Ohio Adventures

drummerboy said:

Oy, what a mess today.

Been staying at my brother's for the Christmas weekend, with my nephew. Today I thought I'd drive to the apartment so I could get back to unpacking, then drive back for dinner.

Went to my car at about 9AM. Went to start the car, and the key wouldn't turn. Shifter wouldn't move.

Because the battery was dead. And there started an adventure.

Car has two batteries, one under the hood, and the main one in the trunk. However, the trunk wouldn't open, either because it was frozen shut, or because the latch required power.

Looked up numerous you tube videos to see how to attack this. The basic idea they had was to try and get a partial charge into the battery from under the front hood - enough to make the latch work. Unfortunately, none of the videos were an exact match for my car so it was troublesome to apply the solutions.

Anyway and suffice to say, none of their suggestions worked. Could've been our fault.

Tried to open the trunk with the emergency key. Nope.

Called AAA. Got there pretty quickly, but he also gave up pretty quickly after realizing he couldn't open the truck. He said he though the manual latch was broken. That was incorrect. I think.

Went back to step one, which was to try and apply a charge through the fuse box under the hood. At first we had tried to attach a jump starter to the fuse box and that didn't work. This time we attached a charger instead. (There's a very hard to get to terminal in the fuse box expressly for this purpose.)

So we did that and waited, hoping for the best..

Meanwhile we tackled the trunk again. No luck. Brought a pail of hot water to thaw it out in case it was still frozen. We had earlier used a heat gun on it.

No luck.

After an hour (it was now about 1pm and temps were in the teens. My hands were numb.) I went into the car and saw that the clock had moved, and the dashboard showed signs of life, so I pressed the trunk release button and....

Success! The trunk popped open! There was much rejoicing.

So we located the battery and hooked up a charger to it. The battery is big, some 90+ amps, so it would take hours to get a charge into it.

It's now 6pm. I was able to start the car, but my nephew says we need to keep charging, and I think he's right. So I'll just let it charge overnight, drive to my apartment Tuesday morning and hope I can drive back. I do have a jump starter in a box somewhere.

The battery is only a year old. Not sure why it died on me. I'm assuming it was the cold, but I think the battery is faulty.

Given the fact that I need more than $1000 worth of work on the front end, and unknown dollars to keep my exhaust system from falling off, I'm officially in the market for a new (used) car.

Thinking Hyundai or Mazda. Screw this Mercedes crap. I haven't even been able to find a mechanic down here that works on them.

after reading your third paragraph I started to think you need a new car. Maybe a SUV /high vehicle instead of a sedan. Hyundais are easy to steal. Mitsubishi outlander is a good vehicle, good engine and transmission. Mazda is owned by Ford. 


GoSlugs said:

Heynj said:

In the Youngstown suburbs, there are town recycling centers, but no municipal collections curbside. It’s on you to drop items off. I imagine you can’t pay that little in property taxes and expect the services we get in NJ…

When we lived in SO, we paid SO Disposal to pick up our recycling. 

Here in Edmonton, I paid $3,000 in property taxes for my $600,000 house last year.  Our recycling gets picked up every Friday along with our garbage and compost.

People say that taxes are high in Canada but, having moved from NJ, we found that our taxes (if you include property taxes) decreased significantly.  Services, on the other hand, are much better and, of course, we don't pay anything for healthcare.

You also have other tax streams like the VAT to help, I assume. 


Jaytee said:

Mazda is owned by Ford.

Old stories make people the life of the party, though DB may already know that Ford got out of Mazda years ago.


Frankly I don't pay much attention to who owns who. A car is either a good reliable value or it isn't. Mazdas have been a solid brand for decades. Used to own a Mazda GLC in the 80's. Great little car.


susan1014 said:

You also have other tax streams like the VAT to help, I assume. 

Here in AB, we have a 5% Federal sales tax but there is no provincial sales tax so we end up ahead of where we were in SO by that measure as well. 

When you add it all up, we paid far more for less in NJ. That is something I do not miss.


DaveSchmidt said:

Old stories make people the life of the party, though DB may already know that Ford got out of Mazda years ago.

I have a 2006 Mazda pickup.  It is a Ford Ranger.


GoSlugs said:

I have a 2006 Mazda pickup.  It is a Ford Ranger.

ford bought over mazda and ruined the product, same thing they did to Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover and screwed it up. Eventually had to sell them. People who don’t pay attention to what is going on in the auto industry will find out that what was once a great car is now not such a great car anymore. Nissan today is not such a good car. Get yourself a Toyota or Mitsubishi (which costs less than Toyota) but a great car. Ford trucks are better than ford cars. 


drummerboy said:

Oy, what a mess today.

Been staying at my brother's for the Christmas weekend, with my nephew. Today I thought I'd drive to the apartment so I could get back to unpacking, then drive back for dinner.

Went to my car at about 9AM. Went to start the car, and the key wouldn't turn. Shifter wouldn't move.

Because the battery was dead. And there started an adventure.

Car has two batteries, one under the hood, and the main one in the trunk. However, the trunk wouldn't open, either because it was frozen shut, or because the latch required power.

Looked up numerous you tube videos to see how to attack this. The basic idea they had was to try and get a partial charge into the battery from under the front hood - enough to make the latch work. Unfortunately, none of the videos were an exact match for my car so it was troublesome to apply the solutions.

Anyway and suffice to say, none of their suggestions worked. Could've been our fault.

Tried to open the trunk with the emergency key. Nope.

Called AAA. Got there pretty quickly, but he also gave up pretty quickly after realizing he couldn't open the truck. He said he though the manual latch was broken. That was incorrect. I think.

Went back to step one, which was to try and apply a charge through the fuse box under the hood. At first we had tried to attach a jump starter to the fuse box and that didn't work. This time we attached a charger instead. (There's a very hard to get to terminal in the fuse box expressly for this purpose.)

So we did that and waited, hoping for the best..

Meanwhile we tackled the trunk again. No luck. Brought a pail of hot water to thaw it out in case it was still frozen. We had earlier used a heat gun on it.

No luck.

After an hour (it was now about 1pm and temps were in the teens. My hands were numb.) I went into the car and saw that the clock had moved, and the dashboard showed signs of life, so I pressed the trunk release button and....

Success! The trunk popped open! There was much rejoicing.

So we located the battery and hooked up a charger to it. The battery is big, some 90+ amps, so it would take hours to get a charge into it.

It's now 6pm. I was able to start the car, but my nephew says we need to keep charging, and I think he's right. So I'll just let it charge overnight, drive to my apartment Tuesday morning and hope I can drive back. I do have a jump starter in a box somewhere.

The battery is only a year old. Not sure why it died on me. I'm assuming it was the cold, but I think the battery is faulty.

Given the fact that I need more than $1000 worth of work on the front end, and unknown dollars to keep my exhaust system from falling off, I'm officially in the market for a new (used) car.

Thinking Hyundai or Mazda. Screw this Mercedes crap. I haven't even been able to find a mechanic down here that works on them.

Good luck finding a new car. They don't exist. Maxon's new car inventory is "in transit" and has been in transit for 2 months.

Now, they are expected in January.


The Hyundai dealer in Manahawkin, hasn't had a new car on this showroom floor since September. Whatever comes in the door, has already been sold. So no opportunity to display it on the floor. 


First, we have N.J. tax. Then we also have Essex County tax. Other readers on this forum have to deal with South Orange tax because the organization, "Maplewooodians For A Better South Orange," fell down on achieving their stated purpose. 


Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Good luck finding a new car. They don't exist. Maxon's new car inventory is "in transit" and has been in transit for 2 months.

Now, they are expected in January.

The Hyundai dealer in Manahawkin, hasn't had a new car on this showroom floor since September. Whatever comes in the door, has already been sold. So no opportunity to display it on the floor. 

I think DB is looking to buy a used car. 


Jaytee said:

GoSlugs said:

I have a 2006 Mazda pickup.  It is a Ford Ranger.

ford bought over mazda and ruined the product, same thing they did to Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover and screwed it up. Eventually had to sell them. People who don’t pay attention to what is going on in the auto industry will find out that what was once a great car is now not such a great car anymore. Nissan today is not such a good car. Get yourself a Toyota or Mitsubishi (which costs less than Toyota) but a great car. Ford trucks are better than ford cars. 

I don't know, my Mazda Ranger is a great little truck.  Sixteen years down the road and I have never had any issues with it.  It is a very simple vehicle, easy to maintain and, if you maintain it well, it will run until they stop making replacement parts for it. It's got a manual transmission too, so it can't be stolen by anyone under the age of 45.


GoSlugs said:

I don't know, my Mazda Ranger is a great little truck.  Sixteen years down the road and I have never had any issues with it.  It is a very simple vehicle, easy to maintain and, if you maintain it well, it will run until they stop making replacement parts for it. It's got a manual transmission too, so it can't be stolen by anyone under the age of 45.

it’s a ford truck …. With a manual gearbox… that’s what makes the difference. The Mazda sedans under ford had more problems than a pregnant nun in a convent.



Jaytee said:

it’s a ford truck …. With a manual gearbox… that’s what makes the difference. The Mazda sedans under ford had more problems than a pregnant nun in a convent.

Is that poor nun in Texas or N.J. ?   Inquiring minds want to know.


drummerboy said:

at my new Dr's office

Are ya gonna leave yours in the car or try to sneak it in your backpac?


drummerboy said:

at my new Dr's office

the Warner Brothers Discovery office in Atlanta has a similar sign. 


I will miss the Shoprite January cancan sale when I used to stock up on Progresso soups.


Owing to having had many in-laws in Canton over the years, these won't disappoint:

In Canton:

Bender's Restaurant - the Camp Cagle pickerel is good, as are the mussels

Taggart's - get a Bittner

Heggy's Chocolates - pick your favorites from behind a glass counter; many varieties. Also, white peanuts (they're not white, but that's what they're called).

Gervasi Winery is a fun place for a drink

Canton, like other cities in the rust belt has seen better days but the Ridgewood section of Canton is a very nice neighborhood to visit. Gorgeous architecture. Worth a walk-through or drive-through. You can get a large tudor or brick home for under $400k and the rooms will have beautiful wood trim, leaded windows, a fireplace or a few, in pretty much move-in condition.

The Football Hall of Fame has festivities in August: "Football's Greatest Weekend", although it lasts more than a weekend. Pretty much most of the month if I'm not mistaken.  The fireworks are usually an impressive display. And there's a parade, if you like parades.

In Akron:

West Point Market is well-regarded

In Summit and Stark County supermarkets:

Dick's horseradish

Dick's horseradish sauce

Dick's cocktail sauce

Cute towns for walking and shopping:

Hudson

Chagrin Falls



bigben_again said:

Owing to having had many in-laws in Canton over the years, these won't disappoint:

In Canton:

Bender's Restaurant - the Camp Cagle pickerel is good, as are the mussels

Taggart's - get a Bittner

Heggy's Chocolates - pick your favorites from behind a glass counter; many varieties. Also, white peanuts (they're not white, but that's what they're called).

Gervasi Winery is a fun place for a drink

Canton, like other cities in the rust belt has seen better days but the Ridgewood section of Canton is a very nice neighborhood to visit. Gorgeous architecture. Worth a walk-through or drive-through. You can get a large tudor or brick home for under $400k and the rooms will have beautiful wood trim, leaded windows, a fireplace or a few, in pretty much move-in condition.

The Football Hall of Fame has festivities in August: "Football's Greatest Weekend", although it lasts more than a weekend. Pretty much most of the month if I'm not mistaken.  The fireworks are usually an impressive display. And there's a parade, if you like parades.

In Akron:

West Point Market is well-regarded

In Summit and Stark County supermarkets:

Dick's horseradish

Dick's horseradish sauce

Dick's cocktail sauce

Cute towns for walking and shopping:

Hudson

Chagrin Falls

Thanks for the pointers!

I'm near Akron and Hudson, and my brother lives in Chagrin Falls.

I thought Canton was farther away but I see it's only about a half hour drive. Looks like I'll get me a Bittner.

And I'll keep an eye out for the horseradish.


Yeah, there's a Skyline Chili not far from me. I guess I'm obligated to give it a try. Maybe grab a coney too.


Giant Eagle, one of the major supermarket chains out here, has a more upscale store called Market District near me. Along with a large liquor store, it's got a Starbucks and a bar.

No Dick's horseradish though.

Also, rye bread is kinda scarce.


Nothing to do with Ohio, but lots of marathons on the TV this weekend. Have been bingeing  The West Wing and am watching Twilight Zone right now.


drummerboy said:

Nothing to do with Ohio, but lots of marathons on the TV this weekend. Have been bingeing  The West Wing and am watching Twilight Zone right now.

Happy New Year! Nothing beats a West Wing binge.


Hopefully, the sour mood won't rub off on you, but I'm really happy Ohio State missed that field goal in the closing seconds.


What a great game.   I have heard some sports commentators complain that there are too many bowl games.   They have a point, but my thinking is that as long as there are sponsors willing to pay money for a bowl game to 6 win college teams, then I am okay with the game no matter how obscure.   The main reason for this thinking is that you need to remember that players want to play and coaches want to coach.   We all like games with big crowds and lots of hooplas, but it really the players who make the game.   Most athletes play for no money simply because they want to play.  There are lots of college teams in Ohio as it is a great football state and all the teams would love to play in a bowl game.  


Unfortunately I didn't see the Ohio game. (I saw most of the Michigan game though.)

Was I supposed to watch? cheese


In NE OH, you will find you have to make a commitment between two schools. College football is king there, at least in my experience. You either bleed Michigan blue, or you’re a Buckeye. And the day will also come when you’re asked whether you root for the Browns or the Steelers. But you can always do what I did for four years in college there and respond, “None of the above. I’m from NJ.”


Yeah, the problem is that our family has dual allegiances here. Some of us live in OH, some in MI, and my brother, who lives in OH, has a lake house in MI.

We'll have to make do.


I’m sure you’ve already spotted flags outside houses that are sewn to be half OSU and half Wolverine. My mother would have referred to those families as “mixed marriages,” I believe.


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