Car Thread - VROOM VROOM

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account

What is your favorite car? (Top 3)

  • Ame Sea

    Votes: 9 2.4%
  • Ferd

    Votes: 81 21.7%
  • Chevus

    Votes: 33 8.8%
  • Crintzler

    Votes: 5 1.3%
  • Doge

    Votes: 41 11.0%
  • Beem Dubya

    Votes: 32 8.6%
  • Mersaydis

    Votes: 32 8.6%
  • Volts-Wagon

    Votes: 34 9.1%
  • FIOT

    Votes: 8 2.1%
  • Joop

    Votes: 23 6.1%
  • Alphonse Romero

    Votes: 9 2.4%
  • Vulva

    Votes: 35 9.4%
  • Teslur

    Votes: 10 2.7%
  • Mincooper

    Votes: 7 1.9%
  • Knee-Son

    Votes: 17 4.5%
  • Hun-die

    Votes: 13 3.5%
  • Toyoder

    Votes: 134 35.8%
  • Hondo

    Votes: 95 25.4%
  • Subrue

    Votes: 48 12.8%

  • Total voters
    374
Well that was a terrible idea, and on you. Even with just a garden hose, (don't do that) if you do (again don't) I suggest wrapping the sensitive stuff.
I won't deny it and its fully on me. Eh, I've learned my lesson to take extreme precautions next time when I need to clean the engine bay from oil and mud.
 
In any car I've ever been in the clutch and brake have separate master cylinders, and reservoirs.
Lots of Euro cars share a reservoir. The reservoir has a little wall in it to separate the two systems so that if one leaks, you don't lose the other. Now that you mention it though, they might have two master cylinders?
got into it with a base model Porch boxster non S...
Boxster guys are funny
 
Got a (new to me) Mercedes-Benz recently. The vehicle was originally purchased in Canada, but now resides in the US.

Some initial gripes:
* Can't change thermostat units to Fahrenheit. I cannot comprehend why this is even a thing.
* The owner's manual spends too much time / space on HYBRID features, but zero space for basic maintenance procedures (probably by design)
* Hilariously, the battery is on its last legs despite a driving economy display that includes some sort of "charging" reading. (See image below.)
* Biggest one: I cannot get a recall notification fixed by the dealer because my car was purchased in a different country. This one almost makes me want to sell the car and should have been a talking point by the dealer.

Otherwise, it's pretty fun to drive and I like some of the "luxury" features..

Screenshot_20250910-095124_ReadEra Premium.webp
 
Any of you have experience with a hybrid Toyota Sienna AWD minivan? I'm looking to get a used one as a second vehicle to haul big stuff and use as a summer camping vehicle. It would reside in my garage during the winter while hooked up to a trickle charger and not be used unless I need it get new furniture or something that I don't want exposed to the elements. My current ride would be used during shoulder season and winter since it has a lot of ground clearance and winter tires on it from late Sept to mid May.
 
* Can't change thermostat units to Fahrenheit. I cannot comprehend why this is even a thing.
You may be able to get someone with Xentry access to recode the car from CA to US. The cars are coded for the delivery country and that includes all the localization (features, units, etc.).
 
Any of you have experience with a hybrid Toyota Sienna AWD minivan?
It's a Toyota. If it's had regular oil changes and hasn't been badly abused, it'll be fine for many more years.

The hybrid battery is the only thing I'd worry about crapping out in the next 10 years, but unless Toyota has changed how they make batteries, it should be possible to buy replacement cells or a rebuilt battery instead of buying a brand new one.
 
I've heard nothing but good things about the sienna. There are plenty of people who live out of them as stealth campers.

Good to know.

It's a Toyota. If it's had regular oil changes and hasn't been badly abused, it'll be fine for many more years.

The hybrid battery is the only thing I'd worry about crapping out in the next 10 years, but unless Toyota has changed how they make batteries, it should be possible to buy replacement cells or a rebuilt battery instead of buying a brand new one.

The battery is a concern since I'm looking at ~100k on the clock for something in my price range. Even 80% battery life/efficiency would be more than enough. I wouldn't be racking up a lot of in-city mileage on it. Some short trips and then long out of town trips where the hybrid part wouldn't be a factor at all.
 
Any of you have experience with a hybrid Toyota Sienna AWD minivan? I'm looking to get a used one as a second vehicle to haul big stuff and use as a summer camping vehicle. It would reside in my garage during the winter while hooked up to a trickle charger and not be used unless I need it get new furniture or something that I don't want exposed to the elements. My current ride would be used during shoulder season and winter since it has a lot of ground clearance and winter tires on it from late Sept to mid May.
My work had a newer Sienna I think a 2020 somewhere around there and an old 2009 VW Routan. The Sienna honestly had the less utility out of the two, the second row seats didn't come out while the Routans could stow into the floor in like a minute. The Toyota was nice and deffinetly the more comfortrable and generally nicer out of the two but it didn't like to be abused and it eventually got sold since it just couldn't hold as much cargo as the Routan and they ended up replacing it with another van.
 
The Lexus IS lives on with another refresh, but unfortunately kills off the biggest selling point of the car, the 5.0L V8, leaving the V6 as the only engine option. The CD Player also sadly has been future endeavored as well.

The redesigned front end looks way too much like today's Toyota cars though. And it appears that the HVAC controls are still physical buttons thankfully, unless Lexus's newer SUVs which moved their HVAC controls as touch controls below the infotainment screen:

View attachment 7897283 View attachment 7897292
The front end looks like the current gen Camry's.
 
I'm looking at Vipers again, please help me.
Help you how? Help you find one? I saw a nice one for sale in Florida about a week ago.

The Lexus IS lives on with another refresh, but unfortunately kills off the biggest selling point of the car, the 5.0L V8, leaving the V6 as the only engine option. The CD Player also sadly has been future endeavored as well.

The redesigned front end looks way too much like today's Toyota cars though. And it appears that the HVAC controls are still physical buttons thankfully, unless Lexus's newer SUVs which moved their HVAC controls as touch controls below the infotainment screen:

View attachment 7897283 View attachment 7897292
>V6 only
Terrible.

It looks too much like a camry and despite the predator face lexus grille being stupid that is not a good thing. Why can't the toyota make a good looking car anymore? Total retard mode styling department over the past decade.

I noticed today that if I lose pressure behind the break pedal if I press it all the way to the floor. The brake pedal makes a loud "click" once I get it nearly to the floor and then there's very very little hydraulic pressure pushing the pedal back up. The pedal continues to make clicking noises until I let fully off of it. My brake pressure came back shortly after and now I hear a "whoosh" or "hiss" when I push down on the brake pedal.

Clutch pedal is fine so I don't think it's a master cylinder. Could it be a brake booster? I replaced the pads, rotors, calipers, and lines a few months ago but this is a recent issue so it feels unrelated.

Can you describe that again? What do you mean pressure? Like the pedal goes soft? The pedal feels normal but the brakes don't seem to work as well as they should? It won't come back up unless you pull it up? Is the hiss continuous or just a pulse? A brake booster failure usually results in an overly firm pedal and maybe a vacuum leak (continuous hissing if you can even hear it).
 
What do you mean pressure?
Great question. I've never experienced it before so it's a little hard to describe. Pedal feel goes from hard (lots of resistance pushing back on your foot while pushing down the pedal) to soft (almost no resistance pushing against your foot). The brakes seem to work in slowing the car down until the brakes are 100% depressed, and then it feels like they aren't holding. Admittedly, I've only intentionally pressed the pedal down that far twice since I don't want to break something more than it is already broken.

As silly as it sounds, it's almost like I've pushed the pedal further than it should travel and that causes some pressure valve or something to release.
It won't come back up unless you pull it up?
The pedal does come back up on it's own. If you depress the brake pedal fully, and then let up 50% and then try to depress it back to 100%, there is very little resistance the second time compared to the first.

Is the hiss continuous or just a pulse?
The hiss only happens when pushing down on the pedal. It sounds like there's air in the lines getting compressed - it sounds very similar to a "whoosh" sound as the pedal is pressed.

Given what you've written it probably not a brake booster. Could it be a master cylinder? Maybe I fucked up installing the new rotors/calipers/lines? I recently had my clutch slave cylinder replaced and they bled the brakes at the same time but this issue popped up after that.

Thanks for the help
 
Could it be a master cylinder? Maybe I fucked up installing the new rotors/calipers/lines? I recently had my clutch slave cylinder replaced and they bled the brakes at the same time but this issue popped up after that.
Sounds more like a fluid issue than an issue with the rotors or calipers.

Could there be a small air pocket in the lines? Maybe the shop that did the clutch slave cylinder didn't bleed the brakes properly.
 
Great question. I've never experienced it before so it's a little hard to describe. Pedal feel goes from hard (lots of resistance pushing back on your foot while pushing down the pedal) to soft (almost no resistance pushing against your foot). The brakes seem to work in slowing the car down until the brakes are 100% depressed, and then it feels like they aren't holding. Admittedly, I've only intentionally pressed the pedal down that far twice since I don't want to break something more than it is already broken.

As silly as it sounds, it's almost like I've pushed the pedal further than it should travel and that causes some pressure valve or something to release.

The pedal does come back up on it's own. If you depress the brake pedal fully, and then let up 50% and then try to depress it back to 100%, there is very little resistance the second time compared to the first.


The hiss only happens when pushing down on the pedal. It sounds like there's air in the lines getting compressed - it sounds very similar to a "whoosh" sound as the pedal is pressed.

Given what you've written it probably not a brake booster. Could it be a master cylinder? Maybe I fucked up installing the new rotors/calipers/lines? I recently had my clutch slave cylinder replaced and they bled the brakes at the same time but this issue popped up after that.

Thanks for the help

I would start with a rebleed since that's an easy way to rule it out and is probably the first thing any mechanic would do but it does not sound like a bleed issue. It's odd behavior and to me it almost sounds like a brake master cylinder failure. Air in the system usually causes a consistently soft pedal feel, master cylinder failures result in the pedal sinking to the floor if you keep pressure on it and a lack of brake effectiveness. I've heard, never seen it personally, that some master cylinders can be damaged if you bottom them out and will come with a warning tag that says not to bottom it out while bleeding. This shouldn't be possible with the brake master cylinder installed in the car imo, but it also doesn't make sense to me that some master cylinders don't just have an internal stop to keep from pushing the seals out of their bore and damaging them. Brake boosters do normally make some noise as you move the pedal, that's normal since there is a valve in there and air moves in and out of the atmospheric pressure side of the booster as you move the pedal, but consistent noise while you're holding the pedal in some downward position would not be normal.
 
My work had a newer Sienna I think a 2020 somewhere around there and an old 2009 VW Routan. The Sienna honestly had the less utility out of the two, the second row seats didn't come out while the Routans could stow into the floor in like a minute. The Toyota was nice and deffinetly the more comfortrable and generally nicer out of the two but it didn't like to be abused and it eventually got sold since it just couldn't hold as much cargo as the Routan and they ended up replacing it with another van.
I think the reason the routan had that more utilities compared to the newer sienna is due to the routans being a rebadged dodge caravan. Granted the better looking but still based on the late 00s caravan/town and country platform. They even sold some under the ram moniker as the ram c/v tradesman.
 
I won't deny it and its fully on me. Eh, I've learned my lesson to take extreme precautions next time when I need to clean the engine bay from oil and mud.
Wasn't trying to be a dick sorry it's hard to read online. I mean yeah ya dun goofed. We all make mistakes!
Lots of Euro cars share a reservoir. The reservoir has a little wall in it to separate the two systems so that if one leaks, you don't lose the other. Now that you mention it though, they might have two master cylinders?

Boxster guys are funny

I wouldn't mind a 1g Boxster S as a hooligan ride, chop muffler off drop it 3 inches and just drive like a dick. Oh rattle can black, because fuck class.

Any of you have experience with a hybrid Toyota Sienna AWD minivan? I'm looking to get a used one as a second vehicle to haul big stuff and use as a summer camping vehicle. It would reside in my garage during the winter while hooked up to a trickle charger and not be used unless I need it get new furniture or something that I don't want exposed to the elements. My current ride would be used during shoulder season and winter since it has a lot of ground clearance and winter tires on it from late Sept to mid May.
They are wonderful, if you need a minivan (I hate minivans get a full size or sedan I also want to violently murder all crossovers) My best friend has one for him and his fam, we just did the oil change on it since I have a lift. Both side power doors are baller. Hybrid helps a lot because it's not great on gas with the weight and AWD. It doesn't whip well because me being me I had to try to get it side ways on our cul de sac. But aside me being a gooba, It was very planted if you needed to take a serious move. The fit and finish is wonderful, big down side is Toyota tax. They are great and a 3 year old will cost MSRP.

I'm also very picky about it, snow tires if you get snow. I daily a tiny honda on blizzaks and no front bumper. My dad's WRX has nice all seasons and it's a WRX but Basso drives like a mad man on unstudded winter tires because tires.
 
Wasn't trying to be a dick sorry it's hard to read online. I mean yeah ya dun goofed. We all make mistakes!
Sometimes, you can't even pressure wash the outside(without caution). My truck has a exterior hood release button in front, because it's a trunk, anyway I washed it and put it away and the next day I was in the garage and the lights flashed. The key was far enough away that wasn't it, I didn't think much of it until I went to drive and the hood had come open and hit the shelf above it. "WTF" I thought. And there was a "Hood System Error, Service Now" alert. I pulled it out and used the interior button and it worked fine and closed. It happened again and still had the error. So I pulled the codes... "Hood Exterior Button Stuck Low" oh, right, I got water in it when I was pressure washing the bugs off the grille, didn't I. Fucking electronic cars. Resolved itself after pushing it a bunch and giving it some time.
 
Speedhunters is dead, it might be a good time to go through old features you liked and archive stuff you liked before the website inevitably goes down. I am not sure how you would go about saving an article with the associated photos though. I don't think a simple "save page as" will preserve the high res clickthrough photos. Anyone know how to do that without manually saving as on every one? Some of the pages are buggy too, you can't click through to a bigger image on them.

Toby_Thyer_Photographer_-72.webp
Rocky-Auto-39-copy.webp

I got water in it when I was pressure washing the bugs off the grille, didn't I.
How close were you getting the nozzle to it? I don't like to get a pressure washer any closer than a couple of feet with the wide fan nozzle, and I really only use it because the foam dispenser I have requires it and is great for pre soaking to get dirt off.
 
Back
Top Bottom