Grumpy Bear

175,000 Mile Service 9/29/2023 Pepper 2015 Silverado 4.3 LV3 175,016 actual 4,716-mile OCI Used maybe a cup 5 quarts Red Line Euro 5W30 1-quart HPL SAE40-EC FRAM XG10575

175,000 Mile Service 9/29/2023 175,016 actual 4,716-mile OCI Used maybe a cup 5 quarts Red Line Euro 5W30 1-quart HPL SAE40-EC FRAM XG10575 Old filter stuck. Case crushed taking it off. It was likely me ham handed putting it on.

175,000 on the powertrain as of today.

175,000 Miles 9/29/2023 Nothing major yet. She is starting to suffer Lingchi. Ozone attack of plastics and rubber. Rock chips that are becoming increasingly more difficult to keep up with. Weathering of the windshield. Hits of a million of bugs and their removal. Not a bubble baby. No rust or body damage. Still plenty to work with and fight for.

We've had two major projects going on. This year's Covid booster shots and insurance. Oh, happy me. I love chaos. Pretty much sums up insurance.

California Gas Price. Why so high? What Drives California’s Gasoline Prices? So, captive refining with a majority of OPEC crude supply and lots of taxes. A glimpse into the other 49 states future into ICE fuels.

GM 4.3L V6 EcoTec3 LV3 Engine Specs, Problems, Reliability, oil - In-Depth Review (motorreviewer.com)

We did and we will. It's a great engine that left too soon. Had the potential to be the next GM 3800.

My old Honda had a policy of replacing the gasket every change. A thick, soft copper washer. I reused the same one doing my own changes for about 200K miles. Took it to the dealer for a CV joint and they did me the 'Favor" of changing the oil and crushing the washer to paper thin and rounding the bolt to the point Vise Grips were required to remove it. I did not go back. Told that story to my current mechanic and he got the point. Never damages anything.

I've lived in Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, and West Texas. It's all pretty with each having its good points and bad. Overall, they seem to balance out. Dirt never made me happy. There are some areas I will/would/have visit(ed) but would never move to. Not a fan of extreme humidity which pretty much nixes everything from central Texas east and south of Kentucky. No fan of dense population. (Both coasts.) Also, not a fan of 10 months of deep winter and 2 months of bad skiing. (Rocksprings Wyoming). Yea, I'm pretty good with where I'm at and happy to visit the rest.

Fall isn't coming here. It IS here. I was wrong about the tomatoes too. Punches in bunches. I've been mowing for four days now and still won't finish. Rain, rain, rain. An hour here and an hour there. Plush is what the yard is. By the time I'm done, I'll be starting over again. Leaves are falling off the stressed trees and it's hard to keep up. A moutian of clippings and leaves. But....it is pretty. We've had a squirrel explosion this year. Driving the dog nuts. So many on the ground he gets confused on which to chase first. It's hilarious.

Actually, you are on the right track. Looked at a Mirage. I mentioned that. Well looks like this and the Kia Rio are going the way of the Dodo bird and in another year so will the Versa. The squeeze in on. Next few levels up in Kia have some interesting choices.... for now. Sedan next. Combination GDI/MPFI systems with real transmissions. Dual clutch 8 speed automatic and even a 6-speed manual in the K5 GT. The Forte has an uncomplicated 2.5 turbo GDI/MPFI 8 speed that is in the running with a 10 year, 100K warranty for under or close to $30K. Even still have multiple interior choices and some decent paint. Only a bit more than a Malibu 1.6T with a CVT in limited configurations or the new TRAX.

@customboss had a Malibu I believe with a Ecotec 2.4 and with his expert care it was truly faultless as were the majority of these motors in small light cars. 3K lbs., with small frontal areas. That same motor in Terrains and Equinox SUVs were highly problematic. 5K pounds and roughly twice the frontal area with less favorable aerodynamics. Dizzy an example of just one that also received exceptional care that failed due to design issues. Only one of thousands of units dotting the back rows at car lots and dealer auctions and lawsuits galore. Same issues that the Malibu had. The difference? Stress! Stress is what happens to small motors under big boost and asked frequently to produce it. There is a reason they don't use a .22 to go elephant hunting. Physics! This particular tiny over pressurized popcorn machine is quite complicated. Cooling and oiling systems to example. It sits in a machine with more frontal area than the K2 and at larger weights that the lightest K2's. (Remember they are just bringing back the RCSB). GM likes to see how close they can get to the edge of the cliff and don't mind a few falling over. Now has this been proved out in practice. I honestly don't know. It hasn't been around long enough. What I do know is the GM's track record when they complicate a hammer is not very good. They haven't got ring sealing figured out yet. AFM/DFM has been riddled with issues. I do know I'm not working on it and I do know my way around a wrench. I do expect I could make one go the distance. I just won't roll that set of dice until I absolutely have no affordable options left. They took away my V6 choice making a much smaller motor with essentially the same power for CAFE/EPA that hasn't proven in practice to be more economical for a driver like me. I'm taking away their sale to me choice. I cast my economic vote NO on this referendum. It's a blind vote. All are free to chose as you see fit.

IMHO it's garbage engineering.