New Stuff on Vehicles likes/dislikes

[redneck joe]

Forgot about camera. I love hate them. Have one on my sportwagen and I love it for backing to trailer and when backing g out of parking spots, which i always back in when I can but some places can't. It's wide angle so lots of view. Hate it because now backing wife's Mercedes or old Betsy my depth perception is shot. I still use mirrors for the backing part but coming to the stop and the correct location I'm ruined for. The other day in her car thought I was about a foot from the curb, got out and I was at least four feet.

 

[jimmbo]

Yes - it would be a great idea if there was a vent.
There's not.
It's a convoluted mess of stupidity involving overfilling the transmission then allowing the excess to drain off. All of this has to be performed between a precise and narrow range of temperature.
Edit:
I almost forgot... the vehicle has to be level of course. So you either put it on four jackstands or need to have a lift.

That design did cross my mind when I wrote the initial response. It makes some sense, as that is not a Drain Plug, but a Vent/Level Plug. To Drain the Transmission, the Pan is removed, and hopefully cleaned and the Filter replaced.

 

[Lou C]

I always check the temp of the fluid on the stick and on both of our automatic Jeeps I can put a scanner on them to get the actual trans temp. Watch someone check the fluid on a Jeep with the ZF 8 speed def not a fun job. To me simply a way for dealers to make more money. You’re on a trip somewhere and your trans had a small leak and you’re doing that instead of a simple dipstick. Not DIY friendly at all. I prefer the older Chrysler 545RFE it’s actually a very good transmission easy to maintain less trouble than the older RE series….

 

[alldodge]

Mine has the 8 speed, all my other diesels had the 6 speed. The 8 speed has much better reviews

 

[cyclops222]

Evinrude O B L U are drained and refilled thru the drain hole.
Das is der truth.

 

[airshot]

I DID NOT CAUSE THE CRASH !!
The cars computer did it !!!!

That is becoming a big issue according to my insurance agent !!

 

[dingbat]

Have a 2023 CX-9 Signature.
Was annoyed with lane assist until I got used to it.

Good/Bad.......most, if not all features, are owner programmable.
Spent 2 hours configuring everything to my liking once we got it home. Then spent another hour to reconfigure everything to Mrs. Dingbat's preferences to create "Driver Profiles" that she hardly ever uses

Really like the 360 (overhead) cameras and the heads up display with navigation.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Really like the 360 (overhead) cameras

that is the wife's favorite thing when parking.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I always check the temp of the fluid on the stick and on both of our automatic Jeeps I can put a scanner on them to get the actual trans temp. Watch someone check the fluid on a Jeep with the ZF 8 speed def not a fun job. To me simply a way for dealers to make more money. You’re on a trip somewhere and your trans had a small leak and you’re doing that instead of a simple dipstick. Not DIY friendly at all. I prefer the older Chrysler 545RFE it’s actually a very good transmission easy to maintain less trouble than the older RE series….

What is DIY these days?

 

[Scott Danforth]

What is DIY these days?

spending only $700 to do it yourself vs spending $5k at the dealer.

 

[FLATHEAD]

spending only $700 to do it yourself vs spending $5k at the dealer.

Not for the average person. Granted lot of mechanical knowledge on this board, most people can’t DIY on todays cars.

 

[flashback]

I like the puddle lights.

 

[Pmt133]

My dealer did a warranty job for a collapsed lifter on a 5.3 and replaced exactly 1 lifter and sealed it back up and called it good. I can only imagine their surprise when it came back in a couple weeks later for more failed lifters...

 

[kd4pbs]

That design did cross my mind when I wrote the initial response. It makes some sense, as that is not a Drain Plug, but a Vent/Level Plug. To Drain the Transmission, the Pan is removed, and hopefully cleaned and the Filter replaced.

Nope.
It's a drain plug.
When one wishes to drain the transmission, one removes the plug, lets it leak until it stops, then shoves a screwdriver into the hole and break free the sacrificial plastic nipple that extends into the transmission to the required oil level to let the rest out. That nipple is clipped onto the drain plug mounting boss before replacing the pan. I guess the only thing that really makes much sense in the whole procedure is the one-time-use pan bolts which are made of aluminum to help mitigate dissimilar metal reactions.
That being written, the transmission and 3L common rail engine have over 300,000 miles on it and still going strong (knock, knock). Who knows how long they would last with AutoZone "universal" transmission fluid mixed in with the MB spec'd stuff.

 

[kd4pbs]

I prefer the older Chrysler 545RFE it’s actually a very good transmission easy to maintain less trouble than the older RE series….

Got one in the Liberty CRD. Other than breaking the torque converter when I did the tune on the engine, they're pretty reliable. Of course, I had to rebuild the 47RE behind my 500HP 1200lb-ft 24V when it was hopped up as well, but I'd rather rebuild a RE than that RFE. Lots less expensive internals, and far fewer pieces to keep track of. I don't think an RFE could be modified to handle this kind of power though, so I don't mind a smartly built RE.

 

[FLATHEAD]

My dealer did a warranty job for a collapsed lifter on a 5.3 and replaced exactly 1 lifter and sealed it back up and called it good. I can only imagine their surprise when it came back in a couple weeks later for more failed lifters...

One of the big reasons among others that I go with 2500 series Chevy trucks. The L8T does not have AFM. My old 6 litre didn’t have it either.

 

[dingbat]

that is the wife's favorite thing when parking.

Me too...I don't drive it enough

Wish I could train Mrs. Dingbat to use it so she doesn't pull in too far and block the beer fridge

 

[Pmt133]

One of the big reasons among others that I go with 2500 series Chevy trucks. The L8T does not have AFM. My old 6 litre didn’t have it either.

Still can have lifter issues though. Seen a few collapse which is concerning. All my other gm vehicles have been 6.0l engines and are running like a Swiss watch still. The L8T already has a tick. Luckily it is a company vehicle.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Me too...I don't drive it enough

Wish I could train Mrs. Dingbat to use it so she doesn't pull in too far and block the beer fridge

I have a tennis ball on a string that the Admiral pulls up to. when the ball hits the window, stop

 

[Mc Tool]

The Main Reason, is that a lot of todays Transmissions use a very Specific Fluid, which is NOT Cheap. If there was a Dipstick on the Transmission, not just the One operating the Vehicle, and for whatever reason, the 2nd Dipstick, figured it needed Fluid, they might balk at the Price of the Required Fluid, and buy the Much Cheaper Conventional ATF(Cause Oil is Oil), and end up destroying the Unit.

You cant stop stupid , if numb nuts wants to tip a bit of anything into his trans he will find a way . We have recently had a run of dumb arses putting Adblue into their fuel tanks .....despite the massive amount of signage telling them not to .
I get that some trans req special fluid but usually as time goes by the hysteria abates and we find that rather than the hyper buck factory supplied fluids ( they dont make them ) the good ole aftermarket fluid ( ya still gotta use the right type ) works fine and was no more expensive than ordinary trans fluid . ( Im talking Toyota WS cvt fluid @ $40/litre compared to Penrite CVT lv ( low viscosity ) full synth @$ 10/litre. That car had done 180,000kms without fault, untill I wrote it off
I can see some blond being so preoccupied with her touch screen she is totally oblivious to the lane departure warning ......I think peeps should still have to learn how to drive a car as opposed to operating a car .