Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

Sandman6472 · April 2023

Getting the dryer vent cleaned out tomorrow & they'll install the newly purchased bird/rodent cover over the outside exhaust vent. They obviously have the know how and the ladder to reach it so we're good. Just want it installed as it was nasty when that bird made her nest in there many years ago. Not going through that nonsense again!

venture · April 2023

Sandman6472 said:
No one I ever met had a Hanukkah bush because they don't exist! It's like putting lipstick on a pig...it's still a pig! But hey, figure to just let folks call them what they will. I know we never had one and the one time I put a stocking on one of our fireplaces when we lived in New York, it was gone the next morning with nothing being said. I figured out quite quickly that the other holiday that many celebrated was not for us & never mentioned it again. A quiet lesson learned.

I don't know how you resisted putting another stocking up the next year.

Sandman6472 · April 2023

I kind of got the message the folks were sending me to be honest. Deep down, I always knew that christmas wasn't for us since we never had a tree or lights or even went to church. I knew we went to temple and we had our own holiday at that time of year, though it wasn't our main one. But, did it as an experiment I guess as I was curious as to why it wasn't for us since others made such a big deal about it.

oldfarmer50 · April 2023

Sandman6472 said:
Our current lawn guy has been charging us $25/cut for many years now...he comes twice a month & does a mediocre job. Our lawn is easy to cut & he trims back the hedges on the side of the house every other cut. We planted plants up front of the house that don't need much water, he tends to these when they get out of hand. Last year, he raised his price to $30/cut & that was that. He shows up & does the work we need done so we're o k with that. Prices are going up on everything it seems lately so just hope our yearly raise is enough to cover it all.

Welcome to the wonderful world of inflation.

qbrozen · April 2023

You don’t want to know what we pay our landscaper. Let’s just say it is equivalent to a nice car payment.

explorerx4 · April 2023

@sandman6472,
How many raises have you got at work since you hired your landscaper?

tjc78 · April 2023

Our lawn guy is > @qbrozen said:

You don’t want to know what we pay our landscaper. Let’s just say it is equivalent to a nice car payment.

I’d love $25 a cut twice a month. We are $47 a cut weekly, plus the fertilizer guy, plus the water… that’s with us maintaining the front shrubs, mulch and flowers.

ab348 · April 2023

tjc78 said:

I’d love $25 a cut twice a month. We are $47 a cut weekly, plus the fertilizer guy, plus the water… that’s with us maintaining the front shrubs, mulch and flowers.

You are paying for fertilizer and water in order to pay more often for those $47 weekly mowing jobs. Hmmm...

tjc78 · April 2023

@ab348 said:
You are paying for fertilizer and water in order to pay more often for those $47 weekly mowing jobs. Hmmm...

Well if you want it to look nice… pay to play.

ab348 · April 2023

A lawn that good-looking is a fickle, expensive but beautiful mistress.

jmonroe1 · April 2023

@qbrozen said:
You don’t want to know what we pay our landscaper. Let’s just say it is equivalent to a nice car payment.

————————————————
That sounds like a bad car payment.

FWIW, my guy charges 35 bucks weekly. I give him 40.

jmonroe

pensfan83 · April 2023

We have a lawn company as well, but one who uses pet friendly products. Couldn't be happier with them. Runs about $60 per treatment and we get six treatments per growing season. We handle the rest of the lawn, landscaping, mulching, weeding, shrub trimming, etc. Our lawn looks like @tjc78's until mid-summer when it starts to brown a bit. The only things we water outside are the herb garden, vegetable garden, and flowers.

Sandman6472 · April 2023

We were given the option of a well when we bought the place and we said yes. During our rainy season, mid-May till November, just don't turn the sprinklers on unless the lawn looks a bit brown. And right now, it's looking great due to all the rain we've had in the last few weeks.
And I've gotten a raise every year since I started at Enterprise.

oldfarmer50 · April 2023

tjc78 said:
Our lawn guy is > @qbrozen said:

You don’t want to know what we pay our landscaper. Let’s just say it is equivalent to a nice car payment.

I’d love $25 a cut twice a month. We are $47 a cut weekly, plus the fertilizer guy, plus the water… that’s with us maintaining the front shrubs, mulch and flowers.

I’m the landscaper at our house. Mow 5+ acres, cleanup and mulch all the beds and plant all the junk my wife finds in her gardening catalog. I guess I work too cheap.

oldfarmer50 · April 2023

Oh the humanity!

One of the drivers managed to slam the light pole pillar in an empty parking lot. From what I hear it was the second Audi he banged up this week.

explorerx4 · April 2023

@sandman6472,
I'm assuming you got my point with your post.

jmonroe1 · April 2023

oldfarmer50 said:
Oh the humanity!

One of the drivers managed to slam the light pole pillar in an empty parking lot. From what I hear it was the second Audi he banged up this week.

————————————————
Are you going to his dismissal party?

jmonroe

driver100 · April 2023

oldfarmer50 said:
Oh the humanity!

One of the drivers managed to slam the light pole pillar in an empty parking lot. From what I hear it was the second Audi he banged up this week.

I see a completely empty lot except for one light post.....the guy had to have uncanny accuracy to be able to hit the one object on that whole lot.

laurasdada · April 2023

Perhaps he was using the autonomous driving feature. Not realizing that car does not have an autonomous driving feature.

qbrozen · April 2023

Light pole obviously jumped in front of him

stickguy · April 2023

That does look like a fun job!

explorerx4 · April 2023

oldfarmer50 told me this car has AEB. I'm going to try it out.

jmonroe1 · April 2023

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Oh the humanity!

One of the drivers managed to slam the light pole pillar in an empty parking lot. From what I hear it was the second Audi he banged up this week.
I see a completely empty lot except for one light post.....the guy had to have uncanny accuracy to be able to hit the one object on that whole lot.

————————————————
There are some skills that aren’t worth having.

In any case that’s another car Enterprise gets to sell to the Rent-A-Wreck lot down the street.

jmonroe

driver100 · April 2023

oldfarmer50 said:
Oh the humanity!
One of the drivers managed to slam the light pole pillar in an empty parking lot. From what I hear it was the second Audi he banged up this week.

Maybe he has a thing that he hates about Audis.
Maybe they should only give him other cars to drive.

andres3 · April 2023

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:
Oh the humanity!
One of the drivers managed to slam the light pole pillar in an empty parking lot. From what I hear it was the second Audi he banged up this week.
Maybe he has a thing that he hates about Audis.
Maybe they should only give him other cars to drive.

He's helping Audi by selling a lot of OEM replacement parts for them due to repairs.

VW has a lot of aftermarket support as I am finding out with our Tiguan repair estimate just supplemented to nearly $5,600 for a rear-end ding. That's another good thing about Audi, exclusivity so that Insurance companies don't have the option to put cheap aftermarket parts on.

explorerx4 · April 2023

Look what happened to this guy who rented out his Tesla.
https://www.distractify.com/p/tesla-rental-body-shop

stickguy · April 2023

forgot to mention I had to do repairs last week on vacation in Portland. Not to the car. We went to a little island and rented bikes to sightsee. Not the best quality stuff but only option. Got about 5 minutes away and the wife somehow threw the chain on hers. with only option walking it back, I sucked it up and got my hands all greasy but got the chain reattached. Thankfully it did not come off again.

stickguy · April 2023

and going to break out every tool tomorrow. Going to fire up the Googles and YouTube for instructions on dismantling a B&S mower engine to try and clean out the carb (no clue what I need for that job. I do have toothpicks and WD-40!)

I actually called the couple of legit repair shops nearby. One does not work on Troy bilt since they don't sell them. The other said they had so much work, that since they did not sell it, they could get me in sometime in July. Pretty sure my grass will be scary high by then.

so sounds like it is me or nothing. Worst case, I get it apart and either can't fix it or put it back together, and it will be easier to throw out in smaller pieces!

I never liked this mower anyway (good thing it was free) so I would not mind a different one but really don't want to spend the money on that now. Had the landscaper mow today since it was quite shaggy already and it is supposed to rain all week. Gotta say, could easily get used to that service.

qbrozen · April 2023

stickguy said:
and going to break out every tool tomorrow. Going to fire up the Googles and YouTube for instructions on dismantling a B&S mower engine to try and clean out the carb (no clue what I need for that job. I do have toothpicks and WD-40!)

I actually called the couple of legit repair shops nearby. One does not work on Troy bilt since they don't sell them. The other said they had so much work, that since they did not sell it, they could get me in sometime in July. Pretty sure my grass will be scary high by then.

so sounds like it is me or nothing. Worst case, I get it apart and either can't fix it or put it back together, and it will be easier to throw out in smaller pieces!

I never liked this mower anyway (good thing it was free) so I would not mind a different one but really don't want to spend the money on that now. Had the landscaper mow today since it was quite shaggy already and it is supposed to rain all week. Gotta say, could easily get used to that service.

WD40 isn't the right stuff. You want carb cleaner (same as brake cleaner or engine degreaser, depending on brand). Steel wool or wire brush for the bigger stuff and pipe cleaners for smaller. I had an old snow blower that was so bad off that I actually drilled the pickup tube with a very small drill bit. Worked well for years after that cleaning.

Make sure the float is still air tight, while you are there.

Does it have a fuel filter?

stickguy · April 2023

qbrozen said:

stickguy said:
and going to break out every tool tomorrow. Going to fire up the Googles and YouTube for instructions on dismantling a B&S mower engine to try and clean out the carb (no clue what I need for that job. I do have toothpicks and WD-40!)

I actually called the couple of legit repair shops nearby. One does not work on Troy bilt since they don't sell them. The other said they had so much work, that since they did not sell it, they could get me in sometime in July. Pretty sure my grass will be scary high by then.

so sounds like it is me or nothing. Worst case, I get it apart and either can't fix it or put it back together, and it will be easier to throw out in smaller pieces!

I never liked this mower anyway (good thing it was free) so I would not mind a different one but really don't want to spend the money on that now. Had the landscaper mow today since it was quite shaggy already and it is supposed to rain all week. Gotta say, could easily get used to that service.
WD40 isn't the right stuff. You want carb cleaner (same as brake cleaner or engine degreaser, depending on brand). Steel wool or wire brush for the bigger stuff and pipe cleaners for smaller. I had an old snow blower that was so bad off that I actually drilled the pickup tube with a very small drill bit. Worked well for years after that cleaning.

Make sure the float is still air tight, while you are there.

Does it have a fuel filter?

I have drill bits. and the wife probably has pipe cleaners. none of the other stuff currently in stock.

I have no clue if there is a fuel filter. I am not even sure where the carb is. I figure if I can get to it somehow (hopefully it does not have to come off) I will wing it from there.

explorerx4 · April 2023

@stickguy,
Just had my mower serviced although I don't have a lawn yet.
You are more than welcome to stop over and borrow it.

stickguy · April 2023

thanks. Probably much more convenient that borrowing from my next door neighbor!

It was nice having the lawn guy stop over this afternoon while we were out running errands, and coming home to a nicely mowed lawn. Less nice having to pay for it.

but at least it is done before the upcoming week of rain. Will decide what to do later next week. My current plan is, if I can't get the old one fixed myself this weekend, I will suck it up and buy a new one. That might actually be cheaper than having the old one fixed anyway. And if I don't pretty much stuck paying through the nose having it done.

having lots of free time now makes it less logical to pay someone to do it too.

oldfarmer50 · April 2023

explorerx4 said:
Look what happened to this guy who rented out his Tesla.
https://www.distractify.com/p/tesla-rental-body-shop

Sounds similar to what happened toHertz when they rented out Shelby Mustangs and people would swap out the engines.

oldfarmer50 · April 2023

stickguy said:
and going to break out every tool tomorrow. Going to fire up the Googles and YouTube for instructions on dismantling a B&S mower engine to try and clean out the carb (no clue what I need for that job. I do have toothpicks and WD-40!)

I actually called the couple of legit repair shops nearby. One does not work on Troy bilt since they don't sell them. The other said they had so much work, that since they did not sell it, they could get me in sometime in July. Pretty sure my grass will be scary high by then.

so sounds like it is me or nothing. Worst case, I get it apart and either can't fix it or put it back together, and it will be easier to throw out in smaller pieces!

I never liked this mower anyway (good thing it was free) so I would not mind a different one but really don't want to spend the money on that now. Had the landscaper mow today since it was quite shaggy already and it is supposed to rain all week. Gotta say, could easily get used to that service.

If it’s an older mower the ethanol in the gas may have degraded the seals in the carb. Years ago I had to replace carbs on all my equipment on a regular basis.

houdini1 · April 2023

tjc78 said:

@jmonroe1 said:

C’mon guys, let’s get back to dishwashers.

jmonroe

I’ll bite… just today my wife said that the 10 year old basic Frigidaire at the shore works better and is easier to load than our top line 3 rack Kitchen Aid at home. While I totally disagree I just shrugged my shoulders.

Arguing with a woman is like reading the software agreement. In the end you just ignore everything and click, "I agree".

houdini1 · April 2023

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
rinsing may be overkill, but I would consider it a divorcable offense if my wife put dishes in the DW without scraping the extra food into the garbage.

probably why she did not fight me when I told her to just stay away from it and let me do it.
————————————————
Let me clarify this a little bit. She shook off any of the larger chunks into the sink where the disposal took care of that. Then it went into the dishwasher.

FWIW, we NEVER put any food items into the garbage can. All of that goes into the disposal. I can’t remember the last time our garbage can had an odor. It also lightens the load when I have to take the garbage to the curb. Like I’ve said before, “I didn’t buy a 1 HP disposal just to sit under the sink and look pretty”.

jmonroe

Here is the scoop on dishwashers. A few years ago the phosphates in dishwasher detergent were replaced by enzymes. The enzymes are activated by a mixture of hot water and organic matter (bits of food) or they won't work properly, but you just need to leave a tiny bit of organic matter. Also if your d/w does not have its own heater, you should run your faucet for a while to pre heat the water.

driver100 · April 2023

We've had the tankless hot water heater for 2 weeks now, and these are my first impressions....at random;
* I like the sleek design, about 30 inch long, by 24 in high, about 6 in thick.
* I like the digital temp setting. Water should be at minimum 120F to kill bacteria, less than 140F so you don't burn yourself. I set ours at 125.
* Dealers say it won't take longer to get hot water to the faucet. My guess is the tank took about 12 seconds to flush out the colder water, I estimate the tankless takes about 5 or 6 seconds more because it has to flush water out....and get up to full power. Only my opinion.
* The tankless will cost almost double what a tank costs, but it could last twice as long....probably 20 years. Someone told me a tank can last 3 or 4 years where the water has lots of minerals in it...that collect in the tank.
* Ours is electric. Gas is more popular as gas costs less, at this time. You might need proper venting etc to install gas...more complicated, electric you need proper amperage.
* Gas and electric need some maintenance yearly. Our installer guy said it costs $99 a year, but with 2 people, away a lot....every other year should be enough.

I think of a tank as kind of older crude technology, the tankless unit seems more refined, so I am glad we got it. The tank one tripped out about 2 or 3 times a year and the Guy had to come and reset it...seems Mickey Mouse to me.
We'll see what happens over the long term.......

driver100 · April 2023

houdini1 said:

jmonroe1 said:

stickguy said:
rinsing may be overkill, but I would consider it a divorcable offense if my wife put dishes in the DW without scraping the extra food into the garbage.

probably why she did not fight me when I told her to just stay away from it and let me do it.
————————————————
Let me clarify this a little bit. She shook off any of the larger chunks into the sink where the disposal took care of that. Then it went into the dishwasher.

FWIW, we NEVER put any food items into the garbage can. All of that goes into the disposal. I can’t remember the last time our garbage can had an odor. It also lightens the load when I have to take the garbage to the curb. Like I’ve said before, “I didn’t buy a 1 HP disposal just to sit under the sink and look pretty”.

jmonroe
Here is the scoop on dishwashers. A few years ago the phosphates in dishwasher detergent were replaced by enzymes. The enzymes are activated by a mixture of hot water and organic matter (bits of food) or they won't work properly, but you just need to leave a tiny bit of organic matter. Also if your d/w does not have its own heater, you should run your faucet for a while to pre heat the water.

I saw in the instructions about the detergent working with the food to work better, and didn't know if they were joking.....that makes sense.....I think

stickguy · April 2023

The mower I have I think is 3 years old. Does not look too old, so I assume the original owner of the house bought it when he got the house. Which was November 2020 I believe, so really the mower was probably used for 2 seasons. Also, it has always just had ethonal free gas mixed with Staybil used in it. So really, no reason it should not be fine. I even ran it dry last fall, and just put a small amount of staybil in the tank to lube it.

I watched a bunch of videos on this engine this morning, and pulled some pieces off to look at suggested fixes. Sadly the easy one (stuck choke) was not a problem. It is, however, very messy (oil/gas gunk). Needs a serious wash with brake clean before trying anything.

It looks like a bit of a pain disconnecting all the wires and hoses to the carb to even try and get it off the engine. And of all the videos I watched on cleaning/repairing it (all of which of course started with it on a workbench, ignoring the minor detail of getting it off the engine) the overwhelmingly common opinion, is that the B&S carb on this engine is crapola. Turns out, it is entirely plastic, and very problematic with clogging (and pieces breaking). Plus the carb jet is overly tiny (leading to easy clogging). Most shops apparently hate them and would just put on a new one (for whatever that costs).

With enough time and patience (time I got!) and the usual 5 trips to the store for parts and new tools, I might be able to get it apart, cleaned and back together ok, and installed without breaking anything else. Maybe. Or I could take that $ and just but a better new mower.

Also, since it is relevant, I used this last year since it came free with the house, but I absolutely despised this mower. I don't like that self propelled feature, and it was very awkward to use in tight spaces. And did not work (or run) all that well. I thought about replacing it anyway and selling the old one, even when it still ran.

so my plan is to wander down to Lowe's, but an EGo battery model, and stick the old one aside until I am bored some day then I will take it apart and see if I can make it work then sell it. and never but gas powered lawn stuff again. I detest small engines like that.

cost wise, if I had to take this to a shop and pay them to do all the tune up work, that will probably be a minimum of $150 depending on if it needs a new carb, plus X weeks @$40/week to have the lawn mowed while I wait. Won't take long to be ahead of the game just buying it now!

houdini1 · April 2023

Even with stabil, fresh no ethanol gas would work better. I'd try that first.

qbrozen · April 2023

did you find any suggestions online for a replacement carb? Gotta be less than $40, I'd think.

stickguy · April 2023

Simplified the solution.

stickguy · April 2023

stickguy · April 2023

I will still take apart the gasser as a hobby. Under no time crunch.

As my wife was well aware when I reminded her again today, I hated the Troy Bilt anyway.

stickguy · April 2023

@qbrozen said:
did you find any suggestions online for a replacement carb? Gotta be less than $40, I'd think.

Not yet. But if cheap enough probably a whole lot easier.

Plastic carburetor. What a dumb idea. But apparently they have plastic camshafts too.

driver100 · April 2023

@stickguy (Simplified the solution.)

Every year I'd store the gas mower carefully.
Every year it would never start after the winter.
Now we have "The Guy" cut our lawn, but if I was doing it still that is what I would get.

stickguy · April 2023

battery now for yard equipment is the far superior option, certainly for normal size (1/4-1/3 acre) residential lots. I compared today gas to battery. for equivalent features, at the same price point, the battery tended to have more power (torque) rated. so you aren't saving any money getting a gas unit up front, and paying more to run the thing with gas and upkeep. Plus the annual spring hassle.

stickguy · April 2023

just ordered a new carb. Turns out QB was aiming high. A carb (aftermarket of course, so probably junkier than the OEM which is already lousy), new air filter and a spark plug (plus fuel hose and some clamps), all for $29. And saves the hassle of taking the old one apart and dealing with the tiny part.

I needed the plug and air filter anyway this year if I was keeping the machine, and those cost close to $20 already.

my son's mower has the same engine (Lowes sold a ton of the Troy Bilts, but apparently no longer carries them) and had starting problems last spring. If he can't get it to fire this week I told him we could try it out on his instead.

explorerx4 · April 2023

@stickguy,
Lets see how that mower works in 5 years.

explorerx4 · April 2023

Qbrozens Exotic Cars and Mowers?

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