General Auto Chat

Discussion in 'Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Airplanes Talk' started by Maxvla, Sep 26, 2015.

  1. CEE TEE

    CEE TEE MOT: NITSCH

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    ^First Gen is so great...congratulations!!!!
     
  2. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    1st gen has very little Audi and is mostly a Lamborghini - and quite a lot of pre-VWG Lambo at that.

    2nd gen has way more Audi.

    1st gen is kinda blessed in that it has old Lambo bits where it matters, but sorta kinda almost reliable VWG wiring and engine.
     
  3. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    I was talking about the looks, where I’d say the opposite is almost true. The 2nd gen is alot more lambo in that it’s all hard edges and creases and edgy doodads. 1st gen is so beautiful.

    that’s all good to know though. Most people do seem to say it’s a pretty reliable car overall for a mid engine almost super car.
     
  4. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    It was really the only mid-engine supercar-like you can daily that you could buy new.

    Service intervals will still be painful, mind, and deferred maintenance leads to "spontaneous self-disassembly" as the British would put it.

    I hope you've had it checked out by an independent mechanic since picking it up, because "trust but verify" is the law when an oopsie can lead to a 5-figure bill.
     
  5. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    gotta love the understatement. :)

    I can hardly believe I have had my car for a month already - biggest challenge has been squeezing it into the garage - have a bathroom sink waiting to be installed making for a tighter fit

    [​IMG]

    I was a complete doofus on the very first time I drove it into work - there is a ton of construction going on and I managed to clip a dumpster that is placed in front of the underground parking entrance - luckily an easy fix and replaced the wing mirror without too much fuss ( or expense - found a salvage part so $300 instead of $2500 )

    If anyone has guidance on winter tires - am all ears, want to be prepared before the white stuff begins to fall. - looking at Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2/R3

    and it is a thrill to drive , not as "go-karty" as the mini but a little like a caged animal when you open up

    ..dB
     
  6. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Depends how much you want to spend and how sporty you want them to be.

    The sportiest/highest speed rated winter tires are from Michelin - I have a set for the 124, because I only need them a few weeks a year when I drive to our house in the mountains so they'll last me till they dryrot - but if you just want it to be daily driveable when the weather is cold there's no need to spend that much.
     
  7. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    I live in the MidWest USA where we get a lot of snow and ice / slush. The F-Type is my daily and only driver - I will likely avoid consciously driving in a full blown snow storm but I want a set of wheels that will keep me safe and allow the car to handle reliably through a good 5-6 months of winter weather.
     
  8. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Right.

    Well, at least last (before last? COVID time is nonlinear) year when I looked into it Michelin Alpine (6, I think) were the sportiest/highest speed rated winter tyres, though that might have changed in the meanwhile?

    I mention that again because in some places/insurance plans they might give you grief if you make a claim while having tyres on that are too far from the OEM tyre speed code.

    There's a bunch of tyres that drive really well in the snow that have very low speed codes because winter tyres are so soft, so that's the first thing to do with winters for a sports car. Do you need tyres of a certain speed code to be within contract on your insurance.

    Because if the answer is a no there's a ton of options and you're mainly limited by sizing, but if its a no there's only a handful at all.

    Edit: also pay attention to the tread type. Tall, widely spaced blocks are good on deep snow and slush, and not that good on ice. Flatter, closer blocks are the other way around. Match to your local winter conditions.
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2022
  9. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    Bridgestone Blizzak used to be the default recommendation in Calgary. Michelin X-Ice and the Nokians were popular too. Maybe different priorites there though, typically the extreme cold is more the issue than deep snow or slush so a compound that stays soft & sticky on cold pavement (and ice) is more important than how the treads grip in deep goo.
     
  10. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    I went back and forth about getting a higher performance winter vs. something I wouldn't be upset with if it dry rotted out in 3 winter seasons. I ended up with a set of General Altimax Arctics. They work surprisingly well in the snow, but they're pretty squirmy and I have to drop my tune back to stock to keep from roasting them on dry pavement.
     
  11. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    Thanks all - I will investigate the insurance question first, this never occurred to me. I used Blizzak's on the Cooper and they held up well with tight cornering in slush and ice but were a little less reliable when not as cold and roads were dry. Size is going to be a challenge too - the break calipers limit the wheel options and I want to put the same size on all 4 as opposed to the beasts that are currently on the rear - Front 255/35/20, Rear 295/30/20 aiming for something closer to 245/45/19
     
  12. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Finally did some more body work on the 68 Polara.
    This car isn't meant to be a "show car", I'm not taking it to SEMA. I just want a nice, presentable cruiser. Other than the aluminized body filler I used around the back window, this was my first time doing body work, so I'm pretty happy with the results.

    This is the original dent. You can also see the old bondo on the rear fender peeling at the bottom.
    [​IMG]

    This is after some work with rods and body hammers to get the dent as flush as possible.
    [​IMG]

    Peeled off all the loose Bondo and cleaned everything up with the flap disk.
    [​IMG]

    This was the second to last coat of Bondo. You can also see that I went after the old bondo (pink) with the round file to make it concave like it should have been.
    [​IMG]

    This was the last coat of primer, after this I sanded with 600 grit and feathered the edges.
    [​IMG]

    After 5 light coats of paint. Still needs a few more coats and a buff but it looks 100x better than before in my opinion.
    [​IMG]
     
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  13. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I use that line from Nokian on our cars in the winter here in Colorado for mountain driving.
     
  14. CEE TEE

    CEE TEE MOT: NITSCH

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    DIY V8:
    V8 copy.jpg
     
  15. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    I saw that, so cool.
     
  16. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    This is late, but I just heard about this after several months b/c it hasn't really been talked about anywhere that I frequent. Wondering if anyone on SBAF knows different or otherwise:

    Supposedly the new infrastructure bill contains a section that will require new cars to have some sort of "advanced monitoring and screening" to "prevent drunk driving" come 2026. Said system would keep the car from working when it senses that the "driver is impaired". I immediately think "it's over, my new car will come with a kill switch I have no control over and may malfunction" and then I see comments saying this is basically a kill switch and other people saying that "your conspiracy hat is on too tight blah blah this is only for safety blah blah"... but they don't address in any way how this isn't fundamentally and functionally a kill switch.

    Am I crazy here? And yes, I'm aware cars can already track us, are already hack-able to varying degrees due to everything being basically controlled by a computer anyways, most of us carry a phone in the car with us, etc. But IMO big difference there vs something so direct.
     
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  17. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I'm with you 100%. I thought about buying a new truck recently but decided to wait and just get something from the 70s or 80s. There are way too many electronics that control vital functions on new cars. When something electronic fails, you replace it, when something mechanical fails, you repair it. Compound that with proprietary software and external control, big no thank you.
     
  18. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

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    I wonder if it'll get to the point where professional mechanics won't be able to repair cars because they don't - or can't - have the necessary software or hardware. Everything begins and ends with the dealership, and there's no offramp from the Subaru or GM or whatever ecosystem.

    I'd love it if a company were to come along that sold simple, reliable, utilitarian cars that had none of the unessential lifestyle features, something like the original VW Beetle, which you can maintain easily yourself. No superfluous electronics, crank your own damn window. No AC. Instead, just roll down the windows and drive fast.
     
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  19. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I really hope this happens. Unfortunately I think consumers just want the newest and shiniest regardless of reliability or repairability, because barely anyone actually buys cars now. It's all leases.

    I have engineer friends in the auto industry and they all tell me that new cars are being built around a 4 year lifetime. 3 year lease plus 1 year of second owner to get past warranty.
     
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  20. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    My sister and brother-in-law swear by Seat and Volkswagen cars from the 90-ties and early 2Ks. He is a mechanic and always fixes his own cars. Now in NL finding parts and support for Seat and Volkswagen cars is easy.

    If you are in the U.S. and if you are good at fixing up your GM or Ford, you can keep certain cars on the road for decades.

    Doing your own maintenance is the way out. You might need a garage or storage unit but it can be done.
     
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