i want one of these so bad 🤣

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn-Z5FHXcBA

Well, I've gone and done it...

... Locked in on an Escape PHEV ... we were looking at/for Toyota Corolla Cross and Rav4 Hybrid models, but even with Canadian gun laws, it's probably easier to get a gun than a Toyota Hybrid right now, haven't even seen one that was available to sell since mid Jan when I started ... and I know some people who got boned with extended waits and "you just can't have it at that price because reasons" due to supply chain BS... so I wasn't going on a waiting list, paying 10k over the top of list, plus their finance rates suck. "But it's a Toyota" yeah well, I'm reading about battery cable problems, roof leaks and high theft, the "moose test" needing to be fudged in the ESC nanny, and wondering if post-covid Toyota is same as pre-covid Toyota, so ... next!

Car and Driver, Road and Track, Motortrend etc don't like the Escape Hybrids all that much, but say things like it's not bad, just other CSUV are better... however, their definition of better is frequently unbalanced. Like the deluxe ones that have no room inside, the ones that sprint to 60mph faster than an 80s supercar, the ones that charge out the ass for being the hybrid version but only get 27mpgUS EPA and 25 under test. Anyway, seems to me the Escape PHEV is well balanced, it has "useable" acceleration, space and handling, and is close to the "winners" in many areas, where the "winners" seem to have one huge deficiency each. I am counting turbo motors as a deficiency also, these things only seem to be lasting 3 years or so before they're oiling out the motors. So yeah, lots of good choices if you trade in every 3 years. If you want it to go longer... then nah. So, seeming to me that Escape PHEV is a great balance. The Escape hybrid drivetrain, 2.5 atkinson cycle and eCVT is the only Escape drivetrain I "rate" for 5+ year durability though, it's got near 20 years development in it now and there's as much Ford in the Toyota one as Toyota in the Ford one, co-dev and patent sharing. Prev gens of Escape hybrid taxis have seen 500,000 miles. Felt happier about Escape braking distance than Rav4s too, Escape more carlike, Rav4 like overloaded pickup.

Anyway, did the deal at $46k CDN on a moderately loaded one, putting a chunk down, getting 0% finance on the rest, $31.5k USD at current exchange. I thought I was gonna be all "nah, nah, nah" in the finance office, but I know I spent over $5k on servicing the Nissan over 5 years, and $3k on the 2 years I've had the Rio, so for ~$800 a year on top I took the servicing and protection program that makes pretty much everything Ford's problem for 5 years 120k miles... fluids, filters, belts, spark plugs, brakes, shocks. Anyway, felt like I did alright on an in demand model, picking it up next week when all the paperwork gone through.... plus being a PHEV, half my miles at 6 cents a kW/h. Gonna be 120v overnight charging at first, checking out options for co-opting a spare clothes dryer circuit for a faster charger. Still kinda giggling at the 0% deal though, that's worth thousands, especially compared to current "special" 5.99 Toyota rate when they had it up at 8.99 before and maybe after this special. My "economic earthquake anticipator" needle has been bouncing off the stops both ends and I felt like I am getting a reasonable deal compared to previous 5 year crazy and having another 5 year crazy in prospect, I didn't like the idea of waiting and seeing. I think I am fortunate enough to be able to do this and also keep financial feet planted to make moves whichever way the wind blows, not too out on a limb with it, reserved liquidity to throw whichever way required, food, shelter, etc.

Well that's what I went for, you can nitpick it all you like but I am fairly confident in my choice on the stuff that matters to me. I know right, complain about over-tech cars earlier in thread and get one with all the tech, but it seemed well laid out to me, and screen wide enough that displays weren't cramped and confusing, and controls along bottom, so you could feel edge of screen on side of index finger and hit them with thumb at right distance, more haptic than having to hunt in random layouts and aim on target and tap precisely, also had instant access physical buttons to "important stuff" like need your screen defogged or change drive mode to slippy surface etc.

Probably won't post a pic until I get it out somewhere green and pleasant in the spring.

Spring is comming 😈
From march to november I ususlly ride this one.

https://youtu.be/II_gtdIIZEA?si=337crAhtHNq3wd65

Every now and them I contemplate getting another motorcycle, then I watch some dash cam videos to remind myself of just how many people drive while glued to their phones, and I go back to my plan of buying a used Corvette instead. Heavy sigh.

Anyone know any android EV/PHEV or regular car apps that are worth having that are up to $4 for the paid or upgrade version? I have that amount of google-money expiring on march 9th and I probably wont get to figure much out in the excitement of new car delivery weekend. So just looking for recommends on anything with a low cost before that credit expires. I already have Torque for the gauges up the wazoo etc, or even displayed on your screen. I do have the cheapie ELM bluetooth OBD-II dongle.

The official Ford ones seem to do a lot though, so hoping not to spend the money on duplicating anything.

Thanks for any hints... also anyone know how to MacGyver NEMA 14-50 to 6-20 with chewing gum and a paper clip? 🤣

Edit: Actually does anyone have opinions on the cheapy charger cables you can get? I realise they are kind low power vs what many dedicated EV guys want, but I can only get up to 4kW in Level 2 charging so I don't think I am going to be disappointed with their spec limits. I kinda want a cheapy "consumable" chuck around one to use on a daily basis and always have the Ford one in the car. I also realised that while L1 overnight is completely adequate for getting the amount of charge into the beast, that it might not fare well for the pre-conditioning mode, which I am sure wifey will want to do a lot. I was also assuming that I could only control charge times on the "normal wall plug" charge, but Ford builds in a scheduler so can do that on L2 charger too. So got all interested in the L2 stuffs.

BitWrangler wrote on 2025-03-01, 23:01:

Well, I've gone and done it...

... Locked in on an Escape PHEV ...

picking it up next week when all the paperwork gone through....

So 2 days getting added to delivery date with more money off, not sure if another deal kicked in or the lunch truck reversed into it and they gotta replace the door or smthng 🤣 ... I think it's an extra sweetener, probably....

Picked up the new whip last night. Yeah jeeze, interface like a StarTrek shuttle craft, and I haven't figured out how to install Doom on it yet. 🤣 Ford Canada had knocked the MRSP down by 1.5K CDN and with that and the taxes, came out another ~2k cheaper. For Europeans, this model is the Kuga, which it was also in Aus, but I think they went to the Escape nameplate there recently too. I believe they are using Panasonic batteries in these now after all the Samsung battery recall kerfuffle.

The recall list on these for prior years looks a bit dire, but relative handfuls of cars are affected by many of them. They're the ones that Honda in particular and other Asian makes would try to do as secret recalls, to keep their "nothing ever goes wrong with our cars, honest injun." rep, so a lot of it is "Ford keeping on top of things" rather than endemic problems with the model. Also there is more than a few where their Asian component suppliers have let them down, and the problem spreads to more than just Fords. Having worked at three separate Ford suppliers in the past, I know their quality standards are generally high and things well tracked.

I am super glad right now I didn't go on a waiting list for either of the Rav4 hybrids, there's a production stop this last week due to their spring factory having accidents. That plus the Kia is feeling a bit lumpier running, not sure I would have got the extra months of DD duty out of it.

BitWrangler wrote on 2025-03-11, 10:45:

Picked up the new whip last night. Yeah jeeze, interface like a StarTrek shuttle craft, and I haven't figured out how to install Doom on it yet. 🤣 Ford Canada had knocked the MRSP down by 1.5K CDN and with that and the taxes, came out another ~2k cheaper. For Europeans, this model is the Kuga, which it was also in Aus, but I think they went to the Escape nameplate there recently too. I believe they are using Panasonic batteries in these now after all the Samsung battery recall kerfuffle.

The recall list on these for prior years looks a bit dire, but relative handfuls of cars are affected by many of them. They're the ones that Honda in particular and other Asian makes would try to do as secret recalls, to keep their "nothing ever goes wrong with our cars, honest injun." rep, so a lot of it is "Ford keeping on top of things" rather than endemic problems with the model. Also there is more than a few where their Asian component suppliers have let them down, and the problem spreads to more than just Fords. Having worked at three separate Ford suppliers in the past, I know their quality standards are generally high and things well tracked.

I am super glad right now I didn't go on a waiting list for either of the Rav4 hybrids, there's a production stop this last week due to their spring factory having accidents. That plus the Kia is feeling a bit lumpier running, not sure I would have got the extra months of DD duty out of it.

so it's looking good? i check recalls too, on the whole i tend to prefer cars from later in the model's age - when the recalls and other problems may have been dealt with (or well hidden!), it's always a bit of a gamble though. I guess a Ford Model A is a safe enough choice in terms of known issues by now 😀

The EV silverado is working its way up to the big container.

I’m going to make a triple wide container house on wheels. Fun little project 😀 going to tow it with the EV.

"I love Tesler!" 🤦🏽

V8 Camaro in the summer, HRV in the winter

Sphere478 wrote on 2025-03-13, 05:29:

The EV silverado is working its way up to the big container.

I’m going to make a triple wide container house on wheels. Fun little project 😀 going to tow it with the EV.

Triple wide? Pullout each side? Or three sections that you haul out to a site separate and bolt together?

I'm just looking for a little A-liner or something to tug behind my new PHEV.

gerry wrote on 2025-03-11, 15:51:

BitWrangler wrote on 2025-03-11, 10:45:

Picked up the new whip last night. Yeah jeeze, interface like a StarTrek shuttle craft, and I haven't figured out how to install Doom on it yet. 🤣 Ford Canada had knocked the MRSP down by 1.5K CDN and with that and the taxes, came out another ~2k cheaper. For Europeans, this model is the Kuga, which it was also in Aus, but I think they went to the Escape nameplate there recently too. I believe they are using Panasonic batteries in these now after all the Samsung battery recall kerfuffle.

The recall list on these for prior years looks a bit dire, but relative handfuls of cars are affected by many of them. They're the ones that Honda in particular and other Asian makes would try to do as secret recalls, to keep their "nothing ever goes wrong with our cars, honest injun." rep, so a lot of it is "Ford keeping on top of things" rather than endemic problems with the model. Also there is more than a few where their Asian component suppliers have let them down, and the problem spreads to more than just Fords. Having worked at three separate Ford suppliers in the past, I know their quality standards are generally high and things well tracked.

I am super glad right now I didn't go on a waiting list for either of the Rav4 hybrids, there's a production stop this last week due to their spring factory having accidents. That plus the Kia is feeling a bit lumpier running, not sure I would have got the extra months of DD duty out of it.

so it's looking good? i check recalls too, on the whole i tend to prefer cars from later in the model's age - when the recalls and other problems may have been dealt with (or well hidden!), it's always a bit of a gamble though. I guess a Ford Model A is a safe enough choice in terms of known issues by now 😀

Yeah this model is "mature" now, first 3 years of anything always seem to be the worst, unless it's basically a re-skin of previous model with carryover drivetrain etc. In fact though, this could be last year of this PHEV, not sure if they're going forward a couple of years with Escape in this body style though. I am in one of my favorite places with this though, on a "platform" with half a dozen different vehicles based on it. When it gets older there's gonna be all sorts of mix and match possibilities from the wreckers yard. Can be stealing parts from Mavericks, Bronco Sport, Lincoln Corsair etc. So if they chop this at this model year, I will still be finding some identical, some updated, and some pound it into shape to fit parts from later stuff on same platform. My old Plymouth Voyager got a Spirit RT antiroll bar, wheels off a Shelby Daytona, intake off a Sundance...

Ran out a full charge 4 times now, so it's done about 150 miles on all electric and another 150 on gas/hybrid (separate battery reserve for hybrid mode) gas gauge still at about 15/16 barely budged. The guesstimator is still refuckulating, it was pegged high at 24mpg when I picked it up and showing ~400km gas range, and in between has shown range increase to 460ish, and now showing 33mpg. So seems to use a lot more distance for averaging than my Kia does, which seemed to do it in about 100-200km. Very nice to drive, goes where you point it. IDK what Car and Driver mean by "unrewarding" maybe they expect cars to fight you, or like chassis tires and brakes that are barely adequate for installed power. The battery weight is below or close to the suspension pivot points I think so that keeps it planted, also not way out from cars rotational center of inertia for turn-in/out so don't have to fight it there either. Feels like a big hatchback.... .... probably because it's a big hatchback.

Heh, Model As can just plug on and on, but I don't think the NHTSA would be too thrilled about the rumble seats acting as ejector seats every time you caned it over a speed bump.

BitWrangler wrote on 2025-01-17, 16:39:

keep hearing the "complexity of modern cars" thing... but how come then I am having problems with the systems that were reaching […]
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keep hearing the "complexity of modern cars" thing... but how come then I am having problems with the systems that were reaching a state of near perfection by the noughts, the engine and transmissions. "Oh they made them lighter and cheaper with less material" so they're cheaper to replace than the $1500 unit from the early noughts? No, three times that. Aaargh. Even crap like alternators, it looks almost the same as the $150 one for my old escort/minivan, but for a tens up car it's $500.... and I'm not sure they last as long either. Just standard alternators, not stop start BAS stuff. Yah so no doubt there are complex systems that cause trouble, but it's the "basics" failing and costing so much to repair that are biting me in the ass in the last decade. Unless in the end it's failure mitigation sensors and ECU software that's completely failing to mitigate failures, not reacting fast enough to limit combustion chamber pressure by changing fueling or valve timing, or allowing too much torque for the transmission or something. Yet when such things were introduced in the more expensive models in the noughts.... they worked.

But wizard dude didn't need to tell me about 80s french cars being hard to find parts for now, the dealers were out of them in the late 90s. But yeah Stellantis parts availability is a good warning. I was wondering how come some dodge parts were turning up in random surplus outlets a while back, guess they must have dumped a load of stuff at a penny on the dollar for inventory liquidation to bump up one quarters numbers. The plastics heavy stuff I was seeing resold, the metals heavy stuff maybe got recycled straight off. I will need to keep myself from the temptation of cheap ecodiesels and what if I just get this $2000 Compass and drive it, etc. And there's a Dart or two around cheap, but if they are "being like that" with parts on the more prestige stuff, I ain't risking it.

I wish I was "in" some old reliable I could keep fixing, rust is a bit merciless for finding a good one to adopt.

edit: actually that was why I went into newer cars from beaters in 2015, because of parts drying up at 10 year mark across a bunch of stuff. So that's been going on a while, and 10 years is now looking optimistic.

editII: Ah, trade war already started in EV and electrical components. US 100% tariff, Canadian 25% component tariff... and since most part networks route thru US first, we're probably getting 125% effective on some stuff... IDK. Anyway, that gave EV makers carte blanche to charge out the arse while they've got the protected US monopoly, instead of low margins to stay in biz. While "domestics" that were relying on cheaper parts have cut the small models.

This guy knows what I'm talking about, IDK if he's going a bit far to assume it's a conspiracy, but there's definitely a confluence of fail...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSFMMsaXuzE

From what he's saying and my experience and research, I'd advise people to try to get cars with engine models introduced before 2010 and not substantially "upgraded" with nicasil plated liners or anything like that.

That guy's crazy, but he has a point (even though I'm not a conspiracy guy - I look for the difficult answer instead of blaming everything on planned obsolescence). Also, I have a little interest in the kind of tuning stuff he does.

Since he mentioned the EV stuff, I had an EV rant, but I deleted it. It started to sound like I made my own conspiracy theory where everyone half-asses "green" products to guarantee that they fail in the market and makes absolutely no development progress when the government doesn't force it. I'm not even in the market for an electric car or solar power system (I don't think they're ready for mass consumption and probably never will be).

I just went out to look for a coolant leak, but the overflow tank just turned opaque with age. I need to check the level by removing the cap now. At the same time, I remember when I was younger and being proactive about potential problems was seen as "making up problems that don't exist to avoid going to work." With all of the reliability problems and removal of physical controls because Elon Musk watched too much Minority Report (I suddenly realize that I don't remember how to properly format a movie title) and car reviewers demand that everyone copy that bullshit (just like how phones get bad reviews if they have more features than an iPhone), I need to keep that car running.

Updated the look of the Evo a little.

And picked up the wife a new Telluride EX.

wiretap wrote on 2025-03-16, 12:17:

Updated the look of the Evo a little. […]
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Updated the look of the Evo a little.

And picked up the wife a new Telluride EX.

Evo looking sharp. Telluride is nice, Kia V6 aren't known for the absurd early failures of their 4 bangers, but are still suspected to slowly choke themselves to death on carbon buildup, so it's a trade before 150k machine. There's a blast from the past embedded in this motor, gotta set valve clearances every 60k, or when it starts to sound clattery.

Yeah I'll likely sell it before 100k. We took it up north twice already to our cabin (550 mile trip), and it has the perfect amount of cargo space and it is really comfortable. On the way home with it I came around a corner on the highway and the lane was flooded.. I was only able to slow down to about 50mph and the water was probably a foot deep. It survived. 😆

I haven't bought a car since the 90's. I still drive my old cars. Am I helping the environment or hurting it?

Running as a background process or TSR in my brain since back in Jan when I had to learn way too much about Kia 4 cylinders in a hurry, because of my Rio, has been "The GDI problem". Which is basically the situation where direct injectors do not wash the valves, like port injection, so carbon buildup is continuous and eventually problematic, for short-ish values of eventually. Toyota is solving it by having additional injectors in the ports.

I am not sure if I am going to need to solve it yet, but two avenues are open for economical repair of Rio to keep it going more than a couple of months or so as the backup/2nd vehicle. Both are time and energy consuming and might take me a long while, half because of needing to pace myself, half because it's suckass work you can't pay ppl to do, or if you can, you get the similar quote to what I already saw. Plan one is to get a cheap motor replacement sent from Korea on the cheap slow boat, but that's if I can get the weakass 3rd party warranty we had on the car to kick in anything. Which is 2 months waiting and probably a minimum of a week of farting around to swap it in. Plan two is rip the head off, and go at it like they repaired cars prior to WWII, repair with weld and hand finish, may be one of those expanding scope things as soon as I loosen a head bolt though, warped head, cracked piston, scored crank, who knows what all it can snowball to. Plus with that there's carbon remediation of what is there already. Anyway, presuming that by the end of the year I have a working Rio I want another 50,000+ miles off, I had the outline of a "GDI Problem" solution come to me, or it could go on a different beater I pick up when I push this off a cliff or something...

Air fresheners!

No, not the little-tree/magic tree-thing that I've had Scandinavians assure me is the lucky charm which keeps the entire car working, but household or possibly commercial air fresheners.... Specifically, the automatic spray kind. Specifically the automatic spray kind that take a pressurized aerosol can and may run off batteries or power adapter. Basic premise, hack one onto a can of carby/intake cleaner, hose to intake, button on dash to give it a squirt every so often. Yeah I was jelly of the diesel dudes having to mess with the smurf piss (DEF) so wanted to add a new consumable. However I might check out if there's any with a liquid reservoir that have a powerful enough spray also.

In basic premise mode, you'd be driving around, come to a nice hill when the engine is all warm and happy, and then go "ah, opportunity" drop to lower gear, mash the pedal and hold the cleaner button down for a few seconds while you screamed up the hill. If you were doing that once or twice a month depending on how much run time the car was getting then you'd probably keep on top of it. The convoluted mode would be to rig a microntroller to sense engine fully warm, large throttle angle and give it doses automatically.

Anyway, I will keep an eye out for cheap squirters to investigate and let it simmer on backburner until I have a projected short to mid term reliable car that it would be worth it on.

feipoa wrote on 2025-03-16, 22:54:

I haven't bought a car since the 90's. I still drive my old cars. Am I helping the environment or hurting it?

Running a 15+ year old one is supposed to be better than the invested energy required to make a new one. I wish I could have kept some of mine, but structural rust got them, and there were some with wearable parts that got unobtanium. Car manufacturers were slyly slipping money to the "old cars are terrible polluters" crowd some years back, but that got difficult to prove when the "old" cars caught up to late 80s, 90s pollution controls which are pretty effective if you keep on top of them. With my 88 Voyager, I could have it blowing as clean at the tailpipe as a "poster child" comparison vehicle at the time I compared it, which was a 2005 Civic, when we had the Drive Clean inspections of course. So yeah, up to you for your pain point with having them out of service while parts are found, dealing with other repairs etc, technically you can still pick up a gross polluter charge if you drive by a roadside sniffer and ping it in the nose 'coz your cat is stuffed etc.