Cars

[mo]

Yeah, I read that link before I posted. I read lots of stuff, clicked on many links, but found nothing definitive. I read one environmental article about MMT starting to be used in third world countries. Maybe that's what/where the manual disclaimer is aimed at.

[Lindsey Buckinghmof]

I just learned too much about manganism. Manganitis? Anyway, scary monsters. Seems like this stuff is even scarier than lead. Well maybe not.

[eldiem]

My brakes are making a noise. I don't *think* they're working any less gooder (seriously, 4 days out of my job as a editer and I'm already talking bad). I am going easy on them though b/c of the noise. I just noticed it yesterday on my way back to Rockford from the bf's house in the Chicago suburbs. It's not a horrible noise, but I can hear it with the windows up, radio and AC on. There's also a noise whenever the car is moving, speeds up when I go faster and slows down when I go slower. Awesome. New city, don't know anyone, and need to find a mechanic who won't think I'm some girl who doesn't know anything about cars just because I am. I should've bought a new car long ago....

Actually, I may be able to ask the student affairs guy at orientation tomorrow, he seems to want to help us with anything that might detract from studies.

[random axe]

Rhythmic woog-woog sort of scraping / rubbing noise that speeds up when the car speeds up?

If so, it's probably a warped disk or bent caliper or something similar.  With disk brakes, there's a smaller smooth wheel mounted on the axle just inside of the car's wheel.  That's the disk.  The caliper is a flat part-of-a-disk that the brake system clamps on the disk.  The friction of the caliper on the disk stops the axle (and wheel) from turning.  Sports cars often have huge calipers that are visible from even ten feet away, through the spokes of the wheel.  Sometimes the sporty calipers are painted bright red.

The calipers are normally very close to the disks.  If anything's bent (or something foreign's stuck real good on either piece), then it can rub as the wheel goes around, and hence the noise.  It's often cheaper to get this fixed if you get it fixed sooner.  The rubbing can cut into the disk (potentially expensive) or wear down the brake pad on the inside of the caliper (semi-expensive).  Sometimes the caliper's just bent slightly and can be straightened out.  Sometimes it needs to be replaced.  If the caliper is so bent that it needs to be replaced, then it may fail during hard braking, so it's a bit of a safety issue.

In any case, the noise will only get worse.  Sometimes the problem is minor, though, and the mechanic will tell you that you can drive another six months without worrying about it -- and that it'll get REALLY loud when it really needs to be replaced.

But if that's what it is, and your car isn't specially hard to work on (a few imports, basically), then my guess is that it could cost anywhere from $75 to $700 worst-case.  The worst case would include them looking at the brakes and saying you really ought to have work done on all of them.  That could be true -- it could be that your brake is acting up because a pebble got in there, or it could be that the brakes are just worn down and ready to be replaced, in which case odds are that both sides are worn down.

Brakes are important, though.  I'd get them looked at sooner rather than later.  You can always take it one place for an estimate, tell them you need the car and they can't work on it right away, and go somewhere else for a second opinion.  (You don't have to tell the second place you already had it looked at elsewhere.)  If you actually find a garage where they tell you the car's so effed up that they can't legally let you drive it home, odds are extraordinarily good you're being scammed, but that kind of thing doesn't happen so often nowadays.

[random axe]

Honda's discontinuing the Element, one of their two coolest models.  And considering how dull or shark-jumpy most of their cars have gotten, that's not a good thing.  They say not enough people are buying it because they're buying 'cross-over SUVs' instead.

Whatever.    Just admit you're tired of it and want to introduce a new model you think it would compete with.

[mo]

Oh, you just like unconventional vehicles, NTTAWWT.

I compared the two pretty closely, and the CR-V was a much better value. The Element had the cool doors (whatever you call that), but I couldn't place a value on that, or imagine how it might come in useful, it had a slightly better sound system, and the lining in the back was more utilitarian so that you might not worry about getting it dirty like you might with the carpet in the CR-V. But that was it. The CR-V beat it in every other regard, and the prices were almost the same. In these times, I can see why they might choose to shut down that line.

Don't get me wrong though, I wish Honda would design more utilitarian than luxury/sport. They're missing an opportunity... heh their stupid "opportunity knocks" commercial comes to mind... I would have preferred to have something that was like a cross between minivan and pickup truck, instead of the CR-V, which is basically a giant station wagon. The other day on the way to work, I saw 3 different VW bugs (the originals), and I only drive about 10 miles to work. That's pretty amazing when you think about it. What are they, like 40 years old now? There's a big market for a well designed vehicle that's inexpensive, reliable and easy to repair, and that doesn't get redesigned every 3 years. Honda could fill that need, but they won't.

[random axe]

Well, almost no one really wants to sell you the last car you'll ever own.  They want to sell you the last five to ten cars you'll ever own, in sequence.  One of analysts' knocks against Subaru is that, not counting pickup trucks, they have the longest time-of-ownership, with something like 75% still owned by the original owner after ten years. 

That's what you get if you aim a little more utilitarian, and hence the incredibly silly up-market versions of the Outback, the fancification of the Forrester, the upscale Tribeca, and the increasingly Transformeration of the Impreza.  They want to make Subaru enthusiasts hunger for the latest version.

The Element actually has a lot more utility than the CR-V -- depending on what you're doing.  The Element's doors are very handy if you have to move large objects in and out through the side, for instance, and it's a vehicle traditionally loved by people who move a lot of gunk on a regular basis, have large dogs, or generally aren't quite in the market for a Hummer.  I know a carpenter who uses his as his work vehicle.  I guess he doesn't need full-length lumber or full-size sheet goods much, but he mostly does interior stuff.  Actually, the interior designer I used to work for had an Element for the longest time but now has some fancier thing.

But, yeah, my other favorite Honda is the Fit, which is a nearly supernatural marvel of utility.

[mybabysmomma]

One of the pros of the Element is that they are very easy to get into and out of which makes it really good for people with getting into and out of issues. 
And I LOVE my new Outback (or as mini me sometimes calls it Outside) and the upgrades to it from the 2009 model are one of the reasons I considered it.  I have been a long time VW fan and that Subaru gave me a little bit more of what I am used to and still kept the things I originally liked about Subaru won me over,,,that and we got a really good deal on a new one.

[random axe]

I'm very much old-fogey.  I had cause to ride in a Ford Fusion a couple of weeks ago -- a nice midsize car, but not upscale for Ford.  Still, the interior was way too Space Shuttle Cockpit for my tastes.  I seriously don't want built-in GPS and such, fancy stereo displays, etc. 

Back in the day, the Japanese miniaturized radios, and this led to very small radio interfaces, with lots of tiny similar buttons.  Car manufacturers copied this look for car stereos, not because they were pressed for space but because it was supposed to look ultra-modern.  Deep down, I'm still offended by that.  That was around when 8-tracks were disappearing, so . . . you can see I'm not with the times.  I prefer things that are kept relatively simple.

Fortunately, I can only afford older cars, anyway. 

[flipper]

We're on our second and fourth Subaru (Sandy totaled the third one).  The '77 DL (first) had almost 400K miles on it, my '94 Impreza has almost 250K miles on it--still going strong, '03 Legacy wagon had 160K miles on it, and the '08 Outback has 32K miles on it.

[stormneedle]

The marketing for the Element just wasn't there. It's relatively expensive, but the ads made it look like it was designed for college students. A lot of the people that have them like the mats because it was easy to clean out the car (painters, landscapers, etc) but that wasn't ever pushed.

I think I need to get the accessories I never got, or give up. I expect to keep mine for a few more years, though.

[random axe]

That's a really good point, actually -- that's another one that they marketed at very young drivers but mostly ended up selling to substantially older drivers.

Man, the Japanese are hitting that one out of the park.  Too bad they're foul balls.    You gotta wonder what their test-marketing is like.

I was at the mall today, and it was full of Toyota show cars.  Current models, I mean; not prototypes.  The xD looked OK (and was the only Scion one there), but the others were all pretty meh.  Man, I've got to say, the Prius is sufficiently unexciting that they really need to offer a cheaper, smaller hybrid as soon as they can.  The Yaris is just too bland and soft for a cheapo entry econocart -- it's either confused and thinks it's a Corolla or is trying to pass itself off as a dull but high-quality alternative to a Kia, and neither of those makes it a good successor to the Tercel.  The xD is just too honking big for that role, but maybe it's just not a role needed in the US market anymore.  Still, the Mini Cooper was certainly popular.

Meanwhile, the Corolla / Matrix isn't that much more expensive but is a lot more car.  Actually, adjusted for inflation the currently Corolla costs about the same that my Tercel cost in 1993, but it's a far better car.  That's kind of impressive, although a little sad for me.

[Lindsey Buckinghmof]

I can't read this thread without the Gary Numan earworm. Fortunately it's the recent live backed-by-NiN performance that's stuck in my mind and that kicked all kinds of ass. :keyboards:

[random axe]

Whatever makes you feel safest of all, man.

[flipper]

I can't read this thread without the Gary Numan earworm. Fortunately it's the recent live backed-by-NiN performance that's stuck in my mind and that kicked all kinds of ass. :keyboards:

That is one of my favorite youtube videos