Most Viewed Automotive Blogs (377)

Thursday, I replaced my windshield wiper blades. Friday I drove 40 miles to trim carpet on one of my projects. I took State Road 7, recently paved 6 lanes with a grassy median. I don't recall following any trucks or going through an area of road construction. Saturday I went to the model airfield and temperature in direct sunlight was high 90 with extreme UV index. On the way back home, I noticed something on the windshield partly blocked by my mirror. I thought it was some dry grass from the park. Then, I looked closer, it glistened in the sunlight. A stress crack about 3" long appeared in the outer layer of glass. Sunday, again at the park and the crack appeared to double in size making a small curve downward. Inspection showed a stone must have hit the glass right near the top next to the black area of the forward sensor.

I phoned my insurance provider on Monday to report it. Probably most states have the same law where they will replace cracked windshields with no insurance deductible. Minutes after reporting the claim I was contacted by the company who services my area to do windshield replacement.

I was given 2 choices: After-market glass or OEM glass.
I asked if there is any difference and the answer was "Sometimes the lane assist camera/sensor doesn't work as well with after-market glass."
It's not on all models, they said and probably no difference on my car.
One catch. They have the after-market glass in stock and can do the job within 48 hours. The OEM glass comes directly from Toyota and takes 3 weeks.

Windshields are made with laminated glass and I believe this crack isn't in the danger zone. I've seen lots of cars with stress cracks like this... Unless you're driving around with expired insurance, who wouldn't want to have a cracked windshield fixed for free. Depending on the severity, I'm pretty sure you could be ticketed for faulty equipment if a policeman deems it so. Sometimes a simple thing like speeding can get them to write tickets for other things like an expired tag, bald tires or no seatbelts,

I've had this car less than a year and (unless something unexpected comes up) plan to keep it for at least 10 years. I owned/abused a Toyota Celica for 13 years and got around 220,000 miles on it. The Corolla with normal use should do better.

So I wait. Hey... it's only on the outer layer!
Every day I watch the progression of how the crack continues to grow. It's made a turn and running in the opposite direction from where it started. Adding up all the crack is more than 12 inches. Yesterday, I decided to put a mark at the end of the crack to measure it's daily travel. Not too hot today as it rained several times and the crack only grey 1/4 of an inch or about 6 millimeters.

The weather tomorrow should be more of the same, but I have to drive more than 100 miles to visit 2 projects. We shall see what happens to the crack.
The glass company told me if I cannot wait for the OEM glass, to call and they will install the after-market glass.


OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer

On the way to an appointment today I found myself behind a glass company delivery truck. Most of the smaller companies have a rack attached to the driver's side where they strap down their orders for delivery/installation.
After many years, the suspension on these vehicles wears down on the side that carries all the weight and they lean to the driver's side.
The truck was dangerously overloaded and pulling toward the left. The driver was making corrections and swerving back and forth. At one point I thought it would tip over and drop the load. I kept my distance worrying that the shattered glass would be in my path.
It was a 2 lane road and I followed for a few miles waiting for a break. The driver slowed to a crawl preparing to get into the turn lane giving me a chance to change lanes and get in front!
Phew... heavy load.

I work in a retail environment, a department store. I know the atmosphere has changed over time, just as consumer travel has changed.

There was a time when people dressed up to travel and shop. Both activities seemed more prestigious. If you watch any old show or film, the characters were usually dressed impeccably. Men wore hats, women wore hats and gloves. Accessories weren't tacky or dated. There seemed to be an order to things. As if work and home life were stable enough to present ourselves as "together" in more ways than one.

I am sitting in a department store that is empty but for the employees and a few customers. There has been a pallor on the face of retail. The coordinated lips and nails are gone. Fancy brooches and rhinestone clip on earrings have been shed. The atmosphere is dull except for the occasional frivolous shopper. Luxury for the mainstream has been substituted with fancy phones and active wear.

Two things have made me contemplate this. One, the possibility of my store closing due to bankruptcy, the second, two films I recently watched again. I usually watch a film I like numerous times, so, I have given thought to the aura of the films, not only the main plot. Tonight, I focus on the characters of both films, "The Danish Girl" and "Carol".

If you haven't seen these films, "The Danish Girl" is about the first man to attempt sex reassignment. "Carol" is the story of a woman acknowledging her sexuality. What on earth could these characters have to do with retail? Only I would make a connection. lol In "The Danish Girl", after living as a female, she takes a job in a department store and she glows with excitement. Her smile is electric. Her supervisor is very respectful and her statement "we are all performers" as if in a great play, to provide the ultimate shopping experience. In "Carol" the female character is shown in the same retail environment, but the experience if far from magical. Her supervisor is a cold, negative character and the position of store clerk is a hair above garbage left blowing across a New York City sidewalk. Is the vast difference because one character wants to fit in and be accepted, accepting the stereotype that goes with it, while the other feels she doesn't fit in, she has other aspirations?

Do we feel like garbage in our jobs because we aren't fulfilled elsewhere? Are we longing to play a role, to have at work what we don't have at home? In the end, I think we all take on roles in order to survive.
"we are all performers".

I was the first car at a red light.
My bumper was at the line that indicates where to stop.
A car behind me was really close, so I moved up about a foot.
He moved up a foot too!
I moved up another foot... and he moved another foot.
I moved about 3 inches and... he moved 3 inches.

Serious... this guy has some issues.

I took my foot off the brake, didn't move this time and applied the brake again.
Thinking I was moving up, he moved even closer!

My plan was to see how many times I could get him to move up but the light turned green.
Yeah, I was tempted to wait a few seconds... but I didn't.

The TPMS is a Tire Pressure Monitoring System that is standard equipment for all new cars. It's part of the tire valve stem located inside the rim where you add air to the tires. The sensors are linked to the car's computer and a warning light on the dashboard will come on to alert the driver when the tire pressure falls below a predetermined value. For my car, it's about 28 pounds of pressure when the sensor activates the low pressure warning.

I typically have my tires filled to 32 pounds of pressure.
We've had some cold weather this month with morning temperatures in the high 50's. Tires normally filled when the weather is in the 80's will have much lower pressure at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and the warning light comes on.

After 15-20 minutes of driving, the tires have warmed up and the pressure is back into range. The warning light goes off.

This weekend, I'll add some air to each tire enough to keep the warning light from coming on, but not so much that it's above specification when the outside temperature is back to the 80's

Is when everybody who isn't married or related by blood live together as one family. They usually wear jeans, plaid shirts with the sleeves rolled up and sandals. They raise chickens, garden and macrame plant holders, necklaces and bracelets for sale at the annual Renaissance festival.

i broke another one. now i have a spoon rest, a sponge rest and a tea bag rest. i bought the dishes 15-16 years ago when i tried to leave my husband. they are beautiful, with painted flowers. i went online looking for something to fill the gaps. then, i thought, why? so i went with square. white square plates. new life, new shape.

Unfortunately, that new car smell comes with payments.
My previous car died and I had to make a quick decision or pay for extended rental.
While everyone said buy something 2-3 years old, I know I'd have have repairs right around the corner. Tires, brakes, battery come up at that interval.
Should there be unseen issues, shocks, struts, transmission, a/c would be on the list.

It’s time to replace my Magic Couch. It’s a bittersweet affair. My new couch had been sitting on the showroom. My favorite piece with upholstery that reminds me of raw silk.

This couch sat along the aisle to my desk. Upon each passing, I would pet it. Not long ago it went on clearance. I couldn’t believe it. Nobody sees what I see? It became my goal to find a forever home for my dear friend.

Months passed and my couch remained while the percentage of the clearance price grew and grew until it was 50% off 50%. I sat on its cushions and petted it, thinking.

It’s time for a change. With a sentimental sadness settling in my throat, I decided to make Clearance Couch mine

In dieser modernen Welt, in der das Leben so hektisch ist, haben die Menschen kaum Zeit, mit ihrem Handy ein personalisiertes Leben zu führen, daher sind Klingeltöne zu einem wichtigen Bestandteil des Lebens eines Menschen geworden. Heutzutage ist es im Trend und gefragt, verschiedene Klingeltöne für verschiedene Zwecke wie Benachrichtigungen, Töne für Nachrichten und vieles mehr zu haben. Da ein Mobiltelefon einen großen Teil unseres Lebens ausmacht, ist es sehr wichtig, einen qualitativ hochwertigen Klingelton zu haben, der Ihrem Telefon eine persönliche Note verleiht. Dies ist mit den neuen kostenlosen Klingelton-Downloads für Mobiltelefone möglich beim

Es gibt Hunderte von Kategorien von Klingeltönen wie Musik, Comedy-Klingeltöne, Sport-Klingeltöne, Metall-Klingeltöne, lustige Klingeltöne und vieles mehr. Die mittlerweile beliebten Klingeltöne werden sehr sorgfältig mit verschiedenen, einzigartigen und hochwertigen Soundeffekten ausgewählt. Sie können ganz einfach kostenlos Klingeltöne für Ihr Mobiltelefon herunterladen und sie ganz einfach ohne Internet anhören.

Wie wir alle wissen, gibt es Mobiltelefone in zwei Formaten, nämlich der CDMA- und der GSM-Technologie. CDMA-Telefone verwenden dasselbe Codeformat, das in den Funkgeräten der Telefone gespeichert ist. Daher kann die Kompatibilität des Klingeltons mit dem spezifischen Telefontyp garantiert werden. Mit der GSM-Technologie können jedoch die kompatiblen Klingeltöne mit dem jeweiligen GSM-Netz vor dem Download-Vorgang überprüft werden.

Da jeden Tag neue Klingeltöne eingeführt werden, wächst die Datenbank der Klingeltöne für die meisten Smartphones ständig. Die meisten dieser Downloads sind kostenlos, aber manchmal müssen Sie bezahlen, um die neuesten Sounds auf die Smartphones herunterzuladen. Der Benutzer hat die Möglichkeit, aus den verschiedenen Arten von Klingeltönen zu wählen, die für sein Smartphone verfügbar sind. Auf diese Weise können Benutzer problemlos auf die neuesten Klingeltöne für ihre Smartphones zugreifen. Neben dem Herunterladen von Klingeltönen für die Smartphones werden auch häufig neue Versionen der Apps veröffentlicht, die die Benutzer des Smartphones zum Gaga bringen.

Neue Klingeltöne können auch von den Besitzern an das Smartphone gesendet werden, indem die Funktionscodes in den Telefonspeicher geschrieben werden. Das Versenden der Klingeltöne per SMS ist jedoch eine sehr alte Methode, da die neueste Technologie diese Aufgabe erleichtert. Durch Senden von SMS oder MMS an das Mobilteil können Sie automatisch visuelle und akustische Benachrichtigungstöne erstellen. Auf diese Weise müssen Sie nicht in regelmäßigen Abständen neue Klingeltöne erstellen.

Es gibt jedoch einen großen Nachteil des kostenlosen Klingelton-Downloads für die Smartphones. Die von den Entwicklern der Klingelton-App verwendete Software ist oft nicht mit der Apple iTunes-Version kompatibel. Wenn Sie Klingeltöne für Ihr Smartphone herunterladen möchten, müssen Sie daher eine andere Klingelton-App auswählen. Wenn Sie jedoch nach einem kostenlosen Klingelton-Download suchen, gibt es einige gute Klingelton-Download-Sites, die eine große Sammlung kostenloser Klingeltöne für die mobilen Apple iTunes-Geräte wie iPhone und iPod Touch anbieten.