The Automotive Thread

I've got a 93 Camry with around 100k miles on it. It has leaked oil as long as I have owned it. I have had just about every engine seal replaced on the damn thing, and now it no longer regularly leaks. However, if I take a trip involving long stretches of highway speeds, it loses oil. If I drive around town, it doesn't lose a drop.

Example: I drive 300 miles from central Illinois to Chicago. When I get home I have to put approximately .75 quarts of oil in the thing to top it off.

I have driven another 300 miles after topping it off, but this time it is all local driving under 50 mph. I haven't lost any oil. (At least an amount I would notice on the dipstick)

What could be causing a fairly significant leak at high speeds, at a fairly consistent 3,000 rpms, while cruising between 0-4,000 rpms around town doesn't cause me to lose anything?

 

Cool, a car thread. Looks like there is quite a bit of knowledge here, and I know next to nothing about cars. I glanced through most of the pages (Ok - I got to page 8) and don't think that this has specifically been covered. Now that I have graduated,will be starting a full time job soon, and am contributing more to the household finances, we are thinking of getting a new car. I like the sporty sedans, with a touch of luxury thrown in. I guess we would also consider a coupe. I currently drive an Infiniti G35 and love everything about it. If I had my choice, we would get a G37, but for some reason my husband thinks it is silly for us to have twin cars. We can't afford an M45 (plus it is a little on the grandfatherly side) and I don't know much about what is comparable. We'll be trading in a Nissan Maxima, which has also been a spectacular car, but he is thinking about trying something else. Suggestions?

 

As a BMW lover I'd have to say take a look at a 328i sedan. Comparable price to the other two cars you mentioned, good quality and this is pretty much the definition of a sporty sedan in my book (not looking at M series or Nissan GTR etc. obviously). The only bad thing about the BMW's is repair costs. It's a bit pricey in that department even if you don't take it to the dealer - although not as bad.

 

For some reason, I have always been wary of jumping on the BMW bandwagon, but I guess there must be a reason why they have such a devoted following. Would you say that they are overpriced for what you get as compared to the Infiniti? Don't they nickle and dime you on the options and the upgrades? But I will bite the bullet and at least check them out.

I should have mentioned this before too....big fan of the all wheel drive, so I think that is a must have feature. My little car has been fantastic in this crappy winter weather.

 

As stated before the BMW 328 is a nice ride and BMW is currently offering great no cost maintenance for the first 3+ years including oil changes, brakes, etc. Depending on how long you keep the car for you could pay for nothing extra besides the gas.

Also BMW is offering ridiculous deals on their 2009 demo cars. Vehicles with 800ish miles on them for $10k under sticker. A buddy of mine just bought a 328ix demo and traded in a 2005 Suburu Legacy GT which they gave him $15,000 for. Not too shabby.

I'm also a fan of the Lexus GS350. One of the only Lex-I I like.

 

Get a foam gun to use with your pressure washer and use it with a decent car wash. Let dwell for a few minutes and then rinse.

 

You're right they do pretty much nickel and dime you on the options and I'm not sure what's offered in the stock Infiniti over the BMW so I can't comment. As for the all wheel drive issue, take a look at the xi models since they are all wheel drive. Its about a $2,000 increase in price.

 

Spraying WD40 on it will slow the rust down, but eventually you will have to get it cut out and fixed.

 

Try Canadian Tire and get some rust check-rust killer. Then use the regular rust check on your non rusted stuff.

 

I can't speak for all makes, but if it's an older Toyota the only way to cure it is to get a used rust free bed. I had an '88 that had rust holes in it, the truck had a lot of sentimental value so I took it in and had all the rust cut out and replaced with new sheet metal, then moved to Mississippi which isn't known as a place for rust. 2 years later the paint was bubbling up from the rust working it's way through again.

 

POR-15. Best stuff ever. It completely seals off the rust with a rock hard finish. It's a little pricey but not nearly as much as having body work done. Whenever I buy a 4X4 I buy a couple quarts of this stuff and do the entire underbody of the vehicle. Works like a charm since you can put it right over the rust.

http://www.por15.com/

 

This is an excellent suggestion. Just remember that you can put it right over well adhered rust. Make sure you remove any loose or flaky rust or paint. A wire wheel on a grinder works well for this.

 

Are you saying the quarter panel we essentially built out of POR-15 for my buddy's truck isn't in the "Wonder of the world" category? How dare you.

Absolutely get rid of the flaky rust first but as long as you connect POR-15 across two pieces of solid panel you'll be fine.

(The quarter panel in question could have been flicked apart by your index finger but after the POR-15 the shit was solid.)

 

My '97 Honda civic hatch recently sprung a leak in the radiator. I discovered this after driving around for about 10 minutes wondering why the engine had no power. Eventually I noticed the temperature guage was way off the scale, just short of spinning around in a complete loop. After kicking myself for being so unobservant, I had to limp home, stopping every 5km to refill the radiator with water and let it cool down. I replaced the radiator and flushed the coolant but since then the car has been lacking power. Someone suggested when the engine overheats you should worry about cracking the head.

How can I diagnose the problem and if possible, (ie, if it isn't a cracked head) fix it? Assume I am a poor college student who cant afford to take it to a mechanic after forking out for a new radiator.