Just need to vent...

The parts of older cars didn't fit together as well as today's models. With slack between them, the jerk of start up can lead to more wear. There was also a latent fear that the car wouldn't start back up, specially with carburetors. Dirty air filter on a lawnmower makes it harder to pull start when the engine is hot; car mechanicals weren't that much different way back. It was also a time of more 'crud in the fuel supply and oil.

Modern cars are more robust today. Spinning up the engine to higher speeds before firing the cylinders like hybrids do would be better, but restarts aren't the issue they used to be. The starter might wear out with manual engine offs during a trip. Heard of an Accord that needed one replaced after three years, but it was Wayne Gerdes' car, so was seeing more restarts than even other hypermilers were doing.

Cars with auto stop/start use heavier duty starters. The manufacturer does not want to pay for warranty repairs. The 12V battery will see more use. Occasionally hooking up a charger is good idea. Likely a good idea withe the stop/start not even used.

 

"Heard of an Accord that needed one replaced after three years, but it was Wayne Gerdes' car ..."

Now there's a blast from the past. Gerdes most recent adventure seems to be US cross country in Porsche EV spending less than 2.5 hrs recharging it

Porsche Taycan breaks the Guinness World Records title for coast-to-coast charging - Porsche Newsroom USA

Porsche loaned him the vehicle retailing for between $81 and 100K apparently. They do offer a $186K version at top. One could vent about new car prices I guess...

 

He just did a World Guinness cross country fuel economy run in a gen5 Prius. Official announcement from Toyota is pending.

 

Stop this fella or it will become the Gerdes Book of Records.

 

Here's a link to Wayne's world:

Meet the US Spec, All-new, 5th Gen, 2023 Toyota Prius Hybrid | Page 9 | CleanMPG

 

This F'ing motorhome is trying to send me crazier. First the B/S with the 24v fridge and a 12v light, then the thermostat died and freezes everything, and now I'm told the front axle kingpin eye is flogged out and I can't seem to find one anywhere, well, one in Japan for a mere AUD$17,730 plus GST and customs clearances .... FFS Then the brand new wheels and tyres all round before I bought it back in Nov, seems the front steer tyres were new old stock ... but you can't actually do that with tyres ..... the stamping says they were produced in March 2011, they are 13 yrs old with perfect tread ... but the sidewalls and case under the tread is failing ..... 6 yrs is supposed to be the limit for tyres, many stretch that to 10 yrs, but not sitting on a shelf with the rubber oxidising for 123 yrs ....... Think I need a drink

T1 Terry

 

Our motorhome is in good shape at the 10-year mark - but we understand that it's a combo vehicle/house that's in an environment tantamount to being in a 7.5 Richter Scale earthquake constantly while on the move.
That said I have to go trace a fault for LED lighting on the rear slide

.

 

One of the most memorable parts of my parents' flirtation with RVing was the insurance premium, computed as the risk of a highway vehicle ✕ the value of a house.

 

Not sure if I should add to this vent, but the Jack Daniels bottle said 22 standard drinks, I've only had 4 and I doubt I'll get a full serve for the last one ..... seems to be a problem with them not knowing what I consider to be a standard drink
On a more happy note, think I've found a source for a replacement front axle beam, around 90kms from home, so new tyres and we will head off that way and do the job there.

T1 Terry

 

Not so bad over this side, the limit is the value they place on the vehicle, no added bits to cover the cost of rebuilding a house, just if it costs more than the value insured to fix, then you get to keep it and they give you the $$. Saves them having to pay to get it from the accident to a repairer, then on to somewhere to dispose of it ... you still own it, up to you to deal with it, we gave you the agreed money ..... Works out OK sometimes, if you do the labour, the parts costs are within the payout with a bit left over

T1 Terry

 

RVs are complicated.
For the most part they're like boats.
A large container used to dump excess cash into.

My CFO and I did some back-of-the envelope math for buying an RV versus staying at a moderately priced hotel when we travel for leisure and.....it wasn't even close.
I have a cousin who sells RVs (and boats) and I can get a bumper-pull(**) at true cost - AND I live in hurricane country AND having access to an RV is a part of my employment SHTF plan - so there ARE cases where somebody like a traveling nurse or telecom technician can make bank with one.
THIS differentiates RVs from boats because there are vastly fewer non-fiction scenarios where you will ever "break even" buying a boat.
There are also retired folks who CAN use their RVs far more than the weekenders who are still in their working years - and so quality of life factors CAN play.
I'm hoping that (for MYSELF) I will never be forced to buy an RV or ever have enough free time to be tempted to buy a boat - but that's me being me.

MY trips around the sun lead me to believe:
* Bumper-pull > Gooseneck (which are mostly a good way to semi-permanently wreck a pickup trucks primary mission.)
* Fewer slides mean fewer problems.
* Travel trailer with a moderately priced truck seems more flexible and efficient than a motorhome.
* RVs > Boats.

MY mileage.
YMMV.

(**) Many people use the term “RV” to mean “motorhome,” but technically a travel trailer is also an RV. The difference between motorhomes and travel trailers is that motorhomes have a built-in engine while travel trailers need another vehicle to tow them

Adult beverages contain alcohol - and in a proper bar (or pub) these are often measured in 'shots' which (according to the Googles) predates modern firearms and hails from our former oppressors and current BFFs - the British.
"The term "shot" was first recorded as a measurement of liquor in the autobiography of British minister Oliver Heywood, who lived from 1630 to 1702. A shot glass is a glass designed to measure or hold liquor or spirits, which can be consumed directly from the glass or poured into a cocktail."

SO....
In the U.S. a standard shot NOW seems to be 1.5 ounces. There are no federal laws mandating what a shot should be which is interesting to me considering how horribly over-regulated our nation is.

I grew up in bourbon country, and YES there IS a federally defined difference between BOURBON and whiskey. Jack Daniels is not a bourbon - so this eliminates my opportunity of educating the constant reader of the history of the different bar measures.

We live in a time where people cannot even agree that the human animal is sexually dimorphic - but most people seem to agree that:

Pony = 1 US fluid ounce.
Jigger = 1.5 oz
Shot = 1-2 ounces - depending on US state or nation.

While we're on the subject of the 'Mad Jack' - to which bottle are you referring?
A Fifth?
A Liter?
A Pint?
A Quart?
Back before we were corrupted by measuring systems used in developing nations, a STANDARD bottle of whiskey contained 25.4 proper, US fluid ounces.
Or?
A Fifth.
The term "fifth" comes from the fact that it's one-fifth of a proper US liquid gallon.
12 shots plus spillage.
A few more if you own the bar and you care about profits more than customer service.
A few less if you're pouring and work for tips.

Since a 'drink' can contain any of a number of ponies, jiggers, and shots it is an irrational unit.
Which, sort of makes sense if you think about it

 

Insurance rates very from state to state. Our premiums are very reasonable. Doesn't mean if we ever (god forbid) flipped it - that we'd be over-joyed with their first suggested remedy. That is another vent in itself.
.

 

We've been RV campers for around 15-years now. Our first trailer was a tiny 18-footer we towed with my V-6 Tacoma. We loved camping so much we then got a 32-footer so I traded my Tacoma for a V-8 Tundra in 2015. We loved it but the camper was a bit too big for us so, a couple of years ago, traded it in for a 24-footer and we made sure to get the upgrades we wanted...bigger A/C unit, fireplace, and dual-option refrigerator. (Runs on either propane or electric.)
You do have to be a good DIYer with a camper....electrical, plumbing, mechanical, etc.
But all WELL worth it to enjoy a relaxing trip up in the Colorado mountains. We don't race around and can stop at anytime for a bathroom break or even to stop and have a lunch break....love the camping life!

 

Spotting thread or vent thread? Freshly ventilated trailer, I-5 northbound near Salem.

I saw a medium sized camping trailer that had been hit pretty hard seconds earlier. Lots of splinters and cushions and clothing and groceries all over the road.

I just hope it was the end of the vacation, not the beginning. The traffic back-up was just beginning, so only barely vent worthy of its own.

I've seen some really bad things happen to hotel rooms, but never that.

 

Yep "fender benders" usually are much worst with trailers! Last year, we saw a big Class-A RV that had rolled over on I-25 in Colorado Springs....not sure what happened but pretty sure it was a total loss....sad to see. (I hate towing through big cities, Denver is the worst.)

 

Ok, so for clarity, my parents' flirtation was with a motorhome.

What I took from their experience was that the container will in fact accommodate cash of any kind, excess or not.

 

Glad to see you clarified that :lol: owning a motorhome means all funds are first absorbed by the house, next by the motorhome ... and anything is left after that, food ......

Over here, a trailer that has a turntable in the bed of the tow vehicle is a 5'er (fifth wheeler) with a goose neck that turns on a ball in the tow vehicle's bed, a horse float (most commonly used for that purpose) and one that hangs off the rear of the vehicle, a caravan .... the fold out Swiss army knife version is a camper trailer. Not uncommon to see caravans and often their tow vehicle scattered up the highway, rare to see a motorhome or converted bus or coach in a vehicle wreck. They hold their value as well, our unit is an ex grey import coach from Japan, an '87 model but still classed as being in the "A class" category and still demands prices higher than the average 5'er 9.5 mtrs long (close to 31ft) so it demands we keep pouring money into it

I remember hearing the line, a yacht is a hole in the ocean you keep throwing money into, a motorhome is just a land yacht without sails ..... fairly close description I reckon

T1 Terry

 

Over here, a standard drink contains 10g of alcohol. The general rule is, 3 standard drinks in 1 hr and one standard drink every hr after that will put you at risk of blowing a blood alcohol content of over 0.05 (0.05 grams (50 milligrams) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood) and the point they start taking care of your drivers licence for a vehicle under 4.5 tonne. A licence to drive a vehicle heavier than that demands a 0 blood alcohol content while driving ... basically the same for new licence holders or those on a restricted licence after losing it for what ever offence ....

T1 Terry

 

In the U.S., I'm seeing multiple government sources list a standard drink as 0.6 ounces or 14 grams.

Wikipedia lists standards by country, varying from 8 to 20 grams (10 to 25 mL):

Standard drink - Wikipedia