Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

oldfarmer50 · September 18

xwesx said:

corvette said:
@xwesx - oh, evil (but possibly helpful) idea, explain to the body shop that you are traveling and if it's not done perfect this time, they will need to pay someone in Alaska to fix it. They won't like it! If you went through insurance, I know for a fact that the "like a good neighbor" company's direct repair program contract specifically allowed the customer to refuse to go back to the same shop for corrective repairs.
Oh, thanks! If it isn't spot on this time, that will have to be what happens, because we're quickly running out of time in this part of the country....

The funny thing about the hood being such a drama queen is that the impact caused only a slight crease on the front right (passenger) corner, but it split the paint there. So, they had to fix the crease and then paint/blend the hood. And, no, @oldfarmer50 , it is definitely not a cloud (in the sky), but one could easily mistake it for that. Except at that angle and in sunlight, it doesn't really even show up. Unfortunately once you know, you know!

It’s funny how sun angle can bring out defects in paint. The trunk lid on my convertible looks fine from most angles but when the sun gets low shining from the rear I can see what looks like numerous tiny scratches in the paint. I’m guessing it’s failure of the 25 year old clear coat but it’s odd that it doesn’t show except at certain angles.

corvette · September 18

imidazol97 said:
Have you checked your spare lately?
...
My cord for the 12-volt charger I carry in each car wouldn't reach from the Malibu inside plug to the trunk, so I parked the trunk next to the Cruze's driver door to be able to barely reach.

I highly recommend getting a cordless air compressor, especially if there is one that matches with your preferred brand of battery powered tools.

xwesx · September 18

corvette said:
I highly recommend getting a cordless air compressor, especially if there is one that matches with your preferred brand of battery powered tools.

Those are very good, but maybe not so much for one that you would keep in the car(s) as a matter of course. I'd have to recommend this Viair unit, which has high-quality components, a very long cord, and is quite compact. It's a little workhorse!

driver100 · September 18

oldfarmer50 said:

xwesx said:

corvette said:
@xwesx - oh, evil (but possibly helpful) idea, explain to the body shop that you are traveling and if it's not done perfect this time, they will need to pay someone in Alaska to fix it. They won't like it! If you went through insurance, I know for a fact that the "like a good neighbor" company's direct repair program contract specifically allowed the customer to refuse to go back to the same shop for corrective repairs.
Oh, thanks! If it isn't spot on this time, that will have to be what happens, because we're quickly running out of time in this part of the country....

The funny thing about the hood being such a drama queen is that the impact caused only a slight crease on the front right (passenger) corner, but it split the paint there. So, they had to fix the crease and then paint/blend the hood. And, no, @oldfarmer50 , it is definitely not a cloud (in the sky), but one could easily mistake it for that. Except at that angle and in sunlight, it doesn't really even show up. Unfortunately once you know, you know!
It’s funny how sun angle can bring out defects in paint. The trunk lid on my convertible looks fine from most angles but when the sun gets low shining from the rear I can see what looks like numerous tiny scratches in the paint. I’m guessing it’s failure of the 25 year old clear coat but it’s odd that it doesn’t show except at certain angles.

I try not to look too close at those things so it doesn't bother me too much. If the paint is faded, I don't know about it! Or, maybe white doesn't show it as much.

driver100 · September 18

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

tjc78 said:
In all seriousness he has not logged in since Aug 4th. Does anyone have his personal email address? Doesn’t seem to be on his profile.

Good investigative work, I had no idea it had been that long. I'll try to keep up. Thanks for checking though.
I also had to do some work on getting my will up to date, some people will get less and some more...don't ask JMonroe - you are not in it. I wanted a phrase if I died first I didn't want my wife to give my car to her new boyfriend. The lawyer just laughed!!!!!
————————————————-
Just for that I’m writing you out of mine.

jmonroe

If I am still in it you better change it before you forget. Some people separate or get divorced and they forget to change their will, and the partner they left get an unexpected bonus. Unfortunately, your memory is pretty good, but it will cost you a few $hundred bucks to change it...might as well leave me in it!

ab348 · September 19

*** Taps keyboard... is this thing on? ***

No new posts for a very long time.

kyfdx · September 19

ab348 said:
*** Taps keyboard... is this thing on? ***

No new posts for a very long time.

SSSHHHHHH

stickguy · September 19

I better spend the day asking for lease numbers on every car I’ve ever heard of!

Michaell · September 19

stickguy said:
I better spend the day asking for lease numbers on every car I’ve ever heard of!

Please, don’t.

graphicguy · September 19

Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.

oldfarmer50 · September 19

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.

When I needed a chip fixed I called Safelite and the automated system wouldn’t let me talk to anybody. I went to a mom & pop place where they fixed it while I waited.

imidazol97 · September 19

xwesx said:

corvette said:
I highly recommend getting a cordless air compressor, especially if there is one that matches with your preferred brand of battery powered tools.
Those are very good, but maybe not so much for one that you would keep in the car(s) as a matter of course. I'd have to recommend this Viair unit, which has high-quality components, a very long cord, and is quite compact. It's a little workhorse!

That compressor has a longer air hose and a longer power cable. I'd have to check more if the actual air compressor is better than what I've got. it's a good choice.

jmonroe1 · September 19

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.

————————————————
They’ve sent all their employees out on the roads drumming up business driving around uncovered trucks full of pebbles. It’s a minimum pay job but somebody’s has to do it.

jmonroe

corvette · September 19

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.

Like @oldfarmer50, I have a local glass company where they have a real human that answers the phone. No issues with them at all, and they can usually schedule me within a day or so.

driver100 · September 19

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.
When I needed a chip fixed I called Safelite and the automated system wouldn’t let me talk to anybody. I went to a mom & pop place where they fixed it while I waited.

I have used Safelite a few times and I think that they want all the calls to go through their central office so that they can direct you to a dealer, and that way head office gets their cut. You can't call an individual location. If you go in, they'll give you an estimate. It is a job you want done properly and I am pretty sure Safelite has perfected fixing a chipped windshield, mom & pops are a bit riskier, and if you have tried a kit you will know it is best that someone who knows what they are doing fixes your windshield.

imidazol97 · September 19

Scheduling was easy the last time I remember. I called my State Farm office. The lady gave me a number to call. She may have given me an incident number. I think this can all be done now on my online Statefarm.com account.

I called. The lady at SAfelite schedule a date and time. Easy. Chip was drilled, suctioned, and filled with a material with similar refractive index to the glass. Hard to find after the fix.

I believe all windshield damage is covered by your insurance in Ohio.

imidazol97 · September 19

Many trucks carrying gravel and stone have signs on the rear trying to fool people about rock damage. They are responsible for damage for rocks dropped from their vehicles. But they put a sign saying they're not responsible for damage from material thrown from the road. That may be true: they're not responsible for a stone their tire hits that's already on the road, but they are responsible for things they had on their bed and frame that drop.

I've been behind trucks and when they hit a rough spot that jostles the truck, stuff drops and hits the road splattering anyone close behind them.

When my son was at Ohio State I often drove things to and from his apartment. I'd see trucks stop on the ramp to the expressways to clean off the sides and frames of the trucks. They must have really increased enforcement about dirty trucks there at that time.

kyfdx · September 19

When I needed a windshield replaced, I got a list of places from State Farm, and they were all 800 numbers, and impossible to tell where they were located. It's like they had no history.

Went to the local place

tjc78 · September 19

My last windshield I still had Progressive insurance. I did it all through the app… spoke to no one. Guy came a few days later. I was really impressed with Safelite. They did the recalibration and everything all in my garage.

This was my 2019 S60 (man I miss that car)

andres3 · September 19

I still miss my B8.5 S4 ----- such a perfect car..... as long as you don't have to fix anything expensive.

jmonroe1 · September 19

tjc78 said:
My last windshield I still had Progressive insurance. I did it all through the app… spoke to no one. Guy came a few days later. I was really impressed with Safelite. They did the recalibration and everything all in my garage.

This was my 2019 S60 (man I miss that car)

————————————————
Then why did you backup into a garbage truck?

jmonroe

graphicguy · September 19

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.
When I needed a chip fixed I called Safelite and the automated system wouldn’t let me talk to anybody. I went to a mom & pop place where they fixed it while I waited.

Same experience with Safelite. They are wasting all the money for marketing. Looking for a local place, now. Funny, the dealership doesn't want to do it.

sda · September 19

Yesterday, I received a notice there is a pending settlement with VW concerning defective turbos. It included the Arteon and a lot of Audis and VWs. Curiously the 2018 Passat was not on the list. VW’s proposal is lame. Extend coverage to 8.5 years or 85k, and they will cover or reimburse 50% or up to $3850.00. Why not 10 yrs,100k and fully cover the cost of replacement?

I had the Q5 serviced today. I had asked for a loaner when I scheduled the appointment. At last moment I was notified none available. Who knew that when I arrived for my 8am appointment, two customers were being directed to a loaner. alas. I ended up waiting for it for 2.5 hours.

The Q5 has 81500 miles. The Service Advisor said it mapped to the 95k service. It was quite an extensive check list of items to address, plus an oil/filter change, spark plug replacement, sunroof drain tubes cleared and a road test. It received a clean bill of health, though the tires measured at 5/32 front and rear. In the next couple of months, tire replacement will happen. My wallet is lighter by $965.00.

laurasdada · September 19

Three cars, not a spare in sight.
Progress.

Sandman6472 · September 19

My MacBook Air is now 8 years old and have been thinking of getting a newer one but, haven't done anything yet. So I got an email from Amazon and guess what? They have the exact MacBook Air I was looking at and found the price was down to $799. This for a brand new in the box MacBook Air with the newest M4 chip. Had enough ram & storage, not even sure what ram is actually, and in that Midnight color I like so much. Knowing my oldest has Amazon Prime I called her up & asked if she could order it for me and have it sent to or house. I'd send her the money once it's ordered. Turns out they're coming down for a baby shower tomorrow and will be here for about 6 or so hours. They live outside Orlando, St. Cloud, and can't stay over due to not having a cat sitter. She ordered the computer yesterday, arrived at her house by 4 pm this afternoon and I'll have it tomorrow afternoon after work!
Very happy with the quick turn of events really as the alternative was to have it delivered Monday when I'll be home. Just hope it's everything I hope it will be! Now to figure out how to move all the data over that's stored on the old machine. Hoping it's all in the cloud, especially all my bookmarks on Firefox & Google!!

venture · September 19

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.

Sounds a little like trying to donate blood. I get emails and texts asking me to donate. I suppose because my type is in demand.

Trying to schedule an appointment is difficult. When you do get an appointment, they act like it's no big deal and they make you feel like you are disturbing them.

Sandman6472 · September 19

We got the same post card about that settlement for the defective turbo's, both of us since we owned 2 cars on that list. Just not sure what we have to do now really? They wanted her to replace the turbo in the Audi A3, something she wouldn't do for the $8K price they quoted. Mine never had a turbo issue. So, what do we do now? Any help would be greatly appreciated here. Thanks all!!

The Sandman

stickguy · September 19

if you don't own the cars any longer, and didn't pay out of pocket to fix or replace one, you can shred it.

corvette · September 19

@Sandman6472 - congrats on the new MacBook! I have one and really like it.

stickguy · September 19

I have an iphone and ipad and love them. And tried an android tablet once and hated it. But still have a windows laptop (personal, and work). I tried my daughters mac a few times and never could get a handle on it. Maybe if I bought one and got a long tutorial and played with it for a while I would learn to love it.

probably for myself a big part of not getting one, was they cost $1,000 or so more than a cheap windows laptop! Not that I am cheap or anything.

roadburner · September 19

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.
When I needed a chip fixed I called Safelite and the automated system wouldn’t let me talk to anybody. I went to a mom & pop place where they fixed it while I waited.
Same experience with Safelite. They are wasting all the money for marketing. Looking for a local place, now. Funny, the dealership doesn't want to do it.

I went to a local shop that my M-B dealer recommended.

tjc78 · September 19

@stickguy said:
I have an iphone and ipad and love them. And tried an android tablet once and hated it. But still have a windows laptop (personal, and work). I tried my daughters mac a few times and never could get a handle on it. Maybe if I bought one and got a long tutorial and played with it for a while I would learn to love it.

probably for myself a big part of not getting one, was they cost $1,000 or so more than a cheap windows laptop! Not that I am cheap or anything.

I’ve had plenty of IPhones, IPads, I watches and ear pods … but my laptops have to be windows. Old habits die hard

roadburner · September 19

We ran up to Northern Kentucky today to visit my wife's family. On the way home I drove in formation with a C5 Z06 and a WRX STI. We made it back to Louisville rather quickly.

suydam · September 19

corvette said:
@Sandman6472 - congrats on the new MacBook! I have one and really like it.

Spouse just got a new MacBook Air. It’s great. Same price at the Apple Store, and they move all the data over for you. The old one was same vintage as yours, but they still had a trade in value for it.

Michaell · September 19

tjc78 said:

@stickguy said:

I have an iphone and ipad and love them. And tried an android tablet once and hated it. But still have a windows laptop (personal, and work). I tried my daughters mac a few times and never could get a handle on it. Maybe if I bought one and got a long tutorial and played with it for a while I would learn to love it.

probably for myself a big part of not getting one, was they cost $1,000 or so more than a cheap windows laptop! Not that I am cheap or anything.

I’ve had plenty of IPhones, IPads, I watches and ear pods … but my laptops have to be windows. Old habits die hard

Same here.

The girls have MacBooks for both home and work. Like @stickguy, I've used it a few times and it's just different enough to be strange.

I jumped on a Prime days deal not long ago and picked up a new laptop for <$300.

driver100 · September 19

sda said:
Yesterday, I received a notice there is a pending settlement with VW concerning defective turbos. It included the Arteon and a lot of Audis and VWs. Curiously the 2018 Passat was not on the list. VW’s proposal is lame. Extend coverage to 8.5 years or 85k, and they will cover or reimburse 50% or up to $3850.00. Why not 10 yrs,100k and fully cover the cost of replacement?

It doesn't sounds like the settlement is definitely lame. My friend picked up a new 2025 Golf R which is a great little car,

The brakes were grabbing so he took it in, thinking it should be under warranty. They charged $400 because brakes aren't covered.....they had to put it up on the hoist and find what was wrong, and then get a part to fix it....that explanation may make sense to them but not to me. After he complained the dealer reduced it to $250, but it still doesn't seem right. I thought parts the driver could break might not be covered, but not a defective part!

roadburner · September 19

Most all of the VW dealers in my area are borderline incompetent at both sales and service. When the Mark V GTI was a hot item I tried to order one but the local dealers acted like it would really inconvenience them to have a car built the way I wanted it. One sales guy insisted the GTI had Brembo brakes because the calipers were painted red. A VW hasn’t been on my radar since.

benjaminh · September 20

Starting at about 3-minutes in this reviewer talks about the c. $3000 maintenance and repair bills in 2025 for his six year old VW GTI. I usually think the Cost to Own estimates for maintenance and repairs by Edmunds tend to be high, but in this case maybe Edmunds is about right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENL7ozzMuJI&t=353s

https://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/golf-gti/2019/cost-to-own/

tjc78 · September 20

Pretty sure everything in the braking system is covered under warranty except the pads. On several cars I’ve had the rotors turned or replaced during the warranty period.

imidazol97 · September 20

My expectation of a bumper-to-bumper warranty is that everything is covered except for wear items, such as excessive wear on pads due to driving style. Excessive wear on pads due to a flaw of a part of the braking system should be covered.

imidazol97 · September 20

Re: computers.

Windows 10 support ends for feature updates in October for those of using Windows machines that can't be updated to Windows 11 (which is kind of nice itself now that I'm using my newest laptop).

I see when I log on to check for updates Microsoft offers to extend SECURITY updates to October 2026, giving those of us with older machines that are still fine more time to update to a new computer. I think that's really nice of them. I won't get the feature updates but the security of the Win10 system will be kept up-to-date.

sda · September 20

imidazol97 said:
Re: computers.

Windows 10 support ends for feature updates in October for those of using Windows machines that can't be updated to Windows 11 (which is kind of nice itself now that I'm using my newest laptop).

I see when I log on to check for updates Microsoft offers to extend SECURITY updates to October 2026, giving those of us with older machines that are still fine more time to update to a new computer. I think that's really nice of them. I won't get the feature updates but the security of the Win10 system will be kept up-to-date.

Good to know. I have a Surface Pro that fits that category. I have not decided what I want to replace it with.

mlevine · September 20

What are the thoughts for extended warranty by veritas for MB GLE 2018 with about 38,000 miles? I think it would be a waste as heard they will deny repairs or not cover everything.

corvette · September 20

I bought the 10 year/100k extended warranty for the Maverick. It was about $2,600 for (I think) $100 deductible and adding the optional lighting coverage (the LED headlights are not cheap if they break, and I regularly see cars on the road with one LED DRL out).

I will not be buying an extended warranty on the Ariya because most of the expensive stuff is covered under either the 5/60 powertrain or the 8/100 battery warranty, and I will probably upgrade to a more capable EV within 5 years.

graphicguy · September 20

roadburner said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:
Boy....these windshield replacement companies must be doing bang up business. They sure make it difficult to even schedule for a quote.
When I needed a chip fixed I called Safelite and the automated system wouldn’t let me talk to anybody. I went to a mom & pop place where they fixed it while I waited.
Same experience with Safelite. They are wasting all the money for marketing. Looking for a local place, now. Funny, the dealership doesn't want to do it.
I went to a local shop that my M-B dealer recommended.

Trying to get a call back from the local glass shop my insurance company recommended seems impossible. At least take 10 seconds to call me back and tell my to pound sand!

This is nuts!

So much for all those TV commercials showing Safelite sending a smiling technician to my house to happily replace my windshield.

graphicguy · September 20

Sandman6472 said:
My MacBook Air is now 8 years old and have been thinking of getting a newer one but, haven't done anything yet. So I got an email from Amazon and guess what? They have the exact MacBook Air I was looking at and found the price was down to $799. This for a brand new in the box MacBook Air with the newest M4 chip. Had enough ram & storage, not even sure what ram is actually, and in that Midnight color I like so much. Knowing my oldest has Amazon Prime I called her up & asked if she could order it for me and have it sent to or house. I'd send her the money once it's ordered. Turns out they're coming down for a baby shower tomorrow and will be here for about 6 or so hours. They live outside Orlando, St. Cloud, and can't stay over due to not having a cat sitter. She ordered the computer yesterday, arrived at her house by 4 pm this afternoon and I'll have it tomorrow afternoon after work!
Very happy with the quick turn of events really as the alternative was to have it delivered Monday when I'll be home. Just hope it's everything I hope it will be! Now to figure out how to move all the data over that's stored on the old machine. Hoping it's all in the cloud, especially all my bookmarks on Firefox & Google!!

They are giving good deals on MacBook Airs, right now. I replaced my old Intel based MacBook a few months ago with an M4 MacBook Air. Went a little up the ladder for specs (512GB instead of 256GB and 14 GB Rams vs 16 GB). But, I use it for everything and haul it around everywhere.

Got the "midnight" color, too.

You're going to love it. Smoking fast and built extremely well.

roadburner · September 20

mlevine said:
What are the thoughts for extended warranty by veritas for MB GLE 2018 with about 38,000 miles? I think it would be a waste as heard they will deny repairs or not cover everything.

I only buy extended warranties from the car's manufacturer; everything else is a gamble- and the house will almost always do anything and everything to win.

jmonroe1 · September 20

roadburner said:
Most all of the VW dealers in my area are borderline incompetent at both sales and service. When the Mark V GTI was a hot item I tried to order one but the local dealers acted like it would really inconvenience them to have a car built the way I wanted it. One sales guy insisted the GTI had Brembo brakes because the calipers were painted red. A VW hasn’t been on my radar since.

————————————————-
Nothing gripes me more than incompetent workmanship by dealer service departments especially given what they charge.

The following is why I decided not to EVER take my car to a dealer again when I knew I could do the work myself. I think I’ve told this tale before but now is a good time to repeat it:

No too long after I became engaged, I was going to spend some time one Saturday afternoon doing a points, plugs and carb adjustment on my year old ‘66 Bonneville. I didn’t know the soon to be Mrs. J decided to go shopping with my middle brother and his soon to be wife at a new mall. She just assumed I’d go along too, and I would have, if I didn’t plan to work on my car. She got my brother to talk to me about going since they planned to go out to dinner afterwards. My brother told me the mall they planned to go to was not all that far from the dealer where I bought the car a year earlier, so why not have the dealer do the work so we could all spend some time together. Being the nice guy I am I reluctantly agreed even though I didn’t like the idea of spending money for something that could easily be done in an hour. After doing a lot of shopping, I picked the car up just before they closed so we could then go to dinner. As soon as I pulled the car out of the dealership I knew they didn’t do the tuneup right but I couldn’t take it back because they were now closed. The next day (Sunday) i decided to look at the car. It was a V8 and every plug had the gap set way out of spec and a couple of the plugs had the ground contact out of center with the center electrode. Then the points were gapped wrong, and the idle mixture was messed up too. To say I was furious would be putting it mildly. I was going to correct all of these faults myself but I decided to take the car back and have them do it. I called on Monday morning and they
told me they’d do me a favor but I should get there first thing Tuesday morning. I got there bright and early so I could hopefully go to work before noon. They took me right away but the service department manager started making excuses for what they had done. He made absolutely no sense (typical dealership jargon) and a few times as he’s explaining I turn around to look behind me. Finally after me turning around about 4 times he asks, “are you waiting for someone to pick you up? I can get you out of here in an hour”. I replied, “NO, I thought you were talking to the a-hole behind me but there isn’t anybody there”. He didn’t like my response but I figured we were now even because I didn’t like the way they worked on my car, either.

jmonroe

stickguy · September 20

I will decide in the spring if I want to get an ESP on the Maverick. If I do it will be the Ford one, through a dealer that discounts them. Though with the Hybrid, a lot of the expensive stuff is covered on that 10 year warranty.

not all that expensive. 8 year/60,000 miles with $100 deductible is either $970 for Extra care or $1,275 for premium care plans.

corvette · September 20

@stickguy - I also priced the service package, and it didn't seem like a good value, nor did it include brake flushes, which are supposed to be done every three years. Plus, you have to go to a Ford dealer, and I plan on just having regular oil changes done at Valvoline after my last Ford service experience.

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