Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

nyccarguy said:

What the h--- are those?

*They mentioned 4 people or groups who have birthdays today.....you know you are getting old when you don't know any of them. Dave Grhol and LL Cool to name a few.....whoever they are.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

It's pinewood derby time for my scouts. Rules are pretty simple. Cars must weigh 5pz or less. No modifying axle placement. Cars must ride on approved axles. No springs.

The car on the top (work in progress) is my 7 year old's. I drilled out a few strategically placed holes & filled them in with epoxy to add weight.

The bottom car is my 10 year old's. It is 1/4" thick. We cut it with a hacksaw. It weighs 0.6 ounces. I put a layer of epoxy to add weight.

I can't wait until they sand & paint.

The secret of winning the Pinwood Derby is the lube you use on the axels. (That's assuming they still use nails for axels like they did in the 1950s. My father got some super lube stuff from the GE turbine plant in Schenectady where he worked and it snagged me some honorable mentions. For weight we put a long screw where the driver would sit and wrapped lead solder around it until we got it right.

In the end your kids won't remember winning or losing but they will remember spending time with dad.

imidazol97

And polish the insides of the wheels to help reduce friction for the graphite lube.

driver100

NYC...OK, I looked it up....now I think I know what they are:

driver100

This one is good for all you guys who always wanted a Vette:

sda

nyccarguy said:

It's pinewood derby time for my scouts. Rules are pretty simple. Cars must weigh 5pz or less. No modifying axle placement. Cars must ride on approved axles. No springs.

The car on the top (work in progress) is my 7 year old's. I drilled out a few strategically placed holes & filled them in with epoxy to add weight.

The bottom car is my 10 year old's. It is 1/4" thick. We cut it with a hacksaw. It weighs 0.6 ounces. I put a layer of epoxy to add weight.

I can't wait until they sand & paint.

Dad helped me with my pinewood derby. Taped some coins in the body to add weight. Looked great, didn't come close to winning. Wonderful memories of spending time with dad. With his positive support I earned Eagle Scout.

abacomike

driver100 said:

What the h--- are those? *They mentioned 4 people or groups who have birthdays today.....you know you are getting old when you don't know any of them. Dave Grhol and LL Cool to name a few.....whoever they are.

I'm older than you, driver, but I sure have heard and watched LL Cool J.  Get with it, driver - for all our sakes!!! 

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

It's pinewood derby time for my scouts. Rules are pretty simple. Cars must weigh 5pz or less. No modifying axle placement. Cars must ride on approved axles. No springs.

The car on the top (work in progress) is my 7 year old's. I drilled out a few strategically placed holes & filled them in with epoxy to add weight.

The bottom car is my 10 year old's. It is 1/4" thick. We cut it with a hacksaw. It weighs 0.6 ounces. I put a layer of epoxy to add weight.

I can't wait until they sand & paint.

I'll have to see if I have pictures of our pinewood derby cars. My son's Cub Scout pack had a class for dads as well. On the day of the race I worked on adding the maximum amount of of weight using the postage scale at work. Between cases I continued to tweak my entry. As it turned out the Dad Class had no rules; I didn't know that but I still won.

js06gv

fintail said:

Looks like a new car. My mom's might not be so perfect, but it still shines up. She still works, and parks outside a bit in a rainy climate. I wax and detail it for her once a year, when I visit in the spring. It's white, and has a little "Camry dent" (it's a thing) on the front passenger side corner. She's loyal to it and wants to keep it til it is worn out - at her rate she'll be 150 when that happens

sda said:

My inlaws have an '03 Camry XLE V6 that they bought new. It has around 140k, but you'd never know it. I believe I've shared this picture before. This is what it still looks like, I took this last summer.

Funny you say that. Just last week I somehow stumbled across that "Camry dent" article and immediately shared it with one of my employees who picked up said dent in a parking lot last month. She got a kick out of it. Facebook page too.

http://jalopnik.com/the-incredible-mystery-of-the-camry-dent-1785413530

abacomike

On my way up for my walk at the mall, I stopped off at Costco for some Premium gasoline. They are at $2.69.9 a gallon which is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than any other gas station or brand anywhere within 4 miles of where I live. And remember, they are rated at "Top Tier"! In other words, their gasolines are on a par with Mobil, Shell, Chevron, etc. I wonder how much longer they can sustain those low prices in the face of steep increases in the price of crude. Should be interesting.

dino001

abacomike said:

On my way up for my walk at the mall, I stopped off at Costco for some Premium gasoline. They are at $2.69.9 a gallon which is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than any other gas station or brand anywhere within 4 miles of where I live. And remember, they are rated at "Top Tier"! In other words, their gasolines are on a par with Mobil, Shell, Chevron, etc. I wonder how much longer they can sustain those low prices in the face of steep increases in the price of crude. Should be interesting.

They will raise the prices together with others and maintain the differential. It's all relative at whatever price point.

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

This one is good for all you guys who always wanted a Vette:

Ah the Vette GM should have built!

graphicguy

So, in what seems to becoming a ritual that happens all too often, the latest update with Cadillac....

Got a call from the service manager from my Caddy dealer yesterday. He said the zone rep was in the dealership all day and that if I wanted to get things moving on my end, I should pop in and meet her by the end of the day.

Finished work and headed to the dealership. Service manager introduced us as she was putting her coat on to leave (6-ish). We convened to the General Manager's office (with him present).

Service Manager presented what was going on with my car. First time I heard the comprehensive explanation. He even had pics of what the issue is. Apparently there weren't many cars that came off the line with this particular problem before they caught it. Mine was the only one that was delivered to the dealership.

The wiring harness and the brackets holding it in place weren't engineered correctly and there were some interferences they did not account for. As such, the wiring sits too close to the exhaust and half shaft. Two things happen. First, the heat from the exhaust softens the insulation on the wiring (in some cases, as in mine, it actually melts the insulation). Then, the wiring rubs against the half shaft, and chafes the rest of the insulation away.

This causes "arcing". What happens next (I guess it had already happened on the road to someone given no one noticed the engineering gaff) is the motor will indeed shut down. But, worse than that, it could (or maybe did) cause the engine to catch on fire.

To me, the solution is simple. Secure the wiring harness somewhere else. Easier said than done, however. They had to re-engineer the wiring path, in addition to making new parts to hold everything in the "new" place. All recent '16s, and all '17s have this engineering change already done.

Some of you stipulated what was reitereated by the Zone Rep. That is, it's a recall that affected very few cars (relatively). And, they don't stop the line for much of anything. Thus, the parts to fix it may be a long time coming given the amount of cars affected.

With all of this information, and the history surrounding my Cadillac ownership experience, she said it's Cadillac's goal to make all of their customers "delighted" (her word, not mine). As she pointed out, "GG, I can see why you aren't delighted".

Apparently, she can dispense with all the paperwork formality of me filing lemon law and just do a like-for-like swap for a '17. She asked the General Manager what my loaner is. He said it was a CT6, and had a price delta of about $20K vs my CTS. Not sure what she's thinking. But, we'll see what happens next.

She has all of my information, the information about the previous CTS and the info on my current one. I asked her what it would take to get a full refund. She said I'd have to sue GM under the lemon law and go through all of those hoops. At that point, Cadillac would remove their internal support people (like her) from the process. Then, it just becomes a legal issue and not a customer satisfaction issue.

Although I am irritated by all of this, the dealership really makes a difference this time around. I'm not nearly as PO'd as I was the last time. They are engaged and seem to want to do what's right.

We'll see!

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

So, in what seems to becoming a ritual that happens all to often, the latest update with Cadillac....

Got a call from the service manager from my Caddy dealer yesterday. He said the zone rep was in the dealership all day and that if I wanted to get things moving on my end, I should pop in and meet her by the end of the day.

Finished work and headed to the dealership. Service manager introduced us as she was putting her coat on to leave (6-ish). We conveneded to the General Manager's office (with him present).

Service Manager presented what was going on with my car. First time I heard the comprehensive explanation. He even had pics of what the issue is. Apparently there weren't many cars that came off the line with this particular problem before they caught it. Mine was the only one that was delivered to the dealership.

The wiring harness and the brackets holding it in place wasn't engineered correctly and there were some interferences they did not account for when it was engineered. As such, the wiring sits too close to the exhaust and half shaft. Two things happen. First, the heat from the exhaust softens the insulation on the wiring (in some cases, as in mine, it actually melts the insulation). Then, the wiring rubs against the half shaft, and chafes the rest of the insulation away.

This causes "arcing". What happens next (I guess it had already happened on the road to someone given no one noticed the engineering gaff) is the motor will indeed shut down. But, worse than that, it could (or, maybe did) cause the engine to catch on fire.

To me, the solution is simple. Secure the wiring harness somewhere else. Easier said than done, however. The had to re-engineer the wiring path, in addition to making new parts to hold it in place. All recent '16s, and all '17s have this engineering change already done.

Some of you stipulated what was reitereated by the Zone Rep. That is, it's a recall that affected very few cars (relatively). And, they don't stop the line for much of anything. Thus, the parts to fix it may be a long time coming given the amount of cars affected.

With all of this information, and the history surrounding my Cadillac ownership experience, she said it's Cadillac's goal to mkae all of their customers "delighted" (her word, not mine). As she pointed out, "GG, I can see why you aren't delighted".

Apparently, she can dispense with all the paperwork formality of me filing lemon law and just do a like-for-like swap for a '17. She asked the General Manager what my loaner is. He said it was a CT6, and had a price delta of about $20K vs my CTS. Not sure what she's thinking. But, we'll see what happens next.

She has all of my information, the information about the previous CTS and the info on my current one. I asked her what it would take to get a full refund. She said I'd have to sue GM under the lemon law and go through all of those hoops and that at that point Cadillac would remove their internal support people (like her) from the process. At that, it just becomes a legal issue and not a customer satisfaction issue.

Although I am irritated by all of this, the dealership really makes a difference this time around. I'm not nearly as PO'd as I was the last time. They are engaged and seem to want to do what's right.

We'll see!

Am I hearing that they are considering giving you a 17' worth $20k more in exchange for your 16' which in itself was worth $20k more than your 14' lemon? You're the only guy I know who has made $40k trading up to newer models every year.

My hat is off to you.

suydam

Sounds like a win win this time. Assuming you want another CTS. Or are they offering to swap for the loaner which you like?

abacomike

@graphicguy:

Not having a set of wheels I can depend on after 3 episodes with a manufacturer would be more than I would ever tolerate.  IMO, take the "17 CTS and run, do not walk, to the nearest dealership that manufactures a car you like, and get away from any ties to Cadillac.  

28firefighter

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

So, in what seems to becoming a ritual that happens all to often, the latest update with Cadillac....

Got a call from the service manager from my Caddy dealer yesterday. He said the zone rep was in the dealership all day and that if I wanted to get things moving on my end, I should pop in and meet her by the end of the day.

Finished work and headed to the dealership. Service manager introduced us as she was putting her coat on to leave (6-ish). We conveneded to the General Manager's office (with him present).

Service Manager presented what was going on with my car. First time I heard the comprehensive explanation. He even had pics of what the issue is. Apparently there weren't many cars that came off the line with this particular problem before they caught it. Mine was the only one that was delivered to the dealership.

The wiring harness and the brackets holding it in place wasn't engineered correctly and there were some interferences they did not account for when it was engineered. As such, the wiring sits too close to the exhaust and half shaft. Two things happen. First, the heat from the exhaust softens the insulation on the wiring (in some cases, as in mine, it actually melts the insulation). Then, the wiring rubs against the half shaft, and chafes the rest of the insulation away.

This causes "arcing". What happens next (I guess it had already happened on the road to someone given no one noticed the engineering gaff) is the motor will indeed shut down. But, worse than that, it could (or, maybe did) cause the engine to catch on fire.

To me, the solution is simple. Secure the wiring harness somewhere else. Easier said than done, however. The had to re-engineer the wiring path, in addition to making new parts to hold it in place. All recent '16s, and all '17s have this engineering change already done.

Some of you stipulated what was reitereated by the Zone Rep. That is, it's a recall that affected very few cars (relatively). And, they don't stop the line for much of anything. Thus, the parts to fix it may be a long time coming given the amount of cars affected.

With all of this information, and the history surrounding my Cadillac ownership experience, she said it's Cadillac's goal to mkae all of their customers "delighted" (her word, not mine). As she pointed out, "GG, I can see why you aren't delighted".

Apparently, she can dispense with all the paperwork formality of me filing lemon law and just do a like-for-like swap for a '17. She asked the General Manager what my loaner is. He said it was a CT6, and had a price delta of about $20K vs my CTS. Not sure what she's thinking. But, we'll see what happens next.

She has all of my information, the information about the previous CTS and the info on my current one. I asked her what it would take to get a full refund. She said I'd have to sue GM under the lemon law and go through all of those hoops and that at that point Cadillac would remove their internal support people (like her) from the process. At that, it just becomes a legal issue and not a customer satisfaction issue.

Although I am irritated by all of this, the dealership really makes a difference this time around. I'm not nearly as PO'd as I was the last time. They are engaged and seem to want to do what's right.

We'll see!

Am I hearing that they are considering giving you a 17' worth $20k more in exchange for your 16' which in itself was worth $20k more than your 14' lemon? You're the only guy I know who has made $40k trading up to newer models every year.

My hat is off to you.

Seconded. That said I'd probably just trade it in immediately and be done with it. You should actually net more money + the tax savings vs. the lemon law buyback.

driver100

abacomike said:

@graphicguy:

Not having a set of wheels I can depend on after 3 episodes with a manufacturer would be more than I would ever tolerate.  IMO, take the "17 CTS and run, do not walk, to the nearest dealership that manufactures a car you like, and get away from any ties to Cadillac.  

I have a slightly different take on it. I would grab the 2017 CTS and just see how I liked it. At the first sign of any kind of problem or if I saw something I liked more trade it in then.

A few other thoughts;
I am surprised at the turnaround in thinking since the last 2 debacles. Sales are off and I think they are finding you can't grow a brand by ignoring your customers.

I think this fire problem is a big problem for them........they don't want to get caught in another cover-up, that would really ruin their reputation.

It is nice that you keep moving up and getting a new car every year, but, you don't get much enjoyment from your car. If you do the lemon law thing and get the cash you will probably have to rent a car and you will be paid based on the value of the 2016 car....or maybe even the 1st one.

I sure am not ready to switch brands and gamble on a Cadillac

driver100

Mr_Shiftright said:

driver100 said:

This one is good for all you guys who always wanted a Vette:

Ah the Vette GM should have built!

Excellent gas mileage too!

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

What the h--- are those?

*They mentioned 4 people or groups who have birthdays today.....you know you are getting old when you don't know any of them. Dave Grhol and LL Cool to name a few.....whoever they are.

I'm older than you, driver, but I sure have heard and watched LL Cool J.  Get with it, driver - for all our sakes!!! 

You have more time on your hands than I do.......I'll stick with Frankie Valli and Elvis etc.

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

Am I hearing that they are considering giving you a 17' worth $20k more in exchange for your 16' which in itself was worth $20k more than your 14' lemon? You're the only guy I know who has made $40k trading up to newer models every year.
My hat is off to you.

Wow. This is like going to the casino and coming home with $20000 once a year. Is this taxable? Do they send out 1099j's for this ("j" for jackpot)?

Seriously, sounds to me like you're getting very transparent, thorough treatment. Any new CTS's you'd like in their stock or another store nearby?

graphicguy

No one has offered me anything yet. I'm not even sure the Zone Rep can do what she said she wanted to do. She said she's done it before, but it's on a case-by-case basis. I'm guessing she just recommends the action to be taken. Not sure if they automatically accept her recommendation, though.

They hinted at the CT6 as a replacement since I've been driving it. Not sure if they would do that, or that they wouldn't ask me for money out of my pocket (which I would not do).

Who knows? They may magically come up with the parts required. They may go hardline and totally dismiss the Zone Rep's recommendation, too.

Lots of "i"s to dot and "t"s to cross before anything happens. I'm just reporting exactly what happened, as it happened.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Am I hearing that they are considering giving you a 17' worth $20k more in exchange for your 16' which in itself was worth $20k more than your 14' lemon? You're the only guy I know who has made $40k trading up to newer models every year.
My hat is off to you.

Wow. This is like going to the casino and coming home with $20000 once a year. Is this taxable? Do they send out 1099j's for this ("j" for jackpot)?

Seriously, sounds to me like you're getting very transparent, thorough treatment. Any new CTS's you'd like in their stock or another store nearby?

I wouldn't want to spend the time and effort, the doing without a car, plus the worry, even if I did get a new car every year out of it. And, I don't think they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart. Probably 2 lemons in a row and the government takes away their car producing license.

driver100

graphicguy said:

No one has offered me anything yet. I'm not even sure teh Zone Rep can do what she said she wanted to do. She said she's done it before, but it's on a case-by-case basis. I'm guessing she just recommends the action to be taken. Not sure if they automatically accept her recommendation, though.

They hinted at the CT6 as a replacement since I've been driving it. Not sure if they would do that, or that they wouldn't ask me for money out of my pocket (which I would not do).

Who knows? They may magically come up with the parts required. They may go hardline and totally dismiss the Zone Rep's recommendation, too.

Lots of "i"s to dot and "t"s to cross before anything happens. I'm just reporting exactly what happened, as it happened.

Gotchya GG. They just try to string this out and try to do a quick fix, but, this keeps you off their back for awhile.....drag it out while the rep deals with the brass and round we go................

carnaught

If I were in your place GG, I'd take a '17 CTS in their stock or due to come in, with the same or more content than you have, for an even trade. I'd then follow driver's recommendation to drive it and see how you like it, and if it's reliable, keep it for a while. Ditch it if any issue(s) or when you get tired of it....IMHO.

ab348

If they offer you the CT6 I would take it. Or a 2017 CTS. And then please trade in whatever it is on something else. You are a Cadillac jinx.

ab348

oldfarmer50 said:

Am I hearing that they are considering giving you a 17' worth $20k more in exchange for your 16' which in itself was worth $20k more than your 14' lemon? You're the only guy I know who has made $40k trading up to newer models every year.

My hat is off to you.

Don't forget, his '14 was a replacement for his original '14. GG is like Kryptonite to Cadillac's Superman.

thebean

oldfarmer50 said:

My 'Stressless' recliner which I have had for 30+ years (wife says a 100), just broke. It looks like there are repair parts and the bottom of the seat cushion unzips. Hoping I can save it.

I think you posted a picture of it once: BTW, how's your bad hip doing?

I got a big laugh out of this. Thanks OF!

imidazol97

Maybe they'll throw in a 100 shares of GM common stock.

thebean

All this Pinewood Derby talk makes me a bit melancholy.  The only quality time I had with my dad was bringing him a beer or fixing him an Old Crow and Coke.  

driver100

thebean said:

All this Pinewood Derby talk makes me a bit melancholy.  The only quality time I had with my dad was bringing him a beer or fixing him an Old Crow and Coke.  

Better than a trip to the woodshed

abacomike

Well, I found out that the surgeon who did my surgery wants me to have a CT-Scan with contrast of my abdomen and pelvis as soon as possible.  So I made an appointment at a local imaging lab - I have to drink berium for the contrast.  Then I find out the surgeon wants the test done at the hospital- Broward Health Medical Center.  So that's a 40 mile round trip to get the berium and then another 40 mile round trip for the CT-Scan.  Very frustrating.  I guess he wants his team's radiologist to read the films instead of my taking a DVD of the films to him from the local lab.  I wonder if there will ever be an end to this madness!

isellhondas

jipster said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

sda said:

With the exception of a few mid-priced cars such as the Accord, it is hard to find a car that doesn't have swoopy styling that makes getting in and out difficult. I think that is why smaller SUVs like the CR-V, RAV-4, etc. have become so popular. They are easy to get in and out of. Mom had hip replacement surgery about 5 years ago and getting in and out of her Aurora was painful. She doesn't have that issue with her CR-V, though she misses her Olds.

My 83 year old dad has been in 2 accidents, in the past couple of years, in his 2003 Toyota Camry. (Only 80k something miles, excellent condition. Reliable.) One accident was backing up and hitting a post. So have been trying to convince mom (dad too frugal) to buy a new car with all of the latest safty features.Something with higher seating position and better visibility, easy to get in and out of. Mentioned the Rav 4. Says she doesn't want a SUV. 

2 accidents and you claim "excellent condition"? What are you, a copywriter for Craigslist ads?

LOL. True that. Had repaired at a "excellent" body shop.

Yes, a car can have two "accidents" and be in excellent condition!

Backing up and hitting a post? Any good body shop can restore that bumper to new condition with minimal effort. Car Faxes can scare people away from great cars. " ACCIDENT REPORTED!!" can mean anything from a near total to a key scratch.

A quality body shop (as most are) can do a great job of fixing damage and the car will in no way be affected down the road. In the "old days" this wasn't always the case and when people said " It'll never be the same", those words were often accurate.

graphicguy

Boy...I wished I had all this knowledge imparted to me for my pinewood derby. My Dad would have said....."you figure it out". I think I made one. Don't remember it going too far in the races, though.

I did paint it. It had flames, too.

qbrozen

SO, here is my thinking: while the CT6 may be a $20k delta retail, it is a used car at this point, so if they could make you happy with that, it may be better for them than a new '17 CTS. Either way, I'd take the deal since you'd come out ahead.

roadburner

abacomike said:

@graphicguy:

Not having a set of wheels I can depend on after 3 episodes with a manufacturer would be more than I would ever tolerate.  IMO, take the "17 CTS and run, do not walk, to the nearest dealership that manufactures a car you like, and get away from any ties to Cadillac.  

I agree 100% three strikes and the guilty car maker is out.

jmonroe

imidazol97 said:

And polish the insides of the wheels to help reduce friction for the graphite lube.

Today, fathers are allowed to do quite a bit with these pine wood derby cars. I found that out with my two oldest grandsons a few years ago when they were Cub Scouts. I guess they allow this now because when my Sons were in Cub Scouts the parents were not supposed to do anything but some fathers did everything and of course their kids won all the time. I thought it was unfair that some played by the rules but most did not. Since Cub Scouts is supposed to be about "honesty", I thought it was ridiculous that these rules were ignored and it was obvious just by looking at the cars most of the kids were entering for the race. There were paint jobs that would rival show cars but those "in charge" still let it go on and on.

My Sons played by the rules because I did NOTHING on their cars. I did, however, cut up lots of wood for them to practice on and I "showed" them step by step many times how to do things but they were kids using tools for the first time so they were not pros and never won a race. After a couple years of this Son #1 got very disheartened and did not want to compete anymore because he knew if I helped him his cars could have done better. I convinced him to keep doing it himself because that experience would benefit him as he progressed through life. Wala, he came in third place his last year of Cub Scouts.

This is the best part of this story and I told this back in the SFTSFL days a few years ago, probably 10 years ago:

After the race that Son #1 came in third place he is congratulating his fellow Cub Scout and the kid turns to his father and said, "this is the kid that came in third". The father paid almost no attention to him because he was wrapped up receiving congratulations from several other fathers. I was not too far off so I heard what was going on. Eventually my Son says to this great car builder, "Mr. XXXXXX how did you get his car to go so fast". The guy said something like, "it takes a lot of practice. Keep trying, someday you'll get the hang of it". Needless to say my Son was pretty surprised with that answer but I was blistering.

As I said I overheard some of the conversations this father had with the other fathers and he said to one of them, "now that this is over I can concentrate on fixing my carburetor. My car is not running very well". One of the fathers asked what kind of car he had and he said, "it's a 197X (I can't remember now what year he said) Olds V8 with a Rochester 4 barrel". One of the fathers said, "you might be in luck. His father (pointing to Son #1) has rebuilt several of those. In fact, he helped me with mine a few months ago". This car builder wanted to know where I was so the guy points to me and says, "that's him right there".

The car builder comes over, extends his hand and introduces himself and proceeds to ask me how he should go about rebuilding his carb. I said, "it takes a lot of practice. Keep trying, someday you'll get the hang of it". Then I turned and walked away.

I hoped that I might get to pay him back someday but I never could have dreamed it would be that fast.

@driver100, if this post was too long you could have stopped half way through.

jmonroe

roadburner

imidazol97 said:

And polish the insides of the wheels to help reduce friction for the graphite lube.

Mount the wheels on a drill to true them up. A light touch from a emery board should be sufficient.

fintail

Once you see it, you can't stop noticing it. I think it might become a generic term for a corner dent. Today I saw a Buick with a Camry dent.

There's a funny blog too:

http://camrydents.blogspot.com/

js06gv said:

Funny you say that. Just last week I somehow stumbled across that "Camry dent" article and immediately shared it with one of my employees who picked up said dent in a parking lot last month. She got a kick out of it. Facebook page too.

http://jalopnik.com/the-incredible-mystery-of-the-camry-dent-1785413530

imidazol97

jmonroe said:

Today, fathers are allowed to do quite a bit with these pine wood derby cars. I found that out with my two oldest grandsons a few years ago when they were Cub Scouts. I guess they allow this now because when my Sons were in Cub Scouts the parents were not supposed to do anything but some fathers did everything and of course their kids won all the time. I thought it was unfair that some played by the rules but most did not. Since Cub Scouts is supposed to be about "honesty", I thought it was ridiculous that these rules were ignored and it was obvious just by looking at the cars most of the kids were entering for the race. There were paint jobs that would rival show cars but those "in charge" still let it go on and on.

My Sons played by the rules because I did NOTHING on their cars.

My early Cub Scout experiences were a grandfather who was showing the cars he had made as a kid and he was making the cars for his son and then his grandson. He reused cars from earlier.

I thought it was unfair that some played by the rules but most did not. I thought it was unfair that some played by the rules but most did not.

There were lots of things in Cubs and then scouts that weren't done kosher by the rules. My son realized that and although he values his own experiences, he doesn't respect some of the leaders and certain other fathers and their brats he was in scouts with.

explorerx4

This person didn't do it right.

driver100

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

And polish the insides of the wheels to help reduce friction for the graphite lube.

Today, fathers are allowed to do quite a bit with these pine wood derby cars. I found that out with my two oldest grandsons a few years ago when they were Cub Scouts. I guess they allow this now because when my Sons were in Cub Scouts the parents were not supposed to do anything but some fathers did everything and of course their kids won all the time. I thought it was unfair that some played by the rules but most did not. Since Cub Scouts is supposed to be about "honesty", I thought it was ridiculous that these rules were ignored and it was obvious just by looking at the cars most of the kids were entering for the race. There were paint jobs that would rival show cars but those "in charge" still let it go on and on.

My Sons played by the rules because I did NOTHING on their cars. I did, however, cut up lots of wood for them to practice on and I "showed" them step by step many times how to do things but they were kids using tools for the first time so they were not pros and never won a race. After a couple years of this Son #1 got very disheartened and did not want to compete anymore because he knew if I helped him his cars could have done better. I convinced him to keep doing it himself because that experience would benefit him as he progressed through life. Wala, he came in third place his last year of Cub Scouts.

This is the best part of this story and I told this back in the SFTSFL days a few years ago, probably 10 years ago:

After the race that Son #1 came in third place he is congratulating his fellow Cub Scout and the kid turns to his father and said, "this is the kid that came in third". The father paid almost no attention to him because he was wrapped up receiving congratulations from several other fathers. I was not too far off so I heard what was going on. Eventually my Son says to this great car builder, "Mr. XXXXXX how did you get his car to go so fast". The guy said something like, "it takes a lot of practice. Keep trying, someday you'll get the hang of it". Needless to say my Son was pretty surprised with that answer but I was blistering.

As I said I overheard some of the conversations this father had with the other fathers and he said to one of them, "now that this is over I can concentrate on fixing my carburetor. My car is not running very well". One of the fathers asked what kind of car he had and he said, "it's a 197X (I can't remember now what year he said) Olds V8 with a Rochester 4 barrel". One of the fathers said, "you might be in luck. His father (pointing to Son #1) has rebuilt several of those. In fact, he helped me with mine a few months ago". This car builder wanted to know where I was so the guy points to me and says, "that's him right there".

The car builder comes over, extends his hand and introduces himself and proceeds to ask me how he should go about rebuilding his carb. I said, "it takes a lot of practice. Keep trying, someday you'll get the hang of it". Then I turned and walked away.

I hoped that I might get to pay him back someday but I never could have dreamed it would be that fast.

@driver100, if this post was too long you could have stopped half way through.

jmonroe

I stopped 1/4 of the way through

driver100

Went out in friends 2014 Cadillac XTS. He loves his Caddies, gets a new one about every 2 or 3 years. His favorite was a 1984 Berritz....paid $42000 for it back then. Licence plate said 1 of 91 because there were only 91 sold in Canada. Must have been quite the car.

The 2014 XTS is a nice vehicle to be a passenger in. I don't know about handling, but it is a nice car to ride in.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

And polish the insides of the wheels to help reduce friction for the graphite lube.

Today, fathers are allowed to do quite a bit with these pine wood derby cars. I found that out with my two oldest grandsons a few years ago when they were Cub Scouts. I guess they allow this now because when my Sons were in Cub Scouts the parents were not supposed to do anything but some fathers did everything and of course their kids won all the time. I thought it was unfair that some played by the rules but most did not. Since Cub Scouts is supposed to be about "honesty", I thought it was ridiculous that these rules were ignored and it was obvious just by looking at the cars most of the kids were entering for the race. There were paint jobs that would rival show cars but those "in charge" still let it go on and on.

My Sons played by the rules because I did NOTHING on their cars. I did, however, cut up lots of wood for them to practice on and I "showed" them step by step many times how to do things but they were kids using tools for the first time so they were not pros and never won a race. After a couple years of this Son #1 got very disheartened and did not want to compete anymore because he knew if I helped him his cars could have done better. I convinced him to keep doing it himself because that experience would benefit him as he progressed through life. Wala, he came in third place his last year of Cub Scouts.

This is the best part of this story and I told this back in the SFTSFL days a few years ago, probably 10 years ago:

After the race that Son #1 came in third place he is congratulating his fellow Cub Scout and the kid turns to his father and said, "this is the kid that came in third". The father paid almost no attention to him because he was wrapped up receiving congratulations from several other fathers. I was not too far off so I heard what was going on. Eventually my Son says to this great car builder, "Mr. XXXXXX how did you get his car to go so fast". The guy said something like, "it takes a lot of practice. Keep trying, someday you'll get the hang of it". Needless to say my Son was pretty surprised with that answer but I was blistering.

As I said I overheard some of the conversations this father had with the other fathers and he said to one of them, "now that this is over I can concentrate on fixing my carburetor. My car is not running very well". One of the fathers asked what kind of car he had and he said, "it's a 197X (I can't remember now what year he said) Olds V8 with a Rochester 4 barrel". One of the fathers said, "you might be in luck. His father (pointing to Son #1) has rebuilt several of those. In fact, he helped me with mine a few months ago". This car builder wanted to know where I was so the guy points to me and says, "that's him right there".

The car builder comes over, extends his hand and introduces himself and proceeds to ask me how he should go about rebuilding his carb. I said, "it takes a lot of practice. Keep trying, someday you'll get the hang of it". Then I turned and walked away.

I hoped that I might get to pay him back someday but I never could have dreamed it would be that fast.

@driver100, if this post was too long you could have stopped half way through.

jmonroe

I stopped 1/4 of the way through

Then you missed the best part. :@

jmonroe

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Went out in friends 2014 Cadillac XTS. He loves his Caddies, gets a new one about every 2 or 3 years. His favorite was a 1984 Berritz....paid $42000 for it back then. Licence plate said 1 of 91 because there were only 91 sold in Canada. Must have been quite the car.

The 2014 XTS is a nice vehicle to be a passenger in. I don't know about handling, but it is a nice car to ride in.

I remember seeing those back in the '80's. There was a secretary where I worked that drove one (her husband was an optometrist). I knew they were expensive and were definitely out of my league.

If that 42K is correct, that could have bought my first house in 1969...twice.

jmonroe

abacomike

My Dad bought nothing but GM cars as far back as I can remember except for his later years in life.  His first new car when I was a kid was a 1951 Chevrolet DeLux 4-door sedan.  Next he bought a 1954 Pontiac Chieftain.  Then:

1956 Buick Roadmaster Convertible in white with red leather seats and red carpeting.

Then a 1959 Oldsmobile Rocket 88

Then a 1961 Oldsmobile 98 Sedan

Then a 1964 Oldsmobile 98 Convertible

Then a 1965 Lincoln Continental with those suicide rear doors

Then a 1966 Cadillac Sedan DeVille.  

He then bought a new Cadillac every year until he retired in 1974.

I used to drive his Cadillacs and those were great cars - luxurious, comfortable and made with the finest materials and leather.  I even bought 3 Cadillac Sedan DeVilles (1982, 1984, 1988) but found them to be made with interior plastics and they started to be of poor quality.  But those Caddies my Dad had were the best cars made in the USA.

tjc78

Minor rant. So apparently you can't buy good 'ok incandescent light bulbs. I switched the house mostly to CFLs which I hate because they look like crap in ceiling fan fixtures and take a little while to warm up

Now I thought these things were suppose to last a long time? I just had to replace a bunch that were less than 6 months old and they only are on a few hours a day at most. Did I get a bad batch? Do they not work right inverted (like in a ceiling fan)? I've had some way over a year in table lamps.

Ok, rant over.

@graphicguy You are a saint. I would have probably lost it by now.

@abacomike Your dad had some good taste in cars. No doubt by the late 80s Caddy wasn't what it was. I still take One of last Fleetwood Brougham with the 350 (before they went to he mid 90s bloated style).

jmonroe

tjc78 said:

Minor rant. So apparently you can't buy good 'ok incandescent light bulbs. I switched the house mostly to CFLs which I hate because they look like crap in ceiling fan fixtures and take a little while to warm up

Now I thought these things were suppose to last a long time? I just had to replace a bunch that were less than 6 months old and they only are on a few hours a day at most. Did I get a bad batch? Do they not work right inverted (like in a ceiling fan)? I've had some way over a year in table lamps.

Ok, rant over.

@graphicguy You are a saint. I would have probably lost it by now.

@abacomike Your dad had some good taste in cars. No doubt by the late 80s Caddy wasn't what it was. I still take One of last Fleetwood Brougham with the 350 (before they went to he mid 90s bloated style).

I just bought my first CFL's two weeks ago but I have not had to install any yet. I had a pretty good stock of the old incandescents. If I paid attention that they were being discontinued I would have bought another 4 years worth. Too late now.

Maybe that stupid nanny law can be overturned with the new administration but I don't have much hope for that. However, I would like to hear all the crying from the tree huggers.

jmonroe

stickguy

I thought CFLs were outdated now too? I still am nursing my old school ones until I run out. Largely because I have no clue what is the right option to replace them with.

GG, you should write a book. Or play lotto. you really beat the odds!

take whatever they give up (CTS or your loaner), and just go trade it in. You already did the "keep the new one until it has a problem" option, and see where you are now?

ab348

I have pretty much replaced all my CFLs with LED bulbs. Never liked CFLs. And if one lets go when it's been on for a while, the stench is horrible.