Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
More point of service solar that also puts back into the grid too.

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Sounds good but how will they be able to buy enough land for the solar panels? Even if they did, who could afford to charge up at those stations after their prices reflect pay back for the investment that was made?

jmonroe

stickguy

On the roof. All those big box stores and warehouses have lots of acreage. Always thought glass sided office buildings should capture the sun too. Run themselves and feed extra back into the grid.

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
On the roof. All those big box stores and warehouses have lots of acreage. Always thought glass sided office buildings should capture the sun too. Run themselves and feed extra back into the grid.

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That charging station would have to be bigger than big box stores with solar panels that are a lot more efficient and powerful than they are now. Maybe someday but definitely not any time soon.

jmonroe

andres3

cdnpinhead said:

houdini1 said:

If true, that is game over for I.C.E.

Let's all hide and watch.

Electrical infrastructure (especially for those who rent), element availability and where they're currently mined (and by whom), among other things, will provide years of entertainment.

Party on!

Not to mention we will have to bailout all the gas station owners and employees and send them 100 billion or two so they can stay afloat even though no one needs gas anymore. How are they ever going to sell overpriced beef jerky and other junk food?

Maybe they can use the bail out funds to build a charging station.

Speaking of great beef jerky, any connoisseurs out there?

Just because this brand was the best 20 years ago doesn't guarantee they still are, very hard to find and I haven't had it in over a decade:

https://www.bestbeefjerky.org/search/label/Pacific-Coast-Jerky-Factory

Not to be confused with the lame/poor brand of Pacific Gold that everyone sells. I used to get it in San Luis Obispo and I swear it was made in Ventura, CA.

More recently I like Enjoy, they are sold at a Temecula Shell gas station I know of:

https://www.bestbeefjerky.org/search/label/Enjoy-Beef-Jerky

I dislike the common brand jerky you find at 7-Eleven, regular gas stations, and Costco.

stickguy

Gas stations won’t go anywhere in my lifetime. And quite possible as demand shifts some will convert to charge stations. Keep the mini marts going, which is probably where most of the profit comes from.

andres3

dad23 said:

Does anyone happen to remember the website(s) to decipher VINs off the top of their head? And would it be specific enough to say whether the vehicle should have heated/power folding mirrors?

I remember using a website that would provide the original sticker based on the VIN; took a while to find one that would do it for free. Seemed reliable enough, but I certainly wasn't putting all my eggs in that basket.

Google is your friend.

sda

I may be mistaken as it will be 4 years ago on 7/19 that we bought the 16 Q5 but I seem to remember reaching out to My Audi.com, provided the VIN and was able to get the Mulrooney window sticker. The Q5 has been a pleasure to own and is my wife's favorite vehicle ever.

[Deleted User]

andres3 said:

dad23 said:

Does anyone happen to remember the website(s) to decipher VINs off the top of their head? And would it be specific enough to say whether the vehicle should have heated/power folding mirrors?

I remember using a website that would provide the original sticker based on the VIN; took a while to find one that would do it for free. Seemed reliable enough, but I certainly wasn't putting all my eggs in that basket.

Google is your friend.

Thanks @andres3, he was my friend, found what we were looking for!

explorerx4

House just to the left of us just went on the market.
It is the same floor plan as ours, so will be interested to see how long it takes to sell and what they are asking.
The 2 story houses seems to take a while longer but the ranch style's go quick.

explorerx4

Dad getting car pranked.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/recaps/daughter-tells-dad-she-paid-100-to-put-air-in-her-tires-and-his-reaction-is-priceless/ar-AA1dPGcR?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=1055270423c9467baf0bb203582cd0ab&ei=11

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/used-vehicle-prices-drop-by-a-record-for-the-month-of-june-203537445.html

I’ll believe it when I see it. Remember dealers still have inventory bought when prices were higher. They can lower prices on the newer cheaper purchases or they’ll never clear the old stuff.

abacomike

@houdini1 said:
I have been reading on line that Toyota has made a huge solid state battery breakthrough. New battery is half the size, weight, and cost of old battery, and will provide around 800 mile range and can be charged in 10 minutes. Little to no fire danger. Will hit the market 2027. If true, that is game over for I.C.E.

“…it ain’t over until the fat lady sings…” is appropriate regarding internal combustion engines. By merely engineering and producing a battery for cars with an 800 mile range won’t mean the end of the ICE because you still need an acceptable network of charging stations throughout the country - on all highways and interstates. I have no access to a charging station anywhere near where I live. Until I can plug in to charge conveniently, I can’t own an electric vehicle.

As for 10 minutes to fully charge such a battery would be miraculous considering the faster you charge a battery, the lower the expected life span of that battery.

I would definitely own an electric vehicle if I could be satisfied with my ability to charge it. It will take more than 3-4 years to build a country-wide network of high capacity charging stations.

But Toyota’s new battery technology would be a great start. One more variable to overcome would be the hi-tech improvement of our electric power grids to handle the tremendous increase in the need for electricity. Many States such as CA, TX, AZ, etc. can barely provide enough power currently during hot weather.

carnaught

dad23 said:

Does anyone happen to remember the website(s) to decipher VINs off the top of their head? And would it be specific enough to say whether the vehicle should have heated/power folding mirrors?

Maybe this: http://www.analogx.com/contents/vinview.htm

explorerx4

Here's one for driver100.
The other day a Buick SUV cut across the street right in front of me to get in the lane to my right.
Plate was 'JDG JUDY'.

sda

Such a deal!
$189.95
Synthetic Oil and Filter Change Special + Multi-Point Inspection3
4-cylinder gas engines only. Includes synthetic engine oil (6 qt. max.), an Audi Genuine Oil Filter, topping off brake and windshield fluids, plus a complimentary vehicle wash and Multi-Point Inspection.
Must present offer at time of write-up. Offer expires 09/30/2023.

jmonroe1

@sda said:
Such a deal!
$189.95
Synthetic Oil and Filter Change Special + Multi-Point Inspection3
4-cylinder gas engines only. Includes synthetic engine oil (6 qt. max.), an Audi Genuine Oil Filter, topping off brake and windshield fluids, plus a complimentary vehicle wash and Multi-Point Inspection.
Must present offer at time of write-up. Offer expires 09/30/2023.

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I’d buy 2 of those offers, one for now and the other one at Christmas.

jmonroe

snakeweasel

I hate "Economy Mode". Lack of power, I think the a/c gets tuned down. Why buy a car with some zip only to have it drive like a dud? In contrast, I like "Sport" for getting onto a busy highway.....or for taking guys at a stoplight........just joking everyone

Most of the vehicles I have driven overrides the eco mode when you go WOT. Not sure if the BMW does as I have never tried it.

carnaught

To those of you who have WaWa, do they do offer oil changes, and if so, how much? If they do, I heard their food is not bad - might be good for @driver100’s car service. 🤔.

qbrozen

carnaught said:

To those of you who have WaWa, do they do offer oil changes, and if so, how much? If they do, I heard their food is not bad - might be good for @driver100’s car service. 🤔.

I have never seen a wawa with a service garage

jmonroe1

@carnaught said:
To those of you who have WaWa, do they do offer oil changes, and if so, how much? If they do, I heard their food is not bad - might be good for @driver100’s car service. 🤔.

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Since Wa Wa is like Sheetz and Sheetz doesn’t offer oil changes, I’ll stick my neck out and say Wa Wa doesn’t offer oil changes.

FWIW, I keep hearing about the ongoing running battle between Sheetz (corporate HQ in PA and Wa Wa being a Jersey outfit) concerning their food. Not surprisingly homers vote for the home team. Personally, I don’t like Sheetz but my sons and grandsons like them. I doubt Wa Wa is any better.

jmonroe

carnaught

Nothing like gas station Sushi.

28firefighter

Wawa headquarters is in Wawa, PA (really Media, PA).

oldfarmer50

carnaught said:

To those of you who have WaWa, do they do offer oil changes, and if so, how much? If they do, I heard their food is not bad - might be good for @driver100’s car service. 🤔.

The WaWa in Manville NJ doesn’t do oil changes but they have a McDonalds type fast food outlet inside a large convenience store. I think they have everything to eat that is bad for you in existence.

tjc78

I’ve never seen a Wawa with an oil change place lol. Gas, Food and Coffee

Fun fact this is one of the only Wawa’s that don’t look like the rest. I’m sure Q, 28, and Stick know where this is.

tjc78

tjc78

Dinner with a view tonight.

driver100

sda said:

Such a deal!
$189.95
Synthetic Oil and Filter Change Special + Multi-Point Inspection3
4-cylinder gas engines only. Includes synthetic engine oil (6 qt. max.), an Audi Genuine Oil Filter, topping off brake and windshield fluids, plus a complimentary vehicle wash and Multi-Point Inspection.
Must present offer at time of write-up. Offer expires 09/30/2023.

Almost as much as an MB oil change.

driver100

carnaught said:

To those of you who have WaWa, do they do offer oil changes, and if so, how much? If they do, I heard their food is not bad - might be good for @driver100’s car service. 🤔.

I don't need their food....I bring my own......along with a can of beer.

roadburner

I've spent about 10 hours preparing the Club Sport for tomorrow's Keeneland Concours d’Elegance.
The chance of precipitation tomorrow? 80%

sda

@roadburner said:
I've spent about 10 hours preparing the Club Sport for tomorrow's Keeneland Concours d’Elegance.
The chance of precipitation tomorrow? 80%

Looks great. Bummer about the weather.

stickguy

Wawa just sells gas. No service. they have a deli and actually make pretty good sandwiches (much better than most convivence store type places).

T, that has to be in Wildwood. Nice homage to the classic WW motels of the 60's/70's. I remember staying at a few back in that era since we sometimes went down for a few days vacation when I was little (and that was a long, long time ago!)

the one thing I remember the most? How many Canadian plates there were. not sure if it is still the same today but it was infested with Driver100s Canadians on vacation back then. I guess they figured they drove so far to get to the shore, might as well keep going until they reached exit 3!

stickguy

and if traffic cooperates, I will be a few miles from you by noon tomorrow! got the Maverick stuffed to the gills and ready to hit the road at 6:00 AM! Please order up nice weather for us. And if you get bored in WW take a run up to SH and hang out on our beach!

roadburner

sda said:

@roadburner said:

I've spent about 10 hours preparing the Club Sport for tomorrow's Keeneland Concours d’Elegance.

The chance of precipitation tomorrow? 80%

Looks great. Bummer about the weather.

Thanks. The forecast is for occasional showers- who knows how wet it will be? We are prepped with rain gear and we plan to make the best of it.

laurasdada

Sunday morn was scheduled a cars/coffee/conversations, sponsored by the local exotic dealership. At a local outdoor Ampitheater.... postponed due to rain. I've been working 16:00-00:00 for the last two weeks straight, was quite looking forward to it as we were given the weekend off (well, on-call vs. on-line).
About a 40 minute drive, was gonna take the M240.
Sigh.

jmonroe1

@28firefighter said:
Wawa headquarters is in Wawa, PA (really Media, PA).

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Thanks for clearing that up.

So, what’s your opinion on whose sandwiches are better?

jmonroe

28firefighter

Wawa. No competition.

tjc78

@stickguy said:
Wawa just sells gas. No service. they have a deli and actually make pretty good sandwiches (much better than most convivence store type places).

T, that has to be in Wildwood. Nice homage to the classic WW motels of the 60's/70's. I remember staying at a few back in that era since we sometimes went down for a few days vacation when I was little (and that was a long, long time ago!)

the one thing I remember the most? How many Canadian plates there were. not sure if it is still the same today but it was infested with Driver100s Canadians on vacation back then. I guess they figured they drove so far to get to the shore, might as well keep going until they reached exit 3!

Very true, I remember coming here as a kid and there was always a ton of Canadian plates. Today, not so much.

Yes the Doo Wop themed Wawa is in Wildwood. It’s walking distance from my house.

Enjoy the week! Right now it’s gorgeous and the water is 77. It warmed up much quicker this year.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
Wawa. No competition.

Indeed! Nothing compares.

imidazol97

We have Sheetz coming into this Area. IIRC only two stations are being built, but other locations may have been announced. 10 miles away and 30 miles.

Sheetz had been running a funny but obnoxious ad for their waffle sandwich with a older lady on a motorcycle at the end.

It's great.

qbrozen

I’ll be honest: my fam and I get wawa food and drinks a couple of times a week on average. It is very good for the money and far far better than BK/McD/Wendys/KFC type places around here, both in quality and healthiness.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
I’ll be honest: my fam and I get wawa food and drinks a couple of times a week on average. It is very good for the money and far far better than BK/McD/Wendys/KFC type places around here, both in quality and healthiness.

I agree. While there are better sandwiches, for the money it’s tough to beat. Often we get them before we head up to the beach. If we go to Primos or a local shop it can be $15 more.

@stickguy
Channel 6 claims there was an upwelling and the ocean is back down to 66, but the app I use still says 77. We aren’t going today (water park I think), but hopefully that 66 is not accurate. We will probably go tomorrow.

oldfarmer50

I always said that no self driving car will ever be able to overcome human mischief.

https://youtu.be/dplh8drVTmU

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

Wawa. No competition.

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Thanks.

jmonroe

28firefighter

When I’m visiting home, I’ll usually have Wawa for lunch every day. It’s quick, easy, and tasty and generally costs what it would take to feed myself something I want to eat.

Michaell

28firefighter said:

When I’m visiting home, I’ll usually have Wawa for lunch every day. It’s quick, easy, and tasty and generally costs what it would take to feed myself something I want to eat.

I remember seeing Wawa's when I visited NJ for business and to see family. Don't recall ever eating there, however.

tjc78

They have added lots of options over the years, but their core items are from the deli. Hoagies and sandwiches are their best offerings in my opinion. Of course their coffee is great too.

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

They have added lots of options over the years, but their core items are from the deli. Hoagies and sandwiches are their best offerings in my opinion. Of course their coffee is great too.

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See, that’s what I mean, you’re a homer.

I know someone who says Sheetz has the best coffee. To be honest, I’ve had Sheetz coffee and it’s just OK. Can’t imagine it can’t be topped.

jmonroe

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

@driver100 said:

If my next long wait is in the morning I may bring a Coleman Stove, bacon and eggs.

Maybe that will make them get my car serviced faster!

Nice to have you back Mike. What does the Genesis dealer serve while waiting?

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Cold, leftover soup from Benz dealerships.

jmonroe

Nope......homemade wannabe alphabet soup and the chef shapes all those little letters.

That brings up the question, do they make alphabet soup in Braille for blind people?

snakeweasel

roadburner said:

tjc78 said:

@roadburner said:

I hate to break up the culinary discussion with an automotive post, but this morning I was in Louisville for a campaign event so I drove the C43; on the way back to the office I took a familiar on-ramp at double the posted advisory speed. The C43 simply shrugged it off- no tire squeal and very little body roll.

Color me extremely impressed.

I took a 45 posted ramp at 75 today in a Mommy mobile. Does that count for anything 😜😜😜😜😜

Sure- you are doing better than 95% of the so-called "drivers" that I encounter.

Tell me about it. On my way to work the route I normally take has this one rather long curve, this curve was created to take the road around a land fill which is now just a large hill with a nice little overlook on top. The length of the curve is somewhere between half and 2/3rds of a mile so it's really not a tight curve and the speed limit is 45. Every now and again I get behind so "performance" vehicle that's doing well under the speed limit. Now here is the thing, at one end of this road is a quarry and trucks full of stone travel this road and these truck often take this curve at 50+. So if a dump truck carrying tons of gravel can do 50 why does the Audi have to do 40?

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

signage also needs to be for lowest common denominator vehicle. If 95% of traffic is normal sedans, CUVs, etc. the limit will be based on that. Of course a Z06 or 911 can go a whole lot faster but the sign would be way too crowded if they had to list every kind of vehicle with a different speed.

It's not only the vehicle but the driver, an excellent driver who knows his vehicle in a minivan might be able to out do a crappy driver in the 911. You have to know your limits and the limits of the car, and never trust a curve you don't know.