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Mr_Shiftright

This is kinda interesting

What it Might Cost to Fix Each TDI

Mr_Shiftright

I was reading an interesting article in Car and Driver (Nov/2015) on the booming auto industry in Mexico, and the economics involved. This list caught my interest:

current hourly wages for autoworkers, worldwide:

Germany - $62.63

France - $46.23

Japan - $41.24

Italy - $41.04

Canada - $39.04

USA - $37.62

Korea - $26.96

Brazil - $17.03

Poland - $10.70

Mexico - $8.24

China -$4.10

India - $2.10

henryn

Interesting numbers. Nothing about the Philippines, probably no car industry there. But in my field (Information Technology), a lot of jobs are being exported to Manila.

Mr_Shiftright

I think Ford has a plant there.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

I just got an email from our Passat dealer in Tampa, $2000 off on any car....and we don't even need a trade in.

Tempting......I don't think so.

Just got another mailer from some dealer wanting to give me $3100 for my wife's PT Cruiser. It just turned 30k miles so I don't think so.

Didn't think there would be any car worth less than a VW right now.

You could get a pretty nice Jetta for about $18000 right now, less the $2000 discount my dealer was offering, and with your trade of $3000, gets you into a brand new car with a 3 year warranty and zero miles on it, for $13000, with $100 to go out and celebrate with a nice dinner.

Even the Jetta should last at least 10 years....that's just about $1300 a year, it doesn't get much better than that!

Yeah but the reliability of the VW is probably worse than the Chrysler.

oldfarmer50

Sold!

Got my $500 for the old Caddy after multiple inquires and no shows. Sold it to a guy who looked like he was trying to get back on his feet and just needed transportation to work. Felt good about that. I hope it lasts years for him.

I've decided that people make up their minds to buy long before they show up. This fellow even brought along a mechanic friend who gave it the seal of approval but it was obvious that he really wanted the car. The ones who didn't show or low balled were looking for an excuse not to buy. The funniest were the people who sounded so disappointed that a 22 yo $500 car wasn't in showroom condition.

stickguy

good job.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

This is kinda interesting

What it Might Cost to Fix Each TDI

Interesting...it sounds like it could cost $4000 to $5000 per VW to get it up to standards. The article said they could probably buy the cars back....say a 2009 Jetta TDI for $7000 each. I suppose they could buy them back and then sell them to China, India or Cuba...it might be less of a loss than fixing them.

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

I was reading an interesting article in Car and Driver (Nov/2015) on the booming auto industry in Mexico, and the economics involved. This list caught my interest:

current hourly wages for autoworkers, worldwide:


Mexico - $8.24

China -$4.10

India - $2.10

That gave me a great business idea. Open up a big garage just across the border in Mexico. Could even make it a vacation spot, you stay a few days while your car is repaired.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

I just got an email from our Passat dealer in Tampa, $2000 off on any car....and we don't even need a trade in.

Tempting......I don't think so.

Just got another mailer from some dealer wanting to give me $3100 for my wife's PT Cruiser. It just turned 30k miles so I don't think so.

Didn't think there would be any car worth less than a VW right now.

You could get a pretty nice Jetta for about $18000 right now, less the $2000 discount my dealer was offering, and with your trade of $3000, gets you into a brand new car with a 3 year warranty and zero miles on it, for $13000, with $100 to go out and celebrate with a nice dinner.

Even the Jetta should last at least 10 years....that's just about $1300 a year, it doesn't get much better than that!

Yeah but the reliability of the VW is probably worse than the Chrysler.

It's a gamble as to which one would be better....most Chryslers don't do too well in reliability tests either.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Sold!

Got my $500 for the old Caddy after multiple inquires and no shows.The funniest were the people who sounded so disappointed that a 22 yo $500 car wasn't in showroom condition.

Yes, funny people will look at a 22 year old $500 car and complain about a scratch mark. Don't they know....THAT'S WHY IT IS $500!

Anyway, the guy can't lose, even if it stays in his driveway it is worth $500 to say you own a Caddie.

thebean

driver100 said:

Anyway, the guy can't lose, even if it stays in his driveway it is worth $500 to say you own a Caddie.

I bet GG would beg to differ.  

driver100

thebean said:

driver100 said:

Anyway, the guy can't lose, even if it stays in his driveway it is worth $500 to say you own a Caddie.

I bet GG would beg to differ.  

LOL

houdini1

driver, I don't know if you are a 'Jays fan or not, but I hope you have been watching the series with KC. The teams are very evenly matched, with Jays having the hitting and KC having that great bullpen. Each game seems to turn on the slightest detail. Fun to watch. Advantage Jays now back in Toronto with their hitting and a smaller park.

ab348

houdini1 said:

driver, I don't know if you are a 'Jays fan or not, but I hope you have been watching the series with KC. The teams are very evenly matched, with Jays having the hitting and KC having that great bullpen. Each game seems to turn on the slightest detail. Fun to watch. Advantage Jays now back in Toronto with their hitting and a smaller park.

I don't know if I would call being down 2 games an advantage, unless Canada Border Services refuses entry to the Royals .

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Bragging always gets you in the end. "Volkswagen Bragged About The Effects Of Diesel Cheating For Years" " As Consumer Reports points out, a 2008 press release shows Volkswagen bragging about the discrepancy of their diesel models’ real-world performance when compared to EPA testing: " “While the Environmental Protection Agency estimates the Jetta TDI at an economical 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, Volkswagen went a step further to show real world fuel economy of the Jetta TDI. Leading third-party certifier, AMCI, tested the Jetta TDI and found it performed 24 percent better in real world conditions, achieving 38 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway.” "And CR says it’s these better-than-sticker estimates that pushed many people to go out and buy a diesel model over their gasoline and hybrid counterparts. "Consumer Reports also looked back at 16 diesel models they recently tested and found that only Volkswagen-branded diesel models exceeded the EPA-estimated MPG numbers. The signs have been there all along!" http://jalopnik.com/volkswagen-bragged-about-the-effects-of-diesel-cheating-1737040865

I guess the public doesn't have bash VW any more - VW IS BASHING ITSELF!

Bragging about how they fooled the EPA and the public doesn't say much about how guilty they feel about this fraud.  Assuming what you found out about VW is FACT, they deserve everything that the EPA and the public will be getting in terms of civil and hopefully criminal penalties.

I reserve my final judgment until what you posted is provable!  

driver100

houdini1 said:

driver, I don't know if you are a 'Jays fan or not, but I hope you have been watching the series with KC. The teams are very evenly matched, with Jays having the hitting and KC having that great bullpen. Each game seems to turn on the slightest detail. Fun to watch. Advantage Jays now back in Toronto with their hitting and a smaller park.

houdini, Normally I don't watch baseball too often but I have been following the Jays, since they finished the season so strong.

In the last series they won against the Rangers. They lost first 2 games then won 3 in a row. In the final game they fell behind 3 to 2 on a weird play. the catcher was throwing the ball back to the pitcher, it caught the batters bat, and went rolling up the 3rd base line. The umpire waved his hands as if to call time out, all the Jays stopped playing....the Ranger player on 3rd ran home and the score was 3 to 2 for the Rangers.

The Jays came up to bat and the Rangers made 3 huge errors on the next 3 plays....one involved the 3rd baseman dropping a ball anyone including me could have caught. Jays had 2 runners left on base, and Then Jose Bautista hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to the put the Blue Jays into the lead and won the game and the series 6 to 3.

In tonights game the Jays were ahead 3 to 0. The Jose Bautista their star hitter had a 3 and 2 count, and the last pitch which should have been a ball was called as a strike. Even Bautista was ready to walk to 1st, and couldn't believe the ump called it a strike...it went across wide and at about his ankles. Then they missed an easy fly ball when two guys went for it and each thought the other had it, and it was one base hit after another, and they ended up losing 6 to 3.

It is amazing how quickly a game can change on a few plays.

Well, it ain't over until it's over, Jays could come back and they have had an incredible year.

*Note ab....the Jays seem to do better when they are behind......they get fightin' mad like they did in game 5 against the Rangers.

thebean

driver, as a Ranger fan, I have to be impressed with the Blue Jays ability to come back from adversity.  After the first two games of that series, I really thought the Rangers were moving on to the next series.  I'm bitter about the Rangers, but I take my hat off to the Jays.  Now it will be interesting to see if they can come back from 2 games down again.

driver100

thebean said:

driver, as a Ranger fan, I have to be impressed with the Blue Jays ability to come back from adversity.  After the first two games of that series, I really thought the Rangers were moving on to the next series.  I'm bitter about the Rangers, but I take my hat off to the Jays.  Now it will be interesting to see if they can come back from 2 games down again.

bean, If the Jays can come back twice from being behind 2 games in this series, I think they will defy the odds (I wonder how many times that has been done...coming back after losing the first 2 games doesn't happen very often). But, baseball as with most sports, depends on skill, but, there is an element of luck - so we never know what will happen.

I have been watching these games and baseball players have a lot of skills. Even sliding into a base or home requires a lot of skill. Double plays and strategies to get a run in etc require so much skill.

This may be of interested and is related to cars and conversation;

WHAT ARE THE TEN HARDEST THINGS TO DO IN SPORTS?

I was surprised, but it does make sense.

#1 Hitting a baseball
Considering that a major-league pitch can reaches speeds more than 95 mph, hitters have only 0.4 seconds to find the ball, decide where the ball is going and swing the bat.

If you want to see the others and more of an explanation see:
10 Hardest things to do in sports!

Car related is #2
Race car driving
Skilled drivers encounter a host of problems, but rounding the corners of the track is equivalent to having three 300-pound linemen pushing you for three of the four hours it takes to conclude a race.

houdini1

That is a great list. Since I have been playing amateur golf for over 50 years, it was interesting that #4 on the list was hitting a long straight drive. I agree with what Curtis Strange said when he was asked what was the hardest thing in sports to do. His answer was trying to do something that you were not trained to do.

I also agree with what Butch Harmon said about teaching someone to play golf later in life. He said you would never be a thoroughbred, and the best he could do was to make you a racing mule.

I was a good enough baseball player to get a try out with the Cardinals back in 1961 when I was 18. They were brutally honest and told me that I had some skills, but that they could teach someone everything he needed to become a successful professional baseball player, except 2 things, and that any prospect had to have at least one of them. You had to be very fast and/or have a great arm. I had neither.

stever

No floating sideways in a Class III rapid in an open canoe sculling one-handed while fighting a grayling on light tackle?

ab348

I would agree that hitting a baseball is tough. My favorite line about baseball was found in "Ball Four", the Jim Bouton tell-all book that was published in 1970. From the manager of the Seattle Pilots, Joe Schultz: "Well, boys, it's a round ball and a round bat and you've got to hit it square." That WOULD be tough.

imidazol97

I thought hitting a golf ball was tough enough. I got to see lots of beautiful courses but not
much beautiful action on the part of the golf ball.

berri

So what do I see today - GM has a new ignition switch issue on some trucks. I can't believe it. Have they moved engineering to China too? On a positive side though, it was discovered and promptly reported by a GM engineer who encountered it while driving.

driver100

houdini1 said:

I agree with what Curtis Strange said when he was asked what was the hardest thing in sports to do. His answer was trying to do something that you were not trained to do.

I also agree with what Butch Harmon said about teaching someone to play golf later in life. He said you would never be a thoroughbred, and the best he could do was to make you a racing mule.

The Curtis Strange quote is very true....to become a great athlete you have to start at an early age, and do that sport for many hours a day.....you have to become obsessed with making it....few of us can focus that much on one activity.

Very true what Butch said too, I will start golf when I can't play tennis any more...but, by then I'll be a real hacker, but, lots of those in Florida.

driver100

stever said:

No floating sideways in a Class III rapid in an open canoe sculling one-handed while fighting a grayling on light tackle?

We are just talking mainstream sports....none of that weird stuff!

driver100

imidazol97 said:

I thought hitting a golf ball was tough enough. I got to see lots of beautiful courses but not
much beautiful action on the part of the golf ball.

At least when you hit a golf ball it isn't coming at you at 90+ mph (baseball)....or 140 mph (tennis), it just sits there in front of you.

houdini1

driver100 said:

houdini1 said:

I agree with what Curtis Strange said when he was asked what was the hardest thing in sports to do. His answer was trying to do something that you were not trained to do.

I also agree with what Butch Harmon said about teaching someone to play golf later in life. He said you would never be a thoroughbred, and the best he could do was to make you a racing mule.

The Curtis Strange quote is very true....to become a great athlete you have to start at an early age, and do that sport for many hours a day.....you have to become obsessed with making it....few of us can focus that much on one activity.

Very true what Butch said too, I will start golf when I can't play tennis any more...but, by then I'll be a real hacker, but, lots of those in Florida.

I am sure you will make a fine "racing mule".

snakeweasel

PF_Flyer said:

With the discount versus cash tolls, the EZ-Pass fees are easily covered on the first trip we use it each year. The PA Turnpike is going to be 100% electronic by 2018 and there's already a stretch near Philly with no cash tolls. If you don't have an EZ-Pass, they scan your plates and send you the bill.

I just wish PA would build a proper interchange in Breezeway, getting off the Turnpike and continuing along I-70 should NOT require you to exit and go through a town with two stop lights to continue on I-70.

abacomike

snakeweasel said:

With the discount versus cash tolls, the EZ-Pass fees are easily covered on the first trip we use it each year. The PA Turnpike is going to be 100% electronic by 2018 and there's already a stretch near Philly with no cash tolls. If you don't have an EZ-Pass, they scan your plates and send you the bill.

I just wish PA would build a proper interchange in Breezeway, getting off the Turnpike and continuing along I-70 should NOT require you to exit and go through a town with two stop lights to continue on I-70.

Florida's Turnpike System is already all all electronic except for major junctions such as near Miami Airport and North Broward County in Pompano Beach.  Every exit on the turnpike is electronic - SunPass or license plate.

snakeweasel

ab348 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

The bonds that built the NYS Thruway were paid off in 1996 but the tolls are still there. It was too good of a money generator and patronage pit that the state gave up hundreds of millions in federal highway funds to keep it in their own greedy little hands.

Well, that may be part of it, but consider this.

In Halifax we have two long suspension bridges over the harbor. Both were built using bond financing, which has since been paid off. But they are tolled at $1 per crossing. generating about $30 million a year. That pays for maintenance and repair, patrol and safety, and capital improvements. Right now they are replacing the deck on the oldest (60 years) bridge, which is going to cost several hundred million, which is borrowed money. I don't have a problem with the toll. The operation seems reasonably well-run, and I don't see a whole lot of obvious waste except for an excess of retired military types wandering around the toll booths not doing much, and an occasional misguided and unnecessary speed trap campaign. You have to maintain these things and why not charge those who use it?

Here in IL the Tollway Authority has taken over the poorly planned and poorly named Elgin-O'Hare expressway. It's poorly named as it while you can take it going between Elgin and O'Hare Airport it goes to neither, it's poorly planned as it is not wide enough for rush hour traffic and the east ends at a stoplight a short block away from the interchange for I-290 (although it continues as Thorndale Ave.). Anyway the Toll Authority has taken it over and is currently widening it and is extending it into O'Hare Airport.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

hey, y'all like gasoline to put in your cars, and all the chemicals needed to support the American lifestyle. They have to come from someplace!

Sadly, that little stretch along the Jersey turnpike has given way too many people the wrong idea about NJ. there are many beautiful (and fine smelling!) areas. They don't call it the Garden state for nothing.

My experience with NJ other then driving through it to get to NYC was a two month stay in Cape May. Lots of getting yelled at and it was the first time I ever was woke up at 4:30 AM, it was when I discovered there was a 4:30 AM. Not the best representation of NJ.

snakeweasel

henryn said:

Interesting numbers. Nothing about the Philippines, probably no car industry there. But in my field (Information Technology), a lot of jobs are being exported to Manila.

Can you say Jeepney?

stever

We were on a road trip a couple of months after the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef - I guess part of that trip was visiting my wife's folks when they lived in New York. We got more friendly waves in New Jersey on that trip, with our Alaska plates. Everyone knew that Captain Hazelwood was from Jersey.

And yeah, lots of nice spots there. Seems like we camped somewhere in the Pine Barrens.

snakeweasel

driver100 said:

bean, If the Jays can come back twice from being behind 2 games in this series, I think they will defy the odds (I wonder how many times that has been done...coming back after losing the first 2 games doesn't happen very often). But, baseball as with most sports, depends on skill, but, there is an element of luck - so we never know what will happen.

It's easier to come back after losing the first two games in a seven game series than it is in a five game series. Against Texas the Blue Birds of Happiness couldn't lose any games, now they can lose one game and still have a chance.

snakeweasel

stever said:

No floating sideways in a Class III rapid in an open canoe sculling one-handed while fighting a grayling on light tackle?

I just wondered why they don't have double century on that list (a double century is 200 miles in one day on a bicycle).

Or the Iditorod.

stever

The Iditarod is nuts, and people race to Nome in the dead of winter on bikes too. I never got more than a 75 mile day umpteen years ago on the Natchez Trace, but I can imagine a little what it must be like for the Tour de France riders.

The thing about that list of hard things to do is that it's mostly stuff that we can relate to, since most people have played sandlot baseball or gone sledding/skating or at least played minature golf. And everyone has pretended to be Mario Andreitti now and then.

Pole vaulting has me stumped though, unless you'd accept time on a pogo stick as a similar experience.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

At least when you hit a golf ball it isn't coming at you at 90+ mph (baseball)....or 140 mph (tennis), it just sits there in front of you.

And sometimes after the swing it was still just sitting there.

venture

snakeweasel said:

PF_Flyer said:

With the discount versus cash tolls, the EZ-Pass fees are easily covered on the first trip we use it each year. The PA Turnpike is going to be 100% electronic by 2018 and there's already a stretch near Philly with no cash tolls. If you don't have an EZ-Pass, they scan your plates and send you the bill.

I just wish PA would build a proper interchange in Breezeway, getting off the Turnpike and continuing along I-70 should NOT require you to exit and go through a town with two stop lights to continue on I-70.

You are absolutely correct, but when the plan arose many years ago to have a direct connection to the turnpike, the businesses in Breezewood went nuts. The politicians decided they were right and the plan was soon squashed with no regard to the thousands upon thousands of motorists who have to navigate that mess every year.

PF_Flyer

houdini1 said:

You had to be very fast and/or have a great arm. I had neither.

Mine was with the Mets in '72. As they say, speed kills.

Interesting aside on hard things to do in sports. I play golf (12 hdcp) and was also a very good bowler for a long time. We had a family friend who also did both who had multiple 300 games, and he said something that is very true.

Anyone can get lucky and roll a 300. Happens to people who average 150. But if you're an 18 hdcp golfer, you are NEVER going to shoot in the 70's. Just not gonna happen.

imidazol97

driver100 said:

stever said:

No floating sideways in a Class III rapid in an open canoe sculling one-handed while fighting a grayling on light tackle?

We are just talking mainstream sports....none of that weird stuff!

I knew there was a play on words in there. Canoeing is about as stream-oriented as one can get.

With my golf experiences, the fairway turned into a farway because I couldn't consistently hit any distance.
Golfing has dropped in favor here as the older guys drop the game. Many courses have closed. Looked to me that the ones left are having trouble because the economy is not good. My barber(s) have had several sets of used golf clubs sitting in their shop for older customers trying to sell them. Younger set is not interested in golf.

driver100

stever said:

The thing about that list of hard things to do is that it's mostly stuff that we can relate to, since most people have played sandlot baseball or gone sledding/skating or at least played minature golf. And everyone has pretended to be Mario Andreitti now and then.

Pole vaulting has me stumped though, unless you'd accept time on a pogo stick as a similar experience.

The list was made up from what people submitted, so it is made up of sports that are more mainstream. Some sports mentioned few would vote for because few have heard of them.

I once heard the most dangerous....and I suppose that would make it hard too, would be a jockey. It's supposed to be very hard on the jockey....but, is probably tougher on the horse.

PF_Flyer

To get better at golf, you have to work at it, and knowing what you cannot do is more important than what you can do.
A bit much to ask of the selfie generation

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

houdini1 said:

You had to be very fast and/or have a great arm. I had neither.

Mine was with the Mets in '72. As they say, speed kills.

Interesting aside on hard things to do in sports. I play golf (12 hdcp) and was also a very good bowler for a long time. We had a family friend who also did both who had multiple 300 games, and he said something that is very true.

Anyone can get lucky and roll a 300. Happens to people who average 150. But if you're an 18 hdcp golfer, you are NEVER going to shoot in the 70's. Just not gonna happen.

That might explain why bowling didn't make the list.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

stever said:

No floating sideways in a Class III rapid in an open canoe sculling one-handed while fighting a grayling on light tackle?

We are just talking mainstream sports....none of that weird stuff!

I knew there was a play on words in there. Canoeing is about as stream-oriented as one can get.

With my golf experiences, the fairway turned into a farway because I couldn't consistently hit any distance.
Golfing has dropped in favor here as the older guys drop the game. Many courses have closed. Looked to me that the ones left are having trouble because the economy is not good. My barber(s) have had several sets of used golf clubs sitting in their shop for older customers trying to sell them. Younger set is not interested in golf.

Golf is going through a rough time. Too expensive for a lot of people, and just takes too much time. Young people don't have the money or the time.

They are trying to revive the game though. Making huge 12 inch holes to speed up the game. There is frisbee golf. 12 hole course instead of 18. Ah, young people just want to play on their computers.

The fastest growing game in the USA is pickleball. Kind of like tennis on a smaller court, use paddles, and the ball is plastic. Seniors are taking it up, not too much running, but can be very active....and it requires some good skills.

stever

I think I'd like pickleball. Golf takes way too much time.

And since when did pole vaulting become mainstream?

Mr_Shiftright

When did golf become a "sport"? Don't you have to make participants breath hard to qualify?

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

I thought hitting a golf ball was tough enough. I got to see lots of beautiful courses but not
much beautiful action on the part of the golf ball.

At least when you hit a golf ball it isn't coming at you at 90+ mph (baseball)....or 140 mph (tennis), it just sits there in front of you.

robr2

driver100 said:

The fastest growing game in the USA is pickleball. Kind of like tennis on a smaller court, use paddles, and the ball is plastic. Seniors are taking it up, not too much running, but can be very active....and it requires some good skills.

Perhaps in the Villages or Del Webb senior communities. There are other sports that have grown more in the past year than there are pickleball players worldwide.

A few articles I found pretty much note the following are the biggest growth sports:

adventure racing aka Spartan Races, Tough Mudders, et al
MMA
triatholons - on and off road
lacrosse
rugby.

The first and third could probably be done by seniors who have been physically active over the years. I can see the beauty of pickleball - slower game that can be played by those that may not have been physically active over the years.

stickguy

Snake, PA has the same problem at the other end of state. Turnpike and I95 cross. Yet they didn't bother to put and interchange there. Boggles the mind. Same deal. Have to exit, take some local roads, and find the other highway.

driver100

stever said:

I think I'd like pickleball. Golf takes way too much time.

And since when did pole vaulting become mainstream?

Good question.....but, I think almost everyone has tried it in school at one time, so they know how difficult it can be.