current situation with cars

[racer254]

When was "cash for clunkers"

[racer254]

HUH.  Remember this.

Edited August 9, 2021 by racer254

[SayatodaU.P.eh?]

3 hours ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

I think the car companies are going to stage the release to keep prices high. But yeah, it’ll have an effect. Both Ford and gm have miles and miles of vehicles built but waiting for ECU’s and various other parts of the puzzle. The RV industry is the same. 

They will be released as parts are available whether that is a slow or all at once release. I don’t see used vehicle prices affecting the bottom line as bad as not selling new cars. They want off them, ASAP. Most likely, the parts are only going to trickle in though. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by SayatodaU.P.eh?

[Fireball 440]

On 8/8/2021 at 6:23 PM, racinfarmer said:

We almost traded it off last week, but couldn't quite bring ourselves to spend that kind of coin to rid ourselves of a perfectly good vehicle.  

We did go with the regular 3.5 over an Ecoboost on the recommendation of our mechanic neighbor.  

Frankly, the only complaint we have with it is the lack of arm rests in the 2nd row seats, @SVT MXZ XRS , WTF!

It's the timing chains and PTU that are the major design flaws, but they're expensive.

I had a 2015 Explorer with the 3.7 Interceptor.

[racinfarmer]

7 minutes ago, Fireball 440 said:

It's the timing chains and PTU that are the major design flaws, but they're expensive.

I had a 2015 Explorer with the 3.7 Interceptor.

Ours has the 3.5 where the major issue can be the water pump due to its location.  

[Fireball 440]

1 minute ago, racinfarmer said:

Ours has the 3.5 where the major issue can be the water pump due to its location.  

Yeah that's what I meant with the timing chains.  Stupid configuration.  They had the engine since 2007 they should have designed the car around that, but no....

 

[Angry ginger]

10 hours ago, racinfarmer said:

Ours has the 3.5 where the major issue can be the water pump due to its location.  

water pump and PTU.   i had to do the water pump and fortunately only an axle seal on the PTU at 125k or so. 

[Rigid1]

11 hours ago, Fireball 440 said:

It's the timing chains and PTU that are the major design flaws, but they're expensive.

I had a 2015 Explorer with the 3.7 Interceptor.

Did that have twinsies on it??

[Fireball 440]

12 hours ago, Rigid1 said:

Did that have twinsies on it??

No, it was a AWD 3.7 NA 304 HP.  141 mph top speed.  Consumer models came with the 3.5.

Same issues with both engines.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Fireball 440 said:

No, it was a AWD 3.7 NA 304 HP.  141 mph top speed.  Consumer models came with the 3.5.

Same issues with both engines.

How fast did you ever do in it? I would think at 141 it would be a little scary

[racinfarmer]

23 hours ago, Fireball 440 said:

Yeah that's what I meant with the timing chains.  Stupid configuration.  They had the engine since 2007 they should have designed the car around that, but no....

 

 

13 hours ago, Angry ginger said:

water pump and PTU.   i had to do the water pump and fortunately only an axle seal on the PTU at 125k or so. 

If all we have to do to it is a $1500 water pump job at say 125k, I'm going to call that a win.  

[Legend]

1 hour ago, racinfarmer said:

 

If all we have to do to it is a $1500 water pump job at say 125k, I'm going to call that a win.  

Transverse 3.5 have internal water pump. When it leaks, it leaks into oil pan. 

[Big Crappie]

1 hour ago, racinfarmer said:

 

If all we have to do to it is a $1500 water pump job at say 125k, I'm going to call that a win.  

 

28 minutes ago, Legend said:

Transverse 3.5 have internal water pump. When it leaks, it leaks into oil pan. 

If you see coolant on the floor it's time to check it out. There is a weep hole.

 

[Angry ginger]

13 hours ago, Big Crappie said:

 

If you see coolant on the floor it's time to check it out. There is a weep hole.

 

yup thats how we caught mine.  i sent it down the road at 140k as the trans was behaving weird.   carmax bought it.  

[ActionfigureJoe]

Ford is making some distinct changes to dealer inventory planning. Even after the chip shortage is worked it’s way through the system they plan to drastically cut inventories for dealers to as little as a 30-45 day supply. I expect other mfg’ers to follow this. 

[JEFF]

30 minutes ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

Ford is making some distinct changes to dealer inventory planning. Even after the chip shortage is worked it’s way through the system they plan to drastically cut inventories for dealers to as little as a 30-45 day supply. I expect other mfg’ers to follow this. 

Sounds profitable. Nothing like the smell of money from idle auto plants.

[CFM]

On 8/8/2021 at 10:14 PM, racinfarmer said:

I was a GM employee until last year, after we had owned our Exploder for 3 years.  

After seeing our friend's experience with an Equinox and another's was a Traverse, yeah, not a chance in hell.  Especially the Traverse.  

They both have Durangos now.  

World of hurt there. Sorry.

[Frostynuts]

On 8/8/2021 at 10:09 PM, SayatodaU.P.eh? said:

Use to work for…..got it. I’m sure his advice is solid. The C1 utes are great pieces. I have a few family/friends that have bought them to replace their Explorers and Edges. They are very happy with them. 

That’s because people are not buying as much because of the prices. Same thing is happening with real estate around here right now. 

About fukking time the stupid started wearing off of all the buyers. Tons of junk for sale, at stupid high prices, and folks buy that crap up like it,s gold. I just shake my head at the crazy prices I see on facebook for junk. 50% of the stuff for sale on there should be scrap.

[ActionfigureJoe]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:14 PM, racinfarmer said:

I was a GM employee until last year, after we had owned our Exploder for 3 years.  

After seeing our friend's experience with an Equinox and another's was a Traverse, yeah, not a chance in hell.  Especially the Traverse.  

They both have Durangos now.  

I was considering a new 1/2 ton pick up from GM with the 3L duramax for towing a travel trailer. Ultimately I made a decision to go in a different direction. Come to find out the new GM diesel has a rubber belt that drives the oil pump. The transmission has to be pulled to change it every 150,000 miles. Seems like a strange solution to whatever engineering problem that they had to solve. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by ActionfigureJoe

[JEFF]

28 minutes ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

I was considering a new 1/2 ton pick up from GM with the 3L duramax for towing a travel trailer. Ultimately I made a decision to go in a different direction. Come to find out the new GM diesel has a rubber belt that drives the oil pump. The transmission has to be pulled to change it every 150,000 miles. Seems like a strange solution to whatever engineering problem that they had to solve. 

I've spoken to some techs that claim it's not a big deal to yank the trans. One has to ask themselves though, why in the hell are they driving the oil pump with a belt? How much can a set of gears add to the cost? 

[ActionfigureJoe]

10 minutes ago, JEFF said:

I've spoken to some techs that claim it's not a big deal to yank the trans. One has to ask themselves though, why in the hell are they driving the oil pump with a belt? How much can a set of gears add to the cost? 

I thought the same. After all, the belt does run in an oil bath. My understanding is space and the potential for catastrophic damage should a chain break were the reasons a rubber belt was chosen. I’ve watched a GM engineer on YouTube talk about how belts have been tested to 200k with zero failure and no measurable wear. 

[JEFF]

1 minute ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

I thought the same. After all, the belt does run in an oil bath. My understanding is space and the potential for catastrophic damage should a chain break were the reasons a rubber belt was chosen. I’ve watched a GM engineer on YouTube talk about how belts have been tested to 200k with zero failure and no measurable wear. 

I'm sure the belts will last the specified time. But why? Just run it with the fuel pump drive system.

[SayatodaU.P.eh?]

1 hour ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

Ford is making some distinct changes to dealer inventory planning. Even after the chip shortage is worked it’s way through the system they plan to drastically cut inventories for dealers to as little as a 30-45 day supply. I expect other mfg’ers to follow this. 

Almost all are already doing this. This was how EV sales were planned to be, all along. Easy way to be even more profitable. The pandemic was just the extra push they needed. 

1 hour ago, JEFF said:

Sounds profitable. Nothing like the smell of money from idle auto plants.

Park one of the biggest cost drivers in the company, as much as possible. Make only the amount of vehicles that you need, or really close to it. Between the gains you make in not paying your overpaid assembly workforce to put vehicles together that you can’t sell and not having to sell overstock at huge discounts just to move them, it’s a pretty profitable bump in income for the companies, no? 

28 minutes ago, JEFF said:

I've spoken to some techs that claim it's not a big deal to yank the trans. One has to ask themselves though, why in the hell are they driving the oil pump with a belt? How much can a set of gears add to the cost? 

The trans is easy to pull. Most people will never change one they will just ship it down the road. I doubt it would break before 300k, but ask Italy. Like the cam/chain drive, all of it is on the back end of the engine. If you have to get into the cam drive system, the engine has to be removed. 
 

All of that aside, Ford dropped there 1/2 ton diesel and Doooge can’t make theirs last to save their ass. I’ve spent a bunch of time with the 3L Duramax. Even towing. If I was buying or leasing a 1/2 ton right now, it would be my pick for an engine. The 10 speed trans that comes with it is just icing on the cake. 

[Mag6240]

19 minutes ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

I thought the same. After all, the belt does run in an oil bath. My understanding is space and the potential for catastrophic damage should a chain break were the reasons a rubber belt was chosen. I’ve watched a GM engineer on YouTube talk about how belts have been tested to 200k with zero failure and no measurable wear. 

They run a belt, in an oil bath??  Hmmm - Never heard of that one.  Chains?  Sure.

[ActionfigureJoe]

10 minutes ago, SayatodaU.P.eh? said:

Almost all are already doing this. This was how EV sales were planned to be, all along. Easy way to be even more profitable. The pandemic was just the extra push they needed. 

Park one of the biggest cost drivers in the company, as much as possible. Make only the amount of vehicles that you need, or really close to it. Between the gains you make in not paying your overpaid assembly workforce to put vehicles together that you can’t sell and not having to sell overstock at huge discounts just to move them, it’s a pretty profitable bump in income for the companies, no? 

The trans is easy to pull. Most people will never change one they will just ship it down the road. I doubt it would break before 300k, but ask Italy. Like the cam/chain drive, all of it is on the back end of the engine. If you have to get into the cam drive system, the engine has to be removed. 
 

All of that aside, Ford dropped there 1/2 ton diesel and Doooge can’t make theirs last to save their ass. I’ve spent a bunch of time with the 3L Duramax. Even towing. If I was buying or leasing a 1/2 ton right now, it would be my pick for an engine. The 10 speed trans that comes with it is just icing on the cake. 

Ford is changing the entire paradigm of car distribution, inventory stocks, and cost structure at the dealer level. It’s called the Order Bank System. The center of it is keeping an average of a six week inventory on dealer’s lots rather than the traditional 16-20 week inventory of stock. All those pick ups sitting in fields will be staged slowly in their release to keep demand high and supply short. It’s a new strategy by ford’s CEO. He drafted a lengthy letter laying this out last week.