TYOOL 2017 June Chat time : CARS AND COVFEFE

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > TYOOL 2017 June Chat time : CARS AND COVFEFE

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InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

It sounds like a story from a corrupt third world shithole

That could be several places in London, really.

# ¿ Jun 14, 2017 12:28

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 02:30

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Somewhat Heroic posted:

Looks like it's baby o'clock y'all! Just got admitted to the hospital about 30 minutes ago. This little dude is about to make his entrance

*avatar turns out to be prophetic, doctors are baffled*

# ¿ Jun 15, 2017 12:24

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

CommieGIR posted:

Generally if a show has abuse of women or children, I can't do it. Especially after we had our kid.

Dogs for me. Can't stand people hurting dogs.

People being thown in the figurative (or literal) woodchipper as the plot requires it? Doesn't bother me anywhere near as much.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 15:44

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Report it. Chances are they're doing it to other people too, including drivers.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 22:55

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Rhyno posted:

Long story short

I want a newer, smaller, faster car.

If you've had a lot of hassle with your cars up to now, is it worth biting the bullet and financing something like a Focus RS? It'd probably hit all the points you want, and a new car massively cuts down on the headache factor. Yes, it's more money, but let's say it means borrowing $10k over your budget limit. But it looks like the "full" warranty is 3 years, and the drivetrain and corrosion stuff is 5 years. That's $2k a year to be covered for poo poo that will stop you getting to work. How much have your existing cars cost you per year in parts/labour/inconvenience?

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 11:33

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

Skipped the last 2 pages to post:I am in the queue at Santa pod to drag race my panda.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 13:11

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

I love it where you're doing the fantasy car shopping thing and you find these complete oddities.

That's as a "daily", with commuting etc. I guess people don't really crash these things, but you'd swear insurance companies are working on the "chicken bones and ouija board" method sometimes.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2017 00:50

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Tomarse posted:

Got a letter today and I get to choose 3 points and �100 fine or I can take it to court (as much as it annoys me that they got me right after the limit change sign I'll just take the fine+points)

Probably best. Pity there's no SAC option for you, but there you go.

In today's news, someone messaged me on Ebay asking about a component for a car, and I did happen to have one lying around, so I said sure, you can have it for a tenner. Listed it and sent him the item number straight away (like within 10 seconds of the listing going up).

Some other bugger bought it five minutes later.

Now, I have sympathy for the guy, but I've had a slap on the wrist from ebay courtesy of their inane "selling outside of Ebay" policy*, so I have to play it 100% straight with listing anything requested directly, and not cancelling purchases without a good reason or buyer agreement. Messaged the buyer to ask if he feels like doing him a good turn and letting the original guy have it, but that's all I can do. Matey isn't very happy about it, but I'm kind of painted into a corner.

*Selling car parts used, say an engine, which funnily enough is something people want to actually come and look at before buying. So they turn up, want it, and give you cash. No matter what you say to them, you can't make them buy it on ebay, and trying to tell ebay that I'm perfectly happy to pay you what the fees would have been if you let me gets you nowhere except a warning your account'll be suspended if they find further fault with you.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2017 18:52

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spog posted:

I'm a bit confused: are they still claiming that you were doing 46 in a 30, but only fining you 3 points - not what the guidance online said you should have got?

Don't get me wrong: I am pleased that you aren't getting banged-up in the slammer*, but I'm curious why you are getting the minimum. Did I massively misunderstand the rules?

(* no-one should get banged-up in the slammer, expect on a Friday night)

The guidance is for the court sentencing, IF it goes to court. He was not going fast enough for it to go to court by default, so he gets the choice of an FPN and fine. An FPN and fine is always 3 points and �100 for a speeding offence.

Ebay update: Buyer does want it, other guy not happy, says he'll "escalate it to Ebay". Good luck with that, chap.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2017 20:13

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spog posted:

What's the speed where they don't offer you a FTN and it is court-time?

I think it's 50 in a 30.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2017 20:35

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

The Locator posted:

I don't use Ebay much, so this is just a curiosity question. Does Ebay give you the ability to create a sale listing like you did, but make it 'private' so that it won't show up on searches in order to prevent that from happening (like unlisted Youtube videos for example). That would be a good solution if it was possible, then if the person you listed it for flaked, you just unhide it and leave it there.

I don't think so. You can do the opposite, and block specific people, but I don't think you can allow only specific people.

TBH the only thing that would work is putting a stupidly high price with a best offer option, and only accepting the right person's offer.

# ¿ Jun 19, 2017 21:35

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Sadi posted:

My problem with it is it drove like a FWD car, not as huckable and throttle steery at all to my feeling anyway. If I have AWD I want it heavily rear biased

Mmm. Road car AWD should preferably behave like slightly more docile RWD, not I Can't Believe It's Not FWD.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 08:29

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:

A good AWD system should allow you to AWD drift, which is where the true speed of AWD can be reached - that needs to be a bit understeery to be initially generated

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive though.

quote:

I personally dont think much of AWD's that are in reality FWD's that transfer power to the rear on quasi demand but I'm also no fan of the reverse either unless it's the aforementioned ATTESA

I agree on the FWD stuff, but rather than something electronic like ATTESA, I think what I'd really like is something like the Quadradrive in my WJ, where it's purely mechanical.

You have to remember, I'm talking from a perspective of what I find enjoyable to drive. Even if something is technically faster, if I don't enjoy the experience, I don't care. I don't compete, and for road driving you can make most stuff go fast enough.

I find the "grab it by the scruff of the neck and make it do it" thing fun in FWD hot hatches, but I don't want it in an AWD car because I don't want it in an AWD car.

Edit: Though given the latest project car acquisition, I probably shouldn't rant too much about FWD-derived AWD stuff!

InitialDave fucked around with this message at 14:18 on Jun 20, 2017

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 14:04

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

That looks like it should tip rear end over tea kettle when you step on the brakes.

"Hans! Ze facking radiator vill not fit"

quote:

I very much want to build a reverse trike and one-wheel superbike-powered burnouts sound pretty drat awesome thanks.

Grinnall Scorpion?

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 14:13

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

CommieGIR posted:

"Dummkopf, that's why ve put it beside ze motor instead of in front of it"

"Everyone list what you've been working on, and expected time until completed"

"Cooler, two weeks"

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 14:49

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

Yeah, just not £10k

Other than the IVA hassle, probably not too bad to build one, and those are the type that sidestep my usual "trikes are awful, what's wrong with you?" thing.

CommieGIR posted:

I wonder how much development time went into the layout.

I think the S1 Sport Quattro actually has the radiator in the back, doesn't it?

Fo3 posted:

In other sad news, has kevbarlas forgotten us?

He's in Scotland in June. He's either hiding in fear of the strange orange thing in the sky, or has been eaten by midges.

spog posted:

Nice. Pip pip, old chap.

It is the sworn duty of all VAG products to try to break. If they cannot break, then it is their sworn duty to cause the owner to use an inordinate amount of preventative maintenance to keep them running, and their sworn duty to harass the warranty company to the best of their ability.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 18:36

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

You can tell I'm recovering, I didn't even mention diesel

Aw, and I have an entire VW 1.4TDI engine, box, ecu and loom etc for sale, too!

But quite seriously, the IVA barrier for a light trike is going to be much lower than a car, so I think it's totally doable on a budget. I've seen off-road trikes using a bike rear end, too, and they look fun as poo poo.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 20:31

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

I agree, I do wonder about getting hold of a big wrecked scooter and a tube bender for a first draft single seater. Second draft would be mx5 front suspension and wrecked litre bike.

Could you use a 'Busa?

Then when you inevitably die, I can have the engine to go in a Cappo.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 21:43

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

It's because it's artificial, yeah. Not my taste, but eh.

FAT32 SHAMER posted:

Doing counter top against an unsquare wall sucks super bad

Houses are never square/straight. Put the most obvious thing in effectively by eye, and work out from there, that's my usual approach.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 00:25

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

"�150 no offers car drives fine has lesbian scratched down the side"

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 17:03

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

I'm going to need to see this car.

Unfortunately, there's really nothing to see. Just stereotypically awful screenshotted "photos" in an FB advert.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 22:39

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spog posted:

�159 for an '07 car with 11 month's MOT?

That's got to be a typo, surely.

I think it's a typo of �150. Get-it-gone pricing on accounts of the comedy vandalism.

It's a slightly battered ten year old Renault for which "runs fine" is going to be subjective. It's probably a good buy, in a sense.

Tomarse posted:

I would happily drive a car with "lesbian" scratched down the side (unless it was a PT cruiser)

Perfectly reasonable.

Tomarse posted:

Over the last 7 days the only place I have found that has AC is the occasional supermarket.

I can turn the Zoe's AC on remotely from the office before going outside at the end of my shift. My colleagues are going to shiv me if this weather continues.

InitialDave fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Jun 21, 2017

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 23:01

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Darchangel posted:

I've got remote start on my Crown Vic. It's lovely, if I remember to turn the AC on when I get out in the morning.
Thankfully, I park in a parking structure at the new job, rather than out in the blazing Texas sun like at the old one.

That's why I like it, you can just turn the HVAC on. Nothing else. 5 minutes of chilling on a timer. It's brilliant, as is the logical opposite (heater) on frosty mornings.

spog posted:

i can drop my roof with the keyfob.

I don't do it because I look like a quote 'pretentious prick' unquote when I do.

I do not disagree with this assessment.

Quite a few cars will do the "drop all windows" thing with a specific type of keyfob press, too. Just being able to dump all the hot air out the car makes a big difference.

InitialDave fucked around with this message at 00:07 on Jun 22, 2017

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 23:38

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Darchangel posted:

That is slick. Hybrid/electric, I presume?

Yeah, electric.

I think it'll become more and more common as more stuff goes to hybrid drivetrains.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

it was loving crazy hot and miserable.

I'm getting a hat before doing anything outside this weekend, that's for sure. Bloody burnt my balding scalp.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2017 17:33

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

spog posted:

I've had to start wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses when driving.

I feel like the bloody unibomber.

Well, don't use the same card to pay for van rental and kitchen knives, that's for sure.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2017 17:58

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Pham Nuwen posted:

My buddy's 1984 Nissan 720 just failed a smog test with CO levels about 2.5x allowable. Where would you guys start? He thinks he has a vacuum leak but I haven't verified how he came to that conclusion or if it even would affect CO.

More like Nissan 420 amirite? :haw:

First things first. Has it been serviced recently, so good plugs, air filter etc? Mixture set right? If so, I'd give it an Italian tuneup for starters.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2017 20:28

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Happens all the time in the UK too. A "UK" seller is a single person (perhaps even just a made up name in a book?) at a UK address. The stuff gets drop-shipped from HK/China.

It's a pain when you specifically want a "local" seller to avoid hassle.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2017 20:48

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Rhyno posted:

JUST GOT OFFERED A FREE FORD AEROSTAR

Ok, that's much better than the PT Loser.

Build a Bigfoot Shuttle (Should skip to 6:52):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2u4NW5hNcE&t=412s

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 02:28

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Rhyno posted:

How many vehicles do you need to have a fleet? Because someone who commands a fleet is an Admiral right?

I don't think there's actually a requirement for a minimum number. I've occasionally referred to mine as a fleet for a while.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 02:40

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Rhyno posted:

I thought it was like, 6 carriers or something.

I think once you're into double figures it's hard for people to argue the point.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 02:55

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Land Rover temp gauge seems to read quite high, but I think it's the regulator for the gauges causing it, rather than it being an actual cooling issue.

Of course, I completely forgot that if it causes the temp gauge to read high, it will also cause the fuel gauge to read high. Good thing I carry an extra gallon with me!

Landie community in action though, in the time it took me to get the can out and pour it in, a guy in a P38 had pulled over to ask if I needed a hand.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 12:37

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cursedshitbox posted:

come on you know better.

(it's totally the fuckin' gauge regulator or voltage regulator)

Oh, it almost certainly is the gauge regulator, yeah.

Ironically, I replaced it a couple of years ago because they were reading low.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 13:04

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

cakesmith handyman posted:

He was scoping out any potential salvage, gotta keep your eyes peeled in the wasteland.

I'm actually quite looking forward to the impending Mad Max/Fallout postapocalyptic wasteland. It'll be like living near Rotherham again.

spog posted:

That's a very Land Rover reaction, isn't it?

*Sees a LR parked by the roadside*
*Stops*
"Hello there, what's broken?"

He didn't actually believe me when I said "nothing, I just needed some petrol". Even when it started.

cursedshitbox posted:

yes, the sky is blue.

*Grey

Olympic Mathlete posted:

Bodgetastic.

Never buy old machinery/vehicles from an old-school farmer. Jesus Christ. If there's a way to technically "fix" it for free, that's what it'll get.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 18:50

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Geoj posted:

Not sure if its still the case but when I bought a top loading HE in late 2013 the front loaders had a $150+ premium when compared against a top loader with similar features.

Also for US vs UK/Europe, isn't it fairly common in Europe to have your washer/dryer under a counter in the kitchen or bathroom (in which case a top loader wouldn't work)? In the US the norm is to have a dedicated laundry room or put your washer/dryer in an unfinished part of the basement.

Yeah.

Also, power. We don't run 110V here, as a side effect of which there's no such thing as a "dryer outlet", you just plug them in wherever, which means people site them where they want. Most people will put them in a secondary utility room off the kitchen if they have one, but that's more keeping them out the way and the noise down than any particular need to. I'd only expect to find one in the kitchen proper if you were very tight on space.

Darchangel posted:

He pulled over to help, because he *knows* he's going to need someone to pull over and help him, at any time. Just paying it forward.

Mmm, or this was my karma being cashed in for when I've done so, if you're into that sort of thing.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 22:48

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Yu-Gi-Ho! posted:

At least for electric dryers, the ones we get do run on 220-240V (for the heater anyway, the motor and timer are usually 120V), and they're usually on pretty beefy circuits.

The circuit breaker for my dryer outlet is 30 amps @ 240V (and I think that's pretty common for US electric dryer circuits). For comparison, my 2.5 ton (8800 kW) air conditioner is on a 20 amp @ 240V breaker. Aren't most UK outlets rated for up to 13 amps?

Ok, that's ridiculous. Yes, we just run ours on a single 13A plug for the entire machine. Hence no dedicated outlets. About the only things people run on dedicated circuits are ovens and water heaters.

What on earth are they doing to make them need that kind of current?

Olympic Mathlete posted:

I like how the wheels on that cost more than everything else on the bike put together.

Nice to see someone still running a rigid fork, too.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2017 09:26

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Olympic Mathlete posted:

I enjoy how few fixies I see these days, I'm glad the fad is over.

Watching a hipster eat it never gets old though.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2017 13:50

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

Cage posted:

Had my first catastrophic oil change yesterday. I do the oil on my 04 mustang and 99 explorer all the time, the oil filter comes off by hand and gets tightened by hand, no problems. I helped my dad out with his 09 grand marquis which has the same engine as the mustang, so I thought hey easy! Oil filter was on there pretty tight from the last time the dealer did the oil, so I needed to use filter tool to get it off. Put the new one on and I tighten it by hand, I even get two hands on and to make sure its tight and its not going anywhere. Turn the engine on and whoops everything dumps out. Turns out hand tight was not ok on this car, so I got the tool on there and it did tighten a few more twists. After we filled it up the engine knocked for about 3 seconds until the oil started getting in there which had me super worried but everything seems ok now.

Luckily because our driveway is lovely and uneven it didn't spill outside of the tarp it just pooled in the middle so we used a sponge to soak it up and dump it out. That was fun.

Did you definitely get the old seal off with the old filter, and did your new filter definitely have one when it went on?

# ¿ Jun 26, 2017 18:27

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

The garage feedback on the Zoe's service was that I should replace my rear tyres because they're down to 3mm, and the outside edges (like the very outermost run of tread blocks) are very worn.

Tried to explain to them that yes, I know, they were the front ones up to a month ago, which is why they're worn like that. I swapped the wheels front to rear, so they'll see very little wear going forward, and frankly will probably do another year before needing replacement. The front tyres, having been on the rear for 16k, still have 6mm all the way across. Didn't seem to sink in, really, though in fairness the kid on the service desk was really young and only following what he's been told.

(Note for non-UK people: Our tyre limit is 1.6mm across the centre 3/4 of the tyre. I normally replace mine at 2mm if I don't replace them for some other reason earlier)

# ¿ Jun 26, 2017 20:18

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

long-rear end nips Diane posted:

Anybody have opinions on the new civic hatch vs a '17 Mazda 3? I'm gonna buy one or the other, but after test driving both I'm having a hell of a time deciding between them. I'd be getting the top trim in either model so they'd be 99% equal on features and amenities. They're both really fun to drive, so I'm just torn.

The Mazda looks like a fairly normal modern hatch. The Civic looks like you buy it because you're desperately trying to deny the way your teenage daughter rolls her eyes when you crank up Blink 182.

Which drives better? Have you driven them hard yet?

# ¿ Jun 27, 2017 00:40

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 02:30

InitialDave: Jun 14, 2007; I Want To Believe.

long-rear end nips Diane posted:

I got about an hour solo time in each, got them up to about 90 on the highway but didn't do anything harder than that. The Mazda was slightly more fun to get there but it's not a huge gap.

Hmm, I'm not sure freeway/highway/motorway driving tells you that much, other than stability at speed, which should be something of a given in a modern car.

Were I given an hour alone with a prospective purchase, once I'd done the usual assessment of cruising NVH and so on, I'd be hitting some country back roads.

1st question: Can you left-foot-brake them?

# ¿ Jun 27, 2017 01:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > TYOOL 2017 June Chat time : CARS AND COVFEFE

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