[mohit]

Originally Posted by kashif_baig

Thank you for your reply. I was not aware that paying the full amount for a used car (around $5000) using a CC would not be accepted as I have done the same previously in South Africa.

I am planning to move to Richmond Hill/Markham/North York area. I have heard about the unreasonably high insurance quotes and I'm willing to live with approx $500 per month as insurance for a year until I have built up my credit history.

In order to be able to register the car, I am carrying along a DL Extract issued by the RTO here as well as taking an IDP.

Each dealer is different. Some might let you pay by cc if you pay a little extra to cover the processing charges.

If you plan to work downtown, look at North York. There's good TTC (transit) connectivity and you can take the subway. That way you can get away with not getting the car to begin with.
e.g. The Yonge and Sheppard/North York Centre area has a subway station, restaurants and grocery store at walking distance. For the winter averse, the buildings have underground connectivity to the subway.

Edit: Forgot to add - Insurance has nothing to do with credit history. Its purely based on your driving record. The first thing you want to do when you reach is to appear for the written test and get a G1 license. That way your license history starts building up. You should be able to skip waiting for a year and appear for a drive test right away to get a G2/G license.

Choice of car will also save you money on insurance. American cars generally have lower insurance.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

No emotional support/No mercy?

Was this for the 2013 GL450 listed in your signature?
For getting the rear brake pads & rotors changed - no, you shouldn't expect any mercy. (I'd say you got off easy .)

Just wondering though - did you get one of the pre-paid maintenance packages when buying the SUV?

The front rotors are cross-drilled (cheese graters) on this one right?
They should be a little more expensive ... ouch!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

Btw, Mercedes dealer at 30K service recommended changing my rear brakes (rotors/Pads) which I agreed to! Cost $695

Yikes.
My car's brake pads are nearing their end of life at 48K. Is it necessary to change both pads and rotors? Or is it a recommended practice? Is it an easy DIY job?

[aah78]

Originally Posted by amitoj

My car's brake pads are nearing their end of life at 48K. Is it necessary to change both pads and rotors? Or is it a recommended practice? Is it an easy DIY job?

No, it's not necessary / nor a recommended practice to change both pads & rotors together unless rotors are badly scratched or worn beyond the stamped minimum thickness.

Yes, it's a DIY job.
Changing pads is not a difficult job though it does take time when you're doing it the first time.

Rotors aren't too tough but they get jammed on the wheel/hub & have to be WD-40ied & knocked off.

Also, if the flush hex bolt that holds the rotor on the wheel/hub gets rounded off then you have to go through the process of drilling through it, etc.

[VIPER_SRT]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Yikes.
My car's brake pads are nearing their end of life at 48K. Is it necessary to change both pads and rotors? Or is it a recommended practice? Is it an easy DIY job?

Recommended brake job for my Acura TL was done at 58K miles. Kind of disappointed for Mercedes at 30K. Mercedes and BMW won't recommend re-surfacing rotors! So they change both. Did DIY for my 2001 Maxima, I was single then..Now I got 2 wild kids running around with scooters around the cars. The more I "request" them to stay away from the cars, the closer they get!

Originally Posted by aah78

No, it's not necessary / nor a recommended practice to change both pads & rotors together unless rotors are badly scratched or worn beyond the stamped minimum thickness.

Looks like dealers like me Never asked them if its necessary. Should try next time..

[VLOCT]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Yikes.
My car's brake pads are nearing their end of life at 48K. Is it necessary to change both pads and rotors? Or is it a recommended practice? Is it an easy DIY job?

Unless the rotor is close to its minimum recommended thickness or warped, no need to change it. I'll get them turned though, whenever I put new pads even. It ensures even wear with the new pads in.

Additionally, it's a brake job! There really is no need to shell out all these dollars at a dealer unless, their rates are as good as an independent garage. It doesn't matter whether it's a chevy or an MB. Unless it's a fancy carbon fiber brake system, a good mechanic can do the job and save you a ton of money.

[maddy42]

My bikes front brakes rotors are at their end of life and has started making some noise. Its 200 a piece and i need 2! Sometimes i see the point why the fellow countrymen go for a used honda or toyota with more than 150k miles and the only needed service being oil change

Vloct: Could you recommend a good place to procure these front brake discs for a monster?

Maddy

[VLOCT]

Maddy, there are so many options including ebay. I would do a research to see who can give you the best prize for quality rotors, preferably Brembos. Just do a google. There are prices way below $200 a piece.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

Maddy, there are so many options including ebay. I would do a research to see who can give you the best prize for quality rotors, preferably Brembos. Just do a google. There are prices way below $200 a piece.

Thank you Vloct! I will let you know what i got.

Maddy

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by kashif_baig

Thank you for your reply. I was not aware that paying the full amount for a used car (around $5000) using a CC would not be accepted as I have done the same previously in South Africa.

Originally Posted by mohit

Each dealer is different. Some might let you pay by cc if you pay a little extra to cover the processing charges.

+1 to this - I paid the major chunk of my car loan via credit card - the dealer was happy as long as I paid the CC processing charges. It didn't matter what % of the loan was via CC.

[amitoj]

Thanks for the tips about the brakes, guys.
It could possibly be just some dust stuck in there thats making the noise. The rotors are quite smooth to touch. Anyway, will be taking it to my usual Midas shop. They'll clean the brakes. Hopefully they wont con me into getting new pads and/or rotors unnecessarily. I have built some sort of rapport with the guy who owns the shop, so I hope he wont pull a fast one on me.
I also need to get my coilovers and shock absorbers tightened.

[VLOCT]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Thanks for the tips about the brakes, guys.
It could possibly be just some dust stuck in there thats making the noise. The rotors are quite smooth to touch. Anyway, will be taking it to my usual Midas shop. They'll clean the brakes. Hopefully they wont con me into getting new pads and/or rotors unnecessarily. I have built some sort of rapport with the guy who owns the shop, so I hope he wont pull a fast one on me.
I also need to get my coilovers and shock absorbers tightened.

Tightened?? Amitoj, you need to make sure the coil overs and shock absorbers and tightened to the manufacturer recommended Torque settings. Once set, the torque settings are what you check and only tightened, when necessary. There is nothing arbitrary about these. I hope that's what you're getting done. Please insist on seeing the recommended torque settings or better yet, do some research to find out what these are online for the components for your vehicle, not sure if there is one specifically for your car.

As for brakes, the tech should show and explain to you their condition and whether it needs replacement. If it does, don't use some cheap parts, only the best should go into you car, no matter how cheap the car you're driving. They're not unaffordably expensive, anyway. Even if you're only changing the pads, please request them to turn the rotors prior to installing the pads. Your brakes will last much longer.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by VLOCT

Tightened?? Amitoj, you need to make sure the coil overs and shock absorbers and tightened to the manufacturer recommended Torque settings. Once set, the torque settings are what you check and only tightened, when necessary. There is nothing arbitrary about these. I hope that's what you're getting done.

The BC racing shock absorbers come with a bolt on top of them that can be turned for adjusting the dampness. He took the shock absorber out and made it harder. The thumping noise that was coming from the rear is gone. These shock absorbers do need to be re-adjusted after their first install.

Originally Posted by VLOCT

As for brakes, the tech should show and explain to you their condition and whether it needs replacement. If it does, don't use some cheap parts, only the best should go into you car, no matter how cheap the car you're driving. They're not unaffordably expensive, anyway. Even if you're only changing the pads, please request them to turn the rotors prior to installing the pads. Your brakes will last much longer.

Yeah he did. One of the rear brake pads was sticking to the rotors and had worn out more than the other. It was also causing a slight drag on the car. I decided to change both rotors and the pads. Now the brake squeal is gone and the car does seem to move a little better. The front pads are still in pretty good shape. They are not even half way worn.

[maddy42]

We did a 1000 mile road trip in the GLA and had one issue which cropped up twice during the trip.

After about 2 hours from home we filled gas at a Conoco station which comes in the middle of a rez on the drive from flagstaff to Tuba city. After about an hour or so we got the check engine light on the car. Mind you we were in the middle of nowhere so a merc showroom was out of question.

Got down from the car, checked the fuel lid and it was tight. Then opened the bonnet to see if there is anything which catches my eye and all looked nice and square. Wife googled for info which threw a couple of bad sensor results.

I continued driving another 300 miles and nothing changed but the light remained on. After reaching our location we filled up at a Shell and left parked the car and called it a night. Next morning we wake up and voila...light is not on!

The engine light came on again after we filled in one more station "Valero" in a town. This went off only after we drove another 200 miles and filled up at a reputed station.

Is this a common occurence of below standard fuel? What to do when you are in such a situation? As we speak, i have a appointment at the dealer to check this issue.

On another note the GLA performed flawlessly in a No road situation with two minor water crossings. I could have pushed on if i had time.

Also a side note for my Escort 9500 radar detector. It spotted a cop about 3 miles away "I kid you not!!" on a desert highway. The Beep comes and 3 minutes later a cop drives by. 3 minutes! Both were doing 65 and driving towards each other.

So if anyone wants one, get this. Highly rated.

Maddy

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by maddy42

After about 2 hours from home we filled gas at a Conoco station which comes in the middle of a rez on the drive from flagstaff to Tuba city.
...
After reaching our location we filled up at a Shell and left parked the car and called it a night. Next morning we wake up and voila...light is not on!
...
The engine light came on again after we filled in one more station "Valero" in a town.

Not really answering your question - but I had the same query. This is to the folks on the forum - WRT the large number of gas station (companies) in the US, does the fuel quality differ wrt to the different brands?