Car Talk

[HecticArt]

It was a play on the old bumper sticker that says "My other car is a Ferrari" kind of a thing.
I was typing quickly, they were just about to board my section of the flight this morning.

 

[scotchandcigar]

It was a play on the old bumper sticker that says "My other car is a Ferrari" kind of a thing.
I was typing quickly, they were just about to board my section of the flight this morning.

Off to Canada?

Edit: I now see you were in Baltimore. Should've gone to Canada.

 

[Jon]

Scotch's post about how Facebook sucks made me think it might be fun to do exactly what he said was dumb about Facebook...but we're a small group and all friends so it's different imo.

What was your first car?
Let's share fun memories.

Mine was a 93 Pontiac Bonneville that I took command of in 2000. It was my dad's car that he let me have to go to school and to drive around for fun on weekends. He was retired by the time I was 16 so I pretty much had it to myself. I hit it into a snowbank once and F'ed up the bumper a little. I really loved that car. It had bench seats in the front and back which made for good times when a horny Dutch teenager was in charge the vehicle.

1987 Ford Escort. Purchased from a dealer by my dad for $2500 in 1991 when I turned 16, wound up totaling it (not my fault, hit and run!)

I now drive a 2018 Chevy Equinox, and have driven Chevrolet for most of my life with the exception of a Fiat 500 I had a few years back.

 

[scotchandcigar]

1987 Ford Escort. Purchased from a dealer by my dad for $2500 in 1991 when I turned 16, wound up totaling it (not my fault, hit and run!)

I now drive a 2018 Chevy Equinox, and have driven Chevrolet for most of my life with the exception of a Fiat 500 I had a few years back.

You don't seem like a guy who'd fit into an '87 Escort.

 

[Jon]

You don't seem like a guy who'd fit into an '87 Escort.

I was a lot skinnier when I was 16, nowadays, forget about it!

 

[JHDK]

2.5K in 91 is like 10 million in today dollars right?

I'm pretty sure that how inflation works.

 

[JHDK]

I know these posts are kinda boring cause I make them every time I get an oil change but I got another oil change today and was again very happy to learn the RAV didn't need anything else. Like I always say, I give the mechanic plenty of room to rip me off. Today I told him to just make sure everything is good with the car. I think the price went up, I remember paying $40 last time and it was $49 today, but I don't mind paying a little extra for an oil change. Knowing I have an honest mechanic is well worth an extra $9.

 

[HecticArt]

I should get mine in for an oil change soon.

 

[scotchandcigar]

I should get mine in for an oil change soon.

The proper response is "Great, now I want an oil change!".

 

[HecticArt]

The thought crossed my mind.

 

[JHDK]

Watch this all the way through, it's worth it.

"That shit runnin' off 3 triple A batteries."

 

[JHDK]

Had to pay my car insurance, I pay 6 months at a time, and I realized that I probably didn't need to keep paying for the extra liability insurance (aka FR-22) due to the DUI. Well after an unneeded trip to the DMV (after progressive told me to go to the DMV they then told me all they had to do was email them...it took 5 mins to get a response) turns out I didn't need it anymore since I have fulfilled the requirement of carrying it consecutively for 3 years. My original bill was $989 then w/o the FR-22 it went down $160. Then I decided I'd get a new quote from the same company just to see what would happen and it dropped all the way down to $644. On top of that, the bill really wasn't due until 10.17 so I canceled my old policy and started the new one a month early and they refunded the balance of another $114.

So when everything was all said and done I wound up saving $459 for this 6 month period and going forward I will be saving $345 every 6 months.

 

[HecticArt]

Nice. Not having your head up your ass pays off.
Congrats.

 

[JHDK]

Awesome mechanic update!

My check engine and VRC Trac lights came on yesterday on my way to work...not a great way to start a 10 hour day. I took it to the mechanic today and they told me that it's likely either my gas cap that has a torn gasket or a leak so small they could try to find it but it would take about 2 hours and they may not even be able to spot it. So they cleared the lights and told me to come back if it comes back on. And as I always do, I asked about my Orlando trips and they said that it's perfectly fine to do them and not worry about a breakdown.

All of this cost exactly $0 and took less than 30 minutes.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Awesome mechanic update!

My check engine and VRC Trac lights came on yesterday on my way to work...not a great way to start a 10 hour day. I took it to the mechanic today and they told me that it's likely either my gas cap that has a torn gasket or a leak so small they could try to find it but it would take about 2 hours and they may not even be able to spot it. So they cleared the lights and told me to come back if it comes back on. And as I always do, I asked about my Orlando trips and they said that it's perfectly fine to do them and not worry about a breakdown.

All of this cost exactly $0 and took less than 30 minutes.

The gas cap not being screwed back in, or not sealing properly, is indeed the main cause of the check engine light coming on. In my experience, once the gas cap issue is corrected, it takes a couple of start-stop cycles for the light to go out.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

The gas cap not being screwed back in, or not sealing properly, is indeed the main cause of the check engine light coming on. In my experience, once the gas cap issue is corrected, it takes a couple of start-stop cycles for the light to go out.

Depends on the manufacturer. Toyota (and if I recall that is the car he's driving) sets their in-car computer to not reset the check engine light unless it is hooked to a computer at the dealership. It forces you to visit a mechanic to reset. On one of my Toyota's, I had the gas cap reason and parking in a garage on an angle (the car's left side lower than the right). This confused the sensors. Both cases the dealer cleared the light for me no charge but said if it came on again they would charge. If it did, I had a piece of black tape at the ready.

 

[scotchandcigar]

I had a couple of Toyotas in the 80s and early 90s, I don't recall. But that sounds like a royal PITA.

 

[JHDK]

I've been reading about and excited for some version of these things for like 10+ years now. I'll believe it when I can go to my local shop and actually have the option to buy them.

They are freaking cool though.

Michelin and GM partner on airless, puncture-proof tire - CNN

Here's an article about them from 7 years ago:

Tech Dept.: The Latest on the Airless Tire-and-Wheel Combo - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver

Here we go again. So I've been bringing this up every few years and continue to think its really cool but at this point I doubt it will ever happen. Now they are saying they should be ready by 2024...right, I'll believe it when I see it.

But I want to believe.






This latest airless tire video is from 10.8.21.

 

[HecticArt]

That’s cool that they are supposed to be that close to being on the market. 3 years may be optimistic, but I see it happening. Unless “big air” lobbies against them.
He had a lot of good questions at the end.

 

[JHDK]

This is my contribution to DRC for today: