Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Sometimes I worry that if I do get the F-350 it will turn me into such a driver. I mean, look at it:

Well, you ARE from Connecticut.

Connecticut: the state that perennially makes MA drivers look like saints.
 
>800 km-in-a-day numbness.

pah! I've had days of >1200 km-in-a-day.
But those don't really count, since they involve a large portion of Germany, which means derestricted roads, which means you can cover a buttload of country in a short time.
 
Shop labour is expensive, and is racked up hourly. Even the worst shop around here charges $150/hr. And, if those control arm bushings are what I think they are, they are a royal pain in the ass. I had to do the front pair on a '95 Grand Am to pass an inspection (GF's car) and they were a right bastard to replace. You have to pretty much disassemble the entire front suspension and pull the CA's, then remove the old bushings from the CA's. They're likely separated, I had to whack out the rubber part with a BFH and then hacksaw a notch into the metal housing so I could chisel out the metal portion of the bushing. Putting the new one in was an exercise in frustration and filing off corroded metal that was making it ever so difficult to press in the new bushing without wrecking it.

Hell, with a job like that, you might as well replace anything in the general vicinity that is a consumable. I did the LCA bushings, ball joints, brake line flex hoses, pads, rotors, stab bar links, serpentine belt, and a wheel bearing while I was at it and while the whole shebang took 16 straight hours of wrenching, I don't regret doing it all at once whatsoever.

So, uh, what were we talking about again? Oh, right. Yeah, shop labour is $$$, but LCA's can genuinely be a long job that racks up hours. Can you do it yourself? Yes! Do you want to? Well, that's up to you. The rears are probably easier than the fronts due to lack of driveline components.

I know it's a difficult task but still...they are charging $75/hour. I still think $1,200 is way too much. I mean - I got my struts and spring seats replaced for $300 at the same $75/hour price.
 
Shop labour is expensive, and is racked up hourly. Even the worst shop around here charges $150/hr. And, if those control arm bushings are what I think they are, they are a royal pain in the ass. I had to do the front pair on a '95 Grand Am to pass an inspection (GF's car) and they were a right bastard to replace. You have to pretty much disassemble the entire front suspension and pull the CA's, then remove the old bushings from the CA's. They're likely separated, I had to whack out the rubber part with a BFH and then hacksaw a notch into the metal housing so I could chisel out the metal portion of the bushing. Putting the new one in was an exercise in frustration and filing off corroded metal that was making it ever so difficult to press in the new bushing without wrecking it.

Hell, with a job like that, you might as well replace anything in the general vicinity that is a consumable. I did the LCA bushings, ball joints, brake line flex hoses, pads, rotors, stab bar links, serpentine belt, and a wheel bearing while I was at it and while the whole shebang took 16 straight hours of wrenching, I don't regret doing it all at once whatsoever.

So, uh, what were we talking about again? Oh, right. Yeah, shop labour is $$$, but LCA's can genuinely be a long job that racks up hours. Can you do it yourself? Yes! Do you want to? Well, that's up to you. The rears are probably easier than the fronts due to lack of driveline components.

yep, it's often cheaper to buy new control arms with the bushes already in than to simply get new bushes and replace those
 
Well, you ARE from Connecticut.

Connecticut: the state that perennially makes MA drivers look like saints.

Someone's gotta do it.
 
Anyone want a car for a bit of "touge" action?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIadyAKFc80&feature=player_embedded#[/youtube]
 
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I dunno, the way you're parked is pretty damned dickish.

That's a pic from the dealer's website. I actually understand what those white liney thingies are for.
 
I love the girls that hang the plastic leis from their rear-view, really makes it easy to know who to avoid on the road. Awful nice of them.
 
On the street which the bus I use... erm... uses to get me to University, I saw for the last 2 days a small-ish off-roader parked there. Couldn't tell what it is, but it was beefed up heavily for off-road, tall suspension, chunky tires, everything. And the reason why I couldn't see what it was is that it was completely COVERED in mud; it was even peeling off the car in chunks.

That's a good sight. Seeing that a car like that is used in the way it was meant to and that it most likely puts a big grin on the owner's face while being used.
 
Seeing that from the bus stop is sad. Kinda like looking across the street to the cake store from the dank window of a sweatshop.
 
Anybody know of LHD Caterhams or something similar for a reasonable price?
Oh, and can a 6'+ person fit in one?
 
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So the Benz needs: 2 Balljoints, spring (old one was actually broken), and 2 hoses for transmission fluid as that is were the leak is.
 
uni buses suck! i want my mitsu back
 
That was the fun thing of driving my mitsu. You drive your cars, and they're not on fire. besides, i didn't had to go around the whole damn city and them do a long-ass walk to get to my house, at least most of the time i didn't.
 
Bus vs. car on fire.... I'll take the car, put the fire out, and fix it up thanks.
 
So yesterday, completely out of the blue I was told that I was playing courier for the day and was handed the keys to my boss's 57-plate Avensis diesel. I'd never driven this before.

Once I'd worked out where first gear is in relation to third it was a great drive 130 miles to Hull and 130 miles back. I was doing a reasonable speed to try and get the package delivered before the deadline (which made it feel like a TG race, especially when I was stuck in a queue of traffic) and the thing was still averaging 45mpg. The average actually increased by 0.6 mpg over the whole journey. It's got the standard 6-speed 'box and power from 1000rpm (it sits at about 1400rpm when doing 80mph in 6th).

Despite its size and the fact that I'm not used to driving it, getting it into a tight car park was much easier than I thought. The sat-nav built into it is confusing and fiddly to set up compared to a Tom-Tom or similar, and the screen is covered in meaningless touch buttons as you go along, but the navigation is accurate and it shows clear graphics of what you need to do next (it seems to have every feasible road junction as a graphic, which is impressive). The radio was confusing too, being built into the sat-nav system. It has lots of buttons with no obvious function, and tuning is a twiddly knob affair. It works but I prefer my CD player in my SIII, where I can just prod a preset number.

Everything inside felt really well made, the gear knob had a leather 'belt' around it to make it more comfortable, the little cubby boxes all open and shut without any wobbles or creaks, and my only complaint is the cup holder in the arm rest. There's no obvious way of getting it to flip up, and I initially managed to yank it off its mounts. I got it in the end, but it's not a very clever design.

Interesting car, and I'd buy one over the Skoda vRS I've borrowed from them before because of the extra MPG, the better low end grunt and the better brake pedal feel.
 
500x_Dunkel_Industries.jpg


Battle cruiser on wheels.
 
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