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Mount Pleasant, SC Car Consumer Discussions

Re: 4-cylinder 2002 maintenance [e44]

by p100 on Sat May 24 18:56:35 PDT 2008

Yes, your injectors would benefit from using Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner. The EGR passages on the 4 cylinder engine are probably different than on the 6 cylinder engine. The intake manifold has those passages as well, as it is definitely different on the V6 engine. The manifold passages appear to be the main culprit. Do not worry about these passages unless your engine check light comes on and you get the appropriate code for the "low EGR flow". The coolant overflow bottle is also different on the 6 cylinder, but is is entirely possible that it is made by the same company. Again do not worry about it unless you see a leak (coolant disappearing from the bottle). The A/C compressor may be the same and the problem I had was the bearing itself on the compressor clutch assembly pulley. I live in a very corrosive area, and park my car very close to the Atlantic ocean at work. So the car is exposed to salt spray that probably penetrated the bearing and shortened its life. The rest of the compressor looked very good when I disassembled it. As for the suspension, I think that Mazda OEM McPherson struts are quite good in quality, and relatively inexpensive. You can replace two at a time, provided it is a front or rear pair. When changing the front struts, also replace the upper mount bearings, which are plastic on these cars. They wear out and cause groaning noise when you make a sharp turn. When front and rear struts wear out, you will have decreased ride quality and most likely wheel hopping phenomenon, which often results in unpleasant vibration. So replacing the worn struts with new ones also helps keep the wheels firmly planted on the road, where they belong. As for CV joint boots, it is cheaper to replace the entire axle with good rebuilt units. It takes a while to remove each joint from the axle, and clean it out properly to reboot it. Labor being expensive, it is therefore cheaper to install a rebuilt unit. You can also find new CV axles at remarkably low prices. I found a set for $ 50/piece, and there was no core charge. Note: I am now about 750 miles away from the 200k mark with my car. Hopefully, it will make it to 200k without any incident. I recently cleaned the EGR passages. I had to remove the intake manifold and the EGR valve for this job and it was not pleasant. But it is done and hopefully good for a long time.

Happy with our A4

by 204meca on Sat Jun 21 16:52:33 PDT 2008

2004 A4 1.8T CVT; 48k. Car runs great, is supremely comfortable, handles well, has more than ample acceleration once it is rolling... My biggest surprise (and most pleasant surpriseO is that it gets 24-28 mpg city & 32-36 highway -- on mid grade gas no less. Have had a couple of minor problems (40K whining noise from back of car - replaced fuel filter at NC, 44K broken mirror toggle switch intially said not under warranty, but after reconsideration, replaced NC). Had 1 accident where I was not paying attention & rear ended a stopped car at about 10-15 mph. Broke transmission mount & caused minor radiator leak but I was able to drive it for 2 weeks till the parts were in. Our Bellingham dealer & service department has always been cordial & cooperative. :) We are more than very pleased! with this car! Honestly, reading these forums make nervous & I had real reservations about reliablity when we bought our A4. Now we plan to keep current A4 till 2011 & then will likely replace it with another A4 or possibly an A3.

Bluetooth and Sirius

by getgenie on Sun Mar 23 10:24:37 PDT 2008

I am turning in my 2005.5 XC90 T6 next week for a V8 XC90. I never experienced any problems with the car except minor annoyances such as the center cup holder cover getting stuck and the dreaded steering thump until they resolved it. However, my experience with Volvo dealers has not been as good. While pleasant, he has not been very helpful and does not know the vehicle well. Since I was not able to locate an XC90 with a technology package, all I am trying to do is get info on Sirius and bluetooth. I want to place the Volvo bluetooth head unit to the left of the steering column, between the steering column and the panel for the headlights. Can that be done? The dealer says to place below the vents on the center dash which I'd like to avoid. As for Sirius, the dealer cannot tell me which unit they use or where they run the wiring! He says they mount it just left of the 12v outlet next to the gear shift. But he can't explain HOW they mount it or where the wires are exposed, and he says the antenna is placed on the roof "probably" over the windshield! Can anyone help out? Have you had Volvo install Sirius into your XC90? If so, where did you place it, and where are the wires, and where is the antenna? If you have the Volvo BT, where did you place it, and how does it work so far? Thanks in advance!

Re: HONDA ODYSSEY TRANSMISSION [chisop09]

by 2002odie on Sun Feb 03 11:12:36 PST 2008

What kind of problem? What exactly happened? Did the check engine light come on? (If so, do you have access to an OBDII engine code reader? Flashing green "D" indicator? TSC light come on? Have you already taken it in to the dealer? Have you already contacted Honda Corporate "Customer Service" to open a case? Have you had all your transmission fluid changes done at the dealer? Do you have detailed maintenance receipts for all the services performed? Even with 100% dealer performed services, do not expect Honda to pay 100% for your new transmission, but having such proof of dealership-performed service will go towards them extending you some "goodwill" as they call it...and don't count on the dealership to have all the records, according to the dealership where I went, all records are wiped out of their system every 2 years. Consider yourself lucky if you can get them to pay half. See my previous posts about my odyssey in dealing with our Odyssey's tranny. It is not a pleasant experience, but you will most likely not have to pay full price, but then again, it's a battle of patience and determination to get Honda to pay up any amount to "help" you out. Also, for additional info, check out www.odyclub.com, and search "2002 transmission", you will find plenty of insightful comments. Bottom line, I had to wait almost 4 weeks for them to do 2 days of work, and I still had to pay over $2200.00 (instead of $5000.00), AND ON TOP OF THAT the dealer still tried to tack on an additional $900.00 worth of work (motor mounts and Idle Air Control Valve) saying that they found these additional items needed attention while swapping out the tranny, ...talk about adding insult to injury!

My first Veracruz oil change

by carbuyer11 on Mon Jan 07 09:15:37 PST 2008

Although not mechanically inclined, I have always performed my own oil changes. I just completed my first oil change on my wife's Veracruz AWD Limited. Based on feedback posted here, I was aware of the location of the oil filter (at the top of the engine under the plastic engine cover). I used Mobil 1 synthetic and a Hyundai filter. Absolutely no issues at all. After years of dealing with oil filters mounted on the bottom of the engine, this was a pleasant departure from what I was used to. Quick, easy and relatively unmessy.

Re: Rogue 2008 [infinitimn]

by roguer on Sat Dec 01 17:30:03 PST 2007

No trade in. dealer added Door Edge Guards, wheel locks, handpainted pinstrips Classic Cars Nissan, mount holly NJ Very pleasant buying experience. No pressure at all. Call Orlando, say: "I'm from Sergey ;) ". Beast Deal guaranty ;) . If somebody have a portrait of best salesman - it is Orlando.