Wagon Stoke

[4matic]

Total thread drift here... tell me about this machine polishing for water spots on glass.

Car sat near a sprinkler for a couple years. I tried hand polishing per the kit but did nothing. So I used a 3 inch orange pad with a rotary polisher on lowest setting. Took way less than an hour to do all 9 windows.




Tip: treat the rubber with protectant before you polish. It keeps the polish from staining rubber.

[Bobcat Sig]

Car sat near a sprinkler for a couple years. I tried hand polishing per the kit but did nothing. So I used a 3 inch orange pad with a rotary polisher on lowest setting. Took way less than an hour to do all 9 windows.




Tip: treat the rubber with protectant before you polish. It keeps the polish from staining rubber.

Rad! Thanks. My diesel truck has water spots that just won't come off the rear window.

[BmillsSkier]

The 2004 E500 wagon gonna roll 180k this week. It got 22mpg driving from sac to bay. Original spark plugs, water pump, alternator, and coolant. I got rear ended again yesterday but just a minor nick so I let it slide. The new Airmatic pump made a big difference in ride height and ride quality. It’s considerably firmer and more stable tracking. I sprayed the entire car with iron and contaminant remover because it sits out and what a difference. The wheels especially look better. I also machine polished the water spots off the glass. Hand scrub didn’t work at all. Great car. Attachment 388073

I like the rain sensing wipers but they are inconsistent.

Nice, can you tell us a bit more about this iron and contaminant remover?

[ex-powderbroker]

The 2004 E500 wagon gonna roll 180k this week. It got 22mpg driving from sac to bay. Original spark plugs, water pump, alternator, and coolant. I got rear ended again yesterday but just a minor nick so I let it slide. The new Airmatic pump made a big difference in ride height and ride quality. It’s considerably firmer and more stable tracking. I sprayed the entire car with iron and contaminant remover because it sits out and what a difference. The wheels especially look better. I also machine polished the water spots off the glass. Hand scrub didn’t work at all. Great car. Attachment 388073

I like the rain sensing wipers but they are inconsistent.

curious about the airmatic suspension. i thought those were total dogs, like the allroad. that pump seems pretty cheap though, maybe i should broaden my search?

Although the audi rain sensing windshield wipers haven't failed me yet

antijinx

[bagtagley]

Fascinating.

Nice dismount

Hi^5 on picking up the reference

Kinda regret not going with “you don’t love me anymore, do you?”

Hi^5

[4matic]

Nice, can you tell us a bit more about this iron and contaminant remover?

Works far better than I expected. It's almost like liquid clay bar.

https://gtechniq.com/shop/auto/wash-...llout-remover/

[4matic]

curious about the airmatic suspension. i thought those were total dogs, like the allroad. that pump seems pretty cheap though, maybe i should broaden my search?

Although the audi rain sensing windshield wipers haven't failed me yet

antijinx

Nonsense. You might have to replace a shock, strut or, pump now and then but I love it. Three way adjustable stiffness, ride height adjustment, super compliant. Everyone comments what a smooth quiet ride the car has and it's 17 y/o!. The nice thing is there no degradation in ride quality until something quits working. I bought the car with 90k miles and the records show one front strut had been replaced. I replaced the other front strut 4-5 years later and used an Arnott. I think parts and labor was around $750. It's an easy replacement and does not require re-alignment. One of the rear airbags had been leaking since I bought the car in 2009 but it always pumped up and no error code. I finally had to replace both rear airbags (Arnott) last year. I think it was $1400 parts and labor? Also, I replaced the original pump in 2012 with a cheap ebay one and I think that was less than $300 parts and labor but I do know my mechanic. The pump I replaced last month was OEM and cost considerably more but the labor was only booked at one hour. $650 total. So, I've got maybe $3200 parts and labor in the airmatic over the years. I've owned the car 12 years. DIY is easy on Airmatic if you are a DIY at all. I feel like it's worth it for the performance and comfort.

Pats are even cheaper now. I think I paid close to $500 for my front strut at the time. They are less than $300 now. That was the complaint on airmatic. A single front strut at the dealer was over $2k installed and they initially recommended replacing in pairs so you'd be looking at $5k for two front struts from dealer. There is no reason to replace the front in pairs. Rear I would say replace in pairs.

https://rebuildmastertech.com/merced...BoCK78QAvD_BwE

[Pinned]

My E63 rode so well, it was wild how planted it was on the highway too. The air ride is awesome. The W211s are great cars, I'd love to own one again.

[BmillsSkier]

Nice dismount




Kinda regret not going with “you don’t love me anymore, do you?”

Hi^5

Nice.

I conveyed this deep cut pickup to the other half this evening and her response was, first to yours:

"I do, kind of."

Also for good measure:

"can the boy tell time?"

"Oh God, no."

Works far better than I expected. It's almost like liquid clay bar.

https://gtechniq.com/shop/auto/wash-...llout-remover/

Cool stuff, thanks. I'm interested for my own wagon as it too is relegated to the driveway spot.

Sure it's cool on the clearcoat in your experience?

[jm2e]

Looking for a new vehicle. Love our XC60, but hate the local Volvo dealer. Probably looking for 3-4 year old used. Will drive it into the ground, unless I start getting $6k repairs.
Any ideas?


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[BmillsSkier]

Looking for a new vehicle. Love our XC60, but hate the local Volvo dealer. Probably looking for 3-4 year old used. Will drive it into the ground, unless I start getting $6k repairs.
Any ideas?


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1. 20 year old Volvo 240

2. the following wagons off a 2-3 year lease:

Audi Allroad (B8.5 or newer) - about to turn 120k on mine after some serious Covid miles on my '14 and another 1,400 coming this weekend (warranty to 100k and worth it). Rock solid.

XC70T6 - look to the later P3 models. Mine was Highway Star and it lived up to the name. Hammer.

Base E-Class Mercs - solid build, costs a fuckton to repair. Twice that for AMG trim.

What about a new Buick Alltrek or whatever it was? I'm positive there's a fully loaded model still on a lot somewhere.

[Pinned]

Cool stuff, thanks. I'm interested for my own wagon as it too is relegated to the driveway spot.

Sure it's cool on the clearcoat in your experience?

The iron and contaminants embedded in the clear coat are actually damaging to paint. Removing them with the iron decontaminant is ultimately good for paint, but you don't want to let that stuff sit too long. For a mid-sized car the 16oz bottle is just enough in my experience. There are a ton of brands, but they all work about the same - I've used Car-Pro IronX (the original), Adam's, and one other that have all been good. They smell awful though.

If you're not worried about doing a full paint correction to remove swirls I'd do the following:
-Wash car with soap like normal and dry
-Spray lower half of car + wheels with iron remover
-Rinse + re-wash car
-Clay bar to remove anything the iron remover didn't get
-Add some sort of sealing product so you don't have to do it all over again in 3 months

Good luck, car is going to look awesome after.

[4matic]

Nice.

I conveyed this deep cut pickup to the other half this evening and her response was, first to yours:

"I do, kind of."

Also for good measure:

"can the boy tell time?"

"Oh God, no."





Cool stuff, thanks. I'm interested for my own wagon as it too is relegated to the driveway spot.

Sure it's cool on the clearcoat in your experience?

Totally good on clear coat. I just used it on both the S-Class cars with great results. stains and cloudiness gone.. It's quite mild despite the strong sulphur smell. I cover the whole car liberally and then agitate with a mitt. It takes a long time to hose off so be patient.

Edit: I just checked the car I did last evening after it rained last night. The paint was pretty stained before. I'd say the contaminant remover did a 90% job with 10% of the work. A quick 3-1 polish and it will be as close to 100% as I want to go.

[MontuckyFried]

Looking for a new vehicle. Love our XC60, but hate the local Volvo dealer.

Same here, my friend. Same here. My local dealer is terrible. So bad that I don't even want a new one under warranty. Especially after they botched a simple oil change so badly on mine. Would rather have old ones I can wrench on myself. Also, why I'm REALLY spooked about the newer models with hybrid/plug-in/turbo'd/supercharged all in one. Maybe those cars would be fine, but I have zero faith my dealer will treat me fairly if/when those systems shit the bed.

On the plus side, I'm getting pretty handy under the hood of my P3 XC70. Haha. Seriously, though. Screw those dealers.

After 4matic's glowing report of his Mercedes wagon though, I'm going to have to take a hard look at those for my replacement if I don't wind up with a newer Volvo. I would not mind a newer V70 (in non-XC flavor) if I could ever find one. I just wish there was one with a stick since our beloved R got retired. I'm a sad panda.

[liv2ski]

I have been a wagon guy forever, but finally went to the dark side this year. My requirements were AWD, a 6 cylinder engine that had 400+ hp, big enough to travel with the two large dogs and comfortable for long drives. A cool interior and panoramic sunroof sealed the deal. I bought a 2016 Cayenne S and have to admit it is a damn nice car and for for 55% off the original MSRP, a great deal. My indie has said they are pretty dependable, so we will see what happens.
Try and find an indie to service those Volvo's. It can save you some money and hassles for sure.

[Art Shirk]

Try and find an indie to service those Volvo's. It can save you some money and hassles for sure.

My thoughts too. Maybe there is a reason you guys feel beholden to the dealer but there are usually swede specific shops ready to do a good job and you’ll pay for only the work they actually do.


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[MontuckyFried]

My thoughts too. Maybe there is a reason you guys feel beholden to the dealer but there are usually swede specific shops ready to do a good job and you’ll pay for only the work they actually do.

Nah. I don't feel beholden to the dealer. I just unfortunately am forced to use them on occasion for programming of new modules. None of my Euro indie shops around here have the computers/software apparently. Some proper Swede shops probably do, but just none I can find here (yet). Back in Bozeman, though, I had a fantastic Euro shop that took great care of my car and knew it inside and out. Had a dedicated techs who specialized in each brand. They weren't "cheap," but never screwed me over either. Like you said, only paid for work they actually did and they were fast so I always felt I was treated fairly.

Man. If I were a rich man, I would love to open up my own Volvo shop here in town just to be a dick to the existing dealer. Plus get first dibs on Polestars and what not. Would specialize in vintage models and 850R/S70R/V70R's. Ahhh, yes. One can dream...

[liv2ski]

My Volvo Indie does not have software to program modules, but big whoop, how often do I need that done?

[MontuckyFried]

My Volvo Indie does not have software to program modules, but big whoop, how often do I need that done?

It's not often, but often enough to be annoying. Next up on the docket is the ICM (infotainment control module), which also requires VIN match programming by dealer FML. Still annoyed how pretty much all manufacturers have done away with standard DIN sized head units. These bastards ain't cheap to fix. Been rocking a bluetooth speaker in my XC70 for a couple years now. Haha.

[MontuckyFried]

Woah. Actually just found this link! Wonder if these guys are any good. Expensive, but still way freaking cheaper than a replacement unit + programming.
https://xemodex.com/us/product/infot...epair-service/

[Aldo]

xemodex is good. Very satisfied customer been using for a long time.

[MontuckyFried]

xemodex is good. Very satisfied customer been using for a long time.

Thank you! Good to know. That may be just the ticket, then. It's a bit of a PITA to pull, but I've done it before to check connections and such. Will definitely beat the "$1800-2100" quote I got from the dealer before. ...pricks

[bodywhomper]

sry. not exactly wagon stoke, but I love my awd matrix as a gutless, utility, local pow chasing car.

a newish tire (just out of the roadside warranty period ) for my awd matrix picked up a screw at an angle that cannot be plugged. i need a new tire. How do i look up the tolerance for the awd system for throwing a new tire on. The tire shop guys saw that it's fine and the other tires do not need shaving. I just want to look it up and confirm for myself. this is a new tire shop for me as my tire guy for the past 12 years retired. cheers!

[4matic]

sry. not exactly wagon stoke, but I love my awd matrix as a gutless, utility, local pow chasing car.

a newish tire (just out of the roadside warranty period ) for my awd matrix picked up a screw at an angle that cannot be plugged. i need a new tire. How do i look up the tolerance for the awd system for throwing a new tire on. The tire shop guys saw that it's fine and the other tires do not need shaving. I just want to look it up and confirm for myself. this is a new tire shop for me as my tire guy for the past 12 years retired. cheers!

I've driven on plenty of mismatched tires over the years and replaced several singularly. Depends on the awd system and I'd imagine Toyota is pretty robust. You will get a traction error on the display if one tire is spinning that far off.

[jm2e]

My thoughts too. Maybe there is a reason you guys feel beholden to the dealer but there are usually swede specific shops ready to do a good job and you’ll pay for only the work they actually do.


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After dropping $3k to extend the CPO warranty on our XC60, I felt like aligning myself with a local dealer would come in handy. But they treat me like shit and I have to fight them to even consider looking into whether something is covered. I’m hindsight, I should have put the $3k in the bank and called it my warranty nestegg.


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