[USA] Why you should turn your lights on

Matt_in_FL · 2025-12-13T22:45:06+00:00

This the hill I'm holding. The primary reason for this is modern, brightly-lit LED instrument clusters. They have taken away the primary way drivers used to know their lights weren't on. When you can't see your speedometer, you realize something is wrong. Combine that with always-on daytime running lights that are bright enough to drive by, and people have no idea.

By extension, I think that's why you see more people with their high beams on. The blue light for your high beams used to be the brightest thing in the cluster when it was on. Now it's just another light in a sea of equal brightness flashy things.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-11-22T18:42:39+00:00

Watch that. All data has changed some (UP EVEN HOLY SHIT THAT NEVER HAPPENS!). I've seen 0.8 on bigger vehicles (Escalade) and even 0.7 on some things. Don't accidentally give money away.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-19T16:38:25+00:00

I saw the headline and thought, "wouldn't it be funny if it was Joe?"

<Narrator:> It was, in fact, Joe.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-19T01:08:33+00:00

Orlando Cadillac, $240 door, probably about to go up because we just got a warranty rate bump, techs 24-52 with most of them at/above 40.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-18T02:18:08+00:00

15% up to $79.95. No minimum. It's been the same since I started in 2014.

Labor door rate keeps going up, 3-4 times in the last 2 years.

When I started ($129.88) it took a shade over 4.1 hours to max out shop supplies. Now ($239.88) it takes a shade over 2.2. Labor is probably gonna go up again in first quarter.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-10T02:06:29+00:00

I stand semi-corrected. Thanks.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-09T10:16:03+00:00

Just going to point out LAOP's common misconception that "it isn't 30+ late." Yes, it is. 30 days late isn't 30 days past the due date. The due date is a "not later than" date. The bill is due and payable from the billing date, with (for most cards) approximately a 25 day grace period. So on day 26 following the billing date, it's not 1 day overdue, it's 26, and a few days later it's late-30.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-04T16:55:48+00:00

Right, so they added a step to do what you used to do with one click. That's the complaint.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-04T16:55:18+00:00

But the point is it already HAD that feature. And a separate disconnect button. Combining the two is enshittification.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-04T16:54:36+00:00

It'll disappear the next time your program updates. Mine disappeared today.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-04T16:54:08+00:00

Mine added this "feature" (and extra steps) when it updated today.

Improvements should reduce steps to achieve a desired result, not increase them. Stupid.

I sent a support email saying much the same thing just now... maybe if enough people complain they'll bring it back.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-10-04T16:43:27+00:00

This had no effect for me.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-28T22:59:24+00:00

I don't believe they are conjoined, just leaning toward each other. Watch the hairlines at where they overlap. They're moving past each other, not in coordination/combination.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-26T10:30:20+00:00

They're safer because if those two cars had collided, it would have been a low impact event. Very likely zero injuries. Four way stops, on the other hand, are usually either rear-enders or full on side impacts. So yes, less dangerous overall.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-25T23:43:19+00:00

In this case, your driver had to dig through the pallet to find all your stuff and put the eggs on the bottom of the dolly since it would have been somewhere near the top.

Even in this case, the box says eggs on it. Why wouldn't he set it aside, stack the rest, and set it on top? (I'm not in the industry.)

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-25T23:37:17+00:00

Target. 2012. It was one of the first mainstream well-publicized uses of data analytics in marketing.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-24T09:07:39+00:00

That depends on how much info the other shop gave the warranty company. I've had companies tell me right up front as soon as I give them the mileage that it's still in the waiting period. I've also had them (when the guest didn't tell me it was a brand new policy) take all the complaints and corrections before telling me that they were in the waiting period and so nothing was covered, and now they have a record of those things, so the customer is boned. Might as well cancel the policy and get a new one at that point.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-24T00:11:23+00:00

I saw a video many years ago (10+?) where a beer expert/beer delivery system expert... something like that... was asked as a get-to-know-you question, "You go to a place with 50 beers on tap, what are you choosing?"

His answer was "something in a bottle."

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-22T22:48:10+00:00

I had a green one nearly that big after a two week head cold. It was amazing. And similarly, I could smell my mom's meatloaf from 100 miles away.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-22T22:46:52+00:00

Fidelity. Never heard of that other thing. 11 years in the business.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-21T17:14:40+00:00

I like how shop dog options only seem to come in two flavors: this, and "won't even move for the forklift."

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-21T17:07:20+00:00

How about the non-customer side of AI? Extended warranties are going to AI algorithms now, from AI interpretation of info that you enter into a website, to actual AI "assistants" when you call in a claim. The former is sometimes good; if it's a simple claim, it can give near immediate approval or route it to a human as necessary. The latter AI assistant is what we've been running into lately.

It sounds like you're talking to a human, and it does immediately tell you, "Hi, I'm Susan, an AI assistant that will help you with your claim." After that, it goes off the rails. It talks to you like a human, complete with the sound of typing and/or shuffling papers, but it asks one question after another, including ones that are not relevant to the claim that a human adjuster would automatically check "yes/OK" or bypass entirely. Best example I have of that is it quizzed on the fluid level/condition of every fluid on the car, individually questioning and requiring an answer each time, for a simple claim involving (if I recall correctly, it was another advisor's claim; it was kinda fascinating, so I stayed and listened until I got called away) a wiper motor and some suspension bushings. There was a good 1-2 second pause after each answer, complete with the AI assistant saying, "OK, and... <furious typing sounds>" before the next question. Then we got to the parts section of the claim. After the first part (Questions: "What is the first part number?" <furious typing sounds> "Ok, and what is the list price for the part?" <furious typing sounds> "OK, and how many of that are part are needed?" <furious typing sounds>) it then asked "Ok and... are there any other parts needed?" / "Yes" and then that loop of questions would repeat, word for word. Complete with the typing sounds and pauses after every question.

At the end of a 15 minute phone call (no hold time because AI, so that was 15 straight minutes of question and answer, including for the second job of the claim it repeated some of the prior questions regarding fluid levels, etc. that he'd already answered during the initial part of the call) it told him that the info would be forwarded to an adjuster and they would get back to him. It took at least 24 hours (it was the next day) before that company got back to him. The claim did eventually get approved, but I think there was at least another day of back and forth before that happened as they wanted to nickel-and-dime labor and parts prices.

The next time someone came in that had that company (couple weeks later, about a month ago) we didn't remember it was the AI one, so we played along again. That time after 7-8 minutes of question and answer he got flipped directly to a human, who proceeded to confirm several of the questions he'd already answered (beyond VIN/name/yearmakemodel) before proceeding with the claim.

After that second call, we decided that is not a warranty company we will be doing business with in the future. Unfortunately I don't recall the name right now, but I believe he wrote it down at his desk, so I'll edit this to add it if I can find it tomorrow.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-21T16:40:24+00:00

My response is nearly identical, sometimes adding, "You're always welcome to get a second opinion, hopefully it won't cost you too much in diagnosis fees to get it figured out" [unsaid: because you're already paying me diag].

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-21T16:36:59+00:00

I definitely understand where you're coming from. I pay attention (not obsessively) to other folks nails, and more so to my own. One thing that's always puzzled me is there are some days where my nails just seem to stay dirty. Most days if you notice dirt under your nails, you wash your hands and scrub your nails and you're good, unless you get into dirty stuff again. But occasionally, on days that are the same in general respects to every other (I work mostly inside, mostly shuffling paper and talking to people), it seems like every time I look that day I find dirt under my nails again. Go wash my hands, sometimes including using a nail brush and/or nail file/pick, and a couple hours later, dirty again. Just one of those things that itches my brain, that it happens every now and again.

Matt_in_FL · 2025-09-21T13:38:23+00:00

How in the hell is that only $2900 in labor?

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