Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 I took my Navigator on it's first weekend trip.

It's a nice drive through the Sonoma valley.

It wasn't that far, only about 280 miles for the round trip.

Iv'e put over 1,000 miles on the Navigator since purchase, it's still running really well. I really like it. It's very comfortable, the high intensity headlamps are really appreciated during night driving. My Wife packs up tons of crafts projects to work on during our stay. Everything went into the cargo area without compromising rearward vision. It's nice not having to cram things into the vehicle.

I have to admit that fuel economy has dropped since I stopped feather footing it off the line. I let the Nav run at 70 mph. and jumped on it a few times when accelerating onto the highway. 

It was pretty much what I expected, very comfortable, plenty of room to pack all of our luggage. It was what I would have anticipated in a luxury SUV. I didn't find it hard to manage or park, I've  got a lot of experience driving an even longer vehicle, my truck. 

It's interesting to contrast the experience with driving the Flex. The Flex is just a smidgen smaller than the Nav, but it's much lower. Since the Flex is eight years newer, it has some features that the older Nav lacks. Built in Navigation with a rear view camera, and push button start. The Flex is well equipped, it's a real luxury vehicle in it's own right. With a nicely designed interior with comfortable leather seats, power everything, as well as a panoramic sun roof. The V6 engine has plenty of power and while it's FWD, and the handling feels different than the RWD Nav, it also rides smoothly and handles well. The CUV platform weighs less and with the smaller engine fuel economy is consistently 4-6 mpg. better than the Nav. The Navigator is better suited to towing, even better than my F150, though heavy towing isn't something that is regularly on my agenda.

When I was looking for a replacement for my old Explorer, my first choice would have been an Expedition. I'd looked at a few and I liked them. At this particular time we didn't have a late model family car, just the truck, and I thought that the Expedition would have been a bit "too much" for daily use. I wanted to choose something my Wife would be comfortable driving and got better gas mileage. I had looked at the Flex back when it was introduced, but we weren't in a car buying position at that time. I considered a later model used Explorer, but the somewhat bloated styling didn't grab me. I had also considered the Lincoln version of the Flex, the MKT. The styling was a bit "challenging" but it had a very nice interior. These were pretty rare when they were new, and are even rarer now. I couldn't find one with low mileage, most were well over 100K, and I wasn't going there with a family car. That made a Flex the best choice. Funny how a couple of years later I ended up getting a Navigator anyway, and my Wife seems to like it, and says that she would be willing to drive it!

While I really like the '"custom car" like styling of the Flex, the Navigator is just a more impressive and expensive looking vehicle. Which makes sense. I bought the Navigator just to satisfy my fancy. I wanted something that would remind me of an early Fifties Cadillac, and it fulfills that mission. I get a lot of satisfaction driving it. 

Kind of how I feel with my Navigator.

If I had bought a Fifties car, I know that I wouldn't be using it for a family getaway, and it would be restricted to local driving. I'm going to avoid the whole "project car" thing for a while. 

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I knew exactly what it was when I saw the head sticking out of my tire!

A few weeks later We took the Navigator on another weekend trip, this time it was over 400 miles combined.  We went down to Pismo Beach, the weather outlook was for rain, but we didn't run into much on the way down. However on the way back, we really got socked with a gully washer! 

What was really interesting on the trip down was the layer of snow that was covering the tops of the mountains that surround the Salinas Valley. This is the first time that I've ever seen that! The Grapevine was completely closed for an entire day, this has been an extreme cold snap.

The trip was uneventful except for the last day. We had gotten some fish and chips at Brad's and decided to eat in the car while looking at the ocean. We were parked in a lot near the pier. I had gotten out to throw the trash into a nearby trash can. As I was reentering the car, I noticed " something" stuck to the tire. It wasn't stuck to the tire, it was screw that was stuck in the tire!

I hadn't seen a low pressure warning light on the dash. I was extremely hesitant to take the screw out, no telling how long the screw was, it could have been a long screw that punctured the casing, or it could be a short sheet metal screw that didn't penetrate past the tread. There's no way to be certain, and I wasn't going to remove it unless I was already somewhere that could fix the tire, if needed. 

I knew that the car had a spare, but I hadn't checked it very closely and was unsure of it's condition. ( My Bad!) Back in the old days every corner gas station could fix a flat, or even sell you a new tire, but nowadays all most stations can sell you is a Red Bull and a bag of hot Cheetos!

I knew that the Shell station just off of US101 in Arroyo Grande had a sign that read, "mechanic on duty." I figured that I'd go there and see if they could handle the repair. It turns out that they don't do any tire repairs, (then, what do they do?) but they informed me that there were a couple of tire places a short distance away, on the other side of the freeway. 

I thought that fixing it with a plug would be the best idea, I found an America's Tire Store that was busy, and told me that I'd have to wait at least a couple of hours. They suggested the oil changing place right next door. The guys at the oil changers were nice and helpful, and would have fixed it, except that they told me that the tires were six years old, and they couldn't repair a tire that old. That was their corporate policy. 

I remember when the tire age thing became an issue, the recommendation was to replace tires once they were older than ten years! I'd actually had an issue with one of my truck tires which picked up a screw. It wasn't the age of the tire, it was the location of the puncture. It was too close to the sidewall, eliminating the possibility of fixing it. The technician showed me a copy of their corporate policy, so I had to figure something else out. That wouldn't help me out now.

My Wife got on her phone searching for a corner garage that would do the repair. She found one only a couple of miles from where we started from in Pismo Beach. So back we went. 

The garage looked exactly like all the old corner gas stations of my youth, but they had taken the pumps out and now were strictly a mechanic's shop. There were a number of older cars that were parked awaiting service, or were partially disassembled, in the middle of a repair program. The pavement around the service bay opening had been stained with a coating of old grease, which gave off a familiar smell.The mechanic informed me that he could patch the leak with a plug, but that since the owner wasn't around, it would have to be paid in cash, 30.00. A Yelp review had related that the repair they had done cost them 20.00, but... whatever. I was far from home.

I smiled and told the guy, who was probably in his mid Forties, "Yeah, I used to work in a gas station, too." We made some small talk while he inspected the tire, it didn't appear to be leaking, but after he sprayed some soapy water on the spot and wiggled the screw head a bit, there was some indication of leakage. 

He pulled the screw out and it turned out to be a half inch long, long enough to cause a leak. Darn it, I was hoping it might have been just a 1/4 of an inch, and had just penetrated the tread. He quickly inserted the plug, and the tire lost very little air. It only took a few pounds to bring it back up to spec. After checking the area with soapy water, he proclaimed the repair good. "Let's just call it twenty bucks" he said. I thanked him and quickly paid him, glad to be back on our way. 

I had performed many tire repairs with plugs, and the puncture was very small, so I was confident that it would not be a problem.

No problems at all on the way home, despite the heavy rain storm we drove through. 

Flat tires are now a pretty uncommon experience. My last experience was also with a screw, which occurred over ten years ago. But they can occur at any time, and they can throw your holiday travel plans into a ruckus if you don't have any idea on how to deal with them. 

My Wife and her friends were coming back from the Sacramento area when the driver saw the low tire pressure icon light up on the dash. At first she didn't know what the symbol meant. After a brief discussion among themselves they figured that out. They were approaching the Benicia bridge and felt that it would be better to stop, before possibly having a flat while on the span. They stopped on a narrow pull out and called Triple A. 

The Triple A operator asked them a couple of questions, which they had a bit of a problem answering. besides asking if the car had a spare tire, they needed to know if it was front, rear, or all wheel drive. That resulted in another discussion, before they settled on front wheel drive. This is important when considering what type of tow truck to send, conventional or car carrier. They were in a bit of a bad spot, so the CHP showed up and stood by until Triple A arrived and changed the tire and they were on their way. 

I'm not relating this story to make fun of this car full of ladies, but it points out that you have to have a plan in the event that this happens. First of all, it is important to check the condition of the spare, jack, and tire changing tools, especially after you buy a used car. In many cases the spare tire is there, but the jack and lug wrench have gone missing. I'll admit that I haven't done my due diligence with the Navigator. 

Second, once you notice the low pressure warning, you should slow down to 55 mph. then exit the freeway immediately and find a safe place to park. Gas station, shopping center, fast food place, etc. You can get out and inspect the tires, looking to see if one is obviously low on air. Then change the tire yourself. Or just call Triple A and have them come out, let them assess the situation, and change the tire. 

If you are on the way back home, and don't have too far to go, you can just continue the trip with the spare. Many cars don't have full size spares, so there are speed restrictions imposed on their use. The tiny "donut" spares are thankfully, not commonly used with most cars anymore, but even the larger sized compact spares will have speed restrictions. This can add to your travel time. If your car didn't come with a spare, (surprisingly, many don't!) they will just have a can of tire sealant/inflate-ant in the trunk. Maybe this will work, maybe not. Generally, the car will end up being towed to a nearby tire store, where a replacement tire can be secured. If you are very lucky, your car may have a full size spare, but you should know in advance. 

Back in the good old days I was a poor kid with mismatched tires on my cars, some bought new, some used, some even recaps. Now I generally replace a complete set of tires at a time, bought from a national chain with road  hazard protection. If the tire is not repairable you have to find a dealer that handles that tire line to get a warranty settlement. Or you might just find a tire shop that can do the repair. In any case, a good credit card will be your friend and can lessen the pain.

While a flat tire can be inconvenient while traveling in a car, it doesn't compare to how much hassle a flat tire can be on a motorcycle! I know, I've had a few.