Why is Microsoft wasting time on this junk OS

Alan Baker wrote:


Do you build your own cars?

I know a number of people who do.

Really? What are the cars they are building?

Before I answer here is a public forum.Â* You sound like you don't
believe me.Â* So I'll ask first, why do you wish to know (and then
perhaps I'll post a link).

So you claim to know "a number of people" who actually build their own
cars...

...but you don't know a single thing about what kind of cars they are
building?

Riiiiiight.

I do know. Some of them work for GM and some of them work for Ford. You
want a link? Go "Riiiiiight" yourself.

On 2020-07-05 4:21 p.m., Bill wrote:
Alan Baker wrote:
On 2020-07-05 3:24 a.m., Bill wrote:

Tell me:

Is it apathetic if you buy a refrigerator, but don't know how to
repair it?

You have refrigeration/cooling not only in your home, but in your car too.
Â*I'd say if you don't already know how it works, then you haven't been
challenging yourself very much. I think you would do well to understand
the basic principles of cooling systems whether you choose to own a
refrigerator or not. What are you going to do when you move away from
home?Â* I replaced the main motor in my home air conditioner when it went
out. Could you do that without risk of electrocuting yourself?Â* You
would save $550 if you could.Â* Still not worth it to you?

You are 100% right Bill, Knowing and understanding how things work is
paramount to saving tons of money.

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on all his vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

Installed a complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgear system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

Did all the general repairs on stoves, furnaces, washer dryer, and
appliances for savings of thousands of dollars over the years .Again I
could go on for pages.

Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop computers
for myself, family and friends.

So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

Rene

Rene Lamontagne wrote:
On 2020-07-05 4:21 p.m., Bill wrote:
Alan Baker wrote:
On 2020-07-05 3:24 a.m., Bill wrote:

Tell me:

Is it apathetic if you buy a refrigerator, but don't know how to
repair it?

You have refrigeration/cooling not only in your home, but in your car
too.
Â*Â*I'd say if you don't already know how it works, then you haven't
been challenging yourself very much. I think you would do well to
understand the basic principles of cooling systems whether you choose
to own a refrigerator or not. What are you going to do when you move
away from home?Â* I replaced the main motor in my home air conditioner
when it went out. Could you do that without risk of electrocuting
yourself?Â* You would save $550 if you could.Â* Still not worth it to you?

You are 100% right Bill, Knowing and understanding how things work is
paramount to saving tons of money.

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on allÂ* hisÂ* vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

Installed aÂ* complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgearÂ* system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

Did all the general repairs on stoves, furnaces, washer dryer, and
appliances for savings of thousands of dollars over the years .Again I
could go on for pages.

Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop computers
for myself, family and friends.

So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

Rene



Thanks Rene, I was worried I was going to have to be on the defensive
again. Your list is better than mine, but the important thing is just
to "keep trying", right? Even if you don't save much money you can get
a little pride out of it.

On 2020-07-05 6:01 p.m., Bill wrote:
Rene Lamontagne wrote:
On 2020-07-05 4:21 p.m., Bill wrote:
Alan Baker wrote:
On 2020-07-05 3:24 a.m., Bill wrote:

Tell me:

Is it apathetic if you buy a refrigerator, but don't know how to
repair it?

You have refrigeration/cooling not only in your home, but in your car
too.
Â*Â*I'd say if you don't already know how it works, then you haven't
been challenging yourself very much. I think you would do well to
understand the basic principles of cooling systems whether you choose
to own a refrigerator or not. What are you going to do when you move
away from home?Â* I replaced the main motor in my home air conditioner
when it went out. Could you do that without risk of electrocuting
yourself?Â* You would save $550 if you could.Â* Still not worth it to you?

You are 100% right Bill, Knowing and understanding how things work is
paramount to saving tons of money.

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on allÂ* hisÂ* vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the
houe now

Installed aÂ* complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgearÂ* system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

Did all the general repairs on stoves, furnaces, washer dryer, and
appliances for savings of thousands of dollars over the years .Again I
could go on for pages.

Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop
computers for myself, family and friends.

So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

Rene



Thanks Rene,Â* I was worried I was going to have to be on the defensive
again.Â* Your list is better than mine, but the important thing is just
to "keep trying", right?Â* Even if you don't save much money you can get
a little pride out of it.

Yes knowing you can do these things gives you a sense of accomplishment
even if you have terrible eyesight and a grade 8 education which is all
I have.

I learned all this stuff by reading and doing, there was no internet and
YouTube howtos in my learning years, but there were books.

On this Apple subject, I used Apple IIs from 1980 to about 1990 then
spent a BUNDLE on an Apple IIGS system, then a couple years latter Mr
Jobs dropped all support for the IIGS system leaving me with a useless
pile of rocks.
So from that day on I swore that Apple would NEVER see another penny of
mine.
And they never have.

Rene

In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:


On this Apple subject, I used Apple IIs from 1980 to about 1990 then
spent a BUNDLE on an Apple IIGS system, then a couple years latter Mr
Jobs dropped all support for the IIGS system leaving me with a useless
pile of rocks.

mr. jobs was not at apple in 1990. he left apple in 1985.

it was also clear that once the mac came out in 1984, that the apple ii
series was a dead end, certainly by 1990, when windows 3 came out.

So from that day on I swore that Apple would NEVER see another penny of
mine.
And they never have.

because you made a mistake in buying a dead end product?

what about when microsoft orphaned windows mobile 6 devices with
windows phone 7, only to orphan that with windows phone 8, only to
orphan that when they discontinued windows phone entirely, all within a
few years time?

In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

Is it apathetic if you buy a refrigerator, but don't know how to
repair it?

You have refrigeration/cooling not only in your home, but in your car too.
*I'd say if you don't already know how it works, then you haven't been
challenging yourself very much. I think you would do well to understand
the basic principles of cooling systems whether you choose to own a
refrigerator or not. What are you going to do when you move away from
home?* I replaced the main motor in my home air conditioner when it went
out. Could you do that without risk of electrocuting yourself?* You
would save $550 if you could.* Still not worth it to you?

You are 100% right Bill, Knowing and understanding how things work is
paramount to saving tons of money.

not always.

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on all his vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

if it's so important, why haven't you taught him how to do his own
repairs?

you're also ignoring the value of your time.

saving $150 for what is generally a 1-2 day job is barely minimum wage.

Installed a complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgear system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

those require licensing, and although you might be able to do it
yourself, it still has to be inspected so that it meets code.

in some cases, it will *not* pass unless it was done by a licensed
contractor.

Did all the general repairs on stoves, furnaces, washer dryer, and
appliances for savings of thousands of dollars over the years .Again I
could go on for pages.

do you think knowing how to repair all of that is a requirement to own
any of them?

you're neglecting the cost of the tools, parts availability and time.

if your furnace breaks in the middle of winter, would you prefer to
call for hvac service who can fix it same day, or would you prefer to
have no heat until you get parts, which could be a few days if it fails
during a long weekend or in the middle of a storm, which murphy
guarantees that's when it will fail.

Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop computers
for myself, family and friends.

how many laptops did you build? laptops have outsold desktops for
roughly 20 years.

how many phones or tablets did you build? both have outsold traditional
computers for nearly a decade.

So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.

On 2020-07-05 7:01 p.m., nospam wrote:
In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:


On this Apple subject, I used Apple IIs from 1980 to about 1990 then
spent a BUNDLE on an Apple IIGS system, then a couple years latter Mr
Jobs dropped all support for the IIGS system leaving me with a useless
pile of rocks.

mr. jobs was not at apple in 1990. he left apple in 1985.

I used his name meaning Apple or are you too thick to figure that out.


it was also clear that once the mac came out in 1984, that the apple ii
series was a dead end, certainly by 1990, when windows 3 came out.

So from that day on I swore that Apple would NEVER see another penny of
mine.
And they never have.

because you made a mistake in buying a dead end product?..

My mistake was listening to Apple bull**** hype.


what about when microsoft orphaned windows mobile 6 devices with
windows phone 7, only to orphan that with windows phone 8, only to
orphan that when they discontinued windows phone entirely, all within a
few years time?

I don't give a **** about phones, we were talking computers.

Rene

On 2020-07-05 7:02 p.m., nospam wrote:
In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

Is it apathetic if you buy a refrigerator, but don't know how to
repair it?

You have refrigeration/cooling not only in your home, but in your car too.
Â*I'd say if you don't already know how it works, then you haven't been
challenging yourself very much. I think you would do well to understand
the basic principles of cooling systems whether you choose to own a
refrigerator or not. What are you going to do when you move away from
home?Â* I replaced the main motor in my home air conditioner when it went
out. Could you do that without risk of electrocuting yourself?Â* You
would save $550 if you could.Â* Still not worth it to you?

You are 100% right Bill, Knowing and understanding how things work is
paramount to saving tons of money.

not always.

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on all his vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

if it's so important, why haven't you taught him how to do his own
repairs?

I did teach him and he became an expert mechanic.


you're also ignoring the value of your time.

My free hobby time is not vaued


saving $150 for what is generally a 1-2 day job is barely minimum wage.

Hah, 1 or 2 days shows how little you know, took about 5 hours


Installed a complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgear system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

those require licensing, and although you might be able to do it
yourself, it still has to be inspected so that it meets code.

I was licensed, both in refrigeration and to 600 volts in electrical,
also as a 3rd class power engineer to 2000 horsepower boilers, worked on
and repaired 1500 ton chillers



in some cases, it will *not* pass unless it was done by a licensed
contractor.

see above


Did all the general repairs on stoves, furnaces, washer dryer, and
appliances for savings of thousands of dollars over the years .Again I
could go on for pages.

do you think knowing how to repair all of that is a requirement to own
any of them?

Didn't say that but it helps.


you're neglecting the cost of the tools, parts availability and time.

I have all the tools including a 6x36 Engine metal turning lathe,
Milling machine, drill press, power hacksaw and all the handtools I need.
Parts I buy as required.


if your furnace breaks in the middle of winter, would you prefer to
call for hvac service who can fix it same day, or would you prefer to
have no heat until you get parts, which could be a few days if it fails
during a long weekend or in the middle of a storm, which murphy
guarantees that's when it will fail.

Been looking after and repairig furnaces since about 1954


Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop computers
for myself, family and friends.

how many laptops did you build? laptops have outsold desktops for
roughly 20 years.

You don't build laptops sonny, you buy them.


how many phones or tablets did you build? both have outsold traditional
computers for nearly a decade.\

You don't build tablets and phones either, you buy them also, Are you
stupid? surely you know that much ,sonny.


So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.

Apparently you never do,

Rene




Rene

In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

On this Apple subject, I used Apple IIs from 1980 to about 1990 then
spent a BUNDLE on an Apple IIGS system, then a couple years latter Mr
Jobs dropped all support for the IIGS system leaving me with a useless
pile of rocks.

mr. jobs was not at apple in 1990. he left apple in 1985.

I used his name meaning Apple or are you too thick to figure that out.

you used it incorrectly.

it was also clear that once the mac came out in 1984, that the apple ii
series was a dead end, certainly by 1990, when windows 3 came out.

So from that day on I swore that Apple would NEVER see another penny of
mine.
And they never have.

because you made a mistake in buying a dead end product?..

My mistake was listening to Apple bull**** hype.

what hype?

the apple ii first came out in 1977 and the iigs was released in 1986.
neither were being hyped in 1990.

by that time, the industry had moved on. apple was hyping the mac and
microsoft was hyping windows 3.

various other products were also being hyped, but they all failed and
almost nobody remembers them, such as grid:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRiDPad

your iigs didn't suddenly stop working either. support lasted well into
the 90s, and there are still people to this day using apple ii and even
writing new apps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KansasFest

what about when microsoft orphaned windows mobile 6 devices with
windows phone 7, only to orphan that with windows phone 8, only to
orphan that when they discontinued windows phone entirely, all within a
few years time?

I don't give a **** about phones, we were talking computers.

phones are computers.

for many people, their phone is their only computer and for others,
it's the one they use the most.

In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on all his vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

if it's so important, why haven't you taught him how to do his own
repairs?

I did teach him and he became an expert mechanic.

then why are you maintaining his vehicles?

you're also ignoring the value of your time.

My free hobby time is not vaued

hobby is exactly what it is.

you do realize that not everyone has the same interest in the same
hobbies you do, right?

saving $150 for what is generally a 1-2 day job is barely minimum wage.

Hah, 1 or 2 days shows how little you know, took about 5 hours

that depends on the vehicle.

being an expert mechanic, you must realize that some vehicles are more
involved than others, right?

when i had the timing chain replaced on my vehicle, it took my mechanic
two days because a lot of other stuff had to come out before he could
get to the engine, and then it all had go back in afterwards.

but ignoring that, even at 5 hours, saving $150 is a measly $30/hr. you
clearly work for cheap.

Installed a complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgear system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

those require licensing, and although you might be able to do it
yourself, it still has to be inspected so that it meets code.

I was licensed, both in refrigeration and to 600 volts in electrical,
also as a 3rd class power engineer to 2000 horsepower boilers, worked on
and repaired 1500 ton chillers

nearly everyone is *not* licensed.

obviously someone who is licensed can redo their own home, but that's
*not* the case for everyone and you know it.

you're neglecting the cost of the tools, parts availability and time.

I have all the tools including a 6x36 Engine metal turning lathe,
Milling machine, drill press, power hacksaw and all the handtools I need.
Parts I buy as required.

you didn't get all of that for free.



Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop computers
for myself, family and friends.

how many laptops did you build? laptops have outsold desktops for
roughly 20 years.

You don't build laptops sonny, you buy them.

exactly the point, sonny.

how many phones or tablets did you build? both have outsold traditional
computers for nearly a decade.\

You don't build tablets and phones either, you buy them also, Are you
stupid? surely you know that much ,sonny.

exactly the point, sonny.

So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.

Apparently you never do,

you'd be wrong about that too.

On 2020-07-05 8:34 p.m., nospam wrote:
In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

On this Apple subject, I used Apple IIs from 1980 to about 1990 then
spent a BUNDLE on an Apple IIGS system, then a couple years latter Mr
Jobs dropped all support for the IIGS system leaving me with a useless
pile of rocks.

mr. jobs was not at apple in 1990. he left apple in 1985.

I used his name meaning Apple or are you too thick to figure that out.

you used it incorrectly.

it was also clear that once the mac came out in 1984, that the apple ii
series was a dead end, certainly by 1990, when windows 3 came out.

So from that day on I swore that Apple would NEVER see another penny of
mine.
And they never have.

because you made a mistake in buying a dead end product?..

My mistake was listening to Apple bull**** hype.

what hype?

the apple ii first came out in 1977 and the iigs was released in 1986.
neither were being hyped in 1990.

by that time, the industry had moved on. apple was hyping the mac and
microsoft was hyping windows 3.

various other products were also being hyped, but they all failed and
almost nobody remembers them, such as grid:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRiDPad

your iigs didn't suddenly stop working either. support lasted well into
the 90s, and there are still people to this day using apple ii and even
writing new apps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KansasFest

what about when microsoft orphaned windows mobile 6 devices with
windows phone 7, only to orphan that with windows phone 8, only to
orphan that when they discontinued windows phone entirely, all within a
few years time?

I don't give a **** about phones, we were talking computers.

phones are computers.

for many people, their phone is their only computer and for others,
it's the one they use the most.


And all around a pigs ass is pork

Rene

On 2020-07-05 8:34 p.m., nospam wrote:
In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on all his vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

if it's so important, why haven't you taught him how to do his own
repairs?

I did teach him and he became an expert mechanic.

then why are you maintaining his vehicles?

Because 1. he is my son. 2. he does all the driving for our family. 3
we work and play together as a family.



you're also ignoring the value of your time.

My free hobby time is not vaued

hobby is exactly what it is.

you do realize that not everyone has the same interest in the same
hobbies you do, right?

So?


saving $150 for what is generally a 1-2 day job is barely minimum wage.

Hah, 1 or 2 days shows how little you know, took about 5 hours

that depends on the vehicle.

being an expert mechanic, you must realize that some vehicles are more
involved than others, right?

No ****!


when i had the timing chain replaced on my vehicle, it took my mechanic
two days because a lot of other stuff had to come out before he could
get to the engine, and then it all had go back in afterwards.

holds true for any vehicle.



but ignoring that, even at 5 hours, saving $150 is a measly $30/hr. you
clearly work for cheap.

It's not only the money, it's a great feeling working with your family
members



Installed a complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgear system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

those require licensing, and although you might be able to do it
yourself, it still has to be inspected so that it meets code.

I was licensed, both in refrigeration and to 600 volts in electrical,
also as a 3rd class power engineer to 2000 horsepower boilers, worked on
and repaired 1500 ton chillers

nearly everyone is *not* licensed.

Naturaly, that's a given


obviously someone who is licensed can redo their own home, but that's
*not* the case for everyone and you know it.

you're neglecting the cost of the tools, parts availability and time.

I have all the tools including a 6x36 Engine metal turning lathe,
Milling machine, drill press, power hacksaw and all the handtools I need.
Parts I buy as required.

you didn't get all of that for free.

Of course not, I acquired them over time, they don,t give those things
away at your local bazzar.




Did I mention since 1995 I have built approximately 30 desktop computers
for myself, family and friends.

how many laptops did you build? laptops have outsold desktops for
roughly 20 years.

You don't build laptops sonny, you buy them.

exactly the point, sonny.

how many phones or tablets did you build? both have outsold traditional
computers for nearly a decade.\

You don't build tablets and phones either, you buy them also, Are you
stupid? surely you know that much ,sonny.

exactly the point, sonny.

By the way I'm 86.


So Bill and his dad were right, It pays to know your stuff.

sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.

Apparently you never do,

you'd be wrong about that too.

No , After reading so many of your silly posts I''m sure I am right.

Rene

Bill wrote:
nospam wrote:
In article , Bill
wrote:

My familiarity is based upon watching others, and what I learn when I
hear someone talking about it or when I read about it (which is
increasingly often!) At this point I don't use "Anything Apple", and I
fully intend to keep it that way.

in other words, your familiarity is *not* from direct experience, which
was my point.

with direct experience, you'd realize that a lot of the myths are just
that, myths.

From my in-direct experience, I've seen and heard all I need to know
about whether I wish to buy Apple products. I don't wish to support
computer-illiteracy. YMMV.

that makes zero sense.

Sort of like people who drive a car, but have no idea how it works.

With cars being computers on wheels nowadays most mechanics don't know how
they work either. Especially non-ICE ones. They plug in a laptop with
diagnostic software and fix whatever the s/ware tells them to. Rinse and
repeat until the car works again.

When you take away knowledge from people, you may them rather dependent.
I think Apple likes that model; I don't. Besides for our disagreement
about the facts, our conflict in ideals is about as simple as that.
Personally, I build computers with very good components that last for
years, and to my chosen specifications.

I did the same for my gaming PC. The majority of people are incapable. They
prefer a reliable brand with support.

Apple seems to encourage it's
users to upgrade their hardware much more often, to say the least,

Not even close to the truth. Very many keep their hardware for 5-10 years.
I have four in the house - all work cast offs - with the oldest being 12
years old. My current work Mac is 4 years old and won't be replaced for at
least another year.

Whereas business PCs are routinely discarded after three years.

and there customers don't get much choice. And it seems to discourage
repair in favor of replacement.

For phones and tablets, maybe, but not PCs. In fact they regularly have
recalls to repair hardware for free. Can't see any wintel doing the same.

By comparison, I've maintained my PCs
with little hardship, without a trip to the Apple Store--and I like it
that way, particular the last part. Go NewEgg.com! YMMV.

Same. I'd never trust anyone to repair a computer better then me, but we're
not the norm.

"Chris" wrote

| With cars being computers on wheels nowadays most mechanics don't know how
| they work either. Especially non-ICE ones. They plug in a laptop with
| diagnostic software and fix whatever the s/ware tells them to. Rinse and
| repeat until the car works again.
|

I bought one of those error report gizmos. $50. Works well.
The trouble is that all the errors are from things that didn't
even exist a few years earlier. On my last truck I had to
replace two exhaust pipe sensors. Exhaust pipe sensors?!
Then it was going to be $350 just to buy the parts to
replace two little camera sensors that monitor front wheel
speed separately on turns. They register grooves in the disk.
That's when I traded it in. It's got to where even doing it
yourself is prohibitive. $350 to replace a useless item myself.
$700 to have a shop unplug the old one and clip on the new
one. I was better off paying a monthly loan on a new truck
than chasing down overpriced, overproduced computerization
glitches every month.

An additional cost that many may not be aware of is that
national auto part chains like Auto Zone or Advance are now
charging the 66% mechanic's markup on parts. If a mechanic
charges you $100 in parts it's really $60 + a $40 scam labor
charge. Now many auto parts stores are charging the same $100.
I think that started with Toyota official parts, but it's extended
to aftermarket dealers.
I discovered that when I bought a muffler/tailpipe at Auto
Zone only to find out that a local hole-in-the-wall auto
parts store was selling the same thing, *from the same
manufacturer* for a little more than half the Auto Zone price.

Oil? Far, far cheaper at Home Depot than at auto parts stores.
But then Home Depot illegally refuses to take the dirty oil.
It's ironic. In a time when prices and options can easily be
checked online, it's easier than ever to get tricked into
overpaying.

nospam wrote:
In article , Rene Lamontagne
wrote:

Is it apathetic if you buy a refrigerator, but don't know how to
repair it?

You have refrigeration/cooling not only in your home, but in your car too.
Â*I'd say if you don't already know how it works, then you haven't been
challenging yourself very much. I think you would do well to understand
the basic principles of cooling systems whether you choose to own a
refrigerator or not. What are you going to do when you move away from
home?Â* I replaced the main motor in my home air conditioner when it went
out. Could you do that without risk of electrocuting yourself?Â* You
would save $550 if you could.Â* Still not worth it to you?

You are 100% right Bill, Knowing and understanding how things work is
paramount to saving tons of money.

not always.

I don't drive but maintain my Sons vehicles, apart from doing the
regular day to day stuff.

Major overhaul of his Chrysler 747 Automatic transmission.saving $400.00

Removed and re soldered aluminum A/C condenser on his dodge minivan
saving $700.00

I have done comlete brake jobs on all his vehicles savings $???

Replaced timing belts on his Toyota forerunner savig $150.00

I could go on for pages on vehicles alone but I will switch to the houe now

if it's so important, why haven't you taught him how to do his own
repairs?

you're also ignoring the value of your time.

saving $150 for what is generally a 1-2 day job is barely minimum wage.

Installed a complete 3 ton central A/C in my 11 room house

Installed a backup generator and switchgear system in same house

Replace all the electricall wiring in basement and first floor

Replaced all the water piping in the basement.

those require licensing, and although you might be able to do it
yourself, it still has to be inspected so that it meets code.

in some cases, it will *not* pass unless it was done by a licensed
contractor.

Did all the general repairs on stoves, furnaces, washer dryer, and
appliances for savings of thousands of dollars over the years .Again I
could go on for pages.

do you think knowing how to repair all of that is a requirement to own
any of them?

you're neglecting the cost of the tools, parts availability and time.

If you insist on making excuses, you'll never fail to be able to find
one. When you really save time and money is the "next" time you do a
related repair... You can collect tools on an "as needed" basis, as
desired, and you'll be able to reuse them too. Further illustrating my
first point, after watching 2 YouTube videos, I gave myself a haircut
last week (my wife did around the neckline with scissors), and it came
out pretty well, exceeding my expectations. And, with my new confidence,
next time I'll be able to really be quick about it. Moral: Don't be
afraid to try, but sometimes "You have to be willing to break it in
order to fix it...and strangely, it's about that moment, when the "nut
breaks loose", etc. If you're afraid to fail, you won't really get very
far. Too bad most of you never had "shop class" in high school.