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#91

Technical / Authenticity / Re: Another ill transmission

Last post by 1959Fleetwood - May 17, 2024, 01:21:21 PM

Hello Roger, I have the original Kent-Moore tool for measuring the front end play witch i bought many years ago in the USA. The one you've send to the Netherlands went to a different person.

#92

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by PHIL WHYTE CLC 14192 - May 17, 2024, 01:08:36 PM

I recently crossed the English Channel to France and back on the car ferry. On the return journey, whilst booking in I noticed a sign that said all EVs and Hybrids must be brought to the ferry operator's attention. I asked why and was told that they had to be loaded in a safe area because the self ignite and the fires can't be put out. I'm guessing the safe area is on the outside at the front of the loading area where they can be dumped in the drink should they catch fire.

#93

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Clewisiii - May 17, 2024, 12:52:50 PM

Now before I bought my current car. I was seriously looking at EVs. I almost put a deposit down.

But in calculating my costs there was one thing that stopped me.

Insurance rates.

The rate would be near double what I was currently paying. And I think a lot of that is due to fear of costs on the part of the insurance companies.

Tesla started their own insurance program that was a lot cheaper. But it is not available in Michigan yet. So I could not go for that.

#94

General Discussion / Re: Sauls Autotek?

Last post by 71 Fleetwood - May 17, 2024, 12:50:28 PM

Hi Mike - Sorry for the slow response.  I bought a '71 Fleetwood from Bring a Trailer in April 2021.  It arrived in May 2021.  I took the car right away to the emissions test station, where it failed so I took it to Saul's at the old location.  They treated me fine and the cost was okay for a points, plugs, timing job.  They replaced the spark plug wires with the only set available (yeah, Covid) which did the job but I replaced with correct. 

I didn't know that Saul's does restoration.  I have stuff that still needs attention - fuel lines, a/c, so if you do proceed with Bessie any feedback would be appreciated.

Richard

#95

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Lexi - May 17, 2024, 12:39:10 PM

While I am not a bandwagon jumper in general, especially EV stuff, but this YouTube video if true is genuinely disturbing for all motorists. While not Cadillac, there is a parallel there due to the shift to EV automobile production. The new technology may drive a wedge between the consumer and some automotive repair shops, especially small local ones. Seems like EV automobile owners may normally be at the mercy of dealerships for some repairs. And what if they provide a mis-diagnosis (or worse, a fraudulent one)? If true this video is certainly disturbing. Basically: 1) replace your allegedly damaged EV battery at $60,000 plus, (CAD funds), on a $55,000 near new automobile...and apparently nothing wrong with the battery., (just the roadside shield lightly scraped). Still pondering this one. Clay/Lexi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr3mFzh0KSk

#96

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Clewisiii - May 17, 2024, 12:37:45 PM

One argument that is made is that you would need to change tires more often due to weight.

I don't know if that is really true. Depends on the tire and driving style.

My Ford Focus was the worst. I had to change tires every 36-40,000 miles. My XTS only needed three sets of tires in 250,000 miles.

We test the drive and steering systems for electric vehicles with multiple size and styles of tires. Now I am not measuring tire longevity. But instead how does the cars drive and steering control systems react to the different tires installed. I cannot show pictures of the test vehicles since they are not Cadillacs. But here is my tire pile. We have several styles of tests and rigs that we will use to measure how these perform.

#97

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Clewisiii - May 17, 2024, 12:19:41 PM

I currently pay about $70 a week in gas. That is little over $3500 a year. So in three years I can break even if I need a new battery.

Now that is not everything. I still would need to pay for electricity. Which is a lot less then gas at a home level 2 overnight charge rate.

But then I also would need to pay for engine maintenance on a gas car. Which with my miles is $200 a year for oil changes alone. So another $600 at three years. My Cadillac XTS needed a new trans at 56,000 miles at $3000. Not under warranty. But the second trans went for 200,000 miles so both are a gamble if something drastic is an issue.

#98

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621 - May 17, 2024, 12:02:18 PM

Are we comparing apples to apples new cars of identical cost and owned for identical duration? Then depreciation has to be factored in. Many ICEs can be made to last almost indefinitely but there are costs to maintain them. EVs need comparatively little by way traditional maintenance but battery life is limited to around 10 years maximum. When replacement of an EV battery is needed, expect cost of $10,000 to $15,000 and up to $25,000 in some cases, in other words, far more than the cost of regular ICE maintenance or even replacing the engine.

The greenest car is the one that had already been built (ie a used car), and is usually by far cheapest over the duration of ownership. A brand new EV will never come close in terms of cost per mile or per year and certainly not for the environment. 

CLC member friend drove his 200X Lincoln Town Car 447,000 miles without any major repairs. Talk about "planet-saving!" Find me an EV can do that.

#99

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Clewisiii - May 17, 2024, 12:01:37 PM

One thing that will throw you off if you are not expecting it is automatic regenerative braking.

You can literally drive with just the accelerator pedal if you want. When you remove your foot it will automatically apply the brakes. But it isn't really the brakes. It engages a generator that pulls energy out of the rotating wheel to recharge the battery. You can adjust the sensitivity of this setting. I like to feel like I still coast a little bit with my foot off the accelerator.

I tried explaining this to my dad. Who is a nice man but not a bright man. He said why don't you just drive the front wheels then charge on back so you never have to charge. I tried to tell him it doesn't work that way without explaining the law of conversation of energy.

#100

General Discussion / Re: The Real cost of operating...

Last post by Clewisiii - May 17, 2024, 11:40:16 AM

I was an engineering benchmarking consultant.  We had switched to only tearing down and reviewing EVs. They were the only thing customers cared about recently.  I have torn apart.

Tesla Model S
Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model Y
Rivian R1T
Rivian R1S
Mustang Mach E
F150 Lightning
Vinfast VF8
Hummer EV
Hyundai Ionic
Lucid

Then some Hybrids.

The Insurance Institute of Highway safety had us rip the batteries out of ten Cars that were destroyed in hurricane flooding. They wanted to know what happened to the battery during the flood. Some of these cars still had mud and branches in the back seat. About half had battery damage. But less were actually dead.

I have driven
Tesla Model 3
Rivian R1T
Cadillac Lyriq
F150 Lightning
Mustang Mach E

Lots depends on how you drive. I drove the F150 from Auburn Hills Michigan to Wixom and back on back roads. I must drive better then the others who had driven it. Because at the end it only said I had used 10 miles of range.  We had 4 EVs  as company cars. And about six employees had their own EVs. The company put in 6 Level 2 chargers that were free for employee use. So most employees didn't even charge at home. Just at work. So that is not a fair comparison.
But driving the F150 from Detroit to Flint overnight and back did not require any charging.

I only know of one of the cars we ever worked with that had a problem. It was a Ford Mustang Mach E Test Vehicle that had catastrophic battery failure at 500 miles.

I am perfectly fine owning an EV. I do want one. I upgraded my electrical panel and ran a wire to my garage for a future Level 2 charger. My only fear/problem is that I drive a lot of miles. roughly 40,000 per year. My fear is battery replacement out of warranty. Because I will be out of warranty before I finish paying off the loan. The new batteries last longer then you would think. And most of those horror story battery cost estimates you see are for cars that do not have batteries currently being made.  So yes trying to keep an EV 20 years may be a problem until they come up with a standard battery that is backwards compatible. Which GM my be trying to do with the Ultium battery. But it is going to take a few model iterations for them to figure out the ideal build type and execution.

I do not believe the batteries we have today are the batteries we will have tomorrow. They are getting better all the time. We may be changing the amount of raw materials we need, we may be changing the type of materials.

People complain about materials and mining. My example is Aluminum. Aluminum does not occur naturally in nature. At one time Aluminum was more expensive then gold. Now it is the most recycled material. The battery material will be the same.

IF I was a person who only did 10,000 miles a year I would definitely own an EV today.