The Automobile Thread

Discussion in 'Free Zone' started by buggravy, Oct 20, 2019.


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  1. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    My Fiesta makes it to St George on a single 11 gallon gas tank. It averages, daily use, 35 MPG. Also a stick shift, the way cars SHOULD be. I can total it and replace it with another for probably $5k. That is a LOT of electric vehicles. Of course at 170,000 miles, I got my moneys worth.

    I don't have anywhere to charge a car, so I would still have to stop at a gas station. I also have no desire for a big payment, and I will never lease a vehicle. So electric vehicles are no go for me.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, herzalot and 5 others like this.
  2. Derkderkall

    Derkderkall iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Monrovia
    Name:
    Derek Allison
    Current Bike:
    2020 Specialized Fuse 29
    Brought it home last Friday. Very happy with it so far, 2.0T , and can't really complain, doesn't feel underpowered. Only complaint is only the v6 comes with the hitch...

    IMG_20201113_155547__01.jpg
     
  3. Derkderkall

    Derkderkall iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Monrovia
    Name:
    Derek Allison
    Current Bike:
    2020 Specialized Fuse 29
    Now the bad news....
    Had to take it to the dealer today because after only owning it for a few days... we got notified of a recall. Apparently some from this production had damage to the steering knuckles during assembly, and were issued "stop drive" notification. Dropped it off down the street in Pasadena today, and ours is one of the ones that was effected. (affected?)

    Not sure how long it will be.. since it is a 2021 and as of right now service associate said he initially couldn't find any replacements in the country.....

    Getting a free Atlas Cross Sport loaner in the meantime.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 6 others like this.
  4. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    Rule No. 8 of archaeological fieldwork: always send the rental car through first!

    It’s affected, and the effect is inconvenience.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 4 others like this.
  5. Sasquatch9billion

    Sasquatch9billion iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    trinidad j. mendez
    Great looking ride, Congrats!
    A custom hitch should be an easy fix for that complaint. I paid like $230 out-the-door for the one on my car and you'll never notice it when the rack is not on the car.
     
  6. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    Nice looking ride. Enjoy!
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 2 others like this.
  7. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    etrailer.com

    Should be able to pick up a 2" receiver for under $200 and do it yourself.
     
    Danmtchl, Oaken, Mikie and 2 others like this.
  8. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Refreshed my Q5 today out of necessity. My 11 year old Q5 with 175,000 miles developed some very suspicious ailments that would cost over $3k to fix now, and that fix is not likely an actual fix. Consuming coolant and oil without dripping it onto the driveway is not a good sign.

    2018 version. 21k miles. Not very imaginative, but the Q5 did everything I wanted it to do in every condition, including snow, rain, commute, cross country travel, hauling bikes, driving offroad, parking etc. And they are amazing to drive. Perfect ergonomics for me. Why change now? OK electric might be a reason to change now, but out of my price range at the moment.

    Blue Q 11-24-20.JPG

    For those keeping score at home, yes, we replaced both of our vehicles this year. No we didn't lease. What a horrible year to need to do so. First world problems, I'd say. The proceeds from the Megatower helped with the downpayment on the car, and I am down to one bike, as I should be.
     
  9. mtbMike

    mtbMike iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    PRESCOTT!!!
    Name:
    Mike
    Current Bike:
    Ibis HD5, Ripley & Mojo 4
    We've been very happy with our Audi, a fully loaded 2015 A3. My wife is a stickler for their standard routine maintenance every 10K miles and it isn't cheap. I put my foot down when they wanted $600+ for a set of brakes. I took it to a friends shop in OC and had the work done for $230. I would seriously look at the Q5 Quattro if Prescott had an Audi dealer but I foresee a Subaru or Toyota Highlander AWD purchase instead.
     
    Danmtchl, pperrelle, Mikie and 5 others like this.
  10. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    Congrats again. The Q5 really does a lot of things right, and you got a beautiful spec. Enjoy!
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Cyclotourist and 4 others like this.
  11. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Nice choice... :thumbsup:

    And I'm glad to hear that the old one went 175,000... At our current pace, the A5 should easily go another 25 years. :p
     
    Danmtchl, Obsidian, Mikie and 5 others like this.
  12. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    Danmtchl, Faust29, herzalot and 4 others like this.
  13. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Looks like my CRV has a rear main seal leak. :mad:

    6B65AD3C-CB9B-4B8D-ADD3-AAD33F5A5209.jpeg
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, DangerDirtyD and 2 others like this.
  14. Derkderkall

    Derkderkall iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Monrovia
    Name:
    Derek Allison
    Current Bike:
    2020 Specialized Fuse 29
    Warranty?
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie and SnakeCharmer like this.
  15. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Yes
     
  16. scan

    scan iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    fran allas
    Current Bike:
    Scott Spark
    Danmtchl, Mikie and buggravy like this.
  17. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    Yet another positive review for Michelin CrossClimates. Yesterday was nuts in the San Bernardinos but the Outback+CrossClimates did great.

    if you live in SoCal and go to the snow, there isn’t another tire out there with this much snow traction, that also works year round. It’s a unicorn tire.
     
    Danmtchl, Stkx66, Mikie and 7 others like this.
  18. Luis

    Luis iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Sylmar
    Name:
    Luis
    Current Bike:
    La Diabla
    Hmmm
    I’ve always been leery of that type of uniform tread pattern on tires. Kinda reminds me of a Yokohama tire that I can’t remember the model of. It works on snow huh?
     
  19. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    It’s got the full winter rating. Not just “mud and snow,” it’s a legal winter tire in places that require them.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Luis and 1 other person like this.
  20. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    There were a bunch of Range Rovers, Audis, X5s, etc on the mountain yesterday, all of the newer ones had to chain up, since people seem to like to buy big clunky SUVs and run track tires...

    im pretty sure a front wheel drive sedan with these tires would do better in the mountains than an X5 on summer tires.

    the guy driving his 4-series without chains through big bear yesterday was not doing any of us any favors.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, herzalot and 2 others like this.
  21. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    I've always found it such a head scratcher that these 4X4 and AWD SUVs come with Summer tires. Those things turn to hockey pucks in the snow. Hell, you can't even get an all season tire in the OEM 21" size for the SQ5, and I think there's only 1 dedicated snow tire in that size. I've always gone with aftermarket sizes anyway, and the Conti Extreme Contact DWS06 is a pretty remarkable balance of high street performance and snow capability.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, tick and 1 other person like this.
  22. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    One of my fondest memories as a kid was blowing past my brother's radar gun at 60 on solid ice... 83 Dodge Colt with studded tires up front. The other fond memory was him trying to catch me... :p
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, tick and 4 others like this.
  23. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    The smart folks in winter-lands have two sets of wheels. One with winter tires, the other with summer. Hassle to store and swap out, but that's the way to get you were you want to go!
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, tick and 4 others like this.
  24. Danimal

    Danimal iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    Epic Evo
    He could just wait until you got home.....


    I haven't driven in snow in a couple decades, maybe more.
     
  25. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    My new to me Q5 did great in the snow Monday, despite the Michelins looking a little too highway-ish for my tastes. They do have M+S on the sidewall, but they certainly don't look sufficient. But I didn't slip at all, even getting started on an off-camber uphill after waiting for the jackwad in his 2x Toyota truck to get unstuck and out of the way.

    Michelins.JPG
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, tick and 3 others like this.
  26. Derkderkall

    Derkderkall iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Monrovia
    Name:
    Derek Allison
    Current Bike:
    2020 Specialized Fuse 29
    Yup
    I always had an old set of wheels that I would keep the snow tires on, then had my regular tires on the alloys...
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, herzalot and 2 others like this.
  27. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    That’s the genius of the new “all-weather” tires like the Cross Climate. These tires satisfy Canadian and European winter tire laws, and don’t need to be stored in a European apartment once the temperatures get above 5C.

    after reading Consumer Reports’ tire reviews, I sent them an email asking if this tire would be appropriate for a California summer. They answered to the affirmative on their podcast, so I had a set shipped in, as the nearest set was in Kansas. They’ve been good for the past year, though 2020 didn’t see us rack up many miles, so no word on total longevity.
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie, Derkderkall and 5 others like this.
  28. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Agreed... if they can check all the boxes, they could be winter specific tire killers. No more steelies!!!
     
    Danmtchl, Mikie and tick like this.
  29. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Forget all the overlanders... I wanna' do #vanlife with an Ultravan!

    Corvair drivetrain... you know about these, @Mikie ?

    50808428243_68a0053bb8_b.jpg

    50809169711_9c90e1d8a8_b.jpg
     
    Danmtchl, herzalot, Stkx66 and 11 others like this.
  30. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Huh...
    Nope! I have never heard of such a thang! :eek:
     
    Danmtchl, Stkx66 and mtnbikej like this.
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?