great day to be alive and smoke free. 

Good morning All ~

A balmy sunny day here by the shore of Lake Erie LOL.  A bit of snow on the ground this a.m. and the temperature is now 36 degrees.  

I dropped by car off to a local Christian Brothers shop for a check up and oil change.  Synthetic Oil, rotation of tires, etc.  Whopping $107.00 unless they find other problems (?). My Honda just keeps on giving……looks brand new and Finn is able (with the aide of the steps) to climb into the back.  

I know that Ernie would be able to take care of this on his own……

Loved the pictures of the pups frolicking in the sun.  Finn and I had one walk and will take a longer one soon.  Good exercise for us both.

Carry On ~ Smoke free ~ Surely we are blessed to have found the Forum!

Susan

Good morning Susan and all.  25 now but still very windy.  Supposed to slow down about now but not

sure if it will in time for us to run.  Forecast says it's down to 12 already but not sure if it's that low here

on the mountain.  Was 30 sustained yesterday eve. 

My mom was changing her own car engine oil after her divorce, I'm told.  I was still in college and working,

along with a family, taking care of a vehicle and home.  Truth be known, my wife helped me lots, she didn't

cause me more grief or stress when our lives were impossible.  That, besides having one daughter to care for

when college started and two during the hardest parts.  My mom lived about 100 miles from us also.  Made

it difficult for us to break away even for visits.  Didn't know she would be gone 35 years ago or we would have

made time to visit more often.  It's the same for all that go, wish you had done more.  Glad your Honda is still

looking and working well.  Keeping the Baja going but has taken what some people would call major work.  My

inspector calls it routine for a Subaru in our salted roads.  Bought it at our smoke quit in 2007.  No payments on

our Honda or Subaru. 

I'm building a antenna mount for a large vhf antenna on the Baja.  Cost about $80 to buy one and I'm retired so

doesn't make sense to buy one.  Besides want to build one to bolt onto a rail of my luggage racks on top and

haven't seen one that would work there very easily. 

We are getting wintery weather but soon will be Spring. 

Everyone enjoy the day.

Ernie

Good morning, Ernie ~

The report on the Honda was not what I had hoped for.  Of course, I think these establishments “want your business” so they explore every crevice and give you the bad news.  Saying that I need four new tires.  I did a bit of study and the tread on the front are at 4 32nd and the rear at 5 and 6 32nd.  Perhaps, just buy two tires for the front now……..  Recommend replacing front pads/rotors.  Driver front inside pad at 3 mm and I’m not sure what that means?  Their estimate was $500.00  Rear Brake Components. No problem found.    So, I will address these issues one at a time…  Getting a few estimates from other places for sure.

Sunny, winter storm coming (?) on Friday.  Grocery store shopping today.  

Susan

Yes, Susan, the auto repair places want your business. You need to find a place you trust, or distrust less. 

Enjoy the evening, everyone. 

Paul

Good morning Susan, Paul, and all.  25 and calm this morn, wind only 4 mph.  So we will probably run soon.

Susan, I would rotate the rear tires to the front for a while, front ones usually main drive tires and steering.

The tire store where you buy tires will usually rotate them at no cost but you probably already know that.

Not sure how you're getting tread depth, probably not measuring them yourself.  I do have a depth guage

and I'm checking mine because of the blunder the tire shop did on my alignment, a company I can't do business

with anymore after almost 40 years.  Businesses and people change.  Many became extremely greedy in

the name of the virus even though no reason there.  They also tried to sell me winter tires that went out of

production in 2019 for $185 each.  I bought couple of these last year for $50. each to run on my winter Baja.

Switching to a tire store some friends have been using for a long time, only problem is they don't have as large

of a selection as I would like and 55 miles away but we don't usually buy tires that often.  My rear sub frame

collapse was an unusual event.

They most likely mean you have 3 mm until the wear marks are gone so you have a little time left.  They are

trying to protect you from going past the wear groves before it's checked again.  Don't know your drive patterns

so can't tell you how much time you have but probably six months past the when it reaches the end of the wear

marks.  Won't pass state inspection after it reaches the end of the marks.  If the wear material is completely gone

it will damage the rotors but you're replacing them anyway and you would hear the metal to metal grinding right

away. 

My wife's car needs new rotors and pads in the rear soon after only 21k miles but 3 years in NY salt and other spray.

Getting the best of the 3 rotor types (3 year warranty) Auto Zone sells for it and lifetime warranty pads costs me $200

for the rear pads and rotors and $45 to replace the front pads without rotors.  Rotors will most likely go soon after the

3 years, I know from experience.  Does surprise me the rotors went so soon, usually factory rotors last a longer time. 

Working on brother's mobile ham radio, and squirrel resistant bird feeder.  Have a amplifier I need to fix but 3k volts at

1 amp, putting it off until I feel ready. 

Have a great day all.  Spring almost here.

Ernie

Hi Paul,

Yes, the key words are “ you trust”dealing with any automotive issues.  I was alone when I dropped off and picked up my CRV.  I always have felt that women are far more vulnerable when it comes to repair issues.  Few of us have any knowledge of the mechanics of a car.  We will heed Ernie’s advice about the tires, perhaps switching them and return to Discount Tire where I purchased them in 2017.   This time, I won’t go alone…..

A sunny day here.  I have to attend my Questers (National organization for restoration and preservation) and act as the sub President and give my topic on Delft pottery.  I will be happy when that is over.

Snow maybe tonight…but sunny now.

Susan

Hi Ernie,

Frustrating to type a whole message and have it disappear.  Grr….  Thanks for the advice and information on the car.  I believe for a small fee I had them rotate the tires rather than go back to where I purchased in 2017.  I do want to keep the car for a few more years, so I will do the necessary repairs.  Jim uses a local mechanic rather than the one who gave me the estimate, so I will have the CRV in there for a second opinion

It’s been a wonderful car ~ I believe close to 90,000 miles and no problems whatsoever.  So, I consider myself fortunate.

A sunny day here….snow maybe tonight.  It’s noon already.  My how the time flies.  Love the bird feeder pictured.

Susan

Good morning Susan and all.  22 here, cool this morn.  Small snow storm gets here at 2 PM today.

They aren't sure about the one Monday yet, might become a noreaster because of a low coming

up the coast same time the storm gets here from the west.  I did expect a break in the utility bill

when they finally read the meters after 4 months of estimated bills and the warm Winter but it

never came.  I should be grateful I never got a bill for $600 to $1000 that some on our neighborhood

bulletin board got.

We are getting a hugh break Susan.  Saw on the news new cars are $10k more than before the virus. 

Lots of money, much higher payments.  Used almost as bad.  Would enjoy a new vehicle but still paying

for the backhoe which solved a few bad problems we had with our property.  I got an estimate on one of

our excavation projects, $11k to $12k.  Backhoe has already paid for itself and we still have a almost new

machine.  At least was back when 0% interest was common, now I see common is around 4% on special

deals.  When I get a state inspection, the mechanic warns me about things that pass but probably won't

last a year until the next inspection.  So I don't have to come up with $1200 all at once and the shock along

with it.  Wife's car is great though, no big surprises like on my 16 year old Baja.  I had to learn how to make

a good pass on the road, have to shift down 2 gears manually.  Glad we didn't get one of the newer cars

that can't be shifted manually.  Makes for a dangerous pass.  Sounds like you don't put on that many miles

either Susan, tires should last at least until Fall if you rotate, even if you have a state inspection, should pass.

We both have almost the same maintenance this year.  You probably don't drive as aggressively as I do but I

get passed frequently out on the 4 lanes, people going between 80 and 100 mph, where going the speed limit

would be dangerous at times.  Love the quick acceleration of the Monte SS and the bike, glad Spring is almost

here.  Cost me twice as much for gas to take the SS down to the farm though. 

I have to do brakes and tires this year on wife's car with only 21k miles over 3 years.  The tires are close to

$300 each for a company like Cooper and the others. 

The bird feeder has spring loaded bars for the birds to roost on while getting seeds so squirrels will weigh

them down and cut off the seed ports but the squirrels always figure out a way to bypass the springs.

Things got worse during and after the virus Susan.  I've lost relationships with 2 businesses I've dealt with for around

40 years because of their greed, trying to make more in some kind of a movement.  I probably won't do much better

changing but the older companies cheated me already and were trying to do worse.  Leaving bad reviews online so

others won't be cheated.  Very sad, lost some that I considered lifelong friends. 

I'm finishing up the heavy duty antenna mount for the ham radio antenna on the Baja.  Would like to put a radio in

the SS but haven't figured out how I would put an antenna on it.  Not factory paint so a magnetic mount would likely

damage the paint.  To put one on the bike difficult also because not much metal to put on a magnetic mount. 

Enjoy the day all.  It's a great life without smoke. 

Ernie

Brandy's sister Dixie on the left and her friend Charlotte.  Hope to get back there to walk them sometime but wife's parents can't tolerate our wild pups.  These dogs live next door.

Good luck with your cars, Ernie & Susan. Makes be glad I don't have one.

I never heard of Questers, Susan, but it sounds like a good thing. My building has landmark status. It's a bit of a pain to fill out forms when things need to be replaced, but worth it to keep nice buildings from being torn down.

Enjoy the day everyone.