Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Snohomish, Washington

Snohomish, WA Car Consumer Discussions

Re: service for Forester differential [ronaries10]

by jeffmc on Sun Mar 30 17:08:31 PDT 2008

ronaries10 - while I can't directly answer your technical questions, I can say that if you do end up in need of a Seattle-area Subaru specialist & are looking to save a bit over the dealer, check out Smart Service... they have shops in Mountlake Terrace (at the King-Snohomish line) and Mukilteo, & are highly rated by AAA. I primarily use my dealer, but I've also had great experience with these guys. IMHO, they're knowledgeable, honest, & can save you quite a bit. You can check 'em out online here: http://www.smart-service.com/ Good luck!

GM Speedometer lawsuit filed

by rockman59 on Fri Mar 02 16:22:37 PST 2007

Suits filed over GM speedometers By David Bowermaster Seattle Times staff reporter Kevin Zwicker knew something was wrong when the speedometer on his 2004 Chevy Suburban indicated he was going 10 mph, even though he was driving at or near the speed limit on Interstate 5. Zwicker's speedometer failed completely in April 2006. But General Motors did not replace it for free because the truck was outside the standard three-year, 36,000-mile warranty period. Zwicker had purchased an extended warranty, so he paid $100 for a new speedometer rather than the usual $400 to $500. But now Zwicker, who lives in Snohomish, is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking damages on behalf of potentially thousands of people. The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle, could potentially cover all Washington residents who purchased GM trucks and sport-utility vehicles from 2003 to 2007, and who have had to replace defective speedometers. Zwicker, 48, considers himself a "savvy driver," but said it was uncomfortable driving without knowing how fast he was going. "I don't think it's fair that a major manufacturer such as GM can let something like this go by and not give it some serious thought," Zwicker said. A nearly identical suit was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Oregon on behalf of John Hall, who paid $427.50 in January to fix a defective speedometer on his 2003 GMC Envoy LE. The lawsuits in Washington and Oregon are seeking class-action status, according to Beth Terrell, an attorney with the Seattle law firm of Tousley Brain Stephens who is representing Hall and Zwicker. The suits cover five Chevrolet models: Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe and Trailblazer; four GMC models: Denali, Envoy, Sierra and Trailblazer; and the Cadillac Escalade. Additional suits could follow in other states, but there are currently no plans to consolidate the cases into a single national suit against the world's largest automaker.

94 F250 trans swap

by keven on Mon Oct 23 23:21:35 PDT 2006

I have a 1994 F250 extended cab 4x4 with a 460 and E4OD. The Overdrive is bad. A friend has a E4OD out of a 1993 F250 4x4 with a 7.3 diesel. Will the diesel trans bolt to the 460 ? :confuse:

Re: '06 Dakota Rear Vibration [wbmulberry]

by lighthumor on Sun Apr 16 14:42:43 PDT 2006

If only Dodge would take care of this issue! I bought a 2000 Dakota new in March of 2000... By September of 2001 I had already had the front rotors turned or replaced 5 times without fixing the issue. I pursued a Lemon Law claim in Washington State and Got a new truck. I settled with Chrysler before going through the procedures and they agreed to replace it under the terms of the lemon law. Under the terms in Washington State I was required to pay for mileage (based on a stanadardized formula available on the state website). The net result was a new truck with a slightly lower payment. But overall, aside from the fact that it reset the clock on my car loan, the benefits of the new truck outweighed the fact that I would pay longer. It was almost like I had leased the first truck. Dodge even gave me credit for the Rhino lining I had installed. I will say that I had to educate the dealer on the Lemon Law... I had to bring documentation from the state website and argue for weeks about who pays license fees & taxes, etc. In fact, they had to custom order my new truck, and it arrived and sat on their lot for 3 weeks while we wrangled with paperwork (I refused to pick it up until they agreed to follow the terms of the settlement). But overall it was definitely worth it. I put miles on the old truck, and felt it fair that I should pay for those. But it all came out in the wash. It basically cost me nothing out of pocket to upgrade to the new truck (except restarting the clock on my payments). My point is, it was a pain but it was worth it to go through with it in my case. Having said that though, the 2002 they replaced it with had the same brake issue. Finally on the 3rd try, I let them put ventilated rotors on. That solved the issue and I am at 60k miles on the ventilated rotors with VERY good success. (NOTE: Get a spec sheet on the rotors and verify they follow 100% of the installation instructions!) I say go for it... Get your new truck. I encourage everyone to do that - because until more do, Dodge will not acknowledge this serious deficiency in the brakes of the Dakota. I also encourage you to go to NHTSA.GOV and report the issues there. The more public complaining you do, the more likely Dodge will correct the problem! Good luck!

Re: Tundra for Towing...5000# [bill_viverette]

by zimbob on Tue Mar 07 22:16:07 PST 2006

Bill: I own a 2004 Tundra Double Cab with 25K miles, and I tow a 6000# 27' travel trailer. With gear, kids, dog, full tank of gas, etc., I'm sure I'm very close to the towing capacity of the vehicle. I've easily put 8K miles on that trailer with the truck. Some notes: - With that kind of weight on the truck, it must be driven with the overdrive off, otherwise the transmission is constantly trying to jump into 4th gear with marginal success. Overdrive off driving results in very poor gas mileage. Even in flat road situations, I have been as low as 6 mpg when heading into the wind. At best, you can expect 9 - 10 mpg when pulling big weight. - Even at or near maximum towing capacity, the vehicle feels safe and stable. I do tow with an equalizer hitch, and there has yet to be a time when I felt at risk. In particular, I blew a tire on the trailer (double axle, so 4 wheels) on a rough track of I-15 between St. George, UT, and Mesquite, NV, and I was able to go several more miles to bring us to a safe spot to pull over with no difficulty. - I lived in Salt Lake City, UT, for a couple of years, and I pulled that trailer all over the state...not exactly the flattest place on the planet. The bad news: I was routinely passed by larger Ford 250's, Chevy 2500's, and Ram 2500's. The good news: I made it up several nasty, 7%+ grades while doing 45 mph and I was NEVER passed by a 150 or 1500. I shopped Chevy 1500 and Nissan Titan against the Toyota, and, given the same conditions as early 2004, I would make the Toyota purchase all over again. At the time, Titans were very new, and I don't buy first year vehicles as a rule. The Chevy was a nice truck, and I could get more towing capacity out of it, but the value (resale, in particular) was suspect at the time, and I think with GM's rebates and pricing models of late, my decision has borne out well for me. Good luck in your decision! Bob Baker Snohomish, Washington

EX-L w/ RES and NAV in Seattle

by mdpappy on Sat Jan 07 18:30:07 PST 2006

I just ordered the above for the Costco price of 33900. I got it from Klein Honda in Everett and had a great buying experience. NO pressure. Lower taxes in Snohomish County as well and no B and O tax added on. :)