Mike Chell

? The way I feel about kids ... I'd have them in an open bed trailer on the back of my vehicle.

I guess I am just too "old school". The words "truck" and "luxurious" don't belong in the same sentence. Considering a truck, with an open bed and single row seating, would have the least amount of "luxury" in the cab of any vehicle on four wheels ... it should also be the least expensive to buy. I'd buy a truck, for a work vehicle, if they weren't so outrageously over-priced.

Biodiesel and E-85 might be steps toward something better ... but they're definitely steps, nothing more. All bio fuels require more energy to make than we get back out of them. Where does that energy come from? Coal and oil burning technology. Although it's taken millions of years to make crude oil ... the refining/catalyst process gets more than 60 gallons of gas from every 100 gallons of crude. It is, by far, the best fuel we have, and will likely have for the near future. There is more than enough oil to fuel the globe for at least another century, if industry keeps finding better and better ways of burning it. We are still only utilizing less than 40% of the heat created in the combustion process. We NEED to figure out how to efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. We NEED to develop battery technology by leaps and bounds. Until those technologies are at full capacity, we NEED to wisely use our petroleum in the most efficient ways possible. Bio fuels aren't really an alternative. To power the world will require more arable land than we can lose. We need that land to produce food. Actually ... we NEED to convince the world that zero (or negative) population growth is the only way we're going to survive.

I fully agree that E-85 is a very clean burning fuel, both one on one comparison and over a given distance. But it IS much more expensive than gasoline. Environmentally damaging to produce ... mostly because we haven't figured a better way to make it. If we could grow sugar cane in massive quantities, it would be a little better. Going green isn't cheap. E-10 is the fuel mixture I always rant against. All the problems of making E-85 without ANY of the benefits. E-15 (which is being pushed for) is even worse than E-10. Look at your new car owner's manuals. Most of them say, all engine warranties are null and void if E-15 is used. Even flex fuel vehicles can't properly meter E-15.

Or a penny dropped down in the air vent.

Yep ... it takes approximately 70% more energy to make a gallon of ethanol than you get out of it when burned. It also takes enough water from the ground to affect local wells. This is one government boondoggle that SHOULD be stopped.

Ethanol in gasoline is the worst. And it's a lie that E-10 is better for the environment. If you burned a gallon of E-10 and a gallon of gasoline side by side, the E-10 would, in fact, create fewer emissions. However, since it's less efficient than straight gasoline, you need to use more to travel the same distance. If you drive two cars 500 miles, one on E-10 and the other on gasoline ... the one using E-10 will create more emissions. Sorry ... ethanol in the fuel is a "hot button" issue for me.

Got a little angst built up there, Fifty? I didn't read your whole diatribe but I get the gist. I wasn't complaining about CarMax. As far as I am concerned, they deserve the extra interest rates, because they give people a chance to reestablish ruined credit histories. My first wife destroyed my credit ... divorce happened and it was so bad, I couldn't get anything on credit. Carmax saved my hide ... and I didn't mind paying the higher rate. Plus, it's not exorbitant ... just higher. As far as "taking advantage of immigrants" ... I hope you're talking about legally admitted citizens. I couldn't care less about what happens to the foreign invaders that are illegally flooding our Country.

Techron will cure a lot of fuel system problems. Be sure to do an oil change as soon as your sure the techron treatment is gone. A lot of carbon and fuel will make it into the oil through blowby.

Welcome to the site. I hope your experiences are rewarding.

Since I do 500 miles a week, even 5% is a about 52 gallons a year. And I've heard reports that some people are getting more than 10% savings. I don't care about my environmental footprint ... since I don't have any kids or relatives I care about. When Wife and I are gone, whatever happens to the planet won't matter anymore. It's just about how much money I can spend on trips with Wife and fishing stuff. The less I spend on gas, the more I've got for those interests.

I wish my 2017 had the start/stop system. I am sure it would save me a ton of gas on my daily 100 mile round trip to/from work.

Electrical operation, although not as complex as most people think, is vastly misunderstood. First thing ... a short-to-ground fault happens before the "load" (whatever component is being powered) and therefore does not effect the load. A short-to-ground cannot cause a failure of your PCM. The other fault generally blamed for destroying components, and open circuit ... also doesn't destroy anything. A switch is a designed in circuit fault and you don't destroy components turning things off and on. Electronic components can be destroyed by either of those faults ... but not directly. Intermittent faults, the switching on and off rapidly of a component can kill electronics. So, if you go looking for circuit problems, you're looking for an intermittent one ... which is very hard to trace out. If you're lucky, you'll see a corroded connector, or a wire with the insulation rubbed off. The most common reason for computer failures in a car is a bad regulator on the alternator. They keep the voltage on the battery at a maximum of 14.7 VDC. If they are going bad, you'll see spikes exceeding 15 volts. A few of those can wreak havoc on a circuit board. It IS possible to get bad components ... and perhaps you'll get lucky with the newest install. Too many times, though, mechanics replace damaged parts without going the necessary step further and discovering the cause of the damage. Good luck.

Same here, mrtn. I'll put it on at a mile or two over the speed limit and I am still the slowest vehicle on the road. But I use the + and - buttons to adjust my speed as required. I usually don't disengage ... needed to stop or brake before cancelling.

CarMax has been on the scene for a long time (1993) ... it's not "an interesting new market niche". They're a "Fortune 500" company ... with more good reviews than bad. Their inspections are so good that several of the local dealerships accept a CarMax inspection report on your trade in. They give you more on your trade in if you have one. That said, they're also one of the used car dealerships that will sell a car to anyone, no matter the credit history. Their financing has very high interest rate because of that. You might get the vehicle at a "seemingly" lower price than elsewhere ... but if you finance it through them, you'll end up paying more.

I'm putting up with these seats ... vinyl, I think. I hate them. I much prefer cloth. I didn't have to order it as an upgrade, but I'd never buy a vehicle without cruise control. Same thing with A/C ... I live in Florida, gotta have A/C. As for diesel ... I'll never own one. Just not a fan.

They look good. My only concern (based on the home made rack on my previous van) is the single bolt and narrow base of the mounts. A few good stops with some weight on that rack, and you should check. I needed to add a longer plate for the base, because it was folding/bending the roof metal.

I teach people how to work on motorcycles and outboards. I am constantly hearing old bike enthusiast who still swear by points and carburetors. I'm an "old guy" too. 59 before the end of this month. But I am a firm believer in technology and the improvements it's made to our lives. There are, of course, exceptions ... but the "good old days" can stay in the past. I am all about the GOOD new days!

I had one, gifted to me, that had the camera on the license plate cover. It was so far off center that it was almost useless for backing up. The angle of the view put me on the right line and crooked. Fortunately, it failed. I just bought a "no-name" system off E-Bay for $20.00 ... free shipping. I'll post some reviews when I get it.

With airbags, roll cage design and crumple zones, almost all modern cars are safer than previous versions. With the exception of a few super cheap low cost models, survive-ability is MUCH higher than it's ever been.

I am helping you shoot in the dark ... by giving you noisy targets, not by illuminating anything. What I mean by that, I know how the systems I work on, at my job, operate. When multiple control modules are involved, there is usually a central processor that all those modules connect to. Like a spider .... with the central control the body and the modules the "knees" on the legs. With all those separate components operating together (badly), there must be a common connection between them all. A wiring diagram should be able to pinpoint the common point, and that's the FIRST place I'd inspect.

J.C. Whitney is still in business, as far as I know. They're online only, now ... no paper catalogs. There are so many aftermarket companies, it's hard for me to believe there's NO possible replacement seats available.

I'm not defined by the vehicle I drive. A minivan's as good as any other vehicle, if it does the job I bought it to do.

Welcome to the site. This "oil life" issue seems to be a common discussion point ... and no one seems to be in agreement with the people who ACTUALLY work in the petroleum industry. Since I am an instructor at a school where we teach people how to work on vehicles of all types, I've had the occasion to speak to visiting representatives from that industry. Engine oil will last well over 10,000 miles in a good engine. Even the "cheap stuff" from discount and department stores will last for more than 10,000 in a good engine. It's the definition of "good engine" that determines how often you should change your oil. New vehicle, less than 100,000 miles on it, with oil changes at the required intervals ... is still running within "break-in" tolerances. Modern day engines, unlike the folklore, are NOT designed to fail. They will outlast most other parts of the vehicle, if the lubrication system is maintained. I would say, without reservation, that you can trust the "oil change indicator" on your new vehicles.