Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

PF_Flyer

jmonroe said:

PF_Flyer said:

nyccarguy said:

Question for the experts. I'm having 4 snow tires mounted on the Legacy tomorrow. The car tracks lasrer straight. Should I have an alignment performed?

No real reason to check the alignment just because you're having new tires mounted. In my non-expert opinion anyway

You are right, that is a non-expert opinion.

jmonroe

Did a rim shot go with that??? hehe

jmonroe

abacomike said:

stickguy said:

abacomike said:

I'm driving home from the dentist the morning and stop off to pick up an Rx.  I put my hand in my pocket and my house and mailbox keys are missing.  I call the dentist since I am sure they slipped out of my shorts pocket and ask them to look for them.  No dice - they can't find them.  I move the driver's seat all the way forward in the car, but no keys underneath.

I call security at my Condo complex and ask them to meet me at my apartment to let me in - explained to them I lost my keys. As I'm walking to the elevator, my downstairs neighbor stops me and hands me my keys.  He said he found them inserted into my mailbox earlier this morning.  Then it dawned on me that I had gotten yesterday's mail before leaving this morning for the dentist.  Thank goodness for my neighbor finding them.

This brings to mind some concerns I have about my body and my mind.  Ever since the surgery and rehab, I have been misplacing things and forgetting things.  I am seeing my doctor next Monday about this and some persistent pain.  I have a feeling that the 6 days after surgery when I was in a coma have had some residual effects on my memory and mental processing.  Whatever is causing these issues and lapses, at least I am alive to talk about it!

tie a string around your finger. It won't help you remember things, but at least you will always have a string if you need one.

Very funny, stickguy, very funny! I guess I could use the string to hang myself - but my 240 lb frame would be too much for the string, dontcha think?

Soak the string in steroids that otta work.

jmonroe

jmonroe

qbrozen said:

PF_Flyer said:

nyccarguy said:

Question for the experts. I'm having 4 snow tires mounted on the Legacy tomorrow. The car tracks lasrer straight. Should I have an alignment performed?

No real reason to check the alignment just because you're having new tires mounted. In my non-expert opinion anyway

I agree. If the tires on there are wearing unevenly, or unless you have changed any suspension components or hit some massive potholes or some other reason that may have whacked out the alignment, then do so, but simply new tires is not a reason.

Another word from the peanut gallery.

jmonroe

graphicguy

Berri....all good points. There was some airport management and state/municipal gov't corruption that was at least partially responsible for the astronomical fares Delta was charging for the longest time. Cincinnati (CVG) never listened to other airlines pitches to offer competition to Delta.

At one point, Delta controlled 98% of the flights in/out of Cincinnati, so that set high fares to all the feeder flights in and out of the HUB (yes, Cincinnati was once a Delta HUB) with little to no competition. Airport board wouldn't allow competing airlines to come in and in turn, allow price competition.

Many, many jobs, two terminals, and ⅔ of the airport support staff were lost due to Delta's and CVG management/gov't malfeasance.

This coming from a person who's flown 1.3 million miles on Delta alone (another 1 million miles on American) and 100s of thousands of miles on another couple of airlines.

It's a bit better now that Delta moved the hub to Detroit, but it's taken a long time to draw other airlines. The others didn't forget how they were blocked from routes in and out of Cincinnati. Southwest is starting limited routes in Cincinnati, now.

Imid.....I haven't driven a Mercedes S Class, so don't know how it compares to the CT6. I have driven a 7 series, but it was the previous gen. CT6 compares favorably to that one, but not certain of the new 7. Assuming the A6 is similar to the A7, CT6 is probably better in some respects, equal in others. It's a good car in its segment.

stickguy

I may be getting tires sooner than I hoped for the Acura. When I had it at Mavis last month, I think they were a tad premature in raising the subject of replacement, but I know they don't have the traction they used to. And that was before I put on another 2K miles in 2 weeks! Pretty sure (depending on how many miles we put on) I will bite the bullet and do them around Thanksgiving instead of trying to sneak them through another winter. Especially if we put that back into every day and travel duty when the Sonata goes back.

alignments? Had it done once on that car (the last one on a 3 year plan I had bought for the Odyssey). My dealer checks it when you take it in for a normal service. That was back in June, and all was within spec. tires wearing perfectly too at 38K miles.

imidazol97

About the tire alignment with the new snow tires, I'll throw in my nonprofessional opinion.

I'd get it checked it it's been 2 years and 15000 miles since the last alignment.

The car can drive very well and not be at optimum alignment settings for that model. A point on that is the machine can show the alignment is within the allowed limits of specifications for that car, BUT a good alignment guy for that brand/model will know that the ideal alignment is at a certain point within those specifications and not always at the median point.

My Cobalt's bushings for the front struts were noisy and there was a little play in the steering intermediate shaft. My dealer replaced all that under warranty. My 3 year old Michelins started getting a little noisy after a few thousand miles. My tire shop felt and said there was uneven wear on the inner edges. I told him it had just been aligned when struts were replaced. We rotated tires from side to side and still had noise. He wanted to check alignment.

Hmmm. I went back to my dealer and asked if there were an alignment done and told him the front tires were nubbing on the inner edge. Their charts did not show a specific billing to warranty (GMPP) for that but it would have been done when struts were replaced. They checked alignment a few days later when they had an open slot and the alignment was not done and front toe was off.

BUT the car drove perfectly on all kinds of roads including crossing the grooves between lanes on the interstate for example. The car actually reacted more to some irregularities AFTER the Chevy dealer did the alignment ,with profuse apologies.

So I'd get it not only checked but I'd get it done where they will put it at the optimum settings for that model, whether you tell the tire dealer "No" and have it done at a dealer or you have the tire store do it. You want it to be perfect when you start with the new tires.

roadburner

All of my cordless tools are Makita. As per my usual method I bought the professional quality models so that I only have to buy them once.
I did buy a cordless Kobalt string trimmer. It only gets used about 15 minutes per month in the summer so I saw no point in going with something that was really heavy duty.

abacomike

driver100 said:

berri said:

Mike - you had very major surgery. When I had cancer surgery I was told upfront it would be 18 months to 2 years before I'd be back to where I was and that was pretty accurate for me at least. Smart to see your doctor, but also good to understand you are not superman. But forgetting keys in the mailbox once, heck I think I left them in the front door once back in my 40's (maybe it was having teenagers!)

There's one other thing that's been bothering me - I have lost my "need" to buy a new car!  Don't even want to visit new car dealerships any more.  I tell you - that's scary!!! . Wait A minute - I forgot I just bought a new car last month.  That's why I've lost interest in searching for new cars!  Whew - that's a relief - thought I was losing it for a while there!!!

If you buy a new car in the next 6 months I think you will really need to see a doctor..........a psychiatrist doctor

I've needed to see a psychiatrist about my need to buy cars all the time for many, many years.  But I resist psychiatrists for 3 reasons:

1. If I saw one, I'd be spending car money on them which I need to buy cars;

2. I might get cured - stop buying cars - and have no way of relieving my anxieties;

3. The Economy would take a dive and we'd all be in trouble and need psychiatric help!

See, I'm even helping the Economy make leaps and bounds. 

imidazol97

abacomike said:

I've needed to see a psychiatrist about my need to buy cars all the time for many, many years.  But I resist psychiatrists for 3 reasons:


1. If I saw one, I'd be spending car money on them which I need to buy cars;


3. I might get cured - stop buying cars - and have no way of relieving my anxieties;


4. The Economy would take a dive and we'd all be in trouble and need psychiatric help!



See, I'm even helping the Economy make leaps and bounds. 

That's my belly laugh post for the day. THANKS.

sda

I like the convenience of cordless tools assuming they are charged and ready to go. What I don't care for is the cost of replacing the rechargeable batteries when they go bad. For my cordless Craftsman drill and flashlight it came with two batteries. They both went bad after several years. It was only $10 more to buy another drill/flashlight with 2 batteries, charger and carry bag than it was to buy 2 batteries. Because I don't use them that often I need to plan ahead and make sure they are charged. I can't tell you how many times I had some impromptu project only find out the batteries need charging. grrr Out with the corded drill!

cdnpinhead

jmonroe said:

. . . he replaced it with Home Depot's Ridgid brand. . .

Ridgid (Ridge Tool Co.) has been around a lot longer than Home Depot. Back when I was a machinist ('71-'72) my Ridgid calendar was a bright spot in my day. They've been making tools, particularly for the plumbing industry, since the early 1920s.

abacomike

Regarding the Cadillac CT6, I drove one about 6 months ago - I think I mentioned that test drive here, if my memory is still working.  I found the car more European in its handling and ride - good power to the wheels, and above average comfort and roominess.  It was a Premium Luxury model with the 3.0 L V6 twin turbo.  

On on the highway, it was smooth and quiet.  Felt like I was driving an S Class rather than a Cadillac.  I had not driven the new generation 740i at the time so I could not compare the two.  

I did not consider the Cadillac when I found myself struggling in and out of the CLS400.  As soon as I got into and out of the 7 series, I knew it was the right car for me - it is higher off the ground than the S Class was or even the CT6.  But remember, I was interested only in a more comfortable entry and exit.  The CT6, if given a chance by the media and the car critics, will eventually turn the heads of upscale luxury sport sedan connoisseurs. 

jmonroe

sda said:

I like the convenience of cordless tools assuming they are charged and ready to go. What I don't care for is the cost of replacing the rechargeable batteries when they go bad. For my cordless Craftsman drill and flashlight it came with two batteries. They both went bad after several years. It was only $10 more to buy another drill/flashlight with 2 batteries, charger and carry bag than it was to buy 2 batteries. Because I don't use them that often I need to plan ahead and make sure they are charged. I can't tell you how many times I had some impromptu project only find out the batteries need charging. grrr Out with the corded drill!

Your battery problem is because you probably have ni-cad batteries. That happened to me a few times too. Any decent cordless today has lithium ion batteries. They are far superior for holding a charge.

I bought a Craftsman 20 volt lithium ion job about 5 years ago and I check the batteries every so often just to be sure they are charged. I'm amazed at how long it holds a charge sitting in the bag compared to the old ni-cads.

If you don't have a lithium ion drill now you otta get one. I have 4 of them and they are all good.

Oh, and do like @roadburner and I do. Don't cheap out. Only a rich man can afford to buy cheap tools.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

Long ago the Sears in the midwest lost their moxy. The employees acted like they were DMV workers and had their own pace and their own real attitudes. That drove a lot of customers away. Then the auto service went south and worked on selling parts that might not have been needed to customers especially if they weren't too careful about being oversold.

Only time I've been in the Sears is to return Lands End items that my wife or adult son bought and were sending back. Even ran into an attitude with a cashier doing that one time. Called the manager the next day and she couldn't have cared less. She doesn't care--I don't care.

My son had a temp job at Kmart a while back. Had a manager that complained constantly how much he hated working there and how my son shouldn't try for full time because they would screw him too. I can see why the Sears/Kmart holding company is in a death spiral.

In other rotten news, not a week after my water hearer blew up the washing machine died. :@

jmonroe

cdnpinhead said:

jmonroe said:

. . . he replaced it with Home Depot's Ridgid brand. . .

Ridgid (Ridge Tool Co.) has been around a lot longer than Home Depot. Back when I was a machinist ('71-'72) my Ridgid calendar was a bright spot in my day. They've been making tools, particularly for the plumbing industry, since the early 1920s.

You are right and I should have pointed that out.

I can't tell you how many times I ran thread on electrical conduit using the standard of the industry Ridgid pipe threading machine when I was working as an industrial electrician while working my way through night school after I got out of the Navy and quit my job with UPS because I was missing too many classes.

So far, I don't think Ridgid has caved too much in quality.

FWIW, when I walk down the plumbing isle at Home Depot I see the old standard Ridgid threading machine. They haven't changed it very much and if they took the key pad off of it which allows only employees to us it, I know could still run a couple miles of thread today.

Some things you never forget.

jmonroe

isellhondas

jmonroe said:

isellhondas said:

jmonroe said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.

It seems like a lot of posters here have a Sears Tool Dept. story, but not to out do you guys, I have 2 that are my favorites, one in particular.

A little background first:

The company that I worked for when I transferred to the division that I eventually retired from was renting space in a few high rise buildings in a business/commercial area before they build the building that was to be our permanent home. This was in the very late '60's/early '70's.

There was a very large Sears Store in this area and it had a cafeteria that a lot of the employees went to for lunch because our company did not have a cafeteria in the rented space. Believe it or not the cafeteria was not bad at all and we could walk to it rather than drive a few miles away to a restaurant. After we ate lunch we usually walked around the store and of course we ended up in the Tool Dept.

Story No. 1

Before the sales people in the various departments got to know us, they would come up to us and say, "can I help you or do you work for XXX. Soon they knew who we were and didn't even approach us since they knew we were killing time after lunch. This was especially true in the Tool Dept.

Fast forward to when the Tool Dept. sales people got to know some of us by name.

Story No. 2 (my favorite)

One day the Tool Dept. was doing a bang up business (probably on a Monday due to the advertised sales in the Sunday paper). They had 3 registers going and each one had at least 7 people waiting to be rung up. There was a guy (not a fellow employee) that seemed to be a little agitated because of the lines so he excuses himself and walks to the head of one of the lines and says almost pleadingly, "I just have a question can you give me an answer". I was not in line, I was about 6 or 7 feet away and the guy at the register says, "jmonroe, can you help this gentleman since I'm pretty swamped". The guy wanted some info about a tool box with tools and he wanted to know what size ratchet wrenches the tool kit included. I took him to the display and showed him everything that was in the tool box (had to be 80 some pieces) and specifically the 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive ratchets he was interested in. The guy was amazed that for $39.95 Sears had a tool box with that much in it. Being the good sales person that I was I showed him a larger tool box that had to have at least 120 tools in it for $59.95. The guy liked that deal better and bought the larger tool box. I guess you can say I bumped him up a little and I'll bet he was never sorry for allowing me to do it.

You just could not beat those Craftsman tool box deals that Sears offered back in those days and the best part was, the tools were guaranteed forever.

jmonroe

Craftsman hand tools and tool boxes are of decent quality but you generally won't see professional mechanics using them in shops. I spent nearly 20 years with one of the professional tool companies leaving as a Regional Manager. For the life of me I don't know how the techs can afford them now! I read of a guy paying something like 240.00 for a 3/8 drive bent handle ratchet!

I agree that the tool companies charge an arm and a leg if not more for their tools under the guise that they are much better than what a mechanic can buy at Sears and other stores that cater to the every day consumer. Since so many professional mechanics buy from these tool companies, I guess that at least some of that is true.

Since you were in the tool biz, maybe you can confirm what I heard. That is, the same tool is not sold at the same price to all pro mechanics. I was told that the price varies due to the mechanics credit rating with the tool company. If you miss so much as one payment your tool cost goes up from that point on until you become credit worthy again and it takes months and months to do that. A shop owner told me a few years ago that these tool companies are border line predatory lending hucksters today. In fact, he said he won't allow any of them to pull onto his lot and has warned his young techs not to go near those trucks.

True or not?

jmonroe

I've never heard of this and I would be shocked if this were true. A customer can't pay his bills on time so a company would continue to sell him tools at an even higher price? Don't think so!

The professional quality tools are of better quality for sure. They have tighter tolerances and for a guy working eight hours a day week after week, they feel better in the hand and are just nicer.

The professional tool companies have competition that they never had before. Harbor Freight has long had a reputation for selling "Chinese Junk" a term well deserved......however....the Chinese are perfectly capable of making tools to any quality asked for at a fraction of the cost. I recently ordered through Amazon a long bent handle flex head 3/8 "spark plug" ratchet made by a company called Texton for about 10% of the price the tool trucks charge. I just wanted to see what it was like. I have say that it was flawless in quality and it had a 72 tooth gears. Chrome and feel were perfect! NOW....will it hold up under professional demands? Will the chrome peel? Time will tell. I don't care since I may use it twice a year.

I've even heard the pros say....If I pay 20.00 for a cordless drill with auto chuck and lots of torque and it breaks in a year I'll just throw it away and buy a new one and still be money ahead.

The tool business has certainly changed.

isellhondas

berri said:

Just saw in the Chicago papers confirmation that Sears its selling its Craftsman tools to Stanley Block and Decker. Also closing 150 more stores.

Oh, REALLY? Well I'm not surprised. I wonder if they will merge Craftsman with Mac since they own Mac too. The Craftsman name will never die I can say that for sure. This is going to get interesting.

suydam

Sometimes it seems the machines talk to each other and all decide to go out at the same time! Bummer about the washer. 
I'm thinking of replacing my furnace soon. Got the washer and drier over the summer when we first moved. 

isellhondas

imidazol97 said:

berri said:

Just saw in the Chicago papers confirmation that Sears its selling its Craftsman tools to Stanley Block and Decker. Also closing 150 more stores.

Just heard on radio about sale to Black and Decker. That'll ruin the quality of Craftsman tools real quickly as they try to trade on the brand name and lower the quality for maximum profit on inferior products. I won't buy anything that says B&D and Stanley has turned Chinese.

Newsflash......the younger generation doesn't care as much as people think about where a product is made as long
as it works and is CHEAP! Craftsman tools are available in the old, heavy raised panel wrenches and also a high polish professional finish that are much nicer quality.

suydam

I think that's a big generalization. The young folks I know are passionate about quality for things they know about. I think if it's not something you use much you really don't care whatever your age. 

oldfarmer50

berri said:

Jipster - I still see more than a few of those original Escape/Mariner and I forget the name of the rebadged Mazda on the road these days.

Tribute.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50, Your washing machine finally got some hot water and it went into shock.

Regarding the Duratec V6's, Porsche had a hand in designing them. We've had a few. Our 2004 Escape had a leak or 2, but nothing else was ever touched in 12+ years and 140+k miles.
Also, Astin Martin V12 starts as to Duratec's end to end.

Here is a tool story.
Big box chain makes a deal with a local large toolmaker to buy one of their licenses to use as their house brand and also contracts with same toolmaker to manufacture them.
This is addition to the tools they already sell under a well known national brand.
Toolmaker expands their production capacity and hires a bunch of people.
Everything goes great for a year or so, then orders for the house brand drop off a cliff, but reps see plenty of that brand in the stores.
Turns out, once the box box chain got the license, they switched to an offshore supplier without saying anything to the toolmaker they bought the license from.
Nothing the toolmaker could do, since they still wanted to sell their main brand to the big box chain.
Facility shut down and workers deemed redundant.

oldfarmer50

Getting paranoid.

Right after reading about Mike's memory lapse I got this in an email:

"Brain functionality has been constantly increased using this supplement mental tiredness is often a problem of the past using one new capsule Quit forgetting where you left your keys and wallet Adder-in"

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50, Your washing machine finally got some hot water and it went into shock.

Regarding the Duratec V6's, Porsche had a hand in designing them. We've had a few. Our 2004 Escape had a leak or 2, but nothing else was ever touched in 12+ years and 140+k miles.
Also, Astin Martin V12 starts as to Duratec's end to end.

Here is a tool story.
Big box chain makes a deal with a local large toolmaker to buy one of their licenses to use as their house brand and also contracts with same toolmaker to manufacture them.
This is addition to the tools they already sell under a well known national brand.
Toolmaker expands their production capacity and hires a bunch of people.
Everything goes great for a year or so, then orders for the house brand drop off a cliff, but reps see plenty of that brand in the stores.
Turns out, once the box box chain got the license, they switched to an offshore supplier without saying anything to the toolmaker they bought the license from.
Nothing the toolmaker could do, since they still wanted to sell their main brand to the big box chain.
Facility shut down and workers deemed redundant.

I ended up driving my son's Sable with the Duratec all day yesterday and I have to say I enjoyed that engine. More than enough power to make it kind of fun. That motor had a wide range of applications including my Mustang buying buddy's 2010 Edge.

jmonroe

isellhondas said:

jmonroe said:

isellhondas said:

jmonroe said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I used to shop at Sears all the time, and hang out in the Tool Dep't. It's nothing like it was then.

It seems like a lot of posters here have a Sears Tool Dept. story, but not to out do you guys, I have 2 that are my favorites, one in particular.

A little background first:

The company that I worked for when I transferred to the division that I eventually retired from was renting space in a few high rise buildings in a business/commercial area before they build the building that was to be our permanent home. This was in the very late '60's/early '70's.

There was a very large Sears Store in this area and it had a cafeteria that a lot of the employees went to for lunch because our company did not have a cafeteria in the rented space. Believe it or not the cafeteria was not bad at all and we could walk to it rather than drive a few miles away to a restaurant. After we ate lunch we usually walked around the store and of course we ended up in the Tool Dept.

Story No. 1

Before the sales people in the various departments got to know us, they would come up to us and say, "can I help you or do you work for XXX. Soon they knew who we were and didn't even approach us since they knew we were killing time after lunch. This was especially true in the Tool Dept.

Fast forward to when the Tool Dept. sales people got to know some of us by name.

Story No. 2 (my favorite)

One day the Tool Dept. was doing a bang up business (probably on a Monday due to the advertised sales in the Sunday paper). They had 3 registers going and each one had at least 7 people waiting to be rung up. There was a guy (not a fellow employee) that seemed to be a little agitated because of the lines so he excuses himself and walks to the head of one of the lines and says almost pleadingly, "I just have a question can you give me an answer". I was not in line, I was about 6 or 7 feet away and the guy at the register says, "jmonroe, can you help this gentleman since I'm pretty swamped". The guy wanted some info about a tool box with tools and he wanted to know what size ratchet wrenches the tool kit included. I took him to the display and showed him everything that was in the tool box (had to be 80 some pieces) and specifically the 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive ratchets he was interested in. The guy was amazed that for $39.95 Sears had a tool box with that much in it. Being the good sales person that I was I showed him a larger tool box that had to have at least 120 tools in it for $59.95. The guy liked that deal better and bought the larger tool box. I guess you can say I bumped him up a little and I'll bet he was never sorry for allowing me to do it.

You just could not beat those Craftsman tool box deals that Sears offered back in those days and the best part was, the tools were guaranteed forever.

jmonroe

Craftsman hand tools and tool boxes are of decent quality but you generally won't see professional mechanics using them in shops. I spent nearly 20 years with one of the professional tool companies leaving as a Regional Manager. For the life of me I don't know how the techs can afford them now! I read of a guy paying something like 240.00 for a 3/8 drive bent handle ratchet!

I agree that the tool companies charge an arm and a leg if not more for their tools under the guise that they are much better than what a mechanic can buy at Sears and other stores that cater to the every day consumer. Since so many professional mechanics buy from these tool companies, I guess that at least some of that is true.

Since you were in the tool biz, maybe you can confirm what I heard. That is, the same tool is not sold at the same price to all pro mechanics. I was told that the price varies due to the mechanics credit rating with the tool company. If you miss so much as one payment your tool cost goes up from that point on until you become credit worthy again and it takes months and months to do that. A shop owner told me a few years ago that these tool companies are border line predatory lending hucksters today. In fact, he said he won't allow any of them to pull onto his lot and has warned his young techs not to go near those trucks.

True or not?

jmonroe

I've never heard of this and I would be shocked if this were true. A customer can't pay his bills on time so a company would continue to sell him tools at an even higher price? Don't think so!

The professional quality tools are of better quality for sure. They have tighter tolerances and for a guy working eight hours a day week after week, they feel better in the hand and are just nicer.

The professional tool companies have competition that they never had before. Harbor Freight has long had a reputation for selling "Chinese Junk" a term well deserved......however....the Chinese are perfectly capable of making tools to any quality asked for at a fraction of the cost. I recently ordered through Amazon a long bent handle flex head 3/8 "spark plug" ratchet made by a company called Texton for about 10% of the price the tool trucks charge. I just wanted to see what it was like. I have say that it was flawless in quality and it had a 72 tooth gears. Chrome and feel were perfect! NOW....will it hold up under professional demands? Will the chrome peel? Time will tell. I don't care since I may use it twice a year.

I've even heard the pros say....If I pay 20.00 for a cordless drill with auto chuck and lots of torque and it breaks in a year I'll just throw it away and buy a new one and still be money ahead.

The tool business has certainly changed.

Thanks for clearing this up. The shop that told me this was not my inspection station guy who I do have trust and confidence in.

It sounds like that shop owner has a bone to pick with tool trucks. Maybe he even had to pay too high of a price when he was starting out.

What I will say about that guys shop is, he has as good of a reputation as you can get around here. Something seems a little fishy.

Thanks for your feedback.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@olfarmr50, The Edge engine is a different design, not based on the 3.0.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@olfarmr50, The Edge engine is a different design, not based on the 3.0.

I got thinking that myself and did some research. All trims of the 2010 Edge had a 3.5L motor. Funny my friend wouldn't know what engine he had.

Anyway, I do like the Duratec.

Come to think of it I like a bunch of Ford motors: the Duratech, the 4.6L Intec and the Coyote 5.0L have been nice. Glad I never owned the 3.8L head gasket blower.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50, The 3.5 is referred to as a Duratec, but other than being a V6, the design is not related to the original 3.0.

driver100

jmonroe said:

jipster said:

jmonroe said:

nyccarguy said:

Question for the experts. I'm having 4 snow tires mounted on the Legacy tomorrow. The car tracks lasrer straight. Should I have an alignment performed?

As others have said, by all means get the alignment checked.

4 new snow tires cost waaay too much to risk not getting an alignment check. This is exactly why I got the lifetime alignment from Firestone when I got Mrs. j's Legacy new tires a few years ago. It doesn't make any difference who I buy tires from, I'm covered because the alignment is with the car not the tires.

A little extra up front but I am way ahead now. I can get an alignment twice a year of every 5K miles. Yep, one of the best things I did.

jmonroe

You get the alignment checked twice a year or the actually alignment? Shirley a dealership won't perform an alignment if test indicates its not needed??




jmonroe

And don't call Jipster Shirley!

jipster

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

Question for the experts. I'm having 4 snow tires mounted on the Legacy tomorrow. The car tracks lasrer straight. Should I have an alignment performed?

As others have said, by all means get the alignment checked. 4 new snow tires cost waaay too much to risk not getting an alignment check. This is exactly why I got the lifetime alignment from Firestone when I got Mrs. j's Legacy new tires a few years ago. It doesn't make any difference who I buy tires from, I'm covered because the alignment is with the car not the tires. A little extra up front but I am way ahead now. I can get an alignment twice a year of every 5K miles. Yep, one of the best things I did. jmonroe

You get the alignment checked twice a year or the actually alignment? Shirley a dealership won't perform an alignment if test indicates its not needed??


jmonroe

And don't call Jipster Shirley!

Glad somebody caught that. Just watched that movie the other day.

nyccarguy

cdnpinhead said:

jmonroe said:

. . . he replaced it with Home Depot's Ridgid brand. . .

Ridgid (Ridge Tool Co.) has been around a lot longer than Home Depot. Back when I was a machinist ('71-'72) my Ridgid calendar was a bright spot in my day. They've been making tools, particularly for the plumbing industry, since the early 1920s.

I have some bad news for you my friend. This year, RIDGID got rid of the girls on the calendar.

RIDGID makes the best wrenches & pipe cutters. I proudly stock ONLY RIDGID straight wrenches, end wrenches, offset wrenches, pipe cutters, tubing cutters, & die heads.

jmonroe

nyccarguy said:

cdnpinhead said:

jmonroe said:

. . . he replaced it with Home Depot's Ridgid brand. . .

Ridgid (Ridge Tool Co.) has been around a lot longer than Home Depot. Back when I was a machinist ('71-'72) my Ridgid calendar was a bright spot in my day. They've been making tools, particularly for the plumbing industry, since the early 1920s.

I have some bad news for you my friend. This year, RIDGID got rid of the girls on the calendar.

RIDGID makes the best wrenches & pipe cutters. I proudly stock ONLY RIDGID straight wrenches, end wrenches, offset wrenches, pipe cutters, tubing cutters, & die heads.

Do you stock those Ridgid threading machines?

I see that the type I used to use costs almost 9 grand today. Didn't think they would be that expensive but man they are good.

https://www.ohiopowertool.com/p-279-ridgid-1224-threading-machine-12-4-26092.aspx?gclid=CLqOj-jbrNECFUZLDQoddt4Gfg

jmonroe

stickguy

My wife's grandfather was a plumber (I think the 40's-60's). The house stayed in the family. He used the basement as his shop. Should have called Bradd, because when her Dad died (he was the one still living there), the kids had to clean it out. Shelves full of boxes and bins of plumping parts. Old stuff, that you probably can't get today, if you want to keep old fixtures going.

and the point of this, in the middle of the room, on a wooden base was a cast iron pipe machine, that made the one JM posted look petite. The thing was huge. Man, was it tough to get rid of all that stuff, especially the machine. Not sure how they finally got rid of that.

henryn

The summer I was 16 (which would be 1967), they were building a huge concrete dam which eventually created Lake Livingston here in East Texas. I worked construction there two summers, and weekends during the 9 month school year in between. That first summer, I worked in the pipeyard for the the company which had the dewatering contract. What I did was make up 21 foot well points, using 1.5 inch pipe. And I used a Ridgid pipe threader, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 3 months. It was a very solid piece of equpment, never gave me any trouble.

It's hard to find equipment like that these days.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

The summer I was 16 (which would be 1967), they were building a huge concrete dam which eventually created Lake Livingston here in East Texas. I worked construction there two summers, and weekends during the 9 month school year in between. That first summer, I worked in the pipeyard for the the company which had the dewatering contract. What I did was make up 21 foot well points, using 1.5 inch pipe. And I used a Ridgid pipe threader, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 3 months. It was a very solid piece of equpment, never gave me any trouble.

It's hard to find equipment like that these days.

I bet these days putting a 16 yo kid on a machine like that would violate 100 different federal, state and local regulations. You would have been wandering the streets instead of working.

nyccarguy

jmonroe said:

nyccarguy said:

cdnpinhead said:

jmonroe said:

. . . he replaced it with Home Depot's Ridgid brand. . .

Ridgid (Ridge Tool Co.) has been around a lot longer than Home Depot. Back when I was a machinist ('71-'72) my Ridgid calendar was a bright spot in my day. They've been making tools, particularly for the plumbing industry, since the early 1920s.

I have some bad news for you my friend. This year, RIDGID got rid of the girls on the calendar.

RIDGID makes the best wrenches & pipe cutters. I proudly stock ONLY RIDGID straight wrenches, end wrenches, offset wrenches, pipe cutters, tubing cutters, & die heads.

Do you stock those Ridgid threading machines?

I see that the type I used to use costs almost 9 grand today. Didn't think they would be that expensive but man they are good.

https://www.ohiopowertool.com/p-279-ridgid-1224-threading-machine-12-4-26092.aspx?gclid=CLqOj-jbrNECFUZLDQoddt4Gfg

jmonroe

I don't have that machine in stock. I do have one just like it down in the basement that we use to cut & thread steel pipe up to 2". That looks like better than 10 percent off of list price. Good deal.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

My wife's grandfather was a plumber (I think the 40's-60's). The house stayed in the family. He used the basement as his shop. Should have called Bradd, because when her Dad died (he was the one still living there), the kids had to clean it out. Shelves full of boxes and bins of plumping parts. Old stuff, that you probably can't get today, if you want to keep old fixtures going.

and the point of this, in the middle of the room, on a wooden base was a cast iron pipe machine, that made the one JM posted look petite. The thing was huge. Man, was it tough to get rid of all that stuff, especially the machine. Not sure how they finally got rid of that.

A customer of mine brought me one of those from his shop that was his father's. I sent it out to have it completely restored. That was approximately a $5,500 job for the restoration.

PF_Flyer

jipster said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

jipster said:

jmonroe said:

nyccarguy said:

Question for the experts. I'm having 4 snow tires mounted on the Legacy tomorrow. The car tracks lasrer straight. Should I have an alignment performed?

As others have said, by all means get the alignment checked.

4 new snow tires cost waaay too much to risk not getting an alignment check. This is exactly why I got the lifetime alignment from Firestone when I got Mrs. j's Legacy new tires a few years ago. It doesn't make any difference who I buy tires from, I'm covered because the alignment is with the car not the tires.

A little extra up front but I am way ahead now. I can get an alignment twice a year of every 5K miles. Yep, one of the best things I did.

jmonroe

You get the alignment checked twice a year or the actually alignment? Shirley a dealership won't perform an alignment if test indicates its not needed??




jmonroe

And don't call Jipster Shirley!

Glad somebody caught that. Just watched that movie the other day.

Roger Over

Today is a Hitchcock day.

houdini1

abacomike said:

I'm driving home from the dentist the morning and stop off to pick up an Rx.  I put my hand in my pocket and my house and mailbox keys are missing.  I call the dentist since I am sure they slipped out of my shorts pocket and ask them to look for them.  No dice - they can't find them.  I move the driver's seat all the way forward in the car, but no keys underneath.

I call security at my Condo complex and ask them to meet me at my apartment to let me in - explained to them I lost my keys. As I'm walking to the elevator, my downstairs neighbor stops me and hands me my keys.  He said he found them inserted into my mailbox earlier this morning.  Then it dawned on me that I had gotten yesterday's mail before leaving this morning for the dentist.  Thank goodness for my neighbor finding them.

This brings to mind some concerns I have about my body and my mind.  Ever since the surgery and rehab, I have been misplacing things and forgetting things.  I am seeing my doctor next Monday about this and some persistent pain.  I have a feeling that the 6 days after surgery when I was in a coma have had some residual effects on my memory and mental processing.  Whatever is causing these issues and lapses, at least I am alive to talk about it!

It can't be too bad if you are AWARE of what is going on and that it is not NORMAL for you. Dr. houdini thinks this is just a temporary condition and will go away before long.

graphicguy

Mike....the 740i you bought fits you. That's reason alone to buy one. You're comfortable in it and ingress/egress fits you. To me, I've bought cars for much less motivation, that's for sure. 740i is a very nice car. I can see why you wanted one.

CT6 (and CTS, and the ATS) are moving Cadillac further and further away from their traditional customer base. There's going to be some "pain" involved as they continue to move further away. I think they're on the right track. For reasons only the car gods know, the brand seems to bite me in the posterior, even though I like the way they drive, the way they're made, and the way they perform.

We had a little snow last night and I took the CT6 out in it. Not a lot, mind you....maybe 2-3 inches. Handled the unplowed roads just fine with no drama. I suspect my CTS would have done the same.

Bradd...got a plumbing question for you. My lower level is finished into a rec room with a wet bar and full bath, with my home theater room being part of it. That said, I've got a ton of electronics there. I had access panels in the main plumbing connections to make it easier to detect, and if need be, shut off water if there's a leak. Don't want those electronics get wet.

Anyway, I check the plumbing and electric pretty regularly. This weekend, I found a very small drip coming from a connection that went from copper to PVC. Easy enough to fix. But, I'm also thinking of putting another shut off valve there. That way, in the future, I won't have to turn all the water off when doing such a repair. I can shut off only that area.

Pros? Cons?

graphicguy

OldFarmer....I sympathize. Seems my former spouse, even though I haven't been in contact for a long time, has left me reminders of her presence.

Cranked up my stove over the Holidays to roast some prime rib. I bet I personally hadn't used that stove in a couple of years....maybe longer. Anyway, smoke immediately started pouring out of it.

Long and short of it, the ex apparently made something that was sticky/syrupy in the oven.....over and over and never cleaned it up. As such, "self clean" mode won't get rid of it. Don't want to use harsh chemicals. I even tried one of those steamers which didn't work. Called a repairman. He said the ceramic surface was damaged (what?) and using the oven was a fire hazzard.

Looks like I need a new stove. Happy New Year!!!!!!

nyccarguy

Nothing bad about putting more shut off valves. Is your washing machine & water heater down there? If you do, I highly advise installing one of these:

sda

I get tickled when I read statements such as this from nyccarguy: 'slow poke motor doesn't get the outrageous mileage one would expect from a car with a 9 second 0-60 mph time. '

From my perspective growing up when most cars ran 0-60 in the 12-17 sec range, 9 seconds would have been considered sports car quick! ( Yes, that was the late '70s, early 80's) My '62 Ford Galaxie with a 292 V8 and 3 speed manual would be hard pressed to do 60 in less than 14 sec!

Today's cars are great!

jipster

nyccarguy said:

Nothing bad about putting more shut off valves. Is your washing machine & water heater down there? If you do, I highly advise installing one of these:

Great idea. I see the FloodStop for the water heater is about $150. How hard are they to install? About 1-2 hour labor for a plumber? Washing machine sits on a large pan with drain hose, so good there.

nyccarguy

sda said:

I get tickled when I read statements such as this from nyccarguy: 'slow poke motor doesn't get the outrageous mileage one would expect from a car with a 9 second 0-60 mph time. '

From my perspective growing up when most cars ran 0-60 in the 12-17 sec range, 9 seconds would have been considered sports car quick! ( Yes, that was the late '70s, early 80's) My '62 Ford Galaxie with a 292 V8 and 3 speed manual would be hard pressed to do 60 in less than 14 sec!

Today's cars are great!

sda said:

I get tickled when I read statements such as this from nyccarguy: 'slow poke motor doesn't get the outrageous mileage one would expect from a car with a 9 second 0-60 mph time. '

From my perspective growing up when most cars ran 0-60 in the 12-17 sec range, 9 seconds would have been considered sports car quick! ( Yes, that was the late '70s, early 80's) My '62 Ford Galaxie with a 292 V8 and 3 speed manual would be hard pressed to do 60 in less than 14 sec!

Today's cars are great!

I agree that today's cars are great. My Legacy isn't fast by today's standards. It keeps up with traffic (with careful planning). It isn't a complete slug like a 4 cyl - 4 speed slushbox economy car from the 90s. The advances (made a little too quickly IMO) in modern transmissions have made it possible to achieve the off the line acceleration we crave and achieve high fuel economy with higher ratios in gears 5 plus.

Most cars I've owned have a 0-60 time of around the mid 7 second range. Not blistering by any means, but that's my perception from what I've been driving for the past 25 years.

suydam

And it's today's cars you're merging on the freeway with.

nyccarguy

suydam said:

And it's today's cars you're merging on the freeway with.

yes. You should see some of the entrance ramps we have in NY & CT.

sda

I will be the first to admit I like a quick car. The Accord will do 60 in the high 7s, plenty quick most of the time. However there are times when I wish I had the V6.

suydam

I made many trips over the Penn Turnpike in my 2013 Accord. All those big trucks going 80 or more. It kept up just fine. A great road trip car.

suydam

Wow. I just looked at the Edmunds home page for the first time in a very long time. God is it awful. You would never know the wealth of information that's here by that page if you came across it for the first time. What happened?