PPF for the front isn’t bad if you’re going to keep the car a while, if you trade it in or sell, I’m not sure why you would need to remove it.
Unfortunately, ppf doesn’t always save you, I have one chip that went through and knocked the clear coat too.
I wish I had done the front of the TL, lots of chips there that I wish weren’t

Enjoy your new car, seems like you got a great deal!

 

Congratulations! Seems like a lot of car for the money.

 

Damn, $37k for that is really good! Congrats! I've been seeing more and more on the road around here, they're cool looking imo.

 

Thank you. I love it. I don't really miss any of the Limited trim features but I sort of wish I had them because they're cool (the advanced Blind Spot monitoring, the Park Assist, ability to choose different EV "engine" sounds, cooled seats, etc). But it would have been $5K more and that just wasn't worth it for a lease.

But it's quiet and rides really well. No regrets so far.

 

With the >110* temps we've been having, ventilated seats are a big plus for us right now.
The rest I could take or leave.

Haven't seen an Ioniq 6 on the road here, yet. Still see quite a few EV6 & Ioniq 5.
Used to see multiple id.4, but haven't seen any in a while.

 

Not really needed in an EV. Turn on AC from your phone, car is ready to rock when you get to it. Doesn't matter if it's inside or outside, no fumes and the AC barely consumes any power so you can turn it on for 15-20mins without a real hit to anything. I do it every day before I leave work.

What is "advanced blind spot monitoring"?

 

I disagree, at least with the "vegan" aka vinyl seats in the Tesla. They hold a ton of heat, especially after 30 minutes of driving, even with preconditioning. Roadtrips are terrible because of it.

 

That's cameras on the wing mirrors (not mirrors that ARE cameras) that will show you the lane next to you when you signal a turn.
Doesn't work for BMW owners because they don't use signals

 

Weird, I never had an issue with them...maybe black vs white seats? The "vegan" seats in the Rivian are just fine after preconditioning. They are vented too but I rarely use that feature.

 

So far, I haven't had any issues with the vegan leather in the Hyundai. I will say that for OEM glass, the windows are pretty dark so that might help.

 

Sold the 67 Mustang today. I've toyed with the thought over the last 10-12 years but finally realized that I don't drive it much and its a never ending "to-do" list of dumb shit that always needs attention. Because it was my daily between 2001 - 2006ish it showed some of that wear and tear as well so figured Craigslist was the easiest place to move it. I swore I'd never sell on Craigslist again after the trainwreck process involved with selling the Supra but I got this done in two days so wasn't terrible. Finally nice to be able to move on.

 

Thoughts on a 1st gen Cooper S [R50] with the S/C engine?
Always wanted one, and found a maybe really close to my office. Now that the youngest is forward facing, it could be an option to not need a DD with 4 doors.
Have driven a handful of both the S/C & Turbo models, and love the super compact-ness of the R50, and who doesn't love S/C whine at WOT
My dad has a R56 convertible [non-turbo, automatic] and it has enough top-related issues that I'd not consider a vert, and have the Midget for top down days [once it's got the vapor lock issues sorted].

 

I've heard that the SC ones aren't as reliable as the turbo ones. I don't know how true that is but take it for what it's worth.

Didn't you just buy the Exploder?

 

Always looking
Can't fault the Explorer though, other that the minor warranty stuff it's a great truck. Don't really see getting rid of it unless the dealer threw a bucket of cash at me.
I did read some stuff on S/C issues on the R50, difference of opinions on whether they're meant to be serviced [requires pulling it to svc].
Maybe if I didn't already have the Midget, the R50 could be a fun toy, but probably not best for a DD

 

I don't know if a thread on vanity plates exists or not but I just saw the best set of matching plates ever. I'm usually not a fan of vanity plates but this set was too good:

Old Mazda RX-7: CHKOIL
Mid 00's STi: CHKCLNT
B5 S4: CHKENG

 

 

Wrap folks. Thinking this may be the path I take on the Midget.
Curious, does the surface finish have any significant effect on wrap application? Mainly in the case of my hood, it's nearly a matte finish, which the rest of the body is pretty glossy. Does the surface need a particular sheen to adhere properly?

 

No but any surface imperfections are going to show through the wrap. The vinyl material isn't very thick so it's not going to hide much.

 

I do have a bit of cracked paint on the hood, looks like someone tried top push it shut rather than letting gravity close it.
Then the LR 1/4 damage.

 

Make sure you resolve all of that before you wrap it.

To give you an idea of how much shows through, people see the wood grain show when wrapping the interior trim on a Tesla Model 3.

 

I may look into getting a 2nd hood & trunk [one without the luggage rack holes] and use those to try my hand at DIY wrap.

 

Pandemic, supply shortage, chip shortage/supply chain shortage, interest rate spikes, and now auto union strikes. I think this may be one of the worst times to be in the market for a car. And will it ever get better or are we going to be forced to accept this as the new normal and pay out the ass for new cars?

 

^ It has to come back to earth soon. Wages aren't high enough to cover this long term.

 

The bubble has to pop eventually & there's going to be a lot of people in a bad spot when their cars are worth a lot less.
If you've got a spare to sell, now's the time.

 

My boyfriend's mom has a 2006 SLK with only 47k on it she's trying to sell. I wanted to list it at MB world but I can't yet. Does anyone know what the rules are for forums to sell a car or does it vary by each stite?

 

Diff forums, diff owners, diff rules. Probably better off listing on Offerup

 

Changed the plugs in wife's 2017 CR-V and noticed something comparing the new/old NGK OEM plugs. There is a little metal insert in the side electrode that can be clearly seen on the old plugs with the side electrode metal has eroded due to wear but that insert is still there. You can barely see it on the new plug, which I assume is iridium like the center electrode. I checked the clearance and the gap is still in spec at 100k miles . Modern material science.

 

TLDR: Screwed up the order of my coil packs, bought new coil packs and an OBD 2 scanner. Found an obscure note to fix my issue.

So like the above, was doing a spark plug change but on my 2013 XC90. And I use iridium plugs because they were only $5 more for a set of 6. Why not. So i get started and I think I'm doing it right. One at a time. It's an inline 6 transverse mounted so not a big deal. Change the oil and now I'm ready to go..... So I start the car, it runs real rough, get the dreaded CEL, then it shuts off. So I start it again and it's the same thing. So I start researching on line and I did put a lot of oil in, and overfilled oil can cause it to run rough (I put in 7.5l). So I drained some off (service fill is 6.8l) and started the car, it ran a touch better but was still rough.... Couldn't figure it out. Back online I go.

Car has 141K on her, so as I read, some Volvo specific car blogs say that the coil packs can go after 100K just by handling them. And I'm thinking it's the only thing I really touched so I decided to get new packs and an OBD 2 reader. I bought a decent one, thinking it would help me out. First thing I did was plug it in and started the car, and got a P0300/0301/0302 (general misfire, misfire cylinder 1, misfire cylinder 2).... So I then thought it was the coil packs and I changed them. Cleared the codes, started her up and same codes/issue. I then put the old plugs back in. Same issue.... Ugh... Then I started digging, and digging, and digging. I then came across a thread in Europe where someone noted that Cylinder 1 on the 3.2L engine has a piece of yellow tape on it from the factory. I went under the hood and no shit, I swapped #1 and 2 packs. And as I looked further, cylinder #1 has a little yellow dot by it on the engine block. This was it. Swapped it and all was good. So I kept the new coil packs and put the new plugs in and life was grand.

 

Had a 2022 Dodge Charger, never driven one before. Overall really impressive, I'd been a slightly harsh FCA critic but this Charger really changed my opinion. Besides really good handling, good ride, great steering, great acceleration for a V6, and amazing gas mileage for a full size car. Averaged ~36MPG @ ~70MPH with A/C. Apple Carplay worked very well too. One thing that all keyless FOB's should use is what Chrysler does with the START/STOP button is there are two LED's that indicate which mode it's in for ACC or RUN, smart idea.

 

Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday. Got there shortly after opening (10am) and Honda and Acura were the first stops so I was able to get some great seat time in the ITS and CTR without a crowd around me.

Show is a bit disappointing again. Only one hall instead of two. Several major brands not there (MB, Audi, Jeep, etc.) and some brands had very small floorspace/booth (BMW) while some had too much space and a ton of seating, plants, and fluff that made no sense (Toyota). VW didn't have a Golf R - only a GTI. But still glad we went and our 21-month old loved it.

Both my wife and daughter picked the ITS over the CTR. Maybe the colors had an influence. I'd be going Liquid Carbon Metallic/red interior on the ITS or Sonic Gray Pearl in the CTR. While the ITS had a very nice cabin and touch points, I loved the seats in the CTR and the full red interior and carpet really won me over. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it while sitting in the car. But I kept thinking about it after the show. Might come down to driving dynamics to set them apart for me. And finding one with no ADM.

 

ITS > CTR, for me, Just on the looks

 

^Agree. The ITS is a better looking car exterior, and the interior looks a bit nicer. Not a huge difference but the price for both?

 

A quick B&P on both, with the OE wheel upgrade & Alcantara steering wheel
ITS: $55k
CTR: $50k

Drop those options & it's
ITS: $52.4k
CTR: $46.3k

 

If you can pay sticker. I'm sure there's still some ridiculous Honda/Acura dealers out there charging ADMs.

 

I agree, the CTR seats in the ITS would be an awesome option.

 

Imagine playing close to $60K for an Integra after dealer markup. Crazy times

 

Hell no........ Better off waiting a year or two and pick one up that just came off lease. ITS anyway. I'd only get a CTR new because most owners like to race/rice them or do stupid shit to the car, similar to a WRX STI.

 

You can buy a TLX-S for quite a bit less than that if you are willing to forego the manual.

 

I've been tracking this CTR coming into this dealer and they couldn't get me final pricing details until it arrived. Well, it arrived, and so has their greed.



So far the best I have found is $5k ADM. Several at that number, and one dealer had $10k. Now add a $20k to the list.

The ITS has been very similar. However, I do have a contact at a dealer a state over and they only sell at MSRP. He gave me a final pricing sheet for a Platinum White Pearl. No markup. No dealer add-ons. I told him I would wait for LCM/red.

Hey, I just got an email about a Golf R available a few states away and he said the price is $47k, so no markup. Finding out more information now.

 

Not a chance in hell. $20k is absolutely insane. We didn't even mark up C6 ZR1 Vettes that much when I was at a Chevrolet dealer when the ZR1 first debuted on the C6.
Glad I'm not in the market for a new car, because I would walk out for any ADM.