Jake Thiewes's discussions

It’s exclusive to the 3.3, which means auto-only :-(

As someone who had just about everything fall apart on a “bulletproof” one-owner GMT800 SUV, I share your pain.

Typical GM quality, they probably inserted one and it fell off on the way to the ad getting printed.

My BMW E36 and E46 convertibles had that exact button. One touch down for all four windows. I think I had to hold it to raise them, although they’d go up as part of the power top operation, too.

Hah, that’s awesome. Kudos to Mrs. Move Over Peasant, that is quite the rig all hooked up and the U-Haul FILLS the lane. Backing a trailer isn’t hard but you have to practice before it feels natural. I can absolutely whip my enclosed into a parking spot now but it took a long time to make it easy. Read more

Recently helped my folks move in a 26' Ford F-650 UHaul and wrote about that experience here: Read more

Recently helped my folks move in a 26' Ford F-650 UHaul and wrote about that experience here: Read more

I mean, it wasn’t a great XC90... almost 220k miles and had a pretty bad torque converter shudder that came and went, the AWD was disabled for some reason, a few SRS faults, leaky radiator, leaking oil, etc. But she made it through the two days of trails with no real issues!

It did well! Drove home at 70+ mph with AC blasting and no issues. Sold it to a new BMW enthusiast this morning.

Every vehicle I’ve driven with an integrated trailer brake controller has controls to apply “emergency” braking up to 100% power, and can show the voltage selected on a display. Integrated controllers are often better than aftermarket at slower-speed maneuvers that require braking - smoother application of brakes.

I think the price is fair, it’s a unique (and good, not-boring) color combo and it’s got the Sport package. If you want an X5d, in an actual color, with sport seats, they are rare on the ground. This one looks to be in good enough shape. Not sure why people are whining about the lien. You bring your cash or your bank… Read more

Yeah, that’s about my thought too. It’s going to take some work to extract and I really fear the underside of it being trashed.

Phil Vassar even wrote a song about it! How can you say no with THAT very useful fact interjected?

Yeah, they haven’t really changed the interior since the 2008 launch. What made the kids love it, just the overall space it had?

It doesn’t seem to! I’ll keep an eye out for that behavior this weekend, though. Heading out to some back roads to get a better feel for the chassis dynamics. The car does have an auto-rev-match feature (which can be turned on/off with a steering wheel button, defaults to off, don’t worry) and that is very helpful if… Read more

I asked! There is a “trackcross” on Saturday at Summit Point, which is only an hour from home. Autocross format using a portion of a racetrack. Hyundai said no, for this time. Perhaps once I earn more of their trust with this and some other cars?

Nope, it was a big media day and we didn’t have time or venue space for me to bring my big enclosed car trailer. I’m hoping to find a dealer to sweet-talk sometime soon.

This is car #19 (ish?) I’ve owned in VA, they can pass state safety inspection with the CEL illuminated. If the vehicle is garaged in the northern part of the state, it must also pass emissions which is the typical OBD-II scan tool requiring “Ready” status. This vehicle is garaged in a location that does not require… Read more

That green BMW used to be mine, actually! They’re all good friends who live together. Read more

It’s got aftermarket tails with little adapter harnesses. I may just have old bulbs. I do have a set of stock tails for it now so I may try swapping those in as well...