Sajeev writes:
Dear Best and Brightest,
As you already know, the Piston Slap series is meant to put a spin on the typical automotive Q&A advice column: combining the mad power of Google searches, the wacky fun seen on any enthusiast forum, informed (or not) advice and a ton of opinionated, half-cocked rants written by yours truly. What’s not to love?
When I pitched the idea to Robert Farago many moons ago, I had no idea it would work this well. Except for now.
I am running out of content from you all, and that is the lifeblood of this series. Without it, I can only ramble about my own cars, about LS1-FTW, how the E39 was the pinnacle of German sedan awesomeness, how Panther Love conquers all, etc for so long!
Please, I beg of you. Fill my Inbox with questions, no matter how stupid you think they are. Odds are it will make for a fun read for everyone. So do it, email me at [email protected] so we can keep this party going!
And remember, if you’ve read it on your favorite automotive forum, it’s Piston Slap worthy.
That email address again is: [email protected]
Best,
Sajeev Mehta
Hey I sent you one this weekend but it may be a little too silly to consider. Mine was simply a mental exercise not an actual problem I’m having.
Its a good question, considering my Lincoln Mark VIII does just what you asked.
I suggest you make a page on the site where people can enter questions without emailing them to you.
Done..
I knew that you were writing letters to yourself.
You forgot your medication again this morning
Breakfast bourbon.
Fired off some fox body diarrhea plus a fun illustration!
Just sent one in Sajeev. Maybe you can help me. Also, why are all my comments in moderation for an hour? Does it do that to everyone?
Nate, It is just you. You cannot be trusted.
Oh, I know that. Just making sure I still had it…
That’s wordpress, not us. There must be spam aplenty on the Internetz today.
Thanks for the clarification Sajeev.
Thank you all for supporting the system, even the person who thinks I have the time to make up questions–in my overabundance of spare time–for Piston Slap.
I really do appreciate it.
Sajeev, you’ve got mail
I have one. It’s about hybrid hoses and belts, so this should get er, “heated”, haha!
I will send it to you from my personal email account sometime after work today.
If there is so little content, why are so many of the questions posted long after they are submitted (and the advice outdated)? Just curious as I do enjoy the series.
I was wondering this too. I thought there was at least a 6 month backlog of Piston Slap fodder. Anyway, I sent my question in, maybe it’ll make the cut.
Yes exactly what I was thinking… as of pretty recently, Sajeev reported at least a 2 month backlog on questions. Are we already out? Did everyone just quit writing in?? I was almost ready to volunteer to start posting some of the backlog just to get more useful answers!
But good thing, as I have a really good question to ask that I think is right up the alley of the usual responders, I just didnt want to wait 2 months to perhaps never get it posted! I will try to get it formatted and sent in this week!
Sajeev has a day job, plus his ’88 Cougar & Mark VIII to maintain. Who the hell has time to write after that?
You guys are confusing New or Used with Piston Slap. Piston slap usually has a 1-3 month back log, New or Used is far far worse.
But I need this backlog otherwise I run out of content! I only have 2 weeks left of Piston Slaps, hence why I wrote this.
More to the point: I have a day job, I have a fleet of POS cars, and I have a life outside of TTAC. Therefore I can only answer two of these a week.
But I still need content for a lifetime of Piston Slaps! I hope this explains the problem.
Ah yes, I got confused, happens a lot lately. Piston Slap is much more fun though. New or Used is getting a bit repetitive:
“Buy a Panther”
“Dont ever buy a used European car”
“The Impala costs the same for a much bigger car than _____”
“Why doesnt anyone consider Hyundai/Kia??? I just bought one…”
“VWs will fall apart the second the warranty expires”
“Why would anyone buy a Panther??”
“My 1972 Toyota was a total POS so I will never buy another Japanese car ever again”
My 1981 Ford was a total POS so I will never buy another American car ever again”
“Only idiots buy new cars, buy a used _____ instead”
“Only idiots lease cars, buy a used _____ instead”
“What you really need is a minivan, stop trying to be cool”
etc, etc, etc…
Damnit, mnm4ever! You broke the NoU. Now what are we supposed to do during our work day? Work?! I hope you’re happy. Jerk.
Email Sent. :D It’s a question I’ve been trying to figure out myself the passed few months, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask you and the B&B anyways.
Sajeev,
Here’s your template for the next five articles:
I have Car X [Volvo 240/BMW 2002tii/Mazda MX3], which is a great car which I enjoy tremendously and hope to keep it for years to come; however it is lacking in Area X [Power/Brakes/Fuel Economy]. I recently drove my aunt’s Car Y [Town Car/Grand Marquis/Crown Vic] and thought that it has awesome quality in Area X. I’ve been washing her car for years and she is so greatful for that, so she decided to give it to me so that she can buy the new Lincoln MKWTF. Do you think I can swap [engine/drums/ECU] from Car Y to Car X, or should I just send you another question regarding which used midsize sedan to buy for commuting to work 35 miles each way in average climate conditions of 45F and 47% humidity, with 17 left turns and 14 right turns, all turns are moderate to Jack-Baruth-only-diffucult.
You’re welcome.
You just won the Internet.
I’m sooooo glad I was at home for lunch when I read that as hard as I just laughed.
Man, you’re good!
I’m sorry Sajeev, but since buying a new car the number of piston slap-worthy problems I have has been drastically reduced! I’ll either need to A) modify my boring-mobile or B) buy another older vehicle which will give me problems.
I am sure it has a design (engineering, styling) quirk that you’d love to discuss with TTAC…so email me!
Well, one of the first Piston Slaps, (or was it New or Used?) I mentioned my ’95 Altima that I bought in ’96 with 17k which had 50k on it when I wrote and now has 61k on it, and if I recall correctly, I was advised to sell it and buy a panther, or Buick, or something, but I have all kinds of questions I could ask, though I’d prefer putting more money into it than it’s worth than get another car right now, and I think the answer will still be to sell it and get another new or used, only more late model with standard stuff my Altima doesn’t have and I don’t miss, or maybe instead of sending an email to Sajeev, I should just ask Educator(of teachers)Dan to diagram this sentence?
99% sure that was a New or Used query…I don’t usually recommend a Panther to someone who actually keeps their car. Now an Altima with an LS4-FTW swap, that’s a whole ‘nother story!
Email me on the Altimas quirks, it will be worth doing.
Ummmmmmmmm… Dude I was a History Teacher so if you ever wanted to watch your high school U.S. History teacher diagram a sentence…
Question sent on my R. Diff temp light :)