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Automotive News & Views Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
15387 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 9:35 PM
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Replying to: corvette (Jun 21, 2009 1:08 pm) |
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Replying to: corvette (Jun 21, 2009 1:08 pm) I think I got a free battery out of a lifetime warranty maybe twice. Back when you could buy Shell brand batteries at the Shell station. The one I really remember was on this old 62 Chevy panel truck we had. We had to start it by popping the clutch and went from place to another to another in the snow getting the run around. Th guy that finally replaced it had stories about all the Shell regional folks and why we kept getting turned down and loads of stuff in language that I can't repeat here. His stories were worth all the running around.
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in this little saga, it all ended today: my sister's friend managed to make some kind of deal where they will renegotiate the loan on her Mitsubishi, thereby allowing her to sell it for cash for less than what is owed. VERY good luck! Good luck #2: she found a buyer who can fix it himself AND is willing to take her on her word and wait for the credit union to release the title in a couple of weeks, AND therefore gave her a whopping $1600 for it. Even for someone who could fix it himself, I thought that was about the max she could get out of that one. She then turned around and had her mother buy the '05 Saturn for her, using the $1600 cash as down payment. She is headed home to Texas tomorrow. This woman should be buying lottery tickets DAILY with this kind of luck....
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Replying to: nippononly (Jun 23, 2009 3:43 pm) On another note, the shuddering in my G6 resurfaced recently. The dealer put some sort of additive in the transmission, and it seems to have gotten better. At least it's still under warranty, and I've come to realize from looking at the data on TrueDelta that every make and model of vehicle have quality control issues. |
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...as every vehicle in the fleet at the Michaell household needs attention. The L300 is due for a scheduled LOF, which I'll do at the local Midas here in town. It just turned over 84,000 miles this past week, so I know some larger maintenance items are going to be due within the next year or so. On the drive to work this morning, my wife reported that the ION is showing a brake warning light. Not sure exactly what this represents, but it's only got 27,000 miles on it - can it be time to get the brakes done? (new pads and shoes, I suspect) This, too, will be addressed in town. The big issue is the wife's '08 VUE. We've noticed a red liquid puddling underneath it in the garage. Is this transmission or brake fluid? I've got an appointment with the dealer scheduled for Saturday on this one. As it's still under warranty, I'm not worried about the cost, just the aggravation of having to travel 45 minutes to the dealer for the service, then having to wait around for it to be done. When it rains, it pours. EDIT: nippon, what model of Saturn did she end up getting? I'm not sure you mentioned it in your earlier posts. |
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Replying to: michaell (Jun 24, 2009 5:37 am) Does the brake warning light stay on all the time, or is it intermittent? Usually the only time I've ever seen that light come on, it was when the brake pressure was too low. And even then, it would only come on when you pressed the brakes, and the pedal got low enough to the floor. Otherwise, the only time I saw that light would be if the parking brake didn't fully disengage. Maybe cars are "smart" enough nowadays though, to warn you when the pads are getting too thin? Oh, as for the red fluid, that could be transmission fluid or power steering fluid...unless the Vue has electric steering? Brake fluid is usually clear, when you put it in, although when it leaks out it's often a greasy looking brown. And I guess nowadays, coolant could look reddish. One common spot for cars to leak transmission fluid is where the cooling tubes connect to the radiator. In the "good old days" they used metal tubes, but nowadays they're usually rubber hoses. This was a common problem on the Intrepid...I've heard stories of them practically leaking right on the showroom floor! I got lucky though, and didn't need to replace my hoses until around the 130,000 mile mark. |
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Replying to: michaell (Jun 24, 2009 5:37 am) The brake warning light can mean low brake fluid. You might want to check the level before driving it any further. |
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Thanks, guys, for the quick feedback. I knew I could count on you! The ION is at my wife's work today (daughter and wife work together in the summer, so they alternate which car to drive). I've called the wife to have her contact a parent in her child care program who does auto work to have him check the brake fluid level (I'd do it myself, but I've got workers coming to the house today to replace our kitchen floor). I've not noticed any change in behavior in the VUE with regards to shifting, but it does kinda suck that I can't check the transmission fluid level myself, since it's sitting in the garage today. I'll keep everyone posted as to what I find out. Still, no car buying on the horizon. |
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Replying to: fezo (Jun 23, 2009 2:29 pm) That's a good story, LOL--worthy of Peter Egan, or Jean Shephard even? I remember taking my '67 Barracuda--which I had already almost ruined in several ways--to a local gas station mechanic in the mid-west, with my 3 hippie-long-hair college buddies. His tune-up advice was to install "hotter spark plugs". I asked him why hotter spark plugs, & his answer included various graphic references to what one could do, or not do, with a hot, or cold, uuummmm......Whatever I paid him, $50 or whatever, I don't think the car ran better, but we laughed about it for weeks...... |
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Replying to: michaell (Jun 24, 2009 5:37 am) |
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