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Holy crap, an Alberta thread! I'm in Edmonton, and drive an '07 Mini... which I have to replace because now I have a kid. I've been looking at a few German (and Swedish) smallish sedans, but this leads me to a couple of questions: 1) The Mini wouldn't start below -25°C, until I got an aftermarket oil pan heater put on it. Bastards told me the unheated oil was good until -50 but I'm betting it doesn't exactly get that cold in Bavaria. I'm a little apprehensive about buying another vehicle without some kind of heater, like most of the Germans - does anyone have stories of functional 3-series, A4s, or S60s in -40 weather? 2) Any recommendations on service/repair shops that work with German (or Swedish) cars? Because man, gently caress dealing with the dealership any more than is necessary.
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Sep 13, 2014 16:57
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ExecuDork posted:I never had a problem starting my BMW 1996 328is, plugged in or not. 35 degrees below zero (standing air temperature, none of this "windchill" BS) was the coldest I ever drove that car in, it started no problem though it helps to move the gear shift through the full range of gears with the clutch pedal pushed to the floor just after you start it - gear oil gets gooey at those temperatures. Presumably newer 3-series are even better, as long as the battery is in good shape. Any car that has trouble starting in the cold I'd say replace the battery, it makes a huge difference. Speaking of the joys of BMW dealerships... I dropped into Bavaria BMW a couple of weeks ago and asked to take a look at the 328d. I was dressed casually and I look younger than I am, but I'm not exactly a hobo walking in off the street. The sales guy takes me out in a 328 for about 5 minutes, and then we head back to the dealership because 'it's the Saturday of a long weekend and we don't have that many testers.' Fair enough, my fault for not making an appointment. I e-mail the guy the next week and ask to book an appointment for a longer test drive on a Saturday morning. He gets back to me saying he could only take me for a longer drive if I was prepared to make a deal that day. I'm not done testing the competition so that's obviously no; he responds saying 'respectfully, we don't have the time, but we could do this at 11 on Monday!' Oddly enough, zero other dealerships in that category have had a problem with me taking their cars out on a Saturday, for some fairly extended test drives. I can only conclude that the BMW dealership doesn't like money. Pity, it's a beautiful car... but I might have to get the Volvo, which has a) a block heater, and b) a dealership that isn't staffed by morons.
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Sep 15, 2014 06:26
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I had to get rid of my Mini. It don't fit kids.   But I did get to pick up a new Volvo!   Featuring seamless hepatitis! ...I should not be this excited about a station wagon.
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Oct 28, 2014 06:14
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McTinkerson posted:I don't know if I'm in a position to demand a thread or not. I must know more.
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Oct 29, 2014 16:19
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McTinkerson posted:Which submodel is it? T5 or T6 engine? AWD? How's the power band? If you have the AWD system, how do you like it (assuming you've driven other mfg's)? More pictures (maybe in the wagon thread)! I came very very close to trading my wrangler in for a Polestar V60 this year. My decision came down to the 328xd, the A4, and the Volvo - the Volvo just offered the best combination of features at a better price (the BMW wagon was like $12K more expensive!), and came from a dealership that I didn't loathe. Also Sweden is probably the closest thing to Alberta, climate-wise, where they make cars. Edit: also, there's a wagon thread?
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Nov 1, 2014 06:43
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MustardFacial posted:whatever the gently caress this decal is: Which reminds me, I need to stick a golden kraken on my Volvo.
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Jun 20, 2015 06:16
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MrChips posted:Look I get that Edmonton is a shithole but is it really bad enough that people feel the need to divert flights because of bad behaviour and bomb threats all the time?
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Jun 28, 2015 01:17
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jonathan posted:LoL if you think that place is anything like Central Whalley/Surrey MCdonald's. -the clinic where I work -a Timmie's in Kingston, ON
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Jul 23, 2015 15:04
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Bulk Vanderhuge posted:GF and I will be driving to Vancouver for vacation in a couple of weeks. The itinerary is still up in the air but we'll be stopping at the Royal Tyrell Museum for sure (for the second time since the town was in a state of emergency the last time we came) and Lethbridge maybe (I want to pick up some sound deadener from BQuiet.)
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Aug 17, 2015 04:58
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slidebite posted:Oh crap, 70 kids in less than an hour, hope the Costco candy stash hold out  My wife had to yell at me to stop handing out three candies to each kid so we didn't run out.
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Nov 1, 2015 04:22
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Powershift posted:holy poo poo, i was stuck on the highway behind that accident. They had the highway closed in both directions for close to an hour. Traffic northbound was still backed up well into red deer.
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Nov 24, 2015 06:35
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Powershift posted:Reading about it, it sounds like he was out of his vehicle at the bottom of an icy hill. Not the smartest thing to do.
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Nov 24, 2015 06:42
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Seat Safety Switch posted:What a douchebag. loving St. Albert is the Stepford Wivesest place in Alberta. And live in Edmonton, so it's not THAT much better.
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Dec 10, 2015 07:36
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Um clearly all y'all are forgetting Alberta's greatest achievement, the Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington. Just 2 1/2 hours from Edmonton. And they'll put on a CD for you when you walk in the exhibit hall. It is surreal as hell.
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Jun 8, 2016 15:09
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McTinkerson posted:You weren't kidding! It was amazing. Thanks!  My wife used to work for Travel Alberta, and used to try to slip references to the Gopher Museum in every publication despite the fact that her boss hated it. It goes without saying that the boss wasn't much fun.
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Jun 15, 2016 04:09
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Hey, do any of you guys know this gem from Innisfail?Canada's Worst Driver posted:Tyler, age 44, is an accomplished welder but a horrible driver. He has damaged his truck hundreds of times. Driving is a stressful event for Tyler, so much so he turns to drinking. Tyler feels so nervous on the road that he tends to drink to ease the tension. Along with this bad habit, Tyler is also responsible for at least 20 hit and run over the past year. His wife Jana, has brought Tyler to rehab because she has had enough and is at the end of her road with the accidents and his drinking and driving. http://www.discovery.ca/Shows/Canadas-Worst-Driver/Participants Fuckin' Tyler from Innisfail, man.
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Oct 29, 2016 04:15
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Powershift posted:I think that show needs to gently caress off before they kill someone. After filming that horrid chick from edmonton driving like an absolute nutcase, they should have said she was off the show, and they would be submitting all their video to the police. Instead they handed her the keys to another vehicle so they could film more of the kind of poo poo that gets people killed, and you know they all play it up for the camera, but they're doing it on public roads. But yes. This year's fat girl from Edmonton is a terrible driver and worse human being who should not be allowed on public roads, or possibly to continue living.
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Oct 29, 2016 17:19
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slidebite posted:Hardie siding, pushing $20K. 
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Dec 31, 2016 18:09
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My three-year old loves his toy cars, especially his 'speed cars' (i.e. race cars, and he says 'speeeeed' like Clarkson and it's awesome). So yesterday we were out and the following conversation happened: 'Daddy, it's just like mine speed car!' 'No, that's a Prius, son.'
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Jan 16, 2017 00:53
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slidebite posted:So I'm moving to the new house at the end of the month and getting utilities set up and stuff. Already have internet lined up (no brainer as Telus has FTTH) but it looks like I have the option of Epcor for power and gas. I loving hate Direct Energy with a passion so I am looking forward to ending service with them. We always receive our bills 2 weeks after the bill date with only 2-3 days remaining to pay it with no penalty. Annoys the hell out of us. Also, it's not just you, Direct Energy is terrible at billing. Sometimes they'd just forget to send me a bill! Like, altogether! And I'll believe the economy is hot when my meth-head patients stop telling me they can't find work (to pay for meth).
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Apr 18, 2017 14:19
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I knew I was busy but gently caress me, am I busy. It's almost like 2013 again.
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Was at the Myrnam Parade and Fun Day yesterday. They had a show and shine. Which of y'all assholes was this? 1992 Geo Metro Convertible Special features: 1.0 litre engine
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Jul 23, 2017 17:45
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I figure people would know here better than anywhere else: Does Alberta have any tax credits for electric or hybrid vehicles? My wife's SUV is 12 years old and I'd like to get her one that doesn't need to rely on gas, but I can't find any tax credits like they have in other provinces or the States.
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Nov 6, 2017 20:35
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Seat Safety Switch posted:I think last time it came up, they said they weren't in the business of giving already-rich people free money to buy Teslas.
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Nov 7, 2017 06:57
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About solar, does a small setup generate enough juice to power a plug-in car? I'm looking at the plug-in hybrid Volvo XC60 and since my wife is home during the day it might actually be feasible. I mean, technically, almost certainly not economically. MrChips posted:And yeah, it looks like we're in for a carbon copy of last summer, but potentially even hotter and drier.
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Jun 2, 2018 17:48
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1500quidporsche posted:You'd have to define small.
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Jun 3, 2018 06:18
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Car dealership question: I bought a car from one of the Mercedes dealerships here in Edmonton. Since they have limited stock of the GLCe (the plug-in), I have to get it special-ordered. They tell me it's gonna arrive sometime in November, but I get a reasonable deal on this. No problem, my wife's current truck is old but functional. I get a call this week from the manager that apparently Mercedes-Benz has put a 'mandatory option' on the first production run of the 2019s, and that I can only get it with the sport option which I didn't want. This means the car will be $1500 more than what I wanted. Or, I can wait until they open up the production lines to cars with less options and get the vehicle at some undetermined point in the future. Since it's my wife's car, I want to talk to her before making a decision. I talk to my wife about this and she is hella pissed, saying stuff about 'bait and switch' and 'have they ever sold cars before.' I phone the manager back, he checks for about five minutes and then says, 'oh, we can get you the car you originally ordered at the end of November, same price we agreed on without the excess option.' The gently caress? Did this guy just cave because I called him on his bullshit? I don't recall anything about 'mandatory options' when I was buying either my Mini or Volvo, but I got those off the lot. I didn't feel it was normal for 'high-end' dealerships to pull bush-league stunts like this but maybe I'm just naive since I only buy a car every 8 years or so.
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Sep 29, 2018 18:37
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Powershift posted:lol, this is Alberta, there is no "somewhere else" At the end of the day I'm getting the car for the price I negotiated, so I can't particularly be arsed to blow up the deal. I can, however, take the car to the other M-B dealership for warranty work, because they haven't pissed me off yet and I don't have to cross the river to get there.
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Oct 3, 2018 06:55
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Albino Squirrel posted:Car dealership question: I bought a car from one of the Mercedes dealerships here in Edmonton. Since they have limited stock of the GLCe (the plug-in), I have to get it special-ordered. They tell me it's gonna arrive sometime in November, but I get a reasonable deal on this. No problem, my wife's current truck is old but functional. The Mercedes GLCe, on the other hand, is goddamn fantastic. It's torquey and smooth and dead-silent when running on electricity, which it does in the city almost exclusively. Our current gas mileage is reading out at 0.25 l/100, which is... good.
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May 12, 2019 06:35
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So remember that Mercedes I bought? Thing throws a check engine light on the weekend, still there after gassing up and ensuring the cap is tight. I take it in to the dealership, and they initially report the temperature sensor is acting up. During testing after they replace it, it turns out the electric water pump (which is part of how the hybrid part of the car is cooled) isn't working well, and they need to replace that. But the hybrid version of the water pump isn't readily available in Canada, so the ETA on the part is August 23rd. I mean, it's under warranty and we have a loaner, but there's less than a thousand KM on the car. We went through 15 bucks of gas. My wife is not happy at all with the car, and I can't say I blame her. Does Alberta have lemon laws? McTinkerson posted:That is some royal bullshit. Have you spoken to Mercedes corporate about it? Which dealership was it? South side or west end?
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Jun 20, 2019 04:53
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slidebite posted:I don't think your pain of buying the car is going to factor into a lemon law case either. Hopefully all will be well after this? *Alabama
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Jun 20, 2019 16:10
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jonathan posted:What do you expect from a company built on the ashes of well engineered gas chambers. GAS chambers... Not hybrid electric chambers. Look, the CO2 emissions are fine, but that's a hard fail on the HCN tailpipe test.
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Jun 21, 2019 00:03
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Hey, thread, I have a concern about my wife's newish car (2019 Mercedes GLC 350). I took out a relative to show them the hybrid engine, and when I was reversing back into the garage after about a 10 minute drive, I noticed a smoky smell filling the cabin. It dissipated pretty quickly, and there's no visible smoke in the cabin or coming from anywhere in the engine bay. The smell was MUCH stronger inside the cabin than near the car or in the engine bay. Since it happened only in reverse, I presume it has something to do with the automatic transmission seal and the cold weather. There's no warning indicators in the car and I'm pretty sure there's no way to check the transmission fluid level manually in a new Benz. How urgent of a problem is this? Like is a little bit of tranny fluid leaking normal in some cars when it's balls-out cold? Or should I try to get the car into a shop right away? Also, kind of hilariously since it was the whole point of the drive, the electric engine didn't kick in at any point, but I presume that's because it's -25 and the heater won't really work without a warm engine. edit: I'm also asking Alberta AI rather than a Mercedes thread because nobody knows cold weather and cars like Alberta.
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Jan 12, 2020 19:46
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So as it turns out I had hit the parking brake when I was reversing and that's what was making the horrible smell. Yeah. 
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Jan 12, 2020 23:48
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I am generally an idiot when it comes to cars. Normally I go to Fountain Tire to get my seasonal tires flipped - they're stored on rims in my garage. How stupid of an idea is it for me to change my tires using only the emergency tools that came with the cars? I also may have a hexagonal head that'll fit my power drill and the nuts on the wheels.
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Apr 4, 2020 16:13
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Are there any online tools to calculate the increase in premiums if you make a claim? I was in a minor fender-bender - my fault unfortunately - and I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to go through insurance. I can get a quote, but I don't particularly want to put my name down with an insurer given that I'm debating whether to make a claim or not. I would probably go through insurance (drat expensive plastic bumpers), but it would be my second claim within two years.
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Mar 20, 2023 17:58
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I can't see downtown Edmonton through the oce fog, even though my office is like 4 blocks away from the nearest tower. Stay safe on the roads, kids. Obviously, this means the universe is a spheroid 705 meters in diameter.
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Jan 12, 2024 18:34
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 welp, apparently the atmosphere is just going to vanish and expose us to hard vacuum tonight.
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Jan 13, 2024 21:04
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