What have you done to your car today?

[niky]

Just finished an epic road trip. Put about 450 kilometers on the car on a beach trip. (That's epic when traffic limits you to about 20-30 kilometers per hour for much of the trip). Car is now really close to the 100,000 kilometer mark. Been stalled at 99,000+++ for a few weeks.

Drained an entire tank of propane. It sputtered out on me halfway home, going up a steep hill. Drove the rest of the way back on gasoline.

Have a front-wheel shimmy because I rotated my tires before the trip when I had my brakes cleaned. Forgot that I'd rotated them a few months ago because one of my tires was out of balance due to having one-too-many patched up holes in it.

Otherwise, it was a fine, fun drive in the mountains and on the highways. Sadly, since my family was with me, I had to stick to the speed limit the whole time.

 

[Public'sTwin]

Some buttwipe (I used much, much, much more creative and explicit terms earlier) tossed a piece of scrap metal from his truck earlier today and I ran over it.

Luckily, I was about 120m from home when the tire popped. We limped home, and I inspected the damage:

Very flat.

While changing the tire, I tried to inspect the caliper and brake disc to see what could be causing the scraping sound that had been coming from that wheel for the better part of a year now whenever I turn in. Scheduled maintenance and rotations never fixed it. There's a lot of rust under there though.
(Pardon my terrible jack mounting-point execution.)

The car looks anorexic now, with that spare. It doesn't help that the spare's nearly flat, as well. Oh well. Compressor will fix that.

 

[astrosdude91]

Looks like you bent the rim.

I played rescue truck today. I had to meet my friend at his apartment, because his battery died. So I came to the rescue and brought the jumper cables. I got him back on the road so he could get to work in time.

 

[Public'sTwin]

Looks like you bent the rim.

I played rescue truck today. I had to meet my friend at his apartment, because his battery died. So I came to the rescue and brought the jumper cables. I got him back on the road so he could get to work in time.

I very much did.

...But that was thanks to some winter rallying. (Same deal with the crunched front bumper, which you can't really see from some angles, and with the kink in that fender, and some horizontal scratches thereabouts.)

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Started sanding back and repainting the Suzi over the past couple of days. For a $9 job with some black spray cans it's actually coming up quite well. Pics soon, I didn't have the camera on me and my phone's camera is absolutely shoddy.

 

[Frizbe]

Beat the living piss out of her today.
LOL not really, did my first auto cross today not to shabby. ran a 67.0 on a course that didn't see anybody dip below 60 until about 3 hours in. Lowest were a WRX wagon and an Evo X.

I need tires though. Mine wont last another winter I fear.

 

[CyborgGT]

Yesterday: new fuel pump and filter installed after the car failed to start a few nights earlier. I didn't feel like dropping the tank for the pump so I busted out the dremel and cut a hole in the trunk. I'll be fabbing up a nice cover plate soon.

Today: went with a friend to the junkyard for his '95 Explorer. He's replacing most of the interior and we got lucky finding a near mint model... only flaw: someone took a dump in the very back of the truck! I pocketed a cig lighter mount, grille mount clips, and a window switch for the Accord. After installing the lighter mount the interior light fuse keeps blowing, I'll look at it tomorrow.

 

[homeforsummer]

Today: went with a friend to the junkyard for his '95 Explorer. He's replacing most of the interior and we got lucky finding a near mint model... only flaw: someone took a dump in the very back of the truck!

A very much optional extra.

 

[Event]

Gave it a wash, wax, some tire shine, wheel protectant.... and then discovered this:

I don't know when it happened... had to have been fairly recent. I havent even parallel parked in a while. Whoever did this is an ass.

 

[Keef]

I went for a hard trip, a hard drive, and calculated some gas mileage.

I went to Marietta, Ohio.

Two hundred and three miles there, 203 miles back. I averaged 28.4 miles per gallon getting there at 70 miles per hour, and 24.6 on the way back at the same speed. The return trip is partly uphill because you're leaving the Ohio river valley, and Marietta is right on the river. Plus you're going west, the opposite direction our weather goes, so there was a slight headwind. Overall my highway average for this trip was 26.5 mpg. Terrible compared to what I used to get, not too bad when compared directly to other cars' mileage, but when actually compared to other cars and how much better they are than a 1991 RX7 you get the idea that this car is abysmal.

Anyways, once I got there I drove route 26 north to Woodsfield, which is a road I've read about a couple times in the car magazines. I heard it was good fun.

Forty six point five miles to Woodsfield, 46.5 miles back. I gassed up at the BP right at the A, returned and did it again. I averaged almost exactly 16 mpg on the road, which involved a wide variety of driving styles and speeds, but quite a bit of hard acceleration. Quite a bit. I assume I'd get better city mileage with my typically much more conservative driving.

Oh, and before I left I added a quart of oil. Tell you what, just paying for gas and oil for this crutch completely cancels out the money otherwise saved by the nearly complete lack of regularly scheduled maintenance except changing the oil.

 

[Wardy 944]

Finally had chance to fit new rear brakes

New handbrake cable and shoes, the shoes are quite small and work on the inside of the disc.

The discs and pads are nice and meaty with Brembo 4 pot calipers fitted front and rear.

 

[Turbo-Kai]

18" rims (emotion racing gunmetal) with toyo t1r 225/35/18 tyres
brake discs front: tarox g88 with ebc black stuff pads
brake discs back: brembo max with ebc black stuff pads

edit: approx. 1 week after installation i did an endurance test when i drove about 600 km to the nürburgring (24h race)...

 

[Blackbird.]

Rotated the tires on my truck today on my birthday, relaxing.

 

[Blackbird.]

Gave it a wash, wax, some tire shine, wheel protectant.... and then discovered this:


I don't know when it happened... had to have been fairly recent. I havent even parallel parked in a while. Whoever did this is an ass.

It really, really, really sucks when things happen to your car that isn't in your control. I feel the same way, I discover everything when I wash my truck. I try to park in faraway places in a parking lot and when I come out me and some other bozo is right next to me in the middle of nowhere.

EDIT: My bad I forgot to edit this into the first post

 

[misnblu]

Finally got the car up and running. Woot

Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/v/3loIHPzpw0A

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Finished sanding back Suzi yesterday and I'm going to finish painting her today. Currently the whole front (bonnet, grille, bumper and fenders) are painted as well as the passenger door. Not going to worry about the roof, as I'm more than likely going to replace it with a fabric soft-top and a roll-cage anyway, and the windscreen needs to be completely replaced so it would be a waste of time and paint to do that now.

The paintjob isn't really that fantastic but it's a hell of a lot better than the blue-fading-to-purple-which-is-ripping-into-matte-black state that it was left in.

 

[Event]

It really, really, really sucks when things happen to your car that isn't in your control. I feel the same way, I discover everything when I wash my truck. I try to park in faraway places in a parking lot and when I come out me and some other bozo is right next to me in the middle of nowhere.

EDIT: My bad I forgot to edit this into the first post

I think I may have figured out who did it... the security people at my work drive crown vics... they have low license plates that stick out in front. and I saw one of them had a smashed license plate frame and bent plate... I just need someone to distract the guards to measure how high the bolts are above the ground and if they're the same size as the holes.

 

[homeforsummer]

I went for a hard trip, a hard drive, and calculated some gas mileage.

Trip sounded like fun, Keef 👍 Gas mileage was really quite "special" too. Last tank in the Miata was just over 31mpg, though over winter with less favourable conditions my lowest was under 24mpg (both in US gallons). So for a rotary with a heavier body I guess your cruising mileage isn't that bad.

I reckon there's a bit more to come from mine though. I'm almost certain the rear brakes are sticking slightly and the engine probably needs a good service too. I've no doubt the car overall isn't as healthy as it could be.

 

[Philly]

Overall my highway average for this trip was 26.5 mpg.

Apparently the recall VW did on my car a while back drops my gas mileage by a bit. So now cruising at 60, I get 27.5 mpg. At 80, which is where all my freeway driving is, I get 24.5.

Is it bad that my engine that is supposed to me all efficient and stuff gets beat by a rotary?

I should add that my 17 mpg in the city is just terrible. I never used to get below 20.

 

[Keef]

Apparently the recall VW did on my car a while back drops my gas mileage by a bit. So now cruising at 60, I get 27.5 mpg. At 80, which is where all my freeway driving is, I get 24.5.

Is it bad that my engine that is supposed to me all efficient and stuff gets beat by a rotary?

Yeah, that's pretty bad. A friend's Speed 3 gets about 26 on the highway but that thing cranks out 280 horses.

 

[Event]

installed a short shift plate so I get the stock shifter height but a 37% shorter throw. Works nice, now I need to replace the rubber bushings on the shifter base with the solid ones to tighten things up

 

[Zenith]

New spark plugs, spark plug wires, changed the oil, changed the radiator fluid, changed the fuel filter, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Eric.]

Changed the oil (Mobil1 full synthetic + K&N filter), rotated the tires.

 

[Vince_Fiero]

I change the front of my car:

I took the star of the Mercedes Benz and added a normal flat emblem.

This was it before:

And again now:

Notice I wanted the Lamborghini with changing colour, but the car plan did not allow for this.

 

[Philly]

I think I'd be really intimidated trying to park next to a Lamborghini Diablo in a car park...

 

[Jondot]

I think I'd be really intimidated trying to park next to a Lamborghini Diablo in a car park...

I think it'd be opening the door towards it that'd worry me. I'd probably hop out the boot...

 

[Vince_Fiero]

Philly
I think I'd be really intimidated trying to park next to a Lamborghini Diablo in a car park...

I think it'd be opening the door towards it that'd worry me. I'd probably hop out the boot...

I must say I had to breathe deeply at a certain moment, but could not resist.
Had to adjust my mirror, could not see where the Lamborghini started since the nose is so low.
I get out on the other side, we sit on the left hand side here.

 

[eiriksmil]

Cleaned it..

 

[CyborgGT]

I'm late but happy birthday, Blackbird!

Event, you planning on taking legal action if they match up? There's no way I'd empty my own pockets paying for that.

Tomorrow I get new axles, and I'll even have time to install them before work, yay!

 

[Vince_Fiero]

Cleaned it..

Would have been better with a before picture, anything like this?