Not sure, but probably not using anti-seize was a contributing factor!Originally Posted by Seanz0rz
Not sure, but probably not using anti-seize was a contributing factor!
I've been seeing more and more posts about 3rd gens getting lug nuts stuck. Last summer I did my brakes and had to replace 3 studs on one of my driver side front axles. Without a huge 3/4 drive breaker bar I wouldn't have been able to brake the stud. Had I been on the trail it would have been bad news.
I chucked the factory lug wrench years ago and carry a folding type cross wrench. One reason is the factory wrench left more to be desired. Plus I pull a trailer and also have security lugs on my wheels that take another size than stock. I've been meaning to get a couple more studs and lug nuts to add to my part stash just in case.
Oh and Bob, I've been meaning to ask how you like the Golf. I remember you said you were going to be coming up here to pick it up. Glad to hear it's turning some good numbers for you.
As for your panhard bar, that's a common one yet I'm not sure if it was brought up during your quest. Do you run the stock panhard bar? Stock hardware?
Mike,
Love the Golf. Granted, I've not purchased a new car since 1994, so any new car is great to me! But for the money, I really feel VW delivers on value. Engine is torquey as most diesels are, engine is smooth, no problems passing cars, handles well, and best of all, the bluetooth for phone and music! There are some really annoying quirks though, but a little money thrown at the problems took care of them. Namely, the B and C pillars are HUGE and the Golf came with non-aspherical mirrors, so I bought a set. Also, the rear headrests definitely get in the way of rearward visibility as they cover 1/2 the rear window. So I just removed them and put them in a nice back just in case I need them for passengers. The shifting was slightly buttery and mushy, so I bought a short shift kit and now it shifts more like a performance car.
I was up there early March. It was the most kick ass car buying experience---which made up for the shitty experience as chronicled here in my Yelp post: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ontario-volk...eV9fQ#src:self Literally, it was all done through email and maybe 2 phone calls. He even sent all the paperwork to me when I was in NY on vacation! All this was done to minimize time at the dealership, but the bonehead F&I guy misspelled my city name so we had to do all the paperwork again. But literally it was that painless.
I picked it up, went and got some local street tacos, headed to my friend's bar in downtown SJ, and then to my mom's. Had dinner w/ her and then next morning drove down to LA. I used the long onramps to make some "spirited" runs to test out the engine. T'was fun!
obligatory pics
Bob, I was getting ready to PM you to ask if you got your new car. Congratulations!
The A & B pillars on all the new cars are 2-3 times the size of the ones on the 4Runner thanks to airbags. With the visibility out of the new cars, I will probably need them. I'm not sure why they all have massive C pillars too.
Dealers...don't get me started. When I got the Nissan Leaf, I was dealing with six different dealerships and was armed with a spreadsheet showing exactly what everyone else on the forums paid. Not one of those dealerships got within $100 a month of those numbers. Dealers won't let you see the numbers unless you come in, and when I did, I immediately starting pointing out all of the BS charges they tacked on. Then after two hours of waiting to sign papers they found they made a mistake and wanted to increase the price above what we had already negotiated. I let the finance guy know what an ass he was, I did get my price and I made the jerk drive to my house to sign papers that night when he ran out of the correct forms and wanted me to come back another day to sign.
Having an economical car to drive feels very liberating. But another thing it does it makes you not mind pouring a bunch of fuel in the tank of the 4Runner when you want to go somewhere fun. Our cars get us places cheaply, the 4Runner takes us places fun. Glad you got your driveability issues figured out.
I don't understand why cars don't come with convex mirrors as standard. With neck, back and should problems, flipping my head around is bothersome. Every car I drive has them, and they are wonderful. When rock crawling, it is easier to see where my rear tires are hitting too!
2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...
1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.
People are too busy texting to bother with mirrors.
who needs mirrors when you have blind spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, lane drift detection, self parallel parking, etc.... new cars practically drive themselves!
on a related note, a coworker, who recently bought a new 6 spd TDI passat, was describing how the car won't let the rpms go below idle and will rev up a little to prevent stalling, and the hill assist was weird to get used to. did you notice any oddities like that bob?
he also mentioned that it took getting used to how quiet it is... he couldn't just shift by ear like his old nissan truck 5 spd (similar engine noise to our 4runners i assume lol).
i've stalled it a number of times but i think thats because i'm still getting used to the car. I'll see if mine does that too.
yes, the engine is pretty quiet thought i can shift by ear. the biggest difference though is having 6 speeds vs my 5 speed 4runner. i have to shift more often and in shorter time intervals between gears now. the other thing is the 6th gear. its definitely a cruising gear and meant NOT to be used for passing!
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