Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

@kyfdx said:

Big DIY car maintenance day:

Replaced the rear wiper blade on the GTI.

$12 Bosch part via Amazon

Approx. one minute

You could’ve been killed!

————————————————
Or worse.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

Just so you don’t think I’ve totally turned my back on BMW, I sent one friend who was tired of dealing with the local dealer to my salesperson for an M440i and just yesterday I met another friend at my dealer and gave him a ride in a used 330e as well as my loaner. I mown think he’s going to order a new 330e if BMW can build one- apparently battery availability is a big problem.

The NCM also asked when I was coming back to work at my old job…

————————————————
They only do that when you’re a cheap hire.

jmonroe

kyfdx

nyccarguy said:

@kyfdx said:

Big DIY car maintenance day:

Replaced the rear wiper blade on the GTI.

$12 Bosch part via Amazon

Approx. one minute

I forgot you had that car still. How many miles are on it?

35,800

Had 13,800 when purchased in Denver, in February 2020.

Six year bumper-to-bumper warranty expires in February.

mjfloyd1

@kyfdx said:
35,800

Had 13,800 when purchased in Denver, in February 2020.

Six year bumper-to-bumper warranty expires in February.

Original clutch?😂

roadburner

I've been driving the 430i M Sport around and I'm reminded that Thomas on the Throttle House YT channel said that he thought the M340i felt like a 330i only with more horsepower. I think the same is true of the 4 Series; I'd enjoy this 430i as much as an M440i because there's just not an appreciable overall difference between the two. You'd have to move up to the M4 to get a more exciting driving experience.

kyfdx

mjfloyd1 said:

@kyfdx said:

35,800

Had 13,800 when purchased in Denver, in February 2020.

Six year bumper-to-bumper warranty expires in February.

Original clutch?😂

Yeah, even with Mrs. @breld driving it for some of those miles..

stickguy

That was mean! But funny

stickguy

Unboxed my Christmas rechargeables today. Got a FANTTIX portable jump pack (2000a I think). Very cool. Hope I never need it on my car but nice to have. Never need jumper cables now.

And got a digital rechargeable tire inflator. No more dragging around an extension cord. And dealing with a very badly calibrated dial gauge. Just set the PSI, hit start, and it does the work. That I plan to use tomorrow.

Michaell

@stickguy said:
That was mean! But funny

I don’t think there has been a stick shift in their household since that unfortunate incident.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Unboxed my Christmas rechargeables today. Got a FANTTIX portable jump pack (2000a I think). Very cool. Hope I never need it on my car but nice to have. Never need jumper cables now.

And got a digital rechargeable tire inflator. No more dragging around an extension cord. And dealing with a very badly calibrated dial gauge. Just set the PSI, hit start, and it does the work. That I plan to use tomorrow.

————————————————
It’s always a good idea to learn how to use stuff while still in your driveway and not when you’re on a dark lonely roadside at 2 AM.

jmonroe

stickguy

I turned it on and read the instructions. hook the red and black to the red and black terminals. Turn it on. turn the car on.

Even Driver could handle that!

stickguy

also got a new shop vac. The old actual Shop vac brand one I have (a 1 gal, great size for toting around and cleaning the car) was making very bad noises. So got a 3 gal one (Bauer brand I think). Still portable, just a bit bigger. but man, they skimp on the extras. Came with the basic flexible hose (maybe 2-3' long). and a small 2ish inch "wide" nozzle, and a short skinny one. not even an extension pipe.

thankfully she remembered to order an accessories kit too. all kinds of tools in that!

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

————————————————
Good looking couple and car.

Exactly what I was going to say. Great picture.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

I turned it on and read the instructions. hook the red and black to the red and black terminals. Turn it on. turn the car on.

Even Driver could handle that!

————————————————
Wanna bet?

jmonroe

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

also got a new shop vac. The old actual Shop vac brand one I have (a 1 gal, great size for toting around and cleaning the car) was making very bad noises. So got a 3 gal one (Bauer brand I think). Still portable, just a bit bigger. but man, they skimp on the extras. Came with the basic flexible hose (maybe 2-3' long). and a small 2ish inch "wide" nozzle, and a short skinny one. not even an extension pipe.

thankfully she remembered to order an accessories kit too. all kinds of tools in that!

————————————————
It’s not a REAL shop vac unless it’s at least 10 gallons.

You got a wannabe.

jmonroe

stickguy

I had a big honker at the old house, on wheels. Never came close to needing anything that big, and it was way too large to carry around. the 1 gal is great for carrying around.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

I had a big honker at the old house, on wheels. Never came close to needing anything that big, and it was way too large to carry around. the 1 gal is great for carrying around.

————————————————
Once they’re on wheels what’s the big deal about moving it around?

So what you’re sayin is, you got a vacuum dust pan with a hose.

jmonroe

laurasdada

sb55 said:

laurasdada said:

Reminds me of the way back days of making beer runs from Wilton, CT (dry town) to Vista, NY (less dry). IIRC, some were dirt roads. No Jeeps or Tacos then, I drove a '71 Saab 99! Other cars in my group: when engine not on fire, my best friend had a '73 Vega, an Olds Cutlas convertible (might have been a 442), a Mazda Cosmo! and a Monte Carlo. An occasional Vista Cruiser, same family as the Cosmo (as well as a Bavaria).

Part of Newtown Turnpike in Weston, again IIRC, remained unpaved (To the lovely and perpetually between owners Cobbs Mill Inn).

Here's my wife and I in around 1982 at Cobb's Mill Inn when my sister got married there. Wish I still had that car.
.

Great pic!
Couple of wedding party dinners at the Cobbs Mill Inn in my life. Lovely place, when it was a running business. '82, seems like yesterday.

roadburner

stickguy said:

I turned it on and read the instructions. hook the red and black to the red and black terminals. Turn it on. turn the car on.

Even Driver could handle that!

Don't count on it...

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
Unboxed my Christmas rechargeables today. Got a FANTTIX portable jump pack (2000a I think). Very cool. Hope I never need it on my car but nice to have. Never need jumper cables now.

Is that a small Lithium one? I now have 2 of those. Best tool ever. Jumps everything instantly and will do it at least 3 times before needing a recharge.

BTW, if like mine, be prepared to start it pretty quick. Hook up both terminals first, then plug into the charger. You’ll hear it click and get a readout on the LCD. But if you don’t start it in something like 20-30 secs, it shuts itself off.

stickguy

laurasdada said:

sb55 said:

laurasdada said:

Reminds me of the way back days of making beer runs from Wilton, CT (dry town) to Vista, NY (less dry). IIRC, some were dirt roads. No Jeeps or Tacos then, I drove a '71 Saab 99! Other cars in my group: when engine not on fire, my best friend had a '73 Vega, an Olds Cutlas convertible (might have been a 442), a Mazda Cosmo! and a Monte Carlo. An occasional Vista Cruiser, same family as the Cosmo (as well as a Bavaria).

Part of Newtown Turnpike in Weston, again IIRC, remained unpaved (To the lovely and perpetually between owners Cobbs Mill Inn).

Here's my wife and I in around 1982 at Cobb's Mill Inn when my sister got married there. Wish I still had that car.
.

Great pic!
Couple of wedding party dinners at the Cobbs Mill Inn in my life. Lovely place, when it was a running business. '82, seems like yesterday.

The Porsche and the woman are really good looking!

stickguy

qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:

Unboxed my Christmas rechargeables today. Got a FANTTIX portable jump pack (2000a I think). Very cool. Hope I never need it on my car but nice to have. Never need jumper cables now.

Is that a small Lithium one? I now have 2 of those. Best tool ever. Jumps everything instantly and will do it at least 3 times before needing a recharge.

BTW, if like mine, be prepared to start it pretty quick. Hook up both terminals first, then plug into the charger. You’ll hear it click and get a readout on the LCD. But if you don’t start it in something like 20-30 secs, it shuts itself off.

yeah, not one of the big beasts but should have no problem doing anything I own. the instructions are to hook it all up before hitting the power button. as soon as it comes to live, hit the car starter. I have seen them used on youtube a bunch and really slick.

corvette

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

I turned it on and read the instructions. hook the red and black to the red and black terminals. Turn it on. turn the car on.

Even Driver could handle that!

Don't count on it...

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/5cb3d826-0e2f-42f4-be81-60e0173c641a

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:

Unboxed my Christmas rechargeables today. Got a FANTTIX portable jump pack (2000a I think). Very cool. Hope I never need it on my car but nice to have. Never need jumper cables now.

Is that a small Lithium one? I now have 2 of those. Best tool ever. Jumps everything instantly and will do it at least 3 times before needing a recharge.

BTW, if like mine, be prepared to start it pretty quick. Hook up both terminals first, then plug into the charger. You’ll hear it click and get a readout on the LCD. But if you don’t start it in something like 20-30 secs, it shuts itself off.

————————————————
I don’t quite understand what you mean by, “Hook up both terminals first, then plug into the charger.” Does the opposite end of the cable clamps wire have a connector that plugs into the charging unit?

A pic would help me understand.

jmonroe

stickguy

Yes the cables plug into the charger unit. But this implied the box would be powered up already. My description was having everything connected before powering up the box.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Yes the cables plug into the charger unit. But this implied the box would be powered up already. My description was having everything connected before powering up the box.

____________________________________________________________
Any jump boxes that I've seen has the cables hard wired to the jump box at one end and the opposite end of the cables have the traditional battery jumper cable clamps.

jmonroe

tjc78

Jamaica yesterday.

@stickguy said:
also got a new shop vac. The old actual Shop vac brand one I have (a 1 gal, great size for toting around and cleaning the car) was making very bad noises. So got a 3 gal one (Bauer brand I think). Still portable, just a bit bigger. but man, they skimp on the extras. Came with the basic flexible hose (maybe 2-3' long). and a small 2ish inch "wide" nozzle, and a short skinny one. not even an extension pipe.

thankfully she remembered to order an accessories kit too. all kinds of tools in that!

I have that one.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

laurasdada said:

sb55 said:

laurasdada said:

Reminds me of the way back days of making beer runs from Wilton, CT (dry town) to Vista, NY (less dry). IIRC, some were dirt roads. No Jeeps or Tacos then, I drove a '71 Saab 99! Other cars in my group: when engine not on fire, my best friend had a '73 Vega, an Olds Cutlas convertible (might have been a 442), a Mazda Cosmo! and a Monte Carlo. An occasional Vista Cruiser, same family as the Cosmo (as well as a Bavaria).

Part of Newtown Turnpike in Weston, again IIRC, remained unpaved (To the lovely and perpetually between owners Cobbs Mill Inn).

Here's my wife and I in around 1982 at Cobb's Mill Inn when my sister got married there. Wish I still had that car.
.

Great pic!
Couple of wedding party dinners at the Cobbs Mill Inn in my life. Lovely place, when it was a running business. '82, seems like yesterday.

The Porsche and the woman are really good looking!

You know he loves her, because he's letting her sit on his Porsche..

stickguy

If my wife sat on my Porsche, she would be my ex-wife.

Not sure she would survive sitting on the maverick. Though with that the hood is too high for her to get up on, so no risk there.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
Yes the cables plug into the charger unit. But this implied the box would be powered up already. My description was having everything connected before powering up the box.

Ah. Mine powers up as soon as I plug in.

Maybe this will help @jmonroe1 . Box and cables are packed separate. I guess since it can also be used as a power supply for USB devices and as a flashlight, not having the cables permanently attached is convenient.

ab348

stickguy said:

And got a digital rechargeable tire inflator. No more dragging around an extension cord. And dealing with a very badly calibrated dial gauge. Just set the PSI, hit start, and it does the work. That I plan to use tomorrow.

Which vehicle has a flat?

benjaminh

A year ago it seemed like by now Ford, GM, VW, and Hyundai might be starting to compete with Tesla. But at the moment all four of them are flopping, with glitchy vehicles they can't sell that are years behind Tesla. Electrify America is mediocre at best, which why all the Tesla competitors have fallen all over themselves to join the Supercharger network. EV sales as a whole have hit wall in the US. Current market share for EVs is about 8%, and that will probably grow to 10% by the end of 2024. But right now it seems like EV market share will go up 1-2% a year going forward. Predictions a year ago were for about half of all vehicles sales to be EVs by 2030, and at the moment 20% seems more likely, and most of those will be Teslas. The EV revolution crashing and burning seems like the automotive story of the year. The retirement plans most manufacturers had for their gas vehicles are going to be put on hold.

stickguy

ab348 said:

stickguy said:

And got a digital rechargeable tire inflator. No more dragging around an extension cord. And dealing with a very badly calibrated dial gauge. Just set the PSI, hit start, and it does the work. That I plan to use tomorrow.

Which vehicle has a flat?

Neither, but the RDX still has summer air in the tires. I need to add some winter air.

imidazol97

stickguy said:

And got a digital rechargeable tire inflator. No more dragging around an extension cord. And dealing with a very badly calibrated dial gauge. Just set the PSI, hit start, and it does the work. That I plan to use tomorrow.

I didn't know those were available and dependable enough now. I'll have to
look into one of those. Big aggravation switching the power cord from one
side of the car to the other side to blow up the tires.

Son had one I had given him fail. Electronics seemed to have failed rather
than the mechanical pump.


The builtin tire pressure gauges and the auto shut offs on the ones I have
are pretty good. I still have my Slime brass pressure gauges though. One in
each car.

stickguy

benjaminh said:

A year ago it seemed like by now Ford, GM, VW, and Hyundai might be starting to compete with Tesla. But at the moment all four of them are flopping, with glitchy vehicles they can't sell that are years behind Tesla. Electrify America is mediocre at best, which why all the Tesla competitors have fallen all over themselves to join the Supercharger network. EV sales as a whole have hit wall in the US. Current market share for EVs is about 8%, and that will probably grow to 10% by the end of 2024. But right now it seems like EV market share will go up 1-2% a year going forward. Predictions a year ago were for about half of all vehicles sales to be EVs by 2030, and at the moment 20% seems more likely, and most of those will be Teslas. The EV revolution crashing and burning seems like the automotive story of the year. The retirement plans most manufacturers had for their gas vehicles are going to be put on hold.

predictions are really guesses of course. And this does not seem all that abnormal for adopting new technology. There are always bumps in the road, and glitches to work out. Remember, Tesla took quite a while too to figure stuff out and get to where they are today.

I do agree that the hope of making such a quick changeover was too ambitious. But it really just needs one breakthrough in technology (and there are a lot of people working on figuring out better batteries) to jumpstart that. Development in tech areas often is not linear progress, more leaps and plateaus.

imidazol97

The battery jump packs have been advertised on HSN and VQC networks for
several years at various prices. Seemed like there was a rush downward to
cheapen the charge size and quality of the battery pack to have a low price
with a high profit left in it for the home shopping networks. Same with Amazon.

Now they're looking better.

stickguy

like most anything, you can buy a cheap imitation and get what you pay for. I think this is the one I got. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fanttik-2000-Amp-Jump-Starter-12V-Car-Battery-Booster-65W-Two-Way-Fast-Charging/1893548980?clickid=2kWRwoWsxxyPUyowlMTBfz4NUkHxHcwEN2-X1M0&irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_2kWRwoWsxxyPUyowlMTBfz4NUkHxHcwEN2-X1M0&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_150372&affiliates_ad_id=1285211&campaign_id=9383&sharedid=

one thing I like is that it has built in reverse sensing. So if you hook the cables up backwards, it won't fry your electrical system.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:

Yes the cables plug into the charger unit. But this implied the box would be powered up already. My description was having everything connected before powering up the box.

Ah. Mine powers up as soon as I plug in.

Maybe this will help @jmonroe1 . Box and cables are packed separate. I guess since it can also be used as a power supply for USB devices and as a flashlight, not having the cables permanently attached is convenient.

————————————————
Thanks. Now I get it. That thingy is pretty small. You could probably put it in your pocket if you had to. All the ones I’ve seen are at least 5 times that size and are pretty heavy. Do the clamps provide a good grip on the terminals? When I’ve purchased jumper cables, in addition to the wire size of the cables, I give a lot of weight to how well the clamps grip.

jmonroe

cdnpinhead

Stand by for incoming.

benjaminh

cdnpinhead said:

Stand by for incoming.

Does that mean one more car for the year?! I hope so....

stickguy

Of all the posters to pick from to get the last punch of the year in under the wire, CDN would have been down at the bottom of my guess list!

explorerx4

Some people always have to have the last word.

Michaell

I don't think that's what he was referring to....

qbrozen

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Thanks. Now I get it. That thingy is pretty small. You could probably put it in your pocket if you had to. All the ones I’ve seen are at least 5 times that size and are pretty heavy. Do the clamps provide a good grip on the terminals? When I’ve purchased jumper cables, in addition to the wire size of the cables, I give a lot of weight to how well the clamps grip.

jmonroe

They aren’t strong. If I had to pick a problem, that would be it. They won’t hold up the weight of the pack, so you need to rest it somewhere to keep slack in the very short cable. But the portability and power make up for it. I’ve never had any jump pack nor charger work as fast as these. No waiting at all.

cdnpinhead

Michaell said:

I don't think that's what he was referring to....

We don't agree often, but this time. . .

Given that, there may not be any incoming. EVs forever!?

corvette

benjaminh said:

A year ago it seemed like by now Ford, GM, VW, and Hyundai might be starting to compete with Tesla. But at the moment all four of them are flopping...

I still remember cringing several years back when Mary Barra basically told the press that charging infrastructure was not GM's problem. They did an about-face on that!

nyccarguy

@cdnpinhead said:
Stand by for incoming.

He’s not the hero Gotham needs…

qbrozen

Given the sale of the Hijet, I finally went ahead and bought the extended warranty for the S90. She'll be covered until 12/31/2029 or 102k miles (currently sitting at 42k), whichever comes first.

My wife said the funniest thing ... "why are you afraid to own the volvo out of warranty?"

When I realized she was asking the question with all seriousness, I had to explain that it isn't up to me. She is the one who hates being out of warranty and will worry about every little thing without it. She agreed. [And, what I didn't say out loud, I prefer she take her complaints to the service advisor.]

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Given the sale of the Hijet, I finally went ahead and bought the extended warranty for the S90. She'll be covered until 12/31/2029 or 102k miles (currently sitting at 42k), whichever comes first.

My wife said the funniest thing ... "why are you afraid to own the volvo out of warranty?"

When I realized she was asking the question with all seriousness, I had to explain that it isn't up to me. She is the one who hates being out of warranty and will worry about every little thing without it. She agreed. [And, what I didn't say out loud, I prefer she take her complaints to the service advisor.]

————————————————-
Congratulations.

Did the Hijet buyer opt for a warranty and if so how much did you charge him?

jmonroe

qbrozen

Yes. 30secs/3miles. I’m a great guy so I threw it in as a sweetener.