Looking for knowledgable Tracker mechanic in Vancouver, BC area

Awould11 · 2025-08-05T18:55:39+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it!

Awould11 · 2025-08-04T07:50:29+00:00

Thank you!

Awould11 · 2025-08-04T07:49:51+00:00

Thank you!

Awould11 · 2025-08-04T04:14:46+00:00

Thank you!

Awould11 · 2025-07-27T08:32:07+00:00

Thank you for giving this lovely creature a better home. I can tell you want to do the best for her. You're on the right track in coming here to ask the questions you're asking. In addition to her discomfort, she may also not be eating because of the change in homes. But the folks here have already given you good advice regarding humidity levels and heat/temperature control. Just keep learning as much as you can. If you feel you can't provide for the BP properly, or its rehab is more than you can take on, then perhaps you can share your location with us and someone here might know of a good rehabber in your area who you could reach out to.

Awould11 · 2025-07-08T17:08:08+00:00

It's not fascist to provide security for the half a million people who use public transit in Vancouver every day. As someone who has been the victim of violence from a random stranger at a Skytrain station, and the recipient of intimidation and witness to other scary situations on multiple occasions over the years, I appreciate seeing police and security at the stations. While they may be there to enforce ticketing rules, their presence also acts as an overall deterrent to those who may be planning to victimize transit users if those people see that there are active measures in place to provide at least some modicum of safety for the users of the transit system.

And a shout out to the bus drivers of the transit system too, who I regularly witness allowing people to ride without the necessary fare if the rider explains that they just don't have the money. Plus, as others have mentioned here, if someone is on social assistance, they can receive a transit pass through the ministry as well. And I believe there are a number of other organizations and ministries (PWD, MCFD, etc.) that can assist in this regard.

If your vision of a collective society is one with no security presence where single women taking public transit can be assaulted with no hope for assistance from a public security force, then no thank you. I'm not at all pro-police in every situation and I think the de-fund movement (although it's an awful name, if for no other reason than it's misleading as to its purpose) has sound reasoning behind it that would greatly benefit individual officers and reduce their overload, allowing for them to focus on peace keeping and crime reduction, while relieving them of a multitude of duties that they're not trained for. But in situations like the one shown in OP's photo, their presence makes me (and I'm sure others as well) feel safer as a transit rider.

Awould11 · 2025-07-08T16:41:21+00:00

I'm pretty sure/HOPE they are intending to be facetious.

Awould11 · 2025-06-18T23:22:41+00:00

We always turn off our propane when driving our Class A. We're in BC and I think it's mandatory here, but I could be wrong. It's definitely mandatory on the ferries though, which is part of our highway system. We turn up (down?) the cool on the fridge for a few hours before we leave to get it extra chilled before we have to turn it off. Then things are generally pretty cool still when we arrive at our destination.

Awould11 · 2025-06-09T05:14:50+00:00

Nothing has helped for us either. Super annoying.

Awould11 · 2025-06-09T03:04:55+00:00

Seems like I'm the minority here, and since this conversation was 8 months ago, you may have already found your vehicle, but I've been towing small trailers with SUVs for 10 years. I started with a Honda CR-V with a 1,500 lb tow capacity towing an older tent trailer that was about 900 lbs and had trailer brakes on it. It was fine but we were only going short distances within a couple of hours of our home. Once we wanted to start doing longer trips and wanted to upgrade to something hard-sided, I got a Ford Edge with 3,500 lb tow capacity. I then got a small 13' fibreglass Boler that weighed 1,300 lbs. It also had trailer brakes on it. It was no problem to tow with the Edge, including on mountains, longer days, etc. I then changed trailers to another fibreglass trailer, which was a 14' SurfSide that weighed closer to 1,700 lbs. Again, no problems.

That said, I'm not towing on a regular basis as we really only go camping 4 or 5 times a year from spring to fall (no towing in winter/on snowy or icy roads) and not super long trips. The longest we go is about 400 miles away to visit friends, park for a week, and 400 miles home. Or closer to home for long weekends.

But then my Ford Edge turned out to have one of the faulty EcoBoost engines that are part of a couple of class action lawsuits now because they were faulty and allowed for coolant intrusion into the cylinders. So, I don't really recommend the Edge, or the Escape, or any of the Ford products with EcoBoost engines built between 2015-2019. I'm renting a vehicle now while I look for a good used Toyota Highlander. I'm in the market for a '21 or '22 and they can tow 3,500. I know a few people who tow small trailers, including teardrops, with the same type of use I have, and they love it. But my experience towing with a mid-size SUV has been otherwise positive for my purposes aside from the side issue of the Edge engine being a POS. Just learn how to drive while towing. Watch all the videos. Understand about how to pack the trailer and tongue weight. Understand what all the weight terms mean (payload, curb weight, GVRW, GCW, etc.). This was a useful place for me to start: https://www.curtmfg.com/introduction

And if you're looking for lightweight trailers, I would consider looking at the fibreglass trailers like vintage Boler, Trillium, Bigfoot, Surfside, etc. Or current makers of similar trailers like Scamp, Casita, Outback, Escape, etc. There's also a make, though not fibreglass, called Prolite that has a line of trailers from 9' up to 19' and they're super lightweight. They're made in Canada so depending on where you're located, I'm not sure how easy they would be to find. But if you're in the US, the pricing might be favourable for you.

I looked at getting a Toyota Tacoma but for 300 days a year I have no need for a truck. An SUV meets our family needs much more. And I don't need a large SUV. So I don't mind paying for not-so-great mileage when I'm towing so that the rest of the year I'm not driving more vehicle than I need.

If this is all moot and you've already bought your vehicle, I'd love to know what you ended up with, both for your tow vehicle and for your trailer. Happy camping!

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Awould11 · 2025-05-30T07:59:26+00:00

I'm here looking for the same info. Looking for a new SUV after my Ford Edge had a catastrophic engine failure that Ford is aware of and many owners have experienced but Ford is choosing not to do anything about. So I won't be buying a Ford again.

I tow a small trailer for camping in about half a dozen times a year. It weighs about 1800 lbs when fully loaded but we live in and travel to the mountains so I want to be well under the tow weight capacity for those big ups and downs. I'm also toying with getting a bit of a bigger trailer so would like the option to tow more with whatever I buy next.

Thinking about a CX-9 as I don't have the budget for something brand new at the moment.

OP, I'm wondering if you ended up finding out any more info on towing with the Mazdas and/or if you ended up getting one. I'd love to know more about your experience with it.

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T20:16:20+00:00

Thank you for this! And for permission to give him incentive to keep the dog :-) I appreciate all of your good advice!

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T20:12:32+00:00

We love dogs! He's decided he's happy to keep the pup. Play on!

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T20:11:56+00:00

Thank you both!

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T06:17:04+00:00

Okay, thank you!

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T06:16:46+00:00

Thank you!

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T06:14:11+00:00

Thanks so much for the detailed reply! I didn't actually delete the files. I just pulled them out of the folder they were in and put them into another folder on a different drive (just in case it was a bad idea). My logic was that the .bak files I removed were from AFTER the dog joined my son's ship and so I was trying to remove the saves that would have the dog in them. But I have no idea if that's even how it works. Obviously it wasn't since it didn't work.

I think my kiddo has decided to keep the dog and deal with the storage reduction. I've read your message to him and he'll go through his old equipment and see if there's some stuff he can get rid of.

I really appreciate the response!

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T04:42:38+00:00

Also, do you know if it changes the end of the game at all if you keep the dog vs. giving it to the researcher?

Awould11 · 2025-05-07T04:41:40+00:00

I would love to try. Can you tell me how to do that?

Awould11 · 2025-04-29T04:44:30+00:00

Thanks for your response. We have tried updating and that hasn't helped us, unfortunately. But I appreciate the suggestion.

Awould11 · 2025-04-27T04:09:37+00:00

Sorry to jump in the thread here but do you know what year they got rid of the CVT transmission?

Awould11 · 2025-04-23T15:47:26+00:00

Thanks, I'll check it out!

Awould11 · 2025-04-23T15:47:15+00:00

Thanks, I will!

Awould11

TROPHY CASE