charlier

You might give some thought to finding some Jersey Barriers (K Rails) or some REALLY BIG Rocks before she hits your car again (or maybe your house). The picture you posted above would seem to indicate a pattern or maybe just karma.

Just wondering, do you live in a state that REQUIRES drivers to have car insurance by law?? If so, driving without insurance would be against the law wouldn't it? You might want to check the law and see if it provides for restitution on her part for the damage she did to your vehicle. Given the number of days that have elapsed since she hit your car you may have a problem with reporting the accident at this time. How could you even prove she hit it at this point? BTW, what happens if she hits your car again in the future? Are you willing to eat that loss as well? If her actions (ie hitting your car) have no consequences this time and she gets away scott free why should she be careful in the future? If the shoe was on the other foot what would your neighbor do or say if you hit his car and damaged it, you had no insurance and refused to pay the cost of repairs? I'm betting he would not be willing to just forget about it and pay the cost for his repairs. So, why should you?

Joel, Friends of mine have been parking their RV on this field for a number of years now and I usually stay with them. Some of the RVs that use this field also tow enclosed and open car trailers and leave their trailers connected. I believe when we stayed there in 2019 the nightly fee was $60/night for an RV. Would not be surprised if the fee went up this year. There is an office trailer on this field where you can go to pay the fees and get the window card for your RV for your stay. If I remember correctly, they take cash or credit cards and someone is usually in the trailer until at least 8 or 9 pm. I believe there are some guidelines regarding what time you should run a gasoline generator so as not to disturb other campers. Usually close to the office trailer their have a small trailer with a generator and road construction lights. They run the lights and generator most of the night so if the generator noise bothers you, you should park away from this trailer with the trailer between you and the generator. My friends and I have found that this camping area is ideally located right across the street from the corner entrance to the Red Field at a traffic light. There would be no need to drive your car except to the show on Saturday or possibly at night if you wanted to go out for dinner. FYI, there are a couple of restaurants within walking distance of this field one of which is a Red Robin. This camping area also let's people visiting with campers to park here for a nominal fee. When I drive my DPC car to Fall Hershey I pay the fee and park next to my friend's RV for the week. We use my car to go out for dinner if we don't feel like walking. FYI this field is HUGE so the 55 ft length of your rig will be No Problem when it comes to maneuvering or parking. As far as other information for a first timer at Hershey here are some tips: 1) Bring clothing for all kinds of weather (ie Hot, Cold, Rain, Sun) Hershey can have it all during Hershey Week. 2) Comfortable shoes are a MUST. You will be walking 8-10 hours a day and many MILES if you walk the flea market. 3) Yes it is October but sunscreen does come in handy unless you have a BIG hat that shades your entire head, neck & shoulders. 4) You can avoid long food lines if you move your normal lunch time 1-1.5 hours before or after the traditional 11:30-1:30pm timeframe. If you bring your own lunch that is even better but then you miss out on the great Hershey food! 5) Buy a show program as soon as you get to the flea market field on the first day. This program is well worth the money for all the information it contains (ie schedule of events, complete list of all flea market vendors and their locations & a whole lot more). 6) On Saturday don't get to the show right when the gates open. Wait 30-45 minutes until the initial rush of cars gets in the gates. Also do get to the show field at least an hour or so before the gates close. Finally, don't obsess about the weather. Most weather forecasts are not very accurate more than a couple of days before. My go to weather forecast is Weather Underground. I have their App on my smartphone and use their 10 day, hour by hour forecast. They also have a web site as well. I will probably think of some other items and I'm sure others here will post their suggestions as well.

Both AARP and AAA offer "Mature Driver" courses. I took the AAA Course on-line three years ago. The course was said to take 8 hours and it took me a little longer than that. This course give you pop quizzes after some sections and a test at the end. in order to "pass" the course one has to get at least 80% of the answers correct. I recently took the "refresher" course on-line which was said to take 4 hours and it took me longer than that. FYI, when taken on line, this course does not let one skip a section or progress faster than the course allows. I suspect that that the in person courses probably take about the same mount of time. EVERYONE here should seriously consider taking these courses as a LOT of things have changed over the years when it comes to driving. For example, I was taught to hold the steering wheel at 10 & 2. NOT any longer. 9 & 3 or 8 & 4 are where one is supposed to hold the steering wheel these days. This change came about due to steering wheel airbags. If one holds the steering wheel at 10 & 2 and the airbag deploys you have a increased risk of having your arms hitting you in the face or your wrists getting broken. These are also guidelines for how close one sits to the steering wheel of a vehicle with airbags. These are just a couple of the things that are new or different from when most of us learned how to drive. This course is all about REDUCING one's RISK when driving and all the things one can do to achieve that goal. That is probably one of the reasons why many automobile insurance companies offer a discount to their policyholders who take these courses (and PASSES). In my case I get a 5% discount off of certain parts of my policy (not the entire policy cost). FYI, this discount applies to both my regular auto policy and my antique auto policy. BTW, the policy discounts are only good for 3 years and then one has to take a refresher course. My antique policy carrier "reminded" be that the 3 years was up and it was time to take the course or lose the discount. Yes, these courses take time. For me, I am willing to put in the time to be as safe a driver as I can be for myself and others on the road.

Okay Matt, I'll bite, How many MILES did you drive in that month for $30?

As older members of clubs are replaced by younger ones over time, the trend will most likely accelerate at a much faster rate than some people might think. BTW, who is to say that "electronic" magazines will put an end to bathroom reading? If what I saw for sale on-line this morning is any indication, reading in this room will not stop even when it is "electronic".

If by Macungie you are referring to Das Awkscht Fescht that event is this coming weekend August 6-8. Das Awkscht Fescht

Yes, there are fees for regular use tags. When one changes to Antique Tags there are different fees that one must pay and there is no discount involved when changing vehicle designation. The current cost to register a vehicle in Pennsylvania as an Antique, Classic or Collectible is $84 for the plate + $58 Registration Fee + $5.00 Local fee for a total of $147. If one wants a Personalized Plate then add an addition $112 which brings the total to $259. This information comes form the current PA MV-11 form on the PA DOT website. I'm glad I registered all my vehicles for Antique tags when the fee was $97.50.

By orientation are you referring to hooks up or hooks down? Maryland law actually specifies this?

Years ago I used to frequent a brand specific car forum where a wide variety of car people of various ages interacted. Members would seek advise and answers about various car modifications and problems. I always found it interesting how some members would tell other members offering solutions or advice that they didn't know what they were talking about. One particular discussion regarding suspension modifications to increase handling and steering performance was particularly amusing. A forum member went to great lengths to explain in detail that the modifications being made by the owner would not bring about the desired result. He instead offered his thoughts as to how to achieve the intended goal. He did this in a very nice, logical way that in no way could be thought of as anything but trying to help. The car owner and several others told this poster that he knew nothing about the subject or the car in question and to go away. Needless to say I laughed my you-know-what-off at the response to his help. You may ask why I was so amused by this discussion. Well, I happened to know what this person did for a living and what he did for fun. He kept that information to himself but he did share it with me. He just happened to be an automotive engineer who worked for the automaker that built the vehicles featured in this forum and the model in this discussion. In his spare time he drove on a racing team that raced that vehicle. I once asked him why he endured all the nasty posts regarding his posts that tried to help people. He told he did it to educate and help the next generation of automotive enthusiasts.

Nice trailer. First thing I did when I bought my trailer was to paint the walls white and seal the floor. Nice New Beetle. For it's size it is one HEAVY car. The one I have is the heaviest of all my VWs and gets the lowest MPGs. Then again at almost 3,000 pounds it's no wonder.

Marty, I believe this system can monitor a LOT more than 8 tires which would come in handy in your case. The manual appears to indicate that that the system can handle a trailer with 24 tires and a tow vehicle with 14 tires. The company offers kits of a variety when it comes to the number of sensors. My kit came with 4 sensors. I have seen a kit with 6 sensors. You can also buy sensors in 2 packs as well (which I did). On my recent trip to the Saratoga Springs National it was interesting to see the system monitoring the tire pressure and temperatures. Each tire started off cool and at the air pressure I filled them to. At highway speeds (I kept it around 65mph) the air pressure increased about 7-8 pounds and the temperature hit a high of 90-92 degrees. The other nice thing about this system is it's flexibility. If you use more than one trailer or tow vehicle you can move the sensors around and set up multiple profiles of tow vehicle and trailer combinations. So glad your Excursion tire blowout ended well. I consider a Tire Pressure Monitoring System as an important part of my towing safety equipment. I just wish some other people that tow that I have seen over the years took trailering safety more seriously.

Marty, You might want to take a look at the system I am using made by Truck System Technologies. Friends of mine who own a Class A motor home told me about this system and use it on their rig. 507 Series 4 RV Cap Sensor TPMS System Color Display and Repeater According to the specs listed in the manual this system has a tire pressure range from 1 - 218 PSI and a temperature range from -40 degrees to 178 degrees Fahrenheit. Both the tire pressure and temperature monitoring features let you configure high and low alarm warning settings. This system has two different types of sensors that you screw onto the valve stems of our trailer tires. One is a Cap the other is a "Flow Through" sensor. The Flow Through sensor lets you fill the tire with air without moving the sensor. With the Cap sensor you must remove it to put air in your tire. I have the system with the Cap sensors and the color display. The sensors use a replaceable battery about the size of a dime that are inexpensive and can be found anywhere. The manufacturer says the sensor batteries last 1-1.5 years. Mine lasted over 2+ years but I do not leave than on my trailer tires all the time. When you remove the sensors from the tires they turn themselves off which saves the battery. BTW, in case you are wondering the sensors come with a special tool you use to install and remove them. It is a security feature that discourages theft of the sensor (you cannot just unscrew it with your hand and take it) There is a LOT more information about this unit in the user manual (see link below). 507 User Manual The installation and configuration instructions in the manual might seem complicated at first glance. The company has a number of easy to understand "How To" videos in the support section of their web site and on their You Tube channel. Product Support Information YouTube channel instructional videos Another nice feature is that you can configure multiple trailers and/or Trucks with this system by using separate ID codes.. Heck you could use this system on some of your Antique Cars that you tour with if you wanted. If your tow vehicle does not have TPMS you could buy additional sensors separately and monitor this tires as well. The beauty of this system is in it's flexibility to perform multiple roles. If you shop around you might be able to find a lower price on-line. I bought mine on amazon.com. Since I use their smiles program and designate AACA as my charity the AACA gets a donation when I make purchases. DISCLAIMER: I Do Not work for this company or receive any compensation from them whatsoever for recommending their products. I am just a VERY satisfied customer. If you have any questions just let me know. Charlie

I use a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) on each of my trailer tires. It monitors the temperature and tire pressure of each tire and reports it to the screen on the dashboard of my truck. If the tire pressure falls to Zero (tire blew) or the pressure goes above or below a set range the system sounds an alarm and indicates which tire has a problem. The same goes for the temperature monitoring. On my trip to the National at Saratoga this week I noticed that the temperature reading for the tires on the sunny side of the trailer was about 5-10 degrees warmer than on the shady side. The tire temperature on each side was within a few degrees of each other. I have also found that these sensors are very close to the temperature reading from my hand held infra-red thermometer. For me, the cost of this TPMS system was worth it given the information it provides and it's accuracy.

You may want to get there early to avoid the heat. Usually the show cars start arriving at the show field when it opens or earlier. This National opens registration at 8:30 AM on Saturday at the show field. I would not be surprised to see cars starting to arrive on the field as early as 7:30 AM. With the judges meeting/breakfast starting at 8:00 AM some judges may put their cars on the field before they head to the breakfast. That is what I usually do. At this time of the morning the show cars just trickle in with more arriving later in the morning. Judging starts at 11:00AM at this National so all the cars that are coming will be on the field by that time. If you have a portable folding chair you might consider bringing it and sitting at the show field entrance and watch the cars as they come in. It looks like this National will have around 300 cars on the field. Sitting there and watching them come in will let you see most of them without expending a lot of energy. After they are on the show field then you can take a closer look at those cars that really interest you. At most Nationals there are food vendors on-site that serve breakfast and lunch if you do not bring something with you. A nice warm breakfast sandwich and your favorite morning beverage can be a great way to start one's day at an AACA National. Other suggestions: Comfortable walking shoes. Plenty of Sunscreen and sunglasses (the glare of the sun reflecting off of show cars can make one's eyes tired).. You probably have all these things covered when you go to other car events but it can't hurt to mention them anyway. There is no doubt you will have a good time on Saturday. Don't be surprised if forum members who are at this National stop and say Hello. We tend to do that given the chance. 😁

So where are these badges appearing because I am not seeing them? I must be on Peter's naughty list 😈 or I need new glasses 🤓

I have been using a set of 4 Aluminum RV Jack Stands for my car trailer for years now. Each jack stand supports up to 6,000 pounds per the manufacturer. I place all 4 of them right under the steel cross member at the ramp door of my trailer spaced evenly apart. Each jack stand sits on a 1 foot square steel plate that I bought separately which helps spread out the weight on soft ground or a blacktop parking lot and also provides more stability. The BEST thing about these jack stands is that they use a screw design that provides maximum adjustability. For example if the ground under the rear of the trailer is not absolutely level you can vary the height of each jack stand in very small or not so small increments to make it level. That flexibility can be invaluable when parking a trailer at and AACA Event on a grass field. Click here so see just one example of the jack stands that I have been talking about.

Congrats Dave. Looks like a few of us joined the forums in 2005. In a few more days it will be 15 years for me on the forums (Joined May 2005) , a couple more years as an AACA member before that and a couple more years going to Fall Hershey before that. Mark, you're not alone either. I think the three of us are part of the 2005 Forum Club. 😁 I guess that makes us Teenagers..... Peter, I think it's congrats. I have been a member of a number of automotive forums over the years. The AACA Forum is the only one that has kept me coming back for more. Besides the people who frequent the forums, the way the forums are run has a lot to do with it as well. Too many other automotive forums changed (and NOT for the better) into something else over the years that did not appeal to me. Keep up the good work and Thank You. Dave, I still work with green computer screens (IBM) for 40+ years now. The current system I support is around 24 years old now. I guess next year it qualifies as an Antique by AACA's standards.

Wes, if you click on the following link you will see the Saratoga National Meet Brochure which contains all the activities and their days/times. Like others have said these activities are open to all AACA members regardless of if they have a car in the event. There are a number of activities on Wednesday,Thursday & Friday that might intertest you. Be advised that some activities have capacity limits like the Jim Taylor Car Collection which was full on Thursday when I registered last week. (I registered for Friday which was still open at the time.) Then on Saturday you can attend the Car Show which is free to all spectators whether they are AACA Members or not and does not require you to register. Some activates on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday require that you register and may involve a fee. To register on-line for the activities and see the fees involved click here. Like others above have said the Registration has been extended until May 28th. Also be aware that when you register on-line you will have to print out your registration and mail that and a check to the address specified. Do not wait until the last minute to register. As long as your registration is postmarked by May 28th you should be okay. Charlie

Congrats Matt on the EV purchase. Keep us updated on your EV ownership experience with some first hand, real world information. Any chance we might get to see your new EV at Fall Hershey this year?

A few years ago two traffic circles were added on a heavily traveled road with intersecting side roads that I use everyday for work. When I first heard about this project I thought it was a terrible idea mainly because I had not so great experiences with other traffic circles over the years. Before the circles, I would have to wait at stop signs for any number of minutes at each intersection every day. The traffic circles have GREATLY IMPROVED traffic flow in both places and I seldom have to stop when entering these circles for more than a few seconds. One of these circles feeds the main road to a local junior & senior high school. This circle GREATLY improved school bus safety because busses no longer have to sit and wait to make a left turn. I would like to meet the engineer that designed one of these circles to ask WHY the approach lanes are shaped the way they are. This engineer obviously never asked PENNDOT how wide their highway snow plows are and their maximum angle limits when plowing. As a result when this traffic circle needs plowing PENNDOT has to dispatch a plow truck with a smaller blade that has a wider range of plow angles. I saw this a few times this past winter. Also both of these circles should have been made wider. I often think I can hear professional truck drivers swearing when they are in these circles especially those pulling 53 foot trailers. The number of tire marks on the inside of these circles proves my point without a doubt. Like others here have said properly designed traffic circles can improve traffic flow. For cars, SUVs and small trucks these circles work well, for tractor trailers not so much. Here in Pennsylvania I sometimes see the term "high speed roundabout" which makes me 🤣🤣🤣🤣. The one "high speed roundabout" that I use once in a while is anything but that especially when towing a car trailer or when tractor trailers use it. This one actually has multiple lanes in it's circle and 5 or 6 entry points. This one is an accident waiting to happen for any traffic circle newbie.

So if the owner of the vehicle does not notify the insurance company of the change in storage location could that be used as a reason to deny a claim on the vehicle??? Given the 6 figure value of the car, one does have to wonder. Is there any fine print in the policy regarding storage location (that could be a concern for you) that is unique to this vehicle due to it's value? I think it would be prudent to ask for a copy of his policy so you could sit down with your insurance agent and review both his policy and your coverages that would apply to his vehicle to see if you have any potential gaps or exposure.

Kerry & Bill, You saved me a lot of extra typing with your posts. I too have fitted California Car Covers for two of my cars. The first one my brother bought for me as a gift for being is Best Man at his wedding. Talk about a useful and thoughtful gift for a car guy. The 2nd I bought years ago at the Fall Hershey Flea Market. Got a very nice discount from the vendor. 4-6 weeks later (they are custom made) it arrived. Both covers have been in service for many years now. BTW Kerry, I think you and I both went to the same school for how to fold a car cover. 😁

I suppose it depends on one's definition of "success" when talking about the Chevy Vega. The following article has a different take on the Vega which is more in line with Everyone I knew that owned the vehicle back in the day. The Vega: An unmitigated disaster Especially interesting (and so sad) was that the first Vega prototype Literally FELL APART after only 8 MILES at the GM test track. Car & Driver's take on the Vega in this article is worth reading.

A couple of times/month I come across modified diesel pickups driven by these ***holes. Gets old real fast when I have to close the windows, sunroof and put the ventilation on recirculate when they spew a cloud of black soot and I'm 100-200+ feet behind them. I have to wonder if these fellas would mind if I mounted a couple of sidewinder missiles on my truck. 😉 😁