Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

abacomike · January 2016

Michaell said:

tjc78 said:

@abacomike .. is this your complex? http://www.local10.com/news/possible-tornado-touches-down-in-north-broward wow, that Accord didn't fare too well.

Yep! That's me!
And now we know where your user name comes from.

I've been "outed" by a tornado! Good grief!

andres3 · January 2016

berri said:
But if DI fouls up the engine with deposits quicker, won't it need cleaning more frequently which may offset those efficiencies or reduce performance if not cleaned out? Seems like this complicated stuff doesn't respond to a bottle of Techron anymore and dealer costs to clean it out are expensive.

I'd rather pay for a intake/engine/fuel system cleaning every 30K miles than give that same amount of money to the oil/gas companies, and furthermore, think about the emissions saved for our air!

abacomike · January 2016

stever said:

Dang, if my mom hadn't gotten sick, my brother would likely be camping down around John Pennecamp. They are heading back that way today but it'll take another day for them to get to South Florida. Oh oh, you park outside don't you @abacomike?

Yep! John Pennecamp is down by Key Largo.

abacomike · January 2016

Michaell said:

Oh oh, you park outside don't you @abacomike?
Any damage to the MB? If so, time to trade 'er in!

No, car seems to be OK. That tornado hit two buildings right by me - one next door and one across from me in the back adjacent to the turnpike. As you can see, I live right off the turnpike.

stever · January 2016

The thing about tornados is that you usually get a bit of warning. I actually slept through one that killed four people about four miles away when I was a teen - the sirens finally woke me from an afternoon nap. I never slept through a bigger quake in Alaska. Any quake over ~20 seconds really starts to freak you out. The recent 7.1 one up in AK lasted two minutes. Usually you get warnings of brush fires, hurricanes and floods too.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2016

You heard it here first on Edmunds Eyewitness News! (EEN)

oldfarmer50 · January 2016

abacomike said:
@imidazol97:

There are news helicopters overhead now - they are broadcasting live video showing the damage to the roof of the building right next to me. No damage to my roof based on the video from helicopters.

I have not been down to my car yet to examine it, but I can see both sides, the roof and front end from my catwalk and there doesn't seem to be any damage. Can't see the rear of my car - it's still raining.

They are now showing video from helicopter above me of our community center - roof is gone! Still have 12-15 local and county police cars here.

Mike, looks like you made The Weather Channel as well. Wonder if the video is from your complex. Lòt of cars and trucks turned over.

Better hunker down they show another cell coming from Everglades city.

Michaell · January 2016

stever said:
The thing about tornados is that you usually get a bit of warning. I actually slept through one that killed four people about four miles away when I was a teen - the sirens finally woke me from an afternoon nap. I never slept through a bigger quake in Alaska. Any quake over ~20 seconds really starts to freak you out. The recent 7.1 one up in AK lasted two minutes. Usually you get warnings of brush fires, hurricanes and floods too.

Having grown up in SoCal, I've had my share of experiences with quakes.

I remember, vaguely, the "Sylmar" quake in '71 - my dad took the family down to the affected areas in the San Fernando Valley to show us the damage, especially to the VA Hospital.

I was on the 11th floor of an office building when the '89 quake hit the Bay Area - though I was 350 miles away, the building swayed for a good 30-45 seconds during that one.

abacomike · January 2016

oldfarmer50 said:

@imidazol97:

There are news helicopters overhead now - they are broadcasting live video showing the damage to the roof of the building right next to me. No damage to my roof based on the video from helicopters.

I have not been down to my car yet to examine it, but I can see both sides, the roof and front end from my catwalk and there doesn't seem to be any damage. Can't see the rear of my car - it's still raining.

They are now showing video from helicopter above me of our community center - roof is gone! Still have 12-15 local and county police cars here.
Mike, looks like you made The Weather Channel as well. Wonder if the video is from your complex. Lòt of cars and trucks turned over. Better hunker down they show another cell coming from Everglades city.

Yes, we are under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch until 3:00 PM this afternoon. Also, we are under a flash flood warning. We've had 3" of rain since 9:00 AM.

I saw saw that huge group of cells on local TV radar. They are heading right for us. Like I always say, never a dull moment!

nyccarguy · January 2016

Mike - Glad you are OK

abacomike · January 2016

nyccarguy said:

Mike - Glad you are OK

Yes, thanks. And my doctors told me I have to reduce my stress for health reasons - they have to be kidding!

asafonov · January 2016

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, but could not find anything better.

Is the "Build and Price" button disappearing from the Pricing tab of the Car Research here on Edmunds? It is / was a very useful feature, I would hate to see it go.

stever · January 2016

I responded to you over in the Welcome discussion too @asafonov. It'll be a bit of a hunt for the new few months. I haven't seen any mockups but there's a push on to simplify finding prices, and stuff gets moved around as the developers and front end people test it.

And yeah, I use it all the time to price out stuff for people.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2016

You have to go through a few steps right now to get to it. Go to "New Cars", pick out a make, model and year, and then when that loads you'll see the "Build and Price" tab.

stever · January 2016

I usually find it a click or two faster to use the Make | Model | Year dropdown, but sometimes the link moves.

berri · January 2016

Aba - that's the way tornados are - you can see a subdivision where many homes are destroyed, yet some stand nearly untouched. Glad your place and car are fine. At least tornados are over quicker than hurricanes. It's just been a weird weather year in much of the country it seems.

abacomike · January 2016

berri said:

Aba - that's the way tornados are - you can see a subdivision where many homes are destroyed, yet some stand nearly untouched. Glad your place and car are fine. At least tornados are over quicker than hurricanes. It's just been a weird weather year in much of the country it seems.

We never get tornadoes here - water spouts every so often. But when that alert came in on my cell phone, which has never happened, and the sirens went off, I got nervous. Buildings around me sustained roof damage and several windows were blown out as were several roofs. But my building came through it, seemingly without damage. Our roof was replaced in 2014, which I think is the reason our roof was not damaged - it is up to current hurricane and wind mitigation codes. The buildings adjacent to me have older roofs.

Most of the trees in our rear common area (about 3 acres around our swimming pool) have been pulled out by their roots. Several cars ended on top of each other just around the corner from me.

driver100 · January 2016

abacomike said:

tjc78 said:

Wow!! Thank goodness you are ok.

I just opened my hurricane shutters on the terrace. I count 20 trees down and a building in our small village (we have 6 buildings) across from me had its entire roof blown off - a 48 unit building - no roof left. We were lucky, I hope.

Don't know if our roof sustained any damage

.

Thank goodness you are still with us Mike!

We were under a tornado watch in Tampa Bay area.........but, haven't seen one yet. Lots of rain until tomorrow afternoon......then a week of sunshine.

Still better than 3 feet of snow and being stuck on a highway for 19 hours.

abacomike · January 2016

driver100 said:

tjc78 said:

Wow!! Thank goodness you are ok.

I just opened my hurricane shutters on the terrace. I count 20 trees down and a building in our small village (we have 6 buildings) across from me had its entire roof blown off - a 48 unit building - no roof left. We were lucky, I hope.

Don't know if our roof sustained any damage
.
Thank goodness you are still with us Mike! We were under a tornado watch in Tampa Bay area.........but, haven't seen one yet. Lots of rain until tomorrow afternoon......then a week of sunshine. Still better than 3 feet of snow and being stuck on a highway for 19 hours.

This is true!

abacomike · January 2016

Just got a call from my son. He saw the tornado report on his TV at work. He recognized the village and my building, so he wanted to make sure I was OK.

ab348 · January 2016

Michaell said:

And now we know where your user name comes from.

You're going to have to help me out with that one.

ab348 · January 2016

nyccarguy said:
Mike - Glad you are OK

Likewise. Maybe lock yourself in a basement or something.

cdnpinhead · January 2016

It's certainly interesting having our own Forest Gump posting regularly.

driver100 · January 2016

abacomike said:
@imidazol97:

There are news helicopters overhead now - they are broadcasting live video showing the damage to the roof of the building right next to me. No damage to my roof based on the video from helicopters.

I have not been down to my car yet to examine it, but I can see both sides, the roof and front end from my catwalk and there doesn't seem to be any damage. Can't see the rear of my car - it's still raining.

They are now showing video from helicopter above me of our community center - roof is gone! Still have 12-15 local and county police cars here.

I think everything that could happen to any human being has happened to you this year....except win the Powerball!

Michaell · January 2016

ab348 said:

Michaell said:

And now we know where your user name comes from.

You're going to have to help me out with that one.

If you read the news article that was linked to, you'll find that the complex that was affected, and that Mike lives in, is on a street named Abaco.

sda · January 2016

<
Thank goodness you are still with us Mike!

We were under a tornado watch in Tampa Bay area.........but, haven't seen one yet. Lots of rain until tomorrow afternoon......then a week of sunshine.

Still better than 3 feet of snow and being stuck on a highway for 19 hours.

Mike, glad you're OK..you don't need that kind of excitement!

I remember as a young boy in St. Pete, 1965-66?, waking up to find all our patio furniture strewn about the yard, the swing set bent like a pretzel, fence panels down and tiles missing from our roof. Mom says she woke up and thought it was a water spout, but turns out is was a weak tornado. It was spooky to say the least.

ab348 · January 2016

Michaell said:

If you read the news article that was linked to, you'll find that the complex that was affected, and that Mike lives in, is on a street named Abaco.

Ah! I was too busy watching the video.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2016

Don't watch the Wizard of Oz for a few weeks.

snakeweasel · January 2016

abacomike said:
We are currently under a Tornado Warning! Oops, I think a tornado just went by our building. The building was shaking, literally. Luckily, I put my hurricane shutters on the terrace down when the sirens went off. I just looked out the front windows and there are four palm trees laying in the street - street is not only flooded, but blocked off because of the downed trees. Palm frontons are all over the place. Lights are flickering - very scary.

I first got the alert about the tornado warning on my cell phone - it was a throbbing, screeching alert. Then, all the sirens in our community went off. We've had at least 3 inches of rain in the last hour. I was out doing some quick shopping and most of the streets were flooded. Looks like I got back home just in time. I am going to watch the news later to see if, in fact, that was a tornado that hit us or if it was a funnel cloud aloft. When a concrete building shakes, it's either an earthquake or a tornado. Since we don't have earthquakes here, through deductive reasoning, it was probably a tornado.

This has not been a fun winter down here in south Florida. We have already broken rainfall records for the month of January.

Keep safe there Mike.

abacomike · January 2016

ab348 said:

If you read the news article that was linked to, you'll find that the complex that was affected, and that Mike lives in, is on a street named Abaco.
Ah! I was too busy watching the video.

Thank goodness there are 8-10 Mikes in Abaco Village, but which Mike is me!

Each Village contains 4-6, 48 unit buildings. There are 30 villages in my condo development, each named after Islands in the Caribbean. Examples are Aruba Village, Nassau Village, Bahama Village, Cayman Village, Martinique Village, Antigua Village, Lucaya Village, etc. The Abacos are an island chain in the northern Bahamas.

snakeweasel · January 2016

roadburner said:
Glad you are okay Mike; we had a tornado hit our town in 1996. Our house was one mile away from the path of the twister and we didn't even have one branch blown off our trees. A tornado can do strange things...

Tornados usually are very localized, very powerful but limited in the area they affect.

abacomike · January 2016

The Nat'l Weather Service states that it was a strong EF-1 Tornado since it moved cars and buses (85-110 mph). They assume it was 100 mph+. They were out here evaluating the damage to determine if it was a tornado and which category,

snakeweasel · January 2016

abacomike said:
I have not been down to my car yet to examine it, but I can see both sides, the roof and front end from my catwalk and there doesn't seem to be any damage. Can't see the rear of my car - it's still raining

But is it in the same spot you left it?

My cousin's house was completely destroyed by the Plainfield tornado in 1990. Their neighbors van was parked in their (the neighbors) driveway, after the tornado struck the van had a couple of windows knocked out and while it was still in that driveway it was 3 or 4 feet over from where it was moments before. Other than that nothing seemed wrong.

The insurance company totaled it saying that it was picked up by the tornado and dropped.

abacomike · January 2016

snakeweasel said:

I have not been down to my car yet to examine it, but I can see both sides, the roof and front end from my catwalk and there doesn't seem to be any damage. Can't see the rear of my car - it's still raining
But is it in the same spot you left it? My cousin's house was completely destroyed by the Plainfield tornado in 1990. Their neighbors van was parked in their (the neighbors) driveway, after the tornado struck the van had a couple of windows knocked out and while it was still in that driveway it was 3 or 4 feet over from where it was moments before. Other than that nothing seemed wrong. The insurance company totaled it saying that it was picked up by the tornado and dropped.

Yes, didn't move. I remember the Plainfield Illinois Twister if that is what you are referring to. I lived about 5 miles NE of Plainfield.

imidazol97 · January 2016

Was anyone hurt in the buildings and cars damaged?

abacomike · January 2016

imidazol97 said:

Was anyone hurt in the buildings and cars damaged?

There was an employee who is a secretary across the street who was taken to the hospital, minor injuries, and is doing well.

A women was driving south on the turnpike - a block from me and adjacent to one of the buildings damaged in my village, and the tornado picked up her car, pushed it 100 feet to the apron of the "northbound" lanes where it landed on its side.

A semi was blown over on the turnpike at the exit to Coconut Creek Parkway.

Most of the cars that ended up on top of each other were parked st Btoward College - one block south of where I live. But after all was settled, there were no major injuries or loss of life. Just damage to buildings, cars and uprooted trees.

berri · January 2016

We were under a tornado watch in Tampa Bay area

Driver, now I thought all Canadians snowbird in Daytona Beach

snakeweasel · January 2016

Michaell said:
@abacomike - glad to hear you are OK. I'm not a fan of tornados. Fortunately, we don't get many here in Colorado, but a couple of small ones have formed a few miles from where we live over the years. Was close to one in Milwaukee years ago on business

Much rather deal with an earthquake - by the time you realize what's happening, it's all over with.

Not to sure about that, earthquakes do damage over a very large area, tornados are over a very small area.

If a earthquake hits my area I'll be affected. If tornados are in the area there is a very good chance that all the tornados will miss me. With all the tornados warnings that I lived through I have yet to see one.

abacomike · January 2016

@snakeweasel:

I have never seen a tornado either - I just lived through one and I still haven't "seen" one. Just felt it. Sounded like a roaring freight train!

Mr_Shiftright · January 2016

I've lived through maybe a half dozen earthquakes in San Francisco and Alaska. A tornado would freak me out!

snakeweasel · January 2016

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

I have not been down to my car yet to examine it, but I can see both sides, the roof and front end from my catwalk and there doesn't seem to be any damage. Can't see the rear of my car - it's still raining
But is it in the same spot you left it?

My cousin's house was completely destroyed by the Plainfield tornado in 1990. Their neighbors van was parked in their (the neighbors) driveway, after the tornado struck the van had a couple of windows knocked out and while it was still in that driveway it was 3 or 4 feet over from where it was moments before. Other than that nothing seemed wrong.

The insurance company totaled it saying that it was picked up by the tornado and dropped.

Yes, didn't move. I remember the Plainfield Illinois Twister if that is what you are referring to. I lived about 5 miles NE of Plainfield.

That's the one, massive destruction. I believe it was an F5 that hit Plainfield that day. My cousin lived behind the church that was destroyed.

snakeweasel · January 2016

abacomike said:
The Nat'l Weather Service states that it was a strong EF-1 Tornado since it moved cars and buses (85-110 mph). They assume it was 100 mph+. They were out here evaluating the damage to determine if it was a tornado and which category,

Isn't moving cars a sign of an EF2?

berri · January 2016

I've seen them from the ground and the air. The first time I saw a funnel cloud was in high school when it was maybe a quarter mile away and took out a house and a gas station. We were fine though because it lifted back up quickly. Weird one, it just kind of dropped out of the sky and then lifted back up like a touch and go. I knew Florida got them, usually on the lower end of the scale, but thought they were common in the interior which is more southeast like in weather sometimes. The aftermath is quite dramatic and traumatic. Basements are best for survival, but an interior room like a bathroom which is more reinforced can be an alternative if you don't have a basement. Besides the tornado belt rising up from north TX and OK into the Midwest or to the southern states, another area that seems a bit prone is actually southern Ohio like Xenia and near Cincinnati. I'm sure an earthquake is rather dramatic too. But a hurricane has heavy rain and wind and goes on for quite awhile over a generally larger geographic area, so that would be my choice as worst in most instances. But I'm not making any deals here...

ab348 · January 2016

I've been through a hurricane and would not recommend it.

abacomike · January 2016

snakeweasel said:

The Nat'l Weather Service states that it was a strong EF-1 Tornado since it moved cars and buses (85-110 mph). They assume it was 100 mph+. They were out here evaluating the damage to determine if it was a tornado and which category,
Isn't moving cars a sign of an EF2?

Yes, but even though cars ended up on top of each other and a driver had her car blown over the center divider on the turnpike and 2 buses were overturned, the national weather service said it was a strong EF-1. All the broadcast meteorologists down here could not understand why it was not designated an EF-2. They may still raise it to an EF-2 after re-evaluating the damage.

abacomike · January 2016

It's 4:00 AM and I still can't sleep. The tornado and aftermath was very stressful to me. It's been a very stressful 12 months with my son's brain tumor, my Dad's death, the bouts with pneumonia, the heart attack 2 months ago and now living through a tornado hit.

I pray that my life can be peaceful for the next 12 months - enough is enough.

Michaell · January 2016

abacomike said:
It's 4:00 AM and I still can't sleep. The tornado and aftermath was very stressful to me. It's been a very stressful 12 months with my son's brain tumor, my Dad's death, the bouts with pneumonia, the heart attack 2 months ago and now living through a tornado hit.

I pray that my life can be peaceful for the next 12 months - enough is enough.

Mike - I hear you. I was up at 3:30AM a couple of weeks ago. Just couldn't get my brain to quiet down. I, too, hope for a peaceful 2016 for all of us here at Edmunds.

I'm heading out to California a week from today. My father has been in the hospital for over a week, and the doctors and nurses are of the opinion that he won't be coming home this time. He's been in poor health for some time, and perhaps this is his time to go. My mom has been beyond strong, but I know this has been hard on her as well. My sister is a few hours away in San Diego, and she was up last week to visit. She may drive up again tomorrow as well - depends on what the professionals say today.

I'm at peace with it all - I certainly hope to be able to say my final good-byes next week when I get there, but I know that may not be the case.

imidazol97 · January 2016

abacomike said:
It's 4:00 AM and I still can't sleep. The tornado and aftermath was very stressful to me. It's been a very stressful 12 months with my son's brain tumor, my Dad's death, the bouts with pneumonia, the heart attack 2 months ago and now living through a tornado hit.

I pray that my life can be peaceful for the next 12 months - enough is enough.

I thought about that yesterday but didn't want to verbalize. Some of these tornadoes are small as to the area of damage. One went through Vandalia a year or so ago and severely damaged one building while the winds didn't do that much damage to the building on the next lot. It's the low air pressure within the funnel that sucks the air out of the building quickly and lifts roofs and moves walls along with the wind speed in the funnel's shell. Then the funnel lifts some and it's just the rushing air without the actual funnel's higher speed and pressure drop. (Travelers on I-75 should recognize the name "Vandalia" just north of Dayton. Town used to have a large AC Delco/Delphi plant making dash and door panels for many brands of vehicles.

abacomike · January 2016

Michaell said:

abacomike said:
It's 4:00 AM and I still can't sleep. The tornado and aftermath was very stressful to me. It's been a very stressful 12 months with my son's brain tumor, my Dad's death, the bouts with pneumonia, the heart attack 2 months ago and now living through a tornado hit.

I pray that my life can be peaceful for the next 12 months - enough is enough.
Mike - I hear you. I was up at 3:30AM a couple of weeks ago. Just couldn't get my brain to quiet down. I, too, hope for a peaceful 2016 for all of us here at Edmunds.

I'm heading out to California a week from today. My father has been in the hospital for over a week, and the doctors and nurses are of the opinion that he won't be coming home this time. He's been in poor health for some time, and perhaps this is his time to go. My mom has been beyond strong, but I know this has been hard on her as well. My sister is a few hours away in San Diego, and she was up last week to visit. She may drive up again tomorrow as well - depends on what the professionals say today.

I'm at peace with it all - I certainly hope to be able to say my final good-byes next week when I get there, but I know that may not be the case.

It sounds like you have accepted whatever is destined to be. That is the best, if not the only, way to handle impending loss. I didn't have the time to adjust to my Dad's deterioration because everything happened in a matter of 3 weeks.

Have a safe trip if I forget to mention this before you leave for the west coast. My prayers are with you, my friend.

Michaell · January 2016

abacomike said:

Michaell said:

abacomike said:
It's 4:00 AM and I still can't sleep. The tornado and aftermath was very stressful to me. It's been a very stressful 12 months with my son's brain tumor, my Dad's death, the bouts with pneumonia, the heart attack 2 months ago and now living through a tornado hit.

I pray that my life can be peaceful for the next 12 months - enough is enough.
Mike - I hear you. I was up at 3:30AM a couple of weeks ago. Just couldn't get my brain to quiet down. I, too, hope for a peaceful 2016 for all of us here at Edmunds.

I'm heading out to California a week from today. My father has been in the hospital for over a week, and the doctors and nurses are of the opinion that he won't be coming home this time. He's been in poor health for some time, and perhaps this is his time to go. My mom has been beyond strong, but I know this has been hard on her as well. My sister is a few hours away in San Diego, and she was up last week to visit. She may drive up again tomorrow as well - depends on what the professionals say today.

I'm at peace with it all - I certainly hope to be able to say my final good-byes next week when I get there, but I know that may not be the case.
It sounds like you have accepted whatever is destined to be. That is the best, if not the only, way to handle impending loss. I didn't have the time to adjust to my Dad's deterioration because everything happened in a matter of 3 weeks.

Have a safe trip if I forget to mention this before you leave for the west coast. My prayers are with you, my friend.

Thanks, Mike. I'm looking forward to the trip, whatever may happen. I'll get to spend time with my son, and it's Super Bowl weekend, so I'm hoping to watch the Broncos with family.

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