Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

goodies are nice. I will be interested to see what my wife says when we finally get a chance to try our the upcoming RDX (if she will still be so satisfied with hers!)

Mr_Shiftright

28firefighter said:

EAGLES GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!

Yep, and the You-Know-Whos are going to be there....AGAIN. This is getting old.

Mr_Shiftright

houdini1 said:

Bwia, I have nothing but respect for Brady and the Patriots and love to watch them play. No doubt Brady is the best QB who ever played. Hell, he is almost super human with what he and the Pats have accomplished.

And to think, the SF 49ers decided not to draft him. Oh, brother.

driver100

Got a new star right in the middle of my windshield. I haven't had one back home for about 18 years....down here I get one every year, and we are only here for 5 months of the year. Most have been on I-75, one on Hwy 275 thru Tampa.

Guess I will be making my annual visit to Safelite.

qbrozen

bwia said:

My son in CA is an avid Eagles fan, so he's pretty stoked this morning. I'm a subscriber to the "anyone but New England" school of Super Bowl champions. But, eventually Father Time catches up to all of us. Both Brady and Belichek will eventually retire, and ideally NE will then become just another team.

Look guys -- what is the Patriots to do? Brady, the 15th. highest player in the NFL beat the Jaguars with one hand. Gronkowski was knocked out in the first half yet the Pats came back to humiliate the Jags. If it will make you guys feel any better an airline ticket from Boston to MPLS is over $1,000 and we are not even complaining. GO PATS!

"Humiliated" is quite the overstatement for a 4-point win.

The eagles game on the other hand...

dino001

qbrozen said:

"Humiliated" is quite the overstatement for a 4-point win.

The eagles game on the other hand...

Pats' win wasn't humiliation, it was a grind. They just slowly grounded Jags through a relentless pressure. You couldn't even put your finger on it, but Brady was just doing his thing, tired the defense, and their defense simply figured out Jags' offense.

houdini1

dino001 said:

qbrozen said:

bwia said:

My son in CA is an avid Eagles fan, so he's pretty stoked this morning.

I'm a subscriber to the "anyone but New England" school of Super Bowl champions.

But, eventually Father Time catches up to all of us. Both Brady and Belichek will eventually retire, and ideally NE will then become just another team.

Look guys -- what is the Patriots to do? Brady, the 15th. highest player in the NFL beat the Jaguars with one hand. Gronkowski was knocked out in the first half yet the Pats came back to humiliate the Jags.

If it will make you guys feel any better an airline ticket from Boston to MPLS is over $1,000 and we are not even complaining. GO PATS!

"Humiliated" is quite the overstatement for a 4-point win.

The eagles game on the other hand...

Pats' win wasn't humiliation, it was a grind. They just slowly grounded Jags through a relentless pressure. You couldn't even put your finger on it, but Brady was just doing his thing, tired the defense, and their defense simply figured out Jags' offense.

Yep, they got "Bradied". That is what happens when you start trying to run the clock. 3 plays and out. You wear out your defense. In the NFL, you stop scoring, you lose. The best defense in the NFL is a good offense.

explorerx4

I don't see a lot of hope for Giants fans. Carson Wentz is the new sheriff in town and he's going t be there for a while.
After Gronk went out, I felt like Bortles played scared waiting for the payback hit that never came.

jmonroe

qbrozen said:

28firefighter said:

jmonroe said:

28firefighter said:

EAGLES GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!

So are the Patriots. Good luck with that.

jmonroe

Buzzkill.

We were hoping for Eagles v Jags. BUT, if the Pats play like they did last night (barely pulling off the win against a clearly inferior team) and the Eagles play like they did (unstoppable against a team with the best defense in the league), we have a good shot.

Before I get going on this I want to say I'm a Steelers fan.

BUT, that doesn't mean I have to be as stupid as a lot of people here in the Burgh that think the Steelers can beat the Patriots just because they wish that it happens. News flash folks, they can't and may never do it as long as Brady and Belacheat are there. The Pats are so far into the Steelers heads I doubt they could ever succeed playing the Pats.

The Steelers have problem and it has everything to do with how they think. Last week they scored 42 points against the Jags but gave up 45 points. So what do the Steelers do, they fired their offensive coordinator while the defensive coordinator and all of his staff are still employed. Maybe when they fix that kind of thinking they might become a good team again.

So, you might ask, why did they fire the offensive guy, because Baby Ben didn't like him because he yelled at him too much over the years. Well, I'd yell at him too if he took me out of a game against the Pats 3 weeks ago by throwing an interception on third down, with less than a minute to play, when a field goal would have tied the game. The Steelers had the Pats on the ropes within the Pats 10 yard line when Baby Ben did what he usually does, screws up when you have no time left to recover. Sure, Baby Ben is a pretty good quarterback but not on the same level as Brady. I didn't see Brady throw an interception yesterday at crunch time, against the Jags, and the Pats were further away than 10 yards. With the score 20-17 in favor of the Jags, Brady threw a touchdown pass, 24-20, game over. Big surprise, huh? Some players are just better than others and Brady is the best quarterback I've ever seen and that includes at crunch time, especially at crunch time. He has proven it too many times to think he can't do it again.

Good luck rooting for the Eagles. That's what fans do but just because you don't like the Pats doesn't mean they aren't good, damn good. I may root against the Pats but I KNOW I'll never make a living betting against them, either.

I'm sad to say I don't have a dog in the fight for the upcoming Super Bowl, the Pats and the Jags prevented that but it doesn't come as much of a shock to me as it does for others that live here in the Burgh.

It is almost comical to hear all the crying going on when listening to the sports talk shows in this city. Just like in years past, "wait till next year". I'm sure they are saying the same thing in the New England area, just not meaning it in the same way.

jmonroe

28firefighter

I know the Pats are good. I just can't stand them and want to see them upset for a change.

iluvmysephia1

I'm with 28firefighter, know the Pats are good and successful, I'm just tired of them and want them to lose. Any game is fine.

Michaell

Philly hung 38 on one of the best defenses in the NFL yesterday, so there is some hope there.

I think it's the Eagle defense that has to take it to the Pats.

Both time the Broncos went to the Super Bowl, they beat NE in the AFC Championship game. Relentless pressure to upset Brady's rhythms, is the key to success.

explorerx4

@Michaell,
I think you meant Philly hung 38 on one of the best defenses in the NFC.
Vikings did beat the Rams(24-7), but lost to Panthers(24-31) and got a miracle against Saints(29-24).

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cTkleiNzK0w

ab348

nyccarguy said:

Except for #10 ELI MANNING & The New York Football Giants!

I'm really torn about who to root for in the SB.  On the 1 hand, you have the Eagles who are a bitterly hated division rival.  They've got a dedicated, very passionate fan base who deserves a title.  They suffered through some horrible years.

On the other hand there are the Patriots.  I'm a NY fan, so naturally I should root against the New England team (especially since the refs at my son's Pee Wee hockey game in New Hampshire like the Pats...).  Brady is an immortal.  If the Pats win again, it just makes #10 Eli Manning look THAT much better.

The truly amazing thing is that if not for two rather flukey plays, the Brady and Pats would be sporting 7 rings right now and shooting for their eighth. The Tyree play in particular. Think about that.

We get the Boston TV stations on cable here so there are a lot of Pats fans in the area. Watching the coverage the success BB and TB12 have enjoyed has led to a siege mentality of sorts among the fans. They know everyone else hates them so that just makes them even more fierce.

Watching the local WBZ-TV postgame show last night, Christian Fauria (one of the talking heads there who was on their first couple of SB teams) said that Brady really needs to be thought of as one of the greatest sports figures of all time, if not the greatest - comparing him to Jordan, Gretzky, etc. Hard to argue otherwise.

andres3

fintail said:

Of course, but it really depends on market. I'll go out on a limb and say the market in Seattle has a stronger foundation than San Diego - for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

In this area, I suspect many areas have seen 400% appreciation in the past 25 years. It definitely can't go on forever, or even much longer at that rate, and there could even be a mild correction, but I think many even modestly desirable parts of area are now long past the era of affordability for normal working people or even above-average income single wage earners. It's Vancouver Part II, where a couple factors combined to somewhat destroy the market for normal people, or for other reasons, like a milder version of SF.

Of course, a natural disaster or act of war could turn things on their head, but it would do that for other areas too.

Mr_Shiftright said:

The bigger the balloon, the louder the pop. House prices increased by 57% between 1994 and 2006, so why can't they go down 57% in the next ten years? In 2008 San Diego took a hit of about 15% in a matter of months.

I'm not predicting any such thing--I'm just speculating that our worst disasters in life are usually from the blind-side.

Even in San Diego the depressed housing market almost didn't touch neighborhoods like La Jolla and Del Mar, whereas areas that allowed Banks to allow properties to become unkept, like Santee, for instance, lost a whole lot more than 15% in a matter of months. When prices plummet it creates a weird phenomenon. The real market price isn't discovered for a long time as stubborn owners/sellers hold onto things rather than sell them.

Once they get over the denial and come to terms with reality, a deal can be struck; perhaps 8 to 12 months later (maybe more). You should hear the stories of how long it took banks to allow a sale to happen on foreclosures, short sales, and the like. It was a nightmare dealing with a reluctant seller, which was often a bank (or a combination of a seller hamstrung by a bank).

andres3

ab348 said:

nyccarguy said:

Except for #10 ELI MANNING & The New York Football Giants!

I'm really torn about who to root for in the SB.  On the 1 hand, you have the Eagles who are a bitterly hated division rival.  They've got a dedicated, very passionate fan base who deserves a title.  They suffered through some horrible years.

On the other hand there are the Patriots.  I'm a NY fan, so naturally I should root against the New England team (especially since the refs at my son's Pee Wee hockey game in New Hampshire like the Pats...).  Brady is an immortal.  If the Pats win again, it just makes #10 Eli Manning look THAT much better.

The truly amazing thing is that if not for two rather flukey plays, the Brady and Pats would be sporting 7 rings right now and shooting for their eighth. The Tyree play in particular. Think about that.

We get the Boston TV stations on cable here so there are a lot of Pats fans in the area. Watching the coverage the success BB and TB12 have enjoyed has led to a siege mentality of sorts among the fans. They know everyone else hates them so that just makes them even more fierce.

Watching the local WBZ-TV postgame show last night, Christian Fauria (one of the talking heads there who was on their first couple of SB teams) said that Brady really needs to be thought of as one of the greatest sports figures of all time, if not the greatest - comparing him to Jordan, Gretzky, etc. Hard to argue otherwise.

Ahhh, take that fantasy of 7 rings back own to 6 fantasy rings to account for the "fluky" referee invented tuck rule call that incorrectly handed the victory to the Pats many years ago.

In my History book, there is an asterisk for that call, and I'm not even a Raiders fan (nor was I back then).

abacomike

driver100 said:

Got a new star right in the middle of my windshield. I haven't had one back home for about 18 years....down here I get one every year, and we are only here for 5 months of the year. Most have been on I-75, one on Hwy 275 thru Tampa. Guess I will be making my annual visit to Safelite.

Fon’t Forget, driver, I’ve had two windshields replaced in less than 6 months - one on the 740i and one on the S 450.  Not anything I’d want to experience again.

I went 55 years before I had to replace a windshield - then BAM - two in one year.  Frustrating.

abacomike

Here in south Florida, we don’t have a team worth rooting for - except maybe the Heat.

The Dolphins are pathetic as are the Florida Panthers Hockey Team.  As for baseball, Miami is worthless- they traded their best players away to save money for the new owners - Jeter and Co.  So what’s left?

I kinda root for the Cubs and I really like the Bears.  But I seem to have lost interest in professional sports lately.  Maybe if the Dolphins can get a good offensive line with a good QB, there still might be hope for us yet.

fintail

Many areas were similar here - they fell along with the popped bubble, but when a 1MM house is now 900K, it doesn't matter much for mere mortals.

I think a lot of sellers in these disaster scenarios simply can't afford to sell - they are probably better off just walking away. The banks should be coerced into speeding up the process via threats of onerous fines and more - many areas of the country have an affordable housing crisis, and banks are pretty complicit. Of course, this is now an oligocracy, and you get the justice you pay for.

andres3 said:

Even in San Diego the depressed housing market almost didn't touch neighborhoods like La Jolla and Del Mar, whereas areas that allowed Banks to allow properties to become unkept, like Santee, for instance, lost a whole lot more than 15% in a matter of months. When prices plummet it creates a weird phenomenon. The real market price isn't discovered for a long time as stubborn owners/sellers hold onto things rather than sell them.

Once they get over the denial and come to terms with reality, a deal can be struck; perhaps 8 to 12 months later (maybe more). You should hear the stories of how long it took banks to allow a sale to happen on foreclosures, short sales, and the like. It was a nightmare dealing with a reluctant seller, which was often a bank (or a combination of a seller hamstrung by a bank).

nyccarguy

@ab348

"Nuts" said the queen.  IF she had them she'd be KING.

@oldfarmer50 - registration came in the mail today.  Put my plates on and we are good to go.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Got a new star right in the middle of my windshield. I haven't had one back home for about 18 years....down here I get one every year, and we are only here for 5 months of the year. Most have been on I-75, one on Hwy 275 thru Tampa.

Guess I will be making my annual visit to Safelite.

Fon’t Forget, driver, I’ve had two windshields replaced in less than 6 months - one on the 740i and one on the S 450.  Not anything I’d want to experience again.

I went 55 years before I had to replace a windshield - then BAM - two in one year

.  Frustrating.

Mike, I will say the one in the C250 is probably pretty straightforward if it had to be replaced....probably just the aerial and wiper sensors. It is a really small bullet hole in the center so I will see if a patch works.

My theory is the speed limit on I-75 is 70 mph, but almost everyone is going about 80, and many cars go 85. When a stone kicks up at that speed it is too much for the windshield to repel it.

You have had really bad luck - especially the vandalized windshield, that is senseless.

stickguy

I was annoyed when I got a windshield star on my Sonata, 2 months before the lease was up. Thankfully the damage protection plan I had covered the repair for no cost. I thought it looked lousy still, but Hyundai did not charge for it. If I had kept the car, probably would have bugged me enough to have it replaced (though in that car, I think the best quote was only around $300).

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

@ab348

"Nuts" said the queen.  IF she had them she'd be KING.

@oldfarmer50 - registration came in the mail today.  Put my plates on and we are good to go.

At least that's one thing NY is better at. You have plates when you drive off the lot. You get a temp window sticker though.

bwia

Good morning Eagles fans

oldfarmer50

Engine question.

The Ford 3.8L has a bad reputation for head gasket failures. I read that Ford redesigned the engine by 99 to prevent that. Other opinions say that while the redesign helped it only reduced the incidence of failure. So the question is, could you expect a reasonable level of reliability from an early 2000s 3.8L V6?

laurasdada

Driving to work in the rain yesterday. The passenger side replacement wiper fell off. So, last two miles to work, no wipers. Good times, good times.

Goodyear wipers, Costco sourced. Plastic end cap used to attach to wiper arm MIA. I'm guessing our recent 40-50 degree temp swings may have had something to do with the failure. Put a sock on the arm, used wipers sparingly on the drive to AutoZone where I purchased a pair of Bosch Icons.

Next up, new tires. Or new car.

ab348

That's a problem with most non-OEM blades. That plastic universal fit attachment crap both looks awful and is a crapshoot.

laurasdada

Oh, yes: Go Pats! Not done! If you're a football fan, you should be glad that the Pats are playing (again, for those keeping score). Think about all the Brady/Hoodie era Super Bowls, Pats win or lose, all great football games! Other Super Bowls, not as much.

No worries about the future, Pats have Jimmy G. What's that you say, traded? Never mind.

ab348

laurasdada said:

No worries about the future, Pats have Jimmy G. What's that you say, traded? Never mind.

Yeah, that still galls me. I sort of understand the issue, but would rather have kept him. One good hit and Brady is done.

fintail

Re: wipers, some recent MBs have had issues with juddery wipers, plenty of mentions of it on enthusiast forums. I think it is the OEM Valeo blades - Icons seem to behave much better. I also don't like the clunky blade holder on aftermarket sets, so I took apart some Icons, removed the rubber blade, and replaced it in the OEM holder. Problem solved.

imidazol97

Those interested in reading about red light cameras and speed cameras might enjoy this about a small Ohio city that thought it hit a gold mine shared with a camera company years back. They keep losing. The quirk here is that Ohio is a home rule state and cities can govern themselves on this apparently as decided by the Ohio Supreme Court last summer, IIRC, and they didn't have to have the officer present when the cameras took the pictures of offenders. But some cities discovered, with the help of the camera companies, hand held devices which take a picture rather than having the officer pursue and stop a driver speeding: instead they just take a picture and send a civil bill.

This city is in GG's area.

http://www.whio.com/news/new-miami-loses-decision-speed-cameras-closer-paying-out/naWV4vJxrIgvgJhLDRXOqM/

https://www.google.com/maps/place/New+Miami,+OH/@39.4298981,-84.5489872,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x884046b75e68ee35:0x3269a3d73382220f!8m2!3d39.4347787!4d-84.5368907

explorerx4

I might have been through New Miami. It's close to Oxford and Hamilton and I've been on 127.
Not quite sure what way I went, but remember 'Take a right at the house with the 3 car garage', on the way there.
I think it was yellow.

imidazol97

New Miami is a few miles further south on US 127. You turned at Somerville Rd and cut diagonally to the north edge of Oxford near the infamous covered bridge. Beautiful country.

explorerx4

@Imidazol97,
That could be it! It's been a few years and they could have added the other building behind the house.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Re: wipers, some recent MBs have had issues with juddery wipers, plenty of mentions of it on enthusiast forums. I think it is the OEM Valeo blades - Icons seem to behave much better. I also don't like the clunky blade holder on aftermarket sets, so I took apart some Icons, removed the rubber blade, and replaced it in the OEM holder. Problem solved.

I have my own way of fixing wipers. Get mad that ice is encasing the washer fluid hose, smash at it with your fist until the whole assembly snaps off and the wiper is all bent to heck then take it to the garage for a $100 repair.

Works every time.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=blC_aXy9hP4

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

Re: wipers, some recent MBs have had issues with juddery wipers, plenty of mentions of it on enthusiast forums. I think it is the OEM Valeo blades - Icons seem to behave much better. I also don't like the clunky blade holder on aftermarket sets, so I took apart some Icons, removed the rubber blade, and replaced it in the OEM holder. Problem solved.

I have my own way of fixing wipers. Get mad that ice is encasing the washer fluid hose, smash at it with your fist until the whole assembly snaps off and the wiper is all bent to heck then take it to the garage for a $100 repair.

Works every time.

Wiper Road Rage ain't legal in PA.

jmonroe

abacomike

ab348 said:

That's a problem with most non-OEM blades. That plastic universal fit attachment crap both looks awful and is a crapshoot.

I can’t replace wiper blades any where else but at Mercedes.  The problem is that I have no windshield washer nozzles on the car.  The washer fluid is delivered right to the windshield via the wiper arms and wiper blades.  I hate to think what a set of those cost to replace - $200+ is my guess! 

explorerx4

In a BMW or Mercedes, it costs $100 for wipers even when nothing it wrong.

jmonroe

explorerx4 said:

In a BMW or Mercedes, it costs $100 for wipers even when nothing it wrong.

And that's without getting it "registered".

jmonroe

imidazol97

All these expensive wipers! I just buy cars that can use standard, moderately-priced wiper blades.
I replace the whole blade with a low-priced one from Walmart OR I just bought the beam style
in the higher quality from AC Delco via Rockauto for abut $10. The beam wipers on my 2014 Malibu
are still in great shape on the car--almost 4 years. I haven't had to take out a loan to replace them.

Mr_Shiftright

jmonroe said:

explorerx4 said:

In a BMW or Mercedes, it costs $100 for wipers even when nothing it wrong.

And that's without getting it "registered".

jmonroe

Nope, only $50 for a BMW---for a pair! Mercedes S class are $129 for two.

abacomike

Mr_Shiftright said:

In a BMW or Mercedes, it costs $100 for wipers even when nothing it wrong.

And that's without getting it "registered". jmonroe

Nope, only $50 for a BMW---for a pair! Mercedes S class are $129 for two.

On sale, Shifty - only on sale.  And the labor and tax brings the cost to $200+!

fintail

A pair of Bosch blades shouldn't be more than around $50. OEM Valeos are around the same, and can easily be found online. If someone is paying $200 at MB and not getting wiper arms or something insane, there's something shady going on.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Nope, only $50 for a BMW---for a pair! Mercedes S class are $129 for two.

$25-$50 depending on the model. I stick with OEM for the BMWs and Mini- and did the same with my Mazda. The Jeep just got a set of Icons, and they seem to work fine.

oldfarmer50

tbirdmarco said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=blC_aXy9hP4

Wouldn't want to take one of those out on the interstate. One big rig passing you and it would be the ditch.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright said:

jmonroe said:

explorerx4 said:

In a BMW or Mercedes, it costs $100 for wipers even when nothing it wrong.

And that's without getting it "registered".

jmonroe

Nope, only $50 for a BMW---for a pair! Mercedes S class are $129 for two.

Well, whatever they cost for a pair it's a lot more than what I paid at the dealer for my '09 Genny.

After I owned my Genny for about a year I mentioned to Son #1 that I was going to need wipers and the auto parts didn't carry them for my car. He suggested that I buy them at Rockauto. Went on line and ordered them but when I got them they were the wrong fit for the Genny. I called Rockauto and they were very apologetic and took it off my CC and as a courtesy sent me a pair at no charge that would fit. Good deal right? Wrong, they didn't fit either.

Oh well, off to the dealer I went figuring I might need to cash my life insurance policy but I was wrong again. They cost a mere 35 bucks a pair, so I bought them and several other sets over my years of ownership of that beauty.

FWIW, I never throw away my old blades because I don't want to get caught with my pants down like what happened to our poster buddy @laurasdada . I throw the old sets in the trunk for just that type of an emergency but maybe I over do it.

The night before I was going to get the '15 Genny, I had just cleaned and vacuumed the car and all I had to do was empty the trunk and vacuum it. Son #1 stopped by on his way home from Home Depot and was going to give me a hand since he was going with me the next day too. I told him he was too late, "Where were you about 2 hours ago when I could have used some help". :@ So he dives into the trunk and said, "I know you like to keep your old wipers as a spare for emergencies and have taught me that too, but c'mon there are 4 sets back here".

Honest guys, they don't take up a lot of room. So just toss them in there till you need the space.

jmonroe

driver100

jmonroe
FWIW, I never throw away my old blades because I don't want to get caught with my pants down like what happened to our poster buddy @laurasdada . I throw the old sets in the trunk for just that type of an emergency but maybe I over do it.

Do yah think? It is called OCD....Obsessive compulsive disorder.

What are the odds you will ever need to pull out a pair of old wipers like Laura's Dad had to do? Has anyone else in the world ever had to replace a wiper and couldn't get to a new one? Do you keep the gas tank 3/4s full in case of a national emergency or a power outage. Do you keep bottles of water in your trunk just in case you break down on an old country road? How about blankets and candles? You can't be prepared in case of any possible situation....and now your son is doing it too.........
Speaking of pants....why not carry an extra pair in the trunk in case you spill beat juice on them when you go out to eat one night?

stickguy

I usually throw the old set on the shelf in the garage, but never thought of carrying them in the car.

For the Hyundai, and the Acura. I usually just got the rubber blade and replaced that. Never replaced the frame part. Though last month I did replace the whole assembly on the RDX with a beam style (that the one without all the frame structure?) I forget which brand. I bought them at B.J.s, Work well, which is all I care!