[zestyhuevos]

My Soul was showcased in a local business commercial for a car shop to promote Nangkang tires. 🙂

and just a clean pic of the soul.

 

[Hammerhead]

This evening I took my little Jewel to the local swirl and shine car wash. I have a subscription so I go through it quite a bit. $20 a month for unlimited wash and a free vac token. In the winter I buy the $25 plan because it includes the underbody blast to clean all the salt and crud off the bottom of the car.

After the wash finished, I used the free vac token and gave my little Jewel a quick vacuuming. It’s been a while since I cleaned the inside of the car and the floors were pretty dirty.

Then I used my new favorite spray wax, Turtle Wax Ice to give the car a quick detail while drying it off. This stuff, I’ve said it before, is the easiest wax I’ve ever used and it lasts quite a while. It’s been almost 2 months since I used it and I go through the car wash at least 2 or 3 times a week and water was still beading on the car. Good stuff!

Then I used Turtle Wax Dash and Glass to clean the interior plastics and windows too. My little Jewel looks as good as the day she rolled off the assembly line! Well, except for some darn hood chips. 😩

On my way home I passed the local Domino’s Pizza but they were closing soon so I didn’t pick up any pies. Stopped at the Cumberland Farms gas station and paid $5.05 a gallon and pumped 2.197 gallons of gas! To reduce the price shock at the pump I have been getting gas around every 100 miles. I know I’m kidding myself though. At least my little Jewel got 36.9 mpg over the past 81 miles from the last fill up.

😎
View attachment 139594

Sounds familiar. Was there any sugar sand involved?

 

[Staetik]

Finally got around to ordering myself a set of crossbars. Was holding out on getting rail until I found out those a dealer-installed on certain models Here is the link to what I got and some stock photos. Order yours quick, as these just got discontinued and running out. Price is creeping up as they get scarce. Dealer wanted $250 plus install fee, but I think I can manage four bolts LOL

Amazon.com: KIA Genuine (B2021-ADU00) Roof Cross Bar, Black : Automotive

Buy KIA Genuine (B2021-ADU00) Roof Cross Bar, Black: Cargo Racks - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Staetik]

On my way home I passed the local Domino’s Pizza but they were closing soon so I didn’t pick up any pies. Stopped at the Cumberland Farms gas station and paid $5.05 a gallon and pumped 2.197 gallons of gas! To reduce the price shock at the pump I have been getting gas around every 100 miles. I know I’m kidding myself though. At least my little Jewel got 36.9 mpg over the past 81 miles from the last fill up.

Ah yes the Shaq method LOL

 

[zestyhuevos]

Finally got around to ordering myself a set of crossbars. Was holding out on getting rail until I found out those a dealer-installed on certain models Here is the link to what I got and some stock photos. Order yours quick, as these just got discontinued and running out. Price is creeping up as they get scarce. Dealer wanted $250 plus install fee, but I think I can manage four bolts LOL

Amazon.com: KIA Genuine (B2021-ADU00) Roof Cross Bar, Black : Automotive

Buy KIA Genuine (B2021-ADU00) Roof Cross Bar, Black: Cargo Racks - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

View attachment 139610

View attachment 139609

They are currently not available. 🥲

 

[MonsterSoul]

Multimillionaires complaining about expensive gas.

I think I can manage four bolts LOL

I would hope so. They even gave you the hex key. Although it looks too small in that pic.

 

[phunky.buddha]

My Soul was showcased in a local business commercial for a car shop to promote Nangkang tires. 🙂

and just a clean pic of the soul.

What are you wheel/tire specs? Wheel size/offset, and tire size? Thanks!

 

[zestyhuevos]

What are you wheel/tire specs? Wheel size/offset, and tire size? Thanks!

MST MT15 5-4.5 16x8.0 +20
205/60 R16 Nankang FT-9

 

[rhysoul]

Today I hit a traffic cone on the highway.

I was on the highway and a random traffic cone was standing all but itself in my lane (about a mile away from an active work zone) and I couldn’t swerve out of the way in time and hit it with my front passenger side. It cracked the lower corner of the bumper (the black part, I’m hoping this is a separate piece so I don’t have to replace the whole bumper, I have to check) and it left a scuff on the bottom of the doors all the way to the rear wheel. This looks like I can polish it out. I was able to remove some with my finger.

Found a dent and the scuff is also a deep scratch. I was hoping to avoid using my insurance on this but it looks like I’m going to have to.

A day after I detail and clean my little Jewel I go and break the darn thing 😩

 

[Staetik]

That's the worst rhysoul. A little dent low on the car would not bother me. I do believe the lower valance is a separate piece. GL dealing with it. Stay safe out there.

 

[rhysoul]

That's the worst rhysoul. A little dent low on the car would not bother me. I do believe the lower valance is a separate piece. GL dealing with it. Stay safe out there.

I think you’re right about the lower part of the bumper. It’s a separate piece, that’s good to know.

If this happened on my 2011 Soul I probably wouldn’t care, I’d do my best to buff it out and use some zip ties to keep the bumper together.

But it’s on my 2019 and that’s still new to me. I just got it one year ago. I filed a claim with Geico and hopefully will talk to the adjuster soon.

Green circle: is the dent and the rock chip film got torn.
Red rectangle: scuffing and scratches (I can feel with my fingernail)
Yellow circle: cracked bumper and inner fender liner is cracked too

(this picture isn’t my car, but it’s the same color)

 

[GeoSoul]

I think you’re right about the lower part of the bumper. It’s a separate piece, that’s good to know.

If this happened on my 2011 Soul I probably wouldn’t care, I’d do my best to buff it out and use some zip ties to keep the bumper together.

But it’s on my 2019 and that’s still new to me. I just got it one year ago. I filed a claim with Geico and hopefully will talk to the adjuster soon.

Green circle: is the dent and the rock chip film got torn.
Red rectangle: scuffing and scratches (I can feel with my fingernail)
Yellow circle: cracked bumper and inner fender liner is cracked too


(this picture isn’t my car, but it’s the same color)

I'd do the same rhysoul. You take good care of your cars and that's what insurance is for.

 

[MonsterSoul]

I'd do the same rhysoul. You take good care of your cars and that's what insurance is for.

Hopefully the doors can buff out and not need to be repainted. I hate when stuff like that happens.

 

[rhysoul]

Hopefully the doors can buff out and not need to be repainted. I hate when stuff like that happens.

Yeah me too. It looks a little worse now that it’s light out and I can feel the scratches on my finger. So I don’t know what they’re going to have to do. I have an appointment with an adjuster on Tuesday.

This was a freak accident. The only thing I can think of is the traffic cone fell off a work truck. A single cone in the middle of a highway lane 1 mile past a work site doesn’t just fall out of the sky. At least I didn’t hit it head on. That might have damaged the radiator and other more important stuff.

 

[MonsterSoul]

I got new door skins, and I did not even know that was a thing. I figured bondo, or complete new doors.
The bill was over $4,000.

 

[rhysoul]

I got new door skins, and I did not even know that was a thing. I figured bondo, or complete new doors.
The bill was over $4,000.


View attachment 139624

Oh my, that looks worse than mine but it’s the exact location on the doors. How did that happen? I was able to polish away all the black scuffing and was left with just the scratches and dent.

I had no idea there was such thing as door skins either until last night when I was searching on a Kia parts website and saw them. I don’t think the damage is bad enough to need that, but we’ll see what they say.

I talked to the adjuster and I’m actually dropping the car off on Tuesday and getting a rental. They’re taking care of everything. Very easy process with Geico. The auto body shop called to confirm and so did Enterprise. They say I’ll be put in an Accent or Elantra. I hope it’s the Accent because the Elantra (and Sonata) was whacked with an ugly stick. I’ll finally get to test out Hyundai’s IVT (CVT)

I hope I don’t like the Accent too much (I like the Accent) because otherwise I might have to sell my Soul 😅

 

[MonsterSoul]

How did that happen?

A parked car jumped out and bit me as I was pulling to the curb.
Damn those Alfa Romeos.

 

[phunky.buddha]

MST MT15 5-4.5 16x8.0 +20
205/60 R16 Nankang FT-9

Thanks! So stock size tires stretched out over wide pokey wheels.

 

[rhysoul]

I brought my Soul to the auto body shop today to have its repairs done. Enterprise was there to pick me up in a 2020 Hyundai Elantra with 31,000 miles on it.

The 2018 Elantra was the last good looking Elantra (in my opinion), the 2019 and 2020 went all triangular, but at least it’s not as hideous as the current Elantra.

2020 was the first year the Elantra got Hyundai’s IVT (CVT) and this is my first experience with one and I wouldn’t have guessed it was a CVT if I didn’t already know.

My previous experience with CVTs isn’t much, a rental Dodge Caliber a decade ago and a couple rental Nissan Sentra’s more recently and I did not like how the CVTs behaved.

That isn’t the case with the IVT. Very smooth acceleration, very intelligent, and when you give it the beans it pretends to be a regular automatic, and I like those fake shifts. Sport mode really wakes the car up. Hyundai did a good job on the performance of this transmission (and hopefully the bugs are worked out and they last a long time)

And the car is averaging 38-40 mpg. That’s nearly 10 mpg better than my old 2008 Elantra (and 2011 Soul) with the trusty Beta 2.0L and 4 speed auto. Very impressive!

Anyways, I should know tomorrow how long my little Jewel will take and what it will need other than the obvious repair of the dent, dings, scratches, and scuffs on the doors, and the broken lower part of the front bumper. Shouldn’t take more than a couple days.

Enterprise did not do a very good job prepping this car and it was filthy. I took it through the soft touch car wash, then gave it a quick spray wax. The paint is so rough, I don’t think it was ever detailed. And the windows were filthy inside and out and the car smells like an old ashtray. I did my best to clean the filth off the windows and remove the smell but it’s a rental and I’m not going to go crazy here. Oh, it’s also 500 or so miles overdue for an oil change according to the sticker. I’ll check it, but it’s not my problem.

😎

 

[MonsterSoul]

Sunday is usually motorcycle riding day here. But the Ducati is in the shop with a check engine light and rough idle.
After a sufficient period of feeling cranky and irritable I decided to get out and burn gas in the Soul instead.

No comparison between bike and car in terms of power, speed, handling, and excitement.
But the car wins on slow bumpy roads which the Duc hates. And I don't mind taking it down a dirt and gravel road, where I would not want to take the bike. So, I took some roads I usually ride the bike on in the Angeles National Forest. And I tried a few I have not been on before due to crappy pavement or no pavement. Or some of each. Did a short hike I have not done before since I do not want to leave my bike out of my sight on the road side. A nice change of pace, and maybe I need a bike that I would be OK with on gravel.

Best part was Mount Gleason, off Angeles Forest Hwy. A lot of times the gate is closed, not today. About 6 miles of narrow bad road off the highway I found what is left of an old Nike Missile base. So google map says, I did not see signs to that effect. I did see a memorial to a couple fire fighter who died in the 2009 Station fire, plus a foundation of some building up there.

Nike Missile Base