Running Bear's May 2023 Coffee Shop.


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chadbag said:
Good luck with that!

Our VW place used to let me make an appointment for service, and as long as I was not late, they'd get it done quickly. Then they transitioned to this "Express Lane" bring it in without appointment and get it done "Express." Now it seems like it takes a few hours to get a normal service (oil change and checkup) done. They tell me it is "first come first served" and that corporate forced them to change to non-appointments for simple service.

For that and other reasons I've done the last 2 myself. Finding the correct oil is a little hard (ended up getting it on Amazon for a reasonably good price) but the hour it takes me to do it myself beats the 1/2 hour drive each way and then 1-3 hours sitting there waiting.

The stupid thing is that even though my Audi has basically the same 1.4T engine (a 2016 version vs a 2019 version), the oil is not the same spec oil. The filter is of course but not the oil. VW switched around 2018 to a new spec lighter weight oil (I've been told it helps their MPG average) and I didn't notice when I first started filling the VW but then I noticed a label on the car so stopped and had to go find the correct oil locally to finish filling it. Autozone one city over had it (Mobil 1). So I was able to get it filled and the older spec oil shouldn't really hurt it mixed with the newer spec -- the engine is the same and the older spec oil is still a VW spec for the cars that have the engine before they switched and I ended up with a mix that time. Since, I've used the Valvoline oil from Amazon which is the correct spec.

(The older spec is the VW 505.00 which is the 0W40 or 5W40 "European Car" synthetic oil you see at Walmart, any of the car places, etc and is inexpensive, relatively speaking -- the newer spec is VW 508.00 0W20 and almost no one has it locally -- just the one Autozone the next city over had it listed on their website as in stock and all the car places, Walmart, etc don't sell it -- Mobil 1 makes a EPS2 or something like that in that spec but... It is also dyed so they can tell you've used it).
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Chad, my Equinox uses 0w20. I get the 5-quart containers from Amazon. Last time I paid $28.97. I've gotten it delivered from Walmart as well. I forget exactly what I paid, about the same.
1684439479191.png
 
rgeiter said:
So, I had my new home orientation yesterday afternoon. I was impressed. They had a big notebook with all the contractors names, in case I would need to contact them, a list of all the materials used in the building of the house, all the appliance manuals and much more. Really cool. Spent about an hour and a half learning about everything. This is not my first new home but this is the first time I had all this builder info. Again, I was impressed! Move in day is next Friday. Finally!

Now for all the gamer nerds here.( I’m a 53 year old gaming nerd myself.) I wanted my mailbox number to be different than the standard silver and black numbers. So I went with this. It’s from a video game called Fallout. ( Amazon Prime video is currently making a live action series based on the game.) Many thanks to the Ebayer from San Marcos, California for making them for me.
BTW, yes, I made my wife’s eyes roll again!! 🤣View attachment 168620View attachment 168621
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In some cases, the USPS has "standards" for style and size of address numbers. I hope you get to keep what you want but it might be a good idea to check with USPS just to make sure you are OK.
 
Bruette said:
Chad, my Equinox uses 0w20. I get the 5-quart containers from Amazon. Last time I paid $28.97. I've gotten it delivered from Walmart as well. I forget exactly what I paid, about the same.
View attachment 168639
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I use Mibil 1, full synthetic, 10 w 30 in all my vehicles. Walmart seems to always have the best price on oil and the Mobil 1 filters.
Disclaimer....I do not work/own stock in Walmart.
 
Bruette said:
Chad, my Equinox uses 0w20. I get the 5-quart containers from Amazon. Last time I paid $28.97. I've gotten it delivered from Walmart as well. I forget exactly what I paid, about the same.
View attachment 168639
Click to expand...

Yeah that is not the same stuff. This is a specific spec 0W20 with specific additives that VW uses


Walmart has a bunch of Mobil 1 0W20 (as well as Castrol etc) but none of them are the VW spec. I've been able to get single quarts of the Mobil 1 at a specific Autozone and buy the same spec Valvoline in 6 quart cases on Amazon.
 
troyphoto said:
Welp... sold off enough game parts that I wasn't going to build in the next five years and decided I'd redirect it into tools.

See, when we moved from our house in Indiana, out to an apt in Los Angeles, I didn't need a lot of tools. Sold off the tried and true Black and Decker saws. Not bad for decent around the house stuff.

But when we moved from LA back to Indiana, I knew I'd need some of the basics again. Headed to Menards (Big Box Hardware and Lumber store in the midwest USA) and bought the cheapo set (aka Tool Shop brand).

BIG MISTAKE

That brand is crap. Both the jig saw and the circular saw drift horribly as they cut. When you make B&D look like pro quallity tools, you know they're crapity crap-crap.

So, after selling off some game-stuff, I got a Bosch Jigsaw at Menards. Hot Digity Darn. Pro quality stuff!

Opened the box... and realized someone in the warehouse had put the big shipping lable over the arse end of the saw on the photo front of the box.


View attachment 168582My decent deal on a quality saw was about to cost me more. This one was cordless, and was saw only. Crap. How much is a charger and battery? $132 AFTER rebate????

Dug the receipt out of the trash, took it back. Dude at the return desk was nice. "Yep... get that a lot. People don't realize we have cordless in one aisle, and corded in the next aisle over..."

Got the one I went after yesterday, but was one aisle off kilter. Should have figured it out... but my brain wasn't working that well. Now I have this one.
View attachment 168583

Going to make some pretty curved cuts tonight when the wife is out for her walk and I can make noise.
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My old DeWalt jigsaw has served me well but using it a couple of days ago, it kept wanting to make a turn to the left. I was using a straight edge to achieve a straight cut and ended up having to angle the back of the saw almost 15 degrees to the right to get a somewhat decent cut. Everything is tight and set correctly set.
So, I ordered a Bosch unit from the big orange box store with one day free delivery. I received it yesterday just in time fore a few notches I needed to cut. It works GREAT. I am really happy with it. It came with a nice hard case also.

Screenshot 2023-05-18 at 15-31-11 Bosch jigsaw at Lowes.com Search Results.png
 
chadbag said:
Yeah that is not the same stuff. This is a specific spec 0W20 with specific additives that VW uses


Walmart has a bunch of Mobil 1 0W20 (as well as Castrol etc) but none of them are the VW spec. I've been able to get single quarts of the Mobil 1 at a specific Autozone and buy the same spec Valvoline in 6 quart cases on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I knew nothing about that.

I see it is also GM dexosD I knew nothing of that either.

Thanks for the link, interesting to say the least.
 
Home early as the migraine struck a second time. A nap and now I feel better.

Chad: oil on my 2012 Colorado has a different spec than the oil I used on my 2009 Colorado. No changes in the engine between the 3 years. Actually the 2010 model is when the oil spec changed. I do use a full synthetic now instead of a part synthetic oil.
 
Many of y'all may remember that I used to work a local out of Linden, NJ, symboled WJLI-26, and that for a long while on this forum I used that symbol as my Identifier, until I had Bob change it to Boris. I left Conrail, a few months before the transaction closed, back in 1998, and retired in 2008. My last Conrail assignment, was WPLI26, which reflected the pre transaction consolidation of the New Jersey and Philadelphia Divisions. Since then Linden yard has closed, and crew ME2 now handles the remaining LI26 work.
Now that I set the stage, back around 1995, WPLI26 received a extended cab cabin car CR 22137, painted in the Philadelphia Division Quality Scheme, which was so unique, Atlas produced an HO model of the Cabin car. (Pictured is a Lionel Hi-rail version).
1684448593733.png
1684448896696.png

The cabin is still in service, and over the years, has accumulated multiple layers of graffiti.

Finally, Conrail (Shared Assets) decided enough was enough, and repainted the cabin.

CR 22137 Repaint -3 05_17_23 Metuchen.jpg

This is the finished product, photo courtesy current ME2 engineer Rich Carl. Maybe Atlas can get another model out, before the cabin is visited by "artists" again. Keep in mind the cabin has been assigned to shoving platform service since it was first repainted in the 1990s, about 28 years ago. The cabin was originally a Reading Company Caboose, before Conrail, so it is at least 50 years old and still in use.
 
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Boris said:
The cabin is still in service, and over the years, has accumulated multiple layers of graffiti.

Finally, Conrail (Shared Assets) decided enough was enough, and repainted the cabin.

View attachment 168644
This is the finished product, photo courtesy current ME2 engineer Rich Carl. Maybe Atlas can get another model out, before the cabin is visited by "artists" again. Keep in mind the cabin has been assigned to shoving platform service since it was first repainted in the 1990s, about 28 years ago. The cabin was originally a Reading Company Caboose, before Conrail, so it is at least 50 years old and still in use.
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It looks like the taggers are already on the job, evidenced by the two spray bombs on the draft gear and end decking.
 
JUST FOR FUN!

US Government Notice
To help save the economy, the Government will announce next month that the Immigration Department will start deporting seniors (instead of illegals) in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs.
Older people are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home. Be sure to send this notice to your relatives and friends so they'll know what happened to you.

I started to cry when I thought of you. Then it dawned on me…

I'll see you on the bus.
 
chadbag said:
Good luck with that!

Our VW place used to let me make an appointment for service, and as long as I was not late, they'd get it done quickly. Then they transitioned to this "Express Lane" bring it in without appointment and get it done "Express." Now it seems like it takes a few hours to get a normal service (oil change and checkup) done. They tell me it is "first come first served" and that corporate forced them to change to non-appointments for simple service.

For that and other reasons I've done the last 2 myself. Finding the correct oil is a little hard (ended up getting it on Amazon for a reasonably good price) but the hour it takes me to do it myself beats the 1/2 hour drive each way and then 1-3 hours sitting there waiting.

The stupid thing is that even though my Audi has basically the same 1.4T engine (a 2016 version vs a 2019 version), the oil is not the same spec oil. The filter is of course but not the oil. VW switched around 2018 to a new spec lighter weight oil (I've been told it helps their MPG average) and I didn't notice when I first started filling the VW but then I noticed a label on the car so stopped and had to go find the correct oil locally to finish filling it. Autozone one city over had it (Mobil 1). So I was able to get it filled and the older spec oil shouldn't really hurt it mixed with the newer spec -- the engine is the same and the older spec oil is still a VW spec for the cars that have the engine before they switched and I ended up with a mix that time. Since, I've used the Valvoline oil from Amazon which is the correct spec.

(The older spec is the VW 505.00 which is the 0W40 or 5W40 "European Car" synthetic oil you see at Walmart, any of the car places, etc and is inexpensive, relatively speaking -- the newer spec is VW 508.00 0W20 and almost no one has it locally -- just the one Autozone the next city over had it listed on their website as in stock and all the car places, Walmart, etc don't sell it -- Mobil 1 makes a EPS2 or something like that in that spec but... It is also dyed so they can tell you've used it).
Click to expand...
I drove my Jetta to the service doors and it automatically opened. Another 30‘ to the Service writer who greeted me with a clip board and all my info on it. Seems they scan the license plate into the computer system and the service writer just pulls it off his printer. Asked me what I was in for, Express service and he said fine. Asked if I needed a ride anywhere and said I’m heading across the street for breakfast. Asked how long and he said “I doubt longer than 45 minutes”. I didn’t time it but I was back as they pulled the car up to the doors with an exterior wash completed.

This dealership we have dealt with since 2014 just blows away what I thought was good service from our dealer up north. I am very pleased but not as pleased that Terry is with her dealership. They come to the house and if they can’t handle the service they haul it back to the dealership for its work. I did briefly look at an all electric SUV in the lot as I was heading over to breakfast. How can a family of 4 afford a new SUV? While the base price is $40,000 both stickers I glanced at were $55+. I’m getting old…
 
Since 1980, I've had a dream truck I've always wanted to own. Found one coming in at a local dealership. 1 ton dually, crew cab, longbed diesel 4x4. I don't have a need for that kind of truck, but it's just been a wish. $119,000 is why I drive a used Colorado. It has everything I really need and was a LOT cheaper. I'd still like to be able have the money to pay for said truck. Maybe I'll hit Powerball someday...
 
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