Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

xwesx said:

I should pull my dash video of last night. I spent about 2.5 hours only a half mile from my house in order to deal with vehicles in the ditch and a backup of traffic on a steep hill in my neighborhood. Eventually, we got the cars out of the way enough that we were able to get all the backed up traffic cleared, then I recovered one of the cars. I could have done the other, too, but the owners had left when the tow truck decided that conditions were too treacherous and they just abandoned the stranded motorists.

It was quite a night! To top it off, my wife was mad at me when I arrived home so late because I didn't call. Darn forgetfulness!

Back in 2007 I was navigator is a rally in the Arizona desert and the car (a Dinan modded E30 325ix) got airborne and landed on a big rock- cracking the oil pan. With no cell coverage all we could do was wait for several hours until our team could send a recovery vehicle. When I finally was able to call my wife it was 3:00 am her time...

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

forecast for tonight in Albany is to drop into the 20s and possible hard frost. Winter comes early. Though it is supposed to be in the 70s over the weekend.

Average first frost in Albany is Oct. 7th. so we’re doing well relatively speaking.

oldfarmer50

xwesx said:

I'll be honest: I've written off Continental at this point. I've tried three sets of tires from them, and none of them stood out in any way. I like to like my tires if I am going to spend so much on them and be stuck using them for a few years, and Conti does nothing but disappoint me.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Pilot AS4, but I've never used them.

I put the Michelins on my Mustang and the improvement was noticeable.

nyccarguy

I tend to favor Michelins and have never been disappointed by them.

mjfloyd1

@roadburner said:
I stick with fours and sixes on BMWs. The V8s have always been problematic.

That is exactly what I told him

explorerx4

On Tirerack, Kia Soul OEM tires have no treadwear warranty.

corvette

Michelins are generally good, but you pay a premium for them. I tend to look at Tire Rack’s official reviews as well as the user reviews. Not sure what I will end up putting on the Maverick when the time comes.

explorerx4

I look at theTR reviews for a vehicle in the same class and general geographic area to me.

tjc78

@corvette said:
Michelins are generally good, but you pay a premium for them. I tend to look at Tire Rack’s official reviews as well as the user reviews. Not sure what I will end up putting on the Maverick when the time comes.

I know I’ve said this many times here over the years.. but Michelin is my favorite tire. Every set on any car I’ve owned has been fantastic and wore well.

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

My favorite local brewery

Was just talking about this place last night with a friend of mine. Your endorsement means we MUST go!

My son's best friend since grade school owns this place. Worth going to, also.
https://esotericbrewing.com/

kyfdx

We've been to Esoteric. Decent beer. It's very close to where we live.

ab348

I was crossing one of the bridges across Halifax Harbour a little while ago and encountered this, a Lamborghini Aventador, coming towards me in the opposite lane:



This one is owned by a local car dealer magnate. It is funny because unlike years ago when I would see the then-equivalent version of something like this and be awed/impressed, this time (not knowing at that moment who the owner was) my immediate reaction was to wonder what sort of excessively wealthy jerk owned something like that here where it could only be driven a few months out of the year on our famously terrible roads. My description above is on target for the auto dealer guy who owns it. The stories I’ve heard…

Sandman6472

OF, my buddy at Enterprise in Charleston said a guy named Manny joined their crew recently. Maybe you know him. My bud spoke with me earlier and their house finally old, again, and if it gos through, he'll be out of their mid-November. But he remembered I had someone I knew who worked in Albany so asked if I'd ask you. Says he's a nice guy.

Sandman6472

Been 55 years today we moved down to Florida from New York. Remember getting into Ft. Lauderdale about 6 at night and after something to eat, folks got the realtor to meet us at the house. Was pretty exciting actually being just about 15 at the time, and never living anywhere else. Since we had to stay at a hotel till our furniture arrived that next Monday, we had to leave our dog there in the screened pool area at night, which bothered me a bit. And all these years later, am still here!!! Am so ready to move somewhere else, but...where to go is the question?

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

On Tirerack, Kia Soul OEM tires have no treadwear warranty.

————————————————-
That’s pretty bad but I guess that explains why KIA breathes a sigh of relief once you drive Soul’s off the lot.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@corvette said:

Michelins are generally good, but you pay a premium for them. I tend to look at Tire Rack’s official reviews as well as the user reviews. Not sure what I will end up putting on the Maverick when the time comes.

I know I’ve said this many times here over the years.. but Michelin is my favorite tire. Every set on any car I’ve owned has been fantastic and wore well.

————————————————
Which I guess were replacements for the Dunlops that came with your ‘09 Genny. I know this brings back bad memories but it has to be better to hear while you’re on a great vacation than while you’re doing an 8 hour workday and have time to reminisce.

jmonroe

Sandman6472

Dropped the wife at the Amtrack station this morning for her Washington trip, an IRS hosted weekend of classes to keep her CPA license up to date. So am a bachelor till Tuesday evening. The girls are worried I'll starve to death but had to remind them that I took care of myself before I got married and made the majority of their meals as they were growing up. Work tomorrow, Saturday & Sunday, so won't have much down time to speak of. Noticed the last time I was home for an extended period of time, I carry the house keys with me all the time. And the key is in on my keychain attached to my pants now. Guess I don't want to get locked out of the house if the electric goes out as the nearest key now is in Orlando with our oldest. Luckily, our weather broke with a small cold front pushing through, so it's delightful outside, a perfect night to take a walk. Those were doctors orders from last weeks check-up.

stickguy

Might want to leave a key with a neighbor. Or hide one outside. Easier than having to break a window!

I just attach a house key to each car key. At least you will be fine if you take the car. If you walk maybe not

Sandman6472

Already have a key on each of my car keys so I'm good there. Just need to attach the clip to my belt loop when I get up in the morning and all is good. Luckily our key pad next to the garage is working but if the power were to go out, it would be toast. It'll be strange tonight being the only one here. Not used to being alone in the house much anymore.

xwesx

Sandman6472 said:

Already have a key on each of my car keys so I'm good there. Just need to attach the clip to my belt loop when I get up in the morning and all is good. Luckily our key pad next to the garage is working but if the power were to go out, it would be toast. It'll be strange tonight being the only one here. Not used to being alone in the house much anymore.

Well, enjoy the additional quiet while you have it!

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

On Tirerack, Kia Soul OEM tires have no treadwear warranty.

Treadwear wasn’t my problem, I had about 1/3 left. It was the dry rot that made me switch them out. I was going to do it in November anyway so I didn’t have to do winter on iffy tires.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

OF, my buddy at Enterprise in Charleston said a guy named Manny joined their crew recently. Maybe you know him. My bud spoke with me earlier and their house finally old, again, and if it gos through, he'll be out of their mid-November. But he remembered I had someone I knew who worked in Albany so asked if I'd ask you. Says he's a nice guy.

I’ve only worked with Manny a few times but he’s a really nice guy. We were sad to see him go. I guess he has relatives in the area.

explorerx4

@oldfarer50,
The point is they were crappy tires with no guaranteed mileage rating.
There is another warranty. Too bad you didn't look it up.

breld

I was rearranging vehicles in the garage this evening and noticed a leak of some pink fluid from below the 911 where I re-parked it. Hadn’t noticed any leaks from where it was previously parked. And then I moved it again and it doesn’t seem to be leaking anymore.

Didn’t take long to see identical pictures of the leak online, so seems there is a leak of coolant from the water pump, which is covered under an additional 10-year warranty from Porsche. Plus I purchased an extended warranty. So not too worried, but will have to get it checked out.

mjfloyd1

breld said:

I was rearranging vehicles in the garage this evening and noticed a leak of some pink fluid from below the 911 where I re-parked it. Hadn’t noticed any leaks from where it was previously parked. And then I moved it again and it doesn’t seem to be leaking anymore.

Didn’t take long to see identical pictures of the leak online, so seems there is a leak of coolant from the water pump, which is covered under an additional 10-year warranty from Porsche. Plus I purchased an extended warranty. So not too worried, but will have to get it checked out.

Did you just say “extended warranty “? 😂

breld

Well, to be fair, it’s not an “extended” warranty cause there was no existing warranty to extend.

4 months or 4 years, no way I was going to own this car with no coverage.

mjfloyd1

@breld said:
Well, to be fair, it’s not an “extended” warranty cause there was no existing warranty to extend.

4 months or 4 years, no way I was going to own this car with no coverage.

That makes complete sense on an out of warranty VWGoA product

Was it Fidelity?

corvette

Sandy, I'd highly recommend getting a key safe (can be mounted outside your house somewhere inconspicuous) or something similar to hide a spare key in case you get locked out.

breld

mjfloyd1 said:

@breld said:

Well, to be fair, it’s not an “extended” warranty cause there was no existing warranty to extend.

4 months or 4 years, no way I was going to own this car with no coverage.

That makes complete sense on an out of warranty VWGoA product

Was it Fidelity?

Yup - that’s right. Fidelity.

suydam

corvette said:

Sandy, I'd highly recommend getting a key safe (can be mounted outside your house somewhere inconspicuous) or something similar to hide a spare key in case you get locked out.

You mean you don’t put it under a plant or a rock like the rest of us?

Sandman6472

That never occurred to me, lol! As long as the key pad works & I carry a set of keys at all times, am fine till she returns.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
Might want to leave a key with a neighbor. Or hide one outside. Easier than having to break a window!

I just attach a house key to each car key. At least you will be fine if you take the car. If you walk maybe not

No house keys for us. Even if the power went out and the generator blew up, the front door has a battery-operated touchpad.

mjfloyd1

What if the power went out, the generator blew up AND the battery in the touchpad was bad???😳

ab348

qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:

Might want to leave a key with a neighbor. Or hide one outside. Easier than having to break a window!

I just attach a house key to each car key. At least you will be fine if you take the car. If you walk maybe not

No house keys for us. Even if the power went out and the generator blew up, the front door has a battery-operated touchpad.

Because, what could possibly go wrong with a battery-operated touchpad?

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

qbrozen said:

@stickguy said:

Might want to leave a key with a neighbor. Or hide one outside. Easier than having to break a window!

I just attach a house key to each car key. At least you will be fine if you take the car. If you walk maybe not

No house keys for us. Even if the power went out and the generator blew up, the front door has a battery-operated touchpad.

Because, what could possibly go wrong with a battery-operated touchpad?
————————————————-
Like someone changed the combination and didn’t tell you.

jmonroe

suydam

Our touchpads keep failing even though the batteries are okay. I finally downloaded an app that pairs with the garage door mechanism. I think its called MyQ. Works great.

qbrozen

@suydam said:
Our touchpads keep failing even though the batteries are okay. I finally downloaded an app that pairs with the garage door mechanism. I think its called MyQ. Works great.

That’s what I use. Works with the aforementioned front door touchpad plus all 5 garage doors.

If by some crazy miraculous EM pulse happens and takes everything out, I’d just have to break in the old fashioned way.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@suydam said:

Our touchpads keep failing even though the batteries are okay. I finally downloaded an app that pairs with the garage door mechanism. I think its called MyQ. Works great.

That’s what I use. Works with the aforementioned front door touchpad plus all 5 garage doors.

If by some crazy miraculous EM pulse happens and takes everything out, I’d just have to break in the old fashioned way.

————————————————
And if you have a security system it’ll call the cops and if you startle the dog he might bight you.

jmonroe

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Which I guess were replacements for the Dunlops that came with your ‘09 Genny. I know this brings back bad memories but it has to be better to hear while you’re on a great vacation than while you’re doing an 8 hour workday and have time to reminisce.

jmonroe

I didn’t keep my 09 long enough to wear the Dunlops out. They were some bad tires!

tjc78

@qbrozen said:

@suydam said:
Our touchpads keep failing even though the batteries are okay. I finally downloaded an app that pairs with the garage door mechanism. I think its called MyQ. Works great.

That’s what I use. Works with the aforementioned front door touchpad plus all 5 garage doors.

If by some crazy miraculous EM pulse happens and takes everything out, I’d just have to break in the old fashioned way.

All you need is a stiff piece of wire through the top of the garage door to pull the release handle. In the garage in 30 seconds

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@qbrozen said:

@suydam said:

Our touchpads keep failing even though the batteries are okay. I finally downloaded an app that pairs with the garage door mechanism. I think its called MyQ. Works great.

That’s what I use. Works with the aforementioned front door touchpad plus all 5 garage doors.

If by some crazy miraculous EM pulse happens and takes everything out, I’d just have to break in the old fashioned way.

All you need is a stiff piece of wire through the top of the garage door to pull the release handle. In the garage in 30 seconds

————————————————
By now you should know that guy likes to do things the hard way and make a lot of noise while doing it.

jmonroe

stickguy

suydam said:

Our touchpads keep failing even though the batteries are okay. I finally downloaded an app that pairs with the garage door mechanism. I think its called MyQ. Works great.

my new opener has that. I have not bothered yet but probably should.

mjfloyd1

What if the power went out, the generator blew up AND the battery in the touchpad was bad and the battery backup in the garage door opener was bad and your cell phone battery with the myIQ app was bad???? Asking for a friend😎

stickguy

pretty sure that where our new house is located I could just leave the front door open all the time and never have an issue. And if I forget to close the garage door the only risk is getting a squirrel or bear in there.

corvette

That reminds me, I should probably proactively replace the battery in my garage door touchpad, because I can't remember how old it is. A lot cheaper than proactively replacing a furnace!

mjfloyd1

At least we aren’t adding “while in Cuba where the only power plant went out”

venture

corvette said:

That reminds me, I should probably proactively replace the battery in my garage door touchpad, because I can't remember how old it is. A lot cheaper than proactively replacing a furnace!

There are batteries in there?

corvette

mjfloyd1 said:

At least we aren’t adding “while in Cuba where the only power plant went out”

There is some sort of group trip through our state bar association to get your continuing education in Cuba in March or April of next year. Anecdotally, I'd heard that things were getting bad in Cuba lately, but the recent news seems to prove it correct. It's a place I'd love to visit, but I think I'll pass on the trip.

jmonroe1

mjfloyd1 said:

What if the power went out, the generator blew up AND the battery in the touchpad was bad and the battery backup in the garage door opener was bad and your cell phone battery with the myIQ app was bad???? Asking for a friend😎

————————————————
Tell your friend to hide spare batteries somewhere in his/her landscaping.

jmonroe

Sandman6472

Is the Myq app a free app or one that one needs to pay for? Would be nice to have that capability on my iPhone since I don't have a Homelink system in the VW. Seems the Kona doesn't have one either which seems odd since she got th Limited model, the top of the line. I do know that my next vehicle is going to have this option as I plan on getting a loaded vehicle since it'll probably be my last. I'll check when I get home to see if my garage unit works with this app.