Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
I just booked a carrier using Shiply(suggested by qbrozen).
Movers are kind of hedging on one 26 foot truck to move our stuff.
Will save a towing trip if I have to rent a trailer for any overflow that can't fit on the moving van.

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See if our poster buddy @stickguy will loan you his trucklette for the over flow stuff. Be sure to use the cup holders and glove box. That will make make maximum use of all the space.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

Fun day today…

No beach because my daughter was allergic to something and is on steroids to clear up her skin. That means no sun. Ugh

Then my Nest thermostat which has been fine for nearly a year is all of a sudden not keeping it’s charge. Very common issue. Looks like adding a common wire fixes it. Well in the condo that is easier said than done. Dig deeper and there is a $25 Nest module that can fix the problem. No one has it in stock, so Amazon it is.

Finally, wife wanted a dimmer for the dining room light. Ran to Lowes and grabbed one. Went to install it and as soon as I pulled the switch out the wire broke at the back of the box leaving just enough to splice it back on. Fortunately I had some wire nuts in the storage room from a light I replaced. Blessing in disguise I guess, that could have arced and caused issues.

I think I’m done now .. don’t want to break anything else.

Coincidentally, I am also having a problem with the nest thermostat at our condo. One of the guests must have messed around with it. I can no longer access it from my phone. It would explain why the electric bill was $100 this past month. The air-conditioning must be running nonstop.

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I’ll gladly take your $100 electric bill. I’m pretty sure ours is more than that even in the Winter and we have gas for heating.

jmonroe

qbrozen

yes, yes. well, ya know, they call 'em guests at hotels. ha.

explorerx4

@jmonroe1,
If stickguy lends me the Mav he might not get it back.

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@jmonroe1,
If stickguy lends me the Mav he might not get it back.

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Well, now for sure he ain’t going to loan it to you. I did my best and in one stupid sentence you screwed it up. Some folks just can’t be helped.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@jmonroe1,
I was thinking a Gennie could do the job.

snakeweasel

kyfdx said:

Boy, if you think your good parenting can keep you from having a delinquent teenager, then I've got some news for you...

It wont keep you from having a delinquent teenager but it will reduce the odds of having one.

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

@jmonroe1,
I was thinking a Gennie could do the job.

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Probably. But you ain’t gonna borrow mine.

jmonroe me I’m

roadburner

Our internet connection had been spotty for several days; we reported it to our ISP and they sent out a tech- who took one look at the old ancient modem and said, "I'll bet that modem is your problem." He replaced it with a new modem at no charge and all was well- better actually; I think some minor issues we had experienced for some time were also due to the old modem. The only issue I found was that the Roku stick and BD player in the downstairs home theater were now reporting a weak signal. Stupid me, I had forgotten to connect my TP-Link Wi-Fi range extender( an excellent unit, BTW) to the new modem. Two WPS button presses later and the downstairs Roku and BD player were recording excellent signal strength.

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Apparently, and I just read this yesterday, a car with a full tank of gas is less likely to explode than one with only a little bit of gas in the tank.

Do you really think a KIA is more likely to go up in flames?

Certain H/K models have had years of problems, both with engine fires for a couple of different reasons, or underhood fires relating somehow to an ABS flaw.

What is explosive is gasoline vapor. I have seen demos where a lit match is tossed into a bucket of gasoline and nothing happens. With a low level in the tank, there is a lot of vapor to go kaboom.

The automotive industry has spent a lot of money figuring out how to keep gas tanks from exploding. The extremely vast majority of auto fires are from leaking fuel meeting something hot.

jmonroe1

sb55 said:

henryn said:

I have been using an Ego battery operated string trimmer for several years now. When the first battery got weak after 4 or 5 years, I bought a complete new unit. The battery was $129, and the new unit (with string trimmer, battery, and charger) was $179. I added an Ego chain saw about 4 years ago, and an Ego leaf blower last year.

I do believe it makes good sense to stick with one brand. I have 2 battery operated drill / drivers, and 1 battery operated impact driver. All 3 are different makes with different batteries, but they were bought on sale for very cheap, so I don't mind.

I just had surgery and am on a limit of how much I can lift for a month. I have 7 + acres and about 1/2 of it is lawn so I have a lot of trimming to do. So I just got an EGO string trimmer. I'm pretty impressed. It does tall stiff weeds and the battery lasts a pretty long time. It also charged up a lot faster than my other tools.

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Hope you’re feeling better from the surgery very soon but don’t rush it. Since I don’t like yard work (never have) but if I had an excuse like yours I’d play it to the hilt. Might even see if I could forgo all yard work for the rest of the year. Maybe you could play on Mrs. @sb55’s sympathy till next trimming season.

jmonroe

stickguy

I might have the same issue with movers fitting it all in a 26’ truck. So could be figuring out how to tow on the fly. Only a baby trailer since towing capacity is 2,000#. Hopefully the 15’ truck I’m taking up the week before will be enough to cover the excess. Plus 2 loads in the Acura and 1 in the Maverick.

My wife really has too much stuff.

tjc78

qbrozen said:

@tjc78 said:

Fun day today…

No beach because my daughter was allergic to something and is on steroids to clear up her skin. That means no sun. Ugh

Then my Nest thermostat which has been fine for nearly a year is all of a sudden not keeping it’s charge. Very common issue. Looks like adding a common wire fixes it. Well in the condo that is easier said than done. Dig deeper and there is a $25 Nest module that can fix the problem. No one has it in stock, so Amazon it is.

Finally, wife wanted a dimmer for the dining room light. Ran to Lowes and grabbed one. Went to install it and as soon as I pulled the switch out the wire broke at the back of the box leaving just enough to splice it back on. Fortunately I had some wire nuts in the storage room from a light I replaced. Blessing in disguise I guess, that could have arced and caused issues.

I think I’m done now .. don’t want to break anything else.

Coincidentally, I am also having a problem with the nest thermostat at our condo. One of the guests must have messed around with it. I can no longer access it from my phone. It would explain why the electric bill was $100 this past month. The air-conditioning must be running nonstop.

I’d wager it is the same issue I’m having. When they get low on battery the Wi-Fi disconnects. Most systems don’t have a common wire and without that many systems don’t charge the battery well enough. What I can’t figure out is why mine was fine for months then all of a sudden there is an issue. Only thing I can think of is the battery got a little weaker and now the slow charge is an issue.

ab348

stickguy said:

My wife really has too much stuff.

Hire a guy with his own truck/trailer to move all of her stuff that you believe is excess and unnecessary, and quietly tell him to take it to the nearest dump. Then when it doesn't show at the new place tell her he has mysteriously disappeared and you have no way to reach him. Problem solved. What could possibly go wrong?

bwia

Apparently Toyota did not get the memo on full BEV adoption and discontinued large sedans. Nevertheless, Toyota is bringing back the Toyota Crown in a nice sleek package which will replace the Avalon. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40618133/2023-toyota-crown-revealed-details/

The new Toyota Crown arrives for the 2023 model year with two hybrid powertrain options, standard all-wheel drive, lots of modern tech, and an unorthodox lifted-sedan body style.
The base powertrain is a 236-horsepower hybrid setup, while the Platinum trim comes with a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four and two electric motors, good for 340 hp.
The Platinum also features an 11-speaker JBL sound system, heated and ventilated leather-trimmed front seats, and a snazzy two-tone paint option.

According to Car and Driver, The Crown will reach dealerships this fall, with pricing to be revealed closer to the on-sale date. We expect the XLE to start in the low $40,000 range, with the Platinum pushing $50,000, although Toyota did say that the Crown is targeting a more affluent buyer than its predecessor, the Avalon, did.

tjc78

Yet another Toyota with a disastrous front end.

Edit.. looked at the article. The rear may be worse.

Hard pass on looks alone. Aside from the trucks, what happened to Toyota. I used to be such a fan.

tjc78

Jeeps! It’s Jeep invasion weekend here in Wildwood NJ. Just driving around, I’ve seen well over a 100. Take a look at this picture (not mine, grabbed from the web)

ab348

tjc78 said:

Yet another Toyota with a disastrous front end.

Edit.. looked at the article. The rear may be worse.

Hard pass on looks alone. Aside from the trucks, what happened to Toyota. I used to be such a fan.

Their trucks are no great shakes in the looks dept either...

The worst part for me on the Crown are the gun-slit side windows. Visibility must be atrocious.

bwia

Based on this video the Crown looks pretty cool. It does not look like previous iterations that was popular with foreign diplomats. https://youtu.be/TwLVEGTPhfc

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

My wife really has too much stuff.

Hire a guy with his own truck/trailer to move all of her stuff that you believe is excess and unnecessary, and quietly tell him to take it to the nearest dump. Then when it doesn't show at the new place tell her he has mysteriously disappeared and you have no way to reach him. Problem solved. What could possibly go wrong?

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Bad idea. I’ll to you what can go wrong; when Mrs. @stickguy sees your post he’s toast.

jmonroe

bwia

In motion, the Crown resembles my last generation Buick Lacrosse, which was a respectable car but apparently did not sell in the numbers the folks at Buick were hoping for.

Besides, Buick made a leap into the future to full EVs dropping all sedans from its lineup. Bold decision, yes but disastrous in the interim. The result, No ICE sedans, no EV sedans. But what do I know about cars, nothing; except I moved my investments from domestic legacy auto manufacturers to...

sda

Isn’t Chevy essentially down to the Malibu as the only sedan offering, which will soon be discontinued? Cadillac offers a few sedans but they are pricey. Ford no longer offers sedans and Chrysler is limited to the 300 and Charger. How sad.

roadburner

I have to applaud Toyota; almost their entire design staff must be vision-impaired.

sda

Some fun stuff I attached to the inside lid of my tool chest. The Datsun emblem broke off our 510, I think a towel hooked it when the car was being dried off. The Aurora letters came off a broken panel from mom's car which I replaced. Someone ran into it and didn't confess.

fintail

And a faux floating C-pillar. So hip and edgy and with it! Memaw will look chic driving to the bunco tournament.

tjc78 said:

Yet another Toyota with a disastrous front end.

Edit.. looked at the article. The rear may be worse.

Hard pass on looks alone. Aside from the trucks, what happened to Toyota. I used to be such a fan.

fintail

sda said:

Some fun stuff I attached to the inside lid of my tool chest. The Datsun emblem broke off our 510, I think a towel hooked it when the car was being dried off. The Aurora letters came off a broken panel from mom's car which I replaced. Someone ran into it and didn't confess.

Newport?

I assume a Ford 352 engine badge there.

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

Jeeps! It’s Jeep invasion weekend here in Wildwood NJ. Just driving around, I’ve seen well over a 100. Take a look at this picture (not mine, grabbed from the web)

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That pic of the size of the beach brings back memories of when we used to go to Atlantic City before the casino days. I don’t remember parking on the beach at Atlantic City, at least we never did. The beaches at Myrtle Beach aren’t nearly as big as that. Maybe just as well because a hike that far trudging though that much sand to the water would wear me out today.

jmonroe

sda

fintail said:

sda said:

Some fun stuff I attached to the inside lid of my tool chest. The Datsun emblem broke off our 510, I think a towel hooked it when the car was being dried off. The Aurora letters came off a broken panel from mom's car which I replaced. Someone ran into it and didn't confess.

Newport?

I assume a Ford 352 engine badge there.

Yep, I mistakenly posted this in the wrong forum. I had access to a junk yard years back and the owner let me scavenge for small items that had little demand. I did buy some parts such as a used windshield, correct wheel covers and other items for my 62 Ford from him.

tjc78

@jmonroe1
That part of the island the beach is massive. They actually have a service that will take you down to the water.

We don’t go to the beach in that part of town. We go about 20 blocks south into the Crest where it’s more manageable.

Even though it’s huge it is still a beautiful beach.

stickguy

I missed my opportunity to make more stuff just disappear. Based on reaction to some of the boxes I unearthed she had no clue what was even down there.

tjc78

@stickguy said:
I missed my opportunity to make more stuff just disappear. Based on reaction to some of the boxes I unearthed she had no clue what was even down there.

When we were moving, I had a few hours here or there “organizing” by myself. Obviously organizing was more throwing away than anything. Still there are at least a dozen boxes/totes in our basement storage room that will probably never see light of day until the next time we move - scratch that …. Sell that house and move to the shore permanently.

explorerx4

One of our kid's friends came over with her husband today and took a tree, a large plant and a bunch of smaller ones.
Also one of my SIL's went through her old horse stuff and took some of that, too.

carnaught

roadburner said:

I have to applaud Toyota; almost their entire design staff must be vision-impaired.

Some people could take apart the looks of your fleet 🤔. It’s all in the eyes of the individual and personal preference.

carnaught

fintail said:

And a faux floating C-pillar. So hip and edgy and with it! Memaw will look chic driving to the bunco tournament.

tjc78 said:

Yet another Toyota with a disastrous front end.

Edit.. looked at the article. The rear may be worse.

Hard pass on looks alone. Aside from the trucks, what happened to Toyota. I used to be such a fan.

Tough crowd here 😁.

tjc78

@carnaught said:
Tough crowd here 😁.

Not tough. Honest.

henryn

I liked this on the new Toyota Crown. I think it may help sales.

Coincidentally, the new Crown appears as a raised sedan—due to a seating position that sits four inches higher than the Camry's and a roofline to match

driver100

carnaught said:

roadburner said:

I have to applaud Toyota; almost their entire design staff must be vision-impaired.

Some people could take apart the looks of your fleet 🤔. It’s all in the eyes of the individual and personal preference.

Yeh, I really like the Crown, it is one of the nicer looking hybrids....looks striking in red or orange with the black hood and trunk. And the interior is exceptional;

The price sounds reasonable for all the top tech too!

roadburner

@carnaught said:
Some people could take apart the looks of your fleet 🤔. It’s all in the eyes of the individual and personal preference.

I’d wager that the number of the people who find the styling of my cars off-putting would amount to less than 1% of those who find Toyota’s current styling direction to be overwrought and ridiculous.

I do find the GR 86 to be attractive, and I would consider the GR Supra if Toyota dealers had a shred of a clue about how to service them.

And I’ll freely admit that the huge grilles on many newer BMWs are an abomination, although Toyota has had a head start at inflicting gaping maws on their mainstream sedans.

driver100

I think Toyota has come a long ways in the looks department if they stay on this trajectory;

kyfdx

What happened to drive what you like?

driver100

roadburner said:

@carnaught said:

Some people could take apart the looks of your fleet 🤔. It’s all in the eyes of the individual and personal preference.

I’d wager that the number of the people who find the styling of my cars off-putting would amount to less than 1% of those who find Toyota’s current styling direction to be overwrought and ridiculous.

Make a wager on something that couldn't possibly be proven one way or the other!

kyfdx

A lot of people missing the point, here.
Drive what you like, but don't take offense if other people don't like it. (you shouldn't care)
And, if you think I'm directing this at some other member, then you've missed the point, again.

End of discussion.

roadburner

@fintail I kept the chrome grille emblem from the 1965 Mustang that my mother completely destroyed back in 1970. I think it was the only piece of the car that wasn't buckled or dented.

fintail

Looks like my response vanished into the ether somehow.

I think those slanted/diagonal displacement badges were 1966-67 only, earlier years using something smaller, maybe the eagle style. I think the first year for the displacement badge was 62. I think 66 or 67 was also the final year of the 352, at least in passenger cars.

You might recall when I posted it some time ago, I have the Thunderbird badge from the car my mom had when I was a little kid. When it broke down in 1985, it sat for at least a short time until my dad gave it away, and I think the emblem broke off when us kids were climbing/playing on the car.

sda said:

fintail said:

sda said:

Some fun stuff I attached to the inside lid of my tool chest. The Datsun emblem broke off our 510, I think a towel hooked it when the car was being dried off. The Aurora letters came off a broken panel from mom's car which I replaced. Someone ran into it and didn't confess.

Newport?

I assume a Ford 352 engine badge there.

Yep, I mistakenly posted this in the wrong forum. I had access to a junk yard years back and the owner let me scavenge for small items that had little demand. I did buy some parts such as a used windshield, correct wheel covers and other items for my 62 Ford from him.

ab348

driver100 said:

Yeh, I really like the Crown, it is one of the nicer looking hybrids....looks striking in red or orange with the black hood and trunk. And the interior is exceptional;

One hopes there are other interior color choices than just the coal-mine black they’ve shown in the pics.

As for the tech, Toyota has long been criticized for their proprietary infotainment system so it will be interesting to see how this new version is received.

jmonroe1

@fintail said:
Looks like my response vanished into the ether somehow.

I think those slanted/diagonal displacement badges were 1966-67 only, earlier years using something smaller, maybe the eagle style. I think the first year for the displacement badge was 62. I think 66 or 67 was also the final year of the 352, at least in passenger cars.

You might recall when I posted it some time ago, I have the Thunderbird badge from the car my mom had when I was a little kid. When it broke down in 1985, it sat for at least a short time until my dad gave it away, and I think the emblem broke off when us kids were climbing/playing on the car.

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It’s a shame you didn’t have a jungle gym or swing set.

jmonroe

driver100

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

Yeh, I really like the Crown, it is one of the nicer looking hybrids....looks striking in red or orange with the black hood and trunk. And the interior is exceptional;

One hopes there are other interior color choices than just the coal-mine black they’ve shown in the pics.

As for the tech, Toyota has long been criticized for their proprietary infotainment system so it will be interesting to see how this new version is received.

It looks like beige is available...in Europe at least.

...and a black with orange....

henryn

I like the beige interior, but not so much the right hand drive.

driver100

henryn said:

I like the beige interior, but not so much the right hand drive.

Everyone has to have at least one complaint!

jmonroe1

@henryn said:
I like the beige interior, but not so much the right hand drive.

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I thought they reversed the negative.

jmonroe