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Automotive News & Views Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
15056 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 9:22 PM
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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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Sorry, been busy with work and stuff. The guy came over and checked out the ION ... brake fluid looked fine, maybe a bit low, but not enough to set off the dash warning light. Cursory inspection of the pads and shoes showed no undue wear. He thinks it may be a faulty switch - of course, this had to happen 2 weeks after the 3/36 warranty expired. Does GM build this into all their cars? nippon - wonder if she got the 2.4L 4-cyl or the Honda sourced 3.5L V6. My wife had an '05 V6 and loved the power. The refinement of the '08, however, won her over.
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Okay, I don't know what I am going to do. I can't take that rolling retirement home anymore. Its a perfectly nice car, nothing is wrong with it at all, I am not upside down in it. It gets 30-34 mpg on my commute (on reg gas). It can carry real grown ups in the two rear outboard seat positions with the child seat in the middle position. Ride quality is pleasant, the controls are pleasant, it has one of the best FWD manual transmissions in the business, but it is just dull. So I have the '07 Accord EX 4 cyl sedan with a manual. It is totally practical and meets every need. Its wants where it falls on its face. The car is about as exciting to drive as, well, watching paint dry. I am not a CCB. I can add H&R mild springs that drop the car less than a inch and bump up the spring rate slightly, and put on some real shocks, and add sway bars and tires and wheels, but now I have a car that is unsellable, and I am out an additional $2k. So do I leave it stock and look for a cheap mid-90s Miata to add to the fleet? Accept a lot of miles and try to pick up an inexpensive E36 M3 (or an E46 330i) and deal with the maintenance? Initially I thought I was going to get a Speed6, but apparently with an '07 Accord with 4k in equity doesn't get me very far towards a '07 Speed6 GT that is running 19k. Another thought is a Legacy GT, but we already have a Legacy wagon (which I do seem to prefer driving dynamics to the Accord, if ride quality is a bit harsher). Or a WRX. So my paths are 1. Dump the Accord and get something ~$15-17k that is more fun (and is a real car with at least 4 seatbelts, likely 4 doors) 2. Keep the Accord and get something fun to play with on the side (Miata, 914, 90s 300ZX, Eclipse GSX, etc) 3. Drop some money into making the Accord more fun to drive and accept that I will never get it back. Wife has a real car (05 Legacy wagon) that we both love and its in good shape with relatively low miles (although we now kinda wish we sprung for the GT Limited vs the 2.5i base), so getting family around isn't such a big deal, but you can't use the outboard seatbelts when the baby seat is in the middle, so there is a utility trade-off there. I am too young to drive a car that makes me feel this old. |
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Replying to: michaell (Jun 24, 2009 5:13 pm) Not sure... There are days when I want to see how long I can make my G6 last, and there are days when I have an itch for a used G35. |
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Jun 24, 2009 7:26 pm) "I can add H&R mild springs that drop the car less than a inch and bump up the spring rate slightly, and put on some real shocks, and add sway bars and tires and wheels, but now I have a car that is unsellable, and I am out an additional $2k." That's pretty much the same reason I sold my Altima. Looking back, that was one of the better cars I've owned. It wasn't perfect (the heater never worked well--a common problem with the first couple of years of the 3rd generation), and it wasn't exciting, but it rode and accelerated well, handled okay, was invisible to speed traps, and was easy as pie to maintain. "Accept a lot of miles and try to pick up an inexpensive E36 M3 (or an E46 330i) and deal with the maintenance?" Do you have a nearby independent mechanic who specializes in European cars? If so, I'd consider going for it. If not, we're in a similar situation, and I'd consider something like an Acura TSX or Lexus, which shouldn't need much work, or buying the BMW as a second vehicle and wrenching on it yourself. "...apparently with an '07 Accord with 4k in equity doesn't get me very far towards a '07 Speed6 GT that is running 19k." I also know that feeling. I have "retail equity" on my G6 (if it were declared a total loss, I wouldn't be in the hole), but not "trade equity" (wholesale is less than I owe). This is probably good from a financial perspective since it makes me more reluctant to trade.
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