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Surely you’re yanking on our gas hoses. If our governtment got into the refining biz who the hell could afford the gas. In theory it should work but we know better, don’t we? :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Actually Obama's White House has helped subsidize a New Jersey refinery using private equity firm rescue just like Governor Romney did while working for private equity firms.
"At the same time, the Obama White House played a central role in encouraging another private-equity firm to rescue a Philadelphia oil refinery, whose imminent closure by owner Sunoco Inc. threatened to send gasoline prices higher..."
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Of course, jmonroe, of course! Anything, if not everything the government touches immediately turns into 24 K gold for some crone or political "friend" and for the poor tax payer - let them eat cake!
As for your gas hose, I won't touch that!!!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
There are plenty of alternative options to fuel personal vehicles besides gasoline. We as consumers seem content to pay $4 gallon, though, given how many guzzlers are sold every month regardless of fuel price. So, where is the incentive to keep costs low? If I were making the pricing decisions I'd keep pushing the prices higher, then pull them back a bit, then drive higher, then pull back, and then higher again, and keep going. If people are that addicted to gasoline, why would I limit my profits? The price of a commodity is what people are willing to pay, and we are no where near the limit that people will pay. Complain? Yeah, plenty. But not enough to change their habits.
I know, not a popular opinion. Keep in mind that oil extraction and refining are not humanitarian missions. Companies in that industry are there to make money, and just like any business they want to maximize profits.
Your point is well taken - but price gouging is not the proper way to go. For a gallon of gasoline to rise 45 cents in a month reeks of gouging. The cost of the raw material or the production costs have been somewhat stable, give or take 1 or 2 bucks a barrel. If prices go up 5 cents or down 5 cents, I can understand that. But not a rise of 12% in a month with no commensurate increase in the cost of production.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
"KANSAS CITY, MO. - The conventional wisdom has been that gasoline shot to about $4 a gallon because the price of oil soared.
But oil refinery profits also have doubled, making that another big reason people are paying more at the pump.
Refineries are on track to reap their best profits in years. Even though U.S. gasoline use is declining, refiners have kept U.S. stockpiles below average by curbing production and exporting more gasoline.
"It's a good day to own a refinery," said Steve Mosby, vice president of Admo Energy, a fuel supply consulting company for fuel retailers.
For refineries, their margin is the difference between what they pay for crude oil and what they get for the wholesale gasoline and other products. Those margins have been gradually rising and recently were more than double what they were a year ago, when they were 38 cents for a gallon of gasoline.
At one point last week, the margins for wholesale gasoline sold in the Midwest were more than $1.20 a gallon, rivaling levels briefly seen after Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
Sounds like the refineries have their hands deep in our pockets, too!
It's open season on drivers via any company in the oil business.
1. Too much refinery capacity
2. Too little refinery capacity
3. Over supply
4. Under supply
5. North Korea
6. Chavez has cancer
7 Chavez cured
8. Pipeline developed a kink
9. Oil speculators
10. Change of seasons
11. Too hot
12. Too cold
13. Election coming up
14. Someone in Saudi Arabia sneezed
15. Republicans fault
16. Democrats fault
I could go on and on but you get the picture.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
17. Winter, so more gasoline is needed
18. Summer holiday time when people use more gas for travel
19. Refinery needs maintenance
20. Tensions in the Middle East
Feel free to add more.
You guys, too many to mention, all have made excellent points and I thank you for a lively interesting discussion. I think there is a lot of truth in all your arguements even though they may seem to be differing opinions. More oil than ever is being used as the worlds need grows for oil, however, companies are finding new and better ways to scam us.
Carry on!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I probably shouldn’t complain about gas prices given I have always had cars with big engines. Presently I have a Genny V8 and a Legacy V6. I went out of town to get each of them because the local dealers here in the Burgh didn’t have what I wanted. I could have bought cars with smaller engines like a lot of people have done but I don’t drive many miles a year (probably not more that 20/25 K miles, both cars) and I know there are many people who top that easily. Also, and not to sound like a rich guy, I can afford the price of gas as it is, given my situation, although I’d rather pay 29.9 per gallon if I could but that is a ridiculous figure today but so is $4.00 a gallon.
If I were making the pricing decisions I'd keep pushing the prices higher, then pull them back a bit, then drive higher, then pull back, and then higher again, and keep going.
I’d say that is exactly what is being done and has been done for many years now. Stab the customer and when they bleed and complain, back off a little. Then after we catch our breath, do it again. Then again. Yes, it is a business plan and the oil companies are masters at it.
With capitalism, the market should govern prices but not when the market is being manipulated by the big guys and politics. I for one don’t know firsthand if the US does in fact have huge oil reserves that can be unleashed but it sure smells like they do from everything I have read. Now we hear that the refineries don’t have the capacity to handle more oil so what good would that do? Like I said something smells like a “problem” has been created to serve their needs. Also like I said, they are masters at it.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
What do those shiny black roofs do, and what are they made of?
I saw one on a Mercedes E350 yesterday and it looks nice with white particularly. I asked the salesman I bought the 535 from, if I could have it put on my new car. He said something like, "No, BMW doesn't do that"....like as if I was asking for spoke wheels.
Can just a film be put on like the plastic bug protector on the front of the car? By the way, I am really glad I got that bug protector plastic film.......you almost never see flies or bugs in Florida, but they sure get plastered to the front of the car if you go on the highway. They wash off the plastic easily, and probably don't cause any harm plastered there.
I like the look of those black roofs...but, do they actually do anything?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/Car/b/gv021913dAPR20130219054512.jpg
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
22. Oil exec's baby needs a new pair of shoes.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Neat machine but it should be pulled from the market because it discriminates against people of average size. It appears that the average guy gets a bigger kick in the [non-permissible content removed]. Basketball players with large contracts get away with just a tap, if anything. Then again, this is the American way pick on the average guy. :sick:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Thanks for the answer Houdini. Now, I have seen this same roof on a Kia Optima, and a VW Passat as well as Audi, and maybe other cars. Do they all have Panoramic sun roofs, or are they just made to look that way?
I could look up Panoramic Sun Roof from the info you gave me...thanks again.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Bottom line, oil refineries and traders are price fixing. I've written to my Congressmen, my Senator, and even dropped a note several times to the White House. Their reply goes from, "...we'll look into it"....to, "that's why I need your vote and support for (insert some form of initiative that I don't understand here)."
It's a house of cards. It can't stand forever. Eventually, the fixing will collapse, and someone, somewhere is going to ask the American Public to pay their bill and clean up the mess. Not this time, and not by me.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Yeah, I know. I’ve been corrected on this before, probably by you.
Since you’re a previous Subaru owner maybe you can answer this question:
I’m thinking that because it is a “boxer engine” that lays on its side vs. the upright V6’s and V8’s, to get the oil circulating better in this type of engine, the revs have to be higher when started. When the Legacy H6 engine is started the revs jump to a little over 2K, then after a few seconds it starts to lower but only to about 1500 RPM then slowly works its way down to what I consider normal (around 1K). Being an old V6 and V8 owner that is accustomed to lower revs when an engine is started (especially when cold), I shudder at the thought of the higher revs but I have to think that Subaru knows what it’s doing. :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Last comment I'll make (for a little while, anyway). Someone posted the growth in the amount of vehicles from 1960 until today. The point to remember, a household in 1960 would have had one car per family. Today? Well, odds are, 2+ cars/family is the norm.
Plus, in 1960, the AVG MPG/vehicle was 13.5 MPG. In 2010 the AVG MPG/vehicle was 22.4 MPG.
No matter, oil and gas useage is at its lowest point in a decade and continues to decline. Demand is down, and dropping.
Now go sit in one and you’ll see that the rear head room in bad. I sat in the Optima when we were looking to replace the XG350 and I didn’t like it one bit. Typical salesman response, “how many times do you sit in the back seat of your car? :surprise: It didn’t take me long to leave that showroom. Neither the car or the salesman were on the same page as me.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
On your main question, I'm not sure why cold idle is that high, but your explanation sounds reasonable. The distance to top of the engine is obviously less than in those with vertically oriented cylinders, so you would think less force is needed to force better oil circulation upwards. However, horizontal distance may be more difficult to overcome, who knows. You may ask a Subaru mechanic about that cold idle speed, I suspect he will say it's normal.
I did hear complaints from people that boxers tend to be louder at idle than other engines. It's probably true, my WRX and STI were definitely not quiet when started, especially in comparison to the I6 of my 328i, which is a whisperer, but at speed I had more wind and tire noise than engine, mostly tire due to sport tires. When driving on quiet pavement, they sounded sweet and not very intrusive, even at 80 mph. And the grunt on accelerations is beautiful - I compare "sound effects" of H4 to those of V6/I6 and H6 to V8. In other words, to me those engines sound like they had two more cylinders than they really do. Their balance is more natural than their conventional counterparts, as opposing cylinders moving exactly to counterbalance each other. This gives ability to rev it more naturally. I suspect that's why Porsche is still using H6 engines on their cars - low CG, great balance, hence good handling and natural revving.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Richard
I second that! Good for you, Dino!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I did exactly that this morning up at my dealership. I sat in the rear of an E350 Sport Sedan with a Panorama Roof. I did not notice any difference in headroom, jmonroe. I just don't like glass protecting my head - I prefer a roof of steel and a roll bar or two. Can you imagine the cost of replacing one of those roofs if it should crack or break? Not only that, here in Florida, even with that heavy tint, the car would get so hot and too bright on the interior. Not a very good way of insulating a car from excessive heat.
In my car, I have a sunroof, but under the sunroof I have a cover that slides, like most cars - but it is also vented so allow me to keep the cover closed and the roof tilted a bit to allow for good circulation of air.
If *driver feels like he needs one, I'll send him my can opener and the address and phone number of a good glazier.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
English language is a necessity in my line of work. I started learning it as part of my formal education back in my old country (school, additional language courses that my employer and I paid for), as necessary part of the profession (I originally wanted to be a research scholar in engineering sciences). I came to the US to pursue graduate studies and through a few twists and turns, I decided to change my focus and after getting Masters Degree in 2001 I started my career in engineering firm to do bridge design. They agreed to sponsor first my temporary work visa (professional kind, called H1-B) and then permanent residency, which I received 5 years ago. I applied for naturalization almost immediately after I became eligible, which is 5 years of residency. Still with the same firm today, happy to say. Now you know how it came.
On a side note, I must say, this country has a completely messed up immigration system, especially for those highly qualified people. While Australians and Canadians have an equivalent of conveyor belt (you come there to do college/graduate school, you 3/4 way in, it basically takes just 2-4 years from graduation to become full citizen), Americans have different ideas. They accept foreign students on presumption they will go back to their countries. Noble as it sounds, it creates beaurocratic nightmares for those who would like to pursue careers here. There is number of barriers, quotas and similar obstacles to overcome, all well intended to protect the labor market from flood of foreign qualified workforce. For example, current H1B annual quotas (those are for college degree qualified employees) are exhausted within day or two from beginnig of fiscal year. The system gets so overwhelmed that they even have lottery, because first come-first serve fails if you get 110 thousand applications for 64 thousand slots. This creates perverse incentives for large international companies to open their R&D centers offshore. If there are not enough American candidates and foreign candidates are too difficult to certify, it is easier to open a facility in India - and you even get tax breaks and other incentives. This in turn affects lower skilled market, too as those foreign engineers are not here, so they don't create addional demand for housing, services, products. Considering that their pay is usually decent, most of the time above median (especially later in their career), the economy gets hurt twice by their absence. The lost multiplier effect is real, as those people usually work in productive industries and are usually supported by private money (actual corporations), not some phoney stimulus.
What is sad, media doesn't see it as an attractive story, neither politicians do. In current general "anti-immigrant" mood voices of reason and reflection that there are plenty of legal immigrants and current system is very oppressive and sometimes downright stupid, get drowned out.
OK rant over.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Here is an example: Teachers always used overhead projectors to cast their transpariences onto the classroom wall. When technology enabled them to do power point presentations from a laptop, they didn't want to be bothered or to learn how to do it. Solution? We sold the old overhead projectors. Result? The teachers took the training and quit complaining.
When people finally get fed up with Big Brother, the oil companies, the speculators, etc., they will finally demand and change their ways. There is another problem with consumers. As GG said, many of us grew up with one automobile per household. Today, it's mom, dad, and children who must each have a car. Though necessary in some cases, I have to wonder if the consumer could do with less in the garage. Example: Parents used to tell me that their children didn't want to be seen riding a school bus; it wasn't fashionable. Neither were they about to walk home from school---a clear sign of poverty. The parents just had to buy a car or cars for the kids. That's fine. Go ahead, but don't complain to me about the high cost of auto upkeep---insurance for teens, gas prices, new tires, etc.
It's all in what the consumer is willing to pay. It's not my business. Each family runs their own finances. We have two cars. Now that we are retired, we could actually live with one car. We did it when we were first married. My wife dropped me off at my school and drove ten more miles to her school. It was a bit inconvenient at times, but we made do with what we had. Do I want to live with one car now? No. Am I willing to pay for the upkeep of two cars? Yes. It's all in what the consumer either wants to do or can afford to do. Could you live with one TV set? Yes. Do you want to live with one TV set? No. There you go. Make your decisions, but don't complain too loudly when you could actually do something about it at your own house. We could also do more in Washington if we finally learned that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Will we do it? No. It's not in our nature to band together unless we are under a physical attack. Financial attack? No. Let others worry about that.
Richard
I have talked about my friend that got a similar response from the salesman when he complained that his trunk was full of water after a rainstorm.
The salesman said, as he put his arm around Jim, "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy, think of it this way, how often does it actually rain".
The Passat has a very high roofline and the backseat is enormous. The Optima is a real case of style being more important than function. They look nice, but, a little impractical if you are going to be carrying adults in the backseat.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I'll 3rd it and I can tell you are going to make a great citizen (ever consider moving to Canada?).
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I have a sunroof and it has vents and closes completely. I love having a sunroof but it does remain closed a lot of the time when we are in Florida....half the time I forget I have it...even when it would be nice to use on a cloudy day.
Still not sure why the total roof area is black though. The sunroof can't be that large that it covers the whole roof area.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
BTW, I hope I did not jinx this. The interview is next week. By most indications, it should be a routine formality, but it is all up to the immmigration judge. I pass all formalities, last one is the civics test and interview. Civics are easy, I knew answers to 95% of the questions before I even picked up the brochure, I just needed to learn the name of my local representative and couple of dates that I did not know by heart. I don't want to proclaim the victory just yet, though - it's still the government and with them you never know ...
2018 430i Gran Coupe
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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I suspect that is what I’d hear too. When Mrs. j took the Subie in for its first oil change I meant to have her ask them about it but I forgot. Knowing of her lack of knowledge about mechanical things, she probably would have told me to ask them. All she wants from a car is reliability. That’s why I make the decisions as to what we get. She still doesn’t appreciate what a 6 can do vs. a 4. As long as it moves and keeps moving that’s all she cares about. A MB or a BMW or a Porsche or a Kia they’re all the same to her just run and keep running and she’s happy.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Pretty good article.
Bill
Plus, if you can’t play hockey you’d be a second class citizen anyway.
I would also like to congratulate you on your pursuit of US citizenship. I’m sure you’ll make it and as best as I know you’ll be the second regular here to do it. IIRC, ‘verdugo’ became a US citizen a few years back. However, his choice of a school of higher learning is somewhat questionable. :surprise: I’m pretty sure he came from Mexico.
Good luck again,
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
So assuming current usage structure is sustained, WTI Crude seems to have a strong floor at $70-80 per barrel level ($90 Brent), there were only brief periods when it was below than in last five years, so it is realistic to think that is a real global supply/demand figure and plan according to that, not just sit angry that the prices are too high and they should come down, but they won't. In fact, I heard once that Boeing was one of the few companies that had that expectation of energy prices climbing writen into their procedures and acted accordingly in their aircraft design assumptions. That was really smart. When you contrast it with Detroit's refusal of recognition for changing trends, it is trully staggering that it took them that long to go bust.
I think it is reasonable for commodity market officials to pursue stronger regulatory moves on "non-users" as they are called. Things like margin limits would not impede a free market spirit in my opinion. What the officials could and should do, is break speculators' ability to drive price without risk of their own capital (margins).
2018 430i Gran Coupe
You made some excellent points with respect to the HB-1 visa program but (there is always a but) the program has a negative impact on the emigrated country. (did I use emigrated correctly?)
Consider a bright student from a developing country. His country borrows heavily from the IMF and the World Bank to build schools and the infrastructure to provide him an education. After completing his high school education, he moves to the US or Canada to study for his baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
After completing his degree(s), instead of moving back to his home country to make a contribution toward development---he files an application for an HB-1 visa. This person will probably never return home. This brain drain is what is keeping poor countries poor and their governments saddled with a legacy of debt.
Perhaps the US should insist on these students return to their home countries for at five years before they are allowed to apply for an HB-1 or another kind of visa for that matter.
Don't know how many foreign students are studying in the US but you see the multiplier effect.
The entire roof is tempered glass and dark tinted from the front to the rear window frame. The only part that opens is the front 1/2. The rest of the roof remains closed and sealed. The purpose is for a "PANORMA" view from the rear seat - thus PANORMA SUN ROOF. Amazing how they name these things - perfect logic - panorama - get it *driver?
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
gas price breakdown
And that's why you want to be working upstream...or in government.
I can tell you that over the years, the best weapon to prevent such brain drain is to create positive environment at home. When I was leaving Poland 15 years ago, my country simply didn't care about my skills (job offers were scarce and laughable - the joke was then that all candidates should be younger than 30 and have 20 years of experience and of course college degree). When European employment markets partially opened to Poles a few years ago, there was estimated over milion people picking up their suitcases and leaving for better job in UK, Ireland, Norway and other countries that allowed it. Those employees (obviously not all, but many) are often loved by the employers and obviously hated by local "unemployed", as they showed level of engagement in their work not seen in those countries for decades. Miraculously, the Polish job market "healed" itself - the employers couldn't treat remaining people like expendable material anymore. There was a visible improvement in conditions, perhaps even overcorrection. Due to significant slowdown, some of the old employer's attitudes came back, but mostly toward the least skilled part of the market.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
That explains it about as well as can be explained. Unfortunately, I have another stupid question. If I see a Panorama Sunroof on a Kia Optima, does that mean the car really has one of these roofs, or is it phony or an aftermarket full sunroof?
I'll sit in one of these cars when I get a chance....I didn't realize they made the sunroof that large. I thought the sunroof part woas regular size and all the black was just put on for a styling.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Me too! Congratulations!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I can only speak to Mercedes, since that is all I have knowledge about. As for KIA or BMW or other manufacturers who claim to have PANORAMA sunroofs, I cannot say. But if the call it a Panorama sunroof, it is the entire roof.
Let me know how you make out.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
There's competition in the marketplace, believe it or not. Upstream they compete bitterly for rights to an oil field, and the companies are literally racing to discover new sources. I'm not talking OPEC, though, which is another matter altogether. Downstream, in refining, the companies also compete. As a vendor I had to be cautious about what I shared when working with the different brands. There's was rivalry there and sharing trade knowledge was a no-no unless the information was safety related, in which case it was encouraged.
The biggest rising competitors for selling refined fuels in the US are now coming from overseas, which is ironic since finished fuels is one of our biggest exports today. It looks like finished fuels will go the same direction as crude oil, a global market commodity. We're in a bad position to compete globally given all the environmental and labor laws, which other countries don't necessarily worry about.
Personally, I'd like to see us transition away from gasoline to other portable fuels that can be produced locally, but keep our refining capacity and introduce more technology to make it competitive globally. Become an even greater exporter, but not a consumer. Those are good jobs. The other fuels and technology already exist. And we should keep it diverse so that the technologies compete against each other. Electric, natural gas, biodiesel, hydrogen.