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Burns Flat, OK Car Consumer Discussions

Re: What will Obama do about 55 [kernick]

by cdn_tch on Tue Nov 11 14:36:55 PST 2008

Some of the vehicles are old some are new, and the graph all follow the same curve. Go faster, use more fuel. The Greman graph is from 2006. Yes, aero drag is not the only thing since we have multi speed vehicles, but generally speaking they will all be in top gear by 55 MPH on flat ground. So, if we make the assumption that a given vehicle is in top gear at 55, we then look at what it costs (in HP) to go faster. Take an average sedan with a Cd of .3, total rolling weight of 3750 Lbs and a total frontal area of 22 sq ft, we get HP losses to aero drag of: 55 MPH = 13 HP 65 MPH = 19 HP 75 MPH = 26.5 HP 85 MPH = 36.5 HP Again, that horsepower must come from gasoline, you will burn more the faster you drive (once you are in top gear). Polution: NHTSA states that there are about 3 trillion vehicle miles driven per year. If we simplify the numbers and say that on average the sum of all vehicles driven average 30MPG, the savings in gasoline by increasing that to 31 MPG would be about 3.2 Billion gallons. So would a 1 mpg increase make a difference? I'd say that it would.

Re: 2007 CRV Towing a Trailer [johnnyr]

by rted on Mon Feb 25 11:01:53 PST 2008

First rule: Pulling any trailer is comparatively uncomplicated... it's STOPPING the trailer that gets interesting. All indications are that the '07 has the same drive train as the '05 and up, so the following is regarded as popular wisdom: Whereas the European owners' manual for my model year specifies 1500# capacity without brakes and 2500# with, you're probably OK for occasional pulling of your 1500# capacity as it is, new off the lot. This means trailer plus load = 1500, not 1500# on top of a 450# trailer. I haul a boat and trailer that totals around 950 pounds and on flat coastal plane, I'm not sure I'd want to pull (and have to stop) more than 1K plus 3 other people, provisions, auxillary engine, and all our gear on board. That is to say, at this load I feel very comfortable with the good braking capacity of the V. I've never experienced brake-fade as of yet but it's all flat around here, plus, the auto trans will downshift for you automatically as you slow down. No mountain descents to have to pump brakes, etc. but there is a lot of traffic. East coast "in your face" traffic. If you nose-dive at the end, you waited too long to slow down. And watch any braking on a curve, especially downhill or in a switchback or in rain. It's not so much the weight alone as it's the 1500# trying to shove your car sideways against a point about 3 ft behind the rear axle. (This applies to towing with any car). And if you're going to do this much more than a time or two, you can add a B&M transmission cooler between the transmission output and the built-in OEM cooler input (so that in cold weather, it doesn't over-cool). Many will insist that an extra cooler is completely unnecessary and redundant upon stock provisions. If you aren't going to tow this much weight regularly, you can probably forego this part. In any case, note that if you didn't purchase a Honda "towing package" they may try to skip out on your 36K/3yr warranty if they see a non-factory hitch on the car.... because they can. Then again, with the added cooler it's less likely to become an issue in the first place. If you bought the car with the Honda tow package, great. Consider synthetic engine oil, towing or not, unless you're going to throw it away every 3K. Last but not least, follow the requirement (if yours is an automatic trans) to keep in D-3 by using the little button in the end of the shift lever. I'd be happier if they chose to lock the transmission simply in D-4 because the way it is now, the car screams along at 4,000 RPM at 60 miles/hr. If you fail to heed this Honda directive, your transmission will get shift-busy going up and down from 5th to 4th all day long until the clutch pack finally burns out. I've gotten used to doing 60 - 65 keeping in mind that Mobil1 is doing its job. So, use a good oil, slow down and enjoy the desert scenery, and good luck in your next duty station. See also this Honda owners' site.

If you run your Forester battery "flat"..

by kurtamaxxxguy on Mon Oct 20 13:03:46 PDT 2008

I asked Subaru about using the small "power point" rechargers (little batteries that plug into cigarette / power points and send power back to vehicle battery over vehicle internal wiring) with '09 Forester. Their response: Subaru of America does not recommend any of these battery boosters, as we have not tested and approved them for our vehicles. They go on to say that if you use one and it damages the vehicle (burns wires, zaps computer, etc.), your warranty won't cover fixing the damage. Beware ! :surprise:

Re: Buyers Market???? [driver100]

by graphicguy on Wed Oct 08 05:56:19 PDT 2008

dino....while BMW taking some of their stock elsewhere to sell, I think it's more "hot air" blowing than anything else. What does BMW care whether the dealerships are holding high margin or not. The store pays the same for their cars, whether the market is holding margin or not. Maybe some "face saving" involved. 16 years of sales increases is difficult to walk away from....especially in the largest market in the world. My guess is they're facing a decline in sales like everyone else. Easy and convenient to say "we moved inventory to geographic regions where our dealers can hold better margin." At best, a good PR move. Regarding service (or lack thereof) of our vehicles..... As most of you know, I'm a charter member of CCBA. For years Mazda had been teasing the world that they were returning a rotary powered RX to the market place. IMHO, while not the fastest cars in the segment, the RX was certainly one of the most complete, and unique cars at the price point. I had been a fan of the RX for many years....even when it wasn't produced. At one time, I had an RX7 (late '80s) I had bought used and "tinkered" with for a couple of years. When the RX8 hit in '04, I was one of the first in line to get one. Those of you who remember their initial rollout, it didn't go very smoothly for Mazda. They overstated the HP and its fuel economy. It was supposed to have a rotary with 248 HP and get close to 20 MPG/city. HP had to be restated to 237 (plenty of evidence it was actually less than 220 HP). 14-15 MPG was more the norm for fuel economy. There were other buggaboos that plagued it, too. It had a habit of fouling its plugs. Consequently, it could leave you stranded, not being able to start the car. It would have to be flat bedded back to the dealership to get new plugs. A/C compressor was very weak, as was the battery. Still, for me, that didn't detract from the overall goodness of the car. Would run all day at 9K rpm without complaint. Probably one of the best balanced handling cars I ever owned. Mazda offered to buy back the initial run of RX8s (which mine was one of)...IIRC, it was something along the order of about 3,000 cars (before they could change the MSRP sticker to reflect the "lowered" HP ratings). Or, you could keep the car. Mazda would send you a $500 check for your troubles AND free bumper-to-bumper maintenance for the duration of the warranty (4 years, 50K miles). I chose the latter. Still, problems persisted. After the 3rd time my car had to be flat bedded to the dealership. They were always very, very attentive and concerned whenever I came into the dealership. Always gave me a free loaner car, too. The last time it left me stranded, I was getting quite irritated. I let my service writer know. As luck would have it, the Mazda regional rep was there that day and was in ear shot of my rants. He calmly approached me, introduced himself, and asked about my problems. -3 "no start" situations, had to be towed to the dealership for repair (which they never could get right). -terrible A/C performance -2 batteries died, for no apparent reason Finally, the Mazda rep asked me what he should do (when's the last time a manufacturer's rep asked anyone that?). I told him my thoughts. I knew that rotaries were quirky and well aware that a little extra care needed to be practiced if you owned one. Like, you didn't start and then shut the car down before operating temps were hit. You checked the oil frequently (about every other fillup), as rotaries are, by design, supposed to burn oil. Poor A/C. Weak starter and battery. I told him I thought Mazda probably jumped the gun a little bit in releasing a product that wasn't thoroughly tested. He was aware that I chose the free maintenance over the buyback. Then, something unexpected happened. The rep asked if I wanted to give my car back to Mazda. Being frustrated at that point, I said "yes". We went into the showroom, into the SM's office. the Mazda rep pulled out some papers. Told me Mazda would indeed buy back my car (even after I initially turned down their offer). He said they'd return my entire purchase price, the price of TTL, doc fees...every last nickel I spent to buy the car. I asked him about the $500 Mazda had sent as a gift for my irritation. He said "keep it. You deserve it for all the hassle you've been through". Rep said to leave the car at the dealership, and arranged a loaner (at the time, a very nice new 6). He said to keep it until I got the check from Mazda. About a week later, my check arrived, as promised, for everything. I returned the loaner. Sales person asked me if I wanted to buy another Mazda. While I was struck by how well Mazda took care of me, I took a pass. He had their "courtesy transportation" guy give me a ride home. Would I buy another Mazda? Yeah....maybe! But, if it weren't for the way they treated me, stepped up to the plate to take care of me, that would have been a brand I would have never considered owning, again.

audi a4 air mass meter problem

by dazzler on Mon Oct 06 01:16:05 PDT 2008

ive just bought a 1996 a4 1.9td, with the air mass meter connected it smokes and has a bad flat spot but is fine when it is disconnected just lacks a bit of power, i put a new one on and it was fine for a couple of minutes and then seemed to burn the new one out and i was left with exactly the same problem but over £100 out of pocket. anyone got any ideas please

Re: Subaru Conversion to FWD [ateixeira]

by aatherton on Sat Sep 27 16:45:48 PDT 2008

"... (FWD) it's not really meant to be used full time. It's intended for times when you get flat tires, and for short-term use. " Inserting the fuse in the AWD slot permanently energizes the solenoid that uncouples the power to the rear wheels. The rear drive train still turns, being dragged by the rear wheels. The solenoid is not designed for a continuous duty and will soon burn up.