Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

dino001 · July 2020

We probably couldn't stop the virus, but surely we could have slowed it down to protect most vulnerable. The rest of developed world was able to do it and they live much closer to each other then we do. It is very simple - in this country we love to talk about personal responsibility, but it's mostly a political cover for doing nothing when the time comes, cause first real test of it in a few decades and we can't be bothered to actually exercise it because it became just a little inconvenient. Others be damned.
.

graphicguy · July 2020

Lots of misinformation and bad advice out there. I rely on the science. This is the best article I've found regarding social distancing, quarantine and mask wearing. Those things work...and they work well....if people would just quit with the ridiculous excuses. This is life and death (or the very least, very ill). "Reopening" schools and mass public events are going to exacerbate the carnage. In SW OH, we're dealing with our 2nd COVID-19 surge because we relaxed restrictions too soon.

https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/29/ai-models-suggest-that-masks-can-significantly-reduce-spread-of-coronavirus/

Get tested, too. That will give you (and the rest of us) a fighting chance to isolate the COVID spread.

I went last week to a drive through testing site. It was quick and it was free. They just called this a.m. stating I was COVID free. I intend to stay that way.

graphicguy · July 2020

abacomike · July 2020

graphicguy said:
Lots of misinformation and bad advice out there. I rely on the science. This is the best article I've found regarding social distancing, quarantine and mask wearing. Those things work...and they work well....if people would just quit with the ridiculous excuses. This is life and death (or the very least, very ill). "Reopening" schools and mass public events are going to exacerbate the carnage. In SW OH, we're dealing with our 2nd COVID-19 surge because we relaxed restrictions too soon.

https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/29/ai-models-suggest-that-masks-can-significantly-reduce-spread-of-coronavirus/

Get tested, too. That will give you (and the rest of us) a fighting chance to isolate the COVID spread.

I went last week to a drive through testing site. It was quick and it was free. They just called this a.m. stating I was COVID free. I intend to stay that way.

We're dealing with human behavior in an attempt to convince people to wear masks, self-distance, avoid large groupings, avoid eating inside a restaurant, etc. When you deal with human behavior, it's impossible to get everyone to agree to specific behaviors.

That's why I said that until we have a vaccine that is effective against covid-19 and potential mutated versions, we will be living like this!

I wear a mask all the time! I avoid groups of people! I don't eat out! When I walk in the mall for exercise, security requires masks and distancing. The mall right now is almost empty which is why I have continued my daily walking. If I felt there was a danger in coming to the mall, I would stop coming.

When I shop for food, I go to a Publix 3 miles from me instead of the one across the street because it is so crowded there.

I only pray we have an effective vaccine in 4-6 months.

andres3 · July 2020

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KDVnVPgo/2005-audi-s4-avant

Does anyone else find the claim "always garaged" and "tree branch fell on hood" highly suspicious and conflicting? I suppose anything can happen, but it seems unlikely.

jmonroe1 · July 2020

suydam said:
Whatever else you can say about this virus it’s pretty clear that many other countries have managed it way better than us. They are reopening without surges like we are seeing. It’s quite frightening to be honest.
On another and happier note, I just got my auto insurance renewal and was pleasantly surprised to see that my premiums have actually decreased! I switched to AAA last year and dropped my premiums $40/month after State Farm hit me with a whopping renewal charge. Pleased to see they are staying low. Hopefully some day we will get a chance to actually drive out of our county.

The State Farm price hike is probably because Jake just signed a lucrative contract.

jmonroe

dino001 · July 2020

What bothers me most is the level of contempt

andres3 said:
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KDVnVPgo/2005-audi-s4-avant

Does anyone else find the claim "always garaged" and "tree branch fell on hood" highly suspicious and conflicting? I suppose anything can happen, but it seems unlikely.

My car is garaged overnight, but my office has an open parking lot with trees, so this could happen to me.

snakeweasel · July 2020

andres3 said:
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KDVnVPgo/2005-audi-s4-avant

Does anyone else find the claim "always garaged" and "tree branch fell on hood" highly suspicious and conflicting? I suppose anything can happen, but it seems unlikely.

I dont see it as conflicting or suspicious, the owner has driven it and that means that at times it has to be near enough to a tree for a branch to be over it.

driver100 · July 2020

jmonroe1 said:

isellhondas said:
When I was young I fancied myself as a television repair guy. When I was about 14, I got pretty good about pulling out tubes, putting them in a sack and taking them to the nearby supermarket where they had a tube testing machine...I know...SOME of you must remember these! I would quickly learn which tube had failed and much to the joy of the rest of the family, the old black and white Magnavox would live again!

I knew what tubes were but I didn't know what a capacatior was nor did I know that they could store electricity even when the set had been unplugged for over an hour. Well. one day I found out....BIG TIME and that ended my career in electronics. that is until I got my Ham radio.
And heaven help you if you didn’t discharge the connection to the picture tube (CRT) before you tried to remove the high voltage wire from it. Same thing when you wanted to remove the horizontal output tube that was in the vented high voltage cage usually located at the bottom right corner of the chassis. An old time TV repair man showed me a black mark burned though one of his fingers under the nail as proof that you better not forget to discharge these circuits before working on them or removing the tube. That finger looked pretty bad even after years since he forgot, ONCE.

jmonroe

.....another reason to call...."The Guy".

fintail · July 2020

They are reopening and also often barring American tourists. One would think we'd take the hint, but that's not something we're (as a nation) always good at.

Waiting for my next renewal to go down, but not holding my breath - I wonder about per mile crash data around here with some of the insanity I see on the road lately - it's worse than pre-'Rona. Red light running is like a sport now.

suydam said:
Whatever else you can say about this virus it’s pretty clear that many other countries have managed it way better than us. They are reopening without surges like we are seeing. It’s quite frightening to be honest.
On another and happier note, I just got my auto insurance renewal and was pleasantly surprised to see that my premiums have actually decreased! I switched to AAA last year and dropped my premiums $40/month after State Farm hit me with a whopping renewal charge. Pleased to see they are staying low. Hopefully some day we will get a chance to actually drive out of our county.

andres3 · July 2020

My Escort M1 Dash Cam has killed like 5 or 6 power cords. Finally figured it out and isolated it; apparently it's a "known" issue at customer support at Escort. It is 13 months old, close enough the 1 year warranty is still good!

imidazol97 · July 2020

The State Farm price hike is probably because Jake just signed a lucrative contract.
jmonroe

One of the cruise ins I'd like to get to this weekend is with Jake from State Farm in Westerville, Ohio.

http://carshowtalk.com/pdf/2020/westervilleCarsCoffeeJake.pdf

oldfarmer50 · July 2020

andres3 said:
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KDVnVPgo/2005-audi-s4-avant

Does anyone else find the claim "always garaged" and "tree branch fell on hood" highly suspicious and conflicting? I suppose anything can happen, but it seems unlikely.

Maybe it hit the garage roof and kept on going.

jmonroe1 · July 2020

imidazol97 said:
The State Farm price hike is probably because Jake just signed a lucrative contract.
jmonroe

One of the cruise ins I'd like to get to this weekend is with Jake from State Farm.

http://carshowtalk.com/pdf/2020/westervilleCarsCoffeeJake.pdf

That link says, Jeff Breakey-State Farm Insurance Agent. So to me it looks like that may not be the Jake that is in the State Farm commercial. That cruise in may be conning folks. I think you gotta get the real skinny on this.

jmonroe

andres3 · July 2020

Okay, time to add a few groups to the human scum, excrement, and feces that exists in the Insurance world, I will add, these humans are less than human, garbage, filth:

1) USAA
2) Alacrity (USAA's supposed 3rd party DIV appraiser)
3) Arbitration Forums, Inc. (who just couldn't side with reason and 100% fault on the other party on my claim).

I don't know why insurance companies use these silly Arbitration companies in the first place. They are probably run by clowns and use very low IQ individuals as arbitrators. I think people would find much better justice from non-clowns that actually were able to pass the bar and are judges in a real courtroom rather than "failed lawyers" playing judges in make-believe as "arbiters"

But let me tell you how I really feel next time....

sda · July 2020

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:
I have an AR XA turntable that I “bought” from my uncle. He was going to donate it to the children’s ministry of his church- in that environment I suspected it would have a life expectancy of around 15 minutes, so I told him to name a price and I’d donate that amount to his church. And that’s how I wound up owning it for the princely sum of $75.
Nice turntable!
sda said:
I have a mid 80s Technics SL direct drive, quartz lock, with straight arm turntable that still gets played several times a year. Not the best compared to other models at the time, but much better than most models today unless you spend $$$$. It’s connected to an early 90s Sony receiver, and my Advent speakers I bought while I was in college. It’s no longer the primary system but is still enjoyable to listen to.
That Technics turntable was part of the very first “real” stereo I had back in college. It wasn’t audiophile, but it was built like a tank. Wish I still had it. Advent speakers....the gold standard of ‘80s stereos. I bet it is enjoyable.

Here's a picture of ole reliable I took today. You can see the Advents in their heavy walnut cases. No scratches on them. The receiver is a mid 90s Sony STR 1015. Its not as good as the Pioneer it replaced, but it still works without any issues.

roadburner · July 2020

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

isellhondas said:
When I was young I fancied myself as a television repair guy. When I was about 14, I got pretty good about pulling out tubes, putting them in a sack and taking them to the nearby supermarket where they had a tube testing machine...I know...SOME of you must remember these! I would quickly learn which tube had failed and much to the joy of the rest of the family, the old black and white Magnavox would live again!

I knew what tubes were but I didn't know what a capacatior was nor did I know that they could store electricity even when the set had been unplugged for over an hour. Well. one day I found out....BIG TIME and that ended my career in electronics. that is until I got my Ham radio.
And heaven help you if you didn’t discharge the connection to the picture tube (CRT) before you tried to remove the high voltage wire from it. Same thing when you wanted to remove the horizontal output tube that was in the vented high voltage cage usually located at the bottom right corner of the chassis. An old time TV repair man showed me a black mark burned though one of his fingers under the nail as proof that you better not forget to discharge these circuits before working on them or removing the tube. That finger looked pretty bad even after years since he forgot, ONCE.

jmonroe

.....another reason to call...."The Guy".

How much do you pay the people who feed and bathe you?

roadburner · July 2020

As I posted in the CCBA topic, my local Kia dealer just received a Ceramic Silver GT2 in RWD; MSRP is $52,535- but it has a $3,900 rebate. If they gave me graphicguy's deal($17,000 off MSRP) I'd pick it up in a nanosecond- even if it does have four doors and a hole in the roof.
That's almost certainly notgonnahappen.com, and in any event, I remember an old Car and Driver article extolling the virtues of two door coupes. One pronouncement in the article stuck with me- "Stop deadly four-door brain rot!"- although today I'd also include most CUVs

stickguy · July 2020

might have to wait for it to be last years model like GG got. But, like the man said, make an offer. Like I told my kids, if you don't ask, the answer is always No. Of course, if they did ask, it was probably going to be No also.

As to doors, 4 doors have a lot of advantages. If you ever have rear passengers, defintiely a plus. But even with just me, oversized doors often became inconvenient. In tight parking lots especially. Not too bad on a small car (your Ti door is probably the same size as a 3 series 4 door). But bigger cars like a Camaro, heavy, tended to sag, and wham into cars next to you (the reason I will never, ever, park next to a 2 door car).

the only legit reason I ever saw was if you had a wheelchair, so you could get it into the back seat. Other than that it was just for image reasons (no different than refusing to drive a minivan when you actually had use for one!)

I bet a 4 door is lighter and stiffer than a 2 door also. If not having a moonroof for that reason is important, should be a reason to get a 4 door!

abacomike · July 2020

@fintail

Here are the photos of the wiper blades Mercedes installed on my E450 that you requested.

stickguy · July 2020

look like normal wipers to me. do they work any better?

abacomike · July 2020

stickguy said:
look like normal wipers to me. do they work any better?

I don't know yet - I haven't driven in heavy rain. These wipers are much heavier than the OEM's so I suspect they will adhere to the windshield better. I hope they work.

oldfarmer50 · July 2020

roadburner said:
As I posted in the CCBA topic, my local Kia dealer just received a Ceramic Silver GT2 in RWD; MSRP is $52,535- but it has a $3,900 rebate. If they gave me graphicguy's deal($17,000 off MSRP) I'd pick it up in a nanosecond- even if it does have four doors and a hole in the roof.
That's almost certainly notgonnahappen.com, and in any event, I remember an old Car and Driver article extolling the virtues of two door coupes. One pronouncement in the article stuck with me- "Stop deadly four-door brain rot!"- although today I'd also include most CUVs

You should hope that GG tires of his Stinger then you can start negotiating from that $17k off minus depreciation. Maybe start looking up negative reviews on the Stinger and some positive ones on various Acuras. You know he’s a big Acura fan so if you post all that emotional manipulation you can get him to jump ship. Hit him with a low ball before he has time to think.

fintail · July 2020

Interesting. I'll have to compare some off-the-shelf Bosch and see if they look similar.

Here's the mount on my OEM set, which looks pretty similar:

abacomike said:
<
Here are the photos of the wiper blades Mercedes installed on my E450 that you requested.

stickguy · July 2020

Nah. he is buried in it for a few years. Well, I guess when you pay cash you are never actually buried.

driver100 · July 2020

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

isellhondas said:
When I was young I fancied myself as a television repair guy. When I was about 14, I got pretty good about pulling out tubes, putting them in a sack and taking them to the nearby supermarket where they had a tube testing machine...I know...SOME of you must remember these! I would quickly learn which tube had failed and much to the joy of the rest of the family, the old black and white Magnavox would live again!

I knew what tubes were but I didn't know what a capacatior was nor did I know that they could store electricity even when the set had been unplugged for over an hour. Well. one day I found out....BIG TIME and that ended my career in electronics. that is until I got my Ham radio.
And heaven help you if you didn’t discharge the connection to the picture tube (CRT) before you tried to remove the high voltage wire from it. Same thing when you wanted to remove the horizontal output tube that was in the vented high voltage cage usually located at the bottom right corner of the chassis. An old time TV repair man showed me a black mark burned though one of his fingers under the nail as proof that you better not forget to discharge these circuits before working on them or removing the tube. That finger looked pretty bad even after years since he forgot, ONCE.

jmonroe

.....another reason to call...."The Guy".
How much do you pay the people who feed and bathe you?

Real men don't have to get electrocuted or change a tire to feel like a man.

roadburner · July 2020

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

isellhondas said:
When I was young I fancied myself as a television repair guy. When I was about 14, I got pretty good about pulling out tubes, putting them in a sack and taking them to the nearby supermarket where they had a tube testing machine...I know...SOME of you must remember these! I would quickly learn which tube had failed and much to the joy of the rest of the family, the old black and white Magnavox would live again!

I knew what tubes were but I didn't know what a capacatior was nor did I know that they could store electricity even when the set had been unplugged for over an hour. Well. one day I found out....BIG TIME and that ended my career in electronics. that is until I got my Ham radio.
And heaven help you if you didn’t discharge the connection to the picture tube (CRT) before you tried to remove the high voltage wire from it. Same thing when you wanted to remove the horizontal output tube that was in the vented high voltage cage usually located at the bottom right corner of the chassis. An old time TV repair man showed me a black mark burned though one of his fingers under the nail as proof that you better not forget to discharge these circuits before working on them or removing the tube. That finger looked pretty bad even after years since he forgot, ONCE.

jmonroe

.....another reason to call...."The Guy".
How much do you pay the people who feed and bathe you?
Real men don't have to get electrocuted or change a tire to feel like a man.

If calling a guy to change a tire makes you feel like a man, have at it.

driver100 · July 2020

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

isellhondas said:
When I was young I fancied myself as a television repair guy. When I was about 14, I got pretty good about pulling out tubes, putting them in a sack and taking them to the nearby supermarket where they had a tube testing machine...I know...SOME of you must remember these! I would quickly learn which tube had failed and much to the joy of the rest of the family, the old black and white Magnavox would live again!

I knew what tubes were but I didn't know what a capacatior was nor did I know that they could store electricity even when the set had been unplugged for over an hour. Well. one day I found out....BIG TIME and that ended my career in electronics. that is until I got my Ham radio.
And heaven help you if you didn’t discharge the connection to the picture tube (CRT) before you tried to remove the high voltage wire from it. Same thing when you wanted to remove the horizontal output tube that was in the vented high voltage cage usually located at the bottom right corner of the chassis. An old time TV repair man showed me a black mark burned though one of his fingers under the nail as proof that you better not forget to discharge these circuits before working on them or removing the tube. That finger looked pretty bad even after years since he forgot, ONCE.

jmonroe

.....another reason to call...."The Guy".
How much do you pay the people who feed and bathe you?
Real men don't have to get electrocuted or change a tire to feel like a man.
If calling a guy to change a tire makes you feel like a man, have at it.

You can change your own tire or you can have someone else change the tire....that has nothing to do with making you a man. There are a lot of young kids and women who can change a tire, do an oil change, drive a semi-truck, drive a bus, fix a transmission....has nothing to do with who they are as a person or their gender.

Real men just are men, they don't have to brag about changing a tire to prove it.

graphicguy · July 2020

roadburner said:
As I posted in the CCBA topic, my local Kia dealer just received a Ceramic Silver GT2 in RWD; MSRP is $52,535- but it has a $3,900 rebate. If they gave me graphicguy's deal($17,000 off MSRP) I'd pick it up in a nanosecond- even if it does have four doors and a hole in the roof.
That's almost certainly notgonnahappen.com, and in any event, I remember an old Car and Driver article extolling the virtues of two door coupes. One pronouncement in the article stuck with me- "Stop deadly four-door brain rot!"- although today I'd also include most CUVs

I liked that ceramic silver....but only with the red interior. You get up close to it, you’ll notice it does have a little metal flake in it.

graphicguy · July 2020

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:
As I posted in the CCBA topic, my local Kia dealer just received a Ceramic Silver GT2 in RWD; MSRP is $52,535- but it has a $3,900 rebate. If they gave me graphicguy's deal($17,000 off MSRP) I'd pick it up in a nanosecond- even if it does have four doors and a hole in the roof.
That's almost certainly notgonnahappen.com, and in any event, I remember an old Car and Driver article extolling the virtues of two door coupes. One pronouncement in the article stuck with me- "Stop deadly four-door brain rot!"- although today I'd also include most CUVs
You should hope that GG tires of his Stinger then you can start negotiating from that $17k off minus depreciation. Maybe start looking up negative reviews on the Stinger and some positive ones on various Acuras. You know he’s a big Acura fan so if you post all that emotional manipulation you can get him to jump ship. Hit him with a low ball before he has time to think.

LOL!

graphicguy · July 2020

sda said:

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:
I have an AR XA turntable that I “bought” from my uncle. He was going to donate it to the children’s ministry of his church- in that environment I suspected it would have a life expectancy of around 15 minutes, so I told him to name a price and I’d donate that amount to his church. And that’s how I wound up owning it for the princely sum of $75.
Nice turntable!
sda said:
I have a mid 80s Technics SL direct drive, quartz lock, with straight arm turntable that still gets played several times a year. Not the best compared to other models at the time, but much better than most models today unless you spend $$$$. It’s connected to an early 90s Sony receiver, and my Advent speakers I bought while I was in college. It’s no longer the primary system but is still enjoyable to listen to.
That Technics turntable was part of the very first “real” stereo I had back in college. It wasn’t audiophile, but it was built like a tank. Wish I still had it. Advent speakers....the gold standard of ‘80s stereos. I bet it is enjoyable.
Here's a picture of ole reliable I took today. You can see the Advents in their heavy walnut cases. No scratches on them. The receiver is a mid 90s Sony STR 1015. Its not as good as the Pioneer it replaced, but it still works without any issues.

That set up is so nice...all vintage. I love it.

Sandman6472 · July 2020

Sat in a vehicle a short while back with an all red interior. Not sure if I could do it on a daily basis though. Was sure very nice looking but think I'm more of a light color interior guy instead to be honest. We have black perforated leather on the A3 and it does get hot in the summer but my beige perforated leather never gets that hot to me. Betting red could also get hot in our 90+ degree weather down south here!

Sandman6472 · July 2020

Had to drive the 15 pack after lunch again yesterday and really do hate it! But with our social distancing policy, there can only be one body/row going forward. The Dodge minivans can only be used with 3 total drivers. And for some reason, a lot of the lead drivers no longer drive the chase vehicles and just let the other drivers figure it out. I didn't want to really do it yesterday but the first guy asked said he wasn't quite up to it and would I do it instead? He's a few years older than I and we've become fast friends so of course I said sure but did throw in, "I'd rather not". But once he said he wasn't up to it today, I just said "no problem" and took over the driving.
Still very happy that shorts are now allowed on daily basis. Assuming and hoping that this new policy will stay in effect throughout the year. We do have a very short, moderate winter down here but some days, with the winds, it can get a bit chilly. On those days, long pants are the way to go. I just want to be the one who decides what I wear in that respect. They've already chosen our shirts for us so I like getting to chose everything else. Hoping they also change the color and material of or new shirts to. We look like Kermit the Frog with the current green they chose and the polo shirts don't breathe so well and get hot. They aren't perforated like the older polo's were and hoping they go back to that other breathable material next time. We've had over twenty days of 90+ weather and it's damn hot to be honest. Luckily the 15 packs have decent a/c units in them, two actually, since these are big vehicles.

roadburner · July 2020

driver100 said:

You can change your own tire or you can have someone else change the tire....that has nothing to do with making you a man. There are a lot of young kids and women who can change a tire, do an oil change, drive a semi-truck, drive a bus, fix a transmission....has nothing to do with who they are as a person or their gender.

Real men just are men, they don't have to brag about changing a tire to prove it.

Here's a solution; the next time I-or someone else-discusses DIY maintenance or repair, feel free to brazenly announce how you are able to use your phone to call someone to do it. Deal?

roadburner · July 2020

stickguy said:

I bet a 4 door is lighter and stiffer than a 2 door also.

If a coupe has a B pillar there shouldn't be any difference in torsional stiffness; in my experience with BMWs I've found that any weight difference is a function of how the car is optioned.

stickguy said:

If not having a moonroof for that reason is important, should be a reason to get a 4 door!

The reason I don't like sunroofs is because they add @65 pounds to the highest point on the car- and in the case of the M3 or M4 it's even worse- because a hole in the roof replaces the CF roof with steel...

jipster · July 2020

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

I bet a 4 door is lighter and stiffer than a 2 door also.
If a coupe has a B pillar there shouldn't be any difference in torsional stiffness; in my experience with BMWs I've found that any weight difference is a function of how the car is optioned.
stickguy said:

If not having a moonroof for that reason is important, should be a reason to get a 4 door!
The reason I don't like sunroofs is because they add @65 pounds to the highest point on the car- and in the case of the M3 or M4 it's even worse- because a hole in the roof replaces the CF roof with steel...

65 pounds sounded a bit high to me. This is what I found....

"Other factors to consider though are that depending on the model, a sunroof can mean a reduction in headroom for the driver and other passengers. They can also add extra weight to the car, usually about 30 to 40 pounds extra (roughly 13kg to 18kg)."

roadburner · July 2020

jipster said:

65 pounds sounded a bit high to me. This is what I found....

"Other factors to consider though are that depending on the model, a sunroof can mean a reduction in headroom for the driver and other passengers. They can also add extra weight to the car, usually about 30 to 40 pounds extra (roughly 13kg to 18kg)."

I got that number from none other than TC Kline himself. He told of cutting the roof panels off of E30 M3s and replacing them with slick panels from a lesser E30 for various racing series; he stated that the weight difference was 65 pounds. As he put it, "a sunroof is like bolting a car battery to the roof."

sda · July 2020

Is that a metal or glass sunroof? I can only imagine how heavy the panoramic sunroofs are that includes all the hardware of the automated sunscreens.

roadburner · July 2020

sda said:
Is that a metal or glass sunroof? I can only imagine how heavy the panoramic sunroofs are that includes all the hardware of the automated sunscreens.

The E30 had a metal panel. I can only imagine what those panoramic roofs weigh.

abacomike · July 2020

jipster said:

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

I bet a 4 door is lighter and stiffer than a 2 door also.
If a coupe has a B pillar there shouldn't be any difference in torsional stiffness; in my experience with BMWs I've found that any weight difference is a function of how the car is optioned.
stickguy said:

If not having a moonroof for that reason is important, should be a reason to get a 4 door!
The reason I don't like sunroofs is because they add @65 pounds to the highest point on the car- and in the case of the M3 or M4 it's even worse- because a hole in the roof replaces the CF roof with steel...

65 pounds sounded a bit high to me. This is what I found....

"Other factors to consider though are that depending on the model, a sunroof can mean a reduction in headroom for the driver and other passengers. They can also add extra weight to the car, usually about 30 to 40 pounds extra (roughly 13kg to 18kg)."

The panorama roof in my E450 actually provides more headroom for me than the E450 with the standard sun roof. I sat in both and hit my head on the roof in the standard roof version which I solved by lowering the seat. Too bad we couldn't find an E450 with standard roof and well optioned.

driver100 · July 2020

sda said:
Is that a metal or glass sunroof? I can only imagine how heavy the panoramic sunroofs are that includes all the hardware of the automated sunscreens.

When we toured the Mercedes plant they told us the panoramic roof was actually a safety feature....made the structure stronger.

abacomike · July 2020

driver100 said:

sda said:
Is that a metal or glass sunroof? I can only imagine how heavy the panoramic sunroofs are that includes all the hardware of the automated sunscreens.
When we toured the Mercedes plant they told us the panoramic roof was actually a safety feature....made the structure stronger.

I have not yet opened the panorama roof on the E450. I remember when I opened the panorama roof on the S450 3 years ago when it stuck in the open position - so I am a bit panicky about opening pano roofs.

I guess I will wait until winter when it is much cooler down here.

ab348 · July 2020

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

sda said:
Is that a metal or glass sunroof? I can only imagine how heavy the panoramic sunroofs are that includes all the hardware of the automated sunscreens.
When we toured the Mercedes plant they told us the panoramic roof was actually a safety feature....made the structure stronger.
I have not yet opened the panorama roof on the E450. I remember when I opened the panorama roof on the S450 3 years ago when it stuck in the open position - so I am a bit panicky about opening pano roofs.

I guess I will wait until winter when it is much cooler down here.

Drive to the dealer lot and open it there. If it sticks, wheel it into service at once.

driver100 · July 2020

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

sda said:
Is that a metal or glass sunroof? I can only imagine how heavy the panoramic sunroofs are that includes all the hardware of the automated sunscreens.
When we toured the Mercedes plant they told us the panoramic roof was actually a safety feature....made the structure stronger.
I have not yet opened the panorama roof on the E450. I remember when I opened the panorama roof on the S450 3 years ago when it stuck in the open position - so I am a bit panicky about opening pano roofs.

I guess I will wait until winter when it is much cooler down here.

I don't open my roof either. If it is hot....been 90s for over a week, then I would rather use the air conditioner. In cooler weather I can put a window down. The main reason I like it is that it lets in light.....brightens up the interior.

driver100 · July 2020

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

You can change your own tire or you can have someone else change the tire....that has nothing to do with making you a man. There are a lot of young kids and women who can change a tire, do an oil change, drive a semi-truck, drive a bus, fix a transmission....has nothing to do with who they are as a person or their gender.

Real men just are men, they don't have to brag about changing a tire to prove it.
Here's a solution; the next time I-or someone else-discusses DIY maintenance or repair, feel free to brazenly announce how you are able to use your phone to call someone to do it. Deal?

No deals and I don't need your solutions either. There was a post - poster will be unnamed - who said:

And heaven help you if you didn’t discharge the connection to the picture tube (CRT) before you tried to remove the high voltage wire from it. Same thing when you wanted to remove the horizontal output tube that was in the vented high voltage cage usually located at the bottom right corner of the chassis. An old time TV repair man showed me a black mark burned though one of his fingers under the nail as proof that you better not forget to discharge these circuits before working on them or removing the tube. That finger looked pretty bad even after years since he forgot, ONCE

I have changed TV and radio tubes....but the point was that if you don't know what you are doing...it could be hazardous to try and fix something yourself.

omarman · July 2020

Once upon a pool table back in the seventies deadly sins...

My brother offered to change the oil on the old man's car and something when wrong when putting the car up on ramps. So I got a message at work that I needed to go help out as soon as I clocked out for the day.

I wasn't there when it happened but apparently it went like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLchy-Zezc
Up until then I had never heard of "ramp fail" but that was before the interweb era.

snakeweasel · July 2020

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

You can change your own tire or you can have someone else change the tire....that has nothing to do with making you a man. There are a lot of young kids and women who can change a tire, do an oil change, drive a semi-truck, drive a bus, fix a transmission....has nothing to do with who they are as a person or their gender.

Real men just are men, they don't have to brag about changing a tire to prove it.
Here's a solution; the next time I-or someone else-discusses DIY maintenance or repair, feel free to brazenly announce how you are able to use your phone to call someone to do it. Deal?

I bet he has a guy to call the guy.

snakeweasel · July 2020

roadburner said:

stickguy said:

I bet a 4 door is lighter and stiffer than a 2 door also.
If a coupe has a B pillar there shouldn't be any difference in torsional stiffness; in my experience with BMWs I've found that any weight difference is a function of how the car is optioned.
stickguy said:

If not having a moonroof for that reason is important, should be a reason to get a 4 door!
The reason I don't like sunroofs is because they add @65 pounds to the highest point on the car- and in the case of the M3 or M4 it's even worse- because a hole in the roof replaces the CF roof with steel...

65 pounds really isn't a lot if you're discussing cars that can weigh over 2 tons.

ab348 · July 2020

I have a set of ramps. Used them maybe twice. I could never get them to stop sliding every time I tried driving up on them which made for some thrills. And I never trusted them anyway. Decided it wasn't worth it.

driver100 · July 2020

omarman said:
Once upon a pool table back in the seventies deadly sins...

My brother offered to change the oil on the old man's car and something when wrong when putting the car up on ramps. So I got a message at work that I needed to go help out as soon as I clocked out for the day.

I wasn't there when it happened but apparently it went like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLchy-Zezc
Up until then I had never heard of "ramp fail" but that was before the interweb era.

lol....I won't say what they should have done

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