Maine Auto Repair Shops

ME Car Consumer Discussions

Cooter

by marsha7 on Mon Dec 01 13:23:41 PST 2008

So many posts since yours, I may not even be responding to your point...but, hey!!! what the heck!!! that never stopped me before.......:):):):):) I am not sure about your "water under the bridge" comment, but I'll give it a shot... I think what I am trying to say is simply that the import "scandals" do not seem to be (perception, again) as numerous as the quality problems with various Big 3 models over the years...this stands out to me because we know autos better than anybody, yet we seem to let quality slip from our grasp over the years...do I have statistics???...none that I can quote, except maybe one... American buyers have been deserting Big 3 cars over the last 20 years, and there HAS to be a reason...too many doors that don't fit, too many hoods that do not meet the fenders, too many Pintos and Vegas, and too much junk manufactured well after the years of the Japanese junk... No one has pointed a gun at buyers collective heads, yet they have deserted Big 3 cars in droves...why is that???...I do not need to quote you statistics from JD Power or whatever...I simply need to point out that a large portion of the buying public has left the Big 3 to switch over to imports, so, regardless of how you respond to ME, it is THEY that have passively moved away from GM, Ford and Chrysler...there has to be a reason... Since the average buyer would not know UAW from the Pilots Union, they are fleeing SOMETHING...and they don't know who runs the companies (until now, of course, but not in the last 30 years) so we know they are not deserting management, and not deserting labor by name...one can only assume they have been burned severely, or multiple times, and felt differently when they sat in an import...they sure didn't switch to Honda and Toyota just because of the colors offered... So, is it water under the bridge???...I maintain that the Big 3 abused so many people over the last 30 years that you are now looking at the last chickens coming home to roost, and they are some mighty big chickens...am I right???...I don't know...but apparently more people are willing to forgive Toy and Honda than are willing to forgive the (probable) junk they bought from Big 3 dealers... Now that they have a ready alternative in the imports, the Big 3 will NEVER regain their lost market share, simply because they aren't enough buyers of CTS and Malibu, and there aren't enough "lemkos" to keep DTS/Lucerne alive... There are many more stories out there of buyers who bought American junk than there are who bought Japanese junk, and the import growing market share, IMO, is the only statistic I need... They ain't buying American because too many have an image of poor quality that will NOT go away, so it may not be "water under the bridge" for Big 3 buyers, if they were burned multiple times in just the last 10-15 years, let alone the last 25-30...

Re: to buy or not to buy [jimbob1975]

by whobodym on Mon Dec 01 06:32:18 PST 2008

one data point -- I am original owner of a 1997 GS-R B18C1, now at 160,000 miles. I have changed oil + filter regularly every 3750 miles (twice as often as scheduled), but used only ordinary name brand 5w30 oil. Still have virtually zero oil consumption. I tried one change with Mobil 1 0w-20 as a fuel economy experiment at 150,000 miles and then took it on a 7300 mile cross-country trip (WA to ME to SC and back to WA). Even with this watery oil, consumption was still barely noticeable (say, 1/3 qt on the the whole trip). I am expecting my engine to be pretty healthy still at 200,000 miles, although the rest of the car, especially electrical, is beginning to raise doubts.

car wont turn over

by singlemom47 on Mon Dec 01 04:20:41 PST 2008

Hello I have INFINITI J30T 1994 AND MY CAR WOULD START AFTER I CRANKED IT TWICE LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO GET POWER NOW IT DOES NOT START MAYBE AFTER LIKE 10 TIMES TRYING MY BOYFRIEND SAID IT HAD TO DO WITH THE STARTER BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER NAME HE CALLED IT BUT HE SAID IT MIGHT COST 50 DOLLARS CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE THIS WOULD BE LOCATED AND HAS ANYONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM I LOVE MY CAR AND NOW IT SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY :cry:

Re: Snake, where are you? [isellhondas]

by fezo on Sun Nov 30 14:03:15 PST 2008

I'm sure I can't buy it for Edmunds TMV.... ;) One time in my life I actually went into a dealership completely ready to come in one car and leave in another. This was when my 80 Accord was pronounced rusted to the point of dangerous. They has stamped "NOT SAFE TO DRIVE" on the invoice for looking at it. I went to the local Chevy dealer and asked what was used on the lot that fit in with what I wanted and they pulled out an 85 Sentra that took me maybe a half hour to buy. We were driving from the Jersey shore to Portland, ME the next day. Actually the only thing wrong in the whole transaction was that there was this nasty vibration on the Sentra at something like 53 mph. You could go slower or faster and it would be fine. Turned out the wheels needing balancing which did wonders.

Re: [alejandrom]

by oldfarmer50 on Thu Nov 27 05:52:31 PST 2008

"...then you know that everyone cherry picks..." You mean that when I fling open your doors, spread my arms wide and shout "WHO WANTS TO SELL ME A CAR...TODAY?" all the sales people won't flock to me? :( Where I sell I often have the same feelings you do about customers. I get 50-100 "ups" a day. It's comforting to know that some of the behavior I see is displayed at every business. Long ago I decided that I would present my products honestly, answer any questions as best I could and then shut up and let the customer decide. Usually I've found that the unpleasant people are so unhappy in their own lives that they will drag you down with them if you try to play their game. Feel sorry for them and move on. On rare occasion if I feel sorry for some truly poor soul I'll cut them a deal. I never do that for the type who swagger up and demand a bargain. One of the few perks of being the business owner as well as the salesman is that I can tell the really bad bozos to travel to a much warmer climate. ;) My motto is: "Retail would be perfect if it weren't for the customers".

Re: red lines it self [clipkarn]

by troll157 on Tue Nov 25 20:19:38 PST 2008

My '89 was doing the same thing awhile back, I'd have to shut it down. Difference is that after a couple of times, It'd get it's act right. You have cruise control? Was thinking about it awhile, you checked the throttle plate, Have you checked the Idle air motor? Maybe doesn't even have one, I don't know. Pintle doesn't move thoroughly and smoothly, the machine won't idle correctly. DON"T move the pintle in or out manually, messes 'em up, supposedly. I'd disconnect ALL linkage/sprin gs, etc. from the throttle-body and try it again. Hold the throttle shut with your hand, or something. Let someone else start it though, so's you might visually check the the mechanics of it all. I don't know what would happened if you were to remove the Idle-air-control motor and, CAREFULLY, metered the "controlled" air flow into the idle-air circuit manually. ie Shove a finger or such into the port the idle motor come from, stop or slow the air flow from the port inside, the port, and see what happens. Leave the motor connected to the harness, set it carefully somewhere safe and observe it's operation while you are at it. Oh, the cruise control..... Had a friend long ago, ME, got some vacuum hoses twisted around, and when I thought the'y'd "ONLY connect to those ports one way", It wasn't right at all. Vacuum came up -- so did the rev's--so did the vacuum--so did the rev's, etc. Scarry stuff isn't it? Spine jumps right out of the skin, huh? At the time mine was acting-up, I'd considered making a plane out of it. Just wouldn't have been as much fun though. You be careful, patient and consider, carefully, what's going on, and you'll be just fine. Have fun.