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G. David Felt

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Everything posted by G. David Felt

  1. Yes, an air filter that regularly gets changed with it is dirty is the best start. I also on the 99 Durango have 30,000 mile tune ups as to why every 2 years roughly it gets a tune up. I agree with your assessment that the auto in the video you watched was a high mileage with neglect as I have traditional carbon build up but never gunk. I usually run the auto and race the motor as I spay into the throttle body and clean everything up shinny new like before changing the plugs, points, rotor cap, plugs etc. Once all cleaned up, cool down and replace everything then off to fill up the tank with Techron and the baby is good for a while.
  2. Interesting read on Tesla and the media. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/5/29/1767826/-The-War-on-Tesla-Musk-and-the-Fight-for-the-Future Some valid points made.
  3. Ultra Capacitors from Skeleton Technologies To answer the immediate question, can Ultra Capacitors replace batteries? No they cannot. Yet from the country of Estonia where Skype was invented, the ability to to provide 100 kW of power in a small 10kg module that can handle over 1 million cycles of power for instant accelerate and then recharge it on a deceleration is now a reality. You can use a smaller battery reducing battery costs by 10% and extending the life as the hit on a battery from acceleration is what reduces battery life. The end result is longer life by using batteries with ultra capacitors that can soak up deceleration and regenerative braking for use later on in acceleration. This also allows a helping with recharging the battery pack by pulling in fast power and feeding it into the battery in a constant manner. Great video on how they build Ultra Capacitors and showing how one works. They also show a Megawatt Ultra Capacitor system that is a fraction of size of a container size lithium battery that is 10 times the size. This Megawatt Ultra Capacitor system is the answer to reducing brownouts.
  4. Not always, I can say that my daughters 99 Durango, the flaps looking down the throat look clean till you manually open them and see the darker underside. I have used throttle body cleaner to spray on them to clean up the carbon build up and then also fill up the tank with a bottle of Techron and it seems to run very nice till the next tune up since I tune it up every couple years.
  5. Solar Roof, Power Wall and EV Charging, is it worth the Cost? When I came across this story, I wondered just what the cost was for having this all in a home and would it be worth the cost? The setup is as follows: 2000 sq foot house with Tesla Solar roof - $55,000 Powerwall 2.0 for 5 kWh storage - $8,500 to $16,000 depending on where you live. 240V home charger average cost is from $403 to $930 dollars depending on charger features, median cost is $663 Working from the high side of cost, you have $55,000 + $16,000 + $930 = $71,930 and then you have various rebates from federal and state levels that can run from a low of Federal rebate only of $7,500 up to $15 to 20 thousand dollars including state rebates on top of federal depending on the state you are in. As one can see, a Tesla solar roof is a very clean natural looking roof that can produce considerable amount of power especially in sunny climates to the south. This house and installation is in San Jose california where home costs are very high and as such, the cost of this roof with powerwall and home charger works out to 24 yrs to a break even point and yet over the 30 year 100% efficiency guarantee for the solar shingles, it will pay the customer $14,000 back. As comments on the story does state, traditional shingles with traditional solar panels would be considerably less cost. Yet in an area with you have strong sun 5-6 months of the year, the amount of power produced can easily out weight the cost benefits when you have high usage due to AC, EV charging, along with normal home electric usage. I will say that I looked into a solar roof here in Washington state for my 2000 sq ft house and came up with an installed cost of $30,000 with a break even of 20 years. Due to other factors, I had to pass on doing this at the time, but am looking to get back into the solar roof option due to the efficiency rates having gone up so much more in the last couple of years. LG, Panasonic and Sun Power all produce solar panels over 22% efficient compared to Tesla which in a story back in 2016 stated they would be between 22% to 24% efficient and yet no updated info today from Tesla on the actual production efficiency of a Tesla solar roof tile. Many reviews say that due to the small footprint of each tile and the thin nature, that getting a roof to be over 22% efficient will be very hard for Tesla. End result is in farther north states, it might be hard to justify for some the cost of a solar installation with powerwall. Yet that said, if you are in a northern state that has high electric rates, humidity from warm summers, a solar option with fixed rate of electricity might be a smart way to go especially if you experience brown outs where the powerwall can help keep you up and running in comparison to your neighbor who is out and unable to keep their food cold. Over all in the story that started me writing this up, clearly the guy in San Jose California benefits as he returns plenty of power to the grid in a state well known for brownouts and high energy demand. In cooler states with less sunshine, this might be harder to justify unless you are a very green individual that wants to minimize your footprint on the planet. End result is if you do a solar option, it seems to make sense to include a storage system on top of the net metering back to the grid where available as not all states will take your excess power you produce or pay you for it. West coast states fully support the net metering of buying back power you produce. If you choose to have an electric commuter auto, then you also gain from minimizing your pull from the grid. States that have higher electric rates benefit more than states with cheap electric rates, but everyone still wins having a home charging system with solar and storage for efficient use of electric power. Insideevs.com story energyusage.com story energyusage.com solar panels solarreviews.com story homeadvisor.com story energy.gov site fortune story
  6. I am willing to put my money on a 4 door sedan. The days of popular big selling 2 door coupes are over except in niche markets of luxury lines.
  7. @ocnblu Here is your next truck, Diesel and monster as the Ultimate Raptor F350 truck! https://www.motor1.com/news/258159/ford-f-350-mega-raptor-defco-video/
  8. I have to imagine that they DID NOT ask Panasonic their sole battery supplier and partner for the Mega Battery production plant for any refunds.
  9. OUCH what a service hell, but if you can afford the car, you can afford the $21,000 service cost. https://www.motor1.com/news/258155/dubai-dealer-high-end-cars/ WOW, you can drool a lake here at this dealership.
  10. I have heard this many times as people here in Seattle are NOT impressed with Alfa's. Lexus and Infiniti is considered better than an Alfa.
  11. Makes me think 2019 auto show could be small attendance before drawing in huge crowds.
  12. What an ugly Toyota Juke! I really do not get the style Toyota is going for on their auto's. Go from Bland appliance barf to weird appliance barf.
  13. How did Sergio turn Fiat around. They still build crap that no one wants and as far as a great automotive leader. Sorry Biff, your clearly drinking the wrong kool aid on this one. He is anything but a great leader.
  14. Have to disagree with you. I hate this baby boomer everything is chrome bling thing. NO thanks, a sexy luxury auto can be bold like the front end of the CTS without a ton of Bling. In fact, the best thing Cadillac can do is offer a black chrome package that gives one a bit of bling subdued so you have more of a monochromatic look that is still rich and luxurious.
  15. @regfootball I really like your review and would agree, the interior needs some major work as it is cramped for legs with the design of the center stack / dash and some really weird bits. Tesla 3 just does nothing for me, I actually would take the cramped Volt over a Tesla 3 but the winner winner chicken dinner is the BOLT. Chevrolet did their work here and you have a spacious subcompact with interior room more than the size class, dash layout no different than many other traditional small commuter cars / cuv's. If you have not stopped by a chevy dealer to test drive a BOLT, please do and make sure to press the SPORT mode button on the lower left corner of the center stack. That really kicks up the fun factor if your looking for speed / torque. Takes a full second off the 0 - 60 time. Otherwise you just get pure instant reaction and maneuvering that makes driving in heavy traffic more fun as you can respond when others cannot.
  16. I see your fingers being in the way trying to screw in the top piece. How about commercial grade double stick tape to hold them in place so you can then put the top piece on and screw in the screws?
  17. This is as ugly as the Nissan Juke. Why Toyota Why? I just do not get this ugly style Toyota is going for.
  18. Very cool update, so how will you get the half washer pieces to hold in place to screw in the top piece? ?
  19. Time to kill off the unloved Fiat in the US, leave it to Europe and those 3rd world places that want and still buy the cheap little POS auto's. Alfa, is bleeding money and is mediocre at best. Time to let it go BACK into the History books. Move the platform into Dodge / Chrysler and in the Euro market grow Fiat with some bigger cars to expand options. Continue to invest in Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and especially JEEP. Sorry for the personal health issues of Serfio's family. Hello Mike, wishing you all the best in continuing to grow FCA.
  20. I REALLY REALLY REALLY HOPE that Mike Manley gets the CEO position, but my gut tells me they will probably go with the European Chief Alfredo Altavilla as Italians want an idiot Itallian running the company that is kept going by American Money. Mike would make sure the US divisions that have kept Fiat going and brought JUNK Alfa back from the grave would get the focus and profits to keep building new auto's. Bye Bye Sergio, you WILL NOT be missed!
  21. That has been my understanding but in researching it, there is info that they build these 117 special versions and then I come across this one that seems to have the 6.0 but was unable to fully confirm so it is a weird anomaly.
  22. I have not used consistently any injector cleaner due to using Costco and Fred Meyers gas with detergents added by them already. I have in my old Suburban used the Techron injector cleaner as I buy it from Costco in a two pack for $16.99. Techron is great stuff.
  23. I like the sound of that, "Grand Wagoneer Electrohawk" Quick patent it before they steal it and then sell them the rights!
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