Automotive enthusiasts?

@kleptomage  

 
I don’t know what Dodge considers it, but if the backseat is comfortable for adults, then I’d call the Challenger a two-door sedan. For contrast, I’d probably call the Mustang a coupe; while you can get adults into the back, they won’t be comfortable for very long.

@Flying Pancake
 
That Jensen looks niftier to me now that I know it has that feature.
 
@kleptomage
 
Ah. Sounds pretty lousy for a newer vehicle, I’d expect a newer car to at least go five years without corrosion issue barring negligence if a panel gets a chip in it and the owner doesn’t have it fixed. Still, somehow I’ve been seeing fairly new trucks with corrosion issues nearby. I’m not sure what model years they are but those rear wheel arches end up bubbling.

I feel like having a B pillar is the most defining part of a sedan, but some coupes have very thin B pillars as well. hm, I can’t imagine a Challenger being called a sedan, but they are a bit more practical compared to the other pony cars
 
@BarryFromMars  
too bad rust can’t be stopped by going for car washes every week. parking in a garage does indeed make things worse for us winter drivers, sadly

@RainbowDash69
 
Fluid Film may stop that. It’s sheep oil which turns gelatinous once sprayed on a car. I sprayed my Suburban extensively with it (inside doors and rocker panels too) but I’m not done yet. I bought the 5 gallon bucket, it was the most economical that way.
 

@BarryFromMars  
so it’s black? I found one where it’s clear and one where it’s black…
 
My mom’s minivan has its whole rocker panel eaten away on both sides, might be too late for that part, but I am worried about frame corrosion. D: It’s utterly hilarious when my mom said she was too “busy” for carwashes for 8 years before I could drive!

@RainbowDash69
 
I’m not sure I understand the question. Fluid Film looks more butterscotch in color. Maybe the photo’s not showing up for you?
 
Yeah, the rockers on my parents’ vans are all eaten up too and aren’t roadworthy anymore.

Lexus is coming out with a luxury coupe called the LC next year.
 

 
The grill looks slightly better than in their other cars and check out the Eye of Horus in the headlights.
 
To me, the most interesting thing about the LC is not the car itself but how the LC will trickle down to Lexus’ lesser cars. It might be the shot Lexus needs to be interesting again.

@kleptomage  
I’ve never really been a fan of Lexus or the predator-mouth grille, but that’s a good looking car. Have they announced anything about the drivetrain?
 
And speaking of car companies I’m not usually a fan of, an un-camoed photo of the Kia GT (or whatever it’s going to be called) leaked today:  
 
(Here’s another shot to give a better idea of the shape of the front):  
 
It’s supposed to be a rear wheel drive liftback powered by a twin-turbo V6 producing somewhere between 300 and 400 horsepower. I’m very curious to see how this one turns out, which feels kind of weird to say about a Kia.

@Flying Pancake  
The LC is no stunning beauty like the F-Type but it’s not bad looking. The drivetrain is a 468 hp naturally aspirated V8 with RWD and a 10 speed auto. Lexus is not trying to build a sports car. They know they can’t compete with the Germans but a luxurious GT is within their reach. If the LC is indicative of the direction Lexus wants to go I think that’s great.
 
Kia, the maker of cheap little economy cars thinks they can go head to head with the BMW 3-series. These are interesting times we live in. Unless the Kia GT (a GT is defined as a coupe but whatever) is fantastic it’s going to fail like the Hyundai Veloster. Most luxury buyers are brand snobs who won’t even consider it because it’s a Kia, which is why Hyundai had to make Genesis its own brand.

Even though Kia and Hyundai have been making really good cars for the last few years now, (across the board, not just certain models) I still find it astonishing that as decade or so ago, they were the cheap alternative. Nowadays, the fit and finish is a cut above most cars in their class.

@race’emhard  
the Hyundai Genesis coupe was successful enough for Kia, I think the new GT will be extremely successful just like the coupe was! they shouldn’t stop improving because they are on such a great roll (talking about progress from the past 10 years). You ever notice the new Genesis isn’t even called a Hyundai? they know people are afraid of the name due to the cheap models of yesteryear. I hope they lose the stigma because they do have very nice interiors and such.
 
 
@kleptomage  
Ugh, I’m so glad they are lessening the strange “Nike” shaped headlight accents… I love Lexus, but mostly for the GX and the pure excessiveness of some of their vehicles!  
 
this is a true beauty… I hate the GPS/radio unit though in all Lexus models, with the strange cursor/scrolling knob.

@race’emhard  
Really? I’ve never paid much attention to either brand.
 
@RainbowDash69  
I don’t know what Lexus was thinking with the Nike swooshes or their grill design. I get that they want to stand out but it helps to be attractive. What’s so great about the GX?

@kleptomage  
I kind of wonder if Kia is really trying to go head to head against the 3-series. I’ve heard it called a “3-series fighter”, but like you said, most BMW customers wouldn’t touch a Kia with a ten foot pole. What I hope they’re trying to do is make a car that has the desirable qualities of a BMW, but costs far less, say in the range of $30k. That puts it about $14k less than the 3-Series Gran Coupe (sidebar: that’s a stupid name), and right in the range of the average price of a new car. That way, it doesn’t have to appeal to BMW drivers to succeed; it just has to appeal to Fusion, Taurus, and LX platform drivers, who I’d assume are less brand-focused and might be attracted to the practicality of the liftback and Kia’s 100,000 mile warranty.
 
They really do need a better name, though. After all, “GT” is taken:  

@Flying Pancake  
I doubt that Kia can beat BMW at their own game, but if the GT offers similar performance and refinement to the 3 series and is priced in the mid $30,000s, it could be very competitive. I’ll keep an eye on it.
 
The Ford GT will be amazing for the 0.001% of the population who can drive it.

@kleptomage  
Dang, you haven’t noticed the sudden increase of good looking Kia cars out on the road?? Hm, I guess it just depends on location
 
I’m talking about the headlight design here:  

 
I love the car, it sounds amazing but yeah, the design is a little strange, still better than any Toyota (even though they are the same thing!)  
I’d rather buy a Ford Super Duty with my money and that truck has its own strange design.
 
 
By the way, I only mentioned the GX because I’m a big fan of SUVs, especially full-size luxury ones. It has all this great off-roading ability, but the stupid sidesteps make it impossible to have any fun
 
@Flying Pancake  
I’ll be very shocked if a Kia could ever compete with BMW, wow. Those poor suckers mostly buy for the brand, we all know that :)

Every autumn and spring I test my car’s battery and in winter I put a heated pad on my seat and keep grip tracks and warm clothes in the trunk. How do you prepare your vehicle for winter?

@kleptomage  
good, battery is very important. my sister has had so much trouble with batteries… I just make sure the jumper cables are still in the trunk! :D I really should see if my spare tire is inflated, but I always inspect the other tires when there’s giant temperature jumps/drops
 
it doesn’t matter much because I only drive around my town and I am mostly away at college with no car

@kleptomage
 
There are a few things I do regardless of season which may apply to some people as a difference:
 
>Trickle chargers set to cars not driven in winter (year-round practice.)  
>Generally speaking, Synthetic oil with lowest first viscosity number (e.g. 5w40 instead of 15w40 for my Diesel. There are 0w40s but not many just yet. Year round practice.)  
>Keep tires up (higher than posted on the car if the tires can go higher safely and ride quality won’t suffer or tires wear out faster.)
 
The biggest thing I have to do for winter prep is spraying any areas prone to rusting with Fluid Film or some other rust preventative though. This includes inside the doors and rocker panels.
 
Batteries are a non-issue this year being that they’re not old enough yet save for one which won’t be replaced due to the car not being driven.
 
While in winter I’ll do these though:
 
>If not coated in Fluid Film, take whole car for undercarriage wash every 3 or 4 weeks at the touchless wash.  
>Rinse road salt off top of car once a week at the manual $2.25 wash (again, no washing the undercarriage if covered with Fluid Film.)  
>Use one or more engine pre-heaters if equipped (engine block, circulating coolant heater, oil heater, transmission heater.)  
>NEVER put the defroster on full blast at startup; Father cracked a windshield this way.  
>Use De-Icer Spray if covered in ice.  
>Raise Windshield Wipers off car before letting sit.

@RainbowDash69  
@BarryFromMars
 
I had the original battery die about 5 years ago when I didn’t drive for two weeks in the middle of winter. The battery I have now is only a year old but I check it anyway because it’s a good habit.
 
I know diesels can be a problem to start in the cold but is it so bad you need multiple engine heaters?
 
When I get my next car I’m definitely going to get a set of snow tires and swap them in when they’re needed. That’s probably the most important winter prep but I can’t justify the cost at this time.

@kleptomage
 
I feel like I wasn’t clear; I only have an engine block heater and 5w40 oil in the 6.5 T.D. but I also feel like going to what may be overkill for a lot of people for reducing the amount of fuel I use in cold starts along with reducing wear. The block heater I do have in the Diesel never gets the coolant hot enough to turn the heater on immediately unless it might be 110° F out. Sure the heater helps but it’s not powerful enough for my preference.

@kleptomage  
my issue with batteries is mainly because the car sits for a long time (months) without being driven… yeah I know that is a big issue :P
 
 
@BarryFromMars  
That’s interesting for sure, I never thought a “too hot” heater could cause a cracked windshield! Also, what’s the texture/color of that fluid film? I’ve seen it on the frame, but not on rocker panels

@RainbowDash69
 
Hot air blowing on cold windshield = CRACK (just like splashing cold water on a hot light bulb without being as fast or perhaps as devastating)
 
Fluid Film’s a little bit like grease after it’s sprayed. It’s butterscotch-ish or a brown mustard color.

@BarryFromMars  
I see. “Use one or more engine pre-heaters” made it sound like you were running more than one heater.
 
 
@BarryFromMars  
Some cars have heated washer fluid jets. I guess the amount of fluid is too small to cause a temperature change in the glass drastic enough to crack it.

@RainbowDash69  
It’s not really the heater being too hot, it’s the rapid, uneven change from cold to hot that cracks it. It works the other way around, too; turn the A/C on full blast at the windshield after leaving it in the sun on a hot day, and it can crack.
 
As an extreme example, there was a NASCAR team whose car was overheating during a race, and they decided to cool it off by spraying cold water directly onto the engine. Doing so cracked the engine block, ending their day. (If I’m remembering correctly- it was either the block or the heads)

@Flying Pancake  
I know the science behind it, involving thermal shock resistance. I am just surprised it’s possible to have a car’s defroster heat up that quickly!
 
(I mean, I’ve done it countless times… especially in high school without thinking it was possible)