Cruise Control

On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same vehicles without cruise control.

Thank you Ray O. I guess I won't worry about the cruise then. Although I would have preferred a car without it, but the Toyota dealer here, Joe Machens, says he won't get any CE's other than this one coming in before the end of the year, which is when my Tercel's inspection tags expire.

So, gotta get something before then. You experts don't recommend getting the dealer's optional "undercoating" spray for so-called "added rust-proofing," do you all?

I'm under the impression that the undercoating stuff, and ScothGuard cloth seat stuff, etc., is just hokey ways to boost dealer profit.

Chances are, it's Simonize they are using for fabvric/paint prtection, and the pkg at the dealer I was working at went from $299 to $599 when the dealership got sold. Their cost? Stayed the same!!!

The only good thing about Simonize is, if you DO need something replaced or repainted, they pay for it. We replaced the carpeting in a RAV 4 because the owner spilled a gallon of ammonia and after two thorough cleanings it still stunk, so Simonize paid for new carpeting and the pad underneath.

We have also repainted hoods that have succumbed to tree sap and pigeon poop!

If you live in an area where you can't protect your car and KNOW something is going to happen, then (at $300) it's not bad. the coverage lasts for 5 years.

Other than that, get yourself some good Meguire's wax and a can of ScotchGard (yeah, I like the stuff), wax the car 3-4 times a year and spray the seats 2x a year.

I did NOT undercoat my precious '85 Corolla GTS ("Hachiroku"). It didn't even start rusting until 2000. I'd say 15 years is pretty good. The service manager (who I bought the car from at 1 year old) didn't undercoat it, and when I asked he sadi DON'T DO IT! What happens is, if there are any blemishes or gaps in the coating, the water and salts get trapped unser it and actually cause MORE rust. What i have done with a couple cars is had them sprayed with hydraulic oil; it is MESSY but works; I have an '85 Celica that was oiled by the Orig Owner and hardly has any rust on it at all. The best thing it to find holes (or PUNCH some!) and spray the oil into the doors and the body panels, and then spray underneath as well. Every year. Added benefit? It keeps nuts and bolts from rusting, so if you plan on keeping it for a while, repairs to parts under the car are easier! Oiling costs (around here) $50. Drive down a dirt road after oiling. Only problem? My current car is a white LHS, and I am always cleaning oil that is seeping from the door handles and seams. Better than rusting into the ground, though.

Thank you Hachiroku. I will definitely avoid the undercoating. I only wish the '06 Corolla came in a hatchback :-(

Oh well, at least the sedan does have 60/40 rear folding seats. The Tercel didn't have that.

Plus the 1995 four-door Tercel sported 93 horsepower, and this Monster I'm buying now has a full 126 horsepower. Woah, nelly ! [chuckle]

This is amazing, I think: The '95 I bought ten years ago in December '95 had 15,000 miles on it, and cost me $11 k from a dealer. Ten years later, adjusted for inflation that 11 k amounts to about $17 k. But I'm buying the *brand new* Corolla in 2005 for $15,500. So in constant dollars, the brand new Corolla is a full $1,500 less than the used one-year old Tercel.

Wow, I can only wonder if in a decade or two, absolute prices of new cars will start to come down, like the prices of TV and computers do today. You know, a 32-inch tv today costs less than a 20-incher did a few years back. And as for computers, we all know the extreme price deflation those machines have enjoyed. The 486 CPU IBM i bought in '95 cost me a whopping $3 grand. Just try to find a home desktop that costs that much today!

Is the day coming when you can buy a brand new Avalon for $12 k loaded, or a Lexus for 20?

It'd be great if cars followed the lead of TVs and computers. In constant dollars, they are. Soon it may be absolute dollars, too.

Hell, one day cars may not even be built in Japan and the U.S.A. anymore. They may be built in Mexico, for example. The Nissan Sentra already is assembled in Mexico.

Hell, I wouldn't give you $12 k for a brand new Avalon today!

Sincerely,

Art's Wife

I might give you $15k for a new Corolla, but no way $12 k for a brand new Avalon! The Fremont plant runs smoothly but that Kentucky plant is fraught with errors!

I wouldn't trust that Kentucky plant to assemble a mouse trap, let alone an Avalon!

Sincerely,

Art's Wife

[chuckle]

If you are in the U.S., I do not recommend undercoating or "rust proofing" because it has a tendency to trap moisture, actually making the problem worse. There are some products sold in Canada that TeGGeR recommends, but that stuff requires periodic re-application.

As far as paint protectant, you can apply a coat of good quality was like McGuire's and have the same results. For fabric protectant, a few cans of Scotch-Guard will work. Wax and Scotch-Guard are a lot less money than the stuff the dealer applies, with similar results.

So are VW's, Chryslers, and Fords. If you are talking about "one day," the cars will be assembled someplace outside of Mexico because Mexico no longer has the lowest labor costs.

I believe GM has a plant in Mexico too.

Believe it not, some newer Honda Accords that are sold in California were also made in Mexico. :-(

Cruise Control has absolutely NO, that's N-O-N-E, affect on reliability of the transmission. The cruise is nothing more than an automatic foot on the gas pedal. If there was going to be an issue with the cruise, then the issue would exist anyway.

If you never switch it on, then that's exactly the same thing as not having it.

Why would you NOT want to use cruise? I'll bet if you try it, you will like the way it works You run at certain speed most of the time anyway. I run with mine as soon as a reach 35 MPH. I set my speed at ten mph over the posted limit and drive with my fingertip. With cruise you can pick up or slow down as needed just like you can with the throttle. Cruise is standard equipment on the type of cars I buy, if it were not standard I would buy it. I use cruise so often I notice its absence as soon as a drive one of my four old collector cars. ;)

mike hunt

Beats me. I find that it helps me greatly in controlling my speed in parking lots.

I'll bet if you try it, you will like

I'm not sure that is a good way to use your Cruise, Mike. Speed changes, particularly speed increases cause Full Throttle accelleration, and this caused excessive fuel consumption. When your car gets to a hill, thenthe gas is applied slowly to keep the speed constant, but when you use the buttons to increase the speed, the system doesn't know how much increase is required, so it goes to Full Throttle until you stop feeding the input through the buttons. I think you can save considerable amounts of fuel by using the gas pedal.

To be sure, you CAN set the speed you want, make adjustments with the gas pedal, then set the new speed. Or, set the speed and use the button to coast down to a new speed and set it again. These methods would provide pretty close to the same consumption rates as using the gas pedal all of the time.

Personally, I only use my Cruise on the freeway, and then I don't use it all that much.

OIC California resident ah? LOL

mike

~ ~I'm not sure that is a good way to use your Cruise, Mike. Speed changes, ~particularly speed increases cause Full Throttle accelleration, and this ~caused excessive fuel consumption. When your car gets to a hill, thenthe gas ~is applied slowly to keep the speed constant, but when you use the buttons ~to increase the speed, the system doesn't know how much increase is ~required, so it goes to Full Throttle until you stop feeding the input ~through the buttons. I think you can save considerable amounts of fuel by ~using the gas pedal.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Huh? I use my cruise in the city sometimes, and I don't see much | |of a change in the tachometer at all, certainly it doesn't downshift| |(unless on a hill), so I doubt it uses much more fuel at all. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+

~To be sure, you CAN set the speed you want, make adjustments with the gas ~pedal, then set the new speed. Or, set the speed and use the button to coast ~down to a new speed and set it again. These methods would provide pretty ~close to the same consumption rates as using the gas pedal all of the time. ~ ~Personally, I only use my Cruise on the freeway, and then I don't use it all ~that much. ~ ~