2024 Sucks too!

[sandydandy]

Well here we are again. Deja-vu after I did the 2022 Sucks thread. I wanted to change the title of that to add 2024 suckage and continue from there but couldn’t, so I'll just post a new thread.

Picking up where I left off in that thread…


Finally got a replacement for the TL. A white 2019 TLX A-spec with very low kms. Got it a couple of weeks ago Last night this car was stolen...right out of my driveway. We only got to enjoy it for 18 months or so.

Feeling a combination of shitty, miserable, sick and numb. Barely got a couple of hours of sleep last night. My son is gutted, I think. This was his car and he drove it the most. He worked hard to try to personalize it by de-badging most of it, and blacking out the remaining emblems. He wanted to eventually powder coat the rims black too, along with other stuff. But unless by some miracle the car is found, those dreams are now dead.

I was actually experiencing premonitions about this for the past few weeks. Like I knew this was coming. I was noticing videos and articles online talking about Toronto’s recent car theft crime wave, and how thieves are becoming more creative by using antennas to capture the signals being emitted by key fobs in order to duplicate that signal onto their own fob to gain entry into a vehicle and start it up. We used to hang our keys/fobs on hooks right next to the front door, but then began placing them on the bar which is about 20 feet into the house, thinking it’s enough of a distance to deny range to would-be car thieves. Even the New York Times wrote an article a little while ago about Toronto’s car theft epidemic, saying it's like a “candy store” for car thieves. Look up the article.

All of this was getting in my head as I started becoming paranoid every evening. We have a home monitoring system with a few cameras around the house, none that record unfortunately because we never got around to getting a high capacity SD card. Every evening I would constantly look at the tablet which shows the driveway camera feed, to makes sure the car was still there. It’s like something was gnawing at me in the back of my mind in the last little while that this car was going to be gone soon.

Last night my son went to the movies and came home around 10:05 pm. I looked at the tablet and the car was parked. He then went to the washroom for about 15 minutes and came back and we watched the latest episode of X-Men '97, which was about 30 minutes long. I periodically checked the tablet and saw the car was there. So we’re at 10:50-55 now. I started flipping channels for a good half hour and he was still hanging out with me. Around 11:30 he got up and said he was going to bed so I bid him good night and checked the tablet. Car was still there.

Then I went on YouTube and Netflix for a while trying to find something to watch. The clock struck midnight and I was thinking of starting the daily Wordle. Checked the tablet, car was there. Then started watching some YouTube videos on the TV and became immersed in something. Probably around 12:30 I decided it was time for bed. I did not check the tablet. I became distracted by what sounded like a mouse in the walls scraping and clawing, so I went to the fridge and opened the freezer side and saw it was the ice maker causing the noise.

The tablet is right beside the fridge on top of the microwave. I glanced at it…CAR WAS NOT THERE. I had to do a double and triple take.

I was stunned. At first I thought maybe my son did not go upstairs to bed and might’ve gone out to McDonald’s or something, which he does a couple of times a week with friends in the middle of the night. Then I went to the bar and saw that both sets of key fobs were still sitting there. Suddenly I was overcome with dread. I ran upstairs to his room and asked him where exactly he parked the Acura, (because in that moment I didn’t trust my own memory of having seen the car on the tablet several times earlier in the evening), and he said in the driveway. I told him it was gone and he freaked, and we both ran outside.

Came back inside and we called the police on their non-emergency line. The operator said they would send officers when they were available. Then we decided to go outside for a drive with the Pilot to look for the missing Acura. My son drove and almost as soon as he started the car the futility of what we were doing set in, as the reality was the car could've been anywhere at that point in time. Thief had at least half an hour or so of a head start, so there was no chance of finding the fucker. We drove around anyway to a few nearby spots/plazas and my wife called wondering where we were and why we were being so loud. It was shortly after 1:00 at that point. I filled her in on the bad news and she was taken aback and told us to just come home.

We finally got home and the three of us tried to support one another, and decided it was best to just go to bed. My daughter never awoke for any of this. She was told in the morning and was shocked.

So off I went to bed...but sleep I could not. Kept going downstairs for water or milk, constantly looking at the tablet...at the Pilot this time, fearing for its safety as well. But then I thought what are the odds of both cars getting stolen in the same night? Still I didn't feel any comfort. Even in bed I kept pulling out my phone to launch the app to look through the driveway camera. 2:00 passed, 3:00, 4:00...then finally at 5:00 I went downstairs and detached the Pilot's fobs from the chain and wrapped them in aluminum foil and stuffed them deep into the oven. Then I went upstairs and finally was able to get some sleep.

At 7:00 the doorbell rang and two officers greeted us. They first spoke to my son, since he was one who made the initial call several hours earlier. But they wanted to talk to me since I was the registered owner of the vehicle. I explained what happened and gave them soft copies of the ownership/registration and insurance slips. They took their notes and gave me the police report number to give to insurance and then left.

Went back to bed and got up at the ridiculous time of 9:30, and got to work shortly after 10:00. I then wrote up an email to my insurance broker about the theft and called her later in the day. She assured me she would get on it right away. Now some 9 hours later I still haven't heard back from her. I also spent part of the day looking on Amazon for Faraday pouches and boxes.

I'm hoping we can get a good settlement amount. At least market value. I was looking around on car sites and the value has only dropped 10-15% since we bought it in late 2022.

So overall this whole situation really really sucks. I'm still partially in disbelief. All that looking at the tablet meant nothing, because when I needed to look at it, (when the thief was around), I didn't. Maybe it's for the best. What if I saw him and went out to confront him and he pulled out a gun and shot me. These fucking parasites will do anything to steal your car, including murder you. If I could find this bastard or bastards I would stone the fuck out of them.

Or maybe this is a sign from the universe that it's time for me to part ways with Acura. I'm 0/2 with Acuras. The first one was a complete lemon, (as documented extensively in the 2022 Sucks thread), and this second one, while near perfect, gets swiped. Maybe it's time to move on to something better.

In parting with this particular car I will say it was a very good car. It had a few problems in the first few months, just electrical stuff like MICU and battery fan failing and causing fuses to blow, but all of that was covered under warranty, which was still the original four year bumper-to-bumper. After the warranty expired we only had one major problem, which was the fuel filler tube had a leak which triggered warning lights. The dealer wanted $900 to fix it, but my local mechanic did it for like 1/3rd of the cost. The only other problem was the windshield cracked and had to be replaced, but insurance took care of that.

The last few months since winter ended and as we got into spring, the car drove like a dream. I drove it infrequently compared to my son, but whenever I did I always loved it. I'm really going to miss this car.

When we first bought it in late 2022 I didn't take any pictures to put in the Garage, but I'll share one here that I took late last year after the windshield was replaced, (don't know why I'm blanking out the license plate...like it even matters at this point).

It was a beauty of a car!

Farewell.

4268

[Cam]

Dang, sorry to read this. Having had a vehicle stolen, I feel your pain.

[Tom Servo]

I'm lucky enough to never have had a vehicle stolen, I'm sorry that happened. Definitely sucks.

I know some newer cars have started having keyfobs that deactivate when they're not moving, I'm pretty sure mine will stop broadcasting anything after 30 minutes of not moving. If you are lucky enough to get the car back, I wonder if there are any updated keyfobs that might be like that.

[FaultyMario]

Yeah, big time suck.

I think they make faraday cages for keyfobs.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Sorry to hear man…

I currently park my cars on the driveway so I had been worrying about this kind of theft as well. So I got a faraday pouch specifically to prevent this kind of theft. I think any tin box would do. Just test it by placing the fob in the metal box and see if the car could sense it…

My doorbell cam is tilted toward my driveway too. However, even with recordings it’s still kinda worthless. We were able to record package and shoes thieves, but pretty sure these thieves are not from our neighborhood or even if they were, I can’t recognize any of them anyways! :p

Just go find a tin box asap!

[Yw-slayer]

Sorry to hear that, man. I hope you get a decent payout and can get a suitable replacement.

[Tom Servo]

Sorry to hear that, man. I hope you get a decent payout and can get a suitable replacement.

Yeah - I'm not sure they're quite as nice with stolen cars as they are with stolen bikes, but when my bike got stolen the insurance rep got on the phone with me and we searched Specialized's website for the equivalent new model. They paid me out the full price of a new one despite me even telling the rep on the phone that I'd gotten mine as a floor model at about 55% off. I actually made money on the deal.

[sandydandy]

Thanks guys for the words. Feeling a little better today, as I'm talking with insurance and they've started the claim. Going to pick up a rental car this afternoon.

Also have a faraday box/cage on order and it'll arrive soon. Should get some pouches too. Was watching YouTube videos about this whole thing and now I fully understand how the whole scam works. It's so devious. I heard about it a couple of months ago but didn't really take the danger seriously enough to warrant getting a faraday cage or pouch. The most I did was move our key fobs toward the middle of the house, and reminded everyone else to do the same. I wish I knew last week what I know now.

But anyway, what's done is done. Part of me is still holding out hope that I'll get a call from the police notifying me that they've found the car and that it's in good condition. Realistically however, it's likely in a shipping container by now.

Hoping the insurance claim gets settled soon and we can buy/lease a new car. I have no idea what the timeline is for these things. I haven't heard from the adjuster yet, only spoke with the clerk who opened the claim and set up the rental. I should be hearing from that person soon, hopefully later today.

[Crazed_Insanity]

At least the car market is returning to normal from the insanity of the pandemic times.

Hope insurance will give you a decent payout so you can get an even better ride!

[neanderthal]

Sux mate.

But it's a thing, and a thing can be replaced. I've had to replace my Africa Twin twice. Both times I wished I didn't have to, but it is what it is. This is what you pay so much for insurance for.

[sandydandy]

Well I received a rental. A 2023 Audi A4, which is cool and everything, but I'm filled with paranoia. I have a faraday box on order from Amazon which is due to arrive on Monday, but I didn't want to wait that long so yesterday I went to the store and got one that works brilliantly. I thought that should help me decompress a little yesterday but not a chance. I was sitting there staring at the Pilot and Audi through the security app all evening.

Kinda worried about the Pilot. That night the Acura was stolen the Pilot was right next to it, but it was left alone. My worry is that the Pilot's key fobs might have already been copied and the thieves are planning to come back at a later date. Nothing I can do to stop that except look for a wheel lock device or something. The faraday box will protect it from being copied, but useless if the signal has already been cloned onto another fob. Or maybe they don't care about Honda Pilots.

I know the Toyota Highlander is high on the list of stolen cars in this country, and the Pilot is its equivalent sort of, but maybe there isn't much of a market for it on the stolen car scene. That's my hope. I told my mechanic about the Acura being stolen and he was wondering why anyone would steal that. I question if it's even been put in a shipping container to go overseas to Africa or the Middle East. Aside from North America, I don't think an Acura TLX is on anyone's wish list. It's pretty much dressed up and glorified Accord. Entry level luxury at best. My hope is that this was just a couple of joyriders who have, or will, abandon the car somewhere soon and it can be found without damage.

Still haven't heard back from the cops.

[Tom Servo]

It's my understanding that keyfobs generally use rolling codes based around some private key, so even if you could clone a single instance of a signal, that won't actually help you all that much. Kinda like if you get a text message with a six digit code to enter when logging into a site on a new device, that code only works for so long and doesn't help you figure out the next code. Most of the attacks I see right now are essentially using a bunch of wire as a repeater to amplify the signal from an existing keyfob and really just work at that moment. I would not be super worried that the Honda keyfob has been cloned, as it were.

That all goes out the window when you're talking about the Camaro and the ability to create new keyfobs from the OBD-2 port, but I'm pretty sure you're in the clear.

[Yw-slayer]

For now just wrap the fobs in aluminum foil, surely? And enjoy the rental.

[Rare White Ape]

Rental cars are usually faster than their personally-owned counterparts.

I can't quite figure out why :?

[sandydandy]

It's my understanding that keyfobs generally use rolling codes based around some private key, so even if you could clone a single instance of a signal, that won't actually help you all that much. Kinda like if you get a text message with a six digit code to enter when logging into a site on a new device, that code only works for so long and doesn't help you figure out the next code. Most of the attacks I see right now are essentially using a bunch of wire as a repeater to amplify the signal from an existing keyfob and really just work at that moment. I would not be super worried that the Honda keyfob has been cloned, as it were.

That all goes out the window when you're talking about the Camaro and the ability to create new keyfobs from the OBD-2 port, but I'm pretty sure you're in the clear. Thanks for telling me that, it's a bit of a relief!


For now just wrap the fobs in aluminum foil, surely? And enjoy the rental. I did actually get a new faraday box from the store yesterday. When the Amazon order comes in on Monday then I'll have two of them. One I'll take to work and put in the office. My son ordered some pouches as well which should be coming tomorrow.

Normally I would enjoy the rental, (if the main car was out due to repairs), but under these circumstances I'm sort of indifferent to it right now. My son is ecstatic that we have an A4...but it's not really ours. It's a very short term thing, probably 30 days max, so no sense getting excited. Need to start the process of shopping for a new car soon. Lease and finance rates are ridiculously high right now, so that doesn't help. Still holding onto a tiny sliver of hope that the Acura will be found and life can return to normal.


Sux mate.

But it's a thing, and a thing can be replaced. I've had to replace my Africa Twin twice. Both times I wished I didn't have to, but it is what it is. This is what you pay so much for insurance for. I know it's just a car...it's an inanimate object. But the way your whole life turns upside down is tough to digest. My cousin had his Land Rover (Defender I think) stolen last summer out of his driveway, and he told me that insurance is being nice now by providing a nice rental that I didn't really ask for, (I was expecting an Altima or something), but it'll be a big fight when it comes time to value the stolen Acura for the payout. They'll try to fuck me every which way, and I have to prepare for that.

Here's hoping for the best possible outcome.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Try not to worry so much and enjoy the Audi while it's around!

Do your research and gather info regarding how much your Acura should be worth. When you back it up with real evidence/data, it'll be hard for insurance to screw you that way. Sometimes insurance might end up giving your a # that's higher than expected!

If you feel anxious and worried... they try to put those anxieties to good use. Do something that can reduce your anxieties. If there's really not much else you can do and you still worry sick about it... then go sleep in one of the cars on the driveway! :p

I suspect these kinda thieves typically steal higher end cars and then ship and sell them oversea. Oversea market probably don't really care too much for Pilot or Highlander because they are not 'premium' enough and probably also too big for foreign markets with narrow streets. CRVs are probably more desirable?

Anyway, just try not to worry about things that you know there's nothing you can do anything about.

[CudaMan]

Man that sucks. Those cars seem cool. Hopefully it's either found in good shape or the replacement is even better!

I had looked around for a Faraday cage for my keys a while back, never found anything I liked (they were all so small, seemingly designed for just 1 or 2 key fobs). If anyone has seen one that can hold 5-6 fobs on hooks, feel free to link them here. I've thought about having one of my own design made and selling it, but I haven't the resources/connections to engineer and launch a product.

I've kept the keys in the middle of the house for years, but it's still within 20 feet of outside so probably not enough.

[Kchrpm]

My parents have a security camera outside the house that makes a loud noise when it sees motion, I don't know how much of a deterrent that actually is.

I have a single Google Nest cam in the garage that can see outside and with infrared, and it notifies me and saves the video whenever it sees a person or vehicle in my driveway. The saves only last I think 3 hours if you don't pay $6/month, so I pay the $6, mostly for the few times a year that I forget to close the garage door at night. I wish I could set its notifications to trigger an action, so for example a light in the driveway could come on, but alas it does not.

I don't know enough about faraday cages, could you make your own by finding a sweet lunch box and lining it with aluminum foil or chain link or something?

[Crazed_Insanity]

I think any tin lunch/cookie box should do. I got a big faraday pouch that works even better. I tested it by putting in my phone, once it's sealed, the phone disappear off network. Won't even ring if I try to call it. Tin box won't work as well as faraday pouch because I think cellular signal can still get thru...

However, I tried putting in my fob in a sealed tin box and that's enough for my car to not sense me approaching. Once I open the lid, the car realizes I'm near by! ;)

Find a tin box and experiment yourselves. If your car cannot sense it, it's good enough.

I stopped using my pouch because it's so difficult fishing thru all the fobs to try to find the right one. I now just put them in a big tinbox that used to be some japanese snack... so now I can neatly arrange all my key fobs in it.

[FaultyMario]

i bet Adam keeps his in a danish cookies tin. ;)

[Godson]

Man that sucks. Those cars seem cool. Hopefully it's either found in good shape or the replacement is even better!

I had looked around for a Faraday cage for my keys a while back, never found anything I liked (they were all so small, seemingly designed for just 1 or 2 key fobs). If anyone has seen one that can hold 5-6 fobs on hooks, feel free to link them here. I've thought about having one of my own design made and selling it, but I haven't the resources/connections to engineer and launch a product.

I've kept the keys in the middle of the house for years, but it's still within 20 feet of outside so probably not enough.

I'm curious on what your design idea is...

I have, tools that may help you...

[samoht]

Sorry to hear, it really sucks being violated like this.

It's so aggravating that such low-lifes exist, and also that car-makers, after improving security for many years then went and took such a big step backwards.


i bet Adam keeps his in a danish cookies tin. ;)

My keys are in a biscuit tin (tested and the car ignores them even with the tin right next to the driver's door)

4278

The latest cars I believe turn off transmission after the key's been sat still for a minute, reducing the risk. There are also at least some modern cars where keyless entry/start is an option you can choose to disable. So a couple of things to consider with the replacement.

I'd suggest searching for examples of similar cars for sale, also checking eBay sold items, and putting together a spreadsheet of examples to send to the insurance company when they inevitably low-ball you with the first offer.

Good luck, hopefully you can get to a good resolution eventually.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Nice!

I have seen McLaren cars, but I don't think I've ever seen McLaren key fobs before! Very nice! :D

[CudaMan]

I'm curious on what your design idea is...

I have, tools that may help you...

Basically a wall-mounted box that is of an external material that looks decent among home decor, has about 6-8 hooks inside for good key organization (I use my rack for more than just the 2 smart key fobs), and has some kind of easy to use door if necessary. In my case the open side of the box would face the back yard where no one outside can get within 40 feet, but for selling as a general product a lid is probably a good idea.

[sandydandy]

Need to gas up the A4 soon. I think I’m just going to put regular. My son seems to remember the guy at the rental place who was doing the walk around mention that 87 octane was good enough. I can’t seem to remember that part, but he does.

I think car rental places fully expect people to put regular instead of premium, even in cars where premium is recommended/required. Gas is going to jump by 0.14/L tomorrow so I need to fill up tonight.

In the TLX we alway put regular gas, even though premium was recommended on the gas door and online. The dealer himself said put regular.

[Tom Servo]

I've definitely seen companies use specific language about that. The T5 and T6 Volvo engines say they recommend premium, the B5 and B6 engines say it's required. I know you can get away with lower octane fuel in the B engines, but my understanding is that it can actually hurt the longevity of the engine if you use it regularly.

[neanderthal]

Most cars have knock sensors in the block that can retard the timing if they sense engine knock. Which can happen with advanced timing and high perofrmance/ high compression engines.

[shakes]

Drive around your neighborhood and check the shopping plazas, you might get lucky. Buddy at work had his 2 month old F150 stolen (street parking) and the cops found it a few days later less than a kilometer from his house in a grocery store parking lot. Thieves left the truck but took the dash apart to get the infotainment unit.

[Yw-slayer]

Did you know that where I live, the lowest-grade petrol that you can buy is RON98. It costs USD3.19 per litre.

That's why, when in America, I love pumping a full tank of American regular into the rental for relative peanuts, before entering "90210" as my postcode when paying at the pump.

DRAGON ROARS

[Tom Servo]

At first I was like "man, that's crazy expensive" and then realized it's only about double what we pay here.

[Crazed_Insanity]

3.788L is 1 gallon. So that's $12/gallon...

WA gas is a bit cheaper than CA... at about $4.29 for regular and $4.79 for premium at Costco.

In all honesty as gas prices go up, the difference between regular and premium is becoming smaller and smaller...

If you own a car that 'requires' premium fuel, better to just trust the car manufacturer's 'requirement'. I'm sure they specified that for a reason. For rentals, yeah, you probably don't have to care as much... hopefully the car is 'smart' enough to adjust itself accordingly to protect itself. Often times when that happens, even if no damages are done, it'll still experience loss of performance and MPG... with the loss of MPG, it probably won't give you much fuel savings even with regular fuel. However, if it's just for a rental return, there's definitely some savings... :p

Anyway, I get the feeling that the theives that steal key fob signals are probably the type who'd steal your 'premium' car to sell to other markets. If they only want the 'parts', you should likely find your car locally somewhere in a few days... I got my Civic back within a couple days... just missing my carbon fiber hood. My S2000 just got it's hardtop stolen. Good thing they didn't steal my baby!

I guess I have never owned a luxury car that thieves want to steal and sell else where! :p

Still, a tinbox/faraday cage is still a good investment just in case.

[sandydandy]

Try not to worry so much and enjoy the Audi while it's around! I actually quite enjoy it now. Second gear just rips. Gotta give the car back on Monday though, I'll explain why below. But yeah gonna enjoy it this final weekend.


I've kept the keys in the middle of the house for years, but it's still within 20 feet of outside so probably not enough. Yeah that's what I did. I think I saw an Instagram reel a couple of months ago about the relay attack and showed the family. I was sort of worried so started placing the keys in the middle of the house. Clearly I didn't take the danger seriously enough, or I would've gotten a faraday box. Just in the last couple of weeks I was experiencing premonitions that were really weird and scary. I really should've picked up a faraday box then but didn't. Oh well, I have a couple now so I sleep a little more soundly and try not to worry about the Pilot and the rental. Though I still stare at the camera all evening.


My parents have a security camera outside the house that makes a loud noise when it sees motion, I don't know how much of a deterrent that actually is.

I have a single Google Nest cam in the garage that can see outside and with infrared, and it notifies me and saves the video whenever it sees a person or vehicle in my driveway. The saves only last I think 3 hours if you don't pay $6/month, so I pay the $6, mostly for the few times a year that I forget to close the garage door at night. I wish I could set its notifications to trigger an action, so for example a light in the driveway could come on, but alas it does not.

I don't know enough about faraday cages, could you make your own by finding a sweet lunch box and lining it with aluminum foil or chain link or something? I am seriously considering an overall upgrade in security. Right now we have three cameras that work when they want to and controlled by a router that goes to sleep and is difficult to wake up again. Half of the door sensors have dead batteries too. I'm going to call the provider and tell them to upgrade and/or replace everything without extra charge, or else they can take it all down and take it away. It's very unreliable. I've had this shitty system since 2019 so it's time for a change. There are way more better options available these days.


Sorry to hear, it really sucks being violated like this.

It's so aggravating that such low-lifes exist, and also that car-makers, after improving security for many years then went and took such a big step backwards. You said it man. I was searching for that word all week and can tell you that's definitely how it feels. It leads to anger, sadness and an overall paranoia that's still not going away. I find myself glued to the tablet staring through the camera and triggered by everyone that I see. Even somebody walking their dog.


Drive around your neighborhood and check the shopping plazas, you might get lucky. Buddy at work had his 2 month old F150 stolen (street parking) and the cops found it a few days later less than a kilometer from his house in a grocery store parking lot. Thieves left the truck but took the dash apart to get the infotainment unit. We did that the first night. The next few nights I went out and around the neighborhood with the Acura key fob pressing the panic button, just to see if it was in somebody's garage. I gave up after a while. I'm pretty sure it's not around locally. This car didn't have a particularly great infotainment system. It was the "tech package", but not that great tech. If they wanted to steal that they could've just done it in the driveway. I'm thinking it's either gone to a warehouse, on a shipping container or going to be used in a future crime somewhere.

So anyway, the latest news is the insurance company presented me with an offer that was quite fair and I've accepted it. They've allowed me a three day grace period with the A4 rental, but if I keep it beyond Monday then it'll be an out-of-pocket expense.

Tomorrow we start car shopping. We have a few ideas of what we want. I floated the idea of just getting the same car again. There's a beautiful black 2020 TLX A-Spec on sale for a price cheaper than the payout, (the stolen one was 2019), and with comparable mileage. Wife practically took my head off and called me a fool for wanting Acura again.

Yeah I think I've washed my hands of Acura for life.

[Dicknose]

Did you know that where I live, the lowest-grade petrol that you can buy is RON98. It costs USD3.19 per litre.

That's why, when in America, I love pumping a full tank of American regular into the rental for relative peanuts, before entering "90210" as my postcode when paying at the pump.

DRAGON ROARS

Hey I did 90210 as well just a week or so ago in Texas.

[Yw-slayer]

At first I was like "man, that's crazy expensive" and then realized it's only about double what we pay here.

Isn't it more like over 3x if California is US$5.815/gallon playing HK's US$3.08/litre?

Or being lazy, US$0.9/litre for you guys (perhaps this is lower-grade petrol rather than RON98) plays US$3.0x? https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/gasoline-prices


Hey I did 90210 as well just a week or so ago in Texas.

I see that the Cassowary growls.

[Tom Servo]

Gas here in CA, at least for the stuff I have to put in the Volvo, is anywhere from $6 to $7 a gallon. There are 3.79 liters in a gallon, so 3.08 * 3.79 = $11.67 @ gallon in HK, and 11.67 / 5.815 is almost exactly 2.

Part of me being surprised is I remember filling up in Europe years ago and it was more like 4-5x what we were paying in the US, but it was also like $2 a gallon back then out here.

[Rare White Ape]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNqdGfaWYAEQqXk?format=jpg&name=medium

[Tom Servo]

Hey, depending on the station you go to out here, Calvin's dad finally got his wish.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/chevron-gas-station-prices-los-angeles.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024

[Crazed_Insanity]

:eek:

Back to my previous point about regular vs premium...

$8.06 vs $8.10. Even if you have an empty 40 gallon tank of a giant SUV, you'll save a grand total of $1.60 in that station.

[sandydandy]

Hey, depending on the station you go to out here, Calvin's dad finally got his wish.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/chevron-gas-station-prices-los-angeles.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024 Wow that's crazy expensive! Here I thought we were getting fleeced at the pumps. I did a little math and we're paying about $6.42 Canadian (or about $4.72 USD) per gallon.

So anyway, I went and put a deposit on a car over the weekend.

A white 2022 Honda Civic Sport with the HPD package. It's a great looking car with really low kms and trusted Honda engineering behind it. We know these cars are simply exceptional on gas, and am really looking forward to that. Sadly I had to return the A4 today. That was a fun and solid car that turned heads too. Insurance told me I would get the funds for the payout by the end of the week, so I'm taking the old beater of a van home every day.

The Civic is great...but it's the Sport model and only has 158 hp. That's the only downside. TLX had 290 hp. It's definitely a bit an ego dip buying this car, but my son understands and accepts it. It's still a fun ride, just won't be winning any stoplight-to-stoplight "drag races"...which is actually a good thing.

Made the deal on Saturday and told the wife about it and she was not impressed. Now she's open to the idea of getting that 2020 TLX A-Spec I mentioned earlier. I'm like WTF?? I don't understand women. This evening we're going to the dealership to get her to look at it and take it for a spin. Need her stamp of approval or might have to cancel the deal, which they said I can do. This is the same Honda dealership that I'm leasing the Pilot from.

I wouldn't mind another TLX...but the gas savings and reliability of the Civic makes more practical sense. Let's see if she likes it. Fingers crossed.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Can’t go wrong with the Civic, except its high stolen rate! https://www.thezebra.com/resources/driving/most-stolen-cars/

Ask wife how she feels about the cars you’re looking at… don’t need to understand women, just need to make them happy! Of course understanding how to make them happy would be even more awesome! ;)

[Yw-slayer]

Both sound like good choices, man. Hope either one gives you many years of trouble-free service.


Gas here in CA, at least for the stuff I have to put in the Volvo, is anywhere from $6 to $7 a gallon. There are 3.79 liters in a gallon, so 3.08 * 3.79 = $11.67 @ gallon in HK, and 11.67 / 5.815 is almost exactly 2.

Part of me being surprised is I remember filling up in Europe years ago and it was more like 4-5x what we were paying in the US, but it was also like $2 a gallon back then out here.

I guess what this does show is how expensive petrol now is in the US!

[sandydandy]

So I have to cancel the deal for the Civic Sport. Wife went with me to see it yesterday and was thoroughly turned off. She thought it was cosmetically flashy and too bare bones inside for her taste. The click-click of the manual seat adjustment was a huge turn off for her. There are certain amenities that we're used to now that make it impossible to go backwards. It didn't help that the Civic didn't have rear heated seats. We were discussing possibly looking at the Touring model, which has a more powerful engine and all the goodies inside, but I don't think she's receptive to the idea of any Civic at all.

Oh well. I didn't mind the downgrade...it made more practical sense, but happy wife equals happy life. So I'll be heading to the dealership again this evening to get my deposit back and officially cancel the deal.

Good news is my insurance payout arrived.

Bad news is we still have no second car and I'm driving the beat up old work van home. We're all in consensus that going back to Acura for a 2020 TLX A-Spec is probably the best idea, though we're looking at some Lexus hybrids as well. We're familiar with the TLX and the cost is still less than the insurance payout, so no financial strain. I'm actually looking to finance it in order to avoid further immediate financial strain. As long as it's an open loan that can be paid off at any time. Financing rates are fucking high. The idea is that my son will pay it off after a couple of years when he starts making money and is into his career. He's almost graduated from university, (I think he has one course left).

So unless we go the Lexus route, Acura here we come...may the third time be a charm!

[Tom Servo]

I guess what this does show is how expensive petrol now is in the US!

Oh totally. I think I'm surprised that other countries didn't also go up, but I found the same when I went to Europe last year, the price differential has come down a lot. And rightfully so, we were paying stupidly low rates for petrol here.

[Crazed_Insanity]

... I'm actually looking to finance it in order to avoid further immediate financial strain. As long as it's an open loan that can be paid off at any time. Financing rates are fucking high. The idea is that my son will pay it off after a couple of years when he starts making money and is into his career. He's almost graduated from university, (I think he has one course left).


Since insurance payout should be sufficient to cover the cost of your whatever replacement car you get, why take out a high interest loan? Unless if you want to use it to help build credit for you son? Even that, just make a huge down payment and take out a relatively small loan amount or something.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you're getting. To be honest, I'd not know what kind of car to buy nowadays too. I just want something cheap, but good! ;)

Speaking of cheap, I think the best deals now are EV leases!

https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/you-can-lease-a-toyota-bz4x-for-next-to-nothing-right-now/

Toyota's BZ4X... the electric RAV 4 which is supposedly more than $40k MSRP, but is being leased at $2k down and $129/month at certain locations!!! However, not sure if you Canadians are getting similarly good deals though, plus EVs and cold winters may not mix well, but I suppose it all depends on what you want out of that car? Surely for long distance family trips, you have your other car for that, right? So if this 2nd car will be mostly doing errands around town, EVs will be perfect. You also won't have to decide whether to put in regular or premium gas! :p

Of course the draw back is that at lease's end, the car is not yours and you'll be back to car shopping again... and your wife's tastes may grow even more expensive by then... ;)

[sandydandy]

Since insurance payout should be sufficient to cover the cost of your whatever replacement car you get, why take out a high interest loan? Unless if you want to use it to help build credit for you son? Even that, just make a huge down payment and take out a relatively small loan amount or something.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you're getting. To be honest, I'd not know what kind of car to buy nowadays too. I just want something cheap, but good! ;)

Speaking of cheap, I think the best deals now are EV leases!

https://electrek.co/2024/04/23/you-can-lease-a-toyota-bz4x-for-next-to-nothing-right-now/

Toyota's BZ4X... the electric RAV 4 which is supposedly more than $40k MSRP, but is being leased at $2k down and $129/month at certain locations!!! However, not sure if you Canadians are getting similarly good deals though, plus EVs and cold winters may not mix well, but I suppose it all depends on what you want out of that car? Surely for long distance family trips, you have your other car for that, right? So if this 2nd car will be mostly doing errands around town, EVs will be perfect. You also won't have to decide whether to put in regular or premium gas! :p

Of course the draw back is that at lease's end, the car is not yours and you'll be back to car shopping again... and your wife's tastes may grow even more expensive by then... ;) I'll be putting down at least a 50% down payment on any car I buy. Why not just pay it outright? Well I like having the excess money in my bank account and being liquid. Plus my son has expressed interest in helping pay down the loan. The car will be in my name but when he turns 25 we'll transfer it to his name. Not sure if the loan can be moved to his name too, in order help build his credit as you mentioned, but that's a few years down the road.

Civic deal has officially been cancelled. Wife really likes the Lexus UX250H which is a hybrid and extremely good on gas. City MPG is actually higher than highway MPG, because you would be in electric mode most of the time. We're still considering TLX again...and have our eye on a nice fully loaded Accord with low kms that's a few years old.

Eventually we're going to make a deal somewhere. Hopefully by this weekend.

[neanderthal]

I guess it must be why I am single, but no man or woman will ever give input into my car buying decisions, that will be considered, unless they are paying for it.

I already know more about cars, specifically the cars I am interested in, than just about everyone in my social circles outside of you lot.

[Crazed_Insanity]

It’s not really about knowledge, but emotional connections with women. Tree of knowledge can sometimes get us into trouble you know. Happiness with tree of life is only possible with a happy wife! ;)

[Tom Servo]

I think those lines get blurred when you're married and have combined finances. We both make good money, it all goes into one account, so when buying a car it doesn't really matter who writes the check. That said, the previous car we bought was with my money (this was before we combined finances) and was mostly her pick, if only because we were replacing her car and I still had my Miata.

[sandydandy]

So we ended up buying another Acura TLX A-Spec. This time a black 2020 with similar kms to the one that was stolen. It felt like the natural fit, and the cost is a little cheaper than the payout received from insurance. The only extra costs will be theft protection, (if the car gets stolen, they'll give me $5K toward a new car with them), extended warranty to 2027 and the biggest plus is an immobilizer to prevent this one from being stolen.

Taking delivery on Thursday.

We were going bonkers these past few weeks. Bouncing around from Honda Civic to Accord to Lexus UX 250H to Acura RDX and then right back to where we should've looked at the start.

I think back to the very beginning late in 2022, when we got the white 2019 TLX. If anyone remembers in the "2022 Sucks" thread I mentioned that this car was a gift for my son from my father, who is retired. When it was stolen we kind of got carried away with what we wanted, instead of just trying to make him whole again. He was good with whatever but I know his heart was still with the TLX...and to be honest, mine was too. Looking at it objectively, the UX 250H did make way more economical sense...but it was a very different car from the TLX.

The decision has been made and we're looking forward to receiving it.

So we can finally close the chapter on this stolen car. It's gone and is never coming back. Overall we didn't really lose much, aside from some personal belongings in the car. I had a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses that I bought in 2013 back when polarized lenses was a brand new thing, but I didn't really wear it much, (not really a sunglasses person), plus I had a CD booklet in the trunk containing 50-80 CDs that I had collected over the last 25 years. But I have Spotify now so I don't really care much about that. I used the CD booklet a lot when I had my old 2004 Accord. When I bought the 2012 TL I used Bluetooth audio and the CD booklet just stayed in the trunk. Then when we got the 2019 TLX the booklet was just transferred into that trunk where it stayed. Other than the glasses and booklet, my son had a pair of shoes and jacket in the trunk. At first it was feared that he had left his wallet full of cash in the car too. He had a bad habit of leaving debit/credit cards and even his whole wallet in the car, and I would berate him about it regularly. When the car was stolen he couldn't find his wallet, but luckily it was found washed in his jeans. Now I think he's learned to take care of his valuables.

Overall I'm happy that insurance came through and we haven't suffered any real financial damage, just a few weeks of aggravation. This experience has definitely made us smarter and more aware of keeping our vehicles safe. We've altered our habits with key fobs. With the Pilot (and the Audi rental when we had it) as soon as we get out of the car and lock it, the fob goes straight into the pouch. Then when we get inside it goes into the faraday box, and that's that. I do kind of still stare at the camera all evening, but I'm sure that'll pass. Have to have trust in the science of it, and sleep soundly otherwise I'll lose my mind.

[neanderthal]

Good for you!

[Crazed_Insanity]

You got a newer car and pocketed some extra money. Man, that really sucked! :p

[sandydandy]

Interesting new development in my stolen Acura case.

I just got a letter in the mail from the city about an unpaid parking ticket dated May 9th...the car was reported stolen April 11th. The thief is still using my plate and managed to get ticketed. The craziest part is that it was in front of a house about 1 km away from my house. How fucked up is that? What's even more fucked up is how the officer could put a ticket on a car that's been reported stolen. Even if it's a bylaw officer and not a real cop, you'd think the plate would be flagged and automatically show up in their system as stolen.

So fucking ridiculous.

I called the police non-emergency line and spoke with a nice woman who gave me the badge numbers and emails of the two officers who did the police report back in April. She also said to formally put in a dispute with the city about the ticket, and that it'll 100% be cancelled. I told her we're passing by that house daily now to see if we can get a glimpse of the car. She said to call 911 immediately if we spot it. It's not known if the thief lives there or was just visiting. I emailed the officers and explained the story to them. I'm interested to know if they'll do anything to investigate that address. Either that house or one of the neighboring ones.

Hopefully I hear back soon. Not really interested in the car since it's already been replaced, but more in my valuables, (assuming they're still in the car).

[Crazed_Insanity]

Kinda doubt the car is still in the neighborhood, yet cops couldn't find it...

Whoever wrote the ticket probably won't bother checking if a car is stolen or not? However, it's amazing that after it's in the 'system' and they figured out your address, yet didn't realize it's reported stolen and still managed to track you down and wanted you to pay for it? You guys probably should defund that part of your police! :p Seriously though, how can this happen when the car is reported stolen? Perhaps the court system isn't tied to the police computer system?

Anyway, my suspicion is that the car is probably in another country somewhere... and the thieves probably sold off the plates so people can evade parking tickets or traffic cameras?

[George]

Around here, they just drive with no plates at all, and don't get pulled over. :smh:

I don't think I've replied, but I've followed sandy's story. Sad. What a mess.

My neighbor who owns a '69 Firebird and two 1980s BMWs just had his work truck stolen. They took his 3/4-ton 4x4 Dodge Ram with Cummins diesel and a six-speed manual from right in front of his house. This is particularly concerning to me since we now have two cars parked outside. I saw a steering wheel club on a car parked on the street in Denver today and was thinking about getting a couple during the commute this morning. Car theft is much worse in Denver than in our suburb, though.

No visible law enforcement in the city for the last four years really takes its toll on the citizenry. Even the mayor had his car stolen last year.

[Kchrpm]

Around here, they just drive with no plates at all, and don't get pulled over. :smh:

I see a lot of cars with temporary paper tags or even permanent plates inside the (usually tinted) rear glass.

My version of "stolen from the driveway" in my relatively sleepy little townhouse neighborhood:

Last Tuesday, I had an inexpensive (<$30) package delivered from Adorama, a camera store. I got the notification while at home, so I went downstairs to the driveway to look for it. Then to the front door. Then back to the driveway. I couldn't see it anywhere. This had happened before, and it turned out the package had just been left in an odd place, so I checked the app to find the picture of where it was left.

But there was no picture. Instead, there were the words "MET CUSTOMER".

NO YOU DIDN'T!

The time stamp was 5:54 PM, so I checked the camera in the garage that looks into the driveway. It's an imperfect solution, since the garage doors themselves block much of the view, but it's proven useful for seeing when someone arrives or I've left the garage door open. It didn't record anyone around that time going into my driveway, nor did it see a UPS truck arriving. Also, the UPS driver usually knocks on either my garage or front door when dropping off a package, and I didn't hear knocking around that time.

I reported it to UPS and the store, and UPS confirmed that they didn't actually have proof of delivery, since there was no picture nor a signature from whoever the driver "MET". It's a small, unimportant purchase, so I was satisfied with just being refunded or having another sent.

Saturday afternoon, I went out around 5 PM to go to a friend's house for a game night. When I arrived back home at 1 AM, there was a large blue shipping envelope in my driveway. My package had arrived! But who was the deliverer? To the camera history!

I scrolled through the 8 hours of recorded moments, and didn't see a single one with a person walking up my driveway. I have a couple of bright lights above my garage doors that come on every night, so I wonder if the culprit just tossed it there from the shadows so as to not be seen.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Sometimes cameras may just not be reliable? At least I've noticed mine can be unreliable at times... we're using one of our Eufy cameras to monitor our cat litter box and occasionally we can noticed a pee in the litterbox without any recorded footage! :p

It's usually reliable probably 98% of the time, but sometimes it's just odd that motion detection or their AI algorithm just decided to go to sleep? Or perhaps our cats have figured out how to move stealthily so the camera can't detect them?

However, in your case, something is definitely up with your package deliverer... I'm still baffled why he'd lied about met customer to steal your stuff and then decided to go thru the trouble to give it back and deliver it in the middle of the night anyways? It's one of those unsolved mysteries, but at least you get a happy ending! :)

[Tom Servo]

I've run into that with USPS a lot, where they'll say something was delivered and it often doesn't show up until days later. I'm almost certain that they've got quotas they have to hit or delivery targets and when they realize they're running behind schedule, they just scan the package as delivered even though it's still on the truck.

[TheBenior]

USPS sometimes falsely scans packages as being delivered to me at 8-9 PM.

However, for me, the package reliably arrives early the next afternoon. They're still a step up from FedEx for me, since FedEx is more likely to deliver my packages to my neighbors.

[Tom Servo]

Heh, FedEx out here just doesn't bother to show up but claim they did. We've got a doorbell camera and I can't tell you how many times they say they've attempted delivery on something that requires signature and nobody's actually shown up. Or they say that they couldn't get into the complex (we're open air, there's no locking front door or anything). It got so bad that as soon as I saw something was coming FedEx, I'd just immediately route it to my local FedEx/Kinko's and pick it up there.

It was fun when FedEx sent me a survey asking me for my experience with them and I got to tell them that they're so bad I literally don't even give them a chance to screw up anymore.

[Yw-slayer]

A lady in HK got out of her Stepwgn and left the engine running while she went to get takeaway. Someone stole it.

https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/womans-car-stolen-within-minutes-while-buying-takeaway-in-jordan/

It's very safe here, but that really wasn't a good idea. I highly doubt that insurance will pay anything.