Car Chat

[Soup DeVille]

+1

Modularity is my life motto. If something breaks or is outdated, I want to be able to replace one part instead of the whole thing.

There has been a sort of geek movement recently hacking and updating older OEM touchscreens.

[12,000 RPM]

There has been a sort of geek movement recently hacking and updating older OEM touchscreens.

It needs work. I ordered a kit for the G, lo and behold the day I receive it they send announce a V2. I returned it without even installing it. It didn't have mirroring anyway

[AutobahnSHO]

Couple more trips down I-81 completed. Last Thursday and today.

No cool cars.   Thursday saw a lot of RVs heading north, many with Canadian plates.  Saw 2 Solara convertibles Thursday.

There was also a semi-truck overturned in the median down a pretty steep embankment. Seemed like it happened during the night, when I was on my way south to pick up the kids there was just a highway truck with an arrow pointing people right (away from it). But a couple hours later on they way back north, they had the left southbound lane blocked off and recovery trucks were there trying to figure out how to get it back up and out, and traffic was backed up for about a mile.  It was all gone today so....

Amazing how idiot drivers are though. Thankfully traffic was light today but several times I passed on the right some poor soul waiting for some dummy (also passed) who was in the left but should have been in the right. After I passed and the poor soul also passed, they sometimes go the message. But we're talking like 4-5 of these dummies.

[93JC]

Couple more trips down I-81 completed. Last Thursday and today.

No cool cars.   Thursday saw a lot of RVs heading north, many with Canadian plates.

The annual migration of Ontarian and Quebecois snowbirds back north to their summer nesting grounds.

[MX793]

The annual migration of Ontarian and Quebecois snowbirds back north to their summer nesting grounds.

Following the geese.

[93JC]

Or the geese follow them. 

[cawimmer430]

Damn. The BMW E34 looks frigging tiny compared to the E87 1-Series. It's insane how big economy cars have become! 

[Raza]

Damn. The BMW E34 looks frigging tiny compared to the E87 1-Series. It's insane how big economy cars have become! 

Wow. That's crazy to see a "midsize" wagon be basically the same size as a compact hatchback sold now.

[shp4man]

Here's an interesting Miata. Beautiful paint on this one. 86K miles? Real? What year did they start putting airbags in the steering wheel?

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/1996-mazda-miata-only-88k/6551320496.html

[MX793]

Driver's airbag has been mandatory since '95.  Someone swapped the steering wheel (indicated in the description) for an aftermarket "racing" one without airbag. 

[AutobahnSHO]

My 93 had a driver airbag and passenger. That car needs a bit of work (muffler) but looks pretty solid.

[shp4man]

Damn, the guy already sold it.

[CaminoRacer]

So it looks like Autoblog went back to a more normal layout? Today is the first time I've been there since they messed everything up a year or two ago.

[2o6]

Man, what a weird timeline we live in.


GM facelifts the Cruze, and drops the 6MT. Also adds a CVT auto to replace the 6AT. Will likely kill the Sonic, their only fun small car in about a decade.


Ford will likely kill all cars except the Focus.


Toyota comes out with a sporty 6MT Corolla.

[CaminoRacer]

https://www.fuelcurve.com/when-jet-cars-roamed-the-salt/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=500MPH%20OR%20BUST&utm_campaign=Fuel%20Curve%20Insider%20-%20Vol.%202%20%7C%20Issue%2015

600 mph jet cars at Bonneville

[MrH]

Man, what a weird timeline we live in.


GM facelifts the Cruze, and drops the 6MT. Also adds a CVT auto to replace the 6AT. Will likely kill the Sonic, their only fun small car in about a decade.


Ford will likely kill all cars except the Focus.


Toyota comes out with a sporty 6MT Corolla.

TOYOTATHON!!!

[Galaxy]

Was reading the Wikipedia page for the Aston Martin Valkyrie, found this : "Because of the interior's small size, it restricts your body weight from increasing in order to fit. "

 

[68_427]

Was reading the Wikipedia page for the Aston Martin Valkyrie, found this : "Because of the interior's small size, it restricts your body weight from increasing in order to fit. "

 

Considering the interior and seat are made to be an exact fit for each individual buyer I guess this is actually somewhat true 😂

[cawimmer430]

Summer tires were put back on today! The man who does this is an ex-BMW mechanic who learned his trade in the 1960s. He even goes as far as to remove excess dirt/rust(?) from the brake shoe (?) - you can see a before (then he cleans it) and then an after. 

The rest of the snapshots show some detailed underside areas of the car, cardan shaft, fuel tank, rear suspension, aerodynamic frontal underside covering and such.

[Soup DeVille]

Swapping tires is a trade you go to a dedicated tireswapsman for?

[12,000 RPM]

Dirty brake shoes = failed inspection in Germany. Schmutzige Schuhe, dreckiger Mann, dreckiges Land

[cawimmer430]

Swapping tires is a trade you go to a dedicated tireswapsman for?

I have the option of getting this done at a BMW dealer ($$$$$$) or at a tire shop ($$$$$$). I don't have the equipment to raise the car and do this work myself, plus there's probably some rule here that doing this on the road or in a community garage is illegal... this is Germany after all.

This guy is one of my dad's best friends from the 1960s so we get a big discount. In the 1960s he used to "experiment" on my dad's BMW 700 Sport by "tuning" the engine. My dad said the car was fine before his friend tuned it. After the "tune up" something always went wrong and the car was in his friend's shop on a weekly basis.

[Soup DeVille]

Dirty brake shoes = failed inspection in Germany. Schmutzige Schuhe, dreckiger Mann, dreckiges Land

Was ist das? Schmutzige? Du bist nicht ein guter junge! Scheisskopf!

[cawimmer430]

Dirty brake shoes = failed inspection in Germany. Schmutzige Schuhe, dreckiger Mann, dreckiges Land

My TÜV inspection is coming up in July.

[Soup DeVille]

I have the option of getting this done at a BMW dealer ($$$$$$) or at a tire shop ($$$$$$). I don't have the equipment to raise the car and do this work myself, plus there's probably some rule here that doing this on the road or in a community garage is illegal... this is Germany after all.

This guy is one of my dad's best friends from the 1960s so we get a big discount. In the 1960s he used to "experiment" on my dad's BMW 700 Sport by "tuning" the engine. My dad said the car was fine before his friend tuned it. After the "tune up" something always went wrong and the car was in his friend's shop on a weekly basis.

Don't all cars come with a jack and lug wrench? Isn't that also the law in Germany?

[cawimmer430]

Don't all cars come with a jack and lug wrench? Isn't that also the law in Germany?

Not mine. I have run-flats, so BMW didn't think it was necessary to include a jack. I do have a lug wrench in the tool kit.

It's also more comfortable having someone else, in this case a family friend, do it.

BMW dealerships, like all car dealerships, actually offer this service to change your summer/winter tires and store them. But naturally it isn't for free...

[SJ_GTI]

Are you just changing the tire or are the winter tires on separate wheels?

I do mine myself. IME car shops tend to over torque lug nuts and scratch the finish on the wheels. Its pretty easy to do if you aren't in a rush.

[giant_mtb]

That's the wheel hub he's cleaning. That's good practice.  That rust buildup can glue wheels to hubs pretty solid.  The donkey kick is a technique I learned from a seasoned tire tech to break free stuck wheels.

[Soup DeVille]

Not mine. I have run-flats, so BMW didn't think it was necessary to include a jack. I do have a lug wrench in the tool kit.

It's also more comfortable having someone else, in this case a family friend, do it.

BMW dealerships, like all car dealerships, actually offer this service to change your summer/winter tires and store them. But naturally it isn't for free...

I'm now confused as to why there's a lug wrench if there isn't a jack...

[AutobahnSHO]

LOL

In Germany they keep their cars in way better condition than most people here, but ADAC (like AAA) is cheap and everywhere.

We take for granted all kinds of do-it-yourself stuff here that's different there.

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A "furnished" apartment in Germany comes with light fixtures, sink and mirror in the bathroom, and sink/oven in the kitchen.

An "unfurnished" apartment in Germany does not come with that stuff. (Including light fixtures!!!)