Happy Valentines
I don't really celebrate the day, but for all of you that do (some will get the little heart)...
I was driving to work yesterday, yes I work Sunday mornings, and I saw this car.
(1) What first caught my attention was that the car had its top down in 30 degree weather. Brrrrrr.
(2) Then I saw the interesting license plate, as you can see in the image above.
(3) Then when I passed the car, I notice a dog was buckled into the passenger seat. The dog was sitting up like a person, wearing a snow hat. Way too funny.
So I got my new car and on my travels to NYC today, I noticed that the speedometer showed lights up when you drive faster than 78MPH.
Now, I am not saying I was driving. I just observed this and took a picture as it happened.
Speedometer under 78 MPH:
Speedometer over 78MPH:
How cool is that?
This Sunday morning marked the first time it snowed this season, plus the first snow fall in our new house. I actually shoveled the drive way and did not hire a plow to do it for me. I wonder how long that will last.
Here is a picture of the snow in my back yard:
It may have turned out to be a few inches by the end of the day. Nothing major but with all first snow of the season, the weather channels play it up.
But how about timing....
I got my new car a week ago today and within a week, we get our first snow. So how did it drive? It drove great. I did not slip, skid or get stuck. It drove. So no complaints are what I was looking for. I have no story to tell - which is good but bad for the blog.
Overall, good timing...
It has been a day and a half since I got my new car and I am still adjusting to it.
The main thing that throws me off is the SmartAccess feature. In short, this car doesn't have a real key. You have this key but you don't put it in the ignition, you just press a start button where the ignition would be. Here is the description from Lexus's site:
With a unique secure code, the SmartAccess key automatically enables you to unlock and open all four of the vehicle’s doors and its trunk without removing the key fob from your purse, pocket or briefcase. There’s no visible key cylinder. As soon as the sensors detect the presence of your SmartAccess key, the door unlocks when you touch the handle. SmartAccess even activates the lighting entry system to illuminate your points of entry from the exterior puddle lights to the ignition button. It just takes one push to start the engine.
(1) When I open the car, I need to remember, no need to take the key out. Just wrap my hand around the door handle and pull. It automatically disarms the alarm and unlocks the car when it senses my hand. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.
(2) When I leave and park the car, I no longer need to press the lock button on the key. I just close the door and press a button on the door handle. The car is armed and locked. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.
(3) When I get in the car, I press a "Engine Start" button to start the engine. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.
(4) When I shut the car off, I press "Engine Stop" button. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.
There are other things the key can do that I haven't even learned yet. Trust me, I will be reading the manual over the weekend.
This SmartAccess feature will probably save me a few seconds each time I use the car. I like that. :)
This morning I said Farewell to my Lexus SC 430 2005. The car will be missed, that is for sure. But it is time I move on and think about things that are more important.
Why did I go for the Lexus IS 250 AWD?
Looking forward to driving it in health every day, except Saturdays. ;-)
Within 6 hours, I will be returning my car for a new car. Yes, I am the type that leases cars. And it is time for my current car, the Lexus SC 430 2005 to go back to the company and for me to get a new car. What am I getting next? That will be a different post. Let me first write my tribute to my SC430.
My car isn't the most practical car out there. It doesn't fit boxes too well, It often gets stuck in the snow and the tires are expensive and break often.
I enjoyed driving with the top down on many occasions. Yea, it is a pretty car.
So pretty, it once got broken into and often people would flash me, because of those High-Intensity headlights. Heck, I even found nice little surprises on my dashboard after snow storms.
But what I really liked was the Lexus customer service, in fact, they have surprised me once or twice with that.
So, now, it is time to say goodbye. Just in time for the winter season. I hopefully won't be blogging about not being able to get to work or being stuck in the snow. I will miss you SC430. Your speed and comfort was very enjoyable, but it is time I get more practical with my cars and more economical as well.
For more of my car stories, check out the motor vehicles archive section on this site.
Thanks for all the memories!
My lease expires this March. What I want next is a four-wheel drive car that is small and fast. I love my current car, but there are certain things I hate about it....
- Won't drive in snow
- Is very bumpy
I want a smooth car that handles snow well.
I also want the car to not be a large car. I want it to be smallish and quick.
Judah at Excel Diamonds sent me information on speculation over the Ferrari FS 599 Fuoristrada SUV. Wouldn't that be a sweet ride?
No way am I getting this puppy...
Don't you just hate getting behind a slow driver? I personally cannot stand it, especially when you are in a rush.
Whenever I get behind a slow driver, I typically think of this stupid little thing I used to do. To kill time when I first got my license, a couple friends of mine used to drive around the area.
We actually picked streets that were curvy, long and main roads in the area. As we drove, we decided to drive well under the speed limit, just to annoy drivers behind us. When there was a line of 15 cars behind us, we would turn off to a different street, let them pass and start all over again.
So now, whenever I get behind a slow driver, I think it is pay back for all those times I made others suffer.
Yea, we were bad kids. ;-)
I was driving last night and this caught my eye.
Had to look twice.
Yesterday afternoon, I was driving two of my nephews to my house and they begged me to put the top down. So I said OK.
It was 70+ degrees yesterday. It is the end of October. I am driving with my top down in October in New York. Global warming?
Today it is suppose to hit 75 here and may go up to 80 in some parts of New York. It is nuts!
Am I complaining? Nah, I prefer this over snow. I am not looking forward to the snow season, some of you may remember all the hassle I had with my car in the snow.
I am looking forward to returning my car lease around March, right about the time of Spring. :)
I am a huge GPS fan, I live and die by it. I was curious how you label your home in your GPS?
People say never to put your home as home in the GPS, because then whomever steals your car can easily pay you a visit.
I then took two seconds to think about that, and I was like.... But my registration card, insurance card and other personal information has to be in the car. It is the law to carry these forms of identification in your car. So they can plugin your address into MapQuest, from your insurance card, and drive to your house. So it is a bit easy with a GPS.
So take the poll below. How do you label your home in your GPS?
Me personally, I don't label my home "home," because I am a geek. What is your computer's home address? ;-)
Remember my ordeal with Five Star Parking?
Well, today I finally got my refund. I think I had to remind them to send it to me. Because it wasn't mailed our until I sent a follow up email saying I never received it.
Well, now I got it. So this mess now costs me a lot of time, and about $450, as opposed to $700.
Nice that they came through with the $150 parking refund, I guess.
A stranger asked what was the end result with my broken door lock on my Lexus.
Well, as you know, I went in yesterday and was pleasantly surprised (makes you wonder if they read my blog, highly doubt it). I got there at 3:30, worked until about 5:15 and then they told me it was done. I packed up my computer and stuff, went to see the service rep and he told me it came out to be about $50 cheaper than the estimate. I said thank you, and I went off on my way.
I also noticed they washed the car, so now it looks spanking new. Well, maybe not new.
That picture makes the car look pretty hot, doesn't it?
Anyway, $430 later, I have a new working lock that I will never use. I.e. the electric lock worked fine...
I walk into the Lexus service shop and this guy spots me and calls me in. He starts to take down my information and gets a phone call from his boss (as he is talking to me). He said, "excuse me, this is my boss." I nodded that he should take the call. He talks, hangs up and tells me.
The eyes are watching from the sky.
He explained his boss is watching us talk right now and explained my situation. The then said, don't worry, your car is being taken care of right now, just take a seat in the waiting room and when your car is done, we will let you know.
Now that is customer service. Someone IDs me, knows my story, and just tells you to go on your way. I did not waste any time with this service at all, as of yet.
I am actually sitting in the waiting room, typing this now. I hope it all ends well with this service call, but so far, off to a great start.
To continue my story of My Car Was Broken into at Newark Airport Short Term Parking and lexus wasting my time... I finally got in touch with the parking company today.
I explained the situation. The lady was very nice. As expected, she said, we cannot cover the damage to the car, since it is a "park and lock" garage. Funny, a park and lock garage that costs $150 for a few days of parking...
In any event, she promised me a refund for the $150 charged to me for parking. The least you can do is not charge me for parking my car there, when it wasn't found in the same spot...
Anyway, I am giving Five Star Parking, a single star for customer service. Which is kind of convenient for me, since their logo only shows a single star in their name... I know, it is in the five...
Hope I get the check.
I can't tell you how many times in the past three-years or so, Lexus Service has wasted my time.
I feel that I am very considerate of people's time. I expect others to be the same, especially if I am paying them.
This morning, I called Lexus Service. I explained the situation to them about someone trying to break into my Lexus, and they fully understood what I needed. They said I can come in at 2:30 for a scheduled appointment and it would probably take an hour and thirty-minutes to fix.
So 2:30 comes, I get to the Lexus Service station and check in. BTW, the Lexus service station may be one of the best places to waste your time. I sit and wait in the waiting area for someone to help me. During this time, I turn my laptop on, connect to the free wifi, while drinking an free ice-tee. I am working, the guy calls me in and I go to his desk. He then says I should go back to the waiting area while they look at the car. Ten minutes later, he comes back and tells me they don't have the parts.
I said, so why did I bother coming in? Of course, he couldn't answer, nor did I expect him to answer that question. I was nice, don't worry. I don't blame him. But they need to stop wasting my time.
They do this all the time. It happened when I had to replace my tires, it happened when my windshield cracked and had to be replaced, it happened a few times at least.
I always ask the service rep before coming in. Can it be fixed when I come in, the first time. They say yes. It is just not nice. Get on the same page please. People's time is important. Not just mine, but all your customer's time is important. Please value it. I am sure they pay enough.
Speaking of which, the lock will cost just under $500, just below my insurance deductible, to be fixed. Great. :)
Hopefully it will be fixed Wednesday, but who knows. Good thing I can drive the car with no problems. It just looks like I stole it, if you look at the door handle.
After landing from my my flight yesterday, and knowing that I have been fasting all day, plus had to go to work later.
My wife and I walked to where we parked the car, in short term parking at Newark Airport. We walked up and down the isles, and couldn't find it. I found that weird, since I wrote down the exact location I parked the car.
I finally give up and call the parking security. They sent someone to pick us up and find the car. After driving around the parking lot for ten minutes, she said the car may have been moved. It was moved to the security side of the garage. Someone tried to break in.
When I got to the car, the windows were down and the locked was disabled from the driver's side. It looks like this:
I am now at the Lexus shop, waiting for them to fix it.
It appears to me that the only damage to the car was the lock being pushed in. I have no idea how much it will cost, but I do know my deductible is $500. :)
The car itself was in perfect condition. Nothing was taken, nothing was damaged, just the lock. In fact, the car still locked using the electronic key lock.
I filed a police report and signed a couple papers at the scene of the crime.
What irks me the most is that I was still charged $150 for parking. They take no responsibility for any damage or inconvenience. They just charge you $150 and send you off, on your way. I probably will complain to the parking company after I get my bill from Lexus.
It obviously could have been a lot worse. I could have not had a car to drive home in. Next time, I know not to park my car at the airport. It is just amazing. They move cars from one spot to the next, if they are broken into.
In any event, we drove home. I went to work, worked for about an hour. I then came home and broke my fast. The day didnt turn out too bad. And, like I said, it could have been worse. But I do feel I was violated or at least my car was violated. I was going to title this post, "My Lexus was Violated & Abused."
Live and learn...
I have been driving on empty for the past two days.
It is a good thing I work less than 4 miles away from my office. The light has been on for a while.
I had to go out before and finally broke down and bought some gas.
The fill up cost...
Guess...
One guess....
About $55.
Can you drive on empty?
Got to love the response at Yahoo Answers:
if your gas tank is empty, then you can't drive it....
Nice one!
You guys probably know by now how much I hate people who can't park.
Well, here is one for the record books.
Yea, this guy is smack in the middle of two spots. Amazing!
Remember, I told you that I got hit by a cop? Well, here is the update on that story.
We spent the next few days getting quotes from various auto body shops. We found a reputable guy at a fair price to do the work. The cop mailed a check, as he said he would and I then hired the guy to fix the car.
First, let me say, I could not of got hit by a nicer person. The whole experience was rather easy and professional.
Next, the auto body shop I hired was awesome. Get this. He not only gave us a great price. He drove to the car, looked at it, and gave us a quote on the phone. Then when I gave him the go ahead, he drove, picked up the car, fixed it, and drove it back the same day.
How is that for service!
I highly recommend this guy. The name of the shop is KRV Auto & Body. It is a fairly new shop. The number is 845-296-3677. Any car problems, give this guy a call.
Last night, I went out to dinner with my wife and sister and brother-in-law. Traffic was absolutely horrible on the way in and way out. I am not sure if it had to do with the yesterday's blackout in the upper east side, but it was bad.
In any event, after reaching the restaurant 30 minutes late, we ate and left. The drive home was worse. Driving up 1st avenue to get to the FDR north was a pain. About three blocks before the entrance with the FDR, I felt a largish knock on the back of the car. The whole car rocked forward and I just sighed.
I get out of the car, with my brother-in-law and we go look at the situation. I took my wife's Jeep, because I can't fit more than two people and a RustyBrick bag in my car, so at least my wheels were damaged. In any event, the guy who hit me, had a small Honda Civic. His right headlight went under my Jeep's left bumper. His headlight was smashed in and the left bumper was scratched and a ripped under the bumper.
I am waiting on a quote from a body shop guy now...
But get this, the guy who hit me was an office duty police officer. He was very nice and apologetic. So we exchange information and go on our way. Today I call him to give him the cost estimate...
It gets worse. I finally get onto the FDR north. Of course, more traffic... I merge onto the ramp to get onto the George Washington Bridge and the car in front of me, in the right lane hits a large divider cone. It rolls right in front of my car - something I can't run over. So I had to stop, put hazards on and have my brother-in-law run out and move the cone.
We are back on our way.
I merge off the GW Bridge onto the Palisades parkway and buckets of rain start coming down. I can barely see, but I keep going. The rain stops and we see accidents all over the place. The other side of the Palisades is closed down due to a huge accident, huge.
That was my fun adventure last night. No car fires but still fun.
Yesterday, late afternoon, I was driving back from a wedding in upstate New York, on NYS Thruway (I-87 South), and there was a huge fog of black smoke in the air. As we got closer, we saw this car with flames coming out of it. We also saw small fire cars driving north (to come back around south) to the fire, we then saw later fire trucks doing the same thing (but that was after we passed the fire).
I couldn't find any news about the car fire this morning. From the looks of it, it appeared there was no one in the car, while it was on fire. At least, I hope no one was in the car.
My wife actually said, hey - should I take a picture for your blog. I guess my blogging is rubbing off on my wife.
Just Rude. Yea, looks like the same guy I wrote about last week. It is! But new picture and new day.
Today:
Thursday:
Notice how today's image, the scratches behind the back tire are no longer than. New truck? Same fleet? I don't know.
Jimmy at RB suggested I invest in these, I think I just may.
This is like the fourth time he parked like this. Basically, every time I have seen this van, it is parked in two spots.
Today, I got to my office at about 6:35am and there was one van in the area I parked. There was literally a hundred spots on both sides of this van. But this guy had to park in two spots!
Here is a picture:
FYI, this is not the first time this van parked like this.
This is not the first time I am complaining about how someone else has parked. I wrote about a guy who parked too close to me in the past. If you need help parking, use the practice your parking online tool I wrote about in the past.
Trust me, I am not the only one who takes pictures of people who park poorly. There are hundreds of photos tagged at Flickr as ycantpark for people to let off steam about bad parkers.
Don't be a bad parker, please.
As I told you, I had to get my bulb fixed on my car. I had a 1:30 appointment... I never described the Lexus service center...
You drive up to the Lexus dealer, right off Route 17, in Ramsey NJ. You pull up to the service center and drive into a waiting room for the car - I call it a car waiting room. A valet guy takes down your information and tells you to go into the Lexus service station on the left. I walk in, and a secretary greets you. You then are told to meet with a service representative who takes down the problem with the car and has you sign a document or two. He then asked me to wait in the human waiting room.
So I go there, this is my first time waiting, I normally get a loaner car...
It is a sweet room. LCD screen, free wifi, free bottled water, free sodas, free cappuccino/coffee machine, free cake and free deli sandwiches. So while I waited, I decided to take video on my Treo.
I was sitting in the right front corner, and I panned left. Then I walked up to the food.
While I was there, about 30 minutes, I saw a guy come in three different times to refill the food and empty the garbage. During those 30 minutes, only three people took anything from the table.
Nice place. I should have taken video of the car waiting room.
Yesterday was a sweet day, just sweet. It was in the mid 70s, the sun was out and I had places to drive. Well, my wife had places for me to drive... ;-)
So I convinced her to let me drive with the top down. FYI, she doesn't like bugs...
Visibility when driving with the top down is more than perfect.
These are the times I love this car, when it is not snowing. Otherwise, I take my wife's car to work.
But to ruin a good drive, I notice my rear lamp indicator goes on. My right break light needs a new bulb... So I have an appointment to fix it, under warranty, today.
It is about 77 degrees outside now, clear, sunny skies. So I think I will drive to the Lexus dealer with the top down.
This is a reminder to me, and if you like - also you, to never crash a Ferrari Enzo.
Are you kidding me. That is a $643,330 car, and there are only 349 units. Well, now, 348 units. :)
Judah at Diamond Vues emailed me a link to a $8,800 Luxury Car Wash. Yes, there is such a thing.
There is a 61-stage car wash, it is nuts.
I know my car needs a good washing, especially after all that snow. But it doesn't need one this badly.
Last night is started to snow a bit, but I was able to get my car to work. However, I doubt I will be able to get it back. There are rumors that this weekend, it is suppose to snow a foot or so.
Here is a picture of what is going on now.
Worse comes to worse, my brother will drive me home and I'll leave my car here until Sunday.
We will see.
Update: I dug my car out, it wasn't bad. There was a plow there, so he helped by pushing away a bulk of the heavy snow. Then I dug under the tires and rocked it out.
This is what the car looked like when I first arrived Sunday morning.
Judah from Diamond Vues showed me a post at BornRich.org describing the Tryane II. The Tryane II is a car made of wood, completely by hand.
The car took 2000 hours of work, it is 900 lbs, 13' 7" long, 5' 4" wide and 4' 4" tall. It can drive up to a 100 miles per hour and gets between 55-70 miles per gallon. It is made of gaboon marine ply and mahogany veneers bonded with epoxy resin.
How crazy is that? Imagine seeing someone drive by you in that. Imagine this car crashing into yours. Ouch!
I was driving to the bank a couple hours ago and I looked in the rear view mirror and saw this car. I looked closer and it was a Red Bull promotional truck.
I pulled out my treo and attempted to take some pictures of it. They aren't great, because I was driving and the Red Bull Truck was behind me.
I looked up some past Red Bull Cars and found this but that is a totally different car.
I spotted this while driving on Airmont Road, towards College Road, in Suffern, NY.
Anyway, thought this was interesting and would make a good personal blog post.
More pictures at Flickr.
This title look familiar? It is, I wrote about it less than two weeks ago when it snowed last time. But I made progress.
I got my car out about a few hundred feet before I got stuck. I was luckily able to get my car back into its parking spot and then drive my wife to the bus.
But again, my car is left stranded in the parking spot. If there is a little hill and I have to go up in it slush or snow, it won't happen. I can go down hills or even drive on snow when it is flat, but up hills, forget it. No matter if I had speed or not, I could not make it up the hill.
I thought maybe after getting four new tires and renewing my nys inspection, I would have better luck. But no.
So I have my wife's car - good thing for it. Thank you wife!
Wow, I am basically done now with this whole car thing. Let me take you back.
It all started when my car didn't make it to work with me. In fact, I tried several times to get it out of the snow but it remained stuck. Finally, a few days later I was able to free my lexus from the snow.
But as I drove the car to work that morning, I noticed a yellow thing sticking out of the snow. To my surprise it was a 306B inspection ticket - i.e. I did not renew my NYS inspection.
I figured it was no big deal, since I bring my car in every 5,000 miles for service at Lexus. But I was wrong, I failed my NYS inspection with four bad tires and a pair of bad wipers. So I ordered four new Dunlop SP Sport 5000 DSST CTT for my car and Lexus called me this morning, to let me know I was all set.
Lexus replaced and serviced:
And I was out of there. I then drove to the place that failed me for my inspection, paid them an extra $10 for a "re-inspection" and got my red NYS inspection sticker (one above is from NYS web site). But I was upset, because they took off the wheels to examine them. I was hoping they leave everything as they did after Lexus did their work.
In any event. I called the local Justice Court and I was informed I can mail in $50 money order with the ticket to plead guilty for the parking violation. I do that later today and I am done. Phew!
Friday I told you I failed my nys inspection due to (1) bad wipers and (2) four bad tires.
So my wife, she is great, had off today and she pitched in by dropping my car off at the Lexus place. The Lexus service guy called me within the hour and told me the costs of the stuff. Honestly, I was a bit surprised it wasn't that bad of a rip off.
Getting past the fact that needing to replace 6 tires (so far), after having the car for 28 months. Yea, I know.... But he assured me, Walter is his name, that I would not need to replace them again for the remainder of the lease (obviously outside of potholes, etc.). But he said, I would also have to get a wheel alignment.
He threw the wheel alignment in for free and charged me a reasonable price for the four tires and labor.
The tires go for $299 retail at TireRack.com but he didn't charge me much more than that, so I thought it was cool. Plus he is charging less than the the place I brought the car for the inspection.
And they are throwing in a car wash, which the car needs sorely - due to all the salt from the snow that buried my car.
I don't think I'll publish the prices on the site but I am getting:
- Windshield wipers (which I felt worked perfectly fine)
- Four tires
- Wheel alignment
- Car Wash
I should have the car back today some time.
But an added bonus, my wife got to pick a loaner car. She is driving around in a Lexus RX right now and wants to keep driving it all day. So I guess I'll get my car back tonight, after she swaps the cars back.
Then some time tomorrow, I'll have to get a re-inspection for $10.
Only then can I deal with the nys inspection ticket.
Remind me when I am blogging about getting a new car, to make sure not to get a rear wheel drive, low profile tire, sports car. I do like the GS but I got about a year to decide...
Update: So they call, they tell me the car is not being too cooperative. They had to replace a caster or chamber because it was frozen. The wheel alignment is not 100% and they want it to be 100% before they give it to me, they have been trying all day... They had to replace a piece for the headlights. Plus some other things.
Bottom line is that they need to continue working on it tomorrow. They promised me it won't cost any more. But they need to keep it overnight. I got the loaner car, so I said, no problem.
My car saga continues...
So my wife dropped off my car for an inspection today - thank you wife!
I get a call that I need all four tires replaced and new wipers.
I heard horror stories about non-Lexus dealers installing tires on my car and totally ruining the car. Since these tires are kinda special - run flat, high profile, etc.
So I told them I'll pick it up and bring it to Lexus.
So now, the car is picked up - thanks wife and Dad (currently on conference call for past 1.5 hours).
Monday I have a scheduled appointment at the Lexus place to replace all four tires and wipers.
Then I need to bring the car back to get "re-inspected."
After I get the inspection approved, then I can pay the fine for my inspection ticket.
Next week, Ill share with you the ridiculous cost of these damn tires, that I already replaced once.
I was driving to work this morning after freeing my Lexus from the snow trap and I noticed a little yellow thing in the lower part of my windshield. It was buried in snow and ice, but I could make out the letters "tion" sticking up.
So when I got to my office I dug a bit and then took a picture:
I noticed it was a parking ticket of some sort. So I began digging it out and after a but of work and ripping the ticket a bit, I was able to get to it.
I brought the ticket upstairs to my office and let it defrost a bit. I actually thought of maybe putting it in the microwave, but decided not to.
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