OT used pickup trucks

[Wade Garrett]

Yeah, they lost me; that was my last Ford. Disappointing as the truck's performance was, what really got me was their attitude and lack of ownership of the problem.

Best resolution would have been, "Hey we're gonna' swap that problem child out for a nice new truck for you" or maybe "We're gonna offer you

95% of your purchase price as a trade-in for a new truck."

I might have even been mollified with "We're really sorry. That model just wasn't one of our finest. Please accept this coupon for two free oil changes and a car wash."

[Tekkie©]

On Thu, 13 May 2021 18:34:54 -0400, Wade Garrett posted for all of us to digest...

Yeah, I understand. I looked at a Chevy Blazer? (the boxy one)& the salesman said to take it home over the weekend. I was young & dumb & it worked. Lots of problems, like not wanting to start in the morning. What pissed me the most was it was 2 wheel drive and there was record snows that season. I slid backward down a hill and managed to stay out of the ditch and not hit anything like the car behind me. I got an Exploder Sport with zero problems that I loved. I had to trade it because my wife couldn't get in. ;(

I used the lemon law about 2 years ago to get rid of a car.

I've learned not to fall in love with mechanical things because they will always break your heart.

[Tekkie©]

On Thu, 13 May 2021 18:47:26 -0400, Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us to digest...

Yeah, that's the American way, the vehicle don't work, blame the buyer. They all do that. Ad nauseam Now the lemon laws exist and I am very picky the first year or 12k. I have used the lemon law successfully.

[Tekkie©]

On Thu, 13 May 2021 19:25:53 -0400, [e-mail] posted for all of us to digest...

They all had paint problems then. The latest Ford debacle is their dual clutch trannys used in their small models. The all have loss (to the buyer) leaders that fall apart before your very eyes and others that are manufactured for life.

[Tekkie©]

On Thu, 13 May 2021 21:31:06 -0400, [e-mail] posted for all of us to digest...

Go to:

for recalls and stuff. I don't have the knowledge of the industry any more that Clare does. His ear is still on the ground about autos.

[hubops]

Remember that not all auto problems are Safety issues . .. John T.

[Ralph Mowery]

I had a Dodge Swinger 340 new in 1969 and loved that little car. Someone ran a stop sign and I total lost it. Bought a Dodge Demon with the same motor. That was when you could order a car with the options you wanted. Drove it home from a dealer about 20 miles away. I raised the hood at home to see if it was a V8 or a 6 cylinder as it was suppose to be an 8 but performed like a 6. That thing would not start about half the time or would just barley start. Traded it off with less than

20,000 miles on it. Worse car I ever owned. I believe Clare said it was probably the ballast resistor was bad as to the reason it would not start. The local mechanics never did find the problem.

Next worse was a 1974 Ventura that I traded the Demon for. The AC was always running out of refrigerant and the timing gear would go out every

35 to 40 thousand miles. Piece of fiber gear junk.

Started buying the Japan cars and only spent money on the normal maintenance.

[Tekkie©]

On Fri, 14 May 2021 15:32:18 -0400, Ralph Mowery posted for all of us to digest...

No lemon law then :(

[rbowman]

I bought an '80 Camaro when GM was switching over to water based paint. It was a clue there might be a problem when they gave me a bottle of touch up paint with the new car.

It was white and the roof acquired some striping from a trip through the car wash. I don't know what it would have done in the long term since I traded it in on an '82 Firebird. There was nothing wrong with it but I really liked the hatchback compared to the previous model where you could fit a Dopp kit and two dead mice in the trunk.

I wish they had brought back the 3rd gen hatch for the new Camaros although leaving that LC1 V-6 in the dust was a good thing. The rear main seal would spin and depending on the phase of the moon turn the car into a mosquito fogger. It didn't lose enough oil to be a concern but I got tired of people telling me my car was on fire. It was also anemic although the optional V-8 LG4 was little better.

[Clare Snyder]

Also remember the most often reported "part failure" of today's automobile is the nut holding the steering wheel!!!

[Tekkie©]

On Fri, 14 May 2021 18:02:50 -0600, rbowman posted for all of us to digest...

More power? Shudda bought the Binford 6100 !

[Tekkie©]

On Fri, 14 May 2021 22:28:29 -0400, Clare Snyder posted for all of us to digest...

I got 2 nuts on mine but it still hasn't helped...

[rbowman]

It had enough power to get me a 93 in a 45 mph zone one dark night in Findlay, OH. Findlay's chief claim to fame is 'Down by the Old Mill Stream' was written there.

Unlike Jamaal Jefferson, I didn't get shoot during a routine traffic stop. I had NH plates and license so the cop asked me what I thought about the flatlands. I tried to be polite but my lack of enthusiasm came through. He said he was from West Virginia missed the mountains but a man had to do what he had to do to make a living.

It was convenient. He reached into the backseat for a credit card imprinter, I paid and was back on my way to Ft. Wayne without being tasered or pepper sprayed.

The car would cruise fine but you didn't want to get into a stoplight drag race with anything more than a '56 Volkswagen. Even the full on Trans Am that year was all show no go.

I just read they're suspending Camaro production because of the electronics shortage. They haven't been selling all that well so I hope it isn't the end of the Camaro/Firebird line/

[rbowman]

Two more than you need. I was at the dog track in Daytona and the Florida Man in the row in front of me was bitching to his buddy. He'd been working on his car and had the steering wheel off when he had to go someplace. He clamped his trusty Vise-Grips on the stub and headed down the road. The cop who stopped him was not amused.

I understand that's all over now and all the greyhounds are happily snoozing under the palm trees rather than chasing a mechanical rabbit. In reality the dogs are probably snoozing under 3 feet of dirt.

[Tekkie©]

On Sat, 15 May 2021 17:28:07 -0600, rbowman posted for all of us to digest...

IDK how many greyhound rescues there are.

[gfretwell]

Not near as many rescues as there were greyhounds and they don't tend to make very good pets but they will thin out the cat population pretty fast along with anything else that runs from them. They are not that easy to housebreak and they might be tough on small children. Some people love them and have the patience to train them but there are always a few surrenders at the pound when have been there.

[Tekkie©]

On Sat, 15 May 2021 17:18:38 -0600, rbowman posted for all of us to digest...

Funny how that works. Now you would have to go to court for reckless driving. Some states have laws that if you are going faster that a set amount above the limit. "You may not have to pay the fine but are getting the ride"

It is all from the chip shortage. I heard lately that there is only one company that makes silicon chips for cars. The co. is running at 100% capacity. The chips are using in all the modules. Garages can't get replacements for even the main modules on new cars and good luck for older stuff. I was told Ford may drop some "non essential" features for their cars and trucks. Imagine in a few years when they break down what a shitshow that will be, did it have this? y/n? If this then this... I'm not sure if this has anything to do with China but I have my suspicions.

[rbowman]

Some of the websites say that with the tracks closing retired racers are in short supply. That's better than the days when retirement for an old or slow hound was a .22 behind the ear.

As I understand it they're like a very large cat. 'Walk? Yeah, okay, I guess'. A real cat or a small dog might get them up to speed.

[rbowman]

No kidding. I got stopped flying low from Minneapolis to Morris MN where we were setting up a plant. The cop asked me where I was headed and I told him to the new Fingerhut plant. He then asked if I was an engineer and I said yes. Then he asked if I made pretty good money. By now, I'm wondering where the hell this was going, but I said yes. 'Do you own a firearm?' Now it's really getting strange. 'You could afford to buy a firearm right?' I said yeah. Then came the punch line. 'Then buy a gun and blow your brains out. This is open range and if you hit a cow at 100 I'm going to have to do a hell of a lot of paperwork. Now get out of here.'

DOA was popular. I'd get into the rental Javelin and head down the road and that song would come on. AMC did all right with that ride.

That was a lesson I learned, don't use Motorola devices in your design. They were good microprocessors but if Motorola go a zillion part order from the car people they'd tell you to check back in a year for your parts. I guess the name says it all.

I don't know who the players are in automotive electronics these days.

[Tekkie©]

On Mon, 17 May 2021 17:07:02 -0400, [e-mail] posted for all of us to digest...

Hmm, that does not coincide with what the greyhound people have told me, but, of course, they are biased.