Other Cars

Spotting thread! Did you see any special cars on the road today?

invalid@example.com (Leadfoot J. McCoalroller) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:21 +0000

What cool things have you seen on the road lately?

I'm in Los Angeles for some work and it involves freeway commutes. I really enjoy looking out for cool cars when I'm here.

This has given me opportunity to see a new Toyota Crown out on the road the other day. The way the Toyota emblem is presented on the back is very elegant, just a cool detail that stands out in traffic.

Today on the 101 I saw a Mirai which appeared to be leaking water, or possibly coolant. Not sure what they've got in...

Spotting thread! Did you see any special cars on the road today?

ICE Car won't start after Serpentine broke / replaced. Diagnose noise?

invalid@example.com (Trafficat) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:54:31 +0000

So on my Mitsubishi Outlander, I wasn't driving, someone else was, and the serpentine belt broke, causing the car to overheat.

I repalced the serpentine belt, I replaced the spark plugs (which were due for replacement anyways), and I charged the battery and put a little jump start battery box onto it as well on boost mode, but this is all I get.

The serpentine belt moves which means the engine pistons are still turning. Anyone able to tell me just from the noise maybe if they know what...

ICE Car won't start after Serpentine broke / replaced. Diagnose noise?

Why I like my BMW i3-REx

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:45:37 +0000

Kinda long but he and I think alike:

2014 BMW i3-REx - my first bought in 2016 for $30k
2017 BMW i3-REx - my second bought in 2023 for $15k

Bob Wilson

Self-driving video ... holiday cheer

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:37:13 +0000

Bob Wilson

Ontario man shocked by $22,520 car sunroof repair (2020 Camry)

invalid@example.com (Tideland Prius) — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 23:21:56 +0000

Ontario man shocked by $22,520 car sunroof repair (2020 Camry)

Something changed at Munro Associates

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:36:54 +0000

I have been a fan-boy of Sandy Munro and his team at Munro Associates but something has changed:

YouTube content more style than hard engineering
Web page no longer has a number to call
- A lot more "eye candy"

I will continue to monitor "Munro Live" but I've noticed less, hard engineering content and more style (i.e., eye candy.)

Bob Wilson

Jackpot ! Lifetime Plug-in Battery Warranty

invalid@example.com (hill) — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:57:58 +0000

Some days you wake up on the right side of the bed. Got the note below in the mail - from the manufacturer of our minivan. It gets ~ 33mi per charge - running all electric - which is >90% of our drives
Do in part to bad LG cells - our traction pack was replaced when it had about 20k miles on it. That was when the minivan was 5 years old. 3 years later, & now that it's 8 years old - & if reading the letter correctly, no matter how many years or no matter how many miles - the battery now has...

Jackpot ! Lifetime Plug-in Battery Warranty

Most Pathetic Recall you've Ever Seen

invalid@example.com (hill) — Thu, 01 May 2025 02:19:08 +0000

GM is recalling nearly 600,000 large SUVs & pickups with a gas burning V8 because of sediment that prematurely wears piston rods & cranks.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a64621310/gm-recall-598000-full-size-pickup-trucks-and-suvs-6-2-liter-v8-engine-failure/
While the class action lawsuit & recall are underway - GM suggests as a remedial measure you use...

Most Pathetic Recall you've Ever Seen

Changing EV charging card

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:15:07 +0000

Tonight I learned that my COSTCO credit card provides a 4% reward for EV charging. Based on last year's Tesla charging:

$1,315 * 4% = $52.60

Amazon and my Credit Union does not offer EV charging rewards.

Any others that might offer EV charging rewards?

Bob Wilson

Window shopping

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 18:18:03 +0000

I have two aging cars:
View attachment 270704

75,000 mi BMW i3-REx - fun urban town but ~$95/1,200 miles
150,000 mi Tesla Model 3 - fun cross country and good city cheaper to run ~$80/1,200 miles

So I've been 'window shopping' to replace the BMW i3-REx with a more efficient EV. Recently, people I trust ('Edmunds' and 'Out of Spec') made positive reviews of the Chevy Equinox so I've arranged a test drive. Then I did a trade study:

View attachment 270705
I...

Window shopping

24 hrs: 2017 BMW i3-REx vs 2019 Tesla Model 3

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 12:11:29 +0000

Tuesday 03/25 I drove my 2017 BMW i3-REx for 24 hours which matches how long it takes to witness a Starship flight in Port Isabel TX:

Code:

Tesla Model 3   BMW i3-REx
1,200 mi.       1,140 mi.    distance
  $80.00          $81.00.    cost

This was not a planned test between the two car as much as by accident, nearly the same distance and time. Lesson's learned:

overlap or serial biology breaks - you don't eat something while pumping gas. But it is...

24 hrs: 2017 BMW i3-REx vs 2019 Tesla Model 3

Cheapest price ever for Commercial Charging

invalid@example.com (hill) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:10:08 +0000

What's the best price other than free anyone has seen to charge L2 ? Our residential EVSE operates off peak for 10¢/kWh. A true bargain after leaving So Cal some 3ish years ago. That's why we installed solar that paid for itself prior to moving out. Free charging is becoming more rare .... like finding Bigfoot riding a unicorn.
Our chargers at work in SoCal were a bargain at 26¢/kWh .... while other locations for L2 might be as high as 50¢ plus.
Long story short, we had software...

Cheapest price ever for Commercial Charging

Hacking Subaru: Tracking and Controlling Cars via the STARLINK Admin Panel

invalid@example.com (soft_r) — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22:48:58 +0000

Hacking Subaru: Tracking and Controlling Cars via the STARLINK Admin Panel

"Using the access provided by the vulnerability, an attacker who only knew the victim’s last name and ZIP code, email address, phone number, or license plate could have done the following:

Remotely start, stop, lock, unlock, and retrieve the current location of any vehicle.
Retrieve any vehicle’s complete location history from the past year, accurate to...

Hacking Subaru: Tracking and Controlling Cars via the STARLINK Admin Panel

Subaru now the most reliable brand?

invalid@example.com (Isaac Zachary) — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 00:56:39 +0000

There's news that (according to Consumer Reports) Subaru is now the most reliable car brand.
https://www.cars.com/articles/subaru-tops-consumer-reports-annual-auto-reliability-survey-499052/?msockid=202073d3ce6167c220a366decf69664f

One of their most reliable car is the Impreza. I hope that includes the older manual transmission models. (I...

Subaru now the most reliable brand?

MG HS Plug-in Hybrid

invalid@example.com (Tansu K) — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 20:47:35 +0000

I know, Toyota hybrid owners love machines. MG HS is selling a new plug-in hybrid car. This 2nd generation car has a 2-speed DHT transmission box. But I can't find any information about this transmission. no graphics, no animation. I asked the service. They don't know either. The vehicle is very new. There was an old generation 10-speed transmission. But does anyone know the new generation? I'm wondering, how does the power transfer work?

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Used OK?

invalid@example.com (wjtracy) — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:33:06 +0000

@hill How is that Pacifica plug-in working out?
I see Prius Chat is missing a category for Pacifica.
I might consider the used hybrid. As you may know, I have a 2009 Routan which has essentially equivalent interior layout, and I like the fact second row comes out so I put a 10-ft kayak in there. So I like to get a newer car at same time maintain the same interior capability. Well, the Routan (Chrysler by VW) has been a bit of a high maintenance problem, which I...

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Used OK?

air conditioner sighing

invalid@example.com (Trollbait) — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 20:52:06 +0000

I'm hearing a faint, intermittent hissing from the dash when the A/C is in use with the Outback. It reliably happens when the auto stop turns the engine off and on. Though it sometimes happens while cruising along. Don't know how long it has been going one. It's faint, and I regularly have the radio on. It was mostly luck I noticed it in the first place.

The air out of the vent seems to take longer to reach cold than past cars. But there is more cabin to chill, the system is using a...

air conditioner sighing

Toyota Avalon HV battery temp and voltage sensors

invalid@example.com (Kris_Parker) — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 18:15:11 +0000

Not sure if this is a right place to ask a question, but I got 2013 Toyota Avalon. I already disassembled the battery, everything is apart except the sensors. Just wanted to double check which on of them is a temp sensor and which is a voltage sensor. Usually I move the temp sensors close to center, because that's way the battery would cool off the middle more often.

Trip report to 2024 Work Truck conference

invalid@example.com (bwilson4web) — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 15:10:49 +0000

I went to see the REE motors booth. Rather than cut-and-paste, my trip report is here:
Headed to an Electric Truck conference, March 5 | Inside EVS Forum

Bob Wilson

Hyundai and Kia Introduces ‘Active Air Skirt’ to Help EVs Go Further

invalid@example.com (Trollbait) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:37:44 +0000

Posting here cause the tech itself is drive train neutral, and can improve the aerodynamics on any car. It's like active grill shutters. At higher speeds, air dams drop down to divert air flow around the front wheels. Many cars already have such; IIRC, we called them spats in the gen2 days. These are bigger. I don't think they actually hurt things enough at low speeds to matter. In that case, the active part is likely to allow them in an ideal spot while not being in the way for parking and...

Hyundai and Kia Introduces ‘Active Air Skirt’ to Help EVs Go Further