Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

andres3

Left lane camping, a dear subject of mine, and since Lane Courtesy Month has just ended, I'd like to post an extremely well written Vehicle Code by the State of CA.

I've noticed people that left lane camp also tend to have trouble with English comprehension, but this law seems very well written and crystal clear to me.

They address common arguments of left lane campers, including "but I was going the speed limit!," and the other often stated "there wasn't a slower traffic keep right sign exactly where I was!"

1) Going the speed limit makes you no more justified to impede a speeder than it does to break any other law assaulting a speeder. For example, someone speeding doesn't give you the right to rape or murder them, so why would it give you the right to impede them? Answer = it doesn't. The two laws are unrelated. Going the speed limit doesn't make you God and omnipotent to break all other laws.

2) The signs are plastered all over CA, but they don't have to be, but they can be. Still, the law applies whether the signs are posted or not. Ignorance of the law is not a defense.

ARTICLE 1. Driving on Right Side [21650 - 21664] ( Article 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )

21654.
(a) Notwithstanding the prima facie speed limits, any vehicle proceeding upon a highway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall be driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

(b) If a vehicle is being driven at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time, and is not being driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, it shall constitute prima facie evidence that the driver is operating the vehicle in violation of subdivision (a) of this section.

(c) The Department of Transportation, with respect to state highways, and local authorities, with respect to highways under their jurisdiction, may place and maintain upon highways official signs directing slow-moving traffic to use the right-hand traffic lane except when overtaking and passing another vehicle or preparing for a left turn.

Mr_Shiftright

However, all this does not give you the right to tailgate the offending left lane dawdler. Fair is fair if we are playing by the rules. We don't need "left-lane vigilantes" either.

ab348

nyccarguy said:

You are going to want to spend some money on a really nicely crafted, durable faucet for the kitchen. I have a Hansgrohe (http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/) in my kitchen (as does my Dad). You might also want to take a look at grohe (https://www.grohe.com/). Those are European and will be cosly, but well built. I'd see if you can find a plumbing supply showroom somewhere in your area. I deal with a company Huntington Brass out of California that build nice faucets that are MIC (made in China).

Up here in Canada at least Grohe used to be a trade-only kind of item, but now I see them in big-box stores at prices competitive with Moen and Kohler. I wonder if quality has suffered as a result? I have a Grohe bar faucet from 20 years ago that came from a plumbing supply house which remains flawless. I have heard of Hansgrohe but never see them locally. Given the name similarity, were they at one point related to the Grohe operation?

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

"The title for the Altima came in the mail on Saturday too so we are officially are down to 1 car payment now."

What are you waiting for?

Ha. We figured we'd continue setting aside the payment money for now since it's already factored into the budget and when the time suits Mrs. Pens we'll make a move as long as the car remains free of unexpected mechanical breakdowns.

However I hope to scratch my itch with that GS-R from New York.

laurasdada

Good luck to you and your sister, GG! My XF keeps tickin', although I've been itching for new, just nothing is grabbing me at the moment.

I love my credit cards. I get to hold on to my $ longer, I get 2% cash back on every purchase; I pay the balance off in full. Every month. My car loan I thought would eventually be a money maker, that interest rates would have to rise within the 5 year term beyond the decent rate I got that lovely New Years Eve 2013.

So, speaking of stocks, sounds like Dell is going public (again). As I have a few shares of the Dell VMware tracking stock (DVMT), per articles I have a choice of taking cash for my shares or receiving shares of the new Dell publicly traded stock. What to do... Thinking of taking the $, watch the stock "IPO" and likely sink and then buy, if I don't put the $ into a new car!

roadburner

As far as debt goes, my wife and I do our best to avoid it. I bought the 2er on a 60 month loan and it will be paid off in 31 months. We have several credit cards, but they are all paid off in full every month. If you can't pay off the balance in full every month then you probably should quit using them.

andres3

jmonroe said:

graphicguy said:

abacomike said:

Back to politics I see.  That’s all folks - see you guys when this stops - I’m done!

houdini1 said:

fintail said:

If a certain someone mouths off a little more, those groups will only grow in number and scope. I suspect there are similar now in Europe. I also suspect the US will be sliding towards recession by around 2020, and this will greatly exacerbate it. It'll also be a more difficult recovery, as stimulus has already been applied to keep this economy going. Sounds like a fun ride ahead

I am also curious regarding the destination of tariff proceeds. This is an era of graft and grifters.

driver100 said:

It is surprising how many people have told me they won't be going South this winter. And there are groups who are boycotting American products if there is an alternative (Most fruit and vegetables can be sourced in South America or Africa these days for example).

I will make some changes in what I buy, but, I like our winter in Florida and I am not ready to change my lifestyle because of an ignorant political strategy, that defies logic.

Some experts say this could end up being a good thing for Canada and other countries...it forces us to find new markets to trade with.

Trump won, Hillary lost. Get over it.

Yeah....not sure where that came from?????! How did this turn into a Trump vs Hillary?

Simple, there are Democrats and Republicans in here but that does not mean that this is the forum to dicuss politics. It has to stop NOW before we ruin a good thing.

jmonroe

Don't forget Libertarians and Green Party members!

Moving back to Cars, anyone see RS3 on the road? I seem to see them around now; they might be a hit at their price point.

driver100

It is hard to find out exact numbers....of homes in Florida that are not owned by residents. Putting together some numbers though, it is pretty high. There are 6.3 million households in Florida. 700,000 are owned by Canadians...over 10%. Of all foreign buyers, Canadians make up 22% of all foreign sales, Latin America and Carribean make up 34%, Europeans 23%, Asians 10%.....it looks like closer to 30% of all homes are foreign owned - I am not good at math. And that doesn't count.....I suppose, Americans who own second homes in Florida. Miami has most foreign ownership....53%!

So, if we all go.........Florida will be like a ghost town. Hope you don't build a northern wall too.

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

However, all this does not give you the right to tailgate the offending left lane dawdler. Fair is fair if we are playing by the rules. We don't need "left-lane vigilantes" either.

Left lane vigilantes..... a good term. I suppose I was a self-appointed enforcer at a younger time in my life. In order to be a vigilante, you need a lot of time on your hands. And yes, tailgating and speeding are illegal, and you can and will be cited for them. Still, lack of enforcement does breed vigilantes I'd say. There are people out there that think "someone's got to do it, if the CHP doesn't (they don't)!"

Nowadays, being older and wiser, and not having a bulletproof vest or packing heat like the CHP, I just blow by on the right and increase the distance between my car and the left lane dawdler as quickly as possible.

I might offer a "honk" as I go by if I deem the offense to be partly due to being half asleep at the wheel, or some other extra objectionable reason.

Sadly, I find flashing headlight high-beams to be a low success endeavor... below 33% in Southern CA. Doesn't take much effort to do it, but at that low success rate, it's just easier to blow by on the right.

driver100

Mr S: The article about tariffs was excellent....well written and easy, even for me, to comprehend.
The author says there are very few times when tariffs actually are a good thing. Usually they are imposed to try and help one group who lobby, but, they usually cost much more than they create.....they are done for show or to win a group over.

If you want to read the article it is at:
TARIFFS - GOOD OR BAD (almost always bad)

suydam

Hansgrohe is still European made, but Kohler and Grohe no longer are and have gone the cheap parts big box store route. There are also some other very nice regional makers like Kallista and Phyllrich. We just had our bathroom remodeled.

andres3

houdini1 said:

Forbes is not generally known as an automotive expert, but some surprising 2018 models showed up on its list of cars to avoid: Ford Taurus, Acura ILX, Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Journey, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, and Maserati Ghibli.

That list seems to be pretty predictable to me.

I would say if the ILX is a Civic, the reason to avoid it is it costs more than a Civic, so just get the Civic. Usually though, I find the interiors of the luxury car justify the price increases (among other things). However, the ILX could be an exception.

driver100

Imid.....This article explains the hidden subsidy's American dairy farmers receive. Without the subsidy, they would lose money. Since subsidy's aren't paid directly for the product, these fees get hidden as used for other purposes. I have read, that without these subsidy's, Canadian farmers could sell milk for less than U.S. farmers....no matter what is said over and over again and about the 275% (I think this is mentioned over and over with the theory if you say it enough people will believe it. It is easy to say and becomes like a cheer, as the die hards clap when it is mentioned)
EXPLANATION OF SUBSIDY'S U.S. DAIRY FARMERS.

Another hidden advantage is that undocumented immigrants seem to make up a significant number of farm hands.....working for low wages.

henryn

qbrozen said:

Wonder what their issues were with the Dodges that are magically absent in Pacifica.

Just guessing here, the Dodge Grand Caravan is based on the old body style, the newer Pacifica while similar in many ways is also changed quite a bit. If I move from the 2016 Town and Country into a test drive of a new 2018 Pacifica, I notice quite a few differences. The Pacifica is quieter, smoother, more luxurious if you will. But it feels bigger when you're trying to park it. The numbers don't seem to bear that out, but it just feels bigger when trying to squeeze it into a parking space.

I think they were saying to avoid the old, and go with the newer.

driver100

Those Motorweek picks are a bit questionable too. Best Performance Package - I like the Cherokee, and 707 horsepower is impressive.....but, what could go wrong?

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
They managed to cram a Hellcat engine into one of the most popular SUVs of all time, creating the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. This 707-horsepower 4X4 beats all comers from Europe or anywhere else for that matter, hits 60 in 3.5-seconds, and manages to retain most of the practicality you buy a utility for. That’s one heck of a Best Performance Car duo.

I have a feeling this one will be in the garage a good amount of time.

28firefighter

Spent this past weekend on Orcas Island, in the San Juan Islands off the coast of northern Washington. Rented a house on the water with some friends and all of their kids. Beautiful place, great company, good food.

Unfortunately the trip was book-ended by this:
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/wrong-way-driver-arrested-for-dui-after-deadly-crash-near-marysville/281-569722366

Happened about 8/10ths of a mile ahead of us on I-5 South; we were routed off before things got too bad traffic wise, but an absolutely horrific scene that we could see from the overpass - and I've seen some bad accident scenes before.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

Imid.....This article explains the hidden subsidy's American dairy farmers receive. .

I didn't bother reading the Canadian-written farm article. I notice that when searching the web most Canadian articles quoted the same 73% figure. Doesn't seem right, but rather seems to be propaganda serving their viewpoint in the tariffs disagreement. I noted also that Google featured primarily Canadian articles.

I searched out articles more neutral and found there are price minimum support monies that go to processors and certain producers. On the other hand, there are insurance arrangements that farmers can buy into that guarantee a payment to minimize the amount of loss when milk prices are very low, below the cost of feeding the cattle. Also I found that subsidies that are paid to farmers to leave certain land areas fallow appear to have been included in subsidies to dairy producers. Our farm receive some payments for leaving certain areas fallow over a certain number of years--those were mostly to improve the runoff and control of rainwaters and minimize soil loss. A good practice that I have observed through the decades as I drive across farm country and that I can recognize.

Those payments don't seem to equal required high pricing to guarantee that the end user is paying subsidies to the producers which is what I gather is the Canadian system. That seems more like the pharmaceuticals price supports here in the US when Obamacare granted pharm protection from Canadian pharmacies shipping reduced cost drugs, legal, into the US as a reward for not advertising against the insurance takeover. Or like the sugar industry is regulated at an artificially high price in the US.

Rather, the US system of dairy handling is free market. Too much dairy product is bought by the government and given to schools and nursing homes etc and kept from being destroyed. The free market means that the excess production of milk is there because a few years back the price of milk had been higher and farmers built up dairy herds. The lag of adjusting production after too much or too little of a product is at work here. When the dairy herds are reduced, then milk will be in shorter supply than needed and pricing will go up.

So to summarize, I suspect this is a matter of viewpoint for each of us and instead of arguing beyond tolerance of those who already have an opinion from the MSM, I'll just say you're right. I certainly won't cancel my trip to Canada over it. LOL It will be settled better than NAFTA from several administrations back settled things. Too much politics to benefit lobbyists with the big money. Too much opportunity for the media to play one side or the other.

Enjoy your winter home in Florida and drink more milk while you're there to use some of the current excess supply in the US.

The last I knew of milk destruction was when the NFO was destroying milk in the 70's to raise the price to farmers.

Back to Mercedes and Chevrolets.

driver100

imidazol97 So to summarize, I suspect this is a matter of viewpoint for each of us and instead of arguing beyond tolerance of those who already have an opinion from the MSM, I'll just say you're right. I certainly won't cancel my trip to Canada over it. LOL It will be settled better than NAFTA from several administrations back settled things. Too much politics to benefit lobbyists with the big money. Too much opportunity for the media to play one side or the other.

Enjoy your winter home in Florida and drink more milk while you're there to use some of the current excess supply in the US.

Imid, I don't think I am right....the truth probably lies somewhere near the middle.

I don't think our protectionist policy is the right course either. They should work out a fairer system to all parties. I like win win situations when both parties come out ahead.

It won't change my travel plans and we buy a fair amount of milk when we are in Florida.

houdini1

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

Wonder what their issues were with the Dodges that are magically absent in Pacifica.

Just guessing here, the Dodge Grand Caravan is based on the old body style, the newer Pacifica while similar in many ways is also changed quite a bit. If I move from the 2016 Town and Country into a test drive of a new 2018 Pacifica, I notice quite a few differences. The Pacifica is quieter, smoother, more luxurious if you will. But it feels bigger when you're trying to park it. The numbers don't seem to bear that out, but it just feels bigger when trying to squeeze it into a parking space.

I think they were saying to avoid the old, and go with the newer.

Forbes quoted Consumer Reports a lot, and most of the problems centered around reliability issues and initial quality. And like Henry stated above, these were all '18 models and in some cases they said the '19 models were better. Jeep Wrangler, for instance. Practically all Fiats made the "stay away" list and no GM vehicles made the list.

graphicguy

laurasdada said:

Good luck to you and your sister, GG! My XF keeps tickin', although I've been itching for new, just nothing is grabbing me at the moment.

I love my credit cards. I get to hold on to my $ longer, I get 2% cash back on every purchase; I pay the balance off in full. Every month. My car loan I thought would eventually be a money maker, that interest rates would have to rise within the 5 year term beyond the decent rate I got that lovely New Years Eve 2013.

So, speaking of stocks, sounds like Dell is going public (again). As I have a few shares of the Dell VMware tracking stock (DVMT), per articles I have a choice of taking cash for my shares or receiving shares of the new Dell publicly traded stock. What to do... Thinking of taking the $, watch the stock "IPO" and likely sink and then buy, if I don't put the $ into a new car!

LD....will keep you posted on my sister’s Jag itch.

That Dell/VMware deal has been percolating for a while. Michael Dell came riding in like a knight to put that deal together. VMware owns the virtualization space, every company, large and small will look for virtualization of their crucial business apps. That will make Dell the 800 pound gorilla of the tech world.

Not a bad stock play if (BIG IF) the economy doesn’t implode and foreign tariffs aren’t levied against Dell.

xwesx

abacomike said:

Thanks everyone for moving away from political posts.  One of my walking buddies is totally opposite, politically, from my other walking buddy.  We all stay friends by never discussing anything that could be construed as political.  It’s worked for us for 6 years now. 

Well, at least you have an out if you ever need it.

andres3

imidazol97 said:

Pedestrian safety--do away with SUV's.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/cars/2018/06/28/suvs-killing-americas-pedestrians/646139002/

Oh man, this article is just full of fake news! Where to start?

1. SUV's don't kill people, horrible terrible negligent drivers driving SUV's kill people.
   
2. There seems to be a poor accounting and control for factors such as more people, more miles walked, and more miles driven by SUV's that change rates, while absolute occurrences could go up.
   
3. 33% of vehicles causing 40% of the deaths doesn't really scream "headline news" to me. It is probably statistically significant, but not alarming.
   
4. IIHS and NHTSA absurdities about speed killing is included, without any evidence of frequency rates.
   
5. IIHS absurdities about speed cameras and red-light cameras making steets safer without an iota of evidence or substantiation for those statements falsehoods.
   
6. They reference automated safety features, while failing to connect that the incident with Uber in AZ was caused by the automation itself, needlessly killing someone.
   
7. Doesn't seem they read one of their own quotes from Tom Mayor "...We've been getting dumber faster than our cars have been making us smarter." Anyone else see the problem here? Seems like we should investigate this problem further.
   
8. Saying "serious injuries are common and often costlier to the society (than killings)" is pretty harsh. Tell that to the families of those killed that it cost them less than lifelong injuries.
   
9. 
   

fintail

I gave a honk to a LLC on 405 just Saturday, a driver of a typical LLC demographic who was getting passed on the right constantly, and was becoming a road hazard. Funny thing, by the time they were out of my line of sight (and I was going under 10 over), they moved over. Why do the timid and inept love the left lane? And if they are so scared of speed, why don't they stick to secondary roads?

Light flashing is a funny thing, apart from the small risk of triggering road rage to someone who doesn't know how traffic works in the developed world, it also only serves notice if someone has their mirror aimed properly - and I wager a lot of the oblivious do not.

andres3 said:

I might offer a "honk" as I go by if I deem the offense to be partly due to being half asleep at the wheel, or some other extra objectionable reason.

Sadly, I find flashing headlight high-beams to be a low success endeavor... below 33% in Southern CA. Doesn't take much effort to do it, but at that low success rate, it's just easier to blow by on the right.

fintail

Also no differentiation between SUVs and CUVs. Indeed, it is the idiot drivers causing the issue, and the inconsistent or negligent accountability systems when they err.

I notice there are many complaints about the "MSM", but no data about which media sources are credible.

andres3 said:

Pedestrian safety--do way with SUV's.

houdini1

I was driving yesterday on a 4 lane hiway with no divider between. Up ahead I saw a group of bicyclists in the right slow lane. I moved to the left lane to avoid them, and as I got close, the lead biker suddenly turned across my lane, did a U turn and started back the other way, and all the others, about 12, followed him. I didn't come close to hitting anyone, but I did have to come to a complete stop. Luckily, no one was behind me. I gave them a good horn honking and they just shook their fists at me. Some of them looked quite elderly. It was possibly the most dangerous and dumbest thing I have even seen an entire group do. They were very lucky that no one was hit.

roadburner

Methinks that pedestrian safety standards are an unwarranted interference with the law of natural selection.

imidazol97

houdini1 said:

I gave them a good horn honking and they just shook their fists at me. Some of them looked quite elderly. It was possibly the most dangerous and dumbest thing I have even seen an entire group do. They were very lucky that no one was hit.

From various reports and observations, bicycle riders often are really obnoxious and "oblivious." Is it the endorphins they produce from the exercise?

qbrozen

IMHO, they feel like "sharing the road" means they "own the road and you'd better look out for me!"

ab348

After I encounter obnoxious cyclists I am sometimes tempted to pick up an old beater pickup truck and give them a bit of the "chrome horn", as Earnhardt Sr. used to call it. 

houdini1

The speed limit there is 45 mph, broad daylight about 9:30 AM. If I hadn't been paying attention or had been driving a log truck with worn out tires and bad brakes, it could have been tragic.

explorerx4

@driver100,
If some group leaves FL, another will just move there in their place.

driver100

qbrozen said:

IMHO, they feel like "sharing the road" means they "own the road and you'd better look out for me!"

That summarizes the attitude perfectly.
OR
Look at me, I am doing my bit to save the planet, so I deserve special treatment....you bad boy nasty car drivers!

fintail

Yay, we've all found one thing we have in common, dislike of jerky cyclists.

Around here it seems to be expecting all of the privileges of a motorist, all of the rights of a pedestrian, while having the responsibilities of neither.

Now that I've said that, I'll encounter that 1:100 who signals turns, obeys traffic controls, and tries to keep out of the way.

driver100 said:

OR
Look at me, I am doing my bit to save the planet, so I deserve special treatment....you bad boy nasty car drivers!

abacomike

I was going through some TV guides for channels I get on X1 from Comcast and came across the “Comet Channel” which is airing the original Flash Gordon serial “The Deadly Ray From Mars” filmed in 1938.  Dale Arden, Flash, Zarkov, Happy, Ming The Merciless, etc.  I actually remembered the Forest People and the Clay People (might have been Buck Rogers).  I remember watching this in the 1950’s on our RCA 8” TV.  Boy, I am old! 

explorerx4

@abacomike,
I guess the good thing is you remember it.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

@abacomike, I guess the good thing is you remember it.

Most definitely! 

iluvmysephia1

An RCA 8" TV, Mike? Wow, that's a small screen!

imidazol97

I remember watching this in the 1950’s on our RCA 8” TV.  Boy, I am old! 

All I can say to that is Captain Video.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

qbrozen said:

Wonder what their issues were with the Dodges that are magically absent in Pacifica.

Just guessing here, the Dodge Grand Caravan is based on the old body style, the newer Pacifica while similar in many ways is also changed quite a bit. If I move from the 2016 Town and Country into a test drive of a new 2018 Pacifica, I notice quite a few differences. The Pacifica is quieter, smoother, more luxurious if you will. But it feels bigger when you're trying to park it. The numbers don't seem to bear that out, but it just feels bigger when trying to squeeze it into a parking space.

I think they were saying to avoid the old, and go with the newer.

Nothing wrong with the GC from my vantage point. Drove an old lease return with 120k and everything worked fine. The thing was a pig pen so the lessee was probably not too gentle with it.

I much prefer the Pacifica from a comfort standpoint.

jmonroe

iluvmysephia1 said:

An RCA 8" TV, Mike? Wow, that's a small screen!

He was just a kid back then, he didn't need anything bigger. That's the story I used to get. You kids today grew up with color TV'S. We had to rough it with black and white but look what it's done for us.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

Also no differentiation between SUVs and CUVs. Indeed, it is the idiot drivers causing the issue, and the inconsistent or negligent accountability systems when they err.

I notice there are many complaints about the "MSM", but no data about which media sources are credible.

andres3 said:

Pedestrian safety--do way with SUV's.

I thought the article made a good point--with the high and massive grille area, when a pedestrian is struck, they aren't going to flip over the hood--they are going to get the full, head-on mouthful of simulated chrome and steel grille guards. Makes sense.

oldfarmer50

iluvmysephia1 said:

An RCA 8" TV, Mike? Wow, that's a small screen!

For an extra few bucks you could get a magnifying glass to fit over the screen. Hi tech of the 50s.

abacomike

iluvmysephia1 said:

An RCA 8" TV, Mike? Wow, that's a small screen!

That’s what it was - 8”.  We had a large magnifier in front of the screen which blew it up to 14”.

ab348

abacomike said:

I was going through some TV guides for channels I get on X1 from Comcast and came across the “Comet Channel” which is airing the original Flash Gordon serial “The Deadly Ray From Mars” filmed in 1938.  Dale Arden, Flash, Zarkov, Happy, Ming The Merciless, etc.  I actually remembered the Forest People and the Clay People (might have been Buck Rogers).  I remember watching this in the 1950’s on our RCA 8” TV.  Boy, I am old! 

I remember in 1969 we got a 9" B&W portable TV, avocado green in color. I appropriated it for my bedroom and would watch it from about 3 feet away.

nyccarguy

Spent some quality time with my Infiniti Q40 tonight.  Results speak for themselves.

fintail

It's noteworthy that cars get blunt front ends for "pedestrian safety", and the ideal on bloatling CUVs works against it.

Mr_Shiftright said:

I thought the article made a good point--with the high and massive grille area, when a pedestrian is struck, they aren't going to flip over the hood--they are going to get the full, head-on mouthful of simulated chrome and steel grille guards. Makes sense.

driver100

explorerx4 said:

@driver100,
If some group leaves FL, another will just move there in their place.

Yup....and we can sell, make a profit, and get a place in Costa Rica or Mazatlan Mexico.

tbirdmarco

 Sorry Pence fin 83 do you do damage to your Acura it’s similar to what happened to my mom last September with the Maxima that she had that she was leasing at my sisters school she had the car parked see there overnight came out the next morning in the right rear quarter panel and taillight or damaged [non-permissible content removed] to pay the deductible through State Farm and they covered the rest it was supposedly like almost $4000 in damage believe it or not good luck though 

tbirdmarco

 I’ve been checking on an off here brought the weekend but hung out with my cousin wash the Thunderbird Saturday and change the oil to do a few little things and get the plates on it it’s good to go enjoyed reading everything going on in here the past few days 

henryn

@abocomike, did the Sahara dust clear out of Florida yet? Last week, from my office on the 35th floor, Houston looked like Los Angeles. Thick brown stuff you could barely see through. Today was much better.

And yes, the local weathermen were blaming it all on Sahara dust.