TeamsterGrrrl

Yes, the volume of the buybacks is incredible, currently running around 15,000 a week! VW hoped the response would be slow and the dealers would store some of the cars and the transports bringing new cars would haul the rest out instead of return empty, but VW is only selling around 6000 cars a week! I see a transport loaded with turn in cars go by almost every day, and that's coming from just one dealer! This is turning out way worse than VW planned, they assumed most of us would accept a "fix" and the cars that got turned in could be quickly "fixed" and resold, while the owner bought a new VW. Instead, there's no fix in sight, the cars are in worse shape than VW thought, and less than 20% of the owners turning in their cars are buying another VW... Maybe VW Group USA should have declared bankruptcy even if they had to take down Audi and Porsche USA with them?

First, update on the Ranger- Now almost 20 years old, the frame is OK but the front brakes lines rusted out and had to be replaced. No original fit or pattern parts available, had to use generic lines which of course don't fit worth a darn. Bleeded screws rusted up so I can't do a good brake bleed and with a bunch of other stuff ready to fall off, the Ranger has been retired to round the homestead duties. As for your old Mack's frame, if the frame is beyond hope from the cab back, repair it right and get complete new frame rails.

You'll probably get about $15k for a 2010, not bad for a 7 year old car that probably sold for $20-25k new. If you let them "fix" it, you get around $5k and and a warranty extension on the engine, fuel, and emissions systems. Then you get a tuner to "unfix" it...

Rotella T is very popular with motorcyclists, as it's certified for wet clutches and has a lot of zinc to lube valve trains.

It's sad to see VW stoop to stupid SUVs. Worse yet, over half of Porsche's production is now SUVs, and those SUVs are badge engineered VWs. Gettin' to the point that if you want a sports car, you have to go to Chevy or Ford...

The HN80 was a huge missed opportunity... Ford got out of big trucks because most of the profit was made by the engine makers and they had to compete with a half dozen brands, driving prices and profits down. Now we're down to just four big truck makers and truck making is a lot more profitable, except for Navistar. Thus the HN80 would be profitable today for Ford, even if they only built them on one shift with a leisurely line rate. The HN80 gone, that opportunity is lost- It wouldn't pay for Ford to spend a billion to bring a new heavy conventional to market for the American market and slivers of the export markets alone, and the Cargo wouldn't sell well enough here to make it worth building here... Sorry, that's the economics of big truck building in an oddball market.

Could be that UPS is worried that Mack is going to up and die on them?

Already been through this with VW and their "504" and now "507" oddball oil specs... Which do nothing but promote inefficiency and misoiling. I know of one VW dealer that was charging $200 for a "VW synthetic oil and filter change" and putting in 10W-30 bulk conventional oil. VW dealer near me had been honest and is using the proper $8 a liter VW oil, but because they sell Chevy and Nissan too they don't have enough volume to get the VW oil in bulk and waste time refilling crankcases from liter bottles! This oddball standard will probably back fire for Ford too, fleets don't like to carry a bunch of different oils for their diverse fleets, in a lot of cases if it won't run on the 15W-40 they get in bulk, they won't buy it! Expect a GM ad pointing this Ford F-up soon, a la the (loaded) toolbox thrown at the aluminum Ford pickup bed...

While Ford did indeed need Louisville for the Super Duty, they had capacity elsewhere well suited for relatively low volume products like heavy trucks- St.Paul was running at half capacity, the plant in Ohio that assembles the Econoline wasn't all that busy, and business is slow enough at Flat Rock that they'll be assembling a bunch of low volume hybrid and electric Fords. But the real villian that did in the HN80 was America's strange fetish for conventionals- The whole American market for class 6 through 8 conventionals could be supplied by just 2 plants, and it's currently divided between 4 manufacturers and around 8 plants.

Rowdy, I haven't taken even a cent of yours. Who is taking the fruits of your labor?

I checked the Ford parts online website, no brake lines listed, they just supply bulk tubing and expect you to make your own. Bleeder screws rusted tight too, so can't really do a good job of bleeding. Combine that with the poor fit of the available lines and the 19 year old Ranger is off the streets for good, gonna use it for moving stuff around the homestead 'til it dies completely.

And instead of looking for scapegoats for your predicament, you need to ask "why am I working so hard and got so little to show for it?".

No.

"Divided responsibility is what scares me away from GM and FCA products- Look at their past history of selling somebody else's products and then dumping them. Heck, GM dealership service departments sometimes look like automotive orphanages! And while the upcoming Cruze diesel's MPG is impressive, with the engine bought in and GM Europe sold off, will there be support for that vehicle 5 years from now, never mind 25? That said, I'm ticked that Ford can't even supply brake lines for a 19 year old Ranger and I'm having to kluge them together from generic parts. Google "Golf A4 brake lines" and I can get exact fit lines from VW and a bunch of aftermarket makers...

Keith, how are you subsidizing me?

Keith, you don't know what you're talking about. There are dozens of Teamster pension plans and most of them are in good financial shape. The one you speak of is Central States, which was crippled by the bankruptcy of several freight companies and mismanagement of investments by Wall Street. I'm not in Central States and my pension fund is doing well, despite Hostess stiffing us for over a million dollars. The managers in Hostess' pension plan got nothing and the plan had to be rescued by PBGC, and they lost their company paid health insurance.

Criminal Act? Crossing the border without authorization is a misdemeanor under federal code, same as a parking ticket!

Screw the salescritters, spec what works for you and order it. I'd be tempted to go for a CX with the small sleeper, MP7 with the 6 speed Maxitorque if you can still get it, built as a 4 by 2 then add an aftermarket air lift pusher.

So much for Trump's trillion dollar infrastructure program... Trump Lied!

IIRC, Parker-Hannifin was promoting their hydraulic hybrid as recently as last year. Wonder if they dropped the product or it's being sold under another makers name?

Rowdy, it's well settled law that the government has the right and duty to ban harmful drugs and restrict therapeutic drugs to use by only those who can benefit from them and by prescription. We've got enough of an addiction problem in this country already, no need to let everyone take whatever harmful drugs they want.

Mowerman, you clearly don't know me. I'm currently debating a republican legislator on another forum who thinks he's entitled to a drug that's not even been tested or approved for treatment of the disease he has. Yup, I'm taking the conservative position, arguing for careful conservative spending of our limited health care dollars, and the republican legislator is arguing for entitlements. Nice try at pigeonholing and stereotyping me, buy I'm really an old school moderate who will fight for what's right, whether that position be liberal or conservative.

Normally the EU Antitrust regulators would never allow VWAG to make any substantial acquisitions. But with the EU potentially falling apart, a lot of carmakers appear to be positioning themselves for acquisitions they couldn't normally make.

Again, lies: By law, pensions can not be funded by current participants like Social Security. Pension funds must be kept separate from dues and cannot be donated to any political candidate or party.

Not near worldwide. Except for North America and Australia, Paccar will be offering mostly DAF cabovers.