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Grand Forks, ND Car Consumer Discussions

Filtering through tire recommendations

by sven335 on Wed Nov 05 16:33:32 PST 2008

Thank you for your feedback. It's good to know I am not alone in this. I checked my tire pressure and it was up to spec. I revisited the 'small bumps' and determined they were rather large. However, they don't feel that way in my 2004 325i. Now I am looking for new tires. I want to stay in my seat, reduce vibration, and minimize tramlining without significantlly compromising performance. After reading the recommendations above and in other threads, I am still not sure what to do. I am reluctant to fork over more than a grand for another set of tires unless it is reasonably sure to fix the problem. The most recommended tire appears to be the Michelin Sport PS2 (I am not sure if this is the same as the PS/2 referred to above. I thought the PS2 was a GFT). Has anyone tried this tire on a 2008 335i Sport, and how did this impact the ride? Are there other tires multiple people have used to good effect (i.e., Yokohama AVANT S4)? If I replace the RFT's will it impact the oil cooler in the wheel well? What about the tire pressure sensors? Thanks!

just passed emissions with a p0442 DTC!!

by n5445 on Fri Oct 24 16:30:41 PDT 2008

I passed my emissions even though I have a p0442 small leak DTC! What I realized here in Illinois is that you dont need a perfect grade to pass. the 00 grand am only has 5 tests that match the epa tests. As long as you pass 4 of the 5 you will get a passing grade. So I kept the gas tank near empty, reset the p0442 code and drove the car until the other 4 tests would run and get a "ready" status. Oviously you need a code reader to determine when the rest of the test have completed. Since the Evap test wont run until there is a certain amount of gas in the tank, it wouldnt run and therefore stayed in "not ready" for the 5th test. Took it to the emissions test and wholla- passing grade. Finally can get that plate sticker thats 2 months over due!! I still will need to find the p0442 cause, but atleast now, I have the time to do it without worrying about getting pulled over for an invalid plate sticker. I refuse to take it in to a shop and fork out $$ when the car has 135k miles on it. That money is better spent replacing things on the car that need it yourself. evap purge valve,egr,canister vent solenoid,gas cap,etc. For the amount it cost to repair one thing at the shop, you can do all of them for the same price at home. It just takes awhile longer to do.

Re: Transmission Fluid Flush or Replacement [dmgadget]

by pscheid on Wed Oct 15 10:31:26 PDT 2008

Well, our posts seem to be crossing. I type slow and think slower. MECHANICS: A good and relatively trustworthy mechanic with reasonable prices. Seemingly a pipe dream, but they are out there. I may have been lucky in 1993 when I found mine, close to home too. I have made a point of remaining loyal to him, even if I pay more for his gas. At least he sees me a lot. And he always asks about my satisfaction with the previous repair. After I tell him everything is fine, I remind him he should name a repair bay after me with no smile on my face. I expect him to be loyal to me in return. I am not shy about pointing out to him that when my cars come off warranty (I'm a cradle to grave car owner) he gets first shot and every one thereafter until HE gives me reason to change. He offers me a bag or box with my old parts after each repair which I look over and leave there for disposal. He has been particularly good at calling and pointing out preventative stuff where the labor at some disassembly is already a sunk cost and "while it's apart you may want to consider..." I'll have to talk to you sometime about my idler pully assembly (it froze, bearing siezed) and I also opted for a new a/c compressor and I believe alternator to boot. Slap in bearings/shaft fit, and something to go next, stranded with dogs and/or fuming wife. Now that the engine was unbolted and lifted, and the lions share of the labor was already invested...... A COMPARABLE REPLACEMENT CAR: Sometimes it doesn't seem to make much sense to put a grand or two or three in an 11 year old used vehicle with a blue book trade value or a private party sale value is $3-4K. And sometimes you can't buy reliability in an unknown used car at 3-4 times the price. I know what I have and what I have put in it. I know how it has been maintained. Then I look at some of the total ownership savings if I choose to keep the car. I significantly save annually on reduced local excise taxes, insurance costs, financing costs foregone, and the huge one: depreciation expense. On the latter, I can pay for a whole lot of repairs for the annual cost of the last one. And I get paid back every additional mile I drive THIS car after I forked over a bunch of money on a repair or tire replacement. When the reliability starts to fail me or the aggravation gets too great, fine. I'll bite the bullet then. FUEL RELATED ITEMS: Gas tank capacity on the 1998 is 18.5 gallons, not 18 as I previously stated. And I've put 18.5 in it more than once. Fuel mileage. Best case 18mpg city, 21-22 evenly mixed, and 28+ pure highway at 65 on cruise, 100+ miles. Never changed since I got the car, and I'm on the original ignition parts as stated earlier. With a happy right foot around town, 14. Drop the other numbers accordingly when I'm having fun.....like those 120 mph blasts. Fuel. The Aurora manual is more liberal on octane with 91 as the starting point. I burn 93 because we don't have a lot of 91 around here. Downshifted to 87 for quite a few months when my daily commute was 90 miles and gas got ridiculous. No change in mileage, and if acceleration suffered, I couldn't tell. No pre-ignition experienced (pinging per the manual) under a heavy foot or up hills. Engine management retarded the spark to accommodate the lower octane I suppose. Relatively remarkable for its 10.3 compression ratio and nearly 4,000 pounds. So you can save on gas if you choose (see savings above). Hyundai Genesis.....this manufacturer actually rates horsepower and torque at premium grade fuel (recommended) and 87 regular.....about a reading of 5 lower for both for burning the lower octane which on a base of 375 horsepower isn't even worth discussing. SYNTHETIC MOTOR OILS: Never used them because I could never see the advantage except for their unquestioned lubricating superiority in the colder temperatures, particularly at startup and while the engine is warming up. Synthetics grab and hold, plus their viscosity at even the coldest temps is unchanged. I personally change with conventional motor oil and a filter at an average of every 4K miles or 3-4 months, whichever comes first, 10-30 viscosity in the summer and 5-30 winter. While the synthetic may maintain its lubricating qualities twice or three times as long mileage-wise, can those properties mitigate the dirt in the oil and piling up in the oil filter? Consumers' Report a few years back (perhaps sponsorship biased) tested every motor oil brand, viscosity, and type (natural vs.synthetic), with and without afternmarket additives, in a fleet of rebuilt-motored NYC taxicabs for 100K miles, using scheduled change intervals. After a million words of text, the conclusion: no appreciable difference in wear. I've never had a motor oil/wear related engine failure in 40 years, even with my Corvette (11 years daily driver 24/7/365 in Chicago, ran all season tires year round, my only car at the time). Lots of high rpm use/abuse with that one. OIL LEAK: If it's a minor oil pan gasket or valve cover leak, tighten and observe. Replace gaskets if necessary. Otherwise, I just drive and add oil as required because it costs virtually nothing. The driveway takes a beating, though. I had a rear seal leak on a Camaro for about 5 years and didn't want to pay to have the engine yanked. Just added oil, no problems except the driveway (again). BCM...... This is the tough one, and I don't have any advice other than.....you have to have the blower operating, especially in winter for both the heat and especially the defrost. I have read a lot of stuff in this forum on blower motor and blower control module problems. Could never figure out why mechanics could not isolate the problem better with diagnostics, amperage, or voltage meters. Had a starter motor issue once. Thought it was the battery. Lost a $20 bet. Another time thought I had a battery isuue. Lost a $20 bet. In each instance with the same friend who on the former issue disconnected, cleaned, and reconnected the starter motor ground, same with the battery terminals on the latter issue. These were both on the Corvette. 11 year old wiring alone on your car could be at issue, especially if the insulation rubbed through/off and you are getting inappropriate sporadic touching of a hot on something metal, unwanted. No suggestions here. TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGES/SCREEN REPLACEMENTS/FLUSHES: Agreed, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Manual suggests never needs changing under normal driving conditions, even up to the 150,000 mile interval in the manual. Most of what you need to know is in the color and smell of the transmission fluid anyway, despite what I say. Later, Jack

Re: My dad always told me.... [bob104]

by skeptical on Fri Aug 01 08:46:43 PDT 2008

It's nice to hear that the Prius is actually appreciating for right now. But it won't keep doing that, of course. It's not going to keep going up and up...this is just an odd time, because we are in the middle of many changes, so the Prius folks are taking full advantage. But if you want to look at the larger picture, and you don't yet own a Prius, you still need to factor in if you are willing to plunk down that much more money --knowing that the entire hybrid market-- as well as the small car market (Honda Fit, etc)-- is going to explode in the next two years. There will be many more choices for fuel economy cars, and with that comes competition and stabilizing of prices.. And the current Prius is do for major re-haul which will then put a halt to the inflated prices of the second generation Prius, although I'm sure it will still get very good re-sale for many years--and if I had one now, I'd likely just hold onto it and not re-sell--a new car means yet more money to fork over... I think the point is you need to keep your wits about you and not get too swept away with the feeding frenzy. Know you have options, and they are about to get a great deal better! You need to know what your limits are in terms of how much you are willing to pay. I'm sorry I didn't buy a Prius when tons were sitting on the lot in February and even March...and you could actually get a good 1-2 grand below MSRP--but now, I just don't know if it's worth it--especially with what's coming around in the corner within the next 12-24 months.... It's a tough choice--I remain on the Prius waiting list and we'll see if a fair enough price is offered at the time (if ever it actually arrives!). I'm fully prepared to say no if after having fully researched close enough alternatives that are just around the corner are $5-$9,000 less... There's a lot more I can do with that money in the mean-time... It's a tough choice, but it's good to know there are options...

Is $19,000 out the door too much for an SE w/ Bluetooth and spoiler?

by skeptical on Wed Jul 30 13:50:17 PDT 2008

Hi everyone, I'm new here and just realized these wonderful forums for information and advice are available and I'm about ready (as in tonight?) to fork over 19 grand with taxes, etc. for an SE (''08) that has bluetooth and a spoiler. I frankly don't like the spoiler and didn't want it, but, it's all they had left. This rather high price also includes a 1500 rebate, if you can believe that. So I'm worried that maybe this is too much and I should not go through with it and just pay more for a civic or a Mazda 3 or await the 09's wherein there will be more choices... Can anyone give me a sense if this is a fair price? Thanks tons in advance for any guidance....

Re: on another note [qbrozen]

by roadburner on Wed Jun 25 18:34:56 PDT 2008

I've always been partial to QUIET and simple cruisers. My father had a '74 Yamaha that I kinda dug way back when. Seemed HUGE to me at the time, though. I wonder what it would look like in person nowadays. But definitely no hogs or crotch rockets. Also want to spend very little. Any suggestions? If you are still thinking about a bike, I'd second all of BR's recommendations. I would add that there are great deals to be had on used Hinckley Triumphs(the bikes built from 1991-on). I paid $3000 for my 1996 Speed Triple: It has the rare Triumph "Racing/Off Road" 3-into-1 exhaust as well as six-pot Alcon front calipers as used on the Super III. Over the past three years I've spent just under $1500 on service and repairs. That includes a new front wheel(the original was slightly bent), a set of Pirelli Diablo tires, fork seals, new OEM brake pads front and rear, fresh DOT4 brake fluid, fresh coolant, and a new gel battery and matching tender. With the purchase price of the bike included the grand total comes to $4700. Progressive hits me up for $132/year for liability coverage and the great Commonwealth of KY sticks me for $45/year for tax and registration. I wish the Speedy's riding position was a little kinder to my 51 year old bones but you can't have everything. I also fitted some Grip Puppies, AKA closed-cell foam grip covers, and they have helped quite a bit. Anyway, as a last resort I can always install some bar risers. The story goes that when John Bloor resurrected Triumph in the early nineties he knew that the bikes would have to be bomb-proof from the start. As a result he insisted that every part on the first generation bikes be over-engineered. The Triumph tech who recently serviced my bike told me that I shouldn't need any major engine work for at least 100,000 miles. Which means I have only 85,000 more to go. And you have to admire a company that releases videos like this one.