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Hamelekim posted:I just bought a 2024 Lexus NX350h and it has run flat tires. I am wondering if I can buy one of those tire repair kits in case I get a flat while on a highway, if the puncture is small, so that I don't completely ruin the tire/rim having to drive for 1+ hours to find a place to try and get a new tire. Typically they are "run flat" because the sidewalls are really stiff/strong. A tire repair kit will probably be ok for that sort of thing. You should familiarize yourself with how to use it before you need to use it. I was lucky enough to work at a garage back in the day when those string patches were legal for more than just "emergency temporary use only motherfucker" so I had lots of practice putting them in. I don't know what it is, but my luck seems to dictate that every time I get a new set of tires, I get one screw or nail or something stuck in a tire within a few months. My last set of summer tires on my Corolla, one tire had 3 string patches in it ranging in age from about 3-6 years of age. They never leaked. Some advice for you: Get the kit that has the T handle tools not the straight handles. I'm not some big gorilla man, but I'm not that weak either. The straight handle tool was a pain in the rear end to use at the best of times, let alone once in the middle of summer when my hands were sweaty. The strings IIRC are supposed to be self vulcanizing or some poo poo like that. Don't believe it. Carry a tube or can of rubber cement. I know a few people who've bitched that the string patches slowly leak. Mine never did (  ) probably because I used rubber cement when I did it. Carry a couple small pairs of pliers. Needle nose, Side cutters and end cutters (sometimes referred to as "nippers"). Also a small flathead screwdriver and a small pick/pointy thing of some sort. You'll need these tools to pull and/or pry out the nail, screw or whatever is stuck in your tire. And a small crayon to mark the spot where the puncture is. Once you pull the nail out it won't be so obvious. Also I guess make sure you have a way to pump the tire back up after. E: A utility knife will come in handy too. For cutting off excess "string" that sticks out of your tire after patching it. Though you can use the cutting pliers for that too. wesleywillis fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Nov 27, 2023 |
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Nov 27, 2023 22:05
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wesleywillis posted:Typically they are "run flat" because the sidewalls are really stiff/strong. A tire repair kit will probably be ok for that sort of thing. You should familiarize yourself with how to use it before you need to use it. I was lucky enough to work at a garage back in the day when those string patches were legal for more than just "emergency temporary use only motherfucker" so I had lots of practice putting them in. Thanks for the information. I already have a portable compressor that I used with my old vehicle so that shouldn't be an issue. I'll look into the rubber cement as well. Hopefully I won't have to worry about it for a long time, but you never know. Had two punctures in the 13 years I owned my last vehicle, so hopefully my luck holds out with this new one.
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Nov 27, 2023 22:30
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Hamelekim posted:Thanks for the information. You'll probably want to switch to non-runflat tires when these ones are done. The ride quality is much worse due to the increased sidewall stiffness, you really give up a lot. If you live in Nail City USA or Pothole Central then maybe not.
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Nov 27, 2023 23:45
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VelociBacon posted:You'll probably want to switch to non-runflat tires when these ones are done. The ride quality is much worse due to the increased sidewall stiffness, you really give up a lot. If you live in Nail City USA or Pothole Central then maybe not. Yeah, it just sucks not having room for a spare tire in back, but I guess as long as the puncture isn't catastrophic it wouldn't be bad to repair. Plus I can always call road-side assistance. Only problem is that these tires are rates for 60k km, an I only drive 10-12k km per year so unless I get a serious flat I won't be replacing them anytime soon.
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Nov 28, 2023 00:13
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It's the most wonderful time of the year, and I don't mean Christmas -  It's time for the Sheep Game again!Click on our mission patch below to go to space! or the thread or whatever 
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Nov 28, 2023 00:57
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Our car's (2016 honda HRV) headlights are all hazed up in a way that doesn't wash off. I've read that this is actual plastic damage that can be wet-sanded and polished away pretty decently, and people sell kits with little circular sandpaper thingers that go on a drill, and you finish up with some polishing goop and a cloth or buffing brush. Well, I already have an orbital/palm sander. Is there any reason not to get some wet-or-dry sandpaper in the appropriate grits (600-800-3000 is what i saw but I'm open to other suggestions) and use my sander? And for the final polish with goop, just use a cloth?
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Nov 28, 2023 17:47
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alnilam posted:Our car's (2016 honda HRV) headlights are all hazed up in a way that doesn't wash off. I've read that this is actual plastic damage that can be wet-sanded and polished away pretty decently, and people sell kits with little circular sandpaper thingers that go on a drill, and you finish up with some polishing goop and a cloth or buffing brush. Headlight restoration kits are a thing, they typically come with everything you need. I've been using the 3M ones lately because I can use my drill but they don't come with a clearcoat treatment. I order that separately and the results are great. I've used the Sylvania kits too, I think they come with clearcoat, but you're doing everything by hand.
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Nov 28, 2023 17:54
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Some sandpaper and polish is better than others, so for best results it might be worth getting a good kit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDB5U4QUdD0 That said I literally only used some polishing compound on a dish sponge on my Fit     E: you'd want to seal it with clearcoat or something or repeat this annually mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Nov 28, 2023 |
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Nov 28, 2023 17:59
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I can't imagine buying your own sandpaper will save much when the kit is $16 anyway. I bought a kit from amazon made by 3M and used it a few weeks ago, worked great.
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Nov 28, 2023 18:01
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alnilam posted:Our car's (2016 honda HRV) headlights are all hazed up in a way that doesn't wash off. I've read that this is actual plastic damage that can be wet-sanded and polished away pretty decently, and people sell kits with little circular sandpaper thingers that go on a drill, and you finish up with some polishing goop and a cloth or buffing brush. Most of the kits I've seen have the "coarse" sand paper somewhere in the 1500 grit range. The fine paper is I think 2000 or 3000. 600-800 is too coarse you'll spend way too much time trying to get rid of those sanding marks. Especially if you go all the way up to 3000.
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Nov 28, 2023 18:11
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RadioPassive posted:I can't imagine buying your own sandpaper will save much when the kit is $16 anyway. I bought a kit from amazon made by 3M and used it a few weeks ago, worked great. My local hardware store sells single sheets, so the sandpaper would add up to like $2 total and I'd have 3/4 sheet of each left over. But the polishing compound is a different story... Either way if the car people are saying just get the kit, I'll just get the kit. What kind of clear coat should I use? Just generic rust-oleum or is there some special headlight clearcoat? alnilam fucked around with this message at 18:48 on Nov 28, 2023 |
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Nov 28, 2023 18:45
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alnilam posted:My local hardware store sells single sheets, so the sandpaper would add up to like $2 total and I'd have 3/4 sheet of each left over. But the polishing compound is a different story... Either way if the car people are saying just get the kit, I'll just get the kit. Amazon has 3M clearcoat wipes designed for headlights. You might be able to find them locally too.
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Nov 28, 2023 19:28
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This is also a time when you definitely want good sandpaper. I got some lovely bulk sandpaper in the same grits as the 3M kit I had previously used, and it all clogged up so fast it wasn't even funny.
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Nov 28, 2023 19:57
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guaranteed posted:
Ok, so after a week at the dealership, the verdict is a plugged exhaust and catalytic converter due to the oil consumption problem, and they are replacing the entire thing front to back. Why they don’t go ahead and replace the engine too, I don’t know.
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Nov 29, 2023 01:42
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I'm looking for some recommendations for a LTE/app based remote starter. My car's free connection is up this year and it's $200/yr thereafter, which suuuucks. I've been eyeballing DroneMobile but honestly don't know much about the space.
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Nov 29, 2023 18:36
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In the last 5-10 years it seems to me that I see more and more small trucks (think half-size busses, small box trucks) with single wheels on the rear rather than dual wheels. Is this because better tires have become available for these sorts of vehicles or is there some other reason?
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Nov 30, 2023 01:09
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sleepy gary posted:In the last 5-10 years it seems to me that I see more and more small trucks (think half-size busses, small box trucks) with single wheels on the rear rather than dual wheels. Is this because better tires have become available for these sorts of vehicles or is there some other reason? Probably better tire technology. Even some transport trucks now have single wheels on the truck and trailer.
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Nov 30, 2023 01:16
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They're called Super Singles if you want to read into it further
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Nov 30, 2023 02:48
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Briefly, I thought Reliant came back and started making small trucks.
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Nov 30, 2023 03:12
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the short version is "diesel got expensive enough that the decreased rolling resistance from fewer sidewalls was enough to move the cultural and economic inertia to catch up with tire tech"
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Nov 30, 2023 03:17
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Also cheaper to replace half the number of tires.
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Nov 30, 2023 12:27
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I have a question about trickle chargers. With my hybrid vehicle there is a positive post under the hood, with the battery in back. In the manual for boosting you are supposed to use the positive post and then clip the negative to a bare piece of metal on the other side of the engine. Does this also work for trickle charging or will that mess it up? I don't know enough about the logic inside of the charger to know if it needs to somehow be passing a signal through the negative wire. I'm going away for 2 weeks and while I can turn off my key and vehicles wireless crap to reduce battery drain I want to charge it just to be safe.
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Nov 30, 2023 17:41
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If it'll work for a jump start, it'll work for a charger, including a trickle charger.
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Nov 30, 2023 17:42
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PainterofCrap posted:If it'll work for a jump start, it'll work for a charger, including a trickle charger. Good to know. I hate having battery anxiety for a drat 12v because I didn't drive it for a week. Apparently after 14 days it goes into the low power mode anyway, but depending on where your battery was when it started it could be dead by then.
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Nov 30, 2023 18:10
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Another option would be to install the permanent leads on the battery, they come with some trickle chargers, then have the plug somewhere more easily accessible.
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Nov 30, 2023 21:36
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NitroSpazzz posted:Another option would be to install the permanent leads on the battery, they come with some trickle chargers, then have the plug somewhere more easily accessible. I wouldn't do this unless you've got some kind of source verifying it's ok. My prius has the jumper post in the engine bay too and iirc people have totaled their prius by hooking directly up to the 12v battery
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Dec 1, 2023 10:47
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Not to be contrarian but how is connecting a trickle charger directly to a battery less safe than connecting it to the more easily accessible jump points? Other than some mild resistance differences it's the same thing. You really have to do something wrong to wreck a battery with any decent trickle charger, most have built in safeties so they won't charge if hooked up backwards or if the battery is too low. I could see someone wrecking a battery by using it to jump another car incorrectly whether using the jump points or direct connection.
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Dec 1, 2023 13:43
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I didn’t know about the underhood lugs and jumped my sister’s Prius directly off of the battery. It was fine.
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Dec 1, 2023 16:13
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I'm going to be car shopping this weekend, I'm considering going new because they're offering better interest rates on loans than buying used. And the used car market seems to be as expensive as just buying new. Is this a good idea? All I really want is good MPG, reliability, and maybe it to retain decent value. Honda and Toyotas are what I'm looking at because I've had good experiences in the past, but I know I'll be paying a bit of a premium. I'm sure there's a buying cars thread I'll peruse before I go as well, but any quick advice or tips would be great.
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Dec 1, 2023 23:09
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Get a Miata.
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Dec 1, 2023 23:27
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Safety Dance posted:Get a Miata. I'm looking for a Car or SUV not a go-kart.
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Dec 2, 2023 00:33
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dopesilly posted:I'm looking for a Car or SUV not a go-kart. Miata RF
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Dec 2, 2023 01:38
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dopesilly posted:I'm looking for a Car or SUV not a go-kart. I regret not getting a Miata. Maybe next time... (this is the thread you want if you don't want a Miata: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3213538&pagenumber=1&perpage=40 )
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Dec 2, 2023 01:46
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dopesilly posted:I'm looking for a Car or SUV not a go-kart. Oh, ok. You should get a Miata then. Possibly a red one like this:
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Dec 2, 2023 03:39
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dopesilly posted:I'm looking for a Car or SUV not a go-kart. Your next car can be found here. E: There is no better Miata than the British Racing Green Miata.  Cactus Ghost posted:I wouldn't do this unless you've got some kind of source verifying it's ok. My prius has the jumper post in the engine bay too and iirc people have totaled their prius by hooking directly up to the 12v battery 12V DC is 12V DC. The Prius platform does not expose the high Voltage system to the user. Reversing the terminals would do it fast, but don't do that. Hamelekim posted:I have a question about trickle chargers. The trickle chargers are usually pretty dumb devices. Some offer specific charge algorithms depending on chemistry and features. Beyond that it's the equivalent of a potato with some transformer driving it all. cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Dec 2, 2023 |
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Dec 2, 2023 03:41
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miatas are ugly as hell, drat, but thanks for showing me how ugly the variety is i guess
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Dec 2, 2023 04:08
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the new ones look nice
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Dec 2, 2023 04:09
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yeah i guess if you like baby shark body shape
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Dec 2, 2023 04:10
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dopesilly posted:yeah i guess if you like baby shark body shape I think you'll find the ideal car is the Laguna Seca Blue Mazda Miata 
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Dec 2, 2023 04:55
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Dec 2, 2023 05:01
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