Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

Now we've got dishwashers that steam the dishes first. I want one that cleans them and puts them into the cabinets for me.

What happened, did your wife go off to visit her aunt again?

jmonroe

xwesx

tbirdmarco said:

 Don’t you old former glad you liked it not for everyone so many of them around my neighborhood never really realized till now 

That's called "red car syndrome." You tend to notice a lot more "red cars" on the road once you buy one!

I do the same thing with models I like or own. 69-72 GM trucks? They're everywhere! I swear it!

xwesx

stickguy said:

(I have not gotten gas in either car in at least 2 wees).

So, you empty more often than you fill. I'm not sure that's a bad thing, but it is only likely to get worse....

Heheh; sorry, I could not resist. Some typos are just too hilarious!

andres3

looks like the Audi 2.0T recall missed me.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

File this under "whodathunkit".

Power steering abruptly failed on wife's PT Cruiser. Went into the shop with the expectation of expensive repairs.

Just got a call telling me that a suicide Chipmonk had gotten into the engine compartment and his dying act was to knock the belt off the PS unit.

That's the second lucky cheap fix this week.

Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

Bwahahahhahaha! Best service writeup ever! "Remove Dead Chipmunk; Reinstall Drive Belt."

tjc78

You want to see some good ones? Reddit “just rolled into shop”. Histerical stuff.

cdnpinhead

"Voice of the customer" it's called. What it results in is the concept that if the customer doesn't notice or care about what you're putting into the product, you're wasting resources. Making it really good if most of the customers don't notice is waste.

Plus the Director or VP who gets credit for reducing the quality making it cheaper gets a bonus. The people who buy (or more likely lease) the vehicle, not so much.

Ain't life grand?

andres3

cdnpinhead said:

"Voice of the customer" it's called. What it results in is the concept that if the customer doesn't notice or care about what you're putting into the product, you're wasting resources. Making it really good if most of the customers don't notice is waste.

Plus the Director or VP who gets credit for reducing the quality making it cheaper gets a bonus. The people who buy (or more likely lease) the vehicle, not so much.

Ain't life grand?

What's the book labor time rate on removing dead chipmunk?

As for reducing quality/cost, do they even compute "tarnished brand image" and "fails to meet expectations" into their accounting?

dino001

andres3 said:

cdnpinhead said:

"Voice of the customer" it's called. What it results in is the concept that if the customer doesn't notice or care about what you're putting into the product, you're wasting resources. Making it really good if most of the customers don't notice is waste.

Plus the Director or VP who gets credit for reducing the quality making it cheaper gets a bonus. The people who buy (or more likely lease) the vehicle, not so much.

Ain't life grand?

What's the book labor time rate on removing dead chipmunk?

As for reducing quality/cost, do they even compute "tarnished brand image" and "fails to meet expectations" into their accounting?

Usually only after it all went to s...t already. Sometimes it can be masked for period of time by overall industry sales growth, so the execs take credit for developments not their own making (rooster taking credit for a sunrise). Meanwhile they count bonus money.

driver100

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

Now we've got dishwashers that steam the dishes first. I want one that cleans them and puts them into the cabinets for me.

What happened, did your wife go off to visit her aunt again?

jmonroe

I was going to say that too, but I am much more polite and PC, and i would never kiss one of my wife's friends on the lips.

abacomike

Got a call from my primary care physician earlier - the results from the ultrasound I had done at the hospital showed a DVT (blood clot) in my left knee’s femoral vein.  He raised my dosage of Eliquis (blood thinner) and wants me to make an appointment with the hematologist.

Over the last 24-36 hours I have had severe pain in my left knee making walking quite painful.  Also, quite a bit of swelling.  Hopefully the increased dosage of blood thinner will dissolve the clot before it gets larger.  Always a danger of a clot breaking off which could be dangerous.

Things just don’t seem to be going well lately.  Just hope I don’t end up as a hospital patient.

Mr_Shiftright

Ikea not only got rid of the weight, but also the aesthetics of old furniture. At least fintail could experience "pride of ownership" on both his old, and a new or newer Benz.

With Ikea furniture....not so much.

fintail

I have a few Ikea pieces, including my TV cabinet with matching bookshelves that form a wall unit. They are adequate quality, given the price. After heading for 15 years, the desktop finish on my Ikea desk looks a little worse for wear, but everything else has held up. There's definitely something substituted for price, but probably better and better designed than furniture one would find at a mass merchandiser. Biggest problem with Ikea here might be the zoo-like experience of shopping there - always jammed, time consuming layout.

Hope that all passes and you come out of it fine, abacomike.

jmonroe

abacomike said:

Got a call from my primary care physician earlier - the results from the ultrasound I had done at the hospital showed a DVT (blood clot) in my left knee’s femoral vein.  He raised my dosage of Eliquis (blood thinner) and wants me to make an appointment with the hematologist.

Over the last 24-36 hours I have had severe pain in my left knee making walking quite painful.  Also, quite a bit of swelling.  Hopefully the increased dosage of blood thinner will dissolve the clot before it gets larger.  Always a danger of a clot breaking off which could be dangerous.

Things just don’t seem to be going well lately.  Just hope I don’t end up as a hospital patient.

Just give the med time to work. What I prescribe for you now is some of that tasty Scotch and a good night's sleep. Let us know how it worked in the morning.

Dr. jmonroe

tbirdmarco

Lol lol lol

tbirdmarco

Nice Greenland 

driver100

Sorry to hear about clot Mike. If adversity makes you stronger...you should be like Superman by now. One friend has this motto on his emails - and I always liked it;
Often daunted.......never defeated.
Keep fighting back!

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ikea not only got rid of the weight, but also the aesthetics of old furniture. At least fintail could experience "pride of ownership" on both his old, and a new or newer Benz.

With Ikea furniture....not so much.

I am not a huge fan of IKEA furniture, but for price, style and comfort I would prefer it over the older stuff. I don't like sinking into some of those big overstuffed chairs, and they often have large cushions and the back slopes at a large angle so you are sitting in a reclining position. Then you need a few pillows to make you upright.

Kind of like the difference between driving a 57 Cadillac and a 86 BMW. Not saying one is better or worse, just depends on what you prefer. That is why they make different furniture....and cars.

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

Now we've got dishwashers that steam the dishes first. I want one that cleans them and puts them into the cabinets for me.

What happened, did your wife go off to visit her aunt again?

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

Now we've got dishwashers that steam the dishes first. I want one that cleans them and puts them into the cabinets for me.

What happened, did your wife go off to visit her aunt again?

jmonroe

Because of her bad back, I do the laundry and removing the dishes from the washer. Anything that requires bending and reaching into the washers is my job description.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Kind of like the difference between driving a 57 Cadillac and a 86 BMW. Not saying one is better or worse, just depends on what you prefer. That is why they make different furniture....and cars.

Here's a nice solid piece of "furniture" that has lasted. (Yes, I know it's not a '57. It's a Brougham I saw at the local casino Sunday--beautiful.)

bwia

2019 all electric Buick Espire SUV concept to be unveiled at China's Auto Show this week. The 5-passenger EV will have an expected range of 375 miles, 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, and a fast charge of 80% in 40 minutes. Nice fluid design but will it be affordable. Enjoy the short video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr8xOedpgK4

imidazol97

@mike

I wish you the best on taking care of that knee problem.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

Kind of like the difference between driving a 57 Cadillac and a 86 BMW. Not saying one is better or worse, just depends on what you prefer. That is why they make different furniture....and cars.

Here's a nice solid piece of "furniture" that has lasted. (Yes, I know it's not a '57. It's a Brougham I saw at the local casino Sunday--beautiful.)

That Caddie is nice...but, if given a choice, I would take the bmw.

qbrozen

bwia said:

2019 all electric Buick Espire SUV concept to be unveiled at China's Auto Show this week. The 5-passenger EV will have an expected range of 375 miles, 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, and a fast charge of 80% in 40 minutes. Nice fluid design but will it be affordable. Enjoy the short video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr8xOedpgK4

Well, we'll see, but that would take a helluva lot of kilowatts to meet those specs.

driver100

Buick Expire (done on purpose) looks interesting. Not your father's Buick. I like that they took some risks and and are making a Buick...way more with it.
I don't like pop up tablet media/gps screens so I think the speedometer should have been built in. The steering wheel sure looks different, may be easier to hold at 2 and 10 o'clock???????

I noticed even inexpensive cars can look and feel like they are more expensive and better built...if they have a nice solid well designed steering wheel.
Sonata;

stickguy

Looks just like my Elantra too. Just slightly wider.

carnaught

@abacomike, sorry to hear about the clot. Keep us informed, and here’s hoping the increased anticoagulant dosage does the trick.

driver100

Hyundai does a nice job of making nice looking and solid feeling steering wheels. Nothing cheapens the feel of a car more than a really cheap steering wheel.

fintail

If we're going to pick 1986 BMWs, at least go for top of the line:



Its 1986 MB counterpart was also quite a car:



I agree, the steering wheel makes a huge impression and can make a big difference - as you are dealing with it for virtually all of your time inside the car.

ab348

driver100 said:

I don't like pop up tablet media/gps screens so I think the speedometer should have been built in. The steering wheel sure looks different, may be easier to hold at 2 and 10 o'clock???????

I noticed even inexpensive cars can look and feel like they are more expensive and better built...if they have a nice solid well designed steering wheel.
Sonata;

The Sonata has a good steering wheel but the design of the center stack and info screen has always driven me crazy:



The way they positioned the screen so it is offset to the left of being centered over the controls below grates on me.

houdini1

abacomike said:

fintail said:

You're exactly right on that. Many cars are built to behave best just for the term of a lease, or at most, a standard loan.

MB also did this in the name of environmental/biodegradable prattle, but I suspect costs were involved and man, did it backfire.

The early 00s were also a time for "beta testing" bleeding edge MB tech, and I don't think BMW or Audi were any better.

And to show off. cars of this era would last as long as you reasonably maintained them and kept them away from rust (this is an unrestored car):

dino001 said:

Sadly I think that's exactly, when MB (and other Germans) went down in '90s and '00s. The biggest gremlins in MB cars were in electrical systems and you can see the scheme very clearly. Say, there is a relay, it's supposed to work 100,000 hours, or whatever for say $30/piece it's needed for it to last a proverbial lifetime. In 60s, 70s, "lifetime" for MB was 20 years, or 500K miles (or something like that, I don't know for sure). Then the accountants come in and say, let's shorten it to 10 years, nobody is expecting 10 year old car to work as new.
Then another trend set out. Cars got a lot of new features, many keep coming. Electric this, power that, computer controls everywhere, all run by software. Short introduction cycles mean not a lot of time for vetting problems. Here is a solution - we sell a beta version for a full price and then "work it out" through reflashes at dealerships. You give a customer a loaner so he shuts up about the inconvenience and we all move on. The lease is over and the next owner better gets a certified version, or he/she pays thousands.

That Mercedes Benz is a truly gorgeous car, fintail. I would love to own a car like that - maybe a 1980 E or S Sedan. Those cars were built to last generations. Not like the cars of today.

As much as I love my S450, it has a mind of its own. Now, I am sure you are wondering what I mean by, "...mind of its own..."! I just mean that it is quirky - sometimes it does things without my wanting it to. There are so many buttons and switches with so many redundancies (i.e. mouse wheel and right behind that mouse wheel is a touch bar that does exactly the same thing as the mouse wheel), I would think that one of the computers or microprocessor is trying to control another computer or microprocessor.

Here are a few experiences I have had many times when first starting the car or while driving the car.

*I start the car in the morning and prior to putting it into gear, I want to adjust the temperature settings for the HVAC system. I go to the knob that has a red arrow pointing up and a blue arrow pointing down (you push up to increase temp setting and push down to reduce temp setting) and I start to make my selection by pushing up on the knob - low and behold the radio station setting goes to 93.1 HD2 from whattver I was listening to prior to pushing the temp button. Sort of like there is a "ghost" in the car that didn't like the temp setting I selected so it decided to change my radio station to a station I hate. That 93.1 HD2 is not a pre-set station, mind you.

*I'm driving on the highway and I decide to change the ride and handling setting to Economy from Comfort. I pull back on the correct lever and move the setting into Economy - low and behold the radio changes stations to 93.1 HD2 again. Mind you, I am no where near a button or gadget that would change radio stations. The "ghost" obviously doesn't like my Economy selection so it punishes me by changing the radio station to 93.1 HD2.

At first, I thought it was the "touch bar" located just behind and over the mouse wheel, that was causing me to inadvertently change an internal setting. So I go into setting and turn off the touch bar function. That did not solve the problem.

So I go to the service manager at my local dealer and he is a bit taken aback - but he recalls that in the E Class he drives which has the Premium 3 package, that a few strange things have occurred in his car - northing major - just strange ("STRANGE MAGIC" by E.L.O., ). He offers to take the car in and run diagnostics and have a mechanic research the problem, but I told him that it could take a week for them to determine that they can't find anything wrong. Remember, the car drives and rides great, but it is quirky, at times, when it comes to radio station settings. This happens infrequently, but when it does, I get a bit startled. I ask myself, why doesn't it change to a radio station I like or something other that 93.1 HD2? I have no idea. It just does this perhaps once a week, sometimes twice.

The service manager stated that it might have to do with a need for a software update. I just told him when I bring it in for its first service, we'll deal with it then. It makes no sense to try to determine the cause at tis point.

So, I have a quirky and/or sensitive car that just happens to love listening to 93.1 HD2 - I don't mind it so long as it does not decide to take possession of the entire car or take possession of me - I don't want an EXORCIST!


Ditto on the fintail, great car. There is a reason that older guys drive Japanese cars. I try to stick with those that are still made in Japan.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Hyundai does a nice job of making nice looking and solid feeling steering wheels. Nothing cheapens the feel of a car more than a really cheap steering wheel.

Nothing cheapens the feel of a car more, unless it's having the battery sitting on the passenger floor.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

bwia said:

2019 all electric Buick Espire SUV concept to be unveiled at China's Auto Show this week. The 5-passenger EV will have an expected range of 375 miles, 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, and a fast charge of 80% in 40 minutes. Nice fluid design but will it be affordable. Enjoy the short video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr8xOedpgK4

Well, we'll see, but that would take a helluva lot of kilowatts to meet those specs.

BMW is introducing the iX3 electric as well, claiming 270 hp and a 249 mile range.

Mr_Shiftright

Probably you'll be able to buy different "ranges".

Actually it's rather senseless to build EVs with a range more than 250 miles. You'll pay a lot more for a 300 mile EV and rarely need or use that many miles in just one day, without stopping.

I often drive for a living, appraising cars, and I rarely, if ever, go beyond a 250 mile range in a day. I wouldn't pay Tesla another $10,000 to go another 75 miles.

roadburner

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

I don't like pop up tablet media/gps screens so I think the speedometer should have been built in. The steering wheel sure looks different, may be easier to hold at 2 and 10 o'clock???????

I noticed even inexpensive cars can look and feel like they are more expensive and better built...if they have a nice solid well designed steering wheel.
Sonata;

The Sonata has a good steering wheel but the design of the center stack and info screen has always driven me crazy:



The way they positioned the screen so it is offset to the left of being centered over the controls below grates on me.

BMW canted the centers stack towards the driver in most of their '80s and '90s models. I actually preferred it but the practice was abandoned when customer surveys showed passengers didn't like it because it made them feel "left out."

28firefighter

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

I don't like pop up tablet media/gps screens so I think the speedometer should have been built in. The steering wheel sure looks different, may be easier to hold at 2 and 10 o'clock???????

I noticed even inexpensive cars can look and feel like they are more expensive and better built...if they have a nice solid well designed steering wheel.
Sonata;

The Sonata has a good steering wheel but the design of the center stack and info screen has always driven me crazy:



The way they positioned the screen so it is offset to the left of being centered over the controls below grates on me.

And now this car is ruined for me. Can't unsee it now.

Mr_Shiftright

But people get used to things, once they've owned the car a while. The center speedometer didn't seem to hurt Mini's popularity, and Tesla Model 3 owners don't seem to mind having their directional indicators on a center-mounted touch screen, for instance.

roadburner

I loved the "driver-centric" dash layout in my M6:

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

Now we've got dishwashers that steam the dishes first. I want one that cleans them and puts them into the cabinets for me.

What happened, did your wife go off to visit her aunt again?

jmonroe

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

Now we've got dishwashers that steam the dishes first. I want one that cleans them and puts them into the cabinets for me.

What happened, did your wife go off to visit her aunt again?

jmonroe

Because of her bad back, I do the laundry and removing the dishes from the washer. Anything that requires bending and reaching into the washers is my job description.

Aw man, don't tell me you fell for that excuse.

About 10 years ago Mrs. j tried the back thingy on me. After about two weeks I wised up and acquired a back thingy of my own. Turned out hers healed before mine did. Everything went back to normal and she hasn't tried that again.

Sometimes you gotta man-up and fight back.

jmonroe

jmonroe

fintail said:

If we're going to pick 1986 BMWs, at least go for top of the line:



Its 1986 MB counterpart was also quite a car:



I agree, the steering wheel makes a huge impression and can make a big difference - as you are dealing with it for virtually all of your time inside the car.

If I had to make a choice, I'd go with the Benz. The BMW has too many white spots all over it.

jmonroe

jmonroe

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

I don't like pop up tablet media/gps screens so I think the speedometer should have been built in. The steering wheel sure looks different, may be easier to hold at 2 and 10 o'clock???????

I noticed even inexpensive cars can look and feel like they are more expensive and better built...if they have a nice solid well designed steering wheel.
Sonata;

The Sonata has a good steering wheel but the design of the center stack and info screen has always driven me crazy:



The way they positioned the screen so it is offset to the left of being centered over the controls below grates on me.

To be honest, the small brake pedal turns me off more than the offset screen.

jmonroe

fintail

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:



Wide brake pedal, too.

stickguy

Between the sonata and elantra I have been driving behind that basic dash for 3.5 years now, and honestly never noticed it being slightly off line. I will stare at the elantra next time I drive it but doubt it will start bothering me now!

and I never found the brake pedal to be smaller than normal. And I have big feet.

bwia

abacomike said:

Got a call from my primary care physician earlier - the results from the ultrasound I had done at the hospital showed a DVT (blood clot) in my left knee’s femoral vein.  He raised my dosage of Eliquis (blood thinner) and wants me to make an appointment with the hematologist.

Over the last 24-36 hours I have had severe pain in my left knee making walking quite painful.  Also, quite a bit of swelling.  Hopefully the increased dosage of blood thinner will dissolve the clot before it gets larger.  Always a danger of a clot breaking off which could be dangerous.

Things just don’t seem to be going well lately.  Just hope I don’t end up as a hospital patient.

So sorry to hear about your DVT problem. Not much to offer other my well wishes and to take your medicine and follow your doctor's advice. Get well soon my friend.

driver100

fintail said:

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:

Wide brake pedal, too.

fintail said:

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:



Wide brake pedal, too.

I think the 69 Fords started that off center dash stuff and I like it. It has been improved on since then and the Hyudai instrument panels are tastefully done...and it is nice to have the gauges and controls within view and reach of the driver. OTOH, the dash in my car is flat and not built around the driver, and I can see everything clearly. My wife likes the fact she can see the time and temperature from the passenger seat.

jmonroe

fintail said:

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:



Wide brake pedal, too.

Now that's a brake pedal. Back in that era that's how Detroit made the power brake pedal at least on GM's with an automatic transmission it was that size. On cars without power brakes the pedal was smaller. Kinda backwards if you ask me. The brake pedal in cars today are not that big, maybe 3/4 that size.

@driver100 likes lots of glass, I don't like a puny brake pedal.

One thing for sure, @driver100 ain't buying a car with a skinny steering wheel like that Ford has.

jmonroe

stickguy

I want the radio and HVAC controls to the left of the steering wheel. so my wife can't reach them and mess with how I want them set!

jmonroe

driver100 said:

fintail said:

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:

Wide brake pedal, too.

fintail said:

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:



Wide brake pedal, too.

I think the 69 Fords started that off center dash stuff and I like it. It has been improved on since then and the Hyudai instrument panels are tastefully done...and it is nice to have the gauges and controls within view and reach of the driver. OTOH, the dash in my car is flat and not built around the driver, and I can see everything clearly. My wife likes the fact she can see the time and temperature from the passenger seat.

That light colored fat steering wheel must get filthy just going back and forth to the grocery store. :@

jmonroe

ab348

fintail said:

69-70 LTDs also had a dash aimed at the driver:



Wide brake pedal, too.

I absolutely loved that Ford dash design when we went car-shopping in the fall of '68. Very space-agey, cockpit-like stuff. But Mom hated it. Nothing for her to do or look at! Even the radio was out of reach. And the ashtray came out of the side of that dash pod which was a long reach for her. Needless to say, we ended up with a '69 Impala.

jmonroe

stickguy said:

I want the radio and HVAC controls to the left of the steering wheel. so my wife can't reach them and mess with how I want them set!

Car rules in our household is no one messes with the drivers settings.

On a related matter, both of our cars have dual climate control control, which I think is ridiculous because how much temp difference can there be one seat away without the other seat being affected? Anyway, the first time in my '09 Genny when I asked Mrs. j if she wanted to adjust the temp on her side, I got a strange look. So I showed her how to do that. She said, "oh yeah, everyone needs a car that has that". She said the same thing about the backup camera on that car until it came time to buy her Subie. She still hasn't adjusted the passenger side temp when we are in her Subie. All I can say about that is, I must know how to make settings perfectly, radio included.

jmonroe