Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe1

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

I don't get it when they tell you that you could be in a serious accident but we don't have a cure for the problem. And, I ask myself "Self, if they have the ability to build a car why don't they have the ability to fix a problem that the car may have?"

Audi has been telling me my A4 could burn my house down for over a year, and they still don't have a fix. First they said they could fix it with software, and then, "never mind...that didn't work". Now they've disconnected the water pump that could ignite and burn the car to the ground inside my garage while it's not running. Awesome. They've said for months and months that new parts will be available but so far nothing has been released. Audi's most recent solution was literally to disconnect the pump from the electrical system and tell me not to park it in my garage. Great. Nice job, Audi.

I guess you could break into the wiring harness and install a cut-off switch to kill the 12 volt supply to the water pump but this might void your warranty because you tampered with the wiring harness. But, if you are worried about that you could make your own wiring harness extension and put the cut-off switch in that. That way when Audi calls and says, "bring it in we have the parts", all you have to do is remove your jury-rigged extension harness and no one will ever know you did it. Probably better that burning down your house if that is a real likelihood anyhow.

Never had these problems with the old belt driven water pumps. Trying to unburden engines of driving components that worked pretty much worry-free for many many years without much of a problem all for the sake of getting better gas mileage has a price to pay for that. Oh well, your new Tesla won't have that problem, just others that are sure to crop up over the years.

They are never going to build a car with no problems but there is nothing wrong with trying as long as we can afford the new problems that go with the new tech.

jmonroe

[Deleted User]

stickguy said:

How does the Audi function with no water pump?

And if they told me to park outside I would tell them to buy the car back.

I've been trying to get more info on that but as expected they're not forthcoming. There are two water pumps, and when the dealer disconnected the one, I asked about impact to engine cooling and they said I "probably" wouldn't need it. Seriously.

[Deleted User]

coldinohio said:

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

I don't get it when they tell you that you could be in a serious accident but we don't have a cure for the problem. And, I ask myself "Self, if they have the ability to build a car why don't they have the ability to fix a problem that the car may have?"

Audi has been telling me my A4 could burn my house down for over a year, and they still don't have a fix. First they said they could fix it with software, and then, "never mind...that didn't work". Now they've disconnected the water pump that could ignite and burn the car to the ground inside my garage while it's not running. Awesome. They've said for months and months that new parts will be available but so far nothing has been released. Audi's most recent solution was literally to disconnect the pump from the electrical system and tell me not to park it in my garage. Great. Nice job, Audi.

new pumps are in ; had mine installed last week

Good to know. Thank you! When I checked before my work trip this week my local dealer still had not seen any. I'll give them a call today.

henryn

jmonroe1 said:

I'm a mean guy and I don't feel bad about it one bit. Finally, the cops nab a road hazard. Here's the story:

After I left Lowes this morning I drive through an adjoining lot to get to where I want to make a right turn (not at a light) that is about 150 feet from the second busiest intersection in PA. (the most busy is in the Philly area so I have been told) . Anyway, the road I am turning onto is two lanes going in my direction and in the opposite direction it is 4 lanes. One left turn only lane, two lanes for going straight and one lane taking you to a turn off so you can make a right turn after yielding to traffic coming from your left at the light.

I no sooner make the right turn and I'm in the far right lane, when an SUV jumps out of the left lane going in my direction and into my lane (yes, he is going in the wrong direction). Fortunately we both stopped before hitting each other and the guy in the SUV jumps out of his car and is screaming for me to back up so he can make a left turn into the lot I just pulled out of, he was probably going to Lowes too or the bank in that lot. I told him I was in my lane and he'd have to get back into his lane because I wasn't going to backup. He said he couldn't because traffic was backing up to make the left turn in the lane he should have still been in. He no sooner starts threatening me when along comes the local police with his siren on and his lights flashing and the cop is now stopped in the left lane going in my direction but he is also on the wrong side of the road thereby blocking all traffic going in my direction. As best as I could tell, the cop car was about 7 or 8 cars back in the far left turn lane on the opposite side of the road. The cop jumps out of his car, comes running up to us, and says to me, "did he hit you"? I told him, "no, we both stopped before that happened". The cop now tells the guy to back up so that I could get by and to wait in his car until he clears traffic so the guy can make the left turn into the lot he was aiming for to begin with. The cop also said in no uncertain terms, "AND YOU BETTER WAIT FOR ME TO PULL INTO THAT LOT AFTER I CLEAR THIS TRAFFIC". As the guy was heading back to his SUV, I asked the cop if he needed me to stick around for anything and he said in a not so nice tone, "NO, I JUST WANT THAT GUY". Then he politely said, "have a nice day".

After I got back in my car and was on my way, I had a thought that if I had backed up like the SUV guy wanted me to do, even if I wouldn't have backed into anybody that could have now been coming from behind me, the cop could have sited me for backing up on a highway. Anyway, it's nice to know that a cop was finally nearby to get a reckless idiot for once. I wouldn't want to see the size of that ticket or the points he is likely to get.

jmonroe

I saw one of those last year. I was not involved, just walking on the sidewalk and observed. This is in downtown Houston, nearly all streets are 3 or 4 lanes wide, and one way. Someone comes along and runs the red light. Not a yellow light, a red light. The light had just changed, and a solid stream of traffic, 4 lanes wide, had started into the intersection when this driver comes along and wonders into the path of oncoming traffic. I assume he was looking at his phone or something, he was driving fairly slow. Never slowed down, or sped up, just drove straight into the path of the oncoming traffic.

One of whom just happened to be a police car. All of the cars stopped in time, no collisions. But the police car hit his lights and sirens and pulled the idiot over.

driver100

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

I don't get it when they tell you that you could be in a serious accident but we don't have a cure for the problem. And, I ask myself "Self, if they have the ability to build a car why don't they have the ability to fix a problem that the car may have?"

Audi has been telling me my A4 could burn my house down for over a year, and they still don't have a fix. First they said they could fix it with software, and then, "never mind...that didn't work". Now they've disconnected the water pump that could ignite and burn the car to the ground inside my garage while it's not running. Awesome. They've said for months and months that new parts will be available but so far nothing has been released. Audi's most recent solution was literally to disconnect the pump from the electrical system and tell me not to park it in my garage. Great. Nice job, Audi.

When we got our 2013 A4 Audi couldn't connect our bluetooth. They hadn't perfected it yet. About a month later they got it going..........very annoying. They shouldn't sell a car that isn't ready for the road.
Ty, your problem is much worse....unconscionable they can sell a car that could burn your house down.

28firefighter

The Audi thing is annoying - my friend has an A5 Cabrio and is in a similar boat.

But just to make a point, @driver100, any car these days has enough combustible materials and a constant stream of electric current to support modern features that it could catch fire in your garage for no apparent reason at all. Not to mention, almost all cars now have an "after-run" procedure with cooling fans that could give up the ghost and fail. We just don't think about it because it doesn't happen often.

I'm sure this is a function of the neighborhood where I used to Volunteer, but the cars we would see catch fire most frequently without cause were late model Mercedes E class (this was back in the late 2000s/early 2010s).

ab348

News that Ford plans more big cuts in its Euro operations and is getting out of a few segments. This is the third such downsizing there for them since 2012.

https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/ford-europe-cut-thousands-jobs-turnaround-plan

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

News that Ford plans more big cuts in its Euro operations and is getting out of a few segments. This is the third such downsizing there for them since 2012.

https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/ford-europe-cut-thousands-jobs-turnaround-plan

I'm not a paid subscriber nor am I going to pay to sign up therefore, I can't download the link. Be a nice guy and copy/paste some of the more pertinent info. Thanks.

jmonroe

ab348

Here you go. Odd that I’m not a subscriber either but I can see it.

****

Ford will shed thousands of jobs at its European operations in a bid to return the business to profitability in a broad restructuring that may include shutting down production plants.

Ford has struggled with an aging model lineup and a contracting market in the UK, Ford’s biggest in Europe, which is in store for further disruption from Brexit.

In a statement on Thursday Ford said it will seek to exit the multivan segment, review its operations in Russia, and combine the headquarters of Ford UK and Ford Credit to a site in Dunton, Essex.

"We are looking to make a step-change in the performance of the business," said Steve Armstrong, Ford’s head of Europe. “There will be significant impact across the region. We will be looking at all options,” which could include plant closures, he said.

"A review of the manufacturing footprint is part of this process," Armstrong said.

Any layoffs and plant closures at Ford would be subject to the outcome of formal negotiations with labor representatives, Armstrong said, adding that he hoped that job cuts could be achieved by "voluntary means." He declined to quantify the scale of job cuts, pending negotiations with labor leaders, but said staff reductions would run into the "thousands."

The cost-cutting plan has not been adjusted to account for the possibility of a 'hard' exit by Britain from the European Union without securing tariff-free cross-border trade, Armstrong said. "If Brexit went in the wrong direction we would have to have another look, to mitigate that," Armstrong said.

A Ford spokesman said the carmaker currently assumes that any Brexit deal would keep tariff-free trade between Britain and Europe.

Ford announced in December that it was working on a restructuring plan for Europe called Sprint to 6 Reset and Redesign. The name refers to Ford’s 6 percent profit margin target for Europe. The company did not give a time frame for the target.

Ford has said the plan will involve concentrating on its profit-making SUVs and commercial vehicles and cutting unprofitable model lines, thought to refer the Galaxy and S-Max large minivans.

Ford has already said it will cease production at a plant in Bordeaux, France and has started labor talks at its Saarlouis factory in Germany where 6,190 staff build cars as it considers ending production of the C-Max compact van.

"We will migrate out of the MPV segment," Armstrong said, referring to minivans.

Small diesels dropped, new business units

The company is unlikely to develop next-generation diesel engines for smaller vehicles, Armstrong said, explaining that customers have been abandoning the segment more aggressively than anticipated. Going forward Ford will seek to offer an electric or hybrid version of all its vehicles and the electrification plans are not contingent on striking a deal with Volkswagen, he said.

Ford said on Thursday that it also plans to leverage relationships, "including a potential alliance with Volkswagen, to support commercial vehicle growth." Ford and VW could announce details of an alliance on Tuesday at the Detroit auto show.

The automaker, which currently employs 53,000 people in Europe, has struggled to turn a profit, posting a 245 million euros ($282 million) loss before interest and taxes in the third quarter, widening from $192 million a year earlier, and equivalent to a negative 3.3 percent EBIT margin.

Ford said it will establish three separate groups in Europe for passenger cars, its vans business and imports such as the iconic Mustang. It said its commercial vehicles business in Europe is “solidly profitable.”

“We are continuing to invest in the business, especially in electrified cars,” Armstrong said. “We will still have a comprehensive lineup of cars in future with primarily SUVs and crossovers.”

driver100

Keep in mind....Ford cut back a few years ago and that saved them from a bankruptcy situation, unlike GM and Chryco. Maybe they are making a smart choice for them. But, cars could come back and Ford will be caught trying to sell trucks. A lot of eggs in one basket.

explorerx4

@ab348,
What is your point by posting this?

driver100

28firefighter said:

I'm sure this is a function of the neighborhood where I used to Volunteer, but the cars we would see catch fire most frequently without cause were late model Mercedes E class (this was back in the late 2000s/early 2010s).

FF, now you tell me!
I agree cars could catch fire, but, when they warn you not to park in your own garage, and actually tell you your car has a faulty part that could start a fire...it is above and beyond a normal hazard.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
What is your point by posting this?

I’m not sure I understand your question. It was news I got in my inbox this AM similar to what I got from them about Ghosn and GM’s plant closings. It seemed to be something people here would be interested in.

28firefighter

driver100 said:

28firefighter said:

I'm sure this is a function of the neighborhood where I used to Volunteer, but the cars we would see catch fire most frequently without cause were late model Mercedes E class (this was back in the late 2000s/early 2010s).

FF, now you tell me!
I agree cars could catch fire, but, when they warn you not to park in your own garage, and actually tell you your car has a faulty part that could start a fire...it is above and beyond a normal hazard.

I'm willing to bet good money that the risk of that happening is still very very low, just outside their risk tolerances and something that they don't want to end up on the news over....I could be wrong.

jmonroe1

Thanks for the info @ab348. I too am not sure Ford is right about not supporting cars. They have to be smarter than that but then again I'm not a business guru. Although I have never owned a Ford product I don't want to see them disappear like Sears is about to do.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

I'm sad to report that we had to put Lily down today. She just wasn't responding to the treatments we'd been giving her for the past few weeks, and her quality of life was decreasing.

It was a hard, but necessary, decision. We will miss her dearly, but will always have good memories of her.

One last pic, with her little sister Daisy:

You did the right thing. Animals can’t rationalize why they are in pain like humans so relief is welcome. I’m sure at the end her thoughts were of gratitude for your last kindness.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

Crazy car carnage at a Carmax in Houston. Teenage vandals destroyed a bunch of nice cars after breaking in, getting the keys, and having a demo derby on the lot:

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/01/juveniles-cause-800000-in-damage-with-dealership-demo-derby/

Fortunately, they didn't think to keep a fast one intact for their escape and all were arrested. $800K in damage!

Well...we know where the first 10-20 years of their career’s salaries will be going!

Clowns like that seldom develop into anyone who could produce anything of value that would repay that debt.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

@Michaell.....so very sorry to hear about Lilly! Condolences.

Going to a funeral today for one of my colleague’s son. 30 years old.....opioid overdose. Good family, who thought he had “kicked” the addiction for a couple of years. The one time his addiction came back to haunt him, and he OD’d.....DEVASTATING!

I’ve been around for a while and I’ve never seen this problem as bas as it has been the last couple of years. This is the 2nd time that a family who is close to me lost a loved one to opioids.

As I mentioned before, two bus drivers lost children to that scourge within a year where I worked. Evidently it’s the opioids mixed with Fentanyl that is so deadly. The Fentanyl comes from China via our southern border.

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

Thanks for the info @ab348. I too am not sure Ford is right about not supporting cars. They have to be smarter than that but then again I'm not a business guru. Although I have never owned a Ford product I don't want to see them disappear like Sears is about to do.

I don’t know much about the European market but my impression was that Ford did pretty well there. With those losses reported in the article that clearly is no longer true. I assumed small sedans/hatches still did well there but perhaps that is changing there as well.

[Deleted User]

28firefighter said:

I'm sure this is a function of the neighborhood where I used to Volunteer, but the cars we would see catch fire most frequently without cause were late model Mercedes E class (this was back in the late 2000s/early 2010s).

That's really interesting. Did any information ever get back to you on why the E class of that era would burn? M

Do you get special training for EV cars? I know my model 3 has 2 different points to be cut by firefighters to disconnect the circuit, one at the front and one in the rear. It's no secret that lithium ion batteries are highly flammable like a tank of gasoline, but they require different firefighting strategies from what I hear.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

28firefighter said:

There is an absolute use case for Opioid pain killers in cases of true medical need, but I think there are a number things in play here that have led us to where we are today.

(1) A fundamental misunderstanding as to when a narcotic pain killer is truly necessary to alleviate pain vs. when using them is the equivalent of bringing a bazooka to fist fight. Combined with a strong push by big pharma to prescribe them, the risk was considerably increased.

(2) A fundamental misunderstanding for a long time as to just what these pain killers did to the brain and how addictive it made them. I think there is a large subset of people who needed to be told "I'm sorry that X is hurting, but it is going to be painful for a while as there is nothing safe we can prescribe you to make the pain go away."

(3) No follow-up and accountability with patients that have been prescribed painkillers - there is very little to no direct counseling (at least there never has been for me) and no path for referral when a patient starts showing signs of addiction.

(4) Truly poor and impractical drug awareness education both for children and adults. The common line was "don't do drugs" and the "this is your brain on drugs" ads which doesn't really to get to the root of what differentiates the different types of drugs (pain killers, hard drugs etc.) and what they can do to you in terms of addiction. I was never taught what addiction truly was and what it meant in school - I learned from my parents who filled that gap for me - many people don't get the luxury that I did.

After open hernia surgery and then gall bladder removal a few months later (It was a bad year) I was given opioids for pain control. I took none after the gall bladder removal and 2 after the hernia surgery. I only took the 2 as a preventative measure, but probably didn't need them. The doctors hand them out like they are getting paid to do it.

There was no counseling at all. No questions later about them.

Same here. Took one after hernia surgery just to see. Did nothing for the pain beyond what OTC pain pills did. Just made me stupid. Wife liked that.

My son who has mild autism and multiple psychiatric problems including addictions was given opioids for minor surgery and just this week a severe tooth abscess. The first time it was uncalled for but the second time it was necessary. I administer all his meds but you have to wonder what they are thinking handing out such potent medications without a care as to abuse potential. I understand some addicts will actually break bones to get the prescriptions when all else fails.

coldinohio

tyguy said:

coldinohio said:

tyguy said:

driver100 said:

I don't get it when they tell you that you could be in a serious accident but we don't have a cure for the problem. And, I ask myself "Self, if they have the ability to build a car why don't they have the ability to fix a problem that the car may have?"

Audi has been telling me my A4 could burn my house down for over a year, and they still don't have a fix. First they said they could fix it with software, and then, "never mind...that didn't work". Now they've disconnected the water pump that could ignite and burn the car to the ground inside my garage while it's not running. Awesome. They've said for months and months that new parts will be available but so far nothing has been released. Audi's most recent solution was literally to disconnect the pump from the electrical system and tell me not to park it in my garage. Great. Nice job, Audi.

new pumps are in ; had mine installed last week

Good to know. Thank you! When I checked before my work trip this week my local dealer still had not seen any. I'll give them a call today.

i was on list from October; first plan was to disconnect the aux. pump; then when new pump came in replace and reconnect all; but new pump came in (but I had to call)... the SA said he had not heard of any 'fires' but that is the concern...

good luck

[Deleted User]

oldfarmer50 said:

I’ve been around for a while and I’ve never seen this problem as bas as it has been the last couple of years. This is the 2nd time that a family who is close to me lost a loved one to opioids.


As I mentioned before, two bus drivers lost children to that scourge within a year where I worked. Evidently it’s the opioids mixed with Fentanyl that is so deadly. The Fentanyl comes from China via our southern border.

Oh, man, that's truly awful. Addiction is a terrible thing that's impacted my family and I've avoided drugs/alcohol after watching how it affected their lives. Even after surgeries I avoid prescription pain killers as a general rule, but the knee replacement a few years ago was a whole different story. After 3 weeks on loritab, and then stopping, I could already feel the withdrawal tugging at me. I never want to use that stuff again if I can avoid it.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

I'm a mean guy and I don't feel bad about it one bit. Finally, the cops nab a road hazard. Here's the story:

After I left Lowes this morning I drive through an adjoining lot to get to where I want to make a right turn (not at a light) that is about 150 feet from the second busiest intersection in PA. (the most busy is in the Philly area so I have been told) . Anyway, the road I am turning onto is two lanes going in my direction and in the opposite direction it is 4 lanes. One left turn only lane, two lanes for going straight and one lane taking you to a turn off so you can make a right turn after yielding to traffic coming from your left at the light.

I no sooner make the right turn and I'm in the far right lane, when an SUV jumps out of the left lane going in my direction and into my lane (yes, he is going in the wrong direction). Fortunately we both stopped before hitting each other and the guy in the SUV jumps out of his car and is screaming for me to back up so he can make a left turn into the lot I just pulled out of, he was probably going to Lowes too or the bank in that lot. I told him I was in my lane and he'd have to get back into his lane because I wasn't going to backup. He said he couldn't because traffic was backing up to make the left turn in the lane he should have still been in. He no sooner starts threatening me when along comes the local police with his siren on and his lights flashing and the cop is now stopped in the left lane going in my direction but he is also on the wrong side of the road thereby blocking all traffic going in my direction. As best as I could tell, the cop car was about 7 or 8 cars back in the far left turn lane on the opposite side of the road. The cop jumps out of his car, comes running up to us, and says to me, "did he hit you"? I told him, "no, we both stopped before that happened". The cop now tells the guy to back up so that I could get by and to wait in his car until he clears traffic so the guy can make the left turn into the lot he was aiming for to begin with. The cop also said in no uncertain terms, "AND YOU BETTER WAIT FOR ME TO PULL INTO THAT LOT AFTER I CLEAR THIS TRAFFIC". As the guy was heading back to his SUV, I asked the cop if he needed me to stick around for anything and he said in a not so nice tone, "NO, I JUST WANT THAT GUY". Then he politely said, "have a nice day".

After I got back in my car and was on my way, I had a thought that if I had backed up like the SUV guy wanted me to do, even if I wouldn't have backed into anybody that could have now been coming from behind me, the cop could have sited me for backing up on a highway. Anyway, it's nice to know that a cop was finally nearby to get a reckless idiot for once. I wouldn't want to see the size of that ticket or the points he is likely to get.

jmonroe

So every once and awhile there is a cop around when you need one.

[Deleted User]

coldinohio said:

new pumps are in ; had mine installed last week

I just wanted to follow up and say that I have my appointment in a couple of weeks thanks to your comment. My dealer is only getting in 8 pumps a week from Audi, so 2 weeks was the best they could do. The A4 will stay in our driveway until then

And then we'll get aggressive about selling it. The vehicle background/history check shows an open safety recall which challenged a trade-in when we purchased the Tesla. It'll be good to have this all wrapped up for the next owner.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
What is your point by posting this?

I’m not sure I understand your question. It was news I got in my inbox this AM similar to what I got from them about Ghosn and GM’s plant closings. It seemed to be something people here would be interested in.

Speaking of interesting news, did you see that Chrysler/Fiat agreed to pay a $300 million fine for cheating on emissions with their Diesel engines? Looks like VW wasn’t the only one.

As to the Ford story I’m glad you posted it. I’m very worried about the future of Ford and the long term wisdom of their recent decisions. I also worry about GM.

oldfarmer50

On a more entertaining note, our boss announced this morning that he had two bags of pot on his desk. He explained that they were found in cars returned at JFK airport. He also told us about the multiple (dozens) guns he found in cars when he was manager of the airport office. One was left by a little old lady from the south who called frantically after she got home.

He also told a story of how drug cartels would hide their product in the spare tire wheel wells of Mexican built Fords. Seems one was put into rental service before the stash could be retrieved and was discovered by a 78 year old customer who had a flat.

Also had my 1 year review today. Boss asked “you didn't run into anything this year, did you?” I said no so I guess I’m good to go for another year. Now I just need to know when I start getting that profit-sharing money.

oldfarmer50

Would you buy it?

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/troy-1997-audi-cabriolet-convertible/6784924678.html

Forget about the top (just take it out on sunny days) would it make a cheap project car?

cdnpinhead

Wow -- it's hard to believe it's been a year already. I can't believe how fast time goes as I age. Anyway, it sounds like the job is working out well.

Mr_Shiftright

abacomike said:

graphicguy said:

@Michaell.....so very sorry to hear about Lilly! Condolences.

Going to a funeral today for one of my colleague’s son. 30 years old.....opioid overdose. Good family, who thought he had “kicked” the addiction for a couple of years. The one time his addiction came back to haunt him, and he OD’d.....DEVASTATING!

I’ve been around for a while and I’ve never seen this problem as bas as it has been the last couple of years. This is the 2nd time that a family who is close to me lost a loved one to opioids.

Losing a child so young is heartbreaking as I have been in that position.  Yes, this opioid onslaught is devastating.  We have to stop this massacre of our young people.

72,000 Americans died of drug overdose last year. That's more than double the automobile fatality rate.

Mr_Shiftright

tyguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

I’ve been around for a while and I’ve never seen this problem as bas as it has been the last couple of years. This is the 2nd time that a family who is close to me lost a loved one to opioids.


As I mentioned before, two bus drivers lost children to that scourge within a year where I worked. Evidently it’s the opioids mixed with Fentanyl that is so deadly. The Fentanyl comes from China via our southern border.

Oh, man, that's truly awful. Addiction is a terrible thing that's impacted my family and I've avoided drugs/alcohol after watching how it affected their lives. Even after surgeries I avoid prescription pain killers as a general rule, but the knee replacement a few years ago was a whole different story. After 3 weeks on loritab, and then stopping, I could already feel the withdrawal tugging at me. I never want to use that stuff again if I can avoid it.

The Chinese Fentanyl comes from shipping packages that come into all U.S. ports. It's smuggled through regular checkpoints, even from Canada, and often disguised as toys, auto parts, etc.

explorerx4

Rotary Phone = sedans(money losers) today
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/are-we-supposed-to-pick-up-the-phone-and-then-do-it-hilarious-footage-shows-two-teenagers-completely-baffled-by-a-rotary-telephone-when-given-four-minutes-to-make-one-call/ar-BBS3IkS?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=DELLDHP

BTW, The FCA diesel settlement was $650 million, $300 mil was the government cut.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

Would you buy it?

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/troy-1997-audi-cabriolet-convertible/6784924678.html

Forget about the top (just take it out on sunny days) would it make a cheap project car?

nope. It is worth little if perfect, and will cost you a fortune to get it back to even usable. Run far away.

Mr_Shiftright

Agreed. Worthless, unless maybe you already have one and needs some trim pieces. This is one of those cars you don't even want to brush up against with your sleeve.

stickguy

if you look at the pictures, the seller has another one, and he doesn't even want it for parts.

roadburner

Okay, first story from my new job:
One of our local police agencies pulls over a van. The driver acts suspicious and the officer calls for a drug dog. Dog "hits" on the van. Inside the van they find 200 lbs. of marijuana and 1.7 million dollars in cash. My office gets 15% of any forfeited money so you can do the math. So, the Feds show up and claim all the cash. Some time later they contact us to tell us, "Oh, by the way, the guy you popped was just a courier- so your office can prosecute him."

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

Okay, first story from my new job:
One of our local police agencies pulls over a van. The driver acts suspicious and the officer calls for a drug dog. Dog "hits" on the van. Inside the van they find 200 lbs. of marijuana and 1.7 million dollars in cash. My office gets 15% of any forfeited money so you can do the math. So, the Feds show up and claim all the cash. Some time later they contact us to tell us, "Oh, by the way, the guy you popped was just a courier- so your office can prosecute him."

So do you get to keep the dope?

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Rotary Phone = sedans(money losers) today
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/are-we-supposed-to-pick-up-the-phone-and-then-do-it-hilarious-footage-shows-two-teenagers-completely-baffled-by-a-rotary-telephone-when-given-four-minutes-to-make-one-call/ar-BBS3IkS?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=DELLDHP

BTW, The FCA diesel settlement was $650 million, $300 mil was the government cut.

I had the same thing happen 20 years ago with one of my son’s friends. Makes you realize how long I’ve been behind the times.

stickguy

I don't even think a rotary phone works any longer. Maybe with an adapter. I have not seen one in use in many years.

snakeweasel

xwesx said:

@Michaell.....so very sorry to hear about Lilly! Condolences. Going to a funeral today for one of my colleague’s son. 30 years old.....opioid overdose. Good family, who thought he had “kicked” the addiction for a couple of years. The one time his addiction came back to haunt him, and he OD’d.....DEVASTATING! I’ve been around for a while and I’ve never seen this problem as bas as it has been the last couple of years. This is the 2nd time that a family who is close to me lost a loved one to opioids.

No real surprise about the epidemic given the addictiveness of opioids and the true epidemic: Medical prescriptions! Prescription of opioid pain killers has absolutely ballooned in the last twenty years.

It's like people found a way to legally get that high. Just go to the doctor, complain about pain and get your perscription. If that doctor won't do it just go to the next doctor until you find one that will. 

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

Opioids are also coming in illegally from offshore in large volumes. China is a big player. People do not seem to feel the same stigma associated with use of hard drugs that once prevailed. 

That's the big problem, those that come in illegally have god only knows what in them. A lot of the deaths associated with the illegal ones are from other ingredients and not overdosing on the opiod.

snakeweasel

oldfarmer50 said:
Same here. Took one after hernia surgery just to see. Did nothing for the pain beyond what OTC pain pills did. Just made me stupid. 

Sure blame the drugs.

ab348

Announcement expected about GM's "Tesla-fighter" coming from Cadillac:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-electric-exclusive/exclusive-gms-cadillac-will-introduce-ev-in-fight-against-tesla-sources-idUSKCN1P502G

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cadillac is expected to become General Motors Co’s (GM.N) lead electric vehicle brand as the largest U.S. automaker gears up to introduce a new model under that luxury marquee to challenge Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), two people briefed on the matter said Thursday.

GM is set to announce Friday as part of an investor update that a Cadillac will be the first vehicle based on its forthcoming “BEV3” platform, the people said. The vehicle platform is the basis for vehicle underpinnings, including the battery system and other structural and mechanical parts.

GM is not expected to disclose on Friday additional details, including precisely when the Cadillac EV will be built, whether it will be a crossover or sedan, or where it will be assembled, the sources said.

A GM spokesman declined to comment.

GM had previously focused on making electric vehicles under its mass market Chevrolet brand, including its plug-in Chevrolet Volt and battery electric Bolt. GM announced last year it was ending production of the plug-in Volt as well as a low-selling plug-in Cadillac CT6, even as it moved to boost EV spending.

GM said in November as part of its restructuring efforts it was doubling resources for electric and autonomous vehicle programs over the next two years.

More at the link.

stickguy

This, actually makes some sense.

[Deleted User]

If there’s going to be a large conversion to battery EV, then this is what needs to happen. Looks like the Japanese will be last to the table. Germans are pushing hard with R&D now, and Ford/GM are making commitments. China will probably be the first with consumer adoption. Personally I love seeing more options hitting the market. We’ll keep the Model 3 for longer term, but in a few years we need an EV to replace our Outback. The more options the better.

qbrozen

Have we already forgotten the ELR?

carnaught

@tyguy, did you buy rather than lease?

houdini2

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

I'm sad to report that we had to put Lily down today. She just wasn't responding to the treatments we'd been giving her for the past few weeks, and her quality of life was decreasing.

It was a hard, but necessary, decision. We will miss her dearly, but will always have good memories of her.

One last pic, with her little sister Daisy:

You did the right thing. Animals can’t rationalize why they are in pain like humans so relief is welcome. I’m sure at the end her thoughts were of gratitude for your last kindness.

Yep, nothing better for a dog, or any pet, than to live a nice long life, knowing they are loved and part of a family and that they have someone they can absolutely depend on to do the right thing for them. That works for people too !

houdini2

oldfarmer50 said:

venture said:

28firefighter said:

There is an absolute use case for Opioid pain killers in cases of true medical need, but I think there are a number things in play here that have led us to where we are today.

(1) A fundamental misunderstanding as to when a narcotic pain killer is truly necessary to alleviate pain vs. when using them is the equivalent of bringing a bazooka to fist fight. Combined with a strong push by big pharma to prescribe them, the risk was considerably increased.

(2) A fundamental misunderstanding for a long time as to just what these pain killers did to the brain and how addictive it made them. I think there is a large subset of people who needed to be told "I'm sorry that X is hurting, but it is going to be painful for a while as there is nothing safe we can prescribe you to make the pain go away."

(3) No follow-up and accountability with patients that have been prescribed painkillers - there is very little to no direct counseling (at least there never has been for me) and no path for referral when a patient starts showing signs of addiction.

(4) Truly poor and impractical drug awareness education both for children and adults. The common line was "don't do drugs" and the "this is your brain on drugs" ads which doesn't really to get to the root of what differentiates the different types of drugs (pain killers, hard drugs etc.) and what they can do to you in terms of addiction. I was never taught what addiction truly was and what it meant in school - I learned from my parents who filled that gap for me - many people don't get the luxury that I did.

After open hernia surgery and then gall bladder removal a few months later (It was a bad year) I was given opioids for pain control. I took none after the gall bladder removal and 2 after the hernia surgery. I only took the 2 as a preventative measure, but probably didn't need them. The doctors hand them out like they are getting paid to do it.

There was no counseling at all. No questions later about them.

Same here. Took one after hernia surgery just to see. Did nothing for the pain beyond what OTC pain pills did. Just made me stupid. Wife liked that.

My son who has mild autism and multiple psychiatric problems including addictions was given opioids for minor surgery and just this week a severe tooth abscess. The first time it was uncalled for but the second time it was necessary. I administer all his meds but you have to wonder what they are thinking handing out such potent medications without a care as to abuse potential. I understand some addicts will actually break bones to get the prescriptions when all else fails.

Well, the good news is, at least your wife noticed the difference !

houdini2

oldfarmer50 said:

On a more entertaining note, our boss announced this morning that he had two bags of pot on his desk. He explained that they were found in cars returned at JFK airport. He also told us about the multiple (dozens) guns he found in cars when he was manager of the airport office. One was left by a little old lady from the south who called frantically after she got home.

He also told a story of how drug cartels would hide their product in the spare tire wheel wells of Mexican built Fords. Seems one was put into rental service before the stash could be retrieved and was discovered by a 78 year old customer who had a flat.

Also had my 1 year review today. Boss asked “you didn't run into anything this year, did you?” I said no so I guess I’m good to go for another year. Now I just need to know when I start getting that profit-sharing money.

Sounds like you have a pretty good boss.