| zebelkhan |
Some of us have a four day weekend coming up - Friday July 1 thru Monday Jully 4. I wonder if anyone has any special plans that involves the MO?
I am planning my MO's first long distance trip and it will be to Las Vegas. I am estimating 1,200 miles by the time we get back. But the alternator thing has me worried.
Poor thing has served me well (knock on wood) as I have put 23,000 miles on it in a little over ten months, but all of those miles have been during commute to work. Not out of town with the wife and not so small kid.
Wife would like to fly there but I like to drive. I argue that we can put the extra cost for flight tickets to good use by going to shows and dinning in fine places but my wife prefers the comfort of getting there.
My question to you is should I keep insisting? I just hate the thought of this backfiering on me if the alternator fails on route to or from, and turns the short vacation into a nightmare...mostly for me because I will never hear the end of it.... :blahblah: :o :mad: :3: |
|
|
| Mr3Putt |
quote:
Originally posted by zebelkhan
Wife would like to fly there but I like to drive. I argue that we can put the extra cost for flight tickets to good use by going to shows and dinning in fine places but my wife prefers the comfort of getting there.
My question to you is should I keep insisting? I just hate the thought of this backfiering on me if the alternator fails on route to or from, and turns the short vacation into a nightmare...mostly for me because I will never hear the end of it.... :blahblah: :o :mad: :3:
I love Vegas. I agree with your wife though..... Alternator aside, I always choose to fly over long drives. Although I've driven in to Vegas from LA at least 4 times, like my buddy says "it's like watching a couple of movies and you're there" He's also the one who stated about the world's largest thermometer "It's not really all THAT big"
Besides on that particular weekend I can't imagine it would be a liesurely cruise with all those idiots on the road.
In any event, I'm jealous. Have a safe journey & good luck! |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
quote:
Originally posted by Mr3Putt
...on that particular weekend I can't imagine it would be a liesurely cruise with all those idiots on the road...
Good point. I am banking on people being on the road on Tuesday... |
|
|
| hfelknor |
Grasshopper, you will continue to suffer indignities until you understand the inner workings of she who must be obeyed.
Homer |
|
|
| special-k |
Does anyone else find it irritating and saddening that we even have to worry about such things in a $35K+ vehicle?
Personally it makes me incredibly angry every time I have to take the MO on a somewhat long journey and the only thing on my mind is "gee I hope the alternator holds up". |
|
|
| GMTURBO43 |
I don't worry about it breaking. You can spend all your life worrying about things going wrong - and the things that will go wrong are the ones you weren't worrying about.
Drive vs Fly
It seems like guys are the ones who'd rather drive. I love the Great American Roadtrip. We're currently have the discussion about going to DC in the fall. I've never spent much time on the East Coast - I've never driven there (took a bus once - flown the others). I'd love to drive. My wife wants to fly. We'll probably fly. |
|
|
| Kris |
Hm, have been to Indiana (few times), Alabama, number of time to Florida (Naples, Miami..). Never thought about alternator. If it quits - bad luck. What can I do now about it? ABsolutely nothing. Unless somebody wants to buy a spare and keep it in the car. But then again to replace an alternator is apparently a major undertaking.
So forget about the alt and keep driving. In the end we all will die..... |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
You guys are no help...
It is not me I am worried about....actually it is because if the alternator goes, I go.....:confused:
But the thing is I would not even give it a sceond thought if it was just me traveling, or I would not give it a thought if driving was my wife's idea. But we are talking about she saying no drive, and I say yes drive, and then the MO let's me down....:mad:
I guess I am just looking for assurance that the alternator will not go...but I have a feeling it is not going to come my way
Maybe I will send them on a plane, and just drive by myself....:2: |
|
|
| pcs15394 |
I feel your pain. If You have any luck close to mine and drive with the wife, the thing will fail, if you were to go it alone it will sail right through. I'm leaving tommorow for Siesta Key, not a long drive but long enough where breaking sown on the side of the road would be a real PITA.
GMTURBO43
D.C. is a great trip, especially if you have kids. I know your going in the fall, but D.C in the spring when the Cherry blossoms are blooming should not be missed, absolutely beautiful. |
|
|
| TheGymKid |
| I have a driving trip planned for my Mo. I'm driving to Lake George N.Y. Anyone ever been there? From Central Jersey it should be about a 4 to 5 hour drive. Not as long as my last drive to Ohio 2 months ago (7 hours). We are staying at a bed and breakfast for my Fiance's birthday that weekend. I hope gas prices drop by then..... I saw regular on the NJ Turnpike yesterday for $2.12.... that could be highest I've ever seen it ! |
|
|
| jaak |
You could get a flat tire too... Hit a deer. Run out of gas. Lose your keys. Get run over in your driveway. Be hit by an asteroid. Win a lottery.
Just go and enjoy it. Whatever happens, happens. |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
| It is done! My wife agreed to drive to Las Vegas. We will be staying in a hotel right in the middle of the strip and it will be fun. It will be a short stay. We will arrive Saturday afternoon and leave on Monday around noon time, but I think the MO will enjoy the trip!! :D |
|
|
| b0xdesigns |
| My mo's goin to vegas too! on the 6,7,8 of july. I hope the trip goes well.:D |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
quote:
Originally posted by b0xdesigns
My mo's goin to vegas too! on the 6,7,8 of july. I hope the trip goes well.:D
Good luck! I mean both on the road and at the tables....that is if you will have that kind of fun over there. We plan to see a couple of shows and visit Hoover dam before we head back. I will pay the tables a visit when everyone else is napping for the night....:2: |
|
|
| jaak |
| Good, safe trip! I drove mine out to Maine when it was only 6 months old and loved it!!! |
|
|
| GMTURBO43 |
Glad to hear you are driving...
If you needed more arguments for your side...
luggage gets lost on planes not cars.
Flights are cancelled because of weather.
Depending on the distance of the drive - it is sometimes faster to drive once you figure transportation to the airport, 2 hours early arrival, wait for luggage, transportation from airport to hotel
Have fun.
Thanks for the tip on DC. I might be able to do that instead - sounds better. I was hoping to make the drive in the fall to see the leaves change colors. |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
Thanks. It will be fun and I am looking forward to it. The time it takes for flight vs drive was also one of my arguments. From the time we leave our house in California and arrive at the hotel in Vegas, I estimate 7.5 hours of driving. To fly, it would take an hour to get to the airport, two hours of wait time (considering there would be lot's of people there), 1.5 hours flight time, and another hour to get a rental and drive to the hotel. An extra two hours of driving and we would be there with almost $1,000 more in our (my) wallet....
Which way to the Black Jack table please......:2:
Edit: Oh...and I called the casino marketing people and they gave me 30% off my hotel room.......Even better.....:18: |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
I am back in one piece.....:2:
Started on Saturday morning, around 8:30 am and drove about 270 miles in 3 and half hours to Bakersfield, our midway point. After a 40 minute stop, we took off towards Las Vegas. Average speed was 80 miles per hour as we were driving through some mountains, and then I did a test at a uphill climb doing 90 mph and I could still accelerate if I wanted to but the wife made me slow down as I was driving in the truck lane while the rest of the cars in the regular lanes were only doing 45 mph! Drive was good until we hit denser traffic about 60 miles before getting to Las Vegas. Outside temperature was about 106F, and even hit 112 at some point. A/C was on all the time and the Murano performed flawlessly. We had hoped to arrive by 4:30 pm but traffic delayed us till 6. We got there, parked the MO and went about to have some fun.
The next day, we wanted to go to a distant Casino to watch some dance. Got into the MO and started driving. It was 107F. I began to drive over a bridge towards a stop light when all of a sudden I felt the MO had become very sluggish…..then I lost all power. Engine was still idling but that was about it! Gassed it, but nothing happened….Traffic light was green but I had no choice but to stop. So I did, and immediately turned the engine off and restarted it. I got the power back but the SES light came on and stayed on….The wife was starting to panic but I instead started to brag about this forum, and how I had learned this “restart trick” there!
After the restart, I felt the car was running normally so I hoped the problem was a minor one. The first thing I thought of was the gas cap. So I drove to the nearest gas station and filled up the tank to get any possible vapors out of it, then made sure I put the cap back on tight. But it did not help and the light stayed on. I then checked all fluids to make sure everything was good. My wife was quite concerned at this point and even said maybe we should have taken her car instead but I assured her that we would be just fine. Thankfully, she never mentioned the fact that I had insisted on driving instead of flying…
Anyway, we parked the MO and went about having fun. But later that night I could see my wife was worried that the car would break down in the middle of nowhere. Again, I reassured her that the SES light was just trying to tell us that there was a problem at some point and the car needed to be checked. Had it been a major problem, it would have been flashing to warn us not drive it (not sure if I was correct but it sounded good to me and calmed her down a bit too!) But we (she!) decided to forget about Hoover Dam and leave early the next day so we would make it back during the daylight.
This morning we left Las Vegas at 8:15. It was hot and traffic was relatively light early on. The SES light was still on but I decided not to think about it. I drove hard and fast, most of the time about 85 to 90 mph straight to Bakersfield, our half way point. Stopped to gas up and eat….and then I noticed the SES light had gone off…….Not sure when and how, but it was off. In celebration, during the rest of the drive I did not let anyone, not even another Murano, pass me. We were home by 4 PM….
Overall, the MO drove exceptionally well both at high heat and high speeds. Fuel mileage was not that great, about 20.4 mpg, but I was pushing the car all the way there and back. The fear of alternator failure was always present but thankfully it did not happen. If the SES light had not come on, it would have been a perfect trip. :) |
|
|
| jaak |
Note to self, take SM print out of how to read codes with me, on long trips....
My WAG is it was the transmission complaining it was too hot. It got in the high 90's here and mine got sluggish on the highway. Doesn't help that I don't have the scoop (since my SA advised it wasn't needed, but is wrong.)
Too bad about the glitch, but great trip otherwise!
It's funny.... As I was reading, all I could think of was Johnny Depp waving at imaginary bats with a fly swatter while driving through the desert to LV in the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".
I'm sure your trip wasn't quite like that!
Great to hear you had a good time! I'd like to make that drive. I've been in the Bay Area about 40-50 times and LV many as well, but not in between. |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
Thanks. I cannot be sure that it was the heat that was at fault though. There was no hiccups whatsoever during the drive in or the drive back, both at very high speeds most of the time and in high tempratures all the time. Not even the stop and go traffic when the inside monitor read 112 degrees bothered the MO. In fact, it performed very well, better than any other car I had taken on a simillar trip. The SES light came on after the MO had been running for 10 minutes or so after we had started driving the next day, after it had rested overnight and most of the morning.
I do carry the SM on a CD as part of MO's documents at all times but the 7 inch screen on my Carputer was simply just too small for me to read anything off of, and it was too hot anyways...
The fact that the SES light came on did cause us to cut the trip short by a few hours and that was unfortunate. Now that the light is off, I wonder if they still can read the code that caused it?
Today I will have to wash all the bugs off the face of the MO. That will be a lot of fun....:D |
|
|
| jaak |
Rented a Fraud Toreass and drove through the rockies. Being white, it was easy to see all the bugs. What cracked me up was it looked like I had an accident with a condiment stand, as the bug guts were green, red and yellow...
Should have stuck a hotdog in the grill.:p |
|
|
| Eric L. |
| If it was a serious problem, the ECU should store the code even if the SES light turned off. Might still be worth it to try to pull the code and find out what was going on. It sounded like the electronic throttle had a glitch. Pull the code and let us know what you find. I know I am interested to find out. |
|
|
| zebelkhan |
quote:
Originally posted by Eric L.
If it was a serious problem, the ECU should store the code even if the SES light turned off. Might still be worth it to try to pull the code and find out what was going on. It sounded like the electronic throttle had a glitch. Pull the code and let us know what you find. I know I am interested to find out.
I have never done it so you think I should I try to read the code myself or take it in? |
|
|
| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by zebelkhan
I have never done it so you think I should I try to read the code myself or take it in?
Well as long as you don't erase the code, you can try it yourself since you have the ESM. |
|
|
| b0xdesigns |
| Well my MO and I made it back in one peice. She did pretty well. She was a little sluggish in the +100 heat with the AC on though. But she was pretty packed too. I had 3 other people and all our luggage in the back. So about 1000lbs of people and cargo weight. It was sweet....I didn't get any dash lights pop up ....other than the low gas light. oh and btw i got an average of 21mpg. Which is pretty good considering the conditions she was in. :2: |
|
|
|
