Scott M

I have no idea what the affects of Ethanol are, but our 06 Acura MDX manual clearly states that we should avoid the use of fuels containing 10% Ethanol. Problem is, I can't find a gas station without 10% Ethanol anywhere in my area.

Lexi offered you some good advice. I hit a pothole in the wife's old Honda Accord and blew the tire and bent the rim. It took a few calls, but the town ended up covering the cost of repairs. You should call and inquire with the town where this occurred. I got beter results with the town selectmen than when I called the local highway dept though.

Do you still have the plate? Have the registered owner of that plate pay for the damages and have it repaired!

I use Zaino Z-16 when I'm at home, but you never know when you're gonna be out and in the mood for a quickie... I keep one of these in the trunk. Black Magic Tire Wet Gel It's a gel and foam applicator all in one, so it's quick and easy.

Of course you do--it's a std feature. It's on the same button as the rear window defogger. Don't ya just love finding out that you have toys you didn't know you had?

If it was an alignment issue or a problem with the pads/rotors, the problem would not be intermittent. This sounds like a problem with a caliper or something within the hydraulic system. The issue here is that it only happens on some occasions and it sounds like more pressure is being applied to the left side caliper than to the right. My guess it a sticking caliper on the right side, a bent brake line or an issue within the hydraulic system which sends braking power to some wheels more so than others depending on the signal sent from the VDIM system. This is a safety concern on a brand new car, and you have been reporting it since taking the car home. Bring it back, demand a loaner, and tell them not to call you until it's corrected.

I drive between Seattle and Montana sometimes twice a month. The trip involves three mountain passes. My research has me leaning towards Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 snow tires. I've got a couple of weeks before I need to purchase a set and would be interested to hear other opinions. -JRRRRRR The WS-50's are very highly rated but they are on clearance, as the new model is the WS-60. I just bought a set of 4 Blizzak WS-50's on 17" Aluminum 5-spoke wheels from tirerack. Mounted and balanced (skipped the $400 pressure sensors) for less than $800 and shipped right to my door. They look awesome and can't wait till the white stuff flies, so I can put them on. WS-50 Comparo and test results.

Both C pillars are badly bent, and yet that back window stayed in tack... that's something. Be glad they totalled it. If it was repaired, it would NEVER be the same, you'd most likely go through tires every 2,000 miles and the trunk would always leak. Glad you walked away. :)

I agree. I have AWD and I'm even going with snows for the winter. If you get a fair amount of snow in your area, it's worth it. TireRack.com had some great prices on winter wheel/tire sets. I picked up a set of Blizzak WS-50's on clearance for $99 each, and had them mounted on aluminum 5 spoke wheels. Nothing fancy, but it gets me through the winter, and adds life to my nice summer wheels which get a 4 month sabatical sitting in my garage! :)

Thanks Ethan... You're absolutely correct. The point I was trying to add is that MPG can come right down to the driver's habits as well. Comparing 2 different models or even 2 cars of the same make brings new variables to the equation, as you have mentioned. Comparing only the driver, I get 5 MPG more than when the wife is driving. Here, the tires, location, altitude, barometric pressure, type of road, fuel, tires and tire pressure, gross weight, moon's phase... all the variables are the same. The only variable that changes in my example is who's driving the car. The wife loves to constantly adjust her throttle. It's very slight, but I notice it every time she drives. I'm more of a throttle featherer. (is that even a word? ) My point is that when comparing one person's model to another's same make/model... driver habit can and will make a big difference in MPG ratings, even with the slightest difference in driving habits.

Good to know. Thanks!

The discrepancies are very common. I see the same thing in the Infiniti forums. I have an 07 G35x and I use 93 Octane, but in my area, everything is also 10% Ethanol as well. On any given day, driving 50% City / 50% Highway with some 'spirited' driving, I'm sitting at 18.x mpg. Behaving myself, I'm at 22.x and on the highway, 27.x. Others are complaining about being near 13 mpg, and never above 20 on the highway. I think some of this may be the fuel, maybe a little of it could be car related, but most of this is just driving style and habits. My wifes drives our 06 Acura MDX and when on the higway, I feel her constantly adjusting the throttle. She gets 18 mpg. When I drive the exact same car with the exact same fuel on the exact same day, I get 23.

Good for you! But if this obvious discrepancy is not a sign of bad quality issue what is it? You can't tell me that your foot is made of gold and mine is cheap stone. Well, passion, you have to understand that everyone drives differently too. No personal affront intended, but anyone who thinks the IS250 AWD has an acceptable amount of power does not drive the car like a sports car to begin with. If driven calmly, many IS250 owners are very happy with mid 20 MPG. My guess is that bjgross drives calmly...at least more so than you. (anyone else laugh when thay saw that name?):whistles:

Back when I was young, and in much better shape , I worked as a Driveshaft Technician. I did all things driveshaft, for every type of vehicle... building new custom shafts, repairing old or broken, maching custom parts, etc. I can't count the amount of Winston Cup cars I worked on or monster truck shafts I repaired when they came to town.. Anyways... I have never heard such BS! It could very well be the drive shaft and it has very very little to do with the speed of the vehicle. Although the vibration characteristics can change as the speed of the vehicle differs, going faster will not remove a vibration. The only way he'll know for sure if to have the shaft removed and balanced by an experienced person, or to replace it with a new one and see if there is any difference. I'll say this though. The odds of a new factory shaft correcting the issue is very slim, even if the problem is shaft related. Some of the worst quality shafts are factory oem, as they're mass produced and balancing/straightening is often rushed or skipped all together. I have never looked at an IS driveshaft, but sometimes, just switching an end yoke by 180 degrees or replacing u-joints can correct the issue as well... assuming no balancing equipment is avail to you. This could be a quick $10 test. My point is that your tech's comment holds no water.

I'm also in MA and had some trouble finding a reputable place in my area. I went through 3M's website and found that they had a certified installer at my dealer... unfortunately, in Warwick, RI. I had them do the job for me, $100- less than I could find anywhere around town. The job is 100% perfect and they only needed the car for half a day. Inskip also sells Lexus, so I'm sure the guy is very experienced in the IS as well. Inskip Reconditioning in Warwick, RI 401-821-1510 Installers name is Alejandro Creamer Sales Manager's name is Manny Taveres He's the guy who tweaked the price for me. It's not in Boston, but it's worth the ride to get it done right the first time. <_<