Automotive: One Man Engine Drop

[temporal1]

george:
Well, one thing is for sure, you will be exhausted when you are done with this repair...

you’ve earned 1 ear:



i was nervous about the repair cost.
“i figured,” my last repair was $100, even if this was the same problem, years later, i was prepared to be charged $200, and hoping it wouldn’t go much over that.

he looked at it, told me a piece of the pipe needed to be cut out, replaced+welded.
$50.
he asked if they should go ahead with it? - yes!

it didn’t take long. what an improvement, driving quietly away.
i was not exhausted then ..

but, i had to stop at the pharmacy, where i got the first shingles vaccine of two. ouch.
they were busy, this required waiting.
the shot did not hurt. but, later, very sore arm. i’m not feeling great, took aspirin. hopefully, it will pass in 24 hours.

now i’m EXHAUSTED. - and not feeling great.

[gcdonner]

george:
Well, one thing is for sure, you will be exhausted when you are done with this repair...

you’ve earned 1 ear:



i was nervous about the repair cost.
“i figured,” my last repair was $100, even if this was the same problem, years later, i was prepared to be charged $200, and hoping it wouldn’t go much over that.

he looked at it, told me a piece of the pipe needed to be cut out, replaced+welded.
$50.
he asked if they should go ahead with it? - yes!

it didn’t take long. what an improvement, driving quietly away.
i was not exhausted then ..

but, i had to stop at the pharmacy, where i got the first shingles vaccine of two. ouch.
they were busy, this required waiting.
the shot did not hurt. but, later, very sore arm. i’m not feeling great, took aspirin. hopefully, it will pass in 24 hours.

now i’m EXHAUSTED. - and not feeling great.

The last time I had shingles, they were installed on my garage roof and not in my arm with a syringe...
btw, why would you want to get shingles? They are very painful and uncomfortable. I know from experience and don't plan to ask for more by getting a shot.

[temporal1]

The last time I had shingles, they were installed on my garage roof and not in my arm with a syringe...
btw, why would you want to get shingles? They are very painful and uncomfortable. I know from experience and don't plan to ask for more by getting a shot.

years ago, i worked with a woman who got shingles. she was probably in her 50’s. at most.
her experience convinced me, “no, thanks!”

i’m better today. arm is still sore, but, not feeling sick-ish like i did.

i’m still smiling over the $50 repair.
it seems, any repair of anything starts at $50-125, just for them to breathe. if they do anything, that’s additional $$$.

[temporal1]

FLEX FUEL

2017 / “Preaching to the converted: How ordinary cars turn into flex-fuel vehicles”
“ In America, the land of We Don't Take No For An Answer,
some drivers are seeking out solutions turn their vehicles into flex-fuel.”
https://www.fuelfreedom.org/preaching-t ... -vehicles/

A 2007 federal law brought us a new fleet of flex-fuel vehicles, capable of running on any mixture of gasoline and ethanol, all the way up to 85 percent ethanol.

That law, which provided credits to automakers to help them meet federal fuel-economy standards, resulted in nearly 20 million FFVs on the road in the United States today.

But that spirit of innovation didn’t end there: Many American entrepreneurs in recent years have developed systems that help car owners convert their gasoline-only vehicles to run on higher ethanol blends, up to E85. .. ..

it continues.

A recent topic in my family.

i’ve met 1 contractor with a small truck, not new, who converted to Flex Fuel.
it was probably 2008. gasoline was high, probably $3+/gallon.

he was happy with it.

[temporal1]

INEOS GRENADIER:
A new black bumper option??!

“We rode in an apocalypse-ready SUV created by one of the world's richest men — here's what it was like”
“It's meant to be an analog vehicle, unlike many modern off-roaders with lots of electronic assists.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/ineos-g ... der-2021-8

.. Insider rode shotgun in a prototype Grenadier model at an off-road-friendly location in East Sussex, UK, and the prototype certainly wasn't meant to be a showroom darling.

Built on June 1 to see how it would fare over about 2,500 miles in "all weathers" — rain, shine, probably lava — the inside of the SUV featured blanked out buttons, screens, placeholder trim, a center console stripped bare, and utilitarian controls that even the most hardcore customer would turn their nose up at.

The Grenadier was built to be tested to extremes, not look shiny in a parking lot. It was refreshingly inornate.

.. The Grenadier shuns the trust of computerized ones and zeros for traditional suspension and controls.
It's a purpose-built tool for specialists, rather than a Swiss Army Knife designed to do all jobs for all people.

And sometimes, that's just what people need.

.. While the Grenadier will likely be competitive when it comes to price ..

[temporal1]

2021 / “Here’s A Close Look At Gordon's Volvo P1800 With Three Million Miles”
https://www.motor1.com/news/529418/gord ... lose-look/

2013:
The owner of a 1966 Volvo P1800 is about to reach the three million miles mark.
About 63,830 miles each year since 1966.

https://www.motor1.com/news/39424/1966- ... ion-miles/

hmm.

[temporal1]

F I N L A N D

“Tesla owner blows up his Model S with dynamite over $22,000 battery replacement”
https://electrek.co/2021/12/23/tesla-ow ... placement/

.. Now we learn of a similar case in Finland where Tuomas Katainen, a 2013 Tesla Model S owner, had a battery pack that was out of warranty fail, and Tesla asked for the equivalent of $22,000 USD for a battery pack replacement.

Katainen didn’t like the value proposition considering used 2013 Model S vehicles go for about 35,000 euros in Finland and he didn’t have access to a third-party shop to fix the pack.

What options does one have at that point? Quite a few actually: You can try to find a used battery pack, you can sell the car as non-functional and still get decent money for it, or you can sell it for parts.

But Katainen decided to go a different way.

He reached out to YouTuber Pommijätkät, a channel known for blowing things up, to strap 30 kg of dynamite to the electric vehicle and blow it up: ..

[temporal1]

[temporal1]

Well ..

My poor old minivan is hobbling along.
i’ve started with a new mechanic. pretty optimistic. he has his shop/home not far from my place.
he did some brake work and fixed several minor problems i’d been living with for years.

Windshield damage.
My windshield took a hard hit a couple of weeks ago. It felt like a brick thrown, it hit the center.
It startled me, for sure.

First time in my life i’ve had to get a new windshield. $100 deductible.

i’m really glad it was replaced.
the weatherstripping/seals were trying to come loose. so, all that was secured with the new glass.

it’s a 2000 Toyota Sienna. now near 163,000 miles.
the body style has held up well over the (decades-lol) - it looks pretty good.

cars hold up better than they used to.
when i was young, “rust-buckets” spewing exhaust were common. it wasn’t very nice.

[temporal1]

Washington (State) Takes Another Stab at Banning Gas Cars
The 2030 target for EV-only sales is back, and it awaits the governor's signature (or veto).
https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-car ... e-car-ban/

Bill to phase-out sales of gas- and diesel-engined vehicles by 2030 passes Washington state legislature, following a similar attempt in 2021.

The bill makes exemptions for vehicles with a weight over 10,000 pounds, as well as emergency vehicles.

The previous effort was tied to the later implementation of a road usage fee scheme, which the 2022 bill does not include.

it continues ..