Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

sda

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

Did you take a huge financial hit when you traded? Does CA compensate for diminished value? I know when I traded our '09 Civic EX for the Accord I got about $1k less because Car Fax correctly reflected a minor accident. I was really dismayed because the body shop (local Honda dealer) couldn't blend the Tafetta white paint correctly and I could easily see the difference between the old and new. It was only a $2k repair job. I have yet to see a repair job that is good as the car was originally.

ab348

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

andres3

sda said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

Did you take a huge financial hit when you traded? Does CA compensate for diminished value? I know when I traded our '09 Civic EX for the Accord I got about $1k less because Car Fax correctly reflected a minor accident. I was really dismayed because the body shop (local Honda dealer) couldn't blend the Tafetta white paint correctly and I could easily see the difference between the old and new. It was only a $2k repair job. I have yet to see a repair job that is good as the car was originally.

I got lucky and did not take a HUGE financial hit when I traded. The S4's seem to be pretty popular on the used market, and Car Fax's inaccuracies worked in my favor; though the used car manager surely noticed it was accident damaged and made adjustments accordingly. They were doing a Kelly Blue Book Trade-In Value promotion for the weekend at a local Audi dealer, so that is exactly what I got for it; which is why I let it loose.
No doubt my S4 was in very solid very good condition, just between Excellent/mint and "good." They pegged the trade-in value at "good" and I wasn't arguing given the accident history and the dent in the rear bumper due to a hit & run Costco shopper, and the < 2 mm front brake pads. I took a big depreciation hit (will happen when you trade in a 2.5 year old car), and I'm sure the accident cost me a few grand at trade-in, which I lessened by driving nearly 48,000 miles. A new car with low miles takes a huge diminished value loss. CA does not allow diminished value on your own policy. As far as I know Georgia is the only State that gets it right with diminished value.

andres3

sda said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

I was really dismayed because the body shop (local Honda dealer) couldn't blend the Tafetta white paint correctly and I could easily see the difference between the old and new. It was only a $2k repair job. I have yet to see a repair job that is good as the car was originally.

Me too. I'm beginning to think the idea of "repairing" crash damaged cars is a complete fraud perpetrated by the Insurance and Auto Body Shop lobbies of America.

But many in America view a repair that is "good enough" by lower standards than others, and apparently there is enough of them in the population that we accept these auto body shops exist.

andres3

houdini1 said:

andres3 said:

explorerx4 said:

Back from Germany.
The main reason was to spread my mother's ashes on the Baltic sea.
It's pretty common over there, so it was very professional and respectful.
We stayed in the Hamburg area. The city has 2500 bridges.
Sticking to the vehicle topic, my all black F150 would be a rock star over there.
Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers.
Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

Thanks for attempting to drive correctly by moving right to let faster traffic pass on the left. Perhaps those lessons learned can be translated and taught here in the US as well, although maybe you are a "fast" driver here and don't get passed much?

In my neck of the woods you can get a ticket for prolonged driving in the left lane. Generally, you are supposed to use it for passing only.

It's the law in most States to use the left lane for passing only and "slower traffic keep right." Yet I have yet to see a single CHP officer enforce this law that is broken all the time.

jmonroe

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

My condolences on the loss of your friend.

Just a week or two ago another of our poster buddies lost a friend when a car fell on him. Accidents have to be the worst way to lose someone. My niece, with 2 young children, lost her husband last year due to a plane crash. I don't know how anyone can get over losing someone due to an accident of any type. Just way to sudden to comprehend.

jmonroe

andres3

fordfool said:

Spotted a couple of amusing vanity plates on the drive home:

BMW X5 This was on a Lexus. Perhaps the owner switched
the plates from a previous car.

JAG OFF This was on a Jaguar, but how did that get past the plate censor?

My Favorite Audi Club fellow member's personalized license plates are:

1. H8 2WD
2. 720 HP (modded R8)
3. R8 HNTR (TTRS)

sda

jmonroe said:

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

My condolences on the loss of your friend.

Just a week or two ago another of our poster buddies lost a friend when a car fell on him. Accidents have to be the worst way to lose someone. My niece, with 2 young children, lost her husband last year due to a plane crash. I don't know how anyone can get over losing someone due to an accident of any type. Just way to sudden to comprehend.

jmonroe

jmonroe, that was me who posted the loss of my dear friend last Friday. I was in Pittsburgh late Monday thru Wednesday am so that I could attend my friend's memorial service on Tuesday. You summed it up nicely--it is too difficult, and sudden to comprehend. He leaves behind a loving wife and 3 wonderful children.

ab348

I also share my condolences on the loss of your friend. It is truly painful and sad.
Steve

andres3

snakeweasel said:

nelsonf said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

cdnpinhead said:

explorerx4 said:

Got to drive on the autobahn, biggest adjustment was keeping my eyes on the rear view mirror to get out of the way of the fast movers. Overall, it was a life changing trip. I'm not kidding about that, still trying to absorb it all.

A journey like that can truly be a major event, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a similar awakening in 2001. The lane discipline and other high-class driving capabilities that I saw demonstrated every day on the Autobahn (and later on British motorways) left me in awe that the people in this country can even survive, driving as they do.

The good news is that the worst of them don't. The bad news is that they take innocents with them.

In any event, driving among people who know how to is a good thing, a really, really good thing.

I would agree. People in Europe have a lot more skill than most drivers in North America. They can drive cars and buses in heavy traffic and narrow lanes. I love watching the traffic in a city like London.

To be fair you have to be better at driving in heavy traffic and narrow lanes in Europe. Europe is far more densely populated than North America (Western Europe has nearly 100 million more people than the U.S. on about 1/4th the land) with much older towns and cities that always had more narrow roads. North America tends to be more open and spacious with wider roads less population density and straighter roads.

Getting a license in Europe is more expensive and requires a lot more driver education than here. I think that's a big factor too.

That is a big factor but you cannot beat experience.

Good experience practicing good habits is valuable. Experience practicing bad habits is not.

roadburner

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

I'm sorry for your loss; I know exactly how you feel, as I've lost a few friends that I only met once or twice but still kept in touch with online. It's tough.

jmonroe

sda said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

Did you take a huge financial hit when you traded? Does CA compensate for diminished value? I know when I traded our '09 Civic EX for the Accord I got about $1k less because Car Fax correctly reflected a minor accident. I was really dismayed because the body shop (local Honda dealer) couldn't blend the Tafetta white paint correctly and I could easily see the difference between the old and new. It was only a $2k repair job. I have yet to see a repair job that is good as the car was originally.

As I have mentioned before Mrs. j's '12 Legacy had to have the right front fender replaced a few months ago due to a hit and run by a jacked-up truck in a parking lot.

The dealers body shop did a very good job. Better than I thought I'd get because I know it's almost impossible to match the paint exactly, but they did. I was expecting to have a problem but I didn't and I'm pretty particular about this kind of stuff. The only way I can figure this is the car had less than 25K miles on it at the time and was in the garage all the time except when we/she had to go somewhere. So, the paint was not faded by the sun and when it was painted there was no detectable difference.

Believe me, I have tried to find a problem but I can't. I have purposely put it in all kinds of light from very bright to very dim including shadows cast by various colors, you name it and I have tried it. Just last month when I was over at Son #2's house for my birthday he was looking at the car and said, "which fender did you say you had replaced? I can't tell a difference with either of them". Even Son #1 couldn't tell the difference.

Don't ask me how I lucked out like this but I did. As I have said before when it comes time to trade it a dealer will use a Carfax to slam me but I'm not going to take the hit that they'll expect. Then again, the car will be at least 6 or 7 years old so the diminished value will have probably played-out by then.

Yep, I lucked out all the way around with that repair...even got a 2015 Black Altima rental that got a couple complements.

jmonroe

roadburner

It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR....

explorerx4

@jmonroe,
These days when you get a fender or door painted, they don't just paint the panel, they overlap(blend) onto the other panels so it is not as noticeable if the color is not an exact match.

jmonroe

explorerx4 said:

@jmonroe,
These days when you get a fender or door painted, they don't just paint the panel, they overlap(blend) onto the other panels so it is not as noticeable if the color is not an exact match.

I agree with you but I have seen plenty of cars where even with the "overlapping" technique the paint difference is still noticeable.

I'm very happy that I got a first rate repair.

jmonroe

sda

jmonroe said:

explorerx4 said:

@jmonroe,
These days when you get a fender or door painted, they don't just paint the panel, they overlap(blend) onto the other panels so it is not as noticeable if the color is not an exact match.

I agree with you but I have seen plenty of cars where even with the "overlapping" technique the paint difference is still noticeable.

I'm very happy that I got a first rate repair.

jmonroe

They did overlap and blend from the front fender into the driver's door. The gloss and texture (no orange peel) was fine, but I could see the difference in color. The new paint was a brighter shade of white. I probably should have had them paint the whole side of the car.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

It's true that honorable tradespeople are becoming a rare breed. Maybe because their customers have no honor either. When I find a mechanic I can trust I hold on like my life depends on it.

It was my go-to mechanic who recommended my now go-to body man.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

That's too bad. I'm sorry you lost a friend. You never feel so inadequate as when you try to sooth the hurt of someone who has experienced that kind of loss.

bwia

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

My condolences on the loss of your friend and colleague. He gave up his life for a dog, what bad luck; sometimes life can be so unfair.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR....

Funny you mention that. I had a similar thing happen with taxable social security. They only looked at gross payments and ignored repayments which resulted in a much lower net. They wanted almost double the tax I figured.

Had a devil of a time getting through to the IRS. Hung up on for a week. Had to get the IRS Avocates Office finally put me through to an actual person.

Send in a documented proof that they were wrong by certified mail. It takes 6-8 weeks to get a response.


I love the government. :@

explorerx4

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

Oh I agree. The rank and file phone people are very pleasant considering that they talk to angry people all day.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

hey Old Farmer, got a question for you. Can you recommend a good but reasonable detail/dent guy in your area? My son's car got "kissed" in a parking lot (no note of course) and needs some TLC. Looks like a couple small dents, scratches, and paint transfer. Hard to tell how bad until the paint gets cleaned off. He doesn't want to start mucking about in fear of making it worse.

goal is to avoid getting charged through the nose when he turns it back in next winter. Likely needs a good detail/paintless dent guy, but does not look like a major job.

I've never used the paintless dent guys so I suggest googling for someone local. If the damage needs a real body shop my go-to-guy is Mendoza's Auto Body on Mohawk St. In Cohoes. He does both slap dash cheap repairs and high quality work depending on your budget. I like him because most shops won't do inexpensive "just enough" work for people on a budget. 518-233-9217

In CA body shops charge for the "high quality work" and then perform the "inexpensive slap dash cheap" repairs. It seems to be widespread too. I need to post some pictures of the comical S4 when it was first returned to me; I don't think I ever did.

Put Caliber Collision on blast.

It's true that honorable tradespeople are becoming a rare breed. Maybe because their customers have no honor either. When I find a mechanic I can trust I hold on like my life depends on it.

We treat good service companies like gold.

It has been unusually hot here this summer...yesterday was 88F
Air conditioner stopped working at 3 PM...I could see fan stopped on the exterior unit.
Called a/c heating guys we have had for 30+ years...always honest.
He said he was coming across town, would stop by our place on his way back to the shop.
He knocked on the door at 6:30. Had a solenoid in his hand, said he changed it and it is now working. He changed 4 in one day....said it starts the unit and in this heat he gets used a lot.
Asked how much......he said $180.
We had visions of a new air conditioner unit or a major repair, or days waiting for parts.
He got it up and going, we paid immediately, we want to be in his good books so we get VIP service.

Some service people are honest and decent, we try our best to keep them happy.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

Oh I agree. The rank and file phone people are very pleasant considering that they talk to angry people all day.

They should be happy, they almost always win

imidazol97

stever said:

imidazol97 said:

The car most likely to be stolen in Ohio is a Dodge Caravan 2003.

So happy mine lives in a garage in the Southwest.

It was your van I was thinking of when I posted. I was using my Android and I hate posting from it so I didn't say much in that post.

As for most stolen car, I was thinking it's be one of the ego cars or those flawless imports stolen most in Ohio in 2015. At least we're practical here in the Midwest. LOL

imidazol97

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

I've found the opposite. Long wait times. Dense as doorknobs. They try to drive everyone to use the internet irs.gov site, and just read what's in print there.

andres3

imidazol97 said:

stever said:

imidazol97 said:

The car most likely to be stolen in Ohio is a Dodge Caravan 2003.

So happy mine lives in a garage in the Southwest.

It was your van I was thinking of when I posted. I was using my Android and I hate posting from it so I didn't say much in that post.

As for most stolen car, I was thinking it's be one of the ego cars or those flawless imports stolen most in Ohio in 2015. At least we're practical here in the Midwest. LOL

I think top 10 most stolen vehicles lists are always riddled with older easier to steal automobiles. Crime of opportunity really.

I'd imagine a stolen car insurance claim is one of the most straight forward and pleasant kind of claims with an insurance company. At least if it's not found in 30 days. If they find it suddenly everything becomes prior existing damage if you deal with a company named Bristol West/Coast National Insurance.

qbrozen

A coworker recently had her 140k mile Pontiac G5 stolen. Personally, I think it simply dissolved. 

stickguy

people steal what is common for parts to cheap sell to the lucky ones that just had their bombers break, not get heisted.

henryn

bwia said:

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

My condolences on the loss of your friend and colleague. He gave up his life for a dog, what bad luck; sometimes life can be so unfair.

Well, I wouldn't put it quite that way. Mind you, I am an animal lover, and I would definitely try very hard to not run over a dog, in a car or a motorcycle or in any other way. But when you're on a motorcycle, hitting a dog or any other medium sized animal can have truly disastrous consequences.. So trying to avoid the dog was only prudent, it wasn't necessarily sacrificing himself for the dog.

With that said, back about 4 or 5 years ago, one of my neighbors here bought a Harley. A mid-life crisis thing. One evening, just about dark, he swerved to miss a dog right in front of my house. Jumped a ditch, hit a tree in the open lot directly across the street from me. My neighbor Vince got to him before I did, and he was in bad shape. Kept asking Vince to help him get up, and Vince kept telling him to wait for the ambulance. He was in the hospital for months, and then bedridden for months more.

Very, very bad stuff.

ab348

Sometimes I think motorcycles are like cigarettes, they should come with a Surgeon-General's warning and all kids of scary ads. I can think of several friends or family/school acquaintances who were either killed or seriously injured on motorcycles.

roadburner

ab348 said:

Sometimes I think motorcycles are like cigarettes, they should come with a Surgeon-General's warning and all kids of scary ads. I can think of several friends or family/school acquaintances who were either killed or seriously injured on motorcycles.

The fatality rate drops significantly when you subtract the unlicensed, drunk/drugged riders, Darwin's assistants(no helmet or other gear), and those that haven't taken an MSF RiderCourse or similar.

Still not as safe as a car, but better odds than a lot of people think.

When I ride I assume I'm invisible- and that any driver that can see me will try to kill me. I assume every oncoming car is going to turn in front of me if it can- and that every car on a side road will pull out on me. I don't crawl along, but I do cover the front brake and roll off the throttle a bit.

It's sad to read of accidents that a little training would probably have prevented- just last month an SUV turned in front of a bike and the rider said he had no choice but to "lay it down." He missed the SUV but hit the curb- killing his pillion rider.
I'd bet the farm he never even touched his front brake lever...

explorerx4

There have been a lot a thefts of newer cars locally. People are leaving the fobs in cars with push button start, so thieves just open the door push the start button and drive away.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

Oh I agree. The rank and file phone people are very pleasant considering that they talk to angry people all day.

They should be happy, they almost always win

Not in my case. Unless they are blind. I cited two examples of how they were wrong in their own publications.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR....

RB...that sux. But, over the years I've probably had 3 IRS "instances" where they viewed my returns the wrong way. One was about deductions related to working out of my home, another was regarding some stock sale disbursements and the other was related to some rental property I have. Frankly, they were pretty easy to work with on my end. It did take awhile, but in each case when given a chance to talk to someone on the phone (one of them I was able to do in person given they had an office close to me), it was resolved in pretty short order. They even apologized for their incorrect assessments.

Good luck!

isellhondas

ab348 said:

A down day today. I established one of the early classic car mailing lists on the 'net in 1995, for Rocket V-8 era Oldsmobiles. I learned this morning that one of the main members from the early days who made many thousands of posts and was a prolific source of advice, humor, and parts, Chris B. Witt of Lansing, MI, was killed in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday when he tried to miss hitting a dog that was loose on the roadway. He leaves a wife and, I believe, 2 children.

I met him a couple of times when I happened to be in Lansing in the late 1990s, and he was just a great guy. When I heard the news this morning I was devastated., even though we hadn't had much contact recently since the mailing list has long been been replaced by online forums that he remained active in right to the end. A really good car guy, gone too soon. I feel terrible for his wife and children. Rest in peace, Chris.

Sad news...sorry to hear this.

In Alaska a lot of people get killed trying to avoid hitting a moose. When the police find a fatality where someone swerved off the road and hit a tree they assume that is what happened.

When I almost did the same thing on a motorcycle trying to avoid hitting a rabbit I realized it was time to sell the motorcycle and I did immediately.

imidazol97

roadburner said:

It's sad to read of accidents that a little training would probably have prevented- just last month an SUV turned in front of a bike and the rider said he had no choice but to "lay it down." He missed the SUV but hit the curb- killing his pillion rider.

Did the bike ride have his headlight on? I'm a firm believer in using the headlights, just like DRL for cars.
A normal headlight makes them much more visible. And a helmet makes them a lot safer.

On a tangent from that, a few bike riders here have installed headlights that are so bright they are blinding to oncoming drivers in bright daylight.

At least I haven't seen a biker with the strobe light headlights that were used by some for a while. Talk about obnoxious monstronsities--the strobe lights were awful. I had started flashing my bright lights in sync with the oncoming rider's strobe lights. LOL

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

Oh I agree. The rank and file phone people are very pleasant considering that they talk to angry people all day.

They should be happy, they almost always win

Not in my case. Unless they are blind. I cited two examples of how they were wrong in their own publications.

I would still bet on them winning in the end! I have gone up against CRS, our version of the IRS, and I found they grind you down until you can't take it any more...and it is better to just pay.

driver100

Just wanted to pass on a "Hello" from our friend Mike. He doesn't have much energy, and he is deciding on options for his next steps. I know we will be hoping for the best possible results.

bwia

Sorry to hear that about Mike. At least if he was posting we could offer words of encouragement as we did when he was caring for his aged father. Although Mike was stubborn at times, i know this forum was very therapeutic for him. Mike, if you decide to return we will provide a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

Oh I agree. The rank and file phone people are very pleasant considering that they talk to angry people all day.

They should be happy, they almost always win

Not in my case. Unless they are blind. I cited two examples of how they were wrong in their own publications.

I would still bet on them winning in the end! I have gone up against CRS, our version of the IRS, and I found they grind you down until you can't take it any more...and it is better to just pay.

I sure hope not. For me it was a case of a computer looking at a part of my social security statement and not being able to look one box over for an explaination. Something that a human should be able to do instantly.

If I start posting from federal prison you'll know it didn't work out.

driver100

bwia said:

Sorry to hear that about Mike. At least if he was posting we could offer words of encouragement as we did when he was caring for his aged father. Although Mike was stubborn at times, i know this forum was very therapeutic for him. Mike, if you decide to return we will provide a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

Bwia, I think between Mike's health situation and his frustration at the red tape when he got the flags he lost his will to post. He likes the guys a lot, but, has too much to deal with. Hopefully, he will get back to himself and will join us again one day.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

I've called the IRS a few times lately, it is not easy getting through, although it seems somewhat random.
When I spoke with someone, they were pretty darn helpful explaining the process.

Oh I agree. The rank and file phone people are very pleasant considering that they talk to angry people all day.

They should be happy, they almost always win

Not in my case. Unless they are blind. I cited two examples of how they were wrong in their own publications.

I would still bet on them winning in the end! I have gone up against CRS, our version of the IRS, and I found they grind you down until you can't take it any more...and it is better to just pay.

I sure hope not. For me it was a case of a computer looking at a part of my social security statement and not being able to look one box over for an explaination. Something that a human should be able to do instantly.

If I start posting from federal prison you'll know it didn't work out.

Once when we had our business we sold part of it, but, we had to come up with a new name. We changed the name, but, because of that we had to get a new license in order to operate...cost $75. There was absolutely no notice, and no way any normal human being would know you would need a new license...our lawyer who did the transfer didn't tell us about it. I get a notice in the mail from the tax people, we owed the $75 plus a late fee of $50.

It would have cost me more to take a day off, go downtown, and fight their silly invoice, than it would just to pay their stupid fine. I think they don't send out the notice...so they can almost double what they collect.

But yeh, if you are in a federal prison we will know what happened to you

Let us know the preferred ride of the incarcerated!

iluvmysephia1

It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR....

Sorry to read of this trouble, roadburner. I have such good fortune with taxactonline.com that I have this weird "guardian angel" feeling going about them, which is goofy, I know. But the Mrs. and I had a tough 2015 State/Fed combo return to do, we were thinking we were going to owe a grand or gulp...maybe more, but their online tutorial "train ya as ya fill out the return" system saved the year for us...again. I took about 13 hours ta do our 2015 taxes. The IRS owed us several hundred, Kansas owed us around $300 and New Mexico about $75. We got around $675 back in all. I know your story is about something different, I'm just still stoked about last year's return.

I do think getting a "real" IRS person ta help you in person is optimum, and no, I don't think they're a bunch of monsters. Well...umm...nuff said.

ab348

driver100 said:

I would still bet on them winning in the end! I have gone up against CRS, our version of the IRS, and I found they grind you down until you can't take it any more...and it is better to just pay.

About a dozen years ago, when I was working, CRA decided they would do an audit on the expense accounts of our company's execs. Now, they probably had good reason to, since a few of those guys used to expense everything including most lunches and a lot of expensive dinners. But I wasn't in the "hospitality" side of the business and coming there from a government environment I expensed next to nothing, maybe a couple of hundred bucks each month, most of it mileage, tolls and parking from attending meetings. My expense accounts were always clean and legit. Nevertheless I was in the group they audited so I got caught up in it.

What astounded me was that they simply sent me a notice of reassessment saying you owe $xxx months after they were done. No backup, no documentation to support their claim, nothing. It was an awful process to even try to talk to someone about it. Of course part of the problem is that by then you were not dealing with the people who did the audit who knew the file but a totally different bunch. Finally I was able to see some of what they claimed were personal items I had expensed. It was crazy and they were wrong on all of them - the one that stands out was a meeting I had one morning with our corporate lawyer, which ran long and we still weren't done so I offered to buy her lunch at a place across the street from her office so we could finish up. It was maybe $30. They claimed she was my girlfriend! I laughed because she was gay and lived with her partner in a long-term relationship. But do you want to tell them that? In the end I got them to relent on that one and a few others but like you said it became just easier to send them a couple of hundred dollars to make them go away. Extortion of the finest kind. They did rope in a couple of the other guys for several thousand dollars, so I guess to them it was worth it.

bwia

the one that stands out was a meeting I had one morning with our corporate lawyer, which ran long and we still weren't done so I offered to buy her lunch at a place across the street from her office so we could finish up. It was maybe $30. They claimed she was my girlfriend! I laughed because she was gay and lived with her partner in a long-term relationship.

Too funny

iluvmysephia1

Too funny

I know - doesn't help the CRA's reputation much, does it?

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

I would still bet on them winning in the end! I have gone up against CRS, our version of the IRS, and I found they grind you down until you can't take it any more...and it is better to just pay.

About a dozen years ago, when I was working, CRA decided they would do an audit on the expense accounts of our company's execs. Now, they probably had good reason to, since a few of those guys used to expense everything including most lunches and a lot of expensive dinners. But I wasn't in the "hospitality" side of the business and coming there from a government environment I expensed next to nothing, maybe a couple of hundred bucks each month, most of it mileage, tolls and parking from attending meetings. My expense accounts were always clean and legit. Nevertheless I was in the group they audited so I got caught up in it.

What astounded me was that they simply sent me a notice of reassessment saying you owe $xxx months after they were done. No backup, no documentation to support their claim, nothing. It was an awful process to even try to talk to someone about it. Of course part of the problem is that by then you were not dealing with the people who did the audit who knew the file but a totally different bunch. Finally I was able to see some of what they claimed were personal items I had expensed. It was crazy and they were wrong on all of them - the one that stands out was a meeting I had one morning with our corporate lawyer, which ran long and we still weren't done so I offered to buy her lunch at a place across the street from her office so we could finish up. It was maybe $30. They claimed she was my girlfriend! I laughed because she was gay and lived with her partner in a long-term relationship. But do you want to tell them that? In the end I got them to relent on that one and a few others but like you said it became just easier to send them a couple of hundred dollars to make them go away. Extortion of the finest kind. They did rope in a couple of the other guys for several thousand dollars, so I guess to them it was worth it.

So to them lunch with any member of the female gender made her your girlfriend? How incredibly sexist.

graphicguy

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

I would still bet on them winning in the end! I have gone up against CRS, our version of the IRS, and I found they grind you down until you can't take it any more...and it is better to just pay.

About a dozen years ago, when I was working, CRA decided they would do an audit on the expense accounts of our company's execs. Now, they probably had good reason to, since a few of those guys used to expense everything including most lunches and a lot of expensive dinners. But I wasn't in the "hospitality" side of the business and coming there from a government environment I expensed next to nothing, maybe a couple of hundred bucks each month, most of it mileage, tolls and parking from attending meetings. My expense accounts were always clean and legit. Nevertheless I was in the group they audited so I got caught up in it.

What astounded me was that they simply sent me a notice of reassessment saying you owe $xxx months after they were done. No backup, no documentation to support their claim, nothing. It was an awful process to even try to talk to someone about it. Of course part of the problem is that by then you were not dealing with the people who did the audit who knew the file but a totally different bunch. Finally I was able to see some of what they claimed were personal items I had expensed. It was crazy and they were wrong on all of them - the one that stands out was a meeting I had one morning with our corporate lawyer, which ran long and we still weren't done so I offered to buy her lunch at a place across the street from her office so we could finish up. It was maybe $30. They claimed she was my girlfriend! I laughed because she was gay and lived with her partner in a long-term relationship. But do you want to tell them that? In the end I got them to relent on that one and a few others but like you said it became just easier to send them a couple of hundred dollars to make them go away. Extortion of the finest kind. They did rope in a couple of the other guys for several thousand dollars, so I guess to them it was worth it.

All of my expenses are filed through some accounting group in Taiwan. I'm not even sure if they are employees of the company (although they do have a company email address).

Anyway, sometimes trying to translate what is a legit expense to someone in another country (which is doubly difficult because I don't speak/write Taiwanese, and their English skills aren't necessarily fluent) is an exercise in frustration.

One in particular stands out. One of our major customers needed to meet with me about some particularly time sensitive and tricky technical issues. I was nowhere near their offices (as in, I was several hundred miles away), but I was going to have a layover in Chicago, where they have their offices. This was before you were required to be a ticketed passenger to get through security. I was going to be in the airport for about 3 hours...not enough time to rent a car and get to their location and drive back to catch a flight. But, if they could meet me in the airport, we had time to meet.

I suggested I book a conference room in the Admirals Club, which is American Airlines club to get away from the hussle-bussle inside the airport. They have private conference rooms you can rent, too. The customer agreed they could do that.

If you're not a member, you can buy day passes. So, there was me, who was a member and 3 people from our customer's team. Trying to remember, but I think a day pass was something like $75/person.

We met, got our business done and averted a potential crisis that could have cost my company millions.

Filed the expense report with the day passes on them. You would think I was trying to get reimbursed for a trip to a strip joint. I could not get the people in Taiwan to understand what the Admiral's Club was and it was a legitimate business expense, that was MUCH CHEAPER than me cancelling and rebooking a flight, plus any hotel expenses I would have incurred. Talked to my boss about it, his boss got in on it, too. The expense people didn't care and wouldn't budge.

My boss said to go out for a nice dinner and expense it as a business dinner so at least I would get something for the Admiral Club meeting.

My boss called the "hide the raincoat". The background to that term was getting caught in a downpour walking to a meeting, ruining your suit. It would be cheaper to just buy a raincoat and make the meeting. Raincoats can't be expensed, so you find something else to cover the cost of the raincoat.

stickguy

that was like drinks with dinner (supposedly not reimbursable). Key was to never submit an itemized tab, just the restaurant bill with your $5.00 sandwich and $30.00 worth of drinks.