I made it back from Philly last night after stopping at smart center Devon for some upgrades on my 2008 car. They did the transmission flash, battery upgrade, and 10K service on my car among a few other minor items. It was almost 500 miles back home, so I had plenty of time to check things out. Here is what I noticed:
Transmission: I like the ability to shift with the paddles even when in D. The only side affect is me bumping the transmission into N when I think I'm in manual mode and want to upshift - I'll relearn that behavior. Overall I think it is a bit more refined. Since I never really drove in D, I can't comment too much on the shift quality/time improvement, but it does seem to be marginally better than I remember. The largest improvement I noticed was with grade logic. It seems to hold the gear on hills better than before. I think it still shifts too soon into the higher gears.
Slight headlight dimming on shift: I don't know if it was the reprogram, the new battery, or a combination but last night, I didn't notice the usual slight headlight dimming when shifting gears. An unexpected improvement!
General thoughts: The trip back was much better than the way up - no major wind. I really need to think about cruise control if I end up doing these kinds of trips very often. I was thankful for the slightly better cushioning afforded by the wider Yokos. US30 in PA needs some work (stimulus funds?). I got about 38 mpg on the way up (pushing it a bit over the mountains in single digit temps and fighting the wind) and about 43 mpg on the way back (taking it easier). Must've been more downhill on the way back or there was less ethanol in the gas!
Didn't see any other smarts.
Thank goodness for GPS units! Devon staff are great to deal with. 10K service was $150 something with tax. Picked up some crush washers for the next oil change. Car performed well with no problems. And, now, back to bed... zzzzzzz....
Linear Mode
