BrentS

Anyone who thinks the American auto industry has a chance of even keeping their current market share REALLY needs some business lessons. Maybe they could go back to college; and if we keep heading down this liberal transition road, they may even be able to go to college for free, with socialized secondary education.:eek: It is an ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that China will soon start to mfr autos that will be sold in the U.S. They have 1.5 billion people.......a gigantic supply of cheap labor, a government that continues to make strides in free trade, and a country that doesn't give a CR@P about any other country OR the environment, or human rights. That, is a perfect mix of qualities that will further their expansion of all their manufacturing industries. This whole subject of "buy American" is soooo ridiculous, it's like trying to argue the world is still flat. I would like ONE example of a successful US company that is involved in manufacturing, which has been able to remain completely isolated from global trade. Go on......find ONE.

Thanks. I actually opted for a more expensive one (Battery Tender - Home of the Battery Tender Jr. - Batterytender.com), just because it stated that it had 4 distinct charging cycles............so they claim. I may have waisted money, though. Of course, I didn't buy it off their website..........they ask to much for it.

Yes, I see they come with cigarette plug options, so that's good. I was wondering if the cigarette option would be good because of a possible (small) voltage drop in the wire run, but I guess it doesn't make much difference, since there's lots of chargers with that option. Thanks.

Since I haven't been using my Reatta that often lately (once every two weeks, or so), I was thinking about throwing a float-type battery charger on it. Anyone have any cool ideas on where/how to hook a charger up (other than directly to the battery). For example, I was thinking of plugging the charger into the cigarette lighter receptacle. Anyone else do that?

Yeah, thanks. I was in a silly mood.

The circle of live continues....

I would just disagree on the: "What goes around comes around, but it moves so slowly that it seems to only move slightly over decades." That's one thing that hasn't happened........things are NOT moving slowly........businesses are transforming at a faster and faster rate.....kinda like an exponential rate. The gains that China made in the past 10 years are astounding............the likes of which have never been seen. Even the largest of corporations.........the Microsofts......the Exxon Mobiles......the Firestones..........the Toyotas.......the GM's...........are not immune to the forces of busniness..............especially global business.

I would be interested in seeing a true muscle car come back..........but, it seems highly doubtful........now with all this insane environmental craze this country is going through... I want a large full-size, 2-door passenger car, with a large powerful GAS engine (non hybrid). But, it would truly have to be a FULL size.

Yes, if the clunker was one of those cars that would burn a quart of oil every few days........by all means, get that thing off the road. But, when it comes to environmental/political policies, studies, incentives, etc., I have yet to hear anyone really look into the whole manufacturing cycle.....i.e. the Big Picture. Remember when they told us to use plastic bags at the supermarket, instead of paper bags?.......to save a tree? Ha! Now, everyone knows that trees are actually "renewable resources", and completely biodegradeable. Oh, how the feable-minded will follow suit....... Look into W. Edwards Deming..........what a great story about a brilliant man who did much of his work to teach Japan about Quality.............pretty interesting how long it took the Big 3 to listen to Deming. Also, Wiki has a great example of "comparative advantage", and it actually proves that even if a country can mfr all the things more efficiently, it STILL benefits BOTH countries to do trade. A wild concept, but now widely accepted. (of course the assumptions are free-market, full competition, etc...) I can't believe that people are actually listening to my rantings.....

Like I said......I really would recommend studying global economics/business , etc. There is so much more academic work being done on the benefits of global trade nowadays, that my MBA degree had great emphasis on it.....about 8 of the 16 courses had to do with global business (marketing, finance, economics, mgt., organizational behavior, etc. etc. Ex. If the cost of the briggs & stratton engine goes from $100 to $70, because it's assembled in China; and there's 1.2 million of these engines sold in the U.S. (even more throughout the world), think of the savings to the consumers...........at the cost of only 400 people's jobs........who, in the end, should get another job........eventually. You have to look at the BIG picture. It's the same mistake, as when this govt inacted the cash for clunkers program; did they realize the amount of energy and by-products consumed/produced in the manufacturing of an automobile........when they thought it was environmentally beneficial to junk these cars simply because they had low mileage??? I HIGHLY DOUBT IT............

Isn't it sometimes worth it, to weigh the cost of your time vs. the cost of replacing a "candidate part"? The IAC was only like $40, and even though it wasn't the cause of my high idle issue, the trips to the store, time cleaning it, and the time of troubleshooting, and since the original was 20 years old..............I didn't have a problem simply replacing it, anyway. Although, your financial situation may be worse than mine...........hope it isn't.

FYI: Briggs & Stratton just set up an major assembly plant in China, and laid-off hundreds of Americans. And true capatitalists know, that in the long run, that was a good move for both countries involved. All those who still believe there is even such a concept as "buy American", really need a macro-economics lesson, or two. It has been proven by quite some time now (I forget the name of the economist), that countries should embrace the business that they DO BEST, and trade with other countries for the business that they cannot compete in. The U.S. has already ventured down that road quite a bit........as we are now predminantly a SERVICE INDUCSTRY nation. I didn't want to have to go back to college when I was 32 years old.......but, you know what?.............TOO FREAKIN' BAD! I did it, and so be it, many others will have to, or face difficult times. Career changes are more often required in this era. Things will continue to change at an even fast pace......as time goes on. Soon, China will be thought of a top-level manufacturer, just like Japan is now. So, it is very UN-AMERICAN to attempt to hinder the unevitable forces of Global Trade. You would be hurting yourselves, as well as your fellow countrymen (or, women, to be P.C.). p.s. Don't know about you all, but I have Global Investment in my 401K funds, as part of my diversifying. Even U.S. companies invest in foreign entities. The Global Economy is here........... If you do a wiki search for "comparative advantage", there's a good write-up there. It was Ricardo, who I was thinking of............my brains getting soft....

Well......he does touch upon some good points. The Reatta wasn't exactly a success story. But, I still like 'em.

I would recommend any pro-union advotcate to read The Price Theory, by Milton Freidman. Maybe the U.S. should ban all imports, and create one employer union, by combining all the U.S. automakers into one monopoly company. Why not eliminate competition with the employers, as well as with the emplyees. Then, we'll see how things go... I like when union advocates call union critics "non-American". As if being a devote capitalist is non-american :confused:

Ha! good one. Despite all the disagreements within this post........there's one thing I hope we can all agree on......... the people of the U.S. have the BEST SENSE OF HUMOR.

I heard of that..... What is that a book or movie? The best thing to happen to the Big 3, was the immergence of the Japanese automobile. You just can't argue with the power of competition. Am I the only one who actually feels ashamed, because at one time, I too, actually believed in the "buy American" philosophy? I truly am grateful for the engineering degree my parents gave me, and the MBA my company gave me..... it opened my eyes. :eek:

"The bourgeoisie... has set up that single, unconscionable freedom -- Free Trade. In one word, for exploitation, veiled by religious and political illusions, it has substituted naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation." -Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto It's very dangerous, the direction this country seems to be heading...recently. For those who advocate "buy American", pro-union, "made in the USA", anti-Japanese beliefs, etc.; I truly hope you will eventually come to realize the importance of capitalsim.....and learn to oppose all those forces and factors that have recently come to pose significant threats to it. Unions- an "avenue for corruption" and a monopoly of the workforce. Government- the most inefficient entity for doing business. Should be avoided on all fronts, except for the business of national defense. Trade restrictions- A complete disruption of capitalism. The Liberal political agenda- in many ways is the opposite of a free-market economic system. Perhaps the inherent flaw of a democracy, is that a democratic form of government can be voted-out. Quite ironic........

Ooops...........I think I got this post going on another topic. My windshield complaint is for the ridiculous $2000+ to get a new one. I'm waiting for insurance companies to get wise to this, and either raise their rates for this vehicle, or deny coverage, or pilkington to stop making them, or......?

The 105C rated capacitors that were procured for me were from Farnell (UK), distributed by Newark.com. Part number is: MCUMHR50V105M4X5. You can see there's a $20 shipping fee, for bringing them in from our "friends across the pond". But, the per/piece price is ONLY $0.047 (less than 5 cents). I bought 100, and sold extra on ebay, and broke even. If you don't care about the temp rating, you can get # UMA1H010MDD from Mouser.com, at only 20 cents a piece. The other capacitors mentioned in the reattaowner.com instructions have data sheets that show a 85C rating. However, some people stated that the capacitors from mcminone.com # 31-8565 come as 105C rated (Hitano brand?), but the data sheet for 31-8565 clearly states Nichicon brand at 85C. So, MCM may be taking it upon themselves to substitute, I guess? I didn’t want to trust it. I feel better knowing that the caps are temp-rated the same as stock caps; especially since these particular caps are a "weak link" in the design of the radio's electronics.

My pump over heating happend a few times with old (original) accumulator, and a few times with the new (from Buick) accumulator. When the accumulator died, the brakes still had power assist, there was just a weird shutter/delay felt in the pedal, every time you applied brakes. I highly doubt there's anything wrong with the new accumulator. I'm still convinced on the high temperature, being the culprit. But, luckily, those conditions are not often present. I was tempted on just buying a new pump/motor (25535707), but they're mucho bucks ($500-ish). And, now with the windshield supply issues........I'm not quick to pour too much money in this car.

The pressure switch and accumulator were replaced. Brake system works excellent. Has been flushed/filled. New relay on firewall. New calipers. New pads, etc. etc. etc. The pump/motor simply quit pumping (on a few occasions). All occasions happened when outside temp was in 90's, and doing a lot of stop & go (no airflow over car); and A/C was usually ON; thus, car (engine bay) was just about as hot as it ever gets. I know others have claimed to have motor problems when their car was hot, too....so........... I think GM was lucky with this...........very lucky.

Yes, I meant losing the power assist, for this discussion. I have also lost power assist from "pump not keeping up", however, it quickly returns when pump catches up. But, I have lost brakes 4 or 5 times, from what I believe was pump motor over-heating. Power assist is lost (without warning) until car sits for a few hours, until pump cools down. Luckily it hasn't happened in over a year, but not fun. I believe others had this issue, as some added insulation or air ducts to cool-off pump motor. I was going to try insulating the bottom of the pump motor (to shield it from engine heat), but it's been put lower on the priority list. Also, I think GM is immune to all lawsuits (even on-going), for cars sold prior to bankruptcy. I think.........but I'm not a lawyer.

I was just wondering how many people out there have lost their power brakes at one time, or another (like I have). Was just reading all these issues that Toyota's now having with the brakes on the Prius, and thought of the Reatta's brake system. I don't recall ever hearing any major publicly announced issue with the Reatta brake system; Did GM luck-out big time on this? Because I would venture that a considerable amount of people have lost their Reatta's brakes.... (My brakes were lost multiple times, from what I believe was an over-heating condition of the pump motor)

I recall when I had the tape deck completely unplugged, pushing PLAY on the CRT did absolutely nothing; the screen didn't change to the tape player mode, or anything. That is where all my past questions came up, regarding whether the deck needed to be plugged in, working, etc.

I personally, am not all "convinced" by K & N. I don't see their concrete evidence/data, that not only relates airflow and hp, but more importantly filtration (micron rating, capacity, etc.) Any aftermarket filter could increase airflow, especially if the media has larger passages (i.e. oiled "cotton gauze"). But, where is K & N's data/testing showing the amount of filtration? Oiled filter media has been around a long time......whether it's sponge or cotton gauze. I always wonder if an aftermarket idea is soooooooo good, why wouldn't all the manufacturers use it? Just my opinion.