Topic: What did you do to your car today?

[Fobroader]

^^^Just a thought, wouldn't the GX be better suited for trailer work?

Absolutely, but I have to go to the dump and the low profile tires on the GX scare me.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Arthur Dent]

Great Beater Challenge tomorrow. We are taking the Mustang which has some seriously uncomfortable seats. Maybe second worst to my old Volvo 240 which were truly terrible (missing chunks of the cushion). I'd love to show the finished product but I have still do final (and first) assembly tomorrow morning. Continues the tradition of non-testing. 

But it started with this ...

[UnknownJinX]

awesome.

Went to Area 27 for the last two days to open up my Camaro a bit more. VIMC was good for me to learn, but Area 27 has some nice long straights for that LT1 engine to sing and hit 200+ kph.

I ran into the grass twice on the first day. Took a hairpin and another corner way too fast. Things went very well on the second day when the even organizer showed me how to take each corner. Even had some fun trying to keep up with a C8 Z51.

Oh, and they use Camaro's as their track fleet. There are a lot of SS 1LE there and even a few ZL1 1LE.

Man, that is friggin awesome!  You've got the right car for the job, and boy do you use it.  Massive thumbs up!!!

Man, that is friggin awesome!  You've got the right car for the job, and boy do you use it.  Massive thumbs up!!!

I'll second that. 

Went to Area 27 for the last two days to open up my Camaro a bit more. VIMC was good for me to learn, but Area 27 has some nice long straights for that LT1 engine to sing and hit 200+ kph.

I ran into the grass twice on the first day. Took a hairpin and another corner way too fast. Things went very well on the second day when the even organizer showed me how to take each corner. Even had some fun trying to keep up with a C8 Z51.

Oh, and they use Camaro's as their track fleet. There are a lot of SS 1LE there and even a few ZL1 1LE.

Nice! Excellent!

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

Thanks guys! I will do some quick video snipping and upload that video of me following the C8 Z51 and upload that to YouTube.

And yep, the more I drive the SS 1LE on the track, the more I appreciate it. It is a big and heavy car, but that doesn't stop it from dancing the corners.

But yeah, if you guys travel to BC interior in the near future, you can also try out the Camaro 1LE's at Area 27. I really wanna try out those ZL1 1LE myself.

[JohnnyMac]

Does your Camaro have the data recorder?  Not sure if it was an option or not.  I know the vette had the option and now the Caddy Blackwings have that as an option.  Would be a cool way to capturing your track days and seeing areas where you can improve.

Did you do many track days prior to owning the Camaro?  If you were to replace it now what would you pick?

[UnknownJinX]

Does your Camaro have the data recorder?  Not sure if it was an option or not.  I know the vette had the option and now the Caddy Blackwings have that as an option.  Would be a cool way to capturing your track days and seeing areas where you can improve.

Did you do many track days prior to owning the Camaro?  If you were to replace it now what would you pick?

Yep, it has the PDR. It's an option when you pick an SS 1LE, ZL1 and ZL1 1LE. And yeah, it's a good tool to relive the track days and see where I can improve. For example, I noticed that some of my turn-ins are still a bit too early.

And I didn't do any track days before my Camaro. I did a few Autocross events in my old RX-8 though. HPDE is totally worth it to have an idea to know what you are doing on the track.

As for a possible replacement, I am thinking something like a Cayman S, perhaps? Something that's daily driveable but also can be a fun track car. It's also one of the few cars with a manual trans at this point. 400Z could also be something if the chassis is good.

But really, the best answer is to replace with a ZL1.

[tortoise]

Great Beater Challenge tomorrow. We are taking the Mustang which has some seriously uncomfortable seats. Maybe second worst to my old Volvo 240 which were truly terrible (missing chunks of the cushion). I'd love to show the finished product but I have still do final (and first) assembly tomorrow morning. Continues the tradition of non-testing. 

But it started with this ...

Yes!  I love your updates on the Beater challenge. Best of luck.

[JohnnyMac]

Does your Camaro have the data recorder?  Not sure if it was an option or not.  I know the vette had the option and now the Caddy Blackwings have that as an option.  Would be a cool way to capturing your track days and seeing areas where you can improve.

Did you do many track days prior to owning the Camaro?  If you were to replace it now what would you pick?

Yep, it has the PDR. It's an option when you pick an SS 1LE, ZL1 and ZL1 1LE. And yeah, it's a good tool to relive the track days and see where I can improve. For example, I noticed that some of my turn-ins are still a bit too early.

And I didn't do any track days before my Camaro. I did a few Autocross events in my old RX-8 though. HPDE is totally worth it to have an idea to know what you are doing on the track.

As for a possible replacement, I am thinking something like a Cayman S, perhaps? Something that's daily driveable but also can be a fun track car. It's also one of the few cars with a manual trans at this point. 400Z could also be something if the chassis is good.

But really, the best answer is to replace with a ZL1.

ZL1 makes sense as a next step up.  Do you know how much longer the current generation will stick around?  I think I heard something about 3 more years and then it becomes a sedan, possibly electric?

If I remember right it's your only car and you used your friends turbo Mazda 6 last winter.  Do you think at some point you'll need something more practical, maybe an M3, Caddy Blackwing, etc?  Good on track but still more practical for everyday.

[Triple Bob]

Went to Area 27 for the last two days to open up my Camaro a bit more. VIMC was good for me to learn, but Area 27 has some nice long straights for that LT1 engine to sing and hit 200+ kph.

I ran into the grass twice on the first day. Took a hairpin and another corner way too fast. Things went very well on the second day when the even organizer showed me how to take each corner. Even had some fun trying to keep up with a C8 Z51.

It's really great that you actually use this thing as intended. Well done!

[TheHire]

Totally awesome that you're learning how to push it to its limits. Very cool car, and I'm sure you'll appreciate its capabilities even more now! 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I took the Tundra for its annual service.  I only drove it 6000kms since its last oil change, but it has been a year, so it was time.  $150 taxes/fees in for a full synthetic oil change at the Indy next to my work.

I also had them price out a transmission service, which would include dropping the pan and draining the fluid (but NOT flushing), replacing the filter that is contained within, then refilling with new transmission fluid.  $500.  TECHNICALLY, Toyota doesn't have any service intervals for the transmission, but not servicing your transmission, especially on a heavy vehicle that sees a lot of tow use, is never a good idea.  Because the truck stays parked 95% of the time, it doesn't really see any daily driven trips anymore (less so now that we have the Mazda with 5 doors that can actually function as a family vehicle, unlike the Civic Coupe), and most of its miles are either towing a trailer or hauling stuff.  So basically, when the truck's driving, it's hauling something.  The thing is, the truck only has 31 500kms on it currently.  It won't have much more come spring.  Therefore, I'm not sure if I'll just be throwing money away, or whether it will be worth it as preventative maintenance.  It would be really nice if Toyota actually specified a service interval for transmission service, but they don't.  I've seen interviews with the hotshot guys who drove their Tundras over 1-million miles.  Both Tundras, while both on the original engines, went through multiple transmissions and the owner/operators both said they wished they had serviced the transmissions more often, as that would have likely cut down on transmission replacements.  Maybe I should just shelve the transmission service, and do it every 100 000kms.  That would be a TON more cost effective. 

Lastly, I'm considering taking the insurance off the truck at the end of September for the winter.  With camping season winding down, the truck will see less and less use.  I previously kept it insured mostly because the Civic Coupe didn't pull family duty very well.  The Mazda fits our whole family quite well, and being a wagon can even handle the odd bulky purchase.  Less and less need to keep the truck insured. 

[Ex-airbalancer]

I took the Tundra for its annual service.  I only drove it 6000kms since its last oil change, but it has been a year, so it was time.  $150 taxes/fees in for a full synthetic oil change at the Indy next to my work.

I also had them price out a transmission service, which would include dropping the pan and draining the fluid (but NOT flushing), replacing the filter that is contained within, then refilling with new transmission fluid.  $500.  TECHNICALLY, Toyota doesn't have any service intervals for the transmission, but not servicing your transmission, especially on a heavy vehicle that sees a lot of tow use, is never a good idea.  Because the truck stays parked 95% of the time, it doesn't really see any daily driven trips anymore (less so now that we have the Mazda with 5 doors that can actually function as a family vehicle, unlike the Civic Coupe), and most of its miles are either towing a trailer or hauling stuff.  So basically, when the truck's driving, it's hauling something.  The thing is, the truck only has 31 500kms on it currently.  It won't have much more come spring.  Therefore, I'm not sure if I'll just be throwing money away, or whether it will be worth it as preventative maintenance.  It would be really nice if Toyota actually specified a service interval for transmission service, but they don't.  I've seen interviews with the hotshot guys who drove their Tundras over 1-million miles.  Both Tundras, while both on the original engines, went through multiple transmissions and the owner/operators both said they wished they had serviced the transmissions more often, as that would have likely cut down on transmission replacements.  Maybe I should just shelve the transmission service, and do it every 100 000kms.  That would be a TON more cost effective. 

Lastly, I'm considering taking the insurance off the truck at the end of September for the winter.  With camping season winding down, the truck will see less and less use.  I previously kept it insured mostly because the Civic Coupe didn't pull family duty very well.  The Mazda fits our whole family quite well, and being a wagon can even handle the odd bulky purchase.  Less and less need to keep the truck insured.

Expensive tool to just sit in the driveway 

[tortoise]

How much is your insurance? And surely you'd still be paying something, even if you're not driving it.

 It would be nice to be able to use it if you needed it, especially if there's a big snow storm.

And I your plan to change it every 100k km is reasonable. Sucks you have to drop the pan. On my Highlander there's a drain plug for the transmission fluid. I've been doing a drain and fill the last three years because it doesn't replace all the fluid. Think I'll skip it this year.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Expensive tool to just sit in the driveway 

Yes.  And I know it. 

Lately I've been thinking about all that money just sitting in the driveway, and considered selling it and just buying a cheap <$10k Ridgeline or something similar to pull the pop-up during the summer months.  I brought up the idea to my wife last night, and she instantly kiboshed it.  She reminded me that it's basically my dream vehicle, and I worked hard for it.  AND we want to buy a bigger trailer in the next couple of years, for which we WILL need a half-ton.  And she doesn't want a Ridgeline.  I didn't argue. 

Now WOULD be the time to sell, though.  Here are all the Tundras for sale around Winnipeg: https://www.autotrader.ca/cars/mb/winnipeg/?rcp=0&rcs=0&prx=100&prv=Manitoba&loc=winnipeg&hprc=True&wcp=True&iosp=True&sts=New-Used&inMarket=basicSearch&mdl=Tundra&make=Toyota

There's a 2019 Limited with similar kms to mine for $67 600.  The biggest difference between the Limited and my truck is fake leather seats vs my cloth seats.  Otherwise, they're equipped very similarly.
There is a 2018 Tundra DC TRD Off Road (so my truck, but the double cab, not the CrewMax) with 70 000kms for $52 600.  MY truck only has 31 500kms, so should be worth a bit more. 

I think selling privately, I could realistically expect to get $49-$50k.  MSRP on my truck was only $54k, and I only paid $42k for mine. 

Anyway, it's moot point.  It's not happening. 

[PJungnitsch]

Wow, that's almost Buick resale

 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

How much is your insurance? And surely you'd still be paying something, even if you're not driving it.

 It would be nice to be able to use it if you needed it, especially if there's a big snow storm.

And I your plan to change it every 100k km is reasonable. Sucks you have to drop the pan. On my Highlander there's a drain plug for the transmission fluid. I've been doing a drain and fill the last three years because it doesn't replace all the fluid. Think I'll skip it this year.

Insurance on the truck is about $150/month.  Layup insurance would probably be about $15/month, so we'd save about $145/month by putting it on layup.  From October to end of April, that's 7 months, so potentially a grand that we could save.  My wife pays the insurance anyway.  I told her I'm okay putting it on layup, but it's her decision.  If she decides to keep insurance on it, then I'm happy driving it in the snow (although keeping it off the moderately salty winter roads has its advantages, as well). 

The last couple of years we didn't get ANY major snow storms (I consider major to be 15cm or more) where you would need a truck in order to get around.  Plus we're getting brand new Blizzak WS90's for the Mazda, so it should do okay as a winter vehicle.  We managed to make it through 4-5 winters driving first an Altima, and then a FWD Grand Caravan, both on Blizzaks, before we got the Tundra.  I'm sure I'll be able to manage an entire winter in a car again.

[EV Dan]

I took the Tundra for its annual service.  I only drove it 6000kms since its last oil change, but it has been a year, so it was time.  $150 taxes/fees in for a full synthetic oil change at the Indy next to my work.

I also had them price out a transmission service, which would include dropping the pan and draining the fluid (but NOT flushing), replacing the filter that is contained within, then refilling with new transmission fluid.  $500.  TECHNICALLY, Toyota doesn't have any service intervals for the transmission, but not servicing your transmission, especially on a heavy vehicle that sees a lot of tow use, is never a good idea.  Because the truck stays parked 95% of the time, it doesn't really see any daily driven trips anymore (less so now that we have the Mazda with 5 doors that can actually function as a family vehicle, unlike the Civic Coupe), and most of its miles are either towing a trailer or hauling stuff.  So basically, when the truck's driving, it's hauling something.  The thing is, the truck only has 31 500kms on it currently.  It won't have much more come spring.  Therefore, I'm not sure if I'll just be throwing money away, or whether it will be worth it as preventative maintenance.  It would be really nice if Toyota actually specified a service interval for transmission service, but they don't.  I've seen interviews with the hotshot guys who drove their Tundras over 1-million miles.  Both Tundras, while both on the original engines, went through multiple transmissions and the owner/operators both said they wished they had serviced the transmissions more often, as that would have likely cut down on transmission replacements.  Maybe I should just shelve the transmission service, and do it every 100 000kms.  That would be a TON more cost effective. 

Lastly, I'm considering taking the insurance off the truck at the end of September for the winter.  With camping season winding down, the truck will see less and less use.  I previously kept it insured mostly because the Civic Coupe didn't pull family duty very well.  The Mazda fits our whole family quite well, and being a wagon can even handle the odd bulky purchase.  Less and less need to keep the truck insured.

From what I've heard and seen, the consensus is 50,000 miles or 80,000 km is a reasonable tranny fluid change interval if the truck is a keeper as opposed to a lease. Taking the towing into account I'd change it sooner IF there were first signs of trouble, like hesitation or rough shifts.
Sealed transmissions are PITA to get the fluid level right, a good mechanic must be able to read the temp, and not with a temperature gun. If the level is off such fluid change may do more harm than good.

[JohnnyMac]

I don't think you likely need to change the granny fluid before 100,000kms.  I mean you do tow with it but it's at what half capacity?  Would be different if you were using it towing a bigger trailer or doing short trips.  I say wait until 100k or when you buy a new bigger trailer.

Insurance should be an easy decision, reduce your mileage coverage.  If you only use it 6k per year, you shouldn't be insuring it for more kms.  I am assuming you haven't called your insurance to change the yearly kms since you bought it and you use it much differently now.  That way you can still take it out for a rip every so often plus it's good to keep it moving.

Financially, you would be better off selling it and getting something that is cheaper and do the job you need (like a used Ridgeline), and putting that money in a TFSA investment for when you buy the bigger trailer and need a bigger truck.  Maybe by then you'll be looking at a hybrid truck and can justify driving it as a daily as it would get much better fuel economy.  That being said, if it's your dream truck and you can afford it, just keep it.

[Firm]

Definitely hold on the trans service, at least until 80K or so.

Personally, I'd sell it, sounds like you'd stand to make a bit of $, or at least break-even. You get rid of the monthly payment and insurance - take that monthly money, along with any proceeds from the sale and put it into a TFSA as suggested. Do that for the winter and you'll have a nice bit of cash saved up to buy a good used 1/2 ton. In the long run, you'll be a lot further ahead. 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

MPI doesn't work that way.  It's a flat rate regardless of mileage.

[bridgecity]

Do that for the winter and you'll have a nice bit of cash saved up to buy a good used 1/2 ton.

I might be willing to let my gently used '07 go by then.   

Nah, who am I kidding.