Declining interest in gbodys discussion

[joesregalproject]

Actually, Hertz gave me a Prius as a rental once, and I have to admit that I could not figure out how to make it go. I actually brought the keys back and asked them to give me a CAR. I found out later that for safety, you can't get a Prius to move unless your foot is on the brake first. In my era, there were no safety features except seatbelts and the lever you had to push to get the key out of the ignition. You got instant feedback if you accidentally cranked the starter with the engine running.

I'll admit that I know very, very little about hybrids other than the batteries eventually go bad and are super expensive to replace. Someone told me they are mechanically similar to golf carts, but I've never been interested in them enough to research. I know the Prius has a "B" gear. WTF is "B"?

 

[ssn696]

There are two kinds of hybrids. One kind supplements the gas engine with an electric motor backed by a battery, like the GM SUV hybrids. When the brakes are applied, the motor shifts to being a generator and charges the battery, recapturing the energy wasted in heating brake rotors. The other type is like the Chevy Volt where the gas motor has no connection to the wheels, but drives a generator that charges the battery. The Electric motor does all the work moving the car.

B = battery-only? For moving the car without starting the gas engine?

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

There are two kinds of hybrids. One kind supplements the gas engine with an electric motor backed by a battery, like the GM SUV hybrids. When the brakes are applied, the motor shifts to being a generator and charges the battery, recapturing the energy wasted in heating brake rotors. The other type is like the Chevy Volt where the gas motor has no connection to the wheels, but drives a generator that charges the battery. The Electric motor does all the work moving the car.

B = battery-only? For moving the car without starting the gas engine?

Sounds similar to diesel locomotives where the diesel engine powers electric drive motors and for braking switches the drive motors to generators, but the electricity is wasted through heat exchangers but it really saves wear on their brake shoes.

 

[Canon_Mutant]

Seriously? And maybe a recording that verbally tells you that you're almost out of gas. Does nobody teach kids anything anymore?

And, hey, these are college graduates too. Josh is a highly intelligent young man but grew up driving his parent's quite fine rides [Lexus, etc] and even the two cars they bought for him to date I'm sure both beep and illuminate when you are about out of gas. On the one hand, he sounds completely stupid and void of common sense but truthfully he is just ignorant of the fact that older vehicles required "manual" intervention. And, he wouldn't know where to begin wrenching on one . . . but again, in the world he grew up in that was never required.

Granted, newer cars are a PITA to work on but not impossible. I've got a special OBD2 adapter that wirelessly talks to a special AP in my Iphone so I can do at least some level of stuff on the wife's Q5. I even found an aftermarket tuner for it, learned how it works so I felt comfortable even using it, and it took a full second off 0-60 and improved light throttle H/W mileage too by ~ 3mpg. Of course the increase in performance seems to be directly related to my right foot when I drive it which defeats the better mileage but that is not the tuner's fault. I made it home from Dallas to Wichita a few weeks back in 5 hours flat. Yes, that's averaging 75mph. Two sections of I-35, sparse traffic, playing with some other cars, running 100-120mph . . . probably a warrant out for my arrest! They ain't found me yet . . .

 

[pontiacgp]

Granted, newer cars are a PITA to work on but not impossible. I've got a special OBD2 adapter that wirelessly talks to a special AP in my Iphone so I can do at least some level of stuff on the wife's Q5. I even found an aftermarket tuner for it, learned how it works so I felt comfortable even using it, and it took a full second off 0-60 and improved light throttle H/W mileage too by ~ 3mpg. Of course the increase in performance seems to be directly related to my right foot when I drive it which defeats the better mileage but that is not the tuner's fault. I made it home from Dallas to Wichita a few weeks back in 5 hours flat. Yes, that's averaging 75mph. Two sections of I-35, sparse traffic, playing with some other cars, running 100-120mph . . . probably a warrant out for my arrest! They ain't found me yet . . .

if there is a reward they just may learn where you can be found...

 

[Injectedcutty]

In regards to people not knowing how to work on their stuff....it usually correlates directly to their upbringing and if they were shown or not. As a proud husband, my wife knows how to change flats, jumpstart cars, and could do oil changes if necessary as her dad wanted her to know those things.
However, i honestly don't do oil changes on our daily's for the simple fact we find online coupons that make it cheaper to have it done, than to buy the materials and me do it in the driveway. Call it what you want, but why would i spend $30 for oil and filter when i can sit in my car and have someone else do it for $20! On the other side however, i won't let anyone touch my cutlass as i do everything myself.
My daily 07 mazda 6 has had its common issues with coilpacks dying, but I've got that repair down to a science when it comes to removing the upper intake to access the back 3 plugs/packs and can do it fairly quick. As someone said, most of the obd2 cars aren't really much more difficult to work on once you get past the plastic covers and down to the motor.
It's sad that there are soooo many new drivers that have no friggin clue how to perform basic mechanical repairs! As canon said, alot are college grads, but lack a ton of common sense! Just the world in which we live in unfortunately!

 

[ed1948]

In the 50's and 60's I used to watch my Dad try to change tuben on a broken TV. Nowadays you trash it and replace with a new unit. Technology has removed our need to interact with them. Plus almost all daily use items in our lives have become cheaper and disposable. The new technology in automobiles are killing the backyard mechanic.

 

[Ribbedroof]

School's don't teach anymore there just babysitters collecting a paycheck.

I could go on for hours on this subject.

I am married to a teacher. She has taught everything from 3rd grade to high school math to special ed (elem and HS) and currently is teaching 7/8 grade science...in addition to all the "extras" like working ball games, organizing fundraisers, filling in for the band teacher that is on maternity leave because the system will not hire an actual band director, but is relying on an un-certified substitute

There are students who want to learn, and there are teachers who want to teach.. There are parents who seem to think they have NO role in a child's education, and this includes such fundamental things as making sure their child has clean clothes to wear, a coat for cold days, food for breakfast, a place for them to bathe. You really should walk a mile in a teacher's shoes for an eye-opening experience. I could not begin to guess how many students she has bought the basic items of life for...from a coat to shoes to classroom materials to groceries. Many of the parents in our district are, like I'm sure many other places in the country, barely scraping by. My wife makes the effort because she loves kids and believes every one of them deserves a chance to achieve. I have seen several of her former students (she;s been teaching 21 years) go on to become fine citizens that are a plus for our society. I can assure you htat she is not there just to "collect a paycheck"

It is true that there are faculty that are just coasting until retirement, just as there are students that just do not give a damn.

And it ain't much of a paycheck....especially given that most of the populace thinks teachers should be teaching the "leaders of tomorrow". Funny how there's always money for athletic programs, huge public support for same, but there is no interest in recognizing academic achievement.

I guess to sum up MY opinion, we have problems not because teachers aren't teaching, but because they might be the only ones that ARE teaching, having to fulfill many parents' responsibilities as well as theirs as an educator.

 

[UNGN]

Granted, newer cars are a PITA to work on but not impossible. I've got a special OBD2 adapter that wirelessly talks to a special AP in my Iphone so I can do at least some level of stuff on the wife's Q5. I even found an aftermarket tuner for it, learned how it works so I felt comfortable even using it, and it took a full second off 0-60 and improved light throttle H/W mileage too by ~ 3mpg. Of course the increase in performance seems to be directly related to my right foot when I drive it which defeats the better mileage but that is not the tuner's fault. I made it home from Dallas to Wichita a few weeks back in 5 hours flat. Yes, that's averaging 75mph. Two sections of I-35, sparse traffic, playing with some other cars, running 100-120mph . . . probably a warrant out for my arrest! They ain't found me yet . . .

Over Labor day, weekend, my 17 yo son and I drove my 1986 T-type north from Dallas to Omaha, NE and came back south in my Pontiac 2+2. We did it in 9 hours north with the A/C on and 9.5 Hours south (including stops) He ran the Waze app while I drove. We averaged about 22 mpg for the trip, despite the fact we were cruising at 85 mph much of the time. Nobody had the balls to challenge us on the road, but a guy in a G8 GXP was running video of the 2+2 so I had to give him a demonstration of the 80 to 130 acceleration in the arbuckles.

Both of these cars use 1980's/90's tech. It super easy/cheap to incorporate 2000's tech into a G-body with an LS1 swap and improve on what my cars do. All G-bodies are emissions exempt in Texas, so they can be modded without worry of failing a yearly test. G-bodies drive better and can be easily made to handle better than 95% of classic musclecars. Finding a nice one for cheap is much harder than it once was, but they are still easier/cheaper to own/restore/modify than a classic 60's/70's muscle car... and it won't ride/drive like a lumber wagon.

 

[Canon_Mutant]

if there is a reward they just may learn where you can be found...

Ha . . . they'll never take me alive . . . as the H/W Patrol drones are circling! But, seriously, given all the construction and congestion around OKC plus a potty stop, averaging 75mph or better on that Dallas-Wichita run is harder than it sounds. I usually average about 65mph for that trip running 80-85 most of the way which is just how much that OKC congestion and one potty stop costs you.

But, back on topic, I have actually tried teaching my nephews a few things when they've been around while I am wrenching and they really are not interested. Asked the one to hand me the plug socket which he had no idea what that even was so I showed him. Then pulled a spark plug and showed him how they work, working my way up to explaining the entire ignition process and lost him completely before I got to the other end of the plug wire. Now, the other one was pretty stoked over the Iphone AP and how it interfaces wirelessly with the Audi until I started getting technical and then I lost him. Though on the one hand they seem entitled or lazy, just like how millennials spend the overwhelming majority of their day staring at their stupid phone, they do tend to go through life with blinders on. As long as what crosses their path fits within their narrow view of reality, they care about it, want to learn about it, etc. If not, then they could care less.

So, short story long, they think my ole 442 is WAY cool to look at and ride in once in a while [me too ] but if I willed it to either of them they would immediately take it to the closest Carmax and get the NADA for a used 30 year old car . . . $800. Go buy a new Iphone. And, I would have to haunt them from the grave. So, like my guitar collection and a few other things, since we were not allowed to have kids, my 442 has to have a specific home in my will beyond my nephews.