Motorpsychology

The IIHS and NHTSA are the biggest drivers of rate increases. The safer vehicles are made, the more they cost to repair. The ratio of profit to loss may remain the same, but the higher that rates go, so does the amount of profit. We could save thousands in vehicle and insurance costs by doing without all the safety technology, and just welding a rusty railroad spike to the steering wheel hub, pointing inches from your chest. Ok, NOW go out and tailgate in the rain!

10-4. The diesel engine was used for surface propulsion and charging while on the surface or snorkeling. They used lead-acid batteries. The hydrogen created during charge/discharge cycles was vented thru the hull. If seawater came in contact with the batteries, chlorine gas would be produced that entered the ship's ventilation system.

I think the demise of the Ecosport in this market had as much to do with it's practicality as with the mechanical troubles. The side hinge door was off-putting for some (you had to walk around the open door to get to the left side access door of your house), and there wasn't room for a stroller behind the rear seat. Besides, it didn't scale well compared to the Encore and Trax; to tippy looking, IMO.

A lot of people say that the Pacer was the inspiration for the Pontiac Aztek, but they were cool in their own way. in an era of coach lights, opera windows, padded vinyl roofs, crushed velour upholstery, the Pacer grew on me. Always liked them.

I'll defer to you as you look at them all day, but it is possible to do on the 2019-23 5G Ranger. I don't know what the p- number was.

$4065 does sound inflated, even using $225/hr as a nominal shop rare. The must be replacing the whole sunroof assembly.

If it is like the Ranger, the black-out on the B pillar is a vinyl wrap that can be removed.

I think the scrunched-up profile is an affect of a telephoto lens, as the Murano is a three row. My daughter has a 2017 and it is a very nicely done SUV.

I like the new format with the slide-to start rather than the old press & hold. some of the files are in different places, but easy enough to find. I do miss the mountains in the homepage background and the analog fuel gauge, though. The Rewards page now has an extra step in it; you get a banner page then press View Dashboard. The old version went directly to the Dashboard. Some of the info is under different menus, but it's all there- takes a little getting used to.

...Back in the S&H Green Stamp days. We were in SD this past week and at the I-90 Travel Plaza in Mitchell it was $2.869 87E10, and $3.699 91E0. Outstate MN and SD, reg. was mostly $3.08-3.39. We saw one place in SD where they had diesel less than gasoline.

I wonder if the tailgate had a defect? I load my 480lb (+160lb me on it) motorcycle into my Ranger occasionally. That plus the weight of my 3-piece ramp on the tailgate lip. The bike with me on puts a lot of momentary weight concentrated in a small contact patch as it rides up into the box. I have done this 8 times (unloading too) with no damage whatsoever.

...Which to me seems rather petty. When I watch a documentary on the History Channel or PBS, the lead investigator/archaeologist/zoologist whatever travels to the lab/site/nature preserve and the Bowtie/Blue Oval etc is blurred out, sometimes even in shots where the steering wheel is in view. But keen observers will decipher the make from a sliver of dashboard or color of the headliner, etc. I don't think the general population cares that Dr drove a Tahoe or an Explorer to the destination. It seems to me that more time and money was wasted burring out escutcheons than just condoning the incidental brand appearances.

I was in Duluth, MN today and 87 E10 was $2.869 at a Holiday (Circle K). I filled my motorcycle up with 91 E0 @ $3.769. Across the bay in Superior WI it was $3.299/ $4.099-019.

That type of fan moves a lot of cu ft of air S L O W L Y. You really can't feel any air movement on the floor. A barn fan in the aisle would be more effective.

Does it cool any better while moving? Check that the electric radiator/condenser fan is working normally.

The ID Buzz was first shown at the 2017 NAIAS in Detroit; a mere blink in the history of the universe.

If you are talking about the glare reflection of the dashboard on the windshield in bright sunlight, polarized sunglasses eliminate that, while your instrument display should still be clearly readable. Our eyes attenuate to the brightest light in the field of view. Polarized sunglasses cancel out the effects of glare, virtually eliminating the source of brightness and thus improving the readability of the instrumentation. I'm not familiar with the '24 Nautilus' steering wheel, but the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel of my Ranger are all labelled and backlit at night. It seems odd that the Nautilus' would be blank.

Kinda has a 80's Buick Regal vibe...

And now Bronco is charging extra for non grey-scale colors and they do on the Mustang. I guess they'll try anything to improve sales. 🤡 I think there will come a time when some insignificant feature will be decontented or become extra charge, like offering cup holders at additional charge and/or in a High Package, and we reach a tipping point where the market says collectively, "Enough!" And new vehicle sales plummet 50% or more.

Yeah, but it wasn't discontented...

This seems like a pretty straightforward episode to me. "Angie" would not know offhand if you had an extended warranty, only a Ford ESP warranty or a third party extended warranty purchased at that dealer would be visible to her. She eventually did go to bat for you, albeit with a little prodding, and the svc mgr applied for and obtained the good will program. After a logistics hiccup, the part arrives. They install the cat, and charge you $1319.11 incl tax 5.5% +/-, or about $1,346 (I live in WI too). A quick Google search for an original equipment right side catalytic converter shows a retail price of $1,491.43 for just the part. https://www.oemford.parts/oem-parts/ford-catalytic-converter-jl3z5f250b?origin=pla So your cost seems very reasonable; about 54% of the $2,300 Angie quoted you originally. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you didn't mention if there was a Ford payment disclosed for the left cat replaced under warranty. In my experience with Ford, GM, and Chrysler (now Stellantis) vehicles I've owned, the cost of factory or dealer warranty work is never disclosed, either left blank or "No Charge." IMO, you were treated fairly and I would buy and service from that dealer. The Tundra is a very good truck as well. If you decide to buy one I hope you will be treated as fairly as you were at Gordie Boucher Ford.

Maybe Ford should license Tesla's Car Wash Mode 😎

Hot Pepper Red on a Ranger, My 2021 Ranger is Carbonized Grey, as HPR wasn't available in 2021 on Rangers.

MT said they used the trucks to haul furniture to their new offices- It would've been nice to have pulled a trailer with each truck. A Trailer Tow transmission mode was not mentioned, and I don't know if the other two have it, but the Ranger's is very well thought out and provides for smooth acceleration and deceleration. It also works better unladen than the standard pattern in stop & go/slow & go traffic, IMO. Hard to believe this truck has the same size motor that my '84 Tempo had. 😜

Quite a turnaround from the last UAW vote at VW.