Oil pan gaskets, belt squeal and a bunch of other stuff

"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
07/30/2020 at 12:18 • Filed to: None

The Civic is starting to develop a noticeable “chirping” noise from one of the belts. Not sure which one, but I think they are all probably due for replacement anyway. A few times a year, shortly after pulling out from the back alley, I get some pretty good squeal for a few seconds, then it stops. This seems a little different.

Before I take it in, I’m hoping to first change the oil pan gasket. I was going to take it in to get the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump done and figured I might as well let the shop take care of the other belts as well.

If the BMW i3 could have sat 5 instead of 4, I probably would have bought a REx version by now. I was looking at used prices, and boy... have they depreciated nicely. My requirements for my next vehicle are:

- Has to be a plug-in hybrid or fully electric
- Needs to be able to do at least 150 km in winter (-20C).
- Has to seat 5

Chevy Bolts are coming down in price slowly, and the Volt is too, but I’m not sure I want to deal with the added maintenance of a gas engine again. A 2017 e-Golf would work, but they are still selling for more than the Bolt, which has way more range. I’m secretly hoping that I can keep the Civic running for another 5-6 years, which seems like an eternity, but by then my house will be hopefully paid off, and I won’t feel guilty buying a new (to me) vehicle. The Civic is 19 years old now, but in otherwise fairly good condition, other than a handful of small things. Although I should probably also change the transmission fluid again, as well as replace the front brake rotors, but that’s not too bad, in theory. Then there’s also the odd groaning noise when making sharp left hand turns...

DISCUSSION (8)

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > BaconSandwich is tasty.
07/30/2020 at 12:33

I vote e- Golf, but I’m biased. Jason Camisa put Pilot PS4S’s on his and pulled over 1g on a skidpad, which is insane.

That, and it’ll have the nicest interior of the vehicles you listed.

CalzoneGolem > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
07/30/2020 at 12:44

... but not as nice as the i3's interior.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > BaconSandwich is tasty.
07/30/2020 at 12:44

Check out the Prius. The later ones aren’t as bad as the first few generations were, and they’re probably easier on maintenance than your Civic.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
07/30/2020 at 12:55

e-Golf in my (also biased) opinion is the best EV on the market. Or at least it was, until VW canceled it for the US. Probably still a few new ones on lots somewhere.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > CalzoneGolem
07/30/2020 at 13:41

... but not as bad as the i3's exterior!

BaconSandwich is tasty. > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
07/30/2020 at 15:02

I’d love an e-Golf, but for the needed range, It’d have to be 2017 or newer. They are still selling for $15k+, which is still a bit more than I’d be hoping to pay.

Maybe they’ll drop more after VW brings out their other EV models in a year or two? I suspect there’s a lot of other people like me - waiting for a good deal on a used EV, and I’m probably cheaper than most, so I’ll likely be waiting a while.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
07/30/2020 at 15:03

At this point, I’m thinking I’d rather go fully electric, or at a very minimum, a plug-in hybrid with a decent range. Only the latest Prius Prime does a decent job of that.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > BaconSandwich is tasty.
07/30/2020 at 15:18

Yeah, frankly, it’s disappointing that Toyota doesn’t have a fully electric Prius. But man, they made that Mirai, that thing sure does exist.