trinacriabob

Thanks. I wish they offered it here. I tend to get edgy when there's a model I really like ... and I'm not in the market. I've told myself that, when I will in the market, there WILL be a model that I will like. That's what happened when the Olds Intrigue was released in '98. I wanted that car badly. I wasn't ready. Ten years later, I bought the LaCrosse ... on the same chassis and with essentially the same engine. As for this new Chinese Verano ... Pluses - attractive silhouette; obvious family resemblance to the Cruze platform - nice attention to detail inside and nice stitching on the seats; must mention that the seats on the outgoing Verano were fantastic to look at, to seat in for extended periods, etc. - rear fascia makes it look like a baby LaCrosse - opera window type set up embedded in the C-pillar as seen from the inside Minuses - don't like such vertical grilles on small(er) cars; it should taper back some - from the side view, the tail lamps look like those of a Hyundai Accent as they wrap around - I don't like the dash ... it looks dated, boring, and has become the current Buick boilerplate ... I really liked the more vertical look in the last gen Verano and Regal with the defined center stack I like it more than I do the 2018 Regal.

I don't expect a return to pricing options individually, as was the case some 20 years ago. However, considering that they sell so many damn accessories via separate line items, I'd sure like to see power seats being offered as stand alone items on many entry level cars which already have power windows, power locks, and power mirrors as standard equipment. The other thing I'd like to see is a lower priced security package instead of casting a much broader net called a "convenience package" ... and costing some one thousand dollars. By a security package, I mean the trio of forward collision alert, lane departure alert, and rear traffic monitoring. I'd opt for that. I guess the Verano won't be coming back anytime soon. They cite sales figures. Given that the recently departed Verano was based on the last-gen Cruze, I can only imagine what a good car it could have been when built off the new Cruze platform and bumped up a few notches with Buick's better chassis tuning, insulation, and attention to detail. I'm guessing Buick doesn't want to be associated with anything that starts out at under $25,000.

A couple of weeks ago, my sled, a 2008 Buick LaCrosse CX with the base 3800 V6 engine, turned ten! Both then and today, it had and has less than 70,000 miles on the odometer, respectively. I remember driving it home after being pushed by friends and family to replace its predecessor, another W body with over 270,000 original miles and reasonably hassle free service, and savoring the new car smell. Part of what pushed me was the impending cessation of Buick Motor Division’s production of the 3800 V6 engine, which I had in the previous car, albeit of Series I vintage. I had been extremely pleased with everything about that “little” engine. The other impetus was the combination of incentives from GM and the dealership that, when aggregated with the GM Card earnings, took $6,000 off the MSRP for what was then the lowest priced Buick. In short, the big pluses are that this LaCrosse weighs 200 to 300 pounds more than my Regal coupe of the 90s. This comes across in the ride and even in the noise isolation in the cabin. In the previous car, the steering was more vague than that of, say, an equivalent Pontiac and that also holds true vis a vis its the LaCrosse's stablemate of the same period, the Pontiac Grand Prix. However, the steering is more nicely weighted. Fit and finish are also some notches up from the previous car, with a leather wrapped steering wheel, better build quality, nicer stitching and faux wood appliqués, and more standard bells and whistles. In looking at it for over a decade, the layout of the instrument panel is straightforward and pleasing to the eye, especially with the canted shape of the center stack coming down and curving to merge into the console. As for the automatic transmission, I believe I graduated from the GM 4T60 to the GM 4T65E, a slightly modified and electronically chipped version of a reasonably common transaxle. And only 4 gears work just fine for me since my first car had a 3 speed GM Turbo-Hydramatic 350 transmission! The icing on the cake would be the 3800 Series III V6 engine with cast iron block and heads. Highway jaunts with cruise control fetch 29 or 30 miles per gallon, which makes me feel somewhat environmentally conscious. It’s all relative. Not only that, this engine features various improvements through powder coated metals, better designed pistons, and an upgraded metal intake manifold compared to the Series II version. This stalwart would soon be bowing out and be the last “simple,” “old school” engine that GM would build in big quantities. The minuses are few and mostly about convenience items. The car’s styling is somewhat timeless. However, I only wish they had put in more blackened out bits and pieces to downplay the slightly oversized and overly chromed grille. Along those lines, the exterior color choices weren’t particularly vast, with weak choices in metallic earth colors and metallic blues. In the interior, the same was true. Only pale gray and pale tan cloth seats were available on the CX. It was obvious that, compared to the previous decade, GM had moved toward reducing choices to manage costs. The cloth seats are firmer and have held up very well; however, they collect lint and it comes back quickly after removing it. Finally, there is no lamp in the engine compartment. The under hood lamp came in handy on the previous car. The problems I’ve had with the car pretty much mirror the problem areas displayed for the base 2008 Buick LaCrosse in Consumer Reports. While not listed as a problem area, the engine requires the addition of some oil between oil changes. I’d say it requires a little more than half a quart every 3,000 miles. The TSB GM released for these engines cites even more leeway than that, which I find ridiculous. At first, this torqued me because the previous car’s engine was tighter, all the way to almost 300,000 miles. As long as this level of consumption remains constant, I guess I can live with that. I thought it would make it to ten years without any seepage under the car but that hasn’t been the case. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the car was parked for over a week and there was a cold snap. I always check the concrete area where I park it. It had always been free of spots. The apron finally showed some minor drips of pale pink fluid when I backed the car out. I’m hoping it’s just the gasket in the transmission pan, which is supposedly meant to be reused at fluid changes. I’ve already done this service twice. Let’s see what this is all about. The car is known to have some issues in the suspension department. While they can occur in several areas, I believe that my intermediate steering shaft has a minute amount of play. I have read that many GM W-body owners have this issue and that, in most cases, it’s not much more than a small annoyance. Knowing how the steering felt beforehand, it bothers me. I think that it will be replaced when I change the struts all the way around. I understand that GM has put out a better designed intermediate steering shaft to replace the OEM unit. The car also has some known demerits in its electronics. First, I have what I believe is called a “soft code” issue. The check engine light comes on intermittently when the weather is very cold. When it warms up again, the light goes off and may continue to stay off, even as the next cold snap comes along. There is no change in drivability and fuel economy when this occurs. The possible culprits that go with the code are cheap fixes and I may look into it sooner than later. Internet searches reveal that other owners also experience this same issue. One of two instrument panel lamps has gone out on one of the small gauges. The bulb is inexpensive. However, replacing it is not a simple task. I can’t reach from under the dash and replace it. The gauge can still be read at night, though. Lastly, the biggest annoyance has been the failure of not one, but two, power door lock transponders. The power door locks were hassle free in the old car, but then there was no provision to operate them remotely. I work around it by lifting those door locks manually. It sure makes me wish for the good old days when there were more exterior locks on car doors and on the trunk lid. All in all, I can say that I am very satisfied with the purchase. On some days, I beam and give the car an A. On others, I give it an A-. And, when I’m grumpy, I give it a B+. However, all I have to do is look at what else is being offered in the market that addresses my automotive needs and price point and it makes me happy that I bought this entry level Buick LaCrosse over ten years ago. On its 10th birthday, I decided to celebrate. I think the car wanted to go for Brazilian churrascaria food that kept on coming. And so did I! So that’s exactly where I pointed its steering wheel. - - - - - The sled wanted to drive me to a Brazilian styled churrascaria for lunch on its 10th birthday. Here it is:

I'm not happy with the latest bumper crop of fastback sedans that have next to nothing in the way of a horizontal surface on their trunk lids. And this is yet another one. I know that market research dictates this sort of stuff. Or is it the whim of the designers who want to steer design trends? I just don't like it.

Avalons seem to have waxed and waned in their looks, from being safe to being ugly. I remember how ungainly the early 2000s models were, especially in their side profile and rear ends. However, they had a better than o.k. dash, when the "ravine look" was popular. Buick used it quite a bit in the 90s. This new Avalon is a fail - in its frontal look, C-pillar/opera window, dash, and console. Toyota really needs to regroup. If they can dial in on all red dot Consumer Reports rankings for reliability, then they can dial in on better styling.

I'd like to drive one (a Mazda 6) once, if not just for a day. I already know I don't like the dash. I was once given a Sonata as a rental. I don't like its overly safe and generic exterior styling, but it drove surprisingly well. I wouldn't buy one, though.

It seems like many folks are either in a state of disbelief or a state of indifference with regard to the breaches, namely the Equifax breach, among others. So, 143 million were impacted and our population is now probably around 325 million. When you remove the under 21 crowd, the elderly on limited incomes who aren't doing much with credit, and folks who don't have much input into their credit reports because they don't use it, that's almost all Americans between 30 and 70. Their investigating the situation was big news at the very beginning but I haven't heard much about it. I don't believe that the company's stock took much of a hit. Then, on the heels of that, there's a bunch of marketing of credit surveillance products. There are two big names which come to mind are LifeLock and ProtectMyID. And I'm sure there are others. Any thoughts or theories about this? Most homeowner and rental policies offer a baseline of protection. Ones with higher levels of indemnification require a monthly fee. The timing of it seems weird, as in "for every action there's a reaction." What are most people doing? What do financial professionals recommend? Is one of these companies sort of the gold standard over the others? And, then there's the option of locking and/or freezing credit. This sounds simple but really isn't, since there are 3 major bureaus. The FTC has a webpage dedicated to the situation. What do you all think?

I mentioned that I liked the looks of the Mazda 6. I never really noticed it and, then, after having rented Camrys, Altimas, and Sonatas, I took another look at it. It is the only one of their cars that I find appealing. However, I've never driven one. I'm sort of curious but I don't think it would bowl me over. It's a good looking car ... especially in the dark metallic blue with a light tan interior. The above was the first and only Mazda I've ever driven and I'll have to say it didn't make for a good introduction.

I was going down the freeway and a beautiful burgundy apparition came my way. It was a '92-ish Buick Riviera coupe in near perfect condition. It was being driven by a studious looking bespectacled African-American guy. As I drove next to it, I could see that it had the burgundy leather interior. It had whitewalls and what I recall might have been the stock alloy wheels with the thin vanes radiating out from the center. He seemed very proud of this fine sled. He was in the fast lane, so he pulled forward with the flow of traffic. That rendition of the Riviera with the somewhat upright but curved back lite offers up a beautiful rear 3/4 view. That's it's best angle. However, when everything is taken together - the front fascia, the dash, and right down to the trestle shaped shifter - I'm more of a sucker for the Toronado that ran alongside the Riviera in those same years.

I haven't seen many movies lately but the last one I saw was "The Commuter." Blame it on bargain Tuesday. I looked at the reviews and they were lukewarm. I went to see it and enjoyed it. It was sort of like "Unstoppable" (2010). It was probably also like "The Taking of Pelham 123," which I never saw. Has anyone seen it? The review said that it was predictable. I disagree. I didn't know who it could be until the very end. In fact, it's one of those movies you have to analyze backwards, sort of like film noir "Body Heat," where the pieces all make sense when looked at in the rear view mirror. If you've seen it, did you feel that more fleshing out of the details such as the motives was needed? I did. I think I need more hand holding. The whole set up was pretty weird. I saw the recent Oscar nominations. I haven't seen any of them. The last time around, one of the few I saw was "Manchester by the Sea" and I liked everything about it. I didn't think I would.

I was in a weird predicament where transportation from point A to point B became questionable and I looked into renting a car. Generally, you get soaked on short notice. In this case, there was a very good airport to airport deal available and I selected an economy car, displayed as a Ford Fiesta. I didn't care. I just needed to get home. When I got to the first airport on transit, I found out there weren't are economy cars around. And that there weren't any compact cars around. I'd be starting out with an intermediate. I asked what sort of intermediates were around. I was told that I could have a Corolla or a Mazda 3. I've driven Corollas before. It's been a while, but I remember that their steering and handling were vague. Maybe that has been addressed. I know that the Camry's steering has acquired more weight in it. I asked the agent what he recommended. He suggested the Mazda 3. I would have to say that my initial impression of the Mazda 3 was probably on the positive side because of its resemblance to the Mazda 6. I'd have to say that, after the rental, that's where it stops. This unit had about 38,000 miles on it. It was a sedan in the mocha-bronze metallic color with a black cloth interior. I adjusted the seat, the mirrors, and studied the controls. I could tell that I did not feel at home in the cabin and the cockpit. The range in the seat's possible positions seemed limited. More than that, I didn't like the dashboard. The design of the instrument cluster, the climate control functions, and what was on the console did not seem cohesive. The instrument cluster has a big central gauge with two oddly shaped ones on each side. In the left one is a tachometer and it's really small. I was trying to think of what this set up reminded me of. In terms of its retro shape, it reminded me of a Ford Falcon or something of that caliber. In terms of its functionality, it almost reminded me of some of the undersized indicators on the Smart car, which I've rented in Europe on more than one occasion. The climate control zone, with its colors and oversized dials, reminded me of some European econoboxes I've rented when overseas, such as Opel Corsas and the like. Then, there's a dial next to and behind the transmission lever. If you think it's something to augment the transmission functions, I don't think that it is and sort of stopped messing with it. In short, I did not enjoy looking at and sitting in this setup. There is no doubt that, once underway, one knows what this car is doing. Road feel is transmitted and it's not done in a subtle way. I thought that, even though it was surefooted, the car's handling lacked refinement. One thing that I immediately noticed was the travel in the pedal. To pass, I pushed into the accelerator about as much as I was doing with a Ford Fusion I had immediately prior to this rental when merging or passing in more pressing situations. As it turns out, the pedal quickly reached the firewall or its travel limit. Again, this unit had 38,000 miles, so I was wondering if the car just wasn't running like when it was newer or if this was normal. And, with all this mileage, there was a drone coming from one of the bearings or wheel well areas. That made the car a little noisier. I also did not care for the Pontiac-like orange back lighting on the instrument cluster, though I love many Pontiacs. Dashboard lighting was discussed before on this forum and there were some "pros" about orange back lighting. I much prefer blue or green dashboard lighting. The exterior is o.k., given that it is a sibling of the Mazda 6. However, the silhouette flows so much better on the longer Mazda 6. I've never driven one but, of the Japanese and European $25,000 full sizes, I find the Mazda 6 and the VW Passat to be much nicer to look at than the Camry and the Altima. I wonder if the Mazda 6 makes for a much better driving experience than the Mazda 3. I also wonder how the highly vertical front grille would hold up if it brushed up against something. We've seen huge departures from canted grilles sitting atop defined bumpers in so many cars. At about 63 mph, the 4 banger spins at about 2,100 or so rpm. Gas mileage for an almost all highway jaunt came in at around 35 mpg. It's funny that this car is considered a mid-size for rental fleets. The major reviewers consider it a compact. US News ranks it 4th among compacts and praises it, though the overall numerical ratings in the race are now very tight. The Cruze trails the Mazda 3 by a small margin and the Ford Focus trails it by a wider margin. I much prefer the Cruze in this segment and, after that, I'd opt for the Focus. Now having driven a Focus where the transmission wasn't misbehaving, the Focus was actually fun and economical to drive. And I like some of the Focus's displays which show you a few tidbits of information at once in the square rectangular display box, not the mention the sculpting of the cowls over the instrument cluster and the center stack. Based on this rental, the Mazda 3 is not my cup of tea. The Americans seemingly have made some big strides in this segment typically dominated by the Japanese as of late.

Buick is becoming much more synonymous with SUV-crossover vehicles. The LaCrosse may now be their flagship, so to speak, but the "E-trio" is what is more commonly sold in all 50 states. The states in the interior which traditionally buy their sedans sure have a lot of Regals and Veranos on the roads, while much less so on the coasts. Except for the Encore, in which the visibility was a real issue for me when I sat in one, the other ones are priced in nosebleed territory. I think I like the mid-priced one of the "E-trio" the best, though I wouldn't buy one. The Enclave is too much money and the the Encore is too small and sort of "thick" looking.

It has improved. Yes. And it has become more sophisticated. However, as you say, there is room for improvement ... a little bit here and a little bit there. The preceding model was just easier for me to live with, day in and day out, based on these rentals, even if it was more old school.

Recently, in a few bargain basement rentals of 3 days and 1 day, I had a full size reserved and was upgraded to "anything you want" from a compact, respectively. The first time, it was a white Malibu. And, with nothing but SUVs to choose from the second time, the only car I found was a Malibu in the odd pepperdust metallic that Chevrolet is currently offering. My review of the cars is largely the same. However, the first Malibu, with around 30,000 miles, had a drone that was either due to the tires or a bearing. The second time around, the car had less than 7,000 miles, allowing me to review it more objectively, so I held off on doing so. I may have already mentioned somewhere that I was not really fond of this car when it was introduced ... and I'm still not fond of it. However, I knew damn well that the driving experience would be positive. After all, something with 1.5 liters under the hood is now considered a full size car, so they had to do something right. Notwithstanding the fact that I dislike odd numbers (in addresses, zip codes, engine displacements, etc. - lol), the 1.5 handles the Malibu competently, either pulling away from a light under normal throttle or when you step on it to pass or merge. The engine hum is noticeable, but it's not off-putting. However, the best part of the powertrain is the 8 speed automatic transmission. The first 2 shifts are silky smooth, yet still perceptible, while the remainder of them go unnoticed. In full highway mode, the car can get 37 or 38 mpg. On the second car, the engine shut off at idle was working properly and was not annoying when pulling away from the light. It was a little rougher in the car with more mileage. This platform/chassis is supposed to be taut and it is. It's one of the car's strong suits. It's not taut in a rigid (to the driver) sort of way, but in a secure and smooth way. The car rides very well on nicely paved boulevards, on the interstate, and on two lane roads alike. The seats are comfortable, but also very conventional. I like sitting up a little higher and the best adjustment wasn't good enough. The dashboard is standard Chevrolet, with sculpting common to the Cruze's dash et. al. However, I do not like the incorporation of the screen in the center stack that protrudes upward like an open laptop, which is almost a Mazda trademark. The controls are straightforward, especially when compared to how busy the main cluster and center stack are on its rival, the Ford Fusion. I'd seriously recommend taking about 5 minutes to familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and making adjustments before motoring off. I don't like the styling of the Malibu all that much. Its squished proportions are much more suitable to the Cruze, where they look really good, but seem a little too horizontal for this big of a car. Viewpoints I'm not crazy about are the front grille / lamp assembly and especially the rear 3/4 view where the kink in the molding of the rearmost opera window drives me nuts. Inside, the kink is nonexistent, with thick pillars covering it up. As for visibility, looking to the right rear isn't all that bad. However, looking rearward on the driver's side is tougher, owing to the headrests, B-pillar, and C-pillar. One still turns their head, but it sure doesn't help much. I wouldn't buy one. I know the professional reviewers look favorably on this car. I'd probably choose it over a Ford Fusion. I just think this package, if you will, works better on the Chevy Cruze. I very much liked that car. And, with the Malibu being sort of a Cruze on steroids, one can expect a little more room, quiet, and stability that is part and parcel of the wider stance. People must like them. You see a lot of them. In fact, one 70-something ex-hippie driving either a Volvo or a Mercedes and pulling up next to me at a rural gas station started asking me about it. He told that his wife loves the new Malibu and that she has the mid 2000s one with more notch-back styling which had been fairly reliable for her. He walked around it and made some comments. What he said about the rear is that it alludes to the look of the old Ford Torino fastback coupe, and I'd have to say I probably agree. Still, I wouldn't mind a more upright backlite in conjunction with its somewhat attractive rear fascia. I'm finding that, with GM, there's now sort of a canyon in likable mid-size to full-size cars in the $25,000 to $30,000 MSRP range, given that only Chevrolet and Buick are in that niche. While I'm not expecting the return of either a 1992 Buick Riviera or Olds Toronado, I wouldn't mind a return to shapes and greenhouses in cars that are much more to my liking.

Ok, thanks for that info, gents. I will buy that product before the weather turns sour and apply it and wipe it off with a cloth. What about the black plastic surrounds on the window frames which are typical on most new cars for the last decade or so? I detect some minor spots which indicate some fading.

Hi folks: My LaCrosse has the highly "chromed" and bling laden grille common to the '08 and '09. It is not chromed at all, but plastic. I was almost going to buy chrome cleaner but did a little homework by reading the instructions on the can of chrome cleaner and as well as getting the opinion of the guy working at O'Reilly's ... and nixed that idea real quick. One is not supposed to use chrome cleaner on these areas, let alone on this car, probably, since there is little to no chrome. I've just washed the car and then dried this area off. I'd like to know if there are specific ways to care for these areas: 1) the plastic chrome effect on the grille 2) the blacked out areas on around the windows on the door frames, which are in very good shape but have some dull spots I sure wish they had blacked out the grille, or at least more of it. Any ideas on products for these specific components and/or how you should take care of them? Thanks.

David, I think I will rank order like this: Gabriel Ultra, Monroe Sensa-trac, and then KGY. Gabriels used to be a household word. Now, they seem to have be requested. They get decent reviews in one of the links. Monroe is sort of the known name. As for the Sears generic you refer to, I have talked to Sears and they tend to carry Gabriel as the base line. The question then becomes the longer term, given that Sears is not doing too well. I hate to think about that, having grown up with them. KGY is the brand that Les Schwab, now prevalent throughout the West, seems to use. The problem is if a person moves out of "Les Schwab country." Les Schwab used to be really good in terms of honesty and being competitive. I have really seen them slip over the years. Thanks for those diagrams on the ball joints. That one graphic showing how to tell if one is worn was super helpful. I'm thinking it will be a fresh set of Gabriels, an ISS, and a 4 wheel alignment sooner than later. The car rides nicely but, in it's first 3 to 5 years, the ride was almost faultless.

David, thanks for that wealth of info. I will have more to say. As for the geographic area, I'm on the West Coast and there is no salt to contend with. frogger, was it just annoying, did it create steering issues and need steering correction as you drove, and/or could it have broken? It seems that many replace them because they hate the noise and want their OEM ride back. I've done some reading and they say that, only recently, have they come up with a design for post OEM that works. A lot of the older replacement ones eventually came around to the same problem. I couldn't believe how, on my '92 Regal, the steering wasn't as nicely weighted as it is on this car (the LaCrosse weighs about 300 pounds more) but it remained tight for almost 300,000 miles.

I'd like to see them go off alpha-numeric names. Since they've done that, I've sort of lost interest in their product line. I was at the last auto show and do not like their flagship sedan (or DTS equivalent) much at all. It had some ungainly aspects to it.

I've got a few questions on front end maintenance for my 2008 GM W-body. The first is: at what point would you replace the struts all the way around? About 2 years ago, they were very firm. Now, there is a little more sponginess up front when pushing down on the car and releasing. However, it doesn't oscillate or do anything drastic. I'm thinking of replacing them at 70,000 miles (this has been a low mileage car for me), whether it needs them or not. I also want to do this to get rid of the OEM ones and keep the newer and second set of tires doing well. Also, when I first started driving and needed to replace shocks in the rear wheel drive Oldsmobiles, I always turned to Gabriel. Any thoughts and ideas of which - Gabriel, Monroe, other - puts out the better strut? And what the ride might be like with these products? The second question is about the steering intermediate shaft (i-shaft). The car has no recall on it. I've read on forums that, on W-bodies, this is not the most long lived component. It seems that they develop quirky little rattles and whatnot. They show the shaft as being an assembly that sits way up high and the labor time for replacing them is not especially lengthy. Have you ever replaced one (on a W-body)? Do you know someone who has? I once had an engine mount on my last car, the Regal, that needed to be replaced, but it wasn't overly annoying. You could tell that the engine would lean just a hair when throttled and then come back. How does one know how long to wait before replacing a steering/suspension component? One final question has to do with ball joints. On rear wheel drive cars, I knew where they were. Whether RWD or FWD, I've never had them replaced in any vehicle. Are these easy to inspect (on a W-body) and is it something that a tech could show you when the car is jacked up? I'm thinking that a fresh set of good struts and the possible replacement of a front end component or two, combined with a wheel alignment, ought to make the car run somewhat close to new. As for the inner workings of the car, I recently checked the mileage and I exceeded the EPA highway rating by a little bit on several tanks. I feel pretty good about that.

Thank you for that attachment. I plan to order it from one of the major chain auto parts stores. The other one actually had a piece chip off and then slowly fell apart. This solitary one has been sustaining me for 2 to 3 years. It needs its identical twin back. Let's see how well this goes. Thanks.

Thanks, Drew, I saw that and will have to reconfigure them somehow. Thanks, balthazar. I'm thinking this meant that you let someone do it or at least inquired about the price. I sure wouldn't want to buy these at a better price (I'd save $60 compared to what the dealer wants for the 5 button fob) and then mess it up and render the thing useless. The other one I had got banged up in briefcases, backpacks, and pockets and even soldering it together didn't make sense.

So, after a few years of postponing it, I'm going to buy a second key fob. The other one got damaged and slowly started giving up the ghost. This is for a 2008 LaCrosse with the base 3800 V6. My current one identifies itself with "Welcome Driver 2" upon inserting the key. The dealerships want anywhere from $40 to $62 to do this task. I will be buying the key fob aftermarket from one of the major auto part stores. Questions: Can I do this myself? How will the key fob "know" to attach itself to my vehicle once I take out of the shipping container and begin programming it? Will it "know" that driver 2 is already programmed and then default to being the key fob for driver 1? Any recommendations on how to do this right, unless you recommend having someone do it if not the most tech savvy? Thanks! Let me know if you've had to buy a replacement or second key fob ... it would be interesting to know how well people have done with these.

The more I analyze this, the more I'd go with a $29K (before deals and discounts) Dodge Charger SE in white with a black cloth interior (the only color choice for cloth) and drive it into the ground. And here I thought I would be bowled over by the Chrysler 300. Nothing beats renting a car prior to making an ownership decision. That sure helped me sort that out regarding my current car.

Thank you. I've gotten so used to these cars and like them that I'm almost afraid to look at what their next rendition might be like.