Fifty150

You ordered an XL? Why didn't you simply buy whatever was in inventory, and negotiate the pricing?

Even with yesterday's technology, the auto manufacturers leave a lot on the table. That is why we have a large aftermarket for cars and trucks. If every vehicle came with better lighting, then there would be no need to add lighting. If every vehicle was sold with all of the performance parts, then nobody would have to make their car go faster. If every Honda came with stickers, then I wouldn't have to put all of those Fast N Furious stickers on my Honda.

Okay, forget about price. After having tried a few of the smaller lithium battery style, and sent them back, and with experience from friends who did the same, there is only one that I like. A friend of mine likes Booster Pac TCB-ES580, which to me, is probably the same as Jump-N-Carry JNC318 I used to use those really big ones, about the size of a car battery, that weighed about as much. I had some pretty bad ones that looked good, but couldn't get a truck or boat started. But I also had some pretty good ones, and they did not have to cost a lot. What I learned was that while some of the more expensive ones worked well, some of the better ones were not that expensive. So you can't buy these based on price. With the old style jump starters, Clore made some of the best. Which reminds me, that I still have a Clore Jump-N-Carry in the toolbox of my pickup truck, that I should probably bring inside for a charge. In the old days, I carried a little unit in my Jeep that was about the size of a motorcycle battery, and it started everything I tried: sub-compact cars, large diesel trucks, boat that was sitting in storage, Obviously, some units are not practical for carrying around. Sure, you can get a decent price on Amazon. But the reviews are questionable. A lot of paid reviewers to make the product sound good. And even online, with a Google search, you get a lot of paid reviews. After trying a bunch of "Lightning Deal", "Deal of the Day", "Gold Box", and discounted products on Amazon, I sent back every unit that was sold by a seller in China & Fulfilled By Amazon. Why? They all failed when trying to jump start a larger displacement gasoline engine, or diesel engine, on light and medium duty trucks. If I can't jump start an F-150 or E-150 with a V8, or a little box truck, it is a waste of money. Windguy mentioned the DBPower brand. I had one that was advertised as 1200 amp from DB Power. I forget now, but I think that they claimed that it would start up to a 7 liter engine. Well, the typical small car has a battery that is about 500 or 600 Cold Cranking Amp. If your jump starter says 1200, you should be good, right? The DB Power 1200 couldn't start a little Honda 3.5 liter, 6 cylinder. From personal experience, I prefer buying a Jump Starter that does only that. If I need a tire inflator, I will buy that separately, and get an inflator which works well. I don't want a multi-use item, that doesn't do either task effectively. You are not buying a jump starter for the flash light. Get a good flash light. I like Streamlight. Old school flashlight that you can assault somebody with. If you are charging up a lithium battery jump starter, just to have something to plug your phone into, then you are wasting your time and money. Charge your phone at home!

Seat belt laws are applicable on public roads. I am not always on a public road. Sometimes I drive on private property. If I am slowly cruising through a field, and getting in & out to check on things every 50 feet, I am not wearing a seat belt. No way I can collide with another car where there isn't one around. I never wear a seat belt when I'm cruising around a large factory or plant, or driving from the warehouse to the hangarr, and when I'm driving on the tarmac of the airport with all lights flashing. I guess farmers probably drive through their crop zones in much the same manner. Last time I glanced at the local vehicle code, there was still an exception for workers to ride in the bed of pickup trucks and flatbed trucks, on a public road, if they are being transported a short distance from one work are to the next. Don't get me wrong. I am not driving 70 mph down the freeway without a seat belt. Yet, I do just that when I'm on the Harley.

The owners manual also has a section on disabling the seat belt chime so that you can drive without your seat belt and not get that annoying noise. Not everyone will need to do that. But some of us are old school, and will want to drive without a seat belt.

Try driving really fast, and swerving in an evasive maneuver, then press the button to see if you have a smoke screen or oil slick release.

Press it, and see what happens. That is where my USB power ports are located.

Alright. You got my attention. Since I am too lazy to look it up; what is a Taxi Package? Do you get a bulletproof divider? Or is that only for NYC taxi?

I have cables like that. Used them with my old Jeep. Left them on the Jeep when I sold it. 20/20 hindsight tells me I should have removed them and kept them for myself. Although I don't recall those cables being that expensive. I guess pricing and availability depends on where you source them from, and at what level of the food chain. I also used to carry a big jumpstart pack. Those worked real well. Now, I use a small lithium battery version which is just slightly bigger than a phone, and smaller than a tablet computer.

If you are willing to fabricate your own bench seat, and you have 3 very skinny passengers, then yes. You can even go so far as to fabricate your own seat belts. But as far as being able to purchase a ready made bench seat, or 3 separate mini-seats, with seat belts, then no.

What are you suppose to do if you need to jump start the vehicle?

Most people who buy minivans get Dodge, Honda, & Toyota.

From my experience, fix-it tickets are usually only given out to vehicles registered in that state. For instance, California does not allow window tint on the front windows. But the Highway Patrol, or any other local cop, will usually only give you a warning. Especially if in your state, it's legal. They know that you're not going to correct the violation (remove the tint), or stay in California long enough to go to court to contest it. And it's very questionable as to whether such a citation would even be valid, since the peace officer in California technically isn't responsible for vehicles in compliance with the vehicle code in the state which said vehicle is registered in. That is why so many rental vehicles in California have license plates from states like Arizona & Montana. The large rental companies (Hertz, U-Haul, Avis, Penske) have cleverly skirted around California's strict vehicle code and emissions standards by registering those vehicles in other states. The window tint law also allows them to ticket for a GPS stuck in the middle of the windshield and those fuzzy dice that people like to hang from their rearview mirrors.......since it all obstructs the clear view of the driver. VEHICLE CODE - VEH DIVISION 12. EQUIPMENT OF VEHICLES [24000 - 28150] ( Division 12 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. ) CHAPTER 4. Windshields and Mirrors [26700 - 26712] ( Chapter 4 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. ) 26708. (a) (1) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows. (2) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied in or upon the vehicle that obstructs or reduces the driver’s clear view through the windshield or side windows.

I suppose that since the meters work, there is very little reason to spend more money to phase them out. Why spend all that money to upgrade to a pay station system, when you don't have to? It was another foggy day today. Those yellow lights are pretty nice to have. Not that fog lights do much in the fog during day hours. But it does increase your profile, and make you more visible to oncoming vehicles. At night though, the yellow lights do illuminate the area immediately in front of the vehicle very well, and allows me to see the lane markers better in the fog.

They don't make earthquake tire.

You can now pay by phone, and the meter accepts credit cards.

I am so lucky to live in a snow free zone.

Life in a band? Or life on the run from the law?

Here is how it looks in the day time. This was today, Christmas morning, on Polk Street.

Amber side marker on plastic trim forward of the door, and red eagle eye LED on plastic trim above tail lamps. Both are triggered to strobe and flash as needed.

This is what I'm currently using on the front of the Transit Connect.

Perfect timing. It is winter. You don't have to go anywhere. "Test Drive" it by sleeping outside for a week. Perfect, since you're already street parking. A buddy of mine has chosen to spend nights out in his driveway, sleeping in his Subaru, so that he can make adjustments as needed for things like his bedding, adding power, trying to charge with a solar panel on his car's roof, et cetera. He figures that if he can "live" in his car during the winter, it will be perfect for summer road trips and camping.

The driver can make all the difference in the world. The right driver behind the wheel, and you would think it's a different car altogether.