car SUCKS! i HATE car - The April 2018 Chat Thread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > car SUCKS! i HATE car - The April 2018 Chat Thread

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Jesus gently caress, the past 24 hours have been beyond hosed.

Found out last week my apt complex had been sold. Okay, fine, they give me login info for their new payment system. I take off out of town to :quagmire:

spend time with the gf. Log in today to pay my rent.

Wait.. why is my rent higher? Call the office. "We're raising everyone's rent to be in-line with market rent". DAFUQ? Ask them about my lease. "We don't care about your lease". Tell them fine, I'll be moving out next week. "That'll be <insane amount specified in lease>". Ask them why, since they don't care about the lease. "We only don't care about the rent portion. Everything else is in effect." I mention it's the middle of the lease, they can't do that. <click> Call back a bit later from my work phone (different area code, shows a different name on landline caller ID). Same questions, different person. Same answers. Read my lease's paragraph about rent increases to them word for word (thankfully I had it on Dropbox, so I had it handy). They said "if that's true, bring it in today and we'll fix it, but that's not in your lease, I guarantee.". Said I was out of town, asked for a manager. <click>

Called their corporate office. Every option except for one gave a repeating "This mailbox is full This mailbox is full This mailbox is full This mailbox is full This mailbox is full This mailbox is full This mailbox is full This mailbox is full :fuckoff:

". Left a message in another market's mailbox. Got a call back from the "area manager" an hour later. He demanded names of the people I spoke to (which I had), asked for my apt number, pulled up my lease, stated he has no clue why they told me that and "maybe they misread your lease" (they never asked for my name or apt #). Mentioned that to him. "Guess they were too lazy" was his answer. He claimed there was a carry over unpaid balance of <amount my lease went up>, but admitted "the ledgers <former management company> gave us are beyond hosed up - do you have receipts or bank statements to show you paid? I'll make this go away if you do". Told him yes, he gave me an email address. Sent receipts. Kept asking why I was told what I was, he couldn't answer. He finally admitted he was the new property manager, not area manager (knew he was calling from the property from caller ID anyway).

Got back in town... sewage was surrounding my building. There's even condoms floating in the dookiewater, and a cleanout cap is broken off in front of my stairs. Tried calling emergency maintenance. "This number is disconnected. Thank you for calling." :fuckoff:

Same message if I call the office.

The only good things that came today were plenty of sexytime before leaving Austin (how the gently caress do you middle aged guys keep up with a 40 yr old woman without half a bottle of viagra?!), dumping a lot of stuff in my new garage at the new place (seriously a lot bigger than I thought, AND has power for more than just the door opener - surprising for a detached apartment garage... GF's GarageFridge got moved in today, plenty of places to hang lighting and wire it in to the existing light socket, though I doubt the power will handle anything like a compressor), and the Saturd didn't give me any issues on the ~400 mile round trip, aside from kinda crappy mileage (30 mpg when it normally gives ~35 mpg on that trip, just confirming my suspicion that the ~200k O2 sensor is dying). GF and I both tried our cars in the garage... somehow her Matrix is shorter than the Saturd (I placed a wheel chock where my car would hit up front and still just barely clear the door by a couple of inches... she then pulled in, hit the chock, and I was able to easily walk around her car with the door closed), though the Saturd is wider. Tons of room to do anything that doesn't require an engine hoist. Pretty impressed with a garage that I expected to be barely big enough to open the car doors. Her current garage in the same complex is way, way bigger (you could park 2 cars back to back in it), but it's attached to a $1500/month 2 bedroom apartment that we really don't want to pay for (also, memories of her ex + she's been in that apt for 8 years). Her income isn't enough to qualify for the 2 bedroom on her own now that her ex is out of the picture, my credit is poo poo, and since I'm "self employed", I need 2 years of tax returns showing a pretty significant net income (when I take a shitload of deductions that bring my income far below the poverty line).

e: and now an ollllld ex is upset that I didn't call him while in town. I'm moving to Austin for a fresh start, to get away from all the drama that seems to follow me around (okay not quite rhyno levels, but I'm sick of Dallas in general, and really sick of a lot of people here)

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:38 on Apr 3, 2018

# ¿ Apr 3, 2018 08:59

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 04:18

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Yup. They hosed with the 1 out of 10. I may not have money for a lawyer, but I'm self employed. Which means I have a whooooole lot of time on my hands when I need to be a gigantic dick.

Already talked to a couple of neighbors (one of them is my regular self checkout cashier at the grocery store I buy 90% of my beer from); SCO cashier confirmed her rent went up by a bit (more than mine did).

# ¿ Apr 3, 2018 10:44

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

builds character posted:

Is this in Dallas or in Austin?

Dallas. The new place in Austin is pretty drat nice and not run into the ground, and has good ratings on both google and yelp (plus gf has lived there for 8 years, so she knows what to expect with them). But I'm not moving for a few more months.

Rent is only $100 higher there vs here, for a bigger place that's also a shitload newer.

builds character posted:

You can always find some code violations and call these guys. http://www.dallascityattorney.com/cphome.html Or just leave. Lawyering up sounds like it's unnecessary for you given you've gotten what you want and as you're moving there's very little upside in looking for some kind of justice.

Of course... for $10 you can probably copy a bunch of leaflets saying things like "Leases transfer with the transfer of the property. Your current lease is still in effect. You can request a copy and Texas law requires a landlord to provide a copy of the lease within three (3) days of a tenant�s written request for a copy of the lease. Failure of a landlord to provide a copy of a lease to a tenant within the three (3) requested days will prevent a landlord from enforcing a lease. If the landlord is trying to raise your rent, you DO NOT HAVE TO PAY THE INCREASE (but you still have to pay your old rent). You should request, in writing, a copy of your lease and make sure not to pay more than you owe." then put them under everyone's doors and post them around the property.

The other links are helpful, but I'm not in Dallas proper, so the city of Dallas can't do anything (I am in Dallas county, just not the city - I'm in one of the older suburbs). Not moving until July or August either.

I've mentioned it in the city Facebook group that I'm in, and plenty of other people that live here have mentioned they pulled the same poo poo.

It'd be more than :10bux:

if I wanted to hit every unit - 850 apartments.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2018 21:50

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Grill chat.

I've yet to find an apartment that actually :airquote:

allowed

any grills that used fire as a heat source. Yeah, people still do it, the place I'm currently at has charcoal and propane grills EVERYWHERE, but the place I'm moving to is apparently a bit more strict about it than most places I've lived. Likely a city thing, but they do twice-yearly fire inspections (with the fire department tagging along). The upside is that means they change out the batteries for the smoke alarms and CO detectors for you every 6 months (plus regular testing of the building fire alarms), the downside is they also check the patio for grills. (new place is just outside of Austin, but I'm not entirely comfortable saying exactly which city thanks to the whole... thing... with the job incident last year). It'll be by far the nicest and newest apartment I've lived in, and aside from that twice-yearly fire inspection bit (and their pet rent :argh:

), they seem pretty chill.

How's that George Foreman outdoor grill thing? New place has power on the patio, which will make the second apartment I've lived in that actually had a power outlet on the patio (current one does too, but it only works if I kick the bedroom wall first :laffo:

[it's just outside my bedroom window and obviously tied in to the outlet on the other side of the wall). GF's ex bf has one that's been sitting on her current patio for several years; he's probably forgotten about it, but when I was down there the other day, I saw wasps flying in and out of it. :stare:

Lifting the lid revealed some serious :barf:

(obviously never got cleaned), so I have no interest in inheriting that particular one (it's probably headed to the dumpster, he has 3 weeks to get the rest of his poo poo out before she moves anyway). Just wondering if I should drop the ~$70 or so on another one, or just get something propane and move it to the garage (+ hide the tank) during the fire inspections.

iwentdoodie posted:

New coil in civic = beating it like a red headed stepchild. 500 dollar cars are best cars.

You should keep an ignitor handy too. They go out more often than the coil.

If you have a no-start on a B, D, F, or H series, it's the main fuel relay, ignitor, or coil. The first 2 are just as likely to fail (though the MFR usually fails when it's warm out), the coil is the least likely (but does poo poo out now and then). If you have a no-start and the tach is either not moving at all (normally it should move slightly while cranking), or going apeshit while cranking, yer ignitor took a poo poo. Don't gently caress with anything non-OEM for an ignitor unless you really like yanking the dizzy :quagmire:

often.

So, like, if the ac works, you should totally sell it to me for a small profit. :allears:

(it's going to cost a bit more than $500 to get my ac going again, and as much as I love my Saturd, I love ac more :smithicide:

)

spog posted:

I thought consumer hot glue only had two uses:

1) sticking macaroni to wooden boxes
2) creating interesting burns to your hands

Uh, the magnet for my alarm (front door contact) is kinda sorta held on with hot glue.

Steel door, magnet isn't strong enough to hold itself, and double sided tape just peeled the paint off. Yeah it falls off if you kick it, but it's never falsed on me (yet).

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:47 on Apr 4, 2018

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 07:45

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Ask me how my loving day is going so loving far.

Hit and run with a trash truck that did an illegal pass on a 2 lane road.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 10:03

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

spog posted:

Are you hurt?

I smacked my head into the window pretty good and my neck is sore as gently caress. Otherwise I'm just loving angry as all gently caress.

e: okay now that it's been a bit, I'm a lot more sore. I'll hit up urgent care once I get a good nap.

bolind posted:

Poor Saturd, getting creamed again and again.

Poor Saturd? Thing gets as much action as I do! :quagmire:

This may be the death blow, depending how insurance handles it. Just went out to look a bit closer. Headlight, headlight bucket, side marker, harness to both, LF suspension, LF wheel+tire, bumper, fender, mirror, fog light are all hosed. Radiator support is likely (hood is sitting slightly off to the side). Suspension seems to have taken the brunt of it; the LF wheel has some pretty awesome camber going that wasn't real obvious until I put the spare on (the spare has some tread separation going too, I don't trust it above about 30 mph).

I got the spare tire on and the remains of the headlight sort of in place, so this lovely management company shouldn't have a reason to tow it before insurance gets ahold of it (any vehicle "with a flat tire or obviously inoperable" is subject to tow, going by my lease). It's not legally driveable (harness to the LF lights is destroyed, including the turn signal), but it'll move under its own power. I can at least get to/from the grocery store for now until insurance lines up a rental.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 11:40 on Apr 4, 2018

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 10:28

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

iwentdoodie posted:

That loving blows, man. Dash cam catch it at least?

Cam caught it all (plate #, truck #, company name, company phone #, etc). I've already started receiving threatening phone calls from "managers" at this company saying I ran their truck off the road, and mentioning how many cameras they have on their trucks. So please tell me how a 2900 pound Saturn can run a ~60,000 pound trash truck off the road again, you guys. :allears:

pr0craztinazn posted:

Here�s hoping your neck pain doesn�t stick around long term. You�ve done quite a job keeping that car alive, but this might be its time. May the dash cam come in handy for getting the most you can out of the garbage company.

Geico (my insurance) was out here an hour ago. It's very much a writeoff, but after BSing with the guy a bit, he told me "you'd be loving stupid not to buy it back and fix it, it's all cosmetic aside from the wheel and MAYBE the control arm". They're giving me nearly double what I expected, the buyback is only $450, and I have a rental with unlimited mileage for 5 days. He also told me it will NOT be reported as a total to Carfax/Autocheck/etc. Obviously, whenever I do sell it, I'll disclose this stuff; Geico will have the VIN internally as "NOTHING MORE THAN LIABILITY AND COMPREHENSIVE" anyway.

I'm really impressed with Geico on this one though. They knocked this poo poo out super quick, I'm just waiting on the check so I can go buy parts. I have a rental for 5 days, hopefully that's enough to at least get a headlight, headlight bucket, corner lamp, and some wiring. I don't mind using some duct tape for the bumper until I find another bumper (it'd be real nice to find another bumper with cutouts for fog lights, but apparently I have the unicorn bumper).

I still haven't been able to loving sleep, I've been awake over 24 hours now... :sigh:

And if you think the car is ready to be put out to pasture.. :fuckoff:

drat thing still runs great aside from a timing chain rattle at startup (supposedly fixed with a $35 tensioner that screws into the block).

FAT32 SHAMER posted:

STR may i interest you in my redline? i will literally drive it down to u

Will trade wrecked Ion 3 for Redline. :3:

I'll even provide a comfy couch for a day or two!

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 19:28

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

dddddouble post.

Just got a call from a manager at the trash company that smacked my car (same manager I've been dealing with, the one who was verbally threatening physical harm at one point). It was much less hostile, but they were asking for a copy of my ID, VIN, license plate, and car insurance, "to speed everything along".

Told him "I'm sorry sir, but my attorney has strongly recommended I not speak with you". Goi a "this is just basic information, we need this for our own insurance". Got an email address out of him. Seems the ~~ambulance chaser~~ lawyer I hired is out to lunch, but I'm just gonna go out on a limb here and guess providing this stuff is A Bad Idea, especially when they kept saying "we don't need no lawyer for this". My own insurance has already ruled in my favor (based on dashcam), totaled my car (based on both photos and physical examination), and procured a rental for me. I kept telling the guy "my attorney has recommended I not speak to you".

nm, you wanna start playing the "how many violations" game?

epic bird guy posted:

I know its not a good idea to share the video at this time, but drat I'd love to see it.

gently caress that bullshit company and their dangerous drivers.

Unfortunately, this may be a video that never gets shared - it very, very clearly shows company names, truck numbers, even the driver. Legal counsel has advised me to make multiple copies of said video, but not to share it.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 03:33 on Apr 5, 2018

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 19:35

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

In 30 or 40 years.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 19:38

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Bajaha posted:

Get insurance to cover physio, neck pain is no good and only gets worst later on if left untreated.

Hope the dash video is clear enough to nail that guy to the wall. Any witnesses too?

I don't have any form of medical coverage on my car insurance. :sigh:

Any medical stuff will have to go through my own medical insurance, or through my lawyer.

Yes, I pulled the stereotypical American thing and called a lawyer. Legally, I'm represented.

slidebite posted:

Either that or shady as gently caress trashman is going to try and finish you off when you're not looking

Yanno, it's been a few days since I had a helping hand. :wmwink:

# ¿ Apr 4, 2018 20:44

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Goddamn I'm loving sore.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2018 03:32

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Geico and lawyer are already aware of injuries, I knew my neck and back got tweaked when it happened. Didn't realize I'd have this much trouble walking though. I'm used to walking several miles a day on average, this hobbling around poo poo sucks.

I'm going to the doctor as soon as I have the rental car (Enterprise is bring it by around noon tomorrow - I didn't want to deal with it today, plus I promptly got drunk once the adrenaline wore off). I slept most of the day, woke up a little while ago. Used Lyft to get to/from the store (yes I tipped my drivers w/cash, I know how much a <2 mile trip sucks for them) to get a 6 pack and a frozen dinner, gonna try to fall back asleep before 1.

Oh, my apartment now has a moat! A bridge would be nice, though. Think it's fresh water this time (no smell, anyway); it's coming up from between the slabs on the sidewalk, and my feet sink several inches into the lawn when I try to walk to my car. Sidewalk has a few inches of standing/slightly flowing water on it, lawn on this side of the building has standing water... and it's running into the sewer cleanout (which still isn't capped, there's still TP and condoms around it for added flavor).

Goober Peas posted:

Use more lube next time

Yeah... learned that one the hard (lol) way.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Apr 5, 2018

# ¿ Apr 5, 2018 05:31

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

At least this is a...fresh deluge. :haw:

# ¿ Apr 5, 2018 09:24

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Got a new tire. Discount confirmed the wheel is still straight.

Wedged the headlight back in and kinda zip tied the bumper to make the car look driveable... don't want it to get towed. The frame horn took a hit, but it's ahead of the suspension, and only seems to affect the washer fluid reservoir. I'll hammer it out of the way of the filler so it doesn't crack. Junkyard run tomorrow to get a mirror, corner light, headlight, headlight bucket, pigtail for the headlight, and turn signal socket (it unplugs from the harness, while the headlight plug doesn't). I have to wait for the insurance check before I can do the bumper, crash absorber, and fender.

I asked Enterprise for a compact or mid size.... they gave me this. It'll be handy for the junkyard trips, but I really don't like the mileage. :sigh:

Or how hard it is to park compared to my car. Dash readout shows 19 mpg highway, which is pretty drat reasonable for a 261 hp 4x4, but it drops to 12 in city driving.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Apr 6, 2018

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 00:24

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

everdave posted:

Just Enjoy that new truck while you have it.

Definitely not enjoying the harsh ride, but it's the Pro-4X, which has a pretty beefy suspension (and according to Nissan's website, Bilstein shocks), and an electronic locker. I have no loving clue why they'd be renting out 4x4s at a very suburban location, but there ya have it. It's from out of state, so maybe they do things differently where it normally resides.

It does pretty sweet burnouts if you turn off the traction control. :v:

iwentdoodie posted:

I'm more amazed that they gave you a truck that is the exact same shade of suburban apathy.

No joke there. When they picked me up, my first reaction was ".... I asked for a small car". Second was "seriously? the same color as my car?!".

When they got me to the office to do paperwork, I asked if they had anything smaller. They walked me out back and showed me a collection of CUVs and SUVs, and said they had absolutely zero cars of any type. I kept the truck, by that point I'd realized it'll be handy to haul a bumper back from the JY (if I find another suburban apathy one with the fog light cutouts, anyway).

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 03:21

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

The Royal Nonesuch posted:

I know you're sore, but like, why aren't you finding a rutted-out powerline road or something right now?

Because it's one thirsty motherfucker. The built in MPG meter dropped below 10 mpg when I flogged it a bit. got it back up to 19.4 on the way home, Stayed in low 18s after I got home and ran around-town errands. I gunned it to get back on the highway, and it had dropped to 15 by the time I hit the end of the onramp.

I can't really figure out how to get it to go into 4x4 either. I can flip the knob over to 4x4 Hi or Lo, but the dash indicator just keeps flashing. I'm guessing I have to do some kind of Konami code (or at least put it in park first). I was hoping to see what 4 Lo with the diffs locked would do to the tires in a dirt lot (.... it'd probably be pretty spectacular for the transfer case). Kinda curious what the "hill descent" button does too.

Kinda surprised how spartan the interior is.. it's a $34k truck. The head unit's navigation is straight out of 2004, I fully expected the only Bluetooth functions to be phone calls without A2DP. Turns out it does A2DP, but only if you hit AUX a few times on the stereo itself (can't get it to BT Aux with the steering wheel controls).

e: 8 motherfucking cup holders though. 4 in the console (2 front, 2 back), plus one in each door. The gently caress Nissan?

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Apr 6, 2018

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 05:41

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

My stomach gurgled, and I ripped one of the most horrific farts ever, just from reading that.

Someone please send oxygen. :smithicide:

(okay fine probably unrelated, but the timing was spot on... and I feel another one coming after clicking edit post)

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 06:45

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

The Royal Nonesuch posted:

I don't know much about 4x4 in modern transmissions, but you should be able to turn on 4x4high while moving at low speed, and 4x4low in neutral. Might have to drive it back/forth on loose terrain to get it to kick in. "Hill Descent" is likely a trick pulsing ABS feature.

Source: sitting in my old Jeep, watching my friend go back and forth buttonmashing his 2015 Tacoma TRD 4x4 into sensor compliance over a mild shelf obstacle.

No owner's manual in it (but there's a pre delivery manual in the glovebox intended for the lot porters :lol:

). I assumed 4 Hi should kick in so long as I'm at a stop or in park/neutral, but I don't feel anything if it is (there's a pretty solid THUNK when I put it in drive or reverse in any mode), and the center diff indicator on the LCD keeps blinking (front wheel indicators go steady). If I do 4 Lo, then the 4 Lo, center diff, and traction control indicators start flashing. I don't see manual hubs on it, so...

Gonna say someone broke something with only 2300 on it. Don't care that much, it's a rental and I just wanted to see what it would do in 4 Lo with traction control off in a dirt lot.

If I turn off traction control and turn on the lockers, and leave it in 2WD, it does a pretty drat nice smoky burnout + noisy drift around a corner. :haw:

Traction control is a serious killjoy otherwise, you feel it hammering down on the brakes.

It also has random buttons like "cargo light" (assuming that's the light over the bed), and one that looks like radar behind a vehicle (guessing that turns off the reverse collision warning? WHO KNOWS? Why would you need that when you have a camera anyway?!). Found a SD slot on the radio, pressed in on it, a SD card labeled "Nissan Navigation Maps 2016" popped out and the radio locked up. :cripes:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:22 on Apr 6, 2018

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 09:15

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

epic bird guy posted:

Gotcha. I didn't start spending much time in AI until after he wasn't around very much a couple years ago.

I can hardly imagine the frustration of brain damage.

He rolled a car down a mountain after getting sideswiped, and had to take the real expensive bus (helicopter) to a hospital. Yeah, he got proper hosed.

Just found a blog he maintains, last post was a couple of weeks ago. So he's alive, at least. Just ghosted everyone.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 18:10

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Half off weekend at Pick n Pull.

Couldn't find a matching fender or bumper (in fact they only had one coupe that had the bumper still on it, but it's the right one w/fogs... just orange. don't have the money right now tho).

I'll probably wind up ordering new headlights once I get the insurance check, right now I just want to get it back on the road before I have to turn in the rental. Can't stand yellowed lights, but they're only about $60/ea brand new.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Apr 6, 2018

# ¿ Apr 6, 2018 21:04

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

So I got sent to a chiro. At first I just groaned and thought I was in for some quackery. Neck definitely feels better after a bunch of loud cracks though, and they have a doctor that drops in twice a week to handle prescription stuff.

Darchangel posted:

If you want to try respraying the bumper, I have gear to do it (HF HVLP gun and a big-rear end compressor). A quart of paint and reducer will probably run you almost $100 though.
MAybe try Row 52 to see if someone has a ~~silver~~ Suburban Apathy bumper: http://row52.com

I'm kinda curious how much a shop would charge to do it, if I bring them the bumper and fender. They had a complete 03 coupe in good shape (aside from water in one headlight... which is why I wound up with a much more yellowed light). The 03-04 coupes had GM's first attempt at a CVT, which is why most of them get junked (and this one, natch, had the transmission yanked out... it'd only been there a few days). I've never seen an 03 with fogs before, and it's the first time I've seen a coupe with the fog light bumper at PnP.

I didn't have time (or money) to get the fender and bumper today. :sigh:

# ¿ Apr 7, 2018 02:03

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Somewhat Heroic posted:

I literally have never heard of TCL TVs until now.
Is this real life? A4K 55� TV for $399!?

TCL is a pretty low end Chinese brand, don't expect the same kind of picture quality you'd expect from LG or Samsung. But they're a drat good value so long as you go into it knowing you're not going to get amazing picture quality.

They currently own the manufacturing rights for RCA in the US as well.

If you want a Roku TV, Sharp is probably the best one, followed by TCL. The rest are all store brands or stuff made by TCL.

# ¿ Apr 7, 2018 07:44

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Geico called me and said they won't let me keep collision on my car, and very pushy about removing comprehensive. Agreed to removing it. They said once I get the car fixed up, I can have them inspect it to see if they'll cover it for more than scrap value again.

.... then realized "wait, I still have a rental car with a MSRP around my gross income per year". Called them back to make sure it'd be covered. lol nope, with a hail storm coming in, even. At least I got them to undo the changes until I turn in the rental. Thankfully the hail storm went north, but mom wasn't so lucky.... loving baseball size hail at her place (~25 miles away). She had her car in the garage, but it looks like she has another homeowners claim for hail damage. Roof is about a year old.. :sigh:

# ¿ Apr 8, 2018 08:05

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Seminal Flu posted:

I'm still waiting to see what happens with the title. Both times I've dealt with a total, the insurance company has require the title to be branded. It makes sense for them.

They haven't asked for the title.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2018 18:42

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

They do, but the claims rep told me it'll keep a clean title since I'm keeping it.

Remains to be seen, of course, but I haven't signed any power of attorney or anything.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2018 18:50

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Seminal Flu posted:

When my CJ-8 got totalled, I had to take the title to the BMV myself, change it to a salvage title, then take the title to the insurance company and they wrote the check.

Then the whole re-certifying deal started. It was a big pain, but I got paid for the truck, fixed it for less than $1000 and got paid for the truck again when I sold it after re-certifying, so it was worthwhile.

Was hoping for the best, planning for the worst, with the worst being what you said. I've kept receipts for everything I've purchased so far, and took a photo of the VIN tag + the actual car that donated the used parts.

The registration is good until the last day of the year, so in theory I shouldn't get any hassle about it being on the road (at least, I shouldn't get stopped purely based on the tags). The only hassle I might get is I'm probably going to have to rip the front bumper off before driving it to a friend's shop to get the alignment checked out. I don't want to sink any more money into parts until I verify that it can be aligned, either with existing parts or some new parts. I planned to zip tie the front plate to the car while the bumper is MIA, which should satisfy the legal requirements to drive it. I did try driving it a little tonight (just around the parking lot, and briefly on the road in front of my apartment complex - the PD here will most definitely stop you in a hurry for lights being out), and it seems to be pulling a little. I'm not sure if it's because there's a brand new tire on the LF vs ~1/3 worn tires on the rest of the car, or because something is bent, but aside from a pull, it wasn't handling any differently than usual. The new tire is the same tire that's on the other 3 wheels.

Trying not to get too wound up about it. After buyback and deductible, I should have about $2k (... once I actually get the check), before what i've already spent. Extending the rental car a few days will eat into that. I'm not going to find anything with solid maintenance history or a history of reliability for that price unless I really go out into the sticks, so I'm pretty much stuck trying to fix this. The only real options are some of the builder cars at Pick n Pull, which generally consist of a "new" VW bug, a beat up 90s minitruck (currently a mid 90s S-10), and some kind of CUV. At the moment that's a 2001 Outback for $1300. They're generally drivers, but you have no history and no real info on them; you just know they got junked for some reason, and PnP decided they were good enough to sell as a whole, running vehicle. kastein's experience with Subarus has kinda turned me off on a salvage Subaru, even though it was the cleanest looking of the ~8 cars they had.

nm posted:

This one makes me sad now:

There's really nothing like this in DFW (that I know of) anymore, outside of TapeLenders (possibly :nws:

) (which, these days, only rents porn; their primary income is from LGBT-oriented adult toys and clothing). ATX still has some cool places, I'm hoping I can find a video rental place. Ironically enough, last time I was there, my GF took me to Half Price Books, bragging about how awesome it is. Half Price Books is based in Dallas, and I've been to their HQ plenty of times. :v:

(I assume you heard Kevin :smith:

had a heart attack, right?)

KakerMix posted:

I knew the fronts were shot so I assumed the rest were bad too but dang. Tomorrow is bushing replacement day

Don't you mean bushing installation da..

Fermented Tinal posted:

Ahahahahahaha, if you think replacing leaf spring bushings on ~~a Toyota~~ anything is a one day event...

# ¿ Apr 9, 2018 09:41

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

"It's a small world after all" story.

Last night, my final delivery was from a place. Walked inside, was BSing with the takeout employee while waiting on my order.

His accent sounded familiar. "Where ya from man?"

He named my hometown. I name a semi famous restaurant in our hometown. He groans and says he hates the place, but most of his friends love it.

Asked him what high school he went to and when he graduated. He told me. It's not my high school, he graduated over a decade after I did, but my favorite teacher taught at his school around that time.

I asked him if he had <teacher> for history. "How the gently caress do you know him?!"

~650 miles away from my home town, and not only do I randomly bump into someone from there, but I find someone who had the same teacher as me. Small loving world.

Said teacher is still teaching, though no longer in my hometown (or even my state). He and I still stay in touch via Facebook, about ~25 years after my last class with him.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2018 11:35

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

iwentdoodie posted:

Edit: since you're an old and remember Honda's, normal for it to take an abnormally long time to start if you gently caress up and let go before it catches? I did it yesterday and it was a solid 5 or 6 tries before it finally decided to start again. Also, if I take a picture of something under the hood, chances you'd know It? It's like a black sensor housing that at one point was screwed into the firewall in front if the driver. Now it's a shattered mess held together with electrical tape, just kind of laying on the strut tower. I can't even buy a new one cause I have no idea what it is.

Sure, shoot me a pic, awfulbean at the gmail thing. Gonna take a stab in the dark and guess it's the map sensor.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2018 19:42

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

So the water line leading to my building has been leaking for over a week. It's turned into a swamp around my building (there's no sidewalk from my front door to where I park, only grass). Maintenance insisted it was a broken sprinkler head for several days, even when I pointed out the water visibly coming up from a crack in the sidewalk to the street.

I guess they finally figured out "wait, a sprinkler won't put out enough water to turn the entire lot around the building into prime swampland". Maint is out there with an electric jackhammer... going through the sidewalk, standing in several inches of water... plugged into my downstairs neighbor's patio outlet. Did I ever mention there's no GFCI protection on the outside outlets? :science:

(both sets of stairs from my apt are surrounded by water, and the metal railings are touching the water, so if something goes horribly wrong, I'm stuck in here)

Dagen H posted:

~~CarGuru~~Rich Rebuilds just bought a flood-totalled P85D. This is gonna be fun.

Another one? Or did you just now discover the saga? :v:

He's had it over a year (maybe close to 2 years now?), and the original owner actually contacted him with video/photos of the damage. It was the worst kind of flood damage - salt water (Sandy). You won't find that info on his videos tho, I ran across his stuff on another forum. A friend of his even ran the VIN before he powered it back up, and told him it transmitted over 100 errors before it went offline.

IIRC, the only things actually original on the car are the body, cluster, and the giant rear end touchscreen system (which apparently contains the modem and communications system). Dolores has been a basketcase even with all new-to-him parts.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Apr 9, 2018

# ¿ Apr 9, 2018 21:09

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Uh, wow. Just found out one of my old roommates (not my last one - this dude was my roommate when I lived in dorms) is running for a seat in state congress. He and I very much agree on nearly everything political.

Guess it's time to throw some money at his campaign.

Dagen H posted:

Yes. He just livestreamed it a few hours ago.

Well, poo poo. Just found the video. I was assuming you had just now discovered the saga of Dolores.

Hopefully this one won't be as bad as Dolores was, but that one was very much a learning experience for everyone involved. Dude is nuts for tackling another flooded Tesla.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2018 21:37

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Dagen H posted:

I only discovered Dolores last month (I was linked to it from Samcrac or something), but I immediately subscribed and binge-watched everything he's put up (including his rants ).

He promises to do a better job documenting this one so we can watch in real time. (He didn't start his channel until after Dolores was finished.)

The current channel, yeah. He had some videos on his personal channel before, but he got smart and made a dedicated channel.

Samcrac has some good poo poo. I'm wondering how the DXP is gonna play out though - IMO, he really should have pulled the logos/signage from that thing before he put it back on the road - Dominos is fiercely protective of their brand recognition.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2018 03:36

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

iwentdoodie posted:

Edit: also, as a dude from TX who lived in CA, Cali kills it on the tacos and burritos. But texmex enchiladas are better, and Chicos has the best goddamn rolled/fried tacos.

Waitafuckingminute

Do we have the same home town?

# ¿ Apr 10, 2018 14:39

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Previa_fun posted:

Bummer incoming:

On Monday I drove past the scene of a pretty brutal accident. I was on a two lane state highway, 55 mile an hour speed limit. Completely unrecognizable blue pickup truck off the ditch in the opposite lane, and a long set of dually tire marks off into the ditch on my side where a dump truck was overturned.

As soon as I saw what had happened I had that sinking feeling that it was a fatality so I checked our state police page today and yup pickup truck crossed the centerline and hit a dump truck head on at speed.

Be safe out there guys.

I didn't see it happen, and for some reason it didn't make the news, but I was wondering why both the Dallas North Tollway (DNT) and the access road were closed for about a mile the other day for several hours. Came out of a parking lot a few hundred feet past the closed off area at one point, and was pretty sure I saw a body bag.

Someone posted in Reddit's /r/Dallas asking about it, someone else mentioned they watched a motorcyclist miss the curve and whack the barrier, beginning a very short lived interest in flying lessons. DNT is elevated above the access road in that area (probably a ~16 ft drop). It... went about how you'd expect a motorcycle accident on an elevated road to go during rush hour. splat.

It barely warranted a short blurb in the local news. :sigh:

That's the only news article I've been able to find about it.

I've gotten to where I actively avoid DNT unless I have to use it. Partly because I hate using toll roads, mostly because people drive like loving maniacs on it. Speed limit is 55-70 on it (depending where you are), but you can be doing 90+ in the right lane and have someone crawling so far up your rear end that you can't see anything except their roof in your mirror. I've been banging the speed limiter in the middle lane (108 on the Saturd) and still had people blowing past me on both sides (this is generally really late at night). The portions in Dallas and Addison are only patrolled by state troopers, think it may be that way in Plano too; once you get (much) further north (Frisco), city cops will occasionally patrol if they're bored and need to rack up 50 tickets in a few hours.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Apr 11, 2018

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 07:02

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

So Geico feels the claim is satisfied and doesn't want to take the car now that the check has been issued. Kinda figured as much.

Best options to get the most money for a scrap car? Pick n Pull only offered $230. I'd prefer to get closer to $400.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 19:23

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

chrisgt posted:

Why does it matter if the panel gap is off on the saturn? Throw a new fender on the stupid thing and just drive it to the grave. It still goes and stops, right? So it's fine, take the insurance money and send it.

PaintVagrant posted:

Yeah I don�t get it either. It�s still the devil you know. What $2000 car is better?

The front clip is pushed over a bit, and it's pulling pretty hard to one side with a really weird dead spot when the steering wheel is just a hair off center (where it'll take off in a random direction). Also, dead AC, rattling timing chain at startup (which could be a tensioner or a broken guide.. tensioner is easy, guides are an engine-out job), and gives a flashing CEL at startup + a big cloud of blue smoke if it's been sitting more than 2 days.

The entire time I've owned it, I never let it sit more than 2 days, so I had never run into the startup issue (I had noticed a little bit of smoke at startup on occasion though) - but I had noticed oil consumption is up and mileage is down. Now that it's only been started 3x since the wreck, I've had the smoke + flashing CEL (P0301) twice. It also seems like compression is uneven if it's been sitting; it sounds like it's low on compression on 1 cylinder. So I'm looking at a pretty tired engine. It's still on the original clutch too, and going by what I can see through the inspection port, there's very little left of it. Doing the clutch on this requires dropping the subframe.

If it wasn't pulling, I'd be fine with fixing it. If it hadn't started pulling this smokey poo poo, I'd be fine with fixing it. The misaligned panels on the passenger side (it got hit on the drivers side) are a giveaway that poo poo ain't straight anymore.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Apr 11, 2018

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 19:36

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Seat Safety Switch posted:

I would not be surprised if you bent a tie rod or control arm in that hit.

Both are bent, so is the apron.

Darchangel posted:

Yeah, sell it for $500 as-is where-is to someone who only cares if it will run for a year. The alignment may actually be fixable with "problem solver" bolts depending on how bad it really is.

I may do that, though I can't get the hood to close properly with both headlights on the car.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 21:28

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

iwentdoodie posted:

One chain, a tree, and some gumption.

Or a 4x4 pickup, a chain, and some blankets laying on said chain. I watched that get done at the dirt track, pulled a 3" bend out of a frame. Then the chain snapped.

Well, I happen to have a 4x4 until Saturday.... :getin:

But it's a unibody car. I've bashed out radiator supports before, but I've never tried to get the entire apron lined up again. And I'd rather not deal with that.

But between all this, the broken ac, the deferred maintenance, and it taking up a disgusting smoking habit, it's easier to just replace it. I can't handle another summer without ac, and this quickly turned into more than just a bumper/headlight/fender.

MomJeans420 posted:

Without getting into politics, does anyone know if the previous CAFE mileage standard of 54.5mpg by 2025 was considered attainable by auto manufacturers? I know it's not a real world 54.5mpg avg, but I've heard conflicting reports of one the hand the manufacturers were beating the increases needed every year, while on the other people have said the incremental increases weren't going to be sustainable.

Even if they are, people are hanging on to cars for longer than ever - the average age of cars on the road, as of January 2016, was 11.6 years.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2018 22:37

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Coming soon: my second set of tupperware.

Seems to be in good shape aside from the power mirrors and sunroof not working. Mirrors are probably the switch, sunroof is the switch or motor. Boy it's a good thing I have a parts car, isn't it!

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Apr 12, 2018

# ¿ Apr 12, 2018 00:54

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

WE HAVE ANOTHER CONTENDER... er, I mean, My little Tupperware party at my place this weekend. TT, bring yer Redline.

Another 06. Slight step down (Ion 2 instead of Ion 3) - losing automatic headlights, 5 way adjustable seat, silver gauges, and fog lights. Still has keyless entry, power locks, power windows, sunroof, etc. Has a few issues (sunroof doesn't work, hvac blower crapped out on the drive back to Austin, power mirrors don't seem to work). But it wasn't advertised as having a sunroof.. or power windows, or keyless entry, or power mirrors, or cruise control. The ac was blowing cold until the blower stopped, according to gf. 130k, and she says it drives a lot better than mine did last time she drove it. It's also missing all the knobs from the HVAC controls, but I can yank any needed parts from the silver one.

GF said it drives a lot better than the silver one did - better clutch feel, no dead spot in the steering. I'm picking it up from her this weekend. :woop:

Pretty fair price on it, especially for a dealer. Carfax shows mostly dealer maintenance for most of its life, and regular (3-5k) oil changes. I'm going to do oil changes more often on this one than I did with the silver one, it seems the silver one has low compression on #1 when cold now (also a bad enough misfire on #1 when cold to cause a flashing CEL + thick cloud of blue smoke for about 30 seconds, if it's sat more than 24 hours).

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:12 on Apr 12, 2018

# ¿ Apr 12, 2018 06:57

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 04:18

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

The seat bolts right in. The pattern on the upholstery won't match, but it's the same color. If I wanted everything to match, I'd have to swap all of the seats.

But the padding in the 5 way is just... gone. The upholstery isn't torn, but the left bolster looks like a 90 year old man's scrotum - it's just hanging there, for the entire world to see, and the rear end padding is worn heavily. If I did swap it, my OCD would want me to swap all the other seats, which is fine, that's not a big deal - the rest are practically new aside from some sun fading, since the car has rarely ever had passengers in it. I haven't seen it in person yet, but she said the seat "doesn't poke [her] in the rear end" like mine did.

Just finding a coupe bumper at the JY is hard enough. Finding an 06-07 one is harder (03-05 is different, not quite sure how, since the rest of the front bodywork is the same). Finding an 06-07 bumper with fogs isn't happening.

We actually do get a fair bit of fog here in the spring and fall; i had yellow bulbs in the fogs, so they actually did something a bit more useful than the stock bulbs. I would really prefer to keep fogs; I'm going to have to see if the wiring for the switch and lights is already there. If it is, I'll just hack them in. If the wiring isn't there, too much :effort:

to graft in the factory ones.

She's bringing it up here Friday, and staying the weekend. I've already swapped the cars on my insurance and added her as a driver, and sent her a PDF of the insurance card. I'm turning in the rental car Saturday morning, and driving her back to Austin on Sunday (and of course staying the night, because why would I drive 3 hours each way without showing my appreciation for going through the trouble of finding another car? _{_{I need to get viagra or cialis before then...}}). Also need to buy her coworker a case of beer, some booze, or whatever he prefers to drink; he drove nearly 2 hours with her to get the car, then drove her car back.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:26 on Apr 12, 2018

# ¿ Apr 12, 2018 07:18

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > car SUCKS! i HATE car - The April 2018 Chat Thread

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