New (used) PT Cruiser owner gas question

[bratboy]

Well I finally jumped and bought myself a nice used 08 PT Cruiser Automatic that had 36363 miles on it. So far I have been very happy with it but wanted to find out a couple things and figured this is probably a good place to ask.

1. From everything I've read so far the car seems to 87 octane gas but I wanted to check. I live in Denver Colorado and a neighbor told me for high altitude lower octain is better for milage etc. Is this true or would using a lower octane be a bad option.

2. It didn't come with Cruise control and I've seen that Mopar makes an after market one. Will it work with the Is it difficult to install and is it something worth adding even?

3. I also noticed after I got the car home a couple minor scratches on the hood. Is the best thing to do buy a thing of repair paint or has anyone used that scratch fixing stuff the guy on TV that also sells all the "Kaboom" junk any good?

Sorry if these questions have already been addressed in other threads but been reading so many different things my head is kind of swimming at this point.

[quicksilverdon]

Welcome.
The PT runs fine on 87 octane, which is the lowest there is.
When you say lower octane, I think you mean higher octane - which costs more, and from what I've read will not give better mileage.

Dunno how hard cruise is to install, sorry.

The first thing I'd do about scratches is buy a clay bar. (auto store). Keep it wet, and rub lightly, but rapidly. It takes out all but deep scratches. Wash and wax after.

[bratboy]

For some reason I could of sworn I saw 3 lvl's of Octane when I went to gas up 85, 87, and 89 but I could be wrong. I just remembered reading about using 87 so thats the one I picked but I wasn't paying too close attention as I was just so excited about feeding my new baby, hehe.

[CREWZIN]

We added cruise control to my wife's last car, mainly because I use it all the time. It will work but you won't have the words on the dash to tell you it's on or off unless it's directly made for a brand of car and then the computer might have to be flashed for a complete install. If it's a universal fit, the computer won't be touched. You need some mechanical knowledge and tool use to fit it by your self but it can be done.

[chris15]

In regards to your questions about octane levels of fuel at higher elevations, it has to do mainly with air pressure. At higher elevations, as you probably know, air pressure decreases, so the absolute pressure inside of the cylinders is decreased, allowing cars to run on lower octane fuels without the risk of predetonation, or knocking, pinging, etc.

So, it's not necessarily bad to run on 85, so long as you're at a relatively high altitude.

[Travis2k7]

Originally Posted by bratboy

For some reason I could of sworn I saw 3 lvl's of Octane when I went to gas up 85, 87, and 89 but I could be wrong. I just remembered reading about using 87 so thats the one I picked but I wasn't paying too close attention as I was just so excited about feeding my new baby, hehe.

Around here it's 87, 89 and 93.

I feed mine 87... always. Anything higher is a waste of money.

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by Travis2k7

Around here it's 87, 89 and 93.

I feed mine 87... always. Anything higher is a waste of money.

Here it's 87, 89, 91.
Point is, I never saw 85....

[CREWZIN]

85 is not around here either. 87, 89, 91 and if your into racing you can find 103.

[garyerrol]

Doing a little Google search, I can find threads about 85 octane fuel in Denver being available.

[slartyblarfast]

Cruise control is not too hard. Taking off the airbag is the hardest part. Take the wheel off and replace the wiring harness, install the switch and put it all back together. Also have to install vacum servo and throttle cable. The kit comes with directions. Not the best in the world but better than nothing. Can't remember right off the top of my head but I belive is is plug and play. As soon as the pcm sees the signal it activates it.