Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Ludlow, Vermont

Ludlow, VT Car Consumer Discussions

Highway mileage 2004 V70 base non-turbo, 5-spd auto

by jim314 on Tue Feb 19 19:57:01 PST 2008

Round trip Dallas TX to San Francisco CA to drop off a relative. Outbound was with two people and luggage. Inbound me only and less than half of luggage. This base model has no trip computer so these mpg's are hand calculated from fuel pump fillup volumes and trip odometer readings. Highway speed of travel were in the range of slightly below posted to 5 mph over posted, so often 80 mph in AZ and NM. No significant drafting on trucks. Tires 195/65-15 Michelin MXV4+ Energy (51 psi max infl press) inflated to 41 psi before trip and not checked during trip. Overall 3984 mi on 128.3 gal of mostly Shell 90 or 91 octane AKI "V-Power" => 31.0 mpg. Twelve fillups. If the two legs with significant lower mpg (* and **) are excluded as outliers, then 3258 mi on 101.0 gal => 32.2 mpg. 1. Dallas to Amarillo TX: 384.2 mi on 15.236 gal => 25.2 mpg* (incl. urban Dallas) 2. to Albuquerque NM: 291.4 mi on 9.472 gal => 30.8 mpg 3. to Flagstaff AZ: 330.7 mi on 10.333 gal => 32.0 mpg 4. to Ludlow CA: 306.3 mi on 9.802 gal => 31.2 mpg 5. to Delano CA 216.4 mi on 6.805 gal => 31.8 mpg 6. to Moss Beach CA 378.2 mi on 11.828 gal => 32.7 mpg (incl some urban SF) 7. to Wasco CA: 342.2 mi on 12.043 gal => 28.4 mpg** 8. to Needles CA: 303.9 mi on 9.035 gal => 33.6 mpg 9. to Williams AZ: 347.7 mi on 11.519 gal =>30.2 mpg (incl. Grand Canyon NP) 10. to Moriarty NM: 401.8 mi on 11.774 gal => 34.1 mpg 11. to Amarillo TX: 300.5 mi on 8.806 gal => 34.1 mpg 12. to Dallas TX: 380.7 mi on 11.664 gal => 32.6 mpg (incl side trips to Palo Duro Canyon SP and Copper Breaks SP at Quanah TX and re-entry into Dallas through thick urban traffic for 40 miles) NB 1. The last urban tank before the trip yielded 20.1 mpg. 2. The V70 allowed me to sleep in the back of the vehicle with rear seat folded flat (return trip) in Grand Canyon NP and in Palo Duro Canyon State Park TX.

Re: I love snow, too!!!!!! [blkhemi]

by laurasdada on Sun Dec 16 16:46:52 PST 2007

A Maniac, eh? I spent a few years skiing, summering and calling on the Pulp and Paper mills in Maine. I've always considered myself a New Englander and believe Vermont is just heaven on earth. I had thoughts of second/retirement home there. But, after marriage I'm told that is no longer my dream. A second/retirement home in NH on Winnipesaukee is my new dream. Thanks for clearing that up, dear! Avid skier, met the Evil Wife in lovely Ludlow (well, Cavendish to be precise. A 'burb of Ludlow :shades: ). Burlington, Mad River Glen, Weston Playhouse, The Equinox, Champy, Route 100, I'm getting misty here... I'm the opposite-ish. Born in Nueva York, grew up in Fairfield County a die hard Mets fan and Yankees hater (some things never change). Moved to Boston area as the taxes in CT were too low, I just had too much money. The Sox (and Pats) are like a disease, I caught it early and hard. My father/brother still can't believe I'm a Sox fan now. The only constant is change. Still a Mets fan, just so consumed by the Sox and until recently their almost mythical levels of futility (Little's leaving Pedro in??? No!!!!!). All is forgiven x 2! I've resigned myself to buying snow tires mounted on a set of alloys for the TL. The new Toyos just stink in the snow. First time I've ever felt the "need" for snows on a FWD car that I've owned. A Christmas present to myself, I guess. Tire Rack, here I come... Happy/Merry to all the good folks here!

Re: You also have to take in to account the [iluvmysephia1]

by spoole on Thu May 31 21:22:31 PDT 2007

Wow, you lived in Forks. We had lunch there last week. We live in Port Ludlow near the Hood Canel Bridge. Been here 10 years and moved here from Rochester, NY. where we had snow up to our butts 4 months a year. LOVE it on the Peninsula.

Re: Brake Problems 1999 Chevrolet Blazer [mitch66]

by repairdog on Wed Apr 12 09:35:13 PDT 2006

I went out and looked at my 99 and you have the Kelsey-Hayes 4WAL system located on the drivers side under the hood (black cover with name on it). Looked up some info as follows: From- Motor:The nuts & bolts of Kelsey-Hayes 4WAL, Jun98 By- Black, Ludlow (partial test only from a longer article) Used on millions of GM trucks through the years, this antilock system can be a handful to diagnose and service for the uninformed. Here's how to avoid the pitfalls. The Kelsey-Hayes 4WAL ABS system has been used on many GM light trucks through the years. So chances are pretty good you'll tangle with one real soon. Like all ABS, the 4WAL system is designed to keep the vehicle under control during heavy braking. To meet this challenge, however, there may be some sacrifice in pedal feel and even increased stopping distances under certain conditions. Make sure your customers know this and understand what to expect from the system to prevent you from wasting hours trying to diagnose something that may be perfectly normal. The 4WAL system is nonintegral, meaning it uses a conventional booster rather than a separate pump to provide power assist. As a result, there is no external accumulator to worry about, and the pressures you are exposed to during service and repair are the same as with conventional brakes. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the 4WAL system is attached directly to the business part of the system-the Brake Pressure Modulator Valve (BPMV). This assembly can be found under the hood on the right side on pickups, Blazers and Suburbans; beneath the brake booster bolted to the firewall on Astro/Safari vans; and under the vehicle about a third of the way back on the passenger side on G-series vans. System Operation The 4WAL system has three channels of control-right front, left front and rear axle. Although some applications have four wheel speed sensors, if one rear wheel locks, hydraulic pressure to both rear wheels will be reduced. This method of control is not as inefficient as it may seem, since the front wheels do as much as 80% of the work during heavy brake application. The 4WAL system is an active system, meaning it's able to provide energy to reapply the brakes after pressure is released. The vented fluid is stored in accumulators within the BPMV and pushed back to the wheels by an electric pump. Be aware that the solenoids and pump motor can consume up to 45 amps during use, so don't forget to check out the battery and charging system as part of your diagnosis. Self-Tests Two different self-tests are performed whenever the vehicle is started. The first happens as soon as the key is turned on. During this period, the red BRAKE and yellow ANTILOCK lights will come on for 2 seconds. The ECU then tests for continuity in the wheel speed sensor circuits and for proper voltage in the pump circuit. The ANTILOCK light should turn off if no electrical faults are detected; the BRAKE lamp will stay on if either the parking brake is applied or there's a hydraulic problem in the brake circuits. Once the vehicle is moving and the brake pedal is released, the BPMV is tested hydraulically by the ECU. This testing includes the pump and the control valves. The wheel speed sensor inputs are also dynamically tested at this time. If no faults are found, the 4WAL system is operational for the rest of the trip or until a fault is detected.

Re: tough decision or not???? [shipo]

by laurasdada on Sat Nov 19 17:14:39 PST 2005

"...so much so that she threatened to break my other leg when I got out of my cast so that she could keep driving the 5er, snow or no snow." LOL. Does she have any other reasons to want to keep you hobbling? :) "With that in mind, I continually have to ask "Why???" when folks insist that they NEED an AWD equipped car "because they live in the north east" Sorry, not buying." Agreed, as a life-long New Englander/skier. FWD/all-season tires and a modicum of intelligence/skill/experience when driving in snow (not that I reserve my intelligence for the snow. Or so I believe?) has kept me going and arriving safe and sound lo these many years. A Flatlander in the Green/White mountains of beautiful Maine, New Hampster and Vermont. AWD is a nicety, not a necessity. But it will never cease to amaze me the number of drivers that believe AWD overrules the laws of physics, e.g. Subaru Outback wagon + snow + excessive speed (after having tailgated me and illegally passed) + sharp left-handed curve, Rte. 103 into Ludlow, Vt. = Subaru firmly planted in a snow bank on the Town Green! I did stop to see if all were OK. Besides the Subie, they were... And I continued to my destination in my FWD Acura without incident.

04 MPV ES mileage: PHX to SFO trip

by avelectro on Fri Mar 19 09:42:00 PST 2004

Just returned from a Phoenix-San Francisco round trip and I am happy to report better mileage than I expected. We were fairly well loaded with four full-size adults, a week's worth of luggage, and picnic supplies (we avoid restaurants when possible). The first tankful got us almost 500 miles @ 26 mpg. That included a couple hours of bad traffic and awful pavement in northern Los Angeles. For the return trip, we took SR-99 through Bakersfield, across the Mohave to Needles, then down to I-10 via SR-95. The longer return route required two tanks of fuel, one @ 27 mpg and the last @ 29 mpg. Fuel was the recommended 87 octane from Chevron, Exxon, & Shell ranging from 1.99/gal in Phoenix to 2.49 in Ludlow, CA. We had the A/C running most of the time except after Needles, the sun had set and we could open the sunroof and enjoy the night sky and cool air. Upon leaving Phx, the odometer read 1400 miles and now it reads about 3700 so this trip may have been a good break-in for the engine. Before this trip, I replaced the factory-fill 5W-20 with Mobil 1 5W-30 and three tankfuls of around-town trips (suburban driving) averaged 22 mpg. The optional roof rack was not installed and the rear spoiler had not arrived in time for this trip, but the 2004 MPVs come standard with a GFX package which I suspect helps the highway mileage. Whatever is causing the higher-than-expected mpg numbers, I am happy with it!