Car Talk 6: Best of times and Worst of Times

[max225]

So I sent my shit to FCP euro took $7.65 and 10 min of my time. Curious to see how they will handle the latest transaction.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

So I sent my shit to FCP euro took $7.65 and 10 min of my time. Curious to see how they will handle the latest transaction.

$7.65 to ship an air filter across the country?

[max225]

So I sent my shit to FCP euro took $7.65 and 10 min of my time. Curious to see how they will handle the latest transaction.

$7.65 to ship an air filter across the country?

Yea it's actually 2. I have no idea why mini decided to stack them one on top of another.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

$7.65 to ship an air filter across the country?

Yea it's actually 2. I have no idea why mini decided to stack them one on top of another.

how this all turns out.

[max225]

Yea it's actually 2. I have no idea why mini decided to stack them one on top of another.

how this all turns out.

It's interesting... one side note is I last changed them on 12/19/19 and 26k miles. So technically they are old AF and nEeD tO be ChAnGed. However, they looked super clean.... at 38k miles. They should easily go 20k miles... Also fun fact... I drove more in the last month than I did in the year before that.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

how this all turns out.

It's interesting... one side note is I last changed them on 12/19/19 and 26k miles. So technically they are old AF and nEeD tO be ChAnGed. However, they looked super clean.... at 38k miles. They should easily go 20k miles... Also fun fact... I drove more in the last month than I did in the year before that.

Yea, a lot of what drives the replacement of these things is the environment and use more than time. I remember my JT hit 20k miles and was due for the cabin filter change. The dealer swapped it and for whatever reason left the old one in the box in the cab. It was slightly dusty, but looked new. And I drove the thing topless constantly, wheeling in dust topless, pretty much worst case scenario for these things and it still looked like it could go another 20k miles. I think the service interval is setup to be a dealer cashgrab.

[Desertbreh]

It's interesting... one side note is I last changed them on 12/19/19 and 26k miles. So technically they are old AF and nEeD tO be ChAnGed. However, they looked super clean.... at 38k miles. They should easily go 20k miles... Also fun fact... I drove more in the last month than I did in the year before that.

Yea, a lot of what drives the replacement of these things is the environment and use more than time. I remember my JT hit 20k miles and was due for the cabin filter change. The dealer swapped it and for whatever reason left the old one in the box in the cab. It was slightly dusty, but looked new. And I drove the thing topless constantly, wheeling in dust topless, pretty much worst case scenario for these things and it still looked like it could go another 20k miles. I think the service interval is setup to be a dealer cashgrab.

For me it's never the dust/dirt its changing it out as part of system stench/desweatsocking. A/C use here is so constant followed by heat and you have to Ozone/new filter the thing annually. Only car I ever owned that didn't start smelling ripe was our 2003 Tahoe, the ONLY vehicle we own without a cabin filter.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Yea, a lot of what drives the replacement of these things is the environment and use more than time. I remember my JT hit 20k miles and was due for the cabin filter change. The dealer swapped it and for whatever reason left the old one in the box in the cab. It was slightly dusty, but looked new. And I drove the thing topless constantly, wheeling in dust topless, pretty much worst case scenario for these things and it still looked like it could go another 20k miles. I think the service interval is setup to be a dealer cashgrab.

For me it's never the dust/dirt its changing it out as part of system stench/desweatsocking. A/C use here is so constant followed by heat and you have to Ozone/new filter the thing annually. Only car I ever owned that didn't start smelling ripe was our 2003 Tahoe, the ONLY vehicle we own without a cabin filter.

Yea...turning the AC off with ~5min left in the trips lets things air out and prevents those problems (for me at least). Not really an option in the desert.

[Desertbreh]

For me it's never the dust/dirt its changing it out as part of system stench/desweatsocking. A/C use here is so constant followed by heat and you have to Ozone/new filter the thing annually. Only car I ever owned that didn't start smelling ripe was our 2003 Tahoe, the ONLY vehicle we own without a cabin filter.

Yea...turning the AC off with ~5min left in the trips lets things air out and prevents those problems (for me at least). Not really an option in the desert.

[CaleDeRoo]

Yea...turning the AC off with ~5min left in the trips lets things air out and prevents those problems (for me at least). Not really an option in the desert.

It's the idea here to turn the compressor off but keep the blowers going to circulate the air?

[D Griff]

Rented a Jetta this week because the selection was slim. I actually found it to be rather dece, it returned 38 MPG in mixed driving!

Being it was turBRO, it was a lot quicker around town than the Kia and Cammie of other recent trips. Seats were pretty nice with fake leather and it was well equipped with heated seats, leather wheel, huge sun roof, CarPlay, etc. All in all I think I'd actually grab it over the Cammie and K5.

I did get it on some twisties in hill country outside Austin and the handling sort of falls apart quickly. It felt sportier around town due to torque/size but I think the Cammie is actually a better chassis. I also opened the back door once and my god did that feel/sound like shit. Door slamming quality is a stupid thing auto journalists talk about that I couldn't care less about, but man, it certainly was noticeable. If that saves weight/money for efficiency though, cool.

I also missed the paddles of the Cammie, something about controlling shifts from the auto shift lever just doesn't click with me.

Did it have the digital dash? Isn't the cammie bigger? Or has the Jetta grown that much? I always thought of the cammie and Passat being in the same size class, even though the Murican Passat was bigger than the previous Euro gen. But really, AMIRITE

Cammie is bigger... but that is matters that much. I am not a family man so I don't have real world experience, but seems like four people my size could fit in the Jetta just fine and the trunk is quite large. I know hatchbacks are the only style of car that matters/is worth a damn, but the nice thing with sedans is you can actually have four people and some shit in the back. Jetta felt about the same size as my 328i (but much larger trunk due to wrong wheel drive). Comparatively a Golf has much less cargo space with the back seats up.

[D Griff]

It's the idea here to turn the compressor off but keep the blowers going to circulate the air?

Exactly.

I have never changed a cabin air filter before... Is there any harm done by just removing them? It seems like we got along fine without for 100 years, what is the point?

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Did it have the digital dash? Isn't the cammie bigger? Or has the Jetta grown that much? I always thought of the cammie and Passat being in the same size class, even though the Murican Passat was bigger than the previous Euro gen. But really, AMIRITE

Cammie is bigger... but that is matters that much. I am not a family man so I don't have real world experience, but seems like four people my size could fit in the Jetta just fine and the trunk is quite large. I know hatchbacks are the only style of car that matters/is worth a damn, but the nice thing with sedans is you can actually have four people and some shit in the back. Jetta felt about the same size as my 328i (but much larger trunk due to wrong wheel drive). Comparatively a Golf has much less cargo space with the back seats up.

We regularly took 4 adults in the Cucktrek, which is about the size of a Jetta, if not a bit smaller. That thing had fantastic seating space, so it always seemed to work out fine. Honestly, the biggest issue was lack of storage space. Picking up a couple from the airport with 2 checked bags? One is being strapped to the roof or someone is sitting with it. I bet a Jetta with its trunk has more cargo space than the Cucktrek did. I'm not sure the 4R has a ton more rear passenger space, but it has acres more cargo space. Small cars are really efficiently sized these days.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

It's the idea here to turn the compressor off but keep the blowers going to circulate the air?

Exactly.

I have never changed a cabin air filter before... Is there any harm done by just removing them? It seems like we got along fine without for 100 years, what is the point?

Well, I imagine it's quite helpful for keeping the HVAC system cleaner and less dusty. Older vehicles without cabin filters would really cake up the vents with dust/dirt over the years from my experience. It probably makes HVAC parts last longer, especially new systems with a bunch of sensors and vent actuators and whatnot.

[Johnny_P]

It's the idea here to turn the compressor off but keep the blowers going to circulate the air?

Exactly.

I have never changed a cabin air filter before... Is there any harm done by just removing them? It seems like we got along fine without for 100 years, what is the point?

I need to change mine soon. Starting to smell like toe jam in the CRV.

[max225]

It's the idea here to turn the compressor off but keep the blowers going to circulate the air?

Exactly.

I have never changed a cabin air filter before... Is there any harm done by just removing them? It seems like we got along fine without for 100 years, what is the point?

? I must have changed close to 20-25

[CaleDeRoo]

It's the idea here to turn the compressor off but keep the blowers going to circulate the air?

Exactly.

I have never changed a cabin air filter before... Is there any harm done by just removing them? It seems like we got along fine without for 100 years, what is the point?

Huh. Well BEATR doesn't have a button to turn the compressor on/off. Car decides for you so I guess I'm SOL

[CaleDeRoo]

Cammie is bigger... but that is matters that much. I am not a family man so I don't have real world experience, but seems like four people my size could fit in the Jetta just fine and the trunk is quite large. I know hatchbacks are the only style of car that matters/is worth a damn, but the nice thing with sedans is you can actually have four people and some shit in the back. Jetta felt about the same size as my 328i (but much larger trunk due to wrong wheel drive). Comparatively a Golf has much less cargo space with the back seats up.

We regularly took 4 adults in the Cucktrek, which is about the size of a Jetta, if not a bit smaller. That thing had fantastic seating space, so it always seemed to work out fine. Honestly, the biggest issue was lack of storage space. Picking up a couple from the airport with 2 checked bags? One is being strapped to the roof or someone is sitting with it. I bet a Jetta with its trunk has more cargo space than the Cucktrek did. I'm not sure the 4R has a ton more rear passenger space, but it has acres more cargo space. Small cars are really efficiently sized these days.

Interesting. I don't feel like the back seat of my mom's Impreza is that spacious, especially compared to things like a Civic or the Jetta Dan rented.

[D Griff]

Exactly.

I have never changed a cabin air filter before... Is there any harm done by just removing them? It seems like we got along fine without for 100 years, what is the point?

Huh. Well BEATR doesn't have a button to turn the compressor on/off. Car decides for you so I guess I'm SOL

It's funny, the 328i has a toggle for the HVAC compressor but even when turned off it just turns itself on if it thinks you're too hot. It's no wonder Brad switched away from German cars, they have this socialist approach to HVAC.

[D Griff]

Back seat wise... I just find most four door things sans slopey roofs are fine. I am over 6' and can fit fine in the back of a MINI, an E36, MK6 GTI, etc. Some people are just whiney.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

We regularly took 4 adults in the Cucktrek, which is about the size of a Jetta, if not a bit smaller. That thing had fantastic seating space, so it always seemed to work out fine. Honestly, the biggest issue was lack of storage space. Picking up a couple from the airport with 2 checked bags? One is being strapped to the roof or someone is sitting with it. I bet a Jetta with its trunk has more cargo space than the Cucktrek did. I'm not sure the 4R has a ton more rear passenger space, but it has acres more cargo space. Small cars are really efficiently sized these days.

Interesting. I don't feel like the back seat of my mom's Impreza is that spacious, especially compared to things like a Civic or the Jetta Dan rented.

I have no frame of reference on new Civics or Jettas, any other small car for that matter. We just found the Cucktrek to be surprisingly decent.

[Tar]

Huh. Well BEATR doesn't have a button to turn the compressor on/off. Car decides for you so I guess I'm SOL

It's funny, the 328i has a toggle for the HVAC compressor but even when turned off it just turns itself on if it thinks you're too hot. It's no wonder Brad switched away from German cars, they have this socialist approach to HVAC.

My wife's Touareg is a nightmare, regardless of auto setting on or off, it will tell you how cold and/or forceful the ventilation system needs to run.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Man, the 4R has been refreshing with it's HVAC simplicity. A red/blue knob, a direction knob, and a blower speed knob. Recirc and A/C can be turned on/off wherever ZFG the truck doesn't make any attempts to be smart. I like it a lot.

It also warmed up enough to try rolling down the back window recently. Sunroof open, rear window down or half way down is incredibly pleasant.

[CaleDeRoo]

Huh. Well BEATR doesn't have a button to turn the compressor on/off. Car decides for you so I guess I'm SOL

It's funny, the 328i has a toggle for the HVAC compressor but even when turned off it just turns itself on if it thinks you're too hot. It's no wonder Brad switched away from German cars, they have this socialist approach to HVAC.

Me: *turns knob for 82 degrees, and switches vents to feet position*

*turns on ac compressor*

[CaleDeRoo]

Back seat wise... I just find most four door things sans slopey roofs are fine. I am over 6' and can fit fine in the back of a MINI, an E36, MK6 GTI, etc. Some people are just whiney.

+1 like the people telling my friend he needs something bigger than a new outback for his first and only newborn.