Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe1

abacomike said:

fintail said:

Congrats. Get us some interior pics too. Funny, I also use blue for my ambientlighting color.

Beware, the app is insanely buggy and crashes a lot, at least on Android. MB has apparently spared every expense on that one, not a good look when trying to be high tech.

I keep my car in "E" most of the time, as the engine has so much torque, it just kind of loafs off the line in 2nd gear and still is faster than almost any other driver here.

abacomike said:

I sure signed an awful lot of paperwork, that's for sure. I decided to put $10,000 down (they let me use my credit card so $100 cash back always helps), total out of pocket, and financed the rest at 0% interest. They gave me a credit of $750 toward the first month's payment - first payment is not due until 8/3/20, or 90 days.

There is no doubt, whatsoever, that the S450 is a marvelous, beautiful and great handling car. The E450 is much less of a car, but I have to get used to it. The seats are a bit stiffer, but I am able to get in and out of the car with ease. They have a new Mercedes "Me Connect" (like onstar) which I am going to have to get familiar with. It shows oil level, engine temp, notifies me if I forget to lock the doors (which it already did today) and will notify me if motion is detected in the car or if someone tries to tow it. It is going to take some time to get used to the new system. But the rest of the buttons, apps, etc., will be a snap because it is almost identical to the S450.

The car has a head-jerking acceleration from a stop - the power curve is phenominal. 362 horsepower with 273 torque coupled with the 4MATIC AWD system. Audio system is the same as the one in the S450 with 2 sub woofers somehow attached to the body to provide true base reproduction.

The inside is very, very light - almost an off-white with black leather trim all around and textured black wood in the doors, console, and dashboard. Ambient lighting gives you the choice of hundreds of color combinations - I chose a deep blue. I will take it out for a spin tomorrow up the turnpike to get a feel for the road. Hope you guys like it.

Yes, fintail. I feel they tried to do too much with the new "Mercedes Me Connect"! I don't need an app to tell me how much gas I have in the tank or how many miles I can drive until I need to add fuel. I don't need to know if my engine is running or what my oil levels are. It collects almost all the data the car puts out - probably extracts all that info from one or more of the car's computers.

I do like the alert I got when I went up to my condo in the elevator - "doors are not locked"! So I just pressed "lock" and the doors were locked in 20 seconds. It not only shows you where your car is parked on a map, but also it predicts the mileage to my next destination based on my driving habits. TMI (too much information). I probably won't even use the multitude of functions.

All that tech sounds like doing something just because you can. Do cars really need the sophistication that jumbo jets provide via their FDR (Flight Data Recorder)? I say NO, it only provides the opportunity for more distractions. Whatever happened to just getting behind the wheel and driving. My radio is enough entertainment for me.

jmonroe

abacomike

I agree, jmonroe! When I open the "Me Connect" APP, here is what it displays:

Odometer reading - 73 mi
Fuel tank - 87% Range 424 mi
Engine Off
Vehicle Alarm Set
Vehicle Locked
Windows Closed
Sunroof Closed
Collision Alarm Set
Tire Pressure 38, 37, 37, 37
Starter Battery Fully Charged
Next Service March 13, 2021
Brake Fluid OK
Brake Pads OK
Washer Fluid OK
Coolant OK
Trunk Closed
Parking Brake On
Trips - your last trip data

Now, isn't that too much information? And the above doesn't include the ability from the APP to lock all doors, start the engine, sound the horn and flash the lights, as well as the ability to locate your car on a map. Overkill is what it is!

But the one thing I use a lot is sending a destination to the GPS computer in the car from my iPhone or my computer. Great function!

cdnpinhead

Those appear to be some seriously high tire pressures, but then again, what do I know. I drive appliances into the ground.

abacomike

cdnpinhead said:

Those appear to be some seriously high tire pressures, but then again, what do I know. I drive appliances into the ground.

I agree with you - they should be 33-35 psi in each. I will double-check the recommended pressures tomorrow morning on the inside of the fuel filler door and take it over to the service drive and have the pressures corrected.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention cdnpinhead. 👍😋

stickguy

that is not abnormal for lower profile tires. Plus that was hot pressure I assume, so a few pounds up. door sticker PSI is cold. I bet that recommendation is at least 34psi

tjc78

I keep both cars at 37 cold. Seems to work well for me.

imidazol97

I'd think in South that a cooled steering wheel would be a more needed feature. Has MB
offered that yet?

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

abacomike said:

fintail said:

Congrats. Get us some interior pics too. Funny, I also use blue for my ambientlighting color.

Beware, the app is insanely buggy and crashes a lot, at least on Android. MB has apparently spared every expense on that one, not a good look when trying to be high tech.

I keep my car in "E" most of the time, as the engine has so much torque, it just kind of loafs off the line in 2nd gear and still is faster than almost any other driver here.

abacomike said:

I sure signed an awful lot of paperwork, that's for sure. I decided to put $10,000 down (they let me use my credit card so $100 cash back always helps), total out of pocket, and financed the rest at 0% interest. They gave me a credit of $750 toward the first month's payment - first payment is not due until 8/3/20, or 90 days.

There is no doubt, whatsoever, that the S450 is a marvelous, beautiful and great handling car. The E450 is much less of a car, but I have to get used to it. The seats are a bit stiffer, but I am able to get in and out of the car with ease. They have a new Mercedes "Me Connect" (like onstar) which I am going to have to get familiar with. It shows oil level, engine temp, notifies me if I forget to lock the doors (which it already did today) and will notify me if motion is detected in the car or if someone tries to tow it. It is going to take some time to get used to the new system. But the rest of the buttons, apps, etc., will be a snap because it is almost identical to the S450.

The car has a head-jerking acceleration from a stop - the power curve is phenominal. 362 horsepower with 273 torque coupled with the 4MATIC AWD system. Audio system is the same as the one in the S450 with 2 sub woofers somehow attached to the body to provide true base reproduction.

The inside is very, very light - almost an off-white with black leather trim all around and textured black wood in the doors, console, and dashboard. Ambient lighting gives you the choice of hundreds of color combinations - I chose a deep blue. I will take it out for a spin tomorrow up the turnpike to get a feel for the road. Hope you guys like it.

Yes, fintail. I feel they tried to do too much with the new "Mercedes Me Connect"! I don't need an app to tell me how much gas I have in the tank or how many miles I can drive until I need to add fuel. I don't need to know if my engine is running or what my oil levels are. It collects almost all the data the car puts out - probably extracts all that info from one or more of the car's computers.

I do like the alert I got when I went up to my condo in the elevator - "doors are not locked"! So I just pressed "lock" and the doors were locked in 20 seconds. It not only shows you where your car is parked on a map, but also it predicts the mileage to my next destination based on my driving habits. TMI (too much information). I probably won't even use the multitude of functions.

All that tech sounds like doing something just because you can. Do cars really need the sophistication that jumbo jets provide via their FDR (Flight Data Recorder)? I say NO, it only provides the opportunity for more distractions. Whatever happened to just getting behind the wheel and driving. My radio is enough entertainment for me.

jmonroe

I hadn't noticed you were MIA....ha ha.
I tend to agree, I find it a bit of a nice little change driving the C 250 that doesn't have all that extra tech on it, I even have to roll back BY HAND the partition to get the sun roof showing, and no backup camera!

driver100

imidazol97 said:

I'd think in South that a cooled steering wheel would be a more needed feature. Has MB
offered that yet?



lol.....but, if you turn the a/c on to max, put the fan on high, and aim it at the steering wheel you can get frost bite.

imidazol97

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

snakeweasel

cdnpinhead said:

Those appear to be some seriously high tire pressures, but then again, what do I know. I drive appliances into the ground.

A quick search online shows that that is in the recommended range for that vehicle. Its also what's recommended for my motorcycle (a little more when riding with a passenger). On my bicycle I am running around 125.

graphicguy

Watching a whole lot of YouTube on TV lately. Found this guy. Interesting fleet of cars. Found this adventure entertaining...

https://youtu.be/VIdNcbsgOiM

qbrozen

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

40 is very high. Plus, they don’t know what you are driving. Weight of the vehicle, how it is distributed, the driven wheels, how you drive, and where you drive should all be taken into consideration. I’ll also change it up if I notice an uneven wear pattern.

snakeweasel

qbrozen said:

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

40 is very high. Plus, they don’t know what you are driving. Weight of the vehicle, how it is distributed, the driven wheels, how you drive, and where you drive should all be taken into consideration. I’ll also change it up if I notice an uneven wear pattern.

I would recommend using the pressure's that the cars manufacturer recommends. They know the car and what it requires. The tire manufacturer has no ideal what car any particular tire goes onto. So check your owners manual.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

qbrozen said:

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

40 is very high. Plus, they don’t know what you are driving. Weight of the vehicle, how it is distributed, the driven wheels, how you drive, and where you drive should all be taken into consideration. I’ll also change it up if I notice an uneven wear pattern.

I would recommend using the pressure's that the cars manufacturer recommends. They know the car and what it requires. The tire manufacturer has no ideal what car any particular tire goes onto. So check your owners manual.

I usually like 35 psi on all 4 tires when cold. This is my first AWD vehicle so when I check the recommended pressure later this morning, I'll know more.

You also have to remember that the tire pressure sensors on the car don't usually match up with the tire pressure gauges the mechanics use when they check pressures.

But I do think they are a bit over-inflated because the car is driving and handling very stiff.

Thanks for all the input, guys.

qbrozen

yet, the manufacturer does not know what TYPE of tire you are using, HOW you drive, nor WHERE you drive it. I would definitely use car manufacturer over tire manufacturer, if I was just a car user. Being a driver who knows better, I use my own judgement. I will say, though, I definitely base it off of the car engineers' suggestion as a baseline.

Example, my charger states 33 psi in all 4 tires. That's ridiculous, IMHO. I run 38 up front and 36 in the rear. It is a heavy RWD car, after all, and I like to put my foot in it.

abacomike

I finally was able to drop the windows on the car yesterday after the tint cured. My brother suggested putting a very light tint on the front windshield - 3M Crystaline has a special tint for front windshields in hot climates that he uses on both his cars. He also suggested a very dark tint for the panorama roof - he says it really reduces the temps in the car when parked outdoors. My car is parked outdoors all the time.

I will evaluate those suggestions as we get into the summer months.

stickguy

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

qbrozen said:

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

40 is very high. Plus, they don’t know what you are driving. Weight of the vehicle, how it is distributed, the driven wheels, how you drive, and where you drive should all be taken into consideration. I’ll also change it up if I notice an uneven wear pattern.

I would recommend using the pressure's that the cars manufacturer recommends. They know the car and what it requires. The tire manufacturer has no ideal what car any particular tire goes onto. So check your owners manual.

I usually like 35 psi on all 4 tires when cold. This is my first AWD vehicle so when I check the recommended pressure later this morning, I'll know more.

You also have to remember that the tire pressure sensors on the car don't usually match up with the tire pressure gauges the mechanics use when they check pressures.

But I do think they are a bit over-inflated because the car is driving and handling very stiff.

Thanks for all the input, guys.

The car is fine. Most likely your butt-o-meter needs recalibration.

stickguy

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

Is that 40 recommended for your specific car, or the max pressure listed on the sidewall?

abacomike

stickguy said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

qbrozen said:

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

40 is very high. Plus, they don’t know what you are driving. Weight of the vehicle, how it is distributed, the driven wheels, how you drive, and where you drive should all be taken into consideration. I’ll also change it up if I notice an uneven wear pattern.

I would recommend using the pressure's that the cars manufacturer recommends. They know the car and what it requires. The tire manufacturer has no ideal what car any particular tire goes onto. So check your owners manual.

I usually like 35 psi on all 4 tires when cold. This is my first AWD vehicle so when I check the recommended pressure later this morning, I'll know more.

You also have to remember that the tire pressure sensors on the car don't usually match up with the tire pressure gauges the mechanics use when they check pressures.

But I do think they are a bit over-inflated because the car is driving and handling very stiff.

Thanks for all the input, guys.

The car is fine. Most likely your butt-o-meter needs recalibration.

"Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth" as stated by the Lion (Burt Lahr) in the "Wizard of Oz!"

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

I'd think in South that a cooled steering wheel would be a more needed feature. Has MB
offered that yet?



One thing I really like about the BMW is that you can set it up to start the forced air vents at a specific time, or start them with the app to cool of the inside on the car on hot sunny days.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

imidazol97 said:

I'd think in South that a cooled steering wheel would be a more needed feature. Has MB
offered that yet?

One thing I really like about the BMW is that you can set it up to start the forced air vents at a specific time, or start them with the app to cool of the inside on the car on hot sunny days.

I also do that about 5 minutes before I go down to the car on very hot days. Great feature.🤙

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

40 is very high. Plus, they don’t know what you are driving. Weight of the vehicle, how it is distributed, the driven wheels, how you drive, and where you drive should all be taken into consideration. I’ll also change it up if I notice an uneven wear pattern.

I concur...use the tire pressure recommended on the car's door placard.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

imidazol97 said:

The pressure recommendation for my Malibu is 33 from GM. But as I shopped the Michelin I'd replace these with at 60% tread and 6 years of age, I noticed Michelin recommended 40 lb. for their replacement touring. It's a medium, 50, profile tire. 235 mm in width.

Is that 40 recommended for your specific car, or the max pressure listed on the sidewall?

That was on michelinman.com

I searched for the tire for the 2014 Malibu to see what was offered in that size. Michelin for a long time did not have a tire in that size I'd want. Now they have come out with a touring tire that does include that size.

roadburner

qbrozen said:

yet, the manufacturer does not know what TYPE of tire you are using, HOW you drive, nor WHERE you drive it. I would definitely use car manufacturer over tire manufacturer, if I was just a car user. Being a driver who knows better, I use my own judgement. I will say, though, I definitely base it off of the car engineers' suggestion as a baseline.

Example, my charger states 33 psi in all 4 tires. That's ridiculous, IMHO. I run 38 up front and 36 in the rear. It is a heavy RWD car, after all, and I like to put my foot in it.

I also use the manufacturer’s tire placard numbers as a starting point. What number(s) I finally decide on depends on the tire, street/track use, etc.

imidazol97

I usually went 2-3 lbs above the car setting. With Malibu that was 33+2 = 35. Then when driving, the tires were at 37, 38. Great on trips at speed.

But I lowered to 33 as the tires have reached 6 years and still have so much tread left. Goodyear Eagle LS2.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

I'd think in South that a cooled steering wheel would be a more needed feature. Has MB
offered that yet?

lol.....but, if you turn the a/c on to max, put the fan on high, and aim it at the steering wheel you can get frost bite.

I was expecting someone would tell me that is an option on such and such a car... I'm behind the times.

tjc78

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

lol.....but, if you turn the a/c on to max, put the fan on high, and aim it at the steering wheel you can get frost bite.

Frost bite from a modern car AC? I don’t think so... IMO cars don't have AC like they used to. R12 was so much better than R134a

snakeweasel

tjc78 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

lol.....but, if you turn the a/c on to max, put the fan on high, and aim it at the steering wheel you can get frost bite.

Frost bite from a modern car AC? I don’t think so... IMO cars don't have AC like they used to. R12 was so much better than R134a

My wife seems to think that AC only has two settings, full blast and off. If she gets to hot she turns the AC on full blast until she gets cold then she shuts it off, then on then off on and on.

driver100

Mrs D100 was driving with the a/c on and the sunroof open. I asked her if she was air conditioning the city?

I was wondering though....say it says your tires should be at for example 34 pds. You do that when they are cold. Should it be different say if you live in an usually colder or hotter climate? In Mikes case maybe he should set the pressure a pound or two lower than recommended...or at least do it when July rolls around.

ab348

I remember that for a long time, the sidewalls of tires had a "Maximum Pressure 32 lbs" statement on the sidewall.

bwia

The new unemployment math.

How can the unemployment rate for April be 14.7% when over 30 million people are unemployed. Is this a mistake or will that number be revised (upward) later. I also understand that some people who filed for unemployment benefits, but are not looking for a job, are not counted as unemployed. Can someone care to explain?

abacomike

The placard on the inside of the fuel filler door says 33 psi and rear 34 psi. When I checked the tire pressure monitor when tires were cold the registered 35,35,36,36. That's 2 psi above recommended inflation levels. That's perfect.

As we get daytime temps in the mid 90's, I will probably have to reduce tire pressures because when driving on the turnpike the pressures will jump over 40 psi.

stickguy

I also generally go 2-3# above sticker. That is a compromise between ride, Handling and FE. But there is always a safe range you can adjust in, depending on which factor you want to emphasize.

Driver, cold is cold so should set to 34 (if that’s your number) summer or winter.

qbrozen

snakeweasel said:

tjc78 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

lol.....but, if you turn the a/c on to max, put the fan on high, and aim it at the steering wheel you can get frost bite.

Frost bite from a modern car AC? I don’t think so... IMO cars don't have AC like they used to. R12 was so much better than R134a

My wife seems to think that AC only has two settings, full blast and off. If she gets to hot she turns the AC on full blast until she gets cold then she shuts it off, then on then off on and on.

My wife is exactly the same way. No matter how many times I have explained the auto climate control, she just does not care. Makes me wonder why we bother getting vehicles that have it.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

Mrs D100 was driving with the a/c on and the sunroof open. I asked her if she was air conditioning the city?

I was wondering though....say it says your tires should be at for example 34 pds. You do that when they are cold. Should it be different say if you live in an usually colder or hotter climate? In Mikes case maybe he should set the pressure a pound or two lower than recommended...or at least do it when July rolls around.

My understanding is that it's when the tires are cold.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

snakeweasel said:

tjc78 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

lol.....but, if you turn the a/c on to max, put the fan on high, and aim it at the steering wheel you can get frost bite.

Frost bite from a modern car AC? I don’t think so... IMO cars don't have AC like they used to. R12 was so much better than R134a

My wife seems to think that AC only has two settings, full blast and off. If she gets to hot she turns the AC on full blast until she gets cold then she shuts it off, then on then off on and on.

My wife is exactly the same way. No matter how many times I have explained the auto climate control, she just does not care. Makes me wonder why we bother getting vehicles that have it.

+1

abacomike

When I checked the tire pressure details on the inside of the fuel filler door, it showed two different sized tires for 19" run flats. I was surprised that they showed different sizes because I thought 4MATICS (AWD) Mercedes vehicles had the same size tires on all 4 wheels. I then contacted Mercedes Concierge Services and they informed me that it would not be unusual to find different sizes for front and rear.

My back was hurting pretty bad tis morning, so I did not feel like bending over and checking tire sizes. I guess I was wrong - which is nothing new in my life! Ugh!

snakeweasel

bwia said:

The new unemployment math.

How can the unemployment rate for April be 14.7% when over 30 million people are unemployed. Is this a mistake or will that number be revised (upward) later. I also understand that some people who filed for unemployment benefits, but are not looking for a job, are not counted as unemployed. Can someone care to explain?

Maybe this will help https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm . There are many unemployment "rates" but the one most cited is U-3 and it's the official rating. Most economists considered anything 5% or lower for U-3 as full employment.

imidazol97

abacomike said:

When I checked the tire pressure details on the inside of the fuel filler door, it showed two different sized tires for 19" run flats. I was surprised that they showed different sizes because I thought 4MATICS (AWD) Mercedes vehicles had the same size tires on all 4 wheels. I then contacted Mercedes Concierge Services and they informed me that it would not be unusual to find different sizes for front and rear.

My back was hurting pretty bad tis morning, so I did not feel like bending over and checking tire sizes. I guess I was wrong - which is nothing new in my life! Ugh!

Oh, oh. IF the fronts and rears are different sizes, that means you can't rotate front to back in any way.

Try using your camera to zoom in and take pictures of the size markings on the tires so you don't hve to bend over.

explorerx4

@suydam,
A lot of people were unable file or did not qualify for unemployment.

ronsteve

snakeweasel said:

cdnpinhead said:

Those appear to be some seriously high tire pressures, but then again, what do I know. I drive appliances into the ground.

A quick search online shows that that is in the recommended range for that vehicle. Its also what's recommended for my motorcycle (a little more when riding with a passenger). On my bicycle I am running around 125.

At the risk of getting too far off of cars, you know optimal bicycle tire pressures are also dependent on the weight of the rider. I used to run mine at 125psi, until I saw some studies that suggested I should be at least a little lower, and maybe a lot lower for a bumpy surface. I weigh 150 lbs, and I've backed mine down to 110psi in most conditions. I'll even drop it to 100 in the wet, and some people say I shouldn't run much more than that any time.

In a car, how much weight you're carrying doesn't really become a big influence until you have every seat filled plus some luggage. That being said, I try to keep my cold tire pressures at or just above the car manufacturer's recommendation. All that's printed on the sidewall of the tire is the MAX pressure.

imidazol97

The definition of cold tires is tires that haven't been driven for a few hours and therefore have cooled to the ambient. I check tire pressures at the morning ambient temp, i.e., 60 degrees for us now and 70 later in summer. If it's an extra hot day and tires are 80 in the shade I add one pound for the 10 deg. F. which means tires cooling to my desired 70 deg would lose one pound of what I have put in.

Be careful of sunshine on one side of the car. That heats the black tires quickly and raises the reading due to the warmth. I like to check tires in the evening after car has been in shade for hours.

imidazol97

I've found the tire pressure sensors to be within 1 pound of true reading when the tire is cool. So I
trust them when i back the car out of the garage in the morn and tires are 60 deg when they update the
reading at 25 mph or so.

coldinohio

tire sizes may be on Monroney sticker, if dealer gave it to you

abacomike said:

When I checked the tire pressure details on the inside of the fuel filler door, it showed two different sized tires for 19" run flats. I was surprised that they showed different sizes because I thought 4MATICS (AWD) Mercedes vehicles had the same size tires on all 4 wheels. I then contacted Mercedes Concierge Services and they informed me that it would not be unusual to find different sizes for front and rear.

My back was hurting pretty bad tis morning, so I did not feel like bending over and checking tire sizes. I guess I was wrong - which is nothing new in my life! Ugh!

imidazol97

For those in climates where it's too hot, global cooling is here in Ohio now. Tonight 27 deg F is predicted. Previous record low for this date was 31 deg F IIRC the radio station story. My wife is in panic mode.
We have all these beautiful hanging baskets, ferns, pansies, petunias, and some vegetables in starter pots.

We flipped a coin and the Cobalt lost. That's okay. It's a GM. It will sit outside tonight while the garage floor is covered with plants.

stickguy

imidazol97 said:

I've found the tire pressure sensors to be within 1 pound of true reading when the tire is cool. So I
trust them when i back the car out of the garage in the morn and tires are 60 deg when they update the
reading at 25 mph or so.

Same here. Mine seems very accurate.

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

@suydam,
A lot of people were unable file or did not qualify for unemployment.

It is a mess for sure. About a month ago my wife's boss told her that her patient load was about to shrink. She asked her boss how the agency would assign patients. He told her it would be by seniority and at the therapist's request. So if let's say he got 25 new patients for a week, he'd go to the therapist who has been there the longest and ask them how many patients they want to see. Assign patients and go down the totem pole (which my wife was the 2nd to last one hired). The HR woman told her that she can collect partial unemployment with her reduced patient load. It has been impossible to get. There is nobody to pick up the phone. There is no email address to ask questions.

stickguy

Volume is way beyond what they ever expected. And government agencies are notorious for having lousy systems, and no particular concern for staying up to date or modernizing. So there are way more people out of work than on UI. plus not everyone qualifies.

Employment rate is also a “massaged” stat, and subject to political manipulation. And often misunderstood.

driver100

stickguy said:

Employment rate is also a “massaged” stat, and subject to political manipulation. And often misunderstood.

This is so true.....they got better at playing with the numbers. It used to be if you were collecting UI or were off of UI but still looking for work then you were counted as unemployed

Then they realized the numbers look better if they only count the people collecting UI, and stop counting the people who can't get UI any more....they kind of entered limbo land where they don't really exist.....assume they gave up and aren't looking any more.

In Canada they made UI sound better by calling it EI....Employment Insurance....kind of puts a positive spin on it.