Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

nyccarguy

@graphicguy - I've been hooked on Waze for a few years now.  It does a fantastic job at re-routing around traffic.  I can't get it to play out of our Pilot's speakers via Bluetooth.  The Apple car play is ok.  There are no alerts as to where the police are hiding.

Sorry to hear about your bathroom.  Hopefully your insurance company will take care of it and not try and weasel their way out of it like mine did when my sump pump failed and flooded my basement a few years ago.

My advice would be to gut the bathroom.  I'm sure what you have is very nice, but styles and tastes change over time.  An update never hurts.  

Let me know when you are ready to pick out fixtures (faucets, showers, toilets, drains) and I'll surely help guide you in the right direction.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

I am really liking the car play app. can do everything in advance on the phone, and just plug in the lightning cable when in the car, and all set to go. Plus simple to google anything and have it up, so no need to ever know an address like when using the car nav.

On the 2 Series and i3 I can look up an address using the BMW Connected app on my phone and send it to the car. If I'm already in the car I can do an online search using voice commands.

That was by far my fave feature in my Caddy. I don't know why more manufacturers don't use such an app. 

I think CarPlay is sort of usurping the proprietary vehicle smart control systems. I know I used CarPlay more in my Caddy and current TLX than I did either CUE or AcuraLink, respectively.

Siri gets directions for anyone or anyplace via voice...even gathering directions from my calendar appts. And, it routes based on traffic, construction, etc, the quickest route. Plus, I have access to all of my music, podcasts and audible books while in the car.

I think manufacturers are going to have to adapt to CarPlay/AndroidAuto, or be left behind with their proprietary systems.

 Only hole right now as far as CarPlay is that you can't view Waze on the screen in the car. You can hear the voice directions of course. But only Google maps shows up on the screen, and I do not find that nearly as good or useful as Waze. 

I agree about WAZE. I like it. The downside of WAZE, it uses a lot of data from your phone.

Apple Maps has become quite good over the last year or so. Plus, it’s constantly up to date. I think their traffic updates are good, too. Even showing up to date construction data.

The transporters with smart phones swear by WAZE. I get by with the Garmin since I get paid more if I'm stuck in traffic.

roadburner

Okay, here's another plumbing story...

Our water is supplied from a cistern with an electric pump that feeds a 20 gallon pressure tank. The tank contains an air bladder that you pressurize to two PSI below the pump's low pressure switch. The air bladder eventually fails and the result is that the pump runs a lot more frequently. After 25 years our tank was shot.

The local plumbing guy I usually use has turned things over to his son and he is terrible about returning calls, so I started hunting for a new plumber. Turns out that two of the highest rated shops in my area don't service pressure tanks- I can't imagine why, as it's hardly rocket science. Anyway, the third place I tried sent a guy out. He had never worked on one before and insisted on testing the tank and checking with the head guy at the office before eventually agreeing with me that it needed a new one(I had to show him how to test it, BTW). Nice enough guy- just frustrating that it's so tough to find someone to perform a dead simple installation.

At least we will eventually get one installed; supposedly the same brand and model, so hopefully it will be accomplished with a minimum of trouble...

Mr_Shiftright

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Also, it isn't a nice way to treat your alleys and other friendly countries.

The rhetoric from the media is nice, but China has stated their intent to monopolize the steel and aluminum production. In fact, they said they would dominate solar cell production, requiring aluminum, even if they have to sell below the cost--dumping.

Now, That's not a nice way to treat your allies and other friendly countries.

We need to improve our economic productivity by producing more things that start with raw materials and make things like steel and aluminum from which yet other things are made and from those even more are made and sold. That improves the GDP greatly when having industry starting from scratch.

There is also the problem of supply of either in case of war. And for Canada we should carefully and fairly negotiate to trade in ways that benefit both of us. Some give and some take. WE are stronger together.

Same for Mexico. Negotiate.

The USA doesn't make things anymore because U.S. corporations make a lot more money making them overseas, employing robots, and using tax cuts to buy back their own stocks and generate dividends.

U.S. consumers better really want what they wish for, because if they want everything at Walmart to be made in America, they are going to pay a lot more for it---out of wages that haven't gone up in decades.

You know---like in real life, sometimes the lesser of two evils isn't all that bad a choice.

Besides, starting in the new fiscal year, October 2018, there may be some economic shock waves of considerable strength, so starting a trade war right now is really a dumb idea.

houdini1

Mr_Shiftright said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Also, it isn't a nice way to treat your alleys and other friendly countries.

The rhetoric from the media is nice, but China has stated their intent to monopolize the steel and aluminum production. In fact, they said they would dominate solar cell production, requiring aluminum, even if they have to sell below the cost--dumping.

Now, That's not a nice way to treat your allies and other friendly countries.

We need to improve our economic productivity by producing more things that start with raw materials and make things like steel and aluminum from which yet other things are made and from those even more are made and sold. That improves the GDP greatly when having industry starting from scratch.

There is also the problem of supply of either in case of war. And for Canada we should carefully and fairly negotiate to trade in ways that benefit both of us. Some give and some take. WE are stronger together.

Same for Mexico. Negotiate.

The USA doesn't make things anymore because U.S. corporations make a lot more money making them overseas, employing robots, and using tax cuts to buy back their own stocks and generate dividends.

U.S. consumers better really want what they wish for, because if they want everything at Walmart to be made in America, they are going to pay a lot more for it---out of wages that haven't gone up in decades.

You know---like in real life, sometimes the lesser of two evils isn't all that bad a choice.

Besides, starting in the new fiscal year, October 2018, there may be some economic shock waves of considerable strength, so starting a trade war right now is really a dumb idea.

The Party in power now are not politicians, they are business people who know how to negotiate. This opening salvo is called negotiation. Threaten with tariffs, then in return for a much more favorable NAFTA agreement, forego the tariffs. Both sides win...but China might not escape. Plus even the idea of tariffs will go over big in the rust belt for mid-terms.

xwesx

I saw an odd vehicle with Michigan-plated manufacturer plates: Toyota C-HR. Isn't this one out on the market? I often see test mules here during the winter months, but this one was not in camo at all. I sorta like the color on it, but those lights! So hideous.

stickguy

I saw a couple of those CHRs recently out on the road. Amazed they sold that many.

ab348

stickguy said:

Do you use your tub? When we redid our master bath 7 years ago, we did put a tub back in (about 1/2 the size of the old one. I believe my wife used it once. We knew that would happen, and really only put it in for resale. So if you don't use it, scrap the Jacuzzi part and put a more basic, smaller one in. We preferred to expand the shower instead.

and if you have it all ripped out, consider a heated floor. I wish we put one of them in!

Yeah, for the first 19 years I lived in this house the only thing I used the tub for was bathing the cat (don't ask) and standing in to take a shower. When I had the thing redone last year the tub went and I now have a nice large walk-in shower, much better. I still have a tub in the downstairs bathroom. From what I see most people who have Jacuzzi tubs seldom use them after the novelty wears off. Unless you are a ladies man perhaps not bother to replace it like-for-like.

When the tile was installed in the downstairs bathroom I suggested to the contractor that a heated floor might be a good thing. He discouraged it and I didn't go for it. I now wish I had. I suspect he must have had a bad experience with one a while ago but those tiles are mighty chilly sometimes.

nyccarguy

roadburner said:

Okay, here's another plumbing story...

Our water is supplied from a cistern with an electric pump that feeds a 20 gallon pressure tank. The tank contains an air bladder that you pressurize to two PSI below the pump's low pressure switch. The air bladder eventually fails and the result is that the pump runs a lot more frequently. After 25 years our tank was shot.

The local plumbing guy I usually use has turned things over to his son and he is terrible about returning calls, so I started hunting for a new plumber. Turns out that two of the highest rated shops in my area don't service pressure tanks- I can't imagine why, as it's hardly rocket science. Anyway, the third place I tried sent a guy out. He had never worked on one before and insisted on testing the tank and checking with the head guy at the office before eventually agreeing with me that it needed a new one(I had to show him how to test it, BTW). Nice enough guy- just frustrating that it's so tough to find someone to perform a dead simple installation.

At least we will eventually get one installed; supposedly the same brand and model, so hopefully it will be accomplished with a minimum of trouble...

@roadburner - I sell a pump like that but it is tankless. One less thing to go bad. This is the unit from an online retailer. It is actually a pretty good price, especially since it includes free shipping.

https://www.waterpumpsdirect.com/Bur-Cam-506532SS-Water-Pump/p7177.html

ab348

So, without a tank, that pump comes on every time a tap is used?

ab348

stickguy said:

I saw a couple of those CHRs recently out on the road. Amazed they sold that many.

The Japanese auto makers seem to have thrown back to the "atomic cockroach" styling themes they employed in the early 1970s.

fintail

The lights, so hideous; the two tone attempt, so flamboyant; the styling, so pointlessly faux-aggressive. IIRC right now these are only FWD, maybe this one is an AWD test mule?

I have seen a handful of these here too.

xwesx said:

I saw an odd vehicle with Michigan-plated manufacturer plates: Toyota C-HR. Isn't this one out on the market? I often see test mules here during the winter months, but this one was not in camo at all. I sorta like the color on it, but those lights! So hideous.

nyccarguy

ab348 said:

So, without a tank, that pump comes on every time a tap is used?

correct.

jmonroe

roadburner said:

Okay, here's another plumbing story...

Our water is supplied from a cistern with an electric pump that feeds a 20 gallon pressure tank. The tank contains an air bladder that you pressurize to two PSI below the pump's low pressure switch. The air bladder eventually fails and the result is that the pump runs a lot more frequently. After 25 years our tank was shot.

The local plumbing guy I usually use has turned things over to his son and he is terrible about returning calls, so I started hunting for a new plumber. Turns out that two of the highest rated shops in my area don't service pressure tanks- I can't imagine why, as it's hardly rocket science. Anyway, the third place I tried sent a guy out. He had never worked on one before and insisted on testing the tank and checking with the head guy at the office before eventually agreeing with me that it needed a new one(I had to show him how to test it, BTW). Nice enough guy- just frustrating that it's so tough to find someone to perform a dead simple installation.

At least we will eventually get one installed; supposedly the same brand and model, so hopefully it will be accomplished with a minimum of trouble...

If you are going to get the same brand and model tank how hard could the unbolt and re-bolt be? Like you said you had to show the newbie plumber what it was anyhow. If you are concerned about the sweating of the water lines, you can use SharkBite fittings like these:

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=5jOgWo_SE4en5gLu3IzoAw&q=sharkbite+fittings&oq=sharkbit&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0l10.2279.10698.0.23345.8.8.0.0.0.0.118.760.5j3.8.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.8.756...46j0i131k1j0i46k1.0.Qr-FHnQ0Q3M

Yes, they cost more than the standard sweat fittings but they work. When I (yes, me all by myself) replaced our water heater after returning from vacation at the end of August 2012. I went to Lowes to get the water heater and I also wanted to get new quarter turn shut off valve to replace the original multi-turn valve. While there I saw this, new to me contraption, and a guy that works in the plumbing dept. came over to ask if I wanted any help? I said "what is this thingy anyhow"? He showed me how it worked on a few samples they had set up and he goes on to say, "a lot of plumbers are using these today although they won't admit it because it saves a lot of time. They especially like it in tight spaces vs. sweating where the risk of having a fire is greatly increased when using a torch". I said something like, "c'mon man real plumbers sweat". Just then a "real plumber" who overheard our conversation said, "I use them in tight spaces for the reason he just said. Try one and you'll see." My water heater was wide open with almost no chance of causing a fire but I decided to use one "coupling" just to see if it leaked. It didn't although I was ready to sweat a conventional fitting in if it did. Not a single drop since the 2012 installation and believe me I checked that gizmo daily without exception for at least 2 weeks after I installed it to see if it leaked. Would I ever use another one, maybe, but I used the first one as an experiment and it worked. Ask our plumber poster buddy @nyccarguy how many he sells and what he thinks of them.

Just for your info, the Bite part of that doo-dad is not what keeps it from leaking other than to hold it onto the pipe so that it doesn't pop off. The internal o-rings are what prevents it from leaking.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Also, it isn't a nice way to treat your alleys and other friendly countries.

The rhetoric from the media is nice, but China has stated their intent to monopolize the steel and aluminum production. In fact, they said they would dominate solar cell production, requiring aluminum, even if they have to sell below the cost--dumping.

Now, That's not a nice way to treat your allies and other friendly countries.

We need to improve our economic productivity by producing more things that start with raw materials and make things like steel and aluminum from which yet other things are made and from those even more are made and sold. That improves the GDP greatly when having industry starting from scratch.

There is also the problem of supply of either in case of war. And for Canada we should carefully and fairly negotiate to trade in ways that benefit both of us. Some give and some take. WE are stronger together.

Same for Mexico. Negotiate.

The USA doesn't make things anymore because U.S. corporations make a lot more money making them overseas, employing robots, and using tax cuts to buy back their own stocks and generate dividends.

U.S. consumers better really want what they wish for, because if they want everything at Walmart to be made in America, they are going to pay a lot more for it---out of wages that haven't gone up in decades.

You know---like in real life, sometimes the lesser of two evils isn't all that bad a choice.

Besides, starting in the new fiscal year, October 2018, there may be some economic shock waves of considerable strength, so starting a trade war right now is really a dumb idea.

The Party in power now are not politicians, they are business people who know how to negotiate. This opening salvo is called negotiation. Threaten with tariffs, then in return for a much more favorable NAFTA agreement, forego the tariffs. Both sides win...but China might not escape. Plus even the idea of tariffs will go over big in the rust belt for mid-terms.

I don't think so. Generally most U.S. corporations give NAFTA a "thumbs up". American workers give it a "thumbs down".

In reality, trade with Mexico and Canada do not represents a significant part of our GDP and what really happened with NAFTA is that it did not give us either the significant positive results, nor did it create the negative effects that everyone expected or insists occurred.

NAFTA is a political football, that's about it.

fintail

The only part where you are really correct IMO is the last sentence. Appease the base.

houdini1 said:

The Party in power now are not politicians, they are business people who know how to negotiate. This opening salvo is called negotiation. Threaten with tariffs, then in return for a much more favorable NAFTA agreement, forego the tariffs. Both sides win...but China might not escape. Plus even the idea of tariffs will go over big in the rust belt for mid-terms.

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

Just for your info, the Bite part of that doo-dad is not what keeps it from leaking other than to hold it onto the pipe so that it doesn't pop off. The internal o-rings are what prevents it from leaking. jmonroe

Thanks for posting that. I have a 30 year old hot water tank that I would like to replace. It does not have a water tray under it to catch seeps as any leak starts.

I wondered about the sharkbite type fittings. I may have a retired plumber who would do the install of a tank I buy or he buys. I also can modify to raise the inlet slightly to better fit the replacement tank and do it myself; that slightly short inlet side is what bothers me...

imidazol97

I'm still confused about how tariffs other countries have on our goods are okay--they don't cause economic problems for them. But tariffs we might put on goods, like steel, are bad. I don't understand that.

Reducing the imports of steel from China would be good for the environmentalists because of all the fossil fuel burned by the polluting ocean ships being the steel here.

In terms of producing steel from raw materials, iron ore & coal, here and then various levels of turning it into finished products would increase our GDP. I just drove by AK Steel Middletown Ohio plant coming back from Fairfield today. They are an example of what we need more of.

Was it dino001 who posted that it's negotiations 101. LOL He's right, in my opinion.
The publicity would have us believe the world will end. And I don't think NAFTA will Canada will have us nationalizing all Canadian bank accounts and property in this country. Canada is too important as is Mexico.

However, I recall Ross Perot and the "Huge rushing sound is the jobs leaving" when he discussed the then potential of NAFTA.

I recall a few years back the administration put a tariff on Chinese tires. That raised the price of my Michelins a few dollars. No problem. But it reduced the dumping of Chinese tires into the market here.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UOex12m6xFc

tbirdmarco

 GG good luck with your bathroom I hope all works out get the insurance company to pay for going to do that soon with our roof needs to be redone which is leaking haven’t put it in the 10 years we’ve been here needs to be redone mean my mom on the house here together 

tbirdmarco

 All this talk about the plumbing stuff very interesting good luck to all we’re having some minor plumbing issues 

explorerx4

@graphicguy,
Sorry to here about the burst pipe and damage.
Our master bath is also over the garage and I worry about the pipes freezing.
I have 3 150 watt incandescent bulbs in the garage ceiling. When it gets cold I turn them on and leave them on.
They actually produce some heat that sits up near the ceiling.
Whatever you do when you fix the bathroom, keep an eye on what the next owner will want.

houdini1

Mr_Shiftright said:

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Also, it isn't a nice way to treat your alleys and other friendly countries.

The rhetoric from the media is nice, but China has stated their intent to monopolize the steel and aluminum production. In fact, they said they would dominate solar cell production, requiring aluminum, even if they have to sell below the cost--dumping.

Now, That's not a nice way to treat your allies and other friendly countries.

We need to improve our economic productivity by producing more things that start with raw materials and make things like steel and aluminum from which yet other things are made and from those even more are made and sold. That improves the GDP greatly when having industry starting from scratch.

There is also the problem of supply of either in case of war. And for Canada we should carefully and fairly negotiate to trade in ways that benefit both of us. Some give and some take. WE are stronger together.

Same for Mexico. Negotiate.

The USA doesn't make things anymore because U.S. corporations make a lot more money making them overseas, employing robots, and using tax cuts to buy back their own stocks and generate dividends.

U.S. consumers better really want what they wish for, because if they want everything at Walmart to be made in America, they are going to pay a lot more for it---out of wages that haven't gone up in decades.

You know---like in real life, sometimes the lesser of two evils isn't all that bad a choice.

Besides, starting in the new fiscal year, October 2018, there may be some economic shock waves of considerable strength, so starting a trade war right now is really a dumb idea.

The Party in power now are not politicians, they are business people who know how to negotiate. This opening salvo is called negotiation. Threaten with tariffs, then in return for a much more favorable NAFTA agreement, forego the tariffs. Both sides win...but China might not escape. Plus even the idea of tariffs will go over big in the rust belt for mid-terms.

I don't think so. Generally most U.S. corporations give NAFTA a "thumbs up". American workers give it a "thumbs down".

In reality, trade with Mexico and Canada do not represents a significant part of our GDP and what really happened with NAFTA is that it did not give us either the significant positive results, nor did it create the negative effects that everyone expected or insists occurred.

NAFTA is a political football, that's about it.

Agree to disagree. We'll see.

explorerx4

Drove my truck in the snow(mostly slush) for the first time. It did just fine.
Didn't use any of the 4 wheel drive modes or even use the locker.
Heated steering wheel is nice, as I don't usually wear gloves.
Read the manual for a bit.
Figured out how the work the front camera, shut off the auto high beams, fold in the mirrors, activate the spotlights.
The front seats even have a screen on the center display. You can use it to adjust the seat bottom cushion, and the upper and lower seat back cushioning. I haven't tried the massage feature, yet.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner - I sell a pump like that but it is tankless. One less thing to go bad. This is the unit from an online retailer. It is actually a pretty good price, especially since it includes free shipping.

https://www.waterpumpsdirect.com/Bur-Cam-506532SS-Water-Pump/p7177.html

Wow! Really good price on that, too. So, every time you turn on your water, it turns on to provide pressure? How does that do in terms of longevity.... noise?!

My well is somewhat low yield (long story there), and I have a 300-gallon storage tank in my mechanical room. However, I had a freeze up many years ago that destroyed the jet pump I had connected to it, and I haven't hooked it up again since then. My pressure tank is also bad again (fourth time in fifteen years!), so I was thinking about reorganizing things so that my well pump pushes water through the filter, softener, etc., into the storage tank. Then, draw water from the storage tank into my distribution system for use.

I was thinking that I would have a jet pump attached to a pressure tank as before, but may be there are better choices?

xwesx

explorerx4 said:

The front seats even have a screen on the center display. You can use it to adjust the seat bottom cushion, and the upper and lower seat back cushioning. I haven't tried the massage feature, yet.

Spoiled! But, hey, you paid for it, so ENJOY IT!

driver100

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Also, it isn't a nice way to treat your alleys and other friendly countries.

The rhetoric from the media is nice, but China has stated their intent to monopolize the steel and aluminum production. In fact, they said they would dominate solar cell production, requiring aluminum, even if they have to sell below the cost--dumping.

Now, That's not a nice way to treat your allies and other friendly countries.

We need to improve our economic productivity by producing more things that start with raw materials and make things like steel and aluminum from which yet other things are made and from those even more are made and sold. That improves the GDP greatly when having industry starting from scratch.

There is also the problem of supply of either in case of war. And for Canada we should carefully and fairly negotiate to trade in ways that benefit both of us. Some give and some take. WE are stronger together.

Same for Mexico. Negotiate.

The USA doesn't make things anymore because U.S. corporations make a lot more money making them overseas, employing robots, and using tax cuts to buy back their own stocks and generate dividends.

U.S. consumers better really want what they wish for, because if they want everything at Walmart to be made in America, they are going to pay a lot more for it---out of wages that haven't gone up in decades.

You know---like in real life, sometimes the lesser of two evils isn't all that bad a choice.

Besides, starting in the new fiscal year, October 2018, there may be some economic shock waves of considerable strength, so starting a trade war right now is really a dumb idea.

The Party in power now are not politicians, they are business people who know how to negotiate. This opening salvo is called negotiation. Threaten with tariffs, then in return for a much more favorable NAFTA agreement, forego the tariffs. Both sides win...but China might not escape. Plus even the idea of tariffs will go over big in the rust belt for mid-terms.

Hope your right...but why would the presidents financial adviser quit if he thinks that is a smart way to do it. Personally, as a business person, I negotiate with people who want a win/win for both sides, if someone is going to be a bully, I am not interested.....I'd rather find someone I can work with.

roadburner

GG, I hope everything is resolved as painlessly as possible.

Mr_Shiftright

imidazol97 said:

I'm still confused about how tariffs other countries have on our goods are okay--they don't cause economic problems for them. But tariffs we might put on goods, like steel, are bad. I don't understand that.

Reducing the imports of steel from China would be good for the environmentalists because of all the fossil fuel burned by the polluting ocean ships being the steel here.

In terms of producing steel from raw materials, iron ore & coal, here and then various levels of turning it into finished products would increase our GDP. I just drove by AK Steel Middletown Ohio plant coming back from Fairfield today. They are an example of what we need more of.

Was it dino001 who posted that it's negotiations 101. LOL He's right, in my opinion.
The publicity would have us believe the world will end. And I don't think NAFTA will Canada will have us nationalizing all Canadian bank accounts and property in this country. Canada is too important as is Mexico.

However, I recall Ross Perot and the "Huge rushing sound is the jobs leaving" when he discussed the then potential of NAFTA.

I recall a few years back the administration put a tariff on Chinese tires. That raised the price of my Michelins a few dollars. No problem. But it reduced the dumping of Chinese tires into the market here.

Study after study has shown that tariffs cause reduced economic growth to the country imposing them. For every job that is protected in the U.S., the cost of protecting that job is astronomical to the country.

Basically, done on a large enough scale, tariffs are a suicide mission.

explorerx4

@xwesx,
I've always wanted a Lincoln, but have never been able to justify one.
When I was 50, I didn't get one.
When I was 60, I didn't get one, but my wife did.
She enjoys telling people 'I got a Lincoln for my husbands 60th birthday'.
My last truck spoiled me and this one takes to another level.
I guess it's my Lincoln and I'm pretty happy with it.

nyccarguy

imidazol97 said:

Just for your info, the Bite part of that doo-dad is not what keeps it from leaking other than to hold it onto the pipe so that it doesn't pop off. The internal o-rings are what prevents it from leaking. jmonroe

Thanks for posting that. I have a 30 year old hot water tank that I would like to replace. It does not have a water tray under it to catch seeps as any leak starts. I wondered about the sharkbite type fittings. I may have a retired plumber who would do the install of a tank I buy or he buys. I also can modify to raise the inlet slightly to better fit the replacement tank and do it myself; that slightly short inlet side is what bothers me...

Have you thought of going tankless?  Shark Bite Fittings are great.  They don't leak & are great to use in places where it is hard to reach or you don't (or can't) solder properly.

andres3

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

carplay does it through siri I think. But I have not tried that. sounds like same basic thing, just BMW as usual reinventing the wheel!

does the navi have real time traffic too? The nicest thing about running off the phone. My sonata had nice navi, but it didn't factor in traffic conditions.

Yes, it has real time traffic as well as what BMW calls "Dynamic Guidance." If that feature is activated the car will change the route as you are driving to avoid congested or closed roads.

I would say it isn't "real-time" if it isn't "dynamic guidance." I think the two go hand in hand. I don't want the fastest route at 5 AM when it is 5 PM!!!!

imidazol97

nyccarguy said:

Have you thought of going tankless?  Shark Bite Fittings are great.  They don't leak & are great to use in places where it is hard to reach or you don't (or can't) solder properly.

Yes. But...., our home was built during the freeze on new natural gas customers. No gas. All electric. Several years ago, fifteen maybe, the gas company sent a letter to our street asking who was interested in the cost of running a gas line and connecting. I replied in the positive, but apparently not enough others did that. The street behind us had run gas halfway down the block the year before.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

...but why would the presidents financial adviser quit if he thinks that is a smart way to do it. Personally, as a business person, I negotiate with people who want a win/win for both sides, if someone is going to be a bully, I am not interested.....I'd rather find someone I can work with.

The advisor is of the other party. And their statements sound like friendly parting occurred. More power to them both if it benefits the country (and Canada and Mexico!).

nyccarguy

imidazol97 said:

Have you thought of going tankless?  Shark Bite Fittings are great.  They don't leak & are great to use in places where it is hard to reach or you don't (or can't) solder properly.

Yes. But...., our home was built during the freeze on new natural gas customers. No gas. All electric. Several years ago, fifteen maybe, the gas company sent a letter to our street asking who was interested in the cost of running a gas line and connecting. I replied in the positive, but apparently not enough others did that. The street behind us had run gas halfway down the block the year before.

Ah!  Electric only?  That's tough.  

houdini1

imidazol97 said:

I'm still confused about how tariffs other countries have on our goods are okay--they don't cause economic problems for them. But tariffs we might put on goods, like steel, are bad. I don't understand that.

Reducing the imports of steel from China would be good for the environmentalists because of all the fossil fuel burned by the polluting ocean ships being the steel here.

In terms of producing steel from raw materials, iron ore & coal, here and then various levels of turning it into finished products would increase our GDP. I just drove by AK Steel Middletown Ohio plant coming back from Fairfield today. They are an example of what we need more of.

Was it dino001 who posted that it's negotiations 101. LOL He's right, in my opinion.
The publicity would have us believe the world will end. And I don't think NAFTA will Canada will have us nationalizing all Canadian bank accounts and property in this country. Canada is too important as is Mexico.

However, I recall Ross Perot and the "Huge rushing sound is the jobs leaving" when he discussed the then potential of NAFTA.

I recall a few years back the administration put a tariff on Chinese tires. That raised the price of my Michelins a few dollars. No problem. But it reduced the dumping of Chinese tires into the market here.

I agree with you Imid. We are now showing the biggest trade deficits in history and some changes are definitely needed. Cohn, the outgoing financial advisor is a globalist, where President Trump puts America first. Cohn has disagreed with President Trump on just about everything he has done so far. Time for Cohn to go.

imidazol97

graphicguy said:

I had a pipe burst in my master/en-suite bathroom.

Maybe I missed it, but was that a copper pipe or plastic? Did it burst or develop a pinhole then increase in size over time?

We had a pinhole in our 40-year old copper pipe in a large feed pipe for bathrooms and laundry service on a slab. Caught early. Plumber said it just happens with the copper of that era.

tjc78

My house was built in 1958... we just did a major remodel/addition and most of the old copper was replaced with PEX. I sometimes wonder if I should have had them convert the little bit that was left. They did do all the drain lines up to the end of the basement where it goes out of the house.

abacomike

Well, I was able to get a couple of Money Market accounts at my bank at 1.539% for a guaranteed 6 months with auto increase if rates go up in the meantime - thus the money remains liquid should better opportunities arise.

I was also able to get a 12 month CD at 2.2%.  At least it’s better than the .85% I was getting last year on Money Markets and 1.35% on CD’s.

Rates are generally on the rise.  I wonder if I’ll ever live long enough to see 5% CD rates again?  I have another CD maturing late next month.  I’m hoping for 2.5% on that one.

imidazol97

houdini1 said:

Time for Cohn to go.

Turnover in positions in high departments has been fairly common. It actually can be a positive with each holder working in his/her area of strength. Then someone else comes along. In this environment, everything is played as a negative.

But if price of steel and aluminium go up slightly, $100 more for my next Lincoln would be no big deal. I didn't have a say 8 years ago about my Michelin tires (and others) going up because Chinese tire makers had their prices raised by a tariff.

stickguy

I like that fancy plastic stuff, ever since I saw them use it on (I think) This old house.

tjc78

stickguy said:

I like that fancy plastic stuff, ever since I saw them use it on (I think) This old house.

My wife had never seen it... she was in the basement after the work was done and asked “what’s up with the red and blue pipes?”

stickguy

would have to be a really dumb (or I guess, color blind) plumber to screw up hot and cold with that set up.

explorerx4

@abacomike,
I would love to see 5% savings account rates(govt guaranteed principal).

tjc78

stickguy said:

would have to be a really dumb (or I guess, color blind) plumber to screw up hot and cold with that set up.

Ha !! They actually re hooked up my downstairs washer backwards. I guess they didn’t look at the markings on the back.

explorerx4

I had a toilet that flushed hot water. Didn't take too long to figure that out!
Wrong stew in that crock pot.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

imidazol97 said:

I'm still confused about how tariffs other countries have on our goods are okay--they don't cause economic problems for them. But tariffs we might put on goods, like steel, are bad. I don't understand that.

Reducing the imports of steel from China would be good for the environmentalists because of all the fossil fuel burned by the polluting ocean ships being the steel here.

In terms of producing steel from raw materials, iron ore & coal, here and then various levels of turning it into finished products would increase our GDP. I just drove by AK Steel Middletown Ohio plant coming back from Fairfield today. They are an example of what we need more of.

Was it dino001 who posted that it's negotiations 101. LOL He's right, in my opinion.
The publicity would have us believe the world will end. And I don't think NAFTA will Canada will have us nationalizing all Canadian bank accounts and property in this country. Canada is too important as is Mexico.

However, I recall Ross Perot and the "Huge rushing sound is the jobs leaving" when he discussed the then potential of NAFTA.

I recall a few years back the administration put a tariff on Chinese tires. That raised the price of my Michelins a few dollars. No problem. But it reduced the dumping of Chinese tires into the market here.

Study after study has shown that tariffs cause reduced economic growth to the country imposing them. For every job that is protected in the U.S., the cost of protecting that job is astronomical to the country.

Basically, done on a large enough scale, tariffs are a suicide mission.

For me, Tariffs are the same as welfare or a bailout. You can't hack it against the competition, so you un-level the playing field. Now if your argument is that the playing field wasn't level to begin with, just make sure that this move is leveling it, and not making it worse.

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

I had a pipe burst in my master/en-suite bathroom.

Maybe I missed it, but was that a copper pipe or plastic? Did it burst or develop a pinhole then increase in size over time? We had a pinhole in our 40-year old copper pipe in a large feed pipe for bathrooms and laundry service on a slab. Caught early. Plumber said it just happens with the copper of that era.

My AC condensation evacuation pipe was PCV (PVC - whatever) and split apart at the main line connection inside the foyer wall when they tried blowing out the line.  The plumber fixed it and replaced pipes and couplings after tearing out part of the wall.  I’m still waiting for the maintenance department to come in and repair, tape and sand the wall so I can have a painter come in a do the foyer walls.

My condo is 27 years old and I’m just waiting for more plumbing problems - which is inevitable.  That’s when I decide whether or not to invest 35 to 40K in remodeling the 2 bathrooms and the kitchen - and maybe even putting marble down in the whole apartment.  I just hate to put money into this place that I would never get back if I sold the place.

stickguy

I thought you were considering moving someplace different? Or are you just planning to stay put as long as you can?

abacomike

stickguy said:

I thought you were considering moving someplace different? Or are you just planning to stay put as long as you can?

If you’re referring to me, I am going to “stick” it out as long as I can “stick”!