Stupid Things People Do

I don't know Richard. I saw a piece on one of the networks (CNN I think) that interviewed a motorist that wrote a book on "Extreme Mileage Savings" (or something like that) & he's an engineer who claims that if you're driving a gasoline engined car & will be stopped for more than 30 seconds at a light, that it is cost effective to turn off your engine. Think the reporter was Miles O'Brien. 30 seconds was his cut-off point.

If you think your burning that much gas, have you priced a starter lately?

I turn my truck off at the bank drivethru and fast food drivethru's because otherwise they can't hear me and I can't hear them. Darn noisey Cummins diesel.

I think that all of the hybrid cars turn off at a stop. My father had a Honda hybrid and I had an hard time getting used to it when I visited. I always felt like it was stalling but it always started right up.

What do you mean by "Supid"?

BugsyR wrote:What do you mean by "Supid"?

Come on Mike!! you know like DUM things people have done!

Welcome to the 90's! Oh wait... 2,000's! Carburated engines gobbled a mouthful of gas starting, but fuel injected don't. 30 seconds is the save a penny point. Also...remember way back when, when we put new starters in our cars every two years? When was the last time you put a starter in a vehicle? Yup, they're built better and last pretty much the life of the vehicle. Just today I turned my 17.6 MPG van off at the bank drive up. Good thing too! I'll bet I sat there for 20 min.

Here's a thought....
How about parking the car, shutting it off and walking into the bank / Mickey D's / etc. ???

I have found the line inside is usually shorter than the drive through line.

It would also help with emissions. It would also help with blood circulation and the threat of Deep Vein Thrombosis (sp?). Lets see....can I think of any other goofy reasons to park and walk besides getting our collectively wide behinds out of a seat and moving under our own power?

titleist1 wrote:how about parking the car, shutting it off and walking into the bank ???

You're kidding!?!

Will they actually let people just walk into the bank?

(Next thing you'll tell me that you can actually walk into a fast food joint!!....Not gonna fall for that BS!! )

(Looking down to see if I even still have legs.......Yup!...Hmmmmm.........What the hell are those used for??)

Freddy wrote: When was the last time you put a starter in a vehicle?

Thanks Freddy...you just reminded me on how "Supid" ... oops :lol: ...Stupid I was back in 2003. That was the year I bought...and I promise...my last Chevy.

'03 Chevy Trailblazer...(should have spent the extra 4Gs for a Toyota)...Reasons:

Feb 04...failed to start one day...flatbedded to a dealer...started for them...nothing to fix
Feb 05...failed to start one day...flatbedded to a dealer...started for them...told them to keep the peace of crap until it wouldn't start...end result...neutral safety switch replaced...not warrantied...was probably B.S.'d but what is one to do?
Feb 06...failed to start one day...flatbedded to a dealer...started for them...told them to keep the peace of crap until it wouldn't start...end result...STARTER need to be replaced...felt I was being B.S.d...warranty already ran out...told them to get me "After Warranty Assistance"....guess they felt bad for me so they did.

The Amazing part about all this is the month and year of the problems...every February 3 years straight and exact same symptoms. 2 different dealers...one in Va Beach one up in PA.
Everytime we tell the story we have to laugh....but then I cuss Chevy... :lol:

Piece of crap T-blazer....other problems had and repaired...rear sway bar, multiple repairs to rear lights, O2 sensors, an ABS motor (pricey one...thank God for used parts), and the ever so persistant Fan Friggin' Clutch problem

Well at least I now own the title and am not making payments to the bank anymore...now I just make payments to the repair centers.

Oh yeah... one thing that hasn't been repaired yet...mailbox damage from the wife backing out of the driveway... :lol: :lol:

approx TMV for Private Seller of 03 T-blazer vs 03 Toyota 4Runner....03 T-blazer = $7500 ... 03 Toyota 4Runner = $10500

Stupid stupid stupid... :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :bang: :bang: :bang:


I'm all spun up...time for a yuengling!

Richard, according to my Scanguage, my '01 Mercury Grand Marquis consumes 0.64 gallons of fuel per hour while idling with the A/C on. It drops to roughly 0.52 gallons per hour with the A/C off. That is with a 4.6L V8 so I imagine those little econboxes with a 4 cylinder shouldn't burn as much fuel idling.

Bugsy, I know a lot of people who have had terrible luck with Jimmys/Blazers/Trailblazers...you aren't the only one. I'm not sure what the story is, we have owned plenty of full size chevy trucks/SUVs with great results. The '94 Suburban we have on the farm hit 200k this week and the neighbor's tahoe hit 335k, neither one has even had a valve cover off. The 2005 one ton chevy we have has been trouble free as well.

I'm all spun up...time for a yuengling!

Then buy a Ford.

On most fuel injected cars which accounts for anything built after 1987 basically the computer fires all the injectors during crank mode, which is when you are cranking the engine to start it. There is no choke or accelerator pump on a fuel injector and there needs to be fuel available to start. So the PCM fires them all which I can guarantee wastes a heckuva lot of more gas than idling for a minute. Some cars don't batch fire, they use a longer pulse width (injector on time) when cranking. Same result, momentary dumping of gas. Hybrids work because they are engineered to be on/off/on/off all the time. . As far as reliability, I own a 97 Camry which I treated like a pickup truck for 200k miles pretty much trouble free. I can't say the same about my Caravan, it nickle and dimes me.