well i meant the rims specifically, the rims and the headlights seem to be the first items that start showing age and roughness on these models years... 1997 and earlier despite the significantly dimmer lights at least used glass lenses that didn't fade

but yes i'm with you on more wood lol... one of the big reasons the 1999 is my favorite year LS (other than its the one i have lmao) is they finished the shifter and steering wheel in wood too




also there's more wood inside if you open that tray above the glovebox that houses the CD changer

 

Its recycled all the time. I have a friend that recycles vehicles for a living.

Exactly, more and more people don’t want to sit on the skin of dead animals. She has no problem eating animals because that’s nature, but she would rather not kill an animal for her chair. I understand where she is coming from and where others are coming from.

Me? I still like leather.

I actually see more really nice ones than I would think.

 

@Striker223 what are your thoughts about oil additives like Liqui Moly Ceretec for German engines? I’m getting ready to get my service done and I noticed on the invoices the dealer uses an oil additive…independent is doing it this time but I was going to order a bottle of this and have them use it, what do you think?

 

It's not needed/may be harmful and since I'm going to assume you are changing at 5k you REALLY don't need it. The only thing I would suggest considering is a low SAPS oil so you don't risk carbon buildup on the intake valves.

Ceratec is essentially a lot of moly and some boron suspended in non-synth oil and it will drop out of suspension if you don't drive every day. I personally don't like anything that can drop out of suspension like that nor do l like any non synth fluids in my cars other than the Jeep.

I generally just use/recommend the highest current spec oil for whatever brand car it is, in my case I use VW 511.00/Porsche C40 since it is one of the best specs you can buy and is designed to stop carbon buildup and CAT issues while still providing protection equal or greater than mid/high SAPS oils. Crazy good thermal stability and HTHS and NOACK specs that in a good amount of cases exceed that of the mid/high SAPS options. I also use a 30w version in the LS460 and my dads RR, basically everything I have is on this stuff

BMW oil spec has the best NOACK ratings though

 

I change at MB intervals so every 10k

 

Do you happen to know the sulfur content of gas in your area? With a 10k change you may not be able to use low SAPS depending on the gas you have near you, that's one reason I use 5k for my cars. In theory this oil can do 10k but I don't want to risk anything, the older VW 504.00 spec could/does do 10k plus but only with gas that is the same low sulfur levels that Europe has.

If you are using mid/high SAPS with your turbo DI engine it's best to avoid short change intervals or you will carbon more quickly so 10k miles would work fine as long as the oil has enough sulfur resistance. The factory spec for US market cars usually trades carbon buildup for really high sulfur resistance though.....

I opted to instead go for a more advanced spec that avoids the carbon issue AND fuel type issue

 

I almost always fill up with Shell…it’s always had the OEM MB oil at the dealer, which is what the independent uses also.

Sounds like I’m gonna pass on the ceretec.

 

Can you easily ask him if he is using MB 229.51 or MB 229.52? If you are using 229.52 that is the better one for long interval but can sometimes have issues with US gas

 

Wait a second... didn't you repeatedly mention that you wouldn't ever buy a used car, let alone a 25 year old?

 

They don't increase protection, for any engine. Additives reduce the sheer strength of oil and also the heat resistance which will increase wear. Some are good to reduce leaks and oil burning, friction protection no. Motor oils are already carefully formulated with the correct mix of additives dumping other stuff in compromises this.

 

Leather for shoes, clothing, and vehicles is a by product of the meat industry. By eating meat she is contributing to more leather being produced. The 'green' thing to do is to use that leather usefully, rather than it going to landfill or incineration and then mixing up a cocktail of noxious chemicals in an attempt to replicate and replace it. So I don't understand where she's coming from.

 

TL : DR if they're good, the good oils already have them. "Ceramic" friction modifiers / micro surface polishers aren't new.

 

read this. https://www.peta.org/features/the-cr...f-and-leather/

 

I would never buy an old car to drive as a daily driver. I would buy a cool old car that meant something to me as a fun car like a classic, sure.

This is not true. Fine leathers are not a byproduct of meat, cows are bred and grown solely for their skin, and their meat is used for animal food etc.

So sure the basic leather in a Camry may be byproduct leather, but higher end leathers in the kind of cars we drive is not.

And also, automotive leather and almost all consumer leather is treated with tons of chemicals and topped with a urethane topcoat, it’s not just skin off an animal they sew onto your seats. It’s highly chemically processed and in the end resembles animal skin very little. There is NOTHING natural about leather.

 

I actually prefer cloth or that wool type upholstery like that’s in the Toyota Century versus leather or vinyl. But the American market has spoken and everyone hates cloth in their cars and trucks. High quality fabric feels nicer to me and lasts way longer. The leather in my 2010 looks terrible.

Volvo has a nice wool type fabric in some of their models but they are not ventilated. Heated and Ventilated cloth seats would be amazing!