Car Enthusiast Club [Now Motorcycle friendly!] - First thread to 150k! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[vetali]

7 minutes ago, Bitter said:

I remember a customer with a Town n Cuntry that wanted us to fix the trunk flashlight. Contacts were corroded from the battery in the light leaking, oh well. I told them for what a new flashlight cost from the dealer they could buy about 10 flashlights at Walmart.

People are weird like that. Have this one customer that has a 150k mile like, 2013 CRV. RO has so many lines of complaints on it that I have 4 pages of them. Oddball crap like sometimes bluetooth takes longer to pair than normal, to rattle during cold start, tire light, suspension makes a flutter noise when going over a gravel road at a specific speed, and the token dash rattle. They don't want it back until everything is fixed....

 

Its a 2013 CRV with 150k, it ain't a Bentley. Its gonna have weird quirks.

[Fast_N_Curious]

8 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

but we're still in EV infancy.

Actually, EVs have been viable since the early 1900s (history of the EV goes back even further), so the platform is basically just as mature as ICE.

 

 

8 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

I think it's very narrow-minded to think that EVs are all downsides and that ICE cars are the be-all end-all. Why we haven't moved mail trucks to permanent hybrid of EVs yet is beyond me. They cut down on noise and localized pollution aplenty, they can be powered renewably, most require nearly no maintenance, and they're incredibly potent off the line. They're not without downsides, but we're still in EV infancy. Most people still refer to an EV's efficiency by its total range and not a real measure of consumption like MPG or liters/100 kilometers, and even that is variable, if you need further proof that this is still in early stages. I don't tell you my Subaru has 350 miles of gas range when someone asks about fuel economy. 

 

Anyways, here's my Subie! 

 

Very nicely done! Looks great.

 

Brake upgrade?

 

 

 

[Bitter]

25 minutes ago, vetali said:

People are weird like that. Have this one customer that has a 150k mile like, 2013 CRV. RO has so many lines of complaints on it that I have 4 pages of them. Oddball crap like sometimes bluetooth takes longer to pair than normal, to rattle during cold start, tire light, suspension makes a flutter noise when going over a gravel road at a specific speed, and the token dash rattle. They don't want it back until everything is fixed....

 

Its a 2013 CRV with 150k, it ain't a Bentley. Its gonna have weird quirks.

Usually when we have a list like they they end up buying nothing because they don't want to spend any money, especially once they find out it's not one charge for 3 pages of complaints, it's several charges for several complaints.

[vetali]

3 minutes ago, Bitter said:

Usually when we have a list like they they end up buying nothing because they don't want to spend any money, especially once they find out it's not one charge for 3 pages of complaints, it's several charges for several complaints.

These people do some work, but they also go 12k on an oil change. They're angry that a 2nd VCT actuator has failed. Those K series do not like extended oil change intervals.

[Bitter]

20 minutes ago, vetali said:

These people do some work, but they also go 12k on an oil change. They're angry that a 2nd VCT actuator has failed. Those K series do not like extended oil change intervals.

I just reset a 2010 Audi A5 2.0 that had somehow been setup for 18,700 mile oil change interval. Set that shit to 5K miles. 30,000 kilometers for an OCI is ludicrous. 8,046 KM is more reasonable.

[AlwaysFSX]

15 minutes ago, Bitter said:

I just reset a 2010 Audi A5 2.0 that had somehow been setup for 18,700 mile oil change interval. Set that shit to 5K miles. 30,000 kilometers for an OCI is ludicrous. 8,046 KM is more reasonable.

Cue someone saying "but my owner's manual says 15k or 1 year!!1!"

[Beerzerker]

15 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

1: I think it's very narrow-minded to think that EVs are all downsides and that ICE cars are the be-all end-all.

This I can agree with  - Every vehicle type has it's ups and downs about it.

15 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

2: Why we haven't moved mail trucks to permanent hybrid of EVs yet is beyond me. They cut down on noise and localized pollution aplenty, they can be powered renewably, most require nearly no maintenance, and they're incredibly potent off the line. They're not without downsides, but we're still in EV infancy.

 

I can answer that, being I used to work on electric powered industrial vehicles.
The biggest thing BY FAR that's held up anything to that end is the battery - Too big and heavy to be accomidated in a mail truck along with the operator and all the mail it has to carry too.

As for required maintenance you missed the mark - EVERY electric vehicle needs it on a regular basis like any other and alot of the problems you'll run into are quite tricky and time consuming to diagnose and repair. 

In some cases you'll fix the problem you found only to have it come right back because of another one elsewhere in the vehicle that didn't show up with your testing and there were no codes indicating it. Speaking of diagnostics, relying purely on the code readout isn't a good way to go, these things can and will "Lie" to you about the problem(s) it has and it takes someone that's trained and has at least a decent amount of experience to quickly get it all done just to get the truck)s) back out and running.

It's also that electric vehicles are sensitive to things such as having to go over rough surfaces and bumps - They don't tolerate it too well. For example with an electric industrial truck/lift It's common to see a place with rough floors always having problems with them, places that the floors are good and maintained that way tend to have these in much better condition and with far more reliability out of the electronics part of it.

BTW you can't promise the potholes that never get fixed are suddenly gonna get better or that rough streets will get smoother just because EV's are around.

15 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

Most people still refer to an EV's efficiency by its total range and not a real measure of consumption like MPG or liters/100 kilometers, and even that is variable, if you need further proof that this is still in early stages. I don't tell you my Subaru has 350 miles of gas range when someone asks about fuel economy.

So - How many inches to the electron do you get?
Can you even measure that?

There is no real way to do a direct comparision of a full tank to a full charge except maybe by a measure of miles per battery discharge percentage vs MPG itself - Which I've noticed isn't the way an EV's current state of battery charge isn't expressed as "Being".
It's always expressed as range left that I've ever seen in an EV before. 

That brings up yet another thing here. With what I used to work on and maintain the battery charge shown on it's gauge was more or less "Accurate" in that if it said it had about 1/2 left it would run for a given amount of time under standard working conditions, only real factor being the battery's condition itself.
A standard industrial truck with a fully charged battery in good contion can run for about 8 hours (A work shift) or perhaps a bit more before the battery is dying and in need of changing, the gauges in these are consistent in what they show as the charge left in it at about any time you'd want to check it.

EV's however are different and not only because of where they operate or what they really do.
It's well established, proven fact, (Not fiction) they will lie to you about how much range they have left in them. They'll indicate for example they have about 80 miles of range left and be moving right along....
Suddenly, they'll just quit on you wherever while still saying it can make it to that charging station down the road you'd been trying to reach. I just hope you weren't in a bad neighborhood where it decided to leave you stranded and I doubt you can go get a can of electrons to pour in and go, at least to get you to the charging station so you can truly fill up again.

I've barely scratched the surface about it here, just because it's more "Advanced" does not change the nature of it, *Nature* being the operative term here.
I've been around these things for a long time and will never want or have one as a vehicle I'd have to rely on for daily use.

I'll keep my ICE ride and use it.

[JoaoPRSousa]

14 hours ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

Anyways, here's my Subie! 

 

 

 

I NEED TO KNOW MORE

[vetali]

8 hours ago, AlwaysFSX said:

Cue someone saying "but my owner's manual says 15k or 1 year!!1!"

Was more thinking "b-but muh modern oils last longer!"

[PandaCopyRight]

4 hours ago, Beerzerker said:

So - How many inches to the electron do you get?
Can you even measure that?

Miles per kW?
A battery has certain amount of kWh ... and a fuel tank has a certain amount of liters/gallons what ever the fuck you measure in ... makes sense to me 

[AlwaysFSX]

1 hour ago, vetali said:

Was more thinking "b-but muh modern oils last longer!"

Yeeaaaaaaaaaaah or that

6 hours ago, Beerzerker said:

There is no real way to do a direct comparision of a full tank to a full charge except maybe by a measure of miles per battery discharge percentage vs MPG itself - Which I've noticed isn't the way an EV's current state of battery charge isn't expressed as "Being".

It's always expressed as range left that I've ever seen in an EV before.

MPKw, the leaps to be negative lmao

[Commodus]

I have to admit I'm perpetually amused by the "I'll never drive an electric car" holdouts, the ones who are convinced EV technology is fixed in stone and that sufficient gas stations will be available for all eternity.

 

Sorry to break it to you, but EV dominance is coming — and I normally hate to deal in absolutes. The laws are increasingly in place, the automakers have committed to transitions. Even if you could somehow vote in enough politicians to meaningfully undo zero-emissions policies (you can't), your favourite badge isn't about to have a change of heart and keep ICE vehicles around to please you. From the 2030s on, you'll likely have to buy an EV if you want a new ride.

 

No, they won't suddenly shut off the gas pumps, but the notion that you'll just keep buying used ICE cars for the rest of your life is optimistic at best. There will be fewer and fewer gas stations, and fuel prices may go up as demand shrinks. You'll see fewer repair shops that can service ICE vehicles, fewer parts and fewer viable used cars to buy.

 

That and the notion that most problems with EVs are permanent is, frankly, silly. There's already plenty of work underway on more environmentally-friendly batteries, recycling and repurposing. Don't like the range, weight or high typical prices? Those are already improving. And remember, EVs are net positives for the environment as long as the energy used to charge them isn't particularly dirty. Many EV issues can be solved in time; ICE's remaining problems are effectively permanent.

 

As it is, it's hard to imagine the performance and tuner crowds holding on to ICE for much longer. Combustion still wins in motorsport, but it's having a very bad time among enthusiasts. Congratulations, your Challenger Hellcat or 911 GT3 has lots of horsepower and makes loud "vroom vroom" noises... too bad it gets smoked by a Model S or Lucid Air in a drag race. There may well be a point where someone's big, bad ICE car can be dusted by someone fetching groceries in the family sedan.

 

You don't have to rush to buy an EV right away, but pretending that you can stave off an industry sea change is naive at best.

[IPD]

3 hours ago, vetali said:

Was more thinking "b-but muh modern oils last longer!"

Speaking of....

 

I have been using Rotella T6 5w40 for nearly a decade.  I change it every 3000 miles like clockwork.  And I've never owned a diesel.  Gotta love legislation that makes (allows) diesel oils to be better.

[Bitter]

Regarding the miles remaining thing, ALMOST EVERY MODERN CAR CAN DISPLAY THIS, not just EV's. Plenty of people use the miles remaining instead of their fuel guage because they have no concept of miles per gallon, how many gallons in a tank, how many gallons per fraction of a tank, etc. Much the same way most EV owners won't have a concept of charge level vs range either, how many kWh their pack is, voltage level, how kWh and voltage play out together to influence available range, etc. Boiling it all down, fuel level or battery level, to an estimated range is simply easier for the mass motoring public to digest at a glance and doesn't require an understanding of the underlying systems or concepts at work.

[theninja35]

9 hours ago, Beerzerker said:

I doubt you can go get a can of electrons to pour in and go

They've actually just invented that and they call it a "battery."

[Fast_N_Curious]

4 hours ago, Commodus said:

Congratulations, your Challenger Hellcat or 911 GT3 has lots of horsepower and makes loud "vroom vroom" noises... too bad it gets smoked by a Model S or Lucid Air

Make it Nürburgring and then see what happens with the GT3 

 

Also: this won't happen with ICE cars: 

 

jk - I admire the electric car for it's low end torque. And don't get me wrong, I am all in for the hybrid electric/ICE race cars as well. I just don't think its nearly as viable as fossil fuels are. 

 

 

[Beerzerker]

4 hours ago, theninja35 said:

They've actually just invented that and they call it a "battery."

Really - They Did?
One day you're gonna have to show me how pouring electrons in works on the roadside to get you going again after your EV decides it's time to die.

I'm not saying with all this EV's won't come into dominance because they will eventually, I am saying this sudden rush to EV's isn't the smart way to go at it. There is still decades of research and improvements to be make before they'd truly be as viable as an ICE is today.

 

 

5 hours ago, Bitter said:

Regarding the miles remaining thing, ALMOST EVERY MODERN CAR CAN DISPLAY THIS, not just EV's. Plenty of people use the miles remaining instead of their fuel guage because they have no concept of miles per gallon, how many gallons in a tank, how many gallons per fraction of a tank, etc. Much the same way most EV owners won't have a concept of charge level vs range either, how many kWh their pack is, voltage level, how kWh and voltage play out together to influence available range, etc. Boiling it all down, fuel level or battery level, to an estimated range is simply easier for the mass motoring public to digest at a glance and doesn't require an understanding of the underlying systems or concepts at work.

I'm aware of it - My Altima does that if I want it to.
I'm just saying it always seems to be expressed as "Miles remaining" in an EV instead of a charge percentage left but I'm sure it can show that too.

[theninja35]

3 hours ago, Beerzerker said:

Really - They Did?
One day you're gonna have to show me how pouring electrons in works on the roadside to get you going again after your EV decides it's time to die.

I'm not saying with all this EV's won't come into dominance because they will eventually, I am saying this sudden rush to EV's isn't the smart way to go at it. There is still decades of research and improvements to be make before they'd truly be as viable as an ICE is today.

If you're familiar with batteries then what's the issue?

 

You can't make improvements without first making the object and I think you understand that...so I don't know what you're even arguing about. No one is suggesting that EVs will replace the ICE tomorrow.

 

I'm having a bad case of deja vu here.

[Bitter]

I wonder if horse trainers and carriage makers....

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2021/07/17/auto-fad/?amp=1

Yeah pretty much the same then too.

[iDeFecZx]

12 hours ago, Commodus said:

too bad it gets smoked by a Model S or Lucid Air in a drag race

Id love to see a tesla stick with a GT3 once the road gets twisty...

[Beerzerker]

5 hours ago, theninja35 said:

If you're familiar with batteries then what's the issue?

 

You can't make improvements without first making the object and I think you understand that...so I don't know what you're even arguing about. No one is suggesting that EVs will replace the ICE tomorrow.

 

I'm having a bad case of deja vu here.

I don't know either because I didn't know I was arguing with anyone.

As for the reference about "The Rush" to EV's, it's not being done the right way.
It's not a matter of building them - EV's have been around longer than ICE powered ones have, yet the tech for them is still far behind where it needs to be for reliable mass use and adoption of them.
History of the electric vehicle - Wikipedia

[JoaoPRSousa]

Hurr durr drag race 

[STRMfrmXMN]

On 10/27/2022 at 2:46 PM, Fast_N_Curious said:

Lithium is a renewable resource?

snipsnipsnip

 

I think you're intentionally being daft if you don't think our lack of adoption is mostly fueled by the incredibly potent forces of fossil fuel industry lobbying. Electricity as a mainstay to the level we have it now is only a relatively recent phenomenon. If you think lithium mining is morally concerning then wait till ya hear about how many wars we've been in over fossil fuel and why we have such an expansive and expensive military in the states... Oh, need I remind you about fracking incidents like what happened with Deepwater Horizon in 2010 with BP. It should also be noted you cannot refuel an ICE car with solar panels, which is what I meant by "renewably."

 

On 10/27/2022 at 12:20 PM, GlassBomb said:

That's mint.

Thanks!

 

On 10/27/2022 at 6:30 PM, AlwaysFSX said:

Fuckin' love that color

Atlantic blue pearl! This was taken through Lightroom which kinda dulls the color a lot. The color is a lot brighter in real life.

 

On 10/27/2022 at 8:47 PM, Fast_N_Curious said:

Actually, EVs have been viable since the early 1900s (history of the EV goes back even further), so the platform is basically just as mature as ICE.

 

Very nicely done! Looks great.

 

Brake upgrade?

 

Thanks! Yes, the Brembo brakes are from a 2004 STi.

 

The fronts bolt right up without issue and the rears need some adapting and trimming of the dust shield to fit the parking brake assembly and all that. Way, way expensive considering I don't track the car but the pedal feel is so much better and they look way cooler!

On 10/28/2022 at 2:29 AM, Beerzerker said:

snipsnips

If you were that strongly involved in the industry I think you'd understand that I'm referring to the MPG equivalent as kWh/100 km. Range is such a variable thing, hence we shouldn't be using it, hence I say that EVs are in their infancy - the public adoption of it is still extremely low and people can only think in range anxiety measures of EV efficiency even though longer range doesn't indicate more efficiency. Your example of range being an indicator of when the car is going to be "empty" is a perfect example, although despite the thousands of electric cars I've driven, I've never been stranded by one. The E-Tron we use as a shuttle still goes a bit after it hits "0 miles" as did all the Bolts at the Chevy dealer. My assumption is that you were working on vehicles that underwent far harsher conditions than cars typically do. I would probably agree that I'd rather have a crane with an ICE backup, for example.

 

I work for an Audi dealer and, although they don't break much (and don't worry, Audi still found a way to make electric cars break!) the only maintenance that they recommend are tire rotations every 10K miles and coolant changes every 100K or something along those lines. The Bolts I worked with at Chevy were every 140K for the cooling system. Obviously stuff like window regulators and door lock actuators can still break on these cars, but they don't have all the oily bits that break. ICE cars need transmission fluid changes, they need way, way more frequent coolant changes, differential fluid changes, new clutches, new air intake filters, new brake components far more often, etc. It's deliberately obtuse to say that they need just as much regular maintenance. They simply do not.

On 10/28/2022 at 2:32 AM, JoaoPRSousa said:

 

 

 

I NEED TO KNOW MORE

I have an instagram for the car if you'd like more pictures! It has a lot done. Just hit 238K miles yesterday! It has too much to list off the top of my head here, but you can see the suspension is lowered, the Mach V wing, etc. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

On 10/27/2022 at 9:41 PM, Bitter said:

I just reset a 2010 Audi A5 2.0 that had somehow been setup for 18,700 mile oil change interval. Set that shit to 5K miles. 30,000 kilometers for an OCI is ludicrous. 8,046 KM is more reasonable.

Oh god, 18K OCis would drive me crazy. You can audibly hear that the EA888 is not happy when oil is run that ragged. I can't even believe that Audi recommends 10K oil changes on their cars given how much they burn oil...

 

Call me old-fashioned but I still change my oil every 3K. I use synthetic on a modified turbo car. I'm sure the oil could go longer but it's cheap insurance. On a modern DI car I wouldn't stretch things beyond maybe 7K. There's a lot of fuel in there after awhile...

[Bitter]

Just now, STRMfrmXMN said:

Oh god, 18K OCis would drive me crazy. You can audibly hear that the EA888 is not happy when oil is run that ragged. I can't even believe that Audi recommends 10K oil changes on their cars given how much they burn oil...

 

Call me old-fashioned but I still change my oil every 3K. I use synthetic on a modified turbo car. I'm sure the oil could go longer but it's cheap insurance. On a modern DI car I wouldn't stretch things beyond maybe 7K. There's a lot of fuel in there after awhile...

Twas in for 'low oil pressure warning on dash once', I noted oil was super sooty black for 8800 miles left on a 10,000 mile OCI, checked oil pressure with mechanical gauge and found it kind of around the minimums but above them when hot tho not by much. Suggested switching up 5W-40 as we didn't know what had been used in it, and if the message came back to shop for another car. Well I had some surprise when I reset the oil miles counter and was greeted by 'next oil change in 18,700 miles' which means that the oil had about 10K on it which makes much more sense. Also ended up replacing a ripped PCV diaphragm which hopefully helps with the P0420 it's throwing sometimes despite a fresh (but aftermarket) cat converter on it.