General vehicle thread

[Gman]

I think the rotted exhaust became less of a thing when most manufacturers switched to using stainless for the exhaust.

I've even seen them go so far as to coat the inside of the stainless with aluminum. Exhaust rot really seems to be a problem of the past.

[Martinjmpr]

I've even seen them go so far as to coat the inside of the stainless with aluminum. Exhaust rot really seems to be a problem of the past.

Speaking of things from the past - I was looking at some old highway pictures and it occurred to me that the old "oil stain in the middle of the highway" is pretty much a thing of the past. Back in the 60's and 70's it was just taken as a "given" that all cars would drip a little oil and so the middle of the lane in the freeway always had a nice black, oily stain. The older the highway, the worse the stain.

Here's an example of what I mean:

tmg-default_lq.jpg

Now that cars have pretty much stopped leaking you don't see that anymore.

[Jer]

Speaking of things from the past - I was looking at some old highway pictures and it occurred to me that the old "oil stain in the middle of the highway" is pretty much a thing of the past. Back in the 60's and 70's it was just taken as a "given" that all cars would drip a little oil and so the middle of the lane in the freeway always had a nice black, oily stain. The older the highway, the worse the stain.

Here's an example of what I mean:

tmg-default_lq.jpg

Now that cars have pretty much stopped leaking you don't see that anymore.

I actually thought of that yesterday when I pulled into a 7-Eleven to get an energy drink (since I don't "need" to go to gas stations anymore ;-) and in the parking spots were massive oil slicks and even degraded concrete as a result of the gross puddles people's cars leave. Granted the new cars are much better but another bonus to driving an EV is not worrying about leaks.

[Bailey Guns]

... but another bonus to driving an EV is not worrying about leaks.

I thought I read somewhere about Tesla (and perhaps other/all EVs) having a different sort of "leak" called Phantom Drain or Phantom Leaking. It was a reference to battery drain when the car wasn't in use. Some people apparently had a real problem with it. I also thought they had a coolant system.

**Not dumping on Tesla or EVs in general as, obviously, they won't leak like a "normal" car. Just curious.

[Jer]

I thought I read somewhere about Tesla (and perhaps other/all EVs) having a different sort of "leak" called Phantom Drain or Phantom Leaking. It was a reference to battery drain when the car wasn't in use. Some people apparently had a real problem with it. I also thought they had a coolant system.

**Not dumping on Tesla or EVs in general as, obviously, they won't leak like a "normal" car. Just curious.

Phantom drain is something that just about any rechargeable battery device will experience. In this case, my guess is that you're referring to an issues some were having early on where this was exaggerated and causing some issues for people leaving their car at airports for prolonged periods for instance. This has been fixed via software updates for quite a while though and doesn't really represent a significant issue other than a slow and predictable drain if you leave it sit for long periods w/o being plugged in. This is the case for ICE vehicles too though so not really anything unique to EVs.

There are also battery technologies in development that will also help in this area among many other more dramatic upgrades in current charging technologies.

As to the liquids statement; the only liquid in Tesla vehicles is the windshield washer fluid, brake fluid and the coolant mixture that circulates to keep the batteries warm for optimal charging & discharging. Sure these could leak but it would be very unlikely and (other than the brake fluid) is water soluble so it would dilute in a rain storm or with a garden hose and be safe for the environment and not leave the cruddy oil slicks you see in parking spots and that I used to dread whenever riding motorcycles. For someone like me who likes to keep their driveway and garage floors spotless this is a great thing to not have to worry about a drip during an oil change or from a leak. Whenever I pull up to a convenience store for an energy drink or pulling up to a stop like on a busy road I'm constantly reminded of one of the negatives of ICE cars that will eventually be a distant memory.

[Gman]

Speaking of things from the past - I was looking at some old highway pictures and it occurred to me that the old "oil stain in the middle of the highway" is pretty much a thing of the past. Back in the 60's and 70's it was just taken as a "given" that all cars would drip a little oil and so the middle of the lane in the freeway always had a nice black, oily stain. The older the highway, the worse the stain.

Good point. I remember being able to tell where the bumps in the road were because it would cause any weeping oil to break loose and make a bigger stain.