Author Topic: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?  (Read 13267 times)

Meinurgill

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We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« on: July 12, 2014, 07:32:13 PM »
We finally decided to purchase a 2010 CRV with 90,000 miles. It is very clean and we intend to keep it that way. We would love to drive this car for 10+ years. I have questions about mechanic upkeep, but that's for another thread--just looking for advice on investing in cosmetic maintenance.

For instance, rubber floor mats in front and back seem obvious here in Michigan, but we have a child and I'm considering purchasing a set of seat covers for the second row...they are around $160 for the row. Worth it? Seems a small amount to protect a larger investment, but I'm not sure I'm thinking about this in the right way.

We also want to purchase a rubber mat for the cargo area, and to install a remote start ($350) so that we can ensure the car is warmed up before we drive it in the winter months, which will help extend the engine life (we do not have a garage). Aside from the obvious preventive maintenance (car washes and regular cleaning), what else do we need to do? What about wax/glaze for the exterior?

Can I get suggestions for supply sources, and how to find great deals? It's wise to preserve our investment, but I'm trying to figure out where spending $ is an extension of that protection and where it is simply unwarranted. TIA!

Left

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2014, 08:06:17 PM »
posting to follow thread

StartingEarly

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2014, 08:28:19 PM »
You may also want to look into ebay.  It seems like a set of seat covers and mats are about 100 cheaper than the 160 you are looking at for just seat covers.  They're also leather if that's a plus to you.

windypig

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2014, 08:36:56 PM »
Why not just walk outside and start the car ten minutes before you leave.

marty998

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2014, 08:47:34 PM »
You may also want to look into ebay.  It seems like a set of seat covers and mats are about 100 cheaper than the 160 you are looking at for just seat covers.  They're also leather if that's a plus to you.

whatver the price, you'll regret not buying one when there's food stains, spilt juice, puke, sweat and mud from sport uniforms.

Kids and mess go together like hand in glove.

darkadams00

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2014, 08:56:56 PM »
Seat covers--Reasonable with kids.
Cargo area mat--Reasonable since you're going to use that space for exactly that. Even food items spill sometimes on the way to your destination.

Remote entry--Not an option I would pay extra to get on a car and certainly not pay extra to add on. You live in Michigan. Embrace the cold.

Reese-type hitch--This is a better option for the remote entry money that will actually serve a more useful purpose. You can then attach a hitch-mount bike rack or small cargo rack for trips as well as pull a small trailer for errands like hauling furniture or bringing home a new grill. This gives you as many options as a pickup truck and helps keep some of the messier items out of your vehicle, e.g. six bags of mulch for landscaping.


Meinurgill

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2014, 09:05:16 PM »
Why not just walk outside and start the car ten minutes before you leave.

In theory, you are right. And I've been doing that for 15 years, or pretending to at least. At 6:30 AM when it's 10 below and damn near a blizzard, I'm a lot less likely to load on all of my winter gear, tromp out through 6 inches of snow, turn on my car, tromp back inside, remove all of my cold-weather gear, and then put it all back on 10 minutes later when I'm ready to leave, than I am to just start the engine cold, let it warm up for a bit while I wipe the snow off of it, and drive away before it's warm enough.

That said, I just read that turning the engine on to warm it up is actually harmful because it is idling without being up to temp. Is that correct?

CarDude

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2014, 09:21:49 PM »
It's not harmful, as the engine will become warmer whether it's driven or not. However, the main reason I urge folks not to do it is because it's wasteful.

Meinurgill

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2014, 09:32:31 PM »
Reese-type hitch--This is a better option for the remote entry money that will actually serve a more useful purpose. You can then attach a hitch-mount bike rack or small cargo rack for trips as well as pull a small trailer for errands like hauling furniture or bringing home a new grill. This gives you as many options as a pickup truck and helps keep some of the messier items out of your vehicle, e.g. six bags of mulch for landscaping.

Thank you for the excellent advice!

We are certainly not decided on the remote entry--I did find less expensive options, but we may still skip it altogether. My mother has been attempting to purchase a remote start for us for years as a gift, and I have told her no, just as we have done with the plow service she has attempted to purchase for us every Christmas. We always politely ask her to gift us something we really need instead of something we can just take care of on our own. We do intend to move to a home with a garage in the next few years, which will help some with the warming-up issue on the severe weather days (which are many around here).

Meinurgill

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2014, 10:07:04 PM »
Hmm, I never realized seat covers were a thing for when you have kids. I don't feedy kids in there often, and we hardly do juice type drinks. We are the final owners for our cars, but I don't think the kids have put anything in the vehicle that wouldn't wash out.

If I lived where you do, I think I'd be eager to get a house w/garage. If it won't be too long, maybe you can hold off on the remote start.

LOL I don't think the seat covers are a thing, I just looked around for solutions to protect the car and came across them. Seemed like a good idea with cloth seats. We had hoped for leather because it's so much easier to clean, but couldn't find one with that trim level in our price range.

Yes, we are watching the market carefully for a house equipped with better amenities, but around the same price point as the one we are in now, which is very reasonable. It would be a lateral shift financially but a huge increase in quality of life--just waiting on the right house to appear!

Willbrewer

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2014, 10:18:34 PM »
Instead of a $300 remote starter, buy a $30 engine block heater, and use a timer to turn it on a few hours before you leave on cold mornings.

http://www.amazon.com/Kats-11419-Watt-Frost-Heater/dp/B000I8TPGO

randymarsh

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2014, 11:31:59 PM »
I don't think modern cars need to be idled/warmed up to prevent damage. When I drive my 2010 Civic in the winter, I might start the engine & wait to shift for a minute but that's about it. I also ease out of the drive way and slowly accelerate. I find my car gets warm just a few minutes after cruising at 55MPH.

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2014, 12:18:21 AM »
A block heater is probably a better investment than the remote start in terms of keeping the engine happy, unless the goal is to have the car toasty when you get in for comfort. The idea is that wear occurs when oil can't flow to the bearings and wear surfaces. The block heater decreases the viscosity of the oil so that it can flow into those nooks and crannies during that high-wear interval during the cold start. Remote startup won't help with that.

Melody

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2014, 12:26:56 AM »
When buying seat covers make sure you buy ones that are airbag safe. No point to spend money on a nice safe 2010 model car and then put cheap ebay seat covers on that will interfere with your airbag deploying.
The cargo mat seems like an expensive word for old picnic blanket/sleeping bag though ;-) If you are really paranoid woven plastic rugs do a great job too...

Goldielocks

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2014, 12:35:21 AM »
I don't think modern cars need to be idled/warmed up to prevent damage. When I drive my 2010 Civic in the winter, I might start the engine & wait to shift for a minute but that's about it. I also ease out of the drive way and slowly accelerate. I find my car gets warm just a few minutes after cruising at 55MPH.

Ah, but warming up a car prevents damage to a marriage!   If you live in the north, you know what I mean.

Block heater and timer (or a switched oulet you can turn on 30min before you gi go outside ) is a must.  Oil doesnt move well at -30F.  but the car will be fine even if it doesn't start!  Batteries last longer if you dont need them to start at super cold temps, too.

Grant Q

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2014, 02:09:02 AM »
I lived in Lansing, Michigan for three years and didn't have a block warmer, and never warmed up the car.  It doesn't help at all per the authority on all things automotive, Car Talk:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/do-cars-need-warm-cold-winter-mornings

So there's $350 back for you.

And as for seat covers, floor covers, etc, why not just forget about all those things and just enjoy the car?  My car made it through 3 snowy winters in Germany and then another 3 brutal winters in Michigan, and now another 2 summers in Texas, never garaged and it still looks like new because I take good care of it.  No covers of any kind.  I keep it clean and if something spills, I have a little green clean machine to clean it up (it also takes care of the floor mats and the rest of the floor, it's like magic).  I've never had to replace any upholstery and it still looks new at 8 years and 130k miles.  For the outside- this is critical in MI if you don't want it to rust- you have to wax it twice a year in the spring and in the fall.  Do it yourself...it takes a Saturday afternoon and she'll look as good as new.  I don't have a spot of rust on my car.  I use McGuire's wax and a Craftsman orbital buffer that I bought new at Sears for about $30. 

Grant Q

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #16 on: July 13, 2014, 02:20:02 AM »

Ah, but warming up a car prevents damage to a marriage!   If you live in the north, you know what I mean.

Block heater and timer (or a switched oulet you can turn on 30min before you gi go outside ) is a must.  Oil doesnt move well at -30F.  but the car will be fine even if it doesn't start!  Batteries last longer if you dont need them to start at super cold temps, too.

Total nonsense, maybe in BC but not in Michigan.  In 3 years, my car (2006 Audi A3 daily driver) never once refused to start.  If it's that cold, might be time to take the day off.

Gray Matter

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #17 on: July 13, 2014, 05:37:30 AM »
I'd say no to the remote starter for all the reasons posted above.

And as for seat covers, floor covers, etc, why not just forget about all those things and just enjoy the car?...

I agree with Grant Q's sentiment.  You mention several times "protecting your investment" but a car like this is really not an investment--it's a consumer good that you will use up.  If you're looking at it from a frugal perspective, I would only do things that prolong the life of the car--floor mats and seat covers do not do that.  I have three kids and three dogs and have never had seat covers and we have gotten by just fine.  The only stain on the any of cloth seats is where I spilled coffee on the front seat.

That said, I might just spring for the rubber floor mats (where passengers sit, not in the cargo space) since you live in an area where they will be wet a lot.  We have had our car get really smelly when the carpet mats were getting wet a lot and not always drying out in between.  Luckily, we've been able to mask that smell by all the other smells provided by three kids and three dogs. :-)

Milspecstache

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #18 on: July 13, 2014, 06:40:14 AM »
Walmart sells some very cheap rubber floormats that I always put in my vehicles.  They are good at catching snow, ice, mud, debris, etc.  They are very deep and can therefore hold a lot of water or dirt which allows me to dump them out when they get full of dirt.  Have had them for many, many years and just keep moving them from vehicle to vehicle over the years.

avongil

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #19 on: July 13, 2014, 07:23:32 AM »
http://www.weathertech.com
WeatherTech floor mats. 200$  They fit perfectly, and you can dump cups of coffee in them before the overfill.

Don't idle the car, it wont make it last longer. It does just the opposite.  It takes too long to warm the engine up and the fuel computer dumps more fuel in at low temperatures making the catalytic converter ($$$) clog faster and the oil get dirty with fuel.. Don't do it man, just get in and drive!



Goldielocks

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2014, 08:56:16 AM »

Ah, but warming up a car prevents damage to a marriage!   If you live in the north, you know what I mean.

Block heater and timer (or a switched oulet you can turn on 30min before you gi go outside ) is a must.  Oil doesnt move well at -30F.  but the car will be fine even if it doesn't start!  Batteries last longer if you dont need them to start at super cold temps, too.

Total nonsense, maybe in BC but not in Michigan.  In 3 years, my car (2006 Audi A3 daily driver) never once refused to start.  If it's that cold, might be time to take the day off.

Bc, I dont need the block heater, but in winnipeg and calgary, the days without using it, you can definitely tell.   Battery charge is lower at cold temps, so rthe battery will need to be no more than 3 yrs old..  no getting that extra year or two out of them like in bc...  for those with longer life batteries, this still applies... long life batteries are more money, and you wont gat yr seven or eight out of them, the they will be fine until tbe cold weather hits unless you use a block heater....   but then again
!   I never did drive a sports car...e sorry for typos, my touchpad is . acting up..

Meinurgill

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2014, 10:22:58 AM »

The cargo mat seems like an expensive word for old picnic blanket/sleeping bag though ;-) If you are really paranoid woven plastic rugs do a great job too...

My husband hauls extremely heavy gear (he is a musician and audio engineer) and it tears up the rear end of vehicles.

avongil

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2014, 01:06:34 PM »
Great, Idea install a block heater!  They less than 100$ and are an easy install in a freeze plug.  The timer is also a great idea.



okashira

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2014, 01:46:35 PM »
It's not harmful, as the engine will become warmer whether it's driven or not. However, the main reason I urge folks not to do it is because it's wasteful.

This. If it's super cold, start the car, let it idle for 90 seconds, and drive slowly (easy on the gas) for another 5 minutes

It's just not good to start a newer car to let it warm up. Drive it right away. If super cold, idle 90 seconds, then drive.

avongil

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #24 on: July 13, 2014, 02:29:11 PM »
I concur with the last statement. Just enough to get the oil well dispersed, anything more and its wasteful.

It is however harmful to a certain extent because you are prolonging heat up and a proper fuel air mix.  At lower engine water temperatures the fuel injection computer is programed for a rich mix so it actually keeps running.  this causes much fuel to go past the rings and into the oil.

When you change the oil on a car that runs rich, it wreaks of gasoline and feels it too.


begood

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1967mama

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #26 on: July 13, 2014, 05:42:14 PM »
We've had our van since 2001 -- multiple kids -- seats are a little stained here and there, but nothing a little carpet cleaner/oxy clean won't get out.

Plus, as kids get older, they get past the spilling stage pretty quickly. We've never bought seat covers -- overkill IMHO.   If you're really worried, just use an old sheet under the car seat for a few years. 

Willbrewer

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #27 on: July 13, 2014, 08:14:40 PM »
Walmart sells some very cheap rubber floormats that I always put in my vehicles.  They are good at catching snow, ice, mud, debris, etc.  They are very deep and can therefore hold a lot of water or dirt which allows me to dump them out when they get full of dirt.  Have had them for many, many years and just keep moving them from vehicle to vehicle over the years.

+1

If I remember correctly, a set of 4 (2 cut-to-fit large ones for the front, 2 smaller for the rear) cost about $20. Heavy duty and worth every penny.

caseyzee

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #28 on: July 13, 2014, 08:28:50 PM »
I wouldn't spend the money on seat covers.  My fabric seats have been vomited on, spilled on, and tracked on and they have cleaned up fine.  The only thing that hasn't cleaned up is a melted crayon, which still gets gooey on a hot day, and still annoys me.  So my recommendation is NO crayons in the car!

Melody

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #29 on: July 14, 2014, 07:47:59 AM »
For a cheap option could try a can of fabric protection spray from the hardware store. My friend swears by it for.couches and i guess it would.work.on cars too. Its less than $5 a can.

VillageIdiot

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #30 on: July 14, 2014, 08:31:40 AM »
Why not just walk outside and start the car ten minutes before you leave.

In theory, you are right. And I've been doing that for 15 years, or pretending to at least. At 6:30 AM when it's 10 below and damn near a blizzard, I'm a lot less likely to load on all of my winter gear, tromp out through 6 inches of snow, turn on my car, tromp back inside, remove all of my cold-weather gear, and then put it all back on 10 minutes later when I'm ready to leave, than I am to just start the engine cold, let it warm up for a bit while I wipe the snow off of it, and drive away before it's warm enough.

That said, I just read that turning the engine on to warm it up is actually harmful because it is idling without being up to temp. Is that correct?

There used to be a whole lot of advice on what to do with cars when the engine is cold. Cold engines tended to burn fuel incorrectly and destroy the seals between the cylinders and pistons due to different expansion and contraction rate between metals.

But modern cars are a bit smarter. The computers know to adjust the fuel air mix to avoid polluting, and the engines cooling system disables itself until the block is warm (if you've ever needed to have an engine thermostat replaced, that's what that is). These days I don't really worry too much about it unless if it's below 0 out, in which case I make a stronger effort to batch my car usage and let it (and me!) warm for 5 minutes or so, especially before hitting a highway.

Nate R

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #31 on: July 14, 2014, 08:41:02 AM »
We have a 2011 CR-V that we intend to keep for 10 years as well.

I added the Weathertech Mats and a Curt trailer hitch. I think I may end up spendign the $160 for seat covers for the back row, as the sheet we're using isn't working out wtih the dogs.  Keeps falling down/off. The Weathertech mats are great so far. Last car we just used the OEM rubber mats at all times, and we ended up tearing up the carpet NEXT to the mat. The Weathertech covers that area.

The hitch I agree is a better choice than the remote start. $140 from Amazon, put it on yourself. Not too bad on the CR-V. There's videos, etc. We use ours for a bike rack, hauling a small trailer and hauling our small camper.

I would go with the block heater and timer. Used it on 2 other cars so far, works great. Coolant is 80 degrees instead of -5 in one of my cars when I start it up on a cold morning. (Parked outside.) For most garaged cars, the block heater is borderline unnecessary. Take your own data and see what your garage temp is when it's 0 outside, and make a decision then whether it's worth the hassle to put in.

Timmmy

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #32 on: July 14, 2014, 09:44:41 AM »
All this talk about the problems that are created with a remote start are funny.  If all this were true my Honda should be dead by now.  I remote start it pretty much everyday in the winter and even a lot of days in the summer.  It's currently closing in on 180K miles and even with all those (terrible for the car) remote start mornings it's still running great. 

My advice, get the remote start.  It's great to be able to get in to a warm/cool car in the morning.  Also, make sure to get it done by a reputable shop.  I didn't and had to go back a few times to get weird problems sorted out. 

m8547

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #33 on: July 14, 2014, 09:12:47 PM »
Here's my take on the questions in this thread:

A remote start won't help the car run better or last longer in cold weather, but it can increase comfort and speed up defrosting the windows, which can be necessary sometimes. I don't think it's great for the car to let it idle to warm up, but it's not really going to hurt anything with a modern car.  My car takes forever to warm up idling if it's below about 10F in the morning, but that's another issue (I need to check the thermostat when the weather gets colder).

A block heater will be more effective for warming up the engine efficiently. Of course it's not necessary for the car to start since modern cars are designed to work well over a huge range of conditions. But it will slightly reduce wear on the engine and save fuel by not burning it idling and by running more efficiently when it does start. The car won't be warm when you get in, but it will warm up fast since the engine starts out not as cold as it would otherwise be. The factory block heater for my car is about $50, and I might get one when it's time to change the coolant. Installing it requires draining the coolant. There are not that many mornings below 0F here, and I can't always park near an electrical outlet, so it might not be worth it.

I will use the floor mats that come with my car until they need to be replaced, then I'll get rubber ones. So far they are fine, and I found the best way to clean them is to bring them inside when they are dry and vacuum them with your household vacuum like you would a rug or carpet.

For the back seats, could you use a bed sheet? Or just place a towel on the bench cushion and hope the seatback doesn't get too dirty? The rear side curtain airbags usually come from the ceiling. If there is one in the seat there is usually a cloth tag that says side airbag, and it should say for sure in the owner's manual.

SDREMNGR

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #34 on: July 15, 2014, 12:06:14 AM »
Sorry to thread jack but.... moving an option?   Never understood why people live in the northern half of the US...

wtjbatman

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #35 on: July 15, 2014, 07:39:27 AM »
Sorry to thread jack but.... moving an option?   Never understood why people live in the northern half of the US...

Low cost of living, nice people, beautiful views, easy access to state parks/rivers/lakes, get to enjoy all four seasons from blossoming spring to green summers to colorful falls to scenic winters, only natural disaster is flooding (don't live on a flood plain), increasing presence of high tech industries and diverse cultures, any kind of housing desired (apartment, townhomes, single family homes in the city, farm houses in the country) within 10 miles of your job, little or no pollution...

Oh I'm sorry, did that sound too positive? I meant to say, OMG the winters get cold!!!!1111!!! How can humans live like this?!?!

CarDude

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #36 on: July 15, 2014, 07:48:20 AM »
Sorry to thread jack but.... moving an option?   Never understood why people live in the northern half of the US...

Our bugs are smaller and go away for half the year.

Goldielocks

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #37 on: July 15, 2014, 08:40:19 AM »
I lived in Lansing, Michigan for three years and didn't have a block warmer, and never warmed up the car.  It doesn't help at all per the authority on all things automotive, Car Talk:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/do-cars-need-warm-cold-winter-mornings

So there's $350 back for you.

And as for seat covers, floor covers, etc, why not just forget about all those things and just enjoy the car?  My car made it through 3 snowy winters in Germany and then another 3 brutal winters in Michigan, and now another 2 summers in Texas, never garaged and it still looks like new because I take good care of it.  No covers of any kind.  I keep it clean and if something spills, I have a little green clean machine to clean it up (it also takes care of the floor mats and the rest of the floor, it's like magic).  I've never had to replace any upholstery and it still looks new at 8 years and 130k miles.  For the outside- this is critical in MI if you don't want it to rust- you have to wax it twice a year in the spring and in the fall.  Do it yourself...it takes a Saturday afternoon and she'll look as good as new.  I don't have a spot of rust on my car.  I use McGuire's wax and a Craftsman orbital buffer that I bought new at Sears for about $30.

OK I checked out the link. The reasons I advocate a block heater have to do with battery life, ease of starting.  This is on a -10F overnight. Our block heater was $80 installed.

I disagree about not warming up the car because within 2 minutes your windshield will be frozen over on the inside, even if you just scraped the outside.  A warmer car with some heat can prevent this safety issue.  A whole host of other issues crop up at -30 extended overnight, but Michigan should not have that and a garage or winterized vehicle is the answer to that, not remote start.

It is a pain to put baby into a frozen car.  Remote Auto start is a nice luxury.

Nate R

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #38 on: July 15, 2014, 08:50:30 AM »

A block heater will be more effective for warming up the engine efficiently. Of course it's not necessary for the car to start since modern cars are designed to work well over a huge range of conditions. But it will slightly reduce wear on the engine and save fuel by not burning it idling and by running more efficiently when it does start.

Heh, tell that to my co-worker who was in town from elsewhere, RENTED a NEWER car, and have it NOT start on a -10 degree day here.

My point is, there are some things with newer cars that DO make it more difficult to start. Recent further reductions in the warm-up/startup portion of the drive cycle for emissions have meant leaner calibrations on startup, sometimes not enough in certain conditions. A warmer engine can help.

Forcus

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Re: We bought our next 10-year car...now what?
« Reply #39 on: July 15, 2014, 11:26:21 AM »
If this car is going to be 14 years old and have 200k on it when you get rid of it I wouldn't worry too much about seat covers. People shopping that area of the market aren't going to be bothered by some faded puke stains. Just my opinion (plus very few seat covers I find worthwhile).

What I didn't notice is preventative maintenance. I make it a point on every used car I buy that nearly every fluid and filter gets changed. Everyone does oil and filter but what about transmission? Coolant? Power steering fluid? And so on. Coolant these days is usually a 100k mile item. But NO ONE I know changes it. I usually change the hoses at the same time. If I'm on the road and a computer part goes out, so be it. But I will be super irritated if it's a belt or hose that I could have changed beforehand. Don't forget brake fluid. I've seen some cars (Volvo) that have changes at 60k miles. Again no one I know does that, and maybe they will be fine, but it's such a low cost / time item to do, why not?

Just some thoughts. Maybe it won't make a difference, but its worth it to me.