About Automobiles
I know we do pay a lot for the privilage of getting to and from places these days. With all of the recent talk about synthetic oils and such I began to ponder about the last time I had to replace a muffler on one of my vehicles.
If it weren't for having a tractor I would have sold my grease gun at the last yard sale!
Then I also remember having a truck Zebarted for rust protection. Then, all the times I have had to add a quart of oil in between changes. Honestly, it has been a while. Cars today hold up a lot better and go a lot farther than they used to! Heck! I find myself guilty of not popping the hood on my ride very often these days! The last time I did it was to get rid of all of the chipmunk deposits that were in the air filtration system. I did check all of the fluid levels just to stay in practice but all were good.
Business's like Tuffy and Midas along with The Muffler Shop are now more into routine maintenance today. Zebart (sp) is long gone. Anyway, just me thinking again about what it was once like. Perhaps things being so much easier contributes to todays youngsters not learning about how to change tires or even having a clue about a cars operations.
If it weren't for having a tractor I would have sold my grease gun at the last yard sale!
Then I also remember having a truck Zebarted for rust protection. Then, all the times I have had to add a quart of oil in between changes. Honestly, it has been a while. Cars today hold up a lot better and go a lot farther than they used to! Heck! I find myself guilty of not popping the hood on my ride very often these days! The last time I did it was to get rid of all of the chipmunk deposits that were in the air filtration system. I did check all of the fluid levels just to stay in practice but all were good.
Business's like Tuffy and Midas along with The Muffler Shop are now more into routine maintenance today. Zebart (sp) is long gone. Anyway, just me thinking again about what it was once like. Perhaps things being so much easier contributes to todays youngsters not learning about how to change tires or even having a clue about a cars operations.
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Today's cars are much more drive-able and reliable than cars at any time in history.
When one looks at what we are getting for our money, pricing is pretty reasonable as well.0 -
The use of stainless steel seems to have reduced the need for muffler replacement, at least in areas without road salt. Much of the exhaust system is now included as part of the car's pollution control devices, which have their own warranty, usually about 10 years. Manufacturers would rather tag a few extra bucks onto the price of the car for stainless steel instead of replacing failed mufflers every four or five years- which they would have to pay for under warranty. 0 -
Engines are built more precise than they were back yrs. ago. As mentioned stainless steel exhausts last longer. 0 -
American auto manufacturers had to up their game to try and stay competitive with the Asian auto industry. 0 -
I think both sides had to evolve. I am old enough to remember when the early rice burners came to Michigan. There wasn't enough steel and paint in them to get through two Michigan winters without rusting through. Engines o.k. but bodies and frames sucked. I know everyone has their favorite brands but nowadays there isn't much difference in quality between domestic and asian. They are all interconnected to some extent. For instance the Takata air bags they all used. Buy the brand you like and be thankful for not having to put up with the constant maintenance of the past. Bobaustin20 said:American auto manufacturers had to up their game to try and stay competitive with the Asian auto industry.3 -
Very good points, I agreeBobJudy said:
I think both sides had to evolve. I am old enough to remember when the early rice burners came to Michigan. There wasn't enough steel and paint in them to get through two Michigan winters without rusting through. Engines o.k. but bodies and frames sucked. I know everyone has their favorite brands but nowadays there isn't much difference in quality between domestic and asian. They are all interconnected to some extent. For instance the Takata air bags they all used. Buy the brand you like and be thankful for not having to put up with the constant maintenance of the past. Bobaustin20 said:American auto manufacturers had to up their game to try and stay competitive with the Asian auto industry.0 -
We bought a 2005 Honda from a new car dealer a while back. The manager told us that because of all the electronics, today’s new cars will crap out earlier than cars made a few years ago. 0 -
Don McManus said:Today's cars are much more drive-able and reliable than cars at any time in history.
When one looks at what we are getting for our money, pricing is pretty reasonable as well.
Cars yes, pickups no. I drive a 2001 Silverado, because a new one similar to what I have would cost me $65k. The new ones are not that much better than the older ones. Not enough to justify $900/month payments.My wife's Rav4 we just bought, I think it is decent value for the $$, but is was closer to $20k.
Vehicles are the #1 depreciating asset most people buy. I know I cannot afford to lose $20 or 30k in depreciation over a 5 year period on anything.
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My wifes dad was born in the twenties,grew up during the depression and was a soldier in Europe during WW-2.He always bought new Fords and drove them 60 or 70 thousand miles and would trade them on the next new Ford.He thought if a vehicle made 100,000 miles it was a fluke and would fall apart any minute.He had a hard time believing that my Nissan truck had 350,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. 0 -
Things I have hanging on the wall in the shop that puzzle my grandkids- a grease gun, a timing light, a dwell meter, and a metal oil can spout.
Tires last longer- a LOT longer. Stainless exhaust systems that run hotter thanx to catalytic converters. Spark plugs that never have a lead deposit. How may of you have used a spark plug cleaner? My set of feeler gauges have cobwebs on them. My first new car had an oil change interval of 1500 miles.
At one time, if you got 100K out of a vehicle, notify the Pope of another miracle. I own 3 that are over 200k, and still running well.0 -
Cars are certainly lasting longer. I have a friend who owned an auto parts business that his parents started 60 years ago. He just had to close the business. The combination of cars lasting longer and online auto parts did the business in. 0 -
1995 f150 exhaust still there but noisy 0 -
RPM's old and new. Old cars engines ran 2500-3000 rpm where the new ones with 6 or 8 speed transmissions do 1200 -1500 rpm. Less wear means it last longer. 0 -
Multiple reasons for the current crop of longevity in cars . Better metallurgy for engine parts subject to stress, computer controlled ignition , shifting etc . Growing up thru the 60’s and 70’s , I too , remember when 100,000 miles was a dream seldom achieved. Helped change the cams on many Chevy 350’s at 60k miles . My old 1995 f150 still doing good at 326,000 miles . They cost more and harder to work on but they last longer !
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i am fnnn fed up with warning lights..especially the tire pressure ones that stay on all the time ....i can look at tires and tell OK or not....and when ya put a code reader on it says OK.......one pickup i have shows 5 lights and it runs just fine... off the codes and they will come back after a short while......set it in the shop everything off clean and green, start it up a week later and ya got codes BS overkill....me no take it back to dealer (100 miles round trip)to clear codes for $200+...just go to my napa buddy and 2 minutes later zippedodah.....had a nightmare mess with a 2002 rav4 awd and finally just pulled the wire loom to the alternator and plugged it back in and ALL was OK ...still is months later???????? crazy 0 -
Thinking about mufflers reminded me of when I shipped an M1 to a gun and muffler shop in (I believe) San Antonio, Texas. It seems that the gun shop shared the same premises as a muffler shop. That is perfectly legal, although the BATF must be notified that another business is operating in the licensed location. In any case, they were very nice people. 0 -
Mark, sounds like a dealer here . He started out in his fathers tire and muffler shop about 30 years ago .
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And we all know that managers at car dealers would never tell you something just to get you to buy one of their cars.jimdeere said:We bought a 2005 Honda from a new car dealer a while back. The manager told us that because of all the electronics, today’s new cars will crap out earlier than cars made a few years ago.
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Talk about strange bedfellow business combinations! Todays gas stations have become gas selling party store\restaurants. There is a restaurant in a nearby town that also sells fish bait! I get a kick out of their sign every time I drive by! I'm too afraid to eat there! 0 -
I've got a '47 Plymouth coupe, here are a few things I have to do to it that you never have to do to modern cars.
1. Adjust the brake shoes.
2. Pack the wheel bearings.
3. Dress the ignition points.
4. Add distilled water to the 6 volt battery.
5. Clean the sediment trap on the fuel line.0 -
While in school at our local gas station was a café in another section, game room in another ,and a gun shop in another. What a popular place. It was the berries going in there.Brookwood said:Talk about strange bedfellow business combinations! Todays gas stations have become gas selling party store\restaurants. There is a restaurant in a nearby town that also sells fish bait! I get a kick out of their sign every time I drive by! I'm too afraid to eat there!
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Knifecollector said:I've got a '47 Plymouth coupe, here are a few things I have to do to it that you never have to do to modern cars.
1. Adjust the brake shoes.
2. Pack the wheel bearings.
3. Dress the ignition points.
4. Add distilled water to the 6 volt battery.
5. Clean the sediment trap on the fuel line.
Let me dwell on that.3 -
6. Change the oil in the air filter.Knifecollector said:I've got a '47 Plymouth coupe, here are a few things I have to do to it that you never have to do to modern cars.
1. Adjust the brake shoes.
2. Pack the wheel bearings.
3. Dress the ignition points.
4. Add distilled water to the 6 volt battery.
5. Clean the sediment trap on the fuel line.
Is that a positive ground system? I had a '52 Ford Customline with a 6 volt positive ground system when I was a kid. My first car. You wouldn't believe the lengths a 16 year old kid will go through to get a 12 volt negative gound sound system to work in a car with a 6 volt posi ground system! Had to wire in an inverter that boosted it to 12 volts and had the entire system isolated from the vehicle. A Realistic 8-Track system never sounded so good!0 -
I think I still have a tach/dwell meter in the garage, kids won't have a clue what it is after I go.......select-fire said:Knifecollector said:I've got a '47 Plymouth coupe, here are a few things I have to do to it that you never have to do to modern cars.
1. Adjust the brake shoes.
2. Pack the wheel bearings.
3. Dress the ignition points.
4. Add distilled water to the 6 volt battery.
5. Clean the sediment trap on the fuel line.
Let me dwell on that.
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I still have one 0 -
Had to laugh at my son (30yrs old) the other day when he called me all excited that he drove his first stick shift,...and didn't break anything. Out of 10 of his closest friends, he's one of three that can use a stick. I told him his granpa gave me one lesson in a 56 GMC with a granny low 4spd, and cut me loose. Girlfriend lived across town on a steep hill, figured I'd teach myself real quick. I did. 0 -
Most cars are automatics today unless older. 0 -
My sons last two Mustangs have been manuals ( funny thing his wife cannot drive a stick and she has no desire to try and drive his Shelby ). My son preferred a manual to an auto in his GT and now his Shelby..TRAP55 said:Had to laugh at my son (30yrs old) the other day when he called me all excited that he drove his first stick shift,...and didn't break anything. Out of 10 of his closest friends, he's one of three that can use a stick. I told him his granpa gave me one lesson in a 56 GMC with a granny low 4spd, and cut me loose. Girlfriend lived across town on a steep hill, figured I'd teach myself real quick. I did.
I taught both my son and daughter how to drive a stick way back when they started driving, my daughter has never had a stick shift so I am not sure how well she would do if she had to drive a stick but she was properly trained0 -
One of my first "modern" cars was a Ford Maverick with a straight 6 banger and three on the tree stick shifter. Keeping that car from rolling backwards on a slope while stopped was the best training I could ever teach myself! Before the Maverick I also had a few other's (61 Mercury Meteor, 62 Cadillac Fleetwood) but they were both automatics.
I am very familiar with the 6 volt systems, as my first attempt at car restorations was with a 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook. I had this one from about 1980 and played with it until I sold it around 1984. I recently found a picture of the same car online and it looked just like the day I let it go!0 -
Local Chevrolet dealer has several late model pick ups sitting in the lot, waiting for a replacement torque converter. Service manager claims that, during the last GM strike, all the parts transporters got other jobs, so now they have to way to get parts to the dealers. Guess they never heard of "Next Day Air", which the Japanese manufacturers use. 0
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