Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

I don’t get it. How many times do speed cameras have to be declared unconstitutional? What am I missing given these things are still around?
RB....your thoughts?

RB's in the wrong state... Ohio has "home rule." Somehow the cities say that means they can do as they please about giving out bills for speeding without due course as in a hearing before being pronounced guilty.

Our legislators, so called, passed a law that there had to be a policeman present for each photo billing taken from a speed or red light camera. A few cities saw $$$ flying away and won a suit that went to the supreme court. They gleefully have announced they have turned back on their cameras--Dayton and Trotwood. And every citation about their reasons by the story-writers in the local media carries the pronouncement that the cameras stop red light running and slow cars down, magically, somehow. And that the cities are only doing this for safety.

My own legislator, an insurance salesman guy, responded when I asked what was being done about these rogue cities by saying the State is withholding money they dole out to local entities equal to what they collect in "bills" to the criminals running and speeding. Then he also said that the cities say it reduces accidents and is for safety.

A camera can not be cross examined. Again, with no one observing the alleged crime to testify against you, how is this constitutional?

The camera, or the picture, is not a witness or the complanted, it's simply evidence. By your logic any evidence cannot be admitted in court because you cannot cross examine it. 

The one you cross examine in the officer or technician who examined the picture and made the determination. 

I'm getting too good at this

If I hold-up and commit robbery at a liquor/convenience store, you better bet my Defense Attorney worth 2 cents will call in the Store Manager (or Subcontractor) that installed and setup the security system and video the prosecution is using to help convict me. They know how the camara system operates and can be questioned on that. In every Traffic Court I've ever heard of, they don't allow this. In my opinion, this makes the video hearsay evidence as no one is in court to testify where the camera was positioned, when it was installed, ect. A random police officer testifying to those facts is hearsay (they would just be reading the City records on that data. They assume you are guilty instead of innocent. The presumption is the video is accurate and has not been altered or doctored in some manner.

I'm not questioning the mechanics/engineering process of how video tape works, but I would sure be worried about how many hands and computers had access to the USB drive that video was stored on before reaching the courtroom on the trial date!

No traffic court you have heard of? Me thinks you never heard of a traffic court then. I have been able to request similar stuff in traffic court. 

Go run your nearest red light camera and get a ticket. Without the help of a lawyer, if your able to summon and cross examine the camera installers & operators for your ticket I'll pay for your ticket. The whole point of camera enforcement is to slime around due process rights. Do you really think they would let you slow down the revenue by questioning authority?

The same legislative assembly bills that try to label camera citations as "civil infractions or administrative infractions" also usually include language that says the camera evidence will be accepted by the Courts as prima facie accurate evidence without laying an iota of ground work or substantiation. In other words, making hearsay evidence not hearsay.

Since I don't run red lights I don't get tickets from red light cameras. But I have requested documents in traffic court to fight a speeding ticket and had the judge supeona them. I had the ticket tossed when the police department couldn't produce the officers certification on the radar gun. But then again it's all about the money. 

Congratulations. You won the good old-fashioned way. However, my fear is that if you got a speed camera (or red light camera) citation, you wouldn't be able to supeona anything. The random officer who shows up to court or signs off on the videotape would just give a bunch of hearsay bologna and if that didn't satisfy you, too bad.

I won a case where discovery wasn't provided despite the court's ruling on my motion to compel discovery. They didn't show up. In a camera accusation case, I'm afraid I wouldn't get the same results; hence the inherent problem with automated enforcement.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

I don’t get it. How many times do speed cameras have to be declared unconstitutional? What am I missing given these things are still around?
RB....your thoughts?

RB's in the wrong state... Ohio has "home rule." Somehow the cities say that means they can do as they please about giving out bills for speeding without due course as in a hearing before being pronounced guilty.

Our legislators, so called, passed a law that there had to be a policeman present for each photo billing taken from a speed or red light camera. A few cities saw $$$ flying away and won a suit that went to the supreme court. They gleefully have announced they have turned back on their cameras--Dayton and Trotwood. And every citation about their reasons by the story-writers in the local media carries the pronouncement that the cameras stop red light running and slow cars down, magically, somehow. And that the cities are only doing this for safety.

My own legislator, an insurance salesman guy, responded when I asked what was being done about these rogue cities by saying the State is withholding money they dole out to local entities equal to what they collect in "bills" to the criminals running and speeding. Then he also said that the cities say it reduces accidents and is for safety.

A camera can not be cross examined. Again, with no one observing the alleged crime to testify against you, how is this constitutional?

The camera, or the picture, is not a witness or the complanted, it's simply evidence. By your logic any evidence cannot be admitted in court because you cannot cross examine it. 

The one you cross examine in the officer or technician who examined the picture and made the determination. 

I'm getting too good at this

If I hold-up and commit robbery at a liquor/convenience store, you better bet my Defense Attorney worth 2 cents will call in the Store Manager (or Subcontractor) that installed and setup the security system and video the prosecution is using to help convict me. They know how the camara system operates and can be questioned on that. In every Traffic Court I've ever heard of, they don't allow this. In my opinion, this makes the video hearsay evidence as no one is in court to testify where the camera was positioned, when it was installed, ect. A random police officer testifying to those facts is hearsay (they would just be reading the City records on that data. They assume you are guilty instead of innocent. The presumption is the video is accurate and has not been altered or doctored in some manner.

I'm not questioning the mechanics/engineering process of how video tape works, but I would sure be worried about how many hands and computers had access to the USB drive that video was stored on before reaching the courtroom on the trial date!

No traffic court you have heard of? Me thinks you never heard of a traffic court then. I have been able to request similar stuff in traffic court. 

Go run your nearest red light camera and get a ticket. Without the help of a lawyer, if your able to summon and cross examine the camera installers & operators for your ticket I'll pay for your ticket. The whole point of camera enforcement is to slime around due process rights. Do you really think they would let you slow down the revenue by questioning authority?

The same legislative assembly bills that try to label camera citations as "civil infractions or administrative infractions" also usually include language that says the camera evidence will be accepted by the Courts as prima facie accurate evidence without laying an iota of ground work or substantiation. In other words, making hearsay evidence not hearsay.

Since I don't run red lights I don't get tickets from red light cameras. But I have requested documents in traffic court to fight a speeding ticket and had the judge supeona them. I had the ticket tossed when the police department couldn't produce the officers certification on the radar gun. But then again it's all about the money. 

They issue red light camera tickets on right turns now. That's how I got my only one (that was dismissed by the PD).

roadburner

It's simply amazing what you can learn on some Edmunds topics; today I was informed that you should NOT adjust your mirrors to eliminate blind spots- because you won't be able to monitor whether your fuel filler door is open or not...

andres3

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

imidazol97 said:

graphicguy said:

I don’t get it. How many times do speed cameras have to be declared unconstitutional? What am I missing given these things are still around?
RB....your thoughts?

RB's in the wrong state... Ohio has "home rule." Somehow the cities say that means they can do as they please about giving out bills for speeding without due course as in a hearing before being pronounced guilty.

Our legislators, so called, passed a law that there had to be a policeman present for each photo billing taken from a speed or red light camera. A few cities saw $$$ flying away and won a suit that went to the supreme court. They gleefully have announced they have turned back on their cameras--Dayton and Trotwood. And every citation about their reasons by the story-writers in the local media carries the pronouncement that the cameras stop red light running and slow cars down, magically, somehow. And that the cities are only doing this for safety.

My own legislator, an insurance salesman guy, responded when I asked what was being done about these rogue cities by saying the State is withholding money they dole out to local entities equal to what they collect in "bills" to the criminals running and speeding. Then he also said that the cities say it reduces accidents and is for safety.

A camera can not be cross examined. Again, with no one observing the alleged crime to testify against you, how is this constitutional?

The camera, or the picture, is not a witness or the complanted, it's simply evidence. By your logic any evidence cannot be admitted in court because you cannot cross examine it. 

The one you cross examine in the officer or technician who examined the picture and made the determination. 

I'm getting too good at this

If I hold-up and commit robbery at a liquor/convenience store, you better bet my Defense Attorney worth 2 cents will call in the Store Manager (or Subcontractor) that installed and setup the security system and video the prosecution is using to help convict me. They know how the camara system operates and can be questioned on that. In every Traffic Court I've ever heard of, they don't allow this. In my opinion, this makes the video hearsay evidence as no one is in court to testify where the camera was positioned, when it was installed, ect. A random police officer testifying to those facts is hearsay (they would just be reading the City records on that data. They assume you are guilty instead of innocent. The presumption is the video is accurate and has not been altered or doctored in some manner.

I'm not questioning the mechanics/engineering process of how video tape works, but I would sure be worried about how many hands and computers had access to the USB drive that video was stored on before reaching the courtroom on the trial date!

No traffic court you have heard of? Me thinks you never heard of a traffic court then. I have been able to request similar stuff in traffic court. 

Go run your nearest red light camera and get a ticket. Without the help of a lawyer, if your able to summon and cross examine the camera installers & operators for your ticket I'll pay for your ticket. The whole point of camera enforcement is to slime around due process rights. Do you really think they would let you slow down the revenue by questioning authority?

The same legislative assembly bills that try to label camera citations as "civil infractions or administrative infractions" also usually include language that says the camera evidence will be accepted by the Courts as prima facie accurate evidence without laying an iota of ground work or substantiation. In other words, making hearsay evidence not hearsay

.

Since I don't run red lights I don't get tickets from red light cameras. But I have requested documents in traffic court to fight a speeding ticket and had the judge supeona them. I had the ticket tossed when the police department couldn't produce the officers certification on the radar gun. But then again it's all about the money

. 

I don't get many speeding tickets, but when I do I just think of them as part of playing the game......there must have been 50 times they could have given me a ticket and they didn't. You have to pay to play.

That's a good positive attitude to have!

However, I wonder if you'd be able to maintain your composure if you were given a speeding ticket when you actually, on that rare occasion, weren't speeding not 1 MPH over! Yet he marks you for 15 over!

Those kinds of life events can throw off your goodwill attitude.

andres3

houdini1 said:

suydam said:

carnaught said:

abacomike said:

houdini1 said:

abacomike said:

Well, I estimated my income for next year and applied the new tax brackets - no tax reduction for me!  So I guess this was not a middle class tax reduction proposal after all.  Now if I was married filing jointly - that would be a boon!

Looks like you will have to find a nice rich widow woman to marry next year !

Get well soon Mike, and look on the bright side. If this foolish woman hadn't knocked you down, you might have gone out into the parking lot and got hit by a truck. You never know.

That's one approach to looking at the brighter side of things.

As for marriage in my future - not a chance. Who would marry a guy who is not too swift on his feet (literally), had two heart attacks, had part of his liver taken out due to cancer, has lived with Hepatitis C since 1980 (and hopefully is free of the virus after many years of drug therapies), lives in a 55+ community where there are no kids and only retired folks for over a mile in any direction, has recurring DVT's (Deep Vein Thrombosis or Blood Clots) in his left femoral vein, walks on a titanium left knee, and has a Parrot perched on his right shoulder (Long John Silver) ? Only the last one is a stretch!

George Costanza, is that you?

You’re still breathing. My Dad, at 90,was considered quite the catch at his nursing home. He was one of two males there.
I broke both wrists two years ago in a bike trail “accident” — as in, I was riding in my lane minding my own business when a guy coming the other way — riding on the left and admiring the scenery — just barreled right into me.

In the shape you were in, it's a good thing the guy didn't want to fight !!

It did occur to me that while my arms were injured (and I'm still healing), I'd be absolutely useless in defending myself with any kind of hand to hand combat. In a boxing match I'd have the punching power of an earthworm.

abacomike

roadburner said:

It's simply amazing what you can learn on some Edmunds topics; today I was informed that you should NOT adjust your mirrors to eliminate blind spots- because you won't be able to monitor whether your fuel filler door is open or not...

That’s a plus.  I always forget which side my fuel filler door is on.  Let me see...right side IIRC.  No, that was the 740i!  Or was it the CLS?  I think all of them have/had fuel filler doors on the right side.

Only my Lexus GS350 had a left filler door.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

That’s a plus.  I always forget which side my fuel filler door is on.  Let me see...right side IIRC.  No, that was the 740i!  Or was it the CLS?  I think all of them have/had fuel filler doors on the right side.

Only my Lexus GS350 had a left filler door.

Just look at your fuel gauge. There should be an arrow indicating which side of the vehicle has the filler opening. Or the hose on the picture of a fuel pump has the hose on left or right side same as the car.

imidazol97

KB4054517

Has anyone had trouble with Windows 10 update KB4054517 not installing correctly and continuing to try to install. It does the 15 minute procedure anytime the computer is restarted or it does the install attempt during the hours the computer is scheduled as not in use?

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

KB4054517 Has anyone had trouble with Windows 10 update KB4054517 not installing correctly and continuing to try to install. It does the 15 minute procedure anytime the computer is restarted or it does the install attempt during the hours the computer is scheduled as not in use?

No problems yet.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

That’s a plus.  I always forget which side my fuel filler door is on.  Let me see...right side IIRC.  No, that was the 740i!  Or was it the CLS?  I think all of them have/had fuel filler doors on the right side.

Only my Lexus GS350 had a left filler door.

Just look at your fuel gauge. There should be an arrow indicating which side of the vehicle has the filler opening. Or the hose on the picture of a fuel pump has the hose on left or right side same as the car.

Now that’s a little known, but very helpful little tidbit.  I’ll check tomorrow morning.

venture

roadburner said:

It's simply amazing what you can learn on some Edmunds topics; today I was informed that you should NOT adjust your mirrors to eliminate blind spots- because you won't be able to monitor whether your fuel filler door is open or not...

That is amazing. Who knew?...lol

On my Legacy though, the drivers mirror will not go far enough to the left no matter what I try. I can see the left side of the car by just turning my head. Frustrating.

qbrozen

abacomike said:

roadburner said:

It's simply amazing what you can learn on some Edmunds topics; today I was informed that you should NOT adjust your mirrors to eliminate blind spots- because you won't be able to monitor whether your fuel filler door is open or not...

That’s a plus.  I always forget which side my fuel filler door is on.  Let me see...right side IIRC.  No, that was the 740i!  Or was it the CLS?  I think all of them have/had fuel filler doors on the right side.

Only my Lexus GS350 had a left filler door.

The downside of trading so often and/or owning multiple vehicles. I ALWAYS have to look at the pic on the gauge.

suydam

I always figure, Asian makes likely to be on the left, American on the right. It mostly works. German and Swedish I haven’t owned so no clue.

stickguy

I need to pick cars that are the same. right now the VW is on the right, though I rarely put gas in that one. The Hyundai and Acura are both on the left, where they belong (at least in a state where you don't pump your own gas.

stickguy

been a while since I had a domestic, so can't remember that, but the Swede and Germans I have had/do have are on the right.

driver100

abacomike said:

roadburner said:

It's simply amazing what you can learn on some Edmunds topics; today I was informed that you should NOT adjust your mirrors to eliminate blind spots- because you won't be able to monitor whether your fuel filler door is open or not...

That’s a plus.  

I always forget which side my fuel filler door is on.  Let me see...right side IIRC.  No, that was the 740i!  Or was it the CLS?  I think all of them have/had fuel filler doors on the right side.

Only my Lexus GS350 had a left filler door

.

There should be a picture on your gas gauge that shows which side the filler cap is on;


I find most German cars put the filler on the right side.....I once read that it was so if you did have to use a can to fill it you won't be standing on the highway.
I also read some are on the right, some on the left, just to mix it up at self serve gas stations. It could also just depend on the routing of the filler tube and placement of the gas tank.
I guess if it is on the left you have less distance to walk to refill......for lazy people.

driver100

I haven't seen too many 2018 MB S450s but I saw one today and it looked really nice. This new model has the right balance and really nice looking lines...IMO;

oldfarmer50

.

nyccarguy

A few weeks ago I told you guys (as well as my CCBA buddies) about my Father In law's 2017 Outback.  A quick recap:

He brought his 2017 Outback in for service.  It had a heated passenger seat that wasn't functioning properly & had some form of a recall that needed to be addressed.  The tech from the dealership had an accident.  There was $12K worth of damage to my father in law's Outback.  

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

venture

nyccarguy said:

A few weeks ago I told you guys (as well as my CCBA buddies) about my Father In law's 2017 Outback.  A quick recap:

He brought his 2017 Outback in for service.  It had a heated passenger seat that wasn't functioning properly & had some form of a recall that needed to be addressed.  The tech from the dealership had an accident.  There was $12K worth of damage to my father in law's Outback.  

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

How can anyone blame him for being angry? That's about a 9.9 on the suck-o-meter.

Something similar happened to my wife quite some time ago. A guy backed into her in a parking lot. For some reason our insurance company decided it was her fault. We haven't had insurance with State Farm for the last 15 years because of it.

Your agent should be able to help - if he wants to. Ours didn't seem to want to get involved.

qbrozen

suydam said:

I always figure, Asian makes likely to be on the left, American on the right. It mostly works. German and Swedish I haven’t owned so no clue.

When you say "right" do you mean passenger side? All 3 of my current domestics are on the driver's side. ('67 Dodge, '14 Chrylser, '17 Ford)

I remember my Volvos were on the passenger side. Alfa was driver's side. That's about all I got in my memory bank, I think.

ab348

There seems to be little consistency. Both of my GM W-bodies (Intrigue and Lacrosse) had it on the drivers side. My 2011 Regal and the ATS both had it on the passenger side.

I think there is some suggestion that having it on the passenger side means it is less likely to be compromised in a road crash. Having it on the drivers side allows traffic at the pumps to be kept in line with conventions for road use (thinking of the pump island as a median).

oldfarmer50

venture said:

nyccarguy said:

A few weeks ago I told you guys (as well as my CCBA buddies) about my Father In law's 2017 Outback.  A quick recap:

He brought his 2017 Outback in for service.  It had a heated passenger seat that wasn't functioning properly & had some form of a recall that needed to be addressed.  The tech from the dealership had an accident.  There was $12K worth of damage to my father in law's Outback.  

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

How can anyone blame him for being angry? That's about a 9.9 on the suck-o-meter.

Something similar happened to my wife quite some time ago. A guy backed into her in a parking lot. For some reason our insurance company decided it was her fault. We haven't had insurance with State Farm for the last 15 years because of it.

Your agent should be able to help - if he wants to. Ours didn't seem to want to get involved.

I think I told the story before how a guy having a mental breakdown dropped a telephone pole on my truck as I drove by his house. He was taken away by police in an ambulance. Months later I found that DMV had me listed as being involved in a personal injury accident even though I only had contact with the end of the pole as it tore off my fender. Had a devil of a time clearing that up.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

suydam said:

I always figure, Asian makes likely to be on the left, American on the right. It mostly works. German and Swedish I haven’t owned so no clue.

When you say "right" do you mean passenger side? All 3 of my current domestics are on the driver's side. ('67 Dodge, '14 Chrylser, '17 Ford)

I remember my Volvos were on the passenger side. Alfa was driver's side. That's about all I got in my memory bank, I think.

Only my Chrysler has the fuel door on the passengers side.

bwia

Now that the tax plan (TCJA) has passed both the House and Senate. Here are a few tax planning tips that we all can use:

--Wait to buy a business vehicle until 2018 (depreciation on luxury autos goes up substantially in 2018).
--Buy and place in service an electric car (tax credit expires at end of 2017).
--Pay any moving expenses related to a job in 2017 (the deduction is eliminated in 2018).
--Prepay 2018 state income taxes.
--Push business income to 2018 (rates go down in 2018, plus deduction).
--Recognize any possible business losses (they will be limited in 2018).

driver100

nyccarguy said:

 

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

That sucks big time nyc. If he knows a lawyer it would be worth getting a quick verbal opinion...at minimum I would go to court just out of principle.
If the car is in the garage's care they should be responsible...IMHO.

driver100

RE; Fuel tank fillers.

I noticed some Ford models use the left or right side. Sometimes, I think it depends on where they routed the exhaust, spare tire, and other factors like that. The filler side is decided on last.

nyccarguy

bwia said:

Now that the tax plan (TCJA) has passed both the House and Senate. Here are a few tax planning tips that we all can use: --Wait to buy a business vehicle until 2018 (depreciation on luxury autos goes up substantially in 2018). --Buy and place in service an electric car (tax credit expires at end of 2017). --Pay any moving expenses related to a job in 2017 (the deduction is eliminated in 2018). --Prepay 2018 state income taxes. --Push business income to 2018 (rates go down in 2018, plus deduction). --Recognize any possible business losses (they will be limited in 2018).

suydam

Re fuel filler doors: Buick Encore and Chevy Volt, passenger side. Of course the charging port for the Volt is drivers side. All My Honda’s, Toyota’s, Mazda’s, were on the driver’s side. Subaru Forester was on the passenger side in ‘99. It is confusing. Especially when getting a rental and I forget to check. The Jeep Renegade was passenger side. The Elantra was driver side.
Re tax tips: useless at present as the 2 bills have been smushed together and no one really knows yet what survived and what didn’t. The EV tax credit may still be there.

carnaught

bwia said:

Now that the tax plan (TCJA) has passed both the House and Senate. Here are a few tax planning tips that we all can use: --Wait to buy a business vehicle until 2018 (depreciation on luxury autos goes up substantially in 2018). --Buy and place in service an electric car (tax credit expires at end of 2017). --Pay any moving expenses related to a job in 2017 (the deduction is eliminated in 2018). --Prepay 2018 state income taxes. --Push business income to 2018 (rates go down in 2018, plus deduction). --Recognize any possible business losses (they will be limited in 2018).

Any idea how small business expense deductions will be handled?  Do they disappear?

qbrozen

bwia said:

--Prepay 2018 state income taxes.

Any particular reason for this one? Harsher penalties?

imidazol97

The information for the joint bill that was worked out was online for 48 or 72 hours before yesterday's votes. People pretty much know what's in it. I had tried to work up my own calculation table using the new bands of rates for taxable income, but this one shows individual's taxes much better because it shows how the raising of the deductions that are standard and how changing the width of the bands of various income dollars and rates end up taxing less.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/12/19/tax-calculator-what-tax-reform-means-for.html

Here is another one that attempts to compare with the current 2017 tax amounts and rates.

http://taxplancalculator.com/calc

Neither considers capital gains, but as I understood from the people who read the joint bill (it was difficult reading to say the least when I looked at the full bill as posted) the income amounts for the splits in tax rates on capital gains will be adjusted (for inflation?) upward slightly.

bwia

If you itemize, state and local income taxes (SALT) will be limited to $10,000.  

As to small business deductions they generally remain the same except for net operating losses which are capped at 80% and higher depreciation deductions on luxury vehicles. 

stickguy

Might be a dumb question, but does all this go in for 2017, or not until 2018?

28firefighter

My understanding was the electric vehicle tax credit actually ended up surviving? Did that change?

stickguy

Based on the rhetoric, it should have been eliminated. Along with a ton of specialized breaks that also either survived, or got replaced with other pork handouts.

suydam

The EV tax credit actually phases itself out as more cars are sold, so it has a natural expiration date of its own.

jmonroe

bwia said:

Now that the tax plan (TCJA) has passed both the House and Senate. Here are a few tax planning tips that we all can use:

--Wait to buy a business vehicle until 2018 (depreciation on luxury autos goes up substantially in 2018).
--Buy and place in service an electric car (tax credit expires at end of 2017).
--Pay any moving expenses related to a job in 2017 (the deduction is eliminated in 2018).
--Prepay 2018 state income taxes.
--Push business income to 2018 (rates go down in 2018, plus deduction).
--Recognize any possible business losses (they will be limited in 2018).

One more...CHEAT.

jmonroe

isellhondas

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:

Ideally, I'd like to cash out and use the $10K or so (hopefully) for home improvement projects.  It also doesn't mke sense to put $10K down on a car that holds its value well with 0.9% financing.  On the other hand, I really don't feel like making a $700 car payment right now.  I can afford it if I have to.

I looked into leasing through a credit union in NY with the help of @28firefighter.  The lease looked like it would have been about $470 per month which is a lot easier to swallow than almost $600, but residency restrictions apply.

Put your Honda on CL for a thousand more than book value and then negotiate the flakes down to what it's actually worth. Hondas go for crazy money.

That grinding in the turns sounds live a CV joint.

Nice used Hondas will easily bring 1000.00 or more over "book" values. If the first looker doesn't buy the next one probably will.

driver100

Suydam, check the gas gauge in a rental car to know which side the filler is on;

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Suydam, check the gas gauge in a rental car to know which side the filler is on;

It was a lot simpler with the GM cars I had back in the 70's and 80''s because the filler tube was behind the license plate.

FWIW, the filler tube on Mrs. j's 2012 Legacy is on the passenger side, it's on the drivers side for my 2015 Genny. Way too much thinking for someone my age. :@

jmonroe

abacomike

I checked out the fuel gauge in my car this morning - there is actually a small arrow pointing to the right next to the fuel pump icon. That definitely leaves no doubt as to which side the fuel filler door is on. That tidbit of information was extremely helpful. Every Mercedes I've ever owned or leased has the fuel filer door on the right passenger side.

qbrozen

imidazol97 said:

The information for the joint bill that was worked out was online for 48 or 72 hours before yesterday's votes. People pretty much know what's in it. I had tried to work up my own calculation table using the new bands of rates for taxable income, but this one shows individual's taxes much better because it shows how the raising of the deductions that are standard and how changing the width of the bands of various income dollars and rates end up taxing less.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/12/19/tax-calculator-what-tax-reform-means-for.html

Here is another one that attempts to compare with the current 2017 tax amounts and rates.

http://taxplancalculator.com/calc

Neither considers capital gains, but as I understood from the people who read the joint bill (it was difficult reading to say the least when I looked at the full bill as posted) the income amounts for the splits in tax rates on capital gains will be adjusted (for inflation?) upward slightly.

Thanks for the link. I can't seem to get that comparison calculator to line up with last year's return, but it does keep telling me I'll save a couple grand. But it is also not asking how you itemize your deductions so it can weed out any that are going away. (only thing I'm really concerned about is if they took away the mortgage interest deduction. I'm gathering they did not?)

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

It's simply amazing what you can learn on some Edmunds topics; today I was informed that you should NOT adjust your mirrors to eliminate blind spots- because you won't be able to monitor whether your fuel filler door is open or not...

That's important for mid-air refueling! Didn't you know?

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

nyccarguy said:

 

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

That sucks big time nyc. If he knows a lawyer it would be worth getting a quick verbal opinion...at minimum I would go to court just out of principle.
If the car is in the garage's care they should be responsible...IMHO.

It's an interesting question. If the owner gives the shop permission to drive his car (test drive), then maybe one could say it falls under his responsibility. Question is, do you have to test drive a car to test the heated seats?

I'd be mad, too. I'd look into the circumstances of the accident and see who was doing what with my car.

venture

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

nyccarguy said:

A few weeks ago I told you guys (as well as my CCBA buddies) about my Father In law's 2017 Outback.  A quick recap:

He brought his 2017 Outback in for service.  It had a heated passenger seat that wasn't functioning properly & had some form of a recall that needed to be addressed.  The tech from the dealership had an accident.  There was $12K worth of damage to my father in law's Outback.  

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

How can anyone blame him for being angry? That's about a 9.9 on the suck-o-meter.

Something similar happened to my wife quite some time ago. A guy backed into her in a parking lot. For some reason our insurance company decided it was her fault. We haven't had insurance with State Farm for the last 15 years because of it.

Your agent should be able to help - if he wants to. Ours didn't seem to want to get involved.

I think I told the story before how a guy having a mental breakdown dropped a telephone pole on my truck as I drove by his house. He was taken away by police in an ambulance. Months later I found that DMV had me listed as being involved in a personal injury accident even though I only had contact with the end of the pole as it tore off my fender. Had a devil of a time clearing that up.

Your civil servants at work.

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

nyccarguy said:

 

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

That sucks big time nyc. If he knows a lawyer it would be worth getting a quick verbal opinion...at minimum I would go to court just out of principle.
If the car is in the garage's care they should be responsible...IMHO.

It's an interesting question. If the owner gives the shop permission to drive his car (test drive), then maybe one could say it falls under his responsibility. Question is, do you have to test drive a car to test the heated seats?

I'd be mad, too. I'd look into the circumstances of the accident and see who was doing what with my car.

And on the flip side, my father in law has a loaner car from them (Crosstrek, but that's another story). If my Father-In-Law crashes their Crosstrek, then they should be responsible for it. It doesn't work like that though. My father-in-law had to provide them with proof of insurance before they would give him a loaner car (at least that's the procedure when I get a loaner car).

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

nyccarguy said:

 

He got his insurance company involved.  They fixed his car and adr now telling him that the accident was his fault and the are going to raise jos rates.  The dealership has done NOTHING to help him .  He's furious

That sucks big time nyc. If he knows a lawyer it would be worth getting a quick verbal opinion...at minimum I would go to court just out of principle.
If the car is in the garage's care they should be responsible...IMHO.

It's an interesting question. If the owner gives the shop permission to drive his car (test drive), then maybe one could say it falls under his responsibility. Question is, do you have to test drive a car to test the heated seats?

I'd be mad, too. I'd look into the circumstances of the accident and see who was doing what with my car.

And on the flip side, my father in law has a loaner car from them (Crosstrek, but that's another story). If my Father-In-Law crashes their Crosstrek, then they should be responsible for it. It doesn't work like that though. My father-in-law had to provide them with proof of insurance before they would give him a loaner car (at least that's the procedure when I get a loaner car).

I agree with the advice regarding getting a legal opinion. I don't see any way your FIL should be held responsible for that damage.

Mr_Shiftright

But, let's say I give you the keys to my car and you crash it. It's my baby, isn't it? The damage would be covered under MY collision insurance. And if you hurt another driver or damaged another car, that's covered under my liability. If the damage exceeds my coverage, then they might look to your insurance company.

If I had to take a guess on this, I'd say that your FIL's insurance would pay for the damages, and then his insurance company would file a claim against the dealer's insurance.

driver100

I think the car is under the supervision of the garage at that point. If it is damaged while under their care they should be responsible.
Similar to Mike's bumper being ripped off....sorry to mention that one again Mike. Garage took responsibility, as they should.

Another thing to check.....is there a consumer advocate on TV or a newspaper, it would make a great story for them?