Jeeze. You young kids that are concerned about the welfare of the youong 53 year old woman have your heart in the right place, but I know 53 year young women that I wish I could keep up with. I wish I was 53 again.
But…exactly why is she opposed to the plan? Perhaps that answer would answer your posted question, if we only knew it.
Kids. What are ya gonna’ do with 'em.
If you plan to “see” Carlsbad, you’d better set aside a good deal of time for it. The Big Room path takes about an hour, and if you only do that you miss a lot of cool stuff that you see when you walk through the cave instead of taking the elevator. If you get there in time, be sure to catch the bat flight at dusk. BTW, bring your own lunch or eat at a restaurant when you’re done with the tour. The food in the Big Room’s cafeteria sucks.
So? That drive to MN was done in a bare-bones 1990 Toyota pick-up with no cruise. I didn’t own a car with cruise until 7 years ago. Been driving to Florida for 22 of those years. Don’t fret that.
The way I read his overheating comment was him/his mother getting too hot in the car while driving, not the engine/car itself. Even on a winter’s day, with the sun beating down on you in the car, it can get fairly warm
I hope you guys that have not travelled to Europe or Asia , realise that the US is
mega-huge, and even the big cities like Houston, have SOOOO MUCHHHH space for people.
Its still an empty continent. I realize that everyday when I drive around Houston…and when I compare it to the streets of India, where I grew up.
Sometimes I wish that there was as much history and churches and old buildings and cheese and wine and Taj Mahals in the US, like there is in India and Europe.
My mother screams sometimes when I am on the freeway…she does not like me to drive above (30 ) mph…
or something like that.
Backseat driver par excellence. And the cool thing is, that she waits till I am changing lanes, overtaking a monster truck or an 18 wheeler in my Cobalt…or looking for the exit to start instructing me on the fine art of driving.
anyways; at 30 K miles on my cobalt, the manual does not recommend anything apart from what I have already gotten done on the cobalt today and yesterday.
By the way, the Hanes repair manual says this::::
"""
Every 30,000 or 24 Months Which Ever Comes First
All Items Above Plus:
Check (and replace, if nessessary) the air filter*
Service the cooling system (drain, flush, and refil)
Change the brake fluid
“”""
The hoses, brakes, etc were checked by the dealership and they were all fine. Coolant level was good.
Suspension is good.
Please give me your recommendations on the required maintenance.
Thanks a lot , in advance.
N.B: where is Common Sense when you need him?
There is no reason why this car cannot make this drive easily. Only 30,000 miles on it? It’s practically brand new.
As far as coolant is concerned, check the owner’s manual. I’d be surprised if the coolant change interval was not 5 years or 60,000 miles. Today’s modern coolants are a long-life design, unlike the older technology coolants that needed flush and fills every 24 months.
The brake fluid may not be mentioned in the owner’s manual. Some are not. Getting this serviced is not really critical, and I know a lot of people that simply do not change the brake fluid, ever. It is a good practice, though. Every few years, I’ll siphon the brake fluid out of the reservoir and replace with fresh. But, I don’t feel the need to flush the lines or bleed the system.
Also, on an historical note, remember, the United States is a young country. The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock only 390 years ago. The country itself was founded 234 years ago, and was only made up of the original 13 colonies on the East Coast. The rest of the country was wilderness and prairies. Alaska was the last state added to the union only 53 years ago, and except for Fairbanks and Anchorage, is a largely wilderness with many areas unreachable by car.
Based on your comments about your mother’s dislike of riding and the highstress levels it places on both of you, I strongly urge against this trip. As you said, our country is a huge, wide-open continent, bigger than many people appreciate. There will be many, many, many hours of nothing but scenery, and by the time the trip is over the memory of it will probably not be a pleasant one.
The trip would be a wonderful experience for people who love driving through the coutryside, but it does not sound like it’ll be a good one for you and your mother. Why torture yourselves.
Fuel filter replacement at 30,000 miles please? Do I need to get it done?
Fuel filters are a 60,000 mile, 6 or 7 year deal. No sweat. It should be in the owner’s manual schedule of maintenance.
“Backseat driver par excellence.”
If this bothers you, maybe you shouldn’t make the trip. Or maybe she shouldn’t if it’s going to take 3 times as long so that you can calm her down. Lay out the ground rules for travel (e.g., no backseat driving) before you leave. It will make the trip more enjoyable for both of you.
December 1964 I drove my 1953 Chev. with rebuilt motor and transmission, 50 hours from the Midwest to Ft. Lewis, with two short naps, total 50 hours. We’d shut the car off and nap until it got cold, and it was -20, so it wasn’t long.
In 1968 I took off work at noon and drove 17 hours to NYC, got there at dawn.
I am a bit older and 13 hours is totally exhausting. Beware.
You can do 19 hours, if you drink Pop light with lots of caffeine, but your mom will want to shoot you, especially if you don’t let her walk 5 minutes every two hours. We oldsters need that. Make that a two day trip.
Busted Knuckles,
I read for a living , and
The owners manual is remarkably unclear.
http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/chevrolet/2007-Chevrolet-Cobalt.pdf
It mentions Maintenance I and II. in NONE of those, is the fuel filter mentioned…it does mention “visually inspecting” the fuel line and the systems, but not “Replace fuel filter” or anything like that.
The Hanes manual is stricter, and clearer.
Any light that can be shed on this is welcome,
Regards,
HR
please check it out
Check your oil and tire pressure. Have your AAA card handy. Sounds like the car is the least of your worries.
Also, on an historical note, remember, the United States is a young country. The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock only 390 years ago. The country itself was founded 234 years ago, and was only made up of the original 13 colonies on the East Coast. The rest of the country was wilderness and prairies. Alaska was the last state added to the union only 53 years ago, and except for Fairbanks and Anchorage, is a largely wilderness with many areas unreachable by car.
Not sure about the relevance of your historical note to the subject at hand, but a few gentle corrections (as the Bard of Avon was wont to say, "Use all gently):
When the country was founded, there was no “rest of the country.”
“The rest of the country was wilderness and prairies.” Okay, the “rest of the country”:
Just off the top of my head, you’re forgetting the Spanish and French settlement of Florida and Louisana, the Spanish settlement of California, and the Spanish and French settlement of Texas.
Good to know that “Alaska was the last state to be added to the union [sic]”, but that would be news to Steve McGarrett. There’s a little gem out there in the Pacific called, oh, what was it? Tip of my tongue… oh yes, HAWAII!
P.S. The Pilgrims weren’t even the first ENGLISH settlers.
Many cars today have the fuel filters in the tank, designed to allegedly backwash themselves clean. I suspect yours is one. If it were a replacable line filter it would be listed in your scheduled maintenance recommendations that came woth your owner’s manual.
Also forgetting the natives, including the native city of Cahokia in what is now Illinois which had between 8 and 40 thousand people living in it. 
Sorry, I thought we had an unspoken agreement to forget the natives.
As many of you know, I have a 2007 Chevy Cobalt in good condition.
No, no one knew that until you mentioned it. The trip as you have presented it sounds like a nightmare. Fly somewhere, rent a car, and fly back. Problem solved. I’ve been to Europe and Asia. You should check out Russia sometime. Eleven timezones. India, one time-zone. If Mamaji is as difficult as you say, you, as a good son, should make the trip as easy as possible. As for driving 19 hours at a time, you’re dreaming, or at least you will be when you run headfirst into an abutment.