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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
48055 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 7:51 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Replying to: driver100 (Jan 09, 2009 4:39 am) |
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Replying to: driver100 (Jan 09, 2009 4:11 am) No, but the hotel I stayed at in Munich overlooked the BMW factory. It would have been really nice to bring one home.  tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper |
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Replying to: jmonroe (Jan 09, 2009 9:05 am) Looking again at the TC display, the second run with TC turned on was at a good clip when they ran up onto the ice. In the display of how poor the car is without TC in effect, spinning the wheels heats up the tire. Also keeping the wheel speed low gives a bit of grip until it breaks loose; but the driver didn't even try that. The traction control run was probably made after they cooled the tires by driving on the snow a bit. I see cars with 4-wheel drive and lots of the extra electronic helpers off the road here when there is ice, freezing rain, sleet, or snow. I saw a recent Lexus SUV off the road on a two lane road where the tire lanes were wet and there was residual sleet of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in between the paths where the tires run. I can't figure out how she went off the road and I suppose the car had SC.
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Jan 09, 2009 12:08 pm) I suspect that many people with 4wd/awd vehicles don't realize how much extra traction they get when they are accelerating and therefore they don't know how bad the grip really is and allow for it appropriately. We're victims of our past experiences, as we use them to judge current conditions. Many years ago we bought an Explorer which had Auto 4wd (it would engage the front axle if the rear started to lose grip). I would normally add a bit more gas than necessary on our street when leaving in the morning to see what the road grip was. I did that with the Explorer and made the assumption on how it just moved forward that the road was fine. Then as I approached a corner where I was going to turn, I wanted to slow down and the ABS tried valiantly to slow us down but with limited success. It was an eye opener at how much more get up and go the 4wd gave without being noticed. |
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| No amount of electronic nannies can defeat physics... Stability control can help a lot though, especially on SUVs, etc. if one is not paying all the attention they should be, abrupt maneuvers, etc. I would never buy a car without it. | |
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Replying to: murphydog (Jan 08, 2009 7:32 pm) 
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Replying to: driver100 (Jan 09, 2009 4:39 am) it probably was a driver with a lot of track time, maybe at that track but not in that car. the left rear passenger was wearing a helmet, so they were somewhat prepared for the worst.  the main point was for the video to be viewed and hopefully enjoyed.
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Jan 09, 2009 9:19 am) My Eclipse has TC but you can turn it off. With TC on, the tires will spin for a short time and then the TC will activate ruining all your fun. With the TC off you will shred the tires and the torque steer will put you in the bushes if you don't bounce off the rev limiter first. Much more fun.
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I was reading some reviews for new car dealerships in my area. The one below reminded me of my experience with the Kia Stores in the Louisville area. Previously I was curious as to what a dealer paid for these "ignition immobilizers". I'm guessing if they paid $140 per unit, then it probably took them two hours to install. So, maybe a total cost to dealership of $400.... and the Kia Stores put it as an dealer add-on for $2,600. WOW! That's crazy. My niece almost fell for it. Luckily she had the old jipster around to set her straight. The dealership waived this fee during negotiations for her without batting a lash. These dealerships pre-install, as part of their "dealer prep", a "Security and Pin Stripe package", and it is mandatory and inescapable on every Kia they sell. Period. It consists of an RFID ignition immobilizer that is ugly as sin installed low on your dash near your knees, with two key-fob antenna units. Units like it sell on E-Bay for $35 and many can be found on the internet for up to $120. This dealership puts a price of $2600 (Clarksville, IN). OF course, if you ask them, they'll tell you it can't be taken off, is a standard Kia item, reduces your insurance, and they can't take it off now because your car won't run without it. (Yet it has a defeat function if you don't want to use it!)
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Replying to: chikoo (Jan 09, 2009 10:04 am) Nick, I'm surprised at you. I'm going to spend all of that time negotiating for a car, finally tell him the color, only to find out that he doesn't have that color? Why waste his time or mine? I know. I will negotiate for the car; order the car, but tell him that I want a colorless car.  Wonder what they send me? Don't fear for me...and I know what you mean. If I were in your country, I would never do it. It is different here. You are a kind soul. Richard |
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