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Fifty150

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Everything posted by Fifty150

  1. Alas, even the Police Interceptor is a front wheel drive with unibody construction. some old timers still want to carry revolvers with 6" barrels.
  2. My Explorer went through 3 multifunction swithches. Some of these parts are just poor quality. I think a bulk order of bad switches went into the Taurus, Tempo, Mustang, et cetera during the 90's. Then the dealership sells you a MotorCraft switch that also fails. i think Ford, GM, and Chrysler are all using poor quality parts. It saves money. They can replace it free under warranty. Then sell you more after the warranty expires.
  3. You're in the desert. Go get a beer. Update is in November.
  4. I make myself, everyday, believe in technology. I can't mod a touchscreen phone with a rotary dial. But my bike still has a carburetor with an air cooled engine; in today's world of fuel injection and liquid cooling. i understand the physics of two cars of equal sizes. But I don't want an equal size. I want to be in something bigger, heavier, with a full box frame, and old school police push bumpers that will crush the Smart car and Fiat with ease.
  5. Good find. Was that installed with rivet nuts? i suppose someone with a long wheel base could order and install 2 sets, since there are already holes in the roof for that. Then they could drive around with 4 bars. Or just install the bars closer together, since there are already holes in the roof for that.
  6. A lot of good cars are just not sold in The U.S.A. But we get a lot of junk, that shouldn't have been built at all. The Dodge K-Car comes to mind. I suppose passenger wagon vans are a very limited market. Most vans sold are commercial use. Those custom luxury van conversions went out with the price of fuel rising. Although I still know a few people, myself included, who would love to have a 70's Shaggin' Wagon. Exactly what every father wants to see pulling up to take his daughter out.
  7. On the truck, I have one of those cameras that mounts on the license plate screws. No problem with it. Just be careful that if you mount it on the top screws, it could block the license plate state of issue and the registration stickers. I mounted mine on the bottom of the license plate. Most license plates have holes on the top & bottom.
  8. I want to believe in the technology. But old guys love the idea of a full box frame and steel bumpers. Unibody with plastic bumpers just makes me uncomfortable.
  9. Roll over image to zoom in RAAYOO RAAYOO High Definition Color Wide Viewing Angle License Plate Car Rear View Camera with 4.3" TFT Color LCD Monitor (L013+S4-005) 4.1 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews Price: $26.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members Roll over image to zoom in NOAUKA NOAUKA Waterproof IP68 Night Vision 170 Degree Car Rear view/Reversing/Reverse Camera Universal Color CMOS Imaging Chip Backup Parking HD Front View Camera 3.9 out of 5 stars 247 customer reviews | 73 answered questions Price: $12.99 | FREE One-Day | FREE One-Day Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest $16.08 | FREE One-Day | FREE One-Day Get FREE delivery Tomorrow if you order $35 of qualifying items within 18 hrs and 15 mins and choose this date at checkout.Details In Stock. Sold by EPATHDEALS and Fulfilled by Amazon. Gift-wrap available. Qty: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Add to Cart 1-Click ordering is not available for this item. Deliver to ROB - San Francisco 94134‌ Add to List Other Sellers on Amazon Add to Cart $14.85 Sold by: Wandou Trade Co. Ltd. Add to Cart $16.29 Sold by: GoodWill Sky New (10) from $14.85 Have one to sell?Sell on Amazon Ad feedback Click image to open expanded view BW BW 3.5 Inch TFT LCD Monitor for Car / Automobile 3.4 out of 5 stars 512 customer reviews | 151 answered questions Price: $16.08 | FREE One-Day | FREE One-Day 4.3 Inch Color TFT LCD Color Car Rear View Display Screen Monitor Auto Parking Rearview Reverse Backup Monitor RAAYOO 3.3 out of 5 stars 8 customer reviews About the product This monitor will show you the blind spots where your eyes and mirror cannot reach even during dark environment,really advoid a lot of trouble when reverse,driving more safe! Eliminate Blind Spots -- This monitor will show you the blind spots where your eyes and mirror cannot reach even during dark environment,really advoid a lot of trouble when reverse,driving more safe 4.3 inch--Contrast:350:1--NTSC/PAL TV system--480 x 272 Pixes--12V/24V Power System 2 Way AV input, Yellow connector:AV1 input,White connector: AV2 input,Support AV2 reversing
  10. I have the LWB XL wagon, no cruise control. Curious how it works also.
  11. I have an XL also. My first inclination was to replace the AM/FM XL radio with something nice. I figured a double din deck, with a touch screen, bluetooth, WiFi, Android, GPS, and USB ports. I backed off the idea once I started sourcing parts. The dash trim replacement, and adapters needed for the harness & antenna would have added an additional Franklin to the cost. It was just less expensive to install a camera & monitor, and use the Garmin GPS that I already have. Not to mention that there is Google Maps on my phone, and the Waze APP. I couldn't justify the 5 Franklin expense to play movies on my dashboard. I bought an inexpensive camera, along with an inexpensive monitor, from amazon.com. Wired it the old fashion way, by tapping into the reverse lamp for power. Somewhere in this forum, I have some photos. In today's market, you could get everything that you need for about $20, if you are willing to do a little creative wiring.
  12. Sometimes all of these electronic issues require an old fashion, mechanical solution.
  13. Important part is that your family is safe. I worry about that with today's cars.
  14. Fifty150

    Jacks

    Sears was done after KMart bought them. Since then, it has been 1 bad decision after another. KMart ran their own stores into the ground, and bought Sears, to run even more stores down. There are options. Management could change. Business strategy could change. They could get rid of everything that's not selling, and focus on what sells. They could change the price point of their offerings, and sell only high end boutique brands. They could partner with Amazon in a number of ways that could result in a merger. They can downsize the stores and pay for less square footage every month. They can franchise the tool section like they did with the auto centers. I think there is money to be made with a Sears tool store franchise. Especially if you also get a tool truck to sell at shops and job sites. You get to perform and charge back all of the warranty work, have exclusive distribution by territory, and corporate could support you with large bids, like supplying government and utilities. Sears outside salesmen could aggressively sell Craftsman, DieHard brands to factories and institutions. Same way almost every police car is a Ford. Every police car could have a DieHard battery. Every municipal shop could have Craftsman tools. Every government employees could wear DieHard boots. There are options.
  15. Fifty150

    Jacks

    All the business periodicals have speculated on the survival of Sears. Truth is, nobody really knows what the future will hold. Everyone is just guessing. If Sears is to survive, there will have to be some major retooling. Have you been to a Sears lately? At least half of the store is full of clothes that they can't sell. They are out of the fashion industry by a long shot. No girl that I know would wear Sears clothes, shoes, perfume, jewelry... ..so that is a done deal. Sears will never recapture the fashion industry. There is a sporting goods department stocked with items that don't move at all. I never see anyone at Sears buying a treadmill, weight set, basketball, or golf clubs. When was the last time you, or anyone you know, decided to redecorate their home from Sears? So the living room sets, dining room furniture, housewares.......more of it gets broken by kids running in the store, than actually gets sold. Sears sells leading brand merchandise. Name brands. At competitive prices. So why are you buying your next microwave, blender, wrist watch, fishing pole, or whatever at another store? The Discover Card is a credit card issued primarily in the United States. It was introduced by Sears in 1985. At the time the Discover Card was introduced, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States. It had purchased the Dean Witter Reynolds brokerage organization and Coldwell, Banker & Company (real estate) in 1981. I still have a Discover Card. On November 17, 2004, the management of Kmart Holding Corporation announced its intention to purchase Sears, Roebuck and Co under a new corporation. The new corporation became known as Sears Holdings Corporation, simply known as Sears Holdings. On February 22, 2010, the Sears Automotive business launched a new Independent Sears Auto Center franchise program that offers automobile dealers the opportunity to operate licensed Sears Auto Centers. In 2017, Sears launched a pilot location in San Antonio for a DieHard-branded auto service franchise, DieHard Auto Center driven by Sears Auto. On January 4, 2018, Sears Holdings announced it would shutter 103 unprofitable Kmart and Sears stores, after 24 quarters of sales declines. These stores would be closing by April 2018, leaving Sears Holdings with 555 stores. According to an op-ed in MSN money, at this rate, Sears along with sister company Kmart, has an extremely high chance of disappearing and going defunct in 2018, and that 2017 will have marked its final holiday season as an independent brand. On January 14, 2018 their Canadian unit, Sears Canada, ceased operations with all stores closed. Sears had 3 brands that were bread & butter money makers. Kenmore, DieHard, and Craftsman. DieHard is still owned by Sears. The brand is owned by KCD IP, LLC, a special purpose entity created by Sears Holdings for securitization purposes. Kenmore is controlled by Sears Holdings, and owned by KCD IP, LLC, a special purpose entity created by Sears Holdings for securitization purposes. The name "KCD IP" is an abbreviation for Kenmore Craftsman DieHard intellectual property. Today the brand is sold at Sears, Kmart, and Amazon.com. Craftsman is a line of tools, lawn and garden equipment, and work wear. Originally owned by Sears, In March 2017, Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand from Sears Holdings. Sears maintains the right to manufacture and sell tools using existing supply channels under the Craftsman name for 15 years after the deal closed. Craftsman hand tools are advertised as having an unlimited lifetime warranty. This lifetime warranty program was instituted by Sears when they began selling the Craftsman line in 1927. This warranty program requires no receipt or dated proof of purchase. If the owner takes the item into a local retail store, it may be replaced or repaired free of charge. Amazon.com is now selling Kenmore appliances. Tires bought on Amazon.com can now be shipped to a Sears Auto Center for installation. The future of Sears retail stores? Sears Auto Center franchises will be around a little longer with the amazon.com tire deal. That could only lead to the Sears Auto Center franchises becoming the exclusive installer for all auto parts sold by amazon.com. Order brakes online, ship to Sears, and have them installed. Order an oil change online. There is money to be made there. With amazon.com selling Kenmore, the Sears appliance division and Sears parts division will stay busy with warranty service and installation. That could only lead to Sears appliance and parts servicing all Amazon.com customers for every brand sold online. Maybe Sears could clear out their old inventory by offering "buy one get one" specials, tied to what they actually do sell and make money on. Buy tires from amazon.com, installed at Sears Auto Center, get a free tank top for your girlfriend.
  16. Fifty150

    New-ish Owner

    Modern cars are, for the most part, engineered to perform better and last longer. There are always exceptions. Everyone I know who had a Saturn, new or used, suffered catastrophic failure. Cooling system components, all of them....belts, hoses, fans, fan relays, thermostats, water pumps, radiators......kept breaking. This, of course, caused overheating, and eventually the engine fails. But none of that had anything to do with the oil, or the engine seizing by itself. A guy I know had a BMW which had a faulty sensor. The sensor failed to read the engine temperature, so the thermostat never opened. Engine overheated, without the computer even knowing that the engine was overheating.....the sensor was bad. I would bet that almost every car sold today, has an engine that is capable of being maintained properly and lasting 100,000 miles. Even Hyundai/Kia will go 100,000 miles. Too many of us are still reliving those bad car moments of yesteryear.....tapping the starter solenoid with a hammer to start the car, getting rear ended in a Pinto and the whole car blows up......I had a Mustang II that even with the climate control switches off, would heat up, the inside of the car smelled like coolant, and the windshield fogged up with steam.......drove it for years with the windows down, even in the rain. I suspect the light was on because of calendar days. First oil change indicator illuminated at 11 months. Second display was 11 months after that. Dealership service writer said that they recommend everyone come in after 5,000 miles, and that they would never advise anyone to drive 10,000 miles. But then again, they depend on you doing more oil changes to make double the money. Some people believe that once you "crack the seal", oil begins to degrade. Within a year, the lubrication and protection qualities are suppose to have diminished to a point where you do need to change the oil, even though it looks and smells clean. I really don't know what to believe about that. I've had cars that weren't driven daily, parked on the street, and only moved 1 or 2 times a week, no more than 1/4 mile. Longest I went between oil changes was 2 years. Nothing bad happened.
  17. Nice Honda, by the way. All of the people that I know who bought Honda, chose the Honda Pilot over the Odyssey. But that may be an age factor. None of the girls are willing to admit that they're "soccer moms" now. I bought a Transit Connect instead of a Honda Odyssey because of price. The Honda Odyssey & Toyota Sienna are both really nice. If pricing was not a factor......well, money is a factor.
  18. I don't want to be the one to say it. But I'll say it. The Honda Odyssey will not come out of a collision the same way the Econoline did. That E-Series van, with the body on frame construction, is tougher than most other cars on the road. It looks like the van could be refurbished and back on the road for someone willing to spend more $$$ than the Kelley Blue Book says it is worth at low trade-in value. What were the numbers like? $8K in damage, for a $3K vehicle?
  19. On the new body style, that passenger seat fold down and tucks right up to the glove box. The plastic back can be your work desk, laptop cradle, lunch room......or if you simply need to slide 10' lengths of pipe into the van. With the first generation, your option with pipe was to either have it sticking out the passenger window, or drive with the rear door open so that the pipe could hand out. I just wish the engineers could make the back fit 8'X4' of plywood, sheetrock, et cetera. At the dealership, they must hear that complaint all the time. With a few more inches, Ford could sell way more vans. But I'm also the guy who wants a small 1/4 ton truck, like a Tacoma, with a full bed.....despite conventional wisdom being that if they sold a full bed 1/4 ton, everybody would overload it and it would be unsafe. I guess if the Transit Connect were just a little bigger, then people would overload it and it would be unsafe. I constantly see our E150, E250, & E350 vans being overloaded. Just because it will physically fit, it doesn't mean that the suspension and braking will handle correctly.
  20. I wonder if your dealer can fix it under warranty. Or at least offer an "after warranty adjustment". There is no way that this is user error, or something you caused on your own.........unless somebody (you or previous owner) was tying to "mod" the vehicle electronics. Stranger things like that happen when people unplug harnesses or try to tap into different wiring circuits.
  21. Fifty150

    Jacks

    I wonder how many jack factories there really are in China. Looks like a small handful of Chinese companies are supplying the world under a bunch of different name brands. https://www.alltradetools.com/brands/
  22. Fifty150

    Jacks

    I wonder how many jack factories there really are in China. Looks like a small handful of Chinese companies are supplying the world under a bunch of different name brands. https://www.alltradetools.com/brands/
  23. I didn't buy my soccer mom minivan for looks either. If parking and fuel consumption were not a consideration, I would have bought a full size van. Alas, I already have a pickup to guzzle gas with, and it's hard to park a full size pickup in The City. You don't know how many times I find a parking space, only to have to keep moving along because the truck does not fit. I hear that with the Dodge Caravan, you turn a lot of heads with the "Soccer Moms Looking For A Little Excitement On The Side" demographic.
  24. Then it sinks, and you have to pump it up again. From years of driving trucks, I like sitting higher.
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