Stories from the Sales Frontlines

isellhondas

"excommunication"? did you get booted and if so, how did you return.

If I were to become a host I would have to change my username. A lot of people automatically think I'm a bad person or have a strong bias toward the car business. I really don't and after Jeep shopping with our son last summer I can see why the stereotypes exist.

Why? Because in most cases, they are WELL deserved!

isellhondas

" Why can't I get one drive/appraisal and use it at any dealer in the area?"

Simple answer....your car is worth more to some appraisers/stores than others. Some may not even want your car!

What it usually boils down to, if it's a popular car in demand they won't pay you any more than they can buy similar cars at auction.
\
Why not just sell them yourself?

roadburner

Very easy replacement.

My Mazda is the only car I have that has a filter that is a bit difficult to change- and it's all my fault. I installed the Mazdaspeed cold air intake, which replaces the panel filter with a DryFlow cone filter and relocates it behind the LF fog light. The filter is washable but takes a while to dry- so I bought a second one so I can swap in a clean one immediately.

oldfarmer50

"...not something you see every day..."

If that has been a 20 yo guy the mother would have called the cops. Gender bias.

I'd still be wary of any 20 yo who was still babysitting.

jmonroe

*** As for washing dishes by hand, I still hand wash the pots and pans and the Pyrex dishes. That way, we don't have to run the dishwasher as often. ***

For the most part Mrs. j hand washes her pots by hand because no matter how well any of our dishwashers have washed, she likes to shine up her old pots. They still look like they were bought last week even though she has had them since we were married. About 3 months ago one of her friends told her to try Cascade Complete (little packets that you put in the dispenser or just toss in the bottom). Well, she damn near hit the roof when she took out the one pot that she put in the dishwasher to see how well it was washed. It didn’t wash it any better than any of the other potions she has used over the years but the heavy aluminum clad bottom was black. She grabs her old trusty Brillo pad and commences to shine it up all the while mumbling, “why did I let someone talk me into doing this”? After about the third time I heard this, I left the kitchen before somehow I would take the blame for this. This stuff does do a good job cleaning the glasses though.

*** Here's a little tip for you. Don't ever put sterling silver or silver plated knives in a dishwasher. ***

Don’t worry about that. Our valuables never go in the dishwasher…they stay in the safe.

jmonroe

roadburner

This is what the University of South Carolina offers kids during finals. Back in 1975 my college's support during finals was simply telling the students: "Study hard! See ya!"

University support during finals

Keep calm and study on
Campus Wellness is providing the following events for students during finals week:
Guided imagery: Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Russell House 305
Pet therapy: Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Davis Field
Free Group Exercise yoga class: Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. in the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center
Relaxation Station

Students can celebrate the end of the semester and relax at Carolina After Dark on Friday, Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. in the Russell House. Participants can enjoy fun, food and freebies with friends. They also can get a back or foot massage and hang out at the oxygen bar! All of this is free with a student's CarolinaCard.

Russell House Study Union

The Russell House University Union becomes the Russell House Study Union during finals week!

The Russell House will stay open until 2 a.m. on Dec. 8-14 for late-night studying. The Horseshoe Deli also will be open late for students to grab a late dinner or snack while they are studying.
Several meeting rooms will be set up to accommodate individual students and small groups for studying all day, every day during finals.
Free photocopying will be available at the Russell House Information Desk Dec. 2-15.
On Dec. 10-12, students can enjoy free coffee and snacks in the Russell House lobby starting at 9 p.m.
The popular "Russell House Review" will be held Monday, Dec. 9 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. This exciting night will feature a free late-night breakfast in the Grand Market Place from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., massages from licensed massage therapists, exam-help packets provided by the Student Success Center, a crafting table, self-hypnosis and self-massage workshops all provided by Changing Carolina and Red Bull provided by Carolina Dining. All of this is free with a student's CarolinaCard!
Students can access study tips via Twitter @RussellHouseUU.

roadburner

did you get booted and if so, how did you return

Yep, I received the "Death Penalty" in early 2007. Went into Witness Protection and returned with a new identity.

stickguy

I sent to my daughter. She applied early action so should be hearing in the next week or so if they want her to spend the next 4 years there.

of course, I get interested in April or so when they pony up the tangible proof of how much they want her to make the 600 mile trip...

oldfarmer50

"...my college support..."

When I was in college the drinking age was 18 so my college (Siena) had a bar on campus. After finals we either celebrated or drown our sorrows.

Sometime coming out of there we needed support though.

jipster

"If that has been a 20 yo guy the mother would have called the cops. Gender bias."

True. The little stinker was so cute, I thought about going over and coloring or playing with the dealership toys with her... with her mom's permission of course. But, I guess too many people would have thought that too "creepy", so I flipped thru a 9 month old copy of Motor Trend instead.

You ever catch my story of the assault on my car from a school bus punk before oldfarmer? If not here it is. I'm going down I-65 at 60mph, in my 6 month young Honda Civic, to pick my son up from school. I see a kid throw an aluminum can out of a Jefferson County school bus window, I see it bouncing up off the pavement towards my face. I fight off the instinct to swerve, and the can drops and hits my front bumper. I grab my cellphone, look at the bus I.d number,and call the city's help line to report the incident. I'm put thru to the Jefferson County school bus administrator, who takes my information, says if any damage to call back. I get to my son's school and park, sure enough there is a small scratch where the can hit. I call the administrator and report the damage. Well, luckily for me, the bus had a camera monitor installed, and was able to identify the punk who threw the can out the window, which collaborated my story. They send an insurance adjuster out to my house look at the damage, I had already gotten an estimate
from a body shop...600 bucks. The adjuster looks at estimate, says," that looks good. We will have a check in the mail by tommorow, you can do whatever you want with it." Sounds good to me. I'll pocket it.

So, when that incident happened, I remembered you drive a school bus. Curious if any of your kids had ever damaged property while in transport... or maybe it's just a city kid type of thing? :-)

sterlingdog

It would never do for you to become a Host here. You would delete all posts dealing with the color of a car. (Grin)

Richard

sterlingdog

I agree with you; it must be a guy thing. I can load a dishwasher much better than my wife. Then again, I have to listen to her say, "They won't get clean because you've got too many dishes in there." (cry)

Richard

sterlingdog

Thanks to all of you for the advice on changing the air filter. After two years, I must have made the right decision. Still, it could probably have gone a bit longer since I don't drive on dusty roads and have only put about 37k on the car.

Richard

imidazol97

>only put about 37k on the car.

That likely means there was another 13-20K miles left on that filter.
The dealership should have shown you the then current filter and given you a true appraisal of its life expectancy. Then a decision could have been made to change now or wait till the next couple oil changes.

In constrast, I like keeping the transmission oils changed early. Now your transmission fluid is scheduled to go 100,000 mi, but that is one thing I'd suggest changing early with the drain (not a flush) to remove a large fraction of the old fluid, replace the filter in the trans, and refill with new fluid. However, your transmission is "sealed" and does not have a dipstick. That along with the fluid being synthetic would indicate a longer life. In the end, if your car is driven mainly short trips say 10 miles or less, I'd consider a trans fluid drain and replace after 50,000 to 60,000 mi. as a one time event. I consider changing transmission fluid as a prophylactic measure worth the cost. If you were to sell the car individually, having that page in the records would increase the value to me as a buyer just like regular oil changes with good oils would.

oldfarmer50

"...ever damage property while in transport..."

How much time you got? During my 20+ years as a school bus driver I've had kids spit out the window in people's faces, throw books, bottles, eggs and occasionally attempt to throw a bus monitor out into the highway. Inside the bus they smoke, drink beer, smoke dope, spit tobacco, slash the seats and throw all sorts of garbage including underwear. I've been threatened with guns, beatings, firing and prosecution for kidnapping. Not a day goes by that some parent doesn't accuse me of "deliberately" not picking up junior just because he wasn't out of bed when I came by. I even once had a women swear she would have me fired for not stopping to pick up her trash cans.

graphicguy

Kirstie....I hope you know I wasn't admonishing any of our wonderful hosts (and I do say that sincerely) over the forums issue. I've been there where a 3rd party was "mucking" up one of our company's web sites. This went on for a few months, and as painful as it is to move to another provider, different WEB service, other WEB software, we had to bite the bullet and do it.

Funny...afterwards, when we terminated our contract with the WEB service, I got a call from their Director of Sales (the only time I had heard from him since we had signed a contract with them 3 years earlier). He wanted to know what was wrong? He said he was unaware of our issues over the previous 8 months. Really? That was an indictment in and of itself.

graphicguy

Oldfarmer....you might be prophetic. That's the plan right now....beat it until it catastrophically breaks. That said, I did engage with the Regional guy for Audi in Chicago this a.m., instead of the numbskull in OH.

He's given me some hope that they do indeed understand something is wrong and something needs to be done. He had the local and the Chicago dealer send him the service reports, as well as talk to the local service manager.

We'll see. The "white death" is heading to OH this weekend. I've got friends on standby to come pick me up and trolly my butt around if the inevitable happens with the car.

jipster

Yeah, I got plenty of time. Does your bus have cameras, and do the brats get consequences for acting out?

One thing I think would cut back on a lot of the things you mentioned, would be to put seat belts on buses($$$). Not to keep the kids safe, but to keep their trouble making butts in their seats where they belong. They take the seatbelt off, it's a one week suspension from riding on the bus. Much safer having them strapped down, than walking around, standing up, distracting driver, fighting, causing problems.

robr2

That said, I did engage with the Regional guy for Audi in Chicago this a.m., instead of the numbskull in OH....He's given me some hope that they do indeed understand something is wrong and something needs to be done. He had the local and the Chicago dealer send him the service reports, as well as talk to the local service manager.

Not to pat myself on the back, but like I said - try the Chicago dealer and hope for a different district manager. Hopefully, it works out for you.

robr2

One thing I think would cut back on a lot of the things you mentioned, would be to put seat belts on buses($$$).

Every bus in our district is equipped with seat belts and the students are not required to wear them. The bus company decided to equip all new buses with them just in case.

Other than using it in this case for behavior control, the reality is that seat belts in a bus doesn't make it safer. The purpose of a seat belt is to keep passengers in the vehicle during a collision. The seats in a school bus are designed to create compartments which keep students in the area of the seat. A school bus is inherently larger than most other vehicles and seat belts don't add to the safety of the bus. Further, lap belts can cause greater injury in students under 8 years old in the case of a collision.

In an NEA article I found, bus drivers feel that the ride to school should be treated as the true start of the school day and that more bus aides and administrative support with discipline would do a better job than requiring kids to buckle up. The thinking is that students can and do use the heavy buckles as weapons, drivers can't ensure all kids are buckled all the time and in case of an emergency, it would be difficult to evacuate 70 young, panicked passengers in a reasonable time.

oldfarmer50

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/2015-mustang-arrived-might-finally-match-germa- - ns/

What's the consensus? Better or worse.

Looks like mako1a was right, Ford couldn't produce an auto transmission that can handle more than 420hp.

Still....

Do you for see any fire sales on 2014 models?

driver100

Thanks to all of you for the advice on changing the air filter. After two years, I must have made the right decision.

I looked up some general advice about changing air filters, but this seemed to sum it up pretty well. And, yes, it looks like you changed filters at a good time.

Vehicle maintenance schedules vary on how often the air filter should be changed. On most Chevrolet engines, for example, the recommended interval is every 45,000 miles, but Ford says it should be done every 30,000 miles on many of its engines. Hyundai also says every 30,000 miles but shortens it to 15,000 for "severe" driving conditions, which includes heavy traffic in hot weather and frequent driving on unpaved roads or dusty conditions.

You might be able to tell by looking when a filter needs replacing, such as finding black areas on the section through which outside air enters. Air filters on most engines are fairly easy to access, and you can check the location in your owner's manual if you need help.

If you can't tell by looking, but it's been more than three years or 30,000 miles, you probably should get a new one (especially if you can save money by doing it yourself). However, you should be leery if every time you get an oil change the repair shop says you also need a new air filter. We would expect most drivers can go more than a year, at least, and probably more than two years.

driver100

What's the consensus? Better or worse.

I vote better!

I like it and like the way Ford has modernized the car while keeping enough retro styling so we know it is a Mustang. And, I don't understand why more people buy Camaros than Mustangs.
http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2013/12/ford_nonchalant_on_2015_mustan.html

oldfarmer50

"...does your bus have cameras?..."

Oh yeah, my current bus has 4 including one that points forward to show the kids disregarding my instructions and running into traffic as they cross. Nice collection of middle fingers if someone would like to edit them all together.

Seat belts? Sure, but we are FORBIDDEN to require any student to use them because that would be bullying (might hurt their feelings). So the kids beat each other with the buckles or fasten them across the isle to trip each other and the driver. All NY school buses have seat belts by law but no district that I know of requires their use. $20 million wasted to buy a few votes.

Most parents would be shocked to see how their children behave on the bus. Many are still in denial after being show the video.

Most kids are good 99% of the time but some make for memorable tales.

mako1a

Do you for see any fire sales on 2014 models?

I would suggest going in to the largest Ford dealer with a piece of paper listing a 2014 Mustang GT with all the options and using a VIN from a 2014 you find in a parking lot. Tell them this is your trade and get them to write down a number.

Now use that number as the starting point to you buying your new 2014 GT. When they want more dough, just say they're X price at the auction, why should I pay more other than a little dealer profit.

oldfarmer50

"...more bus aides and administrative support..."

Amen. Even the wildest bus run is manageable when you have an aide to control and identify troublemakers. It's almost impossible to safely drive in traffic while constantly looking in the mirror. Those bus videos you see where kids are beating someone and ask "why didn't the driver do something?" are usually resulting from the driver trying to avoid crashing the bus in heavy traffic. With the newer extra tall safety seats and the normal din of active children it's tough for a driver to know what is going on back there.

As to administrative support, many of our drivers have returned the bus to school seeking help with severe problems only to find the building deserted.

fezo

"I guess you could call that time spent here an extended interview. I was told that one of the reasons I was asked to be a host was that I only had one post deleted in all those years."

I can match that? When do I start?

houdini1

I am beginning to see a pattern here. Pat certainly zapped me more than a few times. I figured it was just me she hated.

Most of our current hosts are excellent, however, one peeked in here while Kirstie was awol and tried to zap me for being "off topic". Fortunately you guys laughed him off the forum. He hasn't been back.

houdini1

Better. Reminds me of some of the old Z cars and a little like the Infiniti G coupes. Nice clean shape.

jipster

"Other than using it in this case for behavior control, the reality is that seat belts in a bus doesn't make it safer. The purpose of a seat belt is to keep passengers in the vehicle during a collision. The seats in a school bus are designed to create compartments which keep students in the area of the seat. A school bus is inherently larger than most other vehicles and seat belts don't add to the safety of the bus. Further, lap belts can cause greater injury in students under 8 years old in the case of a collision."

I've heard those arguments. To me they lack common sense. A hard collision will send student heads into the seat (padded or not) in front of them, or into the hard heads of students seated next to them. There are school bus accidents where buses are knocked on their side or rollover. A local accident not to long ago like that where many students were injured. You're talking serious injury or death from a rollover. Where is the safety in that?

For younger students, I'm sure there is a solution. Seems to me, when I see a school bus rolling down the highway with students standing in the main isle swatting at a seated kid, and the drivers looking in the rearview mirror.... Well, pick your posion. To me the seat belt approach would be safer for the occupants of the bus, and would cut down on a lot of bullying and assaultive behavior that occurs.

houdini1

I tend to agree with you. Maybe each kids parents should decide by checking the appropriate box on a form as to whether or not they wanted their kid to wear seat belts.

Kirstie_H

Oh, that was Steve. He's excellent and very laid back - it was my fault for not giving him a heads-up on this topic, not his. Remember, he deals with Automotive News every day, where discussions frequently drift off topic into some bad areas (e.g., politics).

Kirstie_H

If my S.O. takes the initiative to load the dishwasher, you can bet I remain silent. No words but "thank you" will dare be uttered!

He does take charge when there are a lot of dishes - better spatial relations, as has been mentioned. I'm good with that. Whereas he can see a pile of stuff and an empty space and figure out if and how it's all going to fit, I can see scattered ingredients in the kitchen and figure out how they're going to be made into dinner.

Kirstie_H

I thought nothing of the sort, GG! I'm sure our current company won't be calling to find out what went wrong. They know.

Making progress on the new forums... getting closer!

jmonroe

*** I agree with you; it must be a guy thing. I can load a dishwasher much better than my wife. Then again, I have to listen to her say, "They won't get clean because you've got too many dishes in there." (cry) ***

I have to agree with Mrs. Richard.

While I rarely put anything in the dishwasher myself (it’s not my toy it belongs to her) I suggested to Mrs. j right from the first dishwasher we owned, “don’t pack it. It’s not a suitcase. You can run another load through. The cost won’t kill us.” While she has listened to that advice most of the time, she has had a few weak moments. Every now and then she’ll remove something and say, “it’s still dirty”. Being the dummy that I am I say, “you loaded it too much”. That’s when I get one of those looks and I know it’s time to leave the kitchen and go hide in the garage or wax the car.

jmonroe

driver100

I've heard those arguments. To me they lack common sense. A hard collision will send student heads into the seat (padded or not) in front of them

I agree, and I don't know how oldfarmer can put up with those kids. My idea (Mr Angry) is to make it so the kids have to wear their seatbelts on the bus. If they unbuckle their belt, then a taser charge zaps them. A video of the entire trip is recorded every time, if any kid is out of his seat during the trip, the parents are responsible for that kids transportation to and from school for a week ( a month after the 2nd infraction). Will that make a difference?

driver100

Every now and then she’ll remove something and say, “it’s still dirty”. Being

It is difficult to load a dishwasher too much. You either have things right up against each other or something inside something else, so the water just doesn't get to it. It can happen, but it shouldn't happen very often.

Like you said, just better to do a second load if you think it is going to be a problem. If food is stuck on there it could get baked on and is even harder to remove.

Nice to get back to dishwashing again...haven't talked about that for awhile.

Kirstie_H

Nice to get back to dishwashing again...haven't talked about that for awhile.

This gave me a nice chortle.

robr2

I've heard those arguments. To me they lack common sense.

The scenarios you describe are possible but not probable. Yes seat belts in those instances would add to the safety of school buses. But the big question is: would you as a taxpayer be willing to pay for a bus assistant on each bus walking around making sure all those kids are bucked up?

Personally I hear of more bus accidents involving motor coaches than school buses. Google Fung Wah Bus....

roadburner

I do a drain and fill on my automatics every 50,000 miles or so as well. It must help- the X3 just hit 156,000 miles with no transmission issues...

houdini1

Yes, very laid back as long as you agree with his liberal politics.

Kirstie_H

We're not going there, end of story.

sterlingdog

This reminds me of the story that I've told before about the bus driver who left the loaded bus, caught a ride to my office, threw the bus keys down on my desk, and quit. He said that he had driven a jeep in open warfare in Vietnam and that it wasn't as bad as this. When I went to the bus site, I could understand why. I've never seen such a bunch of animals in my life---yes, I said animals. With the exception of 3 or 4 traumatized students, we denied the other students bus rights for a month. We had several parent complaints, with threats, but we held fast to our position.

Richard

explorerx4

From what I read, all engines will have manual and automatic options and the V8 HP numbers are 'conservative'.
A few days ago, I saw 4k manufacturer cash or a lower number + financing.
Could be for 2013's, which are no different than 2014's.
The color palette for the 2015's has a lot of bright colors, but still has Oxford White.
That's the same color as my Mustang.
I guess I'll have to do some research to see how long it's been available.

oldfarmer50

"...hp numbers are conservative..."

Like the sound of that. Any info on the weight of the new model? I heard it was going to be several hundred pounds lighter.

explorerx4

To be honest, I wouldn't know what to do with 420 HP.
The fastest car I ever drove was a Porsche 911 GT2, which has around 450 HP.
I called it 'The Hulk'. It was perfectly normal to drive up to a point, then it turned radioactive green and busted out of the shirt.
It belonged to a friend of mine and he sold it to a movie star who just passed away while in a Porsche.
It was very sad, and it might sound odd, but I felt some relief when that it wasn't the car I drove.

sterlingdog

There are two reasons why I don't mind packing a dishwasher pretty full. One, I practically wash the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher---never put a dish with food on it in there. Two, I always leave room for water circulation. My main purpose is to kill some germs with the heat cycle.

Richard

stickguy

I am glad that I am not the only person that insists on cleaning the dishes off before putting them in. I don't "wash" them, but they get scraped and wiped down to get any solids off.

I also hate when anyone else does it. Including my wife. She just doesn't do it right, so I have to rearrange. I end up getting more in, with less overlap. a win win!

we host Thanksgiving, and some of the family helped out with dishes a few times. I almost had a heart attack when I saw what they did in the dishwasher. Stuff on the bottom that had no reason to be there, etc. What a mess I had to fix.

jipster

Yeah, the Tazer idea is a good one. Curl those kids hair without going to the beauty parlor.

Or, oldfarmer could fit every student with a shock collar as they are boarding the bus. One of them act up, shock the whole darn lot of them. We'll call it "tough love."

stickguy

Whenever I read these stories, I regret all the "you can always ride the bus" threats I gave my daughter...