Random thoughts thread

My random thought for the day:
"Professional" detailers who work in car dealerships, used car lots, or "quantity" detail shops that do contract/outsourced work for dealerships do NOT get any respect or appreciation within this forum for the services they provide.
OK, I rag on them myself because their "workmanship" (hence, the quotations as "professionals") is less than Autopian-quality standards. BUT they do have to work with the time allotted to them and the equipment and car-care products and chemicals provided to them and their training and methodologies and techniques are usually self-taught or by a less-than-qualified supervisor or department manager. Let`s face it: at these places time is money.
My hats off to those of you who do work at such places and do the best you can with what you have. It`s not an easy job or profession.
I will get my "dig" in, though, because I know some of you as truly professional detailers or capable hobbyists make good money correcting and fixing less-than-acceptable vehicle details for discriminating (very picky, like myself) owners done by some dealership or car lot "detailers" and I (and some of you Autopians reading this) have referred to them as "hacks". That`s probably unjustified and totally wrong on my part, simply for the reasons mentioned above, and if I had to do their job with the bosses, time, equipment, and car-care products provide them I ask myself, "Could I have done a better job?" Probably not. Sometimes you need to be considerate of the situation yourself before you apply the label. My apology for doing so to some of you .
(I will say "some" because there ARE hacks out there, but then that`s oxymoronic and self-deprecating to this whole post, now isn`t it. If you need to look up the meaning to those words, do so. You`ll understand, then ,why I used them. Just sayin`...)
 
they`re giving away a little blue Porsche today on the last day of dream cars on The Price Is Right! I wonder if sizzle chest is in the crowd :)
 
My random thought for the day:
"Professional" detailers who work in car dealerships, used car lots, or "quantity" detail shops that do contract/outsourced work for dealerships do NOT get any respect or appreciation within this forum for the services they provide....

Noting that I`m one of those "every new vehicle is in the wrapper or I don`t take it" guys, and that I`ve refused delivery of new vehicles over *VERY* minor cosmetic issues that could be corrected (at the cost of clearcoat thickness)....

I agree with you and commend you for posting that.

When I was (just a teenage kid) working in New Car Prep I certainly was NOT a hack by any standards. When the dealership didn`t have the right stuff, I brought in my own, which I paid for myself. When there "wasn`t time" I worked through lunch or came in early/stayed late. There was a similar guy at my Audi dealer, who was so good that I not only I let them do my father`s car, but, seeing that it turned out OK, I even let him do my S8 when it got in (again, turned out fine, but then he went on to Grad School and it was back to hack-city).

OTOH, having seen their work, I`d *NEVER* let the local "Pro Detailers" touch any of my vehicles if I had any other option.

There are great/lousy guys in every profession.
 
last night I bought Gran Turismo Sport (for ps4)....these driving tests are hard! It`s difficult to go from my normal arcade style racing games to this simulation style.

The graphics are INSANE and I don`t even have a great tv.
 
I want to party with this guy!

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so...my mom is in town visiting...just a minute ago she asks me "do you have a night light?"

oh how the tides have turned, hahaha
 
Well it was an interesting Friday for me. Left Scranton, PA around 9:30am, which only takes about 2.5 hours to get to the shop. Major incident close to home on the interstate (Link) so we decided to detour about 10 miles North of the incident. Obviously everybody else had the same idea and the closer we got to town traffic was snarled. Decided to cut through and go the back way. About a mile later I hear a loud hissing noise. Crap, I knew what it was. Seconds later the TPMS light came on and luckily I got to a church parking lot. Lo and behold...

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Ironically I just passed the boss`s house (he was at the shop though) so a phone call to him and the cavalry arrived, lol. No surprise the spare was almost flat. Nobody believe me when I say to check the air in the spare once a year. The truck was taken over the Cat scales about a month ago and it was just a little over 12K, so not fun jacking that thing up. They were taking the truck to New Jersey, so we got the spare on and I put all our stuff in another truck and headed back, let them deal with that. Needless to say I didn`t get home till 2:45. Shoulda been home at 1...
 
Even after 5 years and 63,000 miles, I still have a bond and respect for my Xterra. The new Colorado ZR2 is quite the truck. Finally got to see one last weekend. Bit of a unicorn and hard to find. If I had 46K going nowhere, I probably would be all over it. LOL.
 
Other than hauling stuff that won`t fit in something else, what`s the appeal of a pickup truck? Not looking to pick a fight, just genuinely curious. And sure, "I like how they look" is an OK answer IMO (a Boxster owner I know said he "just always wanted a pickup" and now he has one. OK..). And yeah, I`ve driven `em and do understand that some of today`s are a lot different from the old-school ones ;)
 
I don’t mean to be derogatory here and I mean no offense with these comments. I suspect it’s one of those situations where just like many other things in life, I think it comes down to the old adage of, If you have to ask you probably wouldn’t get it anyway. As an example, I for one appreciate the work that goes into almost any vehicle but one of those instances for me is the Rat Rod. I know much effort goes into creating one but I just don’t get why anyone would want one let alone waste the time to build it. That said, people just love these things. Flat finishes on vehicles is another one for me.

One thing I like about a truck is sitting above the traffic, still can’t see through a mini van with tinted windows but I like the vantage point none the less. Now days trucks offer just about any creature comfort available in even the most luxurious cars and have quite a few benefits not offered by many cars (i.e. Hill Decent Control, auto trailer hook up, throwing 6, 5 gallon jugs of fuel in the bed, wrapping a tow strap around the hitch and pulling a peach tree stump, towing capacity, etc.). The tree and hauling fuel are things I’ve used my truck for recently. I’d never use a car for either of those and though a car may haul the fuel, the chances of something going bad and ending up with spilt fuel inside a car would stop me everytime. With many trucks now putting down close to 400 HP and beyond, short of going to a track with twisties they don’t give up much and have other advantages to boot. This doesn’t even bring into consideration that trucks/Sport Utes can simply go places you wouldn’t take a car. It’s simply a matter of what you’re willing to trade off.

Oh yeah, I like the way they look too. :)
 
Other than hauling stuff that won`t fit in something else, what`s the appeal of a pickup truck? Not looking to pick a fight, just genuinely curious. And sure, "I like how they look" is an OK answer IMO (a Boxster owner I know said he "just always wanted a pickup" and now he has one. OK..). And yeah, I`ve driven `em and do understand that some of today`s are a lot different from the old-school ones ;)

For me -

1. It has a real frame

2. It has real 4x4 (it snows here).

3. You can haul stuff

4. Only compromise is fuel - but who cares? We are in America & gas is cheap.
 
I fell like I need a truck. I use it for picking up large parts for our trucks at work and also for going on the road fixing covers on dumpsters and for delivering totters. Personally I use it to tow my Bass boat most weekends and during the winter I plow my house my dads house and I use it at work to push the snow away from stuff for the loader. Also Like the ground clearance and 4X4 for the winter as I have to plow and also need to get to work no mater what the weather is and I leave the house a lot of mornings before the roads are ready and there can be deep snow in the road and lots deep windrows at intersections and entrances and the extra height means getting through with our breaking anything or ripping of an air dam.
i understand the question though I see a lot trucks with pristine beds and a trailer hitch that looks totally unused. I will say though one of the most aggravating things in the world is listening to a acquaintance tell you how they dont need a pick up and love driving there toy car every day, only to ask you if they can borrow your truck every few months to move or pick up something.
 
i will say though one of the most aggravating things in the world is listening to a acquaintance tell you how they dont need a pick up and love driving there toy car every day, only to ask you if they can borrow your truck every few months to move or pick up something.

amen!
 
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