniper trees and hauled them out to the ecocentre with the Maverick). It's snowing today, 1st time of the year. Subaru coming back home for a week and I'll swap that one in the coming days. In Quebec, snow or shine they must be on by December 1st.
Given that your Subaru stays parked most of the time (due to press vehicles), wouldn't it make sense to just put All-Weather tires on that thing and skip the bi-annual swap?
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Nov 13, 2025, 08:21 AMGiven that your Subaru stays parked most of the time (due to press vehicles), wouldn't it make sense to just put All-Weather tires on that thing and skip the bi-annual swap?
I was thinking the same thing, especially now since I believe his daughter no longer uses it (I think?).
Quote from: Firm on Nov 08, 2025, 10:15 PMThis was Halloween, so I am a week late, but this did put a smile on my face....Sonoma does a lot of sitting around in the garage these days, but for Halloween I brought it out and used it to haul our kids, and the neighbors kids, around for trick or treating....Big hit with the kids & moms as it was way easier to climb in and out of than any of the other trucks. Houses are pretty far apart here, so this is the way to do it.
(https://i.imgur.com/80bEs2g.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gPsCo6Z.jpeg)
Nice, got to love having a tool that is perfect the job. It looks pretty clean too.
Thnx! It is super clean....These trucks were tough mechanically, but the body/interiors didn't hold up well, very few left in decent shape, even here in the South is pretty hard to spot one that's not absolute junk. Of every vehicle I have, this gets the most "wanna sell me that?" inquiries when out and about.
That Sonoma looks so nice. Took my bro in law years to find a clean S10. He was pretty specific though, a reg cab stepside Xtreme was what he was after. Finally found one and it now has a 6.0 LS with a 6l80 trans. Not many nice ones left.
Quote from: Gurgie on Nov 13, 2025, 10:51 AMQuote from: GreatBigAbyss on Nov 13, 2025, 08:21 AMGiven that your Subaru stays parked most of the time (due to press vehicles), wouldn't it make sense to just put All-Weather tires on that thing and skip the bi-annual swap?
I was thinking the same thing, especially now since I believe his daughter no longer uses it (I think?).
Results would be inferior tires in all seasons - our winter conditions are quite severe. And, besides, I already have my two sets which I swap myself. The added bonus is that the oem alloys don't see roadsalt, a plus as I may hold on to this one for a good 8-10 years or so total. Also, I kind of drive the thing as if it was a jacked up WRX in the summer ;D
Quote from: Firm on Nov 13, 2025, 08:10 PMThnx! It is super clean....These trucks were tough mechanically, but the body/interiors didn't hold up well, very few left in decent shape, even here in the South is pretty hard to spot one that's not absolute junk. Of every vehicle I have, this gets the most "wanna sell me that?" inquiries when out and about.
Last week when I rode the Maverick to the Ecocenter with branches in the bed, there was a same-gen S10 or S15 in the line-up, white over teal. Had not seen one in ages! While I really like these, the early 1st-gen S10 was just about compact truck perfection as far as styling goes.
Finished the tire rounds with the CX-90. This one is a beast to do. I can't center it in the garage as it's just too wide, so it's one side at a time. The pinch welds are really deep inside, a sure sign of the narrower structure shared with the CX-60 and CX-80 that we don't get. To properly align the floor jack, I have to lay flat on my stomach, and use a flashlight since the things are so far away from daylight (the body cladding is much lower than the pinch welds). It's a female dog to align. The wheels and tires are huge and heavy. My technique to lift these to the studs is to sit on the floor and use my feet to lift the wheel up, emulating the tire jacking contraptions sold online.
The Mrs is cooling down on this rig. The infotainment always looses her phone, but just her phone for some reason. But it's just too big for the few times we need all three rows - she was the one advocating for that need. In any case, this is a transition vehicle for us between the minivan and an upcoming empty nester machine. Once the eldest finally moves out, in a year or two, I may be kicking tires. I know she would love a Forester - she just loves all Subarus - but I also know she's going to want a PHEV and Subaru doesn't have one yet.
Quote from: Blueprint on Nov 14, 2025, 09:32 AMshe just loves all Subarus
It's not too late to find another wife...
Quote from: Blueprint on Nov 18, 2025, 08:28 AMQuote from: Oliver on Nov 17, 2025, 01:12 PMQuote from: TheHire on Nov 16, 2025, 06:53 PMQuote from: Blueprint on Nov 14, 2025, 09:32 AMshe just loves all Subarus
It's not too late to find another wife...
;D
Hey, I like Subarus too !!
It's okay man, we all have our faults!
Placed the TR6 in storage (registration wise) through Quebec's new scandalous multi-million dollar online tool. At least, the system works!
Quote from: Blueprint on Nov 20, 2025, 08:10 PMQuebec's new scandalous multi-million dollar online tool. At least, the system works!
I live in a cave.
What moronic thing has Quebec done this time?
Even auditing the thing cost millions ;D
https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/commission-investigating-saaqclic-fiasco-cost-7-million/ (https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/commission-investigating-saaqclic-fiasco-cost-7-million/)
New shocks/springs in the Prius.
Why not just the shocks?
^What brand(s) did you go with?
Mrs.Firm had to run some errands this morning, and it was threatening to rain, so I told her to take the DTS as it was already dirty, and I'd just spent 3 hours detailing the Escalade, and the SLK was still nice and clean from last weekend's bath. She calls me an hour later as I am up on the roof cleaning gutters, saying that the brake pedal is going to the floor and doesn't stop the car.....Fortunately she was able to get safely into a parking lot. So, I jumped in the truck to go rescue her, turns out a main brake line from the master cylinder to the ABS block has failed (rust through at a spot where it transitions from a braided material to hard steel) and is spraying fluid everywhere.
I limped it to the Firestone Repair that's about 2-minutes from the house using only the emergency brake. They're open weekends but their 'master tech' isn't in until Monday.....So we'll see how that goes. I've had good luck with this shop for alignments, but never an actual repair. Tempted to do it at home, but really don't want too. Access really sucks, and I'd have to fabricate a new line, then bleed the ABS system - which requires a scanner.
Quote from: Firm on Nov 29, 2025, 05:50 PM^What brand(s) did you go with?
Mrs.Firm had to run some errands this morning, and it was threatening to rain, so I told her to take the DTS as it was already dirty, and I'd just spent 3 hours detailing the Escalade, and the SLK was still nice and clean from last weekend's bath. She calls me an hour later as I am up on the roof cleaning gutters, saying that the brake pedal is going to the floor and doesn't stop the car.....Fortunately she was able to get safely into a parking lot. So, I jumped in the truck to go rescue her, turns out a main brake line from the master cylinder to the ABS block has failed (rust through at a spot where it transitions from a braided material to hard steel) and is spraying fluid everywhere.
I limped it to the Firestone Repair that's about 2-minutes from the house using only the emergency brake. They're open weekends but their 'master tech' isn't in until Monday.....So we'll see how that goes. I've had good luck with this shop for alignments, but never an actual repair. Tempted to do it at home, but really don't want too. Access really sucks, and I'd have to fabricate a new line, then bleed the ABS system - which requires a scanner.
Holy shit!!
Quote from: Tortoise on Nov 29, 2025, 04:56 PMWhy not just the shocks?
Because I don't have a spring compressor! LOL 😆
Quote from: Firm on Nov 29, 2025, 05:50 PM^What brand(s) did you go with
FCS.
Never heard of them, but seems to be fairly well regarded and had the ❤ symbol...if that means anything.
And unbeatable price for a strut/spring combo...$125 ea Strut mount kinda UNDER the windshield, so a bit fussy. Watch video to see.
Rears were $44 ea. Mounts completely from the outside, so didn't have to tear apart rear interior.
Replaced links while I was in there.
Apart from tires, this is the first "real" money spent on the Prius.
https://youtu.be/feHSmHCOg80?feature=shared
FCS is decent stuff, they supply a lot of the big-brand private label stuff down here.
Quote from: Firm on Nov 29, 2025, 06:22 PMFCS is decent stuff, they supply a lot of the big-brand private label stuff down here.
I've never used them but did research them.
Not too many complaints...and most people seemed to like them.
Not sure I'd put them on a Porsche...but probably fine for a Prius.
With the DTS down I've been DD'ing the green 96 Bird....Including on our 'date night' last night. For those who don't remember, this car looks tame...but it's not. Early 00's build; built Lt1, long tube headers with 3" pipes straight back with only a flowmaster 40-series between the headers and the exit, Bilstein suspension kit of some sort, etc. Thing is so loud you can feel your heart rattle if you stand close to it at idle....Had about a 30 minute run last night on the highway in the rain and was reminded just how raw this car is.
But then, I saw it in the daylight, and even dirty, it just looks so damn good. The green/tan is probably the biggest reason I keep this thing around.
(https://i.imgur.com/HSrW5Wu.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/pTfzIgI.jpeg)
Good color combo.
Agreed, such a classic colour.
Do you have any plans to tone it down a little? I feel like these things are great GT cruisers, so it would be more in line with its personality.
Quote from: Tortoise on Dec 01, 2025, 08:34 AMAgreed, such a classic colour.
Do you have any plans to tone it down a little? I feel like these things are great GT cruisers, so it would be more in line with its personality.
It is a very classic colour combo.
Wonder if you could add a set of resonators somewhere to tone it down? Unless you don't mind it as is?
I thought about it, would be easy to do, but I already have 3 other stock(ish) F-bodies.....including Mrs. Firm's red 96 which is basically the same car but with a stock 3.8L V6, and factory T/A WS6 suspension (I installed that many years ago), it's waaay better as a practical driver. But, it's her car and it's extremely clean, so I don't really want to put it through commute duties in Memphis. Some wild drivers here, and if someone smoked the green one, meh, but if her Firebird got taken out we'd both be pretty upset.
Quote from: Firm on Nov 29, 2025, 05:50 PM^What brand(s) did you go with?
Mrs.Firm had to run some errands this morning, and it was threatening to rain, so I told her to take the DTS as it was already dirty, and I'd just spent 3 hours detailing the Escalade, and the SLK was still nice and clean from last weekend's bath. She calls me an hour later as I am up on the roof cleaning gutters, saying that the brake pedal is going to the floor and doesn't stop the car.....Fortunately she was able to get safely into a parking lot. So, I jumped in the truck to go rescue her, turns out a main brake line from the master cylinder to the ABS block has failed (rust through at a spot where it transitions from a braided material to hard steel) and is spraying fluid everywhere.
I limped it to the Firestone Repair that's about 2-minutes from the house using only the emergency brake. They're open weekends but their 'master tech' isn't in until Monday.....So we'll see how that goes. I've had good luck with this shop for alignments, but never an actual repair. Tempted to do it at home, but really don't want too. Access really sucks, and I'd have to fabricate a new line, then bleed the ABS system - which requires a scanner.
Well, as expected, Firestone looked at it and took a hard pass, lol. So I grabbed the car and brought it home....Guess it's a DIY job now. The line I need is discontinued everywhere, but I did fine one company, Lines2Go (funny enough, a Canadian company...BC based) that makes a full stainless steel kit for the DTS, including the line I need. For $230 shipped I just ordered the full kit, I'll replace the line I need and keep the rest of the kit for future if needed.
Access to replace the line is pretty poor, but I think I can remove enough stuff to get access and get it replaced. The part I am more worried about is bleeding the ABS module after it's had a bunch of air introduced into it. My new Launch X431 scanner should be able to do it, but I've never done it before....
It's a good thing I have a few backup cars because this means it'll likely be down for a couple weeks before I can get to it.
Quote from: Firm on Dec 01, 2025, 10:10 PMQuote from: Firm on Nov 29, 2025, 05:50 PM^What brand(s) did you go with?
Mrs.Firm had to run some errands this morning, and it was threatening to rain, so I told her to take the DTS as it was already dirty, and I'd just spent 3 hours detailing the Escalade, and the SLK was still nice and clean from last weekend's bath. She calls me an hour later as I am up on the roof cleaning gutters, saying that the brake pedal is going to the floor and doesn't stop the car.....Fortunately she was able to get safely into a parking lot. So, I jumped in the truck to go rescue her, turns out a main brake line from the master cylinder to the ABS block has failed (rust through at a spot where it transitions from a braided material to hard steel) and is spraying fluid everywhere.
I limped it to the Firestone Repair that's about 2-minutes from the house using only the emergency brake. They're open weekends but their 'master tech' isn't in until Monday.....So we'll see how that goes. I've had good luck with this shop for alignments, but never an actual repair. Tempted to do it at home, but really don't want too. Access really sucks, and I'd have to fabricate a new line, then bleed the ABS system - which requires a scanner.
Well, as expected, Firestone looked at it and took a hard pass, lol. So I grabbed the car and brought it home....Guess it's a DIY job now. The line I need is discontinued everywhere, but I did fine one company, Lines2Go (funny enough, a Canadian company...BC based) that makes a full stainless steel kit for the DTS, including the line I need. For $230 shipped I just ordered the full kit, I'll replace the line I need and keep the rest of the kit for future if needed.
Access to replace the line is pretty poor, but I think I can remove enough stuff to get access and get it replaced. The part I am more worried about is bleeding the ABS module after it's had a bunch of air introduced into it. My new Launch X431 scanner should be able to do it, but I've never done it before....
It's a good thing I have a few backup cars because this means it'll likely be down for a couple weeks before I can get to it.
Good luck with the repair, I'm sure you'll figure it out & get it done quicker than any of us pleebs that are on here... keep us posted.
Yeah, exactly that. I look forward to watching you make the impossible look easy.
Well, it took the better part of the day, but I got the DTS back in action....First of all, super impressed with LineToGo, kit arrived in 24 hours of order, and shipped from Nova Scotia! Pretty cool that a Canadian company has the only solution here, and for a great price! No issues with duties or tariffs, which tells me they've got their act together with USMCA clearances and whatnot.
Started early, removed the airbox entirely, and a bunch of other easy stuff that was in the way, and barely got some access to the ABS module. The old fitting was seized on and no amount of fighting it with line wrenches and PB Blaster was going to do it, so I ended up metal fatiguing the line enough that it broke off just above the fitting so I could get on it with a deep socket and super long extension. That made all the difference and I was able to get it out, and swap the new one in.
Bleeding sucked, as expected, and took hours to do it all completely.....jack stands, pulled all 4 wheels, 4-corner manual bleed, then 3 complete automated ABS bleeds using the Launch X431 scanner, then another complete manual bleed for good measure. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant and Mrs.Firm was around to help with the bleeding. Pedal feels great, maybe better than before, and car stops great. Nice to have fresh fluid to all for corners now too, the stuff that came out was pretty dark.
The working conditions on the ABS module
(https://i.imgur.com/VMrwdpo.jpeg)
The fresh SS line installed
(https://i.imgur.com/juJ8zJa.jpeg)
As always...top shelf work!
I'm guessing this is the first major headache the DTS has caused? If so, not bad and glad you were able to get it wrapped up.
Quote from: RRocket on Dec 06, 2025, 11:29 PMAs always...top shelf work!
Completely agree!! 👍👍
Thanks guys!
Quote from: Revelations on Dec 07, 2025, 12:14 AMI'm guessing this is the first major headache the DTS has caused? If so, not bad and glad you were able to get it wrapped up.
The car was totally headache free from when I got it in 2018 until this year (ok late 2024) when it's started giving me all the typical DTS issues at once. First was the alternator, that was probably the worst, as it took 2 full days, and I broke the radiator in the process....So it got an alternator and radiator. Then the heater core got plugged up and didn't want to put out good heat, access is terrible, so I had really get creative to find a way to flush it out. Next the coolant crossover gaskets started weeping, which was another full day job, did the water pump and complete fresh of the cooling system then. Not really a headache, but I did the spark plugs as it was time for them a couple months ago as well.....So, I've spent more time under the hood of this thing than any other car in my fleet this year. It's at 118K miles / 190K kms.....Guess it's just hitting that time where a bunch of things are hitting their replacement cycle.
That said, I love the way the car rides and drives, it's simply one of the best long-distance cruisers out there. Lifetime average of 10.5L/100km, out of a 20 year old 300hp V8. I also dig the looks and the 'big old black caddy' vibes. Every time something like this happens I think about what I might replace it with, but I really can't land on anything I'd rather commute in.....Conti GT maybe, but you know that's only going to be worse for repairs.....So I just keep fixing it. At least parts are pretty cheap, and thus far, I've been able to do all the labor myself.
All of those early years wrenching on sexy garden tractors British roadsters are paying off, developping basic skills and understanding principles with simple, analog machines at first and then being able to move on, learn more and tackle serious jobs "the pros" won't even touch on more complex vehicles. Firm is definitely DIY Nobel Prize material 8)
Great work Firm. I know it's a lot of busted knuckles and time, but I bet the parts are pretty cheap.
I wonder if maybe the Crown Vic vehicles would offer a similar ride but maybe with slightly better reliability and likely even cheaper/abundance of parts. I always loved the Mercury Marauder.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Dec 09, 2025, 05:46 PMGreat work Firm. I know it's a lot of busted knuckles and time, but I bet the parts are pretty cheap.
I wonder if maybe the Crown Vic vehicles would offer a similar ride but maybe with slightly better reliability and likely even cheaper/abundance of parts. I always loved the Mercury Marauder.
Town Car! Same platform as Crown Vic.
Thanks guys :) I kinda like the Marauder/Panther platform cars....but I am just not a Ford guy, and that old modular 4.6L in the Vic/Town Car is relatively unrefined and gutless compared to the NorthStar. The DOHC 4.6L in the Marauder might be better, never driven one. If I am going to drive a big luxo barge it's going to be a Cadillac, or I am going to swing full masochist and do something like a well used Bentley, Quattroporte, something like that.
Quote from: Firm on Dec 09, 2025, 07:43 PMunrefined compared to the NorthStar..
Oh the irony! LOL 😆
Quote from: Firm on Dec 09, 2025, 07:43 PMThanks guys :) I kinda like the Marauder/Panther platform cars....but I am just not a Ford guy, and that old modular 4.6L in the Vic/Town Car is relatively unrefined and gutless compared to the NorthStar. The DOHC 4.6L in the Marauder might be better, never driven one. If I am going to drive a big luxo barge it's going to be a Cadillac, or I am going to swing full masochist and do something like a well used Bentley, Quattroporte, something like that.
Car and Driver's Elena Sherr bought a Bentley for pennies on the quids. I always had a thing for the Mulsanne Turbo R ...
Quote from: Blueprint on Dec 09, 2025, 08:01 PMCar and Driver's Elena Sherr bought a Bentley for pennies on the quids. I always had a thing for the Mulsanne Turbo R ...
I had a mechanic buddy who had one. He's a masochist because he also had a Range Rover! LOL 😆
He said the problem wasn't fixing the Bentley...but getting parts easily. And so, it often sat for weeks/months trying to get some stupid part..
^Yeah, that would be really annoying, especially on something that you're trying to Daily.
Quote from: RRocket on Dec 09, 2025, 07:46 PMQuote from: Firm on Dec 09, 2025, 07:43 PMunrefined compared to the NorthStar..
Oh the irony! LOL 😆
Hey, I'd put a properly maintained NorthStar up against some of the world's most refined engines....And the 06+ units with the head bolts finally fixed are really solid. It's the difficulty of working on / accessing anything that makes it irritating when 'normal' things do go wrong.
Quote from: Firm on Dec 09, 2025, 08:21 PM^Yeah, that would be really annoying, especially on something that you're trying to Daily.
Quote from: RRocket on Dec 09, 2025, 07:46 PMQuote from: Firm on Dec 09, 2025, 07:43 PMunrefined compared to the NorthStar..
Oh the irony! LOL 😆
Hey, I'd put a properly maintained NorthStar up against some of the world's most refined engines....And the 06+ units with the head bolts finally fixed are really solid. It's the difficulty of working on / accessing anything that makes it irritating when 'normal' things do go wrong.
Northstars are very refined in the manner that they blow up! LOL 😆
Quote from: Johnnymac on Dec 09, 2025, 05:46 PMGreat work Firm. I know it's a lot of busted knuckles and time, but I bet the parts are pretty cheap.
I wonder if maybe the Crown Vic vehicles would offer a similar ride but maybe with slightly better reliability and likely even cheaper/abundance of parts. I always loved the Mercury Marauder.
I'm guessing the ride would be compromised a bit by the solid rear axle.
I'll upvote the Northstar too. They were very refined and powerful. Had several in our family long term, and none ever blew up. 15 yr old me convinced my uncle that a Cadillac STS was a far better car than a LS400, much better looking, and cheaper too. The owner of the Cadillac store let him take his personal STS for the weekend, one all out trip to Banff (involving a friendly race with a 89-90-ish Trans Am GTA which the Caddy handily won) had him convinced too. That 94 STS finally got donated a few years back with close to 400,000 km due to oil leaks that cost more than it was worth to repair. Yes, they had their issues, but maintained well they see to go for a long while.
Quote from: Oliver on Dec 10, 2025, 08:30 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Dec 09, 2025, 05:46 PMGreat work Firm. I know it's a lot of busted knuckles and time, but I bet the parts are pretty cheap.
I wonder if maybe the Crown Vic vehicles would offer a similar ride but maybe with slightly better reliability and likely even cheaper/abundance of parts. I always loved the Mercury Marauder.
I'm guessing the ride would be compromised a bit by the solid rear axle.
Not in those things...they are so soft you couldn't tell.
My dad owned a new panther platform car every couple of years from 1979 until they stopped selling them new. And even after he bought the newest, low mileagec used example he could find. His last one was a Crown Vic Ultimate edition or something. It was the most loaded, last version of the Vic.
I finally got him into a brand new 2018 (or so) Camry when he could no longer find low mileage examples of the Panther cars.
And from that day until the day he died, I never heard the end of "the Camry is a nice car but it doesn't ride nearly as nice as my Panthers did".
So he died in 2024...So I got to listen to him give me shit for 6 years!! LOL 😆
Quote from: Revelations on Dec 10, 2025, 10:19 PMthat a Cadillac STS was a far better car than a LS400,
:o : :o :o :o
Well, DTS was up and running for a whole week...came out this morning and found a coolant leak under it. Looks like the Radiator I installed 13 months ago is leaking....What an absolute pain. Rad itself is still under warranty, which is good because it's $400 USD, but replacing it is a BIG job. Don't have time this weekend, so I guess I know what I'll be doing next weekend.....
Quote from: Revelations on Dec 10, 2025, 10:19 PMI'll upvote the Northstar too. They were very refined and powerful. Had several in our family long term, and none ever blew up. 15 yr old me convinced my uncle that a Cadillac STS was a far better car than a LS400, much better looking, and cheaper too. The owner of the Cadillac store let him take his personal STS for the weekend, one all out trip to Banff (involving a friendly race with a 89-90-ish Trans Am GTA which the Caddy handily won) had him convinced too. That 94 STS finally got donated a few years back with close to 400,000 km due to oil leaks that cost more than it was worth to repair. Yes, they had their issues, but maintained well they see to go for a long while.
Funny that you also had STS' on the mind this week... I was just messaging with Firm and a few pals a couple days ago that I really love the facelift first-gen STS. I do think it's better looking and obviously cheaper than an LS400, but I would be doing my own favourite car a disservice by saying it's "better" overall, haha.
I'll have the LS400, but I wouldn't mind playing with a clean STS one of these days...
I think if I was forced to have a FWD Northstar, I'd have a Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe.(ETC)
I always like the ETC too, I am generally a coupe guy, so I naturally lean that way. I do think the STS was cleaner from an overall design standpoint though, and the extra door does make it a lot more practical.
Yeah, as a kid I judged my cars by styling and horsepower. To me, the LS400 was exciting as melba toast, but of course now I know what the "better" car was/is. The first gen STS certainly aged well. I'm always on the hunt for one, but it has to be the perfect color combo and preferably from the original owner.
Firm- Hopefully that rad failure was just the rad. One N* trick is the gradual over pressurization of the cooling system from failing head bolts that stresses all the cooling components. Rad first, then water pump, hoses and heater core.....I've seen that play out before the realization that the headgaskets/head bolts are compromised.
lol, hopefully it's not that....Though I don't think I've ever heard of failed head bolts on an 06+ example. I can't really get a great sightline on the leak, but it appears to be from where the plastic tank meets the aluminum finned part. So many things I'd rather do this weekend than a N* rad swap...
Quote from: TheHire on Dec 13, 2025, 10:25 PMQuote from: Revelations on Dec 10, 2025, 10:19 PMI'll upvote the Northstar too. They were very refined and powerful. Had several in our family long term, and none ever blew up. 15 yr old me convinced my uncle that a Cadillac STS was a far better car than a LS400, much better looking, and cheaper too. The owner of the Cadillac store let him take his personal STS for the weekend, one all out trip to Banff (involving a friendly race with a 89-90-ish Trans Am GTA which the Caddy handily won) had him convinced too. That 94 STS finally got donated a few years back with close to 400,000 km due to oil leaks that cost more than it was worth to repair. Yes, they had their issues, but maintained well they see to go for a long while.
Funny that you also had STS' on the mind this week... I was just messaging with Firm and a few pals a couple days ago that I really love the facelift first-gen STS. I do think it's better looking and obviously cheaper than an LS400, but I would be doing my own favourite car a disservice by saying it's "better" overall, haha.
I'll have the LS400, but I wouldn't mind playing with a clean STS one of these days...
First gen, or second gen? Cuz this is what I think of when I think first gen. ;D
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/1991_Cadillac_Seville_STS.jpg)
My Grandfather had a dark purple/burgundy first gen STS, with a grey interior. I remember it being a big deal at the time. Years later I drove it from Timmins to North Bay, and remember it being a really comfortable highway car.
A bit of maintenance on Bella's 3 this past week. New battery & then new serpentine belt, water pump belt (stupid stretch fit style) & cabin filter. The belts were the worst I've ever done, just no way to get a socket on the tensioner. Ended up doing the serpentine thru the wheel opening while I was doing the stretch belt, needed my youngest to get the serpentine belt over the alternator while I was underneath getting the tensioner loose.
I remember doing belts on an old co-workers Mazda 3, believe it was a 2.3L first generation car, it I would agree that it was one of the worst belts I've done...stretch belts are just annoying.
I got the DTS back up and running, again, swapped the Rad on Saturday. I've done it enough times now that the process was pretty smooth, but it's still a ton of work. Started at 9am, wrapped up with re-filling and leak testing the system around 3pm. Hopefully this was lasts more than a year.
I drove my mom's '15 E 550 for a couple days... has like 53,000km on it. I forgot how well these cars drive.
Need to spend some time in my old '11 E350 beater, which to this day I maintain remains the best $2,000 acquisition ever. 359,000km, one owner, clean Carfax, serviced at our place since brand new with all records.
Said $2K acquisition:
(https://i.imgur.com/Wx1oKhF.jpeg)
Quote from: TheHire on Dec 26, 2025, 10:17 AMI drove my mom's '15 E 550 for a couple days... has like 53,000km on it. I forgot how well these cars drive.
Need to spend some time in my old '11 E350 beater, which to this day I maintain remains the best $2,000 acquisition ever. 359,000km, one owner, clean Carfax, serviced at our place since brand new with all records.
Said $2K acquisition:
(https://i.imgur.com/Wx1oKhF.jpeg)
This speaks to the fact the best beaters are usually the ones that were well maintained during their lives and not necessarily from the most reliable brands or with the fewest kms.
Nice looking $2,000 car. I've never been afraid of high mileage if maintenance has been kept up. That said, I's rather have a 250,000 km highway driven vehicle than a 150,000 that's spent it's life in stop and go city use.
Quote from: Revelations on Dec 26, 2025, 05:18 PMNice looking $2,000 car. I've never been afraid of high mileage if maintenance has been kept up. That said, I's rather have a 250,000 km highway driven vehicle than a 150,000 that's spent it's life in stop and go city use.
Same here.
Don't mind mileage
That is a good looking $2000 car!
Mrs. Firm's 96 Firebird needed a new AC compressor, seals in the original unit gave out sometime late last summer. Figured it'd be a nice leisurely job for the day after Christmas, 3.8L V6, looked like fairly easy access....Man, was I wrong. Front 3 bolts took 4 minutes, single bolt holding the rear bracket and bolt holding the lines on the back took about 2 hours to get off and another hour going back in. Just insanely poor access. Got it done though, swapped out the receiver/dryer and orifice tube, it held good vacuum for 45 minutes, and then recharged. Blowing nice and cold (it was 23C here today), hopefully it stays that way. I am really sick of AC work....This is AC compressor #4 for me in about 2 years.
Honestly, because real estate agent concentrated in one area (south Oakville) it's a ton of in-town use, but I don't really care. For $2K I'm not going to be picky, and it drives really really well.
Continuing to take advantage of warm weather and time off work to catch up on car jobs, did the boots on the front ball joints on the Jag today. Known issue with these cars where the rubber used for the original boots just disintegrates leaving the joints exposed. If you catch them early enough you can replace the boots and re-pack the joints with grease - avoiding having to replace the entire arm(s). Not a bad job actually...maybe 2 hours for both sides, while showing the kids how it's done.
(https://i.imgur.com/sr0BRym.jpeg)
Quote from: Firm on Dec 28, 2025, 05:57 PMContinuing to take advantage of warm weather and time off work to catch up on car jobs, did the boots on the front ball joints on the Jag today. Known issue with these cars where the rubber used for the original boots just disintegrates leaving the joints exposed. If you catch them early enough you can replace the boots and re-pack the joints with grease - avoiding having to replace the entire arm(s). Not a bad job actually...maybe 2 hours for both sides, while showing the kids how it's done.
It's going to be awesome when the kids show you how it's done!! LOL 😆
DTS continues to be a PITA...Started throwing codes for the Secondary Air Injection System, which really is just a complex way of blowing clean air into the catalytic converter for 30 seconds on a cold start to activate the catalyst. So no impact to the way the car runs, but I don't like looking at CELs, so I messed around with it today.
I was prepared to locate, disconnect, and test each component of the system, but the Launch X431 Pro scanner I got a few months back was super handy for this type of work. Using the scanner, I was able to command each component of the system on/off individually with the engine off (ignition on); turn the air pump on/off, solenoid open/close, relay open/close, etc. Doing so allowed me to isolate the issue to the check valve and without even getting my hands dirty. Ordered a new one ($180) and should have it mid-week.
It's always nice when you have a tool that makes a job a lot easier. Sounds like you are quite impressed with the new scanner, I'm sure with you affinity for older iron it'll be handy often.
Quote from: Firm on Jan 17, 2026, 11:14 PMDTS continues to be a PITA...Started throwing codes for the Secondary Air Injection System, which really is just a complex way of blowing clean air into the catalytic converter for 30 seconds on a cold start to activate the catalyst. So no impact to the way the car runs, but I don't like looking at CELs, so I messed around with it today.
I was prepared to locate, disconnect, and test each component of the system, but the Launch X431 Pro scanner I got a few months back was super handy for this type of work. Using the scanner, I was able to command each component of the system on/off individually with the engine off (ignition on); turn the air pump on/off, solenoid open/close, relay open/close, etc. Doing so allowed me to isolate the issue to the check valve and without even getting my hands dirty. Ordered a new one ($180) and should have it mid-week.
Awesome!! Technology to the rescue!
As a follow up on that DTS Secondary Air System code - the new valve solved the problem, been driving it a couple weeks now without anymore codes. Relatively cheap and easy fix.
Gave it a good wash, wax and oil change today. Yes, it's been a PITA recently, but to put things in perspective, I paid $3500 CAD for the car in July 2018 with 120K kms on it. It's been my primary daily driver since, and while some years it didn't see a ton of miles, especially through COIVD WFH and the car reviews I used to do, but since moving it's been doing my 80km/day commute probably 4-days a week for close to 3 years now. 193K kms on it as of today. I really haven't put much $ into it, maybe $2K (excluding oil/fluids) in parts, most of them being 1-set of tires, 1-set of brakes, and then the more recent repairs I've done. Looks perfect inside and out, drives great, zero warning lights, every features works like new.
(https://i.imgur.com/Iqv1r16.jpeg)
That is such a sharp looking Caddy! All things considered, its been pretty solid for you too.
A little bit of snow in the background?
Sounds like that car has been a great find for you!
$3500 is crazy cheap! At some point it becomes more about the time than the money, but it doesn't sound like you're there yet.
Quote from: Gurgie on Feb 09, 2026, 09:46 AMA little bit of snow in the background?
Sounds like that car has been a great find for you!
Yeah, we got this 'snowcrete' kinda stuff....like 4" of ice pellets that became 4" of straight ice. Fell like 2 weeks ago and there's still some hanging around despite temps in the +10-15C range. Kids were off school for a week and a half because they couldn't get the roads cleared...
Quote from: Firm on Feb 08, 2026, 10:29 PMAs a follow up on that DTS Secondary Air System code - the new valve solved the problem, been driving it a couple weeks now without anymore codes. Relatively cheap and easy fix.
Gave it a good wash, wax and oil change today. Yes, it's been a PITA recently, but to put things in perspective, I paid $3500 CAD for the car in July 2018 with 120K kms on it. It's been my primary daily driver since, and while some years it didn't see a ton of miles, especially through COIVD WFH and the car reviews I used to do, but since moving it's been doing my 80km/day commute probably 4-days a week for close to 3 years now. 193K kms on it as of today. I really haven't put much $ into it, maybe $2K (excluding oil/fluids) in parts, most of them being 1-set of tires, 1-set of brakes, and then the more recent repairs I've done. Looks perfect inside and out, drives great, zero warning lights, every features works like new.
As always, good work!
I saw a lovely burgundy color DTS yesterday!
Finally got my trailer hitch on my BZ. It's one of those completely invisible dealios. Receiver is stainless steel. Price was gross. I'm at about $1200 all in.
https://youtu.be/EoKF_EKdzws?si=3m7mzy9S44RlOEav
On a side note, I asked the hitch installer what the absolute nightmare car is for a hitch install. Dude didn't even think for 1 second: Jaguar F-Pace. Says you had to tear the car apart. 1.5 DAYS labor. 😳
Lol, I believe that on the F-Pace. I did a hitch install for a friend once on a small Mercedes SUV....GLA, GLB, something like that, it also absolutely sucked.
Holy crap, I've only installed hitches on vehicles where the hard part was trying to get the solid steel, Class 4 or 5 hitch into place as it weighs more than a subcompact car. Thats ridiculous that putting in a hitch is that difficult.
Took off the snows.
Lucky! We still have a few feet of snow left on the ground here, with more in the forecast. I can't see myself changing tires for another month yet.
The Prius won't need tire changeover, because of the all-weather tires. I'm starting to like that concept now. They were 'acceptable' during the past month and a half of winter weather. Good enough that I'm likely to leave them on and forego installing dedicated winters on the Prius. That concept, however, is only possible because we have the 2nd vehicle with AWD and good winter tires for the really bad snowdays.
Tire change for the Bolt is scheduled for Tuesday. I was hoping to replace the OEM Michelin Energy Savers this season but unfortunately when looking at the tires this weekend, they still have a lot of tread. Way more than I thought.
The bZ4x is scheduled for April 15 in order to have a car to go to my girlfriend's house in the Laurentians. As of yesterday there's still 4 feet of snow there. It's been a pretty cold March here so I think there's been maybe 4 days above zero there this entire month. I'd have no problem driving there on all-seasons as long as it's not snowing torrentially, but gotta respect "safety" when driving to someone else's house :P
Been a busy week. Last Saturday morning, VERY early I picked up a rental Kia Carnival HEV and we made the ~900 miles drive back to Mississauga to take care of a few things and spend a couple days with family. Drove non-stop, except for a couple gas/restroom breaks and made it in about 14.5 hours. Essentially it's Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Toledo, Detroit, Windsor, Mississauga. Did our thing there and drove back Tuesday, came back through Buffalo, which adds about an hour to the trip, but the Peace Bridge is Buffalo is much quieter than Detroit and very friendly staff. That Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Columbus, Cinncinnati, Louisville, Nashville, home. Kids were amazing, really glad they travel well because whining kids could really make a drive like that a nightmare. Kia Carnival did well too...tons of space, seats are decent, did just over 30mpg, something like 7.8L/100kms with cruise set at 80mph almost the whole way.
Back home I took the Escalade to Discount tire for my complimentary annual tire rotation...in/out in 30 minutes. Couldn't be happier with service from Discount Tire.
Then onto the fun stuff...The Green 96 Bird had developed a pretty loud 'ticking' sound on the passenger side of the engine. Sounded just like valvetrain tick, which wouldn't surprise me at all given that the car's been run pretty hard in it's past lives. Started poking around and notice a little spark in the corner of my eye....Yep, spark plug wire was took close to whatever aftermarket longtube headers are on it and burnt through, the spark from the wire to the header was echoing inside the header tube and sounded just like valve tick. So, I installed a new set of wires on it today...If anyone's work on an LT1 you know that's not nearly as simple as it sounds, but it's done, the ticking sound is gone, and the car feels really healthy now....Those wires must have been leaking voltage for awhile.
Gave it a much needed wash and wax too. Followed by a good ride into town with the family on the backroads. Polo green is just so pretty when it's clean and the light hits it properly.
(https://i.imgur.com/3opYl6C.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Bw6MZuf.jpeg)
That green does look fantastic!! Good work on the wires as well, pain in the ass getting your hands in there.
And for your drives back and forth from Memphis, that's some serious mileage & days!! I did Etobicoke to Nashville in one shot back in 2007, we were roughly 12hrs door to door.
^Nice work.
I replaced the driver's side front hub/bearing assembly on my Dad's '09 Titan on Saturday. A big effin hammer and chisel was needed to separate the assembly from the spindle. The old bearing had a scary amount of play in it. The trucks body is rust free, but the underside is another story. My dad picked this unit up a year ago after rolling his '05 Titan. The '05's body was rusting terribly but the underside was much cleaner than this one. Go figure.
The tie rod has a bit of play and should be replaced. Shocks are pretty much done. I'm guessing ball joints would need replacing also but I didn't do any prying on those. I was out of time and energy. Additionally, Dad is 80 and puts minimal kms on this. So I dunno, I'll have to chat with him and figure out how far he wants to go with it. One caliper pin was seized also so cleaned that up. All the brakes should be looked at. Could sink a lot of time/money into this thing I'm guessing if we went through all brakes/suspension/steering.
Quote from: Gurgie on Mar 30, 2026, 10:59 AMThat green does look fantastic!! Good work on the wires as well, pain in the ass getting your hands in there.
And for your drives back and forth from Memphis, that's some serious mileage & days!! I did Etobicoke to Nashville in one shot back in 2007, we were roughly 12hrs door to door.
12 Hours is a pretty solid time. I've done 13.5 Mississauga to Memphis, but that's myself alone and only stopping when the car needed gas. The family, mostly Mrs.Firm, can only go a couple hours without needed a pee break.
Curious why you went with the expense of renting a minivan when you could have just taken the Escalade?
A back of the napkin calculation figures suggest you'd save about $300 in fuel costs by taking the rental van.
Yeah, but wouldn't that be offset by the rental and mileage charge?
I rent vehicles frequently when travelling for work, all through National, so I collect a bunch of reward points with them. I rented it for 4 days, had two free days (via rewards) and paid $70/day for the other two days...so $140. I put 2,100 miles on it, kids snacked in it, drove it on wet salty roads, etc. For $140 to avoid putting my own vehicle through that mess is well worth it. It's also kinda nice to just give zero-F's about the vehicle while travelling...
Now, we're taking our regular trip to Pensacola/Destin in June, it's about half the distance (7 hours or so) I'll be driving the Escalade and wouldn't even consider renting. Nice roads, less of a time crunch so can make food stops, and once I am there I like cruising around the beach in a vehicle that I love. Last time I spray waxed it in the hotel garage ;D
What would the fuel consumption of the Escalade be at 80 mph? The Carnival did pretty good considering what you put it through.
Slightly better than double the consumption, I don't track it closely but the escalade usually runs around 18mpg, loosely 13L/100km at 80mph. I am sure if I did the math that fuel saving offset most of the rental cost.
Quote from: Firm on Mar 30, 2026, 02:11 PMQuote from: Gurgie on Mar 30, 2026, 10:59 AMThat green does look fantastic!! Good work on the wires as well, pain in the ass getting your hands in there.
And for your drives back and forth from Memphis, that's some serious mileage & days!! I did Etobicoke to Nashville in one shot back in 2007, we were roughly 12hrs door to door.
12 Hours is a pretty solid time. I've done 13.5 Mississauga to Memphis, but that's myself alone and only stopping when the car needed gas. The family, mostly Mrs.Firm, can only go a couple hours without needed a pee break.
Well then, you're the prefect family EV owner. They always go on about how nobody can/should drive for more than a few hours without a 20+ minute break anyway. Think of all the $$ you'd save! But yes, I know what it's like with kids/wife. We often do the Okanagan to Calgary trip, a good 7.5 hour drive that we can do with one break.
The bZ's tire change was today. I've never paid for tire storage at a garage before but if I were to do it, it would be for this car. The 20" rims are HEAVY, and the after-market 18" rims with the winter tires are no better. Makes the Bolt's wheels feel like feathers.
Last week I had new tires installed on the Bolt... the OEM Michelin Energy Savers were down to 4/32" with just 46,000 km on the car, probably 1/3 of which were on winter tires. Ended up going with the new Michelin Primacy E, which just came out and are supposed to offer the efficiency of the Energy Savers with the better wet performance of the Primacy line and a slightly longer tread life. Everyone online seems to hate the Energy Savers and say they're outright dangerous in wet weather, but I really didn't find them that bad, I guess I'm not a spirited driver. Part of me was thinking of buying a take-off set on FB with 6-7/32" for like $200.
My tire garage recommended the Michelin Defenders, I guess for the long tread life, but people online said they lost 15-20% of range and being a bit of a range "nerd", I didn't want that to happen. And I make use of my full range maybe 2-3 times a year which is handy.
Not sure where to put this, and didn't want to make a new thread.
Junior went to C-tire this morning to get an oil filter for his car (only store within 20km that sells auto parts). No filter in stock for his 2012 Civic. He spoke to a guy at the parts counter and was told Fram is going under, thus no filters in stock. He was told Fram also made the Motomaster filters. They don't stock any other brands for his car.
Quick web search shows Fram's parent company (First Brands) is going through restructuring, selling off some major brands due to major financial fraud, of which Fram is one being sold off. I'm not sure on the legitimacy of the financial fraud bit, but sounds like Fram will be moving to someone else. Maybe someone can turn that brand around. We all know Fram's reputation is poor.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Apr 29, 2026, 12:08 PM. We all know Fram's reputation is poor.
I've often wondered how real that was.
I've not heard first hand of failures...and plenty of people use Fram-made filters.
I don't think ALL Fram products are poor. I've been using the Fram Ultra Synthetic filters and they seem to have a good reputation.
I feel that same way about Fram, always heard negatively online, but never come across any actual facts or failures...I used Fram Synthetic (gold filters) for years b/c the Fram rep gave me a few cases years ago, just recently ran out.
Everything you've read about First Brands is true....it's a right mess, and is causing a lot of disruption in the industry in general. The brothers who ran First Brands are behind bars, and if anyone is interested, there's some good reading online about some of the schemes they were running....Pretty complex stuff; selling the same payables multiple times to different financials institutions in various countries, lots of skimming and other shady stuff. Crazy the amount of $ and big well-known brands involved. The bankruptcy directly impacted a lot of good people who worked for First Brands as well, some of those people I'd consider friends.
Fram, Autolite, etc were recently purchased (dirt cheap too, like $35M) by PGI (known for Purolator Filters). I am sure they'll want to start shipping to Fram customers, but not sure where they're at in terms of inventory, capacity, etc. PGI was already back-filling a lot of Fram customers for the last 8+months, so they've bit off a lot.
I'm happy our local BC parts store (Lordco) now stocks Wix filters. They used to stock only Fram filters. Once I saw the utter destruction of an engine due to a Fram oil filter. It was on a ford 6.0 diesel, the Fram came apart and the filter media plugged the oil cooler, it snowballed from there and cost the engine. I'm sure they're fine, but I wont use one.
Finished the tire swaps on all four cars last Monday. Did one CX-30 prior to the vacation, then one car per day when we came back. I hate doing the CX-90. Not only the mounted tires are huge / weigh a ton, but the pinch welds are really deep under the car, and hidden from view by the lower plastic cladding. The only way to align the jack is to lie on the floor, on your side. This is probably telling of the narrower ROW CX-60/80 body.
Kept the Crosstrek for last, as it's the easiest of the bunch. And I noticed why my oem floormats were always moving these last few weeks - both retaining pins broke off from corrosion at the base or poor welds...
Quote from: Revelations on Apr 29, 2026, 07:58 PMI'm happy our local BC parts store (Lordco) now stocks Wix filters. They used to stock only Fram filters. Once I saw the utter destruction of an engine due to a Fram oil filter. It was on a ford 6.0 diesel, the Fram came apart and the filter media plugged the oil cooler, it snowballed from there and cost the engine. I'm sure they're fine, but I wont use one.
This discussion reminds me that I will have to try to identify what oil filter the TR6 uses. The car has received a spin-on filter kit at some point, and without removing a wheel I can't see any inscriptions on the black filter. It's still in storage at the moment, but will be coming out soon!
I did the tire swap on the CX-5 last weekend and filled it up from half tank. We haven't put many kms on it since we got the Prius. I think I've put 60l of fuel in it since February. The wife mostly uses it to run a few errands during the week (she's still at home on leave, so no commuting), and I've used it a couple of times to do jobs that the Prius wasn't suited for - like renting a trailer to do a dump run, and picking up my grill from Luxe (it was a BIG box).
Sold the GS-350 yesterday. Had a great run with that car and it was still working fine but we felt it was time for a change into something with more practicality. Certainly, the most reliable car we've ever owned. Sold at just over 285k km and only non-scheduled maintenance was a seized rear caliper. Buyer was impressed how solid it felt for its age, with absolutely no rattles, or squeaks during the test drive.
Quote from: kd on May 01, 2026, 07:03 PMSold the GS-350 yesterday. Had a great run with that car and it was still working fine but we felt it was time for a change into something with more practicality. Certainly, the most reliable car we've ever owned. Sold at just over 285k km and only non-scheduled maintenance was a seized rear caliper. Buyer was impressed how solid it felt for its age, with absolutely no rattles, or squeaks during the test drive.
Yep..if I wanted a car for the REALLY long haul, it would be a GS or ES.
What's next?
Changed the PCV and Purge Valves on the Mustang now that it has 200k on it.
Didn't have a CEL but there was a smell of gas upon startup.
Smell now gone and hopefully better mpg.
Quote from: Careener on May 01, 2026, 07:48 PMChanged the PCV and Purge Valves on the Mustang now that it has 200k on it.
Didn't have a CEL but there was a smell of gas upon startup.
Smell now gone and hopefully better mpg.
Nice!
PITA?
Had a bit of rim damage I noticed at the end of last season on my summer wheel setup. Pretty big chips in the paint/finish as you can see. So I decided to do something I've thought about doing for a while now but could never justify the cost and time, so I Plasti Dipped these using a kit I got from a Canadian website. This color is called "Brass Monkey" and I think that's an apt description. You could get bronze colored rims from factory if you optioned it and I think this is similar in color, maybe a bit more subtle.
While they certainly aren't perfect, applied by an accountant after all, but I think they came out pretty good. Hoping the finish lasts more than one season.
Looks great! I really like white cars with Bronze wheels.
Quote from: Tortoise on May 04, 2026, 09:59 AMLooks great! I really like white cars with Bronze wheels.
Me also and I liked that this isn't an "in your face" color like some can be. Got to keep it classy.
Nice work!
Quote from: Johnnymac on May 04, 2026, 08:40 AMHad a bit of rim damage I noticed at the end of last season
Maybe don't drive on curbs....😆
Looks good!!
Quote from: RRocket on May 04, 2026, 07:08 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on May 04, 2026, 08:40 AMHad a bit of rim damage I noticed at the end of last season
Maybe don't drive on curbs....😆
Looks good!!
Ha, yeah I guess no more off roading with her.
Put another new AC Compressor in the 85 Trans Am yesterday. Last one only lasted 1.5 years and started leaking at the front seal. Part was covered under warranty, but it still cost me about 3 hours and about $40 in Freon to charge it. Irritating, but it's nice to have cold air again...Feeling like 100F here today.
Quote from: Firm on May 18, 2026, 03:34 PMPut another new AC Compressor in the 85 Trans Am yesterday. Last one only lasted 1.5 years and started leaking at the front seal. Part was covered under warranty, but it still cost me about 3 hours and about $40 in Freon to charge it. Irritating, but it's nice to have cold air again...Feeling like 100F here today.
What was the true cost? You forgot to add skinned knuckle cost! LOL 😆
At least it's probably the easiest AC compressor to change, right at the top of the motor, 4 bolts and out it comes. Some compressors can be absolute nightmares, like that 3.8L Firebird I did awhile back, terrible access.
My BIL was showing me his 1998 Grand Am GT (immaculate car, with less than 30 000kms) with the 3.4 V6. This car. Same wheels and everything.
(https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/pontiac/grand-am/1997/oem/1997_pontiac_grand-am_sedan_gt_rq_oem_1_500.jpg)
It's got a power steering leak so he's trying to work on it. While the power steering pump is near the top of the engine, it's under the engine mount, so he needs to support the engine from underneath and remove the engine mount in order to replace the pump.
Sounds like a giant pain in the ass, lol.
They also just bought a 2002 Dodge Intrepid R/T with less than 28 000kms for $4500. The exterior and interior are in like new condition. It's going to be their son's first car. 3.5 V6 on that one. It failed safety due to a few things like ABS sensors and the rear seatbelts wouldn't lock. try finding parts for a 2002 Intrepid!!! The seatbelts are non-existent parts, because these cars haven't been around in forever. Luckily he was able to take apart the seatbelts, grease and lube all the parts, reassemble, and now they work. Car passed safety last week.
That Grand Am GT, in white like that example, is a slick looking car...and with 30K kms, it's probably pretty desirable as a collectible. Is it his daily? Or a toy? Even that Intrepid, with that kinda mileage, is a sweet find. I like your BILs style.
All of those traverse mounted V6 (or V8) FWD sedans from the 90's / 00's are a pain to work on most of the belt drive accessories.
It was his Mom's car. She was the first owner, and hardly ever drove it and kept it stored in a garage. When his daughter turned 17 and got her full license, she gave it to them. It's a 2nd car.
They've got a newer Outback Wilderness as their daily, although the daughter often drives the Grand Am to work.
I figured you'd appreciate this.
The A/C in Junior's 2012 Civic was getting weak so I asked my mechanic buddy if he could have a look at it. The car is at about 290k now. The system still had a full charge but was drawing a vacuum on the low pressure side, indicating the expansion valve was stuck closed (that's how I understand it anyway). The valve is connected directly to the evaporator, which by the book means pulling the evaporator from under the dash and swapping the valve. Doable but very time consuming.
We found a Youtube video where you grind out the firewall opening slightly to pull the valve through the firewall from under the hood. The valve is directly behind the firewall opening. This is the route we went last night. With the A/C connections to the valve back in place, the firewall opening is still fully covered and you can't tell there was any grinding involved. It took about 2 hours start to finish including recharging the system. Pics would have helped with the explanation but unfortunately I didn't take any.
I'm not sure why Honda didn't place the valve on the exterior of the firewall in the first place. Possibly because its less connections/failure points if the valve is connected directly to the evaporator? Regardless, A/C is blowing cold again (temp probe indicated right around 6 C). Buddy saved me some big dollars not having to take this to a shop.
Nice! YouTube to the rescue. Yes, AC repairs at a shop are really expensive. Which is why I decided to buy my own vac pump and gauges a couple years ago, I probably use them 3-4 times a year between my own cars and friends.
Nice fix.
That's a really common problem in those cars, and a tough fix, as you've discovered. Not for the faint of heart.
^Thanks! The longer we have this Civic the more I'm impressed with it. Zero visible body rust, engine sounds like its brand new, tranny still shifts great, and remarkably solid feeling for a 14 year old economy car. In comparison, the other boys '13 Sentra feels like a pile at 169k. In addition, the CVT is on its way out. Not sure yet what I'm doing about that. Likely just turf it this fall as is.
The Civic isn't perfect. I think the wheel bearings are due, but kinda expected at 290k. Also, there's an intermittent engine oil leak. Think it may be the rear main seal, but unknown yet. Its not leaking enough to drip anywhere yet. With how good condition the car is, I'll pay to get that repaired when the time comes. I guess I could try some sort of stop leak. Hoping the car lasts another 3-4 years until junior is done university.
May be worth trying a high mileage oil and/or some Blue Devil rear main seal repair. It seems to have taken care of the leak in my Highlander.
Quote from: Bridgecity on May 21, 2026, 01:04 PM^Thanks! The longer we have this Civic the more I'm impressed with it. Zero visible body rust, engine sounds like its brand new, tranny still shifts great, and remarkably solid feeling for a 14 year old economy car. In comparison, the other boys '13 Sentra feels like a pile at 169k. In addition, the CVT is on its way out. Not sure yet what I'm doing about that. Likely just turf it this fall as is.
The Civic isn't perfect. I think the wheel bearings are due, but kinda expected at 290k. Also, there's an intermittent engine oil leak. Think it may be the rear main seal, but unknown yet. Its not leaking enough to drip anywhere yet. With how good condition the car is, I'll pay to get that repaired when the time comes. I guess I could try some sort of stop leak. Hoping the car lasts another 3-4 years until junior is done university.
The 8th and 9th gen Civics were the best cars Honda has ever made, in my opinion. They're a great blend of useability, comfort, space, tech, reliability, and driveability. They just seem to drive 'nicer' than any of the other compacts, and they're almost as reliable as a Corolla.
The biggest downside is the crappy peeling clearcoat and that AC valve issue.
Quote from: Bridgecity on May 21, 2026, 01:04 PM^Thanks! The longer we have this Civic the more I'm impressed with it. Zero visible body rust, engine sounds like its brand new, tranny still shifts great, and remarkably solid feeling for a 14 year old economy car. In comparison, the other boys '13 Sentra feels like a pile at 169k. In addition, the CVT is on its way out. Not sure yet what I'm doing about that. Likely just turf it this fall as is.
The Civic isn't perfect. I think the wheel bearings are due, but kinda expected at 290k. Also, there's an intermittent engine oil leak. Think it may be the rear main seal, but unknown yet. Its not leaking enough to drip anywhere yet. With how good condition the car is, I'll pay to get that repaired when the time comes. I guess I could try some sort of stop leak. Hoping the car lasts another 3-4 years until junior is done university.
Thats why the Civic is worth something, while a 5 year old Nissan has as much value as how much fuel is in the tank. A guy at work has an 03 Civic with 330k+ and it runs flawlessly as a DD.
Yep, those civics hold up. Once they started throwing turbos into the pedestrian models, I can't see them lasting like the older ones. As for the oil leak, I'd do a good check to make sure it's not something easy like a valve cover or oil pressure sensor, assuming it's not, then yeah, Blue Devil.
Quote from: Tortoise on May 21, 2026, 02:33 PMMay be worth trying a high mileage oil and/or some Blue Devil rear main seal repair. It seems to have taken care of the leak in my Highlander.
I'm so happy it worked for you!!
Quote from: Firm on May 21, 2026, 03:13 PMYep, those civics hold up. Once they started throwing turbos into the pedestrian models, I can't see them lasting like the older ones. As for the oil leak, I'd do a good check to make sure it's not something easy like a valve cover or oil pressure sensor, assuming it's not, then yeah, Blue Devil.
Agreed..it's why I steered the boy to an Acura CSX. It's a luxury Civic with more HP, leather, automatic climate control, etc etc. The odd part? Everybody seems to have forgotten about those cars. So when we were shopping they were cheaper than Civics. Win/win.
Both are ideal starter cars.
Quote from: Firm on May 21, 2026, 03:13 PMYep, those civics hold up. Once they started throwing turbos into the pedestrian models, I can't see them lasting like the older ones. As for the oil leak, I'd do a good check to make sure it's not something easy like a valve cover or oil pressure sensor, assuming it's not, then yeah, Blue Devil.
Ya, checked those out Firm. Can't see anything coming from above at this point. Specifically checked the oil pressure sensor and valve cover. Weird thing is, there's an inspection plate and when removed you can see the engine/bell housing mating surface. Totally clean inside there. I dunno, it'll become apparent at some point.
Blue Devil ya'll say? I'll give that a go.
I assume you didn't own the sentra from new. Was the CVT fluid changed regularly. There is also a filter that could be changed as well. I realize the Nissan CVT has a bad reputation but regular fluid changes could prolong it's life. Most owners ignore this and consider it non serviceable.
Quote from: Seafoam on May 22, 2026, 12:15 PMI assume you didn't own the sentra from new. Was the CVT fluid changed regularly. There is also a filter that could be changed as well. I realize the Nissan CVT has a bad reputation but regular fluid changes could prolong it's life. Most owners ignore this and consider it non serviceable.
I changed the CVT fluid on my Altima eons ago. It was an expensive service. $650, if I recall, and most of that was the CVT fluid cost.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on May 22, 2026, 12:18 PMQuote from: Seafoam on May 22, 2026, 12:15 PMI assume you didn't own the sentra from new. Was the CVT fluid changed regularly. There is also a filter that could be changed as well. I realize the Nissan CVT has a bad reputation but regular fluid changes could prolong it's life. Most owners ignore this and consider it non serviceable.
I changed the CVT fluid on my Altima eons ago. It was an expensive service. $650, if I recall, and most of that was the CVT fluid cost.
That seems excessive. Just googled the fluid cost about 16 dollars a bottle.Did you have any issues with the transmission when you owned it ?
I have a CVT in my civic. They usually recommend a drain and fill at the dealer, about 4 liters of fluid. I'll probably do that service myself as it doesn't appear complicated.
I didn't have any issues with the transmission, but we also traded it in when it had about 100 000kms.
Apparently the engine blew on the next owner, so I'd say we dodged a bullet on that one.
The Civic CVT's aren't supposed to be problematic. It's the early JATCO CVT's that were in Nissans that were rubbish.
Quote from: Seafoam on May 22, 2026, 12:15 PMI assume you didn't own the sentra from new. Was the CVT fluid changed regularly. There is also a filter that could be changed as well. I realize the Nissan CVT has a bad reputation but regular fluid changes could prolong it's life. Most owners ignore this and consider it non serviceable.
No, haven't owned from new. Bought with 159k on it. Carfax had a few CVT services on it, including reprogramming. I changed the fluid, filter, and screen in the pan when I bought it. Some say these will last with regular service. I took a gamble and lost.
Quote from: Bridgecity on May 23, 2026, 12:01 AMQuote from: Seafoam on May 22, 2026, 12:15 PMI assume you didn't own the sentra from new. Was the CVT fluid changed regularly. There is also a filter that could be changed as well. I realize the Nissan CVT has a bad reputation but regular fluid changes could prolong it's life. Most owners ignore this and consider it non serviceable.
No, haven't owned from new. Bought with 159k on it. Carfax had a few CVT services on it, including reprogramming. I changed the fluid, filter, and screen in the pan when I bought it. Some say these will last with regular service. I took a gamble and lost.
My Dad's - now my Mom's - 2015 Sentra SV with Lux pkg has received all the recommended dealer services since new, including the expensive CVT fluid changes, and it still runs / looks new. Of course, it only has about 25,000 km on it. Black on black with sunroof, Bose and even navigation.
Not the car per se, but my replacement ChargePoint EVSE finally got in last week after getting stuck at customs for 8 days.
My outdoor unit is hardwired, but the ChargePoint connectors are really easy to use. And the putty my electrician used in 2017 to seal the duct around the wires was still gooey and soft, so I re-used it. Almost direct swap, two of the three mounting holes were not in the exact same spot. Puzzle No2 was figuring how to add a new EVSE to my account, until I googled around and found that each account can only hold one EVSE :P
Also, the old EVSE cannot be deleted from my previous account if unplugged... Stupid. The old account has RFID cards for public charging, but I only used them once. So I need to keep that account alive.
Anyhow, once I set up a new account, getting the new unit up on the app was easy-peasy and first charge was successful.
Long Memorial Day Weekend here so I had some time to get caught up on some car maintenance stuff...Oil changes for the Red Firebird & the Sonoma, and took the MGB and the XKR out for some enjoyable back road miles. Tinkered with the Maserati a bit too; cleaned and treated the convertible top, and started cleaning up the engine bay.
My apprentice Techs...and my OSHA approved footwear
(https://i.imgur.com/8dajwOu.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AFQZBNV.jpeg)
I carpooled with a friend of a friend to our MTB ride this weekend. We took the Prius. We talked a little about cars, and he mentioned how he just bought his new CUV. For years, he'd had older vehicles, and he was sick and tired of having 'problems' with them, so he just decided to buy a brand new vehicle for a change.
His choice?
A new Nissan Rogue with the 3-cyl VC engine and CVT.
I just didn't have the heart to tell him - not my place to poo-poo someone's new car.
But he says he's already been having some problems with the transmission. I just nodded sagely.
Quote from: Firm on May 25, 2026, 12:57 AM.
.and my OSHA approved footwear
Steel toe? 😃
Finished cleaning up the engine bay, including the underside of the hood, on the Maserati today. Nice to knock another thing off the list. It's still a beater quality car, but it's slowly starting to look presentable.
(https://i.imgur.com/0XVQMEp.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yt2o3Fn.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tmGal3C.jpeg)
Quote from: Firm on May 26, 2026, 12:53 AMFinished cleaning up the engine bay, including the underside of the hood, on the Maserati today. Nice to knock another thing off the list. It's still a beater quality car, but it's slowly starting to look presentable.
Is that the intake color? Has it faded? Seems like a "bleh" color?
That's the color, sort of a Gold crinkle finish. I don't think it's faded much, they all look like that. I don't mind it, but I guess in retrospect it's sort of an off choice.
Quote from: Firm on May 26, 2026, 08:13 AMThat's the color, sort of a Gold crinkle finish. I don't think it's faded much, they all look like that. I don't mind it, but I guess in retrospect it's sort of an off choice.
Yea. Odd color choice.
Which is why I thought it was perhaps faded/oxidized/etc..
Both cars got hailed on last night. Golf ball sized hail. Both the Mazda and the Prius have damage. Luckily no broken glass, although the Mazda's windshield is cracked now.
Funny, the Mazda got hit a couple of years ago, and we just had it fixed last summer. So this is it's second hail event. I'm sure the Mazda is worth enough that it will get fixed.
But, is the Prius still worth enough? I don't know. I'm kinda worried about it. I don't want it to get written off.
Oh man, that sucks, having family and friends in Calgary, I know what hail can do and the cost to fix it. Here's hoping they won't write the vehicles off.
That's terrible. We get hail like that here too, haven't been hit at our place yet, but it's always a fear. I do keep some padding (moving blankets) handy in the garage, and when there's a risk I go out and toss it on the cars in the driveway, just in case.
On the Prius, with a hail write-off (if that's the case), I'd consider buying it back and having it repaired third party....Give it to good paintless dent guy for a few days and let him go to work.
It could have been worse. At least all of our glass is intact. I have two neighbours at least across the street from us that had their back windows smashed in. One of them is a single mother. After the worst of the storm, I went over there with a tarp and helped her cover up her window to prevent the worst of the rain from getting in.
Then there was the usual hanging around of neighbours talking about the aftermath of the storm, asking questions about insurance, etc.
Good community building moment, that!
Poor, poor Prius!!
Definitely buy it back if write off.
Quote from: RRocket on Jun 10, 2026, 01:49 PMPoor, poor Prius!!
Definitely buy it back if write off.
^this
Quote from: Fobroader on Jun 10, 2026, 10:36 AMOh man, that sucks, having family and friends in Calgary, I know what hail can do and the cost to fix it.
Funny you say that. The last time I was in Calgary, I noticed a lot of car dealerships had metal roofs covering most of their lots. I thought it odd, thinking perhaps it was to keep the cars cool. It was only until later that I realized it was because Calgary gets lots of hail, and the shelters were to keep their inventory safe.
Yeah, there are a number of cars driving around there that looks like a golfball texture from being hail write offs. Driving around after a bad hail storm seeing the path of the storm by the vinyl siding on houses that looks like it too minigun fire is quite the sight
Alberta tends to payout insurers for hail and resell the vehicles through insurance auctions. They are sold with clean titles (no salvage/written off etc) However, the damage claim for hail will show up on a Carfax. The dealers in Alberta we're basically mandated by the insurance companies to park their inventory under these giant tents.
Back in 2022 (maybe 23?) East Calgary got hit with a massive hailstorm. It hit the airport, over 2500 rental cars alone got hit, plus I'm sure planes need some attention after getting pummeled. There were ten area dealerships that got hit, a mall, and of course entire neighborhoods. The homes there looked like someone opened fire on them with a machine gun. A friend that lived down the road from us in Alberta got hit. His house needed a new roof, windows (the frames got damaged) most of his siding, and his Toyota Tundra and holiday trailer. Just him, one guy had $78,000 worth. His insurance was $2600 per year, last years premium was $5800.
Crazy storms! GBA I'm not sure how Manitoba does it, but I'm sure you'll be looked after.
Yeah, my experience with hail last year was 'good'. Took a while to fix - about a year until we had our car looked after. But it was fixed properly, and all we paid was our deductible.
I expect no less this year. I'll be taking both cars to the same place we did last year - Dent Dynasty. Run by a guy who started paintless dent repairs in a garage, and now runs a multi-bay shop focused on dents and hail repairs. I'm sure he'll have plenty of business over the next couple of years.
Jumped in the Escalade yesterday and noticed that the oil pressure gauge was pegged at 80psi...idle, reving, engine off, didn't matter, always 80psi, lol. Stopped at AutoZone and got a new Oil Pressure Sensor and once the truck had cooled down swapped it over. Access sucks as it's at the back of the block, just behind the intake, but with the right arrangement of swivels and extensions I was able to get it - mostly by feel. 20 Minute job and the gauge is reading properly again.
Gave everything under the hood a good checkup while I was in there. We'll run it to Pensacola Beach in a couple weeks for vacation, about 500 miles / 8 hours each way + some cruising along the coast while we're down there.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 15, 2026, 11:14 AMJumped in the Escalade yesterday and noticed that the oil pressure gauge was pegged at 80psi...idle, reving, engine off, didn't matter, always 80psi, lol. Stopped at AutoZone and got a new Oil Pressure Sensor and once the truck had cooled down swapped it over. Access sucks as it's at the back of the block, just behind the intake, but with the right arrangement of swivels and extensions I was able to get it - mostly by feel. 20 Minute job and the gauge is reading properly again.
Gave everything under the hood a good checkup while I was in there. We'll run it to Pensacola Beach in a couple weeks for vacation, about 500 miles / 8 hours each way + some cruising along the coast while we're down there.
Nice to have parts just a short hop away like that. Pain in the ass to reach back there though I bet. Not sure I'd have the patience for that, LOL!! I suppose I would as it needed to be done, but still :D
Yeah, I live in the boonies, but there happens to be an AutoZone about 3 minutes from the house....Dumb luck I guess. Beyond that, we've got an Aldi (grocery store), bank, chik-fil-a, tractor supply, couple boutique shops, two(!) Waffle Houses, Dollar General and that's about it....Everything else you're driving 10-20 minutes.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 16, 2026, 02:24 PMYeah, I live in the boonies, but there happens to be an AutoZone about 3 minutes from the house....Dumb luck I guess. Beyond that, we've got an Aldi (grocery store), bank, chik-fil-a, tractor supply, couple boutique shops, two(!) Waffle Houses, Dollar General and that's about it....Everything else you're driving 10-20 minutes.
Aldi! European grocery store in Trumpistan!
Aldi is amazing! Fantastic prices and nice quality stuff....The only thing that irritates us is that they frequently change what they stock, so you get used to a certain product, and then suddenly it's no longer available. On the flip side, they always have new stuff to try, but it's still annoying to lose access to something that you really like and have to source it elsewhere for way more $.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 16, 2026, 02:49 PMAldi is amazing! Fantastic prices and nice quality stuff....The only thing that irritates us is that they frequently change what they stock, so you get used to a certain product, and then suddenly it's no longer available. On the flip side, they always have new stuff to try, but it's still annoying to lose access to something that you really like and have to source it elsewhere for way more $.
I freely admit....I'm an Aldi fan boy.
We used to go several times a year and stock the pantry. The canned/dry goods are spectacular and the pricing unbelievable...all for quality goods as Firm says.
Cheese & Meat is amazing too, at least here. Nice block of Aged Irish Cheddar, $4, 3 decent Black Angus Grilling Steaks (probably not a fancy cut) $12.
Kroger is the other major grocery chain in our area, much wider selection, but prices are terrible by comparison.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 16, 2026, 10:39 PMCheese & Meat is amazing too, at least here. Nice block of Aged Irish Cheddar, $4, 3 decent Black Angus Grilling Steaks (probably not a fancy cut) $12.
Kroger is the other major grocery chain in our area, much wider selection, but prices are terrible by comparison.
Get the Kroger discount card.
You can frequently get 10 for $10 and then you'll get a free bonus items (buy 10 cans tomato sauce get free pasta).
But no idea of the program there is the same as Detroit area
So my Brother in Law's 2023 Subaru Outback got appraised the other day for hail damage (his daughter had taken it to work in my neck of the woods when the storm hit). $16 600 worth of damage.
We each had a look at our respective cars when we visited this weekend, and I would guesstimate the Prius to have almost as much damage as his Outback.
So, given the $ amount to his car, I'd say it's not looking good for the Prius to NOT get written off.
If MPI does write off the Prius, depending on the buy-back amount, I'll probably just buy it back, pocket the rest of the money and drive it around dented. The powertrain and interior is still in great shape, so it would serve its purpose as a cheap commuter.
Definitely buy it back. I'd wait ~6 months for the post hail storm frenzy to fall off and then find a paintless dent guy, one who has his own shop/location. Tell him you can leave the car with him for a week and work out a cash deal. Those guys are going to be flush with insurance work right now, but in 6 months they'll be drying up and a nice cash deal he can work at a slower pace will be pretty sweet.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 22, 2026, 08:36 PMDefinitely buy it back. I'd wait ~6 months for the post hail storm frenzy to fall off and then find a paintless dent guy, one who has his own shop/location. Tell him you can leave the car with him for a week and work out a cash deal. Those guys are going to be flush with insurance work right now, but in 6 months they'll be drying up and a nice cash deal he can work at a slower pace will be pretty sweet.
^this!!
I had the Prius appraised today. Over $14k worth of damage. It's going to be write-off.
Now the only question will be, what will MPI value it at? There isn't a single Prius Prime in Manitoba for less than $20k. Granted, they have half the kilometers, but they're also base models, where mine is the fully loaded Tech.
^ Good luck with that GBA. If they're anything like SGI, they'll low ball you with pre-Covid values and you'll have to fight for every dollar.
When I was working with them for when my Dad's truck was written off just over a year ago, they wouldn't accept any comparables for valuation unless it was the exact same year and model (same for junior's car a few years back). How many '05 Titan LE's do you think are for sale is SK? It was ridiculous. And then when you ask what they are using for valuation, they won't provide any information.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Jun 24, 2026, 01:36 PMI had the Prius appraised today. Over $14k worth of damage. It's going to be write-off.
Now the only question will be, what will MPI value it at? There isn't a single Prius Prime in Manitoba for less than $20k. Granted, they have half the kilometers, but they're also base models, where mine is the fully loaded Tech.
I have access to Trader's value guide if it helps.
Crosstrek received the 42 mo/70,000 km service today (at 42 months and 22,000 km...). Basically an oil change and a few looky-sees for $150+tax.
Did an undercarriage inspection on the Escalade ahead of our trip to Pensacola Beach next week and noticed that the front sway bar bushings and links were pretty well shot...mostly dry rot. So went out and grabbed a set and swapped them. Since these old GM trucks are designed well, with servicing in mind, it took less than an hour and I didn't even need to use a jack. Shockingly, the original links came off without breaking or needing to be cut. Sitting right at 190K miles, or 306K kms.
(https://i.imgur.com/uLCzVC2.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ksKAsWT.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hS3A4v3.jpeg)
Today I swapped a water pump in a 2018 Grand Cherokee (3.6L) for a girl from work...Also a pretty straightforward job. She ran it really low on coolant a couple times, and it survived OK. I really think these 3.6L units are pretty solid. Oil cap was really sludgy though, and dipstick at the 'add' mark....she didn't know how long it had been since it's last oil change, but the service minder on the dash wasn't on. ::)
^^^ Turns out the 3.6 suffers from a 'pentastar tick' where the needle bearings in the rocker arms wear out and fail. If it's not addressed immediately, it turns into an expensive job. The problem is most people probably don't know enough about it to catch it early enough.
Had my share of Pentastar experiences. The one Ron mentioned, its fun because that seized up roller gobbles up the camshaft (Hemis also suffer from this) not a huge issue really as changing out cams isn't a real difficult job. Oil coolers like to leak, usually due to over torquing the oil filter cap. The dual stage oil pump solenoid that fails. That'll throw you in limp mode, you can scrape by resetting the ECM and keeping RPM under 3500 until you find time to remove the oil pan to change it.
Otherwise they really are a solid engine. I buy trucks off one fleet that had a bunch of 3.6 Rams and they said it was one of the lowest repair cost/frequency of any truck they've had. Most had over 200,000 kms too. I find though, like any CJDR product they get poorly maintained. Overheating and low on oil says it all.
The seized roller thing, assuming it's like the Hemi, is usually related to idle time. Not enough lubrication at idle, so vehicles with lots of idle hours suffer the failures, those that do lots of highway miles are fine. The oil cooler thing is a big PITA, for some reason the later models seem more susceptible to that...I know someone with a 2022 that's on it's 3rd oil cooler/filter assembly. This 2018 mentioned above still has it's original at around 95K miles, no leak.
Quote from: Firm on Jun 30, 2026, 05:27 PMThe seized roller thing, assuming it's like the Hemi, is usually related to idle time. Not enough lubrication at idle, so vehicles with lots of idle hours suffer the failures, those that do lots of highway miles are fine. The oil cooler thing is a big PITA, for some reason the later models seem more susceptible to that...I know someone with a 2022 that's on it's 3rd oil cooler/filter assembly. This 2018 mentioned above still has it's original at around 95K miles, no leak.
Who knows with the Hemis. I have a fleet unit here with 415,000 km and its chirping, no missfire yet but it isn't happy. I have all the service records ands the engine is all original. It has 4700 idle hours and 6200 drive hours, that's a lifetime of idle time in itself. Have another from the same outfit and it had a complete engine replacement at 264,000 km. They do have a widespread cam/lifter issue, some say at idle the cam doesn't get splashed with oil enough, some say the oil pumps don't put out enough volume, some say its just crappy roller lifters right from the factory, some say a simple ECM tune to allow them to idle at 700 RPM is the fix, some say a hellcat oil pump, some say an extra 3/4L of oil......
My personal truck is a 2018 Ram that I bought at the dealer auction. Low km at 143,000 and showed only 800 some idle hours. Nobody cared to mention the loud tick and missfire so I was stuck fixing it. Been running great and I've put close to 40,000 km on it.
Took the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Quote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I've put 18,000kms on my 911 since August 16, 2024... just saying :P
Quote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 02:06 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Do you mind if we ask why you don't drive it more, like used as a daily driver? I would assume the GTS would be a nice place to be in all settings so I would be surprised you are uncomfortable in it. Is it just because you are somewhat afraid to park it in most places or something?
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 04:49 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 02:06 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Do you mind if we ask why you don't drive it more, like used as a daily driver? I would assume the GTS would be a nice place to be in all settings so I would be surprised you are uncomfortable in it. Is it just because you are somewhat afraid to park it in most places or something?
5 km from my train station (I take the train into downtown). We have 3 of every store within 2 km of our house. We have 4 cars in the house. I actually drive it as much as possible.
To give you an idea, my other car and one I use in the winter, the 2015 BMW335i I bought new is coming on 12 years and it has 64,000 km.
I have been intentionally driving it more this year, including to the train station.
This is my curse: a car enthusiast without much opportunity to drive.
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 05:26 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 04:49 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 02:06 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Do you mind if we ask why you don't drive it more, like used as a daily driver? I would assume the GTS would be a nice place to be in all settings so I would be surprised you are uncomfortable in it. Is it just because you are somewhat afraid to park it in most places or something?
5 km from my train station (I take the train into downtown). We have 3 of every store within 2 km of our house. We have 4 cars in the house. I actually drive it as much as possible.
To give you an idea, my other car and one I use in the winter, the 2015 BMW335i I bought new is coming on 12 years and it has 64,000 km.
I have been intentionally driving it more this year, including to the train station.
This is my curse: a car enthusiast without much opportunity to drive.
You need some hobbies that take you a little further from home, LOL!! You should go visit Vman in Waterloo a couple times a month, that would help.
Took the window tint off the 997 & gave it a quick wash. Car came with tint on all the windows & I was never a fan, but was hesitant to try & remove it. Was scared of glue being left behind. With the heat wave we're in, put the car out in the sun & did the passenger side window first as it was peeling in one corner a bit. Came off no issues or glue residue. Next up I did the driver's side. Was surprised the rear glass went quite easy. Hardest one was the driver's side rear quarter window because I couldn't get a corner started, took a small screwdriver to get it started & then it came off as easy as the rest. Car feels much more airy now & not as closed in. I imagine at night will be the biggest difference.
A couple pictures of it today & an old one showing the tint.
That car looks great with or without tint.
Quote from: Gurgie on Jul 02, 2026, 08:01 PMTook the window tint off the 997 & gave it a quick wash. Car came with tint on all the windows & I was never a fan, but was hesitant to try & remove it. Was scared of glue being left behind. With the heat wave we're in, put the car out in the sun & did the passenger side window first as it was peeling in one corner a bit. Came off no issues or glue residue. Next up I did the driver's side. Was surprised the rear glass went quite easy. Hardest one was the driver's side rear quarter window because I couldn't get a corner started, took a small screwdriver to get it started & then it came off as easy as the rest. Car feels much more airy now & not as closed in. I imagine at night will be the biggest difference.
A couple pictures of it today & an old one showing the tint.
If you want film to keep heat out and your interior from fading, check out 3M Crystalline. Their near clear works very well indeed.
https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/b00016683/
Quote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 05:26 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 04:49 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 02:06 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Do you mind if we ask why you don't drive it more, like used as a daily driver? I would assume the GTS would be a nice place to be in all settings so I would be surprised you are uncomfortable in it. Is it just because you are somewhat afraid to park it in most places or something?
5 km from my train station (I take the train into downtown). We have 3 of every store within 2 km of our house. We have 4 cars in the house. I actually drive it as much as possible.
To give you an idea, my other car and one I use in the winter, the 2015 BMW335i I bought new is coming on 12 years and it has 64,000 km.
I have been intentionally driving it more this year, including to the train station.
This is my curse: a car enthusiast without much opportunity to drive.
Man I completely forgot about your BMW, that too is a manual right? No wonder you aren't getting as many kms, you have two very good fun cars to drive. I can relate with my ITS and Miata, you can only drive one at a time.
Do you have any fun short drives that you could work into your routine on maybe a weekly basis to at least get some extra enjoyment? I have a "long way home" from work that I'll take, it's only about 15-20 minutes longer, but it's a back road with a lot of turns, elevation changes, blind hills and turns, and it's generally a deserted route. I stick my car into 4th gear and drive the route in the 80-110kph with the music blasting and just enjoying life. White it is only a short drive, the level of enjoyment I get from my performance cars has grown greatly.
Quote from: Revelations on Jul 02, 2026, 08:20 PMThat car looks great with or without tint.
I was thinking the same thing, looks good either way. I'm the type that prefers the window behind me to all be tinted, but I can understand why others might prefer the extra light.
Quote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 08:35 PMQuote from: Gurgie on Jul 02, 2026, 08:01 PMTook the window tint off the 997 & gave it a quick wash. Car came with tint on all the windows & I was never a fan, but was hesitant to try & remove it. Was scared of glue being left behind. With the heat wave we're in, put the car out in the sun & did the passenger side window first as it was peeling in one corner a bit. Came off no issues or glue residue. Next up I did the driver's side. Was surprised the rear glass went quite easy. Hardest one was the driver's side rear quarter window because I couldn't get a corner started, took a small screwdriver to get it started & then it came off as easy as the rest. Car feels much more airy now & not as closed in. I imagine at night will be the biggest difference.
A couple pictures of it today & an old one showing the tint.
If you want film to keep heat out and your interior from fading, check out 3M Crystalline. Their near clear works very well indeed.
https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/b00016683/
The car spends most of it's time in the garage, so not too worried about the fading. If I was parked outside, all day, every day, then maybe I'd consider it.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 03, 2026, 08:56 AMDo you have any fun short drives that you could work into your routine on maybe a weekly basis to at least get some extra enjoyment?
I feel like Hannibal lives in the Mississauga area, which is pretty devoid of fun 20 minute drives.
Quote from: Tortoise on Jul 03, 2026, 09:52 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 03, 2026, 08:56 AMDo you have any fun short drives that you could work into your routine on maybe a weekly basis to at least get some extra enjoyment?
I feel like Hannibal lives in the Mississauga area, which is pretty devoid of fun 20 minute drives.
What do you mean, sitting on the 401 for 3 hours to go 4 feet isn't considered a fun Ontarian drive?? ;D
Quote from: Fobroader on Jul 03, 2026, 11:56 AMQuote from: Tortoise on Jul 03, 2026, 09:52 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 03, 2026, 08:56 AMDo you have any fun short drives that you could work into your routine on maybe a weekly basis to at least get some extra enjoyment?
I feel like Hannibal lives in the Mississauga area, which is pretty devoid of fun 20 minute drives.
What do you mean, sitting on the 401 for 3 hours to go 4 feet isn't considered a fun Ontarian drive?? ;D
Lol, yes Mississauga so it's pretty congested, especially after noon. But I am in the north part so pretty close to all the roads you see on Throttle House.
I promise to make more of an effort boys. In fact this morning I was out running all my errands with it, including groceries. Nicked my wheel at the No Frills parking lot for my efforts :(
Yes, the BMW is a RWD manual, and I still love it!
^^ Sorry, boys + Brig :)
Gave the Escalade a fresh detailing inside and out, including a fresh coat of wax, so it'll be nice and clean for our trip south to the beach tomorrow. Course it poured immediately upon finishing...
It's the 4th too, so the family was dressed up for the festivities here in town and figured I'd take the opportunity for a very 'Merican photo.
(https://i.imgur.com/JJprKdE.jpeg)
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 03, 2026, 08:56 AMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 05:26 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 04:49 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 02:06 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Do you mind if we ask why you don't drive it more, like used as a daily driver? I would assume the GTS would be a nice place to be in all settings so I would be surprised you are uncomfortable in it. Is it just because you are somewhat afraid to park it in most places or something?
5 km from my train station (I take the train into downtown). We have 3 of every store within 2 km of our house. We have 4 cars in the house. I actually drive it as much as possible.
To give you an idea, my other car and one I use in the winter, the 2015 BMW335i I bought new is coming on 12 years and it has 64,000 km.
I have been intentionally driving it more this year, including to the train station.
This is my curse: a car enthusiast without much opportunity to drive.
Man I completely forgot about your BMW, that too is a manual right? No wonder you aren't getting as many kms, you have two very good fun cars to drive. I can relate with my ITS and Miata, you can only drive one at a time.
Do you have any fun short drives that you could work into your routine on maybe a weekly basis to at least get some extra enjoyment? I have a "long way home" from work that I'll take, it's only about 15-20 minutes longer, but it's a back road with a lot of turns, elevation changes, blind hills and turns, and it's generally a deserted route. I stick my car into 4th gear and drive the route in the 80-110kph with the music blasting and just enjoying life. White it is only a short drive, the level of enjoyment I get from my performance cars has grown greatly.
You guys both have to get out and try autocrossing...
Quote from: Firm on Jul 05, 2026, 01:13 AMI'd take the opportunity for a very 'Merican photo.
I don't see any guns?? LOL 😆
Quote from: blur911 on Jul 05, 2026, 12:54 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 03, 2026, 08:56 AMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 05:26 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 04:49 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 02, 2026, 02:06 PMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 12:47 PMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 02, 2026, 09:37 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 02, 2026, 09:06 AMQuote from: RRocket on Jul 01, 2026, 09:38 PMQuote from: HannibalSmith on Jul 01, 2026, 08:14 PMTook the Cayman on a day trip to Niagara on the Lake today...odometer turned over 4,000 km...
I don't know what to make of that lol
I do!
DRIVE MORE!! LOL 😆
Yeah that's definitely indication that the owner isn't prioritizing driving the car they love.
I don't think you have much on your Acura, do you?
I think I just ticked over 14,000kms and it'll be 2 years old in October. Mind you over the past two months I've driven the Miata more, which could continue until the cold weather hits.
Wasn't Hannibels Cayman a new GTS that he bought well before my Acura, or am I mistaken?
Yes, embarrassingly Cayman will be nearly 3 years old this September.
I need to retire basically! As a car guy it's shameful lol
Do you mind if we ask why you don't drive it more, like used as a daily driver? I would assume the GTS would be a nice place to be in all settings so I would be surprised you are uncomfortable in it. Is it just because you are somewhat afraid to park it in most places or something?
5 km from my train station (I take the train into downtown). We have 3 of every store within 2 km of our house. We have 4 cars in the house. I actually drive it as much as possible.
To give you an idea, my other car and one I use in the winter, the 2015 BMW335i I bought new is coming on 12 years and it has 64,000 km.
I have been intentionally driving it more this year, including to the train station.
This is my curse: a car enthusiast without much opportunity to drive.
Man I completely forgot about your BMW, that too is a manual right? No wonder you aren't getting as many kms, you have two very good fun cars to drive. I can relate with my ITS and Miata, you can only drive one at a time.
Do you have any fun short drives that you could work into your routine on maybe a weekly basis to at least get some extra enjoyment? I have a "long way home" from work that I'll take, it's only about 15-20 minutes longer, but it's a back road with a lot of turns, elevation changes, blind hills and turns, and it's generally a deserted route. I stick my car into 4th gear and drive the route in the 80-110kph with the music blasting and just enjoying life. White it is only a short drive, the level of enjoyment I get from my performance cars has grown greatly.
You guys both have to get out and try autocrossing...
I've thought about it before and maybe I would if the "local" autocrossing group wasn't an hour drive away. Plus my weekends revolve mostly around errands and relaxing.
Quote from: Johnnymac on Jul 06, 2026, 08:38 AMI've thought about it before and maybe I would if the "local" autocrossing group wasn't an hour drive away. Plus my weekends revolve mostly around errands and relaxing.
An hour? That is pretty local.
Moncton Motorsport Club even has some weekday events.
Quote from: blur911 on Jul 10, 2026, 09:58 AMQuote from: Johnnymac on Jul 06, 2026, 08:38 AMI've thought about it before and maybe I would if the "local" autocrossing group wasn't an hour drive away. Plus my weekends revolve mostly around errands and relaxing.
An hour? That is pretty local.
Moncton Motorsport Club even has some weekday events.
Yeah an hour isn't too bad for sure, but that would be two hours round trip, plus half a day of auto cross that I would only have a handful of runs. The cost of time and reward just seems a bit too skewed for me to commit to it.
Plus typically my weekends I like spending away from people as much as I can and that would certainly make me have to put my social hat on. At least it would be with car guys so the conversation would be decent.