Car Chat

[AutobahnSHO]

Meh, at least she owned up to it.

I have a nasty habit of driving away with the pump still in the filler, even in the new car. The hose breakaways work well - $150 charge though to reconnect, if you must know.

LOL. Do you realize before you're on the interstate? I saw a dude on I-95 many miles away from the last gas station with the handle still attached to the car.

[Soup DeVille]

Meh, at least she owned up to it.

I have a nasty habit of driving away with the pump still in the filler, even in the new car. The hose breakaways work well - $150 charge though to reconnect, if you must know.

Ok.

Well, I hope to never need that info.

[veeman]

Meh, at least she owned up to it.

I have a nasty habit of driving away with the pump still in the filler, even in the new car. The hose breakaways work well - $150 charge though to reconnect, if you must know.

I've done that once.  I knew right away and drove off but then did a u-turn and returned to the gas station.  I put the disconnected hosing on the ground next to the pump.  Went inside the gas station and told the cash register guy. 

"You did what?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry man."

Then I drove off again.  In my rear view mirror saw the guy at the pump picking up the disconnected hosing. 

[r0tor]

Do you not stand by the pump or something?

[r0tor]

https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/alfa-romeo-tops-premium-segment-in-j-d-power-u-s-sales-satisfaction-index-study/

So let's get this straight.... The only luxury brand that focuses on attractive designs and driving fun has the most satisfied customers despite having the lowest level of tech, smallest screens, still having physical gauges, hybrid nothing, and most actual buttons?

What is this?

[veeman]

Do you not stand by the pump or something?

Generally not.  In NY state where they disable those "ridges" which keep the gas pump handle depressed I usually am able to put the gas cap underneath the handle thereby keeping it depressed until the gas tank is full.  I'm usually cleaning out my car of trash or checking on the state of the tires when refueling. 

[Morris Minor]

In GA you ratchet the valve open & use the time to clean up the inside, go to the bathroom, buy some tasty snacks etc.

[Raza]

A sorry sight...



McLaren P1 Flooded By Hurricane Ian After Just One Week Of Ownership

That's why you don't live in Florida.

[Soup DeVille]

If only they could give you some warning a hurricane was coming...

[GoCougs]

In GA you ratchet the valve open & use the time to clean up the inside, go to the bathroom, buy some tasty snacks etc.

My problem is, I'm all amped up for a ride, and since the filler is on the opposite of the driver's door (in the cars I've done this on) I totally forgot what the hell I was doing. I got me my Gatorade and Pop Tarts for the ride and off I go! POP!

Now, I have a rule - I always wait at the pump till it's finished.

[giant_mtb]

Now, I have a rule - I always wait at the pump till it's finished.

That's uhhhhh already a well-established rule...those signs that say "Do Not Leave Pump Unattended"...

[Laconian]

If only they could give you some warning a hurricane was coming...

This is why the local news must go into caveman mode when the hurricane is about to hit. People just don't get the message. "U LEAVE HOUSE NOW. HOUSE NO GOOD BIG WATER COME, MAKE U DIE, UR KIDS DIE, ALL WET AND DEAD"

[cawimmer430]

Ah, the good old winter tire limiter ruining all the fun! 

230 km/h = 144 mph (or "HOW DARE YOU" in Swedish)

The winter tires actually are limited to 240 km/h, but as a safety precaution I set the winter tire limit to 230 km/h.

[Laconian]

And that's slow for you. Unreal

I would NOT trust the US general public on the Autobahn.

[AutobahnSHO]

And that's slow for you. Unreal

I would NOT trust the US general public on the Autobahn.

You can tell when Murricans are on the road there.

[Laconian]

What's the tell?

[cawimmer430]

And that's slow for you. Unreal

It really depends on the car. Most German cars will be rather easy to drive and control at high speeds. 

The fastest I've gone in the A250 was 256 km/h (160 mph) and it was still stable and easy to control. In contrast, once a company selling American cars in Germany dropped by a Dodge Durango V6 from the early 2010s and I was to drive it to Austria the next day for a winter shoot. The steering was so lifeless and the suspension so soft that I only cruised at 120 km/h on the Autobahn. Going any faster actually scared me because the car felt so unpredictable. The Dodge Challenger SRT-8 on the other hand drove pretty well and stable on the highway. It really depends on the cars. 

I would NOT trust the US general public on the Autobahn.

Trust me, we have a lot of idiots these days behind the wheel here. But when you drive a lot on the Autobahns you learn to "read and identify them". It's like you develop a 6th sense for those who are about to pull out in front of you and ruin your day. This is why flat out speeding on the Autobahn is next to impossible these days during regular working hours. Too many idiots out and about, especially the "middle lane hoggers".

[Laconian]

France's average driver ability has gone to shit over the past 15 years I've been visiting. There used to be excellent passing lane discipline, very clear signaling, good following distances. Now it's just crap. I see a lot of people occupying TWO lanes for extended distances; what's up with that?

[Galaxy]

I have to say, I love what Honda is doing with it's styling right now. So many cars today have lines for three cars, but Honda makes clean elegant lines.








I also like their Infotainment setup, you have a touchscreen (which is reportedly really good, since it runs on android and not something that the car manufacturer baked up) for the more in depth settings but you still have physical buttons for volume, climate control etc.

[FoMoJo]

Much improved, especially the front.

[cawimmer430]

France's average driver ability has gone to shit over the past 15 years I've been visiting. There used to be excellent passing lane discipline, very clear signaling, good following distances. Now it's just crap. I see a lot of people occupying TWO lanes for extended distances; what's up with that?

It's the same in Germany. I attribute this to people generally having become dumber or not capable of thinking for themselves anymore. I always claim that I see a correlation between the appearance of "stupid reality TV / entertainment shows" on television in the early 2000s and the dumbing down of society. To me they're directly related to each other. In the case of Germany, 99% of TV shows here are so dumb it's not even funny anymore. Turn the TV on during prime time and you have like "celebrity quiz shows" on half the channels and idiotic dance/singing shows where people wear weird animal costumes. Who watches this crap?

Anyway, back to the topic. People can't drive properly anymore. The normal procedure for overtaking on the Autobahn is: signal, merge onto the left lane, accelerate to overtake the slower car, then signal to return to the slower lane and resume your previous speed. I do this all the time when I am feeling relaxed and cruising at a slow 120-130 km/h - I will merge onto the left lane, ACCELERATE to a faster speed to overtake the slower car, then merge back onto the right lane and resume my previous slower speed. But these days, so many idiots will pull out in front of you at say 110 km/h to overtake someone on the right lane who is doing 105 km/h - literally. And they won't accelerate which means their overtaking process takes "forever". In the meantime a small "traffic jam" has built ip behind these idiots because they are taking forever to overtake. This is a daily occurrence on the Autobahn and this is why I don't speed that much these days - because it just burns your nerves and creates extra stress.

But Sunday is usually a good time to drive fast on the Autobahn due to less traffic.

[Morris Minor]

Look after yourself Jay.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/entertainment/jay-leno-hospitalized/index.html

[Morris Minor]

I have to say, I love what Honda is doing with it's styling right now. So many cars today have lines for three cars, but Honda makes clean elegant lines.

I also like their Infotainment setup, you have a touchscreen (which is reportedly really good, since it runs on android and not something that the car manufacturer baked up) for the more in depth settings but you still have physical buttons for volume, climate control etc.

I was not happy with the infotainment in my 2018 CR-V but I'm sure things have moved on. Five years is an eternity in the development of this stuff.
Agreed about Honda's styling. There's way too much overwrought styling now.

[r0tor]

The C and D pillar on that suv makes my head hurt

[giant_mtb]

The C and D pillar on that suv makes my head hurt

Dammit, now I can't unsee it. Seems very afterthought-esque. But virtually every CUV does that with the back windows now...not sure if it's for "styling" or an actual function of the packaging ensuring that the C/D pillars are thick/strong enough. 

[cawimmer430]

Interesting video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EfkvcNgNDM

[AutobahnSHO]

What's the tell?

They drive like idiots

[shp4man]

So I just spent an hour preparing some Trico wiper blade refills to work for the old truck. Holy fuck, what a pain in the ass.

Having said that, I sincerely hope Leno is OK with this burn deal. The dude is 72 and a true car guy.

[giant_mtb]

Was just driving behind a new Tahoe...the rear end is so oddly styled.

[AutobahnSHO]

Was just driving behind a new Tahoe...the rear end is so oddly styled.

I drove one along with a new Suburban in Kuwait. Very great handling for a ginormous vehicle! I think they look pretty good- modern but won't look too dated. But those bottom rear suspension linkages!!!  So LOW!