Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stickguy

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

So, he wears an O ring?

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

I have friends that work out a lot. They both have their finger tattooed with the outline of a ring.

driver100

bwia said:

driver100 said:

bwia said:

It's official. Lucid Motors has just announced that its luxury EV sedan, Lucid Air has an EPA range of 503 miles and will charge at 350 kWh rate. Stay tuned.

Interested buyers can preorder with a $1,000 deposit.

I'll believe it when they actually have one on the road.
Did you ever see the movie:

This video gives a nice preview of the $131,000 Lucid Air. The base price is a $60,000 for less opulent version. Scroll through the effusive preliminaries to 13.0 on the video marker for a good look of the interior. And it is not hyperbole to say it is great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BodIzNPIWI

I don't have much faith....they can make a really boring 22 minute video and accomplish very little....makes me wonder about how savvy these guys are. That guy couldn't be more boring, at least Scotty sounds like he is interested and cares!
Also, it isn't a player until we see it actually go, on it's own power. They can have all kinds of promises, they haven't proved anything....they didn't even start it up.
Beautiful looking car though. Seems to be a remake of the movie Tucker.......promotional video to get $1000 down payment and investors.

driver100

kyfdx said:

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

I have friends that work out a lot. They both have their finger tattooed with the outline of a ring.

Works better for the bar scene, "Married? No, I'm not married, that's just a tattoo ring I have for fun".

roadburner

I spent a few minutes behind the wheel of my son’s 330i xDrive; it’s a very nice cruiser. No bells and whistles except for the top drawer Nav system. The Hi-Fi audio system is surprisingly decent; he’s currently streaming Spotify and listening to SXM. He texted me last night informing me he was going to buy a new set of wheels. I pointed him to Tire Rack and recommended BBS and O.Z. wheels. I did a bit of digging and found some OEM M Performance wheels that I could probably get for close to the same price with my discount. And so it begins.

roadburner

We pick up the TV and the 4K BD player today after court. I had to rent a pickup due to the TV packaging. I’ll probably wind up with a Colorado so I’ll report back on my impressions of the truck later.

andres3

http://thenewspaper.com/news/36/3655.asp

When you put it to a vote, the voters have spoken, but yet you hear of a lot of shenanigans "in the works" at many localities....

Speed cameras and red light cameras are nothing but a scam.

mjfloyd1

@andres3 said:
http://thenewspaper.com/news/36/3655.asp

When you put it to a vote, the voters have spoken, but yet you hear of a lot of shenanigans "in the works" at many localities....

Speed cameras and red light cameras are nothing but a scam.

It’s a money generator

kyfdx

driver100 said:

kyfdx said:

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

I have friends that work out a lot. They both have their finger tattooed with the outline of a ring.

Works better for the bar scene, "Married? No, I'm not married, that's just a tattoo ring I have for fun".

How would that be better than taking a normal ring off and putting it in your pocket?

I think the tattoo shows real commitment.

venture

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

venture said:

Get this:

At the ballfield where I am the groundskeeper, our trash removal is donated by a local hauler. Since he has to pay by the ton to dump, we try to keep excessively heavy stuff out of the trash.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that many, many water bottles are thrown in the trash cans after a game that are partially or, sometimes, completely full. (We use 60 gallon trash bags in the large cans). Since water is heavy, we asked the players to empty their bottles before discarding them by putting small signs near the dugout trash cans.

After a week or so it was reported that it seemed there was no change.

I asked some of the coaches if the kids were emptying their water bottles and was told they were.

Last evening I stopped at the field after a game and sure enough they were emptying their water bottles. They were emptying them into the trash can then throwing their empty bottle in the can.

Why would you expect anything more from jocks?

jmonroe

We have a trail nearby....people who like to get back to nature can enjoy it....and then drop their used water bottles on the road as they get in their cars to leave :@

**
That sounds like a good place to put a trash can.

driver100

kyfdx said:

driver100 said:

kyfdx said:

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

I have friends that work out a lot. They both have their finger tattooed with the outline of a ring.

Works better for the bar scene, "Married? No, I'm not married, that's just a tattoo ring I have for fun".

How would that be better than taking a normal ring off and putting it in your pocket?

I think the tattoo shows real commitment.

Depends on the tattoo.....it might look like an ink smudge

driver100

venture said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

venture said:

Get this:

At the ballfield where I am the groundskeeper, our trash removal is donated by a local hauler. Since he has to pay by the ton to dump, we try to keep excessively heavy stuff out of the trash.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that many, many water bottles are thrown in the trash cans after a game that are partially or, sometimes, completely full. (We use 60 gallon trash bags in the large cans). Since water is heavy, we asked the players to empty their bottles before discarding them by putting small signs near the dugout trash cans.

After a week or so it was reported that it seemed there was no change.

I asked some of the coaches if the kids were emptying their water bottles and was told they were.

Last evening I stopped at the field after a game and sure enough they were emptying their water bottles. They were emptying them into the trash can then throwing their empty bottle in the can.

Why would you expect anything more from jocks?

jmonroe

We have a trail nearby....people who like to get back to nature can enjoy it....and then drop their used water bottles on the road as they get in their cars to leave :@

**
That sounds like a good place to put a trash can.

You'd have to talk to the city.....which will probably be a waste of time. But, if you want to enjoy the trails, and you love nature, why not take your empty bottle home with you?

snakeweasel

kyfdx said:

driver100 said:

kyfdx said:

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

I have friends that work out a lot. They both have their finger tattooed with the outline of a ring.

Works better for the bar scene, "Married? No, I'm not married, that's just a tattoo ring I have for fun".

How would that be better than taking a normal ring off and putting it in your pocket?

I think the tattoo shows real commitment.

Well if you take your ring off there is still the indentation that the ring makes on your finger.

As for the tattoo yes its real commitment but you will find it hard to get rid of if you need to.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

venture said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

venture said:

Get this:

At the ballfield where I am the groundskeeper, our trash removal is donated by a local hauler. Since he has to pay by the ton to dump, we try to keep excessively heavy stuff out of the trash.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that many, many water bottles are thrown in the trash cans after a game that are partially or, sometimes, completely full. (We use 60 gallon trash bags in the large cans). Since water is heavy, we asked the players to empty their bottles before discarding them by putting small signs near the dugout trash cans.

After a week or so it was reported that it seemed there was no change.

I asked some of the coaches if the kids were emptying their water bottles and was told they were.

Last evening I stopped at the field after a game and sure enough they were emptying their water bottles. They were emptying them into the trash can then throwing their empty bottle in the can.

Why would you expect anything more from jocks?

jmonroe

We have a trail nearby....people who like to get back to nature can enjoy it....and then drop their used water bottles on the road as they get in their cars to leave :@

**
That sounds like a good place to put a trash can.

You'd have to talk to the city.....which will probably be a waste of time. But, if you want to enjoy the trails, and you love nature, why not take your empty bottle home with you?

I use a camelback when I hike and/or bike.

mjfloyd1

@kyfdx said:
How would that be better than taking a normal ring off and putting it in your pocket?

I think the tattoo shows real commitment.

A nurse I worked with had a wedding ring tattoo. Then she got divorced and it was some “special design”. I can’t remember if she had it lasered off or cut off.

tjc78

We get so much sun if I took off my wedding band you would clearly see an outline.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

venture said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

venture said:

Get this:

At the ballfield where I am the groundskeeper, our trash removal is donated by a local hauler. Since he has to pay by the ton to dump, we try to keep excessively heavy stuff out of the trash.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that many, many water bottles are thrown in the trash cans after a game that are partially or, sometimes, completely full. (We use 60 gallon trash bags in the large cans). Since water is heavy, we asked the players to empty their bottles before discarding them by putting small signs near the dugout trash cans.

After a week or so it was reported that it seemed there was no change.

I asked some of the coaches if the kids were emptying their water bottles and was told they were.

Last evening I stopped at the field after a game and sure enough they were emptying their water bottles. They were emptying them into the trash can then throwing their empty bottle in the can.

Why would you expect anything more from jocks?

jmonroe

We have a trail nearby....people who like to get back to nature can enjoy it....and then drop their used water bottles on the road as they get in their cars to leave :@

**
That sounds like a good place to put a trash can.

You'd have to talk to the city.....which will probably be a waste of time. But, if you want to enjoy the trails, and you love nature, why not take your empty bottle home with you?

I use a camelback when I hike and/or bike.

You take one of these:

Good idea in case you need a nap.

ab348

snakeweasel said:

As for the tattoo yes its real commitment but you will find it hard to get rid of if you need to.

A problem for all tattoos. A technology that removes tattoos painlessly and effectively will be the next Tesla. I do not understand the attraction for the damnable things.

abacomike

When Genesis replaced the radio and header in my G90, it resulted in a new radio ID# for SiriusXM. Since I was about to end the 90 day complimentary service, I contacted them to update the new ID# for the new radio. It resulted in another 90-day complimentary service and they moved the 1-year service plan I agreed to in March back to September 28th ($60.00 for 12 months).

So something nice happened to me today! 🤪😜🤓

mjfloyd1

I just happened on a Facebook post that a local company was having an electronics recycling morning. I got rid of two old tube TVs and a non working flat panel tv and a computer ( they punch a hole in hard drive and then smelt it). Didn’t have to pay the $50 that I was counting on paying.

stickguy

I have a pile of hard drives in the garage. I just take them out when I am getting rid of an old computer. Someday I will have fun with a sledgehammer!

stickguy

good news Mike! any updates on your back surgery? I assume the car won't be getting used much for a while after that.

abacomike

Making an appointment tomorrow to see a neurosurgeon at my primary care physician’s urging for a 2nd opinion. Once I make the appointment he can order up a referral from my insurance carrier.

Gout is getting under control with these pills he ordered for me. Need to get my back repaired - pain is acute. As for driving, I am using the car to get around. If I still had the E450, I could not drive due to the sport suspension.

Car just turned 3 months old today - 1542 miles on the odometer. Not driving as much as I used to due to being in the hospital and now the back pain.

snakeweasel

@ab348 said:
A problem for all tattoos. A technology that removes tattoos painlessly and effectively will be the next Tesla. I do not understand the attraction for the damnable things.

Someone once said getting a tattoo is like getting one shirt and wearing it everyday for the rest of your life.

henryn

I knew a woman who worked at a tattoo removal clinic. Lasers. Painful. And not 100% effective, but reasonably close - at least from what she told me.

tjc78

I think it takes multiple treatments with the laser to remove the tattoos

sda

tjc78 said:

I think it takes multiple treatments with the laser to remove the tattoos

Just say ouch and ouch $$.

oldfarmer50

bwia said:

@ab348 said:

I know nothing about wedding bands but have noticed that black ones have become trendy. Not sure if they are male-only or if the ladies might go for them too.

What is the meaning of wearing a black ring? @ab348 according to this blog the Black wedding band is worn by both men and women... "And wearing one might be a sign of progressive thinking.

If both people in a relationship wear black wedding bands, it may be done as a way to symbolize a very strong relationship, bound by an unusually strong sense of commitment.

This not only “says” something about each person individually, but it also speaks to their love and devotion to each other.

Couples so deeply committed are usually “in it to win it” and rarely stray, or even consider something like divorce."
https://modgents.com/blogs/ringsandthings/what-does-a-black-wedding-band-mean

Maybe it symbolizes the couple’s gullibility to fall for a slick marketing campaign.

oldfarmer50

venture said:

Get this:

At the ballfield where I am the groundskeeper, our trash removal is donated by a local hauler. Since he has to pay by the ton to dump, we try to keep excessively heavy stuff out of the trash.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that many, many water bottles are thrown in the trash cans after a game that are partially or, sometimes, completely full. (We use 60 gallon trash bags in the large cans). Since water is heavy, we asked the players to empty their bottles before discarding them by putting small signs near the dugout trash cans.

After a week or so it was reported that it seemed there was no change.

I asked some of the coaches if the kids were emptying their water bottles and was told they were.

Last evening I stopped at the field after a game and sure enough they were emptying their water bottles. They were emptying them into the trash can then throwing their empty bottle in the can.

Put a potted plant next to the garbage can with a sign asking people to water it.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I probably shouldn't tell you that we never go to diners either!

I have never tried it, but a bunch of the youtube people are obsessed with Avalon King ceramic coating. Whether because it is great, or they are sponsoring it, I can't say!

Farmer, clay bar does a fantastic job. just never, ever, drop it. Though I did see on a recent video that you can get a non-clay version (basically a sanding block with something like2000 grit sand paper) that you can reuse and actually wash. I might get myself one of those. But I do know, when you use clay, it is amazing how smooth the finish is.

wash, dray, spray with lube, clay, rinse then wax. Looks great, feels great.

I don’t know how to dray.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Our church hosted a Car Cruise today so I decided to clean up the Club Sport. I started with Griot's Ceramic Wash & Coat using their foam sprayer, followed with Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax. I used BMW Wheel Cleaner Gel on the wheels and 303 Protectant under the hood. I think it turned our pretty well.

Beautiful result but sounds like you spent 50% of the car’s value on cleaning products.

I have yet to try the ceramic coating / wax. I did buy a less expensive version from Turtle Wax, but I haven't gotten around to trying it. From what I've read, you need to strip off the old wax first. You can apply wax over the ceramic, but not the other way around.

Now the 303 protectant, I have been using that for years. Good stuff, and not terribly expensive. I've never used it under the hood, you don't need to protect anything under the hood from ultraviolet rays. Armor All costs about 1/3 as much, and shines up better (at least temporarily). On tires and soft tonneau covers, 303 all the way. Lasts longer, provides some ultraviolet protection, worth the extra cost even if it isn't the shiniest.

I know that ceramic is the current hot item but I’m not really sure what it is. Ziebart will put some sort of ceramic coating on cars for a few hundred but what it offers over wax I don’t know. The dealers sell it for something like $500.

I use a Meguirars product that is supposed to be ceramic or silicon that gives a good shine and only costs about $12 a can. You have to strip off all the old wax before applying it.

I’m still trying to work up the courage to do a clay bar treatment.

You could make the hooptie look like new

Oh boy, I can’t wait.

driver100

Not so great if you are the one in two who split up:

kyfdx

That was my whole point about it showing commitment. It's easy to take a ring off.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

tjc78 said:

A friend of mine is a fireman and has to wear a rubber wedding band, that is black. Never gave it a thought, just figured it’s a personal choice.

I have friends that work out a lot. They both have their finger tattooed with the outline of a ring.

That’s kind of like having your girlfriend’s name tattooed on your chest. Awkward if the relationship hits the rocks. I’m thinking Tom Arnold and Roseanne.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

I probably shouldn't tell you that we never go to diners either!

I have never tried it, but a bunch of the youtube people are obsessed with Avalon King ceramic coating. Whether because it is great, or they are sponsoring it, I can't say!

Farmer, clay bar does a fantastic job. just never, ever, drop it. Though I did see on a recent video that you can get a non-clay version (basically a sanding block with something like2000 grit sand paper) that you can reuse and actually wash. I might get myself one of those. But I do know, when you use clay, it is amazing how smooth the finish is.

wash, dray, spray with lube, clay, rinse then wax. Looks great, feels great.

I don’t know how to dray.

You should. You have one.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dray

mjfloyd1

@oldfarmer50 said:
That’s kind of like having your girlfriend’s name tattooed on your chest. Awkward if the relationship hits the rocks. I’m thinking Tom Arnold and Roseanne.

Never as ask a patient about a name tattooed on them. It usually doesn’t have a good story. Ask me how I know…

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Our church hosted a Car Cruise today so I decided to clean up the Club Sport. I started with Griot's Ceramic Wash & Coat using their foam sprayer, followed with Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax. I used BMW Wheel Cleaner Gel on the wheels and 303 Protectant under the hood. I think it turned our pretty well.

Beautiful result but sounds like you spent 50% of the car’s value on cleaning products.

I have yet to try the ceramic coating / wax. I did buy a less expensive version from Turtle Wax, but I haven't gotten around to trying it. From what I've read, you need to strip off the old wax first. You can apply wax over the ceramic, but not the other way around.

Now the 303 protectant, I have been using that for years. Good stuff, and not terribly expensive. I've never used it under the hood, you don't need to protect anything under the hood from ultraviolet rays. Armor All costs about 1/3 as much, and shines up better (at least temporarily). On tires and soft tonneau covers, 303 all the way. Lasts longer, provides some ultraviolet protection, worth the extra cost even if it isn't the shiniest.

I know that ceramic is the current hot item but I’m not really sure what it is. Ziebart will put some sort of ceramic coating on cars for a few hundred but what it offers over wax I don’t know. The dealers sell it for something like $500.

I use a Meguirars product that is supposed to be ceramic or silicon that gives a good shine and only costs about $12 a can. You have to strip off all the old wax before applying it.

I’m still trying to work up the courage to do a clay bar treatment.

You could make the hooptie look like new

Oh boy, I can’t wait.

I guess it will need a little more than a good waxing

driver100

kyfdx said:

That was my whole point about it showing commitment. It's easy to take a ring off.

Everyone has commitment going in.......if there is a problem it won't matter if the ring is real or tattooed on.
It is a good idea in certain jobs....fireman, machinist, food server, etc.
If it's over a tattoo ring isn't going to make a difference.

driver100

A Tattoo doesn't guaranty commitment:

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Our church hosted a Car Cruise today so I decided to clean up the Club Sport. I started with Griot's Ceramic Wash & Coat using their foam sprayer, followed with Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax. I used BMW Wheel Cleaner Gel on the wheels and 303 Protectant under the hood. I think it turned our pretty well.

Beautiful result but sounds like you spent 50% of the car’s value on cleaning products.

I have yet to try the ceramic coating / wax. I did buy a less expensive version from Turtle Wax, but I haven't gotten around to trying it. From what I've read, you need to strip off the old wax first. You can apply wax over the ceramic, but not the other way around.

Now the 303 protectant, I have been using that for years. Good stuff, and not terribly expensive. I've never used it under the hood, you don't need to protect anything under the hood from ultraviolet rays. Armor All costs about 1/3 as much, and shines up better (at least temporarily). On tires and soft tonneau covers, 303 all the way. Lasts longer, provides some ultraviolet protection, worth the extra cost even if it isn't the shiniest.

I know that ceramic is the current hot item but I’m not really sure what it is. Ziebart will put some sort of ceramic coating on cars for a few hundred but what it offers over wax I don’t know. The dealers sell it for something like $500.

I use a Meguirars product that is supposed to be ceramic or silicon that gives a good shine and only costs about $12 a can. You have to strip off all the old wax before applying it.

I’m still trying to work up the courage to do a clay bar treatment.

You could make the hooptie look like new

Oh boy, I can’t wait.

Take it to that YouTube kid in Vermont. He can weld on some tin cans for you, no problem!

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Our church hosted a Car Cruise today so I decided to clean up the Club Sport. I started with Griot's Ceramic Wash & Coat using their foam sprayer, followed with Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax. I used BMW Wheel Cleaner Gel on the wheels and 303 Protectant under the hood. I think it turned our pretty well.

Beautiful result but sounds like you spent 50% of the car’s value on cleaning products.

I have yet to try the ceramic coating / wax. I did buy a less expensive version from Turtle Wax, but I haven't gotten around to trying it. From what I've read, you need to strip off the old wax first. You can apply wax over the ceramic, but not the other way around.

Now the 303 protectant, I have been using that for years. Good stuff, and not terribly expensive. I've never used it under the hood, you don't need to protect anything under the hood from ultraviolet rays. Armor All costs about 1/3 as much, and shines up better (at least temporarily). On tires and soft tonneau covers, 303 all the way. Lasts longer, provides some ultraviolet protection, worth the extra cost even if it isn't the shiniest.

I know that ceramic is the current hot item but I’m not really sure what it is. Ziebart will put some sort of ceramic coating on cars for a few hundred but what it offers over wax I don’t know. The dealers sell it for something like $500.

I use a Meguirars product that is supposed to be ceramic or silicon that gives a good shine and only costs about $12 a can. You have to strip off all the old wax before applying it.

I’m still trying to work up the courage to do a clay bar treatment.

You could make the hooptie look like new

Oh boy, I can’t wait.

Take it to that YouTube kid in Vermont. He can weld on some tin cans for you, no problem!

I already did my own hillbilly repair on that spot.


My cargo van hooptie continues to give good service. Last week I blew out a brake line. Very common up here in salt country. I also had a problem with a strange scraping noise underneath which I couldn’t identify. Off to the “guy”.

Brake line fixed and the noise turned out to be some sort of heat shield near the gas tank that was rubbing on the drive shaft (no wonder I couldn’t identify where it was coming from while stopped).

All fixed for about $200 which I thought was pretty cheap. There’s something to be said for old simple designs.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

A Tattoo doesn't guaranty commitment:

It’s a good thing that guy has another arm unless one of his sweethearts ripped it off.

jmonroe

henryn

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Our church hosted a Car Cruise today so I decided to clean up the Club Sport. I started with Griot's Ceramic Wash & Coat using their foam sprayer, followed with Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax. I used BMW Wheel Cleaner Gel on the wheels and 303 Protectant under the hood. I think it turned our pretty well.

Beautiful result but sounds like you spent 50% of the car’s value on cleaning products.

I have yet to try the ceramic coating / wax. I did buy a less expensive version from Turtle Wax, but I haven't gotten around to trying it. From what I've read, you need to strip off the old wax first. You can apply wax over the ceramic, but not the other way around.

Now the 303 protectant, I have been using that for years. Good stuff, and not terribly expensive. I've never used it under the hood, you don't need to protect anything under the hood from ultraviolet rays. Armor All costs about 1/3 as much, and shines up better (at least temporarily). On tires and soft tonneau covers, 303 all the way. Lasts longer, provides some ultraviolet protection, worth the extra cost even if it isn't the shiniest.

I know that ceramic is the current hot item but I’m not really sure what it is. Ziebart will put some sort of ceramic coating on cars for a few hundred but what it offers over wax I don’t know. The dealers sell it for something like $500.

I use a Meguirars product that is supposed to be ceramic or silicon that gives a good shine and only costs about $12 a can. You have to strip off all the old wax before applying it.

I’m still trying to work up the courage to do a clay bar treatment.

You could make the hooptie look like new

Oh boy, I can’t wait.

Take it to that YouTube kid in Vermont. He can weld on some tin cans for you, no problem!

I already did my own hillbilly repair on that spot.


My cargo van hooptie continues to give good service. Last week I blew out a brake line. Very common up here in salt country. I also had a problem with a strange scraping noise underneath which I couldn’t identify. Off to the “guy”.

Brake line fixed and the noise turned out to be some sort of heat shield near the gas tank that was rubbing on the drive shaft (no wonder I couldn’t identify where it was coming from while stopped).

All fixed for about $200 which I thought was pretty cheap. There’s something to be said for old simple designs.

Sounds like you have a pretty good independent mechanic shop (aka "the guy"). The local guy I was using for the last several years had a stroke last month, and is out of action for some time. There is another guy here in the neighborhood who works as a mobile mechanic, and he seems to be good, but really busy. He stopped by and helped me out with one of the rear brakes on the Pacifica that was giving me a hard time.

What is that on the rust repair, bondo?

28firefighter

mjfloyd1 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

That’s kind of like having your girlfriend’s name tattooed on your chest. Awkward if the relationship hits the rocks. I’m thinking Tom Arnold and Roseanne.

Never as ask a patient about a name tattooed on them. It usually doesn’t have a good story. Ask me how I know…

This seems like a story that needs sharing.

cdnpinhead

oldfarmer50 said:

There’s something to be said for old simple designs.

This is most certainly true.

henryn

I've been looking around on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace at wheels for my 2013 F150 XL. There are some very good deals out there, at around the $250 or $300 mark.

So what do you think? Aluminum or Chrome?

stickguy

Definitely the tops ones to me.

stickguy

Look better, and have a real brand of tire (unless you are planning to swap yours over)

roadburner

So I went to Enterprise to pick up the Colorado. I looked at the bed and it was obvious the new Sony TV would not fit. Luckily a Ram 1500 Classic was available for only $15 more. If I was going to own a full sized pickup it would definitely be a Ram. It’s easy to drive and the telematics and HVAC work flawlessly. Decent power(5.7 Hemi) handling and ride. I’d pick a loaded Ram over a big anodyne FWD sedan if I had to decide, but I’d rather have a Gladiator than either.
Anyway, we got the TV home and it was too heavy for my wife to help with, so a friend came over and helped unload the new TV and move the Kuro Elite to the basement HTS. I gave my friend the Panasonic 42” plasma the Kuro replaced.
The new Sony is a knockout. Yes, an OLED is better, but not $1,800 better. I’m having some issues with the Panasonic DP-UB820 player, but I should be able to sort things out.
A few screenshots; I still have to calibrate it but it looks very good out of the box:

henryn

stickguy said:

Look better, and have a real brand of tire (unless you are planning to swap yours over)

The tires are pretty much worn out on both sets of wheels. Wheels with good tires run several hundred more. The aluminum wheels (top picture) are 17 inch, and I can swap out my nearly new tires. The second picture (chrome) are 18 inch. I haven't seen any chrome wheels in 17 inch, only 18.

There are some surprisingly good deals on 20 inch Ford wheels. Brand new takeoffs, with less than 100 miles, are running $1,300 to $1,500, and one year old with 50% or more tread start around $800. I like the looks of the 20 inch wheels, but I don't think I want a sidewall that short.

I am leaning towards the 17 inch aluminum, but I have seen some 18 inch chrome wheels with decent tires at around $500. If I reuse my tires on the 17 inch aluminum wheels, I can also reuse the TPMS sensors. Except they are 8 years old, which is about the expected life span of the battery which is not replaceable. The price for 4 new TPMS sensors varies widely. Most tire shops want from $45 to $60 each ($180 to $240 for a set). Discount Tire is at $60 each. Rock Auto starts at $19 each, and goes up rapidly. Ebay and Amazon have chinese knockoffs starting at under $40 for a set of four. The reviews for the chinese knockoffs are all over the place.

Decisions, decisions.