I saw an online discussion where someone asked what to do to get a brighter dome light in their car. Various people chimed in with 'use new LED lights' type answers.
I don't get it. I was surprised this morning as #2 was getting in my car, when the dome light came on for the first time in maybe a few years. I switch it to OFF and leave it that way. I also disabled the switch on my driver's door, so eve if the light is set to AUTO it still doesn't light unless another door is opened.
If I need a little light to read a map, there are map lights by the windshield. If I REALLY need light in the car, a dome light is typically not going to cut it and a flashlight is brought in to use the right tool for the job. I know where everything in the car is, without looking. A light on in a car is a serious operational security risk. God only knows who is watching you and is very interested to see (for example) where you stash your wallet, phone or gun. Nobody needs a bright flash of light telling them I've got in or out of my car, and nobody needs to see who or what-all exactly is in my car. So. Off.
I recognize my status as a member of a small minority that cares about this kind of thing. Not a protected minority, you understand, but a slightly safer minority nonetheless.
Showing posts with label Cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cars. Show all posts
Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Will a Chevrolet Uplander/Buick Terazza/Pontiac Montana/Saturn Soltice Hold a 4x8 Sheet of Plywood?
Yes. 100% for-sure!
If you are wondering whether your Chevy Uplander-based minivan will hold full sheets of flat stock, here is your proof. Fresh from the Mega-lo-Mart, here is our 2005 with THREE full sheets of plywood in the back.
Keep the drive home short, though, because the driving position is . . . uncomfortable and unsafe. The rear chairs do not need to be removed, they can be folded (they are folded in these pictures). The front chairs need to be all the way forward and all the way upright, and the back hatch will close when the plywood is pushing against your chair. The sides will scratch on the trim by the back seats, and the seatbelts will get splinters or at least be rubbed pretty hard. The power outlet (if your car has one) may take a beating if you are not careful.
This is all the room you get.
But it fits.
. . . barely
Keep the drive home short, though, because the driving position is . . . uncomfortable and unsafe. The rear chairs do not need to be removed, they can be folded (they are folded in these pictures). The front chairs need to be all the way forward and all the way upright, and the back hatch will close when the plywood is pushing against your chair. The sides will scratch on the trim by the back seats, and the seatbelts will get splinters or at least be rubbed pretty hard. The power outlet (if your car has one) may take a beating if you are not careful.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
For Steve, Two Hondas
Steve, he loves him some Hondas. Here are a couple of local cars from a night drive a while back.
An S2000 from a frequently-seen angle:
And an RSX just barely-visible in the darkness. Almost like a drawing but let me tell you it's a gen-u-wine photo.
An S2000 from a frequently-seen angle:
And an RSX just barely-visible in the darkness. Almost like a drawing but let me tell you it's a gen-u-wine photo.
Friday, July 27, 2012
DIY/SOLVED! Buick Terraza/Chevy Uplander Sliding Rear Door Won't Stop Beeping
This will get you to the dealership without going insane from the door alarm chiming through the car's radio speakers. They need to repair this for you. It is expensive.
Our Terraza sliding rear door stopped working. It moved very easily, like it was not pushing against the normal resistance in the mechanism. It would pop the door open, and it would latch closed manually, but it would not slide itself open or closed. It made the normal "i'mopeningyourdoor" humming noise, but the door did not slide under power. For a few moments while it tried to open it would stop beeping but then the door would figure out it was not doing right, and start the chime up again.
The door thinks about itself. When it stops beeping and starts trying to move, it is waiting for itself to do right. It notices it does not work and starts the incessant chiming alarm up again. What you need to do to get it to shut up is disconnect the motor AFTER you push the door-open button, WHILE it is trying to open the door, BEFORE it starts beeping again. There are two connectors, and they latch in place on the motor. You have to be quick at this.
The motor is hiding behind plastic trim panels, right beside the rear seat. The passenger side is easy to reach in our terraza, just open the access panel where the jack is stored. The driver's side would require pulling (just pull, I think there are no screws) the plastic trim panels off. If you are reading this, you know that you will be ready to flip the whole car upside-down to get the thing to quiet, so pulling the trim off shouldn't be too hard. Expose the motor. Push the door operator switch. Pull off the two connectors going to the motor. It should stay quiet if you timed this right. A helper is probably necessary
The mechansim in our van is obviously broken. Carmax already replaced it once under warranty. Here's hoping they will again.
My Darling Wife reported a popping noise before it stopped working. The popping noise was the cable snapping inside the mechanism, or the mechanism breaking.
***
Bonus poor design workaround information
***
If the door will not stay closed, the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door opening is probably loose. Push it up back into place. If it still will not closed, you may have to force and lock it manual. This is bad but if you need to do it to get home, do it.
If the door will not open, unlock it from the inside manually and try again. If it still will not open, leave it closed and make an appointment at your dealership.
If there is a wire or cable hanging loose from the slot in the outside of the body of the van. If there is a crunching noise from the back by the seats, behind the plastic. If it can't seem to tell that it really is open or closed. If manually operating the stop switches makes no difference . . . make an appointment at your dealership. This mechanism could have been designed better, but at least it is repairable.
Our Terraza sliding rear door stopped working. It moved very easily, like it was not pushing against the normal resistance in the mechanism. It would pop the door open, and it would latch closed manually, but it would not slide itself open or closed. It made the normal "i'mopeningyourdoor" humming noise, but the door did not slide under power. For a few moments while it tried to open it would stop beeping but then the door would figure out it was not doing right, and start the chime up again.
The door thinks about itself. When it stops beeping and starts trying to move, it is waiting for itself to do right. It notices it does not work and starts the incessant chiming alarm up again. What you need to do to get it to shut up is disconnect the motor AFTER you push the door-open button, WHILE it is trying to open the door, BEFORE it starts beeping again. There are two connectors, and they latch in place on the motor. You have to be quick at this.
The motor is hiding behind plastic trim panels, right beside the rear seat. The passenger side is easy to reach in our terraza, just open the access panel where the jack is stored. The driver's side would require pulling (just pull, I think there are no screws) the plastic trim panels off. If you are reading this, you know that you will be ready to flip the whole car upside-down to get the thing to quiet, so pulling the trim off shouldn't be too hard. Expose the motor. Push the door operator switch. Pull off the two connectors going to the motor. It should stay quiet if you timed this right. A helper is probably necessary
The mechansim in our van is obviously broken. Carmax already replaced it once under warranty. Here's hoping they will again.
My Darling Wife reported a popping noise before it stopped working. The popping noise was the cable snapping inside the mechanism, or the mechanism breaking.
***
Bonus poor design workaround information
***
If the door will not stay closed, the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door opening is probably loose. Push it up back into place. If it still will not closed, you may have to force and lock it manual. This is bad but if you need to do it to get home, do it.
If the door will not open, unlock it from the inside manually and try again. If it still will not open, leave it closed and make an appointment at your dealership.
If there is a wire or cable hanging loose from the slot in the outside of the body of the van. If there is a crunching noise from the back by the seats, behind the plastic. If it can't seem to tell that it really is open or closed. If manually operating the stop switches makes no difference . . . make an appointment at your dealership. This mechanism could have been designed better, but at least it is repairable.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Madness at Work, Computer LOLs
My computer has a BUNCH of programs that load at startup every day. The last thing in the queue is the sound you will hear when you go to instantrimshot.com and press the big red button. It takes several minutes for the computer to boot up.
Today as my computer was waking up I was across the room talking to one of the guys about cars. I said how fortunate I am, in that my Darling Wife's parents had an El Camino when she was young, so she loves 'em.
VFD: . . . because the El Camino is stereotypically a car that women hate. Unlike the Mustang I was behind yesterday with a chick's personalized plate and the same name on the surround around the plate.
JM: Well, maybe that's because the El Camino says 'I would like to rape you'
VFD: (1/2 tick pause)
VFD: I'm not arguing with you . . .
Computer: :rimshot:
JM & VFD: LOL
VFD: Hi-Five, computer!
Sweet:
Today as my computer was waking up I was across the room talking to one of the guys about cars. I said how fortunate I am, in that my Darling Wife's parents had an El Camino when she was young, so she loves 'em.
VFD: . . . because the El Camino is stereotypically a car that women hate. Unlike the Mustang I was behind yesterday with a chick's personalized plate and the same name on the surround around the plate.
JM: Well, maybe that's because the El Camino says 'I would like to rape you'
VFD: (1/2 tick pause)
VFD: I'm not arguing with you . . .
Computer: :rimshot:
JM & VFD: LOL
VFD: Hi-Five, computer!
Sweet:
Friday, May 25, 2012
Austin is A Poseur
There is an F1 track in the works south of Austin. WAY South, like an hour away. Today, the ray-dee-oh news people said that there is a plan for dealing with the spectator traffic to and from the race. There are 17,000 parking spots at the track. The other 80,000 people will be
wait for it
riding a shuttle bus from Austin.
So let me get this straight: In a city without enough hotel capacity to support this mass of humanity, you have tens of thousands of people coming to see a race with no place to stay. Then you expect them to ride the bus? I did the math. IF you only wanted some of them to be milling around for an entire HOUR before the race begins, give them an hour to shuttle the people to the track on buses. Call it 80 to a bus. 1,000 bus trips. In an hour. From two points of origin. That makes
1000 trips/2 locations = 500/location
500 trips/hour = 50 trips in 6 minutes = 8.3 buses leaving every minute.
= 17 buses dropping off a full load of people at the track every minute.
The ONLY way to get this done in an hour is to herd the people like livestock. In two hours, even. Now bear in mind, these are people who are spending tens of thousands of dollars to go see a race featuring $14M (each) cars. These are people flying in on private jets, taking limos . . . to a bus station? You really expect these richass rich people to be satisfied waiting an hour to get on a bus, riding an hour to get to the track down a TWO LANE road, and then milling about waiting for the show to start? There better be some serious entertainment going on or there won't be a second annual race, people.
But then, Austin likes to put on airs o' being bigger than their britches. Witness the current idea of an urban rail system including some subterranean sections "just like the really big cities!!!"
To illustrate how silly this place is, let's have another city nearby, planned for the traffic. Start in the middle of BFE, Texas and build a 12 lane highway X through the middle, with three loops all the way round, then declare a tax holiday for 10 years for any company to go build there. And sit back and watch a REAL big city form.
Oh, and the track will have showers. For the people who "will" be sharing the two-lane road through cow country with a thousand buses coming and a thousand buses going, to get to the track WAY outside Austin.
Potentially huge Fail here, Austin. Way to go.
wait for it
riding a shuttle bus from Austin.
So let me get this straight: In a city without enough hotel capacity to support this mass of humanity, you have tens of thousands of people coming to see a race with no place to stay. Then you expect them to ride the bus? I did the math. IF you only wanted some of them to be milling around for an entire HOUR before the race begins, give them an hour to shuttle the people to the track on buses. Call it 80 to a bus. 1,000 bus trips. In an hour. From two points of origin. That makes
1000 trips/2 locations = 500/location
500 trips/hour = 50 trips in 6 minutes = 8.3 buses leaving every minute.
= 17 buses dropping off a full load of people at the track every minute.
The ONLY way to get this done in an hour is to herd the people like livestock. In two hours, even. Now bear in mind, these are people who are spending tens of thousands of dollars to go see a race featuring $14M (each) cars. These are people flying in on private jets, taking limos . . . to a bus station? You really expect these richass rich people to be satisfied waiting an hour to get on a bus, riding an hour to get to the track down a TWO LANE road, and then milling about waiting for the show to start? There better be some serious entertainment going on or there won't be a second annual race, people.
But then, Austin likes to put on airs o' being bigger than their britches. Witness the current idea of an urban rail system including some subterranean sections "just like the really big cities!!!"
To illustrate how silly this place is, let's have another city nearby, planned for the traffic. Start in the middle of BFE, Texas and build a 12 lane highway X through the middle, with three loops all the way round, then declare a tax holiday for 10 years for any company to go build there. And sit back and watch a REAL big city form.
Oh, and the track will have showers. For the people who "will" be sharing the two-lane road through cow country with a thousand buses coming and a thousand buses going, to get to the track WAY outside Austin.
Potentially huge Fail here, Austin. Way to go.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
In Case You Didn't Know, Top Fuel Cars are Awesome
Amazing things happen in top fuel. Two examples, then you have to click the links for the rest:
Click for the Facts
More (similar) Facts
One more
For those who can't read but will watch a video: your tax dollars hard at work! (hint: the Army is a taxpayer-funded enterprise)
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting off its fuel flow.
To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.
Click for the Facts
More (similar) Facts
One more
For those who can't read but will watch a video: your tax dollars hard at work! (hint: the Army is a taxpayer-funded enterprise)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
And Now It's Time For A Break Down
Today had kindof a lot of minor failures. The Hot Rod, she was not so happy.
I went to pull out of my neighborhood this morning in front of traffic. First, Second, and instead of third I grabbed fifth gear, with the regular amount of gas I would give third to keep taking off like a batouttahell. Engage the clutch . . . the car did NOT leap forward and the engine speed barely dropped at ALL. For a second or two until I got it out of fifth and into third. A few moments later, the smell of burning clutch came through the A/C vents. Well, it kept driving so . . .
Going down the highway, I had a bass-heavy piece of "music" on the ray-dee-oh. And by bass-heavy, I mean something broke on the rear decklid and it started buzzing like a legit rattle-trap.
After work, I unlocked my door like always. UNlike always, the follow-me door locks on the rest of the doors didn't unlock. I figured I might have just left her unlocked all day. No big deal, sit down, press clutch, insert key, turn key . . . nothing. Not even so much as a click. Turn off running lights. Obtain jump from another guy in the parking lot.
Thank God the car runs, but I guess you have to treat em right.
I went to pull out of my neighborhood this morning in front of traffic. First, Second, and instead of third I grabbed fifth gear, with the regular amount of gas I would give third to keep taking off like a batouttahell. Engage the clutch . . . the car did NOT leap forward and the engine speed barely dropped at ALL. For a second or two until I got it out of fifth and into third. A few moments later, the smell of burning clutch came through the A/C vents. Well, it kept driving so . . .
Going down the highway, I had a bass-heavy piece of "music" on the ray-dee-oh. And by bass-heavy, I mean something broke on the rear decklid and it started buzzing like a legit rattle-trap.
After work, I unlocked my door like always. UNlike always, the follow-me door locks on the rest of the doors didn't unlock. I figured I might have just left her unlocked all day. No big deal, sit down, press clutch, insert key, turn key . . . nothing. Not even so much as a click. Turn off running lights. Obtain jump from another guy in the parking lot.
Thank God the car runs, but I guess you have to treat em right.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
I'll Take TWO!
One convertible in black for the Mrs, one coupe in white for me.
The new BMW M6 looks, probably will perform, amazing. You will click.
The new BMW M6 looks, probably will perform, amazing. You will click.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Old Cars Let You Drive
New cars will prevent you driving.
Wait, what?
Your car has a brake and a throttle pedal. Pushing each of them does something different. Pushing both of them at the same time is advanced kung-fu and helps you win races on the track. The NHTSA also thinks that you suck at driving so much that you would never intentionally use the brake and throttle together, and they want to change your new cars. In the future, the idea is that using both controls together will prevent one of them from working.
Thinking like this leads to padded phone poles in London so you can TXT MSG on your phone without looking up and you don't get hurt by walking headlong into a steel post. Seriously, they do this.
Call me an angry white-hispanic male if you want, but I repeat: throttle should be a cable or a linkage, and brakes should be straight hydraulics. These systems should not be related in any way.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Wait, what?
Your car has a brake and a throttle pedal. Pushing each of them does something different. Pushing both of them at the same time is advanced kung-fu and helps you win races on the track. The NHTSA also thinks that you suck at driving so much that you would never intentionally use the brake and throttle together, and they want to change your new cars. In the future, the idea is that using both controls together will prevent one of them from working.
Thinking like this leads to padded phone poles in London so you can TXT MSG on your phone without looking up and you don't get hurt by walking headlong into a steel post. Seriously, they do this.
Call me an angry white-hispanic male if you want, but I repeat: throttle should be a cable or a linkage, and brakes should be straight hydraulics. These systems should not be related in any way.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Safety Gear for the Win
I just saw a crash on the teevee. Two guys on dirt bikes made a jump and collided in midair and came down from what looked like maybe 25 feet, to the dirt track below in a jumbled heap with their motorcycles. One guy bailed and landed on his feet and he was able to ride away after half a minute. The other guy landed pretty much on his head and it looked like he had a 350lbs bike fall on him. He was able to scramble off the track and bawl out the other guy, then he collapsed, and after a minute or so he walked off the sidelines with medical personnel.
As he walked away from the camera I noticed he had what looked like a HANS device (or something very like it) on his back. That cat would be DEAD a few years ago. Paralyzed, at best. Now, he's spitting mad, spitting blood, and holding what are probably several broken ribs. He'll need a new helmet, maybe a new vest, but not a new gravestone, yet.
As he walked away from the camera I noticed he had what looked like a HANS device (or something very like it) on his back. That cat would be DEAD a few years ago. Paralyzed, at best. Now, he's spitting mad, spitting blood, and holding what are probably several broken ribs. He'll need a new helmet, maybe a new vest, but not a new gravestone, yet.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
You're Not Supposed To Laugh
A truck hauling sand was on the road in front of me, a motorcyclist was in the lane to my right. The biker had sunglasses and gloves, but no helmet. As I pulled alongside him, I noted that his hand was up in front of his face and I thought he might be shielding himself from the wind.
As I had pulled in behind this truck a couple miles back, I was pleasantly surprised that it was throwing off exactly ZERO rocks or sand back to my car. There was a stiff wind from left to right across the highway.
I pulled in front of the motorcyclist and realized that the sand I had expected to blow off behind the truck was blowing off to the right of the truck. The biker was keeping sand out of his mouth/nose.
You know what else keeps sand out of your nose? A full-face helmet. Those also do a handy job of keeping your brains and bits of skull out of the cracks in the highway.
If you voluntarily ride a motorcycle with no helmet in a non-emergent situation, you are an idiot.
As I had pulled in behind this truck a couple miles back, I was pleasantly surprised that it was throwing off exactly ZERO rocks or sand back to my car. There was a stiff wind from left to right across the highway.
I pulled in front of the motorcyclist and realized that the sand I had expected to blow off behind the truck was blowing off to the right of the truck. The biker was keeping sand out of his mouth/nose.
You know what else keeps sand out of your nose? A full-face helmet. Those also do a handy job of keeping your brains and bits of skull out of the cracks in the highway.
If you voluntarily ride a motorcycle with no helmet in a non-emergent situation, you are an idiot.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Not That You Cared
I took Bad Robot in for a fresh set of tires today. She'd been a squirrely driver ever since we got the car (about 35,000 miles), but I figured it was a bad suspension setup. Maybe not. One of the tires threw a balancing weight and got us started on a round of maintenance that included a wheel bearing and a new power steering rack, and THEN. Wow. I hadn't really been paying attention to the tires, except to note that they were getting pretty low on tread. When I had to pay attention, I noted that the (only) layer of polyester on the sidewall was pretty ratty looking. Falling apart/crumbling rubber and only one layer of that between me and a blowout means it's time to get a new set of tires.
So we got some new Kumhos and let me tell you it's a different car. It actually drives better than it did when we got it. I've got Kumhos on the Hot Rod and it has surprisingly close-to-the-Hot-Rod handling now. It's still a lumbering minivan but it's soooo much better.
Oh, and P.S. the mechanic at Discount Tire said the tires were from early 2005. That means they are the 7 year-old originals, with 67,000 miles on them. Now THAT'S good tire service life.
Just thanks Jesus for not letting us have a catastrophic failure in the meantime. This doesn't make a difference in your life, but it really brightened up my day. Maybe I'll hate that car less now, since it is less like a flat-bottomed sled and more like a go-kart.
So we got some new Kumhos and let me tell you it's a different car. It actually drives better than it did when we got it. I've got Kumhos on the Hot Rod and it has surprisingly close-to-the-Hot-Rod handling now. It's still a lumbering minivan but it's soooo much better.
Oh, and P.S. the mechanic at Discount Tire said the tires were from early 2005. That means they are the 7 year-old originals, with 67,000 miles on them. Now THAT'S good tire service life.
Just thanks Jesus for not letting us have a catastrophic failure in the meantime. This doesn't make a difference in your life, but it really brightened up my day. Maybe I'll hate that car less now, since it is less like a flat-bottomed sled and more like a go-kart.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Blessings in Deep, Deep Disguise
My Darling Wife reported that Bad Robot was shaking while driving and pulling to the right. I went for a 2 minute test drive and told her it felt like a wheel out of balance, and not to worry about it. She responded that it felt just like her parents' car felt, just before something broke in the front end and she crashed . . . on the highway . . . at speed . . . and didn't drive for years because it scared her so bad. So it bothers her.
Fast forward to last Sunday and it's CRAZY. I took the slow road to church to keep speed down because the vibration was worse with speed. Turning, the wheel would slip 1x/revolution and jerk the steering wheel. Very odd, now I was thinking a tire might be flat-spotted but Bad Robot has antilock brakes and I don't think it CAN flat spot a drive wheel without doing some donuts on the highway or something.
Fast forward to today, and I just rotated the tires to see if the vibration was on a particular wheel. All of the wheels have weights on the outside, and some of them have some funky curb-checks. One of the front wheels (the one I thought might be messed up) had a spot where there obviously USED to be a wheel weight on the INSIDE of the tire. Uh-huh.
Oh, and that same corner has a bad wheel bearing, maybe 3mm of play when the wheel is rocked. So I've got an appointment to have the mechanic look at it because a) its' under warranty and b) I have an irrational hatred for working on this car.
Test drive: wheel steady as a rock, no vibration and no pulling. Hands-free driving impressed #2 enough on the way out that he requested an encore on the way back home. I did it, after making sure he knew that it was dangerous.
Where's the blessing here VFD?
If the tire hadn't thrown a weight, I might not have noticed the wheel bearing going out until it threw the WHEEL and she crashed . . . on the highway . . . at speed . . . so. Silver lining, thanks Jesus.
#2 asked what would happen if the wheel came off. I told him "absolute BEST, best case scenario, you crash." He visualized it and I think it made an impression. Good.
Fast forward to last Sunday and it's CRAZY. I took the slow road to church to keep speed down because the vibration was worse with speed. Turning, the wheel would slip 1x/revolution and jerk the steering wheel. Very odd, now I was thinking a tire might be flat-spotted but Bad Robot has antilock brakes and I don't think it CAN flat spot a drive wheel without doing some donuts on the highway or something.
Fast forward to today, and I just rotated the tires to see if the vibration was on a particular wheel. All of the wheels have weights on the outside, and some of them have some funky curb-checks. One of the front wheels (the one I thought might be messed up) had a spot where there obviously USED to be a wheel weight on the INSIDE of the tire. Uh-huh.
Oh, and that same corner has a bad wheel bearing, maybe 3mm of play when the wheel is rocked. So I've got an appointment to have the mechanic look at it because a) its' under warranty and b) I have an irrational hatred for working on this car.
Test drive: wheel steady as a rock, no vibration and no pulling. Hands-free driving impressed #2 enough on the way out that he requested an encore on the way back home. I did it, after making sure he knew that it was dangerous.
Where's the blessing here VFD?
If the tire hadn't thrown a weight, I might not have noticed the wheel bearing going out until it threw the WHEEL and she crashed . . . on the highway . . . at speed . . . so. Silver lining, thanks Jesus.
#2 asked what would happen if the wheel came off. I told him "absolute BEST, best case scenario, you crash." He visualized it and I think it made an impression. Good.
Friday, January 20, 2012
HyundaiAftermarket > GenCoupe
HyundaiAftermarket.org is better than GenCoupe.com
I frequent HA and have heard horror stories from "former" members of GC about how the site staff make it an unenjoyable experience, treating members like they are expendable and supporting disreputable vendors. If anyone is looking for a Hyundai-related message board, HyundaiAftermarket is where you want to be. Trust me on this. None of the others have the same combination of helpful staff, family-like camaraderie of the members, and a very deep treasure of accumulated wisdom. If you are currently on HyundaiPerformance and think it's too commercial and the staff are too close to the "nazi mod" attitude, go to HyundaiAftermarket instead of Gencoupe. If you miss the in-depth knowledge of the 97-01 Elantra/Tiburon (and similar year Accent) platforms since RDTiburon.com (and FXtreme) closed, know that the forum databases and knowledgeable members were both folded in to the forum at HyundaiAftermarket. All the other boards are smaller, more model-specific, and generally less hip than HA.
I frequent HA and have heard horror stories from "former" members of GC about how the site staff make it an unenjoyable experience, treating members like they are expendable and supporting disreputable vendors. If anyone is looking for a Hyundai-related message board, HyundaiAftermarket is where you want to be. Trust me on this. None of the others have the same combination of helpful staff, family-like camaraderie of the members, and a very deep treasure of accumulated wisdom. If you are currently on HyundaiPerformance and think it's too commercial and the staff are too close to the "nazi mod" attitude, go to HyundaiAftermarket instead of Gencoupe. If you miss the in-depth knowledge of the 97-01 Elantra/Tiburon (and similar year Accent) platforms since RDTiburon.com (and FXtreme) closed, know that the forum databases and knowledgeable members were both folded in to the forum at HyundaiAftermarket. All the other boards are smaller, more model-specific, and generally less hip than HA.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Copilot Saves Family's Life, Film at 11:00
Driving home from my parents' house, I was tired but thought I was ok to drive. Then I woke up crossing the lane markers and my Darling Wife asked me if I were okay. I asked her right back and she said she was. She sounded like she meant it.
Chinese Fire Drill . . . Go!
I was asleep a minute later and woke up when we got into our part of the world again. I could have made myself stay awake the whole drive home. Maybe. And maybe I'd have put us over the side of an overpass.
There's a joke that is slightly less funny tonight but I'm still smiling:
Chinese Fire Drill . . . Go!
I was asleep a minute later and woke up when we got into our part of the world again. I could have made myself stay awake the whole drive home. Maybe. And maybe I'd have put us over the side of an overpass.
There's a joke that is slightly less funny tonight but I'm still smiling:
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Smiling: Better Than Rage at the Fates!
I had a problem in the Hot Rod, where it wouldn't take gas even as slow as the pump would dispense fuel. Barely-squeeze the handle for 5 seconds and then it kicks off. Squeeze again. Takes 10 minutes to fill up half a tank. I fixed that. First fill-up after the fix was tonight. I pulled in to the filling station behind a pickup truck and guess what problem his truck has.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Chevy Volt Has Higher Carbon Footprint Than Anticipated
TWO garages have caught fire in homes equipped with charging stations for Chevrolet Volt electric/hybrid cars. Carbon footprint: about the size of your garage if you're lucky, the size of your house if not.
Expect to see more of these stories. When you draw lots of current (as when an electric car is being recharged), wires get hot. Old wires running too hot inside old walls not built to current code may just decide to catch on fire. If you get a charging station put in your house, I strongly advise you to have an electrician install a "home run" with wire larger than is required by your local building code. This means paying A LOT more for wire, as well as the installation of conduit and a circuit breaker - in addition to the cost of the charging station itself. I am guessing the cost would be lower, however, than the re-purchase of everything that burned in these poor peoples' garages.
You've been warned.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Expect to see more of these stories. When you draw lots of current (as when an electric car is being recharged), wires get hot. Old wires running too hot inside old walls not built to current code may just decide to catch on fire. If you get a charging station put in your house, I strongly advise you to have an electrician install a "home run" with wire larger than is required by your local building code. This means paying A LOT more for wire, as well as the installation of conduit and a circuit breaker - in addition to the cost of the charging station itself. I am guessing the cost would be lower, however, than the re-purchase of everything that burned in these poor peoples' garages.
You've been warned.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Car vs. Wall @ 120MPH
Fifth Gear crashed an older Ford Focus into a wall at 120MPH. Cliffs: it's half as long as it was before. Survivability: zero. This is the same amount of force as a head-on collision at 60MPH, unless I am mistaken.
My boy Pat used to drive this car. Another friend saw a fatal offset frontal collision at these speeds in his rearview mirror. He said it looked like special effects from a movie.
You will watch this, and drive more carefully.
Hat tip: Instapundit
My boy Pat used to drive this car. Another friend saw a fatal offset frontal collision at these speeds in his rearview mirror. He said it looked like special effects from a movie.
You will watch this, and drive more carefully.
Hat tip: Instapundit
Friday, October 14, 2011
Seatbelts: Use 'Em!
It's no secret I'm a fan of making motor vehicle travel as less-un-safe as practicable. I just saw some people rolling around in a limousine. Seats sideways. No seat belts used. Driving down the road.
If you are rolling down the street in a car, and are not wearing a seatbelt, you are a dumbass, regardless of how nice the car might be, and how long is the sideways bench seat.
Always wear seat belts.
If you are rolling down the street in a car, and are not wearing a seatbelt, you are a dumbass, regardless of how nice the car might be, and how long is the sideways bench seat.
Always wear seat belts.
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