Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

Sandman6472

Have been watching "Adam The Woo" on YouTube for awhile now. He's a quirky guy who got me with his "shall We" used in almost every introduction. His videos are very informative and quite funny at times. Like that he doesn't take himself or life too seriously and I always laugh during his videos. Watch a few other folks based in the Orlando/Celebration area and it's weird that we get pulled into their lives like we actually know them! But I love that everyday, I've got a few new videos to watch about things I really like. There are also a few of the car related videos but bet y'all watch the same ones as I do.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Just got a crushing utility bill september. Gas and electric (same utility) $100.14

You’re lucky, you have gas. We’re all electric and it is not cheap.

mjfloyd1

Ha! I’ve got 4 NG furnaces and 4 AC in primary house. Thankfully insulated well.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

31 years with the post office, 6 years with Hertz, and now closing in on 5 years with Enterprise. Not sure how long I'll stay here but, like the job, so can see me doing maybe another 5 or so. Did make a major move at work though. Since I fell backwards out of the 15 pack about 7 weeks ago, have been thinking of seeing if I could go back to a minivan, which has much easier ingress/egress for me. Asked the boss for a meeting last Friday and finally got in on Monday. He closed the door so figure he thought it might be serious. Asked for a move and then he said funny, I was going to talk to you about that. Seems the weekend guy quit so they need a dedicated weekend person and he remembers I had asked to change to weekends. So he was thrilled and we decided on a T, F, Sat & Sun schedule, basically the same hours since the weekends are shorter days with no lunch.

So, am very pleased right now. Working with different crews on my 8 hour days which is fine, nice to mix it up a bit. Like a change every now & then.

I’m surprised they still force old people to climb into those beasts. We stopped using those big 15 packs after Covid. Even during Covid we still used minivans with a hilariously useless plexiglass screen between the front and second row (as if the guy sitting next to you was germ free😂). The idea with the big vehicles was to put one person every other row but the unlucky folks who got stuck in the back didn’t like getting bounced around and everybody ended up sitting up front. It was all kind of silly but I guess the company had to show some government mucky muck that they were making an effort.

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
Just got a crushing utility bill september. Gas and electric (same utility) $100.14

Do you need to start a gofundme?

Sandman6472

Our property tax bill comes out on my birthday usually, what a gift! Will be paid by mid month so to take the discount offered for early payment. It's gotta be paid so why pay more then we have to by waiting till the end! But my CD will be due in a few weeks so I've got that covered. Our last power bill was about $153 which ain't bad for all the heat we've been having. We could pay the same price every month in a program they have which averages out the bills but so far, we're not doing that. We have auto-pay for our cell phone plan as it saves us a bit more on our senior plan. I'd love to switch companies but again, we're staying put where we are.

mjfloyd1

Well, I got the medical records and autopsy report from my sister and I am fuming. No labs Friday with a temp 100.8 and sent home with only albuterol inhaler. Saturday she had an abdominal CT and they noted left lower lobe pneumonia and sent her home with a z pack, Norco and muscle relaxant despite having. heart rate of 132 and oxygen sat of 92% ( Friday HR was 112 and sat 97%). Anyone notice a disturbing trend in vitals?. She died in her sleep.

Autopsy showed left lung pneumonia with 800 mL empyema (pus around the lung). She needed to be admitted for iv antibiotics and probably a chest tube to drain the pus.

I just don’t understand how they can discharge an elderly woman with disturbing vitals on inadequate antibiotics - especially from a prompt care attached to an ER where she could be admitted. I don’t understand not getting a chest CT. All this happened in a wealthy suburb of Indianapolis. I am dumbfounded.

Celebration of life is today. This is gonna be rough. She was such a sweet person. Worked as a speech and language pathologist and loved her “kiddos”. Had 4 foster Labrador retrievers that she adopted.

Sandman6472

Did stop by our cell phone provider yesterday to get more info about swapping out my iPhone 12 for the new 16. They would give me $350 as I recall but charge me $830 for the iPhone 16 payable over 36 months at $13.33 per month. It would be mine after the term is over but, it would still be locked to their company & I'd need to request them to unlock it. Undecided what to do. Apple only wants to give me $180 discount on an unlocked unit but I'd have to pay $30 to activate it to my company.

Comparing the figures, sure makes sense to go with my provider, get the larger rebate and pay it out over time but it will not be an unlocked phone. But last time, my wife bought hers at Target, got a small gift card but her phone was locked to our company while I went directly to the Apple store, got I recall, $230 and got an unlocked unit. I just have to decide if I'm ready to upgrade right now or just wait things out. I did get my iPhone 12 late in the year even though I had planned to wait the full year. If my 12 has any problems, then I'd trade up no questions asked. But think I'll just hang on a bit longer and put the funds away. But going with my provider seems to be the way to go as long as they offer a larger rebate.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

graphicguy

laurasdada said:

jmonroe1 said:

laurasdada said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

I think OF is pulling our collective legs. He is fully into bitcoin🫤

————————————————
The more I think of it the more I think you’re right. @oldfarmer50 probably still bites coins to prove they are real.

jmonroe

OK, that’s it. No million for you!😤

I took the convertible out on what will probably be the last drive this year. I won’t put it away until I’m sure there will be no more warm days but the odds are against it. Hard to believe I’ve had it 6 years now.

Glorious day here, went topless too. Which I'll continue to do until temps consistently stay below ~55 (depending upon sunshine). I will drive it in the winter, keep engine/brakes/tires happy. As I did last winter, which was basically sans snow.

Washed the M240 and applied a coat of ceramic spray in a bottle (from the good folks at Nu Finish). I'll probably put a coat of the good ol' Nu Finish on top of that tomorrow.

I do miss Zaino, perhaps I should dip my toes again in those expensive waters!

————————————————
I’ve never used any Zaino products. So I know nothing about them but I’ve only heard good things about them. I’ve been satisfied with the Collinite 845 that I’ve used for more than 10 years now.

As I understand it, you can only get Zaino online so I don’t know how it’s packaged. What I’ve noticed at the auto parts stores with wax products, the fancier the package the faster the wax leaves the shelf. Collinite is in a very plain/dull beige bottle so it’s always on the shelf when I go to get it. So far, I’ve been more than happy with the results. But, everyone seems to have their favorite and I’ve found mine.

jmonroe

Yes, a mad scientist in NJ.
https://www.zainostore.com/

I bought a maintenance care pkg years ago, then my life kinda changed in a big way. Lost my home car washing option. But through several moves, the Zaino came with me. I'm just about out of the Z6 and down to my final bottle of Z7. One of the bottles of Z7 broke at some point, making a gooey mess in the container.
The Z6 does a great job for a quick detail.

At a car show, I got a sample bottle of Griot's Speed Shine, that also does a really nice quick detail job. So, on my list to replace the Z6. Unless I join the cult of Zaino personality again. And for the '95 TL, I had it bad...

Boy...I used to be obsessive/compulsive with Zaino. I would layer upon layer that stuff. I'd tell the dealer not to wash any new car I took delivery of as I only trusted myself to detail it when new.

-wash with blue Dawn to get rid of any stuff the factory left on it
-clay bar
-Z2+ZFX+Z6 (smelled like bubble gum)


I spoke to their founder (can't recall his name) a couple of times on the phone. That was a lot of years ago. I don't even know if he's still alive.

These days, I go to a "spray" place that are usually attached to a "Mike's Car Wash". Bucket wash. Dry. I really like Turtle Wax ceramic "stuff". Lasts 4-5 months. Not the shine the Zaino provided. But, still good. A whole lot less work.

I think the paints on cars today are a lot better than they were 15-20 years ago. They seem less prone to chipping and have less orange peel.

driver100

@mjfloyd1 My condolences. It seems the medical system in the U.S. and in Canada is overwhelmed. The medical staff are burned out since covid, and the baby boomers are pushing the system to the limits.
I am so sorry to hear this sad news, your sister sounds like the kind of person who I like the best......someone who was making the world a better place.

mjfloyd1

I don’t think that they were overwhelmed. I think that they made bad choices and my sister paid the price for their bad choices.

stickguy

I think our bill was about $65 electric and $35 gas. We now have a gas range and a 2nd wall oven that is electric, and tend to use that all the time. Gas dryer and furnace. Working from home probably uses a bit more electricity. Overall, for a house this size, not too bad. Based on how little the HVAC runs it seems to be very efficient.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I think our bill was about $65 electric and $35 gas. We now have a gas range and a 2nd wall oven that is electric, and tend to use that all the time. Gas dryer and furnace. Working from home probably uses a bit more electricity. Overall, for a house this size, not too bad. Based on how little the HVAC runs it seems to be very efficient.

You have a gas dryer? We have gas furnace and hot water heater and fake fireplace, but all electric, otherwise.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Just got a crushing utility bill september. Gas and electric (same utility) $100.14

————————————————
Your concern should be your water bill.

jmonroe

driver100

mjfloyd1 said:

I don’t think that they were overwhelmed. I think that they made bad choices and my sister paid the price for their bad choices.

Could be. They may have made bad choices because it was the quickest easiest least expensive thing for them to do, or, they didn't take the time to analyze properly. Even cost is becoming a factor, not doing everything properly because it could cost more.
My experience is most medical people are pretty good, but they can't cope with the workload or the red tape. Not an excuse, just saying sometimes they could have done more.

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

————————————————
Don’t back peddle. I’d say that was a fair question.

jmonroe

corvette

I have a gas furnace and no other gas appliances. Electricity here is cheap, and I probably should have upgraded to a hybrid heat pump when my A/C died a few years back, but I didn't.

carnaught

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

@driver100 said:

I was hoping for a good romantic ending to that story.

A little ironic, my friend's wife bought a Lyriq and there aren't many charging stations around, and any that are around, have slow chargers, it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles. They won't be able to use the Lyriq to go from Toronto to Arizona, it would take a month to get there. And what if he can't find a station or if he gets there and the equipment is broken...which he says happens a lot.

He said his wife wanted it and she gets what she wants, but if he was to do it over again he'd talk her into a hybrid....it seems that is the way to go!

WOW…are they level 1 chargers? Even 220-240 chargers are faster than that!

He went to a charging station, there is only one company in the area that has chargers for Lyriqs. He plugs it in and it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles (100 kms). Apparently this company, the only one around, only has the slow chargers at this time.


Too bad he did not investigate charging issues before getting the Lyriq.

jmonroe1

carnaught said:

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

@driver100 said:

I was hoping for a good romantic ending to that story.

A little ironic, my friend's wife bought a Lyriq and there aren't many charging stations around, and any that are around, have slow chargers, it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles. They won't be able to use the Lyriq to go from Toronto to Arizona, it would take a month to get there. And what if he can't find a station or if he gets there and the equipment is broken...which he says happens a lot.

He said his wife wanted it and she gets what she wants, but if he was to do it over again he'd talk her into a hybrid....it seems that is the way to go!

WOW…are they level 1 chargers? Even 220-240 chargers are faster than that!

He went to a charging station, there is only one company in the area that has chargers for Lyriqs. He plugs it in and it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles (100 kms). Apparently this company, the only one around, only has the slow chargers at this time.

Too bad he did not investigate charging issues before getting the Lyriq.

————————————————
From what @driver100 said about that purchase, it doesn’t sound like his friends wife would have put up with any of that.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

The car is only 25, I looked pretty good at that age too.😀

jmonroe1

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

The car is only 25, I looked pretty good at that age too.😀

————————————————
Didn’t we all? Come to think of it, I turned 25 on my honeymoon…what a hunk I was back then.

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

@driver100 said:
Could be. They may have made bad choices because it was the quickest easiest least expensive thing for them to do, or, they didn't take the time to analyze properly. Even cost is becoming a factor, not doing everything properly because it could cost more.
My experience is most medical people are pretty good, but they can't cope with the workload or the red tape. Not an excuse, just saying sometimes they could have done more.

I have always been someone who takes the extra time to do what I would want done if I were the patient. It isn’t very crowded if you take the high road.

I have very little tolerance for taking the easy way if it is not what is right for the patient.

stickguy

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

I think our bill was about $65 electric and $35 gas. We now have a gas range and a 2nd wall oven that is electric, and tend to use that all the time. Gas dryer and furnace. Working from home probably uses a bit more electricity. Overall, for a house this size, not too bad. Based on how little the HVAC runs it seems to be very efficient.

You have a gas dryer? We have gas furnace and hot water heater and fake fireplace, but all electric, otherwise.

actually, I take that back. We stayed with an electric dryer in this house (our last house was the first time we did not have gas). At least I think we did! I should probably go check.

stickguy

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:

Just got a crushing utility bill september. Gas and electric (same utility) $100.14

————————————————
Your concern should be your water bill.

jmonroe

the first one of those was $25 for our first quarter. I think they bill 2x a year, so we only got hit with 3 of the first 6 months. But the next one with all the watering I did is definitely going to be higher.

stickguy

I don't get what the issue is with the Lyriq. At this point I thought there were just 2 types of chargers, the Tesla one and the one that everyone else uses? So is this just saying that the problem is the Caddy needs the Electrify America/Non-Tesla style, like all the other newer non-Tesla cars (many of the brands that have now joined the Supercharger network by using adapters)?

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

carnaught said:

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

@driver100 said:

I was hoping for a good romantic ending to that story.

A little ironic, my friend's wife bought a Lyriq and there aren't many charging stations around, and any that are around, have slow chargers, it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles. They won't be able to use the Lyriq to go from Toronto to Arizona, it would take a month to get there. And what if he can't find a station or if he gets there and the equipment is broken...which he says happens a lot.

He said his wife wanted it and she gets what she wants, but if he was to do it over again he'd talk her into a hybrid....it seems that is the way to go!

WOW…are they level 1 chargers? Even 220-240 chargers are faster than that!

He went to a charging station, there is only one company in the area that has chargers for Lyriqs. He plugs it in and it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles (100 kms). Apparently this company, the only one around, only has the slow chargers at this time.

Too bad he did not investigate charging issues before getting the Lyriq.

————————————————
From what @driver100 said about that purchase, it doesn’t sound like his friends wife would have put up with any of that.

jmonroe

Exactly, my friend had no say....she wanted the Lyriq. btw, this is the same Lyriq that sat in a field until a new battery arrived from Detroit. They had to put it on a truck hoist to change the battery, if it wan't covered by warranty it would have cost $20k CDN, about $14k U.S.

driver100

carnaught said:

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

@driver100 said:

I was hoping for a good romantic ending to that story.

A little ironic, my friend's wife bought a Lyriq and there aren't many charging stations around, and any that are around, have slow chargers, it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles. They won't be able to use the Lyriq to go from Toronto to Arizona, it would take a month to get there. And what if he can't find a station or if he gets there and the equipment is broken...which he says happens a lot.

He said his wife wanted it and she gets what she wants, but if he was to do it over again he'd talk her into a hybrid....it seems that is the way to go!

WOW…are they level 1 chargers? Even 220-240 chargers are faster than that!

He went to a charging station, there is only one company in the area that has chargers for Lyriqs. He plugs it in and it takes 4 hours to get 60 miles (100 kms). Apparently this company, the only one around, only has the slow chargers at this time.

Too bad he did not investigate charging issues before getting the Lyriq.


He had no say, his wife fell in love with it. He has a 2024 VW Golf R gasser. He had a 2017 Audi A8 and he loves the smaller VW.
The Lyriq looks great but it is too risky getting a Cadillac EV. He says the dealer doesn't even have someone that knows how to fix them...or even answer questions.
btw....I will say this which may help, his wife has an extremely good pension plan and makes more than most workers....so she buys what she wants, and he buys what he wants.
That is what they have done for about 50 years.

driver100

mjfloyd1 said:

@driver100 said:

Could be. They may have made bad choices because it was the quickest easiest least expensive thing for them to do, or, they didn't take the time to analyze properly. Even cost is becoming a factor, not doing everything properly because it could cost more.

My experience is most medical people are pretty good, but they can't cope with the workload or the red tape. Not an excuse, just saying sometimes they could have done more.

I have always been someone who takes the extra time to do what I would want done if I were the patient. It isn’t very crowded if you take the high road.

I have very little tolerance for taking the easy way if it is not what is right for the patient.

I agree and I think that is true in any profession or job. We have a fairly young lady doctor at the tennis club who retired early, she couldn't stand that to make enough money she couldn't spend time with her patients, she had to get them in and out. Remember, in Canada we have medicare, doctors only make so much per visit. They only get about $10 for a vaccine shot, so they put 5 people in separate rooms and run from one room to the other so they can make $50 in 30 minutes....less expenses for an office and staff.
My mother was in the hospital over Christmas. So many staff were on holidays there was very little help to be found. We have people waiting months and years for knees and hips. People are left in hallways because of a shortage of rooms.
The system is broken in Canada, and many countries like England and Australia.
From what I understand and I could be wrong...I don't have time to study in depth, big corporations buy and run hospitals in the U.S., and they want to maximize profits by cutting corners. Insurance companies try to get things done as cheaply as possible.
Hard to do your best with all that going on!
******************I am trying my best to not have to go to a hospital********

carnaught

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

The car is only 25, I looked pretty good at that age too.😀

————————————————
Didn’t we all? Come to think of it, I turned 25 on my honeymoon…what a hunk I was back then.

jmonroe

A 25 y.o. Dean Martin.

carnaught

mjfloyd1 said:

@driver100 said:

Could be. They may have made bad choices because it was the quickest easiest least expensive thing for them to do, or, they didn't take the time to analyze properly. Even cost is becoming a factor, not doing everything properly because it could cost more.

My experience is most medical people are pretty good, but they can't cope with the workload or the red tape. Not an excuse, just saying sometimes they could have done more.

I have always been someone who takes the extra time to do what I would want done if I were the patient. It isn’t very crowded if you take the high road.

I have very little tolerance for taking the easy way if it is not what is right for the patient.

Indeed. I’ve always taught my medical students and Residents to never try and see what you can get away with concerning a patient. Always try to do the right thing for your patient.

laurasdada

graphicguy said:

laurasdada said:

jmonroe1 said:

laurasdada said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

I think OF is pulling our collective legs. He is fully into bitcoin🫤

————————————————
The more I think of it the more I think you’re right. @oldfarmer50 probably still bites coins to prove they are real.

jmonroe

OK, that’s it. No million for you!😤

I took the convertible out on what will probably be the last drive this year. I won’t put it away until I’m sure there will be no more warm days but the odds are against it. Hard to believe I’ve had it 6 years now.

Glorious day here, went topless too. Which I'll continue to do until temps consistently stay below ~55 (depending upon sunshine). I will drive it in the winter, keep engine/brakes/tires happy. As I did last winter, which was basically sans snow.

Washed the M240 and applied a coat of ceramic spray in a bottle (from the good folks at Nu Finish). I'll probably put a coat of the good ol' Nu Finish on top of that tomorrow.

I do miss Zaino, perhaps I should dip my toes again in those expensive waters!

————————————————
I’ve never used any Zaino products. So I know nothing about them but I’ve only heard good things about them. I’ve been satisfied with the Collinite 845 that I’ve used for more than 10 years now.

As I understand it, you can only get Zaino online so I don’t know how it’s packaged. What I’ve noticed at the auto parts stores with wax products, the fancier the package the faster the wax leaves the shelf. Collinite is in a very plain/dull beige bottle so it’s always on the shelf when I go to get it. So far, I’ve been more than happy with the results. But, everyone seems to have their favorite and I’ve found mine.

jmonroe

Yes, a mad scientist in NJ.
https://www.zainostore.com/

I bought a maintenance care pkg years ago, then my life kinda changed in a big way. Lost my home car washing option. But through several moves, the Zaino came with me. I'm just about out of the Z6 and down to my final bottle of Z7. One of the bottles of Z7 broke at some point, making a gooey mess in the container.
The Z6 does a great job for a quick detail.

At a car show, I got a sample bottle of Griot's Speed Shine, that also does a really nice quick detail job. So, on my list to replace the Z6. Unless I join the cult of Zaino personality again. And for the '95 TL, I had it bad...

Boy...I used to be obsessive/compulsive with Zaino. I would layer upon layer that stuff. I'd tell the dealer not to wash any new car I took delivery of as I only trusted myself to detail it when new.

-wash with blue Dawn to get rid of any stuff the factory left on it
-clay bar
-Z2+ZFX+Z6 (smelled like bubble gum)


I spoke to their founder (can't recall his name) a couple of times on the phone. That was a lot of years ago. I don't even know if he's still alive.

These days, I go to a "spray" place that are usually attached to a "Mike's Car Wash". Bucket wash. Dry. I really like Turtle Wax ceramic "stuff". Lasts 4-5 months. Not the shine the Zaino provided. But, still good. A whole lot less work.

I think the paints on cars today are a lot better than they were 15-20 years ago. They seem less prone to chipping and have less orange peel.

Sal Zaino.

Similar, I was Z7+ZFX/Z5 + Z6 for the Abyss Blue TL. By the time I traded it for the Jag XK, I must have had at least a dozen coats of Z5. And enjoyed the bubble gum smell of Z7. Kept Zainoing the silver XK and XF, but then the change of life (and ran out of ZFX/Z5. After all these years, the Z7 seems to have lost some of its potency, not as bubbly or bubble gummy smelling.

Been using NuFinish. May not be the deepest/glossiest of shines (compared to Zaino) but it does last.

jmonroe1

carnaught said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

The car is only 25, I looked pretty good at that age too.😀

————————————————
Didn’t we all? Come to think of it, I turned 25 on my honeymoon…what a hunk I was back then.

jmonroe

A 25 y.o. Dean Martin.

————————————————
You said it. Not me.

jmonroe

driver100

carnaught said:

jmonroe1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

Looks good for its age.

Who? The car or Old Farmer? I jest!!!!!!

The car is only 25, I looked pretty good at that age too.😀

————————————————
Didn’t we all? Come to think of it, I turned 25 on my honeymoon…what a hunk I was back then.

jmonroe

A 25 y.o. Dean Martin.

Are you calling JMonroe a drunk?

carnaught

@driver100, 😊, remember @jmonroe1 said a while back he was a dead ringer for Dean Martin.

suydam

Took a great weekend road trip in the Blazer EV. It has 300 mi. range, so easily made it to San Diego, traffic jam on the 405 resulted in increased range! Charged overnight at the hotel, went to different events over the weekend. Topped it off before heading back at a fast charger in an outlet mall nearby. Easily made the trip back with plenty of range to spare.
Interesting that both chargers — hotel Level 2 and the fast public charger — cost far less to charge than our home county. Around $20 total for both.
This was so easy to do we are tempted to take it for the cross country trip coming up, but we are not sure how easy it will be in certain parts of the country. Right now we are thinking we will take the Kia and see what it would be like to take an all-EV, kind of a dress rehearsal if we do it again. I booked all hotels that advertised charging stations on their website (and are dog friendly), so we can get an idea of how it might work. I really like the Kia, but I love the Blazer EV as a road trip car!

suydam

Also fun to see the kinds of EVs encountered on the trip. Teslas everywhere, but I did see two Ford F150 Lightning trucks, one at each charging station. Also Ioniq 5s. Didn’t see any Kia EV6’s, but turns out one of the folks we visited just bought one.

corvette

Take the Blazer! I'm not sure the Kia would be a very good "dry run" for an EV road trip, since its range is only 35 miles or so, if I'm correct... It's going to be running on gas most of the time. Wish I had gotten to take my Volt on a road trip, but that wasn't in the cards, since the deal on the Ariya came along.

stickguy

I think the idea is to map it out like an EV with stops at charging stations, hotels with chargers, and other stuff you would do with an EV.

suydam

True, but I will learn if it’s easy to charge at the various places we stay, and I can check for fast chargers in each place too.

suydam

That’s right. But the mapping is only as good as the data. It’s getting much better but there are still gaps. For example, there was only one other car charging at the hotel the first night when we charged, but if we had arrived the next night all 4 stations were in use. For a PHEV no big deal, but a problem if you are depending on that for your journey the next day. How easy is it to find reliable fast chargers? And we will have to do that for 6 nights in a row. It may be it will turn out to be easy and then we will know.

corvette

You're in a different part of the country, and public fast chargers may be more congested, but here, I've taken the Ariya on a lot of weekend day trips that would deplete its charge. I use the Plugshare app to find chargers near-ish my route, and have a backup if my preferred one is unavailable.

suydam

I think spouse’s insecurity is why we are opting for Plan B. It’s okay. The Kia is a fine vehicle, just not as comfy on the road as the Blazer (and gas costs more than charging).

ab348

suydam said:

Took a great weekend road trip in the Blazer EV. It has 300 mi. range, so easily made it to San Diego, traffic jam on the 405 resulted in increased range!

You also mentioned this in a previous post and I don't understand how that happens. If you're sitting on the Interstate in traffic or just creeping slowly, how does range go up? I'm confused (as is often the case).

suydam

Regenerative braking. The constant stop-start of a prolonged traffic jam sends energy back to the vehicle. We actually gained 10% more range. Not that two hours of LA traffic is fun and games, but it does have that upside that the ICE vehicles around us don’t share.

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

Checking a new Corvette in showroom. $142,000.

$695 for paint on edges of caliper to match the red tintcoat.

It has double clutch trans: I likely would have trouble shifting a single clutch it's been so long since I drove a car with a clutch. Lol

I have a dual clutch on the bike and I love it especially in heavy slow moving traffic. It does give you slightly faster acceleration and slightly better gas mileage.

graphicguy

laurasdada said:

graphicguy said:

laurasdada said:

jmonroe1 said:

laurasdada said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jmonroe1 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

I think OF is pulling our collective legs. He is fully into bitcoin🫤

————————————————
The more I think of it the more I think you’re right. @oldfarmer50 probably still bites coins to prove they are real.

jmonroe

OK, that’s it. No million for you!😤

I took the convertible out on what will probably be the last drive this year. I won’t put it away until I’m sure there will be no more warm days but the odds are against it. Hard to believe I’ve had it 6 years now.

Glorious day here, went topless too. Which I'll continue to do until temps consistently stay below ~55 (depending upon sunshine). I will drive it in the winter, keep engine/brakes/tires happy. As I did last winter, which was basically sans snow.

Washed the M240 and applied a coat of ceramic spray in a bottle (from the good folks at Nu Finish). I'll probably put a coat of the good ol' Nu Finish on top of that tomorrow.

I do miss Zaino, perhaps I should dip my toes again in those expensive waters!

————————————————
I’ve never used any Zaino products. So I know nothing about them but I’ve only heard good things about them. I’ve been satisfied with the Collinite 845 that I’ve used for more than 10 years now.

As I understand it, you can only get Zaino online so I don’t know how it’s packaged. What I’ve noticed at the auto parts stores with wax products, the fancier the package the faster the wax leaves the shelf. Collinite is in a very plain/dull beige bottle so it’s always on the shelf when I go to get it. So far, I’ve been more than happy with the results. But, everyone seems to have their favorite and I’ve found mine.

jmonroe

Yes, a mad scientist in NJ.
https://www.zainostore.com/

I bought a maintenance care pkg years ago, then my life kinda changed in a big way. Lost my home car washing option. But through several moves, the Zaino came with me. I'm just about out of the Z6 and down to my final bottle of Z7. One of the bottles of Z7 broke at some point, making a gooey mess in the container.
The Z6 does a great job for a quick detail.

At a car show, I got a sample bottle of Griot's Speed Shine, that also does a really nice quick detail job. So, on my list to replace the Z6. Unless I join the cult of Zaino personality again. And for the '95 TL, I had it bad...

Boy...I used to be obsessive/compulsive with Zaino. I would layer upon layer that stuff. I'd tell the dealer not to wash any new car I took delivery of as I only trusted myself to detail it when new.

-wash with blue Dawn to get rid of any stuff the factory left on it
-clay bar
-Z2+ZFX+Z6 (smelled like bubble gum)


I spoke to their founder (can't recall his name) a couple of times on the phone. That was a lot of years ago. I don't even know if he's still alive.

These days, I go to a "spray" place that are usually attached to a "Mike's Car Wash". Bucket wash. Dry. I really like Turtle Wax ceramic "stuff". Lasts 4-5 months. Not the shine the Zaino provided. But, still good. A whole lot less work.

I think the paints on cars today are a lot better than they were 15-20 years ago. They seem less prone to chipping and have less orange peel.

Sal Zaino.

Similar, I was Z7+ZFX/Z5 + Z6 for the Abyss Blue TL. By the time I traded it for the Jag XK, I must have had at least a dozen coats of Z5. And enjoyed the bubble gum smell of Z7. Kept Zainoing the silver XK and XF, but then the change of life (and ran out of ZFX/Z5. After all these years, the Z7 seems to have lost some of its potency, not as bubbly or bubble gummy smelling.

Been using NuFinish. May not be the deepest/glossiest of shines (compared to Zaino) but it does last.

Sal Zaino...that's right. Spoke to him a couple of times. But, that was at least 15 years ago. So, not sure he's around any more.

I've got some Liquid Glass I pull out every once in a while in addition to the Ceramic Turtle Wax. Both are easy to apply.

graphicguy

Went with a friend of mine who gets a new Suburban every 3 years. Time for a new one (sheesh....when did those approach the cost of piece of property?).

These were in the showroom.

snakeweasel

houdini1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

kyfdx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

How about them Mets! Quite the unexpected playoff run this year but 1 step away from the WS.

Bummer for you Philly fans but you had your run recently!

I’ve only been waiting since 1969 for them to do this. 😫

The Mets were in the World Series in 1973!

I wasn’t rooting for them that year.😝

Was it the Mets several years ago, that when the season started and some dignitary threw out the first pitch, someone in the stands held up a sign that said, Wait 'til next year.

I think White Sox fans are making those signs right now for next year.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

Just got a crushing utility bill september. Gas and electric (same utility) $100.14

Well to help you out send it to me and I will pay it, all you have to do is pay mine in it's place.