My new old magic carpet ride

Post #441,605 by crazy 6/1/22 1:20:21 AM 6/1/22 1:20:21 AM Reply	My new old magic carpet ride 2007 GMC Yukon. White. Powerful. Big. Gas guzzler. But worth it. I need to tow the boat. I don't have to tow very far. Only about 10 miles. But I need to tow it. So I had to get a vehicle large enough to tow it. So I did. And at that point I wanted a four-wheel drive that I can put a winch on and drag cars out of ditches when they inevitably fall into a ditch on the side of a mountain road here. Somehow I managed to convince the woman who owned the car to drive it to my local, 20 minute away, mechanic. I told her if it passes a safety inspection I will buy it. Then I will drive her home. I had no f****** clue. She lived two hours away. Well that was a lovely drive and that that allowed me to figure out basic mileage and usage. My mechanic was her mechanic. She grew up in my neighborhood but lives 2 hours away now but still takes the car to my mechanic. He has long records. The previous owner also lived in the same. Very small town. Same mechanic I think. So anyway, this is the first time I've ever confidently purchased a used car. We shall see if the confidence is justified. He pointed out of variety of leaks and the fact the front brakes need to be done and other than that it's fine. 12 to $1,500 bucks worth of work. And then should last me the rest of my life as long as the tires don't rot out due to lack of use.
Post #441,607 by CRConrad 6/1/22 5:07:01 AM 6/1/22 5:07:01 AM Reply	The tyres WILL "rot out", whether the vehicle is in use or not. Well, not "rot"; (synthetic) rubber doesn't really do that, AIUI. It's more like drying out. And UV radiation from the sun. The manufacturers' recommended usage period is something like three or four years, I think, and max age (including storage-before-usage, that is) somewhere around five or six. That's the manufacturers' recommendations, and they of course have all the incentive in the world to keep those low so they can sell you new tyres every fifteen minutes. But still, I'd prefer to use tyres that haven't been used for more than about five years and aren't older than, say, max ten. -- Christian R. Conrad The Man Who Apparently Still Knows Fucking Everything Mail: Same username as at the top left of this post, at iki.fi
Post #441,613 by crazy 6/1/22 9:37:55 PM 6/1/22 9:37:55 PM Reply	Okay as a general maintenance goal I'll target replacing the tires every 4 years or so. I sure I won't consume the tread in 4 years but I guess they'll be cracking.
Post #441,614 by crazy 6/1/22 9:47:03 PM 6/1/22 9:47:03 PM Reply	And the "apparent" in your signature Refers to approval from me. That's the first time I noticed that. So the man who apparently knows everything uses me for approval. Hehe.
Post #441,620 by CRConrad 6/2/22 2:43:48 AM 6/2/22 2:43:48 AM Reply	YOUR "approval" is the last thing I need. It was just an explicit alibi.
Post #441,610 by Another Scott 6/1/22 11:26:23 AM 6/1/22 11:26:23 AM Reply	Enjoy it. I need to change one (so 4) glow plugs on my diesel VW. So I was watching YouTube videos on what's involved. There's one of some poor guy trying to get one out that broke off in the head of a GMC something or other. He was doing welding and spraying and all kinds of stuff. Amazingly, he got it out (the joy was great). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebQOKqMGdFA I buy Michelin tires and only used to drive maybe 8-9,000 miles a year. The fronts would usually develop a network of surface sidewall cracks (from being parked on the street - heat, UV, ground level ozone, etc.) and I would have to replace them or the safety inspection guy would get cranky. They were still fine though even when probably 6-8+ years old. I would always worry about rust with old American trucks, but I assume you're fine out there on that score. Good luck! Cheers, Scott.
Post #441,615 by crazy 6/1/22 9:53:49 PM 6/1/22 9:53:49 PM Reply	What do you mean I should be fine on rust? I am in the wet. This is the Pacific Northwest right next to the ocean. It's always moist here. Makes it very easy to breathe. Everything rusts and rots here. I didn't notice salt on the roads this winter. In New Jersey I would drive for 2 months through salty slush. That made some serious rust. We had a snow over Christmas that shut everything down for 2 days but other than that pretty much nothing.
Post #441,617 by Another Scott 6/1/22 9:59:18 PM 6/1/22 9:59:18 PM Reply	I meant road salt. Yeah, the sea is a harsh mistress. When I was in grad school, my favorite uncle in Ohio gave me his 1974 Galaxie 500 that he wasn't driving. He kept a bag of road salt in the trunk. It leaked. Ate through part of the floor in the trunk, part of the frame, part of the brake lines. I remember trying to jack it up with a bottle jack to work on the brakes, and the top of the screw punched a hole through the frame! But I got a few years of use out of it. Salt and cars don't get along! Cheers, Scott.
Post #441,627 by pwhysall 6/3/22 4:47:41 AM 6/3/22 4:47:41 AM Reply	I live in a similar climate. Coastal, with cool, wet winters. I'm also 250 metres from the sea. My Saab got a little bit rusty round the rear arches (but then, it was also 12 years old when I sold it). The BMW (2014 model) has no rust at all. Modern cars resist rust much, much better than they used to. Maybe American cars (which we almost never see on our roads) rot worse than Euro cars do?
Post #441,616 by crazy 6/1/22 9:58:29 PM 6/1/22 9:58:29 PM Reply	And I changed my mind on replacing tires now I just did that with two other vehicles. I put on Michelin Cross country tires. I have the same attitude for Michelin as you do. But the mechanic had the car up on the lift and he spun the tires for me and he pointed out the great tread on the current tires and I really should not be replacing these tires without cause. So I won't. I'll replace them in three or four years.
Post #441,628 by pwhysall 6/3/22 4:49:34 AM 6/3/22 4:49:34 AM Reply	I get a lot of miles out of tyres. 20K is not unusual. I've got Bridgestone Turanzas on at the moment. What's the law on tread depth in your state? 1.6mm is the legal minimum here, but I generally replace at 3mm or less.
Post #441,629 by boxley 6/3/22 9:18:08 AM 6/3/22 9:18:08 AM Reply	tires here have markers in the treads, as long s they are not worn the tires are safe. I get around 40k miles on a set of tires but that is over a short period of time. "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" – Richard Feynman
Post #441,631 by pwhysall 6/3/22 10:53:44 AM 6/3/22 10:53:44 AM Reply	We have tread wear markers too. But if you reach the wear marker, you're at 1.6mm, and you're at the legal minimum.
Post #441,632 by crazy 6/3/22 3:47:32 PM 6/3/22 3:47:32 PM Reply	Clueless about the limit, I'd be googling just like you. I have a few methods of determining if it is time to replace. Number one if I notice the woppity woppity noise when the indicator gets worn to. Number two if I skid out. Simple as that. If I hit a skid then I need better tires because they're not matching my driving condition and style. Since this so very rarely happens, I'm pointing fingers at the tires. So then I go get new tires. Number three is simply when I buy a new used car. I don't trust those tires. I want the Michelin cross-countries. I go get the new tires.
Post #441,635 by pwhysall 6/4/22 7:15:13 AM 6/4/22 7:15:13 AM Reply	"Googling just like me"? Nah, I just know this stuff, because it's important.
Post #441,636 by crazy 6/4/22 4:33:26 PM 6/4/22 4:33:26 PM Reply	Really, you know the USDOT regulations concerning this?
Post #441,637 by boxley 6/4/22 5:58:27 PM 6/4/22 5:58:27 PM Reply	he dsigned traffic lights for a living and stayed in a holiday inn express once "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" – Richard Feynman
Post #441,639 by pwhysall 6/5/22 6:41:49 AM 6/5/22 6:41:49 AM Reply	nope
Post #441,638 by pwhysall 6/5/22 6:41:05 AM 6/5/22 6:41:05 AM Reply	I was talking about the UK legal minimum.
Post #441,640 by scoenye 6/5/22 4:03:23 PM 6/5/22 4:03:23 PM Reply	AFAIK, there are no USDOT regs for non-commercial vehicles. It is up to each State to set the minimum depth. Most use 2/32 (aka. 1.6 mm), CA and ID use 1/32, some set no limit.
Post #441,612 by a6l6e6x 6/1/22 6:00:33 PM 6/1/22 6:00:33 PM Reply	Well, thats's newer then my Ford E-450 base motor home. :) But CRC has a point about tires. In my case the suggestion is to replace the tires before they're used more than 5 years no matter how few miles were put on them. The sun and oxygen in the air age them. Some people cover the tires when they are parked to extend their life. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #441,618 by boxley 6/2/22 12:02:37 AM 6/2/22 12:02:37 AM Reply	didnt you buy that new? or dang time flies when you are having fun. "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" – Richard Feynman
Post #441,625 by a6l6e6x 6/2/22 10:32:56 PM 6/2/22 10:32:56 PM Reply	Yep, picked it up in January 2005. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov

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