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Does using tire slime make the tech's life miserable when he changes the tire?
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Feb 14, 2015 20:06
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Wounded Unicorn posted:Tire shopping theorycraft rubberchat, please chime in with sales pitches/advice/jeering: You're not got going to enjoy the extra grip a competition tire offers without warming them up first, and warming them up is not practical or safe to do on the street. I bought the Direzza ZII when the came out 2 years ago for my Impreza WRX two years ago for Summer / Autocross, and they've been good. You still get more performance when they get some heat in them (but not too much), but they're good on the road, and Tire Rack said they performed better in the wet than the other big gun that came out at the time, the BFG Rivals (I see a mix of both at the Auto-X with some people holding out with the RS3) In terms of longevity, they have over 125 autocross runs and around 7500 miles on them and are down to 4/32s. They're directional tires so I had to have them remounted the middle of last summer because the stock suspension rolled so much that the outside edge was wearing quicker. Non-directional tires won't have this problem, so that's something to think about cost-wise. TLDR; Extreme/Max for sure, think about non-directional for tire rotations to maximize life, ZII is great but pricier now with the ZII star spec.
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Feb 18, 2015 16:18
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1500quidporsche posted:This is more of a theory question but I've read in a few places now that MacPherson struts require an anti roll bar because it triangulates the control arms or some other obscure reason. In the original MacPherson strut design, the anti-roll bar did triangulate the lower arm of the suspension. In that case, you wouldn't have a lower control arm that connects to the unit body at two place like you commonly see today (and on your Scirocco), you would have a "track control arm" that connects the knuckle with a ball joint and to the body at one point. Here's a picture of a Saturn SL1 with the classic style Mac Strut suspension:  You can read more about the man and his suspension (and see the picture again) here
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Feb 19, 2015 01:05
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FogHelmut posted:A friend of mine was just quoted $1600 for a bad catalytic converter on a 2003 Camry. They said they had to replace both cats. He thought that was insane and found the exact parts for less half what they quoted. Strangely they're letting him bring his own parts and will do the labor. Does this whole situation sound odd? Were they trying to rip him off on parts? I'm not sure he should continue doing business with them, but he's okay with it. They'll probably charge him a little more on labor to make up for their cut on parts. Your friend will probably still end up paying less than the original quote. Not sure why this happens, possibly regulations on the sale of cats, maybe your friend just found someone who beat "their guy."
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Feb 19, 2015 20:43
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Chuu posted:Someone in my family bought a brand new E350 and is so paranoid about scratching it that they're afraid to drive it. Would wrapping it or pastidip be a good idea? Any suggestions on specifics if the goal is protection moreso than getting the color you want? 3M clear bras are more common for protection than wrapping the whole car.
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Feb 24, 2015 12:59
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Trisk posted:Looking for recommendations for a quality electronic tire pressure gauge that: I wouldn't just assume digital = accurate. Those air pumps at the gas station where you set the PSI and go aren't very accurate, but they're digital. I have a dial indicator gage from Joe's Racing that's accurate and a reasonable price on Amazon. It's also glow-in-the-dark, has an air release button, and has a swivel fitting.
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Feb 25, 2015 16:11
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blk posted:I should probably change the oil on all vehicles today (Saabaru, Miata, Civic). I have an OEM Subaru filter in the closet but nothing on hand for the Miata or Civic and parts counters are closed today. Which aftermarket brand should I get, or does it matter? Are any/most aftermarket filters superior to OEM filters? The Saabaru and Miata get driven hard, if it makes a difference. Not all aftermarket filters are better than OEM, but there are some brands that are better for cheaper. Purolator is good and readily available.
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Mar 1, 2015 21:46
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GotDonuts posted:Not sure if this is the right thread for this or what... Read books, get the factory service manual for your car.
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Mar 31, 2015 22:50
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GotDonuts posted:Thanks for all the helpfull advice. Maybe I will pick up a clunker this weekend from my buddies junk yard and see how long it takes me wrenching on it to either mangle it all to hell or end up with a decent veichle to sell for another lovely car. Don't use a normal floor jack on those pinch welds, you can bend them. Look for a big solid piece of metal in the center of the car (the subframe, and not the oil pan).
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Apr 1, 2015 00:01
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ilkhan posted:Speaking of brake fluid. I'm not going to run into issues with this stuff for fun driving street usage, am I? Just bought this yesterday for my daily driver, to flush out the ATE fluid already in my lines. Hi-temp brake fluid is more hygroscopic than run-of-the-mill brake fluid, but that just means you need to change it more often if you truly get your fluid close to the boiling point. For street use, it works fine.
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Apr 1, 2015 13:48
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SperginMcBadposter posted:I want to try buying and mounting my own tires, but the wheels are non-OEM and I don't know their dimensions. Is the rim size cast on the back? You could also just use a tape measure, you only need to be accurate to .5" for width. There's a lot of money to sink into tire tools if you want to do it. I know HF sells a pretty basic manual tire changer but I figured that'd be good for doing motorcycle or small trailer tires, not a passenger car tire. I bet it can be done, but I don't think you'll be happy when you're doing it.
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Apr 10, 2015 21:43
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WashinMyGoat posted:My 1996 Subaru leaks oil like crazy. I think I still have a few more years in her, but I plan on moving to a new house soon, and I want to avoid destroying my driveway. Has anyone had experience with using a KoossPad http://koosspad.com/kp/ ? If you still have a few years left in her, I would track down the source of the leak and see if it's something you can fix.
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Apr 14, 2015 14:09
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heat posted:There is no dipstick, which is what makes it so strange. I guess someone could get a bit extra in with a tight fitting hose and being really quick with the bolt but why the hell would anyone do that It may have been serviced out of the car at some point. They laid it on it's side, stuck a funnel in it, and filled it up.
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Apr 18, 2015 06:12
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I had a friend who leased a new Civic Si with a manual and drove it back home, in Manhattan, without having driven a stick before. Just get a car and drive it, it's the best way to learn.
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Apr 29, 2015 17:51
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VelociBacon posted:I would absolutely not get a subaru for a 'learn to repair' car. The orientation of the motor makes it twice as annoying to do a lot of work. Look for something with an inline motor maybe. What? Subarus are very easy to work on. Everything sits on top of the motor. The only thing that sucks to do are spark plugs and anything involving the heads, but then the motor is very easy to pull out.
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May 1, 2015 11:53
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Good for you for not caving. You'll get what you want eventually.
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May 4, 2015 19:26
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LeeMajors posted:I'm tempted to take a long weekend and do my own timing belt/water pump on my 2000 3.4L V6 4Runner. First thing is, how mechanically inclined is "not terribly"? The timing belt is the most difficult maintenance item to do (at least in any sensible car) so you should have a little bit of experience changing the coolant, changing accessory belts, and such. Second is, how prepared are you? You should obviously have instructions, multiple sources are best. Do you have a decent sized tool collection? You don't want to get 3/4s of the way through disassembly to find out you really need a 1/2" breaker bar or spend 2 hours trying to get one bolt that would take 1 minute with a swivel socket. Third, how easily can you unfuck yourself? You're giving yourself time, which is good. Can you make a parts store run on a Sunday? If things take too long, can you still get to work on Monday? Do you live in the rust belt and are prepared to deal with sheared bolts? Basically, if you give yourself the best chance for success, you're gonna be more successful. Also, it'll be less stressful and you'll be happy to think of yourself as a budding shade-tree mechanic.
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May 5, 2015 19:41
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I have a grinding noise in my front passenger side wheel when I take right turns, it started after my first autocross a few weeks ago. Thought it was the dust shield rubbing on the rotor - pulled it back and it got better and then went back to how it was. So yesterday I took the brakes apart and the rotor was actually running against the caliper bracket. The mechanic who installed the bearing at the end of February must have put the hub in crooked. Is this something he should fix free of charge? I haven't been impressed with his work and if I have to pay I would rather go somewhere else.
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May 10, 2015 13:00
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Godholio posted:If you've been able to take it apart, you can just fix it yourself. What's the problem, the rotor is damaged? A new one is probably like $30. I don't have a press to take the hub/bearing out of the knuckle, which is why I took the car to a mechanic. I also thought I was paying for the convienence of having someone else do it, but I was wrong.
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May 10, 2015 17:12
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Subaru EJ blocks have been used since like 1990 they're still being used in the newest gen STI. I'm sure that will change in the next few years but 25-30 years on one design for almost all of Subarus models is pretty good. They also found work in hobbyists' airplanes and the back of VW Type 1s
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May 11, 2015 17:38
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baram. posted:slotted rotors tend to be frowned upon for non track cars right? can someone explain that again I always forget the reasoning. Slotted rotors just wipe the pad surface clean, so you'll go through pads faster. Best thing for a street car is the cheapest, plain rotors that won't warp or crack. Centric is great and you can get them on Amazon Prime.
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May 13, 2015 16:26
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Astonishing Wang posted:I'm pretty lazy too but if you're going to paint your wheels you might as well take the 10 minutes to NOT paint your tires. Also - if you don't want to take the time to protect the tire I assume you're also not taking the time to clean and sand the wheel so it's going to look lovely no matter how you do it. Yeah this. Putting cards on your wheels is going to be theleast time consuming part of your prep process. Remember that it's 90% prep, 10% paint.
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May 14, 2015 19:44
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TKIY posted:Buddy at work just told me he's buying a 2010 Audi Q5 off-lease. Why cringe? Because it's not a Miata? If he's your buddy, just stroke his ego and tell him that everyone will be jealous of his German luxobarge. No one wants to hear anything else, they just want validation.
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May 19, 2015 17:02
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Toshimo posted:Hey, autogoons. I had a pretty gnarly oil leak and took it to a shop recommended by a dude I work with. Long story short, I just got the car back after a week of failed promises as to when it was actually going to be done, and I'm wondering how much I got ripped for in the end? I guess if it fixed the leak, it's not too bad. Looks like the mechanic saw the leak coming from the area below the crank pulley, so he took apart the timing gear, saw the leak coming from the front of the oil pan, replaced the oil pan gasket, and then replaced the timing belt, water pump and the front & cam oil seals and valve cover gasket, which all needed to be done on a 10 year old car anyways. I don't know if two hours of labor for an oil pan gasket is reasonable but I'm not familiar with the PT Cruiser.
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May 27, 2015 20:38
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Toshimo posted:Yeah. That's why I ok'ed the belt/pump when they called me about adding it on, even though I didn't really want to be throwing more parts at this thing (I'd just as soon have been looking at picking up something new in ~6 months). The guy was probably reluctant to tear apart the timing gear to find the leak until he could be sure the leak was coming from underneath the timing cover. "I didn't find the leak but I did a $600 timing belt job for you." is not a good way to start a conversation with a customer. Finding oil leaks is one of those things where it can take 2 minutes or 2 days, and time spent diagnosing is money they aren't making with high margin jobs like oil changes. If you weren't happy with how they were communicating with you or they didn't understand how they were putting you out, go somewhere else next time - a good mechanic is hard to find.
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May 29, 2015 12:39
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| # ¿ Apr 30, 2024 23:47 |
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Geoj posted:Anyone have an opinion on KYB AGX adjustable dampers? My Focus is going to need a suspension refresh soon and my choices for adjustables are either AGX or Koni Yellows, and while I'm sure the Konis are great I don't want to spend nearly $700 on dampers. KYB makes OEM dampers, they aren't necessarily a bad brand. When it comes to anything adjustable though, you get what you pay for. Koni Yellows are considered by many to be the cheapest good option if you want adjustable shocks. Agree on the point about coilovers, except $1200+ is a low side, I'd say at least $2K for single adjustable dampers. The top brands can be up to $8K for triple adjustable, who knows how much the stuff professional race teams use. Tldr get OEM replacement or the Konis
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Jun 11, 2015 01:10
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