So...wouldja buy a GM?

[shardian]

$600 for a manifold gasket?!? Gotta love dealership shops.

[sirwoogie]

Buy the car or truck you want. Just make sure it's a Ford.

[ChadTower]

I bought a Tacoma today.  

2008, 14k miles, 4k under private party book.  Even the loan officer did a Keanu Reeves at the bill of sale.

[pinballwizard79]

Just buy a Honda fit (35mpg) or the diesel VW hatchback (50mpg).

[TOK]

Just buy a Honda fit (35mpg) or the diesel VW hatchback (50mpg).

And then pester his relatives and friends when he needs a pickup, like mine do to me? 
For the things I do, a Fit would be marginally more useful to me than a bicycle. Some people really do use trucks as trucks. 

[Fordman]

Dont go Ridgeline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a pansy excuse for a truck! Great for dinner and groceries, but if you want to haul or tow something, the Ridgeline is a waste of sheet metal!

As for the Tundra getting ready to fly off the lots with the cash for clunckers vouchers, the Tundra doesnt qualify. Hell, here in Toymotors back yard, Cincinnati, they are still advertising '08's on the Reds games and in the papers! The tundra's are a dud and from what I've seen in the industry publications, the '10's are just '09's that wasnt issued a VIN number yet because of the lack of '08-'09 sales. They've been sitting in the 'ready to ship - hold' lot.

As for the box with wheels scion,  or element, UGLY! The Ford Flex is just as UGLY!

Fordman

[HaRuMaN]

I've more or less got the cheaper better version of a Fit (Scion xD) - 100% assembled in Tokyo!   

The Fit is 100% made in Japan, too.

[ChadTower]

DIAF. 

I had to look that up.  Anyone else?

[Fordman]

Whoooaaa Pinballjim. DIAF ?

Chances are the work was done right or it wouldnt have made it out of the factory. But as with anything, things do go wrong. The toymotor and honda dealerships have service departments too at their dealerships and they're always full, and NO the people just arnt getting oil changes or wiper blade replacements.

The number one problem for car or truck, BAD GAS. If you buy gas from Joe Schmoo's thrifty gas, then you get 87 octane with the minimum required EPA detergents. If you buy a branded gas, chances are you get better detergets and a guarantee. Joe Schmoo might be a few pennies cheaper on the gallon, but will cost you in the long run. Ford recomends BP gas, but not all areas have a BP station, so a Shell or Marathon equvilient will do. 

Bad Gas can cause anywhere from fuel line or pump issues, injector clog up to injector failure, improper combustion leaving lots of carbon in the combustion chamber, fouling out the spark plugs pre-maturely. Extra carbon then doesnt exit out the exhaust or if it does, getting stuck in the manifold or if it makes it to the catalytic convertor or even the muffler. Carbon getting mixed with the oil, then possible gumming up the oil pump (why do you think there is alot of sludge in lots of oil pans?)

With any vehicle at every 20,000 miles, you should buy 2 bottles of Chevron Techron

 

Put in a full 93 octane tank and one bottle of Techron, run all that out. Fill again with 93 octane and other bottle of Techron. Run that out, then go back to your regular gasoline.
This cleans dirt from the injectors - fuel line and carbon from the engine. You will notice a difference with how the vehicle runs!
Better yet, if you have Chevron Stations in your area, use their gas because they put this stuff in their gas already!

Yes, bad gas is usually the start of alot of other issues like the O2 sensors, sticking lifters and the likes going bad too.

Just because the japs made it, doesnt mean it wont break!

Fordman

[HaRuMaN]

DIAF. 

I had to look that up.  Anyone else?

Yep.  That was a new one on me.

[shardian]

Whoooaaa Pinballjim. DIAF ?

Chances are the work was done right or it wouldnt have made it out of the factory. But as with anything, things do go wrong. The toymotor and honda dealerships have service departments too at their dealerships and they're always full, and NO the people just arnt getting oil changes or wiper blade replacements.

The number one problem for car or truck, BAD GAS. If you buy gas from Joe Schmoo's thrifty gas, then you get 87 octane with the minimum required EPA detergents. If you buy a branded gas, chances are you get better detergets and a guarantee. Joe Schmoo might be a few pennies cheaper on the gallon, but will cost you in the long run. Ford recomends BP gas, but not all areas have a BP station, so a Shell or Marathon equvilient will do. 

Bad Gas can cause anywhere from fuel line or pump issues, injector clog up to injector failure, improper combustion leaving lots of carbon in the combustion chamber, fouling out the spark plugs pre-maturely. Extra carbon then doesnt exit out the exhaust or if it does, getting stuck in the manifold or if it makes it to the catalytic convertor or even the muffler. Carbon getting mixed with the oil, then possible gumming up the oil pump (why do you think there is alot of sludge in lots of oil pans?)

With any vehicle at every 20,000 miles, you should buy 2 bottles of Chevron Techron

 

Put in a full 93 octane tank and one bottle of Techron, run all that out. Fill again with 93 octane and other bottle of Techron. Run that out, then go back to your regular gasoline.
This cleans dirt from the injectors - fuel line and carbon from the engine. You will notice a difference with how the vehicle runs!
Better yet, if you have Chevron Stations in your area, use their gas because they put this stuff in their gas already!

Yes, bad gas is usually the start of alot of other issues like the O2 sensors, sticking lifters and the likes going bad too.

Just because the japs made it, doesnt mean it wont break!

Fordman

You really should not put 93 octane in a 4 banger. Pre-ignition, knock, valve damage...all of these things are not good. Just keep that in mind folks.

[Fordman]

I agree, 4 cylinders shouldnt use 93 octane all the time due to the heat the 93 octance produces and could warp the intake manifold and head.

As for the gasoline coming out of the same pipeline, I agree, but its when what valves are turned on that either increase the octane or detergents. Also if your local station is charging for a 93 octane and they are only giving you 89, then your local weights & measures department is being given a special brown envelope to look the other way.

Also, some Cadillacs and performance cars can only run on 93 octane, so I will disagree with your assesment that all the gas is the same!

Fordman

[Flake]

You really should not put 93 octane in a 4 banger. Pre-ignition, knock, valve damage...all of these things are not good. Just keep that in mind folks.

Why should he worry about that?  He thinks cars are only made for 100k.

I have a very difficult time believing in magical gasoline given that I grew up in the shadow of an oil refinery that made one type of gasoline - premium.  All the local gas stations sent their trucks to the same spigot and they all dispensed the same gasoline into three different tanks and charged three different prices.  Everyone that worked at the refinery knew this, yet there were people that were CONVINCED it wasn't true and insisted on paying an extra 50 cents/gallon.

Thus is insanity.

Haha.....that reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer and Barney take the Duff Brewery tour.  There's a scene showing Duff, Duff Dry, and Duff Lite all coming from the same vat.

Sorry, couldnt resist.

[shardian]

You really should not put 93 octane in a 4 banger. Pre-ignition, knock, valve damage...all of these things are not good. Just keep that in mind folks.

Why should he worry about that?  He thinks cars are only made for 100k.

I have a very difficult time believing in magical gasoline given that I grew up in the shadow of an oil refinery that made one type of gasoline - premium.  All the local gas stations sent their trucks to the same spigot and they all dispensed the same gasoline into three different tanks and charged three different prices.  Everyone that worked at the refinery knew this, yet there were people that were CONVINCED it wasn't true and insisted on paying an extra 50 cents/gallon.

Thus is insanity.

They may be getting it from the same spigot, but what they are pumping out is different. Gas stations have 2 gasoline tanks - one for 87 and one for 93. The mid-grade is made by mixing the 2 other grades at the pump. As Fordman said, individual gas tanks and pumps are tested by the Weights and Measures department to make sure the gas stations aren't screwing customers.

Does everything have to be a conspiracy with you Jim? Jeez, I feel like I am talking with my dad!

[ChadTower]

tested by the Weights and Measures department to make sure the gas stations aren't screwing customers.

I don't trust weights and measures either.  Everything in the MA/RI gov't is kickbacks and scams.  It has gotten to the point that they don't even hide it anymore since there is nobody to prosecute them. 

[TOK]

There seems to  be some confusion on octane. The way I understand it, it is just a measure of knock resistance

The number of cylinders an engine has is meaningless to the octane rating, but in the example cited here (an engine running hot) the 4 cylinder engine would actually need the higher octane to resist pre-ingition due to the high cylinder temperature.

[Fordman]

Pinball, I would say that the gasoline coming fom the same pipeline is a 'running joke' among the people who work at the refinery. Just as the running joke was to 'not buy a car made on Monday or Friday'.

All the milk comes from the same cows. So you say the Vitamin D is no different than the 2% Lowfat? No, the 2% has had some of the 'cream' so to speak removed or some would say 'watered' down to make it 2% lowfat. It's all pasturized in the same tanks, but what it is processed into and what jug or carton is where the difference is.

The same is true for Pepsi or Coca Cola syrup. Same syrup, just when its mixed with either sugar, corn syrup or Equal (sacchrin) does it become regular or diet.

The base product is the same, it's just what you want for the end result.

Same tree, it's either notebook paper or toilet paper! Its how you use the pulp to make tissue paper or weave paper (notebook is weave).

 

Fordman

[richms]

You have weird octanes in the states - here its all 91 and 95, or at other stations 91 and 98.. which is stupid since nothing since the era of carbs should have the low octane stuff in it and few cars benifit from 98, but those that do are normally higher boost cars so 95 is a risky business in them unless you can keep your foot off the floor and the revs down...

But we have seperate nozzles for the fuels - partly because they have to put a massive cover like handle on the diesel one to stop people putting that into their cars in a moment of inattentiveness... and it still happens all the time..

In anycase. there are many GM cars here... holden branded holdens and europeans. The only US made GM car was a caviller that are used imports from japan that are branded toyota from some deal done in the clinton era. And the general consensus on them is to avoid at all costs.. The holdens however, well they are great - the european ones like the vectra and astra less so...

[protokatie]

Octane = C8H18. It isnt a very good measure, as you could have some very viable C7H16 (septane) in the fuel as well. Or even C10H24 (decatane SP?) .

Regardless, count the molecules of Cx+H(2x +2) for as long as they last. Sad to live at the end of modern civilization.