Controlling wealth (by that, I mean the money that you have saved) is not controlling people
(Side Note:If this seems familiar, then you saw my series of postings on Craigslist's "over 50" forum, as I answered questions about what I thought was the purpose of money and wealth. Many people seem to think that anybody who wants to save a lot of money must, therefore, intend to use it to control and manipulate. I think the opposite may be true - the presence of money removes the desire to control and manipulate!)
When all the talk of the 1% and the 99ers, came about, I wondered if I could make it to the 1%. I analyzed my options and realized that if I were to make it to the 1%, so that I was not controlled by others, then it STARTED with not being controlled, myself.
I considered every possible way in which the 1% could be controlling me. Every item upon which I was dependent, because the 1% could manipulate prices. For every item that was not in my control, I developed alternatives. In some cases, I could not come up with alternatives, but in those cases, the 1% needs them, too, which means they're also under someone else's control.
Here's how the list came out:
* Roads - Few alternatives, but the 1% need them too, so I won't have to personally take action if they get blocked. However, I did map out some possible routes from home to grocery and work that are totally off-road and mountain-bikable
* Food - I'm no farmer, but I found it very easy to grow potatoes, beans, green vegetables and squash. There's a complete diet there. Enough for my whole family from a 10 X 15 foot garden in the front yard. Learned how to can, so I get enough harvest to hold me over the winter. Most years, I use this stuff to throw parties and sell some, but if TSHTF and food prices skyrocket, I have my solution.
* Gasoline - This has two components. One is what it does to the cost of stuff. Foodstuff is handled by the garden, if needed. Shipping costs - everybody will suffer those, even the 1%, so it won't make me non-competitive. I re-arranged my life to not use much stuff, reducing my exposure. The other component of gasoline is my own cost of personal transportation. I have developed a daily/weekly routine that never takes me more than 20 miles from home, and I can bike it. I don't always, but I can if gas prices skyrocket. I do other things that require more miles, but they are entertainment, and thus can be curtailed optionally if TSHTF.
* Electricity - I switched my food storage from a freezer to canning, which keeps at room temperature. If electricity gets so high that I need to pull the plug on the fridge, I will lose no more than $50 worth...mostly condiments.
* Elec/gas - wood stove heats the house, with wood that falls on my own land
* Internet - might be a problem, as my business runs on it
* Money. Worst thing to depend on someone else for. As long as I had a mortgage, I rented out rooms, and all that extra cash flow went into the mortgage. I made the typical dumb college grad mistake and bought my first car using credit...that payment hung around my neck like a noose. I quit dating (and going out to "be seen" to attract dates) and got that car paid off in a year...then got socially active again. Never again with a car loan. Since then, it's been 5-10 year old cars, bought with cash.
* Money (again) - Money's a biggie, and the one that the 1% uses to control you the most. No debt is the goal. There are two kinds of debt. The kind with a loan document and the kind without. Every monthly bill is a debt!!! Don't have more than you need. One phone - cell or wired - not both. Internet service, pretty much need it if you're a job-seeker or trying to maintain yourself as a part of the economy. But - Cable TV. Never ever. Netflix, never ever. Movies come for free from the library or hulu or other online services. But after a while, you find way more interesting things to do, and now I don't even own a TV. Never pay for a magazine. You can get 90% of the useful content free on the 'net.
And so on.
After I had freed myself from the risk of being controlled by others, I realized that my ability to live on very little had gone way up...no mortgage, no payments for car or cable TV, etc. I was earning $40k and spending $12k.
I took my spare $ and started developing little products. Things that I could have contract-assembled for $50 to $150 and would sell for $100 to $300. I got them into distribution. None of them sold a lot, but I kept designing more and filling out the catalog more. I did not spend the profit on me, but then hired contract design engineers to speed up the flow of product development.
It took only two years for me to hit the 1% in AGI. I **Could** control things - I could make donations large enough to make a political difference. I choose to give to charity instead. I'm in the 1% now.
But, for me to have gotten to the 1%, it began with me not allowing anybody to control me. Get the control part taken care of and the rest becomes easy.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Outdoor people: more frugal, more sociable, more trusting and trustworthy, healthier and live longer. Why not be one?
I was listening to NPR the other morning as I was late to work. They were reporting on a recent study that echoed so many I've heard before.
It seems that, as recently as 1995, when people were polled about their preferred activities and environment, more than half of Americans self-identified as "outdoor" people. They much preferred to participate in sports than watch them on television. Their favorite place to read a book was in a lawn chair in the back yard. They would rather go on a camping trip than vacation in a swanky hotel. They preferred backyard bar-b-que to meeting friends at a restaurant. They preferred to volunteer to be a stage hand at a play, rather than sit and watch a movie.
But no more. Now, similar surveys show that as many as eighty percent of Americans self-identify as indoor. Favored activities have become almost fully sedentary. Even while the population has moved indoors, indoor activities have declined: even those who claim to exercise at a health club are now indicating their favored spot in that health club is the hot tub, not the aerobics room. Health clubs are reporting same: while they shrink the amount of exercise equipment, they are increasing the size of their juice bars and adding alcohol and high-carb treats.
Anybody who was an adult in 1980 can tell you the highly visible difference. In 1980, you might see an obese person once a week if you went to shopping malls and did other activities where there were crowds. Nowadays, it is a rare trip to a mall where you don't see obese people.
But there's more to it than that.
These studies ask a lot of questions and then they correlate the behaviors of individuals with their results. It is not a surprise that those who most self-identify with being indoors are also the ones whose reported weight and height indicate they are on the obese end of the scale. It is less obvious to some (but well known to marketeers) that those who self-identify as indoor are also the ones with higher amounts of consumer debt, lower credit scores, more prone to purchasing things based on television and internet advertising, and in general, living a life that appears based on materialism, rather than socializing.
The socializing aspect was, perhaps for me, the biggest surprise. Those who self-identify as being "outdoor" types, in fact, experience more social events than those who self-identify as indoor. The indoor types are more likely to "socialize" with Facebook and other online forums. If they leave the house to "socialize", it's to bars and restaurants, with their high salt/fat/sugar foods. The outdoor types are more inclined to Bar-B-Ques, house parties and simply dropping by a friend's house with a beer or snack. The differences in frequency of in-person social interactions are staggering, too. Those who self-identify as "indoor" report approximately three to five social events per month, while those who self-identify as "outdoor" report the same number, per week.
This results in a double whammy for life expectancy as well. In medical study after medical study, it is found that the single most significant criteria for predicting your longevity, outweighing even your genetic history, is the existence of a strong and frequent social life. This explains why drinkers, even heavy drinkers, live longer, on average, than teetotalers: Drinking is usually a social activity. Ditto church-goers: they tend to develop strong social ties in church. So those who self-identify as indoor not only lose out on the social, but the higher obesity rates noted in the "indoor" people have clear connections to those diseases that tend to shorten life: heart disease, type II diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver, non-alcohol induced.
And finally, the culture of the outdoors seems to still hold that magic of yesteryear. Those who self-identify as "outdoor" think nothing of meeting a complete stranger any time and any where. They trust people. Their responses to "what would you do if you knew you would not get caught" show a much higher level of ethical concern. To the question "If you really needed it, and you know it would hurt nobody and you could not get caught, would you steal say $100 to feed yourself or your family". Those who self-identify as "indoor" said yes 95% of the time; those who self-identify as "outdoor" said "yes" only 10% of the time. "Outdoor" people inherently trust other people more - and are more trustworthy. They go through fewer romantic relationships, the ones they have last longer, the divorce rate is lower...and so on.
So, shut off the TV, put on the running shoes and find a fun trail. Drop the cable TV subscription and get a parks pass. You'll have more friends, more love, enjoy parties more often and live longer! Quit reading this blog and go for a walk.
It seems that, as recently as 1995, when people were polled about their preferred activities and environment, more than half of Americans self-identified as "outdoor" people. They much preferred to participate in sports than watch them on television. Their favorite place to read a book was in a lawn chair in the back yard. They would rather go on a camping trip than vacation in a swanky hotel. They preferred backyard bar-b-que to meeting friends at a restaurant. They preferred to volunteer to be a stage hand at a play, rather than sit and watch a movie.
But no more. Now, similar surveys show that as many as eighty percent of Americans self-identify as indoor. Favored activities have become almost fully sedentary. Even while the population has moved indoors, indoor activities have declined: even those who claim to exercise at a health club are now indicating their favored spot in that health club is the hot tub, not the aerobics room. Health clubs are reporting same: while they shrink the amount of exercise equipment, they are increasing the size of their juice bars and adding alcohol and high-carb treats.
Anybody who was an adult in 1980 can tell you the highly visible difference. In 1980, you might see an obese person once a week if you went to shopping malls and did other activities where there were crowds. Nowadays, it is a rare trip to a mall where you don't see obese people.
But there's more to it than that.
These studies ask a lot of questions and then they correlate the behaviors of individuals with their results. It is not a surprise that those who most self-identify with being indoors are also the ones whose reported weight and height indicate they are on the obese end of the scale. It is less obvious to some (but well known to marketeers) that those who self-identify as indoor are also the ones with higher amounts of consumer debt, lower credit scores, more prone to purchasing things based on television and internet advertising, and in general, living a life that appears based on materialism, rather than socializing.
The socializing aspect was, perhaps for me, the biggest surprise. Those who self-identify as being "outdoor" types, in fact, experience more social events than those who self-identify as indoor. The indoor types are more likely to "socialize" with Facebook and other online forums. If they leave the house to "socialize", it's to bars and restaurants, with their high salt/fat/sugar foods. The outdoor types are more inclined to Bar-B-Ques, house parties and simply dropping by a friend's house with a beer or snack. The differences in frequency of in-person social interactions are staggering, too. Those who self-identify as "indoor" report approximately three to five social events per month, while those who self-identify as "outdoor" report the same number, per week.
This results in a double whammy for life expectancy as well. In medical study after medical study, it is found that the single most significant criteria for predicting your longevity, outweighing even your genetic history, is the existence of a strong and frequent social life. This explains why drinkers, even heavy drinkers, live longer, on average, than teetotalers: Drinking is usually a social activity. Ditto church-goers: they tend to develop strong social ties in church. So those who self-identify as indoor not only lose out on the social, but the higher obesity rates noted in the "indoor" people have clear connections to those diseases that tend to shorten life: heart disease, type II diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver, non-alcohol induced.
And finally, the culture of the outdoors seems to still hold that magic of yesteryear. Those who self-identify as "outdoor" think nothing of meeting a complete stranger any time and any where. They trust people. Their responses to "what would you do if you knew you would not get caught" show a much higher level of ethical concern. To the question "If you really needed it, and you know it would hurt nobody and you could not get caught, would you steal say $100 to feed yourself or your family". Those who self-identify as "indoor" said yes 95% of the time; those who self-identify as "outdoor" said "yes" only 10% of the time. "Outdoor" people inherently trust other people more - and are more trustworthy. They go through fewer romantic relationships, the ones they have last longer, the divorce rate is lower...and so on.
So, shut off the TV, put on the running shoes and find a fun trail. Drop the cable TV subscription and get a parks pass. You'll have more friends, more love, enjoy parties more often and live longer! Quit reading this blog and go for a walk.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
January Re-Cap
We learn from our pasts. The more recent past, the more quickly we can learn. This is the value of analyzing "last month". Or "last week". Or "yesterday". Or "this morning".
I get impulses to buy something. I decided this year, to delay those impulses. Not to stop them, but delay them. Almost a year ago, work conditions led me to purchase a laptop computer. I didn't have to buy it, but it made my work life oh, so much more tolerable. I do some pretty serious analysis work, requiring a very powerful computer, which can never be had in laptop form. So, I am issued a "workstation" by my employer. But they have a rule, only one computer per employee. At the start of last year, work began to assign me to some teams that required a lot of work away from my desk. I brought a tape recorder that I already owned, I took notes in my poor sloppy handwriting, I tried lots of ways to capture what happened at meetings. Being an 80 wpm typist, the clear solution was "anything that used a keyboard". I looked at tablet computers - I was unable to type fast enough on those touch screens. Voice-recognition tablets? Nope, they simply do not operate at 80 wpm, and they miss most technical words. So, I was back into an old-fashioned solution: a laptop computer. Work would not purchase it, so I did. ****GULP**** almost $500, a LOT of money!!!! I use it only for work, so it fit under the "Section 179" exclusions and I deducted the expense on 2012 taxes. I take it home at night, and do work at home maybe one out of three nights. I take it back to work. Sometimes I leave the charger at work - or at home. Since it's a consumer-grade laptop, its battery doesn't hold a charge long.
Thus the desire - a second charger for the laptop. However, instead of acting on the impulse, I just put it on my "want" list. And emailed the want list to myself. I called it an "Amazon" list since most of what I'd probably want could come from there. As I thought about things, I added them to the "want list" aka "Amazon list" and re-emailed it to myself, pre-pending a larger number each time, e.g. "(4) Amazon list".
Each time I looked at the list, I realized that the need for some things had evaporated, or I'd found other solutions. I moved those to "no longer needed" at the bottom.
I just placed my Amazon order. Throughout January, I had compiled a list of $490 worth of "Amazon" purchases...and today, I ordered $48 total. Last year, had I acted on impulse, I'd have spent that $490! I saved 90% simply by waiting and thinking.
========
Other January successes:
- I joined an amateur band. That's one night per week I go to someone's house and we play music badly. That's one night I don't have time to go out to eat, and don't drink. Money ahead.
- I gave a dealer an ultimatum: either respond to my last email about how you plan to catch up on customer service emails, or I will drop you as a distributor. They're my only distributor, so they figured I would not drop them. But I did. And am now setting myself up as my own distributor.
- I realized that my "go to" fast food joint was bad. Subway. They're no better than McDonald's, being chock-full of excess fat and high-fructose corn syrup. There's a "sushi to order" place in the same shopping center as one my my local Subways. For less than a footlong Subway sandwich, I can get a plate of seared Salmon, a bowl of miso soup and hot green tea. And it's quick. Better for my health, better on the wallet.
- Despite the above, I went out to eat only once in January.
=== Not specifically Frugal items ===
To my chagrin, my normally delightful spouse condemned me to a life of DIY remodeling and renovation 12 years ago. Now, back then, we needed to DIY for income reasons. That was, after all, the whole genesis of the "West Coast Broke" concept. My employer had moved me from the midwest to California, with a meager 6% raise, which didn't even cover the increase in state income taxes. So, we did the reasonable thing, we purchased a fixer-upper home and proceeded to fix and up. After a few years, we were fairly burnt out: we are not fixer-uppers. So, when the nature of my profession improved to the point where I could change to an employer who paid better and offered jobs in a less-costly state, we jumped. But, habits are hard to change, and we once again found ourselves in the agony of a DIY remodel. It was three years ago that I clearly saw my otherwise-diligent spouse throw in the towel. I persevered and between me and minimal hired contractors, we finally completely what was, essentially, a very minor remodel. Yay. The bulk of the work was done in August of 2012....my spouse had not quite "gotten the message yet" and started another phase - an interior re-paint - that we were not really equipped to do. I protested, but it began anyway. I claimed that while my spouse predicted it would require but two weeks, my observations suggested more like two months. It has been, in fact, six months, and it is as yet incomplete!!! My work has added more time, and my spouse, frankly, has done but little on the tasks assigned. This has been a moral victory for me: I now have a promise that no more projects will be started against my protestations. It is up to me to finish this one, as it has always been.
And this weekend saw success. By properly defining the sub-goal small enough (sand and finish one window's trim) I was able to "make progress". There are but two more sub-goals to accomplish, but one cannot be done until warmer weather.
Still, it is a breakthrough.
I want to spend time improving our retirement business. I can't do that if my time is spent painting walls! Spouse agrees, more income is good, but struggles to get away from the DIY mentality.
But I think we made progress.
I won't do monthly updates...I probably won't have monthly breakthroughs. But hopefully, 2013, will be a year of more breakthroughs than 2012 was.
Wishing you the most sensibly frugal 2013, WestCoastBroke
I get impulses to buy something. I decided this year, to delay those impulses. Not to stop them, but delay them. Almost a year ago, work conditions led me to purchase a laptop computer. I didn't have to buy it, but it made my work life oh, so much more tolerable. I do some pretty serious analysis work, requiring a very powerful computer, which can never be had in laptop form. So, I am issued a "workstation" by my employer. But they have a rule, only one computer per employee. At the start of last year, work began to assign me to some teams that required a lot of work away from my desk. I brought a tape recorder that I already owned, I took notes in my poor sloppy handwriting, I tried lots of ways to capture what happened at meetings. Being an 80 wpm typist, the clear solution was "anything that used a keyboard". I looked at tablet computers - I was unable to type fast enough on those touch screens. Voice-recognition tablets? Nope, they simply do not operate at 80 wpm, and they miss most technical words. So, I was back into an old-fashioned solution: a laptop computer. Work would not purchase it, so I did. ****GULP**** almost $500, a LOT of money!!!! I use it only for work, so it fit under the "Section 179" exclusions and I deducted the expense on 2012 taxes. I take it home at night, and do work at home maybe one out of three nights. I take it back to work. Sometimes I leave the charger at work - or at home. Since it's a consumer-grade laptop, its battery doesn't hold a charge long.
Thus the desire - a second charger for the laptop. However, instead of acting on the impulse, I just put it on my "want" list. And emailed the want list to myself. I called it an "Amazon" list since most of what I'd probably want could come from there. As I thought about things, I added them to the "want list" aka "Amazon list" and re-emailed it to myself, pre-pending a larger number each time, e.g. "(4) Amazon list".
Each time I looked at the list, I realized that the need for some things had evaporated, or I'd found other solutions. I moved those to "no longer needed" at the bottom.
I just placed my Amazon order. Throughout January, I had compiled a list of $490 worth of "Amazon" purchases...and today, I ordered $48 total. Last year, had I acted on impulse, I'd have spent that $490! I saved 90% simply by waiting and thinking.
========
Other January successes:
- I joined an amateur band. That's one night per week I go to someone's house and we play music badly. That's one night I don't have time to go out to eat, and don't drink. Money ahead.
- I gave a dealer an ultimatum: either respond to my last email about how you plan to catch up on customer service emails, or I will drop you as a distributor. They're my only distributor, so they figured I would not drop them. But I did. And am now setting myself up as my own distributor.
- I realized that my "go to" fast food joint was bad. Subway. They're no better than McDonald's, being chock-full of excess fat and high-fructose corn syrup. There's a "sushi to order" place in the same shopping center as one my my local Subways. For less than a footlong Subway sandwich, I can get a plate of seared Salmon, a bowl of miso soup and hot green tea. And it's quick. Better for my health, better on the wallet.
- Despite the above, I went out to eat only once in January.
=== Not specifically Frugal items ===
To my chagrin, my normally delightful spouse condemned me to a life of DIY remodeling and renovation 12 years ago. Now, back then, we needed to DIY for income reasons. That was, after all, the whole genesis of the "West Coast Broke" concept. My employer had moved me from the midwest to California, with a meager 6% raise, which didn't even cover the increase in state income taxes. So, we did the reasonable thing, we purchased a fixer-upper home and proceeded to fix and up. After a few years, we were fairly burnt out: we are not fixer-uppers. So, when the nature of my profession improved to the point where I could change to an employer who paid better and offered jobs in a less-costly state, we jumped. But, habits are hard to change, and we once again found ourselves in the agony of a DIY remodel. It was three years ago that I clearly saw my otherwise-diligent spouse throw in the towel. I persevered and between me and minimal hired contractors, we finally completely what was, essentially, a very minor remodel. Yay. The bulk of the work was done in August of 2012....my spouse had not quite "gotten the message yet" and started another phase - an interior re-paint - that we were not really equipped to do. I protested, but it began anyway. I claimed that while my spouse predicted it would require but two weeks, my observations suggested more like two months. It has been, in fact, six months, and it is as yet incomplete!!! My work has added more time, and my spouse, frankly, has done but little on the tasks assigned. This has been a moral victory for me: I now have a promise that no more projects will be started against my protestations. It is up to me to finish this one, as it has always been.
And this weekend saw success. By properly defining the sub-goal small enough (sand and finish one window's trim) I was able to "make progress". There are but two more sub-goals to accomplish, but one cannot be done until warmer weather.
Still, it is a breakthrough.
I want to spend time improving our retirement business. I can't do that if my time is spent painting walls! Spouse agrees, more income is good, but struggles to get away from the DIY mentality.
But I think we made progress.
I won't do monthly updates...I probably won't have monthly breakthroughs. But hopefully, 2013, will be a year of more breakthroughs than 2012 was.
Wishing you the most sensibly frugal 2013, WestCoastBroke
Monday, October 8, 2012
Non-frugal Stupid Human Trick #5
You know how there are some people you just feel kind of greasy being near them? You are kind of OK being acquainted with them, you have some common interests, but you're not sure if you want them in your inner circle?
Most of us know people like that. It's not a matter of trust...if you don't trust someone, you tend not to have anything to do with them, not even acquaintanceship. Sometimes, you're pretty good at predicting how a person will respond in a situation, and you dread it, specifically because you DO expect it. It's one thing if they do something that you despise, it's a very different thing if they do it, and you realize you knew they were "the sort of person who'd do that". It's just that there's some part of the way they conduct themselves that is highly distasteful. You might trust a person as a work colleague, but you know they have a not-very-practical joker side, and you worry about what manner of apparitions might start appearing on your lawn if you ever let them know your street address.
One that I've noticed more frequently of late is this idea of doing things explicitly for the purpose of irritating someone. Heck, humans have enough ways to accidentally create friction WITHOUT intending to do so, how could an otherwise reasonable human do it for the exclusive purpose of irritating someone? That just feels so "third grade" to me, maybe mixed in with a bit of ego ("I have power over this person - I am capable of upsetting them!"). But it seems, it is only my awareness of this that has recently grown.
The ridiculous (hey, it's my blog, I'm supposed to utter opinins) tactic has been about for a while. It seems to have appeared in Hollywood's movies from the 1930s, and perhaps, just like the vicious insult-based humor of American sitcoms, otherwise reasonable people mistook it for something that is worth incorporating into daily life. When you see a married couple who "know how to push each other's buttons", then you've encountered a pair of people who put a lot of effort into non-value-added activities; sabotaging someone else's happiness when it doesn't help your own is simply a mild form of evil.
An old college pal goes to the "College Engineering Magazine editors convention" every year. He brings home a large bar bill and a conference proceedings notebook, but for the rest of the year, he never mentions the conference. As far as his wife knows, he was an editor of his college's student engineering magazine for one semester and doesn't speak all that highly about it. Frankly, he's not really the "conference" type. So why does he spend money on airfare, hotels, rental cars, and just who is he buying all that booze for? When his wife asks, he makes some vague statement about it being the only part of his college years that he still celebrates in any fashion and he wants to continue to cling to that one thing. That answer doesn't sound much like my very non-nostalgic pal. One day, when his wife was not in earshot, I asked him again, and this time the answer was different. "I do it to piss off my wife. I just couldn't say that before because she was in the room. Her parents' anniversary is always the weekend of the conference, so I know I can piss her off by putting the conference at higher priority than her parents' anniversary. I'm also showing her who's boss." So, he spends money (a thousand dollars including airfare), and uses up precious vacation days, doing something that he's not really interested in, and the only objective is to upset his wife. In a word, creepy.
I've started to realize that I've seen dribs and drabs of this behavior at various places I've worked, too. It's particularly irritating in the work environment as we're all so focused on making every minute count, so why spend a minute of company time intentionally causing a work stoppage? Fortunately, in the work environment, most people who participate in this behavior end up with other problems. They're so focused on irritating others that they don't get their own work done, or it is observed that their personal characteristics prevent others from being able to work well with them. Sadly, they don't tend to get fired, but they don't get promotions or decent raises, either...they just hang around, impairing everybody's productivity.
There are plenty of things that most of us do that our spouses or family members don't like. I'm sure my spouse would rather that I not stay up late at night, because my bumping around doing projects sometimes interrupts her sleep. My purpose in staying up late, however, is not to disturb her, but to get projects done. I find my productivity higher when the family and dogs are in bed, the phone has ceased ringing, and I get time to focus. And there is a benefit in it for her as well: because I'm up so late, I am also the last one to let the dogs out. The later "her" dogs go out at night, the longer she gets to sleep in the morning before they wake her up. While this behavior of mine does irritate her, the primary intent is not irritation, so it's not the subject matter of this missive.
I'm starting to sense that people either have it or they don't - a genuine love and respect for their fellow human beings. As I look at my chosen set of friends, the vast majority do. And people who genuinely love their fellow humans, do not do things, ever, with the express purpose of upsetting anybody. These people are also harder to upset - because, since it's not "in them" to intentionally upset someone, they never interpret anybody else's actions as intentionally upsetting.
The desire to exact revenge, or to intentionally upset someone, I believe is a form of evil. It may be inherent in some people, and an intentionally-added trait in others. The former are incurable, the latter can evolve. For those who have this miscreant behavior as a natural part of who they are, they might be able to cease it, but only because they intellectually know it's the wrong thing to do - but the desire is still in them and they might lapse. For those who intentionally added the behavior, once they are confronted with the sheer lunacy of this type of behavior, are relieved to eliminate it from their personal world.
Perhaps there is an explanation for this behavior. In the wonderful book, "Learned Optimism", Dr. Martin Seligman produces an excellent evidentiary-based theory that optimism is strongly correlated to an individual's belief that he or she has control, or at least influence, over his or her local environment. Experiments show that one can create an optimistic or pessimistic dog or even fish, by giving the organism control over things that are important to it. If the fish can bump a button and get food 100% of the time, it's more optimistic about the prospect than if it works only 90% of the time. And, that less optimistic fish falls victim to fish diseases, and won't live as long as the optimistic fish. In mammals, direct measurements of the health of the immune system demonstrate the direct correlation between mind and body. The optimist lives longer, suffers fewer diseases, can perform in the absence of water and food better, than the pessimist.
Viewed with that backdrop, it is possible that these seemingly evil behaviors, wherein people take actions with no apparent goal other than to irritate another person (sadly, often someone they claim they care deeply about), might actually be a desperation plea for regaining control - to somehow become more optimistic. So, that's the "Stupid Human Trick" of the week in my book - doing anything for the express purpose of irritating someone. Mildly evil, majorly dumb, definitely not a value-added activity, for anybody.
So, gaze about at your behaviors - are you doing anything whose sole purpose is to get someone else upset? Is it really improving the lives of everybody concerned, or is it just a power trip? How do you feel about power trips that nobody else thinks give you power?
Just a thought....
Most of us know people like that. It's not a matter of trust...if you don't trust someone, you tend not to have anything to do with them, not even acquaintanceship. Sometimes, you're pretty good at predicting how a person will respond in a situation, and you dread it, specifically because you DO expect it. It's one thing if they do something that you despise, it's a very different thing if they do it, and you realize you knew they were "the sort of person who'd do that". It's just that there's some part of the way they conduct themselves that is highly distasteful. You might trust a person as a work colleague, but you know they have a not-very-practical joker side, and you worry about what manner of apparitions might start appearing on your lawn if you ever let them know your street address.
One that I've noticed more frequently of late is this idea of doing things explicitly for the purpose of irritating someone. Heck, humans have enough ways to accidentally create friction WITHOUT intending to do so, how could an otherwise reasonable human do it for the exclusive purpose of irritating someone? That just feels so "third grade" to me, maybe mixed in with a bit of ego ("I have power over this person - I am capable of upsetting them!"). But it seems, it is only my awareness of this that has recently grown.
The ridiculous (hey, it's my blog, I'm supposed to utter opinins) tactic has been about for a while. It seems to have appeared in Hollywood's movies from the 1930s, and perhaps, just like the vicious insult-based humor of American sitcoms, otherwise reasonable people mistook it for something that is worth incorporating into daily life. When you see a married couple who "know how to push each other's buttons", then you've encountered a pair of people who put a lot of effort into non-value-added activities; sabotaging someone else's happiness when it doesn't help your own is simply a mild form of evil.
An old college pal goes to the "College Engineering Magazine editors convention" every year. He brings home a large bar bill and a conference proceedings notebook, but for the rest of the year, he never mentions the conference. As far as his wife knows, he was an editor of his college's student engineering magazine for one semester and doesn't speak all that highly about it. Frankly, he's not really the "conference" type. So why does he spend money on airfare, hotels, rental cars, and just who is he buying all that booze for? When his wife asks, he makes some vague statement about it being the only part of his college years that he still celebrates in any fashion and he wants to continue to cling to that one thing. That answer doesn't sound much like my very non-nostalgic pal. One day, when his wife was not in earshot, I asked him again, and this time the answer was different. "I do it to piss off my wife. I just couldn't say that before because she was in the room. Her parents' anniversary is always the weekend of the conference, so I know I can piss her off by putting the conference at higher priority than her parents' anniversary. I'm also showing her who's boss." So, he spends money (a thousand dollars including airfare), and uses up precious vacation days, doing something that he's not really interested in, and the only objective is to upset his wife. In a word, creepy.
I've started to realize that I've seen dribs and drabs of this behavior at various places I've worked, too. It's particularly irritating in the work environment as we're all so focused on making every minute count, so why spend a minute of company time intentionally causing a work stoppage? Fortunately, in the work environment, most people who participate in this behavior end up with other problems. They're so focused on irritating others that they don't get their own work done, or it is observed that their personal characteristics prevent others from being able to work well with them. Sadly, they don't tend to get fired, but they don't get promotions or decent raises, either...they just hang around, impairing everybody's productivity.
There are plenty of things that most of us do that our spouses or family members don't like. I'm sure my spouse would rather that I not stay up late at night, because my bumping around doing projects sometimes interrupts her sleep. My purpose in staying up late, however, is not to disturb her, but to get projects done. I find my productivity higher when the family and dogs are in bed, the phone has ceased ringing, and I get time to focus. And there is a benefit in it for her as well: because I'm up so late, I am also the last one to let the dogs out. The later "her" dogs go out at night, the longer she gets to sleep in the morning before they wake her up. While this behavior of mine does irritate her, the primary intent is not irritation, so it's not the subject matter of this missive.
I'm starting to sense that people either have it or they don't - a genuine love and respect for their fellow human beings. As I look at my chosen set of friends, the vast majority do. And people who genuinely love their fellow humans, do not do things, ever, with the express purpose of upsetting anybody. These people are also harder to upset - because, since it's not "in them" to intentionally upset someone, they never interpret anybody else's actions as intentionally upsetting.
The desire to exact revenge, or to intentionally upset someone, I believe is a form of evil. It may be inherent in some people, and an intentionally-added trait in others. The former are incurable, the latter can evolve. For those who have this miscreant behavior as a natural part of who they are, they might be able to cease it, but only because they intellectually know it's the wrong thing to do - but the desire is still in them and they might lapse. For those who intentionally added the behavior, once they are confronted with the sheer lunacy of this type of behavior, are relieved to eliminate it from their personal world.
Perhaps there is an explanation for this behavior. In the wonderful book, "Learned Optimism", Dr. Martin Seligman produces an excellent evidentiary-based theory that optimism is strongly correlated to an individual's belief that he or she has control, or at least influence, over his or her local environment. Experiments show that one can create an optimistic or pessimistic dog or even fish, by giving the organism control over things that are important to it. If the fish can bump a button and get food 100% of the time, it's more optimistic about the prospect than if it works only 90% of the time. And, that less optimistic fish falls victim to fish diseases, and won't live as long as the optimistic fish. In mammals, direct measurements of the health of the immune system demonstrate the direct correlation between mind and body. The optimist lives longer, suffers fewer diseases, can perform in the absence of water and food better, than the pessimist.
Viewed with that backdrop, it is possible that these seemingly evil behaviors, wherein people take actions with no apparent goal other than to irritate another person (sadly, often someone they claim they care deeply about), might actually be a desperation plea for regaining control - to somehow become more optimistic. So, that's the "Stupid Human Trick" of the week in my book - doing anything for the express purpose of irritating someone. Mildly evil, majorly dumb, definitely not a value-added activity, for anybody.
So, gaze about at your behaviors - are you doing anything whose sole purpose is to get someone else upset? Is it really improving the lives of everybody concerned, or is it just a power trip? How do you feel about power trips that nobody else thinks give you power?
Just a thought....
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wax your car. It's frugal. I'm serious.
I waxed my car. What a frugal thing!
Wow. I was blown away by this. I don't know why I did it. For the past few months, I've been buried in tedium. I had started a remodel job in the house a year ago, and had a health problem and was thrown off it. I got back to it a few months ago. But I got up Saturday morning and could not face it - just too much of the same thing. So, I thought of a few other jobs/tasks I've been chipping away at for most of the summer and all of them made me go "Bleh"...not interested.
I had not waxed a car in ten years. I had convinced myself that a waxed car is no more fuel efficient, and lasts no longer, and who cares about how things look anyway. However...I decided it might be a brainless way to idle some time and maybe get a bit of an upper body workout.
The car is black. Years ago, I worked as a flunky in an auto body shop, and learned about a product called "New Car Glaze #5" by Meguiar. It's a nasty green color and kinda stinky. It's a blend of oils that sinks into paint and more or less re-blends any oxides that have occurred with time. I remember using it in the past and being surprised at how much it improved a car's look beyond what mere wax could do. I had some of this left over from 15 years ago. I also had some "Mother's Original Gold Paste Wax" also left over from those days. $15 and $10 is what you'd pay today....lasts decades, as I can tell.
I got some old worn out cotton shirts to use as rags. I washed the car, the cheap-and-dirty way using liquid dish soap, then dried with an ordinary bath towel. I started with the #5 Glaze. You pour the stuff on, then rub until it feels like it's soaking in, then wipe off before it can dry. When I did this, the black paint seemed even blacker. So, I did it a second time, and the black got even deeper. I tried it a third time, and no difference. So, I did only two applications on the whole car.
I then followed up with the Mother's Wax. This stuff smells sweet. It's called "gold" because of the yellow color, like Beeswax. There is no abrasive in this stuff, you will not leave swirl marks. It's wax, not polish, the difference is that polish has abrasives and you always end up removing some of the paint. You can wear out a car's paint prematurely by over-doing polish. Not wax.
When I did the roof, I was shocked at just how much luster was left in this 20 year old paint. Paint that has never been in a garage, paint that has been left ignored for the ten years I've owned the car, paint that's had bird droppings, insect splats, etc. on it. Car paint has really improved, I'd say..in the old days, if you went a few years without waxing, your paint oxidized to the point where it would stay dull forever, no matter what you did.
And so I spent five hours on Saturday, brainless, just going through the motions. It was kinda fun, doing something I really didn't care that much about, feeling the outdoor breeze, hearing the birds. Afterwards, my shoulders told me that it had been, in fact, quite the upper body workout.
And the car looked great. I had not realized the impact this would have. Somehow, my trust in the car increased. This old car, with 220,000 plus miles on it - feels young. Oh, it doesn't drive any differently, but for some reason, just knowing it can look this good, has an ineffable effect of making me believe in it better. This car has had zero repairs for its whole life, only routine/scheduled maintenance, and seeing this shiny paint makes me believe (if only for a bit), that I will get another 220,000 miles out of it without a repair.
Went to work Monday and honestly had fellow employees ask if I'd bought a new car. Honestly, female colleagues asked me to take them to lunch in it. I had to remind them I was married. I do recall in my dating days that having a waxed car seemed to help demonstrate to the woman that you knew how to take care of things.
And, recalling times in my career when I was more about climbing the ladder - having a car that clearly is well cared for tells your employer that you are detail-oriented, and follow through on commitments. Not a bad signal, for employers, friends, prospective romantic partners.
Wax your car. It'll benefit you in ways you cannot imagine.
Until later, enjoy stillness and treasure the rare solitude you may find.
Wow. I was blown away by this. I don't know why I did it. For the past few months, I've been buried in tedium. I had started a remodel job in the house a year ago, and had a health problem and was thrown off it. I got back to it a few months ago. But I got up Saturday morning and could not face it - just too much of the same thing. So, I thought of a few other jobs/tasks I've been chipping away at for most of the summer and all of them made me go "Bleh"...not interested.
I had not waxed a car in ten years. I had convinced myself that a waxed car is no more fuel efficient, and lasts no longer, and who cares about how things look anyway. However...I decided it might be a brainless way to idle some time and maybe get a bit of an upper body workout.
The car is black. Years ago, I worked as a flunky in an auto body shop, and learned about a product called "New Car Glaze #5" by Meguiar. It's a nasty green color and kinda stinky. It's a blend of oils that sinks into paint and more or less re-blends any oxides that have occurred with time. I remember using it in the past and being surprised at how much it improved a car's look beyond what mere wax could do. I had some of this left over from 15 years ago. I also had some "Mother's Original Gold Paste Wax" also left over from those days. $15 and $10 is what you'd pay today....lasts decades, as I can tell.
I got some old worn out cotton shirts to use as rags. I washed the car, the cheap-and-dirty way using liquid dish soap, then dried with an ordinary bath towel. I started with the #5 Glaze. You pour the stuff on, then rub until it feels like it's soaking in, then wipe off before it can dry. When I did this, the black paint seemed even blacker. So, I did it a second time, and the black got even deeper. I tried it a third time, and no difference. So, I did only two applications on the whole car.
I then followed up with the Mother's Wax. This stuff smells sweet. It's called "gold" because of the yellow color, like Beeswax. There is no abrasive in this stuff, you will not leave swirl marks. It's wax, not polish, the difference is that polish has abrasives and you always end up removing some of the paint. You can wear out a car's paint prematurely by over-doing polish. Not wax.
When I did the roof, I was shocked at just how much luster was left in this 20 year old paint. Paint that has never been in a garage, paint that has been left ignored for the ten years I've owned the car, paint that's had bird droppings, insect splats, etc. on it. Car paint has really improved, I'd say..in the old days, if you went a few years without waxing, your paint oxidized to the point where it would stay dull forever, no matter what you did.
And so I spent five hours on Saturday, brainless, just going through the motions. It was kinda fun, doing something I really didn't care that much about, feeling the outdoor breeze, hearing the birds. Afterwards, my shoulders told me that it had been, in fact, quite the upper body workout.
And the car looked great. I had not realized the impact this would have. Somehow, my trust in the car increased. This old car, with 220,000 plus miles on it - feels young. Oh, it doesn't drive any differently, but for some reason, just knowing it can look this good, has an ineffable effect of making me believe in it better. This car has had zero repairs for its whole life, only routine/scheduled maintenance, and seeing this shiny paint makes me believe (if only for a bit), that I will get another 220,000 miles out of it without a repair.
Went to work Monday and honestly had fellow employees ask if I'd bought a new car. Honestly, female colleagues asked me to take them to lunch in it. I had to remind them I was married. I do recall in my dating days that having a waxed car seemed to help demonstrate to the woman that you knew how to take care of things.
And, recalling times in my career when I was more about climbing the ladder - having a car that clearly is well cared for tells your employer that you are detail-oriented, and follow through on commitments. Not a bad signal, for employers, friends, prospective romantic partners.
Wax your car. It'll benefit you in ways you cannot imagine.
Until later, enjoy stillness and treasure the rare solitude you may find.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Life is difficult. ROCK ON difficulty!!!
"Life is difficult.
"This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.* It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."
*The first of the Four Noble Truths which Buddha taught was "Life is suffering".
Thus begins the marvelous work "The Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck, in which we learn to love despite difficulty, to relish that which we used to think was painful, to appreciate that we cannot grow as humans without discomfort, and that death is what gives life all its meaning.
I read the book for the first time nearly 15 years ago. It has been transformative, this knowledge. I didn't become a better person overnight, but I have contemplated the words, and considered them as I go through life and meet obstacles. One of the things that comes from this fundamental truth is this: you can learn to do or be good at anything you wish, if you put in the time to do so. It's that simple. Where do you choose to put your time and effort?
Another corollary is that there is great benefit to the practice of delayed gratification. On an immediate level, this means that you won't buy a big-screen TV until you have the cash in the bank. So, when Terminator IV comes out, you'll supply the beer and watch at a friend's house. However, when the economy turned down, your friend was selling the TV and having collectors calling him, while you were doing fine, because you had no debt and could tolerate a crappy job working at half what you used to get paid.
Last January, I was miserable, briefly. I was building planter boxes. Why, oh why, did I choose to do it now? I'd just bought the house, why not wait for good weather? But I knew the value in doing this. And so, this past weekend, I had that backyard cookout with newfound friends, and we made the most tasty french fries with my newly-harvested red potatoes from those planter boxes. Yum.
This weekend, with allergies all active, I did some work on the fence, clearing out all the growth under it, trenching a bit, laying in weed barrier and then rock. Grueling work, but I know that I will never have to manually trim against those 300 feet of fenceline again. You make an investment, you reap the rewards.
Socrates has said that "The unexamined life is not worth living." I think what M.Scott Peck's book did for me was to help me start examining my life. How did I use love? As a way to pamper others, or as a tool for self-gratification? Did I manipulate people through fear, or by easing their fears, did I gain true friends? Peck's book was not the last I have read, but one of many since. Short-subject books that can lead to self-examination include "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff--and It's All Small Stuff" and "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart". Start thinking.
Part of self-examination is to ask why you are doing what you are doing? And, better yet, why are you doing what you're about to do? Per Danny Cox: "The past transitions quickly into the future at a control point called Now." Everything you reap in life happens because of the decisions you make in that control point called Now. View these in light of a priority list. The list should be short, and broad, and life-focused, not thing-focused. I like the one posited by a 3rd century BC philosopher: "Who am I, if I am not for me? and being for my own self alone, what am I? and if not now, when?" Translating this ancient speak into modern English? 1) Your highest priority is your own mental, physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health...because you will be nobody else's number one priority. 2) The only reason for you to maintain yourself in such condition is to be of benefit to other humans. 3) Before taking any action, determine whether it contributes to #1 or #2.
To re-state this in a formatted manner:
1) Your highest priority is your own mental, physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health...because you will be nobody else's number one priority.
2) The only reason for you to maintain yourself in such condition is to be of benefit to other humans.
3) Before taking any action, determine whether it contributes to #1 or #2.
Almost anything you choose to do can fit this list. Recreation, which literally means re-creating yourself, is important to your own self-preservation. It is better to not be mindless. Hours spent exercising are definitely good for your soul, but hours spent watching TV may not be so good. Still, for some people who are new to being productive, it can be a strain to be "always on" until you have learned to relish the activity. Having a drink now and then can also be seen to be recreational, but if you find that your whole day is spent yearning to get drunk that night, it has probably moved too far and is no longer truly taking care of yourself, but is into abuse.
For the second item, being of service to others, this doesn't have to be volunteering at the food bank. Being a truly good friend is also service to others. Going to work, and doing your job because you truly believe in serving customers is also service to others, even if you get paid for it. Going to work just to get a paycheck so you can satisfy your own inner cravings is a service to nobody, and you should consider quitting, so you can find a job that's right for you. You can get carried away, though. If a friend is out of work and sponges off you too long and for too much, it can cause you depression, lead to troubles in your own family life, and lead you into financial trouble. Remember the priorities in that list - #1 is you, not others. If you fail to maintain your own set of strengths, you will cease being of any value to others...work, friends, lovers, etc.
The third item became a rallying cry for Ronald Reagan. "If not now, when?". What are you doing this moment? Are you improving yourself, or are you doing for others?
In the fifteen years since I read that first self-help book, I have evolved from being one who had more debt than income, who was so fed up with things that I never got things done...you get the idea...to one who other look up to as a model of productivity, who is not in the least self-serving.
And yet, I do not shirk at #1. For instance, one of my vices is fast cars. Or, I should say, one fast car. But I am sure it is for me. Unlike the street racers, my fast car is not meant to prove I'm superior to others or to gain attention. In fact, it's an ordinary-looking car: your grandmother would have no qualms getting in it. But I like the feel of a fast car. I love the stiff suspension, feeling all the bumps in the road, and I love the pressure on my back when I press the throttle pedal. There is a safety aspect: I appreciate having passing power when I'm headed of for a weekend of skiing and need to pass a double-bottomed semi while climbing a mountain on a two-lane road at 12,000 feet elevation. The car was purchased used, and a few modifications done, but all was done with cash, after I had cleared every debt, including mortgage. Part of how I chose where to live is that there are some marvelous twisty country roads very close, with good visibility for safety. Throwing the car into a turn good and hard is a thrill. If something frustrates me, taking a spin in the car can release that...or so can going for a bike ride or a run..I have managed to have several release mechanisms.
How do you evaluate your life? What have you done that has improved the lives of others? Are you in a position to even do so? An obese woman is not seen as a good diet counselor, and a person in debt is not seen as a good financial counselor. Take care of #1 first...get healthy, e.g. out of debt, physically fit, then you build up from there into the fast car if that's your thing, or the great home entertainment system, if that's your thing.
And above all...lead the examined life. It is well worth living.
"This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.* It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."
*The first of the Four Noble Truths which Buddha taught was "Life is suffering".
Thus begins the marvelous work "The Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck, in which we learn to love despite difficulty, to relish that which we used to think was painful, to appreciate that we cannot grow as humans without discomfort, and that death is what gives life all its meaning.
I read the book for the first time nearly 15 years ago. It has been transformative, this knowledge. I didn't become a better person overnight, but I have contemplated the words, and considered them as I go through life and meet obstacles. One of the things that comes from this fundamental truth is this: you can learn to do or be good at anything you wish, if you put in the time to do so. It's that simple. Where do you choose to put your time and effort?
Another corollary is that there is great benefit to the practice of delayed gratification. On an immediate level, this means that you won't buy a big-screen TV until you have the cash in the bank. So, when Terminator IV comes out, you'll supply the beer and watch at a friend's house. However, when the economy turned down, your friend was selling the TV and having collectors calling him, while you were doing fine, because you had no debt and could tolerate a crappy job working at half what you used to get paid.
Last January, I was miserable, briefly. I was building planter boxes. Why, oh why, did I choose to do it now? I'd just bought the house, why not wait for good weather? But I knew the value in doing this. And so, this past weekend, I had that backyard cookout with newfound friends, and we made the most tasty french fries with my newly-harvested red potatoes from those planter boxes. Yum.
This weekend, with allergies all active, I did some work on the fence, clearing out all the growth under it, trenching a bit, laying in weed barrier and then rock. Grueling work, but I know that I will never have to manually trim against those 300 feet of fenceline again. You make an investment, you reap the rewards.
Socrates has said that "The unexamined life is not worth living." I think what M.Scott Peck's book did for me was to help me start examining my life. How did I use love? As a way to pamper others, or as a tool for self-gratification? Did I manipulate people through fear, or by easing their fears, did I gain true friends? Peck's book was not the last I have read, but one of many since. Short-subject books that can lead to self-examination include "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff--and It's All Small Stuff" and "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart". Start thinking.
Part of self-examination is to ask why you are doing what you are doing? And, better yet, why are you doing what you're about to do? Per Danny Cox: "The past transitions quickly into the future at a control point called Now." Everything you reap in life happens because of the decisions you make in that control point called Now. View these in light of a priority list. The list should be short, and broad, and life-focused, not thing-focused. I like the one posited by a 3rd century BC philosopher: "Who am I, if I am not for me? and being for my own self alone, what am I? and if not now, when?" Translating this ancient speak into modern English? 1) Your highest priority is your own mental, physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health...because you will be nobody else's number one priority. 2) The only reason for you to maintain yourself in such condition is to be of benefit to other humans. 3) Before taking any action, determine whether it contributes to #1 or #2.
To re-state this in a formatted manner:
1) Your highest priority is your own mental, physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health...because you will be nobody else's number one priority.
2) The only reason for you to maintain yourself in such condition is to be of benefit to other humans.
3) Before taking any action, determine whether it contributes to #1 or #2.
Almost anything you choose to do can fit this list. Recreation, which literally means re-creating yourself, is important to your own self-preservation. It is better to not be mindless. Hours spent exercising are definitely good for your soul, but hours spent watching TV may not be so good. Still, for some people who are new to being productive, it can be a strain to be "always on" until you have learned to relish the activity. Having a drink now and then can also be seen to be recreational, but if you find that your whole day is spent yearning to get drunk that night, it has probably moved too far and is no longer truly taking care of yourself, but is into abuse.
For the second item, being of service to others, this doesn't have to be volunteering at the food bank. Being a truly good friend is also service to others. Going to work, and doing your job because you truly believe in serving customers is also service to others, even if you get paid for it. Going to work just to get a paycheck so you can satisfy your own inner cravings is a service to nobody, and you should consider quitting, so you can find a job that's right for you. You can get carried away, though. If a friend is out of work and sponges off you too long and for too much, it can cause you depression, lead to troubles in your own family life, and lead you into financial trouble. Remember the priorities in that list - #1 is you, not others. If you fail to maintain your own set of strengths, you will cease being of any value to others...work, friends, lovers, etc.
The third item became a rallying cry for Ronald Reagan. "If not now, when?". What are you doing this moment? Are you improving yourself, or are you doing for others?
In the fifteen years since I read that first self-help book, I have evolved from being one who had more debt than income, who was so fed up with things that I never got things done...you get the idea...to one who other look up to as a model of productivity, who is not in the least self-serving.
And yet, I do not shirk at #1. For instance, one of my vices is fast cars. Or, I should say, one fast car. But I am sure it is for me. Unlike the street racers, my fast car is not meant to prove I'm superior to others or to gain attention. In fact, it's an ordinary-looking car: your grandmother would have no qualms getting in it. But I like the feel of a fast car. I love the stiff suspension, feeling all the bumps in the road, and I love the pressure on my back when I press the throttle pedal. There is a safety aspect: I appreciate having passing power when I'm headed of for a weekend of skiing and need to pass a double-bottomed semi while climbing a mountain on a two-lane road at 12,000 feet elevation. The car was purchased used, and a few modifications done, but all was done with cash, after I had cleared every debt, including mortgage. Part of how I chose where to live is that there are some marvelous twisty country roads very close, with good visibility for safety. Throwing the car into a turn good and hard is a thrill. If something frustrates me, taking a spin in the car can release that...or so can going for a bike ride or a run..I have managed to have several release mechanisms.
How do you evaluate your life? What have you done that has improved the lives of others? Are you in a position to even do so? An obese woman is not seen as a good diet counselor, and a person in debt is not seen as a good financial counselor. Take care of #1 first...get healthy, e.g. out of debt, physically fit, then you build up from there into the fast car if that's your thing, or the great home entertainment system, if that's your thing.
And above all...lead the examined life. It is well worth living.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Keeping the costs of car maintenance down
David Muhlbaum of Kiplinger wrote an article that appeared on Yahoo's autos section. The advice is generally good, but sometimes simplistic. I hereby credit David with having written the article, but have taken the liberty of editorializing it, because I think my readers can handle the additional detail.
Item #1: Keep the right parts dry. David is spot-on with this one and has a pleasing writing style, so I have left it intact.
I see this all the time in my neighborhood: Drivers come home and park the car in front of the garage door. Then when rain threatens, they run out to pull it inside lest their car get rained on. Or, when it gets dark, they pull the car in for the night.
Ouch! Here's what's wrong with that: Starting a cold engine is when the bulk of its wear occurs. That's in part because all the oil is sitting at the bottom, rather than distributed around the parts that move. But also, when your engine runs and doesn't get warm, the byproducts of combustion, including water, collect in the oil and can over time turn it into a noxious sludge that attacks the motor from the inside. On a longer trip, your car's engine gets hot and the water is boiled out of the oil and the engine—no worries there. So: avoid short trips when you can—especially the short and pointless ones.
2) Give regular fuel a try.
Even if your car says premium fuel recommended—or even required—few really need it. Most late-model cars can adjust to regular fuel because engines are now equipped with knock sensors, which adjust the engine's timing automatically when they detect uncontrolled burning—the tell-tale 'pinging'—and forestall any engine damage. You may experience a slight decrease in power and fuel economy, but even the mileage loss won't come anywhere near the difference between regular and premium.
A key exception: If your car is turbo- or supercharged and specifies super, follow the manual. And for Pete's sake, you're doing neither your car nor your wallet any favors by putting higher-grade gas in a car that calls for regular.
In addition: I implore everybody to MEASURE. Don't take any writer's word for it, measure it. Run 2-3 tanks of super, then 2-3 tanks of regular and MEASURE the fuel economy, making sure you're driving the car exactly the same way each time. Some cars actually deliver worse MPG on premium. If you see better MPG on premium, then calculate pennies per mile for both regular and premium. In one of my older cars, I did get better MPG on premium, but only about 5%, and the difference in fuel cost was 15%, so it was not a financially wise move.
3) Don't change the oil more than you need to.
Sure, Uncle Marvin changed his oil every 3,000 miles and his Studebaker ran forever (ed: no, it didn't. In the Studebaker days, you felt lucky to hit 50,000 miles without a major repair. Now, people are disappointed if the car needs an engine rebuild before 200,000). Oils have evolved, and so have engines. Even Jiffy Lube's not running the "every 3,000 miles" pitch anymore. Stick to the manual's recommendations and refuse all entreaties from service managers and ad campaigns, especially ones for oil additives. (Ed note: specifically look up "3,000 mile oil change myth" on Wikipedia").
Added comments: Consumer reports attempted to determine how "good" a dozen oils were. In a well-designed experiement, they used 12 different oils in dozens of identical engines in hard usage. They change the oil every 3,000 miles in half the engines, every 6,000 in other engines. Their theory was that an inferior oil would show a greater difference in engine wear, if the oil changes were delayed. After 100,000 miles, they took apart all the engines and found no distinctions whatsoever between oils - nor between engines who'd had changes at 3,000 miles and 6,000. CR often draws incorrect conclusions from otherwise good experiments and they did so here. They said, "pick any oil you want, and change every 3,000 miles". The more scientifically valid approach would have been to say "we clearly did not operate the engines long enough to cause engine wear at 6,000 mile change intervals, so we should change the oil next time at 6,000 and 12,000 mile intervals and see if it makes a difference.". However, the car companies do this all the time. Long-term tests of engines on stands, operated in hot/cold/continues/stop-start, all manner of conditions. To accelerate wear, they don't change the oil at all for 100,000 miles. Wear? Not a problem.
An engine designer for one of the GM divisions once told me "your odometer does not know when to change the oil. The oil does. Use a light-colored oil and check the color and level at every fill-up. When it gets dark, it's time to change, due to dirt in it. Not sooner, that's simply wasted money." My mechanic friends agree, saying that they've never seen an engine damaged by old oil - only by inadequate amounts. Check the level, check the color, do it at every fillup.
And finally, if your car's manual says to use synthetic oil, do so. Some engines, particularly from the German makes, have truly poorly designed EGR systems, which can cause sludge build-up if you use petroleum-based oils. Doesn't matter if you change the oil every week, you'll still get sludge. Sludge builds up on surfaces, not in the oil, changing oil doesn't decrease its prevalance.
4) Find a local mechanic you trust and show him your business. (David's original text is spot-on, so I've left it unchanged)
Too many car owners flit from shop to shop, forking over fortunes on major repairs. Here's a better strategy: Identify a gas station owner or repair shop manager in your neighborhood you like, make sure he knows you are creating business for him, get to know him on a first-name basis and be friendly. It's amazing how a bond of trust like this can save you money. I work with someone whose trusty local gas station owner came to his house to jump-start his battery in an emergency, and charged him nothing.
5) Have you considered a warehouse store for your tires? (I disagree with David on this one, so here's his paragraph, then my opposing view)
No, they won't make you buy a dozen at a time. Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club all offer tires and will mount them for you, too. You'll be able to tap into your club's satisfaction guarantees on top of the warranties the tire makers offer, and note that the installation costs include services you'd often pay extra for elsewhere such as lifetime balancing, rotation and flat repair. It pays to do some looking ahead on your club's Web site to check availability—the clubs don't always keep inventory outside some relatively common sizes—but they can order you just about anything.
I will disagree with David on this one. If you drive a LOT, then sure, warehouse tires may be the right choice. The key is to NEVER buy tires that will last longer than three years. Warehouse tires tend to be the "high mileage" 80,000 mile types. The high mileage tires start out by having hard rubber; they never test as well in cornering and braking tests as tires without the 80,000 mile warranty. That's the tradeoff...harder rubber lasts longer but does not provide traction that's as good. Also, rubber is an organic compound, and begins to degrade the minute it's off the assembly line. A tire that sat in a warehouse for 3 years will have worse traction than the identical tire that came right off the line. I've been there: I once took my car to the track and was disappointed in my performance. I realized that, because I'd been away from the track for a while, my track tires had gotten old. Tread was still perfect, they only had 100 miles on them. I bought a brand-new identical set of four and improved my slalom time by 15%.
Tires are an essential part of the safety features of your car. Being able to corner and brake your way out of a situation caused by a driver who blows a red light, for instance, can be the difference between life and death. Do not risk it with old tires.
30 to 36 months is the general advice given by tire manufacturers, and rubber composite design engineers. Trust them; it may save your life.
6) David's original text on this was so specific to one vehicle, that I re-wrote it to broaden it.
You go out to start up your fancy new car with its inboard GPS and OBD III and nothing happens. Don't fret. The dealer may have dazzled you and baffled you with all the unintelliglble five-syllable words about technology, but all of today's cars, even hybrids, still have the good old 12 volt battery. And, if the kids leave the lights on, the battery still runs down. You might just need a jump start...it's not time to call the dealer.
All cars can still be jump-started and it's one of those things on that list of "every human should know how to do this", like changing diapers and giving CPR.
7) You bought a car. You didn't marry the dealer.
Independent shops are fighting back against dealer marketing efforts that play on consumer fears of voiding a warranty. If you have your maintenance done on time with quality parts—and keep your paperwork—federal law is on your side if push comes to shove over a warranty claim. Check out the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. If your dealer makes you happy by giving you a loaner car, fine. Enjoy it. But it's frequently the more expensive choice for basic servicing.
One reason often cited for taking a car to the dealership for maintenance work is that dealers—as representatives of car manufacturers—are more likely to see if there are any outstanding recalls on your car. But, you can do a lot of this research yourself, either by checking with your independent shop, or by looking up your car online in the government's safercar.org database.
To that I add: Many surveys have shown car dealers to be more likely than independent shops to recommend "maintenance" that the car really doesn't need.
Editor continues: If you REALLY want to avoid dealer fees...a tune-up on today's cars is actually easier than it ever was. Long gone are the days of changing points, adjusting dwell, twsiting around a distributor cap for timing. That stuff is all done automatically. A tune-up today is merely an oil change, engine air filter, and possibly cabin air filter and that's that. Most cars go at least 50,000 miles for a spark plug change, and that's easy, too. Dealers charge upwards of $450 for "30,000 mile maintenance" visits that are nothing but 30 minute of oil and filter changes and staring at parts. I had my local dealer quote me a 60,000 mile package and it was $700. I said it must be a lot of work to cost that much, do you need the car all day, and they said, "No, if you have it here by 8, we'll be done by 9. $700 for an hour's work? Wow.
Changing oil takes 10 minutes. I can't drive the car to a shop and back in ten minutes. Spark plugs on my V6 vehicle take an hour because I have to pull off a hose. Still less time than heading to a shop, waiting, and returning.
Read the owner's manual...it has very specific lists of things that have to be done at 15k, 30k, etc, and that's ALL that needs to be done. Anything else on the dealer's list is an extra cost non-necessity.
8) Tire rotation? Don't spin your wheels. I didn't find David's specific advice useful so here's my replacement.
The purpose of tire rotation is primarily to make sure your tires wear out at the same time. See #5 above - you do not want two brand-new tires and two 3-year old tires on your car. Whichever "end" of the car has the older tires is more likely to slide if you need to execute a sudden maneuver to avoid that drunk who just shot out of the shopping center parking lot. If the "slippery" tires are on the front, then your car will slide straight when you try to take a sharp turn. If the "slippery tires" are on the rear, then you'll spin out under the same conditions.
Rotating the tires at every oil change is a good practice. Do your own 10 minute oil change and rotate the tires at the same time. But you can delay a week or a month, no big deal...wait until you have the time and the weather is right.
EVERYBODY should know how to change a flat tire, and tire rotation is just four of those changes.
But don't sweat it if you're late. Go on that hot date tonight if she's hard to get time with, the tires can wait.
Speaking of tires, here's a great way to know how much to inflate them.
Place strips of 2" wide masking tape crossways on the tire tread. Do it at two or three places on each tire. Now drive gently in a straight line for a few miles and pull over. Look at the masking tape for a wear pattern. If the masking tape is worn evenly across the width of the tire, then your tire pressure is about right for minimum tire wear. If the tape is worn more at the edges than in the middle, your tires need more air. If the tape is worn more in the middle, then you're over-pressured. Whatever wear pattern you see on the tape is what your tires will look like after a long time of driving at your present pressure levels. Expect to need different pressure in the front and rear, and adjust pressure at every rotation.
What if the tape is worn more on the inside edge than the outside edge, or vice-versa? Time to get the car aligned.
David says, and I agree: Note also that more and more tires are directional—which makes rotation less feasible because the tires can only go on either the left or right side of the car. What's a directional tire? Look for a v-shaped tread pattern. (and I add: an arrow on the exterior sidewall of the tire aimed in the intended rotation direction).
9) No ignoring the oil light.
David's comments were a bit lacking, so I've replaced them.
As much as today's cars are relatively bulletproof compared to the surprisingly self-collapsing cars of the 70s, there is one area in which you may not compromise. Oil pressure. If you see any dashboard indication that oil pressure is amiss, pull over as soon as safely possible. Seconds count, they really do. Even if you act as fast as you can, it may be too late, so don't delay. A friend of ours had a red oil light come on. "I saw that red light and was trying to figure out if it was the alternator or oil. We've had alternator problems on this old truck before. I squinted, I peered at it, I tried to see the image on the light. Then the truck just slowed down to a stop as if I'd shut off the ignition." It happens that fast. If the light is red, and you can't tell what it is...pull over. Our friend's truck engine was siezed...there was no oil in it at all, and the internal metal parts had literally melted to the point of no compression. When the engine cooled down, it solidified into one mass.
She was lucky...the truck had been recently to the dealer, who had installed a faulty oil cooler, which had fractured and all the oil drained out. The dealer, after a little nudge from small claims court, installed a freshly remanufactured engine in a truck that already had 200,000 miles on it.
Do not play games with the oil light. Pull over.
Item #1: Keep the right parts dry. David is spot-on with this one and has a pleasing writing style, so I have left it intact.
I see this all the time in my neighborhood: Drivers come home and park the car in front of the garage door. Then when rain threatens, they run out to pull it inside lest their car get rained on. Or, when it gets dark, they pull the car in for the night.
Ouch! Here's what's wrong with that: Starting a cold engine is when the bulk of its wear occurs. That's in part because all the oil is sitting at the bottom, rather than distributed around the parts that move. But also, when your engine runs and doesn't get warm, the byproducts of combustion, including water, collect in the oil and can over time turn it into a noxious sludge that attacks the motor from the inside. On a longer trip, your car's engine gets hot and the water is boiled out of the oil and the engine—no worries there. So: avoid short trips when you can—especially the short and pointless ones.
2) Give regular fuel a try.
Even if your car says premium fuel recommended—or even required—few really need it. Most late-model cars can adjust to regular fuel because engines are now equipped with knock sensors, which adjust the engine's timing automatically when they detect uncontrolled burning—the tell-tale 'pinging'—and forestall any engine damage. You may experience a slight decrease in power and fuel economy, but even the mileage loss won't come anywhere near the difference between regular and premium.
A key exception: If your car is turbo- or supercharged and specifies super, follow the manual. And for Pete's sake, you're doing neither your car nor your wallet any favors by putting higher-grade gas in a car that calls for regular.
In addition: I implore everybody to MEASURE. Don't take any writer's word for it, measure it. Run 2-3 tanks of super, then 2-3 tanks of regular and MEASURE the fuel economy, making sure you're driving the car exactly the same way each time. Some cars actually deliver worse MPG on premium. If you see better MPG on premium, then calculate pennies per mile for both regular and premium. In one of my older cars, I did get better MPG on premium, but only about 5%, and the difference in fuel cost was 15%, so it was not a financially wise move.
3) Don't change the oil more than you need to.
Sure, Uncle Marvin changed his oil every 3,000 miles and his Studebaker ran forever (ed: no, it didn't. In the Studebaker days, you felt lucky to hit 50,000 miles without a major repair. Now, people are disappointed if the car needs an engine rebuild before 200,000). Oils have evolved, and so have engines. Even Jiffy Lube's not running the "every 3,000 miles" pitch anymore. Stick to the manual's recommendations and refuse all entreaties from service managers and ad campaigns, especially ones for oil additives. (Ed note: specifically look up "3,000 mile oil change myth" on Wikipedia").
Added comments: Consumer reports attempted to determine how "good" a dozen oils were. In a well-designed experiement, they used 12 different oils in dozens of identical engines in hard usage. They change the oil every 3,000 miles in half the engines, every 6,000 in other engines. Their theory was that an inferior oil would show a greater difference in engine wear, if the oil changes were delayed. After 100,000 miles, they took apart all the engines and found no distinctions whatsoever between oils - nor between engines who'd had changes at 3,000 miles and 6,000. CR often draws incorrect conclusions from otherwise good experiments and they did so here. They said, "pick any oil you want, and change every 3,000 miles". The more scientifically valid approach would have been to say "we clearly did not operate the engines long enough to cause engine wear at 6,000 mile change intervals, so we should change the oil next time at 6,000 and 12,000 mile intervals and see if it makes a difference.". However, the car companies do this all the time. Long-term tests of engines on stands, operated in hot/cold/continues/stop-start, all manner of conditions. To accelerate wear, they don't change the oil at all for 100,000 miles. Wear? Not a problem.
An engine designer for one of the GM divisions once told me "your odometer does not know when to change the oil. The oil does. Use a light-colored oil and check the color and level at every fill-up. When it gets dark, it's time to change, due to dirt in it. Not sooner, that's simply wasted money." My mechanic friends agree, saying that they've never seen an engine damaged by old oil - only by inadequate amounts. Check the level, check the color, do it at every fillup.
And finally, if your car's manual says to use synthetic oil, do so. Some engines, particularly from the German makes, have truly poorly designed EGR systems, which can cause sludge build-up if you use petroleum-based oils. Doesn't matter if you change the oil every week, you'll still get sludge. Sludge builds up on surfaces, not in the oil, changing oil doesn't decrease its prevalance.
4) Find a local mechanic you trust and show him your business. (David's original text is spot-on, so I've left it unchanged)
Too many car owners flit from shop to shop, forking over fortunes on major repairs. Here's a better strategy: Identify a gas station owner or repair shop manager in your neighborhood you like, make sure he knows you are creating business for him, get to know him on a first-name basis and be friendly. It's amazing how a bond of trust like this can save you money. I work with someone whose trusty local gas station owner came to his house to jump-start his battery in an emergency, and charged him nothing.
5) Have you considered a warehouse store for your tires? (I disagree with David on this one, so here's his paragraph, then my opposing view)
No, they won't make you buy a dozen at a time. Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club all offer tires and will mount them for you, too. You'll be able to tap into your club's satisfaction guarantees on top of the warranties the tire makers offer, and note that the installation costs include services you'd often pay extra for elsewhere such as lifetime balancing, rotation and flat repair. It pays to do some looking ahead on your club's Web site to check availability—the clubs don't always keep inventory outside some relatively common sizes—but they can order you just about anything.
I will disagree with David on this one. If you drive a LOT, then sure, warehouse tires may be the right choice. The key is to NEVER buy tires that will last longer than three years. Warehouse tires tend to be the "high mileage" 80,000 mile types. The high mileage tires start out by having hard rubber; they never test as well in cornering and braking tests as tires without the 80,000 mile warranty. That's the tradeoff...harder rubber lasts longer but does not provide traction that's as good. Also, rubber is an organic compound, and begins to degrade the minute it's off the assembly line. A tire that sat in a warehouse for 3 years will have worse traction than the identical tire that came right off the line. I've been there: I once took my car to the track and was disappointed in my performance. I realized that, because I'd been away from the track for a while, my track tires had gotten old. Tread was still perfect, they only had 100 miles on them. I bought a brand-new identical set of four and improved my slalom time by 15%.
Tires are an essential part of the safety features of your car. Being able to corner and brake your way out of a situation caused by a driver who blows a red light, for instance, can be the difference between life and death. Do not risk it with old tires.
30 to 36 months is the general advice given by tire manufacturers, and rubber composite design engineers. Trust them; it may save your life.
6) David's original text on this was so specific to one vehicle, that I re-wrote it to broaden it.
You go out to start up your fancy new car with its inboard GPS and OBD III and nothing happens. Don't fret. The dealer may have dazzled you and baffled you with all the unintelliglble five-syllable words about technology, but all of today's cars, even hybrids, still have the good old 12 volt battery. And, if the kids leave the lights on, the battery still runs down. You might just need a jump start...it's not time to call the dealer.
All cars can still be jump-started and it's one of those things on that list of "every human should know how to do this", like changing diapers and giving CPR.
7) You bought a car. You didn't marry the dealer.
Independent shops are fighting back against dealer marketing efforts that play on consumer fears of voiding a warranty. If you have your maintenance done on time with quality parts—and keep your paperwork—federal law is on your side if push comes to shove over a warranty claim. Check out the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. If your dealer makes you happy by giving you a loaner car, fine. Enjoy it. But it's frequently the more expensive choice for basic servicing.
One reason often cited for taking a car to the dealership for maintenance work is that dealers—as representatives of car manufacturers—are more likely to see if there are any outstanding recalls on your car. But, you can do a lot of this research yourself, either by checking with your independent shop, or by looking up your car online in the government's safercar.org database.
To that I add: Many surveys have shown car dealers to be more likely than independent shops to recommend "maintenance" that the car really doesn't need.
Editor continues: If you REALLY want to avoid dealer fees...a tune-up on today's cars is actually easier than it ever was. Long gone are the days of changing points, adjusting dwell, twsiting around a distributor cap for timing. That stuff is all done automatically. A tune-up today is merely an oil change, engine air filter, and possibly cabin air filter and that's that. Most cars go at least 50,000 miles for a spark plug change, and that's easy, too. Dealers charge upwards of $450 for "30,000 mile maintenance" visits that are nothing but 30 minute of oil and filter changes and staring at parts. I had my local dealer quote me a 60,000 mile package and it was $700. I said it must be a lot of work to cost that much, do you need the car all day, and they said, "No, if you have it here by 8, we'll be done by 9. $700 for an hour's work? Wow.
Changing oil takes 10 minutes. I can't drive the car to a shop and back in ten minutes. Spark plugs on my V6 vehicle take an hour because I have to pull off a hose. Still less time than heading to a shop, waiting, and returning.
Read the owner's manual...it has very specific lists of things that have to be done at 15k, 30k, etc, and that's ALL that needs to be done. Anything else on the dealer's list is an extra cost non-necessity.
8) Tire rotation? Don't spin your wheels. I didn't find David's specific advice useful so here's my replacement.
The purpose of tire rotation is primarily to make sure your tires wear out at the same time. See #5 above - you do not want two brand-new tires and two 3-year old tires on your car. Whichever "end" of the car has the older tires is more likely to slide if you need to execute a sudden maneuver to avoid that drunk who just shot out of the shopping center parking lot. If the "slippery" tires are on the front, then your car will slide straight when you try to take a sharp turn. If the "slippery tires" are on the rear, then you'll spin out under the same conditions.
Rotating the tires at every oil change is a good practice. Do your own 10 minute oil change and rotate the tires at the same time. But you can delay a week or a month, no big deal...wait until you have the time and the weather is right.
EVERYBODY should know how to change a flat tire, and tire rotation is just four of those changes.
But don't sweat it if you're late. Go on that hot date tonight if she's hard to get time with, the tires can wait.
Speaking of tires, here's a great way to know how much to inflate them.
Place strips of 2" wide masking tape crossways on the tire tread. Do it at two or three places on each tire. Now drive gently in a straight line for a few miles and pull over. Look at the masking tape for a wear pattern. If the masking tape is worn evenly across the width of the tire, then your tire pressure is about right for minimum tire wear. If the tape is worn more at the edges than in the middle, your tires need more air. If the tape is worn more in the middle, then you're over-pressured. Whatever wear pattern you see on the tape is what your tires will look like after a long time of driving at your present pressure levels. Expect to need different pressure in the front and rear, and adjust pressure at every rotation.
What if the tape is worn more on the inside edge than the outside edge, or vice-versa? Time to get the car aligned.
David says, and I agree: Note also that more and more tires are directional—which makes rotation less feasible because the tires can only go on either the left or right side of the car. What's a directional tire? Look for a v-shaped tread pattern. (and I add: an arrow on the exterior sidewall of the tire aimed in the intended rotation direction).
9) No ignoring the oil light.
David's comments were a bit lacking, so I've replaced them.
As much as today's cars are relatively bulletproof compared to the surprisingly self-collapsing cars of the 70s, there is one area in which you may not compromise. Oil pressure. If you see any dashboard indication that oil pressure is amiss, pull over as soon as safely possible. Seconds count, they really do. Even if you act as fast as you can, it may be too late, so don't delay. A friend of ours had a red oil light come on. "I saw that red light and was trying to figure out if it was the alternator or oil. We've had alternator problems on this old truck before. I squinted, I peered at it, I tried to see the image on the light. Then the truck just slowed down to a stop as if I'd shut off the ignition." It happens that fast. If the light is red, and you can't tell what it is...pull over. Our friend's truck engine was siezed...there was no oil in it at all, and the internal metal parts had literally melted to the point of no compression. When the engine cooled down, it solidified into one mass.
She was lucky...the truck had been recently to the dealer, who had installed a faulty oil cooler, which had fractured and all the oil drained out. The dealer, after a little nudge from small claims court, installed a freshly remanufactured engine in a truck that already had 200,000 miles on it.
Do not play games with the oil light. Pull over.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)