Just need to vent...

like 'intercourse', 'pregnant', and 'abortion', it's hard to use some words in polite company

 

In the 80s we had a somewhat naive criminal procedure Professor make a reference to mean one revealing their whole defense by using a shotgun phrase. He made the statement,
"they just shot their whole wad"
one smart alec in the lecture hall said loud enough for others to hear,
"I beg your pardon?"
Poor guy, laughter broke out

 

Okay...got another terrible report about our local Toyota Dealership. (Which changed owners and name about 5 years ago and has gone seriously downhill)

My friend is the service advisor at a local car repair place (and he's a mechanic but has a bad back...don't all mechanics have that?) Anyway, he had a 5-year old Highlander asking to have his SUV looked at. When asked why, he said he had just gotten the oil change at the above Toyota dealership and, get this, was advised to have the seal in his front Timing Chain replaced because of "the mileage" Yep, apparently you should replace a timing chain seal at a certain mileage! (Only $1,800....want us to start on that for you????)

Can you believe that?

 

Well, I chose to have the timing belt replaced on my 2000 Tundra last year because I did not want to depend on such old rubber. sometimes being proactive pays.

 

While shepherds in Jewry were guarding their sheep,
Promiscuously seated, estrangèd from sleep,
An angel from Heaven presented to view,
And thus he accosted the trembling few:
"Dispel all your sorrows, and banish your fears,
For Jesus your Savior in Jewry appears.​

 

Welp -- guess this is a boon, I am an old dude screaming at clouds, after all

-- drones getting ever more easy to purchase, and sortie times growing increasingly longer w/ ever-more-capable cameras, virtually regulation-free... makes me wonder about the future.

Am an ex-soldier, worked at an org in DC echelon-above-Corps, now defunct 2 generations (early '90s). Back then, the thought one could spend a couple hundred dollars to build the basis upon which you can literally attach grenades / RPGs / small arms, and infiltrate any location with abandon within the controller's range, was cartoon sci-fi... and abuse of which now being on-the-ground reality, chilling to contemplate. Can fly in windows and detonate indoors, chase and catch individuals on foot and vehicles at full-speed, even take out main battle tanks, ffs...

Ukraine's valiant and effective efforts against a more powerful military (and winning anyway) are to be lauded and respected, make no mistake. But tech advances are always double-edged... and everyone can see the arms race and what works, in real time... including all the bad guys -- which aren't restricted to the theatre of war. Even sixth-gen fighters planned for US inventory, will utilise AI-controlled drone escorts -- which if proven enough for combat use, can reconnoiter and even engage targets past the physical horizon of the manned mothership. This massively increases the amt of force one sortie can exert over a target area... and a massive multiplier for force-on-force engagement.

What will the future of combat look like, when you have to wear juuust the right kind of thermal barriers to IR detection (not total, that's what's allowing aforementioned 'stronger' infantry members above, to become targets to good-guy drone sensors -- they're too good at blocking IR, so show up like sore thumbs against higher background radiation)... must wear shrapnel-proof garments in the field at all times (not gonna happen when you have to dig foxholes in them, even at night)... and have no anti-drone weapons but your own small arms to defend with? (good luck trying to hit a well-flown attacking grenade drone with your rifle shots, let alone a sidearm -- unless it's literally hanging still in the air to let you hit it, or already damaged... shrapnel doesn't need nearly the accuracy take you and your closest friends, out of the game).

Doubly so, if a cartel decides to ape tactics from that conflict overseas... and exert such control on a civilian target.

It's all good and fine when it's happening to an enemy force... but what about the other shoe? Scary to think the only thing you can use to defend against even some of these, are shotgun pellets. And current iterations of those weapons aren't doing so well, in the hands of said 'stronger force'...

-- on a lighter note... really dislike most CPAP wipes.

For those not already familiar... CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is the tech one uses to help with sleep apnea.Was diagnosed and found after nearly 30 yrs of suffering with shorter and shorter restful sleep... had another physical condition which made it worse, so had to get surgery for it. But was shocked at how not like my fellow vets' exps from 20 yrs ago, CPAP was for me -- they told tales of fighter-pilot-like masks strapped over your head that farted pressure past your cheeks all night, and the noise the things make are just as loud as snoring, so needed long hoses and getting out of bed to adjust or turn the unit on/off, just to be able to tolerate them in the room. That was the anathema of this setup, in 2025.

Anyway... all this equipment still needs tidied up regularly, not to make things worse (after all, you do exhale lots of moisture and thus your own bugs, into the hoses esp, so need soap/water scrubs and daily touch-ups to not become quickly pathogenic.

Holy shite -- the OEM main hose is 6' long -- and needs scrubbed the entire length, not to smell like death after a few days. Org that trained me to use this thing, says you need to use a long bottle brush, and scrub it out, every 4 days. After buying the tools and trying this out... holy moly what a PITA this is -- not helped by the claim 'oh, you can let it air dry, will take about 2 hrs' My arse... more like 5 hrs.

So obvi that wasn't going to work. I get 7 - 8 hrs sleep now -- not giving that up for anything / anyone, as my cognitives, mood, and immune response all shot up after not getting effing 3.5 hrs max a night. So had to find what everyone else was doing...

Well, CPAP wipes to the rescue. I can use this to get 90% of the pathogens out of my hoses, just with a probe to push it in to swab with. Non-isopropanol, rather phenoxyethanol, so doesn't degrade the silicone parts. Same kind of fibrous towel-like disposable sheets, so can disinfect the exterior parts I can reach with fingers first, then swab the two hoses with one wipe -- plus this whole proc takes 10 mins, and can hold off the shower-stall full-scrub to every 7 days, w/o any noticeable smell or performance deficit. Very affordbale pack of 200 is less than I thought -- sold.

Well... as usual, there are some caveats.

There's little surprise all the manufacturers of these products, aren't in the US. Turkiye and PRC are the main sources, neither of which give me much confidence for personal hygiene products, tbh (small arms? Sure, make them in Turkiye. Medical products? Nah. Actually prefer them made in PRC, really... which isn't a high bar these days).

One pack arrived with 1/3 of the wipes dried out, due to a failure in the seal, which like baby wipes is just a sticker over a hole in a plastic bag. Who the eff decided that an adhesive sticker was an appropriate seal, when the contents inside are supposed to be sopping wet surfactant? You can't wipe off any dribble that gets on this stupid sticker, because it'll stick to it, and ruin the adhesive. So you're forced to smoosh down this travesty as best you can, and hope it seals. The faster it dries out the more units they sell though... so low-investment plausible deniability in product form.

That'd be enough to bray about... but one mfr makes the hole so small, if the wipes don't peel off their neighbors perfectly (and rarely do), taking 2, 3, 10 more wipes out that thumbtip-sized hole... it tears. Now there's a permanent moisture leak to dry out the lot. They provide a plastic door a la baby wipes... but the adhesive it uses, tears off the plastic bag, negating any function to seal in moisture it pretended to have.

Wet Ones, the mist towelette company, has been using cylindrical soft plastic containers for decades. Roll inside of the wipes, you take the inside end, and pull it through a cruciate hole in the cap. Perforations to tear when they poke through the cruciate. Small cap over the cruciate, to seal moisture in. These have sat in my cars w/ 100F+ afternoon temps all day for a year, and never dried out -- good and moist to the last wipe. Why, tf, don't these goddamned outfits package my CPAP wipes in a way that's been reliable and cost-effective for decades?

Well, my verbosity only allows two bitches today, I guess Thanks for listening -- and thanks again if you can relate... the batshirt one or old man one, doesn't matter

 

Yep.
Since 1989, actually.
Welcome to the struggle.

@CPAP wipes.....
They ARE cost effective......just not for YOU.

@Drones....If you think that they're not regulated, then you may be a little uninformed.
They're like pistols.
You can make and use one at home with very affordable tools and....if you're blessed enough to live on free soil you can make AND own them legally.
It's WHERE and WHEN you use them that can get you across the breakers with state and local authorities.

There's a difference between something being 'legal' and being 'regulated'......or even WELL regulated.....

 

Futurist: Yep, I love my CPAP machine...and so does my wife, no more snoring from me! My insurance did replace my old Resmed 10 with a Resmed 11 but the water tank is just a little smaller so, sometimes, I would wake up early smelling a metal smell....water had run dry. (We can get down to 1-2% humidity here in the high altitude of Colorado.) So I researched and bought a CSpring MK3 tank that automatically refills the Resmed...works pretty good.

Onto my rant:

So my wife's 2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid seems to need a new battery in the key fob...was acting funny.

So I picked up a package of 8 at the store, figured it's been over a year since I replaced them all....got the CR2032 which has been for every Toyota we've owned since 2008...need 6 for the fobs and the spares.

Think the 2024 Corolla takes 2032? Heck no....has a bigger one, CR2450.

Really, Toyota?

 

[QUOTE="


Think the 2024 Corolla takes 2032? Heck no....has a bigger one, CR2450.

Really, Toyota?[/QUOTE]

On the bright side, that cell fits many of the "automatic" self darkening welding helmets. I only weld a few times a year and often find the battery is dead already.

 

I don't need to vent... but I will anyway.

I got a DMV bill for 500 dollars... the yearly use tax for buying and enjoying a nice car.

Sigh.

 

Wha-hey! RM11... and yep, tank is good for ~4 days max OEM -- and I'm here in 80% - 90%-humidity HI. One low-cost thing I do until I can find a more bespoke silicone replacement: take two Kleenex, folded until about the size of playing card, then doubled up and rolled tightly, soaked w/ isopropanol (have gallons of the stuff, as my day gig's deep-tissue bodywork).

Stuff into exhaust port (where main hose connects), when hose's removed for cleaning, and power disconnected. Prevents both contamination of the blow passages / tank water, and evaporation (and as long as the power's removed, the RM won't be trying to blow a small amt of preventative air -- which of course blows past and picks up moisture from the tank -- past a plug. After trying this, no effect on function and tank water lasts another 2 nights (plus the iso prevents any pathogen growth inside). Does mean however you must remake this tissue paper plug every 3 nights or so (to extend its life, I just unroll & separate the dry leaves, switch their positions, resoak and re-roll -- voila, another plug w/ internal surfaces sharing stress). Gotta be some silicone tchotchke out there I can repurpose that'll be far more apt for this role; just gotta find it on this space station of an island

I'll have to look up that CSpring tank -- thanks!

Yeah and dbl the cost, too. Think it has to do with the fact 'smart' fobs are constantly transmitting, unless you do a certain proc with them, every single time you secure your vehicle (resets back to scan mode when opening vehicle locks on current Toyotas). Same 3V betw. 2032 and 2450, just probably longer-lasting. $14 for 6, vs. $7 for 2032s... thanks constantly-chirping transceivers (I keep mine a bit safer by storing them in faraday cages until used... but tbh thieves can just park next to you and clone your key these days, if you slip).

My point was, what if you're rich but don't give a shite about laws, like cartels... or even well-heeled sociopaths? Regulation means nothing to them -- and not like there's any precedent to do anything about a force of 100 drones attacking chosen civvie targets of choice. As we know, gov'ts only do something after the fact, when it's too late to prevent the losses they're supposed to prevent, Aberfan-like... and we all know how that turned out.

Got that right... $20 down the drain, when half of the 200 are wasted in the first week of use

Mine isn't much below that... and keeps going up each year.

The thing that has me red-misting... is our county keeps kowtowing to state-level pressure to raise reg fees, under the guise of infrastructure improvements... but what ends up happening is Honolulu -- where the majority of the people, commerce, infrastructure, and military reside -- calls dibs then vacuums up all our taxes, and leaves us scrapings to do this with. Now that the official vehicle of my county is the Tacoma / 4-Runner (5K lbs)... not to mention all the full-size brodozers (7K- 8K) and EVs (4K - 6K) pounding around... our roads are dogshite -- even the ones upgraded only 3 yrs ago. Add to this the weight of all-day sorties of 18-wheelers full of Lahaina fire debris having bespoke roads cut just for them where none existed before... and destroying roads under them that do -- passing on the cost to the taxpayer's their play.

Don't get me started as an old dude driving a Prius, being charged 30% more for the same insurance coverage he enjoyed with a relative fartcan-kid's car prior. Have opted out of tracking via Toyota's apps... so suppose my insurer's reaction, was to charge me anyway. Jerks

 

Honest question:
What are the 500 bones PAYING FOR?

-if it's for schools?
Then suck it up, buttercup!
-if it's for the admin fees for your licensing bureaucracy?
Then I'd say that the "change government" light may be illuminated.....but that's not my call.

It's possible to buy and enjoy a nice car without paying $500 for the privilege - sorta.....
You just have to not drive YOUR car on OUR roads....

In MY state:
The tax rate is 5% for automobiles and light trucks...but that's a one-time fee.
It allegedly pays for "state stuff."

Then?
There are ad-valorem taxes.
Those are the ones that you perhaps are concerned with.
The term itself comes from the Latin phrase meaning "according to value" and in my locale it goes for things like schools and the local constabulary.
In MY state they go for schools - and 'some' people think that public schools (like roads and bridges, police and fire, and local government) are a social 'net positive.'

SOME states have low-cost registration fees, but relatively high(er) income taxes - or NO income taxes with higher property taxes.

'Some' people like to call it "paying your fair share."

 

It bothers me the number of people who attribute more to AWD than it's worth. Sure, it helps with acceleration on snow and ice, and in some cases on pavement. But when people go on and on about how it helps them brake and corner and makes their car so much safer, when we know in reality it doesn't, it just bothers me.

Sometimes I also start getting attacked for "not caring for my family" because I don't own an AWD and I live in the mountains of Colorado, where we have lots of snow and ice. But in my nearly 40 years of driving here, I've never had to call for help for getting stuck in the snow and have never owned an AWD or 4WD vehicle as my daily driver, except for my 1985 Toyota Camry I had for a few months many years ago (and incidentally, I got stuck in it once.)

I mean, sure, I'd consider an AWD. But when people make up stories about how a FWD will slow to a halt on a corner because FWD cars don't corner as well, it's just plain mind boggling how they even make this kind of stuff up.

 

Porsche has some of the lowest depreciation of any cars. Having had a particular model at one time (80s 911 cab) - consider Montana's whacked out Automotive registration. If you had a 11-year-old 911 Cabriolet (80K-$90K), check out what your yearly registration would cost. LOL



Montana Vehicle Registration Fee Calculator 2025 | MontanaLicensePlate.org

That's right, you could pay $87 one time & then that's it. For ever!
Does this cause scofflaws to start bogus LLCs here? Just so they can justify registering their 60s multi-million dollar Ferrari 250 GT here? They wouldn't do that, would they?

Dovetail Segway back to a vent. Stinking County takes FOREVER to repair giant potholes big enough to swallow ½ of the rim on your expensive sport car. (not that it's kept garaged anywhere within 1,200 miles necessarily)

 

It speaks well of your driving ability that it DOES bother you.

This reminds me of the 6,234 posts in this forum about a Prius's ability to tow a trailer - sometimes a rather large trailer.
People think that 'towing' and being able to tug on a large object are one in the same, not remembering that sometimes stopping and turning are important too.....

AWD can be a value add in marginal driving conditions - but then again so can slowing down and knowing how to counter-steer.....both of which add nothing to a vehicle's maintenance schedule, breakdown potential OR ownership and fuel efficiency costs.

 

Yep Colorado had an INSANE Ownership Tax" fee for registration of vehicles and a LONG list of other fees they tack on there.

These are their yearly fees:

Fees Included in License Fee Portion of Registration Fee
Highway Fee (Based on age of vehicle) $12.00, $10.00, or $7.00
Diesel Emissions Fee (state fund) (C.R.S. 42-3-304(20)) $10.00
E-470 (based on address) $10.00
County General Fund (C.R.S. 42-1-210(1)(a)) $4.00
Motorcycle Operator Safety Training Fund (C.R.S. 42-3-304(4)) $4.00
State Department of Revenue for Emergency Medical Services (C.R.S. 42-3-304(21))
$2.00
County Road & Bridge Fund $1.50
State Department of Health for Emissions Control (C.R.S. 42-3- 04(18)(b)) $1.50
County Emissions Control Account (C.R.S. 42-3-304(18)(a)) $0.70
Peace Officer Safety and Training Fund (C.R.S. 42-3-304(24)) $0.60
Colorado State Title and Registration System (C.R.S. 42-3-306) $0.60
Air Account in Highway User Tax Fund (HUTF) (C.R.S. 42-3- 304(18)(a)) $0.50
Insurance Identification Database (C.R.S. 42-3-304 (1)(a)) $0.10
Additional Fees May Apply (based on vehicle type, year and weight) Varies

And this makes up the bulk of that yearly "OW" bill.....imagine buying an RV for $130,000 (Just double what my Tundra estimates are below)

Year of Service Ownership Tax
1st 2.1% of Taxable Value
2nd 1.5% of Taxable Value
3rd 1.2% of Taxable Value
4th 0.9% of Taxable Value
5th - 9th 0.45% of Taxable Value
10th and Older $3 Minimum Per Year

So let's look at a new Toyota Tundra....let's say you pay $65,000 (FWIW, I just saw a new Sequoia for $80,000)

Year 1: $1,123
Year 2: $831
Year 3: $685
Year 4: $538
Year 5: $319
Year 6: $319
Year 7: $319
Year 8: $319
Year 9: $319
Year 10 and up: $103

So owing a Tundra will run you an extra $4,875 JUST to pay this one "Ownership Tax" for the next 10 years.

My 2014 Tundra was just due....came out to $215...for an 11-year old vehicle!!

 

Yep. Two phenomena seem to frequent those who claim these things: the inability to understand the difference betw. AWD and 4WD, and how much tires have to do with capability.

AWD and 4WD are distinct... and has much to do w/ modest increase in capability on vehicles marketed as such... but whose owners often overestimate where they can go, and inevitably get stuck.

AWD systems lacking a center diff and locking axles, are only going to get you stuck somewhere you'll need a 4WD or otherwise bespoke recovery vehicle to get you out Subaru systems of late seem less and less capable than they were a (human) generation ago, due to the need to get better fuel economy (thus emissions) on-road. Any other crossover w/ electronically-controlled AWD was defo more present in the ditch than Scoobies were, though nowadays may be a wash. Tires tho, make a much bigger difference.

In 2010, knew the owner of a clapped-out old '90s Legacy w/ WRX bits and studs, who'd pull out dozens of shell-shocked Q5, ML, RAV4, CR-V etc. owners in the ditches Seattle winters... and make enough cash (plus payoff from YT footage of the sorties) to fund trips to Europe for skiing. I personally know you don't need AWD to survive getting stuck winters there, as long as you use common sense (and drive a FWD car 2K lbs soaking wet -- floatation & horse sense go a long way on ASRs... but did wish I'd 4 steelies w/ snows)

Snow tires can be the difference betw. a commute indistinguishable from a summer one, and an hours-long ordeal w/ thousands in damage and a car a month in the body shop. Steelies w/ snows, anywhere it freezes for the long winter's nap. No AWD system will save a 5K-lb crossover on the wrong tires then, no matter what your badge implied.

 

I got my renewal from the State of Arizona due next month and they want $440 for TWO years. I certainly won't be venting over that. The bulk of the remittance is a vehicle license tax based on the value of the vehicle. Since the value decreases every year, so does this tax. There was talk at one time of raising the tax on PHEVs and EVs since we don't pay as much or no gasoline tax which is used for road maintenance and other assorts. Never heard more about it.

 

I decided I needed the safest vehicle within reason. Those of you with history on the board, know why.

I drive remote, backcountry roads (some more like goat paths l).

My GEN 2, Prius did amazingly well except when the traction control would take over and bring me to a DEAD stop, sometimes in the most peculiar spots.

Anyway talked to lots of folks and decided Subaru Outback fit my needs with AWD and being one of the safest vehicles on the road. I have yet to get stuck, although several months ago it was a bit dicey after I swerved to miss a Roosevelt Elk and end up in a ditch. But the Subaru took it in stride and got me out with no damage.

My tire guy tells me with the Outback and AWD, I do not need winter tires.

I think he is right. But, I did put on Cross Climate 2s anyway.

Worth it to me.
Kris