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Would you drive a 7 year old car cross country?

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#21 ·
There are a few things I would do before taking the trip.


1) Buy a cooling system pressure tester, or take it to a shop that has one. Run up the cooling system pressure up to the full pressure rated on the radiator cap. Better to blow a hose while testing than out on the road.


2) Replace the battery if it's old. No need dealing with that out on the road.


3) Check and set the cold tire pressures. Come back a few days later, and be sure they still all match. That way you know if you have a slow leak.



4) Listen for any strange noises. Noises will often give you some early warning.


5) If you have any service done on the car, do it at least several days before leaving. If they forgot to tighten something, or did something wrong, better to find out about it while still near the shop.


Enjoy the trip. You'll have great memories driving a special car.
 
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Resurrecting an old thread....

YES. Did drive a 7 year old car across the country.

I'll fill in some details later, but the car was superb, low profile tires tires not so much. Wish it had, like, 60 series rubber. Or 70 series.

Louisiana and New Mexico roads were torture. OTOH, Nevada is like driving on a billiard table. Glad the QP only goes 65mph, otherwise I could have gotten in trouble. <jk>

I have a couple of issues that I'll address separately, like some minor damage. But the car is built like a tank. Accidentally got it airborne a couple of times at 90mph over bridge abutments. Harsh RR crossings, pot holes, you name it. Must have gone over at least a 100 cattle guards at speed.

Completed almost exactly 7000 miles.

Hans.
 
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#25 ·
Nice drive! Did you stop at FD? Also you probably need new tires again lol

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Discussion starter · #26 ·
TWINTRBO said:
Nice drive! Did you stop at FD? Also you probably need new tires again lol

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Click to expand...
Got into Vegas late, left early. So no FD.

Tires? Fronts look like brand new. Car is low enough that I haven't got a good look at the inside edges of the rears yet. These are all season Continentals that I bought specifically for the trip.

This is a truly awesome car for an extended road trip. We lived out of it. Threw laundry into the back seat, extracted whatever we needed from there too. Operative word is "threw", as we just opened up the door and tossed things in. Back seat area was a large mound of souvenirs and misc stuff.

I got quite a few rock chips, and I'm addressing them now. A couple of other items too, which I will need to ask you guys about later.

Hans.
 
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#27 ·
Glad you took the opportunity to enjoy the car for it's intended purpose. IMO it's one of the finest road cars every built. I have a hard time believing there is anything that can do it better!

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Discussion starter · #28 ·
More trip comments, so prepare for more boredom...

OK, I'm still a relative noob here, but after 7000 miles in 4 weeks in a 2011 QP, my biggest concern is rock chips. The rest of the car is so damn solid I haven't given anything mechanical even the slightest thought - except it's being pushed right up to the next recommended service.

Well, I have to admit... I might have an issue with a TPMS module. Not worrying, I'll fiddle with it when I get a chance. The guys at Formula Dynamics suggest cleaning the electrical contacts.

I packed a gallon of pre-mixed coolant and a couple of quarts of oil. Didn't need either. Oil on the dipstick only dropped maybe 1/4" if that. I know people with Hondas and Toyotas that have more problems.

There seems to be a bit of a running joke on QP5's regarding the various buttons and controls. Like what the hell do some of them do?

I basically had no need to touch anything other than the pedals, steering wheel, shift paddles. After getting a speeding ticket, I figured out the cruise control. A bit quirky, but not too bad. Oh, yeah. Cycled through the instrument panel displays to look at trip odometers, as I wanted to record daily mileage.

FWIW, my gas mileage was quite consistent between 19.5 and 20.5. It would certainly be nice if it were higher, but I'm not really complaining

The only other buttons that I touched were strictly for comic relief. After arriving in Atlanta, I had my grandkids in the back seat. "How do Italians punish their kids? They place them in the center seat and...." at which point i pressed that bizarre button that slams down the rear center headrest. Also cycled the rear window sunscreen a few times for them just for giggles.

Hans.
 
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#29 ·
I wish more people would listen when we say how good they are. Unfortunately it's the beat up ones that people bought cheap which are always talked about.

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#30 ·
I made the similar cross-country trip when I first got my QP GTS many years ago. The car gave me 0 issue, and it was just an amazing experience. Still vividly remember going through the beautiful scenic roads in CO, WY, UT... This is still one of the best cars I have ever had.
 
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