[AT] Waay OT

Cecil R Bearden crbearden at copper.net
Fri Sep 14 04:49:02 PDT 2012 

Charlie:
I agree with you on the mirrors to an extent.  I have replaced my Ford 
mirrors with a flat one on the right side, but now, I cannot get that 
mirror in the right place when I am towing a trailer.  It is always too 
high or low.  This one does not have the electric mirrors.

To me, the one convenience that is the most useful is the electric 
mirrors.   They are invaluable when you are towing anything...   I was 
at a driver training day for the employees of my agency.   The training 
was for the summer kids who worked in the department that pulled boat 
trailers to sample lakes in OK.    Since my department had several 
trailers they told me I needed training.   When I got to the site, I 
found we were supposed to bring a trailer.   The other departments had 
brought their boats & trailers.   I had to make a quick trip home and 
get one of my trailers.  The only one unloaded was my8.5 x 24ft.  3 
axle!!!!   We had to practice backing, stopping, parking, maneuvering, 
and all that stuff.  An old Hwy Patrol trooper was running the show.   
He made a comment about me being a showoff when I brought the trailer.   
our lanes were 10 ft wide, he wanted to make it hard for the boat 
trailers.   When we went to backing, I would focus the electric mirrors 
on the '02 F250 I pulled with...   I was the old man of the group, as I 
had about 35 years on all of them, with 40+ years of hauling...  The 
kids set up a howl that I was cheating with the electric mirrors.   
Trooper told them "If you got it use it".. I made the best score of 
anyone that had taken the training in the last 10 years..   I had to do 
the backing exercise again in one of the other trucks and trailers just 
to prove to the kids that I could do it without the electric mirrors!!!  
They were impressed.

I later was the one who specified the vehicles the agency used. I got a 
lot of flack because I would order the fancier trucks because the 
convenience package was cheaper that way.  All I wanted was the electric 
mirrors and the cargo light.   To get those items on their own would 
have cost an additional $500 over what the upgrade cost..    My 
reasoning for buying the electric mirrors was that with different 
drivers, how many were not so lazy they would just drive off without 
being able to see what they were towing.  It was a safety concern, and I 
had to write a 2 page dissertation to justify it to the Central affairs 
department.

Just another adventure in those 30 years of state service......

Cecil in OKla


On 9/14/2012 6:07 AM, charlie hill wrote:
> Cecil,  I enjoy the conveniences and they come in handy at times but to a
> large degree I agree with you, particularly about
> the devices designed to protect me from myself.  One thing that really makes
> me mad is the distorted passenger side mirrors.
> It makes it impossible to look in the mirror and tell how close you are to
> something if you are backing up and I don't see where it
> helps a bit in traffic.  A small wide angle spot mirror would be ok but
> having the whole thing distorted creates more danger than it
> helps prevent.  I notice that some of the Ford pickups have a two piece
> right side mirror, convex on the bottom and regular on the
> top but I can't find one of those for my GMC as a factory option or in the
> after market.
>
> When my old pickup was new I actually took it to a glass shop and told him
> to break the convex mirror out and replace it with a
> real mirror but for some reason I haven't done that to the 06 I have now.
>
> As far as the anti-theft device you mentioned.  The mechanics in the small
> independent shops here defeat those things all the time
> for folks they know.  Apparently all you have to do is clip the wires going
> to and from the device in the switch and connect the clipped ends together.
> The first time that failed on our Buick I bought new keys but next time it
> happens I'll disable it.
>
> Charlie
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Cecil R Bearden
> Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2012 10:14 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Waay OT
>
> How did we ever  manage without all these little in-conveniences for the
> last 50 years.?
> If my vehicle has A/C that works I am happy.  If it also has power
> steering then I am elated.  Automatic trans, and I get sorta goofy with
> happiness.   Power mirrors for towing and I am on Top Of The World!!!!
>    Seriously, why do we need all this crap that can go wrong?
>    My wife & I were at Silver Dollar City for the Thanksgiving lighting
> ceremony and when we got ready to leave, the security system in our 1997
> Expedition did not like the ignition key. Something about a magnetic
> detection coil around the ignition switch and the responder in the
> key.   A new Key was over $100. The dealer would not disconnect the
> security system for liability reasons.  He said if it was stolen he
> might be liable.   I told him that  in 30 deg Missouri weather on top of
> a mountain with a 30mph wind and 5 hours from home, I would have helped
> someone steal it!!!!   I posted a couple of times on the internet and
> the answer how to disable it came from an ex con who asked to be kept
> anonymous.!!  For a 10 yr old vehicle to worry about disabling the
> anti-theft system is ridiculous.!!!
> I have a 2000 C3500 that has a solenoid to prevent moving the gearshift
> without actuating the brake.   This gets screwed up after 10 years and
> can get you stranded and so irritated that when it happened to my wife,
> I thought she was going to break the gearshift!!   It took a while but I
> found the solenoid and removed it.  It works perfect now...  I also have
> 3 others in the 90's that are going to be removed......
>    Call me old fashioned, but I like to know that when I am away from
> home, I don't have to worry about some unnecessary toy making me freeze
> or burn my tail off waiting on help to arrive.
>
> End of Rant!!!
>
> Cecil in OKla
>
>
>
> On 9/13/2012 8:08 PM, Spencer Yost wrote:
>> Oh, I never mentioned the reason they eventually found.  The car, if
>> locked when the trunk is opened , will re-lock itself when you shut the
>> trunk so that the trunk will lock.  Pretty handy except apparently there
>> was a bug that caused the car to relock itself every single time you
>> closed the trunk.   Not so handy if the key was in the car.  Again, this
>> only happens with some time period after leaving the car.  It doesn't do
>> it if you have been away for a while.    Took us a while to figure out it
>> was the car and not us.
>>
>> Spencer
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>>> From: Spencer Yost <yostsw at atis.net>
>>> Date: September 13, 2012 10:23:14 EDT
>>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [AT] Waay OT
>>>
>>> Welcome to the world of vehicles that try to be smarter than we are.   My
>>> wive's Volkswagen, if you open the trunk within a certain period of time
>>> after stopping the engine, will lock the doors when you close the trunk.
>>> I never saw my wife use a sledgehammer but I might yet....
>>>
>>> I was never able to get the "feature" turned off, except by the
>>> dealership who did it for free.   Next time they upgraded the car's
>>> firmware during a warranty recall, the "feature" was back.  Love that car
>>> otherwise.
>>>
>>> So if you can turn it off, keep notes.   The feature will reappear after
>>> service visits more involved than an oil change.
>>>
>>> Good luck!
>>>
>>>
>>> Spencer
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Sep 13, 2012, at 9:38, Ron Cook <ron at lakeport-1.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I just got a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban.   First trip was to the Clay
>>>> County Fair yesterday.  Well, we got home and I shut it off, took the
>>>> keys out of the ignition and threw them under the front seat. Got out
>>>> and headed for the house.  While walking in front of the thing I heard
>>>> the doors lock.  Now I have this thing I cannot get into.  I can solve
>>>> that problem after awhile, but my question is: What the heck caused this
>>>> to happen and is it normal?  Also, if that is normal, how do I do away
>>>> with that annoying feature?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Ron Cook
>>>> Salix, IA
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