Winter Fell is Here...

[Luzifer]

With a heavy heart it is officially time to store the chariot of pumpkins for the next 4-5 months. It's a shame I can't go take a peak now and then as it is stored offsite. I did have the time of my life with so many cool events, the festival, 2 car shows, kids jumping for joy, girls exclaiming it's their dream car, and slaying Goblins for Halloween...

My prep started 2 weeks ago with an oil change, last monday with a wash and leather conditioner. I did squeeze in 2 last rides before putting the covers for good, no music just the engine and exhaust sound. Since I had unused tire cradles I decided to put them even if modern tires don't need them. I overinflated the tires to 40 psi. Put on my NOCO trickle charger on AGM setting. I also set 7 mouse traps.

Next I have to do the oil change for the Corvette and replace the starter again. Freaking thing gets heat soak and fails within a few months. This time I ordered a no name brand who knows it might be better than OEM.

The woman in the green dress peaking and the the other two ladies taking selfies.




The devil among the Ferrari flock

 

[Sakura]

Thank you for sharing the great adventure. Looks like you had a blast! It feels good seeing a pampered car in a cozy garage. I’m sure she will return the favor in the spring / summer for more unforgettable experience. I don’t think any mouse will ever get near the car with 7 land mines laying around

 

[Luzifer]

Thank you for sharing the great adventure. Looks like you had a blast! It feels good seeing a pampered car in a cozy garage. I’m sure she will return the favor in the spring / summer for more unforgettable experience. I don’t think any mouse will ever get near the car with 7 land mines laying around

I got lucky finding that garage, the elderly woman's husband passed away and she sold his show car hot rod. I parked it there last year too, this summer a guy wanted to park his C8 and she called me up if I wanted it this winter and raising the price $100, haha a what business woman!

A couple years back I had parked my C7 in an underground storage, it was the only place available, I couldn't believe all the exotic cars in there, you'd think all these people who have these expensive cars would have a garage but not all of them it seems. However what a disappointment as we were not allowed to go deep inside, couldn't plug a tender and the guy told me to leave the windows open even under the cover. When I picked it up in the spring there was a layer of dust inside the car.

Anyway, I had spotted a small oil leak on the oil pump shaft tube entering the flange which is a common problem. I didn't want to take the whole pump out (1-2 full days of work) to replace a $3 oring back there so hopefully my fix does the trick for a long time. Even here I had to use a wire to spread the sealant because you can't put a finger all around. Too bad I couldn't reach the flange part to try to seal it as well. I drove over 50 km and rechecked so far so good.




For the C7, now that the H is in storage I put the Corvette on the quickjacks. Man the oil change is so much easier, 1 oil plug! No underbelly plates to remove and I let it drip a couple of hours compared to the H which took me 3 days working on and off for several hours at a time. I removed an inexpensive, leaking mag ride shock up front that has been there only 1 year, I'm waiting for the part to come in. Also took out a one year old starter that's already kaput from heat soak. This time I'm going to do a custom heat shield on a new one hoping it solves the issue.

 

[Sakura]

I got lucky finding that garage, the elderly woman's husband passed away and she sold his show car hot rod. I parked it there last year too, this summer a guy wanted to park his C8 and she called me up if I wanted it this winter and raising the price $100, haha a what business woman!

A couple years back I had parked my C7 in an underground storage, it was the only place available, I couldn't believe all the exotic cars in there, you'd think all these people who have these expensive cars would have a garage but not all of them it seems. However what a disappointment as we were not allowed to go deep inside, couldn't plug a tender and the guy told me to leave the windows open even under the cover. When I picked it up in the spring there was a layer of dust inside the car.

Anyway, I had spotted a small oil leak on the oil pump shaft tube entering the flange which is a common problem. I didn't want to take the whole pump out (1-2 full days of work) to replace a $3 oring back there so hopefully my fix does the trick for a long time. Even here I had to use a wire to spread the sealant because you can't put a finger all around. Too bad I couldn't reach the flange part to try to seal it as well. I drove over 50 km and rechecked so far so good.


View attachment 147 View attachment 148

For the C7, now that the H is in storage I put the Corvette on the quickjacks. Man the oil change is so much easier, 1 oil plug! No underbelly plates to remove and I let it drip a couple of hours compared to the H which took me 3 days working on and off for several hours at a time. I removed an inexpensive, leaking mag ride shock up front that has been there only 1 year, I'm waiting for the part to come in. Also took out a one year old starter that's already kaput from heat soak. This time I'm going to do a custom heat shield on a new one hoping it solves the issue.

My dealer usually replace that oring every year as part of their extraordinary expensive oil change. That is a very creative idea to use sealant. I’m sure it would work just fine and probably better than the oring that has short lifespan.

LT1 is a very good solid engine. The designer is very smart in making things easy to replace and maintain. As in most GM cars, it is always the surrounding parts that are a total let down. I think they should consider consigning the little parts like starter, alternator, etc, to someone else, maybe like the Japanese makers, to increase quality and focus solely on the main engine.

In my town, people build series of low-cost small town houses with single garage. The developer builds them on unused, low-value land, away from cities. These units cater for car people and bikers. The 1st floor is a garage and the 2nd floor is just a small space with small kitchen, bath, and toilet. Every unit is built almost the same to decrease cost. One lot has like 10 units or so. Despite dwindling number of population, for some reason, these type of units are always packed with tenants. If there is a demand, perhaps you can find a way to develop these type of houses and rent them out. Even use one or several units for yourself. It could be a good business.

 

[Luzifer]

My dealer usually replace that oring every year as part of their extraordinary expensive oil change. That is a very creative idea to use sealant. I’m sure it would work just fine and probably better than the oring that has short lifespan.

LT1 is a very good solid engine. The designer is very smart in making things easy to replace and maintain. As in most GM cars, it is always the surrounding parts that are a total let down. I think they should consider consigning the little parts like starter, alternator, etc, to someone else, maybe like the Japanese makers, to increase quality and focus solely on the main engine.

In my town, people build series of low-cost small town houses with single garage. The developer builds them on unused, low-value land, away from cities. These units cater for car people and bikers. The 1st floor is a garage and the 2nd floor is just a small space with small kitchen, bath, and toilet. Every unit is built almost the same to decrease cost. One lot has like 10 units or so. Despite dwindling number of population, for some reason, these type of units are always packed with tenants. If there is a demand, perhaps you can find a way to develop these type of houses and rent them out. Even use one or several units for yourself. It could be a good business.

Are you sure your dealer changes that O-ring because in order to get to it you have to remove the entire oil pump(check the video) and for that you need to drain the coolant and remove some hoses. It's a major job. Maybe you are thinking about the o-ring on the oil filter, if so yes it is replaced as it come with the oil filter.

 

[Luzifer]

In my town, people build series of low-cost small town houses with single garage. The developer builds them on unused, low-value land, away from cities. These units cater for car people and bikers. The 1st floor is a garage and the 2nd floor is just a small space with small kitchen, bath, and toilet. Every unit is built almost the same to decrease cost. One lot has like 10 units or so. Despite dwindling number of population, for some reason, these type of units are always packed with tenants. If there is a demand, perhaps you can find a way to develop these type of houses and rent them out. Even use one or several units for yourself. It could be a good business.

About building then renting a house. It's a huge endeavor, I would expect no less than 500K+ to build a single house on a single lot and the rules are very strict about the concept. In order to have multiple units it would have to be an apartment building(probably costs 1 million plus??). The main problem here the tenants not paying rent, it can take 5-12 or more months to get them evicted and they usually destroy the place. Some criminals rent houses and turn them into grow up which you have to bulldoze the house after because of the mold. They're are so many horror stories in the area.

I thought about the property thing but I do not think it would work out, plus got to remember the government takes 50-60% of your income.

 

[Sakura]

Are you sure your dealer changes that O-ring because in order to get to it you have to remove the entire oil pump(check the video) and for that you need to drain the coolant and remove some hoses. It's a major job. Maybe you are thinking about the o-ring on the oil filter, if so yes it is replaced as it come with the oil filter.

Ah, you’re right, I was confusing it with the oil filter But I'm pretty sure my dealer replaced that during the last service. They flushed and replaced the coolant while also replacing the belts. It was major work.

 

[Luzifer]

Ah, you’re right, I was confusing it with the oil filter But I'm pretty sure my dealer replaced that during the last service. They flushed and replaced the coolant while also replacing the belts. It was major work.

They changed the serpentine belt? Do you have a high mileage car because that belt rarely needs to be replaced, plus it's not even on the maintenance list. Maybe they changed it as a preventive thing?

I looked at mine and the serpentine belt is going to be easy to change, only pulling on the tensioner and swapping the belt. For referral the oil pump is on the right (see #2 in white paint)

 

[Sakura]

About building then renting a house. It's a huge endeavor, I would expect no less than 500K+ to build a single house on a single lot and the rules are very strict about the concept. In order to have multiple units it would have to be an apartment building(probably costs 1 million plus??). The main problem here the tenants not paying rent, it can take 5-12 or more months to get them evicted and they usually destroy the place. Some criminals rent houses and turn them into grow up which you have to bulldoze the house after because of the mold. They're are so many horror stories in the area.

I thought about the property thing but I do not think it would work out, plus got to remember the government takes 50-60% of your income.

Just some more info about this type of housing in my area:

賃貸ガレージハウス物件一覧｜東京・神奈川・千葉・埼玉エリア他

東京ガレージでは東京・神奈川・千葉・埼玉エリアに特化して賃貸ガレージハウスや車庫付き賃貸物件を紹介しています。

tokyo-garage.jp

静岡市「ガレージ付き賃貸住宅」D-Bliss – 静岡市ガレージ付賃貸

「ガレージ付き賃貸住宅」は、ガレージ（車庫）と住居スペースが融合したメゾネットタイプの賃貸住宅です。クルマを眺める・整備するなど単にクルマを置いておくところだけではありません。あなたはガレージハウスをどう使いますか？

d-bliss.jp

This lot cost like $30k for single unit. And, most likely cost around $100k for 3 attached units, and less per unit if you put more units in each building. If the gov starts to put housing standards then it's going to be very difficult to start a cheap property. This kind of developer hunts for cheap lands outside the city, with less housing rules. I don't know if they ever get criminals as renter, but typically there is very little criminal activities here and even the criminals usually pay rent on time.

 

[Sakura]

They changed the serpentine belt? Do you have a high mileage car because that belt rarely needs to be replaced, plus it's not even on the maintenance list.

I looked at mine and the serpentine belt is going to be easy to change, only pulling on the tensioner and swapping the belt. For referral the oil pump is on the right (see #2 in white paint)

View attachment 149
label

Yes, they changed serpentine belt. Mine is around 20k miles, but it's 2017. I asked them to change it anyway since they were doing major service. No difference except the engine sounded better after that. With enough power, the surrounding parts like pumps and alternator should last longer.

 

[Goose81]

With a heavy heart it is officially time to store the chariot of pumpkins for the next 4-5 months. It's a shame I can't go take a peak now and then as it is stored offsite. I did have the time of my life with so many cool events, the festival, 2 car shows, kids jumping for joy, girls exclaiming it's their dream car, and slaying Goblins for Halloween...

My prep started 2 weeks ago with an oil change, last monday with a wash and leather conditioner. I did squeeze in 2 last rides before putting the covers for good, no music just the engine and exhaust sound. Since I had unused tire cradles I decided to put them even if modern tires don't need them. I overinflated the tires to 40 psi. Put on my NOCO trickle charger on AGM setting. I also set 7 mouse traps.

Next I have to do the oil change for the Corvette and replace the starter again. Freaking thing gets heat soak and fails within a few months. This time I ordered a no name brand who knows it might be better than OEM.

The woman in the green dress peaking and the the other two ladies taking selfies.

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The devil among the Ferrari flock

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Great pictures! I get a little sad this time a year as the weather starts to turn cold. Last winter was my first with the H and we had a very mild winter. Our winters are cold but we typically see a 50 degree day at least once a month so I take it out then. I don't have to completely winterize it. My rule of thumb is to not take it out on the road if the air temp is below 50 Fahrenheit.

 

[Goose81]

I got lucky finding that garage, the elderly woman's husband passed away and she sold his show car hot rod. I parked it there last year too, this summer a guy wanted to park his C8 and she called me up if I wanted it this winter and raising the price $100, haha a what business woman!

A couple years back I had parked my C7 in an underground storage, it was the only place available, I couldn't believe all the exotic cars in there, you'd think all these people who have these expensive cars would have a garage but not all of them it seems. However what a disappointment as we were not allowed to go deep inside, couldn't plug a tender and the guy told me to leave the windows open even under the cover. When I picked it up in the spring there was a layer of dust inside the car.

Anyway, I had spotted a small oil leak on the oil pump shaft tube entering the flange which is a common problem. I didn't want to take the whole pump out (1-2 full days of work) to replace a $3 oring back there so hopefully my fix does the trick for a long time. Even here I had to use a wire to spread the sealant because you can't put a finger all around. Too bad I couldn't reach the flange part to try to seal it as well. I drove over 50 km and rechecked so far so good.


View attachment 147 View attachment 148

For the C7, now that the H is in storage I put the Corvette on the quickjacks. Man the oil change is so much easier, 1 oil plug! No underbelly plates to remove and I let it drip a couple of hours compared to the H which took me 3 days working on and off for several hours at a time. I removed an inexpensive, leaking mag ride shock up front that has been there only 1 year, I'm waiting for the part to come in. Also took out a one year old starter that's already kaput from heat soak. This time I'm going to do a custom heat shield on a new one hoping it solves the issue.

Crazy that you have to replace the starter yearly. Have you checked any of the Corvette forums for possible solutions? Hopefully the custom heat shield works.

 

[Luzifer]

Crazy that you have to replace the starter yearly. Have you checked any of the Corvette forums for possible solutions? Hopefully the custom heat shield works.

It's a common problem on the C7 and other cars where the exhaust is close to the starter, most guys on the forum put a new starter and say it solved their issue but what they don't say most of them rarely drive their cars so you can't rely on that info alone.

I solved a big problem in conjunction with that. When it was under warranty I brought it twice to the dealer and they lied to me, they did absolutely nothing, I caught them on my PDR camera. Anyway the first issue I figured out on my own it had a voltage drop, after several tests I found the main wire wasn't making proper contact at one of the junction, some coolant had spilled from the reservoir before my ownership onto that connection.

The new starter I will put some fire proof carbon fibre blanket on it to try and keep it cool to see if that helps. Hopefully that no name brand starter isn't junk!

 

[Goose81]

Scummy dealers. Good luck!

 

[Luzifer]

Great pictures! I get a little sad this time a year as the weather starts to turn cold. Last winter was my first with the H and we had a very mild winter. Our winters are cold but we typically see a 50 degree day at least once a month so I take it out then. I don't have to completely winterize it. My rule of thumb is to not take it out on the road if the air temp is below 50 Fahrenheit.

We need to see pictures of that car! Lucky you at least you can take it out for a spin!

I drive mine however cold it's outside as long as there's no snow or rain. Last night our first snowfall we got 6" of snow.

Speaking of dealers, with the C7 which was my first car ever with a warranty. I was appalled at how "scummy" they were, starting with the shopping of a car, the salesman never gave me the price of the car in the showroom, only payments for an undetermined length of time! I finally stormed out trying to get a price. Then finally finding one on consignment. Long story short about my warranty I fixed 2 major issues that they couldn't figure out and wanted me to pay for it. Even GM was of no help.

The craziest story I had an oil consumption issue and after their summer long plan of going there every few weeks they told me at the end of season their mechanics were not qualified to check the oil on the dipstick! I was so glad the warranty expired! Turns out after lots of research it is normal modern sports cars consume oil.

 

[Goose81]

I will definitely post some pics. I guess there is a reason many people call them stealerships. I used to be in the car business and unfortunately that is a tactic of many salesman. Usually reserved for cheaper cars. I'm surprised they pulled that on you regarding a brand new Corvette. I had a newish BMW M3 years ago and I had to add a half quart of oil or so between oil changes. No leak that I could find, I assume it was an oil burn due to an improper engine break-in procedure.

 

[Luzifer]

The C7 in the showroom was a 2 year old preowned and approx value of 76K.

I even had a hard time getting the one I have now, I never went to the dealer that was hours away, I called the salesman I was going to pay cash and I guess it's a rare thing because he didn't know what to do next. He wanted me to drive there see me face to face, I said I wasn't going to waste a day just to hand out a check. A couples later day later they said okay no need to show up, the finance woman called me explaining where to deposit at a bank branch. I called a tow truck to have it picked up.

 

[Sakura]

Your C7 is a beauty! I was considering getting one myself, but my box-hauling errands have kept me tied to a minivan Maybe one day, I'll trade it in for a C7. The closest GM dealer is only like an hour from me. Hopefully they're not a stealership.

 

[Luzifer]

Your C7 is a beauty! I was considering getting one myself, but my box-hauling errands have kept me tied to a minivan Maybe one day, I'll trade it in for a C7. The closest GM dealer is only like an hour from me. Hopefully they're not a stealership.

Thanks! Wow you have a GM dealer! Would you prefer a C7 or C8?

Be aware the Corvette is not as cool as a Huracan but it is more useful. I did a comparison at the other place in the Temerario thread, here it is.

I own a C7 and a LP610-4. The differences between them :

The price between the two!
I love both of them for their looks although I had to put an aero kit on the C7 to make it appealing to me.
The C7's is way more advanced and useful in some aspects than the lambo, voice activated navigation with points of interest, voice activated bluetooth, front camera and PDR(performance data recorder), memory seat position, cooled or heated seats, heads up display with speed limit signs, customisation of gauge cluster, mag shocks, etc.
A downside a whole lot of pickups, ricers, Mercedes want to race. The cool side though the occasional Ferrari tries to lure me to accelerate.
The C7 has more mileage but I had to replace the rear diff which cost me 8K, leaking mag shocks, slow crank starter x2. Thankfully the H hasn't broken down yet.

The H's handling is astounding as I can navigate tight curves easily. The C7 in track mode(Mag shocks) doesn't grab as much and isn't as firm.
The H is way quicker on a pull
The H's navigation is a cluster F, dialing each letter to enter an address with a knob! WTF?
Bluetooth isn't great, can't have a conversation because it's too loud even in strada, clients are wondering what's up with all the ruckus!
The H gets more cheers from kids, thumbs up, congratulation from strangers, etc.
The H has nicer paint choices to choose from
The exhaust sound is sublime,
Rarely do I get egged on to race but every 5 minutes someone gestures or shouts to rev it
The H is more exclusive as I'm the only one in my vicinity other than a Diablo that is rarely out.
However there are more haters too, teens were inches away from ramming a shopping cart into the parked car until they noticed my passenger.
A whole lot of people have followed me home and pretty sure street gang members. I have to take several side streets to go back home and watch for tails, but there's always a few random car that see me turn onto my street and follow. I have to hide the car to be able to wash it otherwise people will literally walk up my driveway or drivers stop in front of the driveway and stare.

Overall I prefer the Huracan a whole lot more.
The Temerario will cost twice as much, a complex money pit with the batteries and turbos to repair and for twice the price it doesn't have twice the looks.

 

[Sakura]

Thanks! Wow you have a GM dealer! Would you prefer a C7 or C8?

Be aware the Corvette is not as cool as a Huracan but it is more useful. I did a comparison at the other place in the Temerario thread, here it is.

I own a C7 and a LP610-4. The differences between them :

The price between the two!
I love both of them for their looks although I had to put an aero kit on the C7 to make it appealing to me.
The C7's is way more advanced and useful in some aspects than the lambo, voice activated navigation with points of interest, voice activated bluetooth, front camera and PDR(performance data recorder), memory seat position, cooled or heated seats, heads up display with speed limit signs, customisation of gauge cluster, mag shocks, etc.
A downside a whole lot of pickups, ricers, Mercedes want to race. The cool side though the occasional Ferrari tries to lure me to accelerate.
The C7 has more mileage but I had to replace the rear diff which cost me 8K, leaking mag shocks, slow crank starter x2. Thankfully the H hasn't broken down yet.

The H's handling is astounding as I can navigate tight curves easily. The C7 in track mode(Mag shocks) doesn't grab as much and isn't as firm.
The H is way quicker on a pull
The H's navigation is a cluster F, dialing each letter to enter an address with a knob! WTF?
Bluetooth isn't great, can't have a conversation because it's too loud even in strada, clients are wondering what's up with all the ruckus!
The H gets more cheers from kids, thumbs up, congratulation from strangers, etc.
The H has nicer paint choices to choose from
The exhaust sound is sublime,
Rarely do I get egged on to race but every 5 minutes someone gestures or shouts to rev it
The H is more exclusive as I'm the only one in my vicinity other than a Diablo that is rarely out.
However there are more haters too, teens were inches away from ramming a shopping cart into the parked car until they noticed my passenger.
A whole lot of people have followed me home and pretty sure street gang members. I have to take several side streets to go back home and watch for tails, but there's always a few random car that see me turn onto my street and follow. I have to hide the car to be able to wash it otherwise people will literally walk up my driveway or drivers stop in front of the driveway and stare.

Overall I prefer the Huracan a whole lot more.
The Temerario will cost twice as much, a complex money pit with the batteries and turbos to repair and for twice the price it doesn't have twice the looks.

I've heard some transmission horror stories from C8 owners, so if I ever get one, it will most likely be a C7. This is also why I avoided the AV, despite the temptation of owning a car with scissor doors.

In my opinion, the Huracan and Corvette belong to completely different classes, so it might not be a fair comparison. One is a supercar, while the other is more of a grand tourer. Having both lets you experience the best of both worlds, so I think you've got an ideal setup. As for me, I have a supercar and a minivan that drives like rowing a boat in hell. It fits lots of souls, though

People here, including the cops, seem to really dislike Porsches for some reason. I think it’s because a lot of wannabe racers tend to drive them, which gives the brand a bad reputation. The C7 feels like a perfect alternative since it’s not as common here.

I’ve booked a Temerario party on December 13th, so I’ll be taking plenty of photos. I’ll probably never end up buying one, but it’s nice to check it out and show a bit of brand loyalty If I ever go for a supercar with a V8, I might as well go for a Ferrari instead. For touring, a C7.