Cruise Control

Hi fellow Toyota lovers! Would anyone know if there is
any evidence that Corollas, or cars in general, that are
equipped with cruise control experience on average more
mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than
cars without cruise control?

My new Corolla CE is arriving any day now, and it has
cruise as part of the convenience package, but I'm used to
a Toyota Tercel without cruise. That Tercel never gave me
any problems. I only had to change the battery after 5
years, and tires after 10. And then, bam, I got Wyman'ed.

Thank you so much.

"Built_Well" <bw@bbbb.com> wrote in message
news:5PLcf.604$Nd.224859@newshog.newsread.com...[color=blue]
> Hi fellow Toyota lovers! Would anyone know if there is
> any evidence that Corollas, or cars in general, that are
> equipped with cruise control experience on average more
> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than
> cars without cruise control?[/color]

On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more
mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same vehicles
without cruise control.

--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

Ray O wrote:[color=blue]
>
> On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more
> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same
> vehicles without cruise control.[/color]


Thank you Ray O. I guess I won't worry about the
cruise then. Although I would have preferred a car without
it, but the Toyota dealer here, Joe Machens, says he won't get
any CE's other than this one coming in before the end of the
year, which is when my Tercel's inspection tags expire.

So, gotta get something before then. You experts don't
recommend getting the dealer's optional "undercoating" spray
for so-called "added rust-proofing," do you all?

I'm under the impression that the undercoating stuff, and
ScothGuard cloth seat stuff, etc., is just hokey ways to boost
dealer profit.

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:45:27 +0000, Built_Well wrote:
[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>>
>> On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more
>> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same
>> vehicles without cruise control.[/color]
>
>
> Thank you Ray O. I guess I won't worry about the
> cruise then. Although I would have preferred a car without
> it, but the Toyota dealer here, Joe Machens, says he won't get
> any CE's other than this one coming in before the end of the
> year, which is when my Tercel's inspection tags expire.
>
> So, gotta get something before then. You experts don't
> recommend getting the dealer's optional "undercoating" spray
> for so-called "added rust-proofing," do you all?
>
> I'm under the impression that the undercoating stuff, and
> ScothGuard cloth seat stuff, etc., is just hokey ways to boost
> dealer profit.[/color]

Chances are, it's Simonize they are using for fabvric/paint prtection, and
the pkg at the dealer I was working at went from $299 to $599 when the
dealership got sold. Their cost? Stayed the same!!!

The only good thing about Simonize is, if you DO need something replaced
or repainted, they pay for it. We replaced the carpeting in a RAV 4
because the owner spilled a gallon of ammonia and after two thorough
cleanings it still stunk, so Simonize paid for new carpeting and the pad
underneath.

We have also repainted hoods that have succumbed to tree sap and pigeon
poop!

If you live in an area where you can't protect your car and KNOW something
is going to happen, then (at $300) it's not bad. the coverage lasts for 5
years.

Other than that, get yourself some good Meguire's wax and a can of
ScotchGard (yeah, I like the stuff), wax the car 3-4 times a year and
spray the seats 2x a year.

I did NOT undercoat my precious '85 Corolla GTS ("Hachiroku"). It didn't
even start rusting until 2000. I'd say 15 years is pretty good. The
service manager (who I bought the car from at 1 year old) didn't undercoat
it, and when I asked he sadi DON'T DO IT! What happens is, if there are
any blemishes or gaps in the coating, the water and salts get trapped
unser it and actually cause MORE rust. What i have done with a couple cars
is had them sprayed with hydraulic oil; it is MESSY but works; I have an
'85 Celica that was oiled by the Orig Owner and hardly has any rust on it
at all. The best thing it to find holes (or PUNCH some!) and spray the oil
into the doors and the body panels, and then spray underneath as well.
Every year. Added benefit? It keeps nuts and bolts from rusting, so if you
plan on keeping it for a while, repairs to parts under the car are easier!
Oiling costs (around here) $50. Drive down a dirt road after oiling. Only
problem? My current car is a white LHS, and I am always cleaning oil that
is seeping from the door handles and seams. Better than rusting into the
ground, though.

Thank you Hachiroku. I will definitely avoid the undercoating.
I only wish the '06 Corolla came in a hatchback :-(

Oh well, at least the sedan does have 60/40 rear folding
seats. The Tercel didn't have that.

Plus the 1995 four-door Tercel sported 93 horsepower, and this Monster
I'm buying now has a full 126 horsepower. Woah, nelly ! [chuckle]

This is amazing, I think: The '95 I bought ten years ago in December '95
had 15,000 miles on it, and cost me $11 k from a dealer. Ten years
later, adjusted for inflation that 11 k amounts to about $17 k.
But I'm buying the *brand new* Corolla in 2005 for $15,500. So in constant
dollars, the brand new Corolla is a full $1,500 less than the used
one-year old Tercel.

Wow, I can only wonder if in a decade or two, absolute prices of
new cars will start to come down, like the prices of TV and computers do
today. You know, a 32-inch tv today costs less than a 20-incher did a
few years back.
And as for computers, we all know the extreme price deflation those
machines have enjoyed. The 486 CPU IBM i bought in '95 cost me a
whopping $3 grand. Just try to find a home desktop that costs that
much today!

Is the day coming when you can buy a brand new Avalon for
$12 k loaded, or a Lexus for 20?

It'd be great if cars followed the lead of TVs and computers.
In constant dollars, they are. Soon it may be absolute dollars, too.

Hell, one day cars may not even be built in Japan and
the U.S.A. anymore. They may be built in Mexico, for example.
The Nissan Sentra already is assembled in Mexico.

Hell, I wouldn't give you $12 k for a brand
new Avalon today!

Sincerely,

Art's Wife

Art's Wife wrote:[color=blue]
>
> Hell, I wouldn't give you $12 k for a brand new Avalon today!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Art's Wife[/color]


I might give you $15k for a new Corolla, but no way
$12 k for a brand new Avalon! The Fremont plant runs
smoothly but that Kentucky plant is fraught with errors!

I wouldn't trust that Kentucky plant to assemble
a mouse trap, let alone an Avalon!

Sincerely,

Art's Wife

[chuckle]

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 22:35:39 GMT, "Art's_Wife"
<Arts_Wife@arts_home.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hell, I wouldn't give you $12 k for a brand
>new Avalon today!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Art's Wife[/color]

I wouldn't give you $12 for Art....

--

Scott in Florida

"Built_Well" <bw@bbbbb.com> wrote in message
news:bzMcf.1648$ZA3.348345@monger.newsread.com...[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>>
>> On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more
>> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same
>> vehicles without cruise control.[/color]
>
>
> Thank you Ray O. I guess I won't worry about the
> cruise then. Although I would have preferred a car without
> it, but the Toyota dealer here, Joe Machens, says he won't get
> any CE's other than this one coming in before the end of the
> year, which is when my Tercel's inspection tags expire.
>
> So, gotta get something before then. You experts don't
> recommend getting the dealer's optional "undercoating" spray
> for so-called "added rust-proofing," do you all?
>
> I'm under the impression that the undercoating stuff, and
> ScothGuard cloth seat stuff, etc., is just hokey ways to boost
> dealer profit.[/color]

If you are in the U.S., I do not recommend undercoating or "rust proofing"
because it has a tendency to trap moisture, actually making the problem
worse. There are some products sold in Canada that TeGGeR recommends, but
that stuff requires periodic re-application.

As far as paint protectant, you can apply a coat of good quality was like
McGuire's and have the same results. For fabric protectant, a few cans of
Scotch-Guard will work. Wax and Scotch-Guard are a lot less money than the
stuff the dealer applies, with similar results.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

"Built_Well" <bw@bbbbb.com> wrote in message
news:PTOcf.617$Nd.225894@newshog.newsread.com...[color=blue]
> Hell, one day cars may not even be built in Japan and
> the U.S.A. anymore. They may be built in Mexico, for example.
> The Nissan Sentra already is assembled in Mexico.[/color]

So are VW's, Chryslers, and Fords. If you are talking about "one day," the
cars will be assembled someplace outside of Mexico because Mexico no longer
has the lowest labor costs.

--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

Ray O wrote:

[color=blue]
> "Built_Well" <bw@bbbbb.com> wrote in message
> news:PTOcf.617$Nd.225894@newshog.newsread.com...[color=green]
>> Hell, one day cars may not even be built in Japan and the U.S.A.
>> anymore. They may be built in Mexico, for example. The Nissan Sentra
>> already is assembled in Mexico.[/color]
>
> So are VW's, Chryslers, and Fords. If you are talking about "one day,"
> the cars will be assembled someplace outside of Mexico because Mexico no
> longer has the lowest labor costs.[/color]

I believe GM has a plant in Mexico too.

Believe it not, some newer Honda Accords that are sold in California were
also made in Mexico. :-(

"Built_Well" <bw@bbbb.com> wrote in message
news:5PLcf.604$Nd.224859@newshog.newsread.com...[color=blue]
> Hi fellow Toyota lovers! Would anyone know if there is
> any evidence that Corollas, or cars in general, that are
> equipped with cruise control experience on average more
> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than
> cars without cruise control?
>[/color]

Cruise Control has absolutely NO, that's N-O-N-E, affect on reliability of
the transmission. The cruise is nothing more than an automatic foot on the
gas pedal. If there was going to be an issue with the cruise, then the issue
would exist anyway.



[color=blue]
> My new Corolla CE is arriving any day now, and it has
> cruise as part of the convenience package, but I'm used to
> a Toyota Tercel without cruise. That Tercel never gave me
> any problems. I only had to change the battery after 5
> years, and tires after 10. And then, bam, I got Wyman'ed.
>
> Thank you so much.[/color]

"Built_Well" <bw@bbbbb.com> wrote in message
news:bzMcf.1648$ZA3.348345@monger.newsread.com...[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>>
>> On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more
>> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same
>> vehicles without cruise control.[/color]
>
>
> Thank you Ray O. I guess I won't worry about the
> cruise then. Although I would have preferred a car without
> it, but the Toyota dealer here, Joe Machens, says he won't get
> any CE's other than this one coming in before the end of the
> year, which is when my Tercel's inspection tags expire.
>[/color]


If you never switch it on, then that's exactly the same thing as not having
it.



[color=blue]
> So, gotta get something before then. You experts don't
> recommend getting the dealer's optional "undercoating" spray
> for so-called "added rust-proofing," do you all?
>
> I'm under the impression that the undercoating stuff, and
> ScothGuard cloth seat stuff, etc., is just hokey ways to boost
> dealer profit.[/color]

Why would you NOT want to use cruise? I'll bet if you try it, you will like
the way it works You run at certain speed most of the time anyway. I run
with mine as soon as a reach 35 MPH. I set my speed at ten mph over the
posted limit and drive with my fingertip. With cruise you can pick up or
slow down as needed just like you can with the throttle. Cruise is standard
equipment on the type of cars I buy, if it were not standard I would buy it.
I use cruise so often I notice its absence as soon as a drive one of my four
old collector cars. ;)


mike hunt


"Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:sJOdncWlZvYmuujeRVn-rw@ez2.net...[color=blue]
>
> "Built_Well" <bw@bbbbb.com> wrote in message
> news:bzMcf.1648$ZA3.348345@monger.newsread.com...[color=green]
>> Ray O wrote:[color=darkred]
>>>
>>> On average, vehicles equipped with cruise control do not experience more
>>> mechanical problems with the transmission or engine than the same
>>> vehicles without cruise control.[/color]
>>
>>
>> Thank you Ray O. I guess I won't worry about the
>> cruise then. Although I would have preferred a car without
>> it, but the Toyota dealer here, Joe Machens, says he won't get
>> any CE's other than this one coming in before the end of the
>> year, which is when my Tercel's inspection tags expire.
>>[/color]
>
>
> If you never switch it on, then that's exactly the same thing as not
> having it.
>
>
>
>[color=green]
>> So, gotta get something before then. You experts don't
>> recommend getting the dealer's optional "undercoating" spray
>> for so-called "added rust-proofing," do you all?
>>
>> I'm under the impression that the undercoating stuff, and
>> ScothGuard cloth seat stuff, etc., is just hokey ways to boost
>> dealer profit.[/color]
>[/color]