spankis

I will be another proponent of the 2500 crowd, diesel or not. 8-10kish is within the rating of some 1500s, but realistically starts to get into the duty cycle in my opinion. I've seen my dad tear up tahoes and suburbans towing his 9k travel trailer, mainly with rear end and cam/lifters. The 5.3 really needs to be revved to the moon constantly to move that kind of weight whereas as the 6.0 or diesel has more torque and a more favorable torque curve. If you can sacrifice 4x4 especially, diesel cost premium is significantly reduced, and comes with improved mileage as a side effect. 2500s not only come with more motor, but more brakes (gotta stop all that weight, occasionally in a hurry) and a bigger rear end that won't break as a result of weight behind you. Egregious wheel hop and truly excessive heat can hurt them, but it takes A LOT to chew up the AAM axles in the 2500 / 3500 trucks. The weight and rigidity of the 2500 frame and spring packs also make towing noticeably more confident and comfortable. Having the weight advantage over your trailer, or at least a favorable position is an often overlooked factor in heavy duty towing. Being nearly as heavy as what's behind you is meaningful. My truck (a 2wd Cummins) has required less maintenance and gets way better mileage than the gas trucks I've had before. It also does everything I've asked of it, and never seems to care.

Not a bad idea. I've got a timeline of notes outlining the whole experience so far, this would be a good addition.

Sad update from last night's visit after work - dent is pulled out but far from gone. Still an obvious crease above the rear wheel, so I suppose it's as good as PDR can do for me. Spoke to the after hours service manager last night and he was polite and reasonable. I indicated that before we send the car for bodywork I needed to speak with someone about how the loss of value will be handled (it's no longer a new car, Honda North America rep confirmed the damage is forever associated with my case and will be tied to the VIN). I explained that I left two VM's for the general manager at Lindsay asking for a call back to discuss, and nobody has even returned my call. Different service manager called me back just a bit ago (not the GM, but I guy who was an ass over the phone on Monday). He is rude and argumentative again (customer service is not his strong suit). He wants to argue indefinitely about how there is no loss of value "because it's a honda". He also suggested that because it was on their lot for a week they aren't liable.... Obiously there's 1000 ways to refute that whole claim so I won't go into my response. At the end of the conversation I suggested that the loss of value discussion is likely out of his wheelhouse, thanked him for his help and asked to speak with some else, preferably the GM. Waiting for a call back (again).

Been bad for years. Always scared me in my old Stealth too. Never hurt the car but my head would hit the roof after the coilovers went on.

So, good update - hopefully. Lindsay just called and let me know that their PDR guy was able to fix the dent, and the scratch polished out. Not sure who they called, but whoever it was got it out completely using the glue technique as requested (no holes drilled or body plug in the door jamb). Thanks to Kevin Clifford for suggesting that option, I had no idea it was even a thing. I'm going to go check the car out after work to confirm it's satisfactory. If all is well I plan to look the car over in GREAT DETAIL before I leave the lot with it. As for the original hatch factory clearcoat issue, that will be dealt with separately, possibly with Roush Honda. At this point I'm in GTFO mode. Jesus.

Google doesn't come up with much for John Schrek. I get John Highly with Dent Magic though. Have a contact for him?

Yea, so as far as I can tell, if Honda North America does nothing for me then I get to play the dealer insurance game, issue a diminished value claim, etc. I have a case generated with Honda, they've commited a case manager to calling me back before EOB tomorrow with info. In the meantime someone from Lindsay called to survey my level of satisfaction regarding my last visit - lol. I had already signed the deal, etc., so this was not damage that existed prior to my taking delivery. This was damage that occurred sometime last week, while it sat on their lot waiting for the warranty guy to come in and look at the paint. I did in fact take it home Friday night though, after I got home from Florida. I picked it up after hours, so they left the service invoice or whatever under the wiper. I just wanted to get it home Frday while the wife could give me a ride, and I took it straight home and parked in the garage (no parking lots or anything in between). They didn't even question it though, which surprised me some. And yea, I get the "it's just a civic" statement, but if that was truly my mindset I would have bought any other used low-mileage civic, not a new one. In my mind I signed a contract to make payments on a brand new car (with factory paint, no body filler, blended paint, or accident history). Through no fault of my own (and truly the fault of Honda for the paint defect and a Honda dealer for the dent) the hatch will need re-sprayed and the passenger side filled and blended. PDR may be an option, but per Kevin Clifford there will likely have to be a hold drilled in the door jamb to push the dent out (unless the glue-type PDR process can get it). Lindsay wants to send it to their standard body shop, not PDR.... Shitty phone pics for reference, probably obvious why I'd not immediately notice: http://i.imgur.com/bRkjluNl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/DGhcAddl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/0v7CmOGl.jpg

Awesome work! I would be interested in a big beefy (1/8" or so) fire ring. 3 feet or slightly larger in diameter, Hexagonal or round, but would like it to be 16" tall or so. Optional would be some sleeves on the inside of the diameter to pound re-bar into. Also maybe a 3 or 4" foot rest around the top edge? Mine would be sitting on the ground, but would consider also having one made for my father with a bottom and legs instead of rebar sleeves. Let me know sir!

So, the plot thickens as of this morning.... I picked the car up last night after wife got home and drove me over to Lindsay Honda. Spoke to service guys, letting them know that I would take the car home and wash it this weekend, go over it once more and decide whether to pursue painting or not. I drove it home and put it in the garage. This morning, Kevin Clifford was on the east side, and he and I met up. He looked the car over, and agreed that the paint issue was not terrible but is definitely still visible, and suggested a repaint of the just the hatch panel in question. Just as I was leaving, Kevin honked at me and said "that car's been hit"..... Thanks Kevin! Turns out, somebody hit it while at the dealer, on the passenger side rear door / fender area. Not a huge collision obviously, but a good softball size dent and scratches forward of and behind it. Obviously I took it back to Lindsay and they put me in a rental immediately. They're offering to fix both issues, but at this point I'd just like to hand it back to them. The original paint issue is Honda's, and the new damage occurred while in the dealer's possession, so now I'm potentially going to end up with a "new" car that has body work and blended paintwork. If PDR can resolve the dent I'll be less bothered, but I'm waiting to get a call from Honda North America monday morning. I'll upload some pictures at some point. For now just frustrated.

Lol. You and me probably don't need to be friends.

Yea if you'll be east side already I would swing over there. I brought it home tonight I'm 20 minutes from Lindsay. Do you do work for them by chance? I recall you working with a Honda dealer. I'll PM you.

Like I said the staff has been reasonable, but these goobers didn't even re-detail the whole car, and appear to have just cleaned the area in question. If it's as minor as it appeared to be in their lot today (Lindsay Honda btw), I will likely just call it satisfactory... Assuming I don't find similar flaws elsewhere on the car. Thanks Tim. I appreciate the PM too.

Wrong. If we were in used car dealer as-is no warranty land you would be almost correct. Here though, that perspective is way off. Agreed, I was reading the warranty specs here earlier. So I went by and checked it out about an hour ago, and it looks pretty decent actually. It's probably 95% corrected. What's left is a slight recess in the clear, not through the clear and very slight - no larger than 1/8" in diameter. I honestly had to look hard to see it. I felt like the service manager was giving me the run around though. He acted like something had dripped on it, and the detail guys just cleaned it off, and that was all they did. I explained that it was in the clear and had to be polished out, and he mostly played dumb "we don't have a body shop here or any of the tools to do that, I'm pretty sure they just used wax to get it off." Regardless, he made it clear that the paint is covered under the 3 yr 36k, and that they would repaint the panel if I wanted. He said repeatedly that they don't have a body shop of their own though, and that "most people really don't want to have paintwork done on a new car". I'm going to pick it up later, and want to get it cleaned up well here at home soon. I plan to go over it really well to make sure there aren't other issues. He said the area in question is documented and will be eligible for repaint for the duration of the 3/36 warranty if I prefer. Feeling like if it's the only trouble spot I should be done.

I had assumed as much. Still pisses me off. Thanks lol It was pretty obvious, like a glob of clear. Almost looked like tree sap would if left neglected, but rock hard clear. It was very obvious from the rear for sure, just below the glass, above where the hatch release is. The guy in the service bay described it as "paint peeling" - though it's clearly not that bad. If mobile paint guy is the answer that's shit. If they have a booth I'm sure it will be fine. That would be the argument, perhaps. With them working with me it's not an angle I'm likely to pursue anyway. I don't believe I'm without options however. Thanks for the input guys.

Please elaborate Ruffles.

Should I trust a dealer body shop to prep and paint to factory quality as part of a warranty repair? I suppose more than anything​ that's what I'm struggling with.

I recently changed jobs and I'm now paid mileage rather than being provided a company truck, and so I bought a brand new Civic. I bought exactly the car I wanted (sport trim, manual trans, 1.5 Turbo, hatchback) in the metallic color I wanted. Was tough to find without ordering and waiting 3 months and I had to jump through some hoops to get this one. It came in a little over a week ago (made in the UK so some transit involved) and I took delivery without issue. Have not made my first payment yet, and when I went to wash it last weekend, I found a pretty significant drip / bubble in the clearcoat on the hatch, maybe 2 or 3 inches vertically. I did not notice it when we took delivery as our inspection was inside under shitty service​ bay lights. Long story short, took it into the dealer Monday and left it with them, as I was in Florida for training until late today. I called the dealer before they closed to get an update tonight, and I was told the Honda rep visited the dealer yesterday (Wednesday) and confirmed the defect, and suggested the detail guys give it a go.... I wasn't part of this process or discussion obviously, as nobody called me. What they're telling me is that it "mostly buffed out, but not quite" and that they wanted me to come take a look. To me this means there is not enough clear left to polish the rest of the defect away. It was implied that any further improvement would require repainting the hatch. Neither answer is really okay I feel like, given that I paid for a new car without issues, burnt through clear, or dealer body shop applied paint. Not sure what a reasonable answer is, but am considering giving them the car back and having them source another one identical. I am planning to go see it after work tomorrow, but just wanted some other opinions. Just got off a plane and the whole issue was bugging me for the duration of the 2 hour flight. On one hand it's just a Honda Civic and just a daily, but on the other hand it's a brand new car I'm paying for and a car that I like a lot. Thoughts?

I have a 2007 ram (80k miles), and it's just starting to show the bubbles through the rear fenders. I've owned it since 30k and did the stake pockets caps to keep rain from washing down the inner fender, and it's always had the fender liners on it to keep water and dirt from splashing up inside from below. It's still happening.... I've talked to Kevin Clifford and he's not super confident that cutting it out and patching it will be a long term fix. He says he's seen it return in just a few years, and recommends doing complete bedsides anymore (super pricey). It's paid off, and I've decided that I'm either going to find a good southern bed and start ever, or put a flatbed on it and dually conversion. Shitty regardless, on an otherwise solid truck. I feel like Aluminum bodies like ford, even considering some of their potential challenges, are about the only things that would steer me into paying for a new truck. If I could get myself a cummins in an aluminum bodied something, I'd be happy forever .

True. That.

+1 to this I can also tell you that in conversations between myself, friends, and family who've bought a house recently, all agree that it takes a REALLY impressive house or apparent fantastic deal to even consider purchasing a property "For Sale by Owner". It's just not worth the perceived hassle of navigating the process on your own, and assuming the potential liabilities and risk that would otherwise fall more squarely on the realtor.

Plane on 256 if I recall! I remember looking up inside that thing from below as a kid. Birdshit everywhere.

I was bored here before bed, so you get a quick and dirty photoshop: http://i.imgur.com/FEHjTBA.jpg Wheels are ATX Mojave (estimated around a 20 and a 33" tire, might be a touch oversized but close). Also leveled it, removed steps, and painted your door handle body color.

Good looking truck. In my old Stealth, removing seats and scrubbing the carpet with simple green got my cig smell out. I did change the complete seats (not just covers) out for leather so that likely helped too. Brian is either Dynotune Brian or somebody at PPC maybe? I suggest some wheels without the fake beadlock bolt heads.

My wife's 2007 has the "FE3" suspension as it is the non-boosted SS, but my understanding is that pre-2009 FE3 and FE5 optioned cars used the same cast aluminum control arm. Each used different sway bars, springs, and struts (though it's all interchangeable). After 2009 the FE5 arms are different at the knuckle and aren't a direct fit to previous model years. These that I have are aftermarket, but cross as GM part numbers 15787555 (right) and 15787556 (left). They are just taking up space, so let me know if you're interested. They are still in the plastic bags with foam and stuff, but I can take some pictures if you'd like.

I've replaced these and I've built a few retaining walls out of these. Easy way is to cut /miter them to fit, usually two cuts with a circular saw works, or a chain saw if rough cuts are fine. Lay them out as desired, then vertically drill through them every 2 feet or so with an auger bit sized to fit rebar, 18 - 24" pieces is what I've always used. Bonus points if stacking them 2 high or more, as drilling through both layers, and then driving rebar through both timbers and then into the earth will keep them in place a long time. Maybe not an issue depending on depth, but confirm no utilities nearby before pounding rebar into place.