On 2022-05-02 8:41 p.m., Andy Burnelli wrote:
> Michael Trew wrote:
>
>> I'm posting from the rec.autos.tech NG which is cross-posted into this
>> thread; I'm not subscribed to the other two NG's anymore (never sub'd
>> to the android NG); I trimmed my list of NG's significantly.
>
> There are five fundamental common consumer operating system newsgroups:
> <http://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android>
> <http://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone>
> <http://groups.google.com/g/alt.os.linux>

Linux? For consumers?

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLLOLOLLLLOLOLOLLL

> <http://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.os.windows-10>
> <http://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.mac.system>
>
> You can ask the exact same question of all five (assuming it's relevant,
> such as "does the Tor Browser work on your platform?) and you'll get an
> _adult_ response to three of the five.
>
>> I wouldn't relegate that behavior to just a specific NG, that's most
>> of Usenet these days (and people in general).  When the flame wars and
>> what not start, I tune out; it bores me.  I'm here for intelligent
>> discussion.
>
> Two of the five _always_ garner responses that were written by kindergarten
> children (e.g., from Lewis, Jolly Roger, Alan Baker, Joerg Lorenz, et. al).
>
> As you've seen from the likes of Alan Baker & Lewis in this thread, they're
> incredibly ignorant - but - what makes them stand out is they think the
> little that they know is _all_ there is to know about every topic.
> The nospam iKook is different from those, as he actually knows "something",
> but he will _always_ defend every Apple flaw to the death, no matter what.
>
>
>>> You have LOTS of room for your tools in there. I can't tell if the
>>> floor is
>>> dirt or concrete, but you can do tire changing if you can find a flat
>>> spot.
>>
>> There are two wide doors, as shown.  It's about 64 ft wide, and 30
>> feet deep.  I reckon it's easily big enough to be a 6 bay garage, plus
>> extra room.
>
> Wow. That's great. That's a garage to die for! I love it!
> My brother has a professional lift which is one thing I _always_ wanted.
>
> Do you do any woodworking? That's a hobby that also takes up floor space.
>
>> The whole right side, I think with the junk shown in the photo, is a
>> concrete floor.  The left side is not; it's just dirt (but could be
>> concreted).
>
> Ah. Good for you. Once you have concrete, you can do a basic alignment.
>
> BTW, if you want advice in what tools to get for either the alignment or
> for the mounting and balancing of tires, just ask & I'll be helpful.
>
> I'm no good with alignment yet, but I have the "drop center" stuff figured
> out on tire mounting, which is a lesson learned the hard way the first time
> that it matters (e.g., for my bimmber's BBS wheels, it matters a _lot_).
>
>> Both sides are totally full of junk from the prior owners.
>
> Junk is only something one person valued that another person with a
> different set of skills, desires & needs doesn't see the value in yet. :)
>
>>  My step father and I bought it at sheriff's sale for back taxes for a
>> crazy cheap price, and we're cleaning it out.
>
> Good for you. Send me all the tools you don't want! :)
>
>>  I have a booth at a local antique mall, and what I feel like cleaning
>> has been sold down there. Lots of it is fit for a dumpster though.
>
> It's interesting how easy it is for any given person to clean out someone
> else's stuff. It's due to that value thing. They place a different value on
> the objects. Particularly on sentimental stuff.
>>> With respect to brakes, you know what I know, which is that they're
>>> one of
>>> the easiest jobs in automotive maintenance to do, and yet, I've heard of
>>> people spending upwards of _thousands_ to do a typical four wheel brake
>>> job!
>>>
>>> Are you aware of the cold/hot friction ratings printed on every
>>> passenger
>>> brake pad sold in the USA? I buy mine by that, and nothing else
>>> (other than
>>> fit, and price, of course). I get my rotors and calipers at CarID or
>>> RockAuto and I mic the rotors and drums before replacing them.
>>>
>>> Do you do similarly?
>>> And do you agree that, in general, brakes are pretty damn easy to do
>>> right?
>>
>> I was not aware of the friction ratings.
>
> OMG. If you buy your own brake pads & shoes, you need to know this, which I
> can help you learn. Bear in mind there are plenty of things that matter in
> brakes (like dust, noise, durability, etc.) but there's one thing that
> matters _most_, which is your cold/hot friction coefficient.
> <https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/disc-brake-pad-friction-codes-explained/>
>
>
> Luckily you can't get a bad brake pad (IMHO) in the USA, but you can
> instantly cut through all the bullshit advertising if you know how to buy
> them by their friction ratings.
> <https://idpartsblog.com/2019/04/11/what-do-brake-pad-friction-ratings-mean/>

Riiiight.

Because there couldn't POSSIBLY be any other differences between
different pads...

>
>
> I almost always call technical support and marketing for the brake pads I
> purchase (it started because I hated the dusting on the OEM Jurid/Textar so
> I contacted Akebono & PBR & Centric to find better replacements.
>
> Talking mano a mano with the technical guys was an eye opener, especially
> as they _all_ told me (in effect) that they can put a single grain of dust
> and if that single grain is copper or clay they instantly get to claim it's
> semi-metallic or ceramic. Those are all marketing gimmicks (IMHO).

Bullshit.

>
> What matters most to a brake pad is the cold/hot friction rating, which is
> why it's the law that it's written on every USA passenger vehicle pad.
> <http://www.safebraking.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/AMECA-List-of-VESC-V-3-Brake-Friction-Material-Edge-Codes-May-20112.pdf>
>
>
>> I'm usually just really easy on the brakes, and I buy what's cheap.
>
> Oh my! Don't do that. Buy inexpensive. Not cheap. What I mean by that is
> you can _easily_ get _better_ pads for less money than worse pads if you
> _know_ what you're looking for.

And what makes one pad "better" than another?

>
> Examples abound in the "what brake pad should I buy", just as those answers
> abound in every "what X should I buy", in that the marketing wolves prey on
> the moronic sheep who think "you get what you pay for", which is just
> stupid.
>
> You get what you get.
> How much you pay for it depends on how well they've marketed it to fools.
>
> Easily, a GREAT brake pad set should cost no more than about $25 per axle.

Bullshit.

>
> My rule of thumb on brake pads is the same as for tires, which is I never
> buy lower than the OEM specifications - and I often exceed OEM specs.

Which spec do you use for that rule for brake pads?

>
> For tires, that's things like the speed range & load range and the
> traction/treadwear/temperature specs, where for pads it's the cold/hot
> friction rating.

So is more better with cold/hot friction...

....or less?

>
> Fun fact: What do you think the friction rating is of steel on steel versus
> that of _many_ brake pads sold today (e.g., those with an EE coefficient)?

Why would I care?

This is just you doing that thing where you try to pretend you're smart
by making an allusion to something that doesn't matter.

Remember when you alluded to the idea that 9 volt batteries contained
AAA cells?

>
>> Many of these cars, I tire of in 6 months, and sell it and buy another
>> when I find a deal.
>
> Wow. That's a different use model than most I would think.
> I keep cars for decades (and yes, that's plural).
> The great thing about bimmers is you get to learn about them right away,
> while with Toyota's it takes you years before you learn how to replace
> things.

Why?

>> One could say "flipping", but it's hardly that; it's more of a car
>> buying problem -- I have too much fun with it.  I enjoy *not* having a
>> car payment, and I'd say I at least average out (sometimes I win,
>> other times I lose when buying/selling cars).
>
> Wow. I've _never_ sold a car in my life. I've always given them away.
>
> But of course, that's when they're decades old, so they generally go to the
> people who take them away for free or to kids as their first car.
>
> What I _love_ about owning old cars is that you don't fret when it gets a
> new scratch, where I've been to junkyards with cars piled five high and I
> think about how the first scratch made each owner cry when they were new.
>
>> Unfortunately, in my cold climate, sometimes a simple brake job is a
>> total PITA.
>
> Reminds me of when I replaced my tie rod ends, pitman arm, idler arm, and
> ball joints in the dead of winter back in upper New York state. I bought
> the parts by driving to the parts store, and the guy behind the counter
> ended up giving me two tie rod ends of the same side.
> It was my first experience with the need to check the parts _before_ you
> leave the auto parts store (and of course, this was before the Internet).
>
> I had to go back to the parts store, but this time riding a motorcycle in
> the snow, but what struck me was how nonchalant the guy was behind the
> counter.
> He didn't care that his mistake cost me all that agony and danger.
> The one nice thing about California where I live is the cast aluminum door
> handles don't break off in your hands when you open the car door in the
> morning!
>
>>  The Olds' wagon had the rotors *so* rusted onto the hubs that I
>> couldn't get them off anyhow.
>
> I've had drum brakes that wouldn't come off, even with heat and plenty of
> banging. It happens back east a lot.
>
>>  That goodness the neighbor brought his welding torch over, and got
>> 'em nice an hot until the 8 pound hammer got them off.
>
> Yup. Nothing a welding torch can't solve when the oxygen hits the hot iron!
> I have 220V and gas welding equipment myself, but I rarely do it nowadays.
>
>> I can't fathom spending that kind of money on a brake job.  A local
>> exhaust shop chargers $265 per axle to do the brakes on most cars, but
>> I still do it myself almost all times.
>
> Great pads are about $12 or so each and rotors can be gotten for $15 to $25
> each and a set of unloaded calipers can be obtained for around $30 each
> (after core refund).  Ask me how I know this.

I'll ask you to SHOW this.

Rotors for $15 to $25? For a BMW?

Bullshit.

>
> Always, always, always, I buy by the specs where I _never_ get lower than
> OEM specs for any brake or tire repair; but luckily, you can't get a "bad"
> pad or rotor or caliper in the USA if you follow good buying practices.

What constitutes "lower" when buying a rotor? What "specs" are you even
given?

>
> Fun fact: What's the one thing that did NOT happen to brake rotors when the
> average person vehemently claims that their "brakes warped"?