Tattoo

Got my first tattoo last night. It's awesome. The Jedi Knight Sword symbole and the new legacy series flames. Tattoo done by Jaimi from Studio 14 here in BG. She's good.

Sick of Gas Prices? Buy a Bike from Me!

Anyone in the BG area want a bike?  I have a total of seven bikes, four tenspeeds and three mountain bikes that have been abandon for one and two years.  I'm going to fix them up and sell them.  Don't need a bike?  Ok, but let me know if you know someone who needs one.  I already have two hits

Why I Can't Read

I just can't believe myself.  The kriffing article states:

Under the proposed settlement, GM will send cash reimbursements to class members who paid for Covered Repairs performed within seven years or 150,000 miles (whichever is earlier) after the original owner or lessee took delivery of the vehicle, and who submit timely and valid claims.

Where the crap does it say that an only the original owners can make claims?  It doesn't!  Wow, Adam is really dumb.  Okay maybe not dumb, but is deffinitely feeling like a jack-ass.  But anyways, I still think the average gm owner is getting screwed.  If their is a problem with a gasket, issue a recall.

Why GM Is Not the #1 Seller of Vehicles In the USA

The other week I posted a blog about the GM Dex-cool settlement.  Since then I have gotten a number of responses to it and also just by talking to people.  The problem with the settlement is the fact that there is a loophole where GM can get away from reimbursing thousands of car owners.  This is the loophole:

Under the proposed settlement, GM will send cash reimbursements to class members who paid for Covered Repairs performed within seven years or 150,000 miles (whichever is earlier) after the original owner or lessee took delivery of the vehicle, and who submit timely and valid claims.

This basically screws over the average GM car owner because the majority of GM vehicles bought by car owners were bought used, after the vehicle had been leased for two or three years.  If a lessee finds the problem one year before their lease is up they will simply wait until they turn their car in, and get a different one for the next two or three years.  Then the dealer will flush the coolant and put the defective vehicle on the lot to be sold. Then an unknowing buyer comes along and buys the car with the problem, which had not been solved.  This is only one example of what can happen, and where GM gets off the hook.

This is very unfortunate for GM owners like my parents, and several other people that I know.  I just want to get the word out so people won’t make the same mistake again.  I believe that Toyota was last year’s #1 car seller in America (C&D Magazine, correct me if I’m wrong).

This makes me wonder how much the lawyers who drafted the contract were payed to put that loophole in.

Dex-Cool Sucks!

There is a lawsuit against GM involving their vehicles that use Dex-cool antifreeze/coolant between the years 1995 and 2004.  They are settling, but I think that the average GM customer is still getting the shaft.  The problem, Dex-cool just sucks.  It's corrosive and eats away at certain gaskets and can cause the need for an average $800 repair.  My parents just found out that their lower intake gasket needs preplaced.  Because the gasket is not doing its job, coolant is getting into the crank-case, and oil is getting into the coolant.  Slowly these chemicals, which are now in places where they shouldn't be, have been eating away at certain sensors.  Further, there is all sorts of oil getting up into the intake and throttle-body causing the car to idle rough, lose horsepower, and decrease fuel economy. For more info, or to file a claim, go to www.dexcoolsettlement.com. All claims must be filed by October 13th.  If you own a GM car I would strongly suggest asking a mechanic if your car is affected.

GM has made claims that they have fixed the problem in models after 2004.  However, working at Valvoline Instant Oil Change I have seen that this is not true.  I have seen newer vehicles with the same problems, including a 2006 Impala that came in last week. 

If you have just bought a brand new GM vehicle, I would strongly suggest switching coolants right away to either the original green coolant, or to the new G-05 or yellow coolant.  I would recommend G-05 because if 100% of the Dex-cool isn't flushed out it mixes better than the original green coolant.  Also make sure the mechanic doesn't just pull the plug on the radiator and fill it back up.  Instead they should use a coolant flush machine.

Currently Reading Star Wars(r) Darth Bane Rule of Two (Star Wars) By Drew Karpyshyn see related