Getting the Roadship road-worthy

It’s that time of year – school supplies, the last few BBQs, some pre-season football. Also time for me to check in on the Roadship, our 2004 Nissan Quest, to get it in ship-shape for the back to school grind.

We’ve been hearing some strange noises from it this summer. Most of the time, right after it’s started, you hear a terrible howling/squealing. The kind of sound that makes people stop, stare, and point in parking lots. Like several animals fighting to the death. That kind of sound. There’s also a rattle, it needs an oil change, etc.

So I brought it in the local dealer (where I have my 7 year warranty!) and they check it out. I get “the call” at work – it’s belts, timing chain, your transmission fluid is black..blah blah blah $500. $500!

Not a crazy price, actually, given the wear and tear on that vehicle. I spoke to a cabbie in NYC recently and he said he changes the brakes on that cab every 20 days. He also puts about 100,000 miles a year on that car. Preventive maintenance is the key when your are doing this kind of stop and start driving, so you just have to deal.

I also plan on upgrading the Roadship system to support a good integrated Bluetooth system. It’s not just a good idea – it’s the law! Distracted driving is one of the scourges of the mobile industry, and I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe in the van. I am going with the Parrot MKi9100 unit. It has Bluetooth calling, of course, but also supports BT phonebook and audio streaming in a pretty flexible installation package. It was $299 at Best Buy with install, $179 w/o install on Crutchfield and $85 on eBay. I went with the eBay unit and I will pay Best Buy $50 to install it. Unfortunately there is no wiring harness that works with the Nissan Quest  sound system, otherwise I could probably do it myself.

Hopefully this will do it for a while – let’s see how that Bluetooth item works out.

Comments

[jack jonson]

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[Justin Bieber Supra]

I think Cincinnati's sucess depends on the leadership of the QB. Cincinnati can have all the talent in the world, but if Carson can not get the guys to come together as a team as Chad would say "Kiss the baby". Look at the Colts. Payton is a leader. The Colts do not have the best individual players but it is the leadership of Payton that makes the team come together and win. It is up to the offense to stay on the field and score, giving our defense time to rest. I totally agree with what was said that the Bengals have to many mental errors. They need to work on the OL not jumping to soon. I saw that all year long last year.

[ugg on sale]

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