Mike...thanks to you and all of my Edmunds friends. I truly enjoy "chatting" with each and every one of you, and truly am thankful you're here.
Different Thanksgiving in the GG household. Wife left last night to fly to Chicago, from visiting family in CA. We both have friends there. And were going to get together for one big feast with all our combined friends. My son was going to meet us there.
As luck would have it, wife made it to Chicago flying all the way from SJC....on time....INTO O'HARE, no less, during the busiest travel week of the year. My son has a job interview this afternoon in Columbus, OH, where he lives. He was supposed to leave Columbus to come home later tonight. But, his girlfriend has some work things to prepare for (she's in retail) until late today.
Throw in a little of this, and a little of that because of scheduling, my wife is spending Thanksgiving with our friends, and my son, his girlfriend, and I are spending it at home.
That said, we're together in thought and spirit....and thankful for those we have in our lives throughout the year, wherever they may be, all the time, not just on Thanksgiving.
BTW...I'm brining a Turkey right now. Will begin the pumpkin pie after another cup of coffee. Will throw the bird in the oven tomorrow a.m. and work on the sides will it's cooking. Should be interesting, as even though I'm the cook in the family, doing the Turkey is a first for me.
We are expecting 3-6" overnight tonight but the road crews should have it cleared. We are hosting but have my parents coming up from Cape Cod and my in-laws coming down from NH. We have a football game (ok we really go to watch our kids in the halftime show) in the AM.
I will be putting the snows on the Explorer this evening.
We are in DC area. My daughter, as a first time homeowner, is hosting her first Thanksgiving dinner.
BTW, our 6:00 AM flight from Boston yesterday was only half full. I don't feel bad for U.S Airways as their fare at $374 was outrageous. But nonetheless that is no way to run an airline.
Mike, here is what I posted on Facebook yesterday- FYI, Wednesday is "Seniors Day" at the local Kroger...
Can someone please verify that today is Tuesday and NOT Wednesday? I made a supply run to Kroger for my wife and the aisles were packed with slack-jawed individuals staring off into space, positioning their shopping carts so as to cause as much inconvenience to other shoppers as possible. The few souls who were moving their carts did not exceed 0.0001 mph.
And don't get me started on the parking lot...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Mike a few years ago we bought one of those Thanksgiving packages from a local supermarket. It was packaged in a cardboard box with a little plastic handle on top. I made it all the way home with it and while walking in from the garage, kind of swinging my arms, the darn handle pulled out and turkey, peas, dressing, mashed potatoes, and everything else flew all over the garage. My wife was not happy, but it was still frozen and wrapped so I just scooped it all up and everything was OK. Talk about dropping the groceries on the doorstep !!
A friend of mine called yesterday and wanted to play golf. It was 35 degrees outside, sunny with little wind. About 10 AM 6 of us showed up so we had 2 threesomes. Wasn't too bad, but greens were semi-frozen. Got up to about 40 degrees. I got the idea for heated seats and steering wheels for golf carts, shot 42. We only played 9 holes and had lots of fun after being cooped up for several days. We told a lot of lies to each other and joked around a lot. Made plans to play Friday when it is supposed to be a balmy 50 degrees.
Everyone please travel safely and have a great Thanksgiving !
heated steering wheel is fantastic. I went out early this morning. Started car up in the garage, hit the button, and by the time I got backed down to the end of the driveway, my hands were hot. That sucker works fast.
as to travel, my daughter flew home yesterday (Greensboro NC to Philly) arriving at 7:30. Prime time on a busy day, into an airport not known for efficiency (parking and arrivals was a traffic nightmare). Amazingly though, her plane landed 27 minutes EARLY. I have never seen a flight come in that early in Philly.
Mike, had a situation like your mall encounter yesterday while grocery shopping.
I expected the grocery stores to be busy yesterday afternoon, so I really wasn't in a rush to drive in the frantic mess. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I though it would be.
Anyway, I was driving on a major thoroughfare on the way to the grocery. Two lane road, but always busy, moreso over the holidays.
Speed limit ranges from 35 MPH to 50 MPH depending on where you are on the State Route (for you locals, it's Route 127). I purposely took a a two lane Route, vs a larges 6 lane route (Route 4) hoping to miss at least some of the road overcrowding. I've mentioned this place before, but it's sort of an icon around here. I was trying to get to this place www.junglejims.com. If you can't find what you want here, you can't find it anywhere.
So, I get off the interstate to the State Route, figuring I'll go the back way in. there was a Toyota Camry in front of me who I was behind coming off the exit. He was relatively slow coming off the exit, but I'm not in any hurry. Traffic was slow, but manageable. I was behind the Camry who was going about 20 MPH slower than the speed limit. I wasn't tailgating him, but traffic behind me was stacking up. At lights (which there are plenty of on this route), he seemed to be oblivious when they turned green. I honked a couple of times, just so he would notice the lights had changed to green.
At some point, I had to turn east to get to my destination. Plus, I really wanted to get out from behind the clueless guy in front of me. I put my blinker on. As soon as he saw my blinker in the rear view, he put his on in the same direction.
Coming up the the street where he was turning in front of me, he got half way around the turn and stopped midway in the intersection. I had no choice but to do the same thing. Now, everyone behind me is honking.
I figured there was something wrong with his car. But, being stopped in the middle of the intersection was not safe and I proceeded to go around him. I rolled down my window as I was going around him and yelled out asking if he was "OK". H flips me the middle finger and pulls in right behind me and it literally 6 inches off my bumper. I would speed up, and so would he...right on my bumper. Not pulling a brake job here, but figured this guy is either a little crazy or drunk.
I pull over to the shoulder to let him pass, he blocks me and traffic to pull right beside me and stop. He signals to me to roll down his window. I see he has a child in the car, and not in a car seat. He's probably in his late 60s, early 70s. He proceeds to call me names that even my high school football coach wouldn't dare call me.
I let him rant. Finally, he tells me to pull over up at the next light because he wants to fight. Before I could respond, I see red and blue lights behind me, with the sickening siren. Other driver does not move. Officer gets out of the car,immediately tells the other driver to pull in front of me. He does.
Cop comes up to me, asks for license, etc. He asks what was going on, I give him the blow by blow. H tells me to sit tight. He goes to the other guy's car. Don't know what was said, but after a couple of minutes, the cop has him out of his car, has him lean up against the trunk and cuffs him.
Cop starts waving me by. I stop, uncertain if where he wants me to go. I stop at the cops location. He said "I got this...he's begun his holiday cheer a bit too early". I go shopping.
Don't you just love the Holiday Season? If you stay at home, the Holidays are wonderful with family and friends. But venture out into the masses, you take the chance of getting flipped the bird, pushed to the ground, shot by a disgruntled shopper, cursed at with all the 4-letter words in the English Language, beheaded by a jihadist, mugged, etc.
I remember 30-40 years ago, most of this stuff was unheard of. You went Christmas shopping and you were waited on by a knowledgeable sales person. You were marvelously treated everywhere you went. The local cop on the beat tipped his hat and wished you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. You would stop by the local bakery shop and after buying your cakes and pies you were offered a Christmas coolie by the owner.
Don't you just love the Holiday Season? If you stay at home, the Holidays are wonderful with family and friends. But venture out into the masses, you take the chance of getting flipped the bird, pushed to the ground, shot by a disgruntled shopper, cursed at with all the 4-letter words in the English Language, beheaded by a jihadist, mugged, etc.
I remember 30-40 years ago, most of this stuff was unheard of. You went Christmas shopping and you were waited on by a knowledgeable sales person. You were marvelously treated everywhere you went. The local cop on the beat tipped his hat and wished you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. You would stop by the local bakery shop and after buying your cakes and pies you were offered a Christmas coolie by the owner.
Have things changed for the better? I think not.
Mike, your story was good too....but I just knew something would go wrong with your order. Like my brother taught me when I was learning how to drive, "Think of the worst thing the other guy can do and then be ready, he'll probably do it".
That's the Driver Rule for when you sign up or reserve for something. Whatever could go wrong will probably go wrong.
I did read once that the good thing about these awful stories is that it gives you a good story to tell others. Well, you did that!
BTW...I love the E400 the more I drive it. I can't think of anything that could make a car more enjoyable to drive. I am thankful for my E400!
My fleet goes from 13"('02) to 15"(Wrangler) to 16"(ti) to 17"(X3 and 328i) and ends at 18"(MS3)- although if I do get the Challenger that bumps up to 20".
What, you haven't bought that Challenger yet? What are you waiting for?
On the subject of weather, we have an absolutely gorgeous day in store for us tomorrow. High of 64 degrees, lots of sunshine, and low humidity.
Glad you are enjoying your E 400. Maybe by the time you are ready to return to that place up north where all our snow comes from, you will have figured out all the nuances and settings in the car.
Maybe someday I will have a new E 400 to enjoy that Mercedes Benz hasn't screwed up during manufacture. Who knows - maybe by New Years, if I am lucky.
Just wait until the media reports of Black Friday retail madness start coming in later this week. Riots, beatings, maybe even shootings. The concept always was foreign to Canada since we had our Thanksgiving over a month ago. But sadly, many of the major chain stores here are now doing a Black Friday event as well. Nuts.
Mike I found your story about picking up your dinner package interesting. So the fired employee ordered her dinner from the store that fired her? Odd, maybe she did it before getting fired. I wonder if she would have come back in to get it? That would take some nerve. Who knows, maybe if she comes in and doesn't get it she will go to the media complaining about unfair treatment ruining her family's Thanksgiving. Hope she doesn't remember your name or you could end up on the news yourself!
She ordered the turkey before being fired according to the manager. I would doubt she would return to "the scene of the crime" as you mentioned. Even if she did, who cares!!! She messed up many orders from what the manager said.
We're going nowhere today or tomorrow. Mustang doesn't do well in snow. Family is coming here tomorrow (with 3 dogs). Guess I better sweep the steps (or do it tomorrow).
Mako, looks like a nice homestead. Certainly peaceful and private!
I can't understand why people willingly go out shopping on Black Friday. At our house (we host), the winner traditionally hit a couple of the local outside shopping center. And have lunch at PF Changs. Not usually too bad, but I think my wife gets tired of it (she is not much for shopping, and mostly goes for my daughter!). Thou this year, 1 prime shopper is missing, and the other is "between jobs" at the moment, so maybe it will be a short trip.
the men do it right. Cheese-steaks for lunch, then we go bowling!
@mako1a, having been in Virginia several times (the Norfolk-Williamsburg corridor) I find it amazing that there is any snow at all there. I mean, there are palm trees around Norfolk and every time I have been to Williamsburg it has been warm-to-stinking hot. There must be big swings in the climate.
Wow, GG...a cop just when one was needed! What a story!
It'll be a very quiet Thanksgiving here with only four of us. Turkey is thawing now.
Well, since it's the time of year to reflect back on the things we have to be thankful for I just want all of you to know that I consider you as friends and I am thankful to have all of you.
Some of us have had some real challenges this year and I'm thankful we can share our trials and lend each other support when it's needed.
And, I want to thank Edmunds and the Moderators for allowing us the chance to get a bit off topic and have this forum.
I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Today it's the wife and step-daughter only - 10lb bird in the oven already. We stuff it with lemons and oranges and add fresh rosemary.
Tomorrow we make the trek to Cheyenne (2 hour drive) to be with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and the step-son and his wife. Turkey and trimmings again, but hoping for a bit of Italian thrown in as well - MIL's maiden name is Laveo, after all.
On Friday, the wife and I head to our favorite B&B for a long weekend of R&R. Only an hour away but feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. Been going there for 15 years now. For the first time, we're staying in the treehouse:
I'll have the iPad with me, as the B&B has decent WiFi and the wife's idea of a relaxing weekend is to, well, relax. She naps way more than I do, so I'll have some time to be on-line.
Hope all my friends here at Edmunds have a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Or, as I refer to it (now), me and the NFL day.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Out on the interstate earlier. Patrols are heavy. Saw three cars being ticketed. BMW X5---BMW 7 series and a Honda CRV. Figure 3-$400 per ticket. Happy T Day !
Went to local Discount tire today for resolution - that is where I always get tires, they are fast, and have good prices.
With out any fuss he offers me 50% off the replacement Michelins, and acknowledges the chunking issue is indeed very common.
I sign the invoice and run a few errands while they swap out the tires - I get back and take a closer look at the receipt and I see he slid in the extended warranty - without asking or telling me - very assumptive an rude sales technique. We can debate extended warranties, as a rule I never get them on anything.
So I ask for a refund - which he hastily processes and I am on my way.
Net net, ~$425 for 4 replace tires - hoping Michelin has solved their quality issue. I may end up back at Costco for future tires - not nearly as convenient, but they don't play those kinds of games either.
@NYC, Nope, we didn't get much snow, maybe 3 inches, but it's greasy. I think the snow is over, which is good since my other daughter is flying in from Wisco tonight.
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Tomorrow will be quiet compared to previous years. Too much family drama.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Well, it's certainly been an interesting day before Thanksgiving. Dropped the Mazda off because the CEL was on. Estimate is $800! He'll do it on Tuesday. Gere comes the good part. The light is off. It'll probably come back in but I'll call him Friday or Monday and tell him as long as the light stays off I'm good. Just before the light went on I was having some engine issues - kind of a need to burn the gunk out, Maybe it took. Maybe I should be looking at a new 3 hatchback...
So, borrowing my daughter's car I head to PT. I discover that her wipers are shot. I do 40 miles or so round trip before I hit the auto parts store. All is well.
Then I have an appointment with a hand specialist. I've had a balky thumb that interferes with stuff I like doing. Cortisone injections have done wonders in the past but he's in the I've had enough injections and it's time for a little surgery. So January 6 (wanted to avoid Christmas but it'll mess with my birthday) they cut the base of the thumb under a local and grab the bone chip irritating the tendon that runs my thumb.
Not the best news but I'm thankful it's all correctable.
Also on the tankful list is calling my donor tomorrow. Can't get better than that.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
Fezo, we are all thankful for your progress this year. My family and I want to wish you contined improvement and way less problems than you have had in the past. We extend our thanks to your donor, as well. Have a great Thanksgiving!
I'm invited to the relatives house tomorrow so no work involved....sweet
We were talking about pre delivery damage a while back and I noticed that the new 2015 Mustang in front of my apathetic dealer now has the back panel broken in half. Wonder how that happened?
I wish I could say I was thankful that you had finally bought a Mustang after all the hard work and effort you have put into this process, but alas, I cannot.
OF, for the sake of all of us, buy a Mustang already so we can read your commentary as an owner rather than a "drooler"! We'd all be thankful to know you are a happy new Mustang owner.
Drove a Chevy Volt today---first time---and you know, it's not perfect but it's a very nice car! For some reason, I don't get into the habit, as with the Prius, of banging on the dashboard while I'm accelerating saying "C'MON!" (yes, I drink a lot of coffee). Not too fond of the driver interface however---but that's mostly my aversion to TOO MUCH INFORMATION! I had the same problem with the Tesla, which has a screen about the size of my home TV (not really, but...).
One feature I liked was the "hold" feature where you can lock out the EV part if say you want to cruise on electric to the freeway, then switch off to gas, then as you exit and hit city traffic, go back on EV.
Having driven this car for perhaps 1/2 hour, I don't feel the Prius by any means the winner here--it's roomier inside, gets better MPG on the gasoline cycle, but it handles like mom's sofa. The Volt is very competent on the road.
I like my local Chevy dealer (Sonoma Chevrolet--plug, plug). Very friendly, small town operation, community-minded.
The reason I stopped there is that I saw a 1988 Dodge Dakota on the back lot while pedaling on my bike (I am a good bird dog--spotted it through a hedge row). Squeezed those disc brakes (only the best for Shiftright in two-wheel transportation). Nobody could find the key but for $1500 bucks it looked pretty darn good. Nice "take me to the dump Shifty" type of truck. More to come on that one.
Drove a Chevy Volt today---first time---and you know, it's not perfect but it's a very nice car!
I was getting the Cobalt serviced at the local Chev dealer this afternoon. An older couple was talking about their Volt they had in for service. They love it. They had driven all the choices before purchasing it. They would be open to having a Tesla, however, because they love the style.
He was saying there's a hack for the computer that gives it 0-60 in about 5 seconds (I may not be remembering this quite right).
I wish I could say I was thankful that you had finally bought a Mustang after all the hard work and effort you have put into this process, but alas, I cannot.
OF, for the sake of all of us, buy a Mustang already so we can read your commentary as an owner rather than a "drooler"! We'd all be thankful to know you are a happy new Mustang owner.
Go ahead, OF, make my day!
And then right after that we need to get @roadburner into that Challenger!
I hadn't heard from Audi head office for over a week, so I called them. First message was Customer Service is having a training session, leave your name and number and we will call you.
After 3 hours I decided to try again. I got a nice lady and she spent 20 minutes looking through my file before she realized I was a Canadian customer. Meanwhile I listened to some great 50s music, Watusi, Born Too Late, C'mon Baby Let the Good Times Roll, Come and Go With Me, Beat Me To The Punch, Heatwave to name a few. If you need to hear some great 50s songs call Audi Customer service.
After 20 minutes she put me through to Canada CS. The guy there stepped out but the nice lady said he would call as soon as he came back....that was at 2 pm. I said I was leaving by 3:30 so have him call me before then. I don't get a call by 3:15 so I call him back. He answers the phone. He goes over the problem, says the original guy is on vacation and he'll look into it - first thing is he will talk to the dealer. I said fine with me, I think the dealer realizes it's a car issue as they gave me 50% off on parts and 10% off labor. And by the way, the parts are in my trunk so don't expect to examine those.
He said he would talk to them and get back to me. I gave him the Florida number because last time they tried reaching me at our Canadian number....even though I made it clear where we are.
And on and on the story goes...............................
IMHO, I have serious reservations about Audi accepting responsibility for a bad clutch in one of their cars and actually doing something about it. The same thing happened with Mercedes Benz - they never accepted responsibility for producing a car the was incorrectly manufactured by leaving off two standard systems - lane tracking and blind spot monitors both of which are included in the price as standard.
Car manufacturers just don't accept responsibility for their mistakes - I guess it's a combination of pride as well as opening themselves to litigation.
I hope you get further than I got in getting them to accept responsibility. It's been 5 weeks since I bought a car that was not produced by the manufacturer correctly - and here I am still waiting for my new car - and will probably wait until Christmas.
At least my dealer stepped up - Mercedes Benz has done nothing - they didn't expedite the production of my car like they promised. I hope you succeed driver.
My fleet goes from 13"('02) to 15"(Wrangler) to 16"(ti) to 17"(X3 and 328i) and ends at 18"(MS3)- although if I do get the Challenger that bumps up to 20".
What, you haven't bought that Challenger yet? What are you waiting for?
On the subject of weather, we have an absolutely gorgeous day in store for us tomorrow. High of 64 degrees, lots of sunshine, and low humidity.
My plan is to take a shot at it either Friday or Monday...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I was just nosing about on line and was surprised to see that almost every one of my local Ford dealers has at least one Mustang EcoBoost equipped with three pedals and the Performance Pkg- one is even equipped with Recaros. Even though it's slower than my MS3 I could be tempted if the price was under $30k instead of $35k, since tuners are already finding a bunch of extra power to add(once the warranty runs out), but if I'm spending $35k there are scads of used performance cars I'd rather have...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
From a C7D review: "the SRT 392 model adds a “Viper-inspired” aluminum hood with a long center-mounted cold-air intake, 9.5-inch-wide Slingshot wheels, massive 15.4-inch front brake rotors with six-piston Brembos, leather seats, an 18-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, "
I think it looks nastier in Black. Though Yellow looks cool on one of these too, and is a classic Mopar color.
Yes, I'd like to have a 392- especially a Yellow Jacket, but I don't like it $5k or more better than the 2010 I've landed on. For less than $900 I can boost the hp to 455 with a DiabloSport tuner and a Mopar or Airaid Cold Air Intake.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
IMHO, I have serious reservations about Audi accepting responsibility for a bad clutch in one of their cars and actually doing something about it. The same thing happened with Mercedes Benz - they never accepted responsibility for producing a car the was incorrectly manufactured by leaving off two standard systems - lane tracking and blind spot monitors both of which are included in the price as standard.
Car manufacturers just don't accept responsibility for their mistakes - I guess it's a combination of pride as well as opening themselves to litigation.
I hope you get further than I got in getting them to accept responsibility. It's been 5 weeks since I bought a car that was not produced by the manufacturer correctly - and here I am still waiting for my new car - and will probably wait until Christmas.
At least my dealer stepped up - Mercedes Benz has done nothing - they didn't expedite the production of my car like they promised. I hope you succeed driver.
I agree Mike....this won't be easy and I am not counting on winning this battle. So far they have stonewalled me for 3 weeks. I emailed my complaint. One week for the first guard to call and tell me Audi wasn't responsible. Another week for me to call back and find the first guy is away on vacation, and I start all over with the 2nd guy.
I am documenting everything including the times. When I couldn't reach an agent yesterday I tried e-mailing 6 times, but when I sent the message said Ooooops your message didn't get sent. Any idea how aggravating that was...had to fill in all the info and copy and past my message each time, and fill in all the blanks including VIN.
But, I do have the arbitration possibility. And this time he actually said, " so you want to be compensated for your repair bill?". I said yes, before I was willing to pay half, but, since they have put me through all this I am going for it all - $1650!
I'm invited to the relatives house tomorrow so no work involved....sweet
We were talking about pre delivery damage a while back and I noticed that the new 2015 Mustang in front of my apathetic dealer now has the back panel broken in half. Wonder how that happened?
Hey Driver, perhaps you should threaten them of taking your case to the court of public opinion--a la 60 minutes.
Seriously though, there are many consumer oriented TV shows that would be more than happy to do an expose'. But you should be prepared for the publicity and the aggressive push back from Audi.
Driver, I'd take them to Judge Judy. I think I heard her say something about living in Ft Meyers, FL. Or you could get the advertising magnate Lowell "The Hammer" Stanley to represent you. And put The Hammer to them.
Comments
Different Thanksgiving in the GG household. Wife left last night to fly to Chicago, from visiting family in CA. We both have friends there. And were going to get together for one big feast with all our combined friends. My son was going to meet us there.
As luck would have it, wife made it to Chicago flying all the way from SJC....on time....INTO O'HARE, no less, during the busiest travel week of the year. My son has a job interview this afternoon in Columbus, OH, where he lives. He was supposed to leave Columbus to come home later tonight. But, his girlfriend has some work things to prepare for (she's in retail) until late today.
Throw in a little of this, and a little of that because of scheduling, my wife is spending Thanksgiving with our friends, and my son, his girlfriend, and I are spending it at home.
That said, we're together in thought and spirit....and thankful for those we have in our lives throughout the year, wherever they may be, all the time, not just on Thanksgiving.
BTW...I'm brining a Turkey right now. Will begin the pumpkin pie after another cup of coffee. Will throw the bird in the oven tomorrow a.m. and work on the sides will it's cooking. Should be interesting, as even though I'm the cook in the family, doing the Turkey is a first for me.
BTW, our 6:00 AM flight from Boston yesterday was only half full. I don't feel bad for U.S Airways as their fare at $374 was outrageous. But nonetheless that is no way to run an airline.
Can someone please verify that today is Tuesday and NOT Wednesday? I made a supply run to Kroger for my wife and the aisles were packed with slack-jawed individuals staring off into space, positioning their shopping carts so as to cause as much inconvenience to other shoppers as possible. The few souls who were moving their carts did not exceed 0.0001 mph.
And don't get me started on the parking lot...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
A friend of mine called yesterday and wanted to play golf. It was 35 degrees outside, sunny with little wind. About 10 AM 6 of us showed up so we had 2 threesomes. Wasn't too bad, but greens were semi-frozen. Got up to about 40 degrees. I got the idea for heated seats and steering wheels for golf carts, shot 42. We only played 9 holes and had lots of fun after being cooped up for several days. We told a lot of lies to each other and joked around a lot. Made plans to play Friday when it is supposed to be a balmy 50 degrees.
Everyone please travel safely and have a great Thanksgiving !
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
as to travel, my daughter flew home yesterday (Greensboro NC to Philly) arriving at 7:30. Prime time on a busy day, into an airport not known for efficiency (parking and arrivals was a traffic nightmare). Amazingly though, her plane landed 27 minutes EARLY. I have never seen a flight come in that early in Philly.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I expected the grocery stores to be busy yesterday afternoon, so I really wasn't in a rush to drive in the frantic mess. Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I though it would be.
Anyway, I was driving on a major thoroughfare on the way to the grocery. Two lane road, but always busy, moreso over the holidays.
Speed limit ranges from 35 MPH to 50 MPH depending on where you are on the State Route (for you locals, it's Route 127). I purposely took a a two lane Route, vs a larges 6 lane route (Route 4) hoping to miss at least some of the road overcrowding. I've mentioned this place before, but it's sort of an icon around here. I was trying to get to this place www.junglejims.com. If you can't find what you want here, you can't find it anywhere.
So, I get off the interstate to the State Route, figuring I'll go the back way in. there was a Toyota Camry in front of me who I was behind coming off the exit. He was relatively slow coming off the exit, but I'm not in any hurry. Traffic was slow, but manageable. I was behind the Camry who was going about 20 MPH slower than the speed limit. I wasn't tailgating him, but traffic behind me was stacking up. At lights (which there are plenty of on this route), he seemed to be oblivious when they turned green. I honked a couple of times, just so he would notice the lights had changed to green.
At some point, I had to turn east to get to my destination. Plus, I really wanted to get out from behind the clueless guy in front of me. I put my blinker on. As soon as he saw my blinker in the rear view, he put his on in the same direction.
Coming up the the street where he was turning in front of me, he got half way around the turn and stopped midway in the intersection. I had no choice but to do the same thing. Now, everyone behind me is honking.
I figured there was something wrong with his car. But, being stopped in the middle of the intersection was not safe and I proceeded to go around him. I rolled down my window as I was going around him and yelled out asking if he was "OK". H flips me the middle finger and pulls in right behind me and it literally 6 inches off my bumper. I would speed up, and so would he...right on my bumper. Not pulling a brake job here, but figured this guy is either a little crazy or drunk.
I pull over to the shoulder to let him pass, he blocks me and traffic to pull right beside me and stop. He signals to me to roll down his window. I see he has a child in the car, and not in a car seat. He's probably in his late 60s, early 70s. He proceeds to call me names that even my high school football coach wouldn't dare call me.
I let him rant. Finally, he tells me to pull over up at the next light because he wants to fight. Before I could respond, I see red and blue lights behind me, with the sickening siren. Other driver does not move. Officer gets out of the car,immediately tells the other driver to pull in front of me. He does.
Cop comes up to me, asks for license, etc. He asks what was going on, I give him the blow by blow. H tells me to sit tight. He goes to the other guy's car. Don't know what was said, but after a couple of minutes, the cop has him out of his car, has him lean up against the trunk and cuffs him.
Cop starts waving me by. I stop, uncertain if where he wants me to go. I stop at the cops location. He said "I got this...he's begun his holiday cheer a bit too early". I go shopping.
Don't you just love the Holiday Season? If you stay at home, the Holidays are wonderful with family and friends. But venture out into the masses, you take the chance of getting flipped the bird, pushed to the ground, shot by a disgruntled shopper, cursed at with all the 4-letter words in the English Language, beheaded by a jihadist, mugged, etc.
I remember 30-40 years ago, most of this stuff was unheard of. You went Christmas shopping and you were waited on by a knowledgeable sales person. You were marvelously treated everywhere you went. The local cop on the beat tipped his hat and wished you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. You would stop by the local bakery shop and after buying your cakes and pies you were offered a Christmas coolie by the owner.
Have things changed for the better? I think not.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts - they have brightened my life.
And GG, good story, you must be thankful the other guy got the ticket!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That's the Driver Rule for when you sign up or reserve for something. Whatever could go wrong will probably go wrong.
I did read once that the good thing about these awful stories is that it gives you a good story to tell others. Well, you did that!
BTW...I love the E400 the more I drive it. I can't think of anything that could make a car more enjoyable to drive. I am thankful for my E400!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
On the subject of weather, we have an absolutely gorgeous day in store for us tomorrow. High of 64 degrees, lots of sunshine, and low humidity.
Glad you are enjoying your E 400. Maybe by the time you are ready to return to that place up north where all our snow comes from, you will have figured out all the nuances and settings in the car.
Maybe someday I will have a new E 400 to enjoy that Mercedes Benz hasn't screwed up during manufacture. Who knows - maybe by New Years, if I am lucky.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Mike I found your story about picking up your dinner package interesting. So the fired employee ordered her dinner from the store that fired her? Odd, maybe she did it before getting fired. I wonder if she would have come back in to get it? That would take some nerve. Who knows, maybe if she comes in and doesn't get it she will go to the media complaining about unfair treatment ruining her family's Thanksgiving. Hope she doesn't remember your name or you could end up on the news yourself!
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
She ordered the turkey before being fired according to the manager. I would doubt she would return to "the scene of the crime" as you mentioned. Even if she did, who cares!!! She messed up many orders from what the manager said.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
I can't understand why people willingly go out shopping on Black Friday. At our house (we host), the winner traditionally hit a couple of the local outside shopping center. And have lunch at PF Changs. Not usually too bad, but I think my wife gets tired of it (she is not much for shopping, and mostly goes for my daughter!). Thou this year, 1 prime shopper is missing, and the other is "between jobs" at the moment, so maybe it will be a short trip.
the men do it right. Cheese-steaks for lunch, then we go bowling!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
It'll be a very quiet Thanksgiving here with only four of us. Turkey is thawing now.
Well, since it's the time of year to reflect back on the things we have to be thankful for I just want all of you to know that I consider you as friends and I am thankful to have all of you.
Some of us have had some real challenges this year and I'm thankful we can share our trials and lend each other support when it's needed.
And, I want to thank Edmunds and the Moderators for allowing us the chance to get a bit off topic and have this forum.
I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Today it's the wife and step-daughter only - 10lb bird in the oven already. We stuff it with lemons and oranges and add fresh rosemary.
Tomorrow we make the trek to Cheyenne (2 hour drive) to be with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and the step-son and his wife. Turkey and trimmings again, but hoping for a bit of Italian thrown in as well - MIL's maiden name is Laveo, after all.
On Friday, the wife and I head to our favorite B&B for a long weekend of R&R. Only an hour away but feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. Been going there for 15 years now. For the first time, we're staying in the treehouse:
http://www.highlandhaven.com/the-treehouse/
I'll have the iPad with me, as the B&B has decent WiFi and the wife's idea of a relaxing weekend is to, well, relax. She naps way more than I do, so I'll have some time to be on-line.
Hope all my friends here at Edmunds have a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
we want to get back up to the finger lakes in NY and find a BB in wine country. Maybe next year.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Went to local Discount tire today for resolution - that is where I always get tires, they are fast, and have good prices.
With out any fuss he offers me 50% off the replacement Michelins, and acknowledges the chunking issue is indeed very common.
I sign the invoice and run a few errands while they swap out the tires - I get back and take a closer look at the receipt and I see he slid in the extended warranty - without asking or telling me - very assumptive an rude sales technique. We can debate extended warranties, as a rule I never get them on anything.
So I ask for a refund - which he hastily processes and I am on my way.
Net net, ~$425 for 4 replace tires - hoping Michelin has solved their quality issue. I may end up back at Costco for future tires - not nearly as convenient, but they don't play those kinds of games either.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Tomorrow will be quiet compared to previous years. Too much family drama.
So, borrowing my daughter's car I head to PT. I discover that her wipers are shot. I do 40 miles or so round trip before I hit the auto parts store. All is well.
Then I have an appointment with a hand specialist. I've had a balky thumb that interferes with stuff I like doing. Cortisone injections have done wonders in the past but he's in the I've had enough injections and it's time for a little surgery. So January 6 (wanted to avoid Christmas but it'll mess with my birthday) they cut the base of the thumb under a local and grab the bone chip irritating the tendon that runs my thumb.
Not the best news but I'm thankful it's all correctable.
Also on the tankful list is calling my donor tomorrow. Can't get better than that.
Fezo, we are all thankful for your progress this year. My family and I want to wish you contined improvement and way less problems than you have had in the past. We extend our thanks to your donor, as well. Have a great Thanksgiving!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
We were talking about pre delivery damage a while back and I noticed that the new 2015 Mustang in front of my apathetic dealer now has the back panel broken in half. Wonder how that happened?
That's the car before the damage.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I wish I could say I was thankful that you had finally bought a Mustang after all the hard work and effort you have put into this process, but alas, I cannot.
OF, for the sake of all of us, buy a Mustang already so we can read your commentary as an owner rather than a "drooler"! We'd all be thankful to know you are a happy new Mustang owner.
Go ahead, OF, make my day!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
One feature I liked was the "hold" feature where you can lock out the EV part if say you want to cruise on electric to the freeway, then switch off to gas, then as you exit and hit city traffic, go back on EV.
Having driven this car for perhaps 1/2 hour, I don't feel the Prius by any means the winner here--it's roomier inside, gets better MPG on the gasoline cycle, but it handles like mom's sofa. The Volt is very competent on the road.
I like my local Chevy dealer (Sonoma Chevrolet--plug, plug). Very friendly, small town operation, community-minded.
The reason I stopped there is that I saw a 1988 Dodge Dakota on the back lot while pedaling on my bike (I am a good bird dog--spotted it through a hedge row). Squeezed those disc brakes (only the best for Shiftright in two-wheel transportation). Nobody could find the key but for $1500 bucks it looked pretty darn good. Nice "take me to the dump Shifty" type of truck. More to come on that one.
He was saying there's a hack for the computer that gives it 0-60 in about 5 seconds (I may not be remembering this quite right).
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
And then right after that we need to get @roadburner into that Challenger!
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
After 3 hours I decided to try again. I got a nice lady and she spent 20 minutes looking through my file before she realized I was a Canadian customer. Meanwhile I listened to some great 50s music, Watusi, Born Too Late, C'mon Baby Let the Good Times Roll, Come and Go With Me, Beat Me To The Punch, Heatwave to name a few. If you need to hear some great 50s songs call Audi Customer service.
After 20 minutes she put me through to Canada CS. The guy there stepped out but the nice lady said he would call as soon as he came back....that was at 2 pm. I said I was leaving by 3:30 so have him call me before then. I don't get a call by 3:15 so I call him back. He answers the phone. He goes over the problem, says the original guy is on vacation and he'll look into it - first thing is he will talk to the dealer. I said fine with me, I think the dealer realizes it's a car issue as they gave me 50% off on parts and 10% off labor. And by the way, the parts are in my trunk so don't expect to examine those.
He said he would talk to them and get back to me. I gave him the Florida number because last time they tried reaching me at our Canadian number....even though I made it clear where we are.
And on and on the story goes...............................
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
IMHO, I have serious reservations about Audi accepting responsibility for a bad clutch in one of their cars and actually doing something about it. The same thing happened with Mercedes Benz - they never accepted responsibility for producing a car the was incorrectly manufactured by leaving off two standard systems - lane tracking and blind spot monitors both of which are included in the price as standard.
Car manufacturers just don't accept responsibility for their mistakes - I guess it's a combination of pride as well as opening themselves to litigation.
I hope you get further than I got in getting them to accept responsibility. It's been 5 weeks since I bought a car that was not produced by the manufacturer correctly - and here I am still waiting for my new car - and will probably wait until Christmas.
At least my dealer stepped up - Mercedes Benz has done nothing - they didn't expedite the production of my car like they promised. I hope you succeed driver.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
http://www.outletcars.com/details/2B3LJ74W29H582727
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/621709589/overview/
From a C7D review: "the SRT 392 model adds a “Viper-inspired” aluminum hood with a long center-mounted cold-air intake, 9.5-inch-wide Slingshot wheels, massive 15.4-inch front brake rotors with six-piston Brembos, leather seats, an 18-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, "
I think it looks nastier in Black. Though Yellow looks cool on one of these too, and is a classic Mopar color.
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/619167537/overview/
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/622056936/overview/
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I am documenting everything including the times. When I couldn't reach an agent yesterday I tried e-mailing 6 times, but when I sent the message said Ooooops your message didn't get sent. Any idea how aggravating that was...had to fill in all the info and copy and past my message each time, and fill in all the blanks including VIN.
But, I do have the arbitration possibility. And this time he actually said, " so you want to be compensated for your repair bill?". I said yes, before I was willing to pay half, but, since they have put me through all this I am going for it all - $1650!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Seriously though, there are many consumer oriented TV shows that would be more than happy to do an expose'. But you should be prepared for the publicity and the aggressive push back from Audi.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali