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| 12/24 |
| 2004/5/3 [Transportation/Car] UID:29970 Activity:high |
5/3 I'm selling my old car, '97 Honda Civic in good shape.
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/car/30291821.html
Don't know where else to post this within the CSUA so the motd
will have to do. --lye
\_ In SOVIET RUSSIA, car sells YOU!
\_ How much? -- car's pissing radiator fluid in the parking lot
\_ Well, its listed at the top of the Craigslist posting, but
I'm asking $7800...or best offer, obviously. --lye
\_ Whoa, sorry... that was stupid. I've been conditioned
to ignore large text.
\_ What is the Blue Book? $7800 seems high for a car that
cost maybe twice that 7 years ago.
\_ Hmm, you are right. I must have made an error when
entering data in KBB. I've corrected the ad. --lye
\_ I bet you were trying to game the heartless capitalist
system, Lye! Don't think I am not on to you. -- ilyas |
| 2004/4/29 [Transportation/Car] UID:13456 Activity:insanely high Edit_by:auto 74%like:13448 |
4/29 If you had a choice between two cars that were identical in every
way but the engine and one had a forced-induction 1.8L engine
while the other had a naturally aspirated 2.6L engine with a
lower peak power output, which one would you choose? On a side
note, this is between a Mercedes C230 and C240 which I'm helping
someone else buy (I personally wouldn't buy one myself).
\_ The larger, lower-power engine. You usually won't need the power
and there's less to go wrong with it. I know you said "identical"
but if there's a mileage difference, that'd be very important.
\_ [formatd was here]
\_ I agree with the above. Especially in the Bay Area you're just not
going to use the tiny bit of extra power the snazzier engine
provides. The buyer should drive both and get the one that feels
the best in normal driving conditions (within their price range,etc)
\_ yeah. just drive both and see if there's a difference in power,
and which one is smoother/noisier. then look at price and MPG.
\_ There are a lot more differences between the C230 and C240 than the
engines! One is a little 3-door and the other is a sedan. The
prices are much different. One weighs more than the other. All
else being equal, stay away from a turbo engine if you plan on
keeping the car. If I was to get a C class I'd go C320.
\_ That's not completely true. There is both a C230 sedan and
keeping the car. If I was to get a C class I'd go C320.
\_ That's not completely true. There is both a C230 sedan and
coupe. The coupe looks pretty ugly. Also, the C230 isn't
a turbo. It's supercharged.
\_ What does "superchanged" mean?
\_ It means the induction is powered with a belt from the
engine rather than just by exhaust gases. The
distinction is minor in this discussion. I also stand
corrected and there is now a C230 sedan. There used to
be one in the 1990s and it was discontinued in favor
of the C240. I see that it has been brought back.
\_ The one that has better gas mileage. C230:23/30, C240:19/24. The
C240 does worse mileage than my mini-van.
coupe. The coupe looks pretty ugly.
\_ The one that has better gas mileage. |
| 2004/4/29 [Transportation/Car] UID:13448 Activity:nil 74%like:13456 |
4/29 If you had a choice between two cars that were identical in every
way but the engine and one had a forced-induction 1.8L engine
while the other had a naturally aspirated 2.6L engine with a
lower peak power output, which one would you choose?
\_ The larger, lower-power engine. You usually won't need the power
and there's less to go wrong with it. |
| 2004/4/26 [Transportation/Car] UID:13381 Activity:nil |
4/26 I read somewhere that you can't buy regular deisel cars in California
(eg, the VW Jetta TDI). Is this true? I've seen a lot of good things
about VW's deisel line and I'm mildly interested in buying.
\_ There is a limit allowed sold per year, it is an air quality
law. Generally the TDIs run out around mid year, you should still
be able to get one.
\_ What with improved gas milege and better scrubbers and such for
deisel cars, do they still pollute more than gasoline cars, and
how much more?
\_ Fuel prices for deisel are often higher than straight gas. Be
care what you wish for.
\_ It's often cheaper too, due to lower federal taxes.
\_ What the crap are you responding to? |
| 2004/4/23 [Transportation/Car] UID:13346 Activity:nil |
4/23 Where do you guys go to check out used cars for possible purchase?
http://cars.com? Someplace else? |
| 2004/4/17-19 [Transportation/Car] UID:13245 Activity:nil |
4/16 How much should I expect to pay to have a car painted? How can I tell
if a place will do a good job?
\_ You need to get a recommendation from someone else otherwise you
don't stand a chance of picking a good place from the phone book.
Painting costs about $80/hour. The last time I got hit, they
charged the insurance company 4.5 hours to paint *2* side panels
on my car. For a non-insurance vanity job they will probably not
fuck you over on the hours that hard but it ain't cheap.
\_ I'm interested in buying a very specific model of used car, and
If I don't have to concern myself with color/paint condition it
will make the search much easier, so what should I expect to pay
to completely repaint a normal-size car?
\_ why don't you just call a few places, or are you scared of
talking to real people...
\_ Yes, I was hoping for anonymous motd advice.
\_ Guestimate: $2k to $3k. Probably not worth it for
your used car plans. My wife's car is a small hot
little 2 door. The local place wanted $7k to touch it.
\_ You get what you pay for. Ask them about the procedure
they're going to follow. It should range from several
hundred bucks for someone to clean the existing surface,
mask off the unpainted exterior surfaces, and spray on some
new paint, up to several thousand for someone to do it
properly. To do a proper job of it, they would need to
remove all the trim, partially dismantle the car to get
access to painted surfaces that are not external (open your
door -- notice that the paint continues inside the sill and
jamb, and think about how that will look if that surface is
skipped while changing colors), strip the paint off down to
bare metal, remove and replace any old bondo, sand it
smooth, apply some number of coats of primer, some number
of coats of colored paint, and some number of clearcoats.
They will need to sand out irregularities in the finish
between some coats. The number of coats will depend on how
you want it to look at the end. A good painter should be
able to help you find a good cost/benefit point for what
you want to do (or help you understand why what you want is
prohibitively expensive).
\_ Related question: A passenger smacked the edge of my car door
into a wall and now there's a small nick in it that bugs me.
there's also a tiny dent in the edge--is it difficult to fix
this sort of thing? -John
\_ maybe with a significant change in lifestyle and some therapy,
but it's a longshot. usually uptight assholes who obsess about
their cars tend to stay that way for life. Or is that not what
you meant?
\_ No actually I meant that a nicked car door makes it less
intimidating when I bear down on militantly aggressive
twats who drive shitty cars with "visualize world peace"
stickers and who haven't showered in months. Next? -John
\_ Thank you for proving my point.
\_ You had a point? I asked how hard it is to fix
small dents, you responded with pointless insult.
Do us a favor, don't reproduce. Moron. -John
\_ dump her.
\_ The passenger was the boss.
\_ And that cheap fucker didn't offer to repair the damage?
\_ That's why I'm asking. I want to know if it'll be
cheap to fix, so I can continue being a gracious host
and not tie said person to my hood like a cheap
hunting trophy as punishment. -John
\_ those things are expensive to fix, most people
don't bother with it because it takes a lot
of effort and luck to get it right. Having said
that, if you ask for paying the damange, you will
be look like a cheap asshole for some reason, even-
though everyone knows it's expensive to fix it. |
| 2004/4/16-17 [Transportation/Car] UID:13229 Activity:nil |
4/16 Anyone know of a good tire balancing place around south bay/SF area?
For some reason my car is pretty sensitive to it and my steering wheel
shakes slightly at 80+ speed. I am fairly certain it's the balace, but
the place I went to does not seem to want to put the effort to iron
out the last bit of imbalance. They just claim the computer says its
balanced. the car is fine at 60mph. thanks.
\_ Is it worse when you hit the brakes? if so, then your brake rotors
might be warped. Also, it's more likely to be your alignment
than your tires being balanced.
\_ alignment can cause shake too? I just recently got an alignment
done at the dealer.
\_ Does the shaking stop at any point beyond 80? I've heard of
something like that happening with some cars, and it wasn't
tire balance, it was something to do with an unbalanced
driveshaft.
\_ no, the faster i go, the more shake i got. smooth roads does help
a bit.
\_ It could also just be that the tires are worn unevenly. Anyway,
I like the service of America's Tire Co. You can find the locations
at http://discounttire.com. They do free rotation and flat repairs as well. |
| 2004/4/15-17 [Transportation/Car] UID:13222 Activity:nil |
4/15 Should I get a transmission flush? My old Accord manual says to
change it every 90K (which is a bit long), and it crapped out at
150K. Now I have a new Accord, I'm wondering if flushing the entire
transmission will prevent it from dying so soon. Thanks.
\_ 150K is a lot. You're not gonna get too much more.
\_ my old accord (86) and current acura (95) all give me transmission
and brake system problems (caliper keeps getting stuck). from
what I heard, these two are honda's weak points. from what I
read, a properly maintained car should easily go beyond 200k,
especially hondas.
\_ That doesn't mean it will go 200k without any work on it. It
means you will go 200k before the engine is shot (e.g. water
in the oil). The transmission may not make 200k.
\_ I don't think Honda engines will have problem at 200k,
unless you abused it.
\_ my old accord and current acura all give me transmission and
brake system problems. from what I heard, these two are
honda weak points. |
| 2004/4/14 [Transportation/Car] UID:29927 Activity:nil |
4/14 Buying a car and thinking about using Progressive for insurance...
Anybody have and positive/negative feedback about them? Thanks.
\_ I use progressive for my motorcycle and for my car before it
got stolen. The rates were ok and they were always friendly.
Never had to make a real claim though. (I only had liability
on the car.) |
| 2004/4/14-15 [Transportation/Car] UID:13192 Activity:nil |
4/14 Re: Progressive - I've had them for couple of years, and they aren't
too bad to have as your insurance carrier. But I have to constantly
ask them to lower my rate. They've yet to do it voluntarily(which
State Farms used to do.) But if you haven't checked out yet, check
out American Express for auto insurance. They have better rates
than Progressive, but they won't insure you if you have more than so
many violation points on your record. |
| 2004/4/8 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:29909 Activity:nil |
4/7 Stoplight to punish suburban speeders in Pleasanton:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/04/07/MNG8N61MGG1.DTL |
| 2004/4/5 [Transportation/Car] UID:13014 Activity:nil Edit_by:auto |
4/5 http://www.supportempire.com \_ remote sys adm for only $2.30 / hour! tech support / india / outsource |
| 2004/3/31-4/1 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:12940 Activity:kinda low |
3/31 Our policy on cutting down dependency on foreign oil:
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/P48468.asp
\_ There are times when I wish Spike Bike were around. -John
\_ Spike Bike?
\_ A cloud of brown dust stretched as far as the eye
could see along old route 126. From my vantage point
behind an old barn, I watched the grim parade. For
the third time in less than a minute, a huge gravel
truck rumbled past, spewing acrid, black smoke and
kicking up more of the brown mud-dust and spreading it
all over everything.
Including me. I'm Spike Bike. I hate cars.
Taking out a tractor-trailer rig isn't easy. You
might be able to get a grenade into the cab, but if
it bounces back at you, you're finished. You can
sometimes shoot out all the tires on one side of the
tractor and the truck will jackknife, but it takes at
least half a mag, and half the time you won't get all
the tires. I had to face the fact that a MAC-10
submachinegun and a few grenades just weren't going
to do the job against these monstrosities.
\_ MORE!
\_ http://members.aol.com/clubnbc/spike_1.htm
\_ Thank you!
\_ Why not just shoot at the external gas tank?
\_ Diesel fuel plus you need lots more oxygen for a
useful response.
\_ Oh, diesel doesn't explode. I see. So all those
action movie scenes where trucks run off bridges and
hit the ground below and then explode are not real.
\_ I have some news that might come as a shock to you
about the tooth fairy, too. |
| 2004/3/23-24 [Transportation/Car] UID:12815 Activity:moderate |
3/23 Car experts, I need some advice/help. Steering wheel vibrates
slightly when car is stopped (after warming up), but vibration
goes away as soon as I hit the gas padel. also at speed around
75+ mph, does not seem to run as smooth as it did before
(steering wheel vibrates very slightly) what could be the cause? i
am fairly certain it is not the tire balance as these are new
tires and I have another place check the tire balance and all
4 are pretty good. so is this: idle speed adjustment needed?
fuel injector cleaning? (dealer recommends it but i never did
it, car is around 65k, 5 years maxima) all maintenance and
service was up to date. thanks a lot. Engine tune up?? Thx!!
\_ I suppose you think homeopathy doesn't work, right?
4 are pretty good. so is this: idle speed adjustment needed?
fuel injector cleaning? (dealer recommends it but i never did
it, car is around 65k, 5 years maxima) all maintenance and
service was up to date. thanks a lot. Engine tune up?? Thx!!
\_ Are you sure that only the steering wheel vibrates or does
the rest of the car too. I think the only link between the
steering and the engine is the power steering pump. Vibrating
steering wheel during braking is usually an indicator of
a warped brake rotor which you would need to have replaced
or refinished. Vibration during acceleration on a front-wheel-
drive car is an indicator of a bad CV joint.
\_ it does not vib on breaking, nor on accelerating.
\_ easy first test - buy a pack of the chevron fuel injector
cleaner from costco or grand auto (much cheaper at costco),
and see if that helps. Oh, and check your power steering
fluid level. Check ALL of the fluid levels, since it's easy.
\_ dumb question, so i put the fuel injector cleaner into the gas
tank and just drive as normal? my dealer wants $100 to do the
fuel injector service. would the cleaner do the job equally good?
\_ No, but probably 80% if you've never used it before. Note
that it's a bad idea to overuse the cleaner as it can
corrode the rubber seals. Since you're asking, I'd
\_ that's interesting, I didn't know that - where did you
hear about that? - injector cleaner recommender from above
\_ Various mechanics, as well as the warnings written on
bottles (varies from product to product). One guy told
me I could double up on the regular "fuel treatment"
stuff (2 bottles/tank) for my older model car and it
wouldn't hurt, but I believe fuel injector cleaner is
somewhat harsher, and should only be used every
few years or so. It's not as bad as those "seal
conditioners" or "stop leak" treatments, (which soften
the rubber and cause it to expand-- stops the leak but
the rubber will then rot away much faster), but
somewhat corrosive nonetheless.
recommend the cleaner over the dealer this time around.
Also, a little vibration is not a cause for alarm; I've
noticed this in a lot of cars. If you're at a stoplight
for awhile, you can shift in and out of neutral without
pressing the button on the "shifter". Oh, and as for
usage: pour in the bottle on a nearly empty tank, then
fill it up with gas. It helps to do this prior to a long
drive, because the additives can evaporate.
\_ thanks a lot for all the answers. someone also suggested checking
the spark plug gap, could the gap cause engine performance problem?
\_ Depends. Have you been following the normal maintenance
schedule? Have they changed the spark plugs as
described in that schedule? What brand car is it?
\_ yes. yes, the spark plugs was just changed at 60k (car
now at 65k). one of my car friend mentioned this to me, not
that I really know what it means. the car is a Nissan Maxima.
\_ it means that the gap between the anode and the cathode
(where the spark fires) needs to be the right size.
You can find the proper gap size in your owner's manual,
and there are tools for bending the prong to the right
position if it's not there already.
\_ Not likely. A gap problem would be occuring during
acceleration or coasting. This sounds unrelated.
\_ Perhaps a mount has broken. This is usually more obvious at
idle and low speeds than high speeds. --dim
\_ This problem could be caused by several problems. As you mentioned
idle speed adjustment, spark plug gap-ing, but it could also be
valve clearance, fuel flter, timing belt/timing, etc...also, you
should read the manual on using gas treatments and fuel injector
cleaners. I remember my friend's maxima manual specifically said
try not to use any gas treatments.
\_ tighten the steering wheel. |
| 2004/3/10-11 [Reference/BayArea, Transportation/Car] UID:12593 Activity:nil |
3/9 Now that summer has arrived early, can anyone recommend a good
place in the Bay Area (preferably south bay) that does automotive
window tinting? That black interior is burning my ass.
\_ don't worry, the fog will be back soon
\_ my cousin's wife's brother can do it. By the way make sure
they don't mess up your rear-window-defogger |
| 2004/3/2 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Domestic] UID:29845 Activity:insanely high |
3/1 In case anyone's still interested, I saw a cop standing on the corner
of Telegraph and Durant for at least 30 minutes doing nothing else
but giving out citations for gaywalking. At least one guy was able to
"talk" his way out of it.
\_ Just run and hide in Unit 3 somewhere.
\_ I wonder if there was an accident recently?
\_ What's the penalty for it? Also, how do they enforce it? Can't you
\_ It's the law that you must carry ID. Whoops, another ticket!
say you don't have ID etc?
\_ I've been told that there's a law that requires all adults to
carry some form of approved ID on them at all times out in public.
\_ He's just doing his part to fix Berkeley's budget deficit.
\_ I guess this is what happens when people keep breaking
parking meters.
\_ Nonsense. The parking meters are set to give less time than
they say so they give out more bogus tickets. Breaking meters
was civil disobedience.
\_ um, no. how many meters did you break? i broke and
destroyed maybe a dozen or so over the years in
berkeley, and knew people who destroyed more.
none of us ever drove, had cars or parked. it was just
random violence.
\_ I remember about 7 or 8 years ago, the bike cops would nab
gaywalkers during the weekends. I heard one cop telling a
gaywalker that the fine was 75 bucks.
\_ Mine was $40. When I forgot to pay it, my mom got a
threatening call from some bitch affirmative action hiree at
the BPD--"he's in trouble, he's committed a crime." -John |
| 2004/2/26-27 [Transportation/Car, Computer/SW/Database] UID:12424 Activity:nil |
2/26 Suppose I have a database of car dealers and the cars they have in
stock. I want to query this database for N cars that I'm
interested in, something like
SELECT dealerId, carId FROM cars WHERE (carId=1 OR carId=2 OR carId=42)
The problem is, I need to sort the result such that a dealer who
has all N cars I'm interested in is ranked higher than a dealer that
has only 1 or 2 such cars. Can this be done with some sort of
aggregate function? Something like
SELECT dealerId, count(dealerId) as numCars, list(carId)
FROM cars WHERE (carId=1 OR carId=2 OR carId=42)
GROUP BY dealerId
ORDER BY rank
where the output would be
dealer | numCars | list(carId)
----------------------------------------
Fred 3 1,2,42
Bob 2 1,2
Tom 2 1,42
Jerry 1 2
Thanks in advance.
\_ Please tell me this is for work.
\_ I would, but then I wouldn't get the input from the smart types
who do it because it's challenging. -op
\_ Your question was better when it was jive'd.
\_ Yo! Yo! Shiznitz! Wez be needin' ah jive update! |
| 2004/2/26 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Airplane] UID:12409 Activity:nil |
02/25 After living in Berkeley for 6 years, today, for the first time,
someone told me that he got a BPD jaywalking ticket in Berkeley (on
Center, near BART, nothing particularly unsafe past the norm --- no
cars coming or anything; just lots of HS kids around, since it was
right after school). Has BPD just started ticketing for jaywalking?
Have they been at it all along? What the hell, doesn't BPD have more
worthwhile things to spend time on?
\_ this is one issue where the nypd got it right. after the mayor
decided to crack down on jaywalking a reporter jaywalked in front
of a cop and literally asked for a ticket, and they refused.
the cops decided en masse that giving jaywalking tickets in
a city like new york is total bullshit and refused to do it
as a matter of policy.
\_ Yeah it is better to slow traffic, get pedestrians killed, piss
off drivers and make it 'normal' for the numerous crazy and
the alzheimers inflicted old to wander into traffic. If you'd
ever been there to see someone get his, to see their body fly
20 feet like a rag doll and blood pool on the street and flow
into the sewer you might have a different attitude. You're not
an idiot but you are an arrogant know-it-all ignorant git.
\_ What you're describing is a fine reason to push anti-
jaywalking educational material, not a law fining people
for doing it in front of cops. No one wants to see anyone
get crushed by a car, but there's a limit to the efficacy of
legislating common sense.
\_ I got one back in 1991--it's nothing new. Depends on whether
the cop's got a quota to fill, whether he got up on the wrong side
of bed, cosmic rays, whatever. Same as campus cops with bike
riders--remember that students are easy, profitable targets. -John
\_ I had one walking from the Power Bar building to check my car in
parking meter at lunch. Was a marginal infraction: I had started
~ 5m before the intersection (diagonal into the street) to reach
the cross-walk which displayed the 'walk' signal by the time I
reached striped lines. Sargent was on opposing corner. He had
a gay lisp and an upside down flag on his lapel (this was
a month or two after 9/11). I describe it as 'walking while
white' - a hate crime in Berkeley.
\_ Son, how do you use your arm with that huge chip on your shoulder?
\_ You sound just like the hateful racists you think you're
opposed to. You're no different. Intolerance hurts us all.
\_ Hey dimshit, thanks for censoring.
\_ I love how the answer to any good reply is always "I got
censored!". I didn't censor you. If you think you've
got something to say I can more than easily hold my own
with you or anyone else on here. Fear of your sharp
wit and clever replies isn't on my top 10 worries list.
You're a hateful racist and need to deal with that.
\_ It's also worth pointing out that if you have
something more than a line long to say on the motd,
it's really not hard to save a copy and paste it
back in after it gets killed. It's not like
you have to handwrite your motd posts.
\_ It is an on and off thing. Generally they are very lax about
jaywalking, but every now and then they will crack down at
very specific spots. I suspect that happens right after an
accident caused by jaywalking. Also I've seen cops give people
a hard time for jaywalking right in front of them, and if that
person blows them off they tend to get a jaywalking ticket. Cops
seem to especially hate it when you slow down traffic by jaywalking.
\_ Seconded. I once crossed Durant against the light, stared
down an oncoming car, and walked up onto the sidewalk,
nearly into a cop standing there. He yelled at me but as
soon as he saw the look in my eyes (I was coming back from
a far-too-long project meeting @ soda) he let it go.
\_ So you're saying you struck fear into the heart of a BPD beat
cop? Unlikely.
\_ I think he meant pity, not fear.
\_ In these budget-crunching times, I'm sure they are feeling
pressured to bring in money with small-time infractions.
\_ i think they only do it now and then when there are high school kids
around, because they want to impress upon people that they shouldn't
be a bad influence. i was stopped and written up once during the
lunch hour, but i never actually got the ticket... -lila |
| 2004/2/17-18 [Transportation/Car, Uncategorized/Jived] UID:12288 Activity:high 51%like:12282 |
2/16 Does anyone know whut wuz de sto'y wid de guy who went insane in his
wheels on campus on sat evenin' and started t'roll into wahtahmelluns
and had t'be hauled out uh his wheels and whup'ed by de CPs? it wuz
pretty cool. --psb
\_ Youse makin' dis up.
\- go walk around the front of hertz hall --psb
\_ From the police blotter:
http://csua.org/u/61q
Strange entries.... --erikred |
| 12/24 |
| 2004/2/17 [Transportation/Car] UID:12282 Activity:kinda low 51%like:12288 |
2/16 Does anyone know what was the story with the guy who went insane in
his car on campus on sat evening and started to drive into things
and had to be hauled out of his car and beated by the CPs? it was
pretty cool. --psb
\_ You're making this up. |
| 2004/2/11 [Transportation/Car] UID:29795 Activity:nil |
2/10 Is it normal for my transmission fluid level to appear to be
higher when my engine is cold? I would expect that, like oil,
it would appear higher when the engine is warm. If anyone can
explain, please do.
\_ fluid measurements must reflect reservoir or sedentary levels.
now imagine what happens to that level due to churn and
displacement. |
| 2004/2/10 [Transportation/Car] UID:12187 Activity:nil |
2/9 Thanks for the car accident advice. I forwarded the long list of
suggestions.
\_ Wow, the motd actually helped someone.
\_ Coincidentally, my co-worker was being driven by a friend on
the freeway last night, and they skidded out of control as
well (avoiding object on freeway), ending up wrecking on the
median. A car behind them picked them up. Shortly thereafter,
another car in the #1 lane crashed into the wrecked car, sending
flying metal and glass everywhere. Everyone's fine, except
for some sore/stiff muscles, and the friend in this case
happened to have non-cheap insurance. -op
\_ remind me not to hang out with you
\_ ??
\_ mild humor hint: it's too dangerous. |
| 2004/2/10 [Transportation/Car] UID:12183 Activity:nil |
2/9 Got a parking ticket cuz I didn't have a front license plate. My
bumper doesn't have any holes, can I simply drill into the bumper
and nail in my plate?
\_ I thought it was only illegal to DRIVE without plates, not park
without one.
\_ Yeah now prove to the judge that you got to that parking lot
via tow truck. Stupid clown, the world doesn't work like that.
\_ Unfortunately no matter what the car you must have a front plate
in california. There are very few exceptions to this (other than
motorcycles). For any car there is some sort of mounting kit.
You may need to call a dealer and ask for the parts department.
\_ Take it to a judge and beg.
\_ Check with DMV. It might be legal to put inside the car on your
dashboard.
\_ Depending on your car, there's sometimes other mounting
options. I've seen front bumper mounts where they drilled on
the underside of the front bumper, so if they ever take
off the front plate there won't be any visible holes. Then
they just used a special bracket. If you don't care, then
you should be able to get a front mounting bracket from
whoever manufactures your car.
\_ but who cares what your bumper looks like when you take off
the plate since it is illegal as the op has found out
\_ It might be legal in other states.
\_ a new buyer might be willing to take the risk.
\_ alright so I went to the dealer and they want to charge $50
for buying the plate, and more if I want them to install it.
BTW my front bumper doesn't have any pre-drilled holes or anything
like that. So given that I'm kind of short on money, can I
just drill into the bumper with any drill and screw the plates on,
hoping the bumper material will hold the screws? Thanks.
\_ If you care about the value of your car, then it is worth
spending $ to professionally mount the plate holder. |
| 2004/2/9 [Transportation/Car] UID:12179 Activity:nil |
2/9 Hi folks, my girlfriend's friend got into a car accident on the
freeway involving four cars (perhaps minor body damage, everyone
apparently fine, cops did show up), and it appears she is at fault
(lost control, maybe bald tires). She got the minimum required
insurance through CA state, which was contracted to GE Auto Insurance
(now owned by AIG) in this case. She talked with an AIG rep about
details of the accident and they told her they recorded the phone
conversation, told her to hire a lawyer since the other parties
already had theirs, and sent her a letter saying she may be 100%
responsible for the accident. I talked with my brother who's a
lawyer (not his area though) and he says that usually insurance
companies provide a lawyer for you, and they end up settling with the
other lawyers for the full amount of the policy. He suspects that
they are not providing a lawyer because it's through CA state, and
that the lawyer she hires should find out why her insurance company
isn't providing one. Any comments on the insurance company not
providing a lawyer part, or anyone else who has experience with auto
insurance purchased through CA state? Thanks.
\_ the insurance company should be supplying a lawyer to
protect her! Unless it's a bad insurance company.
\_ It sounds like if you she can afford a lawyer, she should get one.
Try contacting these people, they might help, but don't count on it:
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/ftcr/complaint.php3 |
| 2004/2/9 [Transportation/Car] UID:12166 Activity:nil |
2/8 Is there a google feature for comparing two products? For example,
IE vs. Firebird, Mach 3 Turbo vs Sensor Excel, Honda Civic vs
Toyota Corolla...
\_ "Mach 3 Turbo" "Sensor Excel" +review |
| 2004/2/6-7 [Transportation/Car] UID:12135 Activity:nil |
2/6 Smog cutting paint:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994636 |
| 2004/2/2-3 [Transportation/Car] UID:12072 Activity:nil |
2/2 So one guy tells me that engine preheating is good for the car (warmed
up oil, belts, cogs, etc move better) and the other guy tells me that
it's only necessary for non-fuel-injected cars. My mechanic tells me
that it's all bullshit and you can pretty much just start and go.
Who's right?
\_ I have a fairly new car whose instruction manual says not to
warm up the car in idle but to drive immediately and not to
put too much load on the car. I think one of the reasons was
that they didn't want to be liable for CO poisoning.
\_ Where do you live? If it's cold, engine preheating's just wise.
\_ my doctor said it's bs to warm up before you exercise, now
I had to pay him to get my back fixed. [reformatd]
\_ Who's your doctor, Dr. Quack? There's a tort there somewhere.
\_ Some Hearsay for you: At least one study (each) has indicated:
1.) cars that are just run gently in the first mile(s) after
starting fair no worse than auto's that are always
"warmed up").
2.) People who stretch regularly do not have significantly
less injuries than people who don't. However, people
who stretch ususally and then don't stretch have a higher
injury rate for that occasion. -crebbs
\_ source? This type of inquiry seems fraught with
possible control issues and experimental procedure probs.
\_ Use some common sense. Do you think rubber, such as that used
in belts, will age better if warmed up prior to tensioning?
Probably, yes. Will it make a difference in the aging of the belt?
Probably, yes. How much difference? Probably not much. You might
squeeze 5k more miles out of the lifespan of a 60k belt or hose.
So what does that mean for you? Cost savings, if you plan to
keep your car that long and don't plan to follow dealer maintenance
replacement schedules. Will it matter in your engine long term?
Sure. Again, maybe a 10% gain in the longevity of powertrain parts
(middle of the road estimate - it might be 3% it might be 20%).
If your car is Japanese, it might mean a 220k lifespan rather than
200k. If American, 165k lifespan rather than 150k. Does it matter
_to you_? You be the judge.
\_ what about the wasted gasoline from idling? And air-pollution?
\_ it's unamerican to worry about air pollution. Are you
a terrorist?
\_ I've also heard from another mechanic that unless your car's in
such a bad shape that it actually stalls if you don't warm up, it's
better in the long run to not warm up.
\_ Ever since my Integra hit 150k, if the engine is cold, my car jerks
when I switch to reverse. It doesn't happen if I let the car warm
up for more than half a minute.
\_ it's better to let your car warm up by driving it slowly than to
let it idle. idling puts no load on the engine, so little heat is
produced.
\_ search cartalk (http://cartalk.cars.com |
| 2004/1/24 [Transportation/Car] UID:11921 Activity:high |
1/23 Any opinions on best car under $50K? I've got a BMW 3 series now I am
going to keep, but not sure I want another (5 series) because a change
might be nice.
\_ I'm going to resist the urge to delete your post and just tell you
to fuck off and die. You're welcome.
\_ buy a vintage pinto.
\_ What a miserable fuck you are.
\_ wrx sti or a legacy b4 turbo.
\_ E36 M3. Much cheaper than $50K and fun.
\_ If you've got that much money to burn, how about I sell you my
Corolla for $50k?
\_ Keep up with clothes fashions in stead. It's a lot cheaper.
\_ Why waste $50k on a car?
\_ Instead of buying the Ferrari I can SAVE $50k by buying the Beamer
\_ Why waste any money on a car when I can buy a beater for
$1000, right? Don't tell me you spend all of your money on
utilitarian things. It's okay to have a few nice things.
\_ those aren't the only two alternatives. What about 20k for
a car and 30k for a boat. Now you have a decent, comfortable
car *and* a boat. I don't think that a 50k car is ever better
by a factor of 2.5 than a 20k car in any really useful way.
These choices all reflect a personal value system. In my
view some value systems are simply better than others, and
the kind of person who would spend 50k on a car is best
summed up by the term "asshole."
\_ heh, like the boss from _willard_?
\_ In my value system, a boat is a waste of money (hole
in the water into which you throw money - better off
chartering a boat the 1x a year you use it) and $20K car is
a POS. I am very glad to be rid of my Nissan and my
Honda for the BMW.
\_ what if i do tell you that?
\_ Then you're an idiot.
\_ Nothing wrong with wanting nice things, But $50k for something
with a terrific depreciation rate is a bit silly. I spent
$60 for a good kitchen knife by telling myself it'll last
forever if i take good care of it.
\_ I see. So how much to spend on a car is not silly?
$1K? $2K? $20K? $40K?
\_ What about leasing? I don't know anyone with a 50k plus
car that actually bought it.
\_ E36 M3. Much cheaper than $50K and fun.
\_ Is that 900kg all carbon-fiber M3 available on the US?
The CSL looks pretty cool. -John
\_ E36 is the generation before the current E46. I don't
think it's all carbon-fiber.
\_ Why E36 M3 over E46 M3?
\_ wrx sti or a legacy b4 turbo.
\_ MB SLR McClaren. |
| 2004/1/23-24 [Transportation/Car] UID:11909 Activity:nil |
1/23 And a good place to get a good car wash (i.e. they actually clean
the insides, wash the carpets, etc.), also in the East Bay? |
| 2004/1/22-23 [Transportation/Car] UID:11894 Activity:nil |
1/22 Has anyone ever bought a car with leatherette (pleather, fake
leather, etc.) upholstery? How does it compare with real leather?
\_ My car has leatherette. It doesn't crack like real leather, but
most idiots think it's leather. I make sure to note that it's the
cheap stuff. Many people prefer cloth because it isn't sticky and
doesn't heat up as much. I like the look/feel of leather/leatherette.
It also doesn't have the smell of real leather, which can be good
or bad (I like the leather smell, it's kinda like the new car smell).
\_ Does it feel more like plastic or leather?
\_ Definitely more like leather than like plastic. And much
nicer than vinyl. It's quite nice.
\_ it's also easier to clean/maintain. |
| 2004/1/22-23 [Transportation/Car] UID:11885 Activity:moderate 57%like:13066 |
1/22 Spank your monkey
http://www.booba.org/stuff/shockwave/spankmonkey.swf
(work-safe, but turn down volume)
\_ 190 mph
\_ 338 mph
\_ 413 mph
\_ 563 mph
\_ Trackball or regular mouse?
\_ Seems like if you drag too slow it won't spank. So why don't we
also compete with the lowest speed?
\_ 51 mph
\_ 50 mph
\_ all hail to the master of the slow monkey-spank |
| 2004/1/20 [Transportation/Car] UID:11852 Activity:high |
1/20 Having been all over this country of ours, but only driven extensively
in California, I'm curious: is the rest of the country as full of
pathologically bad drivers as California, or are we special in some way?\
\_ Let's start a list of rules that people break:
1. If you plan on driving slower than others, drive on the right
2. Pass on the left
\_ This is not a law or even a "rule" when you have more
than two lanes. You are just a hick.
\_ passing on the right is more dangerous, because you
spend substantial time in the blind spot of the other
driver.
\_ not only that there is an assumption slow people
drive on the right lane and when an 85 mph driver
passes on your right, he won't show up on your mirror
before it's too late
3. Trailing distance is 2 seconds, not 2 feet
\_ isn't it 3 seconds?
\_ this just isn't possible in high traffic areas
\_ Because some asshole will always swerve into any gap
large enough. This doesn't excuse the rampant tailgaiting
you experience on most major freeways around here. My
favorite is when someone follows you 5 feet away at 75 or
80 mph, gesturing and flipping you off, and if you move
over for them, they are only able to then tailgate the car
in front of you that was moving the same speed.
\_ I'm just saying 2 seconds is not going to happen
on a crowded freeway. Yes people tailgate too much,
but in high traffic areas leaving 2-3 seconds is
bad driving not good.
\_ Bullshit. I leave 2 seconds all the time. Expect
that someone will cut in front of you every couple
of miles. That is no big deal. Tailgating is always
dangerous and a bad idea, but especially so in
heavy traffic.
\_ Amen brother! Same with racing up to red lights. If you
don't stay at top speed going to that red light they'll
ride your ass or race around you. Then you either both
sit at the light, or he's stopped there while you're
cruising by as it goes green.
4. The on-ramp is for accelerating to highway speeds
5. An entrance to a parking lot is not a parking space
\_ I've never seen people flat out park in an entrance. I have
seen plenty of people park on parts of a parking lot that
aren't really spots and that make traffic a lot messier.
\_ That was more of a hyperbole. I was talkinga about people
who pull into an entrance, stop, the scope around the
parking lot while their ass sticks out into the street
preventing others from moving.
6. Don't correct a navigation error with a driving one
7. If there are 2 left turn lanes, you CAN'T make a U-turn from
the outer lane.
\_ have you ever seen someone do this without making it pretty
obvious beforehand? (And waiting till the inner lane is free)
\_ Yes I have. Even if it was free, you should still get
into the proper lane to makea U-Turn. If you miss the
lane change, then at least obey rule #6
\_ Let's start a list of rules that people break:
1. If you plan on driving slower than others, drive on the right
2. Pass on the left
\_ This is not a law or even a "rule" when you have more
than two lanes. You are just a hick.
\_ passing on the right is more dangerous, because you
spend substantial time in the blind spot of the other
driver.
\_ not only that there is an assumption slow people
drive on the right lane and when an 85 mph driver
passes on your right, he won't show up on your mirror
before it's too late
3. Trailing distance is 2 seconds, not 2 feet
\_ isn't it 3 seconds?
\_ this just isn't possible in high traffic areas
\_ Because some asshole will always swerve into any gap
large enough. This doesn't excuse the rampant tailgaiting
you experience on most major freeways around here. My
favorite is when someone follows you 5 feet away at 75 or
80 mph, gesturing and flipping you off, and if you move
over for them, they are only able to then tailgate the car
in front of you that was moving the same speed.
\_ I'm just saying 2 seconds is not going to happen
on a crowded freeway. Yes people tailgate too much,
but in high traffic areas leaving 2-3 seconds is
bad driving not good.
\_ Bullshit. I leave 2 seconds all the time. Expect
that someone will cut in front of you every couple
of miles. That is no big deal. Tailgating is always
dangerous and a bad idea, but especially so in
heavy traffic.
\_ Amen brother! Same with racing up to red lights. If you
don't stay at top speed going to that red light they'll
ride your ass or race around you. Then you either both
sit at the light, or he's stopped there while you're
cruising by as it goes green.
4. The on-ramp is for accelerating to highway speeds
5. An entrance to a parking lot is not a parking space
\_ I've never seen people flat out park in an entrance. I have
seen plenty of people park on parts of a parking lot that
aren't really spots and that make traffic a lot messier.
\_ That was more of a hyperbole. I was talkinga about people
who pull into an entrance, stop, the scope around the
parking lot while their ass sticks out into the street
preventing others from moving.
6. Don't correct a navigation error with a driving one
7. If there are 2 left turn lanes, you CAN'T make a U-turn from
the outer lane.
\_ have you ever seen someone do this without making it pretty
obvious beforehand? (And waiting till the inner lane is free)
\_ Yes I have. Even if it was free, you should still get
into the proper lane to makea U-Turn. If you miss the
lane change, then at least obey rule #6
\_ they're bad every where, just bad in different ways.
\_ Californians do this:" Oh my god, it raining! What do I do? Should
I drive *faster*?"
\_ I dont knwo where you are, but most californians I've seen drive
ridiculously slower in the rain. Like "Oh My Goodness, Rain! I
should slow down to 5mph!"
\_ I think most people react like this, period. Try living
somewhere with snow and ice. Everyone either drives
at 5 miles an hour, hunched over their steering wheel,
or spins around like crazy at 10 over the speed limit
because they think 4wd makes them immune to the laws of
physics. We have about 2 months of snow and ice where I live
and the idiocy never wears off. Of course, where I live
people also will pass you on the right to take a left turn
on a red while honking and flipping you off(New England.)
\_ My experiences:
Tulsa, OK: more aggressive than LA in general; do not slow down at
all in the rain, so rain=accidents
Tampa Bay: retirement haven. they drive like it. 15 in 25 zones.
NorCal: very reasonable. few aggressive drivers. slow down a lot
in the rain.
SoCal: more aggressive. faster overall speeds on freeways. slow
down ~5mph in the rain, but rain != instant accidents
\_ SFBA: Terrible. Rarely use turn signals to indicate lane
changes, rarely look in rearview mirrors before
changing lanes, become spooked at aggressive driving
and slam on the brakes. Slow down unnecessarily during
rain. Afraid to use horn.
LA: Aggressive and belligerent. Fight for every inch of
highway. Prone to driving on shoulder, driving 55 in
fast lane, and weaving in and out of traffic when
frustrated. Like to blow horn.
San Diego:Relaxed. Content to remain in slower lanes when slow.
Prone to passing on right, left, and whatever. Not
perturbed by faster cars passing on right, left, or
whatever. Not fond of horn.
\_ In SFBA, some drivers are on their cell phones paying most
of their attention to the road. In LA, more drivers are
on their cell phones paying some of their attention to
the road. In SFBA, "Stop" means "Approach stopping." In
LA, it means "stop accelerating." No one pays attention
what's in front of them if they want to turn or what's
beside them if they want to go straight. And aggressiveness
begets aggressiveness, so LA really sucks.
\_ Yep, LA sucks, but you've missed the main reason. Driving
sucks everywhere. LA sucks because you have no choice
but to drive. |
| 2004/1/13-14 [Transportation/Car] UID:11764 Activity:nil |
1/12 I need to replace the front windshield of my car. Are there any
features that'll make the glass more expensive, or should I just
shop around for the cheapest?
\_ You have car insurance? That's what it is there for.
\_ Check with your insurance co. first. Acts of God are covered
under comprehensive and your insurance company will provide you
with a recommended list.
\_ However, it may cost less than your deductible.. |
| 2004/1/12-14 [Transportation/Car] UID:11761 Activity:kinda low |
1/11 Does AAA insure motorcycles?
\_ Progressive and geico. geico was cheaper for me...
\_ need a cheap insurance for both auto + moto
\_ I would have liked that too, but it just wasn't
available that I could find. So, stuck with Mercury
for the car (very affordable, and a great agent in
albany), and geico for the bike, which was cheaper
than progressive...
\_ AAA car insurance tends to be expensive and "not there" when you
need it. I wouldn't use it if I had another choice even if they
do bikes. Call and ask.
\_ It may have to do with who your agent is. My x-gf and her family
had AAA, and they had great services through their agent. |
| 2004/1/12-14 [Transportation/Car] UID:11760 Activity:nil |
1/11 Why do a few new looking cars have a license number with the pattern
1ABC123 (notice the "1" at the front)
\_ probably comes from the dealer. like that "NU HONDA" plate
from some honda dealer in the bay area.
\_ Is a leading "1" reserved for trucks?
\_ in case you're not very observant, license plate numbers in
CA are pretty much sequential. newer cars/trucks generally have
lexicographically higher plate numbers.
\_ I've seen it on cars.
\_ I believe trucks get licence plates of the pattern
1A11111 (i.e. just one alpha char, the rest are numbers).
-geordan
\_ maybe license plates transferred from old cars?
\_ is that possible? I thought re-use was not suggested.
\_ I know it's legal, but I don't know how it works.
\_ Special plates (Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Kids) have a reserved
sequence that hasn't been exhausted yet. My Yosemite plates
starts with 1VBA. The car I replaced had Yosemite plates from
10 years ago that started with 1UAB.
\_ that's the answer. Most "1"'s have Yosemite Plates |
| 2004/1/11-12 [Transportation/Car] UID:11751 Activity:nil |
1/10 What's a good way to find a cheap place to do smog check in S Cal?
\_ why not ask some socal natives where they get their smog checks... |
| 2004/1/8 [Transportation/Car, Science/GlobalWarming] UID:11717 Activity:nil |
01/07 More tips on having pale skin from the resident CSUA vampire.
Avoid direct sunlight. Sunlight is the primary cause of vampire death.
And don't use a lot of sunscreen lotion thinking that you'll be ok.
The high SPF lotions are all oil-based and can cause illness if taken
internally. I use moisturizer creams with SPF of 5. Higher SPF means
more oil. And I never go out into the sun. That means no going
to the beach, no getting tanned (I consider that ritual suicide,
yuck), no walking around the parking lot in the middle of day,
no eating garlic or wearing crosses, etc. -pretty boy
\_ how many aging skate rats here remember when all those kids used
to write in to Thrasher about how vampires were being oppressed,
and how they just want to skate like everyone else?
\_ Do you base your obsession on real medical facts? Some amount of
sunlight daily is healthy.
\_ Not if you're a vampire.
\_ Uh... why not use a high SPF and NOT take it internally!? |
| 2004/1/7-8 [Transportation/Car] UID:11708 Activity:nil |
1/7 If I never come back to the thrice-accursed land of Berkeley, do
I still have to pay off my parking ticket?
\_ If you get pulled over in CA and the cops run your plates, they
can arrest you. At that point you can either pay the ticket and
all accumulated penalties, or spend a day or 2 in jail.
At least that's what I've heard.
\_ Just paid... goddamn $30 late fee on a $36 ticket.
\_ Not-so-fun fact: Berkeley derives >1% of revenue from parking
tickets.
\_ Uh... try 7%...
link:csua.org/u/5gj
page 14.
And a 30% increase in fines this year.
\_ if you wish to register your car again in California, you'll pay
your parking tickets then. Only if it waits until registration those
$25 tickets will now be $80 tickets. If you're leaving the state,
you might get away with ignoring them.
\_ I accidentally ran this particular experiment while leaving Seattle.
Email me if you'd like to know the outcome or else just know that
this is not a bright idea. -- ulysses
\_ One of the conductors I sing with had a similar thing happen.
He was pulled over on vacation on a fixit violation, and they
confiscated his car. --scotsman
\_ Why not just tell us?
\_ what would partha do? -ali
\_ i had a car maybe all of 5 days in 4 years of berkeley. i got
one parking ticket. :/ |
| 2004/1/6 [Transportation/Car] UID:29745 Activity:nil |
1/5 Yahoo! News photos - Auto Shows & Concept Cars: Jeep Rescue
http://csua.org/u/5fm
Gee. What a great way of coming up with a new model line! Just put a
magnifying glass over an existing model line (Wrangler), and here you
go! |
| 2004/1/6-8 [Transportation/Car] UID:11685 Activity:nil |
1/6 I want to have a car for probably a little less than a year but don't
want to bother with all the effort, time and perhaps money (in case
I have to sell it in a hurry) wasted on buying and then selling one.
Snould I lease one or rent one for long term? What are the places/urls
to look for a good deal?
\_ RIDE BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
\_ Thanks for the troll. Actually I do a lot of things by walking
\_ get a 12 month lease.
\_ get a 12 month lease.
\_ get a 12 month lease.
\_ get a 12 month lease.
\_ get a 12 month lease.
and bus, but car is sometimes indispensible. -op
\_ Lease if you're not going to put a lot of miles on it. I've never
heard of a long term rental.
\_ get a 12 month lease. |
| 2004/1/6 [Transportation/Car] UID:11683 Activity:nil |
1/6 If America uses the English system, then why do American cars
use Liters in specifying engine displacement?
\_ American drug dealers also use the metric system.
\_ Not pot dealers, though. Also, "8-balls" of cocaine
\_ what's an 8-ball?
\_ So are small car tires, using mm.
\_ Ever heard of a 454?
\_ To the person who said no, it's 454 cu inches displacement.
Also seems to correlate to 6 cylinders with 4-inch
diameter and 6-inch stroke length
\_ Hell, you think that's weird, think tire specs: 215/65R15
that's 215 mm, 65%, and 15 inches |
| 2003/12/31 [Transportation/Car] UID:11629 Activity:nil |
12/30 Hmm, it seems smog tests cost rought 2x as much here as they do in
Socal. Anyone reccommend a Cheap place to get my practically new
car smogged in or around Oakland? (410 miles on a new honda and
I have to get it smogged 'cause i bought it used. It's so nice to
live in a state/county with such reasonable laws).
\_ what prices are you comparing? smog tests in norcal just doubled
back in october.. and probably in socal as well.
\_ move to SoCal, everything is cheaper, like housing, food,
transportation, movies, entertainment, asian massage parlor,
etc. -ucla cs guy
\_ aren't you afraid of catching STDs, ucla cs guy?
\_ heh, i don't think he worries too much about it anymore,
seeing as how he's already collected a small menagerie
of em.
\_ more to share with everyone! |
| 2003/12/19-21 [Transportation/Car] UID:11534 Activity:nil |
12/19 Yahoo! News - Silver Colored Cars Safest, New Zealand Scientists Say
http://csua.org/u/5bw
How can it be??? I always thought red and yellow cars are the safest
because they're the easiest to see, and silver and gray cars are less
safe because their colors are similar to the color of the tarmac
itself.
\_ probably has more to do with the personality of ppl who buy
silver cars than anything else.
\_ Got a heavy foot in my silver car, thanks.
\_ White has been show over and over again to be the most visible.
\_ I thought red is more visible.
\_ http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=carcolor
It is either white (at night) or lime yellow (against snow).
\_ Only to cops when you're speeding.
\_ Similar study here 2 years ago said red was the safest. But then
again, we drive on the correct side of the road. -John |
| 2003/12/19-20 [Transportation/Car, Recreation/Computer/Games] UID:11523 Activity:nil |
12/18 earn some quick shopping money this weekend flyering cars for
http://govojo.com - the netflix for games. email brain for details
\_ Yay! More trash in the gutters! Like my email and US mail spam
wasn't enough, now I've got to toss your shit off my car at BART.
\_ yeah, like we needed more trash in the gutters.
\_ what's wrong with http://redoctane.com? |
| 2003/12/4 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Domestic/Crime] UID:11309 Activity:high |
12/2 Hey as long as i'm bringing purged motd items back to life..
Does anyone have any statistics comparing per captia crime
rates by population density?
\_ let me ask you a question. If you're walking down a dark street
at night, do you feel safer when you see lots of cars on the road,
or when you see lots of other pedestrians? Do you feel safer
seeing a squad car drive by, or actually seeing a cop out on the
beat? I claim that throwing idiotic car cities like LA and pheonix
together with real cities like chicago or seattle and comparing them
with rich suburbs misses the point. Car culture leads to
an impersonal, anonymus society, which leads to not only crime, but
lonelines and misery which you can't quantify with your
statistics.
\_ The answer you think is correct is correct. But, walking down
a deserted street in SF in the middle of the night i am way
more on my gaurd than I would be on a similarly deserted street
in a (much poorer) rural area. Cities are much richer than
rural areas on average, but, again, I bet densely populated
cities have much higher per capita rates of violent crimes.
(now, that by no means would establish causality between
poplation density and crime, as there are confounding factors,
but still... "Animals can be driven insane by placing too many
of them into too small a space...")
Also there is a number of famous cases where a person is being
brutally attacked over a long and well populated distance, in
places like NY, with no one interferring or calling the police.
This sort of think does not happen in rural areas. (that is, if
people see you in trouble, they will help a *much* higher % of
the time.)
\_ I have never felt safer having seen a cop. If i was female I
would probably feel differently.
\_ A mugger can only steal what you have on you at the time.
The police are under no such restriction.
\_ A mugger can kill you. I suppose it's not stealing, but
makes you lose everything.
\_ It's a hell of a thing to kill a man. You take away
everything he's got, and everything he's ever going
to have. - William Munny |
| 2003/12/3 [Transportation/Car] UID:11285 Activity:nil |
12/2 What are the pros and cons of disc brakes vs. drum brakes? Why do
big trucks and buses have drum brakes and small cars have disc brakes?
obGoogle:
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/techcenter/articles/43857/article.html
I like it when people ask questions that are easily answered by
google because it makes me look up things that I was interested in
but never got around to looking up.
\_ with disc brakes and drum brakes you pollute the environment,
destroy communities, waste your money and turn into a fatass.
with living near enough to work to not drive you don't.
\_ there are arguments to be made about why it's a bad idea to
cram a lot of people in tight quarters.
\_ stupid arguments.
\_ Animals can be driven insane by placing too many of
them into too small a space. Man is the only animal
that voluntarily does this to himself. -RAH
\_ Although I don't have the statistics readily avail.
I'd give long odds that Murder rates (per capita)
are higher in densly populated cities vs. rural areas.
\_ price (drum) vs performance (disc)
\_ yeah, that is the drawback of some of the subarus.
\_ When I took my autoshop class, they told me the opposite. Drum
brakes can stopper better than disc brakes because drums pads have
more surface area than disc brake pads;however, drums take longer
to brake (building up heat/friction or what not) than discs do,
but once they do "kick-in" they have more stopping power.
\_ So it's an issue of reaction time vs. braking power, and sports
cars need reaction time. |
| 2003/11/25 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:11216 Activity:nil |
11/24 What's the diff b/w 4WD and AWD?
\_ usually if they say 4WD the vehicle is normally in 2WD with the
ability to switch to 4WD.. but on normal city streets will not
handle well in 4WD (often because it locks 1/both/all
differentials). AWD usually implies it will automatically shift
power to or away from wheels w/o any intervention. There are of
course variations on these rules.. such as the mercedes 4matic
\_ Yes, 4WD with locking differential(s) handles even worse than 2WD
on paved roads unless you're always going straight. It's not
intended to be used on-road. The only time the 4WD on my
Cherokee saved my ass on city street was one time when I
unknowingly landed one rear wheel on a cable car track on an
uphill slope while waiting to make a left turn on a rainy day.
As the opposite traffic cleared, I stepped on the gas but my
truck didn't move an inch. Realizing that I was going to be hit
by the oncoming cable car going downhill fast in the opposite
direction, I paniced, pulled the 4WD lever, floored the gas pedal
and pulled myself out of the intersection.
\_ http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive.htm/printable
\_ great link, thanks! So I'm curious, how much of a mpg
penalty is there for the awd differential?
\_ Usually 2-4 MPG highway. Don't remember about city. Just
check out this year's specs for various vehicle models with
both AWD and 2WD. E.g. Toyota Sienna (van), Lexus RX300
(SUV), Toyota Matrix (car).
\_ negligable on some, e.g. audi. definitely less than
other factors like tire width, tire pressure, mass of
lead foot. |
| 2003/11/24-25 [Transportation/Car] UID:11208 Activity:insanely high |
11/24 Study: Higher Speed Limits Create Dangers
http://csua.org/u/533 (Yahoo News)
\_ I'd like to see the numbers broken down by age, gender and DUI/!DUI.
\_ yeah, right. as if speed limits aren't part of a Big Government
plot along with traffic lights to enslave Red Blooded Americans
to the UN. Get out of here with your whacko liberal trolls.
\_ more likely low speed limits generate revenue for the
government and insurance companies. Low blood-alcohol levels
are a cash cow.
\_ Even if this is true, I'm still all for it as long as it
reducts fatal accidents dramatically (according to the
article). One nice side effect is that it slightly reduces
gas consumption.
\_ And yet the societal advantage of 99.999999% of the population
who dont have accidents who will be wasting less time in
transportation is completely ignored.
\_ When a fatal crash occurs, a large number of people are affected
minutes you save with a higher speed limit.
by the gridlock it creates. And the delay is bigger than the
minutes you save with a higher speed limit. Plus the delay is
unpredictable unlike ordinary traffic jam.
\_ That study said nothing about number of accidents, just the
deaths involved. Also it admitted the fatality rate dropped
nationally each year in the study. They make some weird
comparisons between different states. It's a crock of crap.
Of course, not all highways are the same. If I look at 280 vs.
101 in the bay area, 280 is just much better suitable for high
speeds. A lot of freeways have really bad on and off ramps,
and idiots who don't know how to merge.
\_ still the accidents causing traffic jams would have to be
really frequent to overcome the advantage of everyone else
being able to go faster ALL THE TIME. And you're ignoring
the other advantage of increased fatal accidents -- every one
is at least one less driver on the road. |
| 2003/11/24-25 [Transportation/Car] UID:11207 Activity:high |
11/24 Anybody here drive a Subaru? What model do you have and how long
have you had it? I'm thinking of getting a used Forester or Outback.
Wondering about the reliability and such. Thanks.
\_ Why do you want AWD? Just to avoid chain controls in Tahoe?
\_ the joy of non-truck, permanent AWD must be experienced
first hand. on dry summer pavement. then, in a blizzard.
\_ AWD (not 4WD) gives better control on wet paved roads.
\_ i knew some people who drove subaru station wagons back in the
late 80's, and beat the shit out of them, driving them
over salted icy roads on ski trips. they lasted to over 200k
miles typically. i don't know if they still have that reliability.
\_ and note, caltrans uses sand, not salt. so used ski cars
in ca are in good shape compared to any eastern used car.
\_ What a coincidence! I'm thinking about a new Forester or Outback.
Haven't done much research on Subaru's reliability yet. I guess
\_ my co-worker has a RS (they don't make it anymroe?). She says
Consumer Reports will have something.
\_ WRX, since July. It's holding up pretty well. -geordan
\_ is it a new car? I'm wondering about the reliability of 2-3
year old subarus. Thanks.
\_ It first appeared in this country in 2001. -geordan
\_ my co-worker has a RS (they don't make it anymore?). She says
maintanence fee is reidiculus.
\_ RIDE BIKE! USE LINUX! LIGHT CANDLE!
\_ Candle? Open the shade at your office and use sunlight.
Saves both lighting and heating cost.
the maintance costs over $1000. And I thought honda's $500+
road feel and the car feels solid and heavy.
maintanence fee is reidiculus.
\_ My brother and sister-in-law had a Legacy wagon. They liked
it very much, more so than their Camry. I drove it a few
times. I thought the handling is very decent, with good
road feel and the car feels solid and heavy.
\_ All Subarus come with All Wheel Drive. Most excellent.
\_ WRX station wagon, since earlier this month. Fine so far. --dbushong
\_ legacy sedan, 2+ years, 38k miles. reliable, yeah. very quirky,
though. overall, good winter car. |
| 2003/11/24 [Politics/Domestic/California, Transportation/Car] UID:11203 Activity:kinda low |
11/24 So is it legal or illegal to not have a front license plate?
I've heard both answers from various sources, and I haven'et
had luck finding answers online. Does anyone know?
\_ Wrong. It is legal if the CA DMV only gives you one plate.
\_ It is legal if the CA DMV only gives you one plate.
If they give you two plates it is 'illegal' to not have
\_ Why is the OP wrong? I don't get it.
one in front.
my first car 12 years ago it only had a rear plate. Then later
I got a citation for a missing front plate. However, I see
\_ Why would the CA DMV only give you one plate? BTW when I bought
their excuse is their front bumpers are not designed to hold a
plate. Hell, just drill two holes. Why should you be exempt
my first car (used) 12 years ago it only had a rear plate. Then
later I got a citation for a missing front plate. However, I see
people driving fancy Mercedes which have no front plate, and
their excuse is that their front bumpers are not designed to hold
a plate. Hell, just drill two holes. Why should you be exempt
just because you have a fancy car.
\_ the cops don't care whether or not you front bumper isn't
"designed" to hold a plate or not, my sister's old car was
like that and she got a ticket for it. she went to the
dealership and complained about it enough that they drilled
the bumper for a plate and gave her a new license plate
holder and a car wash.
\_ A lawyer friend of mine told me that, in general, they can't
give you a ticket solely for that, but technically it's illegal.
Dunno if that's true or not, but I was given a ticket for it
also (I had expired registration stickers cuz I was a dumbass,
and the CHP tacked on the no-front-plate to the citation).
\_ in CA it's not "legal" but nobody seems to care.
\_ except for the cop that gave me a ticket for
that very reason.
\_ Yeah LAPD tickets for this also.
\_ Just curious, how much was your fine? I'm thinking about
getting a new car and I don't want them to drill holes
into my bumper.
\_ fixit ticket
\_ Well, fixit ticket after you "fixit". You are supposed
to have a front plate. I've had my front plate stolen
a number of times, and have had anywhere from $50-120
tickets that changed to $10 after i payed the DMV $7
for new plates. Total joke...
\_ It's illegal. You will be ticketed. Plus it gives cops a reason
to pull you over.
\_ Bought a new car last month. They made me sign a form that said
I chose not to have the front plate put on and indemnifying the
dealership. |
| 2003/11/22 [Transportation/Car] UID:11178 Activity:nil |
11/21 ~ 100k hp engine: http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl \_ will it fit in my car? |
| 2003/11/21 [Transportation/Car] UID:29661 Activity:nil |
11/21 How much of a discount on 2003 cars can I expect once the 2004 model
comes out? Is it worth waiting? (assume a car with an average
popularity. There will still be a few 2003s left in stock)
\_ depends on what model, how desperate that dealer is, etc. they're
not going to give it away free. it still has tremendous value. |
| 2003/11/21 [Transportation/Car] UID:29653 Activity:very high |
11/20 How often should I have alignment done on my car. If I also need new
tires, should I replace the tires first or have alignment done first?
Thanks.
\_ If you absolutely must do one before the other, I would lean toward
the tires first. It's a basic safety issue: old tires are less
likely to be effective during heavy rain, and they're more likely
to have a catastrophic blowout.
\_ why not do them both at the same time?
\_ I thought I'll get new tires at Costco, and Costso doesn't do
alignment. So I'll have to go to either Costco than a mechanic,
or a mechanic then Costco.
\_ There is no point getting an alignment first. Change the tires
and then get an alignment.
\_ Every day or two is usually enough.
\_ Not really. For optimal performance at least twice a day. |
| 2003/11/19 [Transportation/Car] UID:11132 Activity:nil |
11/17 Has anyone bought a new vehicle using AAA's pre-negotiated price
service (whatever it's called)? How's that price compared to the
invoice price? Thanks.
\_ it's not that great. Go through costco instead ($500 over
invoice, I think, better than AAA), and then go to a non-
costco-participating dealer, and ask them to beat it. Worked
for me (with Honda)
\_ How does someone negotiate the price down to the invoice price?
Any tips? Thx.
\_ http://www.fool.com/car/car.htm?ref=eseovrlnk603100
\_ I did this last June and I got the price of my Jetta GLI
down to a couple of hundred above invoice. Don't forget
http://www.edmunds.com for dealer incentives and other
hidden rebates. |
| 2003/11/17-18 [Transportation/Car] UID:11111 Activity:very high |
11/17 Is Toyota Celica much less popular than Acura Integra/RSX or Honda
Prelude these days? I've see very few on the streets.
\_ Dood Acura Integra Hel-la fresh. Got great space for Pioneer
sticker and fat spoiler on back. Don't forget fake Mugen
badge. -John
\_ Or the VTEC and Type R badges. GT-R badges are good, too.
\_ I've actually seen more Celicas this year than previous years.
Still doesn't compare to the number of RSX's out there.
\_ Yes, I have a Celica and can tell you they are much less
popular. I had a Integra before. Based on the pre-2000 Celicas
and pre-RSX, Acura's are much better cars and cost less, so
\_ how do you figure that?
\_ Speaking on the 97 models, the
Integra had standard roughly 30
popular. I had a Integra before. Based on the pre-2000 Celicas
and pre-RSX, Acura's are much better cars and cost less, so
\_ how do you figure that?
more horsepower, cruise control,
sunroof and DOCH. All extras on
\_ It's DOHC, fool. Do you even know what DOHC is?
the Celica. By nature, Acura is
a luxury car and Celicas are not.
that would explain their popularity. But I got a Celica because
it's not as common and like the body better.
\_ Preludes are no longer being made (at least not for the US). But,
anyways, they were in a separate class from the Celica and RSX
(Integra). The Prelude was a true sports car and much nicer
than the other two. It was likewise priced at a much, much higher
point than the other two. (the S2000 took over that market for the
defunct prelude).
\_ Prelude a "true sports car"? FWD? Rear seats? Um, no.
\_ ahh, he shows his ignorance. FWD works quite well for
handling when the balance of the vehicle is forward, i.e.
a front (not mid) mounted engine. Also the prelude has
AWS in many models. It also allows you to drive out of a
turn like a mother f***er. And for the rear seats, hmmm,
280zx, 300zx, not true sports cars either? How about the
Ferarri 456GT? Not a true sports car? Hmmm, american muscle,
is a trans am not a true sports car?
\_ Having a forward weight bias is bad for handling
dynamics. Any car that makes large concessions to
comfort and convenience is no longer a "true sports
car". The Prelude's a pretty good sports coupe, IMO. |
| 2003/11/7 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:10972 Activity:kinda low |
11/6 Doubts about the profiteering motives of the Iraq action?
http://www.hillnews.com/news/110503/profiteering.aspx
\_ And they say there's no looting:
"At a Democratic Policy Committee hearing, Melanie Sloan,
executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, testified that
"Halliburton [formerly headed by Vice President Dick
Cheney] has charged an average price of $2.65 a gallon
of gasoline imported into Iraq from Kuwait, despite experts'
conclusions that the total price should be less than $1 a
gallon." Sloan added that Iraq's state oil company is
importing "the exact same gas" for 97 cents.
\_ Experts? Which experts? Gas in a war torn country still
suffering partisan attacks should pay half of what I do in
the most stable country on the planet? I think not. Also,
that's not called looting. The word you're looking for is
'gouging'. The real gouging is going on right here in the
Bay Area. I'd bet a buck you're one of the RIDE BIKE! folks
who think high gas prices here are a good thing while at the
same time you're bitching about the high price somewhere else.
\_ personally, i believe gas prices, like other prices,
shoule be determined by the free market. Maybe the
market would set prices in iraq at 4 bucks per gallon,
and at one dollar per gallon in the bay area, but
we won't know until we try will we? It's ironic
that the profiteers who have taken control of our
federal gonvernment claim to be pro-free market
and then appear to be socialists when it makes their
business associates rich.
\_ (1) Iraq is in an area where people are swimming in oil,
and they don't have to ship it half way around the
world, yet they are paying $2.65 which is much higher
than what most of this country is paying.
(2) There is a big difference between higher gasoline
prices due to taxes (that goes to pay infrastructure
improvements and pollution control, etc.) and
higher gasoline prices due to price gouging that
goes straight to pockets of fat cats like Dick Cheney.
\_ If location is so important please explain to me why I
pay 25 cents more per gallon living near a few refineries
than I do when I drive to the more remote parts of the
Bay Area which is getting their gas from the same
refineries? It's called price gouging. As for your
second point, you have absolutely no idea what the price
breakdown is for taxes,fuel costs, transport, security or
anything on Iraqi gas (or US gas either I'd guess). The
real price gouging is going on right here in the Bay Area.
Tell me, you out there RIDING BIKE!?
\_ Since you insist on being a moron, I will explain
it to you. Difference in transportation cost is
insignificant between where you live and other areas
of the Bay Area compared to the other costs of
the gasoline. However, difference in tranportation
cost becomes significant when it is half way around
the world compared to right at the doorstep (i.e.
Kuwait to Iraq). As for the breakdown of price,
the Iraqi state oil company is selling at $1 per
gallon, so can you tell us which of the factors
you mentioned (tax, fuel, transport, security) is
the cause of the additional $1.65 Halliburton is
charging?
\_ You completely ignored my question about why I pay
more living next to a refinery than I do when I
drive 200 miles in land where gas comes from the
same refinery. If you're going to call someone a
moron and then explain why they're a moron, at least
put some effort into your proof. This is the point
where I'm supposed to call you a moron in return but
I won't. Your intellectual dishonesty speaks for
itself.
\_ BC raised taxes throughout his administration and
you're worried about a measly $1.65? Grow up.
\_ Non-sequitor post of the day.
\_ free Kevin!!
\_ That totally follows...
OP: Something bad has happened in the Bush
Administration.
Rep: It's Bill Clinton's fault!! |
| 2003/11/4 [Consumer/Shipping, Transportation/Car] UID:10928 Activity:nil |
11/3 Hi, a co-worker got rear-ended by a FedEx truck today (it was
raining and my co-worker had stopped on a yellow), and his bumper
has an obvious ~ 3-foot crack. The FedEx guy gave him his insurance
info. Two questions: (1) Assuming he reports this, does FedEx
insurance pay, or does my co-worker's insurance pay, (2) Do you
think my co-worker's rates will rise, and if so, by about how much?
Right now he pays ~ $300 / 6 months. He drives a 2000 Suzuki
station wagon he paid $7-8K to the dealer for. Anyone have
experience here? Thanks.
\_ If the FedEx driver was at fault, you will not have to pay.
Your insurance rates should not go up.
\_ At fault person should never get dinged unless something really
weird is going on. Getting rear-ended is pretty much guaranteed
no-fault. If the insurance company fucks around and tries to
claim anything different, IMMEDAITELY get a lawyer to send them a
letter. They'll back down in seconds.
\_ Don't you mean the opposite of what you just said?
\_ Uh yeah, I was dazed when I wrote that. I meant the !At fault
person should never get dinged, etc. The rest is true.
\_ Ask your co-worker to see a doctor immediately. I got
rear-ended last week and I didn't seek treatment until my neck
and back started hurting like hell.
\_ Larry H. Parker got ME 1.3 Million. |
| 2003/10/28 [Transportation/Car] UID:10828 Activity:nil |
10/28 What are some good tires for a wet climate. Yes, I know about yokohama
but they're a bit pricey, are there any cheaper ones?
\_ Yokohama is a medium-tier brand. You won't get much cheaper. Go
to http://tirerack.com and check out their ratings. --dim
\_ My Dunlop SP9000s are the best tires I've ever driven. These
things rock rock rock in all conditions. Dunno about price, but
if you want really good handling, there you go. -John |
| 2003/10/24-25 [Transportation/Car, Industry/Startup] UID:10770 Activity:nil |
10/24 Any tips on the best way to give a company that tried to screw
you over (in this case Advantage-Rent-A-Car) negative publicity?
Other than the better business bureau, any good ways to blacklist
them?
\_ Are there websites similar to http://resellerratings.com for such
cases? That would rule!
\_ pretty good link, thanks! Yeah, if only they had that for
everything... Might be quite helpful/interesting.
\_ It's called the better business bureau. As if anyone cares about
or reads any of those sites or checks the BBB anyway. I know people
who swear by paypal even after seeign <DEAD>palpaysucks.com<DEAD> |
| 2003/10/14 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:10623 Activity:nil |
10/13 So various no skilled and low skilled workers are striking across
the US right now. Should they be replaced by illegal immigrants?
Is this not a case of Americans being unwilling to do menial work
that immigrants would gladly do?
\_ sounds like a normal negotiation process. And who said that
Americans are unwilling to do menial type of work? Everything
has its price.
\_ Or is it the case of trying to maintain the standard of living
so we don't have to live like they do in the 3rd world?
\_ But they're mostly doing unskilled or very low skilled labor so
wouldn't it be better to have undocumented immigrants do this
labor for less since Americans aren't willing to work at the
lower rates the new immigrants are willing to work for? Isn't
that the same reasoning for having undocumented workers in the
fields picking produce instead of higher waged Americans?
\_ You know, not every job has to, or can, provide health insurance
and high pay. People accepting positions like these ones need to
realize that upon accepting them.
\_ Every job should provide health insurance. Maybe not 100% paid
for, but the employer should contribute. That might mean less
pay, though. As for high pay, do you think these people are
highly paid? Maybe $17/hour is a little much for a checker,
but: 1) What is the right amount? 2) The grocery stores agreed
to it. --dim
\_ "They agreed to do it." Ya, the alternative is to let
people strike. Then you look bad and the federal govt might
slap your wwrist.
\_ actually they didn't agree to it, that's why the
clerks are striking.
\_ Actually, they did. That's why the clerks make what
they make. Now they want to put the genie back in
the bottle. They have that right, but the reason
clerks are overpaid is that they agreed to do it.
\_ The pay, not the healthcare costs.
\_ Um, no. Health insurance as we know it needs to be
completely dismantled. My car insurance doesn't pay for my
oil changes--why should my health insurance pay for doctor
visits?
\_ It's not the doctor visits bankrupting the system. They
are cheap, and cheaper still when you consider that an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
\_ The two are not comparable, in my view. Car insurance
pays if you break someone else's car, not if your car
needs a valve job. -chialea
\_ That's what he just said, isn't it?
\_ And thus any comparison between the two is not
on, get it? My driver's license doesn't allow
me to take cars, so why should my fishing license
allow me to take fish?
\_ Uh, I think we're in agreement but you lost me
when you started talking about fish.
\_ Just this: comparing car insurance with
health insurance makes as much sense as
comparing driver's licenses with fishing
licenses.
\_ health >> driving around in your SUV.
\_ whats up with the class warfare? he could be driving
a bug from the 60s for all you know. |
| 2003/10/13-14 [Transportation/Car] UID:10610 Activity:low |
10/13 I've always wondered what makes a 2 wheeled vehicle turn when it
is fast. Whenever I see people turn on their bikes, they don't turn
the wheels but instead lean towards the turn. What baffles me the
most is their wheels are straight in the turn! What exactly is the
physical force that makes it turn? Is it the angular momentum or
some other mechanism? -not physics buff
\_ "when it is fast"? yikes.
the wheels but instead lean towards the turn. What baffles me the
most is their wheels are straight in the turn! What exactly is the
physical force that makes it turn? Is it the angular momentum or
some other mechanism? -not physics buff
\_ nor would you want to turn your steering column if you were
going 80MPH on a bike
\_ why not?
\_ dying would be one of the main reasons.
\_ Try it sometime!
\_ torque. angular momentum. cross product.
\_ What torque? I thought it's the frictional force between the
tires and the road which points to the center of curvature.
\_ So how do you explain that leaning over would change
the center of curvature?
\_ Where does the torque come from?
\_ Gravity. When you lean over, you're trying to rotate the
bike (and gravity is helping you) perpendicular to the
current axis of rotation.
\_ How do you know the steering isn't being turned by a miniscule amt.?
\_ because circles of large curvature are really flat, just like
the earth!
\_ The leaning is not what causes the bike to turn. The leaning is done
so that the bike doesn't fall over in the opposite direction from the
centrifugal force from turning. You need to lean more when taking
a turn at a higher speed than at a lower speed.
\_ Here's a fun experiment you can do with a tire... attach it to
some sort of rod or something, then start spinning it... then move
the rod and notice the resistance you get. Not exactly the same
thing as turning, but maybe you'll start to feel/see forces that
you didn't quite understand before.
\_ Look up gyroscope in http://www.howstuffworks.com They have a video
demo.
\_ You never try to turn the steering wheel while riding. Instead,
you push down on the direction that you want to go. There is a
small angle in the steering column relative from a right angle to
the ground which generated a slight turn in the front wheel.
Pushing down in the direction you want to go also leans your weight
into the turn. At least that's how i ride.
into the turn. |
| 2003/10/10-12 [Transportation/Car] UID:10574 Activity:nil |
10/10 i'm shopping for an used sport bike and my budget is around $5000.
what do i need to pay attention in terms of mileages, brand, and
other things? thanks.
\_ Ask if it has been raced, do not buy a bike that has been
raced, unless you get a deep discount. Look for evidence
like safety wire holes, etc. Ask if it has been in an
accident. Have an independent mechanic check for things
like frame straightness. All modern sportbikes are
reliable, just don't buy anything more than 10 years old.
Everyone has their own favorites regarding brand. My
advice is to buy what you like. -ausman
\_ thanks! what's considered as high-mileage/low-mileage?
\_ This is tricky. Low mileage can be just a big a
flag as high - either they have several bikes or they
barely ride it. Thus may not maintain it. 1-10k/yr
is fine, but above 30k be sure to get the mechanic
opinion. My old BMW was fine at 70k, but a gsxr is not.
\_ Anything in particular to watch out on old (~1988) bikes
with low miles (<10K)? What is most likely to
deteriorate from neglect, other than the oil/hoses/fuel?
\_ If stored outside, a very low mileage bike from the
80s may have siezed bolts that will be a bitch
to remove/destroy. The rust is established.
\_ EX500 is good because nweaver has one. Also not too many plastics
so if you drop you will not get as depressed as say a nice 600RR.
\_ No, nweaver has a VFR, his girl friend has an EX250...
\_ Don't spend $5000 on your first bike. You will drop it and
feel bad. Is this your first bike?
\_ Get a nice used 10 speed off telegraph or university. Just bring
some heavy duty chain cutters you can borrow from someone. |
| 2003/10/9 [Transportation/Car] UID:10549 Activity:nil |
10/9 I am thinking about buying an Acura or Infiniti. Does anyone here
have shopping experience in both dealerships? How do they
compare (in terms of both sales and service)? A related question...
do these luxury brands (Acura, Infiniti, Lexus) treat you better
than their mainstream counterparts (Honda, Nissan, Toyota)?
\_ yes. they treat you better. -nivra
\_ Doo! Honda Acura Integra hel-la fresh! Just make sure you get
the big fat wing on the back, the bad window tinting and the
huuuuge-ass pioneer sticker. -John
\_ My caaa so haaaa! My hair so haaaa!
\_ Sad to say, but these days it's either German or Japanese.
Detroit only makes junk. Check out the Saturn Ion. The
engineers must have been drunk.
\_ And don't forget the "Hong Kong Student" sticker. :-) |
| 2003/10/8-9 [Transportation/Car, Computer/SW/Unix] UID:10539 Activity:moderate |
10/8 I just saw a car with the license plate 'UNIX' Anyone know whose car
it is?
\_ No, but if you knew what would it matter?
\_ It doesn't matter, I'm just curious. There are a lot of
possibilities for a car like that in Berkeley
\_ What state?
\_ Sorry, California
\_ Original Owner: Ted Dolotta
Current Owner: John R. Mashey (as of Mar 2002)
For more info see:
http://www.balug.org/ml/balug-talk/msg01535.html
http://www.troff.org/history.html
(Google is simply amazing)
\_ Thanks. I was kinda hoping MK McKusick had it...
\_ I read that he had 44BSD (which is much cooler)
\_ RIDE BIKE! USE CANDLE!
\_ FYI, you can call the DMV. They won't give out home addr
but give other information. |
| 2003/10/7 [Transportation/Car] UID:29555 Activity:very high |
10/6 Effects of the new car tax: my friend is a java developer living alone
and making about $55k. She's not from Berkeley so this is about the
best she's going to do. Car tax on her $26k car? $700. We need
prop13 for car owners so middle income people can still afford to
drive to work.
\_ 2% of 26k = 520 + a few other bits - shouldn't exceed $600.
And she didn't have to buy a new car. Gas runs her 4x as much.
\_ I saw her bill. $700 no matter what you *think* it should be.
\_ just vote for McClintock (or Arnold?)
\_ What do you mean, "afford to drive to work"? Is she going to stop
driving and ride bike? If so, that's great. No, she's going to
suck it up and bend over to the state. Why? Because she makes $55k
and is buying a $26k car...
\_ What if I said she makes $80k? What if I said she makes $120k?
Would you then say she makes enough that she should just pay and
STFU and as a rich bitch she already doesn't pay her fair share?
\_ Solid point. $26k is too much for your car if you make $55k
around here. Can we get some decent home econ classes in the
damn schools.
\_ Sorry. Not in the budget.
\_ it's people like you who wonder hanging at the end of a rope
\_ wut
\_ this man speaks truth
\_ could you translate it into some form of english, please?
\_ it is english, dumbass. non-rich people who can't budget
appropriately will always have money trouble, regardless
of the car tax.
\_ She pays $500/mo in car payments, $200/mo in insurance, probably
$100/mo in gasoline and she complains about $60/mo in taxes?
Tell her to stop whining.
\_ 200/month in insurance? She isn't an 18 year old white male.
500/month in car payments? Who ripped you off when you bought
a car? It isn't a porsche. -op
\_ 26000/48 = 541, 26000/60 = 433 do the math. Most people get
4 year car loans. That doesn't even include interest.
I just plugged 28 yo single female with a perfect record
living in Berkeley into http://gmac123.com and they gave me $195/mo
for 100/300 liability and full coverage.
\_ yeah, let the bitch eat cake!
\_ How do you think these highways she drives on are financed?
Typical middle class Californian, wants all this stuff
and wants someone else to pay for it.
\_ I hate this royal bitch already. She deserves to die.
\_ With her taxes? We already know the rich and poor don't
pay them.
\_ Only $100 per month on gasoline?!
\_ One of the most useless things to buy is a brand new car. Just
buy a good used car and get min insurance. Works for me. Invest
extra money for the future.
\_ What will you buy with that money in the future? A new car?
\_ No, he'll be paying medical bills when he crashes in his
old heap.
\_ With the money I saved from not having a car for 10
years, I was able to make a down payment on a house. -ausman
\_ I did the same thing, but the point here is that at one
extreme you have a lot of money and don't do anything with
it. At the other extreme you enjoy life but get into
debt. Moderation is the key. After a saved for the house
I bought myself a new car, because having a POS for 10
years sucks. Useless? Maybe. Makes me happy? Yes. --dim
\_ With the money I saved from not having a car for 10 years,
I was able to buy a new car AND downpay a house....
Though perhaps I'd have been better off without the car.
I weigh 20lbs more in 1.5 years.
\_ With the increased mobility a car allowed me, I was able
to live in a nicer place and commute to much better paying
jobs. I made my down payment in cash, I pay an extra $2k
per month on my 15 year loan, and I can get my wife a new
car every 3 years with all the extra money I make by
having a car all the way through the last 10 years.
\_ Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that. Doesn't everyone
make their downpayment "in cash"?
\_ Nope. Most people are doing 10% or even 5% and some
even get higher interest "negative" percent loans. I
did a full 20% down, live further away in a nicer
place than the shit holes where the jobs are. I
don't have to tell myself anything. I see my
paycheck, my loan expenses and my wife's new car.
And oh yeah, my house has gone up about $150k since
I got it and the area is now building up nicely.
\_ Personally, I think the outer burbs are horrible.
I would rather live in North Oakland. But luckily,
we don't all want the same thing. I suspect my
house in Noe Valley has gone up about that much.
\_ I find the outer burbs unpleasant, not nice,
but luckily, we don't all want the same thing. |
| 2003/10/7 [Transportation/Car] UID:29553 Activity:nil |
10/6 Non political non computer (so this can't be a troll, right?) question:
What do people use to wash their car windows? I've read that ammonia
is really bad for them (I guess that makes sense, I never use Windex
to wipe my glasses). -new car owner, used to Ride BART
\_ The best glass cleaner is Porsche glass cleaner. It is similar
to eyeglass cleaner. You can find an assortment of cleaners at
any autoparts store, though.
\_ I use the car wash. But, sometimes I spit into a paper towel and
use that. |
| 2003/10/7 [Transportation/Car] UID:10499 Activity:nil |
10/6 Damn, my non-election post was deleted. What do people use to wash
their car windows? I've been told that Windex is really bad.
BMW Freaks on the Internet recommend all sorts of wacko stuff.
-!bmw owner
\_ vinegar and water, dry w/ newspaper (which acts as a polish)
\_ Porsche window cleaner, but Windex is fine. |
| 2003/10/2-4 [Transportation/Car] UID:10421 Activity:kinda low |
10/2 Why is the waterpump usually changed the same time as the timing
belt? Isn't it a pretty reliable part?
\_ The belt needs to be removed to change the pump. So if the pump
fails then you get your timing belt changed whether you need to
or not. It's a matter of convenience and will save you money. Have
the nearby seals changed, too. It costs almost nothing and if one
leaks on your new belt it will cause it to slip. --dim
\_ how much for the seals?
\_ Less than $100 parts+labor
\_ Because it's hard to get to it. You don't want to pay the
labor twice. But I guess you know that already, and yes,
I wish they just build the part such that it last for 16 years.
\_ fyi, my water pump was messing up, this jammed up my timing
belt, I had to replace both parts again, this time from a good
mechanic
\_ by the way I called the guy up and he said the aftermarket belt
is $100 cheaper, but don't last as long. Any reason why OEM
belt would last longer?
\_ Boy, he's riding you for a good one. How can aftermarket
timing belts be $100 cheaper when the OEM belt costs about
$20?
\_ Depends on the car. What car do you have, op?
\_ pony up. the timing belt is very important. you're supposed
to only be changing it only every 60K-90K miles. who knows
how crappy the non-OEM belt is (and whether it was > $100
cheaper for them to buy); and your mechanic is actually warning
you
\_ pony up. the belt is very important. you're supposed to only
be changing it every 60K-90K miles. |
| 2003/9/30 [Transportation/Car] UID:10385 Activity:nil |
9/29 It's time to change my timing belt and water pump. The dealer charges
$299 for the timing belt and $200 for the pump, while a generic
store charges $345 for the whole thing. That's about $150 difference.
My question is, is there ANY reason to go to the dealer? Is the
authentic OEM timing belt and water pump worth going to the dealer?
\_ oh my car is a Honda Accord. Why would it matter? -op
\_ call the small independant shop and tell them "i want oem parts"
and they will do that. most shops do that anyway and get the parts
at a huge discount straight from the local dealership.. and if your
car isn't a high end german car, chances are their generic obdII
gear will be able to do everything needed. the huge price difference
is that they are willing to pass on part of the savings on parts
and also cheaper labor prices. dealerships usually bill at about
$80-$95/hr where as independant shops are closer to $65.
\_ Small shop is good enough for this. What kind of car?
\_ Do you have a warranty? If so, I'd go to the dealer since having
the work done at a 3rd party might void your warranty.
If you car is a generic japanese import then a 3rd party will
work well.
\_ This is a timing belt. You don't change a timing belt when the
car is still under warranty. That's at least 75,000 on a recent
Accord. Unless you are commuting from one end of the bay to
the other on a daily basis or are a shipping company you
don't rack that kind of mileage up usually in under 3 years.
\_ if you know a good, reputable 3rd party repair shop, then, go
ahead. My toyota dealer cost about 10-15% more. I guess i am
willing to pay that extra premium.
\_ Can a generic store deal with the "computers" under the hood on
most of today's cars?
\- If Japanese && EBay, you can try OCEANWORKS. As for the
Danhimal Discount. --psb |
| 2003/9/20-21 [Transportation/Car, Computer/HW/Printer] UID:10266 Activity:nil |
9/20 This is beautiful. Any of you own HP stock? Friends work there?
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11542
\_ How else are the HP execs going to take the Passage to India
quickly in style and comfort?
\_ Carly sucks, but how do they figure that planes registered to
"GC AIR LLC" in Anaheim are owned by HP? --dim |
| 2003/9/1-2 [Transportation/Car, Health] UID:10028 Activity:very high |
8/31 I am in the transition from being employed to unemployed or hopefully
self-employed later on. One of the things that worry me is health
insurance just for myself. Will it become much more expensive?
I am generally healthy but already in my early 30s'. What
company/package do people in similar situation buy?
\_ If you are a Christian, you may want to try:
http://www.christianebuy.com/medishare2.html
I think it's good for tiding things over while unemployed or if
one has financial difficulties, but coverage is probably more
basic than what you get from your employer. About $100 per month.
They say they save costs by not supporting people with
unhealthy lifestyles (drugs, sex, etc.). At first, I have some
misgivings about that, but thinking more, there is nothing wrong
with it.
\_ jesus crashed my browser.
\_ How do they verify that the subscriber is a christian? Can one
convert? And what if the subscriber lost his faith after
subscription? Although I can't help my misgiving, this is a
serious question. The Evans link that site connects to suggests
subscription? Although I can't help my misgiving, this is
a serious question. The link that site connect to suggests
that these people are not real Christians. Rather they seem to
be fundamentalist fanatics intent on a worldwide revolution.
If they are a chirstian's version of Hamas or Islamic Brotherhood
just trying to gain popularity support by pretending nice it's
fine. But it tries to set up cells of devotees I smell danger.
that these people are not real Christians. Rather they seem to
be fundamentalist fanatics intent on a worldwide revolution.
If I am really desperate I might want to try that health plan,
if they won't send Christ's soldier or army of god to my home.
When really desperate one might want to try their health plan,
if they won't send Christ's soldier or army of god for checkups.
\_ You need your pastor to sign off. Other than that, they just
cheap medical plans ($42/mo) with high deductibles ($2400).
trust you, I guess. Oh, also a nurse would call you after
your application is sent in to ask you some questions
regarding our medical history. I am not sure what you mean by
"Evans link". Most faiths have some fanatical nuts. The few of
those who used it thinks it's good. Sample size is small. My
family doctor, who is Hindu, says she would accept the plan
\_ Don't forget that cobra is retroactive for approx. 60 days.
\_ does Cobra have a good medical plan? I always wondered why
people would want to join an evil terrorist organization that
always loses to G.I.Joe.
\_ because they never die. hard to beat that.
cheap medical plans ($42/mo) with high deductibles ($2400).
those super-cheap insurers you find later are just pyramind scams.
as insurance without problem.
\_ Supposedly, Kaiser has a really cheap (~ $30/month) major-medical
only plan. No Dr.'s visits, prescriptions, etc.. save that for
when you're employed. But at least if you crash and burn, you
won't be going to the city hospital.
\_ where is this cheap Kaiser plan? When I get a quote, it gives
me an estimate of $154/mo. Anyhow. Blue Shield of CA has some
cheap medical plans ($42/mo) but with high deductibles ($2400).
\_ It's really fudge up out there. My aunt/uncle, retired, have to
pay $900/month for insurance. With deductibles. If anyone knows
of good leads for health insurance, lots of people (unemployed,
self-employed, semi-retired) need it. As long it's not one of
those super-cheap insurers you find later are just pyramind scams.
\_ "I don't think the American people want to hear about healthcare."
-Joe Liebermann
\_ Don't forget that cobra is retroactive for approx. 60 days.
\_ does Cobra have a good medical plan? I always wondered why
people would want to join an evil terrorist organization that
always loses to G.I.Joe.
\_ because they never die. hard to beat that.
\_ http://ehealthinsurance.com -- never used them myself but they were
recommended to me at one time. also, check out COBRA with your
current employer. it might be pricey, but will continue your
existing coverage for 18 months. important to try to not let
health insurance lapse, as it is REALLY hard to get new coverage
after a 6 month lapse...and it may f*ck with pre-existing condition
clauses with any new insurance policies. --chris
\_ What is with this continuity requirement? Any url? I only
knew auto insurance cared about lapses but I guess I was poorly
informed. Would living aborad while under various kind of
foreign employee insurance and/or travel/ex-pat insurance count
as lapses? I guess COBRA does not apply to such cases? |
| 2003/8/29-2004/2/14 [Transportation/Car] UID:12250 Activity:very high |
2/13 Anyone know what the availability of the new Mazda RX-8 is? Do you
have to get on some sort of six month waiting list, like when the
new Mini Cooper came out?
\_ Whatever you do, don't get a car like Mini, RX-8, or whatever with
an automatic transmission (even those with a manual shift mode
like Triptronic, Steptronic, etc.). The big difference is the
use of a torque converter as opposed to a dry clutch. If you get
a sports car, you've simply lost power by virtue of running
your engine output through a torque converter. The only
exception is if you get one of those sequential manual gearboxes
offered only on BMW, MR2, and Ferarri.
\_ Actually Audi also has a good one on the TT 3.2.
\_ Totally random question, but what's its engine's compression ratio?
\_ An engine's compression ratio is how much the gas in the
cylinder gets compressed from the time the piston is in the
down position to the point where the piston crests. Higher
ratios lead to higher power output but it also takes more
energy to compress the gas.
\_ I knew all that. I just wanted the number.
\_ 10.0:1, though that is not an official Mazda number. The rotary
engine gets 238 hp out of just 1.3 liters in the 6 speed manual
version.
\_ Horsepower is like the Megahertz for cars. More important
is how wide the engine's torque band is and how much power
is produce throughout that range. As I understand, the RX-8
rotary engine doesn't kick in until some very high RPM.
\_ I heard this exact thing when I was flipping channels
and saw a review of the RX-8 on the speed channel
\_ Well I knew rotaries have great power/displacement, but as I
understand it they're usually pretty inefficient because they
have a low compression ratio.
\_ Yeah, could be. Apparently you need to rev it really high
to get good accelleration, like 4500rpm at least. It
redlines at 8500. I want to test drive it though! There
aren't many cars in that class anymore due to the disease
of gigantor-ism that seems to have infected the car market,
and I want to check them all out.
\_ I drove the AT and it was pretty pathetic. I did notice
that the engine was pretty weak until you reved it up
and even then it was still weak. I'm sure the MT would
be much better but I was less than impressed with the
overall feel of the car (aside from engine power).
\_ What about the Acura RSX-S? Basically an Integra
reborn, right?
\_ Well, I did write something until someone
deleted it and other motd postings. Anyway,
RSX-X is just like a glorified civic. It's
cheap on the inside and their clutch is very
difficult to play with. I considered the RSX-S
until I test drove one and walked out very
unimpressed. If you have nothing better to
do one weekend, it wouldn't hurt to test drive.
\_ FWD civic. Ok haha but seriously FWD sporty cars
are a bit lame.
\_ Plus you're revving your wankel...
\_ A 1.3L rotary is comparable in displacement to a 2.6L
4-stroke. |
| 2003/8/27-30 [Transportation/Car] UID:10017 Activity:nil |
8/26 Carpool from eastbay to santa clara, 8-5pm ?
email octomeow@hotmail.com if interested. |
| 2003/8/21 [Transportation/Car] UID:29420 Activity:moderate |
8/20 Any tips on good motorcycle insurance companies? Been licensed
2 years but not insured, $480/yr from progressive seems a bit
steep? (especially compared to my much lower car insurance -
unfortunately my car insurer doesn't do bikes...). Thanks! - mds
\_ If that is full coverage, that is cheap. If not, that is about
5X what it shold be. If you have a perfect driving record,
try GEICO. -ausman
\_ if you are under 25 and you've only been riding for 2 years
and never owned (and had insurance which you are supposed
to have) a bike before that is a bit high, but not 5x too high.
\_ over 30, married, but never owned... Waiting to hear
back from geico, any other good ones? Thanks! -mds
\_ thanks for the tips! With geice, it was just ~$100! -mds |
| 2003/8/20 [Transportation/Car] UID:29403 Activity:moderate |
8/19 I'm selling a book on http://half.com to some person living at a "US Hwy 15-501 South". Just curious, but does anyone know what sort of place this might be? Next to a highway presumably, but like...a house, farm, trailer park? It's in NC btw. \_ there is a business loop of 15-501 that runs through a commericial/residential neighborhood in Durham. --jwang \_ there is a northern business loop of 15-501 that runs through Durham (close to http://Duke.edu). South runs into Chapel Hill (close to <DEAD>UNC.edu<DEAD>). this highway is only 2 lanes in each direction, with some residential neighborhoods on the side. --jwang |
| 2003/8/8 [Transportation/Car] UID:29275 Activity:high |
8/7 Where can I buy one of those computers that connects to
a car engine and queries it to see exactly what is wrong
with it when the "check engine" light comes on? I'm sick
of having to pay the mechanic close to $100 every time
it comes on. Thanks.
\_ what kind of car?
\_ a Jeep Wrangler
\_ check your gascap.
\_ a lot of cars have alternatve ways of reporting diagnostics.
on toytas for example, after shorting the right wires, the engine
indicator light blinks in a pattern that identifies the problem.
-ali.
\_ If your car is new enough (I think >= 1994), you can use the
OBD-II tool to retrieve the fault code.
\_ Switch your car to use Linux/Open source. Or ride bike.
\_ Davis Instruments' CarChip |
| 2003/8/7-8 [Transportation/Car] UID:29270 Activity:high |
8/7 Where do I go for upgrading my car audio? And tinting my windows?
I don't know anything about this stuff and just want some decent
service without getting ripped off too much. Are their some
respected stores I should go to? I live in South Bay.
\_ so you're going to pay to decrease your visibility and increase
your chances of being pulled over...why exactly?
\_ as my grandmother put it "you'll never get a girlfriend driving
that car!" You tint your car to make it look cool, you hosers.
\_ not to mention increase your chance of getting your car broken
into.
\_ because i want better audio and tinted windows?
\_ can i pay you not to move into my neighborhood?
\_ aren't we stereotyping? What's wrong with wanting
better audio? op is not necessarily going to
get 1000 watt subwoofers.
\_ okay. is paypal alright with you?
\_ Frank's of Berkeley on Addison in downtown Berkeley does
excellent car audio work. |
| 2003/7/29-30 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Domestic/Gay] UID:29174 Activity:low |
7/29 Looking for cool URLs to share at work, like the spinning wheels
and the matrix ping-pong ones.
\_ Bigger, but:
http://www.theforce.net/theater/fxprojects/ryandork/index.shtml
\_ http://www.memepool.com to be on the leading edge of cool dork. |
| 2003/7/26-28 [Transportation/Car] UID:29150 Activity:high |
7/26 When I look at car magazines I often see 0-60 numbers that are far
shorter than 30-70 numbers. For example, the Infinity G35 can go
from 0-60 in 6.0s but 30-70 in 25.0s. Wouldn't it make sense for
a car to be able to go from 30-70 in less time than 0-60?
\_ 25s is way too slow for 30-70, check your numbers.
\_ your numbers are way off. 30-70 < 0-60 + 60-70. 60-70 isn't going
to take 19s in any car that can go 70...
\_ I thought it was a magazine typo but in the same article it
posts numbers for the BMW330. Word for word it says "30-70
mph passing: 14.2 sec" which is still much greater than its
0-60 time.
\_ I suspect 0-60 is measured driven hard and 30-70 is something
odd like always in the highest gear.
\_ actually it looks like he is looking at 1/4 mile times
and thinks he is looking at 30-70 times
\_ No, because above that it says "1/4-mile: 14.6 sec @
98 mph". If you don't believe me, it's the Nov 2002
Automobile magazine on the bottom of page 55.
\_ i'm surprised the bike fanatic hasn't responded. (earth to tom)
\_ he's secretly a car lover. i've seen him at races (the real
ones) and also spotted him in a rice rocket at a midnight drag
show in oakland once, too. some hot little asian thing driving.
i think he's the guy who posted the one liner, "25s is way too
slow for 30-70, check your numbers"
\_ uh, I'm talking about tom holub, not tom asian.
\_ http://csua.org/u/3ql
0-70 in <8s.
\_ Are they using the last gear for 30-70 test? That's something I've
seen done. Numbers sound reasonable in that case. |
| 2003/7/19 [Transportation/Car] UID:29081 Activity:insanely high |
7/17 Dear John, I would like to know what disolves easily in gasoline
and could potentially ruin the engine or at least degrade its
performance severely. I would like the compound to disolve in
gasoline so it's difficult to diagnose or trace the cause of
the engine failure. At any rate, I don't think sugar works as
the fuel line and filter will only allow gasoline to pass through
and I highly doubt it's a proven technique (just an urbane legend).
Thanks John!!!
\_ I'm a nice guy, I like people, I wish we could all just get along
and not hurt each other or vandalize other peoples' cars. That
said, http://www.totse.com/en/bad_ideas \
irresponsible_activities/164831.html and if I ever
catch you near my car I'm ripping off your head and shitting
in the hole. -John
\_ oooh, aaah, do they have big dicks where you come from?
\_ Yes, and big sticks. -John
\_ please try this out on your own car first.
\_ never pour just sugar. pour sugar in solution.
\_ POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME! -80s rock fan
\_ any one of a mess of nasty organic solvents should work, doing
a terrible job on the rubber pipes and fittings in the engine. Try
acetone or MEK.
\_ dumb ass, brick through the window or soda in the tank. now get
the fuck off the motd, idiot. |
| 2003/7/17 [Transportation/Car] UID:29076 Activity:nil |
7/16 [censored auto-sabotage thread]
\_ what's funny is that a thread with specific instructions for
how to destroy someones car and possibly kill the driver and
passengers stayed up for a day and a half, given all the
other shit that gets censored. it just goes to show what
we all knew already: that the censors are asshole psycho
idiots. It's ok to kill someone by sabotaging their brakes,
as long as you don't dissagree with them about US foreign
policy. |
| 2003/7/17-18 [Transportation/Car] UID:29075 Activity:moderate |
7/16 Suggestions for a good place to get a car aligned in the East Bay
(closer to Emeryville, the better?)
\_ With or without sugar in the gastank and tires slashed?
\_ Preferably without. With friends like these ...
\_ Berkeley Steamworks
\_ Um, I need an alignment, not a lube job.
\_ call up Oceanworks in Berkeley - danh
\- OW mostly work on JAPANESE cars ... you should vrfy they
will process your car. Those guys are good to deal with if
you are a clever person. --psb
\_ even if you are not so clever i don't think they
will attempt to destroy you - danh
\- well i meant they will "speak your language" and
explain things to you if you have a technical/engineering
science background but dont know much about cars --psb |
| 2003/7/17 [Transportation/Car] UID:29072 Activity:high |
7/16 Dear John, thanks for the brake fluid advice. I may do just that
because of simplicity (easier than prying out the gas tank, then
pouring sugar). However I'm looking at ways to seriously damage a
car without looking obvious. For example do things that the victim
would not know unless he/she went to forensic scientists. Thanks
John.
\_ Oh dear, er, any chance I could convince you to just smear
limburger on his air conditioning vents? -John
\_ err... are you intent to kill as well? or you just want to
damage the car without causing bodiy harm? People who
messing around with other people's break fluid usually intend
to kill as well. Or you just don't care?
\- just out of curiosity, what is motivating this.
there are better things to attack than someones car.
BTW, YMWTR "The Information" by Martin Amis, which sort of
has this as a premise. ok tnx --psb
\_ Hayduke lives!
\_ If the victim doesn't know something has been done, what's the
point? "Oh! Aha ha! I fired my nullify ray at your car and now
your anti-alien laser death beams shall never fire again!" Just
toss a brick through the windshield. This isn't rocket science.
Forensic scientists?? Now I'm sure you're just trolling.
\_ I'm curious what the other guy did to you. Did he steal your
GF? Is smarter and more sociable than you so he's getting ahead
at work or in grad school? The people who exact revenge tend to
be LOSERS.
\_ Hey motherfucker. If I happen to catch you touching my car you will
be in a world of hurt. Make sure it's worth it to you. This other
person may not be so nice. Is this worth jail or death? I see
someone sneaking around my car at night and I might just shoot.
\_ you have an extremely large penis
\_ double-wide pussies need large penises.
\_ you don't own a car or get stalked by vandal losers
\_ I am on to you now. Better check your brake cables before
you get in because I just might slash them and cause you
a horrible accident. |
| 2003/7/17 [Transportation/Car] UID:29071 Activity:very high |
7/16 http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/07/16/farmers.market.crash/index.html Man mows people with his car, 8 dead, and he is released and no criminal charge has been filed. This is telling me that there's something wrong with the legal system and that if you want to kill someone, automobile is the way to go. \_ how about if you want to kill 30 thousand americans a year, more than all wars put together, destroy the environment, destroy communities, and then get your stupid ass bailed out by the taxpayer when foreign competitors beat you with superior engineering? The automobile is great for that as well. \_ Airplanes, fast food, alcohol, air conditioners, by-products from PC manufacture....go live in a bubble, whiner. -John \_ The article writes: 'in police custody after being released by hospital.' And no matter what, he wouldn't be charged on the day of the event. But since he is odd (80s), odds are he'll just lose his license forever. \_ so the moral of the story is that if you want to hire a hitman, hire a 80-90 year old hit man cuz he'll just get away with it. \_ this IS sad. I was there yesterday... sad sad sad -UCLA student \_ a different report said the guy might of had a heart attack. \_ "might /have/" or "might've". Yeesh. \_ Are you the same person who thought "Misha" was a girl? \_ What do you mean? "Misha" *is* a girl's name. -- misha. |
| 2003/7/17 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:29068 Activity:moderate |
7/16 ilyas, can you point out URLs that will scientifically prove
(via chemistry or what not) that sugar kills the engine? And
how much sugar per gallon is required?
\_ http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/2001/February/02.html
Unfortunately it doesn't RUIN the engine. I need an alternative
additive that'll do just that.
\_ think: solidified grains of crystal going thru and fucking up
fuel lines, clogging up injectors, etc. scratching up previously
clean surfaces.
\_ think: fuel filter
\_ why not set the car on fire
\_ If you're trying to get back at someone, try stuffing prawn heads
or limburger in his airco. Battery acid/brake fluid on the paint
lets you write nice things that eat into the body. -John |
| 2003/7/16-17 [Transportation/Car] UID:29054 Activity:high |
7/15 What are some of the effective ways to vandalize a car? Tire slashing
and key scratching are old...
\_ after yesterday, I've been kinda tempted to get a slingshot that
throws ball bearings... -chialea
\_ Why stop there? A certain fellow named Winchester once remarked
that a gun is merely a machine for throwing balls.
\_ Sugar. -- ilyas
\_ can you elaborate ilyas?
\_ you put it in the gas tank. it kills the engine. the
same is true for any diesel with mothballs in the fuel
tank.
\_ or mothballs for a diesel
\_ you use key to scratch the car, make sure you scratch the paint
entirely. Then, you pour a little bit mercury on the exposed
metal. the car owner probably need to get the entire panel
changed
\_ What does the mercury do?
\_ There are only a few exposed areas on a car: windows, tires, paint,
locks, exhaust, gas intake, and sometimes there will be an exposed
antenna, ski/bike rack or other random bits. There's nothing wrong
with a good car keying or tire slashing to send your message. The
traditional car keyed message lets you *really* tell them exactly
how you feel and why. Let us know how your 30 days in jail and
$5,000 fine went when you get out.
\_ only morons get caught with something as simple as vandalizing.
\_ as someone who has never vandlized more than your neighbor's
drive way with an egg at halloween how would you know? there
are cameras *everywhere* today.
\_ This is the reason why I think singaporian law is superior to US
But seeing as how this is a .44 magnum, the most powerfull
law. Singapore canes punks like you. let's see how tough you are
when they have your pants down and whip you with a bamboo cane.
\_ Now, you're probably wondering: did I fire all six shots or
only five?
I must admit in all the excitement, I kind of lost track myself.
But seeing as how this is a .44 magnum, the most powerful
handgun in the world, It could blow your head clean off.
So there's just one thing you've got to ask yourself:
do I feel lucky?
well, do you?
punk?
\_ Hey, he might even get a hard-on. Who knows about punks like
him.
\_ I have heard this story from a friend. It happened in ex-USSR.
Once some guy who had an argument with someone else who lived in the
same apartment building threw a brick at his foe's car from his
14th floor balcony. The car engine has been completely destroyed.
It takes some skill not to kill anyone this way, so don't try this
at home.
\_ ah, in mother Russia, you take laws into your own hands
\_ In Soviet Russia, brick shits you! |
| 2003/7/15 [Transportation/Car] UID:29036 Activity:nil |
7/14 Looking for pictures of Nazis driving Mercedes autos and riding BMW
bikes, what is a good place to start? |
| 2003/7/8 [Transportation/Car] UID:28962 Activity:nil |
7/8 A truck on the freeway kicked up a pipe that dented the hood of
my rental car. Does anyone know how insurance is gonna work for
this? I didn't get the rental place's insurance. |
| 2003/7/3-4 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:28910 Activity:high |
7/3 http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e21/forum.php?postid=3378984&page=1 \_ followup (shortened): http://csua.org/u/3gy \_ Vaguely related--in Germany there is a large problem with "car forgery". Eastern Europeans (mainly Poles) build copies of luxury cars in their garages and sell them at cut (but still high) prices on German car flea markets. It's the ignorant and greedy who get caught by it, but some of the wheels are amazingly well done (while some have ridealong lawnmower engines.) This is pretty amusing: http://www.unf-unf.de/show.php?did=316 -John \_ (very very) long story short: some poor sap flys all the way from Spokane to West Palm Beach to buy a BMW that he thinks is a good deal based on a phone conversation with the seller. He forks over $10K CASH, and when the car breaks down as he's driving it home he finds out its been stolen. what a loser. \_ he doesn't seem that greedy, he just belongs to that weird world of BMW fetishization. the guys starts cleaning the damn thing before he even gets it back to his home state (which I guess was good since it allowed him to see more flaws in the car's story) \_ fuck you. i just wasted an hour at work reading that entertaining story. \_ ditto that. \_ When you at your greediest, you are most vulnerable. Divest yourself of greed and people won't be able to screw you like this. Con artists can also prey on your loneliness, your stupidity, and to a lesser extent, your pity. But greed is definitely the worst. Greed is the most common lever used to pry an idiot away from his money. \_ The buyer didn't strike me as particularly greedy. But I wouldn't fly cross country for a 'good deal,' not when so many would be in California. \_ Some lessons to learn: 1. A fool and his money are soon parted. 2. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. \_ 3. BMW enthusiasts are idiots even when they're not driving. -tom \_ Most enthusiasts are idiots even when they're not doing something they're enthusiastic about. -John \_ damn it! i agree with tom about something. \_ A stopped clock is right twice a day. \_ Or every few months in this case. \_ Old jungle saying: Its spelled B-M-W but its pronounced IDIOT! \_ Ever own one? If you did you'd see why. I've started doing idiot things like double-parking and cutting people off. It started slowly, but BMWs are FUN TO DRIVE and that leads to a little recklessness. \_ My dad has three. He drives like a world class jerk. The best was when someone in a 3 series tried to pass him in the shoulder and he rolled down his window and shouted "7 is bigger than 3!" (he was driving his 7 series that day) and then proceeded to hog the left lane and the shoulder for the next several miles. I've driven his BMWs and I just don't see it, they drive like almost every other luxury car out there. Personally I think that a STi is much more fun to drive and you can coax it to do lots more things (on and off road) than any BWM. \_ so what "enthusiasts" are not idiots, opinion master? you name it, i can crap on it. whee! |
| 2003/7/2 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Foreign/Europe] UID:28904 Activity:high |
7/2 Europe is a strange place:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,989078,00.html
\_ I think you mean, "Europe is a cool place."
\_ Util you're hit by a guy having sex with a hitch hiker at
road speed on the highway.
\_ They're talking about the autobahn here. If a nation has
already shown they're stupid enough to have no speed limit,
why stop there? Besides, I don't think oral sex while
driving is that bad, as long as the driver is the
recipient. It's better than the asses who try to read in
the car.
\_ What was the name of the movie where Robin Williams rams
his car into the back of his wife's car while she's going
down on some kid? You're right. It's not that bad.
\_ The World According to Garp
Seriously though, if you can drive and not be distracted
by a good solid dick sucking then either you're broken or
you need a new lover. |
| 2003/5/27-28 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Foreign/Asia/China] UID:28559 Activity:very high |
5/26 What happens when OSHA isn't looking:
http://ridah.net/stuff/safety.jpg
\_ Does Toyota make forklifts? If not, we know this is a toyota plant.
\_ Does Toyota make forklifts? If not, we know this is a toyota
plant.
\_ Yes, Toyota does make forklifts.
\_ That's hilarious. But the 2 guys on the orange lift should be
sitting on the back of the yellow one to keep it from tipping.
\_ The yellow forklift won't tip over. If there weren't any
\_ I bet this is in China.
- Chinese geek
guys on the orange forklift, how could they operate the
orange forklift?
\_ Forklifts have counterweights to prevent tipping.
\_ I bet this is in China. - Chinese geek
\_ Except those guys don't look Chinese.
\_ They look kind of Philipino to me.
\_ Hmmm, all Filipino workforce...that narrows it down to
about a hundred coutries.
\_ could be Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese
\_ Filipino
\_ Pilipino
\_ that is a valid option
\_ It's an Iraqi WMD plant.
\_ Never ever hire anyone named Homer Simpson at your work. |
| 2003/5/19 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Airplane] UID:28481 Activity:kinda low |
5/18 How much is a carpool lane ticket on 880 around Fremont? I thought
it's around $271, but the notification I received said I owe $321.
And, what's the easiest way for me to find if I qualify for traffic
school if I can't remember if my last traffic school is within the last
18 months?
\_ $271 is the minimum
\_ You scumbag, I hope you get socked with more than that next time,
and I hope your insurance company doubles your fees. Bastards
like you ought to be executed on the spot.
\_ Yeah because no one ever made a mistake. You're an idiot. -!op
\_ Fuck all that. Kill the cars. Jackhammer the roads.
\_ Why destroy perfectly good roads? Abortions for all!
Retroactive ones! The human race is a virus!
\_ Take it to a judge, admit guilt, ask for a reduced penalty because
you're a poor student or you're an idiot and didn't notice the
signs or something. The judge can also send you to traffic scool
no matter what for simple driving infractions like that. Whatever
you do, do not plead innocent. You're guilty as hell and you're
just going to annoy him. |
| 2003/5/6-7 [Transportation/Car] UID:28358 Activity:very high |
5/6 Boy I love my country Singapore. I remember US used to bitch
and whine about Singapore's Internal Security Act which allows
detention without trial. Now, US is doing exactly the same,
following our lead. I also remember US used to bitch and whine
about Singapore restricting the circulation of commie-liberul
rags like feer, etc., now US did pretty much the same with al
jazeera. I also remember the various negative articles about
Singapore being too authoritarian. Now liberul rags like NYT
are praising Singapore for its authoritarian measures for
controlling SARS. Singapore has been saying all along that
detention without trial is necessary against commie and islamic
terrorists, and successfully broken up al queda cell in Singapore.
For that, now US is signing free trade agreement with Singapore
like a good pussy cat. Boy, it still feels good to remember
Singapore caning buttocks of American naughty boy who defaced
several of Singapore's precious cars some years ago. Soon,
US would be following Singapore's lead in banning the sale of
chewing gum. Singapore, land of the free, and a beacon for
democracies all over the world:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/06/international/asia/06CND-TRADE.html
\_ something to keep in mind is that in this country we enjoy far
greater freedoms than mandated by the constitution and various
amendments. even the bare basic document without all the stuff the
supreme court invented in the last 30 years still grants more rights
and protections than you'd have in most of the world.
\_ Many Chinese think Singaporian Authortarian is the model for
modern China. Though I just don't see how Singapore model
could scale up 10 million times.
\_ While I agree with your general assesment that Singapore
is far to authoritarian and we ought not develop our gov.
in that way, the kid who got caned deserved it. Why the
hell did he have to go around spray painting other peoples
cars?
\_ short answer: because he's a flaming idiot.
\_It was a school graduation prank, and the spray paint
wasn't even permanent. If the same laws applied to the U.S.
Steve Jobs would've been hung and quartered because he was
part of the Buck Fry's club and he used to pull stuff like
this. The kid should've just been fined and do community
service. On a tangent, the comparison is apt. It reminds me
of the game A Mind Forever Voyaging (if anyone is old enough
to remember infocom games)
\_ sometimes you do a prank and get busted for it and pay the
price. in this case, the dumbshit lost some skin off his
ass and not even that much because of US pressure because
too many idiots here don't raise their kids right.
\_ That's what you don't understand. Poor Singaporeans
make half as much as Americans, but your typical Honda
Accord plus a car ownership license costs about US$100000
there. When you spray paint an uptight Singaporean's
car, you might as well have violated his wife.
\_ I see someone spray painting my car and they are lucky if
all they get is a caning. Remember that guy who shot the
kid who destroyed his Halloween decorations and then said
"What are you gonna do about it?". That's justice. --dim
\_ now you know why his login name is "dim"
\_ actually this is one of the very rare times I find myself
in 100% agreement with dim. Is there a URL for the
holloween shooting? I'd love to read that one.
\_ 1. So what if it was a grad prank? He could have just
as easily done something else that did not violate
private property rights. (MIT and CalTech students
seem to be able to pull of interesting grad pranks
that don't violate the private property rights of
random people)
\_ You obviously don't know much about CalTech. -ausman
\_ I haven't seen anything on par with
spray painting random cars.
\_ ausman went to CalTech.
\_ While I was there, it was routine to do things
like brick up the entrance to someone's dorm room,
steal The City of Pasadena's Christmas decorations
and scatter them around campus, break into the
Rose Bowl and hack into the sign control system,
etc. Maybe things are tamer these days.
2. The paint wasn't permanent? Maybe I should run
over to your car right after you had it washed
and dump a load of cow dung on it and glue some
free Dimitry flyers to it. After all glue and
dung aren't permanent.
\_No, it wasn't permanent. You obviously don't know
anything about paint. They were using a non-bond type
paint on top of a bonded surface. In fact, the people who
owned the cars didn't say it was a big deal because it
just washed off. Get your facts straight before bulleting
nonsense.
\_ I don't care what shit you put on my car. I don't
car that it washed off. I shouldn't have to spend
1 second of my life cleaning up your shit. I'd
cane your ass if you touched my car with anything.
Hey is it ok if I deflate your bike tires? It isn't
permanent!
3. So what about Steve Jobs? If he broke the law he
should have been punished.
\_Apparently you have no concept about civil disobedience.
Let me guess, you're the kind of dweebie idiot who
doesn't J-Walk or has ever copied software illegally.
Get real and get bent.
\_ How is painting someone's car an act of civil anything?
You're a nutter.
4. Community service and fines don't teach people that
what they did was wrong. They just teach people that
you can do what you like so long as you can fork over
a few $s and some time cleaning up roads.
\_ So you believe only in physical punishment for all crimes
or you don't believe in any? Should we cane people who
violet basic traffic laws?
\_Getting a $200 traffic ticket surely hurts. I don't know
about you, but I'd rather take the caning than part with
my hard earned cash.
\_ And corporal punishment teaches them more?
\_ It isn't about corporal vs. non-corporal punishment.
The idea is that the punishment should be severe
enough that it is a deterent to further crime yet not
out of proportion to the crime, such as a $1,000,000
fine for spitting on a side walk.
\_ "We'll be careful." "You'll be dead."
Its people like you who don't understand what
responsible social behavior is who are ruining
this country.
\_ BS. It's overreactions both ways (the 'off with his
head!' crowd AND the "he's only a lad, he really can't
help it" crowd) that's ruining this country. Grow
some common sense and a sense of scale.
\_ love the boingo reference.
\_ actually that was oingo boingo making a pointed
commentary on the sorts of people who say those
sorts of things. Off with yer head!
\_ Good point, we're screwed.
\_ Since you love so much about your country over our good pussy cat
one, why did you come here? |
| 2003/5/6 [Transportation/Car, Computer/HW/Printer] UID:28354 Activity:high |
5/6 From fuckedcompany today about HP (random poster):
"I'll tell you how fucked HP is: They offered ME a job in Boise a
couple years ago, and I have no disernable skills or talent
whatsoever.
I've made a fortune by shorting the stocks of companies dumb enough to
hire a clueless marketing fuck like me. If I get called for a 2nd
interview, I short a few thousand bucks worth. If they make me an
offer, I bet the farm baby!"
\_ HP has a call center in Boise. Maybe HP didn't care that he didn't
know anything and just wanted a phone-monkey.
\_ I've had very good luck recently getting help from
"phone monkeys" from Agilent, but maybe that's totally different
from HP.
\_ He said he's a marketing guy. I doubt self proclaimed marketing
guys were talking to anyone about call center jobs back in the
day.
\_ I don't get your point. HP is going down because some
anonymous fucked company poster says they offered him
a job he didnt deserve?
\_ No, HP is fucked because they pulled a DECompaq and tried
to compete with Dell instead of being the innovative
company they were. Thanks Carly! --dim
\_ Well, he doesn't have to worry about being wrongly hired now.
We haven't been hiring in well over a year.
\_ I guess I should have been flattered when they came through
with an offer for me. Heh.
\_ Hmm, then maybe we have started hiring again. So hard
to get reliable info within the company. |
| 2003/5/1 [Transportation/Car] UID:28288 Activity:high |
4/31 So dbushong, what's your Ford Matrix test drive story?
\_ The Ford....Matrix? --dbushong
\_ I think it is the Ford Focus story. -!op
\_ just tell us the damn story. We're bored and cranky.
\_ The focus sucks. what other company would change
the direction of all controls (windshield wiper,
window crank, doorlocks, etc), raise the trunk,
making rear-view impossible... Poorly designed
pile of shit. |
| 2003/4/30-5/1 [Transportation/Car] UID:28282 Activity:high |
4/30 Where do you go to get car regular maintainance? The dealers are
charging a lot of money. But do you trust a non-dealer?
\_ Sure I trust my non-dealer, and more than I do the dealer.
But there is value to sticking with the dealer until the end
of the warranty period.
\_ As a Ford owner I can unfortunately honestly say you should
a) never buy a Ford no matter how good a deal it looked like at
the time and
\_ what did you buy, and what location? (randomly curious,
also had bad luck with Ford in the past)
\_ I'm too ashamed to say anything that might ID me. I
*have* seen Ford dealership stories on the net on their
different scams and had the local PoS try one on me
exactly as described on the net. Just don't buy a Ford.
\_ Any links?
b) if you're stupid enough to buy a Ford like me, then *never*
bring it in to the dealer. Ford dealers charge waaaaaay too
much and they don't always do the work they claimed to have
charged you hundreds of dollars for.
I trust my non-dealer. Ford almost killed me when they didn't
bother to rebolt my transmission back in place properly. What
do you think would've happened if it dropped while I was doing 65?
[btw, I've got a Ford for sale if anyone wants a good used car]
\_ ask dbushong his ford matrix test drive story.
\_ uh, i think you're thinking of the ford focus?
\_ Depends on the car. Dealer is usually more expensive, but also
more inclined to court your business (i.e. if they mess up they
will try harder to correct it). They also have the best tools,
manuals, and such. That doesn't mean they do a better job, though.
If it is a newer car you care about and wish to keep, then take
it to the dealer. Otherwise, find a good mechanic you trust and
take it there. --dim
\_ for lots of things (eg transmissions),
dealers just send the work out.
\_ Even if this is true, the dealer has more clout and
leverage than you do when the work goes bad. --dim
\_ marty's motors
\_ I went here once and when I was looking over my itemized bill
I saw some extra $200 charge. when I asked him what it was he
said, "uh... my secretary made a mistake. sorry" and took it
off. I dunno, maybe it really was the secretary's fault... he
seemed nice enough besides...
\_ fred's wrench in alameda
\- oceanworks is pretty good but they mostly do japanese cars--psb
\_ http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/services has a list of
fairly reliable recommendations in the Berkeley area. --chris |
| 2003/4/30 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:28279 Activity:kinda low |
4/29 Say I'm sueing someone and I'd like to track down where this person
lives. How much do private investigators cost? BTW this is the guy
who hit my car and gave me a fake address and insurance information.
\- what do you know accuratly? name? lic plate? seems like the police
should help you out. while it probably isnt a high priority,
they might be helpful since it is so simple. i would think your
insurance company could get it from dmv or police or other means.
--psb
\_ Why are you the one doing the suing? Turn over all the info you
have to your insurance company and let them deal with it. They're
going to want to find him and make his insurance company pay so
they don't have to.
\_ Probably below the insurance deductible and the $750 damage
minimum to report. Sucks to be you.
\_ My door got dinged by an SUV going 10 mph. $2200. Something
under $750 is a paint scratch. A small paint scratch.
\_ May not be a new car. |
| 2003/4/23-24 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Airplane] UID:28199 Activity:very high |
4/23 I bought a used Bel 855STi radar detector. But didn't get the
manual. Does someone have it in electronic format? Or can I
borrow a paper version for a short time? -- sagarwal
\_ Hope you're not using it in CA. Not only is it illegal but the
cops here don't use that much radar anyway. I got picked up by a
\_ You're 0 for 2. It's legal, and while the CHP don't use it
that much, the local PDs do.
cop on 580W who spotted me and correctly pegged my speed from more
than a mile back without any gear. He was polite about it and let
me off with a warning, thank god, but the cops here don't need the
radar to bust you with a pricey ticket. My new rule of the road is
simply, "never be the fastest car out there". Haven't been picked
up since yet still get where I'm going plenty fast in second place.
\- hello, what kind of car where you driving, what was your
speed and what was the speed limit. i think anytime someone
gets a speeding ticket they should post these details in the
motd [along with location]. ok tnx --psb
\_ Honda civic, 85 in 65, where 580 meets 238 going west.
\_ If you get picked up without radar, take it to court.
You can much easier fight a ticket when there's no
radar report. It's probably the reason why you got off
with a warning. I've fought off tickets before, so
I'm speaking from 1st person experience. Not fun.
\_ Since I didn't get the ticket there was nothing to fight.
Most of my tickets have been for red light running and
illegal turns so radar isn't an issue.
\_ http://www.ncsl.org/programs/esnr/radar.htm
They aren't illegal, except for commercial vehicles.
\_ Maybe so, but still won't save you from tickets.
\_ As far as I know, CHP sometimes use radar to detect, but
always paces for a mile for confirmation (and to keep the
judge happy). |
| 2003/4/21-22 [Transportation/Car] UID:28181 Activity:insanely high |
4/21 How much would it cost to ship a car from one coast to the other,
approximately? I have no idea how much it costs, and the few sites
I went to online for a free quote won't get back to me anytime
soon. Also, anyone have any company recommendations? Thanks.
\_ It's been a few years, but it cost me $900 from Berkeley to
NY. Can't remember the company, got it from the phone book.
It's more expensive if you have them do door-door service,
less if it you drop it off at their depot.
\_ Everyone I've talked to with towing has complained of
delays, damages, etc. Seems easier to sell or drive.
\_ I had my motorcycle shipped from the east coast,
and there were no problems. It only took 4 days too.
Of course it was actually in a truck the entire time.
\_ Did they tow it or did they put the car on a truck?
\_ on a truck. I took the option of leaving it at the
depot, and then had it delivered there. Another
option is to advertise and let someone drive it (and
split gas with them or something), but a friend had
someone blow out their engine doing that, so I didn't...
I would have driven myself if I'd had more time :(
\_ are you an idiot? you think they'd tow a car 3k miles?
\_ You need to chill out, dude. It's not that big a deal.
\_ I've seen cars being towed behing RVs, and since those are
RVs I assume they're driving long distance.
\_ I towed a car with a Uhaul across the country before.
That's your only option if you are moving the
whole house and your car. Why do you think it's
idiotic to do so?
\_ there's nothing wrong with it when you're doing it
yourself, but it's not something you'd pay someone
to do. also, how much do you think the companies
would make if they had to own a tow truck for every
car they transported?
\_ if you have time, get a friend or two and drive across the
country.
\_ that's the thing, there are two of us planning on
driving x-country, and each of us have a car. but
we'd like to be in the same car, so we're gonna have
one of the cars shipped. -op
\_ and neither car is beefy enough to tow the other,
right?
\_ see "are you an idiot" comment above.
\_ cf, "chill out", beavis.
\_ if you have time, take the scenic route. This may
be a rare event in your life. Thought about your
route yet?
\_ I already drove across country to go to the east
coast, now i am driving back w/ my SO, who i
happened to accumulate along w/ my degree.
\_ take another route.
\_ you accumulated SOs in school? were they handed
out at the same time? -didn't attend graduation
\_ you can probably stuff the car with lots of stuff
you are moving...
\_ sounds good, but wouldn't you worry about stuff
in that car being stolen? a locked car isn't
THAT secure.
\_ I have a friend who has done it before.
Just make it look like a bunch of junk and
don't put anything too valuable like good
stereo equipment.
\_ get your kicks on route 66.
\_ or yermom.
\_ I might be willing to drive it for the price of a one-way
airplane ticket. well, maybe... post your email if you're
interested.
\_ drivemehard@desire.com
\_ I suggest you sell your car and ride a bike across. |
| 2003/4/19-20 [Transportation/Car, Reference/Military, Transportation/Motorcycle] UID:28169 Activity:moderate |
4/19 Has anyone checked out the new RRs? I've been looking at the specs
and besides seating position, tail pipe, and the engine, I really
don't see any difference between the F4is.
\_ The F15E is vastly superior but the F18 is carrier capable and
while prefer the F16 for air to air. The F4 is way out of date
and hasn't been flown by a real air force for decades.
\_ wankers
\_ The CBR-RR has much more extreem seating, sharper steering
(Bike had it tankslapper on them), and is a bit lighter.
For the track, the RR is probably considerably (1/2 a second?)
better. For the street, the F4i is undoubtedly superior, for
the same reasons the RR is designed to be better on the track.
\_ why do I have a feeling that the RRs are not going to
sell as well as the F4i's since most people don't do
track and don't care about that 1/2 sec difference? |
| 2003/4/17-18 [Transportation/Car] UID:28154 Activity:nil |
4/17 Honda Ad Details:
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/13/nhonda13.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/04/13/ixhome.html |
| 2003/4/17-18 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:28149 Activity:kinda low |
4/17 Super rice rockets - http://csua.org/u/d65 \_ I think it's most philipino guys doing this right? Are east asians modding their car? \_ That's "Filipino" or "Pilipino". -- Pinoy pride \_ Filipino \_ pronounced pilipino |
| 2003/4/12-13 [Transportation/Car] UID:28097 Activity:moderate |
4/11 Progressive Insurance offers insurance for Segway. Check it out, heh.
\_ hah! as an engineer, i want to buy dumbass insurance. if
i ever come up with an idea that fucking dumb, i'll be
compensated by the insurance company for wasting my time.
\_ I'm sure you'd become a rich man.
\_ No he wouldn't. Think of the premiums he'll get charged...
\_ Two Segways can't fit side-by-side on a sidewalk - why are these
things even popular? People only get fatter. Walk for christ sakes |
| 2003/4/10 [Transportation/Car] UID:28062 Activity:nil |
4/9 While the truck bumper post below might have been a troll, it reminds
me of an incident a while ago in which a friend helping me to haul
a piece of furniture from the store hit my neighbor's car in my
driveway. My friend was driving and I wasn't in his car. It was
entirely his fault for not seeing a car clearly parked behind him,
but should I have compensated for him since he was helping me?
\_ No, your friend probably feels like a dumbass.
\_ Miss Manners would say that you should offer to compensate him,
and he should refuse, and then you should offer again, and he
should refuse again. -tom
\_ obchinesecustomsdiscussion
\_ You'd have no legal obligation but as his friend you should offer
to pay as much of it as you reasonably can depending on how much
the damage is. If you care less about his friendship than the
value of the damage then you can make that choice too if you're
into burning bridges. |
| 2003/4/7 [Transportation/Car] UID:28013 Activity:very high |
4/7 The sun is really bad for the skin. I'm considering using a
parasol whenever I'm under the sun like in a parking lot
walking to my car. Using this "sun umbrellas" seems more
popular in Asia than here. What do you think of a guy who uses
parasols? -good skin guy
\_ Sorry to sound dogmatic on this, but men with parasols are effeminate
no matter how you turn it. Use sunblock and wear a hat if you're
worried. I saw a nice place called Paul's Hat Works at 6128
Geary in SF. Or invest in a decent lightweight linen/cotton
summer suit. That's stylish. -John
\_ For more stylish tips, see the clapping hands hat thread below.
\_ Sorry to sound dogmatic on this, but men with parasols are
effeminate no matter how you turn it. Use sunblock and
wear a hat if you're worried. I saw a nice place called
Paul's Hat Works at 6128 Geary in SF. Or invest in a
decent lightweight linen/cotton summer suit. That's
stylish. -John
\_ For more stylish tips, see the clapping hands hat thread
below.
\_ I try sun block or a panama hat before resorting to a sun
parasol (unless you are interested in getting picked up by
gay guys). Another trick is to comb your hair with a little
bit of coconut oil. It keeps you head cool all day.
\_ Dude. It's from the parking lot to the car. Unless the ozone
layer has disappeared or the US has gone unilateral nookuler,
you're really kinda pathetic.
\_ Dude. It's from the parking lot to the car. Unless the
ozone layer has disappeared or the US has gone unilateral
nookuler, you're really kinda pathetic.
\_ To be honest, using a parasol seems quite consistent
behavior for someone who calls himself the "good skin guy".
Parasol away, dude.
\_ Real Men wear cowboy hats.
\_ I heard that a little sunshine is good for the skin.
Something along the line of Vitamin E, I don't remember.
\_ Vitamin D.
\_ The GSG (good skin guy) won't let a little vitamin
deficiency stop him!
\_ One piece of advice: use sunscreen. (and hats) |
| 2003/4/3 [Transportation/Car] UID:27971 Activity:nil |
4/2 Ok so I lend a "friend" my car and he wrecked it. Now he's being an
asshole and wouldn't pay for it (ok fine he's not a friend). I've
called my insurance company and they said they'll take care of
everything. Here is my question. Is the premium increase proportional
to the cost of the repair?
\- is your friend insured and is the damage small or are we
talking hospital bills and potential lawsuits? there are probably
a lot of factors that will go into the increase amount. if you
have already disclosed this to your insurance why not just ask them?
\_ Insurance follows the car, not the driver, yes no? The friend's
insurance will only apply for liability if anything. I don't
even know if it comes to bear at all. If he has any balls, he'd
pay your deductible and buy you drinks for life.
\_ Yes, it is. Your rates will go up for *any* claim and they'll go
up even more for bigger claims and then again some more for doing
something *REALLY FUCKING STUPID* like loaning out your car to
someone else which shows a *TOTAL AND COMPLETE LACK OF BRAINPOWER*
on your part. You can expect your rates to rise by at least 30%
and maybe more and I have no sympathy for you.
\_ Did you at least get laid? |
| 2003/4/3-4 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:27965 Activity:moderate |
4/3 My car's engine light just went on last it. It's a 1997 Chevrolet
Caviler. Got any reliable and reasonable priced mechanic anywhere on
the East Bay? Doesn't matter if it's North or South East Bay. Best if
it's open on the weekends.
\_ Marty's Motors. Mostly imports, but if he's not up to the work
he will say so and help you find someone who is.
\_ 5th Street Garage in Oakland. I think the owner is a berkeley alum.
they are open saturdays.
\_ Campus Auto on Shattuck.
\_ I had a very good experience with Fred's Wrench in Alameda.
Aamco told me my transmission fluid smelled burnt and that I'd
probably have to replace the whole thing ($1100). Fred took me out
for a spin so I could show him the problem, recommended a fuel
additive to get rid of the knocks, and replaced my motor mounts for
1/3 the price I'd been quoted elsewhere. He told me the
transmission was going downhill but given the age of the car it was
better just to slowly change the fluid about a quart at a time.
It's been 1.5 years now and it's still chugging along.
\_ My experience and the experience of people I know is that
while some independent places are good and some are bad, the
big chain places will *always* rip you off. Same with dentists.
\_ Agreed. Never get your brakes changed at PepBoys. Somehow
they "forgot" a lugnut when putting my tire back on.
\_ at 5th st garage they accidentally broke a lug nut, but
fixed it for free. supposedly my type of car this happens
a lot and most places will usually charge you regardless.
\_ I have gotten good cheap service from Midas shops outside
the Bay Area, but the one on Van Ness is a ripoff -ausman
\_ I had some break damage, went to the Midas in Fremont.
They quoted me $950 lowball. I went to a mom/pop around
the corner. Did the job for $600. Midas sucks for
anything outside of a pad swap on special. --scotsman
\_ Check out recommendations at the following url
http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/services/mechanic.html
--chris |
| 2003/4/2-3 [Transportation/Car] UID:27960 Activity:very high |
4/2 What a tragic story:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/893527.asp?pne=11947&0ct=-300
\_ i wonder what the real deal with this is. another report
said that the soldiers shot warning shots in the air, and
then shot at the engine, etc. how does a guy not get a clue
when that happens?
\_ Maybe when you're told to do it or they'll kill the rest of your
family?
\_ That's actually exactly what happened.
\_ first shot mised != warning shot
\_ If ppl started shooting at you, do you hit the brakes, or hit
the gas pedal?
\_ You turn around and get the fuck away, duh. This normally
involves slowing to make the turn. Are you the same guy who
loaned out his car and got it trashed in the thread above? |
| 2003/3/28-29 [Transportation/Car] UID:27890 Activity:high |
3/28 The dealer said my jalopy needs a new catalytic converter, and it's
gonna cost $900. I read on the web (yes I stfw) that they simply
burn unburned gas so that you wouldn't pollute as much. Now here
is my question, does it affect the safety and longevity of my
vehicle?
\_ I had the same problem - honda told me the part would be
$1000 when my smog test failed, and suggested I go to a
muffler shop where they could custom-fit a more generic model
instead of buying the specific honda-civic-only ($$) type).
Had it done at Ken's on Shattuck near Alcatraz, worked great
(passed smog with almost no emissions on those tests). Was
only ~$200. - mds
\_ I thought that it turned carbon monoxide to CO2 + H20? And I
thought that unburned gas could actually harm it? Anyways, it's
a good idea to have a fully functioning cc as a good citizen of
this planet (think Mexico city or most cities in China type
pollution). Also, when it comes time to get smogged, it will
fail. One thing that you can try (I did this with my volkswagen)
is to get an after-market cc and have a muffler shop customize
it to fit your vehicle. Specifically, I went to small car world
in Albany and got a universal cc that fit my vw camper (it was
cheap, like $140 at the time), and went to a muffler shop on
gilman and they did their thing for like $70. This was over 10
yrs ago, so i'm not sure of today's prices. Also, the dealer will
almost always charge you the highest prices for anything. Find
a good non-dealer auto mechanic.
\_ as far as plantery citizenship, it's the CO_2 that's the
problem, not the smog producing polutants. you can stop
driving, but that won't stop the developing world from
ther comming onslaught of CO_2 production. without
fundamentally new technologies we're just fucked, regardless
of what kind of exsaust system you put on your car.
\_ In the meantime, get the cc and make it a tad easier to
breather here in the Bay Area.
\_ that is correct. i just hate to see earnest doogooders
who overestimate the positive effects of their actions.
\_ Your car won't pass the smog check without a cc in CA.
\_ A related note. If you see a smoking vehicle on the road and you
want to file a complaint, write down the license plate # and then
call 1-800-EXHAUST or go to http://www.baaqmd.gov/exhaust
\_ aka 1-800-FEEL-GOOD-TO-VENT. all they do is send a letter *asking*
the reported victim to do something about the problem. |
| 2003/3/24 [Transportation/Car] UID:27824 Activity:kinda low |
3/24 What is the situation in downtown SF? various groups on the internet
are claiming that there are mass protests that have shut things down.
is this true? -3000 miles from SF
\_ there's some stoppage, nothing on the scale of last thu
though. I think everyone is kind of tired and
gearing up for a major push at the end of this week. - danh
\_ a major push to what? hurt people who work hourly wage jobs?
\_ Not true. My brother is at UCSF and he says that the protests have
hardly affected anything.
\_ UCSF is nowhere near downtown
\_ They've stopped traffic in the days since the beginning of the war,
but it hasn't shut things down.
\_ I made it to work Thursday, but most did not. Traffic was
not moving. Things were pretty shut down. Since that day,
protests have only been a minor distraction. -ausman
\_ I work 3rd/Market. It was shutdown to cars and buses along Market
on a few blocks for a while the other day but the rest of the
city was fine. |
| 2003/2/26 [Transportation/Car] UID:27535 Activity:high |
2/25 Any recommendations for a good car alarm?
\_ here's a recommendation: fuck off and die.
\_ I've had minimal problems with Clifford. Very customizable
(sensitivity, inner/outer sensor, tones, alarm duration, etc)
\_ I got a car alarm thinking that I would use it all the time in
Berkeley. I never bother arming it because if it goes off,
I have to run out to the front of the building to disarm it.
Just get a lo-jack system. You don't have to worry about pissing
off your neighbors and tripping it yourself.
A car alarm is money wasted. How many people hear one and think
to call the cops these days?
\_ if you're enough of a motherfucker to own a car alarm
you deserve to have your car stolen.
\_ idiot child, many cars for the last several years come with
car alarms from the factory. not the shitbox you might own
but most real cars have one as standard equipment.
\_ For what little they do, you can leave it off when
parked in the burbs.
\_ the point stands.
\_ what point? that you own a shitbox? ok, point made!
\_ and those alarms tend to play nice. That is they only go
off if someone forces open the door or the like. Car
alarms like that aren't really a problem. The ones that
are always going off are the vibration sensative or worse
proximity sensative pieces of crap that go off when someone
drives by or shakes the car.
\_ My alarm lets me choose between vibration-and-open and
open-only when I activate it. Pressing 1 alone chooses
the first one while pressing 2 then 1 chooses the second.
\_ At 2am I sure do, but probably not for the same reason you're
thinking of. (Ok, I've never Actually Called them...)
\_ You know, considering how much keying there is here, I see
remarkably few cars with alarms going off and long scratches on
the doors, or prawn tails in the airco intake vents or 'FOAD'
\_ how do you get at them?
written in brake fluid on the hood... -John
\_ Good suggestions. I'll keep them in mind.
\_ When I lived in Southside I used to keep a slingshot beside
to bed to nail those bastards who liked to wake the
neighborhood at 4AM and then leave their alarm going off. |
| 2003/2/26 [Transportation/Car, Reference/RealEstate] UID:27532 Activity:nil |
2/25 Ok this car alarm has been going on for 10 hours straight and it's
parked on the street by my apartment. What can I do about it LEGALLY?
\_ steal the car. Clearly no one will notice. |
| 2003/2/24 [Transportation/Car] UID:27507 Activity:very high |
2/23 Looking for car commercial songs. I'll begin:
\_ "RIDE BIKE!!!!!" by Linus and the Hax0rzz
\_ why is this funny? fucking nerd.
\_ http://www.songtitle.info
BMW--has James Brown's Sex Machine in one of its three short films
Jaguar-- London Calling
"Once Bitten Twice Shy" - Fiero
Maxima--
BMW--has James Brown's Sex Machine in one of its three short
films
Mercedes?
\_ Many. Falling in Love Again -- Marlene Dietrich.
\_ they actually had Janis Joplin sing, yes, you guessed it "Oh lord
won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz". Thank god someone with clue
made them kill that ad campaign QUICK.
Renault -- Cliff Richard "Summer Holiday."
Chrysler
Saab -- Rush "Tom Sawyer Extended Remix"
\_ Hi tmonroe!
Audi -- Cliff Richard "Living Doll"
FIAT -- Cliff Richard "Bachelor Boys"
Lada
\_ That cadillac commercial uses led zepplin's
song "it's been a long time since I rock and rolled"
which is a song about a guy lamenting how long it's
been since he's had sex.
\_ Its vaguely appropriate don't you think?
\_ and your point is...? nissan's whole ad campaign is built
around a song about how stupid it is that people "live"
in their cars.
\_ point is, ain't it ironic? ...as yr post proved.
Holden
Mazda
\_ Zoom Zoom Zoom
\_ This one makes me want to throw up. I hit mute and sometimes
leave the room.
\_ Yea, I feel like kicking the stupid kid in the face.
Mitsubishi
\_ BNL - One Week
\_ Kylie Minogue
\_ Dirty Vegas
\_ Telepopmusik - Breathe
Volkswagen
\_ Master Cylinder - Jung at Heart
J. Ralph - One Million Miles
Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
"II B.S.," Charles Mingus. "Pink Moon," Nick Drake.
\_ Da Da Da, Trio
\_ Fatboy Slim - Right Now was in some commercial, dunno which brand.
\_ There's a CD with just commercial music, such as Pink Moon
by Nick Drake.
\_ "Vehicle," the Ides of March in a recent Ford(?) ad.
Nissan
\_ "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult
\_ Great song. The Cult is actually still performing and
releasing new albums. At least, they toured in support of
a new album about three years ago. -dans
\_ Which manufacturer had Suzanne Vega "Tom's Diner"?
\_ Every song from Moby's Play album. |
| 2003/2/24 [Transportation/Car] UID:27505 Activity:high |
2/23 Looking for car commercial songs. I'll begin:
Jaguar-- London Calling
Maxima--
BMW--has James Brown's Sex Machine in one of its three short films
Mercedes?
\_ Many. Falling in Love Again -- Marlene Dietrich.
Renault -- Cliff Richard "Summer Holiday."
Chrysler
Saab -- Cliff Richard "Living Doll"
Saab -- Rush "Tom Sawyer Extended Remix"
\_ Hi tmonroe!
Audi -- Cliff Richard "Living Doll"
FIAT -- Cliff Richard "Bachelor Boys"
Lada
\_ That cadillac commercial uses led zepplin's
song "it's been a long time since I rock and rolled"
which is a song about a guy lamenting how long it's
been since he's had sex.
\_ and your point is...? nissan's whole ad campaign is built
around a song about how stupid it is that people "live"
in their cars.
Holden
Mazda
\_ Zoom Zoom Zoom
Mitsubishi
\_ BNL - One Week
\_ Kylie Minogue
\_ Dirty Vegas
Volkswagen
\_ Master Cylinder - Jung at Heart
J. Ralph - One Million Miles
Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
"II B.S.," Charles Mingus. "Pink Moon," Nick Drake.
\_ Fatboy Slim - Right Now was in some commercial, dunno which brand.
\_ There's a CD with just commercial music, such as Pink Moon
by Nick Drake.
\_ "Vehicle," the Ides of March in a recent Ford(?) ad. |
| 2003/1/9 [Transportation/Car, Finance] UID:27049 Activity:nil |
1/9 when a girl says you're not ambitious enough does that mean you're
not rich enough? you don't have a big house? you don't have the right
degrees? right car? what does that mean?
\_ It means that you have no purpose in life, no plan for the future,
no thoughts on improving yourself.
\_ a girl is quite capable of asking "are you rich enough" It usually
comes out as "what kind of car do you drive?"
\_ you asked about this once before. It means that you're a FUCKING
LOSER.
\_ It means you do not have a strong enough desire for success
or achievement. I.e., you play too much EverQuest instead
of writing that killer app.
\_ It means she's a gold digging bitch. Move on, enjoy life with a
real girl. |
| 2003/1/9-10 [Transportation/Car] UID:27044 Activity:high |
1/9 AAA is raising my homeowner's insurance premium up by $200+ to
$1040 a year. I tried to switch to State Farm but got turned down
because I had a claim in the last 3 years. Am I screwed until the
3 year passes? Anybody know of another company that offers HO
insurance and doesn't check or doesn't mind if I had a previous claim?
\_ Good luck buddy. Insurance companies are now looking at the
bottom line to keep their stockholders happy. If you've made a
claim and they haven't dropped you, consider yourself lucky.
\_ What's the point of having insurance if you can never claim it?
Then they're just taking your money and offering nothing
in return.
\_ yes. smart for them huh? the only reason is for the really
huge claims.
\_ Somewhat along the subject: anyone know of a cheap renter's
insurance company?
\_ California is so incredibly anti-insurance company and anti-business
in general, you're lucky to have any insurance at this point. I
only got mine because my parents were personal friends of the guy
making the decision.
\_ The last couple of big CA disasters really slapped around the
insurance companies. The new threat during the current housing
boom is mold. Think near total loss for a relatively new house.
VERY bad for insurance. They hiding until they can find a way
around the mold problem.
\_ It's nothing to do with that. It's more about the non
existent interest rates and stock market gains they can
make on your premium dollars. My motorcycle policy
renewal had an eightfold increase requested, so I had
to shop around for another carrier.
\_ Damn. I have Allstate with no claims. I pay about $400/year. My
house is worth more than the median in LA. $1040?! Damn. --dim
\_ Ok, I am getting shafted for good. I called around to several
other insurance companies and they all gave me the same story.
Had a claim in the last 3 years? Fuck off. I strongly advice
everybody NOT to file a claim unless it's for some big loss.
I've gotten AAA to lower it by $200 by choosing the $1000 deductible
option. That's still around $800 a year. FUCK! My only
consolation is that my wife is self-employeed and keeps a home
office so this premium is deductable as a business expense. -OP
\_ Raise your deductible even more. You won't want to make a
claim unless there's many thousands in damage anyway. Try
$2500. This isn't your car where you want a $500 deductible.
You shouldn't use this insurance much and when you *really*
need it you won't mind the extra $1500. --dim
\_ Insurance is meant to prevent you from financial ruin with a loss,
it's not meant as a home warranty. Keep your deductables high,
and don't claim anything short of a major loss and you will be fine.
\_ Look in the Yellow Pages for a local "Insurance Broker", they can
shop around some of the smaller insurance companies to get you a
better price/any coverage since you have a claim. That's what
I had to do when buying my house since there previous owner
had made a claim a couple years ago. --randal |
| 2003/1/7-8 [Transportation/Car] UID:27025 Activity:nil |
1/7 Mercury News full-page Fry's ads now online: http://csua.org/u/790 \_ hallelujah! |
| 2003/1/7 [Transportation/Car] UID:27017 Activity:very high |
1/7 http://www.freep.com/news/locway/knife7_20030107.htm And no that's not the free republic. It's the Detroit Free Press. \_ That's either one fucking sharp knife, or he put her hand down on the fucking pavement and chopped it off. people suck. \_ I don't go to Free Republic since they cut off my posting priviledges for being a "troll." So much for freedom of speech. \_ There is no freedom of speech in a private enterprise you twit. The 1st Amendment applies to government coercion. I'm glad they revoked your priviliges as it eliminates the possibility of reading any garbage you might type. \_ Interesting. Neither of you can spell "privileges". \_ Too bad you can't handle posts by anyone who might upset you in the slightest. Conservatives love to talk about freedom of speech, but when they get the chance, they muzzle anyone who disagrees with them. \_ Hence the diversity of thought in academia today eh? \_ It's because they can't deal with facts and truth. \_ Then you can read the link since it *isn't* the Free Republic. At Lucianne they'd call you a site pest and mostly just mock you and egg you on. Try posting there. |
| 2002/12/26-27 [Transportation/Car] UID:26917 Activity:high |
12/25 Anyone have any good recommendations for good/reputable dealers
selling used BMW's, in the Bay Area or within 50 miles? Thanks.
\_ fuck you and your polluting ass. are you ready to go to war
to put fuel in your gas tank? are you prepared to find solutions
to global warming in a smog fillegd automotive nightmare?
move to LA with the rest of your kind.
\_ You won't find a "good and reputable dealer" selling BMWs.
No "good and reputable dealer" would sell such a pos. Save
your money and your sanity buy a benz or a lexus.
- former BMW owner
\_ What went wrong with your car? Which model did you have?
\_ What didn't go wrong is a bettery question. I had
major problems with the fuel system (tank, line and
injector), the ac, the electronics (the main computer,
seats, radio and the battery). I had the 735i. I'm
glad I no longer have that pos.
\_ Lexus is probably one of the best cars made, but not very
exciting. Mercedes is Chrysler now and will be crap unless
you buy flagship models ($$$). BMW makes nice cars. Maybe
you got a lemon. --dim (current BMW owner)
\_ it's daimler-chrysler, not the other way around.
\_ Go sit in an entry-level MB and then see which way MB is
going. --dim
\_ whatever. tell that to all the guys in chrysler
management in michigan who got layed off or retired
early right after the merger.
\_ It was a good merger for Chrysler, because they are
putting MB parts in their cars and using MB managers.
It was a good merger for MB because American workers
make $17/hour and Germans make $32/hour. The idea
behind the merger was making MB cheaper and that
is why the new Chrysler is $35,000 and the new MB is
only about $40,000. It's not fully evident yet, but
it will be more and more so over time. --dim
\_ I agree about the entry-level MB's but the E class
(320 and 400) are pretty nice. The only reason I
mentioned MB is because some people have a Germany
car obsession. Personally I prefer Lexus since it
is about as nice as a MB but provides a lower tco.
\_ Buy it on e-bay. |
| 2002/12/23-24 [Finance/Banking, Transportation/Car, Computer/HW/Drives] UID:26893 Activity:insanely high |
12/23 What's the best way to destroy CDRs? The best practical way?
\_ Sissors.
\_ Toss it out the window while driving along on the freeway.
There's no way any one will look there.
\_ The feds can and will stop traffic to recover
the cds. Best way is the next post if you are
currently being watched. If not go for either
the commerical grinders or scissors. BTW, the
best soln. to the problem of destroying cdrs
is to encrypt the cdrs and keep the private
key on easy to destroy magnetic media (or
equivalent). If the feds come for you just
trash the private key (make sure its suitably
long that they can't brute force it within
what most judges would consider required for
\_ Depends on how small the pieces are and whether
all of the pieces that contain the info you want
are available. A good practice is to cut the cds
into several (8 or so) pieces and to stick some
a "speedy trial"). This way, they will never
be able to recover the data, and without the
data there can be no conviction.
\_ Steel trash can, well-ventilated area, lighter fluid.
\_ the coating with the data is some kind of polymer. find the
right solvent, and dissolve it.
\_ HCl ought to do the trick
\_ these two solutions almsot certainly have environmental
and health consequences. -tom
\_ kill the elves! - sarumon
\_ bah! environment, health... you liberal treehugger!
\_ Last time I checked, the polymer contains Cyanide, not something
you really want to dissolve and allow the fluid go anywhere, no
do you really want to burn it and inhale the gas.
\_ Scissors. [spelling corrected --motd spelling nazi]
\_ you can still extract data from cut CDs right?
\_ Depends on how small the pieces are and the number
of the pieces that are required to reassemble
incriminating info. A good practice is to cut the
cds into several (8 or so) pieces and to stick some
of the pieces in the trash, then in recycle and
then ditch some at work and others at the mall.
This makes it really hard for anyone to get at
the data while making it pretty easy for you to
dispose of it. Note that this strategy isn't
going to work against the feds.
\_ why? because they search all those places
or something?
\_ the OP could be under suveillance *right*
*now* with the feds pouncing on every ounce
of waste he produces, whether at work, at
home, mid-car drive, or anywhere else.
\_ Sander.
\_ Microwave.
\_ Note this can option can have adverse health
consequences.
\_ place upside down on parking lot, pirouette.
\_ paint the cover with AOL logo.
\_ There are commercial grinders available that will batch-destroy
a large set of CDs reliably.
\- is this is same person involved in the post-browse cleanup?
are you involved in child p0rn or something? --psb
\_ completely new OP |
| 2002/12/11-13 [Politics/Domestic/California, Transportation/Car] UID:26788 Activity:high |
12/11 Is there any discount for FasTrak users on bridges? Someone told me
there is, but when I look at http://www.dot.ca.gov/fastrak there isn't
any. Thanks.
\_ $4 instead of $5 on the Golden Gate: http://toll.goldengate.org
\_ This should end soon. Budget problems.
\_ Golden Gate is FIVE dollars?? How long has this been the
case??? - moved out of the Bay Area
\_ A year or two.
\_ No, it started September 2002. --aaron
\_ BB, SM, and DB bridges used to be 1.85 but now 2.00
\_ fastrack is not about discounts. its about making traffic move
faster. it doesn't but that's the idea. they don't need to
discount a service (using bridge) that you're goint to use anyway.
\_ what about all the unemployed tooltakers?
\_ I've heard that those people supplement their income
with the tolls.
\_ what about them? is there a real question here? are you
in favor of eliminating all labor saving devices to increase
employment for the unskilled?
\_ yes.
\_ Cool, as you're obviously unemployed and desperate
for work, post your name. I have some ditches that
need digging. -John
\_ You think the poster is qualified?
\_ Let's see: strong back, good work ethic--
nope, no motd'rs fit the bill. |
| 2002/12/3-4 [Transportation/Car] UID:26697 Activity:nil |
12/3 Woman uses baby's stomach to start car:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/03/1038712929108.html |
| 2002/11/30 [Transportation/Car] UID:26670 Activity:high |
11/29 Was at Fry's in Sunnyvale today. Mad house. Whole parking lot was
full. Saw that the checkout line wound around twice with
30+ people. Decided to get a soda, then got in line. Damn!
That line goes fast. When I got to the front we saw they
had about 50+ cash registers going with 80 capacity. Now
that's scale an volume sales. Wish our stupid Safeway
and Macy's would do something like that.
\_ Woo hoo! That means my consumer oriented stocks are going
up. American consumers will always be gluttons for new
toys.
\_ I spent 4h30m in line at the Fremont Fry's, which also had
50+ registers open. (Had I known it would have taken so long,
no, I wouldn't have waited.) The line was so long that it looped
around and intersected with itself. Parking was so bad that many
people had their cars towed.
\_ What the heck is fuelling that much buying at Fry's? Xmas?
\_ they had a job opening for a sales guy in the TV dept.
\_ Yeah I don't understand that. What's so important that has
to be bought now with hassle that couldn't be bought last
weekend or next? |
| 2002/11/15-16 [Transportation/Car, Computer/HW/IO] UID:26562 Activity:kinda low 66%like:26556 |
11/15 Clean your Mouse Rollers. Iso-Propanol and a Qtip and the
flat side of a pin. Makes life better.
\_ I just use my fingernail to scrub off the dust on the ball and
the rollers. It's easy and it works well.
\_ I do this about once a month but the alcohol+qtip is good to
do every 3-4 months.
\_ go optical.
\_ If the optical mouse that comes with new iMacs is typical
of optical mice, no thanks. I prefer more precision.
\_ How do you get off all the splooge?
\_ You put the propanol on the Qtip, and rub the wheel
"across" or perpendicular to the direction it rolls.
each time, turn the wheel a little bit, and eventually
you'll have all the gunk saturated with propanol
and then take the flat part of the pin, near the end
and scrape is across the wheel, and all the gunk magically
gets lifted off.
gets lifted off. Then, wipe of the excess with a
clean Qtip soaked in propanol. |
| 2002/11/11 [Transportation/Car] UID:26505 Activity:moderate |
11/10 The only thing that could make this car faster would be decals:
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131198
\_ Don't forget the speed-holes.
\_ Why do people always associate modified Japanese sports cars with
riceboys? The characters in "The Fast and Furious" aren't riceboys.
\_ that's cuz you havent seen the HK original
\_ A person who owns a rice rocket, regradless of ethnicity, can
be referred to as a rice boi. BTW, I wouldn't consider fast and
furious as illustrative of the ave. life of a rice boi. Most
work retail and have dull lives. No one would watch a moive
about a bunch of fry's cash register clerks, so hollywood hyped
it up a bit. |
| 2002/11/8 [Transportation/Car] UID:26465 Activity:low |
11/7 For those new kind of automobile tires that have V-shaped troughs that
supposedly preform better on wet surface, does the orientation matter
when they are mounted? I saw a car with such tires mounted in what I
think is the wrong way. Thanks.
\_ Yes, it does matter. I forget which way is the correct way, though.
Try searching http://tirerack.com and such.
\_ tip of v contacts with road before the vanes of the v. water has
pathway to outside edges of tire. other way, water is forced
to center of tire patch, leading to hydroplaning.
\_ some tires are ok in either direction, some are not. if your
tire place or mechanic doesn't know for your tires, get a new
tire/auto place. |
| 2002/11/2 [Transportation/Car] UID:26383 Activity:high |
11/1 For Sale: 2000 Toyota Tundra,Black,V8,4WD,Limited,TRD,6cd,tan leather
71K freeway miles. Always had synthetic oil and Mobil M1 filters.
KBB $23,800 your price $21,000. -allenp
\_ why aren't you seeling it? |
| 2002/10/27-28 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:26336 Activity:very high |
10/28 So why is it that gas prices in the bay area (any city, any station)
are higher and sometimes *much* higher than the isolated, zero
competition stations on the I-5? What's the excuse for that BS?
\_ gas/food/utility is a small fraction of your housing expense.
Why don't anyone bitch about that?
\_ They've admitted all along that gas prices are based in part
on income levels of the zip code. Then throw in the cost of
doing business in the bay area, and there you are.
\_ Buy a hybrid
\_ My first thought would be land expense. Also, how about taxes?
There might be far higher taxes in urban areas. --PeterM
\_ When I drove the I5 in '89, gas was about 50% higher on the I5
than here. I'm not aware of any changes in the tax rates that
would account for 10% lower on the I5 now.
would account for 10% lower on I-5 now.
\_ supply and demand. No matter how expensive the gas is your wealthy
next-door-retired-HP/IBM/Intel-guy-who-worked-here-for-30-years
when-a-3000-sq-ft-house-in-SJ-was-only-$80,000 will still pay for
the gas, lowering competition. That's why BA sucks. Let's all
leave! I did and I'm happy.
\_ amen on that, man. fuck the bay area. i pay 25% less in gas
or so, *and* i walk to work every day from a decent home.
\_ When the next gas is 30 to 60 miles and your typical driver has
another 200+ miles to go, I'd say supply is low and demand is
high on the I5. I think you might have something with the "Bay
Area people are just stupid" concent, though.
\_ More people live here than travel along I5. Why is demand
necessarily high? Besides, people are more inclined to be
picky if they know they are going to spend a large sum on
gas in the next few hours.
\_ bullshit. it's collusion.
\_ a Hydrogen/Solar economy is inevitable.
\- There are two major variables you can collpase this to
per occam to get good quality explanation: 1. REGULATION
2. COMPETITION. The regulations explain why production
costs in califnornia are higher and (surprise) explain why
costs of gas are high all over CA. 2. As for why gas prices
are higher in Bay Area than Los Angles, that is largely
competition [LA has more gas stations per unit area].
A third factor, production costs [I am including shipping
from production site, to refining site, refining costs,
jobber costs,and finally shipping to pump], probably
contributes some ... large diameter pipelines are the cheapest
way to move oil ... and there is no lg diameter pipeline to
CA ... however supertankers are actually pretty cheep, and
if this were the largest contributing factor, you would think
Hawaii would have the most expensive gas, but SF started to
pass Hawaii a little while back. You can discover this and
more via emacs M-x analyze-local-petrolium-mkt. You may
need to do a (setq calendar-latitude +38.9)
(setq calendar-longitude -122.25)
guess what, the Bay and the I5 are both in CA and suffer
first, however. ok tnx, --psb
\_ all of which fails to address the question, which is
"why are gas prices higher in the Bay Area than on I-5",
guess what, the Bay and I-5 are both in CA and suffer
from the same regulation. And as for competition,
it always seems to me that gas stations on I-5 are
crowded all the time, while gas stations in the Bay
are not so busy. If anything, it argues for economies
of scale on I-5 vs local stations in the Bay.
What about land expense, taxation, and lower labor costs,
also?
\_ Are you stupid or just stupid? Try looking into the
regulations before presuming they're statewide.
\_ I was criticizing psb, who only mentioned CA
regulations. He made no claims about regional
regulation.
\_ criticizing on what he _didn't_ say... train
be diff in the i-5 case. what you need to look at
harder.
\_ Land is cheap along I-5, but expensive in the BA.
\- "crowded" is not the measure of competition.
the franchise terms and jobber set ups may also
isnt a matter of competition. if the i5 gas station
be diff in I-5 case. what you need to look at
are profit margins. a higher price can reflect
either higher costs, perceived product differen-
tiation or rents/mkt/power/less competition.
if the price is higher due to higher costs, that
isnt a matter of competition. if an I-5 gas station
has a larger profit margin, that may be an
interesting phenomenon looking for an explanation.
the mcdonalds outside the grand canyon has really
high prices. is it because they have a monopoly
from the park? no. it is outside the park in BF
nowhere ... where rents cannot possibly be high.
while they are the only fast food place there, that
is still not a monopoly because of the idea of
contestability [if they were making undue profits
then someone else would open up a restuarant].
so the real explanation is costs. it turns out you
basically have to run a dorm for your crew to have
them live in BF nowhere. --psb
\- BTW, there is an interesting discussion in
Kwoka & White: The antitrust revolution:
economics, competition, and policy
ok tnx, --psb
\_ This is a troll... I was on the I-5 over the weekend and it was
almost always more expensive on the 5 than in Berkeley.
Berkeley ~ $1.45; I saw up to $1.89 on the 5.
\_ Maybe not: http://csua.org/u/476
\_ Collusion. Why does everyone ignore the obvious? |
| 2002/10/27-28 [Transportation/Car] UID:26332 Activity:insanely high |
10/25 Do any websites (ala Mapquest or Etak) approximate The Travelling
Salesman Problem? I went to visit 15 condos in San Diego today, and
it was a bitch using Yahoo+Thomas guide to map out a semi-ideal
route. I don't need an optimum path, just a first order approximation.
I don't think I'll ever need more than 20 addresses at once either...
I'd pay $.99 every time I need this feature...
\- the emacs mapquest interface can do that.
do M-x mapquest-metropolis --psb
\_ I knew emacs was cool. I didn't know how cool until now.
\_ Is this the real psb? Because that didn't work for me.
\- you need the Los Alamos Simulated Annealing emacs lisp
package. --psb
\- that was not the real psb. ok tnx. -psb
\- no, that was me. the immediately above is not me. --psb
\_ You mean it was !psb, right psb?
\_ What is the "Travelling Salesman Problem"?
\_ No cookie.
\_ find out the route which traverses all cities with the minimum
distance.
\_ Just use the thomas guide. It's at 1200dpi. mapquest is at
whatever resolution your monitor is at.
\_ you're a moron
\_ My point is that there is WAY more detail on a single
thomas guide page than on 30 yahoo maps put together.
\_ Okay, get a Real map (Thomas or AAA) big enough
to fit all the points. Then put a dot sticker at
each address and use your highly evolved
mamalian intellect to see patterns. Connect the
dots. Do you have a beter solution?
dots. It's not perfect, but do you have a solution?
\_ You're still a moron. The OP wants to know how to get
from point A -> B -> ... -> Z in an optimal manner.
\_ Hey person with Etak friend... can you ask them if they have
anything like that. Or is there any API where a 3rd party could
program that feature?
\_ I can't wait until <DEAD>maps.google.com<DEAD>... google would support it!
\_ Even your first order solution will be near useless because of the
ugly realities of traffic patterns, highway congestion, etc. I'll
get 30 miles down a freeway at 3am faster than you'll get 10 miles
down a dirt road at noon. Just use some common sense.
\- the algorithms allow for weights ... of coure knowing what
weights to plug in in a little tricky. i am not sure the
algorithms i know of can deal with "asymmetric" weights ...
usually on a metric the distance from d(x,y) = d(y,x) which
clearly isnt true with traffic flows if we care about time.
although some LA trunks seem to be equally congested in both
directions. --psb
\_ When you're taking city streets within a 5 mile range, it
isn't that big of a difference. Or at least not in my case.
\_ isn't there a way to plot multiple locations at once? just do that
and do a rough aproximation yourself. the above poster is right...
small distance details will be less important than type of road,
traffic, etc. But just plotting them all on one map should be
enough for you to use common sense to plan a route.
\_ This would work. Which service supports this (yahoo doesn't)? |
| 2002/10/25-26 [Transportation/Car] UID:26316 Activity:low |
10/24 Where's a good place to buy repossessed cars from insolvent dot-
commers in the Bay Area?
\- hola, dont you think the car mkt is 1. reasonably efficient
2. large enough so that there no free lunch and the price would
not have really collpased ... unless you stumbled on someone
who has to leave the country in a hurry [who may not be the
ideal person to buy a car from] and you cant really "stumble"
on someone systematically/by design. --psb
\_ The OP said "repossesed". I know there are sales of this type,
but I don't know where/when, sorry.You can always try law
enforcement sales too, of course. -chialea
\_ http://www.auctioncity.com
took me less than 90 seconds to find.
or: http://www.mvdn.com/auctions.htm |
| 2002/10/24-26 [Transportation/Car, Computer/Companies/Google, Computer/SW/OS] UID:26311 Activity:high 50%like:26484 |
10/24 how can i upgrade my google toolbar?
\_ Uninstall and reinstall?
\_ you don't have to do anything. it auto-upgrades. --aaron@google.com
\_ What do you do at google? It doesn't seem like google's changed
much from when it started. And how is it pulling in enough
revenue to stay alive?
\_ He handles searches for H07 42N CH1X0R2
\_ what's that some kind of code?
\_ you're joking right? usenet, catalogs, news, realtime
crawling... besides main search quality gains. --aaron
\_ Don't get me wrong. Google's great but where the hell
is it getting its money?
\_ you mean you never noticed those "sponsored links"
at the top and sides of your search?
\_ licensing their search engine?
\_ My toolbar at home now does computation in the background, but
my work toolbar didn't autoupgrade. i tried installing a new
version, but it said it was already installed.
\_ Unfortunately, Google does not make it obvious that the toolbar
auto-updates itself. IMO, part of the problem is that Google
doesn't list the current version number anywhere on the web
site. I really have no idea if I'm using the latest version
or not unless I try to re-install it. --jameslin
\_ i don't think you are making sense here. you don't need to
reinstall it. it auto-upgrades. so why do you care about
your version number? are you a control freak? --aaron
\_ trust the auto-updater, or re-install. your choice. --aaron
\_ I uninstalled and reinstalled and I still don't have teh computation
option. What gives? |
| 2002/10/9 [Transportation/Car] UID:26138 Activity:nil |
10/9 anyone know the number of the SF Traffic Courthouse (or wherever you
pay the parking tickets in SF). My flakey friend had my car and got
a parking ticket and I'm worried he'll forget to pay it. Obviously
I tried http://yp.yahoo.com and I don't have the physical ticket. Thx. |
| 2002/10/4 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:26104 Activity:nil 60%like:26107 |
10/4 Quality protest in action:
http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/sand/news/stories/news-170312020021004-091046.html |
| 2002/10/4-5 [Transportation/Car, Recreation/Humor] UID:26103 Activity:high |
10/4 woman loses car in puddle. hilarious photos:
<DEAD>www.minca.cz/suzuki<DEAD>
\_ Staged.
\_ OP is a freshman, let him enjoy the 'hilarity'. It's harmless.
\_ You've obviously never seen what "puddle" can entail
given a sufficiently poorly-maintained piece of road in
eastern europe. Yes, this may well be real, and it may well
have been beyond everyone's control. Removal of head
from ass is left as an exercise to the above poster.
\_ Its still funny.
\_ One of the 'stupid link sending' idiots in the office sent
that around a few days ago. It wasn't funny then either.
\_ I think it is great, not staged, and very funny. what a puddle.
beware if you can't see the road ahead.
\_ So true, so true. It's a metaphor for life really.
\_ So what actually happened? Why were they trying to
sink a car?
\_ not stupid, not staged... my friend's friend sent me the link,
and he said the woman was his mom's friend. - OP
\_ Bullshit.
\_ Right. Your friend's friend's mom's friend.
\_ Like one of those 682 degrees of separation things....
\_ That's a puddle? |
| 2002/9/30-10/1 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:26054 Activity:very high |
9/30 Eight-wheel drive electric vehicle with top speed 192MPH, faster than
a Porsche! 186 miles range. From the picture it looks like it seats
at least six, maybe more. And the development cost is only $2.4M
which seems pretty low to me.
link:csua.org/u/33a
http://csua.org/u/33b
\_ funny how the idiot American reporters can't convert meters to
feet. -tom
\_ you're right. looks like the conversation ratio was
about 2.2. he probably was confusing the m-ft ratio
with that for kg-lbs.
\_ What for? This isn't Europe. Do you really tell people,
"A bit to the left, about 2.2 meters, thanks!"? I didn't
think so.
\_ Actually, I do use metric measures whenever possible.
See my bicycle pages. And whether or not you use them,
if you are a reporter writing a story for international
publication, and you insist on converting meters into
feet, you'd think you'd want to get the conversion factor
right. Especially when that thing is obviously way more
than 14 feet long. -tom
\_ Why would you use metric units when communicating with
people unfamiliar with them? That's just dumb.
\_ The cycling world uses metric all of the time, even
in the US. Allen keys, cranks, road bike frames,
and road bike tires are all measured in cm or mm.
If you pay for one of those organized rides in
California held by local cycling clubs you get to
pick distances of 50km, 100km or 100 miles.
-jeffwong
\_ 19.5" frames, century rides, MS150, 27" wheels.
Bikes are as metric as cars. Mixed units.
\_ well he said "whenever possible".
\_ Some amazing features:
590hp!! 6-wheel steering, 8 seats, ability to keep moving with some
of the eight wheels broken. Weights 6556lbs, so that gives only
11.1 lb/hp which is very low.
http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~hiros/kaz
\_ Yeah but it looks ridiculously expensive to produce. Not much ground
clearance either.
\_ Don't worry, you'll see lowered ones soon with xenon lamps,
a 5" exhaust tip ("but it's an electric motor!"), nose, tail,
and midship spoilers.
\_ Dude! I've already got dual midship soilers on order for
mine! It's hella!
\_ I think the low ground clearance is by design. "As the height of
the integrated chassis is 15cm, the lower height of KAZ is almost
the same as a conventional sedan and much lower than a
conventional MPV, thus making access much easier." The slides
also sell stable cornering and high stability due to low CG.
Why do you want high ground clearance anyway? It's not an SUV.
\_ The thing is 22 feet long. That's longer than our long-bed
pickup. I think that thing will have problems hitting slopes
and driveways. I guess it's fine if you live on a racetrack.
Hmm, well I suppose the extra set of wheels could compensate,
if some conditions make 2 wheels go in the air, but then
you have potholes and things too.
\_ Ah, good point! I was only thinking about cornering. Hmm,
maybe that's the reason why the second front axle is so
far behind the first one. Maybe when it goes from level
ground to a downward slope, the first front axle are lifted
in the air for a short moment while the second axle (and
the rear axle) continues to steer. I have no idea.
\_ hydrolicsP |
| 2002/9/27 [Transportation/Car] UID:26023 Activity:high |
9/26 I'm soliciting opinions on good bicycle wheel builders in the East Bay.
Recommendations? I've been jerked around by Missing Link enough so
don't even go there. This assumes you all know a well-built wheel from
a hole in the ground.
\_ I have never gotten a well-built wheel from a bike shop, including
Wheelsmith. Build it yourself. I gave the CSUA my older edition
of Jobst Brandt's "The Bicycle Wheel"; it's not hard, it just takes
some time. -tom
\_ I agree it's a good book, but I'm moving into a new house and
studying for a licensing exam, Tom. I don't have time. --ulysses |
| 2002/9/26-27 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:26015 Activity:high |
9/26 My 1995 Nissan Altima has about 112,000 miles. In December 2000,
the "Brake" and "battery" lights came on. Within a couple days,
the car died and I had to replace the alternator. The same thing
happened again in June 2001. Now, the "Brake" and "Battery" lights
are on again. If history repeats itself, the car will die again
within a few days. And the mechanic will say I need to replace the
alternator. But I suspect that the problem may not ultimately be
with the alternator. Has anyone had this experience with their
car? What was the ultimate problem? Is it be better to take the
car to a dealer (I guess my warrantee is over), a private mechanic,
or somewhere like Sears? What is the problem likely to be, and how
much should I expect to pay? -asb
\_ I had the same thing happen on my toyota. Though with mine,
replacing the alternator solved it. Was the first replacement
a new component? Was there any warranty on it? You may want
to do a whole inspection of the electrical systems. Check the
distributor for a short or something. Also there may be a timing
problem that's stressing the alternator. --scotsman
\_ good advice. alternators should last a lot longer that this.
might want to check out your voltage regulator as it might
be making your alternator work harder than it has to.
\_You didn't mention it, but I hope that you're replacing the
battery each time. If not, your alternator will burn itself
out trying to charge a dead cell.
vi user was here |
| 2002/9/25-26 [Transportation/Car] UID:26006 Activity:moderate |
9/25 Has anyone bought one of the new cooper mini cars? Which dealer
did you go to? Do you like the car?
\_ Test drive one. The ride is fantastic.
\_ I test drove one and had a lot of fun. Now, I'm shopping
around to see which dealer has the lowest markup, decent
service, and not too long of a waiting list. -op
\_ i know a dealer in San Diego w/ no markup, but long waitlist..
\_ Scoff scoff. My girlfriend bought an old Cooper British Open
(British Racing Green.) It regularly blows the new ones off the
road when it's curvy. And the new ones have plastic wood lookalike
interiors. And they're BMWs. Scoff scoff. -John
\_ You can get brushed chrome on the Cooper S. And I haven't seen
any with the plastiwood interior-- must be some lame option.
I'd like to see your old cooper outperform a Cooper S. They're
BMWs!
\_ And BMWs are what? ... not fast enough for you? Have you been
paying attention to cars lately? |
| 2002/9/25-26 [Transportation/Car] UID:26001 Activity:high |
9/25 Is there any site to check the historic blue book value of a vehicle in
a certain year other than now? E.g. I want to check the value of a
1984 model car during the year 1996. Thanks.
\_ http://www.edmunds.com is run out of my closet! - danh
\_ get a used book? Or maybe http://kbb.com can help you?
\_ http://kbb.com only has current values.
\_ Hrm, do libraries still exist??? If you can't visit, you can call. |
| 2002/9/20-21 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:25959 Activity:nil |
9/19 Ultimate Race Mod for a Sentra:
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/features/0208_scared
\_ That was really funny. Thanks.
\_ It was? |
| 2002/9/18 [Politics/Domestic/President/Bush, Politics/Domestic/911, Transportation/Car] UID:25925 Activity:very high |
9/18 Anybody else annoyed at all this bickering over money for those who
died on 9/11? I understand that they need the money. But why is
private life insurance not enough? Why does the US gov't have to
get involved in paying the families? We're talking about something
like 1+ million dollars per family. This is on top of the life
insurance they're getting.
\_ Anybody who could ask questions like this must really hate America.
\_ not at all. I don't hate America but I also don't
think that the federal government owes anybody
anything because of 9-11. They didn't bomb the WTC,
pentagon, or pennsylvania, after all.
\_ Maybe this is not compensation but disaster relief aid? But $1M per
family of relief aid is way too much compared to aids in other
disasters. It's all politics in this case.
\_ Maybe the other cases didn't get enough and should? Who is to
say?
\_ Are you saying every family who has members killed in a car
accident or a fire or a robbery should get $1M from the
federal govt?
\_ Is a car accident a national disaster requiring relief?
\_ No, and that's my point. Why do families of killed
victims of 9/11 "require" $1M fed aid while those of
killed victims of random car accidents or bank robberies
don't?
\_ i suppose the gov't is responsible more for WTC
because it was the gov't that pissed off bin laden.
\_ it has nothing to do with "responsible" as the
morally bankrupt would claim. it has to do with
scale. when one DUI rams his car into a wall, the
country goes on. when 3000 people die, 4 planes go
down, 2 *HUGE* buildings are gone, and the pentagon
gets a big hole in it, people need to know the govt
is doing something. disaster relief for family
victims is one small part of that.
\_ I thought our impending invasion of Iraq was
our government's way of letting the people
know that they're doing something.
\_ Nothing to do with it.
\_ It was a reflexive response. Note that for all those killed
in the Sept. 11 attacks (including non-Americans) are getting
the money. In the Sudanese embassy bombing, only Americans are
being compensated (this means non-citizen employees and
bystanders killed/hurt by the blast are not getting money).
It's all very emotional. See the Red Cross incident.
\_ The reasonable bickering is about cases like the Red Cross who
ostensibly raised money for the families of the victims, but then
were *very* stingy about actually giving it to them. Given the
public response for the victims, I don't see a need for federal aid
for the victims (except perhaps in helping them contact the various
charities). |
| 2002/9/18-19 [Transportation/Car, Finance/CC] UID:25924 Activity:moderate |
9/18 Where is a good reverse phone lookup site? http://www.411.com can't find most of the numbers I'm looking for. Thanks. \_ anywho \_ http://whitepages.com \_ shit there's so much information in there. How do I remove my information, or leave just the city and not the address? also, how to remove people information in "basic search"? \_ pacbell has one online too |
| 2002/9/10 [Transportation/Car] UID:25828 Activity:kinda low |
9/9 Anybody know of any decent/honest Toyota mechanic in Fremont area?
Preferably close to Mowry and 880. TIA.
\_ My dad always took ours to a Vietnamese family-owned shop
on Blacow and Central (across from the Arco). They always
did decent work and were very reasonable.
\_ Purfect auto on mowry and fremont blvd
\_ Well, there's the Toyota dealer at 880 and Auto Mall...
(You didn't say cheap) |
| 2002/9/4-5 [Transportation/Car] UID:25772 Activity:high |
9/4 My DMV Vehicle Registration Renewal Notice says my car needs a smog
check. Can I renew the registration before getting a smog check so
that the renewal won;t be past due?
\_ if yer that paranoid about it, go to an Arco w/ RapidRenewal.
you can just walk up and they will smog your car and if it passes
they will file your registration and give you your tags on the
spot -shac
\_ No. It only takes 30 minutes to get a smog check and the results
are instantly wired directly to the state. Stop being a weeny.
Just go take care of it.
\_ Unecessarily ascerbic, but correct. I did this three weeks ago
and the whole process, including the DMV getting me my new
stickers by mail, took only six days.
\_ Is there such a thing as "unecessarily ascerbic" on the motd
as long as you're right?
\_ I took it in by person, and had the process (smog check +
registration) completed in 2 hours.
\_ Yes. You can pay the registration and avoid a late fee. You won't
get the registration and sticker until you do the smog check,
though. --dim
\_ Seconded. I got charged late fees because the records on
my car were fucked up, and when I called to complain they
wouldn't remove the late fees because I could have paid
the registration and waited for the smog check to come
through.
\_ Which means you're not registered and not legal to drive.
\_ Not true. Your registration will show that it's paid and
that there is a lien pending for smog. You also avoid the
late fee, which I assume the OP was worried about. --dim
\_ I also registered first, then Smogged-- it worked fine.
\_ Oh yeah? You get pulled over?
\_ yes this is okay. However, if you get pulled
over, you will get a "fix-it" ticket. $10 at the
minimum. |
| 2002/8/22 [Transportation/Car, Politics/Domestic/Crime] UID:25651 Activity:very high |
8/21 http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1540867 "It was like, `Kill them all and let God sort them out,' " said the other supervisor. "I guess we're just lucky he didn't order us to fire warning shots into the crowd or anything." \_ URL worthiness meter to save yall time: worthwhile: worthless: ............. \_ Since when is the motd about saving time? \_ Aw, lovely Houston. This is another reason to stay the hell away from Texas and the south. \_ just a bunch of pigs measuring their little weenies \_ If any of you jackasses had actually read anything about it, you'd know it was the result of one cop who making a bad decision, but of course it isn't necessary around here to actually know wtf you're talking about to have a valid opinion. \_ Tell us all about it, then, master of obscure Texas local news. \_ Dude. Be serious. Its an exercise in simple reading comprehension. The captain in charge of the operation made an unbeliveably bad call when circumstances were beginning to show that the raid was going to be fruitless. The "Kill them all" quote is taken so horribly out of context it conveys almost nothing about the actual events that took place. Try reading the article. -mice \_ I dunno. It reads like a miniature version of the 1000+ folks arrested as possible terrorists by the Feds, held without access to lawyers and denied Constitutional rights. Even now as the Fed raid is proving fruitless, no one is taking any blame for it. In the Texas case, hundreds of folks have a criminal record for being at the wrong spot at the wrong time. I hate to see the lawsuits that are going to come from both of these instances... \_ Oh they do not have a crimincal record. This is just a load of hyperbole crap. "Oh! Oh! Come see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! I'm being oppressed! The sky is falling!" When *everying* is constitution ripping oppression and everything is racist and everything is sexist and blah blah blah then you dilute the power of the words so there's nothing left to distinguish *real* oppression and racism and sexism from this sort of endless whining. Get over it. \_ i believe the monty python quote you are aiming for is "help! help! I'm being repressed!" perhaps you were just intending to paraphrase monty python, and can be excused. Any future crimes can be checked against their official arrest record. It's not hyperbole, it can be used against them later on. \_ They were arrested. That is an official criminal record. If the charge is tossed out by the judge, that part of the record is purged, however part of the arrest process is fingerprinting and photos. The government now has this info to do what they want with it. Employers requesting police records as a job/security check may require the person has to explain away the arrest. It's a pain. \_ That's certainly true, but the stupidity displayed by the man in charge is not unique to Texas. Stupidity of his sort is pretty universally available. That seems to be the origin of this thread: that 'lovely Houston' is somehow the issue and not one man's idiocy. Of course, I'm starting to come off as an apologist for Texas, which I'm not. really. -mice \_ I did read it, but then someone who called me a jackass claimed there was more to it, so I had to ask. \_ Read it again and see the violence inherent in the system, jackass. \_ Yeah, but what does FreeRepublic have to say about it? \_ Who? \_ Go there and find out. |
| 2002/8/19-20 [Transportation/Car] UID:25605 Activity:high |
8/19 best place to buy Hazard insurance for bay area home?
\_ AAA? It's non-profit.
\_ In my experience, AAA rates suck. AllState or StateFarm are both
good, and will give you discounts if you insure both the house cna
car from them.
\_ AAA also gave such a discount to me. Another things is that
the longer you have an auto insurance with AAA, the bigger
discount you get on the auto insurance, since they apply prior
year's surplus money back to members who have the longest
insurance history first. Don't know if the same happens to
home insurance.
\_ Statefarm returns money.
\_ A few years ago AAA was one of the lowest-payout firms. If you
were insured with AAA, or got hit by someone with AAA, you could
expect a legal fight before you saw any money.
\_ Hence, The People's Lawyer.
\_ Now back to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! |
| 2002/7/31-8/1 [Reference/RealEstate, Transportation/Car] UID:25465 Activity:high 58%like:25460 |
7/31 Very funny. Someone changed my original post from "gas station owner"
to "gay prostitute." Here's the post again. -op
I am interested in changing my profession from a full time engineer to
a full time gas station owner. Any comments and/or URLs with more info
regarding gas station ownership, maintaince, liabilities, etc.?
\_ curious. where would you have this gas station? have it in hawaii
\_ Preferably somewhere around the Bay Area. Slightly further away
is fine, but not too remote. -op
\_ Are you from the middle east or south asia?
\_ most people think that owning a gas station is a way of making
money while sitting on your ass all day long. It's not. It's
actually a complicated REAL ESTATE business. It's all about the
location. The difference between housing real estate and
commercial real estate is that it's a lot harder to liquidate
commercial real estate. You'll need to find another sap who wants
to make money sitting your ass all day, just like you.
\_ And you have to take the risk of getting robbed and breathing
toxic fumes all day long.
\_ Actually some 21 y/old HS drop out is running the counter.
You're at home watching cartoons.
\_ I made acquaintance with two would-be gas station owners. One of
them leveraged the equity in his station to acquire another and
so on. He was grossing about $80K/month, but I don't know what
his net was. He seemed to be doing well. The other paid $400K to
buy a station and later had the EPA shut it down because it
needed some ridiculous sum of money to comply with some new
law. He lost everything. There's a lot to it. Why, may I ask,
are gas stations in particular appealing to you? Do you have
experience or friends/relatives with experience in this field? --dim |
| 2002/7/16-18 [Transportation/Car, Computer/SW/SpamAssassin] UID:25374 Activity:moderate |
7/16 Is there any way to auto-whitelist using spamc?
\_ Put
* ^From: (whitelist)
whitelistfolder
above your spamc recipe.
\_ that's not auto-whitelisting
\_ [ Non-AUTO-Whitelist solution removed ]
\_ umm, why don't you rtfm. it depends on how you have spamd set up.
\_ umm, I didn't set up spamd on csua.
\_ spamd -a. but no spamd => no use of spamc. |
| 2002/6/24-25 [Transportation/Car] UID:25184 Activity:very high |
6/24 How much does it cost to replace front and rear brakes?
Darn Acura dealer charing me $490!!
\_ are they resurfacing the rotor? That may be why.
\_ I had my rotors resurfaced, pads and fluid replaced for
$130 at Pep Boys, and I still felt scammed. Plus they
somehow "lost" a lugnut and didn't bother replacing it
or even sitting the wheel properly. Fuckers.
\_ Thanks! I knew they are scamming me. Those bastards!
I will never go there again. p.s. yes, they are
resurfacing the rotors.
\_ yeah, Pep Boys quality is pretty bad. But they are cheap.
\_ are they also "balancing" your tires as well? Or, er, aligning
your tires. Some say after doing work with tires, they
may need to realign them.
\_ I am not sure about that. I will ask them.
\_ You do need to have your tires realigned every so often
because of potholes and things like that-- every 12-24
months, basically. Simply removing your tires does not
mean you need a realignment. At any rate, realignment
probably isn't enough to explain $490 - $130. I replaced
2 and realigned all 4 tires for $120.
\_ So what's a good place to go to service breaks?
\_ brakes? How about a specialty tire and brake shop.
\_ Try your Acura dealer. I've heard good things about them.
\_ For $490 they should be *replacing* the rotors. Are you sure
they aren't replacing them, rather than resurfacing? --dim
\_ Pep Boys is cheapest, quality is bad. Dealers are usually
more expensive, but they may have good quality. Or, a specialty
or other type of shop -- perhaps somewhere in the middle?
\_ Wow that's cheap. BMW wanted $1290 to resurface my rotors. |
| 2002/6/14 [Transportation/Car, Finance/Investment] UID:25097 Activity:nil |
6/14 If one buys a car with financing (say 5 years and some interest
rate) how does one sell the car before the 5 years is up? Is there
a way?
\_ No. you're utterly fucked. |
| 12/24 |