The MW Automotive Thread 5.0 GT

[Ignacio Ocamica]

A4 No contest for me. Looks so much better, more elegant.

Seconded, A4 no doubt.

[Omegablue]

I think car prices of super high end sports cars are ridiculous, but not everything is a con. I drove a Lotus every day for 2 years in San Francisco. It was an awesome design, super fast, and not expensive at all. Some companies redesign their cars just so you feel you need the newer one, but other companies actually do the oposite. Porsche keeps the 911 the same so even an old one has high value.

I won't deny that the new Lotus range is nice and better priced, pity it's risking financially apparently.

[emajnthis]

Definitely A4, but why lease? Unless the intention is to take it back after 2 or 3 years for something better. With German cars that's probably a good idea, after about 60,000 miles they start to get all kinds of weird issues (mostly interior and emissions electrical).

I won't deny that the new Lotus range is nice and better priced, pity it's risking financially apparently.

Fiscally it's wise for Lotus to just function as a consulting firm where they perform the R&D and engineering but manufacturing is handled by the customer. They can take something and turn it into a work of art, but scratch building entire cars for them has always been an issue.

[areaseven]

It's not the accident itself that's shocking, but the response time of the EMT.

[areaseven]

And now for another episode of "Russians Can't Drive":

[jenius]

Iif you could lease one these cars which would you choose?

Audi A4 - BMW 128i - Lexus IS250

Probably a little late to this party, I've had an A4 for 10 years now and I'm sure they make them a bit better than they did when I bought mine (a 2002). Even with several problems over the decade (two tow truck days, one for thermostat, the other for ignition coils very early in the car's life, quirk of a new model) I'm still happy with my purchase. Little problems have included a broken driver's seat (the back of it popped off when I hopped in once), windshield wiper fluid sprayer no longer works, amplifier shorted out (so I gutted the whole stereo and replaced it with something not BOSE), and a fuel pump got very noisy. Really though, not bad... service can be brutal but my buddy with a BMW ALWAYS pays more than I do... to the point of comedy. From that list, I'd go with the A4 without question.

[areaseven]

Wait till you hear what the $33,000 option is on the Bentley...

[derex3592]

Iif you could lease one these cars which would you choose?

Audi A4 - BMW 128i - Lexus IS250

I've had a BMW 128i for 4 years now. Best car I have ever owned. Bought it new in 2009. No issues whatsoever. Solid engine and it handles like a dream once you take the runcrap tires off and put some good rubber on. Got 46000 miles on it now and trying to decide if I wanna trade in or not.

[vlenhoff]

i got 46k on my clock, and i am keeping this one. I own a Subaru WRX, and I am very happy with it.

[areaseven]

Here's one for the resident bikers: Jay Leno's original 1981 Honda CBX. Super sweet.

[mikeszekely]

So when my wife was getting gas, she found the station had 5 gallon plastic kerosene containers on clearance for $4. She remembered that we need a new gas can, so she bought it and brought it home. I told her it was for kerosene (English isn't her first language, she'd never heard of kerosene, and thought it was the brand name of the company that made the container), that we can't use it for gas, and that gas cans are red.

And then she asked why.

That got me thinking... do they use different materials in the different plastics? Is it actually illegal to fill a kerosene container with gasoline? $4 is a heck of a lot cheaper than gas cans go for these days...

[David Hingtgen]

Always reminds me of how the British say "petrol"---well, that's not nearly specific enough! Gas at least is short for gasoline, a very specific form of distilled petrol.

Anyways----just pre-emptively changed my car's battery. It's over 6 years old, and that's old enough to worry even when it's performing flawlessly. (ever car I've ever had die, the battery was PERFECT that morning---start right up the first try in a split-second on a cold day after being shut-down overnight---but 8 hours later, battery so dead it won't even crank---in my world, batteries die totally and instantly)

(I've never had a battery last this long, and I feel bad replacing it as it's a known "good one" but I just can't risk another winter I think)

PS---you can always keep jet fuel in your kerosene can.

[mikeszekely]

PS---you can always keep jet fuel in your kerosene can.

That could come in handy... assuming I can run my lawn mower on jet fuel.

Wife called the place and they did tell her she needs a gas can... and they want $16! Maybe I can go to Walmart and get a can of red spray paint...

[areaseven]

Always reminds me of how the British say "petrol"---well, that's not nearly specific enough! Gas at least is short for gasoline, a very specific form of distilled petrol.

One other problem with British terminology is that "gas" in the UK refers to LPG.

[mikeszekely]

One other problem with British terminology is that "gas" in the UK refers to LPG.

You know, I actually had to Google LPG. Apparently, that's because in the States we just call it propane when it's propane and butane when it's butane.

[mecha2241]

So when my wife was getting gas, she found the station had 5 gallon plastic kerosene containers on clearance for $4. She remembered that we need a new gas can, so she bought it and brought it home. I told her it was for kerosene (English isn't her first language, she'd never heard of kerosene, and thought it was the brand name of the company that made the container), that we can't use it for gas, and that gas cans are red. And then she asked why. That got me thinking... do they use different materials in the different plastics? Is it actually illegal to fill a kerosene container with gasoline? $4 is a heck of a lot cheaper than gas cans go for these days...

Technically it is illegal to use that can for gasoline, there are warning signs at gas stations that say something to the effect of only using proper containers for fuel. Also, plastic cans are a bad idea for use anyway due to static electricity, I work in a fuel terminal and we only have metal fuel cans that must be grounded for static and have flame arrestors to keep a flame from shooting out of the can and burning people, you don't want to know how much these things cost...

[mikeszekely]

Technically it is illegal to use that can for gasoline, there are warning signs at gas stations that say something to the effect of only using proper containers for fuel. Also, plastic cans are a bad idea for use anyway due to static electricity, I work in a fuel terminal and we only have metal fuel cans that must be grounded for static and have flame arrestors to keep a flame from shooting out of the can and burning people, you don't want to know how much these things cost...

Every modern container I've seen for fuel is plastic. My old gas can, which needs to be replaces because it leaks, is plastic. My parents' is plastic. Every one I've seen for sale, be it at Walmart of Home Depot, is plastic. In fact, I was under the impression that the reason they switched to plastic from metal is because plastic isn't electrically conductive and therefore static electricity is less of a concern that it was with the old metal ones (which, IIRC, are actually glass-lined).

[mecha2241]

As I said I work in a fuel terminal and I can assure that we are not allowed to use any kind of plastic containers to store gasoline or diesel due to static electricity dangers. That all said I do have plastic cans at home because that's about all they sell in stores. But trust me metal cans are safer for the reasons I said above. They just cost way too much. Also for work we ordered them from Grainger, again not cheap.

(Sorry, trying to be helpful, hope I'm not making you mad.)

Edited January 9, 2013 by mecha2241

[ron5864]

I have metal gasoline containers for safety reasons. One, less static electricity issues. Two plastic containers are prone to cracking and leakage.

I had a 5-gallon plastic container before that leaked 2-3 gallons of fuel due to cracks at the seam. It was probably caused by the thermal expansion of the container, and over time it developed a crack.

Edited January 9, 2013 by ron5864

[mikeszekely]

As I said I work in a fuel terminal and I can assure that we are not allowed to use any kind of plastic containers to store gasoline or diesel due to static electricity dangers. That all said I do have plastic cans at home because that's about all they sell in stores. But trust me metal cans are safer for the reasons I said above. They just cost way too much. Also for work we ordered them from Grainger, again not cheap.

(Sorry, trying to be helpful, hope I'm not making you mad.)

I'm not mad; by all the standards of the internet, you've been nothing but polite and inoffensive!

After doing some digging, you're absolutely correct that you, at your job, have to have metal containers with the flame arrestors and all that. It's because of the layers of bureaucracy involved. That isn't to say that the plastic containers you use at home are illegal, mind you. They meet EPA regulations. They may (or may not) meet DoT regulations (depending on your state). What they don't meet, and why you can't use them at work, is OSHA regulations.

I have metal gasoline containers for safety reasons. One, less static electricity issues

This one I still don't get. Static electricity, by the admission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Center for Disease Control, is more of a danger if you have metal containers. The warning, issued by NIOSH and the CDC in 1998, says that the problem is caused by trucks with plastic liners, because the insulating effect of the plastic liner prevents the metal gas can from grounding. When the metal gas pump touches the metal container, static electricity on either the the pump or the container can arc to the other, causing a spark that ignites the gas. It's recommended that, if you have a truck with a plastic liner, you take the gas can out of the truck and ground it before filling it.

Now if plastic gas cans are less prone to static electricity, why does OSHA demand metal containers? Because the overwhelming majority of cheaply-made plastic ones do not have a flame arrestor.

Two plastic containers are prone to cracking and leakage.

Well, there's that too. That's actually why I need a new can. Thing is, even at the ridiculous prices these cans are going for, you can still get four or five for the price of a metal one.

Which brings me back to the beginning. The issue isn't that the can is plastic; I'm not using it at the work place, I'm using it to cut my grass, so OSHA regulations don't apply (while they would in your case, mecha2241). A little more research revealed that gasoline is actually harder on plastic than kerosene, but they use the same plastic for the kerosene containers that they use for the gasoline containers. Only difference is that the kerosene container is blue. So, assuming that the container meets all other EPA and DoT standards, is it illegal to put gasoline into that container simply because it's blue, and if I paint the container red myself, have I now satisfied that last requirement?

EDIT: In my state of PA, I'm thinking that yes it's illegal to put gasoline in a blue container, but I'm less clear on the legality of making the blue container red.

DOUBLE EXTRA EDIT: Just took an actual good look at the can. It's not an el-cheapo Blitz, it's a nice Midwest Can (model 7600). It's identical to their gas can (model 5600), made from the same HDPE, and they both have the child-proof cap and spring on the nozzle that automatically seals the spout. I can't tell if it has a flame arrestor. It might not satisfy OSHA, but it does meet EPA and DoT laws for my state. It's just blue!

Edited January 9, 2013 by mikeszekely

[mecha2241]

I wasn't clear about legal containers. I didn't mean to imply plastic cans are illegal, I should have said that putting gas in a can marked kerosene could be illegal. Metal cans, I think, are considered easier to ground/bond making them safer than plastic, but I'm honestly guessing a little there, I'd have to look into it next time I work.

[mikeszekely]

I wasn't clear about legal containers. I didn't mean to imply plastic cans are illegal, I should have said that putting gas in a can marked kerosene could be illegal.

Oh, yeah, that's the part I'm stuck on. I'm just trying to figure out, if I make the can red, will that satisfy the legal requirements? Honestly, it's a really nice can for $4, and I'd rather keep it if I can get away with it.

[mecha2241]

If the paint cover the word kerosene and if the word isn't molded in the plastic you should be fine.

[areaseven]

For those unfamiliar, Speed TV has a reality series called Car Warriors. Think of it as Iron Chef with cars... and a lot of yelling and fighting in front of the camera. Here's the recap episode of season 1, where the show's All Stars recall the 15 best moments while the judges name the car of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDzkE4zmxY0

[reddsun1]

That show gets a big ol' "meh" for me. Takes the implied urgency from American Hot Rod and tries to crank it up to 9 or 10. Bleh.

[areaseven]

Jay Leno takes a close look at the new SRT Viper.

[reddsun1]

This gets a big ol' fu*k yea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_vqnAqi2T0

[Atharun]

I own a 370Z and love it. My next purchase will prob be a bike. Been considering the Iron 883 by Harley D.

[Lobizon]

Just to remind everyone, Chevrolet is officially revealing the new C7 Corvette right now at http://www.chevrolet...13thirteen.html

Edited January 14, 2013 by Lobizon

[areaseven]

And it's been revealed...

[areaseven]

Here's another look at the Corvette C7:

[ErikElvis]

Hhmmm not sure how I feel about that vette.

[Agent ONE]

Wow, LEDs in the headlights... ACTIVE air vents as opposed to fake. "beefy exhaust system." LOL. You can adjust the loudness! OMG...

The conversation is hilarious. Amazing how things on this car need cooling, that faster cars don't require.

[ron5864]

With all the hype around this C7 Vette, I thought the GM CEO was going to dress in a black turtleneck and jeans to unveil the car..."Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you..... the iVette."

Overall, I like it. But you won't find me waiting in line at the Chevrolet store tomorrow morning.

[BeyondTheGrave]

Wow, LEDs in the headlights... ACTIVE air vents as opposed to fake. "beefy exhaust system." LOL. You can adjust the loudness! OMG...

The conversation is hilarious. Amazing how things on this car need cooling, that faster cars don't require.

So the the Bugatti Veyron's ten radiators are for show and to mark up the price?