Moving Across the Country - from Indy to Seattle

cornrickey said:

Yup. Every other year till after your vehicle is 4 years old (I believe). It ends when its 20. In Pierce County (south of Seattle) its 15 bucks and you get two trys. If it doesn't pass you can get a waiver for the cycle by showing you had emissions work done by a certified shop. I think it has to be a couple hundred bucks. It's all connected to your registration so if your address is in a area that doesn't require it you don't have to get it. If you do then you can't buy tabs till you pass or have the waiver.

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Does it basically just check to make sure the catalytic Converter is doing it's job?
Is there anything I should get checked out before treking out to Seattle? What happens if I fail twice? Is it basically a "smog tax" if it doesn't pass. I pay a fine and then I can drive it?

Well, I just took my car to the mechanic today since I'm leaving on saturday..

Got an oil change as well, went with Royal Purple, we'll see how that oil does, I've heard good things, but who knows if it really matters with old cars or if it's all just smoke and mirrors..

Valve cover has a leak - needs repair $160 bucks
The part that connects the muffler to the engine has an exhaust leak and he said not to take this trip without getting that fixed. Not sure how much that will cost me.

I was planning on getting the Racing Beat exhaust and I wanted to make sure that the part he was talking about wasn't part of that purchase. Anyone know what part he's talking about?
http://www.protegegarage.com/464-product-464.html

Apparently the guy I bought the car from did a little "home repair" and removed the flex pipe and used a solid run to the down pipe..

Basically it was so rigid, it completely cracked the down pipe. $300 repair for him to add a new down pipe, spring flange (not sure what that is) and flex pipe.. fml

Fraya713 said:

Does anyone have any good opinions on "All-Season" or snow tires? I've read about the MP5 being able to use different sizes of tires as well, but which size is the best for snow/bad weather? I'm basically looking for the best tire in crappy weather. Handling is secondary to it being able to drive well in bad weather since I'm not racing this thing or taking turns at high speeds.. Thanks all!

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I was going to write earlier but I thought you already left. My P5 came with a set of winter wheels,.. they are on 15" rims (rim,... J7J15X6JJ DOT M 9 04 02) with 195/55 R15 winter tires. 15" tires have a taller sidewall as well which is smoother riding and can take more bumps and cracks and pot-holes which tend to show up in winter. Almost everybody here in Ontario has separate winter wheels. The standard 16" summer tires are almost exclusively a "performance" sizing, making them expensive, rare and hard to find. (I went up to a 205 for my summer tires,.. there is a lot more to pick from in that size and they're cheaper).
I don't know if you have any snow to deal with on a seasonal basis other than the mountain passes but investing in winter wheels can be well worth it if you have yearly snow and ice to deal with. Getting new "all Season" tires really isn't a great option 16" sport sized all season is too much of a trade off. All season tires are nothing like "winter" or even "snow" tires. Snow tires are meant for just that, they don't deal well with slush or dry pavement. Winter tires are made for all possible winter conditions,... but the rubber is very soft which is great for sticking to everything in the winter, but if it's too warm out that rubber is way too soft (you can cut into it with your finger nail) and they will wear out after one season (although you'll stick to the road like glue,.. you can pull G's till you're about to black-out but you won't hear a chirp from your tires).
A set of winter tires (mine were $365.40 all in Hercules Winter Cheapo's $75 each plus eco and install ect.) plus rims (about $45 new) isn't too bad and it extends the life of your summer tires because you're on them for up to half the year.
I know you're all poor and stuff (I know what it's like to sleep on an air bed) so I'm thinking you might very well be able to find a set of winter wheels (rims and all,.. you don't wanna have to switch tires on and off your rims every year,... it's expensive, bad for the tires and a pain in the a$$) on E-Bay or your local classifieds. Almost every body sells their winter wheels separately when they sell there car because they don't get anything more for the car if they throw in the winter wheels.
If Seattle is any thing like Vancouver then you may almost never get snow so then all this would be a waste of money and just getting those chains would be the smartest approach.

Fraya713 said:

Apparently the guy I bought the car from did a little "home repair" and removed the flex pipe and used a solid run to the down pipe..

Basically it was so rigid, it completely cracked the down pipe. $300 repair for him to add a new down pipe, spring flange (not sure what that is) and flex pipe.. fml

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the factory Protege 5 exhaust doesn't have a flex pipe to begin with...and coupled with very soft engine mounts, and a crimped down pipe (just in front of the oil pan)...the stock systems give up in this location pretty often...so i wouldn't necessarily blame the previous owner for 'removing' a flex pipe...as it never have one...although, i'm speaking of a traditional braided flex pipe...thats what the car never had...

instead, the system uses a cup joint, mounted with spring bolts, at the down pipe-to-mid pipe flange...this does allow some articulation, but still stresses that weak down pipe a good bit...

just clarifying that...$300 for a flex pip and cup joint, and repaired down pipe...doesn't seem all that bad...just be glad it didn't crack the actual iron manifold...those aren't cheap...

Thanks for the snow tire options! Ya, I don't think I'll be dealing with a lot of snow, chains will probably be the best option, but I am due for some new tires..

Installshield 2 said:

the factory Protege 5 exhaust doesn't have a flex pipe to begin with...and coupled with very soft engine mounts, and a crimped down pipe (just in front of the oil pan)...the stock systems give up in this location pretty often...so i wouldn't necessarily blame the previous owner for 'removing' a flex pipe...as it never have one...although, i'm speaking of a traditional braided flex pipe...thats what the car never had...

instead, the system uses a cup joint, mounted with spring bolts, at the down pipe-to-mid pipe flange...this does allow some articulation, but still stresses that weak down pipe a good bit...

just clarifying that...$300 for a flex pip and cup joint, and repaired down pipe...doesn't seem all that bad...just be glad it didn't crack the actual iron manifold...those aren't cheap...

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Well that makes me feel a little bit better about both the car I bought, the repair I did, and the money I spent

The mechanic was the one who told me that someone "removed" the flex pipe. I'm not really mechanically inclined myself but I'm trying to learn as much as I go..
I assume the mechanic did a custom job then and I now have a better option compared to what is "stock" and it won't be as likely to break on me.. hopefully

Fraya713 said:

Thanks for the snow tire options! Ya, I don't think I'll be dealing with a lot of snow, chains will probably be the best option, but I am due for some new tires..

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Remember when you start looking for new tires,,... the stock size on the stock rims are P195/50R16 83V but if you go up to a P205/50R16 it will work fine. That tire is 10 mm wider across the tread and 5 mm taller in the sidewall which apparently slows down the speedometer a tiny bit but the guys say it's actually more accurate. With that size, there is a lot more choice and you can get a set for a lot cheaper, even used.

Fraya713 said:

Thanks for the snow tire options! Ya, I don't think I'll be dealing with a lot of snow, chains will probably be the best option, but I am due for some new tires..



Well that makes me feel a little bit better about both the car I bought, the repair I did, and the money I spent

The mechanic was the one who told me that someone "removed" the flex pipe. I'm not really mechanically inclined myself but I'm trying to learn as much as I go..
I assume the mechanic did a custom job then and I now have a better option compared to what is "stock" and it won't be as likely to break on me.. hopefully

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Any decent shop should have a good pipe bender...Mazda sent all these 3rd gen cars out with a crimped down pipe that was embarrassing .I measured mine when i removed it years ago, the diameter through the bend drops well below 1.5" in spots...in a system that is 'supposed' to have a 2" internal diameter...

so if your guy custom made something to replace that down pipe and joint section...He would have had to actually work harder to make it worse than it used to be...literally bending the down pipe by hand or something haha...chances are he used a true mandrel bender, or already had a proper 90 degree mandrel joint to start the work with...My guess is, you're about as good as it can get without a proper header...and for the money you paid, with the work done properly, you're in great shape...even a cheap header, that may not fit right, would still be more money after a shop installed it...

Ya, it was a designated muffler shop that was recommended to me by my actual mechanic. I'm sure they had all the parts and tools they needed to do the job well. Hopefully I can find some decent mechanics out in East Seattle that will do good work at a fair price..

Also, thanks for the tire recommendation pcb. That's really good to know and I'll definitely look at some new tires after this trip.

In other news, got my Hidden Hitch installed for my hitch bike rack
I went to U-Haul and they snapped the f'n bolts off my frame.. found an actually hitch shop that installed it right. Looks pretty good under there, hardly notice it's there at all