Maine Auto Repair Shops

ME Car Consumer Discussions

Re: What to buy, when. [carguyay]

by mitchellrowe on Wed Nov 19 22:26:11 PST 2008

mr. carguyay : hello and happy thanksgiving . the spelling of your name is quite unique . it contours to look like it means ... " car guy , from uraguay , has to look , but with one eye . " is that you ? nah ... i doubt it ... any way : here is some stuff you knew anyway . .... you can't replace the ls 430 , unless you buy used . THE ES 350 IS A BACKBREAKER FOR ME ... AND ALOT OF FOLKS I KNOW . the drivers seat feels good until a G force pins the lower back on some cheap camry construction coils wrapped around the hot seat wires . junk . ---- the 6 cyl. genisus is plenty . there is DOUBLE pane glass in that vehicle ( exactly like a s 550 mercedes ) ... you can't hear nothing , unless your hearing aid is cranked up full and the window is open . IT'S ONE OF THE QUIETEST VEHICLES MADE . the genisus has DUNLAP D 5000 v rated tires ... the exact tires that cme on your LS 430 when it was new ( retail about $ 225 us a tire ) ,made in japland . i drove the genisis at 138 mph at dover downs for an hour straight , andf the vehicle wanted more punishment .... it was begging me . the six has a 6 speed jap xmission , and the 8 has a zf nazi xmisssion . the 6 speed jap has less chance of failure . the zf responfds to very little . it is programmed to shift when IT decides . it doesn't know from "fuzzy logic" . the 6 speed ( 6 cyl ) jap xmission can decide between yes and no on an up or doenshift , as it has jap fuzzy logic , and can distinguish that it does not have to think in only 1 or 2 ... it has a maybe also . agreed the specs are close on the genisis to the LS 430 .... but the genisis beats the LS to smitherines . ... the genisis has the electric motor power steering like the LS 460 (L ) , the LS 430 is still hydraulic fluid . THE ENGINE IS QUIET on regular fuel , unless the dot head who sold you the gasoline puts 20 % water in his tank at 3 in the morning , to rip the guts out of his host country citizens . IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS BUYER ... buy the genisis . Lexus is $ 75 k with a levinson radio , and i have had one '07 and two '08's , and they are good until break in at 2000 miles , then go doenhill and burn gas . enjoyed talking to you ... best of luck in your new genisis ... hurry up , the price is going up in $ 2000 increnments starting jan 3 , 2009 . mitchell rowe

ME TOO!

by shocked1 on Wed Nov 19 22:06:47 PST 2008

I did report my transmission to NHTSA. I so hope you're correct. My 2004 went in repairs Tues. Be back Fri. Again, my huwsband is 70 and still working part time.Not fair we have to pay for Ford's mess!!! thank you

Re: UAW [cooterbfd]

by dallasdude1 on Wed Nov 19 10:49:43 PST 2008

Sorry Charlie, but they ALL get their pension monies from YOU AND ME, courtesy of the PBGC. If the Big 3 go belly up, guess who pays the retirees?? Yep, YOU AND ME!!!! And there is no renegging on that, because PBGC is an INSURANCE POLICY, and it will HAVE to be PAID OUT True that the current retirees get their full benefit. However, those yet not retired get a reduced benefit under the PBGC. Pension funds are separate from the company. In another entity as to not have a conflict of interest. They are funded by the company by a formula to make sure there is enough money to cover present/future liabilities. They invest the money and assume a rate of return. All of this is factored in and hence, when the market is under preforming, many pensions need more funding. So its true that underfunding is a burden on the taxpayer.

Re: 2008-2009 Hyundai Genesis [rockylee]

by mitchellrowe on Wed Nov 19 20:13:13 PST 2008

Mr. RockyLee : yes , the genesis is a winner . i own a 3.8 ... white with tan . both packages ... nav ... tech.... etc ... List $ 40,100.00 .... been a lexas man since 1989 when they opened in the usa . the genesis is a MONSTER . , part lexus LS 400 , 430 , 460 L , and has double pain glass like a mercedes s 550 . the genesis is a little bit of all the goodness in the great production cars of the past 18 years . WHAT TOTALLY CRACKS ME UP IS THE BRAND OF THE RADIO ... THE RADIO IS CALLED A "lexicon" .... WOW ! mitchell rowe happy thanksgiving

Re: 2009 328ci SULEV Fuel Pump [shipo]

by teebone1958 on Tue Nov 18 07:01:50 PST 2008

The key point is that the SULEV engines have the fuel pump\filter SEALED in the gas tank. I have no problem with the pump being in the tank, the problem I have is that it is non serviceable w\o replacing the entire tank. The SULEV engines are shipped and sold in NY, CA, VT, MA, and ME. This engine setup includes a fuel pump and filter which are sealed into the gas tank which makes them unserviceable without the replacement of the $7995 dollar gas tank. I beleive that this is a horrible design which becomes the problem of the consumer. If you beleive this is a good design, I will have to respectfully disagree. In essence, I do not want to own a car which has a single mechanical point of failure which can cause a 8000 dollar repair (w\o labor). As otherwise, I like the car (and the BMW make), I want to make sure the next car I buy does not have such a bad design (to be clear, I am ok with the pump\filter in the tank as long as it can be replaced if it goes (as they do sometimes especially with the introduction of ethanol in the fuel). Therefore I have two questions: 1. Does anyone know if the 2008 or 2009 SULEV engines have a non serviceable fuel pump\filter? 2. Does a dealership in a SULEV state have to sell the SULEV engine only (or can they sell a non SULEV engine? From what I understand, the non SULEV engine does not have the pump\filter SEALED into the gas tank. In other words it is replaceable. Also, I do not beleive in 'lifetime' filters.

GOOD BYE VUE

by gearhead12 on Tue Nov 18 06:37:33 PST 2008

This is a great day. Today I finally got rid of my 2003 Saturn Vue. This vehicle has been trouble since day 1. The Saturn team promotes that they do things differently, and they do, they just don’t do most things better. A few examples of things that have gone wrong: The front suspension sounds like it is falling out of the car and has been to Saturn several times for tightening of bolts…which has NOT fixed the issue. The transmission gives you whiplash every time you put it into DRIVE. The valve covers LEAK like Niagra Falls and the muffler has a hole in it. Now I am somewhat capable of working on a vehicle – I am an Electrical Engineer that auto races as a hobby. I have fixed wrecked cars, and even built my own motors so I am not afraid to dig in and do the work. However, the design of this vehicle is ridiculous and frustrates even the somewhat mechanically capable customers. In reference to the valve covers, the valve covers were leaking and upon initial investigation I thought oh I will just pull the valve cover off and clean the gaskets and re-install. Upon investigating the issue, I found each of the bolts in the valve cover (which I think is plastic) were loose and ready to fall out. I thought oh this must be why they are leaking and snugged them up (did not over tighten). Well the leak was less but still fairly bad. So I went back to investigate removing the valve cover to clean up and re-install. Well much to my surprise YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OFF TO REPLACE THE VALVE COVER AND THE SPARK PLUGS…..Who approved this design – some idiot that never got their hands dirty and has NO knowledge of what customer satisfaction is…..$500 - $600 to replace these parts – WHAT A JOKE………. 2nd Issue – Oil Filter Cover. Went to change the oil and found that the car doesn’t have a standard oil filter can. The motor is designed so that you only have to replace the element which is contained in a housing on the front of the motor. So instead of the $2 oil filter it cost you $6 for the element (remember it’s different – but it’s not better). So after a few oil filter changes I go to remove the oil filter cover and while removing it the cover breaks into 3 pieces. I call Saturn and they say they have plenty of these in stock and they get calls about them all the time. When I show up at the parts department they charge me some outrageous price (~30.00) for a replacement cover. I say to them that don’t you think you should give me the cover for free since it had a design issue (that I noticed was fixed on the new cover) and the attendant just laughs….and says NO…… 3rd Issue – Tranny Clunks Into Drive. This issue started very early in the vehicles life and was defined by the dealer as STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. It’s funny because we were going to trade the vehicle in on a Nissan that was at a Saturn Dealer and the person that evaluated it for trade in said this vehicle has a tranny issue and we said well that’s funny because your staff told us that is standard operating procedure…..Funny that the Saturn Dealer couldn’t get their stories straight (is it a problem or is it Standard Op.) Needless to say we didn’t trade it in their….. 4th, 5th, 6th issue……………….I better stop or I may end up with a book………….. In closing, all I have to say is it is a great day – BYE BYE VUE and YOU WILL NEVER EVER FIND ME AT A SATURN DEALERSHIP AGAIN. And then GM wonders why they are hurting so bad --- I’m not….