Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Bradley, West Virginia

Bradley, WV Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Transmission Fluid Flush or Replacement [pscheid]

by dmgadget on Wed Oct 15 08:19:25 PDT 2008

Jack, Thank you! Not only for getting back so fast (wowsers!), but also for the well written reply(s). I've found a local shop that seems competent and honest, if not the guru I could hope for. They seem to take the middle ground, replace the common problem parts, charge the usual prices, hope that solves the problems. I had an intermittent Check Engine Light that seems to have been related to emissions. Replaced fuel cap, 2 O2 sensors and tried to avoid overfilling the screwy gas tank, and eventually, it cleared and has stayed off long enough to pass the IL emissions test and so far so good. I got this car w/115K on it and am at about 130K now. I've kept the oil changed and topped off, using hi-mileage synthetic every change, but as my trans keeps performing smoothly, I am a little worried to risk it going south by changing fluids. Don't rock the boat and all. Obviously, 130K is a lot of miles on the same fluid (I have no idea if it had been done before). But, I've heard from more than one shop the only way to have it done (SHOULD have it done) is at the dealer's, so they can cover the work if it screws up the transmission. With the few little annoying bugs that I keep chasing down, I'm reluctant to "grease" a "wheel" that isn't "squeeking" if you follow me. I stopped by a local radiator/AC shop on the way to work this morning and showed him the BCM that I pulled successfully last night. I asked him about the possibility of testing it and he said something I couldn't follow about how it could only be done in the car, with grounding it, checking continuity and the rest. I know what he was talking about, but not how to do it, exactly. He seemed convinced that the problem was more likely the blower motor itself, than the BCM. Of course, niether part is particularly cheap and I know the blower CAN blow quite well...when it feels like it. If the blower (fan?) works, but the Motor is intermittent, any ideas how I can compare/check that against the possibility that the BC Module is the problem? Winter is right around the corner here in Chicago and I'm NOT looking forward to it. An aside: Regarding Winter driving: The first time I encountered snow w/my 'rora was on a trip across the Cali/Oregon border to see a monster truck rally. Seems that a storm rolled in and dumped a good dusting on the mts between where me and my 2 friends were in Oregon and home. I stopped at an auto parts store and purchased a pair of chains for the front tires. (We had a great time spinning doughnuts in the parking lot with the traction contol turned off and using the e-brake before we put the chains on. For a sedan, that boat can handle pretty well, if you are comfortable with the mass!) After rolling along quite smoothly for a number of miles, passing cars slipping into ditches and moving at about 15 mph, I found that the 'rora was smooth and managable at 45-55, depending on visibility. At one point, I was not sure why, when things cleared enough that my high-beams should have been piercing the road farther away, I stopped and got out and my best friend and I discoverd that the reason the hi-beams weren't working was NOT that they were reflecting off the snow in the air, but rather, during the more blustery conditions, the snow had actually buried the headlights! Only the heat from the low beams had managed to keep the snow melted in front of them! After clearing the hi-beams, which now worked quite well, we noticed that not just one, but BOTH of the chains off the front tires were gone!! Now, I had purchased the medium priced ones, and also added the bungee-tighener option that was designed to help hold them snug (like a spider-wed covering the hub, pulling the edges of the chains together). I'm also familiar with putting on chains and had never lost a pair before. I was mostly concerned about their loss because of the damage to the wheel-well that may have occurred upon their release, but there appeared to be none. I have no idea how long I had been driving without them; the car was smooth enough (and the snow/road rough enough) that I couldn't even tell when they were on the car...Crazy, huh? The rest of the ride home was uneventful. After arriving in Chicago last winter, I was able to compare my car (w/o chains) against a couple of other cars belonging to friends and family. Talk about stable. I felt like I was in a go-cart while driving the 3 other cars (all similar to a 4 door Corolla). Not so with the Aurora. I felt like I was back in the Army driving the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (M1A2)...but with much better visibility...and fewer bullets. Enough story telling...I've had questions about the transmission and proper maintenance of it since I got it, as I'd like to make sure it keeps running for as long as possible. I could never afford a comparable replacement car... Unfortunately, there seems to be some serious division in the camps as to the right way to keep it on the road. Coolant leaks? I can keep topping it off. Same with the slight oil leak. (Any thoughts on the whole, "flushing the oil" idea?) Crazy fuel gauge? Keep an eye on the DIC and use the tripometer. Fuel not going into the car at a resonable speed? It's a nuisance, but it DOES go in, albeit slower than honey. But, I have a functional and seemingly finely performing transmission that I don't want to have to fix if I can prevent a costly repair with maintenance, but don't want to create the need for a repair while attempting to maintain it! Good grief...what a delima. Open to more input. I'm really happy to have found this site and hope I can be of as much assistance as you all have been to me. I have to get back to being productive so I can pay for the upkeep on my 'rora. FYI--Gas has dropped more than a dollar a gallon here, from around $4.65 to $3.35 since H. Ike....Yeah. Oh yeah, that reminds me, thoughts on the ocatane requirements? When this car was produced, there was 87, 91 and 93 ocatne avavilable. The manual says use 91. Now, we have 87, 89 and 93. (If memory serves.) I've always tried to use 93, but when the price gets back up to $5/gallon....ouch. Any experiements tried? Thanks! ~Daniel (DMGadget) '98 Aurora, 130K

Re: Chrysler sales [scoutll]

by tractor_17 on Sat Jul 05 07:16:19 PDT 2008

"combined don't exceed the US payroll of just Chrysler," Don't you mean DAIMLER Chrysler? The german/europe based company? Daimler AG From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from DaimlerChrysler) Jump to: navigation, search Daimler AG Type Public (FWB: DAI, NYSE: DAI) Founded 2007 Headquarters Stuttgart, Germany Key people Dieter Zetsche, Chairman/CEO Industry Auto & Truck Manufacturers Products Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Maybach, Smart, Western Star, Freightliner, Orion Bus, more Revenue ▲€ 99.4 billion[1] (2007) Net income ▲€ 8.7 billion[1] (2007) Employees 272,382[1] (2007) Website daimler.com Daimler AG (ISIN: DE0007100000) (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG, Daimler-Benz AG) is a German car corporation (not to be confused with the British car-maker Daimler Motor Company) and the world's thirteenth largest car manufacturer. By revenue it is the largest German company. As well as automobiles, Daimler manufactures trucks and provides financial services through its Daimler Financial Services arm. The company also owns major stakes in aerospace group EADS, auto engineers McLaren Group, Japanese truck maker Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and US automaker Chrysler Holding LLC. DaimlerChrysler was founded between 1998-2007 when Mercedes-Benz manufacturer Daimler-Benz (1926-1998) of Stuttgart, Germany merged with the US-based Chrysler Corporation. The deal created a new entity, DaimlerChrysler. However, the buyout failed to produce the trans-Atlantic automotive powerhouse dealmakers had hoped for, and DaimlerChrysler announced on 14 May 2007 that it would sell Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management of New York, a private equity firm that specializes in restructuring troubled companies, effectively unwinding the original transaction.[2] On October 4, 2007 a DaimlerChrysler Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting approved the renaming of the company. From October 5, 2007, the company has been titled Daimler AG.[3] The US company adopted the name Chrysler LLC when the sale completed on 3 August 2007. Daimler produces cars and trucks under the brands of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Smart, Freightliner and many others. Contents [hide] 1 Former Chrysler operations 1.1 Sale of Chrysler 2 Management 3 Daimler shareholders 4 Brands 5 Holdings 6 Biofuel research 7 See also 8 References 9 External links [edit] Former Chrysler operations Chrysler has suffered a series of setbacks in recent years, culminating in DaimlerChrysler's agreement to sell the unit to Cerberus Capital Management in May 2007 for US$6 billion. Through most of its history, Chrysler has been the third largest of the "Big 3" US auto makers, but in January 2007, DaimlerChrysler, excluding its luxury Mercedes and Maybach lines, also outsold traditionally second place Ford, though behind General Motors and Toyota. Chrysler reported losses of US$1.5 billion in 2006. It then announced plans to lay off 13,000 employees in mid-February 2007, close a major assembly plant and reduce production at other plants in order to restore profitability by 2008.[4] The merger was contentious with investors launching lawsuits over whether the transaction was the 'merger of equals' that senior management claimed or actually amounted to a Daimler-Benz takeover of Chrysler. A class action investor lawsuit was settled in August 2003 for US$300 million while a suit by billionaire investor activist Kirk Kerkorian was dismissed on April 7, 2005.[5] The transaction claimed the job of its architect, Chairman Jürgen E. Schrempp, who resigned at the end of 2005 in response to the fall of the company's share price following the transaction. The merger was also the subject of a book Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler, (2000) by Bill Vlasic and Bradley A. Stertz.[6] Another issue of contention is whether the merger delivered promised synergies and successfully integrated the two businesses. As late as 2002, DaimlerChrysler appeared to run two independent product lines. Later that year, the company launched products that appear to integrate elements from both sides of the company, including the Chrysler Crossfire, which used extensive Mercedes parts and the Dodge Sprinter/Freightliner Sprinter, a re-badged Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. [edit] Sale of Chrysler DaimlerChrysler had reportedly approached other carmakers and investment groups to sell Chrysler in early 2007. General Motors was reported to be a suitor while Volkswagen, the Renault-Nissan auto alliance, and Hyundai Motor Company had said that they weren't interested in buying the company. On August 3, 2007, DaimlerChysler completed the sale of Chrysler Group to Cerberus Capital Management. The original agreement stated that Cerberus would take an 80.1 percent stake in the new company, Chrysler Holding LLC. DaimlerChrysler changed its name to Daimler AG and retained the remaining 19.9% stake in the separated Chrysler.[7] The terms saw Daimler pay Cerberus US$650 million to take Chrysler and associated liabilities off its hands. This is a remarkable reverse in fortunes on the US$36 billion paid to acquire Chrysler in 1998. Of the US$7.4 billion purchase price, Cerberus Capital Management will invest US$5 billion in Chrysler Holdings and US$1.05 billion in Chrysler’s financial unit. The de-merged Daimler AG received US$1.35 billion directly from Cerberus but directly invested US$2 billion in Chrysler itself. [edit] Management Dr. Dieter Zetsche has been the Chairman of Daimler and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars since January 1, 2006 as well as member of Board of Management since 1998. He was former President and CEO of the Chrysler, LLC (previously owned by Daimler AG), he maybe best known in the United States as Dr. Z from a Chrysler advertising campaign called "Ask Dr. Z". Current members of the Board of Management of Daimler AG are: Dr. Dieter Zetsche: Chairman of the Board as well as Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Gunther Fleig: Head of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Dr. Rudiger Grube: Head of Corporate Development. Andreas Renschler: Head of Daimler Trucks. Bodo Uebber: Head of Finance and Controlling as well as Financial Services. Dr. Thomas Weber: Head of Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. Current members of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG are: Heinrich Flegel, Juergen Hambrecht, Thomas Klebe, Erich Klemm, Arnaud Lagardère, Jürgen Langer, Helmut Lense, Sari Baldauf, William Owens, Ansgar Osseforth, Valter Sanches, Manfred Schneider, Stefan Schwaab, Bernhard Walter, Lynton Wilson, Mark Wössner, Manfred Bischoff, Clemens Börsig and Uwe Werner. Dr Manfred Bischoff serves as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG and Erich Klemm as Vice-Chairman. [8] [edit] Daimler shareholders The largest voting shareholder of Daimler is the Kuwait Investment Authority with 7.2% (as of December 31 2007).[9] T

Kit car

by kyfdx on Fri Jun 13 08:36:49 PDT 2008

Just remembered the name... Bradley GT.. Remember those?

Re: whoa! [tpe]

by kdhspyder on Fri May 30 06:32:41 PDT 2008

Actually all the work was done on this by former NCAA legend, Rhodes Scholar, NBA Title winner, Senator Bill Bradley. He was given full credit by the Reagan Administration for simplifying the tax system at the time.

Re: Gas prices - Chattanooga, TN [steve_]

by jac0bsdad on Tue May 27 03:51:01 PDT 2008

I obviously meant that my frat brother "used to live", not love in Atlanta... He might have done that as well, but I don't know... lol... Yep, I know a lot about East Tennessee... I graduated from ETSU in Johnson City, TN... NE Tennessee is my favorite part of the state... Driving up there is less crowded than in Chatt town... I went to Bradley High School in Cleveland... I think we will break the $4.00/gall barrier for RUG by the end of June 08, if not sooner... I think by July 4th, the national average for RUG will be $4.00/gall... I hope I am wrong...

Re: Would any of the small... [tiff_c]

by british_rover on Wed Nov 21 06:29:58 PST 2007

Well, I guess the US can afford that kind of economy for their tanks. Most tanks seem to use diesel I wonder why we have gas instead? Well the M1A1 uses a gas turbine engine that can run on just about any fuel. Gas mileage isn't so great but the turbine engine is very light weight. The M1's relatively high mobility is achieved through a high power-to-weight ratio conferred by its 1,500-hp gas turbine powerplant. It is compact, starts more readily than a diesel, but has lower fuel mileage. In tanks produced after mid-1990, an Allied-Bendix digital electronic fuel control system is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 18%-20%. Development of a recouperator that uses exhaust gases to preheat air entering the engine's compressor is also aimed at reducing fuel consumption. Moreover, the Army claims that the AGT-1500 is much more reliable than a diesel, noting a fivefold increase in average hours of operation before an overhaul compared to the standard U.S. tank diesel. Source The Bradley uses a diesel engine but it makes about half the horsepower which is why the Bradley had lighter weight aluminum armor initially.