Unofficial Off Topic Thread

[sk47]

Major car brand under fire for 'selling driving data' to motor insurance companies who hike premiums (msn.com)

Hello; read and weep. May be only GM after a quick read.

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[HoosierDaddy]

Man's wife dies at Disneyland. Man tries to sue. Disney claims man agreed to ONLY use arbitration for any dispute with Disney when he signed up for a free trial of Disney+ streaming service. LoL

 

[sk47]

Man's wife dies at Disneyland. Man tries to sue. Disney claims man agreed to ONLY use arbitration for any dispute with Disney when he signed up for a free trial of Disney+ streaming service. LoL

Hello; I get why Disney is trying the tactic. If it succeeds then Ford, GM and other car companies ought to have a streaming service with such an agreement.

 

[sk47]

When it comes to heating the planet, the fluid in your AC is thousands of times worse than CO2 (msn.com)

Hello; At some point AC for our homes and vehicles will be banned if current climate logic is followed. I get that the freon is meant to stay inside the AC/ refrigerators. Thing is eventually all will leak.

 

[sk47]

The Four-Door Sedan Ford Mustang Is Almost Here (msn.com)
Hello; I sort of like the four door idea. Not interested in an off-road Mustang. Been thinking the current Mustangs are large compared to some earlier models. No EV nor hybrid I hope.

I would want a V8 and manual trans.

 

[sk47]

Hello; Had an interesting conversation today. Was going over the paperwork concerning the warranties on a new car from a dealer. On top of the factory warranty they offer a lifetime warranty a do most now days. There is a sheet of must do's an owner must comply with in order to keep the extra warranty valid. In particular all specified services listed in the owner's manual must be done.
Went with the salesman to read from the owner's manual what those services will be. There is a list of required items for every year of ownership. Things such as oil changes, air filter changes, various inspections and the like. None of that was too unusual. Seemed a bit odd to have a required yearly inspection for such things.

At first the requirements to keep an extra powertrain warranty seemed a bit much. I was told changing my own oil & filter would void the warranty. Putting a K&N or other such air filter would void the extended warranty. I was about to dismiss these things and let that extra dealer warranty go way as i like to do my own oil changes, inspections and normal Maintenace. There was a kicker.

That kicker is I was the factory warranty would be voided as weel if I did not have the yearly inspections, oil & filter changes, air filter replacements as their choice, not my choice and other items on the list done either at a manufacturers dealer's shop or by an ASE certified mechanic. I wanted to be clear that I was now asking about the normal manufacture's warranty and not the extended warranty. The top service manager said such was the case. If i changed my own oil the factory warranty will be voided.

I told them my understanding this was not legal. I think there was a law passed decades ago about this sort of thing. I hope someone will know the name/title of that law. For decades I have bought oils, filters and other parts which meet or exceed factory specs. I often will use factory parts & oil during the warranty period. I keep the receipts and a personal record of my work dates and miles. I have been thinking such was good enough to keep a warranty valid.

On the way home i stopped by a different brands dealership to ask if they have such rules. They do not and see it the way i have done things for years.

Do any know the title of that law?

 

[sk47]

Do any know the title of that law?

Magnuson-Moss Act, Aftermarket Auto Parts and Oil Change Facts (automotiveaftermarket.org)

 

[sk47]

9 Things We Want From The Ford Mustang Sedan (msn.com)

Hello; I like the idea. Not sure it should be called a Mustang. Ford has lots of old names to recycle. Years ago, if memory serves, I read the Current platform on which the Mustang is built is or has been used for other models. Maybe small SUV types?? Anyway the though was why not a four door sedan using the platform and running gear.
The first Mustang was built on a Ford Falcon chassis platform back in the early 1960's.

 

[sk47]

Meet the climate researcher who wants to take away your refrigerator (msn.com)

Hello; Had to figure someone would bring up the "freons" that run our refrigerators, heat pumps and air conditioners. Could throw in dehumidifiers as they operate on the same stuff. Or is it just the electricity these things use? That cannot be as part of the "green push" is to move to all electric stuff, can it?
A part of the green new stuff is a new type of water heater with a heat pump unit on top. Thing is a heat pump is in reality an AC unit. Same sort of technology. An AC unit moves heat out of a house or car and into some other space, usually the outdoors.

The heat pump water heater will move heat out from the air in the room where it is located and into the water inside the water heater tank. A question arises in my mind. The effect ought to be the air in that room will be cooled down by the process. At least while the unit is running.
The water in the tank will be heated up to likely 120 F or more. The tank will be insulated but even the best insulation will allow heat loss over enough time.


Might be a benefit of sorts during summer as it might cool the room some. Might actually cost us a bit more in the winter as the heat removed from the air in the room will have to be replaced by some other energy source.

Had a though when writing this. Combine the refrigerator coils and the heat pump water heater coils into one-unit operating unit. The refrigerator and water heater can stand alone and be separated by a good distance. The coils in the fridge will pull heat from the interior of the fridge and send it to the coils in the water heater. Not that hard to picture. Go look at your central heat & AC units if your house has a heat pump system. At my house one unit is outside and the other is some 30 feet away in the basement. Same sort of idea.

 

[sk47]

Ford patents way to pipe ads into your vehicle's cabin (msn.com)
Hello; Does anyone actually want ad's piped onto their dash screens? Driver distraction at the very least. Major annoyance to be sure.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Ford patents way to pipe ads into your vehicle's cabin (msn.com)
Hello; Does anyone actually want ad's piped onto their dash screens? Driver distraction at the very least. Major annoyance to be sure.

A patent doesn't mean something will happen. Patents are frequently filed to use or license if market forces make something practical at some time.

Years ago, Google (or one of the big tech firms) patented a "flypaper" like coating for the fronts of cars. I posted in these forums. The coating was to save pedestrians hit by cars from being "bounced" into stationary objects or the path of other vehicles. I remain unconcerned I will be forced to drive a sticky car.

But I did rush out and patent clothing with the same coating for pedestrians wanting to protect themself and not trusting the govt or automakers to require or build sticky cars.

 

[CrazyHippie]

Meet the climate researcher who wants to take away your refrigerator (msn.com)

Hello; Had to figure someone would bring up the "freons" that run our refrigerators, heat pumps and air conditioners. Could throw in dehumidifiers as they operate on the same stuff. Or is it just the electricity these things use? That cannot be as part of the "green push" is to move to all electric stuff, can it?
A part of the green new stuff is a new type of water heater with a heat pump unit on top. Thing is a heat pump is in reality an AC unit. Same sort of technology. An AC unit moves heat out of a house or car and into some other space, usually the outdoors.

The heat pump water heater will move heat out from the air in the room where it is located and into the water inside the water heater tank. A question arises in my mind. The effect ought to be the air in that room will be cooled down by the process. At least while the unit is running.
The water in the tank will be heated up to likely 120 F or more. The tank will be insulated but even the best insulation will allow heat loss over enough time.


Might be a benefit of sorts during summer as it might cool the room some. Might actually cost us a bit more in the winter as the heat removed from the air in the room will have to be replaced by some other energy source.

Had a though when writing this. Combine the refrigerator coils and the heat pump water heater coils into one-unit operating unit. The refrigerator and water heater can stand alone and be separated by a good distance. The coils in the fridge will pull heat from the interior of the fridge and send it to the coils in the water heater. Not that hard to picture. Go look at your central heat & AC units if your house has a heat pump system. At my house one unit is outside and the other is some 30 feet away in the basement. Same sort of idea.

Interesting questions! Running a heat pump water heater also turns electricity into heat via the compressor. That heat is released into the room. I doubt that there is much net cooling of the room.

I installed a closed-loop geothermal system in my house. It came with a "de-superheater" accessory that strips superheated energy from the refrigerant in the system and uses it to heat my water. It really works well!

 

[sk47]

In a Landmark Study, Scientists Discover Just How Much Earth's Temperature Has Changed Over Nearly 500 Million Years (msn.com)

Gutfeld: Can Google be trusted when their credibility is busted? | Fox News Video

Hello; I read the first link and thought of a segment seen on TV some months ago. A segment about a new AI program. The story was on several news broadcasts during a week or so. I recall seeing Gutfeld poke fun at the obvious mistakes when people asked the AI to provide examples of various historical figures. The segment was funny to be sure but more seriously pointed out how computer programs have bias or beliefs built in from those who program them.

The landmark study mentioned in the first link mentions as to how interoperated climate records from things such as ice cores have been entered into computer climate models. Some time ago, perhaps years by now, I was part of a discussion about computer climate models in a different thread. Some members expressed lots of faith in those models. I delved into the subject and found examples of anomalies in the models. Things such as a computer model getting known climate/weather wrong when the model was asked to predict events of the past using the models.

To be sure I do not claim to personally know the results in the first link will be off the mark in the future. I just do not have all that much confidence in computer models when it comes to predicting the future.

 

[sk47]

New wave menace: How LSPI threatens modern engines (msn.com)
hello; LSPI is Low speed Pre-Ignition. Pre-ignition is knock or detonation. The engine killing demon reemerges due to modern engine tech and such used to try to meet more and more stringent emissions and other such requirements is my initial take.
Trying to get engines to make more torque at lower engine speeds is one bit from the link. Direct injection also mentioned as well as low viscosity oils. I confess my quick read left more questions.

Might be part of the answer to a question which has puzzled me for some months. Last spring I discovered that a Dodge Challenger with the 5.7 Hemi V8 will have Dodges version of their cylinder deactivation system (MDS) if the car has an automatic transmission. If the same car with the same V8 engine has the six speed manual the MDS system is not on the engine. A further factor is the 5.7 V8 Challenger with the manual requires 91 octane fuel while the Challenger with the automatic will run on 87 octane. The only explanation I ever found was the higher octane helps prevent detonation during a low RPM with wide open throttle situation. The above link starts to help this make sense perhaps????

 

[sk47]

Hello; may I suggest looking up the terms Loper Bright and Chevron Deference. Read an interesting online article today. The two terms are working titles for a recent supreme court decision and a decades old decision.
The recent decision (Loper Bright) is relevant to many of us on this forum due to the way it can and may restrict federal agencies. I call them alphabet agencies as do others.
I did not add the link to the article I read as it contained a lot of political discussion. Avoiding that leaves us with some important information.
Seems back in the 1980's it was decided if a federal regulation law was enacted but definitions were left vague that then the alphabet agencies could themselves decide what to do. That was the Chevron Deference. My explanation my need some refining but it boiled down to an alphabet agency such as the EPA being fee to make up its own rules. I may be off with this example but immediately thought of a recent ruling that decided bees are fish so they can make rulings to protect bees.
I like bees and want them to be protected. All for that. But bees are not fish, and this is an example of how these agencies have been working. Outside of bees, for us, are the older and newer rules they put in place surrounding our automobiles, our electric power supply, our water heaters, our light bulbs, our washing machines and more.

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