It's a ticking TIME BOMB!!!!!

[Cowracer]

There's been a lot of talk about China Bombs lately, and that got me thinking...

In EVERY SINGLE forum I have been on for various things I own or have owned, there is always one thing that stands out as the "ticking time bomb" that people advocate needs to be dealt with immediately.

For my Polaris General it was the "turf mode"
For my 6.5 GM Diesel it was the "Pump Driver Module"
For my Coleman PUP it was "Roof Delamination"
For my 7.3 Ford Diesel it was "Crank Position Sensor"
For my Rockwood camper it was "China Bombs"
For my GMC Terrain it was "Auto Stop feature"
For my Ram Diesel it the "DEF system"
For the wifes Buick Cascada its "Non-Europe ECM programming"
For my sons Mazda 626 it was "Timing belt idlers"
and on and on and on.

And the funny thing is, not once (except for the 626) did I get bit by any of those supposed time-bombs that would ruin my very existence.

It was so bad with the Polaris 'turf mode' thing that when ever anyone came on the board with a "hi, I'm new here" they were immediately set on by 5-6 guy telling them they HAD to remove the turf mode or else they were in for big repair bills. It really turned a lot of guys off to that board, and that machine.

Anyone know of any other things where people are convinced there is something like a ticking bomb in it that has to be changed or else?

Tim

[joeuncool]

Whatever it is that you are towing you have to get yourself a 350/3500 1 ton tow vehicle "just to be safe" (just to be sure) or else you are going to go spinning off the highway in a huge fireball.

[TitanMike]

Reminds me of when I had a 1973 Dodge van with 360 in it. Had a guy tell me it was the biggest turd Mopar had ever built. Explained to me all the things that were going to go wrong with it and soon.

I already had about 150K on it and drove it for another 150K+ before I had a problem. At 302K the transmissions cast iron "Reverse Band" had an "ear" break off and I couldn't back up. Drove it for a while before I finally took time off to have it rebuilt.

Sold the van with the original engine at 348K, I put a couple tie rod ends on it as well as tires and brakes.

Same with my late wife's 91 Chrysler. Had it for 22 years and only spark plugs, tires, and brakes.

When I read/hear about how I have a "ticking time bomb" in something I own I just smile. I've found that as long as one takes care of their equipment, etc, all the problems others are having rarely materialize. Some warranty issues but once taken care of none after.

[Iwannacamp]

There is one(or more) out there.
Bought the DD a Saturn Vue ?? 05 ?? with a 4cyl AWD little SUV and some kind of varidrive transmission. I think the national record was 50k before the failure. $5k for new trans. Car worth $5k. No brainer.

[BriaBeck]

I get a kick out of all the Max Tow weight threads... like if you go over by 8oz then the axles will snap in two and the earth will open up and swallow the whole rig and then the cops will find out and you will go to jail...

Mind you, I grew up on a dairy farm, and "if it fits, it shipped"... to a point. A man has to know his limitations.

[14apex]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

Whatever it is that you are towing you have to get yourself a 350/3500 1 ton tow vehicle "just to be safe" (just to be sure) or else you are going to go spinning off the highway in a huge fireball.

Yep -- this ^ is the biggie! Any time...every time someone asks about towing capacity, the overriding "advice" we provide is "don't do it!" unless you buy/can afford the super HD TV we "approve". There may be some instances when us "experts" have replied to that inquiry with "you're gonna be just fine with what you have", but I can't find or recall one offhand...and, if someone does offer the suggestion that "you'll be OK if prudent & careful", they're often drowned out by the the more knowledgeable alarmists.

[14apex]

Originally Posted by BriaBeck

I get a kick out of all the Max Tow weight threads... like if you go over by 8oz then the axles will snap in two and the earth will open up and swallow the whole rig and then the cops will find out and you will go to jail...

Mind you, I grew up on a dairy farm, and "if it fits, it shipped"... to a point. A man has to know his limitations.

Amen. And, of course, there are those experts who offer the advice & warning that "your insurance will not 'cover' your RV if you 'go over by 8oz'".

[mwdilday]

I guess I have been the lucky one. Have had pretty good luck with most of my vehicles and RVs. Have owned probably a dozen or more vehicles and a dozen RVs. Not too much trouble with any of them to speak of. Broke a piston rod pin in a '79 Ford F-250 with a 360 CI gas V8 at 24,000 miles. Even though it only had a 12,000 mile warranty Ford covered it with a new engine under warranty. Had a couple of crank position sensors go bad on a 7.3 Powerstroke but that was an easy fix. Other than that nothing major.

[cc102bob]

The one I got burned on is the "Don't buy a first model year vehicle". Back in 2003 we needed a new family vehicle and I found a one year old Buick Rendezvous (first model year) for a decent price. That thing ended up putting my mechanic's kid through college! I never had one repair that was exceptionally expensive, but things just kept breaking on a regular basis. I kept putting up with it because we actually liked using the vehicle due to comfort and drive-ability, etc., but certainly got sick of fixing it. Eventually it developed a "clunk" that the mechanic told us would cost more to fix than what the car was worth, so I dumped it.

Some years later I saw the Consumers Reports annual auto reliability issue and they ranked the first year Rendezvous as "baaad", but the rest of the model years got much better marks.

I apparently am a slow learner because when I sold the Rendezvous I ended up buying a used Toyota Venza that was a first model year vehicle. While it hasn't been nearly as bad as the Buick, I have had to put some money into the engine for stupid stuff like leaking seals. I don't think the engine was new for the Venza, so I don't think I can blame first model year problems on that.

[Ejs4029]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

Whatever it is that you are towing you have to get yourself a 350/3500 1 ton tow vehicle "just to be safe" (just to be sure) or else you are going to go spinning off the highway in a huge fireball.

X2.....And your best bet is to buy a 1 ton diesel dually so if you decide to upgrade to a 42' toy hauler from your Geo Pro in six months that your towing with 1/2 ton gas truck with a meager 1,500 lb payload

[hobienick]

This is an inherent issue with crowd sourcing, i.e. forums, and the mass availability of information. 30 years ago you had to read a book, work with someone experienced, get a proper education, or figure it out on your own.

Today you need to have a good BS meter and be able to sift the nuggets of truth from everything else. Often, not always, the loudest and most convincing people are the least qualified to provide that information.

To complicate this matter I believe, generally speaking, people are losing thier ability to critically think. Especially those 35ish and younger.

Rant over. I do see the irony of my post.

[mwdilday]

Speaking of first model year vehicles. We bought a 2000 Nissan Xterra and it was probably one of the best vehicles we ever owned. Drove it for 10 years then gave it to our daughter who just sold it less than a year ago and it's still on the road today. Hardly any issues with it for 20 years and paint still looked new and it sat in the sun it's whole life. My wife wishes we still had it.

[Mike134]

Originally Posted by 14apex

Amen. And, of course, there are those experts who offer the advice & warning that "your insurance will not 'cover' your RV if you 'go over by 8oz'".

I love that one but they fail to notice insurance covers the damage you caused when CONVICTED of a DUI.

[jd4010]

I will agree that first year models of anything can be a crap shoot. Fortunately, luck has been on my side numerous times in this regards as I consider myself an early adopter willing to take the risks.

Over the course of my life (so far), I've purchased 3 cars that were first year models 2 of which were pre-ordered before Ford had them rolling off the assembly line. One was a Mercury Villager mini-van and the other was a Ford F150 that was a total redesign. I kept the van for 27 years and it had 375k miles on it before I sold it. The motor, trans and major items were all original. The F150 I still have....26 years of age and runs and looks showroom new.

Was I lucky? Probably. Like I said....first year of anything can be risky. But I also like the bleeding edge of technology, changes, etc. So I assume the risk.

[mjones12]

Using X-chocks as - gasp - chocks! I've been waiting 30 years for mine to fail and kill us all, despite the lawyer warnings.

[Cowracer]

The thing I noticed is there is a grain of truth just big enough to keep the misinformation coming.

For my Polaris, there has been issue with the turf-mode breaking differentials, but when you look at it, its guys who go from the standard 27" tall tires to 31" or even 33" and then thrash the hell out of them. Of course something is gonna break.

For the 6.5 diesel, yep, there was an issue with a few early Pump Drivers, but that was corrected by 97. Chances of a faulty PMD still on a vehicle is infinitesimal.

For the Coleman PUPS, again, a few bad ABS roofs were made in one factory, in one size for about a week. Some got out into the real world and de-laminated. Now every single coleman PUP is cursed with the stigma.

It's a shame, because of the internet being "the internet", people are getting needlessly scared or run off by the equivalent of a "My-brothers-neighbors-uncles-best-friends-boss-said..." kind of story.

Tim

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by mjones12

Using X-chocks as - gasp - chocks! I've been waiting 30 years for mine to fail and kill us all, despite the lawyer warnings.

x2... Forgot about that one too!!

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by mjones12

Using X-chocks as - gasp - chocks! I've been waiting 30 years for mine to fail and kill us all, despite the lawyer warnings.

Hmmmmm there is a thread where people were scotched and on a "cone". Trailer shifted and 7 people "nearly" died.

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

X2.....And your best bet is to buy a 1 ton diesel dually so if you decide to upgrade to a 42' toy hauler from your Geo Pro in six months that your towing with 1/2 ton gas truck with a meager 1,500 lb payload

I do kinda think this is a good idea... I have a 3/4T diesel with 2065 cargo and a 10K 5er.. I know it has to be overloaded as it sinks a bit more than it did with my 11.5K 5er when hooking, but the other was a BH and I may have more crap now. I don't want a DRW, but a 3500. My buddy has a 1T DRW and it has over 5600 in cargo. Last I heard he was bolting steel on it. I just like to be able to load as I wish without any fear of overloading, but that is me as I keep my trucks for a long time.

[StrangeBird22]

Nissan CVT transmissions. Pretty much any model any year. Have a 2010 Murano with 145,000 miles. So far so good.