Is ICE the problem??

[Onyrlef]

Oh, we're litigating covid again? In an EV thread? LOL.

Surely if people have time to bicker about methodologies to count covid fatalities, surely there's time to read how the CDC actually tallies death count.

If you "heard" a car crash was counted as a Covid death because the person had Covid, but had been a poor driver their whole life and ran into a utility pole because they were texting, perhaps you "heard" wrong about how covid deaths are counted, or listened to a bad source of information, or have selective hearing.

Start by reading the basics.

How does the government count COVID-19 deaths?

Medical conditions or injuries at an individual’s time of death are not automatically official causes of death for the purpose of government statistics. That includes COVID-19.

usafacts.org

Apparently you’ve recently returned from a 10 year mission to explore the Kyper Belt. Let me catch you up. A plague swept the planet killing millions of people. A vaccine was created and the plague largely went away. However, if you recommended people receive the vaccine you were regarded by a certain demographic ( see Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection) as the spawn of Satan and/or a member of the Deep Steak.
It’s not about what happens, it’s about what always happens

 

[Viajeros]

There are 34000 new electric vehicles hitting the road everyday thru out the world. Or looking at it from the other side, 34000 less vehicles EVERY DAY without gas tanks, crank cases, transmissions, oil filters, air filters, mufflers or catalytic converters. Even the crack heads who steal catalytic converters have got to be at least a little worried.

 

[Skookum]

No smog checks.

-Don- Reno, NV

Thanks to decades of much cleaner-burning vehicles, WA State eliminated "smog checks" a couple years ago. The program wasn't worth keeping around, and the people tampering with emissions equipment on their cars became an ignorable subset for purposes of keeping the program funded. A great example of where the government did away with a program that no longer serves an effective purpose.

 

[Skookum]

Apparently you’ve recently returned from a 10 year mission to explore the Kyper Belt. Let me catch you up. A plague swept the planet killing millions of people. A vaccine was created and the plague largely went away. However, if you recommended people receive the vaccine you were regarded by a certain demographic ( see Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection) as the spawn of Satan and/or a member of the Deep Steak.
It’s not about what happens, it’s about what always happens

That's not what I heard. I heard it was a hoax and that if I stuck a light up my butt and drank bleach, the whole thing would go away.

I'd "almost" believe the money-grab theory, if it wasn't demographic of the self-proclaimed political billionaire begging me for money every day, espousing it.

 

[Onyrlef]

There are 34000 new electric vehicles hitting the road everyday thru out the world. Or looking at it from the other side, 34000 less vehicles EVERY DAY without gas tanks, crank cases, transmissions, oil filters, air filters, mufflers or catalytic converters. Even the crack heads who steal catalytic converters have got to be at least a little worried.

I don’t own one, likely never will, but price fixing notwithstanding, EV’s reduce global demand for oil and that means gas for my RV, car and truck will be cheaper. There were three Tesla’s in front of me at a traffic light here yesterday. There’s always a few in the p/u line at both my grandkids schools. A couple of years ago sightings here were rare, not so much anymore. I’m pretty sure the luddites aren’t going to influence this trend, economics will.

 

[DonTom]

EV’s reduce global demand for oil and that means gas for my RV, car and truck will be cheaper

Perhaps not. They will just reduce production and sell less for a higher price.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[ziplock]

Perhaps not. They will just reduce production and sell less for a higher price.

That is my best guess................sighing

 

[Oldgator73]

Folks are just going to have to adjust.

 

[DonTom]

Thanks to decades of much cleaner-burning vehicles, WA State eliminated "smog checks" a couple years ago. The program wasn't worth keeping around, and the people tampering with emissions equipment on their cars became an ignorable subset for purposes of keeping the program funded. A great example of where the government did away with a program that no longer serves an effective purpose.

I have heard of them doing such in other states as well. I hope it happens here in Reno. CA probably never. If more cars pass, CA will just make the standards a lot tougher to pass so the same number will flunk as always.

I need to get my Y2K RV back here to NV soon for the yearly smog test. I got a letter just yesterday from Ford telling me that my 2022 Class A probably will NOT be able to pass a smog check. And I expect it to need the smog check in a couple of months.

Perhaps I will later start a new thread here WRT that letter from Ford.

This County (Washoe) and Clark County (Las Legas area) are the only two counties of all of NV to require smog checks. If I lived just five miles east of here, in Story County, I would not need smog checks. Same for Carson City and VA City, not far from here.


-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I disagree there. No doubt many ICE auto related jobs in CA have lost a lot of business already.

Close to 2 million less ICE cars to service, these days, in CA alone. No oil changes, no tranny repairs, not even many parts to replace, such as alternators, O2 sensors, belts, hoses, spark plugs, etc.

No smog checks.

-Don- Reno, NV

Probably not much change there yet. Except for oil changes, those service items are all for older vehicles, say 100k miles and several years old. But the time is coming...

The oil change business is already substantially impacted by the longer change intervals on newer vehicles, so it is going to get hit soonest and hardest. I suppose it is sacrilege to say so, but some people buy new cars and rarely or never have them serviced. 60,000 miles on a set of tires and the factory oil is quite practical, even if not recommended.

 

[DonTom]

I suppose it is sacrilege to say so, but some people buy new cars and rarely or never have them serviced.

I knew a guy who did that with motorcycles (he was 80 years old and died Feb of 2023). He owned something like 75 different motorcycles in his lifetime. By the time any of them needed any type of service, he would trade in one of his four motorcycles that he always kept. All four were usually the current year models.

I am more the opposite; I normally keep all mine forever. But I did trade in my 2016 Moto Guzzi for another electric motorcycle last August. So now it's one less vehicle to do oil changes, valve clearance adjustments and etc.

I purchased my 1971 BMW R75/5 in May of 1971. Still riding it. Same with my 1984 Yamaha Venture. My two oldest vehicles.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tom]

I think perhaps the biggest fear is lost jobs. Think of all the jobs related to ICE cars that will go away in an all-EV world.

-Don- Reno, NV

One example in my recent post about a Ford dealer's talk about the pros and cons of EVs; He stated that half his revenue comes from servicing ICEs (oil changes, etc), and I assume those guys will eventually become extinct. I've wondered if there will still be some service/maintenance requirements (besides, for example, tire replacement) that will need these guys to re-train.

 

[DonTom]

One example in my recent post about a Ford dealer's talk about the pros and cons of EVs; He stated that half his revenue comes from servicing ICEs

I find it amazing the number of people who take their cars to a dealer for an oil change. Costs them three times as much for nothing and is often more inconvenient than going to a local oil change place.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tom]

I find it amazing the number of people who take their cars to a dealer for an oil change. Costs them three times as much for nothing and is often more inconvenient than going to a local oil change place.

-Don- Reno, NV

I use the dealer on our Explorer because I was offered a decent deal on a 5-year service contract. Other vehicles, I use a small service shop. I'm not a fan of the quick-change type places, having seen some of the things they do/don't do.

Serviced the boat myself for 20 or so years. 2 big diesels, transmissions, and a generator. They were all plumbed to a manifold hooked to a reversible pump. Made it easy to empty and fill. The hardest part was hauling the multiple 5-gallon containers of oil between the garage and the dock, and to the recycle center at the local marina.

I serviced the DP myself until a few years ago I found a mobile service guy who'd come out to Discovery Bay.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I use the dealer on our Explorer because I was offered a decent deal on a 5-year service contract. Other vehicles, I use a small service shop. I'm not a fan of the quick-change type places, having seen some of the things they do/don't do.

Serviced the boat myself for 20 or so years. 2 big diesels, transmissions, and a generator. They were all plumbed to a manifold hooked to a reversible pump. Made it easy to empty and fill. The hardest part was hauling the multiple 5-gallon containers of oil between the garage and the dock, and to the recycle center at the local marina.

I serviced the DP myself until a few years ago I found a mobile service guy who'd come out to Discovery Bay.

What, no local storm drain?

 

[DonTom]

I'm not a fan of the quick-change type places, having seen some of the things they do/don't do.

Was that around ten years ago? It seems to me and many others they are more careful these days. But ten years ago, I had all types of problems with such places, including an oil filter that fell off my car in the middle of nowhere the day after an oil change. That was when I decided to start doing them myself--until around a year ago after I had friends tell me they no longer seem to make the common mistakes of the past, such as a quart too much oil or a quart less, etc.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[DonTom]

What, no local storm drain?

Tom lives in CA, not red neck AR!

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Tulecreeper]

Tom lives in CA, not red neck AR!

-Don- Reno, NV

I lived there too all my life. They have storm drains there, also.

 

[Tom]

Was that around ten years ago? It seems to me and many others they are more careful these days. But ten years ago, I had all types of problems with such places....

-Don- Reno, NV

Different times over the years. Didn't mean to suggest I never use them, and still occasionally do. One of the issues was when I took Chris' prior Honda to a quickie service type place. I'd previously serviced it myself and knew there was a trick to removing the air filter. I sat in the car and was able to look "under" the raised hood as the guy struggled with the air filter; He finally gave up and shouted "air filter good". I have more of these stories.

Doesn't mean I haven't had issues with dealers:

- Chris called me when the service guy at the Honda dealership wanted to charge her to do several things. I had her put him on the phone, and he explained that it needed a new sump gasket because it was leaking. "There's zero oil on the floor of my garage", and he changed it to "maybe it's just a seep" to "OK, nothing wrong".

A friend used to run the Bureau of Automotive Repair for CA. These are the guys who, back in the 80's, nailed Sears for selling folks a Die Hard battery, irrespective what they went into the shop for. BAR put 113 cars into 110 Sears stores, and they were caught red handed. When I casually mentioned the Honda to him, he had me call his guy who managed our area and, when I did, the guy said "we'll put a car into that dealership".

- When my then-new Lexus was serviced by the dealer, I had low fluid alarms. Called the service manager, and he said he'd take care of it, and my next service was free. He also told me that his guys' bonuses and promotions were based on performance/complaints, and this was going into the guy's personnel file.

- A few months ago, a few days after Chris' Explorer had a service at the dealership, the dash showed all tires were low, something I'd never seen before. Normally, I'd just inflate them and get on with life. But, having had knee replacement surgery, I couldn't kneel down. Went back to the dealer, and they inflated the tires to the correct pressure.

 

[Skookum]

I remember being dad's little helper with the cars when I was a young kid. Coolant flush? Garden hose, and let it drain into the gutter, wash it down with some water. Oil change? Take the old oil out back, dig a hole, pour it in. He's changed a lot since then. By the time I was changing my own oil, I was recycling it. As well as coolant.

This was in the 80's