Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

venture

Sorry to hear about your sister mjfloyd1.

mjfloyd1

@cdnpinhead said:
Holy crap -- you sure don't write limited English. I've been following your medical comments (bordering on advice) for years, so let's hear it for the power of the written word.

You've been helpful on here, at least to me; your syntax and all of the rest of it is flawless, or else you've got me fooled.

Sorry to hear about your sister and the rest. I'm 76 and my sister is five years older, so I can appreciate what a shock you endured. Hang in there.

That was a joke. I grew up in Indiana. I hear a lot of “I seen you was”. I was merely making fun of myself.

mjfloyd1

Remember, I’m the guy who gives medicines and says “this medicine may make me shockingly handsome …but I doubt it”. Usually good for a chuckle as they go off to sleep

ab348

venture said:

cdnpinhead said:

I got the vision correction cataract lenses and didn't really need glasses after the surgery for anything but close-up stuff. In the intervening years my eyes have shifted some, such that my long-distance vision is better with glasses, but it wasn't like that for the first few years after the surgery.

I don't know what type of lens I have. I was never asked. All I know is my insurance was really good so probably the best you could get then. That was a little over 20 years ago so who knows?

But the point is - Same for me as far as being able to see better right after it was done. When people couldn't see something, like a sign, that was far away, they used to ask me what it said.

I noticed that, over the years, some things aren't as clear. It's not bad enough to make me wear contacts again (never again) or glasses.

I went through the contacts phase when I was in my 30s. Never had to endure the hard contacts but tried just about every variety of soft contacts to get one that worked and never really found it. By the time I got home from work each day they had to come out because of discomfort, and if you were outside on a dry, windy day or went out after work they quickly became unbearable. Then of course they always needed cleaning and storage once I got home at the end of the day until the next morning. A few times they came out in the middle of the day and even if you could find it you couldn't just put it back in without cleaning it. A total pain. I went back to the eye doc several times and they finally concluded that the shape of my eyeball was why I was having problems. The only ones that came close to being acceptable were the daily disposable ones which back then were pretty expensive to use. I abandoned them after a few years.

For me, the only good thing about them was they gave me the ability to wear sunglasses.

driver100

ab348 said:

cdnpinhead said:

These two operations (they never do them both at once, lest there be a whoops that loses you both eyes) made a bigger difference in my day-to-day life than anything else I've ever had done. It was life-changing.

I don't know if you were referring to cataract surgery when you said they never do two at once, but when I had my surgery on Thursday, several patients had both eyes done at that one time. I heard the surgeon say to one of them that it was smart because they were coming from quite a distance out of town so they avoided multiple travel days.

My wife had both done at once and she was glad she did. In Ontario Canada they will give you basic lenses at no cost. If you want better ones you pay the difference. The premium clinic will do both eyes at once, sure makes it faster and easier.

driver100

graphicguy said:

@mjfloyd1 …so sorry for your loss. Sincerest condolences!

As my ophthalmologist said to me, doing both eyes at the same time means the patient is essentially going to be relatively sightless for a period of time. Further, he said the less trauma (like surgery) the body has to endure at any single time, the better. He felt it better to let one eye heal before doing the other! Plus, he never knows how anyone’s body will react to eye surgery!

That sounds logical! However the place MrsD100 went do both eyes all the time, and I doubt they would do that if it was a problem.

driver100

X

driver100

I have to admit, I did find a good reason for getting an EV;

Most stolen cars head to countries in Africa and the Middle East, where Toyotas and Hondas as well as luxury brands such as Lexus and Range Rovers are in demand, electric vehicles often aren’t targeted because of a lack of charging infrastructure in those countries.

driver100

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

abacomike

Just finished my nuclear stress test along with pictures taken of my heart before and after. My friends are on their way here to the imaging center to drive me home in my car - I am too unstable to drive the 27 miles home. Hopefully all is well.

nyccarguy

driver100 said:

I have to admit, I did find a good reason for getting an EV;

Most stolen cars head to countries in Africa and the Middle East, where Toyotas and Hondas as well as luxury brands such as Lexus and Range Rovers are in demand, electric vehicles often aren’t targeted because of a lack of charging infrastructure in those countries.

You are worried that your 2014 C250 with no backup camera is at risk?

mjfloyd1

@driver100 said: no
@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

She was a speech and language pathologist, divorced with two adult kids. She asked me to do it and I said that I would, so I will.

Kirstie_H

Well, we made it through the storm. I wish I had photos of what it looked like during peak storm surge as 8-10 feet of water came rushing in, but it was 1 am and pitch black outside since all power to the neighborhood was cut. There wasn't a blade of grass visible.

My home was only one of about 10 with zero flooding, in a community of ~1,100 homes, and every single business had flooding. Many people have severe water damage that has resulted in their homes being uninhabitable, including my best girlfriend who is currently living with me. Since we got no damage (and the power was out, making work impossible), we spent all day Friday helping get a restaurant back in order. Every single fridge, freezer, icemaker, etc., had toppled over. Spent Saturday cleaning out a friend's home, toting appliances, furniture, and everything else to the curb. Sunday afternoon was the first time in a few days that I didn't smell like a dumpster, and boy am I TIRED. I'm old, and not built for manual labor, LOL.

I'm just grateful to have escaped unscathed. I cannot even imagine the devastation to the big bend and panhandle areas that took a more direct hit.

tjc78

@mjfloyd1
Very sorry for your loss

suydam

Maybe it’s my humble corumstances, but I don’t know anyone who has had a bank or company as executor. I was the executor for my mother’s estate, and our adult children will be for us. It is time-consuming, for sure, but I see it as one of those things you do to honor your family.

sda

@mjfloyd1 Sorry to learn about your sister.

stickguy

I was executed for my sister. Was a bit of a pain. But not terrible or all that time consuming. The lawyer does most of the important work. Mostly I just had to make a spreadsheet and contact the various institutions that held assets (bank, brokerage, insurance) and get them paperwork. The worst part was dealing with some of my relatives!

I am executor for my father when he goes but that should be a really simple one since it is well organized.

corvette

stickguy said:

I was executed for my sister. Was a bit of a pain.

But you lived to tell about it!

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

I was executed for my sister. Was a bit of a pain. But not terrible or all that time consuming. The lawyer does most of the important work. Mostly I just had to make a spreadsheet and contact the various institutions that held assets (bank, brokerage, insurance) and get them paperwork. The worst part was dealing with some of my relatives!

I am executor for my father when he goes but that should be a really simple one since it is well organized.

I was executed for my sister and you live to tell the tale!

pensfan83

@mjfloyd1 my condolences to you and your family for your unexpected loss

Both of my parents are the oldest of their siblings so they each had the role of executor of their respective estates. Their jobs were made easier by the fact that real estate holdings had been sold some years before and there was minimal debit. As the oldest of my siblings I'm listed as the executor on my parents estate.

[Deleted User]

Sorry for your loss @mjfloyd1

imidazol97

Walmart battery. 2015 Chev Cruze. 3 year warranty. Failed 3 years 29 days.
I thought the thing had a 5 year warranty with 3 years replacement and the
rest pro rata.

Uhhhh.

It hadn't sounded quite right for several days when I first cranked it.

I checked it again with my tester and it turns out it is down to 54$
of life left. I noticed today it kept charging at 14.5 instead of staying up
for a minute or two and then dropping lower in voltage to charge.

ab348

I have been struggling with the executor issue for myself. My situation is that I am the youngest in my family but at 68 am not young. In addition I have multiple health issues. I may live another 15 years or another 15 weeks because of their nature. Two of my older siblings are in very poor health and do not have much runway left, while the third is almost 80 and really not in a position to do much. There is really no other family nearby who could take it on.

I need to talk to someone about what the options might be in terms of hiring someone to do it. The financial and real property stuff should be relatively simple but the personal property “stuff” would be a challenge.

laurasdada

Checked air pressure in 240 tires, all a bit low. Topped 'em off. TPMS system went on the fritz, can't reset it 'cuz OBC said it can't read pressures... call service. Of course, warranty expired in June.
Self-insure, Laurasdada. What could go wrong?

kyfdx

laurasdada said:

Checked air pressure in 240 tires, all a bit low. Topped 'em off. TPMS system went on the fritz, can't reset it 'cuz OBC said it can't read pressures... call service. Of course, warranty expired in June.
Self-insure, Laurasdada. What could go wrong?

Go to a tire shop.

ab348

Everybody knows every system in a BMW fails after 3 years.

mjfloyd1

@ab348 said:
Everybody knows every system in a BMW fails after 3 years.

That’s when the oil leaks start too😎

corvette

@laurasdada - if you have a Discount Tire in your area, that would be my first choice.

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

Everybody knows every system in a BMW fails after 3 years.

————————————————
I’ve heard the reason the German manufacturers want you to register parts you buy and have installed by them is so they can set them to fail when they’re out of warranty and beyond the reasonable goodwill extension.

jmonroe

laurasdada

Thanks for the input, all. Never had this issue before (that I recall).

I called local BMW dealer, asked about extended warranty on tpms, or just for me being such a good guy, 3 months out of warranty... I await a reply, after their laughter abates, no doubt.

No Discount Tire, but other local tire shops/repair folks that I can try.

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

Crappy day. Received a call from my nephew that my 68 yr old sister passed away in her sleep. She had been receiving outpatient treatment for pneumonia. Ugh. Such a nice and caring person.

I have power of attorney and she had dropped off paperwork quite a while back. I really don’t want to tackle this but she and her two kids deserve that I give it my attention.

I'm very sorry.

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

@ab348 said:

Everybody knows every system in a BMW fails after 3 years.

That’s when the oil leaks start too😎

I better check on my Club Sport- it might have disintegrated by now...

roadburner

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

laurasdada

ab348 said:

Everybody knows every system in a BMW fails after 3 years.

What, did GM start building BMWs?!

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@mjfloyd1,
Very sorry to here about your sister.
When my Mom passed I was appointed executor.
The lawyer we were assigned where she had her will said not to pay her bills, let them come after the estate.
I told him my Mom always paid her bills, so I'm going to pay them.
Really there wasn't anything major there.
Next time we went back to the law office, we had been assigned a different lawyer.

kyfdx

I can't imagine naming a lawyer or banker as executor for an estate. Naturally, you need an experienced attorney, but that seems dicey. I've done it twice, and nobody died. (afterwards)

mjfloyd1

@roadburner said:
I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

Need a close up of the oil filter housing gasket that is older than 36 months old😳

corvette

When I was in private practice, there was a local hospital that liked to file proofs of claim against estates that they had no reason to file. I had a canned response that I would file explaining why they were wrong and denying the claim. They never pursued it further on any of my cases.

So many of those things are just (un)common sense. I was executor of my great aunt’s estate a few years ago, which is a much longer story for when I’m at a physical keyboard. She had (allegedly) committed to purchase two tickets to a charity dinner. I couldn’t prove or disprove whether she had signed up, but didn’t want to stiff the charity, so I paid the expense out of the estate. I also provided lunch for anyone who helped clean out the house… I remember my uncle offering to pay once, and I told him the estate would pay so that the people who weren’t there cleaning could help.

jmonroe1

kyfdx said:

I can't imagine naming a lawyer or banker as executor for an estate. Naturally, you need an experienced attorney, but that seems dicey. I've done it twice, and nobody died. (afterwards)

————————————————-
I’m confused. By your own admission someone died after the first time.

jmonroe

roadburner

@mjfloyd1 said:

@roadburner said:
I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

Need a close up of the oil filter housing gasket that is older than 36 months old😳

I replaced the valve cover gasket and the front main seal- that’s it. If the M42 has an OFHG issue it’s news to me.
And the 2015 X1 is still on its OEM OFHG- so I guess it’s 6 years overdue.

mjfloyd1

Mine have taken longer than 36 months to leak but then it was multiple leaks and a coolant pump leak as well. But that was a twin turbo 6 335

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

I was executor of my mother’s estate which was made easier by her having a will with clear instructions. Hired a lawyer to do the probate stuff since I neither had the time or the knowledge to handle that.

I’m trying to do the same for my kids by having accounts transferred on death or disposition written into the will. Real estate is in a trust.

oldfarmer50

Kirstie_H said:

Well, we made it through the storm. I wish I had photos of what it looked like during peak storm surge as 8-10 feet of water came rushing in, but it was 1 am and pitch black outside since all power to the neighborhood was cut. There wasn't a blade of grass visible.

My home was only one of about 10 with zero flooding, in a community of ~1,100 homes, and every single business had flooding. Many people have severe water damage that has resulted in their homes being uninhabitable, including my best girlfriend who is currently living with me. Since we got no damage (and the power was out, making work impossible), we spent all day Friday helping get a restaurant back in order. Every single fridge, freezer, icemaker, etc., had toppled over. Spent Saturday cleaning out a friend's home, toting appliances, furniture, and everything else to the curb. Sunday afternoon was the first time in a few days that I didn't smell like a dumpster, and boy am I TIRED. I'm old, and not built for manual labor, LOL.

I'm just grateful to have escaped unscathed. I cannot even imagine the devastation to the big bend and panhandle areas that took a more direct hit.

Glad you made it out ok.👍

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

I was executed for my sister. Was a bit of a pain. But not terrible or all that time consuming. The lawyer does most of the important work. Mostly I just had to make a spreadsheet and contact the various institutions that held assets (bank, brokerage, insurance) and get them paperwork. The worst part was dealing with some of my relatives!

I am executor for my father when he goes but that should be a really simple one since it is well organized.

I’ve heard horror stories about the antics from relatives. I don’t know what comes over people at a time like that. No one from either of my parent’s families gave us any trouble for which I was grateful.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

I have been struggling with the executor issue for myself. My situation is that I am the youngest in my family but at 68 am not young. In addition I have multiple health issues. I may live another 15 years or another 15 weeks because of their nature. Two of my older siblings are in very poor health and do not have much runway left, while the third is almost 80 and really not in a position to do much. There is really no other family nearby who could take it on.

I need to talk to someone about what the options might be in terms of hiring someone to do it. The financial and real property stuff should be relatively simple but the personal property “stuff” would be a challenge.

An elder law attorney could do a review to make sure all the paperwork is in order. I don’t know what the rules are in Canada but having a lawyer to file government required forms makes it much easier.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

I was executor of my mother’s estate which was made easier by her having a will with clear instructions. Hired a lawyer to do the probate stuff since I neither had the time or the knowledge to handle that.

I’m trying to do the same for my kids by having accounts transferred on death or disposition written into the will. Real estate is in a trust.

my father greatly simplified things by selling the house (and disposing of all the contents) before moving to a retirement community. So possessions wise, it is next to nothing (though he does still have his car, and it would be a lot easier if that was taken care of in advance). And the financial stuff is well organized and should be quick.

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

roadburner said:

I just checked- it's on the verge of cosmetic and mechanical collapse:

————————————————
Until I saw the hood up I could have thought your car only had one side.

jmonroe

Just for you:

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

@mjfloyd1
Very sad to hear to hear this. You are doing a very nice thing by being executor, but it is an extremely difficult, time consuming and frustrating job. Even lawyers are declining taking it on. People should leave being executor to banks or money management companies.

I was executor of my mother’s estate which was made easier by her having a will with clear instructions. Hired a lawyer to do the probate stuff since I neither had the time or the knowledge to handle that.

I’m trying to do the same for my kids by having accounts transferred on death or disposition written into the will. Real estate is in a trust.

my father greatly simplified things by selling the house (and disposing of all the contents) before moving to a retirement community. So possessions wise, it is next to nothing (though he does still have his car, and it would be a lot easier if that was taken care of in advance). And the financial stuff is well organized and should be quick.

We put our house and land in a trust for Medicaid avoidance purposes since that’s our biggest asset. The kids get that automatically when we’re gone. That reminds me that I have to make an appointment with the lawyer to review things so that nothing requires going through probate. I think in NY if you have as little as $20-30k not specifically transferred at death the estate can be forced into probate.

For my cars I’ll pre-sign the titles so my son can sell them.

kyfdx

My uncle had a trust, to avoid probate, but I still had to go to court.

It's amazing how many things you have to deal with that require you to be named executor by probate court. It's easier than trying to get every entity to re-issue a check in the name of the Trust.

We don't have any sort of trust, and so far, in my experience, it's an unnecessary layer of complication. It can be beneficial in certain situations, but not for us.

Of course, we are far below the threshold for US estate taxes.