little humor, but likely very true

[Plymouthy Adams]

had to crunch him over to another picture format.....

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Plymouthy Adams

[Sniper]

Just bought me a BMW 535i, uses super.  Filled it up for $50.  Figure one tank a week that works out to $2600 a year for gas.  10 years of that equals one battery, lol.  It's a wash probably.

[Plymouthy Adams]

yes, but say you had to drive that car one day for 700-1000 miles....it's doable....the power grid in America is not set up for the total electric highways at the rate of daily travel on the roads that is per day...we would have a grid melt down....and how in the world green will support green...while changing..it is not changing fast enough for the goals and targets placed on public and manufacturering.  It will I guess get there either by force or failure to supply...

[Sniper]

Well, I wasn't going to delve into the broader picture.  In 10 years what are the odds you can get a new battery back anyway?

 

I am in the process of getting a quote for solar on my house, right now it's a wash between the payments on the solar setup and my monthly electric bill and the price of electricity isn't likely to go down anytime soon.  If I wanted to I could have upsized it to handle charging an EV so no strain on the grid there.  But an EV does not fit my lifestyle.

 

 

[Los_Control]

@SniperI also would like solar ... I just tell you my experience ...I'm not smart enough to figure the best way out.

When I lived in New Mexico, The electric service is different then it is in Texas. There is only one provider. Same when I was in WA or NV.

So living in TX I think it is a great idea to have competitors & 10 different electric companies to choose from.

 

I know in NM, if you had solar & you were a old miser ... you sat in a room at night using a 60 watt light bulb, at the end of the month the electric company sent you a check.

For the extra electricity you created & sent back into the system

 

I have talked to local Texas electric suppliers about solar, really seems to be a sales tool for them ....

 

I feel, if you can afford to go outside of the electric company, pay a private contractor to install the solar that is up to all codes. ... YOU TOO CAN BE A OLD MISER COLLECTING A CHECK!

 

Otherwise, I just feel these electric providers are acting like a buy here pay here car lot. The end price they finance is twice the value of the product.

For me it was close to a 10 year contract to get paid off. ..... Exactly why I would want to go private & not electric company financing..

[Sniper]

You don't get a check in TX, if that where so I would have my entire roof covered with solar panels and bank the money, only about a third is needed to cover my needs plus a little extra.  That was specifically a question I asked.  You get credits for the power you make but don;t consume and in months when you consume more than you make you can draw down those credits, if I exceed the credits I have then I pay 10.3 cents a KWh, which is less than I pay now.

[Los_Control]

In New Mexico, it is very important to install the proper safety stuffs.

What I mean is a separate panel with  meter that reads back to the electric company but also shuts down when needed.

 

So if for some reason the power goes out, your solar panel is smart enough to shut down. It will not send power out to the lines with the line men up there working on the line.

 

I'm just saying it is not exactly cheap to get started.  You have more knowledge on electricity then I.

The new box & meter will not be cheap. Solar you are creating more then you are using .... in some cases.

So naturally it is a safety issue for lineman trying to restore power if a solar house is supplying power  ..... it is not cheap.

 

I think you may be able to install many of the required equipment, get it working .... then I honestly do not know .... do our state laws force them to buy back the electricity?

New Mexico yes ... I honestly do not know TX laws.

[billrigsby]

I've been looking into solar also it's kind of almost not worth it if you're connected to the grid for the small little check you get at the end of the month, seems the best way to go is completely off grid with batteries, at least that's what I'm looking at currently.

[Los_Control]

Just now, billrigsby said:

I've been looking into solar also it's kind of almost not worth it if you're connected to the grid for the small little check you get at the end of the month, seems the best way to go is completely off grid with batteries, at least that's what I'm looking at currently.

That is a good option also.

I live in a town, typically my electric bill in the height of cooling season is ~$200 ..... Today it is above $400 & reaching to $500.

It really is a bill that captures your attention.

While nothing to do with old cars, it is something that affects all of us.

 

 

 

[billrigsby]

18 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

That is a good option also.

I live in a town, typically my electric bill in the height of cooling season is ~$200 ..... Today it is above $400 & reaching to $500.

It really is a bill that captures your attention.

While nothing to do with old cars, it is something that affects all of us.

 

 

 

 

Yeah my bill on average is 130 a month it might get close to 175-195 in the winter during the heating season here, we don't have a cooling season.

That's why being connected to the grid is not such a great option for me, if I didn't heat the house mostly with wood and used the baseboard heaters it might be a different story.

(log home, no HVAC system)

 

[TodFitch]

We installed solar about a year and a half ago. I am tracking costs including interest and figure it will pay for itself in a bit over 5 years. Then for the remaining portion of its 25 year guaranteed life the electricity from it should be free. The investor owned utilities don’t like that and are working hard to change the rules for home roof top solar.

 

California requires EVs sold in the state to have a 150,000 mile 15 year warranty. So I am not too worried about the battery failing as the dealer will have to replace it and the manufacturer will eat the cost. In the meantime I am averaging $0.02/mi in “fuel” costs if I haven’t made some huge mistake in my spreadsheets.

[billrigsby]

7 minutes ago, TodFitch said:

 

California requires EVs sold in the state to have a 150,000 mile 15 year warranty. So I am not too worried about the battery failing as the dealer will have to replace it and the manufacturer will eat the cost. 

 

That is unless the dealer can find an out, the large print giveth-the small print taketh away.

 

Warranties have so many outs for the dealers these days, it might be different for a simple battery, but for an ICE car and all the systems they are really good at finding ways to not cover failed items.

[TodFitch]

1 hour ago, billrigsby said:

 

That is unless the dealer can find an out, the large print giveth-the small print taketh away.

 

Warranties have so many outs for the dealers these days, it might be different for a simple battery, but for an ICE car and all the systems they are really good at finding ways to not cover failed items.

[begin rant]

Not just these days. I purchased a new Jeep Cherokee with a manual transmission in the early 1990s. In fairly short order the hydraulic clutch failed and the dealer and Chrysler refused to fix it under warrantee as it was part of the clutch system which was specifically excluded. I am well aware that an idiot can burn out a perfectly good clutch in a few minutes and, in general, it makes sense that they would exclude clutch parts. But the pressure plate, disk, etc. were all in perfect condition by their word and they agreed that nothing I did could have caused the clutch hydraulic slave to fail. But even though they agreed it was just a pre-mature failure they would not cover it. For what it is worth, on that vehicle the clutch slave was a donut shaped thing that fit over the input shaft to the transmission. So to replace it you needed to drop the transfer case and the transmission, not something I could do laying on my back in my driveway. There were enough other design and manufacturing problems with that vehicle that Chrysler refused to cover that I have not purchased a new Chrysler product since.

[end rant]

[plymouthcranbrook]

1 hour ago, TodFitch said:

[begin rant]

Not just these days. I purchased a new Jeep Cherokee with a manual transmission in the early 1990s. In fairly short order the hydraulic clutch failed and the dealer and Chrysler refused to fix it under warrantee as it was part of the clutch system which was specifically excluded. I am well aware that an idiot can burn out a perfectly good clutch in a few minutes and, in general, it makes sense that they would exclude clutch parts. But the pressure plate, disk, etc. were all in perfect condition by their word and they agreed that nothing I did could have caused the clutch hydraulic slave to fail. But even though they agreed it was just a pre-mature failure they would not cover it. For what it is worth, on that vehicle the clutch slave was a donut shaped thing that fit over the input shaft to the transmission. So to replace it you needed to drop the transfer case and the transmission, not something I could do laying on my back in my driveway. There were enough other design and manufacturing problems with that vehicle that Chrysler refused to cover that I have not purchased a new Chrysler product since.

[end rant]

I had a similar issue with an 83 Plymouth Reliant K clutch that they would not take care of. I have never bought a newer Chrysler vehicle again.

Edited October 21, 2022 by plymouthcranbrook

[billrigsby]

1 hour ago, TodFitch said:

[begin rant]

Not just these days. I purchased a new Jeep Cherokee with a manual transmission in the early 1990s. In fairly short order the hydraulic clutch failed and the dealer and Chrysler refused to fix it under warrantee as it was part of the clutch system which was specifically excluded. I am well aware that an idiot can burn out a perfectly good clutch in a few minutes and, in general, it makes sense that they would exclude clutch parts. But the pressure plate, disk, etc. were all in perfect condition by their word and they agreed that nothing I did could have caused the clutch hydraulic slave to fail. But even though they agreed it was just a pre-mature failure they would not cover it. For what it is worth, on that vehicle the clutch slave was a donut shaped thing that fit over the input shaft to the transmission. So to replace it you needed to drop the transfer case and the transmission, not something I could do laying on my back in my driveway. There were enough other design and manufacturing problems with that vehicle that Chrysler refused to cover that I have not purchased a new Chrysler product since.

[end rant]

 

 

Next time use these, more emphasis!!

 

Also had a 94 Heep Grand Cherokee, standard oil filter housing leak (twice) , bad transmission shifting,

but the early viscous coupler failure was the last straw, never had a

Chrysler, Daimler-Chrysler, Cerberus,  Fiat-Chrysler or Chrysler Group (FCA) ever again!!

[nonstop]

4 hours ago, TodFitch said:

[begin rant]

Not just these days. I purchased a new Jeep Cherokee with a manual transmission in the early 1990s. In fairly short order the hydraulic clutch failed and the dealer and Chrysler refused to fix it under warrantee as it was part of the clutch system which was specifically excluded. I am well aware that an idiot can burn out a perfectly good clutch in a few minutes and, in general, it makes sense that they would exclude clutch parts. But the pressure plate, disk, etc. were all in perfect condition by their word and they agreed that nothing I did could have caused the clutch hydraulic slave to fail. But even though they agreed it was just a pre-mature failure they would not cover it. For what it is worth, on that vehicle the clutch slave was a donut shaped thing that fit over the input shaft to the transmission. So to replace it you needed to drop the transfer case and the transmission, not something I could do laying on my back in my driveway. There were enough other design and manufacturing problems with that vehicle that Chrysler refused to cover that I have not purchased a new Chrysler product since.

[end rant]

Wife and I bought a used Durango in 2015 with a lifetime warranty.  The windshield was improperly installed.  Chrysler would not cover it citing a windshield was considered trim.  As my dad asked, what state can you legally drive on the road without a windshield? But Chrysler stood by their assertion.  Needless to say, after countless trips to the dealer and months without a car, the lifetime warranty was not worth it and we got rid of it.  Sadly, I too will not buy a new Mopar.

[Sniper]

On 10/20/2022 at 7:51 PM, TodFitch said:

California requires EVs sold in the state to have a 150,000 mile 15 year warranty. So I am not too worried about the battery failing as the dealer will have to replace it and the manufacturer will eat the cost.

 

No manufacturer ever eats the cost.  The consumer pays it one way or the other.

[pflaming]

At my age, the more advanced the modern cars get, the more I like my B3B. I just like to feel the road, hear the engine and smell the aroma.  

Edited October 22, 2022 by pflaming

[plymouthcranbrook]

I too much prefer to drive my older cars(1952 and 1980). More enjoyable and comfortable plus I can still fix most things that go wrong(which is rarely).  My 2016 Traverse rarely gets used in the warm weather.

[Sniper]

Well, I bought the 51 Cambridge partly to teach my son the basics of a car, it don't get much more basic, lol.  Then I went off the deep end and this past Wednesday I took delivery on a 2015 BMW 535i, talk about the opposite end of the technology spectrum. 

 

My son will most likely be heading to the DFW area next year for college and I wanted something safe for him to drive, didn't want to spend a fortune though.  So I started looking at used Darts and Chrysler 200's.  Found out that they weren't all that much less than the BMW but without a lot of the safety tech the BMW has. 

 

I got a really good deal on the BMW.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Sniper
I need a new keyboard

[soth122003]

Something else to think of on the solar front. With the electric company you pay them till you die. With solar at least your payments to them will stop when the loan is paid off. One of the big reasons I just had solar installed on my house this past September. And as others have pointed out, the electric bill isn't going to get cheaper any time soon. My electric bill averaged out over 12 months was $160. With solar my payments to them are $127 for the next 20 years, but like any loan you can pay it off early. Plus the interest on my loan was 1.49% apr.

 

Joe Lee