Stories from the Sales Frontlines

sterlingdog

For that price I want tire black and the interior cleaned!

Richard

tjc78

Remember, my cars are boats...lol. We aren't talking Civics here!

All joking aside, most car washes that do hand washes are about $25.00 at least from what I've seen. Heck, at some auto washes you can drop $15-20 depending west options you select.

houdini1

Several years ago we inherited a farm about 30 miles east of Tulsa, OK. It was in the middle of Mennonite country (all very nice folks). There would be a quarter mile driveway off a gravel road going up to a house, and there would be a phone booth right there by the driveway. It was very odd seeing a phone booth out in the middle of nowhere.

sterlingdog

"HE always needs money. At least that is what my pastor says."

This is not a good day to mention pastors. We had Pledge Sunday at church today. At the end of the service, the ushers gave out the annual pledge cards. Our pastor said that we could not take them home and that we had to fill them out to be brought to the altar before we could leave! I leaned over and told my wife that only God determines when I can leave, NOT the pastor. A friend sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I think that a payment is due on his new F150." Man, what a character this pastor is.

Richard

imidazol97

> we had to fill them out to be brought to the altar before we could leave! I leaned over and told my wife that only God determines when I can leave, NOT the pastor.

I'll tread carefully here, because religion is an easy topic with which to offend. I recall a small town in rural W. Ohio where a certain church send notices to parishioners how much they were to give based on the church leaders' assessment of the family income. IIRC, that did not go over well. Big stink. :grin

roadburner

There you go again speaking in tongues.

Sorry, I forget that a lot of the folks here aren't hard-core gearheads. Here's a translation :

The car I was talking about has a ZF automatic transmission- ZF is a German manufacturer that builds gearboxes, steering systems, etc.

The transmission in question is controlled by a computer that determines when and how the tranny shifts and otherwise performs.

Alpina is a German company which modifies new BMWs and-in Europe-sells them in the same showrooms as "regular" BMWs.

The B3 is Alpina's version of the 3 Series; the B3 has an Alpina designed transmission computer program for the automatic transmission that is more performance oriented.

Some very bright and industrious BMW aficionados have figured out how to obtain the Alpina software an install it in the transmission computers of US cars. You think I speak in tongues? You should hear those guys.

roadburner

This is not a good day to mention pastors.

Wow. That is a bit over the top. I attend a VERY large church with a substantial operating budget. The pastors do discuss stewardship every year or so, but they never try to browbeat the congregation.

imidazol97

>Slippery slope with too much time on the owner's hands.

Remember this picture of a well cared for PT Cruiser?



Well, I came across the same car at a windy Saturday car show on the glacial plains of Indiana. It has a fireplace, chromed engine, and many other features.

stickguy

there really is no accounting for taste I guess.

houdini1

That speaker post looks like the car show took place at an old drive-in movie. Man did I love those things!!

oldfarmer50

"...odd seeing a phone booth out in the middle of nowhere..."

Probably put there by the Mennonites who got tired of explaining to tourists "no, you can't use our phone".

oldfarmer50

"...here's a translation ..."

Why doesn't BMW just do the reflashing themselves?

I was watching Power Block yesterday and they were reflashing the transmission computer to eliminate slippage to increase performance. It seems manufacturers build slippage into modern trannys for smoothness even though this causes more wear.

oldfarmer50

I'm really digging those curb feelers!

imidazol97

There was a curbside service tray from a drive-in restaurant that the carhop would hook onto your door. It had cokes with ice cubes and sandwiches on it that looked like the typical service from the 60s. Brings back memories of dates to the drive-in restaurant and then to the drive-in movie.

I wonder if the side pipes on the car let it go faster if they take the endcaps off to let the exhaust out easier?

The fake fireplace wasn't producing any heat.

Someone has really made a labor of love out of that car. I wish I'd met the owner--it was windy and people were huddling around a large camp fire or inside the antique car club's garage building where the food service was located. No, they didn't have carhops. Just nice girl scouts for whom the car show was a fund raiser.

gogiboy

Dear Gang--

A few weeks back I posted a link on the forum about my preparations to a ride a large (36") wheel unicycle our annual homecoming parade--something I'd done (on smaller wheel unicycles and one giraffe) numerous times over the years.

Although the day started cold (32 degrees, which is unusual for OK in Oct) I managed to get warm after the parade started. My group was number 90 out of 120 so we waited close to an hour to get rolling. I was comfortable and confident and a video taken of the parade at about the 1/3 mark shows me moving effortlessly. Although the parade route itself is only about 1.5 miles long it ends up actually being about double that as groups ahead are always slowing down or stopping and that necessitates riding in big loops within one's group until parade traffic gets moving again.

I was about 100 feet from the end of the parade (could even see the final bend) when I hit something that pitched me forward and off the big wheel. It totally caught me by surprise! I dusted myself of and realized that I had really pulled some groin muscles and there would be no finishing so I stumbled through the crowd and tried to make it the six blocks or so back to my car. I only made it a block and a half and had to ask a policeman if he could take the unicycle and me back to my group. Instead he ordered an ambulance.

At the ER they took some x-rays and came back with the diagnosis: Fractured hip. I could hardly believe it! Next thing I know I'm being prepped for surgery that afternoon for what was supposed to be a 45-minute procedure, but which took almost 3 hours because the "break wasn't as fortuitous as thought" based on the x-rays. I spent from Sat.-Tuesday at 5 pm in the hospital and have been convalescing at home since.

The good news is I have two new vehicles--a walker and a wheel chair. Thus I have gone from one wheel to two wheels and four wheels in the space of a day. I'm actually quite mobile with my walker. Now I just need a perm and some bluing and I'll fit right in at our Walmart. The bad news is the hip I fractured is my right (read: driving) hip/leg and I can apply zero weight on it for 6 weeks. :sick:

At least my teaching load was/is being covered and and I definitely feel well enough to return even now, but I'm being cautious and will wait until next week. I've also been reminded that I cannot tolerate the synthetic opiates (codeines) like hydrocodone and oxycodone as they give me a terrible headache so I'm forced to be content with the rather ineffectual Tylenol (in carefully monitored amounts). I sure hope they at least give me some kind of local when they remove the dozen or so staples on Weds or there will be lots of pre-Halloween screaming coming from the clinic. An the zipper scar is not even in a place where I can (legally) show it to the kids who come trick-or-treating.

I don't know if there is a moral here, but I really did enjoy riding that big wheel and the kids went nuts when I wheeled by--it was blissful. Perhaps the fates were not amused by my hubris. Like Icarus I flew too close to the sun and now am grounded physically and spiritually. Maybe the moral is, at 56, I should find tamer pursuits--I hope not. Perhaps the rest of my senior colleagues on this forum have a different take.

It looks like I'll have a week to find time to contribute to this forum. That is something I would not have had ordinarily. I've also learned to appreciate how difficult even simple tasks like putting on one's pants and socks, getting out of bed and using a toilet can be.

Best to all my Edmunds pals,

Gogiboy

imidazol97

I am really sorry to hear about your injury. I wish you the best recovery. Just don't overdo the return to activity. That usually gives a backlash when too much, too fast is done.

> using a toilet

I assume you have a raised toilet seat. When my wife had knee replacement scheduled, out friend gave us his that he used after the abdominal surgery went wrong that killed him when it went septic. (He was resuscitated.)

Again, good luck on the recovery.

PS. Electric wheelchair? You can give us miles per gallon (kilowatt-hour) reports?

roadburner

Why doesn't BMW just do the reflashing themselves?

It's a proprietary Alpina program, and the B3 isn't sold in the US- so even if a dealer wanted to do it they can't get the program through official channels.

roadburner

Ouch! My prayers are with you, my friend.

cdnpinhead

So sorry to hear about your accident. You're young and in good shape, so the recovery will be as good as it could be, though it may not seem so at the time.

As has been said already, don't overdo. Hang in there.

jayrider

Sorry about the accident. What a bummer. You deserve props for learning to ride a unicycle. What is the story behind that ? You might try tramadol -- which is a synthetic opiate if things get bad. As we age we need to stay as close to mother earth as possible.

cdnpinhead

"As we age we need to stay as close to mother earth as possible."

Up to a point, I agree. However, those who ride recumbant bicycles, with or without a flag, anywhere near traffic are just asking to be run over -- not "just" hit, but run over.

robr2

Sorry to hear of your mishap. Don't do what I do which is to try and come back too fast.

Maybe the moral is, at 56, I should find tamer pursuits--I hope not.

A thousand times NO. I'll be at the magic 50 next year and want to experience more thrills - not fewer.

I sure hope they at least give me some kind of local when they remove the dozen or so staples on Weds...

You probably won't get anything for the staple removal. I had 8 removed from my scalp about 3 weeks ago and no local. They used a specialized staple remover - there was no pain. Just a little tug.

isellhondas

I'll add my best wishes and good thoughts to the others here.

When I was about 18, I TRIED to ride a unicycle. I landed on my a** so hard it ached for two weeks.

Don't try to push it. Listen to your doc!

bwia

At the ER they took some x-rays and came back with the diagnosis: Fractured hip.

Double Ouch!

Don't know how old you are but in no time you will be in good shape to try this stunt again. Be kind to your caregivers and get well soon!

gogiboy

"PS. Electric wheelchair? You can give us miles per gallon (kilowatt-hour) reports?"

Imid--

Alas, no electric power just the human and canine variety. My wife has been walking me up and down the streets with our two 60+ pound pound puppies each fastened to a handle where they act as extra DG (dogpower). It's not HP, but it's helpful.

Gogiboy

Michaell

So sorry to hear about your injury!

When I was 12 and my dad was 40, he bought a unicycle for us to learn to ride. Took most of the summer, but I was able to master it. Actually rode it to my best friends house one time ... about a mile or two away.

As I got older, I rode less and less. And when I moved from CA to CO, I stopped completely except when I came back to visit.

A year or so ago, I was at the folks house with some family and we dusted the uni off and had some fun reliving old times.

Until I fell. Fortunately, no injuries, but I decided then and there that my potential circus career should end.

Get well soon!

gogiboy

"You might try tramadol -- which is a synthetic opiate if things get bad."

Jay--

Interesting you say that because that is what I got as a replacement. It didn't bother me as much as the codones, but I still had problems. For now it's just Tylenol limited to less than 3000 mg per day. I asked the nurse if I could have Demerol or Delaudid (non-synthetics) and she said those were carefully controlled and she could not prescribe them, but that the surgeon can. I had a much better time tolerating the morphine IV in the hospital.

My father said that the lead feature in today's NY Times was about an attempt to restrict the prescribing of synthetic opiates to 90 days. Continued use would require a return to the doctor. The primary rationale are abuse and addiction. The manufacturers are dead set against it.

I find it odd that the old school morphine variations are viewed with such alarm, but the new stuff seems to be handed out like candy. To me they should all be treated the same, given when needed and carefully monitored.

I'm being careful and my pain level is low. Hell, my headaches have been much worse than my hip pain.

Gogiboy

gogiboy

"You probably won't get anything for the staple removal. I had 8 removed from my scalp about 3 weeks ago and no local. They used a specialized staple remover - there was no pain. Just a little tug."

Robr--

Good to know. My last experience was having my dad remove some stitches from my scalp 41 years ago a week after a sledding accident. The ER doc had kind of glued them in place.

I told my father that my last experience of having stitches removed made me cry and that the doctor said stop being a baby. He was outraged when I told him and said that was a totally inappropriate response from any doctor. When I told him that he was the doctor that removed them he had absolutely no recollection. Children of doctors are often told to "suck it up" where a typical patient confronting the identical situation would never be asked to do the same thing.

I might print out your forum response and tell my surgeon "see, Robr2 from edmunds.com says there should be no pain, only a little tug".

Gogiboy

gogiboy

Michaell--

Nice to know that there is at least one other one-wheel enthusiast (lunatic?) on this forum. I learned at 13, rode on and off for about three years, then didn't touch one for 20 years. Back in 95, when I first got the internet I had no idea what to do with it and for some reason began looking up unicycles and unicycling. Since then I have been riding on-and-off for nearly another 20 years, mostly for exercise/health, but some for parades. Funny thing is I have learned to do so much more, especially in the last 10 years, than I ever learned in my first 3 or 4. Then again, access to information coupled with a salary (something I never had as a kid) has become a kind of toxic elixir.

Everyone must find their limits at some point, I guess. The most frustrating part of all this is that my recent forays into unicycling were due to the neck problems I have had post-car accident in 2010. Bicycling and my commute by bicycle were causing me more and more problems. Because of the different riding position I had no neck pain on the unicycle and it seemed a natural--if not exactly speedy-- replacement, while being easy on my knees. Turns out not so easy on my hip, though.

Gogiboy

gogiboy

Do any of you remember that old TV series Ironside with Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-bound detective? It wasn't until years and years later that I realized the irony--or maybe perverse casting--of Burr as Ironside. Burr was also the actor who portrayed the bad guy that Jimmy Stewart was pretty sure committed a murder in Hitchcock's Rear Window. If you recall, Burr pushed Jimmy Stewart out of his wheelchair, through a window and over a ledge. I think I always loved that film because of my own voyeuristic tendencies. Unfortunately, the only thing outside my back window is woods, a pond and some Llamas on a hill. It could be the Llamas are engaged in something illegal. In OK we do have among the highest incarceration rates in the US. We're number one for locking up women based on percentage of population, not sure about our Llama lockup rate.

I asked my wife if she could find me an in-home nurse that looks like Grace Kelly for some sorely needed afternoon sponge baths. She did not find that amusing.

Well, at least I have another connection to the movie. Now, if I could just reach my binoculars and camera...

Gogiboy

driver100

Everyone must find their limits at some point, I guess.

Hope you are on the fast track to mend as quickly as possible gogi. This may have been a bit of a warning to take things a little slower or to be more careful. I know it is aggravating when paople say, "It could have been worse", of course it could have been worse, but this is bad enough.

Sometimes it is good to get a reminder before you do something really bad.

For anyone feeling a bit down today.....My friend with the $130,000 Maserati needs new tires after 12K miles, at a cost of $3000. Just be happy, you don't have a Maserati.

jayrider

Maybe Grace would find it amusing. At least you would have that going for you.

explorerx4

That would kind of like the movie 'Ghost'.
Gogi, hope you have a quick recovery.

snakeweasel

Ouch! anyway you seem to be well enough to post here so it can't be to bad. Hope you have a speedy recovery. But a bit of advice, while at 56 you aren't old and frail but your not a spring chicken either. Take it easy during your recovery and take your time, you have all winter. Remember if you milk this you may not have to shovel any snow all winter.

On a related note I did put my bicycles up for the winter yesterday. I have also been looking into electrifying one of my bikes for commuting to work. I am getting a bit to old for all those hills going to and from work.

[Deleted User]

Ouch! That's terrible news. Looks like the police officer made a good call getting you that ambulance. Hang in there and don't overdue it. Maybe add a second wheel on that unicycle when you're ready :-)

[Deleted User]

I have also been looking into electrifying one of my bikes for commuting to work.

One of my employees did just that very thing with an old Specialized downhill bike. He swapped out the rear hub with a combo hub/motor and added a battery. The setup is deceiving and it's a kick watching people react to him cruising along at 30 mph lightly pedaling along flat road on heavy downhill bike. His range is about 15 miles with a little pedaling help.

explorerx4

Good point. Gogi should sent him a thank you note, better yet, his supervisor.

snakeweasel

There are places that sell kits that have amazing speeds, one advertises a kit with a top speed up to 82 MPH. How accurate is that I couldn't tell but that is very unsafe on a bike.

Federal guidelines suggest that an electric bike that goes over 18 MPH on a flat by electric power alone needs to be registered, licensed and insured. Most states follow that guideline. To me that's stupid because on my road bike I can maintain low to mid 20's for extended distances.

I am more interested in range than speed, looking at something that is pedal assist which will increase range.

oldfarmer50

Ouch!

If it's any consolation be glad it wasn't knee replacement. That can hurt for a year. My father had his hip replaced at age 78-79 and he recovered enough to walk without even a cane.

From what I understand, the pain is mainly from soft tissue damaged by the surgery. If you can scream your way through its healing you should be OK pretty quick. No pain, no gain kind if thing.

Good luck.

[Deleted User]

82 MPH!?!? My Lemond turns downright terrifying at 50 MPH. Granted the Lemond's frame geometry is better in the turns than high speed straightaways, but even the fastest road setup would become highly unstable at that speed. I imagine the kit sells with a long and intense terms and conditions document.

I'm agree with your viewpoint on the 18 mph guideline. Very easy to exceed for sustained distances.

Sandman6472

You might want to ask your doc about this pill that I take for my chronic pain...it helps relieve my pain very nicely. Though I still need to use my cane for my mobility, the med helps me get through the day so I can function and hold down my part time job. Just a suggestion about what might help cut the pain here.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

snakeweasel

Yes 82 is way to fast for any bike but I suspect that the top speed is less. But my guess is that the bike would come with its own burial plot. I peaked out at 37 on my bike once (downhill sprinting) and that was fast enough for me. I think that 30 is a good speed on a bike.

sterlingdog

That explanation was much better. Even I understood part of it this time. (Grin) Thanks.

Richard

sterlingdog

There I was thinking how fit and youthful you looked in your picture on the bike. At your tender age of 56, I was green with envy. Then you go and blow my perspective by breaking a hip. Those kinds of accidents are held in reserve for people my age. Three weeks ago, I fell over a chair and cracked a rib. One of my smart [non-permissible content removed] neighbors asked how I could fall over a chair. I explained to him how easy it was. You just wrap your foot around a chair leg and push forward. What a jerk.

I'm really sorry about your accident. I am glad that the surgery was successful, and now the recovery is up to you. You're not a child and, though your dad was a doctor, you're not a chip off of the old block. Don't be stubborn; do as the doctor says. Your students will neither melt nor evaporate---though I'm sure that you wish that some would.

I remember at age 65 how difficult it was to give up hiking---I loved it so. Between my desire and the fact that my hip wanted to stay home, I yielded to the hip. If you insist on going back to the bike, then at least put on some training wheels. I know. That probably wasn't the least bit funny. I WILL say that I do hope for your speedy recovery.

Richard

nyccarguy

Gogiboy - I'm with Richard & everyone else here wishing you a full, speedy recovery! You can do it! Keep us updated!

robr2

Three weeks ago, I fell over a chair and cracked a rib.

I cracked ribs a few years ago after a ladder mishap. Other than rest and meds, there isn't any other treatment.

Try not to laugh, cough, sneeze, blow your nose..........and you'll be fine.

roadburner

Prayers for your recovery, Richard!

Michaell

I've been very lucky not to have broken any bones (knock on wood!)

But, since we're on the subject of broken ribs, I thought I'd share a story about my dad.

He was a firefighter who went on long term disability due to buildup of c--p in his lungs. The city finally decided to make him a fire cause investigator (think about the Robert DeNiro character in "Backdraft").

His funding was 50% fire and 50% police, so he went through the police academy at age 42 or so. Got sent to the National Fire Academy in Maryland for a bunch of classes, and an FBI class or two in Alabama.

Anyway, he was in a class with a bunch of law enforcement types and they did a bit of role playing. My dad was playing the role a perp, and one of the big burly cops took his role playing a bit too seriously. Snap! Broke one or two of my dads' ribs. I remember him not being able to breathe deeply for several weeks after that. Or laugh. Or cough. Or sneeze.

Even though my dad is only 5'8" and about 160 pounds, he was (and still is) a pretty tough hombre.

fezo

gogi - if the surgeon is the one who can prescribe Demerol call his office and ask. There's no need to go through unnecessary pain. Some pain can't be avoided but that which can without driving you loopy should definitely be used.

Had blood tests yesterday. I have to talk to the doctor's office but I'm not happy with what I see. Think a report card with a bunch off Ds, two Fs (though high Fs) and one A. At least the A is the hemoglobin. Waiting on a call because I don't have access to earlier counts. I want to know if things are improving, holding steady or falling back (definitely not falling back on the hemoglobin!).

Ive been in a slump that I think is mostly this stuff rather than being depressed that it's taking so long (though that's there, too).

They didn't flush my port and because it will be more than six weeks between uses of it I have to track someone down to do it.

gogiboy

"There I was thinking how fit and youthful you looked in your picture on the bike. At your tender age of 56, I was green with envy. Then you go and blow my perspective by breaking a hip. Those kinds of accidents are held in reserve for people my age."

Richard--

Funny you say that because that was the near universal refrain I heard from the hospital staff. My father told me that a hip fracture is often a death sentence for older, especially older frail, patients. They just never get out of bed again. I am sorry to hear about your ribs. I had the same issue after our car wreck in 2010. Coughing was tough, but sneezing was brutal. Suppressing didn't seem to help either.

You're right, my students will not evaporate--although I wish a few would and tried to get a few "problems" resolved even before this incident. We have reached final drop date, but I'm not there to spell out the realities for a couple of souls. Perhaps my replacements are reiterating my concerns.

At some point I do hope to be on a bike again, maybe even much smaller wheel unicycles where it is easy to touch the ground with a foot down. My high flying days are over. I should never have done the local paper interview. Talk about inviting the jinx. Oh well.

Driver will be happy that I'm doing a fair amount of reading to accompany my surfing, and meandering commentaries.

I want to thank the members for all their well wishes. This really is a community of honorable men (and a few women) and I appreciate that and the camaraderie as well as the breadth of knowledge on an amazingly diverse range to topics that can be tapped. Richard, you take care of yourself. Recovery from these various mishaps takes longer and longer as we age. I always wish for more time during the academic year to spend on this forum.

My favorite personal bicycle has a titanium frame. It's supple and fluid and remarkably resistant to road vibration, plus it's very light and completely resistant to oxidation. Now I have 4 titanium screws holding my hip together. I guess this has made me more simpatico with my bike than I ever imagined possible.

Gogiboy