Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

imidazol97 · December 2020

The technician yesterday said that all of the HVAC companies have attempted to reduce the mass of their equipment. Saves weight and cost. In the case of the copper pipes that supply the aluminum coils, the coating was changed along with the wall thickness.

Having "The Guy" diagnose is correct because that requires equipment the typical homeowner doesn't have, along with clear understanding of the electrical diagrams and knowing which connection on the circuits to use to turn on just certain electrical parts, in my case he turned on the compressor by itself to check the amperes over a few minutes and then he checked the blower fan on the condenser unit outside. The compressor tripped the solenoid off inside the unit but did not trip the circuit breaker in the house. He also was able to check the new compressor for integrity by checking each of the windings in the motor and they each drew the same amperage indicating they were all good.

imidazol97 · December 2020

"The Guy" is here today because the part came in to the store this morning !!!! and their top tech had some time open this afternoon to take out the freon, replace the parts soldering them in with silver solder, and then recharge and check the operation of the unit.

I was happy as kid learning they had a snow day off from school when that phone call came.

imidazol97 · December 2020

kyfdx said:

When I replaced my system a few years ago (gas furnace and central air unit), they said the gains from the variable speed compressor weren't worth the extra cost. I do have a variable speed blower on the air handler.

Of course, I don't use my compressor for heat, so the math might work out better for you. IIRC, it was about $600 to "upgrade" to the variable speed compressor.

I didn't see the benefit over this unit that was the highest rated single compressor speed unit if I had gotten one of the multispeed compressors. Our house is well insulated.

I told my son about his gas heat in their home they just bought, that he should have a heat pump/gas combination put in if they every have to replace theirs, which the inspector said was almost new and efficient at gas heat.

The ability in being able to use electric coils or heat pump as backup heat if something goes wrong with the gas supply or your gas furnace is a big advantage I would have paid for were gas available on our road which was built in the 70s during a gas connection moratorium.

I hope Junior listens if they need to replace his gas furnace or the AC portion. With electricity in our area at 4 cents/kwh to 4.3, unless the greenies get their way with forcing everyone to pay more for their solar cell farms and windmills, the use of the electricity to heat via heat pumps and the Carnot Cycle or direct resistance heat is pretty good. We also have 2 nuclear plants that don't add carbon in Ohio, whatever that means, so we don't need the high cost subsidized farms.

kyfdx · December 2020

imidazol97 said:

kyfdx said:

When I replaced my system a few years ago (gas furnace and central air unit), they said the gains from the variable speed compressor weren't worth the extra cost. I do have a variable speed blower on the air handler.

Of course, I don't use my compressor for heat, so the math might work out better for you. IIRC, it was about $600 to "upgrade" to the variable speed compressor.
I didn't see the benefit over this unit that was the highest rated single compressor speed unit if I had gotten one of the multispeed compressors. Our house is well insulated.

I told my son about his gas heat in their home they just bought, that he should have a heat pump/gas combination put in if they every have to replace theirs, which the inspector said was almost new and efficient at gas heat.

The ability in being able to use electric coils or heat pump as backup heat if something goes wrong with the gas supply or your gas furnace is a big advantage I would have paid for were gas available on our road which was built in the 70s during a gas connection moratorium.

I hope Junior listens if the opportunity comes available. With electricity in our area at 4 cents/kwh to 4.3, unless the greenies get their way with forcing everyone to pay more for their solar cell farms and windmills, the use of the electricity to heat via heat pumps and the Carnot Cycle or direct resistance heat is pretty good. We also have 2 nuclear plants that don't add carbon in Ohio, whatever that means, so we don't need the high cost subsidized farms.

Generally, if you have a heat pump with a gas furnace, the heat pump is the primary source of heat, and your gas furnace is the backup (in ultra cold weather). The chances of something interrupting the gas supply vs. an electric outage seem minimal. If your electric goes out, you don’t have gas heat, either (no blower).

If I’m putting my money into backup sources, it would be a generator, hooked up to my natural gas for fuel. (But, I’m not)

imidazol97 · December 2020

You're right: the heat pump is cost effective above the gas down to 20 or 15 deg F or so. I stated it
backwards.

But price of gas has dropped with our energy independence in the past several years. If it goes back up...

Our electricity here in W Ohio is great because DPL uses gas-fired generators that come online as needed. Cheap gas--cheap electricity.

I also have told Junior I'd install a whole house generator as soon as they're comfortable with it financially. I also said he needs a power backup unit for their computers and cable box setup.

How much does a whole house system cost that runs a gas-fired heat system and other things for a 2600 sq ft home? @driver100?

driver100 · December 2020

On a slightly different topic I saw a story on the news that used car lots were being robbed of catalytic convertors. Apparently the metals inside are worth quite a bit, or they are shipped overseas. These can get them in a few minutes. They also hit cars parked outside. When I went to check on this particular story I see it is happening everywhere, and has been happening for awhile now.

driver100 · December 2020

imidazol97 said:

How much does a whole house system cost that runs a gas-fired heat system and other things for a 2600 sq ft home? @driver100?

That was something Mrs D actually wanted...I don't think I would have done it myself, but now I think it was worth it. We live in an area that should have better infrastructure, but I think they get away with what they can. Plus a large part of this area is rural, and when there is a breakdown it can last longer and it is more frequent.

Since September the power has been out 4 times, 3 for one hour, and last week it was off for 3 hours. That is a long time to be in the dark, with no cooking and no entertainment. Our house is 2200 sq ft but The Guy said a 17000 sq ft unit was sufficient since there is only two of us. Total cost was about $12000, could be more or less depending on how it has to be hooked up.

I think it is more competitive in the U.S. so there are more bargains. You do need Guys who know what they are doing, it can make a big difference. Even the inspections are faster if the inspectors know the company installing has a good track record. And a knowledgeable guy can advise you on short cuts or by telling you a smaller unit will suffice.

I am glad we got it now. If it was extremely cold, and power was out for a day or more.....it would be pretty hard on us. I wouldn't make it a priority item, but, if it is affordable and you have the extra dollars it is definitely a nice thing to have.

roadburner · December 2020

driver100 said:

roadburner said:
My leaking evaporator was replaced under warranty- a Rheem unit. Apparently it must be more efficient as well, my electrical bill has been noticeably lower since the new evaporator was installed.
DIY or called "The Guy"?

It was under warranty. I'll tackle an air handler blower or a starter capacitor; most everything else requires very specialized equipment.

roadburner · December 2020

I read some interesting comments from Erich Heuschele, the manager of SRT vehicle dynamics:

“The SRT cars, including the brake pads, tires, suspension and cooling systems, are track-ready from the factory. We verify that every SRT model can handle 20-minute track sessions in 100-degree ambient temps with a pro driver. That means the brakes won’t go away, the driveline won’t overheat, the ESC system won’t have problems, etc. We also run 24 hours of track durability at Nelson Ledges with the car absolutely stock. We test for brake fade at Gingerman, where some of our high-profile and more expensive competitors lose brakes in just three laps”

I still don't prefer something as big as a Challenger, but I'm a little bit tempted since real enthusiasts are at the helm.

roadburner · December 2020

On another forum some friends of mine and I were discussing the ludicrous grilles on the 4 Series and M3/4; one of my friends commented that you can't see the grilles from the driver's seat. I said that was much like saying "My girlfriend is REALLY ugly, but she's kind of fun if you turn all the lights off."

oldfarmer50 · December 2020

roadburner said:
I read some interesting comments from Erich Heuschele, the manager of SRT vehicle dynamics:

“The SRT cars, including the brake pads, tires, suspension and cooling systems, are track-ready from the factory. We verify that every SRT model can handle 20-minute track sessions in 100-degree ambient temps with a pro driver. That means the brakes won’t go away, the driveline won’t overheat, the ESC system won’t have problems, etc. We also run 24 hours of track durability at Nelson Ledges with the car absolutely stock. We test for brake fade at Gingerman, where some of our high-profile and more expensive competitors lose brakes in just three laps”

I still don't prefer something as big as a Challenger, but I'm a little bit tempted since real enthusiasts are at the helm.

Just be careful that the Hemi doesn’t lock up the lifters and chew the cam down.

oldfarmer50 · December 2020

roadburner said:
On another forum some friends of mine and I were discussing the ludicrous grilles on the 4 Series and M3/4; one of my friends commented that you can't see the grilles from the driver's seat. I said that was much like saying "My girlfriend is REALLY ugly, but she's kind of fun if you turn all the lights off."

LOL!

tjc78 · December 2020

A good friend of mine always said Beauty is a light switch away

imidazol97 · December 2020

Where's a place to post pictures to send links to someone. Photobucket went bonkers on me so I don't use them.

stickguy · December 2020

https://imgur.com/gallery/R9PyF

jmonroe1 · December 2020

roadburner said:
On another forum some friends of mine and I were discussing the ludicrous grilles on the 4 Series and M3/4; one of my friends commented that you can't see the grilles from the driver's seat. I said that was much like saying "My girlfriend is REALLY ugly, but she's kind of fun if you turn all the lights off."

Maybe so but it’s gotta be a real -itch when the lights come back on.😳

jmonroe

driver100 · December 2020

Kind of reminds me of an Edsel:

bwia · December 2020

driver100 said:
Kind of reminds me of an Edsel:

It looks like a counterfeit 1993/1974 Toyota Supra whose retail price is somewhere in the mid $40K today.

28firefighter · December 2020

I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.

Michaell · December 2020

28firefighter said:
I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.

Have you seen one in person?

I have - me no likey.

fintail · December 2020

Note the true Hofmeister kink is also gone from that bucktoothed beaver.

snakeweasel · December 2020

28firefighter said:
I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.

I really don't like the new grills as they look to big. That being said they are so much better than the grills on Lexus cars.

andres3 · December 2020

snakeweasel said:

explorerx4 said:
It seems everyone is dumping on the USPS, but sometimes they go above and beyond.
Some important documents got mailed to me from Germany.
The address was missing the town and zip code.
Someone hand wrote it in and the papers arrived today.
The shear volume of mail the USPS mails is incredible, they deliver almost 200 million pieces of mail per day.

Half of which seems to be advertisements.

roadburner · December 2020

The aftermarket is already tooling up front fascias that tone down the grilles considerably.

andres3 · December 2020

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:
I'd like to see in-depth independent audits of those camera schemes, and the greased palms involved in their installation and operation.
https://www.dispatch.com/article/20150715/NEWS/307159835

Here's one from Columbus Ohio. This was around the time Imid Jr was at The OSU. I think this article is allowing the mayor to deflect from the full corruption involved. But journalism is dead and propaganda has been in as a substitute.

I recall how the good people governing the cities all of a sudden become so certain of how powerful the protection against speeding and red light running these cameras are, and how well they'll protect the public from injury. As we see with the monies from other countries coming in to corrupt, the local corruption is based on money from the lobbyists for the red light camera folks.

Ohio has worked to outlaw them but we have this home rule law that the locals keep using to try to get cameras in action in their communities.

Years ago I left a message with a local city that was pushing their cameras and how they stop red light running, asking how they didn't protect against a speeder running a light and hitting a car in the rear killing the driver. I never got a call back from the safe director or whatever title he had been given.
**********************
Cincinnati has had 3 council members caught accepting money in about 9 months. Years back the community was able to get red light cameras put on the ballot and voted it down, otherwise Cincinnati likely would be like DC is with cameras raking in the dough.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/politics/cincinnati-city-council-bribes.html

For some reason the red-light camera cartel reminds me of the show "Narcos" on Netflix.

mjfloyd1 · December 2020

bwia said:

driver100 said:
Kind of reminds me of an Edsel:

It looks like a counterfeit 1993/1974 Toyota Supra whose retail price is somewhere in the mid $40K today.

The rear doesn’t look much better either.

I saw a 4 series in person. Wow and not a good wow

driver100 · December 2020

snakeweasel said:

28firefighter said:
I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.
I really don't like the new grills as they look to big. That being said they are so much better than the grills on Lexus cars.

Good point;

snakeweasel · December 2020

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

explorerx4 said:
It seems everyone is dumping on the USPS, but sometimes they go above and beyond.
Some important documents got mailed to me from Germany.
The address was missing the town and zip code.
Someone hand wrote it in and the papers arrived today.
The shear volume of mail the USPS mails is incredible, they deliver almost 200 million pieces of mail per day.
Half of which seems to be advertisements.

Half? More like 90% in my experience. The vast majority of the mail that I get gets dumped in the recycle bin before it even gets into the house.

snakeweasel · December 2020

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

28firefighter said:
I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.
I really don't like the new grills as they look to big. That being said they are so much better than the grills on Lexus cars.
Good point;

jmonroe1 · December 2020

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

28firefighter said:
I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.
I really don't like the new grills as they look to big. That being said they are so much better than the grills on Lexus cars.
Good point;

One of our poster buddies said something about some grills looking like they’d like to eat you. That thing could gobble you up without even biting down. Very distinctive though.

jmonroe

imidazol97 · December 2020

I just found that my brake lights don't work unless the key is turned ON in my Cobalt. Searching on duckduckgo.com searches found this has been the way they were designed, and that's the case on some other cars.

I'd always assumed if my car was still and I pushed the brake pedal, the lights are on.

Has anyone else checked their brake lights before the car was turned ON? My Malibu has brake lights without the key.

jmonroe1 · December 2020

imidazol97 said:
I just found that my brake lights don't work unless the key is turned ON in my Cobalt. Searching on duckduckgo.com searches found this has been the way they were designed, and that's the case on some other cars.

I'd always assumed if my car was still and I pushed the brake pedal, the lights are on.

Has anyone else checked their brake lights before the car was turned ON? My Malibu has brake lights without the key.

No, at this time of the year I’m just glad that it starts when I push the button. Maybe when the weather warms up, and I remember, I’ll check out the Genny and Subie.

jmonroe

abacomike · December 2020

driver100 said:
On a slightly different topic I saw a story on the news that used car lots were being robbed of catalytic convertors. Apparently the metals inside are worth quite a bit, or they are shipped overseas. These can get them in a few minutes. They also hit cars parked outside. When I went to check on this particular story I see it is happening everywhere, and has been happening for awhile now.

IIRC, catalytic converters have a small amount of platinum in them. Get a few hundred of them, tear them down, and you have a tidy sum.

Add to that Rhodium and Paladium and you can get rich quickly with spot prices humongous.

graphicguy · December 2020

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:
I’ll say it. I don’t hate the grille. Absolutely no relationship with BMW heritage (unless looking like your car wants to eat you was always intended), but I don’t hate it.
Have you seen one in person?

I have - me no likey.

Me too. Butt ugly. And, the faithful complained about Bangle. His designs look like Renoir compared to this.

roadburner · December 2020

I believe that the brake lights on my older BMWs would illuminate without the key, but not so on the newer ones or the Mini. I remember that I had to go get the key to the Clubman before I could check and see if my new CHMSL worked.

venture · December 2020

The brake lights on my Subaru come on without the key.

jmonroe1 · December 2020

venture said:
The brake lights on my Subaru come on without the key.

I’ll take your word for it. If nothing else that info spared me a few cold toes.😎

Thanks.

jmonroe

fintail · December 2020

Reminds me of a quote from "CAR" magazine, ages ago. I forget the car in question, but their summary was "Distinctive. And so is wearing a fez".

That's also the car that will blindly merge into you, stop for a green light, be going 10 under in the left lane, etc.

jmonroe1 said:

One of our poster buddies said something about some grills looking like they’d like to eat you. That thing could gobble you up without even biting down. Very distinctive though.

jmonroe

fintail · December 2020

Fintail is like that, but it is a bit older. No horn without the key, either. And being an old MB, the radio works without the key, which is fun - remember to switch it off.

imidazol97 said:
I just found that my brake lights don't work unless the key is turned ON in my Cobalt. Searching on duckduckgo.com searches found this has been the way they were designed, and that's the case on some other cars.

I'd always assumed if my car was still and I pushed the brake pedal, the lights are on.

Has anyone else checked their brake lights before the car was turned ON? My Malibu has brake lights without the key.

andres3 · December 2020

fintail said:
Fintail is like that, but it is a bit older. No horn without the key, either. And being an old MB, the radio works without the key, which is fun - remember to switch it off.

imidazol97 said:
I just found that my brake lights don't work unless the key is turned ON in my Cobalt. Searching on duckduckgo.com searches found this has been the way they were designed, and that's the case on some other cars.

I'd always assumed if my car was still and I pushed the brake pedal, the lights are on.

Has anyone else checked their brake lights before the car was turned ON? My Malibu has brake lights without the key.

That seems to be an old car thing, where the radio had to be manually switched off or your car battery would get drained when the ignition was turned off.

Now it's the opposite, with the A4 having an annoying like 15 minute time limit on keeping the radio on without ignition (Drive-In movie for the little one; allows cars to park every other space for social distancing). So every 15 minutes if you forgot to touch and adjust the volume the sound would go out.

driver100 · December 2020

abacomike said:

driver100 said:
On a slightly different topic I saw a story on the news that used car lots were being robbed of catalytic convertors. Apparently the metals inside are worth quite a bit, or they are shipped overseas. These can get them in a few minutes. They also hit cars parked outside. When I went to check on this particular story I see it is happening everywhere, and has been happening for awhile now.
IIRC, catalytic converters have a small amount of platinum in them. Get a few hundred of them, tear them down, and you have a tidy sum.

Add to that Rhodium and Paladium and you can get rich quickly with spot prices humongous.

They said on the news report, an ounce of the precious metals in a catalytic convertor could be worth more than an ounce of gold.....I don't know, but that is what the reporter said.

driver100 · December 2020

imidazol97 said:
I just found that my brake lights don't work unless the key is turned ON in my Cobalt.

The brake lights in my 1995 Jeep must have worked with the engine off. I got a flat tire in a snow storm on the way to the airport. I flashed my brake lights like S.O.S., 3 long flashes, 3 short because I thought it would get more attention. A trucker stopped and let me call CAA (like AAA) on his phone. He said the S.O.S. was the reason he stopped, so many cars pull over he doesn't bother stopping normally. Good thing they worked!

btw...in case you are wondering, yes, I have changed lots of tires on the many hoopties I have owned. But this was the first car I ever had that had a key to get the wheels off....I had no idea where the key was or how to use it, and didn't have time to mess around with it...so I called The Guy.

andres3 · December 2020

Changing a tire on the side of the road is an adventure everyone should try at least once in life. I had to do it in a Camry and I had trouble finding all the parts, pieces, and tools I needed. One of them is embedded into the underside of the trunk interior lid; which of course I had flipped on the ground to keep it out of sight.

fintail · December 2020

Maybe even old German car thing. I've seen it on MBs into the 80s (my 1989 S-class had it), although I don't recall if they had a timed shut-off by then. I think the modern car also shuts down after 15 minutes.

Way back when, I drained the fintail's battery via the radio. I was a student, only drove the car once or twice a week, on weekends. One weekend day I left the radio on, came back next week, no go.

andres3 said:

That seems to be an old car thing, where the radio had to be manually switched off or your car battery would get drained when the ignition was turned off.

Now it's the opposite, with the A4 having an annoying like 15 minute time limit on keeping the radio on without ignition (Drive-In movie for the little one; allows cars to park every other space for social distancing). So every 15 minutes if you forgot to touch and adjust the volume the sound would go out.

andres3 · December 2020

snakeweasel said:

suydam said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

abacomike said:
My new Allstate auto insurance policy took effect yesterday. I noted that there are two additional ways to reduce my premiums every 6 months - by inserting a data device into my car's diagnostic socket or by using a smart phone APP that measures data using GPS as well as the phone's operation while driving. I turned down the first one which is a "plug-in" device but I did opt for the "Drivewise" APP within the Allstate mobile APP.

This APP, which monitors my driving time, driving speed, sudden braking, use of phone for incoming or outgoing calls during my trips, and time of day that I take each trip, is used by the insurance company to reduce my premium by as much as 8% in the form of cash-back to me - which is significant ($90.00 - $100.00). I get a discount for opting into the program as well. Initially, I felt a bit like "big brother watching my every driving move" but, interestingly enough, opting into this program has improved the way in which I drive every day.

I am not a speeder and I keep enough distance between me and the car(s) in front of me so I can safely stop without slamming on the brakes. I drive in the mornings and early afternoons and rarely drive in the evenings or nights which is a plus according to the insurance company. Prior to signing up for this program, I did frequently use Bluetooth for my phone calls while driving, however now I just let the phone ring unless the incoming phone call is from a contact that I need to speak with, which is very rare. I can always return calls if they leave a message.

As for my speed - I used to drive within 5 mph of the speed limit on the Turnpike and I-95, but now I make sure I do not exceed the speed limit. By observing the above more carefully, I can reduce my insurance by close to $200 per year, which is significant. Coupled with the $750 per year savings I am now receiving for my Condo insurance, that's a savings of $950 per year over my previous insurance for both Condo and Auto. Definitely a good decision to go with the changes in my insurance policies.
So now when a dog runs out in front of your car you'll be tempted to just run it over rather than slam the brakes and risk losing your "discounts" that are really just pre-paid and overpaid up front so they are giving you your own money back.

Not a fan.
The insurance companies are looking at trends not rarely occurring instances. So if today a dog runs out in front of you and you slam on your brakes and two months from now someone makes a left turn in front of you and you slam on your brakes it won't affect your discounts. But if you slam on your brakes 5 times a day every day it will.
Except the automatic feedback I get from my Volt (not tied to discounts) has me hard braking about 3 times a day, which I don’t do. That experience taught me to avoid those discounts because the accuracy is not very trustworthy.
I had one of those for our insurance and I don't think it ever recorded a hard brake or a heavy acceleration.

What's wrong with heavy acceleration anyway? Heavy acceleration in an S4 is different than in a Prius. Those lacking acceleration weight upon entry into an Interstate improperly merging at slow speeds are a much bigger problem than those that get up to 65 half way up the ramp.

driver100 · December 2020

What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

snakeweasel · December 2020

andres3 said:

fintail said:
Fintail is like that, but it is a bit older. No horn without the key, either. And being an old MB, the radio works without the key, which is fun - remember to switch it off.

imidazol97 said:
I just found that my brake lights don't work unless the key is turned ON in my Cobalt. Searching on duckduckgo.com searches found this has been the way they were designed, and that's the case on some other cars.

I'd always assumed if my car was still and I pushed the brake pedal, the lights are on.

Has anyone else checked their brake lights before the car was turned ON? My Malibu has brake lights without the key.

That seems to be an old car thing, where the radio had to be manually switched off or your car battery would get drained when the ignition was turned off.

Now it's the opposite, with the A4 having an annoying like 15 minute time limit on keeping the radio on without ignition (Drive-In movie for the little one; allows cars to park every other space for social distancing). So every 15 minutes if you forgot to touch and adjust the volume the sound would go out.

With the Sonata the radio goes off when you turn the key off, but it retains power to the windows for about 30 seconds or until someone opens the door. The Sebring ran all accessories for 30 seconds or until someone opens a door, The BMW keeps the radio on for 10 or 15 minutes or until you push the engine start/stop a second time (after turning the engine off) or until you open a door.

snakeweasel · December 2020

andres3 said:
Changing a tire on the side of the road is an adventure everyone should try at least once in life. I had to do it in a Camry and I had trouble finding all the parts, pieces, and tools I needed. One of them is embedded into the underside of the trunk interior lid; which of course I had flipped on the ground to keep it out of sight.

The first time I changed a tire I was 17 and it was late at night in bitter cold blizzard conditions. I wouldn't recommend it.

snakeweasel · December 2020

andres3 said:

snakeweasel said:

suydam said:

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

abacomike said:
My new Allstate auto insurance policy took effect yesterday. I noted that there are two additional ways to reduce my premiums every 6 months - by inserting a data device into my car's diagnostic socket or by using a smart phone APP that measures data using GPS as well as the phone's operation while driving. I turned down the first one which is a "plug-in" device but I did opt for the "Drivewise" APP within the Allstate mobile APP.

This APP, which monitors my driving time, driving speed, sudden braking, use of phone for incoming or outgoing calls during my trips, and time of day that I take each trip, is used by the insurance company to reduce my premium by as much as 8% in the form of cash-back to me - which is significant ($90.00 - $100.00). I get a discount for opting into the program as well. Initially, I felt a bit like "big brother watching my every driving move" but, interestingly enough, opting into this program has improved the way in which I drive every day.

I am not a speeder and I keep enough distance between me and the car(s) in front of me so I can safely stop without slamming on the brakes. I drive in the mornings and early afternoons and rarely drive in the evenings or nights which is a plus according to the insurance company. Prior to signing up for this program, I did frequently use Bluetooth for my phone calls while driving, however now I just let the phone ring unless the incoming phone call is from a contact that I need to speak with, which is very rare. I can always return calls if they leave a message.

As for my speed - I used to drive within 5 mph of the speed limit on the Turnpike and I-95, but now I make sure I do not exceed the speed limit. By observing the above more carefully, I can reduce my insurance by close to $200 per year, which is significant. Coupled with the $750 per year savings I am now receiving for my Condo insurance, that's a savings of $950 per year over my previous insurance for both Condo and Auto. Definitely a good decision to go with the changes in my insurance policies.
So now when a dog runs out in front of your car you'll be tempted to just run it over rather than slam the brakes and risk losing your "discounts" that are really just pre-paid and overpaid up front so they are giving you your own money back.

Not a fan.
The insurance companies are looking at trends not rarely occurring instances. So if today a dog runs out in front of you and you slam on your brakes and two months from now someone makes a left turn in front of you and you slam on your brakes it won't affect your discounts. But if you slam on your brakes 5 times a day every day it will.
Except the automatic feedback I get from my Volt (not tied to discounts) has me hard braking about 3 times a day, which I don’t do. That experience taught me to avoid those discounts because the accuracy is not very trustworthy.
I had one of those for our insurance and I don't think it ever recorded a hard brake or a heavy acceleration.
What's wrong with heavy acceleration anyway? Heavy acceleration in an S4 is different than in a Prius. Those lacking acceleration weight upon entry into an Interstate improperly merging at slow speeds are a much bigger problem than those that get up to 65 half way up the ramp.

Note I said it never recorded a hard brake or heavy acceleration.

snakeweasel · December 2020

driver100 said:
What\s the point in having all that hp if you can't use it to accelerate onto a highway?

Just about any car on the market can get up to highway speeds on the vast majority of highway on ramps with moderate accelerator use. They only real exceptions are onramps where due to geography and/or congestion on ramps are short, but that is a minorly of on ramps.

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