Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    For juice is coming maybe he has been in the Christmas cheer early.

       Cheers Pat.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Am I bummed, whoever was responsible for making seagulls a protected bird had to be smoking crack, nothing but a useless dirty garbage eating [non-permissible content removed] bird.

    The reason for my outburst? yesterday we were shopping at a stripmall here, one of the tenants is Mc Donalds along with other resturants what better place for seagulls hundreds of cars for target practice, eat and bomb. they bombed mine and I did not catch it until today a lovely purple blob on the hood.

    Normally I get this stuff off right away but I missed this one had a massive headache and all I wanted to do was get home

    It stained the clearcoat bad enough that even mild rubbing compound would not shift it, I finished having to wet sand with 1500 wet and dry paper and then buffing to get rid of it, I felt like getting a twelve gauge shotgun and heading to the shopping centre and start blasting.

      My second gripe, the city of Ottawa must have used it's entire winter supply of salt in the last week, everywhere you drive now in the city there is clouds of calciun dust drive half a block and the car is covered.
    Alright now I have vented I feel better.

     Cheers Pat.
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    heee-heee-heee (from the left coast)
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    pat, about 2-3 years ago someone actually did blast a bunch of blackbirds here in wichita. we literally get hundreds of them in late fall...

    sorry to hear about titan. :(

    -c
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    I hear you. I have two dull spots in the clearcoat on my hood from some nasty bird crap (they must have some strong stomach acid). I may also try the 1500 grit approach, is it safe for the surrounding clearcoat that is still OK?

    Craig
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    you gotta clear the snow away from your tail pipe before you start the car. Not doing so can cause extreme mental confusion...

    Len
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    Rats with wings.

    Len
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Pat: remind me never to make you mad. ;-)

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    "Mine!....Mine!...Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!"

    lol
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    LOL Loosh!

    Well, it's a the flick first 12 times or so. I my daughter asks to see it one more time, I think I'll check in to the Looney Bin.

    Is Brother Bear any good? I may take her to see that, for a change. I thought Cat in the Hat pretty much went over her head (she's 4).

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    For a start you have to know what you are doing, it is very easy to go through the clearcoat. I have been doing this for a long time and I have had my share of screwups, however I am confident in what I am doing now.

    If you still to want risk it, rub very gently with 1500 paper use lots of water you will dull the clear coat, to bring back the shine I use brasso and buff, again don't go mad brasso is an abrasive and you can cut right through the clearcoat, you can also try a clearcoat safe rubbing compound.

    If you do not feel confident take it to one of the professional detail shops, if the discolouration is not right through the clearcoat they can usually get the stain out.

      Cheers Pat.
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    that is the funniest part of finding nemo...and captures seagull behavior perfectly...
    short update...Susan is doing better most days, though those sharp pains bring her mentally down very quickly and causing some second-guessing on her part regarding her choice of surgeon; she started occupational therapy to improve movement of her arm; seems to be working. All the stitches and staples are out, but she doesn't feel up to the strains of chemo yet, so she put it off until Jan 2nd.
    My certfication paperwork is finally showing as complete on Florida's Dept of Education website, but it will take a few more weeks until I hear from them officially as they are still reviewing and processing September's applications.
    Talk to all soon and a big thanks to Graham...I haven't been on line much. so take this as a quick response till I am able to sit at the computer for an extended period.
    Serge
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Wow, nice long time it takes for a bureaucracy to hire, eh? Took me about 7 months before I started work here.

    Tough as this year was for your family, look at the bright side - 2004 should be a much better year for you. :-)

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    It easy for me to say it is only a short time since Susan had Major surgery and it is going to take a while to recover from that.

    I have had more than my share of major surgery and believe me I know of which I speak.

    Good luck for her continued progress.

      Cheers Pat.
  • bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    Glad to hear of Susan's progress.

    We've had a recent bout of serious illness in my wife's family. Fortunately, all's well again.

    -brianV
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Craig re clearcoat buffing/repairs: This may sound crazy but I'm going to suggest sandpaper grits even finer than 1500. 3M Imperial Wet/Dry is also available in 2000 grit, but I would even go so far as to use some of the sanding cloths sold for scale model enthusiasts to polish their model paint jobs.

    There's a company (MicroScale IIRC) that sells a package of sanding cloths in 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000 grits. (The latter two grits are finer than most toilet paper I've seen!) I've used these on automotive clearcoat finishes on my Studebaker as well as previous cars with success. I haven't tried them on my Forester, however. I used them wet, dried with the same cloth I'd use to apply or remove wax, checked for smoothness and repeated until satisfied. Then I would follow with a coat of wax of my choice.

    Ed

    PS: Serge: congrats. I hope patience pays off for you careerwise and with Susan's recovery.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Kiss my grits! :o)

    -juice
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I took my daughter to see "Brother Bear". It's a cute movie. It has a couple of scary moments, but good message about conservation. However, the best part for us was the 4-year-old across the aisle who apparently was a Phil Collins fan. Whenever he was singing, she was up and dancing.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I know what Susan is going through. When you go in for surgery you may not be feeling all that bad, but after? Recovery sucks and there's no way to get around it. Maybe a nice present would be a GC to a spa? A facial, pedicure, and manicure usually helps my outlook on life. :-)
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    We made it back from CO last Wednesday. Since then I've been down with the flu. Finally feel great today.

    The trip was superb. 2800 miles round trip Eureka, CA to Penrose, CO. Only glitch was the heater core incident which was handled so wonderfully by Heuberger Subaru in CO Springs, SOA and of course Patti. It took the tech a total of 8 hours to replace the core and at 46k miles the whole thing was covered by the dealer and SOA. And even with a complete dash removal there are no signs that anything was done. No, squeeks, scratches or rattles.

    Again we took US 50 from CA to CO. I can't say enough about this stretch of highway. 2 lane with no traffic, beautiful scenery and some great small mining towns. In Nevada alone US50 takes you through ten 7,000 ft passes. You travel on long open road stretches in the high desert and then up nice twisties through the passes. Perfect for enjoying the great ride of my GT. Some snow and some ice covered pavement but all handled wonderfully.

    Of note on US50 are the Shoe Tree which is a huge old Oak covered in shoes. Seems that at this point on The Loneliest Highway folks feel compelled to add their shoes to the monument. Everything from army boots to high heels. Then there is Ely Nevada. One of the very old mining towns now depending on gambling for income. We stayed at the Nevada Hotel again. $25 a night in this historic 100 year old hotel and casino. Very nice (almost B&B like) rooms and they take dogs. At one point we had to stop for a huge cattle drive crossing the highway. Just like out of the movies there were hundreds of cows, a handfull of cowboys on horses and a dog. All making their way across the open plain with absolutely nothing else in sight.

    If you ever have the opportunity don't miss out on US50!

    bit
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    It has crossed my mind...Susan's new motto is "Cancer Free by Fifty". Her birthday is in March; chemo won't be done by then but it would be a nice present.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Fun trip, bit.

    Nice save by Patti, once again.

    -juice
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    Good wishes to Susan and Serge as she continues to recover and he continues to 'wait' ..
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Keep the faith. It sounds as if you both are doing just that. Keep it up! :)

    Bob
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Serge, all will be well. Trust me.
  • hammersleyhammersley Member Posts: 684
    Serge: All our best from our house to yours. Hang in.

    Bit: Every time I see a post from you, I'm reminded of Humboldt Redwoods SP. Thanks.

    Pat: Somebody has a permit for a goose hunt right behind my station. Seems they're eating the winter wheat. Send them birds of yours down here & maybe they'll get blasted for you!

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Like Dennis said, "Keep the Faith" :)

    Things are certainly looking up for you and family :D

    Oh, have you thought about accupuncture therapy for Susan?

    -Dave
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    OK, so what happened to my bad 2002 WRX, sold to the auto auction as promised? No. Two weeks ago it appeared on the used car lot. The week before I had talked to salesman who sold me the 2003. He told me that the clutch still was not right when he had driven it the previous day and that the check engine light was on. And as to the mechanic that caused me all of my problems? Well he no longer works for them. I'm not sure if he was fired before or after he was thrown in jail for beating his wife and children. (He no longer had my car to take his frustrations out on?)

    Entertaining, eh?

    TWRX
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Now there is an idea, in the words of one Visa commercial if only life were like that.

      Cheers Pat.
  • damish003damish003 Member Posts: 303
    It seems that I may not get my car back after all. The insurance company for the guy who rear-ended me last week is discussing the ultimate costs of repairs, which look to be just under 11k right now. That's more than half the price of the car. Since it's such a new model, they have no way of telling what the car would auction for, so they aren't sure if it makes more sense to pay for the repairs or to total it. I should know in the next couple days. Meantime, I'm renting this huge Chevy Silverado Ext. Cab. Monster truck, but I want the security for a long roadtrip the next couple days.

    If they repair, I won't get it back till mid-January. Aaarrgh!

    There, that felt better :) Y'all take care.

    -Dan-
  • bigelmbigelm Member Posts: 995
    Damn... if that's the case, I think the best thing is to have them total it. If it's going to take that long then that's alot of work being done which in reality, I wouldn't feel so safe in the car anymore but that's MHO.

    Regardless, good luck!

    PS- Have you had the desire of running over cars in that truck yet? :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Bruce: if so, he's where he belongs, and for several reasons!

    Dan: let them total it. $11k of damage likely means it'll never be the same car it was before the damage.

    Question is, what to get now? Join our On The Fence Club, scooch over folks!

    -juice
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    Sushi anyone???
    image
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not Nemo. He only had 3 stripes. ;-)

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    If I were you I would push to have it totalled, thats a lot of damage, you can be reasonably sure if it is repaired it will never be the same and you can count on all sorts of rattles and squeaks that were never there before either.

    If they do insist on repairing it the best advice I could give you would be to dump it as soon as you can.

      Cheers Pat.
  • damish003damish003 Member Posts: 303
    Well, the part ordering will take about a week. With Christmas and New Years, they have three day work weeks. From what I understand, lots of clips and small parts are involved. As to whether or not to total the car, who makes the decision? I thought it was up to the paying insurance company. They are looking it over to see what makes the most sense. I really don't want to start over again...I like the car very much. Of course, maybe my dealer can get a duplicate, who knows? Anyway, will be gone for a couple days. I'll check responses next week, if anyone has further thoughts. Thanks!

    -Dan-
  • damish003damish003 Member Posts: 303
    The vehicle is leased, which might complicate things. The lease company will have a say in it, so I can't just dump the vehicle if they repair it. I should know more in a couple of days.

    -Dan-
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I would be really surprised if they don't total it, usually when the repairs exceed more than half the value the car is toast.

    They usually take the cost of repairs plus what they get for salvage, if there is much of a difference between totalling and what they they get for salvage plus repair cost then they will total.

     Example say repairs and salvage added together =$23000, and cost of total write off =$22000, this represents a net saving to the insurer of $1000 so the car will be totalled.

    (These figures are examples only.)

    The cost of repairs does not have to come near the value of the car for the insurance CO. to write it off.

      Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    When my Escort was totalled, I think the number that insurance agent mentioned was 70% of the current value, then they'll total it. If it's close they'll offer you the option. They did to me, I let them total it.

    Worked out great. Got $3 grand for a car I probably could only have sold for about $2k, didn't have to bother with selling it. Took the money and ran.

    -juice
  • goneskiiangoneskiian Member Posts: 381
    My first car was a 1981 Honda Civic Wagon. I bought it for $999 and it had 190,000 miles on it. It served me quite well for about 5 years. In that time I had to replace the alternator and something to do with the front axle (I had torn it up trying to rock my self out of being stuck in the snow when I lived in Bend, OR) for a total of probably $350 - $450.

    After moving back to Seattle I was living in an apartment complex with car ports. My parking spot was under the end with the nearest support just inside my spot on the passengers side. Back in 1996 around Christmas it snowed like 3 or 4 feet and then promptly rained. You can imagine what 3 feet of waterlogged snow would weigh. I was visiting my Aunt and family in Victoria BC (where we were stuck because the city of Victoria didn't have any snow plows) so I couldn't move my car. Car ports and roofs were collapsing all over the Puget Sound area. Sure enough, all the carports in our complex came down, but because I was in the end spot the port support beams which ran lengthwise only put a small dent in front left quarter panel just in front of the drivers door. Of course the car was a beater, so the insurance company totalled it and sent me a check for $750. I drove it another 5 or 6 months before selling it for $350 cash. I was pretty happy with how that worked out. ;-)

    Of course I won't go into how I got fleeced for leasing a used car at the new car price for my next Honda...

    -Ian
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I can see 70% value in an older or high milage car but, the % goes down the newer the car obviously the salvage value goes up or down in relation to age and milage.

    Ian I have a similar story, when I lived in Ireland and was much younger I had an old 49 Austin Dorset which I had bought for 25 pounds sterling, I had been driving it for about a year and half when I got cut off by a woman who had run a stop sign.

    Anyway her insurance wrote it off and gave me 30Pounds and the salvage, I repaired it for a fiver drove it another year and sold it for 25 Pounds, about the only car I ever made money on.
    Wish I had it now because it is a classic and worth about 4500 Pounds.

      Cheers Pat.

      

    Cheers Pat.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Pat- Wow! You bought a car for 25 pounds? Now that had to have been some time ago :-)

    -Frank P.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I guess I dated myself there,that would be about 40 years ago, and the 49 Dorset would have been past its use by date at that point, hence the 25pounds.

    Still 25pounds was a lot of smack when wages were about 7 pounds a week and a new car could be had for around 400 to 500 pounds.

     And speaking of that A40 you here a lot about blown headgaskets on the phase1 2.5 Sube engine, well they had nothing on the A40, after about 40000miles you carried a spare headgasket and a tool kit as they blew often.

    The saving grace was they were a simple overhead valve engine you could do a head gasket on the side of the road in about one and half hours.

      Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You could probably have fixed it, temporarily, with duct tape. ;-)

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I got a lot of experience working on those old bangers of my youth, if you could not repair it yourself you just did not have wheels,there just wasn't any spare cash to pay somebody so you learned or walked.

    When I think of what my poor parents put up with, it wasn't the first motor that I had apart all over their kitchen floor, we would rig up some sort of a lift, haul it out at the sidewalk, strip it down then have it rebored and the cranshaft ground.

    We would pull it apart Friday night, have the machine work done on a Saturday,then rebuild it on Sunday and drive it to work Monday, boy them was the days.

      Cheers Pat.
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    trying to get in. Having trouble. Reloading Java and we'll see.

    Greg
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    Lauren has the flu, which doesn't normally involve an upset stomach, but that crept up on her last night.

    I hope to be back on top of Edmunds this week. Vendor meetings are complete! Yippeee!

    Patti
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I got some good news during the chat, my nanny's daughter is pregnant, and she's having a boy. It'll be her 2nd grandson.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Trying to figure out the relationship here? Does that make you a juice-in-law? :)

    Bob
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