Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

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potownrob
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by potownrob »

Teamwork wrote:
You could scale back but still select for the features that matter to you.
you'll get used to it. fahgleitz and powerful bulbs to the rescue. what kind of car would you be getting that doesn't have heated seats though?!? :evil: :?: :? :o :idea:
Not necessarily which kind of annoys me but I'm probably being a beggar that can't be a chooser. I don't think the heated seats are as universal as one things yet and HID's from the factory are definitely near un-get-table at a sub 30k range. I play this game with myself every so often every year where I basically try convincing myself I can just buy a subcompact out right and just deal with it and get rid of a car payment. What will happen is I will find a problem with every subcompact and then be able to settle on a car in essentially the same price range as I'm in now lol... Can't have the cake and eat it too.
why not get a mid level late model used subcompact or even midsize (or practically WHATEVER YOU WANT) that's dropped in value? you can get a mid (or high) trim level model of many cars and have the heated seats, fahgleitz and other cool features. you can get a 2014-2015 mazda 3 grand touring for around 9-10k, for example. as for the headlight bulbs, i was talking about using more powerful halogens, not retrofitting HIDs, though you could do that if you want. with the fahgleitz und die brighter headlight bulbs, you will be a lot better than stock, and not too far off from an HID setup, if setup right.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by theholycow »

Image

If you're dead-set on always driving a brand new car then no, I guess you can't select for those features while cutting the price in a major way...but scale the newness back a little and you're good to go. Also try to open your mind to things you may have dismissed; perhaps there is a manufacturer that you've had a bad experience with in the past, or whose reputation you don't like, that might be ok after all. Maybe you could compromise a little bit of the high-performance aspect and look at an entry level luxury model instead of a mid-range sport model - and you might be surprised at the realistic performance of not-so-sporty models the way you actually can drive on the road (and in traffic).

Of course the hardest part is finding a manual transmission. That requirement really destroys most of the market, but with what your commute sounds like I can't say I'd be too attached to the idea anyway...I'd probably rather lose the fun of the clutch pedal on the weekend than deal with that crap for such a large portion of my life, 2 hours per day.

Actually (trigger warning, blasphemy ahead) I recently acquired a slushbox car that I will be using a lot of days on my easy, fun-with-clutch commute. 3+ days per week I drive in with my wife, an hour each way, and have to drive as boringly as a slushbox. All shifting is for me on those days is a requirement, not an enjoyment. That's not why I acquired that car, but it is why I have no trouble accepting the slushbox and front wheel drive. The car on those days is just an appliance and I'd even be happy to have a self-driving car.
Teamwork wrote:Christmas tree dashboard life isn't for me.
Then it's working as designed.

It used to be that if something malfunctioned, only the light relevant to that thing would light up. Lately they're making it so EVERYTHING lights up, in an attempt to use psychology to get people to stop ignoring malfunction indicators. IMO it's only going to work temporarily, it will be a boy who cried wolf situation in another ten years. Then it will be an arms race...they'll start making it "DING" incessantly, then when people get used to that they'll just make it so your self-driving car will drive itself straight to the dealer and charge your credit card without your consent.
This is essentially how my fiancee feels and honestly 40 hours in 4 days isn't bad but I may of mis-typed... I'm literally working over 40 hours in 4 days in a 45-48 ball park. I'm pretty worn out- I'm no stranger to hours in the 50-55 a week range but this is a bit different because it's constant work without a break type of ordeal. There's really no slow moments at all- I know that'll sound exaggerated a bit but it is what it is. Commute is a bit rough though do-able to me. I can tell you how Cow how it's only 12 miles each way but during LI rush hour that translates to about a 50-1 hour drive each way. I leave my house at 7:15 AM to get in just past 8 AM and then leave at 6 PM to get home around 7 PM.
Yeah, that is pretty tough - but not beyond what most people can get accustomed to, especially with that 4-day week.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by Rope-Pusher »

I've known people that rent a nearby room in some old lady's house for weekdays when they are working a lot of hours and want to avoid their long commute times.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by tankinbeans »

With this cold weather Galadriel has been a bitch. Is there anything I can do to make sure the doors open consistently? Lately they've been freezing shut necessitating heavy and constant hipchecks. The rubber gasket around the door seems fine, but it's likely original (15 years old). Can I lubricate the latches or is that not going to help?
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by Rope-Pusher »

tankinbeans wrote:With this cold weather Galadriel has been a bitch. Is there anything I can do to make sure the doors open consistently? Lately they've been freezing shut necessitating heavy and constant hipchecks. The rubber gasket around the door seems fine, but it's likely original (15 years old). Can I lubricate the latches or is that not going to help?
In days of old, when nights were cold, and garages weren't invented,......
I'd lube my lock key cylinders with powdered graphite, lube the lock mechanism with spray lithium grease, and lube my door weather-strips with silicone spray.
...And babies were prevented!
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by theholycow »

Vaseline on the rubber gasket. Lots of wax or Rain-X on the sheet metal/glass, especially where the trouble ice is.

You can certainly lubricate the latches. Graphite powder dry lube (sold next to the key-making machine at the hardware store) is good in locks or anywhere that is dry and must remain so. Grease (not oil) is good on stuff where you don't mind it being greasy; look for a grease that says it's good in low temperatures...could be axle/wheel bearing grease, brake grease, aerosolized white lithium grease, whatever. If you have some kind of grease handy it's probably fine to try.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by Rope-Pusher »

HAH!

So, as I was ripping the weather-stripping off my doors as I yanked them open after work yesterday evening, I was thinking:
"Wow, Isn't that special?
Someone else recently experienced this same weather mere hours before me.
I wonder who that might have been.

Image
Could it be Tankinbeans?"

(Actually, no harem, no chickens - it only felt like the weather-stripping was ripping off)
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by theholycow »

That reminds me...I gotta lube my patio door before it freezes closed again. It was 60F overnight, down to 34F now, and it'll be 9F in a few hours. Door was frozen shut and I couldn't use it for weeks.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by Teamwork »

Waiting for parts from said; California, Germany, and Vancouver... dropped the car off Wednesday evening and haven't seen it since. Got put into a base model 2017 Jetta for the time being. I won't complain as it beats the alternative but with that being said this car is pretty lackluster. I keep having to put in my head that this is nearly 10k cheaper then my GTI but it still doesn't sit well. The best asset of this car is that it doesn't look cheap and it's a little bigger then average then the class but that's pretty much where the bottom falls out. I do like this 1.4L but this may be one of the worst automatics I've ever experienced. Throttle is pretty much all or nothing... tip in slightly and it's dead- go a little more and it wants to red line. Very busy at low speeds between 5-15 mph... It's trying to make me recollect how my last automatic experiences were.

There was a serious time in my life where I really desired one of these cars. Probably in the years 2005-2007 but I'm not too sure what happened here. Car feels like a huge identity crisis > has the interior volume close to a mid size > has the feature set of a subcompact... odd. And this is one of VW's best selling vehicles in the US to boot.

It will sound prissy but the obvious omission of MQB architecture is very readily apparent. I guess they really wanted to build a Corolla clone.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by potownrob »

Teamwork wrote:Waiting for parts from said; California, Germany, and Vancouver... dropped the car off Wednesday evening and haven't seen it since. Got put into a base model 2017 Jetta for the time being. I won't complain as it beats the alternative but with that being said this car is pretty lackluster. I keep having to put in my head that this is nearly 10k cheaper then my GTI but it still doesn't sit well. The best asset of this car is that it doesn't look cheap and it's a little bigger then average then the class but that's pretty much where the bottom falls out. I do like this 1.4L but this may be one of the worst automatics I've ever experienced. Throttle is pretty much all or nothing... tip in slightly and it's dead- go a little more and it wants to red line. Very busy at low speeds between 5-15 mph... It's trying to make me recollect how my last automatic experiences were.

There was a serious time in my life where I really desired one of these cars. Probably in the years 2005-2007 but I'm not too sure what happened here. Car feels like a huge identity crisis > has the interior volume close to a mid size > has the feature set of a subcompact... odd. And this is one of VW's best selling vehicles in the US to boot.

It will sound prissy but the obvious omission of MQB architecture is very readily apparent. I guess they really wanted to build a Corolla clone.
you might be a little late in your complaints about the mk 6 Jetta; they just revealed the new mk7 Jetta. It might be more up your alley. I personally want to try for something a little more upstream for my next car; maybe an a4 or gs. Golf sportwaggin alltrak might be ok though. That they have base model jettas as loaners doesn’t give me the best impression of your dealer; at least they had a loaner though...

Edit: what is your car in for again?? Something about the ESC system??
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by Teamwork »

potownrob wrote:you might be a little late in your complaints about the mk 6 Jetta; they just revealed the new mk7 Jetta. It might be more up your alley. I personally want to try for something a little more upstream for my next car; maybe an a4 or gs. Golf sportwaggin alltrak might be ok though. That they have base model jettas as loaners doesn’t give me the best impression of your dealer; at least they had a loaner though...

Edit: what is your car in for again?? Something about the ESC system??
The problem is the role reversal was real. I remember when the Jetta was a "premium compact" like an actual premium one... spend a little more, get a little more. Then they decided they wanted to volume sell and needed to cut the overall price to do so but the problem is you can feel it all around you. I'm not faulting the dealership for giving these out for loaners - I would've taken anything (and I did) but the fact of the matter is this is a pretty decently sold car somehow. I saw the real for the new Jetta and I don't really like it at all either though. Not too sure how big they want to make this thing- that's one of the best things it has going for it. I'm curious to how the gas mileage goes for me- I'll have it long enough to find out and I'm not beating the hell out of this thing either. Another bizarre thing to me is literally this is only 2 years away from my GTI and the switch blade key comes out vertically as opposed to horizontally... it's been throwing me off.

I was told something went sour with the differential system and a wheel sensor. That will be a long conversation once this gets squared away but I was more concerned with getting a loaner just so I can survive in suburbia to go to work without having to rely on public transit.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by tankinbeans »

I saw the updated Jetta, in pictures of course, and it was a yuge letdown compared to the artist's rendering RP posted. None of the lines seem to work and 1.4T only(!?), see.

Maybe it'll work better in the metal, but the pictures make my eyes bleed.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by Teamwork »

Now that I'm spending more time behind the wheel and getting acquainted with the car in the grind and go... this 1.4L turbo is one of the most fascinating things about a car that's extremely drabby and boring. It feels completely different then my 2.0L TSI but not necessarily in a downgrade or bad way. I actually like the engine, but dislike the transmission. For what VW rates this thing at it feels like they sandbagged the numbers for sure. I would have confidence that this thing can haul 4 fine and alone this thing is pretty pokey. I thought it would struggle to merge on a LI freeway but it doesn't at all. It makes some horrible noises though at lower speeds... best way I can describe it is a rattly blender on a counter top.

I have pretty much lost complete faith in VW to make an automatic transmission though that isn't DSG. This thing is seriously a mess- hunts gears low speeds; typically choosing the wrong one for psychic abilities, and some of these shifts in the cold make me feel like I'm driving stick year 1. Another weird sensation to and granted I don't have much experience with automatic and turbo applications- but if I take my foot halfway or completely off the brake and don't get on the gas near instantly this car feels like it's going to stall. It shudders for sure and is pretty off putting- that is probably the worst part about driving this car.

Pleasant Surprises
* Halogen headlights are above average quality. This is a really marked improvement in look and visibility from my fiancees Honda Civic, the basic GTI, and Toyota Matrix. I could go down to these from my HID's and be okay.
* Arm rests on the door DECENTLY padded. Probably better then even on my GTI and the leather feels convincing.
* Engine overall. If this thing in my 5 days can get near 30 mpg and feel the way it does I give it a full two thumbs up. This thing for as small as it is handles the highway pretty well.
* Heat works really well - the german car's heat work so effectively they are probably the only cars I never have the temperature control to the hottest setting.

Misfires
* Interior minus that arm rest is complete of hard plastics that look terrible. I'm hoping this is a "base trim" thing...
* Hub Caps... this car still starts at 18.5k?
* Plastic steering wheel... see above
* When I have the windshield wipers on I can literally hear the timer ticking in the dashboard... wtf?
* Probably the worst cloth seats I ever seen... This looks suitable for a 95 Neon.

I'm hoping I get my GTI back by Friday but I'm not holding my breathe. This has been quite an experience none the less...
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by tankinbeans »

Every car I've ever had has needed the heat to be slightly left of center in the winter for me to be comfortable. Right now the digital doohicky says I'm at 66 and I'm close to cooking. Sounds like the Jetta you have is a different aniimal than the one I drove, though structurally they're pretty much identical. I think the 2011 still had a torsion beam. The car looked much nicer than it was and the manual in it was pretty terrible.

30mpg seems kind of low, but with the cold snap and what I imagine LI traffic is it's probably about right. Malcolm is averaging 32, but my morning commute is pretty wide open. I start at 6 to avoid the parking lot. The afternoon 20 miles takes anyway from 45 minutes to an hour.
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Re: Misc Thread VI: Return of the Threadi

Post by AHTOXA »

tankinbeans wrote:I saw the updated Jetta, in pictures of course, and it was a yuge letdown compared to the artist's rendering RP posted. None of the lines seem to work and 1.4T only(!?), see.

Maybe it'll work better in the metal, but the pictures make my eyes bleed.
Agreed there. I saw it in pictures and it was just sooo bland and boring outside. Sure, it was still built to a price and was supposed to be rather neutral, but man, it's quite terrible. The new Civic might be a love it or hate it design, especially in the Type R guise, but at least you feel one way or another, rather like a lukewarm dump that's been sitting around a while and is starting to smell worse.
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