Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

explorerx4 · August 5

@oldfarmer50,
Does your stove have the coils or is it a glass top?

kyfdx · August 5

While we’re complaining about home repair: We have two bathroom lighting fixtures which each use two halogen bulbs with an E11 base.

Today, one bulb blew in each fixture. What’s the chances of that?

Anyway, the bulbs are $9 each, and you can’t touch them with your fingers. And, they’re extremely hot.

corvette · August 5

@laurasdada - get a Bosch, you won’t be disappointed. Very easy to DIY install.

@kyfdx - time to upgrade to something that isn’t halogen. I put LED bulbs in my house when I bought it in 2015, and have replaced very few.

jmonroe1 · August 5

explorerx4 said:
You guys are on the same high pedestal as far as I'm concerned.

————————————————
@oldfarmer50, we better keep our heads on a swivel. I’m pretty sure this guy wants something.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50 · August 5

explorerx4 said:
@oldfarmer50,
Does your stove have the coils or is it a glass top?

Glass top.

explorerx4 · August 5

@oldfarmer50,
We had a glass top range. I bought a new burner($85 at the time) and replaced it myself after watching some YT videos.
It was a pain but it did work.
I would look at the prices of the new burners and then weigh it against te cost of a new stove.

corvette · August 5

The overall age of the range would weigh heavily on me... if I though it would cost $50 or $100 in parts, plus my time, to fix my dryer, I probably would have taken a chance on it.

nyccarguy · August 5

@oldfarmer50 said:
Glass top.

2 burners are not functioning on my GE Profile Glass Top Range as well. Called an appliance repair place to come on Friday and fix it. $120 for the service call. $60 plus parts and labor if I decide to use their service.

qbrozen · August 5

Speaking of repairing stuff: following our crazy Sprinter service bill, I discovered one of the home AC units wasn’t blowing cold, and I really didn’t want to call someone to spend more $$. Went outside and found the compressor humming without turning. Google to the rescue. Found a video on testing the capacitor. Did that, no signal. Found an ace hardware nearby had a replacement. $35 later, I came home, attached the new one, reinserted the breaker, and it works. If only all repairs were so easy.

tjc78 · August 6

qbrozen said:
Speaking of repairing stuff: following our crazy Sprinter service bill, I discovered one of the home AC units wasn’t blowing cold, and I really didn’t want to call someone to spend more $$. Went outside and found the compressor humming without turning. Google to the rescue. Found a video on testing the capacitor. Did that, no signal. Found an ace hardware nearby had a replacement. $35 later, I came home, attached the new one, reinserted the breaker, and it works. If only all repairs were so easy.

Probably the most common HVAC problem. Last year my Mom was at home during a heat wave and the rest of us were at the shore. She said the house wasn't cooling... work at the time was crazy and there was no way I was getting home to check it out. I called Horizon and they came within hours, diagnosed it and put a new capacitor in for the tune of $500.

jmonroe1 · August 6

tjc78 said:

qbrozen said:
Speaking of repairing stuff: following our crazy Sprinter service bill, I discovered one of the home AC units wasn’t blowing cold, and I really didn’t want to call someone to spend more $$. Went outside and found the compressor humming without turning. Google to the rescue. Found a video on testing the capacitor. Did that, no signal. Found an ace hardware nearby had a replacement. $35 later, I came home, attached the new one, reinserted the breaker, and it works. If only all repairs were so easy.

Probably the most common HVAC problem. Last year my Mom was at home during a heat wave and the rest of us were at the shore. She said the house wasn't cooling... work at the time was crazy and there was no way I was getting home to check it out. I called Horizon and they came within hours, diagnosed it and put a new capacitor in for the tune of $500.

————————————————
Too bad there isn’t an HVAC law that prohibits charging $500 for a $15/$20 part.

And folks wonder why I do stuff myself. Hell, I could break something 3 or 4 times and still save money. Plus I’d be learning something. Then I could gouge customers too. Hopefully they don’t pass a law by then.

jmonroe

tjc78 · August 6

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
Too bad there isn’t an HVAC law that prohibits charging $500 for a $15/$20 part.

And folks wonder why I do stuff myself. Hell, I could break something 3 or 4 times and still save money. Plus I’d be learning something. Then I could gouge customers too. Hopefully they don’t pass a law by then.

jmonroe

Trucks, Inventory, insurance, wages, marketing, office support…. I don’t blame them. If it was only labor rate and a $35 part they wouldn’t survive.

I had a long talk with a teenager at an event awhile back and they mentioned they didn’t want to attend college. I said then learn a trade! Learn what you can and gain experience and then aim to open your own business.

Many of the people I know who have mega bucks own some sort of construction or trade business.

jmonroe1 · August 6

tjc78 said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

Too bad there isn’t an HVAC law that prohibits charging $500 for a $15/$20 part.

And folks wonder why I do stuff myself. Hell, I could break something 3 or 4 times and still save money. Plus I’d be learning something. Then I could gouge customers too. Hopefully they don’t pass a law by then.

jmonroe

Trucks, Inventory, insurance, wages, marketing, office support…. I don’t blame them. If it was only labor rate and a $35 part they wouldn’t survive.

I had a long talk with a teenager at an event awhile back and they mentioned they didn’t want to attend college. I said then learn a trade! Learn what you can and gain experience and then aim to open your own business.

Many of the people I know who have mega bucks own some sort of construction or trade business.

————————————————
I’m not going to try to justify their prices. All I know is that I don’t want to pay them. Most stuff isn’t that hard to learn if you just give yourself a chance.

jmonroe

tjc78 · August 6

Agreed - there are just times where you have to pay up! This was one of them.

No doubt I could have replaced the capacitor.

nyccarguy · August 6

tjc78 said:
Agreed - there are just times where you have to pay up! This was one of them.

No doubt I could have replaced the capacitor.

Yes you could have, but how long would it have taken you to get from your shore house to your primary house? You would have to either pickup or order the capacitor and spend over an hour taking the old one out, installing the new one, cursing and raising your blood pressure (while your family relaxes by the beach). Then it would take you how long to get back to the shore house? You 100% made the right call by calling "the guy."

laurasdada · August 6

oldfarmer50 said:

laurasdada said:
GE Profile DW (Covid era) is, again, not washing dishes; no water is being pumped into the appliance (it is draining properly). I did some troubleshooting, water is flowing from lines to the dishwasher intake line but it appears that whatever pump is supposed to pump the water ain't doing its job.

Sliced up my right hand a bit, apparently GE booby traps the undercarriage with razor blades as was confirmed by the repair dude who will be coming on Monday. Spent over an hour simply trying to screw the intake line (brass fitting) back into the valve (plastic), for whatever reason just couldn't do it. As I was low on blood, decided to just let the guy figure it out.

Debated replacing it, but the likely candidates (Kitchen Aid, Bosch) would be over $1100 installed (this coming weekend is tax free in MA, items under $2500). So, one last attempt to revive the GE, but next issue, adios.

And, yes, I have to be in court at 0800 tomorrow. Lovely.
Speaking of GE appliances, what does it cost to have a technician make a house call. I have a GE electric range that is having problems with the two front double heating elements. On one the small center burner stays on high no matter what the setting and the other small center burner doesn’t work at all.

I think it’s something with the relay that turns the heat on and off depending on the setting. I’ve heard that it’s usually cheaper to just replace the range rather than fiddle with circuit boards and relays. I can replace it for about $600.

@oldfarmer50 The local independent appliance repair guy is $125 to visit, applied to any work done. He gets all 5 star ratings on Faceplant. GE's in-house repair service, which got some horrendous reviews, charges $119.95 to show. I'm going with the 5 * guy...

Also, dismissed from jury duty after two hours of waiting as neither of the two cases on the docket went to trial today. To quote the great philosopher P. Townsend, "I'm free!"

laurasdada · August 6

corvette said:
@laurasdada - get a Bosch, you won’t be disappointed. Very easy to DIY install.

@kyfdx - time to upgrade to something that isn’t halogen. I put LED bulbs in my house when I bought it in 2015, and have replaced very few.

Thanks, @corvette. As the GE is only 3 years old, we're gonna give it one more chance to actually wash dishes before taking it out back and shooting it...

Tax-free weekend here in MA, what to buy, what to buy (besides a new dishwasher)...

laurasdada · August 9

OK, for tax free weekend I have bought, or am considering buying:

Dog food
Dog poopie bags
Bang and Olufsen HX Headphones (always wanted a B &O product, like Volkl skis)
Bose Quite Comfort Headphones (future gift for wife as she's told me we'll be travelling much more)
Apple Ear Pods Pro 2
Adidas Golf Shoes (probably gonna again take up that miserable sport. My two current pairs are at least 20-25 years old. But still stylish(?) and functional(?))
Umbrella style window sun screen for the A7
New Chromebook
3M Filtrete Air Filters

Many of these I do not need...

graphicguy · August 9

laurasdada said:
OK, for tax free weekend I have bought, or am considering buying:

Dog food
Dog poopie bags
Bang and Olufsen HX Headphones (always wanted a B &O product, like Volkl skis)
Bose Quite Comfort Headphones (future gift for wife as she's told me we'll be travelling much more)
Apple Ear Pods Pro 2
Adidas Golf Shoes (probably gonna again take up that miserable sport. My two current pairs are at least 20-25 years old. But still stylish(?) and functional(?))
Umbrella style window sun screen for the A7
New Chromebook
3M Filtrete Air Filters

Many of these I do not need...

Those B&O headphones are nice. I have heard those. Would have dropped the coin to get them except the only time I use headphones these days is when I travel, which I haven't done much of lately.

Can't help you with a Dog poopie bag review, though.

laurasdada · August 9

Poopie bags are very nice, purple, the wife's favorite color.

Actually, similar use case for the headphones, only use them for movie watching on JetBlue, appreciate the ANC feature (I currently have an old pair of ANC Sony's, which work fine. But, hey the B & O are on sale and tax free! There, justified).

ab348 · August 9

Today was moving day for the neighbors across the street. The backstory is that when I first moved here that house was owned by an elderly couple who had lived there since the early '60s. Empty nesters by then but they often had their offspring and their families visiting. The wife passed first, in the early 00s, then the husband in the early '10s. The place was sold first to a couple with two young boys who lived there for a few years, then to another couple for just a couple of years. It has been owned ever since by a university prof and his go-getter wife, who I soon learned had a portfolio of rental houses. Despite not wanting to like them, I do.

Initially their son moved in and renovations to the basement were undertaken to make it a second rental unit. After cycling through a few tenants there over a couple of years, soon the son moved out after some apparent family drama and their daughter (a firefighter) moved in. Renos then took place on the main level and she moved up there with her BF. I got a walk-thru of the place last year and it was nicely updated. She was very pleasant and they seemed a nice couple.

About a month ago she gave birth to twins. I never saw her return and later learned that she and the twin girls were domiciled at her mom and dad's place. The BF came and went a few times before telling a neighbor he was moving out west. Confirmation of the news that they were splitsville came shortly afterwards. My head can’t process how that happens.

Today was moving day for both sides. The morning was spent by about 7 people and 3 or 4 vehicles pulling a couple of trailers moving all of her stuff out including most of the furniture. After they pulled out after lunch, the BF and his family/friends arrived and removed all of his stuff, which didn't take nearly as long.

To keep this car-related, aside from an assortment of pickup trucks ranging from new and expensive (the property owners) to well-used (the afternoon crew), this aft there was a Boxster parked in front of my place with the top down, looking all sparkly. One of the afternoon crew was this hottie who looked to my ancient eyes to be maybe 20 and struck me from her hair and wardrobe as a sort of rocker chick. I overheard her speaking a few times and she sounded like Nina Blackwood, pretty gravelly. Maybe a sister, maybe a GF of one of the crew, no idea. She didn't do much work aside from carrying out some small boxes. When they were loaded up, she got into the Boxster, lit a joint (it stunk), and drove away.

I'm not made for these times.

stickguy · August 9

I would have needed a nap after all that excitement.

when we sold our NJ house it was to a young engaged couple who I believe did get married a few months later. less than 2 years later we learned the place was back on the market (and they made a killing on it, so hope they liked the cap gains taxes!). After talking to our old neighbor, turns out that they got married in October, and it only lasted until about June of the next year, and she moved out. He stayed until the following spring (his brother moved in) when they sold it (no clue how the divorce asset split went). Turns out a big colonial in a family neighborhood is not the ideal bachelor pad!

jmonroe1 · August 9

graphicguy said:

laurasdada said:
OK, for tax free weekend I have bought, or am considering buying:

Dog food
Dog poopie bags
Bang and Olufsen HX Headphones (always wanted a B &O product, like Volkl skis)
Bose Quite Comfort Headphones (future gift for wife as she's told me we'll be travelling much more)
Apple Ear Pods Pro 2
Adidas Golf Shoes (probably gonna again take up that miserable sport. My two current pairs are at least 20-25 years old. But still stylish(?) and functional(?))
Umbrella style window sun screen for the A7
New Chromebook
3M Filtrete Air Filters

Many of these I do not need...
Those B&O headphones are nice. I have heard those. Would have dropped the coin to get them except the only time I use headphones these days is when I travel, which I haven't done much of lately.

Can't help you with a Dog poopie bag review, though.

————————————————
I guess that means you’re not going to accompany him when he walks his dog.

jmonroe

tjc78 · August 9

@stickguy said:
I would have needed a nap after all that excitement.

when we sold our NJ house it was to a young engaged couple who I believe did get married a few months later. less than 2 years later we learned the place was back on the market (and they made a killing on it, so hope they liked the cap gains taxes!). After talking to our old neighbor, turns out that they got married in October, and it only lasted until about June of the next year, and she moved out. He stayed until the following spring (his brother moved in) when they sold it (no clue how the divorce asset split went). Turns out a big colonial in a family neighborhood is not the ideal bachelor pad!

I love our house but after living in it by myself three nights a week by myself I’d never want something that big if it was just me. I don’t think I’ve even been in the basement in three weeks.

Wife is moving home this week so it will feel more normal.

corvette · August 9

I ate the last of the summer corn today. My parents go to a place maybe 20 minutes away from their house. The growers will tell you where they buy the seeds and what kind, so it's not a trade secret. The problem is one of terroir... the corn only tastes that good when grown on that specific farm. It was great!

jmonroe1 · August 9

corvette said:
I ate the last of the summer corn today. My parents go to a place maybe 20 minutes away from their house. The growers will tell you where they buy the seeds and what kind, so it's not a trade secret. The problem is one of terroir... the corn only tastes that good when grown on that specific farm. It was great!

————————————————
Nothing beats locally grown corn this time of the year. When we lived in our first house there was a small farm about 1 1/2 miles away that had the best corn in the area. Folks came from miles around to buy corn at that farm. There were times when folks showed up a little late and they didn’t have anymore corn for sale that day, so they had to return the next day. They picked their corn early in the morning and it was put on sale in their driveway by 9:00 AM. Most of the time it was gone by early afternoon. We didn’t have that problem since Son #1 went to school with one of the farmers sons. So my son would call his friend and ask him to set aside a couple dozen ears and I’d get them on the way home from work if Mrs. j couldn’t get there earlier. It never hurts to know someone, even when buying corn. Oh yeah, they had great tomatoes too.

Those days are gone. The kids (2 boys and 1 girl) didn’t want to carry on the corn/tomato biz. The farm is now an upscale housing development. The kids are probably living on their own private island where it’s too hot to grow corn and tomatoes.

jmonroe

graphicguy · August 10

While I was still relatively immobile from surgery, I had a pair of Apple AirPod Max headphones. Impressive surround sound. Great for movie watching.

But, I never would have paid retail for them. Found them at Best Buy as a return/refurbished for substantially less because they were the previous version (lightning charge port vs USB-C charge port).

graphicguy · August 10

Speaking of music.....Sunday a.m. coffee tunes.....

jmonroe1 · August 10

graphicguy said:
Speaking of music.....Sunday a.m. coffee tunes.....

————————————————
You’re off topic. Neither of your last 2 posts have anything to do with delicious locally grown corn in the Summer.

jmonroe

sda · August 10

Yesterday I was at my parent's house picking up my 84 year old mom to go to my sister's for a birthday dinner. I appreciate having a full power passenger seat to enable me to raise it to make it easier for mom to access. Odd thing, there is no ceiling mounted handle for her to grasp. Air bags? I
like the supple Napa leather in two tone.

kyfdx · August 10

When my wife gets in the GTI, and leaves the passenger door fully open, she can't reach it, without stepping out of the car.

nyccarguy · August 10

About a month ago she gave birth to twins. I never saw her return and later learned that she and the twin girls were domiciled at her mom and dad's place. The BF came and went a few times before telling a neighbor he was moving out west. Confirmation of the news that they were splitsville came shortly afterwards. My head can’t process how that happens.

To keep this car-related, aside from an assortment of pickup trucks ranging from new and expensive (the property owners) to well-used (the afternoon crew), this aft there was a Boxster parked in front of my place with the top down, looking all sparkly. One of the afternoon crew was this hottie who looked to my ancient eyes to be maybe 20 and struck me from her hair and wardrobe as a sort of rocker chick. I overheard her speaking a few times and she sounded like Nina Blackwood, pretty gravelly. Maybe a sister, maybe a GF of one of the crew, no idea. She didn't do much work aside from carrying out some small boxes. When they were loaded up, she got into the Boxster, lit a joint (it stunk), and drove away.

I'm not made for these times.

Unfortunately you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Postpartum depression if not diagnosed or supported properly can get real ugly real quick.

roadburner · August 10

nyccarguy said:

About a month ago she gave birth to twins. I never saw her return and later learned that she and the twin girls were domiciled at her mom and dad's place. The BF came and went a few times before telling a neighbor he was moving out west. Confirmation of the news that they were splitsville came shortly afterwards. My head can’t process how that happens.

To keep this car-related, aside from an assortment of pickup trucks ranging from new and expensive (the property owners) to well-used (the afternoon crew), this aft there was a Boxster parked in front of my place with the top down, looking all sparkly. One of the afternoon crew was this hottie who looked to my ancient eyes to be maybe 20 and struck me from her hair and wardrobe as a sort of rocker chick. I overheard her speaking a few times and she sounded like Nina Blackwood, pretty gravelly. Maybe a sister, maybe a GF of one of the crew, no idea. She didn't do much work aside from carrying out some small boxes. When they were loaded up, she got into the Boxster, lit a joint (it stunk), and drove away.

I'm not made for these times.

Unfortunately you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Postpartum depression if not diagnosed or supported properly can get real ugly real quick.

It doesn't even have to be postpartum; my last murder case involved a mother who shot and killed her six-year-old and nine-year-old sons.

28firefighter · August 10

@roadburner said:
It doesn't even have to be postpartum; my last murder case involved a mother who shot and killed her six-year-old and nine-year-old sons.

Who brought the good news bear?

corvette · August 10

28firefighter said:
Who brought the good news bear?

Have I told you folks about any of my security guard error and omissions claims?

jmonroe1 · August 10

kyfdx said:
When my wife gets in the GTI, and leaves the passenger door fully open, she can't reach it, without stepping out of the car.

————————————————
Sounds like she needs a door stop.

jmonroe

stickguy · August 10

or longer arms.

oldfarmer50 · August 11

sda said:
Yesterday I was at my parent's house picking up my 84 year old mom to go to my sister's for a birthday dinner. I appreciate having a full power passenger seat to enable me to raise it to make it easier for mom to access. Odd thing, there is no ceiling mounted handle for her to grasp. Air bags? I

like the supple Napa leather in two tone.

That’s why I bought the Kia, it had the perfect seat height for my wife to get in and out. I took a tape measure to work one day and checked every car I could.

kyfdx · August 11

To be clear, my wife is more than able-bodied and 5'4.5" tall. The GTI front doors open a full 90 degrees, and she just can't reach...

The biggest problem is she can't go anywhere without her giant purse and water bottle. No hands left to hold the door close as she enters...

tjc78 · August 11

How did we all not survive without 36oz of water with us at all times?

stickguy · August 11

I usually bring a yeti with iced tea. If I started dragging around a quart sized one I would have to make a pit stop on the way to aldis. And that is only 3 miles away.

jmonroe1 · August 11

kyfdx said:
To be clear, my wife is more than able-bodied and 5'4.5" tall. The GTI front doors open a full 90 degrees, and she just can't reach...

The biggest problem is she can't go anywhere without her giant purse and water bottle. No hands left to hold the door close as she enters...

————————————————
You must be quick, having a wife that tall. Mrs. j is an even five feet and it’s all I can do to get out of the way of her left hook. I’ve got to come over to you place some day and watch you train.

jmonroe

jmonroe1 · August 11

tjc78 said:
How did we all not survive without 36oz of water with us at all times?

————————————————
I agree.

Son #1 has been after me for years to drink more water during the day. FWIW, I drink almost no water during the day. He tells me it’s good for your kidneys to be flushed often. I tell him the way I’ve been doing it has been good so far, so at my age, I don’t think it’s a good idea to start working them harder now.

jmonroe

tjc78 · August 11

Never be another like the Panther platform.

28firefighter · August 11

Definitely not. I desperately wanted one as a first car but my parents wouldn't let me get something RWD. Ended up with a Taurus.

imidazol97 · August 11

jmonroe1 said:

tjc78 said:
How did we all not survive without 36oz of water with us at all times?
————————————————
I agree.

Son #1 has been after me for years to drink more water during the day. FWIW, I drink almost no water during the day. He tells me it’s good for your kidneys to be flushed often. I tell him the way I’ve been doing it has been good so far, so at my age, I don’t think it’s a good idea to start working them harder now.

jmonroe

Both my doctors in the last six months reminded me to drink more water. My creatinine levels are on the edge of acceptable (the acceptable levels were lowered 0.2 in the past year or so). They warn that dehydration from sodas and/or coffee type drinks and drinking too little water hurts the working part of the kidney. Nonreversible.

Since I don't look good hooked up to a dialysis machine in my vision of my future, I'm drinking more water and less soda and coffee.

H2O to go.

explorerx4 · August 12

Saw this Panther from Washington state on the way home yesterday.

sda · August 12

Still the work horse.

jmonroe1 · August 12

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe1 said:

tjc78 said:
How did we all not survive without 36oz of water with us at all times?
————————————————
I agree.

Son #1 has been after me for years to drink more water during the day. FWIW, I drink almost no water during the day. He tells me it’s good for your kidneys to be flushed often. I tell him the way I’ve been doing it has been good so far, so at my age, I don’t think it’s a good idea to start working them harder now.

jmonroe
Both my doctors in the last six months reminded me to drink more water. My creatinine levels are on the edge of acceptable (the acceptable levels were lowered 0.2 in the past year or so). They warn that dehydration from sodas and/or coffee type drinks and drinking too little water hurts the working part of the kidney. Nonreversible.

Since I don't look good hooked up to a dialysis machine in my vision of my future, I'm drinking more water and less soda and coffee.

H2O to go.

————————————————-
I know it’s the right thing to do but I’ve never drunk water during the day. I’m going to blame this on my high school football coach. We were never allowed to drink water until after summer practice. And I can assure you football practice in August is brutal. No such thing as a water bucket on his teams until the regular season. By then I was already conditioned to not needing water. Today, coaches encourage staying hydrated and so does anybody who knows anything about health/conditioning. I just played high school football at the wrong time. I’d probably have finished in the top 2 doing a desert march in boot camp if I was in the Marines.

I’m going to start pushing more water into myself and hope that works. If not, I’ll mix it with bourbon.

jmonroe

nyccarguy · August 12

@28firefighter said:
Definitely not. I desperately wanted one as a first car but my parents wouldn't let me get something RWD. Ended up with a Taurus.

Funny. Sort of a similar situation with me. I wanted a Fox Body Mustang GT so badly, or an LX 5.0 Hatch, or an LX 5.0 Notchback. Besides the V8 sound, I loved the styling and the 16” 5 Spoke Wheels that started on the V8s starting in ‘91 (maybe ‘92). When the insurance rates came back, the 5.0 was a no go. I begged the dealer to sell me a 4cyl Mustang with those 5 Spoke wheels. Nope. They wouldn’t do it. My parents then said I had to have a FWD car. By the time I got my license, the new Probe GT had come out. Great! FWD plus awesome wheels. Nope. Too much glass my Dad said.

Since I didn’t know how awesome Japanese cars were yet, I went to a Chevy dealer that was owned by a family friend. I ended up with my 1992 Beretta GT. Cool looking car. Terribly built & designed. I haven’t owned a GM car since.

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