[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

The short answer is, you cant evaluate this yourself. ...

On the fuel economy the same really. Truth is these manufacturer claims are small improvements anyway, and their test are done under laboratory conditions. So it remains to be seen in the first place what the correlation is between their lab controlled testing and the real world usage of a car. Now, where was that an issue recently as well?????

Jeroen

You are going way overboard
Mine was just a simple Q considering some of the retail branded outlets on the highway give fuel at a pretty cheaper rate (by 20-40 cents per gallon).

Originally Posted by vasoo

Most Gas stations which are not branded by big names like Shell, Mobil or Chevron are just retail outlets and they too source the supplies from these biggies. The quality of fuel is typically determined by the refining process and these are mostly owned by large corporations. So technically there is nothing to worry about the quality of gas in smaller outlets. Just keep sure that you use the right grade recommended for your car.

+1
Googled a bit on this - got more or less the same feedback; only one addition - rotate the fuel brands with atleast a branded fuel once in a while (one in three).

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

+1

A branded gas station doesn't necessarily have the brand fuel. I'll give an example of a "Gulf" gas station owned by an Indian in NJ.
...
Source was a Indian student working at this gas stations for more than a year and tips and tank fillings were personally handled by him in the nights. Unfortunate!!

Interesting. Thanks for sharing this!

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Good luck preaching.

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

Subaru Forrester .

Originally Posted by amitoj

LOL. I know what you mean

I am quite proud of this one. Managed to convince him on a Lincoln MKS AWD
Year - 2013
Mileage - 15515 Miles
OTD Price - $27.5K
If all goes through, he will pick it up tomorrow.
It's a colleague's lease return.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

+1


A branded gas station doesn't necessarily have the brand fuel.

To maintain the 'Gulf" franchisee the owner would order around 1-2 tankers of fuel/Month and the rest comes from a local unbranded supplier which is cheaper.

Grade? Gas stations have larger 20000 Gallon tank for 87 grade and smaller 12000 for premium (91 or 93). For a $20 tip, the driver of this local tanker will fill the 12000 gallon tank with 60% regular and 40% premium. The percentage varies depending on the tip.

Interesting & somewhat scary report considering my MDX requires Premium fuel. This makes selecting a bunk even more a gamble than it already was.

Originally Posted by GullwingGT

Hi guys, took delivery of my car 2016 Mazda 6 Touring. Will put up a detailed ownership review in few weeks.

Congratulations, would be looking forward to your report

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

Tesla Model S

Hey, any update on the Model S? Were you able to update and use the autopilot feature on it?

Maddy

[amitoj]

Hmmm. Looks like Tesla is having a tough time keeping customers satisfied:
Tesla Model S Reliability Rated 'Below Average' By Consumer Reports, Romance Over

[VIPER_SRT]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Hey, any update on the Model S? Were you able to update and use the autopilot feature on it? Maddy

No issues after it was fixed. Software got updated automatically and shows "Beta" on the screen. Screen interface looks good. I haven't tested the autopilot feature yet. Will update over the weekend.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Hmmm. Looks like Tesla is having a tough time keeping customers satisfied:
Tesla Model S Reliability Rated 'Below Average' By Consumer Reports, Romance Over

Wanted to post that article but didnt want to annoy the owner of the car. Looks like they are facing the same issues as any other car company. Lets see their course of action.

On a side note i have begun to notice my car suspension does a little bit of squeaky noise while going over the million speed breakers in my apartment complex. (Kid you not there are 20 from the gate to my garage!!) Is there some way i can have this go away?

Thanks in advance!

Maddy

[aah78]

Originally Posted by maddy42

On a side note i have begun to notice my car suspension does a little bit of squeaky noise while going over the million speed breakers in my apartment complex.

Is there some way i can have this go away?

Most common cause of squeaky suspension is worn bushings.

If you can, try spraying some lube on the joints and see if the noise goes away temporarily.

How old is the car / how many miles?


ps. Could you please update your location as per post (Buying, Owning, Driving and Maintaining a car in North America)#1? Thanks!

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Hmmm. Looks like Tesla is having a tough time keeping customers satisfied:
Tesla Model S Reliability Rated 'Below Average' By Consumer Reports, Romance Over

I'm curious why nobody is talking about Chevy Bolt. 200miles on a single charge & less than 40k MSRP. Heard from Confidential sources at GM that the retooling is in progress @ the Detroit plant and should start producing in 2016.


After moving to Detroit, I have a new found respect for the General! The engineering at the General is actually world class.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/che...-and-info-news

[VIPER_SRT]

Originally Posted by Jomz

I'm curious why nobody is talking about Chevy Bolt. 200miles on a single charge & less than 40k MSRP. Heard from Confidential sources at GM that the retooling is in progress @ the Detroit plant and should start producing in 2016.

After moving to Detroit, I have a new found respect for the General! The engineering at the General is actually world class.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/che...-and-info-news

For Around 40K, people will wait for Model 3 from Tesla. Bolt is not an innovation to get people's attention. All manufacturers are falling behind Tesla and GM is not a trustworthy brand after the recent Ignition Switch scandal which resulted in 100+ deaths.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by aah78

Most common cause of squeaky suspension is worn bushings.

If you can, try spraying some lube on the joints and see if the noise goes away temporarily.

How old is the car / how many miles?
Thanks!

Will check this out. Its a Hyundai genesis with 40k miles on it. Its a 2012 model.

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

For Around 40K, people will wait for Model 3 from Tesla. Bolt is not an innovation to get people's attention. All manufacturers are falling behind Tesla and GM is not a trustworthy brand after the recent Ignition Switch scandal which resulted in 100+ deaths.

This will be interesting to watch. There are a lot of pros and cons between both the companies. GM is big and didnt want to change and i think tesla made a lot of folks start listening to electric but with regards to long term ownership experience and reliability we would need to wait and watch.

We have seen multiple models of cars break down once out of warranty and the fix is pricey. Wait and watch on this. Also with the increasing popularity of the Model S there will be more bumps, crashes coming soon which will be blamed on the car and not the driver. We all know how the press picks a story and blows it out of proportion. Heck even the tesla combusting became news which made the company react to it by having underbody protection.

Last point is Model 3 is expected in 2017. Its not been dispayed yet. Also going by the companies ability to keep its promises i expect this to be delayed by a year. Also the pricing of 35k is tentative. I am so sure they will launch some silly feature along with this car which will increase its pricing to the upper 40k range. Something like the falcon doors and the Bigger air filter. Model X looks like an upgraded version of the Pontiac Aztek. So much for being different than GM Tata promised Nano at a Lac. It came at 2lacs on the road.

Just my 2 cents. Big fan of tesla and Musk but i do love traditional american makers.

Maddy
PS: i drive a Korean

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT

For Around 40K, people will wait for Model 3 from Tesla. Bolt is not an innovation to get people's attention. All manufacturers are falling behind Tesla and GM is not a trustworthy brand after the recent Ignition Switch scandal which resulted in 100+ deaths.

I don't think so. There is a lot of investment in research on battery technology at GM, which Tesla cannot match. I'm pretty sure GM will surpass Tesla in battery technology in a few years.

The ignition switch fiasco was a case created by one over worked mid career- mid level engineer.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2014...rack-for-years

There are similar cases throughout industry, Takata airbags, Toyota accelaration, VW emissions etc. Even my previous company - Cummins - was sued in 1996 for installing a cheating device on their engines to beat emissions. Some stuff happens, that does not mean the brand is not trustworthy. Companies, like people, learn from mistakes and move on.

I never thought I would say this, but I'm seriously contemplating a 2nd gen Volt. With 54 miles on pure electric drive per charge/ I might fill up only in months. All at a sweet 30k price point!!

Meanwhile on Tesla..

http://gizmodo.com/autopiloted-tesla...ars-1737956672

and GM vs Tesla
http://www.businessinsider.com/gm-co...-wanted-2015-1

[VLOCT]

The trust worthiness of Germans is now on display. The Japs are no better. In fact, Japanese manufacturers outnumber in recalls more than any other and as bull headed or even worse, in acknowleding a problem.

But then, if GM does a recall, it's because it's American and crap, but when the Japs does it, they're being diligent. Right. Public really swallows this nonsense, hook line and sinker.

[VIPER_SRT]

Originally Posted by Jomz

I don't think so. There is a lot of investment in research on battery technology at GM, which Tesla cannot match. I'm pretty sure GM will surpass Tesla in battery technology in a few years.
The ignition switch fiasco was a case created by one over worked mid career- mid level engineer.

I don't know what GM or Tesla are brewing in their R&D but I'm pretty sure they are spending $ for the next best thing. Lets not forget Tesla's Giga factory which will reduce the battery cost by 40-50%.

Big three were in business for a long time and were too big to fail but eventually they did! Its not the size or the investment in R&D but the culture of a company that matters. Detroit has always been catching up with Europeans in quality, fuel efficiency and designs. US Govt and US automakers least cared about fuel economy a decade back. It was fuel prices which forced automakers and the govt to take steps in catching up. Europe cars were always about small engines/more performance/better fuel economy. Was Detroit sleeping then and now catching up? A startup company Tesla bought a revolution and then car manufacturers started rethinking their strategies.

[kraft.wagen]

Unfortunately the Unions also play a big hand in the difficulty of Detrioit Automakers coming up.