Correct. The C1 platform, aka “Global C” was codeveloped by Mazda, Ford and Volvo, and was used in all the compact Euro Fords and the compact Mazdas and Volvos from that era. They share a ton.

The most egregious Aston Martin one, I think, was shortly after FoMoCo took over the company. The Virage needed a driver-side airbag in some markets. What’d they do? Why, they took the Ford variant of the contemporary FoMoCo airbag steering wheel and slapped a sticker over the Ford logo. Yikes. I suspect time or…

Have you driven a Wrangler with a stick? You don’t want one. That manual on those is just...ugh. If you want a manual, buy the Bronco. It’s got a better shifter, plus there’s a granny gear.

True, although during that era, dealers used to throw their one-size-fits-all, branded mats right on top of the OEM ones. I could see a customer being caught out by that.

I mean, perhaps so, but if they don’t figure out the cause and make changes on the production line, it’s just kicking the can down the road.

No, it isn’t. GM had a particularly bad run of engines assembled in 2020, for the early 2021 model year, and most of those failed within 25K miles from the original in-service reading.

I remember taking my 2021 GX 460 in for service, and “Check Floor Mats” was in bold on the service technician’s checklist. That’s a mistake Toyota seems unlikely to ever let happen again.

Perhaps so, but the engines are produced at two different plants. The LX 600's engine is built in Japan, while the Tundra’s is built in Alabama. So it’s likelier an assembly process issue than a procedural one.

Correct. This happened to our 2012 Sonata Limited (with the 2.4-liter Theta II engine) at around 140K miles. The engine lost oil pressure, seized, and threw a rod. Hyundai ended up replacing it for free under their extended campaign.

In simple terms, a bearing is simply a device that allows one part to “bear” the movement of another. The bearing itself may or may not move with the “moving” part.

But PHEVs are the cars that benefit from being plugged in to charge, and usually have some sort of non-trivial electric range. I think you mean HEV, which are your standard hybrids, like the Prius, Maverick Hybrid, etc.

I now have an S 550 Coupe. Those seatbelt presenters sure do help. I’m glad they’ve improved upon them in the intervening several decades, because the new ones are much better.

You answered your own question. It’s entirely a cost-cutting measure.

The Sheehy dealerships are pretty infamous. Funnily enough, I spend some time in Maryland and am acquainted with one of the Sheehy family members. That particular person is about as much of a prick as you’d expect.

It would have sold piss-poorly at the time, but I am of the opinion that the world is worse-off for not having received this vehicle.

Automakers are legally required to make available all parts available for 10 years following the build date of a particular vehicle, and most do it for 15+. So I doubt the part not existing is an issue, and if it is, then they need to be fined.

This is a very astute set of observations.

That’s fair. That said, I have a current-generation X5 xDrive45e, which is the PHEV. While it’s great around town, with 30 miles of honest-to-goodness electric range, it gets worse fuel economy on the highway than the regular mild-hybrid xDrive40i model. It’s lugging around an extra 800 lbs of battery it can’t use.…

I was looking at that very 2015 A8 L TDI this morning. There were very few A8 L TDIs, and even fewer facelift (2015+) ones, because that’s right when Volkswagen Group got caught out for cheating on the diesel emissions.

If you want something a little sleeker and less barge-like--though I prefer luxobarges--Audi also…

Hertz is pretty lousy. Last year, I did a one-way rental to get back home after my just-purchased ‘96 Jaguar XJ12 died two miles from where it started (because of course it did). The rental in question was a pre-refresh version of the current Chevy Equinox, with hard miles on it.