Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    yeah .. so I'm envious .. how does that help ME????

    actually I've been using a different laptop .. one my dad picked up somewhere for next to nothing awhile back .. it's a Dell with 128 MB memory which could be upgraded to 256 however you can't find the memory anymore as it's not 'standard' ... I've even been looking for a good deal on a laptop to buy, but seems ridiculous that I should have to buy one in order to do my job ...

    We have a student who is in an 'early primary grade' who needs another 'placement' ... people here would probably cheer, too ... but fat chance getting a different placement any year soon ...

    grrrrrr
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    but seems ridiculous that I should have to buy one in order to do my job ...

    yes indeed.

    However, you could still purchase one and write it off on your tax return. It's an occupational equipment necessary to do your job. Not necessary to get a brand new laptop. Most of the brand names do sell refurbs in current models at reasonably good prices.

    -Dave
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Brenda, what OS are you using? I'd say that 64 mb of ram is woefully inadequate unless you're running MS-DOS! :D

    Yes, upgrading your ram to 256 or even better 512 would probably do wonders, but it sounds like it will still be a slow machine.

    Don't you get discounts on Apple laptops as a teacher? I do believe the new Macbooks are quite reasonable with the educational discounts.

    On a side note, anyone running beta versions of Vista yet? I've played with it a little- looks a lot like the Mac OS! :D

    tom
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I did the last Vista beta and didn't set up the different drives very well and hosed my system. I got the release candidate a couple of weeks ago and my dvd burner is fighting me on making the iso boot disk and I haven't gotten around to playing with it yet.

    The security stuff drove me nuts until I was able to disable most of it, but otherwise I liked most of it. I've been running IE7 for a while now and it works, and I also have been playing with the Office betas.

    Back in my day Bren, teachers had to walk a mile in the snow to find a wireless access point. :P Fatwallet.com often has good deal summaries for laptops.
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    Windows Pro 2000 is the OS on the machine
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wow, Frank, Arizona eh? We should have had an East Coast gathering before you left.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Tough call, Brenda. You may have to find someone with experience with that specific model.

    Here's the thing, for some models IBM used proprietary components, i.e. not universal or standard memory. That limits the number of potential suppliers.

    Another thing is that some systems do not allow you to mix the sizes of your memory chips, so they all have to be the same size. If not, I was thinking of going the easy route and getting just one 256MB chip, plus the 64MB internal chip means you would have 320MB, not ideal but still 5 times what you have now.

    What I would do is work with a vendor that might be able to supply the upgrade, and let them have their techs figure it out for you. Give them the model and ask them what your options are. They have databases with more info plus they probably have contacts at IBM that can give them more specific info, so you're not on hold for 6 hours waiting for an answer.

    The catch - I have corporate contacts and you need a retail contact. Take your laptop to a place like CompUSA or Best Buy. They'll even install the memory, though that might bring the cost up somewhat.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    After a little Googling around...

    Check out this site:

    http://www.memoryx.net/ibmtha226me4.html

    It says you have 2 slots, max size is 256MB for each slot. But...those are a bit pricey, $140 to upgrade a very old laptop. It would cost just $50 to go to 256MB of memory, so if you don't think you'll keep that laptop for long, consider that.

    I'd also recommend seeing if you can find the memory slots. Ask for help from an IT pro at school, I'm sure you can find one. If you know what you're doing it takes about 60 seconds to install memory chips.

    Good luck.

    We need a Subaru Crew - IT Help thread!

    -juice
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I tried Vista-beta on my Intel iMac here at work. It's much better than XP, but it's still Windows underneath and I don't have a lot of confidence it will be that much more reliable than the current and past Windows offerings. I have not used Windows heavily since the mid 90s, and I am shocked that some of the same problems and limitations are there. And the installer still takes forever and parts of it look like a DOS utility from the 1980s! My overall conclusion was that Windows has not changed a lot over the course of my absence from that platform.

    Tom, you do have to look for it, but Vista definitely has a lot of coincidental features with Mac OS X. Part of that is due to the fact that Apple has been copying some of the good stuff from Windows in the past years, in an effort to be friendlier to switchers! But there are clearly some rip-off features in Vista that were first in OS X two years ago.
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    I thought that Steve Jobs made sure every school had Macs!..like one of the guys said, perhaps you can buy a better machine a for both personal and school use..just keep ma detailed log for school use and take the deduction if possible.
    Serge
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    But now Frank's much closer to us West Coast Crew ;)
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Wow, you're a glutton for punishment. :D

    I am in the industry and won't touch Vista nor IE7 beta. For the latter, if you want tabbing browsing just use Opera or Firefox.

    ~Colin
    I is certimuhfied ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Makes me wonder - did you drive, or have the Forester shipped? Lemme know if you need an East Coast babysitter for the XT, I'll take great care of it for ya. ;)

    -juice
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I run Firefox on the other monitor (and I forget to shut it down at night and it always hammers me in the morning). But yeah, I do enjoy playing with the latest and greatest. I'd hate to see how my Outback would run if I got a scantool gizmo. :shades:
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    I agree with Juice, Bren. If you're running Win2000 it was actually fairly stable and probably will do just fine with 320mb of Ram. Just don't open a bunch of programs at the same time and reboot a lot!

    I have a few friends that work at Microsoft and I always give them a hard time. I do get to see and play with what's up and coming though! (and continue to be thankful I have a Mac! ;) )

    tom
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    I've installed memory before on a desktop machine so I know it's not a biggie as long as it's accessible. According to what I found online there is one slot that is 'user serviceable' and one that is 'accessible by technician' (whatever that means) ... I found 256MB for $56 each, but thought maybe it would be better to replace the 64 with one 256 ... I've always been told you really should pair the same size memory .. is that not right?

    Brenda
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I've always been told you really should pair the same size memory .. is that not right?

    On some machines that is true, but not in general. My current MacBook does benefit from paired memory, though it's not required. On my last laptop, it did not matter either way.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Brenda,

    Behind in my reading again. If you have not already gotten a good answer or taken action, this might help a bit. I did a search on your model number on our intranet and came up with this:

    http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4PER6S

    If you cannot access this site without knowing the 'secret handshake', let me know and I will download the manual and e-mail it to you.

    Steve
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Once again, the Crew here shows how we can all discuss/help with matters other than just Subaru. A true "family" experience.

    Mark

    -Sorry Brenda, I know nothing about upgrading laptops.
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    thanks for all who put info on the board ... I opened the computer and the 2 card slots are easily accessible ... while the memory may not be readily found in stores, I have found several sources online ..

    the 'new' request ... daughter who graduated in May has interview tomorrow afternoon for a full-time speech therapy position with the same agency that employs me ... (not the same school ... ) and since it pays about $32,000 we're both keeping our fingers crossed (and legs and eyes and ...)
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Good luck for your daughter!

    Mark
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They just don't pay teachers enough. I think in Montgomery County, MD, the starting salary is in the 40s, but keep in mind the cost of living here is extremely high. Ironically a teacher on a single income in this community cannot afford to buy a house here, so they have to commute in from another county! Rather absurd.

    Tell your daughter good luck with the interview.

    -juice
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    good luck! Rob M.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Getting a lot of views from nabisco:

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4999142340359932162

    Clearly a Subaru sales video but the results speak for themselves. What they don't show, however are non-VDC/VTD vehicles doing the hard stuff.

    Ken
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    We convoyed two vehicles the 1800+ miles. FYI, mileage goes down significantly once you go past 75 mph. In fact on the long empty stretches where we could drive 80-85 mph, my wife's Grand Cherokee 2WD V6 actually got slightly better mileage :cry: Oddly enough the XT was actually carrying a heavier load (go figure) and still managed to get around 22 mpg at those speeds.

    Hey didn't we use to have a crew member who lived in Arizona?

    -Frank
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    It's too bad there is such a sleezy Subaru-sales theme to the video, because certain parts of it are quite interesting to see. In other parts, they are talking about Subaru advantages that are barely (if at all) visible. The stuff that jumps out (such as CR-V, Murano, Highlander, and Volvo SUV failing to climb the hill) is really good though -- it backs up what we know here. The demos on the roller rack were good too. As Ken noted, though, they specifically chose VDC-equipped vehicles for that part, and for the wet-surface lane change maneuvers. The rest of the Subaru lineup probably would have done as poorly as the competition in those tests!

    One more time when I shrug at the lack of availability of VDC in all models...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Cool vid. The Forester climbs that hill with plain ol' auto AWD, not VTD/VDC. Plus it was the cheapest model, the X, without even the rear LSD, so other models would do even better.

    CR-V got owned pretty badly. So did Volvo.

    They chose competitors carefully, though, all FWD-biased systems. The VW was a Passat 4Motion, the new one, that no longer uses Audi's Quattro.

    The Volvo is a Haldex, and the CR-V and Highlander are also part timers.

    That video does a pretty good job of showing why those are not as good.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's what tall gearing will do for you, Frank. The 06 XT models got taller gears, I believe, so they would do better at higher speeds.

    -juice
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Actually Juice, the Highlander has a full time 50:50 AWD system. It of course distributes torque as needed. I'm disappointed it did so poorly considering Toyota's experience with 4WD. Maybe they tested a FWD version? (It sure looks like it) I'm sure the 4Runner would have done much better.

    I too would have liked to have seen the non-VDC Subarus go through some of those tests.

    tom
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
    after watching the murano, thank god i didnt get one of those. watching its wheels do absolutely nothing on the hill was amazing.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    it appears to me that on the four-wheel roller test the Subarus both are allowed to roll backwards (downhill) until the rear wheel is in contact with a non-roller part of the ramp, and then they get a surge from that to make it up.

    they do not appear able to make it up from constant steady speed nor if the climbing test begins in the middle of the rollers. I only watched that part twice, but that's what I saw.

    and yes, I am pretty sure that Subarus without VTD and VDC would not do all that well in this demo.

    ~Colin
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    to be standard on all vehicles for 08, then it's kind of a moot point. But then again, alot of things can change till then :shrug:

    What do you think?
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    daughter got the job !!!!!

    We're all so excited .... :shades:
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    super! congrats!
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Great news Brenda! It's great when our kids succeed!

    Bob
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    now she'll have to prove herself (basically where I work) so she doesn't embarrass me ...

    I'm kidding .. we'll work from the same school corporation but at different sites ... and while I can 'help' her with a few things it will really be up to her to figure it out! I don't have the speech degree!

    I did call the main office this morning and told the secretary that I was very surprised that our director would hire another one of my family after working with me for seven years!

    :P
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I had a few door dings on my LGT wagon so I decided to have them taken care of with paintless dent removal. I found a fellow near my home who used to be a Dent Pro instructor but now runs his own business. He's been doing this for 15 years and has worked on quite a few many vehicles.

    When I showed up he immediately took a liking to my car and started asking about it. He had worked on quite a few Subarus and was familiar with our make. As he was working on the dents, he told me a few interesting observations about our cars and dent removal. Keep in mind that this guy really gets to know what lies underneath the sheetmetal to cars since dent removal is all about getting around those obstructions to massage out the dent.

    - He mentioned how he continued to be impressed with the amount of bracing Subaru puts in it's doors -- clearly more than the average vehicle.
    - He noted Subaru uses some of the thinnest gauge sheetmetal (no kidding) on the doors. He said the thinnest he saw was on the Impreza line. He told me no to be surprised to see more dents. :-(
    - Contrary to common wisdom, more expensive cars are easier to work on since the sheetmetal is thicker. Thinner sheetmetal requires a far more sensitive touch to repair.
    - Subaru also has some of the tightest window gaps he knows of. One way to access a dent is to drive a wedge into the gap where the window goes down. He mentioned that Subaru uses extra hardware to create a very tight fit. My guess is that it's for the frameless window seals.
    - The worst place to get a ding on a 2005+ Legacy/OB is the upper 1/4 of the door as there is a brace that runs down the side (watch out when parking next to those big SUVs)
    - The hardest car to work on right now are the new BMW 3-series coupes. Apparently, BMW welds the bracing right against the sheetmetal and leaves very little room to fix dents.

    The guy worked on 6 dents and charged me $140. Very reasonable considering the quality of the work done and the interesting chit-chat.

    Ken
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Ken, your experience is similar to my own -- I have always enjoyed interacting with these guys. They pulled off a major miracle on my WRX a few years ago (perfectly repaired a long vertical dent that went through the horizontal body crease on the front fender) and I have been a big fan ever since. Some guys are better than others -- the techs who have experience, confidence, and are willing to take a risk will do a better job on marginal repairs than the less experienced conservative techs.

    I did a little PDR of my own on my Outback last summer to fix a door dent, and can confirm your guy's description of the door bracing -- it is quite substantial (and frustrating as my ding was right in that area). In addition to a round tubular brace that runs diagonal/horizontal (crosses where the trim strip is), there are a couple "straps" that must be used to control the way the door buckles. Most of these are glued to the sheetmetal on the inside. The resulting structure is very impressive, but it's like a web in there!

    Our previous WRX and Forester indeed had very thin sheetmetal. My 05 Outback is a little heavier, but still much thinner than my previous Outbacks. Of course, the older Outbacks had much less body features and were relatively plain looking -- had they had the creases/styling of the other three cars I mentioned, they probably would have needed thinner metal as well.

    Anyway, glad you got a good "show"!

    Craig
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Interesting indeed Ken. Just think how much heavier Imprezas and Foresters would be if they had thicker body panels.

    Bob
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    My old Loyales'92 had indeed very thin sheet metal on the doors - you could inadvertently make a dent with your thumb, really. By time I've sold it, doors looked like they were subjected to the hail storm blowing in the horizontal direction.

    However, knock-knock-knock my Forester'01 doors seem to be holding up much better over the past 6 years - I've got a few minor scratches here and there but almost no dings.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Craig,

    It certainly was an interesting experience. And another thing this guy pointed out was that one of the reasons why he went independent was that franchise businesses tend to have dealers as their customers. He noted how one's skill decreases over time working in franchises as dealers will often just want "good enough" vs. perfection.

    Anyway, it was fascinating to see all the different tools he used -- most of them home made.

    He did note that the 05 Leg/OB sheetmetal seemed to be of thicker gauge than the current Impreza line.

    Ken
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    Awesome news!

    At least something good happened since no one seemed to care to comment on my question/post :(
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    if it was the one about ... whatever in the 08 model .. I have no idea!!! lol
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    This is deja vu, Ken. I had a long conversation with Dent Wizard last week regarding the 200+ hail dents my GT from back in July. They say they can get every dent out of every body panel.

    I have been to 3 body shops, with repairs ranging to filling the dents with plastic, and repainting most of the car to replacing most of the panels, including CUTTING OUT THE ROOF.

    The local body shops in MA/NH are not quick to recommend PDR, except for the occasional panel ding. However, I have learned that the entire car can be PDR'ed in 2 days for $2,600 vs refurbished and repainted in 1 month for $6-8k.

    At this point, I guess it is a no-brainer. I get to preserve the structural integrity of the car, along with the factory paint. Rob M.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    ...but has anyone heard from Juice since Friday? I can't remember if he was already travelling or not.

    edit: nevermind. I found the manifest, he's not on it. *phew*
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    He's been on a corporate retreat. Should be posting shortly...

    Bob
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Our cars have been battered by falling acorns, leaving numerous tiny dents all over them. It looks like hail damage. I know there are some dent removers. Anyone have any experience with them?

    Bob
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Did you tick off the squirrels? ;)
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    And the baseball gods have been having sport with us as well - weekend before last, one game, 3 cars hit by foul balls. One windshield, one dent at the base of the radio antenna, and one apparently escaped unscathed.
    Last weekend, mine caught one just aft of the fuel filler door.
    (Typing with one hand, looking up PDR's in the yellow pages with the other) :)

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,399
    Brenda,

    Congrats to your daughter!

    Thought I would be in Elkhart next week but found out I'm headed to their corporate office in Toronto instead.

    Jim
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