Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

tjc78

Ah the joys of young kids... at least it wasn't a really nice set  

oldfarmer50

Upstate NY has finally made it to the big time.

http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202789550787/Tests-on-SelfDriving-Cars-to-Start-in-Albany-Today?mcode=1202615069279&curindex=1&slreturn=20170513180601



Interesting timing since just yesterday 3 young teens were arrested for throwing chunks of rock at passing cars on the interstate. Busted some guys head in as the rock destroyed his sun roof. Multiple cars hit.

Makes me wonder how self drivers would hold up to intentional damage.

stickguy

I had a laptop screen that looked like that, after the dog stepped on it. Thankfully is was getting old and crappy anyway, so not a big deal to just replace it.

stickguy

Farmer, makes me wonder how teens seem to be just as dumb, if not dumber, than they were in prior generations.

nyccarguy

So my nest thermostat thinks it is a good idea to turn the AC off in the middle of the day when it is 90+ degrees outside to save energy.  I have been on hold with their customer (dis) service for over an hour & 7 minutes now!

tjc78

nyccarguy said:

So my nest thermostat thinks it is a good idea to turn the AC off in the middle of the day when it is 90+ degrees outside to save energy.  I have been on hold with their customer (dis) service for over an hour & 7 minutes now!

Brilliant!  I would loose my mind, I'm a wuss with the heat.  

explorerx4

My Zone 2(upstairs) crapped out. Running a box fan in the upstairs hallway, which seems to help.
Good thing it is going to cool off a bit, have a bunch of people staying here over starting tomorrow for the wedding.

oldfarmer50

murphydog said:

Are you telling us you didn't measure your garage before you bought that beast?

jmonroe

explorerx4 said:

My Zone 2(upstairs) crapped out. Running a box fan in the upstairs hallway, which seems to help.
Good thing it is going to cool off a bit, have a bunch of people staying here over starting tomorrow for the wedding.

C'mon man, did you change your last name to Murphy? :@

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

Ah the joys of young kids... at least it wasn't a really nice set  

Wait until they grow up and start wrecking your cars. That's when the fun begins.

nyccarguy

It's now been over 2 hours & 25 minutes

jmonroe

nyccarguy said:

It's now been over 2 hours & 25 minutes

You can probably have the old one installed and the new Nest packed up for return in 22 minutes.

That Nest thing is waaaay too much tech for me. I thought the world was coming to an end when thermostats replaced the old mercury switch bottle.

jmonroe

driver100

murphydog said:

Hope you don't have a drink before you have to park in the garage.

explorerx4

@jmonroe,
I already had scheduled an appointment for my AC checkup. The earliest they had was June 30.
If it had been a more dire situation, I would have played the wedding card.

stickguy

supposed to get a lot cooler starting tomorrow. that should help. Reminds me though, I have a prepaid plan, and never got around to scheduling the routine service. Not good to wait until a heatwave to call for an appointment.

jmonroe

stickguy said:

supposed to get a lot cooler starting tomorrow. that should help. Reminds me though, I have a prepaid plan, and never got around to scheduling the routine service. Not good to wait until a heatwave to call for an appointment.

I'm a big believer in preventative maintenance for cars but I've never signed up for a furnace and or A/C seasonal check up.

I had this confirmed about 30 years ago when I talked to an old plumber. For furnaces he said all he does (and what the others do) is blow the dirt out of the upper unit of the furnace and vacuum the blower area and checks for cracks in the heat exchanger that will lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

For the A/C unit he will add up to a pound of refrigerant if needed. He said that is all that is included in his A/C maintenance package. Anything over a pound and that is an extra charge.

He also usually sells a new filter at each seasonal checkup since most older homeowners are afraid to change them and the ones that do, install them wrong.

When I asked him how he felt about the price he charged his answer was something like, "I don't do anything different than the others do and I'm better that most of the others so I'm good with what I do for what I charge. I can sleep at night AND, I know I can take my family on vacation every year and will probably be able to put my 2 kids through school".

From this, I say if you're going to sign up for a seasonal checkup save your money for the furnace check because the A/C either works or it doesn't.

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

murphydog said:

Hope you don't have a drink before you have to park in the garage.

Needs a couple of notches there....where's my Sawz-All?

stickguy

I had to have a furnace call this winter, and ended up signing up for the maintenance plan because it ended up being about the same price as paying for the service call. There was an issue with some sensor due to water build up (not something I am going to mess with). Annoying really, since it seems like furnaces are like cars, being overly complex for a minimal performance boost.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner

Obviously I've got some time to think about this as my oldest is only turning 11 in September. Nevertheless, I do know that time flies. My grandma gave me money to buy my 1st car when I was 16, a 1992 Chevrolet Beretta GT (3.1L V6, White with White Wheels, & grey cloth interior). There are a few directions I can go in. Some I have picked up from you guys.

Since I have 3 kids that are less than 3 years apart from one another, I could buy a cheap, fun, stick shift equipped car like a Fit or a Civic Coupe or Hatchback with a turbo about a year before the oldest one starts to drive and have that be "the 1st car." Then after that, do something like a cheap lease to get them through college (provided they do well academically).

Sometime between now and then, I'm going to have to buy another car for my wife as well.

My wife and I believed that it was crucial that our son receive some serious driver training- that's why we sent him to the two day teen school at the BMW Performance Center as well as the one day Street Survival course. The Street Survival course complemented the teen school perfectly because at Street Survival the student drives his/her own car.

murphydog

oldfarmer50 said:

murphydog said:

Are you telling us you didn't measure your garage before you bought that beast?

I did put a tape on it, though there were a couple of cabinets in the way. Truck is 229 inches, and I have about 231 ish

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

It's now been over 2 hours & 25 minutes

Think how many polar bears you've saved with your sacrifice.

nyccarguy

@murphydog - that's an impressive parking job!

driver100

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Now it's your turn to push somebody through a light !

jmonroe

qbrozen

 said:

So my nest thermostat thinks it is a good idea to turn the AC off in the middle of the day when it is 90+ degrees outside to save energy.  I have been on hold with their customer (dis) service for over an hour & 7 minutes now!

I love my Nest thermostats.

As far as your issue, if you don't want it doing its own thing, just change the settings. Turn off the Learning and Home/Away Assist features (first 2 in screenshot below). Basically put it in full manual mode. Of course, then you have a plain old cheaper thermostat at that point. You can also change your eco temps to control how far off the norm it will go when it does do its own thing.

nyccarguy

Thank-you @qbrozen.  I was playing with those settings on the nest last night.  I just want my house cool.  I don't want it to get to 80, then take 2+ hours to cool down to 72 or 70

Michaell

@nyccarguy - perhaps Russian hackers got hold of it!

driver100

I was checking out that C-HR........C-HR stands for Coupe High-Ride.


C&D ranks these cars ahead of it:
1. Kia Soul
2. Mazda CX-3
3. Nissan Juke
4. Kia Niro

It would have been a Scion if that line was continued. Definitely aimed at Millennials. Even though there are 4 better choices, I guess some people will buy it because it is a Toyota.

qbrozen

But it is the only one with just 2 doors. Dismal failure, says I.

stickguy

You sure those rears don't open?

The niro at least has nice styling. Also only hybrid on that list.

I actually like the soul. My wife would kill me. I could get away with the CX3 though I guess.

abacomike

nyccarguy said:

Thank-you @qbrozen.  I was playing with those settings on the nest last night.  I just want my house cool.  I don't want it to get to 80, then take 2+ hours to cool down to 72 or 70

72 or 70?  Brrrrr!  I set mine at 76 when I'm home and 77 when I am out.  Any higher and my carpets begin to Buckle.  I also have it hooked up to a humidistat to go on if humidity gets too high.

But 72 or 70?  I'd freeze to death!  

tjc78

nyccarguy said:

Thank-you @qbrozen.  I was playing with those settings on the nest last night.  I just want my house cool.  I don't want it to get to 80, then take 2+ hours to cool down to 72 or 70

For years I had a programmable thermostat that would lower the heat to 58 during the day and then back up to 68 an hour before I was home. I also had it drop a few degrees in the middle of the night and back up in the morning. 

Used to do 78 with the AC and then down to 73/74

Now with someone home with the kids two weekdays, I just go full on manual and bump it to 76 and back down when I get home.   Heat stays on 68 steady through the winter. 

I have seen zero difference (at least not measurable) in my utility bills.  Also FWIW my HVAC is also old and probably not efficient at all.  

driver100

qbrozen said:

But it is the only one with just 2 doors. Dismal failure, says I.

It actually does have 4 doors. Not sure why you have to hide the rear doors. You can see it better in this picture;

qbrozen

ahhh... my bad. Well, their bad, too, since they are calling it a coupe.

fintail

That gigantic rear quarter blind spot should work nicely with the RAV4 driver who wants something "sporty". The youngsters who are targeted with this by clueless suits will turn up their nose.

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

But it is the only one with just 2 doors. Dismal failure, says I.

It actually does have 4 doors. Not sure why you have to hide the rear doors. You can see it better in this picture;

carnaught

That C "pillar" is a nightmare. So is the rear visibility.

fintail

So many modern cliches in one car. Petal wheels, underbite, faux floating C-pillar, leering aggressive lighting, overstyled side creasing - welcome to 1958!

graphicguy

CHR...

"Could Have Rickets"
"Car Hatch Riddle"
"Constant Headache Reminder"

fintail

"Car" magazine (UK) once called the Honda HRV a "Hormone Replacement Vehicle".

driver100

What happened to classic styling? The CHR looks like they tried to make it as ugly and obnoxious looking as possible.
Based on looks alone I would prefer this car........nice clean lines and large windows, good site lines.


Even better, Kia Soule;

suydam

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner

Obviously I've got some time to think about this as my oldest is only turning 11 in September. Nevertheless, I do know that time flies. My grandma gave me money to buy my 1st car when I was 16, a 1992 Chevrolet Beretta GT (3.1L V6, White with White Wheels, & grey cloth interior). There are a few directions I can go in. Some I have picked up from you guys.

Since I have 3 kids that are less than 3 years apart from one another, I could buy a cheap, fun, stick shift equipped car like a Fit or a Civic Coupe or Hatchback with a turbo about a year before the oldest one starts to drive and have that be "the 1st car." Then after that, do something like a cheap lease to get them through college (provided they do well academically).

Sometime between now and then, I'm going to have to buy another car for my wife as well.

One of my kid's "first car" lasted 3 weeks before it was totaled.
Fortunately it was an old car, he had saved up and paid half the $$, so it was a very painful lesson learned. Six months later he saved enough to get another beater, and was never in another accident again.
I agree with all the comments here: older sedan, they have to have a financial stake, and not a "fun" car until they are more experienced drivers. The accident stats on younger drivers are pretty staggering. There's a reason those insurance rates are so high.

imidazol97

When picking up my son in summer school before his 9-th grade year and then later, I watched the new drivers rush out to their cars, hop in, and start in the queue to get to the exit. I watched as they bumped into each other because they had other kids in the cars distracting them or other things distracting. Luckily no one was hurt.

I like the large car idea: Mass will help protect their "rear" during a collision. It's nice if the car has airbags and side airbags. But parent rules and strict enforcement help make things safer those first 6-9 months. Then get a slicker car.

I learned by watching another band parent, recently widowed, when she stopped into summer band practice and found her son driving from the band entrance across campus to the football stadium for practice with other kids in the car. She said he wasn't to have anyone else with him, even though state law allowed 1 passenger IIRC.

His car disappeared the rest of the band practice weeks.

I still recall my son with his learner permit asking me what kind of car was I going to buy him when he got his license. I don't think he was surprised when I told him he was sitting in it: 1998 Buick leSabre.

fintail

I have a feeling that's what happened to my uncle's LeSabre - picked up as a new driver car. Cheap, sturdy, should prove reliable enough for at least a couple years.

andres3

Mass is good if you get in a wreck, but a lighter car would help a young driver to dodge a potential accident, or better yet, stop faster before it happens. I think a recent model Camry hits the nail on the head here, but the older ones handled quite poorly. An old Mazda 3 or 6 might be suitable here.

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

When picking up my son in summer school before his 9-th grade year and then later, I watched the new drivers rush out to their cars, hop in, and start in the queue to get to the exit. I watched as they bumped into each other because they had other kids in the cars distracting them or other things distracting. Luckily no one was hurt.

I like the large car idea: Mass will help protect their "rear" during a collision. It's nice if the car has airbags and side airbags. But parent rules and strict enforcement help make things safer those first 6-9 months. Then get a slicker car.

I learned by watching another band parent, recently widowed, when she stopped into summer band practice and found her son driving from the band entrance across campus to the football stadium for practice with other kids in the car. She said he wasn't to have anyone else with him, even though state law allowed 1 passenger IIRC.

His car disappeared the rest of the band practice weeks.

I still recall my son with his learner permit asking me what kind of car was I going to buy him when he got his license. I don't think he was surprised when I told him he was sitting in it: 1998 Buick leSabre.

That's what my son got.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4OA6mX4Ee74

abacomike

Well, last night here at my brother's place.  We had severe thunder and lightning along with lots of heavy rain.

I am going to leave about 9:30 AM tomorrow (to avoid rush hour traffic on I-95) and head back to South Florida.  It's 302 miles door-to-door or about 4-1/2 to 5 hours traveling time.

We went down to St. Augustine today to look for slippers for me at the Factory Outlet Complex.  My brother got 2 pairs of shoes and I ended up with zilch.  Not one store seems to carry slippers.  With Fathers Day this Sunday, you would assume stores would carry men's slippers.  

Got a call from my doctor - have to have a repeat ultrasound done ASAP.  He said the radiologist saw something and wants the test repeated.  So, Monday I am having another ultrasound.  Never a dull moment! 

oldfarmer50

I was going to post something but this site is getting so glitchy it's hardly worth it any more. Sometimes when I hit the quote button I'm taken to an advertisement or Edmunds loan calculators or some other unrelated page. Occasionally after I post I can't post again without removing the first post which stays stuck in the posting box. Sometimes typed letters are missing from the middle of words making me look drunk or stupid. (no cracks jmonroe).

What's going on?

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

I was going to post something but this site is getting so glitchy it's hardly worth it any more. Sometimes when I hit the quote button I'm taken to an advertisement or Edmunds loan calculators or some other unrelated page. Occasionally after I post I can't post again without removing the first post which stays stuck in the posting box. Sometimes typed letters are missing from the middle of words making me look drunk or stupid. (no cracks jmonroe).

What's going on?

I wonder if it's related to the Japanese characteres showing on the site?

fordfool

murphydog said:

Garage test



That is about 1 inch between the bumper and the door

When I get a new car I center it in the garage (left-right and front-back), then climb
up to the garage rafters and adjust a tennis ball on a string so that the ball just
touches the windshield where the rear view mirror is attached. There after when
entering the garage I line up on the tennis ball and stop when it touches the
windshield. Eazy-peazey. People ask about the tennis ball, usually assuming
that it's a pet toy.