Car Talk 101, Maintenance

Look after your car and it will look after you

Newer cars really don't need much work, do some simple jobs yourself and save time, money, and life on your car.

There seems to be a stigma out there that new cars are being built to not last as long as older cars. 

There are two main reasons why cars are not lasting as long as they used to.

1. People want a new car sooner so they just get rid of them faster, the accelerating technology also aids to the want of a new car and impression of the old car not working properly. 
2. People are not taking care of their cars like they used to, they are getting lazy. Because people can lease and trade in a car after just a few years they feel like they don't need to put any work into it because it will be someone else's problem later.

For those of you that are in the #2 category, shame on you. If everyone kept their car for just a few more years the amount of material saved from not having to make as many new cars would be staggering. It would also mean that less material is ending up in the landfills and junkyards. 

You actually end up spending a lot more money if you constantly lease cars rather then drive them until they start falling apart. And its not that hard to fend off the day when your car just isn't worth driving anymore.

Lets go over some simple things that anyone with a driveway can do to help keep their cars longer (sorry condo and apartment people, you do need decent room for some jobs).

Change the oil and the filter!

In every car manual it will tell you exactly when you should change the oil and the filter, and what types to use. It is the #1 thing you can do to keep your car running well, it is also one of the easiest things you can do on the car. 

In short, you buy the oil and correct filter, if you can't figure out what to get, ask the guy at the counter from the place you are buying the stuff from, or ask Google. You will also need a drip pan, a wrench set, some paper towels, and most likely a funnel. You also want old clothes you don't care about because you will get a little dirty.

Run the car for a few mins to the get the oil warm (NOT HOT or you will burn yourself) if the car has been sitting overnight, just driving around the block once should be enough. 

Changing the oil is a bit different for each car, so the best plan is to read your manual or just search your car on YouTube and add "oil change". There should be step by step instructions on where to locate your car's drain plug, filter, and oil filling spot.
The basics are:

1. Lift front of car up a bit so you can get underneath a bit to look around (every car should come with a jack so it shouldn't be a problem). Make sure the parking brake is on!
2. Locate the drain plug, put drip pan underneath, unscrew the bolt.
3. Let drain.
4. Unscrew the old oil filter (may be very tight...)
5. Put drain plug back in.
6. Put new filter on (put some new oil around the rubber ring on it first).
7. Fill with new oil from the top on engine.
8. Check oil level with the dipstick, add more if necessary.
9. Clean up and take the old oil in some sort of container to a hazardous waste drop of spot

Change a flat tire (or all 4 if moving to a winter set)

Honestly most people really don't need to do this any more as almost everyone has some sort of road side assistance package but if you don't:

1. Locate spare tire (usually in trunk under the floor or underneath the car held on by a bolt or two)
2. Find car jack (usually in the trunk by the spare tire)
3. Put the car in park, with the parking brake on. If you can, find a large stone or block to put behind at least one of the other tires to make sure car doesn't roll away. 
4. Jack it up.
5. The jack points are usually close to each of the wheels underneath the doors (look at the manual)
6. With the jack there should be a metal rod with a open end that will fit over your wheel bolts.
7. Unscrew the bolts in this order:
   
8. Put the new tire on following the same steps. (hopefully you make sure it is fully pumped up at least once a year)
9. Pack everything up, remember that stone or block by the wheels. Get that tire fixed or replaced as soon as you can, like in a day.

Changing the brake pads (disk brakes)

Almost all new cars have 4 disk brakes which are much better than drum brakes and are much easier to replace by yourself.

Once again check your manual for the type or Google, or the guy behind the counter on what type of pads you need or should use. They are usually around $40 for a pair (every wheel needs a pair).

The brake pads are a bit trickier than just wheels to replace so watching a video is the best way to learn how to do it. Once again, just go to Google or YouTube and type in how to change brake pads for a (your car name). 

It is quite a dirty process so make sure you have plenty of paper towels or rag cloths and clothes you don't care if you get dirty. 

Basically, just google some simple work you can do on your car. There are bound to be plenty of YouTube videos about it and save some money on your car. Doing work on your own car will also help you understand and feel when your car is no longer working at its peak so you can get it fixed before a small problem becomes a major one.

Have fun!

J.K.

2012-15 VW Golf 1.8L Review

Small, Efficient, Fun!

I have finally been able to test drive this super popular car and I think you need to get it!

The VW Golf (sometimes known as the Rabbit) has been selling successfully for over 40 years now and it shows. This small VW has clearly been absorbing everything it has been learning to slowly perfect itself over the years. Besides the VW "Bug", the Golf has been one of the most recognizable VW cars on the market. There are many variations of the Golf in the world so I will just be focusing on the ones in North America, and just the hatchback version, not the wagon (estate) or Jetta wagon versions. The car was slightly changed for the 2015 year, so I will try to show and cover the previous generation and the current one.
Lets take a look: (left are pre-2015)

Different Styles:

While the golf may come in a variety of different styles around the world, in North America it currently comes as a 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatchback, and a 5-door wagon. I will focus on the 5-door hatchback. 

The VW Golf also comes with a variety of different engines. As a few versions of the Golf are not really considered economic or budget, I shall focus on the ones that are.

From 2010-2014 the Golf could have a 2.5L 5 cylinder gas engine, which is the same engine in the VW Beetle I reviewed here:

2012-15 VW Beetle 2.5L

It could be had with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.

The Golf could also have the 2.0L, turbo 4-cylinder diesel engine which is the same as the VW Jetta I reviewed here:

2011-14 VW Jetta 2.0L Turbo Diesel

It could be had with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automated manual (DSG) dual-clutch transmission.

Starting in 2015, the Golf can have a 1.8L, turbo 4 cylinder engine with either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Styling and Comfort Impressions:

I will admit I am a bit biased in favour of hatchbacks. But it seems like the whole world, not just me, thinks the VW Golf is a great looking car. The 2010-14 generation was quite good, but the update for the 2015 year made the car look a lot better; more sporty and edgy. All the proportions are very good. Large windows, a boxy back for good cargo space, the wheels are not too small or too large. The lights are not too crazy but are aggressive-looking enough to give the Golf some personality. Some people might look at the Golf against competitors and say that it looks too plain. It may be, but at the same time that slight lack of pizzazz means that this car will still look good once the overall style and fad of current cars moves on, just like it has in the past. 

Going inside, the Golf has a very functional, smart looking, but slightly plain interior. The materials all look and feel good and work well together inside. It can have either a black layout or a dark tan for the seating and carpets. 

The front media unit changed a bit between the last generation and the 2015 one. The new ones have more shiny piano-like black surfaces and chrome trim (which always makes thinks look better). The layout is still very functional with large, easy to reach buttons and controls. Same with the dashboard. The front seats are very well supported and are made of nice materials that feel sporty and long lasting. The boxy shape of the Golf roof-line is a bit higher meaning that the seats can be a bit more upright, which is a more comfortable position for longer driving and provides great leg and headroom. 

Take a look: (2015 front is the 3rd photo)

The rear seats get the same good treatment with upright positions and plenty of room or legs and heads. The Golf is also a decently wide car so fitting 3 people in the back isn't as awful as in other compacts. The head rests don't lay flat like in some other hatchbacks, but they are not too large, plus the rear window is large meaning visibility out back is still good.

The center seat can have the middle part folded down so long items can be put though the center like skis or a snowboard while still allowing there to be two people comfortably sitting in the back. The trunk  is large and boxy in shape meaning that it can take a lot of stuff without needing to put the seats down. If you do need to fold them down the overall cargo size is pretty large, almost Honda Fit large. Finally, I need to mention that the car has a great sound system and comes with a variety of features that you will love like heated front seats in the 5-door.

Driving Impressions:

Now for the really good part! Sitting in the diver's seat in the Golf means your have great visibility in basically every direction. The windows are large and and the seats are high meaning that only the rear quarters have any sort of blind spot. All controls are within reach and are laid out properly. Starting up the engine it feels solid and is neither loud or rough. Driving around in tight cities or parking lots will be easy due to a small turning circle and boxy dimensions meaning that when you can't see the car any more it really means that is the edge of the car. 

The engine continues to be smooth and quiet in and around the city with plenty of power and torque for quick acceleration, maybe just a little bit less than the 2.5L 5 cylinder. 

When pushed hard the little engine does start to make some sound, but it is still not loud, and it actually sounds pretty good (must have a good exhaust system). There is a tiny bit of turbo lag in some situations but not enough to be an annoyance.

Once on the highway the engine gets into a good groove and the car is still overall very quiet. Suspension seems to be a good mix of comfort and sporty handling as the car does not bounce over bumps but is not rough through potholes and dodging them is fun as well. 

Speaking of fun, shift the gear selector into "sport" and hold on as revs are higher and gear shifts are faster. The combination of small dimensions, tight handling and plenty of power make this a fun little car to drives around, while not using too much gas. 

Overall:

If you're in the market for a new small car, get a VW Golf! The car has small dimensions but a large interior. The outside looks smart, the inside is functional and well put together. There is enough room for 4 adults and all their stuff. With a variety of engines and options you can make this car perfect for: a budget second car (2.5L or 1.8L turbo), a highway cruiser (TDI), or a serious sport car (GTI and R versions not reviewed due to higher price and lower efficiency). The only other car I have reviewed so far that was as fun to drive was the Mini Cooper, but that car just isn't big enough for 4 people and is too expensive for some to justify the purchase. While older VW cars may have been plagued with issues and maintenance problems, these new ones (2010 or newer) seem to have fixed all that and are serious contenders that should fit just about anyone's lifestyle. New or slightly used, if you are in need of a small car, definitely check out the VW Golf!

There will apparently be an electric version of the Golf coming out soon, so keep an eye out for that as well.

Facts/ Figures:

Price ( for mid trim level): $25,000+

FWD

Max HP: 1.8L (170), TDI (153)

Max Torque: (200), (236)

MPG (approx*): 1.8L City: 24 Highway: 35, TDI City: 31 Highway: 43

Cargo room (approx*): 23, 53 CuFt

Length: 168''

Width: 71''

Tank Size (gal): 13.2

Miles on one tank (using combined MPG figures): 382, 488

Average used price with 60,000KM or less: $15,000+ (TDI $19,000+)

* when I say "approx" I usually am using the numbers given by the actual manufacturer or Consumer Reports, minus 1 to be a bit more realistic. 

**No pictures featured are my own, they have been taken either from Google images or the manufacturer's website and their rightful owners should get any credit for them. This review featured all pictures from the manufacturer's websites ( some through Edmunds.com).

Links:
VW Canada

VW USA

Related Cars:

Toyota Matrix
Versa Note
09-14 Honda Fit

Nissan Leaf

2010-14 Honda Insight

2012+ VW Beetle

2014+ Mazda 3

Kia Forte5

Ford Focus

Subaru Impreza

Hyundai Elantra GT

Enjoy!

J.K.

Electric Vs Hybrid Vs Gas Comparison Chart

What costs more: Electric or Gas?

If you are looking strictly at costs, what makes more sense and for how long?

This chart is extremely simplified, I know there are many more factors that go into each type of car, but I'm looking at just simple, regular maintenance schedules and costs for the average car here.
If anything, I have been too conservative with the cost of the gas cars' average maintenance, but you can still see the cost changes.
There are clearly a number of cars missing here. I've just taken a few of the more common ones from each class.
I will just be looking at the compact and mid-size car class as these are the most popular and they have a number of electric and hybrid cars to compare with. While there are some SUV hybrids, they are not all in the same general class so it wouldn't be fair to compare them.
There are some hybrids and electric cars once you get into the large luxury vehicle classes, but that's not what "New Budget Cars 101" is about....yet.
So here it is: a very simplified, rough, comparison of fully electric cars vs. hybrids vs. gas cars.
I have a big Excel spreadsheet that shows all the formulas and stuff, but to make it simpler I will just post the different classes as line graphs. But I will explain some of the "behind the scene" numbers.

• The prices were made by looking at both Canadian and American car sites and mixing the price differences with the cars having a decent trim (no base models). 
• I found the average distance each car could go on 1 charge or tank of gas by combining the City and Highway fuel efficiency numbers and by how large each tank or battery was. 
• By combining these two numbers, and seeing what the average cost of gas / electricity was for Toronto (a good representative city for most places) I found what the price was to "fill up" each car. 
• Then with an average of 25,000 km driven by most people per year, I just divided with the distance a car could go on one fill up and then multiplied by the cost to fill up to get the yearly "fuel costs". 
• Gas cars need oil and filter changes every 6,000 km, so 25,000/6,000 means about 4 oil changes per year, at an average of $75 each (unless you do it yourself, which most people do not) so about $300/ year. 
• So, fuel + oil costs added together would get each car's "yearly running costs".
• Add in an average brake pad change very 70-80,000 km at about $100 per car.
• Add in emissions checks that have to be done every year or so after the car is 7 years old (about $40 each time). 
• Add brake line checks and power steering work after about 100,000 km (about $500). 

There are obviously a ton of extra costs, but they become too variable per car and driving habits. So I am just looking at the most basic work that essentially every car needs done at the same time. Some people may make the complaint that replacing the battery in fully electric cars will cost a lot of money and will happen sooner than later. First, there are almost no reports of batteries dying prematurely. Second, the cost to replace the Nissan Leaf battery has been announced by the company to only be about $6,000, so other batteries should be similarly priced for that size.

These charts are also factoring that most of the driving is a pretty consistent amount every day (because most people work about 5 days a week in the same location ans run errands on the weekends). So if looked at it like that: 25,000 km/year, divided by 365 days = an average of 68.5 km/ day (lets just say 70 km/day). When you look at the numbers like this, even with most electric car's low range, it is still possible to do the daily drive, so that's why the electric cars are fine in this list.

Without further ado, the super accurate and 100% perfect comparison chart for Electric vs. Hybrid vs. Gas cars:

Compact Cars:

It's pretty clear here that the fully electric cars start off as the most expensive by a fair amount for this class of cars. However, it is also pretty clear that their annual expenses do not increase significantly, so after about 8 years they actually are the cheapest options. Getting back to the very unlikely problem of having to replace a battery sooner than later: if the costs are only about $6,000, then after 8 years if you change the battery, it's still less expensive than almost all the other cars to own. The hybrids do their best. but because they are still tied to gasoline and the maintenance/ problems it brings, they just can't catch up with the full electric cars.

One interesting thing is that, even with the different fuel efficiency that these gas cars have, they all seem to stay in essentially the same place as they started, expect for the Honda Fit, which starts off more expensive than the Toyota Corolla but manages to become just slightly less expensive in year 10.

Midsize Cars:

Now, it may be a bit more difficult to read this chart, but I know if I didn't add some of these cars people would say that the list isn't compatible enough. So there, almost every major car in the category so the comparison can truly be made.

Unfortunately there are no fully electric cars in this class yet, so plug-in hybrids are the best I could do. There are two cars that stand out right away, the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius Plug-In. Both of these cars start off significantly more expensive than the rest in their class however, the Prius Plug-In makes a huge comeback. It starts off second most expensive and ends up in the dead center for total cost after 10 years. On the other hand, the Chevy Volt stays more expensive than the rest. There is a good reason for this difference; the Chevy Volt's gas engine uses premium fuel and the gas engine has a small tank and not the best efficiency. Another interesting thing is that the veteran of hybrid technology, the Toyota Prius, starts off in the mid range for initial costs and becomes the least expensive after just 5 years! This in some ways proves how technology that started off quite expensive a few years ago, gets better, more efficient, and less expensive over time. 

The outcome?

It is what you want it to be. If these charts to you say "look, gas cars are cheaper at first and for the first 4 years!" then you probably don't like keeping cars for more than 3 years. However, if you are switching cars every 4 years or so, then you will be spending quite a bit more money in the long run.

If you look at these charts and say "wow, if I get an electric car or a hybrid I will be spending less money in the long run than a cheaper gas car", then you can see the big picture and are a good financial planner. 

If you look at these charts and say "electric cars cost less over time, with less maintenance, AND no pollution? Awesome!" You my friend are on the road to becoming more environmentally friendly and more efficient with your money.

Thank you Internet World!

Hello, Hallo, Bonjour, Ciao, Hola, Bok, Privet, Namaste, Ahlan, Ni Hao!....

New Budget Cars 101 has been read by people in every continent ( except Antarctica...)!

Hope I spelled all those greeting correctly ( I can't put accents on words using this system).

When I started writing this blog just as a little hobby I never expected it to reach this far. I mostly talk about North American models or trims, but I do realize that many of the cars are similar in other countries as well. 

I hope that even if my reviews are not specifically for a model or trim level of a car in your country, that you can still get some benefit from my articles, I assume that how the cars drive should be very similar. 

I will do my best to keep the reviews coming, but to be honest I am starting to run out of cars in this class, unless they are redesigned very soon...

If anyone wants to tell these car companies to start sending me cars to review, Id be happy to look at any type. 

I love driving cars, and no matter what company it is, if it has something good to offer to customers, I will let that be known. On the flip side, if there are faults, I will let people know as well, as some things that may not be cool with me, other people might be fine with.

A car is more than just transportation, it is a statement of who you are. Are you: all about the looks, the numbers, the driving dynamics, the reliability...? Everyone is different and each car will fit different people better. 

Thanks for sticking with me so far and I hope to keep providing simple car reviews until I just run out of cars or someone actually tells me to stop. Remember, I just do this for fun, I do not get any compensation from any company or organization for anything on my blog.

Remember to follow or 1+ me or my articles to stay updated!

Thank you again world!

J.K.