Car Talk

“MarkO, that LS1 engine I'm talking about is the same engine that went into mid-90's Corvettes. Only difference is it was de-tuned in the Caprice - but a cam swap and new intake and its up to Corvette standards.

Nothing like those old-school body-on-frames, though!”

“If Nimble sees what people are bidding for those Chargers at Barrett-Jackson he'll cry all over again.”

“I wanna see Nimble cry!

Ya know, nobody burns rubber these days.
At least not like the '60s.
Maybe because the tires are so much better now.
Back then any piece of crap car could get 'em spinnin'.”

“I'm aware of the price increase due to the Dukes movie and always wanted to get another to see if I could keep it on the road at an alledgedly more mature age. I'd also like to get another crack at my '72 jeep commando.”

“Front & Rear Brake Pads - 140
Rear Rotors - 60
Rear Muffler - 170
Exhaust Gasket - 6
Shop supplies - 20
Labor - 300

Total - 736.02

Overdue Inspection - Priceless.

Drink?”

“You buying?

I could have saved you the cost of labor on the brakes. I love being able to fix my own brakes.”

“You can drink from my "stash". Not that I can, but since I don't have a garage, I can't do my own labor. The labor on the brakes alone was 200+ though. Maybe I could become a mechanic? How long does that take?”

“bear - If all they do is a "Hang and Turn" (hang new pads and turn the rotors) figure an hour. If they rebuild the calipers and/or wheel cylinders, maybe two hours.”

“The labor break down was:

reline front brakes, machine rotors 112.50
reline rear breaks, machine rotors 112.50
replace rear muffler 75.00”

“Anyone know why a clear liquid may be dripping from my car near the passenger front wheel?”

“if the a/c has been running it could be water condensation
that happens a lot”

“If it's a bit thicker consistency than water and depending on where near the front wheel and that you just had your brakes done I'd check the level in the master cylinder.

I hope it just condensation.”

“maybe you should let your passengers go to the bathroom more often”

“nah.. then it would be yellow... not clear”

“if youre eating healthy, its almost clear”

“and quit ruining jokes by being a nerd!”

“LOL! maybe AC. it's hotter than hell here. I think I'm a bit paranoid. I've had this mechanic since 2000 and I kind of tweaked on the phone when he gave me the estimate and before he did anything, of course. I apologized when i went to pick it up but..........I feel like I'm caught in 2 seinfeld episodes. The mechanic and the "wake up guy" all in one. LOL!”

“If it makes you feel any better the labor here runs about 2.5 per axle. That would be around $424. give or take. Plus about $160 or so for the pads. If you needed rear rotors that would just be more on the parts end.”

“Damn pepsi. That does make me feel better. Thanks!”

“Ouch. It amazes me that repair shops can get away with charging so much for such easy jobs. I think I need to buy a repair shop.”

“Argh. I have $1000 slated for some suspension/steering work on my car, and now a full engine & tranny combo is up on ebay for a really good price. $1000. I've seen many engine-only deals for $1200.

Fix up the suspension and steering (the steering is really shot BTW), or drop the $ on the engine and hope to pull $ together in the future before the car becomes unsafe?”

“You said "tranny".

Got my card inspected today. DC has one govt station for all inspections. 4 block, 70min line with my ac blowing mostly hot air.

But I passed. Woo Hoo.”

“You have to get your card inspected in DC? No wonder nobody sends B-day cards anymore.”

“Red Tape Capital.”

“NO inspections...period....

I'm the guy you gotta ask yourself about...

"How's he keep that deathtrap running?"

and I SCREAM "NO INSURANCE!"....

(both not true by the way, looks are decieving...but the looks keep people giving me a wide berth...I like that...LMAO).”

“I have the same affect in my Caprice, ST. They either think I'm a cop or an old man. With my Army-style hair cut, my aviation-style sunglasses, blue car and the type of fog lights on my car, I really look like a cop if you look in your rear-view mirror. Same affect - I get a wide berth.”

“I noticed this car on the noon news. I wonder if they will ever catch on over here.”

“I'll take a pair of Tata's.

Somebody had to say it.”

“There is no way it would pass US safety standards as is.”

“Still you will have (2X33) horses to clean up after.”

“33 horsepower isn't much to haul 4 people around and especially uphill. My motorcycle has 30 horsepower and it does okay with two people on it, but I can't see that amount of power pulling 4 adults around plus the weight of the car.”

“AH, VWs bugs had 35 ponies in the back and hauled way more than 4 4years and years and years,can I stop?”

“I noticed in that article the original Model T had 20 horsepower and a top speed of 45 mph.”

“Indians are not very large people.”

“I just checked on the original VW Beetles and they had an air cooled 985cc engine that produced 25 horsepower.”

“Are you kidding me? These Bajaj scooters have about 12 hp max.

”

“With the new official rules, this is the only legal thread, right?”

“#&%!$ rules. Rules were meant to be broken.”

“Anybody have a Honda Fit? I have to replace my Xb (totalled) and my wife will only do new.”

“I heard the Fit is selling well and dealers don't come down in price much on them. I still don't see many in my area if they are selling well. So far I think I've seen three or four of them in the past year.”

“I thought this would be about Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers. :p

They're funny. :D
last edited: 1/13/08 2:22:22 PM”

“tarptent brothers?”

“I think you've just come up with a new NPR show, my friend. ;)”

“Chevy Malibu is car of the year!!

woohoo!!”

“MsDoolittle, feel free to talk about Car Talk the show, or just talk about cars.

Spkeaking of cars, I should give an update on my car project, the reason I started this thread. So far I've redone most of the suspension, including heavy-duty shocks and the highest spring-rate springs I could buy. Put a new idler arm on in an attempt to fix a control issue that I still haven't figured out. I tried an adjustment to the steering backlash but it only made my handling worse. I might try another adjustment now that I have the new idler arm. I'm now pricing out a possible steering box replacement and ball joint replacement as my next possible handling culprits. Probably before any more steering components get replaced I'll need new tires, so I have also been pricing out new wheels and tires. Haven't decided on what I want to do - I might go with slightly lower sidewalls, but I also have been considering leaving the front wheels stock and getting larger rears...the dragster look. Nothing new on the power train at this point. Maxing out my handling between suspension and tire changes is my first goal, then I'll start on the power.”

“Nigal, that car looks like it has microcephaly.”

“The Nissan Versa five-door hatchback is a roomy little car.
My 6' 4" fits OK.

It's a little heavier than the Fit or Yaris and uses a bit more gas and is also more crash-worthy........so they say.
last edited: 1/14/08 10:28:09 AM”

“TechNTrek, you gearhead grease monkey........

Larger rear wheels should throw off your speedometer and odometer.

Watch out for the mounties!”