Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

oldfarmer50 · November 25

jmonroe1 said:

@oldfarmer50 said:

I use all our trash cardboard to ignite brush piles from my clearing operations.

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A real poster buddy would have mentioned that to him. What else are you holding out on him?

jmonroe

He lives in the ritzy area where that kind of self reliance isn’t allowed. Besides, if he were to light a fire in his backyard it might ignite all those tires and barrels of oil he keeps there.

tifighter · November 25

I had forgotten about the U Turn in the box. That was a tough one, but otherwise, I recall the test being perversely fun.

jmonroe1 · November 25

@qbrozen said:

@venture said:
Most of the stuff you had to do in the test, I never had to do while riding on the permit. Sort of weird.

Exactly. I will never make crawling-speed tight maneuvers without allowing my feet to touch the ground. Why would I NEED that? What I really need was never part of the course nor test: 50 mph over rough road.

But, hey, it’s done.

I don’t know if I’ll graduate to a more adult bike. I’ve been eyeing them for sure. Something like a Kawasaki Vulcan or Eliminator, an Indian Scout Sixty, or Royal Enfield super Meteor seem like they’d be better suited to me. I know I could sell this Piaggio for more than I paid for it, if I decide to go that way.

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That’s a bad name for something with 2 wheels that can go more than 50 MPH. I suggest you don’t get that one.

jmonroe

stickguy · November 25

I suppose the bonfire would also take care of removing my pine trees. And probably the house behind us.

jmonroe1 · November 25

@stickguy said:
I suppose the bonfire would also take care of removing my pine trees. And probably the house behind us.

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Just make sure the wind isn’t blowing towards the house in front.

jmonroe

andres3 · November 25

corvette said:
@ab348 - my bank notarizes things for me for free. I think the UPS Store charges a nominal fee, something like $10, but they don't always have a notary working every shift. I am a notary, but will probably let it expire since I no longer work in an office where people might need things notarized. It's something like $100-200 total in fees, buying a bond insurance policy, and now I think we have to get a new stamp at every four year renewal.

Fees to who/whom? The State?

andres3 · November 25

breld said:
I had a call with BMW of North America as a follow up to my experience with my i5 and I expressed how I do like the vehicle, but was naturally disappointed that it required such a major repair for the HVAC system that kept it in the shop for 21 days.

I didn't request any follow up, but they called me today to say they had good news and that they were offering me $475 for the trouble.

There is a release required to be signed and notarized to receive the payment that includes the following:

...hereby releases and forever discharges BMW of North America, LLC
(“BMW NA”) and its respective parents, subsidiaries, agents, brokers, insurers, trustees,
beneficiaries, administrators, successors in interest, predecessors in interest, assigns,
corporations, partners, entities, affiliates, all authorized dealerships, and all directors,
officers, employees, attorneys, and representatives of same (“RELEASEES”), of and from
all actions, causes of action, suits, debts, damages, judgments, claims, executions and
demands whatsoever the CUSTOMER ever had, now has, or hereafter can, shall or may
have for or relating to the 2025 BMW i5 xDrive40 Sedan automobile (VIN No.
WBY13HG02SCU85189)(“the Vehicle”).

Yeah...you can keep the $475.

Take the money and immediately sell?

stickguy · November 25

Does the i4 have these hvac issues too?

corvette · November 25

andres3 said:
Fees to who/whom? The State?

I had to look it up:
$10 application fee to the Secretary of State
$19 recording fee to the County Clerk
~$40 commercial bond
~$30 replacement stamp
~$5 parking downtown to sign paperwork (only the downtown clerk's office records notaries)

Not terrible, but also not worth keeping if I don't use it. I'm pretty sure I charged my former employer mileage for the five miles or so I had to drive downtown, only because I already had to submit a parking expense, lol.

stickguy · November 25

aughter and son in law are out for the Holiday, and going to do an inspection on their new house tomorrow morning. First time either of them has seen in in person. Hope they like it!

oldfarmer50 · November 25

stickguy said:
aughter and son in law are out for the Holiday, and going to do an inspection on their new house tomorrow morning. First time either of them has seen in in person. Hope they like it!

Wow! And I wouldn’t even buy a car sight unseen. You know of course it will be your fault every time something breaks or isn’t to their liking.

stickguy · November 25

I gave no guarantees. They made the choice.

Michaell · November 25

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
aughter and son in law are out for the Holiday, and going to do an inspection on their new house tomorrow morning. First time either of them has seen in in person. Hope they like it!
Wow! And I wouldn’t even buy a car sight unseen. You know of course it will be your fault every time something breaks or isn’t to their liking.

Yeah, I'm not sure how much sleep I'd get tonight.

stickguy · November 25

there were plenty of pictures and we did a facetime on the walk through.

we looked at a lot of houses, and even if you go in person, it is still maybe 10 minutes in the place then you go home and have to decide to bid. by the time you close you don't even remember a lot of the details.

corvette · November 25

stickguy said:
there were plenty of pictures and we did a facetime on the walk through.

At my previous job, we handled a lot of insurance claims against real estate professionals over video walkthroughs... "They intentionally pointed the camera away from the defective plumbing!" "We couldn't tell the barn wasn't tall enough to ride horses in!" Etc...

stickguy · November 25

Good thing they aren’t going to sue us!

stickguy · November 25

Seriously though, in this market, your tour isn’t much better than a a video from someone you trust. Not like it’s. Construction expert spending an hour picking over the place.

oldfarmer50 · November 26

stickguy said:
Seriously though, in this market, your tour isn’t much better than a a video from someone you trust. Not like it’s. Construction expert spending an hour picking over the place.

This guy has me paranoid about buying new construction. Hopefully NY has higher standards than AZ.

https://youtube.com/shorts/k4wDafoXYig?si=VcI36R2RZgexvH7M

tjc78 · November 26

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:
Seriously though, in this market, your tour isn’t much better than a a video from someone you trust. Not like it’s. Construction expert spending an hour picking over the place.

This guy has me paranoid about buying new construction. Hopefully NY has higher standards than AZ.

https://youtube.com/shorts/k4wDafoXYig?si=VcI36R2RZgexvH7M

I can't watch the video, but have seen enough social media videos about new construction with big national home builders to be more than skeptical.

My home was built by Ryan. They are pretty large here in the northeast. We bought it two years old. I feel overall it is built fairly well... but I can tell you if I was the paying customer on the build there would be several things I wouldn't have accepted.

The biggest issue being every device is back-stabbed. I've already had to fix a few.

corvette · November 26

@tjc78 - you mean the switches and receptacles are back-stabbed instead of wrapping the wire around the screw terminal on the side? I think all of the ones in my house (installed by me) are done that way. Was I being lazy?

oldfarmer50 · November 26

corvette said:
@tjc78 - you mean the switches and receptacles are back-stabbed instead of wrapping the wire around the screw terminal on the side? I think all of the ones in my house (installed by me) are done that way. Was I being lazy?

I was wondering what that meant too. All my receptacles are like that as it was the thing in the early 80s. Of course now that is considered lazy electrical. I have had a few work their way apart over the years.

tjc78 · November 26

corvette said:
@tjc78 - you mean the switches and receptacles are back-stabbed instead of wrapping the wire around the screw terminal on the side? I think all of the ones in my house (installed by me) are done that way. Was I being lazy?

Yes. It is an unreliable connection, known to fail.

Having said that... I'm talking about the cheap outlet back stab where you simply insert the cable into the rear.

Like this

If you are using a commercial grade outlet where the cable is inserted behind the clamp and tightened down it is fine

ab348 · November 26

I know old-school electricians look down their nose at backstab connections but I don’t know how a solid-core wire of the correct gauge can work loose from one. It’s not like either the wire or the receptacle/switch is moving around.

tjc78 · November 26

It does - I have had to fix multiple in my house. There is one outlet in the basement that currently needs repair. They 100% work loose.

In my old house there was an addition put on by the former home owner and I had the same issue. Only one outlet worked in that room. I opened up the one outlet that worked and as soon as I pulled it out of the box the neutral was floating in mid air.

That house was built in 1958 and had a few original outlets in the basement working without issue.

https://www.righttouchelectrical.com/electrical-services/electrical-outlets-switches-houston-tx/backstabbed-outlets/

At some point I would love to fix all the ones in my house, but it's a pretty large home and every room has at least three switches and 6-8 outlets. It would take a mountain of time.

stickguy · November 26

I oddly love this one. But man those bumpers need to go.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-volvo-142-5/

stickguy · November 26

I would not buy new from a chain builder. Our house was done by a local custom guy and we got to go in Plenty of times. I also met the electrician (local family owned place with a great reputation) and have had him do some extra work for us. So optimistic we got it done right after seeing his work.

stickguy · November 26

Update on the big house purchase. Kids spent 2 hours there today with an inspector. Feedback from the princess was “house passed inspection with flying colors and we love it”. So I dodged a bullet! I am good at picking out houses though.

corvette · November 26

I could see it working loose if the outlet is loose within the box (also an unsafe condition) and moves around with use.

ab348 · November 26

corvette said:
I could see it working loose if the outlet is loose within the box (also an unsafe condition) and moves around with use.

Yeah, sure. But if someone is dumb enough not to secure the receptacle to the box properly, I don’t like their chances of securing the wire under a screw either.

jmonroe1 · November 26

@tjc78 said:
I can't watch the video, but have seen enough social media videos about new construction with big national home builders to be more than skeptical.

My home was built by Ryan. They are pretty large here in the northeast. We bought it two years old. I feel overall it is built fairly well... but I can tell you if I was the paying customer on the build there would be several things I wouldn't have accepted.

The biggest issue being every device is back-stabbed. I've already had to fix a few.

——————————————————
Back in 1969 when we were looking to buy our first house, I wouldn’t have had Ryan build me a dog house and I’m serious about that. Around here today they are better than they were in 1969, so I guess that means I’d buy a dog house built by Ryan but not the main dwelling.

Back in 1969 Ryan appealed to things that women liked. They wall papered the baths and kitchen but neglected some sound building techniques. I had to point out to Mrs. j that while they wall papered the kitchen and used nice looking kitchen cabinets, they were terribly cheaply built. As we approached the kitchen together (I had looked at the kitchen by myself earlier while she was off looking at the rest of the house), I said, “those are nice looking cabinets but I don’t like the construction of them”. She said, “how can you tell from here”? When we got into the kitchen, I asked her to open one of the cabinets, so she did. Then I asked her what she saw. Her response was shelves. I asked her to look a little closer and she said, “what am I supposed to look at”. I told her to look at the back of the cabinet. She said, “OK, I’m looking, so?”. I told her she was looking at wallpaper. Ryan used cabinets that did not have a back panel, just top and bottom mounting rails. The back panel on cabinets provides a lot of strength to the cabinet but they cheaped out on that. That was the final nail in the coffin for me so we left. We went to a much smaller local builder and had him build us a house. While we didn’t have a Cadillac home, it was gobs better than the Vega that Ryan built back then.

jmonroe

ab348 · November 26

stickguy said:
I oddly love this one. But man those bumpers need to go.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-volvo-142-5/

Huh. We bought one of those new, same colors inside and out, except ours was a 4-door. Dad bought it as his main car after loving a ‘68 144 he had, but this one was just awful. The list of problems was never-ending. That one looks to be fuel injected but ours came with a carb. Apparently they leaned it out to pass emissions so it wouldn’t idle unless you had the manual choke pulled out partway. Ours was also an automatic transmission and it was a total slushbox. After a year or so he bought a ‘74 Maverick that was of equally poor quality which he also gave up on quickly, so I ended up driving that to and from university. He eventually replaced the Volvo with a Hornet Sportabout which he loved.

1973 was a major refresh year for those, with the ‘73-only front bumper and a new dashboard design. For ‘74 the bumpers at both ends got bigger.

tjc78 · November 26

It’s also the tension on the spring. That can weaken over time. Also on larger loads the resistance is higher causing heat which in turn also degrades the connection.

Bottom line it is not as strong or secure as wrapping the wire around the terminals. There isn’t much debate on it, it’s proven. If you are replacing a switch or outlet my suggestion is to spend the extra 5 minutes and put the wires under the screws.

xwesx · November 26

corvette said:
I could see it working loose if the outlet is loose within the box (also an unsafe condition) and moves around with use.

The movement isn't that large scale. Remember that these are highly conductive wires! The issue with the non-clamped slip-ins is that they rely on sort of a one-way gate to hold the wire, and temperature-shift movement often defeats that whereas the screw-down type offers constant clamping force. So, with use, they expand and contract ever so slightly as the wire temperature fluctuates from ambient to elevated and back again. If not securely held, the wires will ever-so-slowly work their way out of the fitting and eventually come loose.

ab348 · November 26

I know enough about this to be dangerous, but my limited experience wiring up receptacles and switches, I always found securing the wire under the screw to be the hardest and most frustrating part. You think you have it bent into the right U-shape, but it either won't slide under the screw, or if it does, as you tighten the screw it moves/gets pushed away from the center and you end up with a section not touching anything. It amazes me they haven't developed something better.

tjc78 · November 26

Make sure you have the hook on the wire running in the same direction (clockwise) as the screws turns. When you tighten the screw it will make the "U" tighter. It also helps to tug slightly on the wire as you tighten down the screw so it doesn't raise up.

jmonroe1 · November 26

@xwesx said:
The movement isn't that large scale. Remember that these are highly conductive wires! The issue with the non-clamped slip-ins is that they rely on sort of a one-way gate to hold the wire, and temperature-shift movement often defeats that whereas the screw-down type offers constant clamping force. So, with use, they expand and contract ever so slightly as the wire temperature fluctuates from ambient to elevated and back again. If not securely held, the wires will ever-so-slowly work their way out of the fitting and eventually come loose.

——————————————————
While working on one of our flips (replacing all of the outlets and switches to white vs. beige) I came across a first for me. I’d be willing to bet that a previous owner did this and not an electrician…the outlet was back-stabbed but the wires were inserted into the release slot for the back-stab connection and not the back-stab hole. However, I’ll give them points for connecting the ground wire properly by wrapping the ground wire around the green ground wire screw. On second thought I won’t give them credit since receptacles never have a back-stab hole for the ground wire. So they really had no choice other than not connecting the ground wire. OK, I change my mind again…I’ll give them credit for properly connecting the most important wire in the box.

Like I said, I never saw this before or since. Has anyone else ever seen this?

jmonroe

xwesx · November 26

tjc78 said:
Make sure you have the hook on the wire running in the same direction (clockwise) as the screws turns. When you tighten the screw it will make the "U" tighter. It also helps to tug slightly on the wire as you tighten down the screw so it doesn't raise up.

Yes, and if, for whatever reason, your "hook" is backward, just take your needlenose or electrical pliers, grab the hook by the top of the loop, spin it 180, and reattach. Viola!

re: mis-backstabbing.... I have not. But, I also have never seen anyone actually use the backstab holes.

When I was first building my house, my father came up to help for a couple weeks. While here, he got the electrical system started (he was an electrician by trade) and gave me some tips on future wiring. One of those tips was to never use the backstab option.

roadburner · November 26

tjc78 said:
Make sure you have the hook on the wire running in the same direction (clockwise) as the screws turns. When you tighten the screw it will make the "U" tighter. It also helps to tug slightly on the wire as you tighten down the screw so it doesn't raise up.

I installed hospital grade outlets for my main HTS; better safe than sorry.

roadburner · November 26

I guess that this would be properly categorized under Chronic Model Car Buyers Anonymous, but as it turns out my 318ti has a lot of display models and kits available- in 1:87, 1:64, 1:43, 1:24, and 1:18 scales. I don't have all of them, but I'm getting there.

corvette · November 26

I second the recommendation for needle nose pliers. Those make it easy to wrap and pinch the wire around the screw before you tighten it. Now that I think about it, the outlets I installed here are nearly all GFCIs which have to be clamped down on the wire, so those are definitely good, although 1950s sized metal electrical boxes make them a tight fit. The stabbed-in ones are nearly all light switches, which I think are low risk because they are carrying a very low load (especially with modern LED lights).

stickguy · November 26

it really seems like the best design is a small plate under the screw that smushes down on top of the wire. extra coverage and more idiot proof.

stickguy · November 26

got a full recap on the home inspection (guy was very, very thorough). Everything major was great. HVAC and water heater not too old (and furnace was 96% efficient I think), roof, foundation, grading. Newer 200amp panel with plenty of expansion room (I bet that went in when the Tesla charger was installed!). A few minor nits inside (no extra outlet in the powder room, didn't find a GFI in the kitchen (though I don't know how you can tell if it is on a line elsewhere?). Minor stuff.

the most notable stuff was the garage electric. Lack of extra outlets, and the wiring for the garage door opener was a bit hinky (extended from the overhead light). He recommended having a dedicated line run with some legit outlets). The only outlet found was where they have a freezer plugged in, which as far as they know if going with the sellers. So, assuming that is not shared inside the house, might be to work off that. But I ain't an electrician, but I know a guy! And he will likely be going out and taking care of all that little stuff.

She does have some projects for us. Wants to swap out a few ceiling fixtures and a ceiling fan. And wants all new switches to be put in (hates the off-white old ones). We did all the outlets and some switches in my son's house when he bought it (whole family was crawling around on the floor with that project). Might take a while but will get done. All this stuff will likely be DIY, though I would at this point be tempted to just pay for a couple more hours of electrician time and get it all done together! But it is their money, and she wants to do stuff.

the other big ticket (purely discretionary) is she wants to swap out all the baseboards. There are older style short ones (2" maybe?) and she wants to replace with 5". We have pulled baseboards before (and have a special tool for that) but not sure about the installation. She will be looking for a carpenter of some sort to put that on (saving money by demo and painting the new stuff). She also wants to replace the railing on the starts to the 2nd floor, but that is easy to do.

Thankfully no major remodeling that would make me sore. Just some pretty easy stuff (along with painting a few rooms) that will modernize the place, and make it a bit more functional.

jmonroe1 · November 26

@stickguy said:
got a full recap on the home inspection (guy was very, very thorough). Everything major was great. HVAC and water heater not too old (and furnace was 96% efficient I think), roof, foundation, grading. Newer 200amp panel with plenty of expansion room (I bet that went in when the Tesla charger was installed!). A few minor nits inside (no extra outlet in the powder room, didn't find a GFI in the kitchen (though I don't know how you can tell if it is on a line elsewhere?). Minor stuff.

the most notable stuff was the garage electric. Lack of extra outlets, and the wiring for the garage door opener was a bit hinky (extended from the overhead light). He recommended having a dedicated line run with some legit outlets). The only outlet found was where they have a freezer plugged in, which as far as they know if going with the sellers. So, assuming that is not shared inside the house, might be to work off that. But I ain't an electrician, but I know a guy! And he will likely be going out and taking care of all that little stuff.

She does have some projects for us. Wants to swap out a few ceiling fixtures and a ceiling fan. And wants all new switches to be put in (hates the off-white old ones). We did all the outlets and some switches in my son's house when he bought it (whole family was crawling around on the floor with that project). Might take a while but will get done. All this stuff will likely be DIY, though I would at this point be tempted to just pay for a couple more hours of electrician time and get it all done together! But it is their money, and she wants to do stuff.

the other big ticket (purely discretionary) is she wants to swap out all the baseboards. There are older style short ones (2" maybe?) and she wants to replace with 5". We have pulled baseboards before (and have a special tool for that) but not sure about the installation. She will be looking for a carpenter of some sort to put that on (saving money by demo and painting the new stuff). She also wants to replace the railing on the starts to the 2nd floor, but that is easy to do.

Thankfully no major remodeling that would make me sore. Just some pretty easy stuff (along with painting a few rooms) that will modernize the place, and make it a bit more functional.

——————————————————
Are you sure about 5 inch baseboards? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen baseboards that high. But if that is what she wants she’ll probably change her mind when she sees the cost for those. In any case just be sure you paint the baseboards with at least 2 coats of paint before installing them, regardless of who will be doing the work. The last thing you want to do is crawl on your hands and knees painting a house worth of baseboards.

If doing the work yourself you should invest in a compound miter saw. Doing a house worth of baseboards is brutal and you won’t get the results you’d like if you don’t have a good saw. Of course you (she) could always sell it when you’re done but it sounds like your daughter is going to be a DIYer so the saw will come in handy during the life of being a homeowner. Should also invest in an air nailer too. That tool is worth its weight in gold when doing baseboards and trim.The fun of homeownership is just starting. Oh, don’t forget to tell her to get a good pair of knee pads if she wants to walk when she is 45.

jmonroe

corvette · 6:09AM

Happy turkey day to those who celebrate!

28firefighter · 7:14AM

Happy day, you turkeys!

tjc78 · 7:42AM

@28firefighter said:
Happy day, you turkeys!

Same to you!

jmonroe1 · 8:20AM

@28firefighter said:
Happy day, you turkeys!

——————————————————
I was just wondering how many of the turkeys in here are going to be deep fried.

Anyway, have a Happy Thanksgiving until the end.

jmonroe

fintail · 8:51AM

28firefighter said:
Happy day, you turkeys!

Gobble gobble!

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