Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

snakeweasel · April 2019

ruking1 said:

So you are making a strong case for selling the car, & commuting in the motorbike.

Now I will make a strong case for keeping the car.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

Motorcycles can be a simple alternative to buying another car just to add a convertible.

ruking1 · April 2019

snakeweasel said:

ruking1 said:

So you are making a strong case for selling the car, & commuting in the motorbike.

Now I will make a strong case for keeping the car.

Got to love those brisk warm MINUS -25 F days? Ah...with the top down? 🤣 Don’t forget you can put winter tires on bikes. 😎 (just trying to help you)

For two winters in upstate NY, we had cold winter days that Italian racers, 3/4 in to 1 in wide tires? (mine) could be used for commuting. The stuff I had to wear & to keep warm weighed more than the pedal bike. The security teams that guarded the areas I was charged with, use to chuckle when they would have to operate the sally port gates (modern kill zones), & position mobile hit teams to let me in/out.

28firefighter · April 2019

snakeweasel said:

ruking1 said:

So you are making a strong case for selling the car, & commuting in the motorbike.

Now I will make a strong case for keeping the car.

I have a coworker in MN that would tell me that is shorts and t-shirt weather...

ruking1 · April 2019

28firefighter said:

snakeweasel said:

ruking1 said:

So you are making a strong case for selling the car, & commuting in the motorbike.

Now I will make a strong case for keeping the car.

I have a coworker in MN that would tell me that is shorts and t-shirt weather...

Yep! I was a wimp to wear a winter parka/bib & long pants. 🤣 But yes, we had to dress to be able to spend up to 12 hours laying down to sitting in the snow, motionless to minimum activity.

driver100 · April 2019

snakeweasel said:
well the Sebring is at the dealer as the top got stuck and needs to be fixed. I am hoping for a cheap and easy fix as I hate to put a lot into an 11 year old car especially if it's not to keep it running.

Good luck, hope it is a quick easy, inexpensive repair. Hope it costs less than replacing my $600 key would have cost.

jipster · April 2019

After 3 weeks, just got our Hyundai Veracruz back from the body shop...3 weeks!! The original estimate, from "someone" backing into a pole at Taco Bell, was $3,400. After all the surprise damage, was discovered the final bill to State Farm was $5,954.The loan value of the car is around $6,000. Funny how that worked out.

I get to the body shop The manager says post inspection shows a scratch on the wheel. They want me to drop off the car sometime, for 4 hours, and they'll fix it. I say, show me. Can barely notice..I ask if he'll take the cost of repair off my deductible. He says $50. I say, o.k. Had been getting by with just one car, except for the rental we had for 3 days. Nice to have our wheels back.

driver100 · April 2019

Rule of thumb: Any repair will cost about double what you think it will be.

Expensive meal for Taco Bell.

ruking1 · April 2019

As each OEM’s models life cycle becomes shorter & more specialized to niche market, the parts even for relatively “inexpensive” cars are/can be VERY expensive. Or perhaps THAT IS the true utility?

So it’s probably not stretching to say that one little accident could condemn a perfectly good car to the boneyard?

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jipster said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

driver100 said:
I forget.....did you actually take the car out for a test drive? I have seen Hot Bench shows where the car was driven slowly around the block, then didn't make it home once on the highway. I think it would be reasonable to take it on a really good test run before buying....if you haven't done that...like I say I forget what happened during the showing.

I agree with firefighter.........get a bill of sale, you may need that to register and pay tax. If they say "sold as is" on the bill of sale it will be hard to undo the sale. I wonder who is the actual owner....the TV lady or the guy?

You may have to have insurance lined up to drive the car home etc.

Better find out, my days of buying privately are way in the past.
Yes, I took car on test drive for about 20-25 minutes, about 15 minutes on the expressway. Drove well.

On the bill of sale, I believe that's suppose to be notarized, or recommended? If I remember correctly, last guy I bought private party had us meet at my bank, bank cut him a check, filled out a bill of sale, notarized, filled out title, title and keys handed to me, I then transferred car into my name at the county clerks office. I think that's how it went down. I trust the guy, but you never know.

Thx for comments everyone. And yes oldfarmer, the pretty young news anchor (turns out she's one of those "on the scenes" reporter) not being able to contain herself is my fear. ;-)
In NY I’ve never needed a bill of sale to register a car. The title is enough, even an out of state title. A bill of sale alone wouldn’t be accepted except on antiques maybe. Is it different in your state? I would think a bill of sale would only be relevant if there were other considerations besides a simple change of ownership.
The bill of sale is a good idea just to summarize the transaction. It lists the selling price which may be useful if you have to pay tax on the purchase, may be useful in case of a lawsuit. It gives the seller a chance to say "sold as is". It cements what the deal was and how much was actually paid, none of that appears on the ownership. Signatures can be forged, a bill of sale makes that difficult since both parties will have a copy. Nothing to lose by doing it, could be protection for one of the parties.
If the guy just signed the title, and nothing else, what would keep me from saying the .purchase price was $3,000 and.paying less in taxes?.Also, the guy still has Indiana plates on his car, so it will need.to be inspected by the Sheriffs office.
People try to pull that all the time. DOT will look it up....and can probably charge you with fraud or something if out of whack. There may be a specific form these days, I believe in our province you have to get a kit when you sell a used car, and it has a form with the purchase price stated. Here the car also has to pass a safety inspection before you can put on your plates....usually the seller has this done beforehand - good for 30 days, to show the car is roadworthy.
In 1977 I bought a 1975 Grand Prix via private party. It was in great condition. It had a 400 CID V8 engine with the GM 400 automatic transmission and less than 18K miles on it. Nice color combo too (burgundy with a white landau top and white vinyl seats). Just what I was looking for. The guy wanted $4,200 for it and we settled at $3,800. I told him the condition of the sale would be he would say the car was in fair condition and he was selling it for $2,500. He damn near fainted when I said that and he said, "ah, I don't know about that. I don't want to get in trouble". I told him it's done all the time and as long as the selling price was not ridiculous and was in line for the stated condition of the car, there wouldn't be any problem. He finally agreed.

Fast forward to when he met me at my bank (I was getting a small loan for about $1,200 IIRC) and the bank was going to do the paper work for the sale and the transfer of plates, taxes and stuff like that. I'll never forget this; when we got to the point about declaring the selling price, the bank guy pushed his chair away from the desk and said something like, "the two of you can now decide how much you want me to tell the state you are buying the car for. So I can collect the taxes for them. Don't get too crazy about what you are buying it for because I won't go along with that but if it's reasonable I'll go with that price. The state people are thieves when it comes to taxes. They collected taxes on this car when it was sold new, at the full state tax, and now when it is being sold used they are going to collect the same percentage of taxes again and they'll do this until the car is crushed and even that guy will pay the full state tax." The seller looked at me with a half smile on his face and said, "I guess this IS done all the time". Like I said above, we agreed on a selling price of $2,500 and that the car was in fair condition. Never had a problem with that or other purchases via private party or when I sold cars. You just can't get "crazy" about it.

jmonroe

For many years I bought my father’s old cars when he traded. I paid whatever he asked but had him sign the tax form as a gift to avoid the tax.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

stickguy said:
Driver, my story answers your question. They basically do everyone based on the word of the buyer.

Henry, at least in NJ the plates belong to you, and don't stay with the car. So once they take it away, up to them to register it but they won't be getting tickets on my plates! It is recommended to notify the state though that you sold the car, so they can update in their system just in case.

In NY you need proof of insurance before you can register a car and get plates. When you sell the car you have to turn in the plates and get a certificate from the DMV to give to your company to terminate the insurance.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

stickguy said:
Farmer, my wife hates the Soul (no offense to you!). Just the way it looks. But, I bet I could get her on board with a Venue. Kinda looks like an XC40 Volvo and she really liked that!

No offense taken. The Soul is pretty ugly but it fit a set of specific needs better than other options. Too bad the Venue came out too late and in a configuration that only matches a lower trim Soul. I held my nose and overlooked the Soul’s appearance but I couldn’t accept a wimpy 121hp in the base model.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

jipster said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

jipster said:

driver100 said:
I forget.....did you actually take the car out for a test drive? I have seen Hot Bench shows where the car was driven slowly around the block, then didn't make it home once on the highway. I think it would be reasonable to take it on a really good test run before buying....if you haven't done that...like I say I forget what happened during the showing.

I agree with firefighter.........get a bill of sale, you may need that to register and pay tax. If they say "sold as is" on the bill of sale it will be hard to undo the sale. I wonder who is the actual owner....the TV lady or the guy?

You may have to have insurance lined up to drive the car home etc.

Better find out, my days of buying privately are way in the past.
Yes, I took car on test drive for about 20-25 minutes, about 15 minutes on the expressway. Drove well.

On the bill of sale, I believe that's suppose to be notarized, or recommended? If I remember correctly, last guy I bought private party had us meet at my bank, bank cut him a check, filled out a bill of sale, notarized, filled out title, title and keys handed to me, I then transferred car into my name at the county clerks office. I think that's how it went down. I trust the guy, but you never know.

Thx for comments everyone. And yes oldfarmer, the pretty young news anchor (turns out she's one of those "on the scenes" reporter) not being able to contain herself is my fear. ;-)
In NY I’ve never needed a bill of sale to register a car. The title is enough, even an out of state title. A bill of sale alone wouldn’t be accepted except on antiques maybe. Is it different in your state? I would think a bill of sale would only be relevant if there were other considerations besides a simple change of ownership.
The bill of sale is a good idea just to summarize the transaction. It lists the selling price which may be useful if you have to pay tax on the purchase, may be useful in case of a lawsuit. It gives the seller a chance to say "sold as is". It cements what the deal was and how much was actually paid, none of that appears on the ownership. Signatures can be forged, a bill of sale makes that difficult since both parties will have a copy. Nothing to lose by doing it, could be protection for one of the parties.
If the guy just signed the title, and nothing else, what would keep me from saying the .purchase price was $3,000 and.paying less in taxes?.Also, the guy still has Indiana plates on his car, so it will need.to be inspected by the Sheriffs office.
People try to pull that all the time. DOT will look it up....and can probably charge you with fraud or something if out of whack. There may be a specific form these days, I believe in our province you have to get a kit when you sell a used car, and it has a form with the purchase price stated. Here the car also has to pass a safety inspection before you can put on your plates....usually the seller has this done beforehand - good for 30 days, to show the car is roadworthy.
Like I said above, we agreed on a selling price of $2,500 and that the car was in fair condition. Never had a problem with that or other purchases via private party or when I sold cars. You just can't get "crazy" about it.

jmonroe
I have recorded this and am sending it to the proper authorities.
Actually, this went on a lot in the beginning, but, I think most states if not all would have a way to figure this out, if people can scam their way out of taxes the government will try and find a way to stop them.

.....and it is unfair a car can be sold 10 times over it's life, and the government collects sales tax each time....who said life or taxes were fair?

Unless the state does an immediate inspection of the car being bought, I don't know how they can "figure this out". Remember, these are state employees that just push paper around. If by chance an inspection is done 3 or 4 months down the road, all that you the buyer, has to say is, "I fixed this and I fixed this and I..." I have never heard of the state of PA doing that but if you get "crazy" about the buying price I guess it could happen but the state has to be pretty quick to prove anything.

jmonroe
All I know JM is they look it up and if the price doesn't sound logical they will charge you the printed rate....using KBB or some guide. I have seen people on Hot Bench that sold cars and greatly undervalue them to avoid taxes......and they look up the price if it looks suspicious. And if it looks like they are scamming the government, they get pretty annoyed and threaten to give the information to the State authorities....fraud! I learn a lot watching those judge programs.

Any jurisdiction that would take the word of the buyer or seller is naive....how many people are going to report the full cost and pay $200 or $300 more if they don't have to?

Me, for one. Any car I’ve bought private party I’ve had the seller fill out the form with the correct selling price even when they offered to put it lower. Not that I turned honest but if there was ever a dispute I didn’t want to complicate it with tax avoidance issues.

explorerx4 · April 2019

All that hot air gave you away.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=shooter+winter+sniper+scene&view=detail&mid=AC35ACA2A0402E9512E0AC35ACA2A0402E9512E0&FORM=VIRE

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

snakeweasel said:
well the Sebring is at the dealer as the top got stuck and needs to be fixed. I am hoping for a cheap and easy fix as I hate to put a lot into an 11 year old car especially if it's not to keep it running.

Let me know what the problem was when you get it back. I’d like to know what to expect.

ruking1 · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:
well the Sebring is at the dealer as the top got stuck and needs to be fixed. I am hoping for a cheap and easy fix as I hate to put a lot into an 11 year old car especially if it's not to keep it running.
Let me know what the problem was when you get it back. I’d like to know what to expect.

Absolutely nothing a $2,000 bill can’t solve. 👍 Oh by the way, what is the life span & $’s of the cloth tops? IF you get change, all the better!😉

stickguy · April 2019

meant to post this here earlier. Ended up in the wrong thread.

Speaking of colors (we are now) I left my car on the driveway his AM because it was covered with bugs and road grime, so was bathing it after walking the dog. Coming back up the block I could see quite a few houses, with many cars outside (I still am amazed that even with 2 car garages, so many people park outside).

Anyway, my car was mid-block, sticking out in all its red glory. Every other car I could see was black, white, silver or gray, with the lone exception a tan beetle that lives across the street (and practically disappears in front of a tan brick house!)

People need to get more color in their lives.

ruking1 · April 2019

stickguy said:
meant to post this here earlier. Ended up in the wrong thread.

Speaking of colors (we are now) I left my car on the driveway his AM because it was covered with bugs and road grime, so was bathing it after walking the dog. Coming back up the block I could see quite a few houses, with many cars outside (I still am amazed that even with 2 car garages, so many people park outside).

Anyway, my car was mid-block, sticking out in all its red glory. Every other car I could see was black, white, silver or gray, with the lone exception a tan beetle that lives across the street (and practically disappears in front of a tan brick house!)

People need to get more color in their lives.

So do you live in a “dull” neighborhood? 😇 Personally, I’d get the most outrageous car colors if it resulted in way better resale values.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

It's Time For "Fun With Shifty!"

Hi boys and girls. Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Shiftright the other day?

Well, Mr. Truck decides to play a little trick on Mr. Shiftright. Yes he did!

That's right. At around 10 pm a few nights ago, Mr. Truck decided it would be fun to shut his lights out.

At 70 mph.

On Highway 101

In the rain.

Oh, yes, Mr. Shiftright did say a few potty-mouth words!

Which words? Oh, Mr. Shiftright couldn't tell you that! Mom wouldn't like that.

Let's just say there were a LOT of them. I like potty-words sometime. Do you?

Anyway, here's a nice picture of the fun Mr. Shiftright is having, RIGHT NOW!

carnaught · April 2019

henryn said:
I don’t know whether this varies by state, but I do know where I live (Texas) I have 7 days to inform my insurance company and apply for coverage on the new car. During that 7 days, I am automagically covered.

Texas used to require a notary, but they dropped that quite a few years back. Now you just sign over the title, fill out and sign an “Application for Texas Title”. Downloadable as a PDF file, includes mileage (odometer statement) and “Sales Tax computation”.

Now as for the need for a bill of sale. Several years ago, I sold a 2008 Passat (back around 2014?). The guy showed up at my house, paid me in cash, I signed the title, filled in the PDF form on my computer, printed it, signed it, and gave it to him. Who needs a bill of sale, I had the cash money, right? Turns out I needed the bill of sale.

Approximately 18 months later, I get a certified letter in the mail. The Texas Toll Road Authority is going to bring suit against me if I don’t pay them $145 in fines and penalties for toll road violations. Huh? WTF? What toll road violations? Seems the guy who bought the Passat never transferred the title. And he has been driving the car with expired license plates (and most likely no insurance). And … going through the EZTag lanes on toll roads with no EZTag.

After going around and around with the toll road authority, and consulting a friend of mine who is a lawyer, it turned out $145 was the easiest way out. The lawyer did advise me to report him to the state, and told me how to do so. Which did pay off eventually. A few months later, the a__ contacted me, wanting to know if I would sign a post dated title transfer. I deleted his email.

It would have been nice revenge if you could have reported the car stolen initially after finding out what the dude had done.

sb55 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:

It's Time For "Fun With Shifty!" Hi boys and girls. Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Shiftright the other day? Well, Mr. Truck decides to play a little trick on Mr. Shiftright. Yes he did! That's right. At around 10 pm a few nights ago, Mr. Truck decided it would be fun to shut his lights out. At 70 mph. On Highway 101 In the rain. Oh, yes, Mr. Shiftright did say a few potty-mouth words! Which words? Oh, Mr. Shiftright couldn't tell you that! Mom wouldn't like that. Let's just say there were a LOT of them. I like potty-words sometime. Do you? Anyway, here's a nice picture of the fun Mr. Shiftright is having, RIGHT NOW!

You’re a brave man! Good luck.

tjc78 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
It's Time For "Fun With Shifty!"

Hi boys and girls. Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Shiftright the other day?

Well, Mr. Truck decides to play a little trick on Mr. Shiftright. Yes he did!

That's right. At around 10 pm a few nights ago, Mr. Truck decided it would be fun to shut his lights out.

At 70 mph.

On Highway 101

In the rain.

Oh, yes, Mr. Shiftright did say a few potty-mouth words!

Which words? Oh, Mr. Shiftright couldn't tell you that! Mom wouldn't like that.

Let's just say there were a LOT of them. I like potty-words sometime. Do you?

Anyway, here's a nice picture of the fun Mr. Shiftright is having, RIGHT NOW!

Remember .... if it’s got t$$s or tires it’s gonna give you trouble!

Headlight switch or turn signal lever?

carnaught · April 2019

Bummer, @Mr_Shiftright, sorry! Amazing you still have your sense of humor.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

Turns out it is the headlight switch AND a corroded connector. Luckily before re-soldering an entire connector I decided to clean out the two terminals in question on the old connector and then I bought a new switch (cheap). The old switch looks fine, operating perfectly---but it was in fact bad. I bench tested it and one internal circuit was defective. The other circuits (parking lights, dome light) worked fine. Tricky!

Everything works now, and I'm just snapping back in all the dash pieces.

Too bad old Mr. Mopar couldn't spare Mr. Shiftright even 1/2 an inch more wiring harness so that he could work without pain.

Fortunately--the fog lights worked that night even though the headlights crapped out. Can you imagine a complete black out front and rear at that speed in the rain in the LEFT lane?

Gulp!

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

ruking1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:
well the Sebring is at the dealer as the top got stuck and needs to be fixed. I am hoping for a cheap and easy fix as I hate to put a lot into an 11 year old car especially if it's not to keep it running.
Let me know what the problem was when you get it back. I’d like to know what to expect.
Absolutely nothing a $2,000 bill can’t solve. 👍 Oh by the way, what is the life span & $’s of the cloth tops? IF you get change, all the better!😉

Mine could be 19 years old although I hope it’s been replaced at least once.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
It's Time For "Fun With Shifty!"

Hi boys and girls. Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Shiftright the other day?

Well, Mr. Truck decides to play a little trick on Mr. Shiftright. Yes he did!

That's right. At around 10 pm a few nights ago, Mr. Truck decided it would be fun to shut his lights out.

At 70 mph.

On Highway 101

In the rain.

Oh, yes, Mr. Shiftright did say a few potty-mouth words!

Which words? Oh, Mr. Shiftright couldn't tell you that! Mom wouldn't like that.

Let's just say there were a LOT of them. I like potty-words sometime. Do you?

Anyway, here's a nice picture of the fun Mr. Shiftright is having, RIGHT NOW!

Is that a Dodge? Yikes! I think I’d give up at that point. I assume you checked the fuses.

ruking1 · April 2019

My first guess was bad switch. I think the badly corroded connector was same issue that corroded the then corroded switch, aka., excessive moisture😱👀

Yes, so if you could use heat shrink that would probably do a lot for this reseal integrity.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

No doubt. I tried to re-seal everything. After all, it's been 242,000 miles. Yeah, my Dodge 4X4 with the trusty 5.2L magnum. Is this one of the best engines ever, or what?

Yep, I checked the fuses first, using a continuity tester. I've been fooled too many times by just eyeballing them.

This job looks scarier than it really was.

qbrozen · April 2019

Had a blackout in my first Volvo. Highway driving was relatively easy thanks to all the other cars. It was the backroads of my hillbilly town that were treacherous. I actually wound up violently launching the right side over a previously mangled deer. It was not pleasant... the immediate experience nor the resulting mess on the underside of the car and fenderwells.

ruking1 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
No doubt. I tried to re-seal everything. After all, it's been 242,000 miles. Yeah, my Dodge 4X4 with the trusty 5.2L magnum. Is this one of the best engines ever, or what?

Yep, I checked the fuses first, using a continuity tester. I've been fooled too many times by just eyeballing them.

This job looks scarier than it really was.

Yes ! The proof is really in the pudding. It would be interesting to know what the oil consumption was at mile #4 and now @ 242,000 miles plus.

Yes, continuity tester’s have steadily going up and down in price. One can get a continuity tester at almost any auto supply store or even Harbor Freight, etc., high priced or ...CHEAP.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

It's actually shocking how well it runs. I replaced the valve cover gaskets a few weeks ago and that certainly helped. The 5.2L Magnum is really just the ol' 318 with different heads.

ruking1 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
It's actually shocking how well it runs. I replaced the valve cover gaskets a few weeks ago and that certainly helped. The 5.2L Magnum is really just the ol' 318 with different heads.

Were you able to also get the current cylinder pressures ? (Vs new psi’s)

242,000 miles (without knowing reliability) certainly demonstrates durability. Valve cover gaskets are like an unofficial scheduled maintenance item.

explorerx4 · April 2019

That looks like a picture of me 're-fixing' the toilet I just 'fixed'.
Watched a couple of youtube videos and since they both were basically the same, I decided to do it their way.
Checking every few hours but leaks have seemed to have stopped AND toilet does work.

No pics of my Mustang convertible's 28 year old top, but it still looks great.
Spends most of its' time under the tonneau or in the garage
It's a vinyl weave..

ruking1 · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

ruking1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:
well the Sebring is at the dealer as the top got stuck and needs to be fixed. I am hoping for a cheap and easy fix as I hate to put a lot into an 11 year old car especially if it's not to keep it running.
Let me know what the problem was when you get it back. I’d like to know what to expect.
Absolutely nothing a $2,000 bill can’t solve. 👍 Oh by the way, what is the life span & $’s of the cloth tops? IF you get change, all the better!😉
Mine could be 19 years old although I hope it’s been replaced at least once.

Now you guys got me curious.

imidazol97 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
Turns out it is the headlight switch AND a corroded connector. Luckily before re-soldering an entire connector I decided to clean out the two terminals in question on the old connector and then I bought a new switch (cheap). The old switch looks fine, operating perfectly---but it was in fact bad. I bench tested it and one internal circuit was defective. The other circuits (parking lights, dome light) worked fine. Tricky!

Everything works now, and I'm just snapping back in all the dash pieces.

Too bad old Mr. Mopar couldn't spare Mr. Shiftright even 1/2 an inch more wiring harness so that he could work without pain.

Fortunately--the fog lights worked that night even though the headlights crapped out. Can you imagine a complete black out front and rear at that speed in the rain in the LEFT lane?

Gulp!

I was going to suggest electronics by Lucas. But...

IT's amazing that the corrosion or switch failed in the middle of a drive. Those things usually happen sitting unused and then won't turn on when you need them.

jmonroe1 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
No doubt. I tried to re-seal everything. After all, it's been 242,000 miles. Yeah, my Dodge 4X4 with the trusty 5.2L magnum. Is this one of the best engines ever, or what?

Yep, I checked the fuses first, using a continuity tester. I've been fooled too many times by just eyeballing them.

This job looks scarier than it really was.

OH, you learned that too about fuses. Back when I was in school during an electrical lab set up that I couldn't understand why the circuit didn't work, I finally decided to meter check the in-line fuse that looked good. The fuse was bad and I figured a slow overload melted the fuse link at the end where it is soldered to the metal cap where it couldn't be seen, which of course opened the circuit. I bet I wasted damn near 20 minutes before I finally decided to meter check the fuse. That was the last time I trusted my eyes to check a fuse and that was well over 50 years ago.

jmonroe

driver100 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
It's Time For "Fun With Shifty!"

If it was me I would "call the guy".

Good luck, hope you get the RAM back together again!

snakeweasel · April 2019

stickguy said:
meant to post this here earlier. Ended up in the wrong thread.

Speaking of colors (we are now) I left my car on the driveway his AM because it was covered with bugs and road grime, so was bathing it after walking the dog. Coming back up the block I could see quite a few houses, with many cars outside (I still am amazed that even with 2 car garages, so many people park outside).

Anyway, my car was mid-block, sticking out in all its red glory. Every other car I could see was black, white, silver or gray, with the lone exception a tan beetle that lives across the street (and practically disappears in front of a tan brick house!)

People need to get more color in their lives.

Yes we need everyone to drive a pink car.

Then we would be a pink car nation.

snakeweasel · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:

ruking1 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

snakeweasel said:
well the Sebring is at the dealer as the top got stuck and needs to be fixed. I am hoping for a cheap and easy fix as I hate to put a lot into an 11 year old car especially if it's not to keep it running.
Let me know what the problem was when you get it back. I’d like to know what to expect.
Absolutely nothing a $2,000 bill can’t solve. 👍 Oh by the way, what is the life span & $’s of the cloth tops? IF you get change, all the better!😉
Mine could be 19 years old although I hope it’s been replaced at least once.

Mine is the original top and looks in good shape, maybe just a bit faded but no tears or noticeable wear. However my top is vinyl not cloth.

snakeweasel · April 2019

imidazol97 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
Turns out it is the headlight switch AND a corroded connector. Luckily before re-soldering an entire connector I decided to clean out the two terminals in question on the old connector and then I bought a new switch (cheap). The old switch looks fine, operating perfectly---but it was in fact bad. I bench tested it and one internal circuit was defective. The other circuits (parking lights, dome light) worked fine. Tricky!

Everything works now, and I'm just snapping back in all the dash pieces.

Too bad old Mr. Mopar couldn't spare Mr. Shiftright even 1/2 an inch more wiring harness so that he could work without pain.

Fortunately--the fog lights worked that night even though the headlights crapped out. Can you imagine a complete black out front and rear at that speed in the rain in the LEFT lane?

Gulp!

I was going to suggest electronics by Lucas. But...

IT's amazing that the corrosion or switch failed in the middle of a drive. Those things usually happen sitting unused and then won't turn on when you need them.

Didn't Lucas invent the intermittent wipers and the 3 position switch (off, flicker and dim)?

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

Say, did Jipster ever buy that car or did the sellers take his money and leave him on the side of the road as he feared?

driver100 · April 2019

snakeweasel said:

imidazol97 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
Turns out it is the headlight switch AND a corroded connector. Luckily before re-soldering an entire connector I decided to clean out the two terminals in question on the old connector and then I bought a new switch (cheap). The old switch looks fine, operating perfectly---but it was in fact bad. I bench tested it and one internal circuit was defective. The other circuits (parking lights, dome light) worked fine. Tricky!

Everything works now, and I'm just snapping back in all the dash pieces.

Too bad old Mr. Mopar couldn't spare Mr. Shiftright even 1/2 an inch more wiring harness so that he could work without pain.

Fortunately--the fog lights worked that night even though the headlights crapped out. Can you imagine a complete black out front and rear at that speed in the rain in the LEFT lane?

Gulp!

I was going to suggest electronics by Lucas. But...

IT's amazing that the corrosion or switch failed in the middle of a drive. Those things usually happen sitting unused and then won't turn on when you need them.
Didn't Lucas invent the intermittent wipers and the 3 position switch (off, flicker and dim)?

Robert Kearns, Invented Intermittent Windshield Wipers. and won multimillion-dollar judgments against Ford and Chrysler. This was shown in the movie Flash of Genius - a pretty good movie.

Not sure about 3 way light switch in cars. Not sure if Lucas invented it or messed it up.

driver100 · April 2019

oldfarmer50 said:
Say, did Jipster ever buy that car or did the sellers take his money and leave him on the side of the road as he feared?

I think today is the big day. Hope the guy didn't get a better offer yesterday.

snakeweasel · April 2019

driver100 said:

Turns out it is the headlight switch AND a corroded connector. Luckily before re-soldering an entire connector I decided to clean out the two terminals in question on the old connector and then I bought a new switch (cheap). The old switch looks fine, operating perfectly---but it was in fact bad. I bench tested it and one internal circuit was defective. The other circuits (parking lights, dome light) worked fine. Tricky! Everything works now, and I'm just snapping back in all the dash pieces. Too bad old Mr. Mopar couldn't spare Mr. Shiftright even 1/2 an inch more wiring harness so that he could work without pain. Fortunately--the fog lights worked that night even though the headlights crapped out. Can you imagine a complete black out front and rear at that speed in the rain in the LEFT lane? Gulp!
I was going to suggest electronics by Lucas. But... IT's amazing that the corrosion or switch failed in the middle of a drive. Those things usually happen sitting unused and then won't turn on when you need them.
Didn't Lucas invent the intermittent wipers and the 3 position switch (off, flicker and dim)?
Robert Kearns, Invented Intermittent Windshield Wipers. and won multimillion-dollar judgments against Ford and Chrysler. This was shown in the movie Flash of Genius - a pretty good movie. Not sure about 3 way light switch in cars. Not sure if Lucas invented it or messed it up.

Jokes just fly over your head dont they Driver.

Lucas' motto: Go home before dark

If Lucas made guns wars would never start.

Why so the English drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes their refrigerators.

Lucas, the inventor of the short circuit.

oldfarmer50 · April 2019

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Say, did Jipster ever buy that car or did the sellers take his money and leave him on the side of the road as he feared?
I think today is the big day. Hope the guy didn't get a better offer yesterday.

If he lets this one get away I’ll seriously doubt he really wants to buy a car. He’ll just be one of those Craigslist strokes.

driver100 · April 2019

snakeweasel"

Jokes just fly over your head dont they Driver.

Lucas' motto: Go home before dark

If Lucas made guns wars would never start.

Why so the English drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes their refrigerators.

Lucas, the inventor of the short circuit

.
Got the one about a Pink Car Nation. I don't think this one flew over my head, I think this one sunk into the ground beneath my feet. The "If Lucas......" ones are fairly good though....3.5 out of 10, or "E" for effort.

henryn · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
It's Time For "Fun With Shifty!"

Hi boys and girls. Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Shiftright the other day?

Well, Mr. Truck decides to play a little trick on Mr. Shiftright. Yes he did!

That's right. At around 10 pm a few nights ago, Mr. Truck decided it would be fun to shut his lights out.

At 70 mph.

On Highway 101

In the rain.

Oh, yes, Mr. Shiftright did say a few potty-mouth words!

Which words? Oh, Mr. Shiftright couldn't tell you that! Mom wouldn't like that.

Let's just say there were a LOT of them. I like potty-words sometime. Do you?

Anyway, here's a nice picture of the fun Mr. Shiftright is having, RIGHT NOW!

I had that problem many decades ago, on a 1964 Plymouth. In my case, the lights would go out for a few seconds, then the circuit breaker built into the switch would cool down, reset, and the lights would come back on. For a few seconds. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2019

Truck's back together and everthing works!

Yep, the First Rule of auto repair is "no assumptions"! We even have to question a new part right out of the box sometimes.

Like just about all repairs, now that I know how to do everything I could do it in 1/4 the time.

houdini2 · April 2019

Mr_Shiftright said:
Truck's back together and everthing works!

Yep, the First Rule of auto repair is "no assumptions"! We even have to question a new part right out of the box sometimes.

Like just about all repairs, now that I know how to do everything I could do it in 1/4 the time.

Yep, experience is that thing you always acquire right after you needed it.

driver100 · April 2019

I guess it would be hard to make a dash that had modules.....so maybe sections could open up......so that switches could be easily worked on.

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