Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

[tankinbeans]

I'd have more sympathy for this numpty if he weren't overdriving his skill level. His car has a drift button, so apparently now he's able to drift. Were it a freak accident, I'd feel bad.

[Teamwork]

I was actually wondering about that as well, since I too am on my first turbo car (aside from a Cruze I only had for a few months back in 2011). I'd have to assume that they were designed with the non-enthusiast in mind who shuts down the car immediately. When possible, I still let the car idle for a minute before shutting off, although it's probably pointless.

I don't know about you or Potown but I can honestly say in the summer that this car even for leisurely driving get's extremely warm if you're using the vehicle for more then 10 minutes. No odd smells or smoke but the engine bay is a huge pocket for heat even after the car's been killed for an hour. When I go on my 35 miles stint I'm automatically assuming that the engine block could cook an egg even 1 hour after being exhausted. I've expressed this concern on the vortex and they claim same thing happen with them. Not too sure if turbo thing or VW thing... There's really been no driving session I've had where I was beating on this car- I'll take it close to 5k maybe once in an entire stretch but that's as far as bad as it gets.

As for the oil change interval, I think I'm going to wait the full 10k on mine, while checking the oil periodically. I just hit 3000 miles the other day and it feels weird to not be scheduling an oil change yet (the Rogue I had before this car had 3750 mile oil change intervals, as did most Nissans of that year). I'd have to imagine that they created these intervals with the typical car-clueless person in mind.

I can't remember if yours was a lease or bought but if I was leasing I'd probably say screw it and just do 10k/1 year. I remember when I told people on vortex I waited for the first one till 5k and some people acted like I killed their first born by saying that...

Found the problem.

It's funny because being that it is hindsight and telling people this story a lot of them are surprised Isuzu pooped the bed this hard. A lot of people in a cult like fashion seem to like Isuzu and even miss the company. When I tell people though my dad's most reliable and favorite car is late 80's Mazda 626 they gasp in disbelief though. This would happen to my dad who basically in his younger days had the undesignated goal of buying cars for 300 dollars or cheaper (he says in the 70's this was easy to do), and hope the floor of the car wasn't rusted with holes full on through (his first car he claims you could see the road underneath your feet literally).

[theholycow]

What am I missing?

Saabage

That's what I was missing!

Excellent overview. Thanks.

GM: Excellent at most of their own engines (most of their V8s, Buick 3.8, corporate 3800, most series of NA Ecotec, most older I4's, etc), but pretty awful at meddling in others. As I understand, the 3.6 (and other V6 engines) in the first-gen Cadillac CTS was Saab-derived, and its Saab ancestor wasn't all self-destructy like it is.

[tankinbeans]

Mine stays warm for quite awhile after shitting down, but oil temp never exceeds 210, or whatever the midway point on the oil temp guage signifies (starts at 120 ends at 300). I did consciously leave Ms. Frizzle running for a minute upon shutdown though, just for the hell of it.

[MH86]

I was actually wondering about that as well, since I too am on my first turbo car (aside from a Cruze I only had for a few months back in 2011). I'd have to assume that they were designed with the non-enthusiast in mind who shuts down the car immediately. When possible, I still let the car idle for a minute before shutting off, although it's probably pointless.

I don't know about you or Potown but I can honestly say in the summer that this car even for leisurely driving get's extremely warm if you're using the vehicle for more then 10 minutes. No odd smells or smoke but the engine bay is a huge pocket for heat even after the car's been killed for an hour. When I go on my 35 miles stint I'm automatically assuming that the engine block could cook an egg even 1 hour after being exhausted. I've expressed this concern on the vortex and they claim same thing happen with them. Not too sure if turbo thing or VW thing... There's really been no driving session I've had where I was beating on this car- I'll take it close to 5k maybe once in an entire stretch but that's as far as bad as it gets.

Now that you mention it, I did remember the engine bay feeling really hot at one point, but I just assumed that it was because this summer's been so hot in NY. In an average drive, I don't typically take the engine past 4K-4.5K RPM.

As for the oil change interval, I think I'm going to wait the full 10k on mine, while checking the oil periodically. I just hit 3000 miles the other day and it feels weird to not be scheduling an oil change yet (the Rogue I had before this car had 3750 mile oil change intervals, as did most Nissans of that year). I'd have to imagine that they created these intervals with the typical car-clueless person in mind.

I can't remember if yours was a lease or bought but if I was leasing I'd probably say screw it and just do 10k/1 year. I remember when I told people on vortex I waited for the first one till 5k and some people acted like I killed their first born by saying that...

I'm not leasing, but if past experience should repeat itself, I don't keep my cars till the wheels fall off either. As I said before, I can't imagine that these intervals were created to damage the engine. If I remember, I'm going to buy a small oil analysis tester I've read about online (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention which one it is or not - I don't want to look like I'm advertising something I know little about) and periodically test the oil.

[theholycow]

(I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention which one it is or not - I don't want to look like I'm advertising something I know little about) and periodically test the oil.

Yes, you can definitely name it.

I've only heard of sample kits that you use to mail a sample to a lab, but what you describe sounds like a portable at-home lab so you buy it once and run as many samples as you want...that would be awesome.

The analyses I've had done were from Blackstone Labs. They don't charge you for the sample kit, just request it and they mail it to you, then you pay for the analysis when you send the sample in.

[MH86]

(I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention which one it is or not - I don't want to look like I'm advertising something I know little about) and periodically test the oil.

Yes, you can definitely name it.

I've only heard of sample kits that you use to mail a sample to a lab, but what you describe sounds like a portable at-home lab so you buy it once and run as many samples as you want...that would be awesome.

The analyses I've had done were from Blackstone Labs. They don't charge you for the sample kit, just request it and they mail it to you, then you pay for the analysis when you send the sample in.

The one I'm talking about is called Lubricheck. It almost seems too good to be true, but I'm really tempted to buy one and see how it is.

[theholycow]

The one I'm talking about is called Lubricheck. It almost seems too good to be true, but I'm really tempted to buy one and see how it is.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00HBAG9AC/
$55. Incredible. It won't replace a detailed lab analysis but it's relatively convenient and costs about the same as one analysis to reuse many times.

Based on what I've read about the cleaning difficulty (people think it's malfunctioning when they just need to clean it a LOT more thoroughly than anyone would ever want to) I predict that it won't be on the market for very long, so get while the getting's good. Pretty sure I've seen good products disappear from the market due to stuff like that.

[potownrob]

i can understand the potential value of an oil analysis but, these days, i choose to just wait til the computer tells me to change the oil.

[Teamwork]

Now that you mention it, I did remember the engine bay feeling really hot at one point, but I just assumed that it was because this summer's been so hot in NY. In an average drive, I don't typically take the engine past 4K-4.5K RPM.

I'm going to try and be more mindful this winter when it cools down outside but I'm pretty sure it's just a characteristic of the car. I absolutely can't imagine an open intake system benefiting this car- it might even hinder it. The next time you take a decent drive (say 10 miles or more) pop the hood and can just feel heat flowing out of this thing and it really lasts awhile too. I wouldn't feel too confident about this on a track setting unless some modifications were made.

I'm not leasing, but if past experience should repeat itself, I don't keep my cars till the wheels fall off either. As I said before, I can't imagine that these intervals were created to damage the engine. If I remember, I'm going to buy a small oil analysis tester I've read about online (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention which one it is or not - I don't want to look like I'm advertising something I know little about) and periodically test the oil.

I didn't even know this was a thing. I'm intrigued to say the least. I might try it out actually...

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Car had the work finalized for the TSB last Saturday. Same thing pretty much happened... brought the car in around 8:45 AM - didn't get a call back that it was ready until 2:30 PM. Covered fully under warranty so no expense here, didn't really ask questions but both sides mutually agreed that we don't want to see each other as often as we have been lol. I'm pretty much known on a first and last name basis to this service department which is not a good way to start a relationship on a car that is one year old.

The car's hvac has been performing though... no denying it. It's only been 3 days now but it's still been hitting 80-90 degrees F on the island so I'm thankful. When this car is in working order I can't really ever put the AC temp to "max" and I don't really use fan speeds past 3 or 4. If this never rears its ugly head or at least for a few years I'd be very happy... That's pretty much the only way to know is when weeks past and I don't have to wonder of what felt like 50/50 odds of whether I'd have AC or not in the day.

EDIT: In hindsight I'm pretty annoyed how hard I had to fight for this. I went to what in my eyes was ridiculous lengths to get a TSB honored when my description of symptoms was more then adequately matching. I'll never really know what pushed them over the edge after being denied this TSB for months. It almost seemed like they thought I was making this problem up which yeah... I have better things to do with my time then fabricate warranty work from a company which will be getting used to doing that for years to come. The fact that I still really like this car is a true testament to how well it drives and functions.

[IMBoring25]

i can understand the potential value of an oil analysis but, these days, i choose to just wait til the computer tells me to change the oil.

Not the same thing. A lot of those idiot lights just infer from number of cycles and speeds how often the oil should be changed. Even if you have one that actually analyzes the oil, it will just tell you when the oil is too dirty, not whether anything is going wrong.

[theholycow]

i can understand the potential value of an oil analysis but, these days, i choose to just wait til the computer tells me to change the oil.

Not the same thing. A lot of those idiot lights just infer from number of cycles and speeds how often the oil should be changed. Even if you have one that actually analyzes the oil, it will just tell you when the oil is too dirty, not whether anything is going wrong.

The home oil analysis device in discussion here appears to give you a TBN type of measurement, not whether anything is going wrong (nor whether the oil is dirty). It's neither the same thing as the oil life monitor in the car nor a detailed lab analysis.

IMO, an on-board OLM is sufficient as long as you are aware of how to use it. Lab analysis agreed with my GM's OLM. The owner's manual explains its capabilities and what you need to do to ensure that it is correct. For example, the GM system counts cycles/speeds/temperature/etc but cannot account for dirt so the manual says to accelerate your schedule if driving in dusty conditions a lot.

[Rope-Pusher]

I don't understand. Any lab test I've been aware of, they just swim out and bring in a dead duck or sniff to find the hidden treat. I never heard they could help you decide when to change your engine oil.

[Teamwork]

I forgot to bring up that I was running errands in my mothers 2006 Hyundai Azera when my car was in the shop. My girlfriend was MIA that weekend, my father was MIA as well, so I had to resort to Momma.

Car only has 40k on the odometer after being purchased brand new in 2006. This car still feels pretty fresh and nice and I think it's aged pretty well. The engine is very good... 3.8L v6, the transmission kind of lets it down though and is showing age. I forget what cars tuned for comfort feel like driving down the highway. It literally felt like the wheels weren't even on the ground. Not much has gone wrong with this car aside from the rear window shade motor breaking. I think this model is going away for Hyundai but it leads me to I wonder why flagship sedans bit the dust for the most part (bar like Nissan Maxima and Chevy Impala) and why v6's don't really exist in the midsize/fullsize market.

[tankinbeans]

I don't think I'd go so far as to consider the Impala or the Azera flagship sedans. They occupy the fat american large car niche, but they're not particularly special in any way.

As far as V6es not being available in midsize sedans and large cars...turbo I4s have been deemed adequate by the people who actually plunk money down to buy them, "enthusiasts" notwithstanding. You can still get V6es in large cars, just not as commonly as before.