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Pond Gap, WV Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Gaps in Wiki [bpeebles]

by alltorque on Mon Nov 26 07:28:31 PST 2007

Good, and fair, point about updating Wiki. I am certain about my info as I was driving a 130bhp 1.9TDi until about 3 weeks ago and my local, Audi, Skoda, SEAT and VW dealers are still selling, (and taking orders for), 1.9TDi's in various guises. The current Wiki entry is a tremendous piece of work; no doubt about it. Will look at adding to the Wiki entry in due course. Thanks for reminding me of this facility. Jaguar use a twin-turbo diesel, (the 2.7 ltr), in their outgoing S-type. It's rated at 206bhp/320lbft and Jag is a Ford company - well, for now at least. Not sure what's going into the replacement C-XF but the first cars rolled off the line today. The 2.7 diesel is regarded as amongst the very best here in Europe. Not sure if you get this in USA............but suspect not. Same engine also features heavily, (very popular), in the XJ series. :shades: My TDi days are over, for now. Moved upscale a little with a Volvo S60 with the 2.4 ltr 185bhp/295lbft D5 I5 diesel and it's a gem. :) I know you don't get this across the pond and that's another shame. :cry:

No turbo lag? What a rip

by windsurfa_za on Mon Oct 09 09:29:12 PDT 2006

I consider myself one of the "golf generation" and love my 2006 Gti. But I'm so annoyed that car journalists everywhere are allowed to report that this car - and others - have "indetectable" turbo lag when that's a blatant lie. I waited patiently to trade my annoyingly bouncy, but beautifully powered Z4 for my new Gti two years after freinds across the pond had theirs, believing auto reports from both sides which said there's no more lag. What a crock. While the car behaves beautifully on the freeway and when under steam, getting it going in traffic is a bloody pain in the arse. I see a gap, floor the throttle and wait. The moment passes. I reach for the sat radio controls as a consolation. Maybe Oprah will entertain me...? Oh wait, suddenly the car has decided it wants to go somewhere - I guess that gap that no longer exists...? This is dangerous, slow down you beast. My last Gti was a 98 Mk3 4-cyl. So this is 8 years later, and what do I have? It cost 50% more. The seats are slightly less comfortable. In town driving is less easy and less fun, and while I can now overtake anything on Florida's freeways, that's hardly saying a lot. Oh, and fuel consumption is the same. Way to go VW. Seems you've spent 10 years working on airbags and sat radios. It's lucky your uncle made that Mk I when I was 16 and impressionable, and it doesn't surprise me that you're working on a redesign to this car 4 yrs ahead of schedule. I don't expect a Lamborghini for $25k, but this sure ain't going to win 16 year old converts for life.

Re: Blowing Smoke, Surging and Error Codes [boilermaker2]

by caribou1 on Tue Jun 13 08:51:58 PDT 2006

Hi Boiler, 1-) I would use a petroleum distillate such as "White Spirit" paint thinner. Avoid using acetone, synthetic paint thinner or gasoline. I think it's best to immerge the metal part of the valve in the thinner and remove the contaminant when it's wet (soaked) using a 1/2" round paint brush. Never use the edge of a steel object to clean a valve or it's seat. 2-) I read that the ECU removes the error codes after 40 "non-occurences". This might take care of the OBD stuff. Since I've not yet repared/cleaned mine, I don't know what the guiding part of the valve looks like. Could we propose to use a small stainless steel bellows to seal out the stem and bushing :confuse: The known alternative today is the rotary valve proposed by Siemens. It's just a bit more expensive... The wear (increase) of the gap between the stem and guide will allow future contamination to occur more rapidly. Perhaps a graphite bushing and titanium coating of the stem could be faster fix? Once you have the valve in hand, don't forget to try it. You have to make shure it responds to a few volts. I think 5 VDC is sufficient to see it move. The manual calls for a 12 Volt check light... On "this side of the pond" as you say, the second hand market of recent diesel vehicles is not doing well because of excessive cost for maintenance and obligation to have service done by costly "specialists". A few people are already saying we went too far with this type of engine and emissions controller.

Re: elroy5 [joe97]

by ontop on Sat Jun 10 11:14:29 PDT 2006

it is evident the quality/relibality gap is much smaller now This is true. Seems all auto companies are fishing from the same pond as to parts, assembly methods, etc. I say let the guy bash who/how he wants. This is blog-o-town. Don't read his posts. I kinda enjoy the spice.

FIRST DRIVE: 2007 YUKON AND YUKON DENALI

by rockylee on Fri Mar 10 01:04:23 PST 2006

First Drive: 2007 GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali More InfoGMC Yukon Central More First Drives Related LinksFull Test: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LT Tools E-mail This Page To a Friend Vehicle Tested: 2007 GMC Yukon Denali 4dr SUV AWD (6.2L 8cyl 6A) Price It!! First Impressions: A very impressive redesign gives buyers a new sense of style, control and even efficiency from a full-size sport-ute. Active Fuel Management V8 provides 22 mpg on highway Optional electronically adaptive shocks Available 380-hp 6.2-liter V8 on Denali Removable third-row backseats Edmunds.com Pricing MSRP & invoice pricing Free dealer price quotes Current incentives The full-size sport-ute gets its groove back By Mike Hudson Email Date posted: 03-09-2006 Gaps kill. If the Yankees have a gap at second base, they're going to lose games. If a bridge has gaps in its span, it's gonna fall down. No matter how great something is, gaps will eventually destroy it if left unfilled. Sport-utilities are no different. Over the past few years, the SUV's gaps have become painfully obvious. Nowadays, the lumbering sport-ute segment is plagued by worries about high oil prices and bad gas mileage. And it's stymied by uncomfortable handling in tight corners. With this in mind, the folks at GMC set about filling the SUV gap when developing the 2007 GMC Yukon and its upscale cousin, the Yukon Denali. The revised Yukons attack the most famous weaknesses of the segment by aiming to give drivers of full-size SUVs the comfort, performance and efficiency they need to fill the gaps in their desire. Not a slug We sampled the 2007 Yukon and Yukon Denali on country roads in rural Georgia, navigating past the ponds, barbecue joints and town squares with surprising amounts of elegance and grace. Far from the lumbering slug feeling you get from the typical full-size SUV, the new Yukon offers plenty of refined power, a tight 39-foot turning radius and stunningly accurate handling at higher speeds. Our initial drive led us to believe the new suspension is the star of the show, with electronically adjusting shocks and a stiffer frame providing an impressive amount of control and confidence in the 5,200-plus-pound vehicle as it cruised the two-lane highways of the region. Essentially, the optional electronic-damper system stiffens and loosens the suspension, depending on the vehicle's load and speed, enhancing the ability of the coil-over-shock front and five-link rear system to handle the loads created by a large vehicle at speed. GM created a new fully boxed frame to increase stiffness and improve the ride. And the new Yukon's stance has been widened and lengthened, giving it a lower center of gravity, which improves handling greatly. Body roll on normal highway turns is a thing of the past. Add to this mix a superb rack-and-pinion steering system with comparatively impressive feedback, and this truck even offers a somewhat sporty feeling around town. Under the hood, GMC offers a 320-horsepower 5.3-liter Vortec V8 as standard on the Yukon. Thanks to a GM system called Active Fuel Management, the engine shuts off four cylinders at cruising speed, pushing fuel efficiency up to 16 in the city and 22 on the highway with the rear-wheel-drive system. The four-wheel-drive Yukon gets ratings of 15 and 21, although we didn't take the system off-road so we can't really judge its performance. The engine provides plenty of acceleration for everyday city and highway driving. There's enough in there for passing, but not quite enough to punch out a sports car. This engine also comes in an ethanol-compatible version which comes standard on four-wheel-drive versions, allowing the driver to use E85 fuel to reduce emissions. If ethanol isn't available, it'll gladly run on regular gasoline. On the low end, a standard gasoline 4.8-liter V8 is also available with 290 hp, and while we didn't sample it, we doubt that the down-powered V8 is enough for this size of vehicle. For now, the 5.3 liter comes standard on all Yukons, while the 4.8 liter will become standard later in the model year. In the Yukon Denali, drivers get a 6.2-liter 380-hp V8 with substantially more power, but substantially worse gas mileage as well because it is not equipped with the Active Fuel Management system. This engine offers a noticeable step up from the 5.3-liter, especially in terms of passing. Regular Yukons come with a four-speed electronic automatic transmission with overdrive and a tow mode. The Denali comes with an impressive six-speed automatic with overdrive and tow mode; performance is also enviably quiet and efficient. Braking was generally impressive and quiet, an improvement over the previous generation. As it turns out, there's a new brake system for all Yukons, with larger four-wheel discs, 50-percent stiffer calipers and next-generation four-channel ABS. A world-class interior The interior of the previous-generation Yukon left us feeling empty, with its cheap interior materials and generally unattractive design taking away any sense of refinement for the occupants. And with a price tag well over $30,000, we expected more. This time around, GM focused like a laser beam on the interior, adding upscale design across the board. The result is a cabin that fits the personality of the SUV without appearing too posh for a practical vehicle. Colors are warm and trendy, with matched tones across the dash, floor and seats. Radio and temperature controls are packaged more logically, eliminating gaps between pieces, and design concepts carry over between components. The instrument panel and other trim pieces feature new softer, low-gloss materials. And LED backlighting for the instruments provides a sophisticated appearance, complemented by brushed-metal-like accents around the gauges and vents. All Yukons and Yukon Denalis come with a leather-wrapped steering wheel complete with cruise and audio controls. The Denali comes with wood inserts on the wheel and wood-like accents across the dash. For 2007, GMC redesigned the Yukon seats, with a slimmer design, a greater range of recline angle and stiffer foam providing comfort on long drives, with easy adjustment and access to cupholders and controls. The rear seats are impressively firm, but slightly cramped considering the size of the vehicle. Third-row seats are fairly easy to remove, thanks to new tracks placed on the floor, but only if you're capable of lifting something like a 40-pound suitcase. Cloth upholstery is standard on base Yukons, with leather as an option. The Denali offers leather as standard. What a drag If you were to drop the stats of the new GMC Yukon into the lap of an auto engineer and ask, "What's cool about this?" he'd likely jump to an oft passed-by stat: drag coefficient. It might seem trivial at first, but the Yukon's class-leading 0.36 coefficient of drag is actually quite profound. A host of problems with SUVs

I would be STUNNED if Lexus made that mistake!

by drfill on Fri Mar 18 07:16:20 PST 2005

But more than one source has stated Lexus will make the US spec base engine announcement in MY next week, so we'll know soon enough! Why would anyone buy a 200HP model when a 300+ model is the next level up? Leaving that big a gap makes no sense either. I'll take this as further speculation. The right strategy is getting the 245HP 3.0 in the mix as the BASE. Lexus needs a 200HP model like BMW needs iDrive! The lightweight says on the "Other side of the pond", IMO. DrFill