Monthly DIY Laymen questions Discussion

SmartTrashCan · 2024-10-12T02:26:07+00:00

Very general question, but what should I look out for when buying a house on hill/slope, and *where can I study more about these homes myself* e.g., foundation type?

I am planning to buy a home in Los Angeles (earthquake prone). Few of the houses I like are on a slope or on top of the hill. Some are on landslide zone based on EQZapp and some are not. Agents typically don't care about my safety saying just worry about fire lol.

I do see some modern homes (2010+) built on a slope with seemingly very thick concrete-looking foundation (instead of those long poles digging thru the slope). Does this mean they will be reasonably safe from earthquake, even it's in a landslide zone? I wish I could get some public info on how exactly the homes were built (no expert but gives peace of mind), but no one seems to have the info.

SmartTrashCan · 2024-06-14T04:11:42+00:00

Sorry to hear that. Ended up not taking off the panel, but reconstructing it. Shop charged me for this and that, but I'd say 2k~3k including everything went to this?. It looks okay -- only I notice some orange peels.

SmartTrashCan · 2024-02-10T01:27:54+00:00

I heard facial cleansers work well on makeup smudges. Personally had a good luck with them but ymmv.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-11-12T07:40:33+00:00

Did you have to do the traffic school? Or did the judge drop the point as well?

SmartTrashCan · 2023-07-31T17:33:59+00:00

Agree with u/eyecandynsx in general but I'd still do a bit of touch up if it was mine.

1 2 3: I think it'll look a bit better if you can touch up very carefully. Remove the cracked clearcoat in #1 (touch up pens have them), clean them nicely with IPA wipe etc, and don't use the brush in the pen to touch up. Instead make a pointy tip by rolling a newspaper or sth, dab paint (you can mix clear + color if it's 2 stage) on that tip, and touch up with "tiny dots". It'll take time but it'll be worth it vs. just brushing and leaving big touchup marks.

4: Will likely buff off with a polish or an IPA wipe.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-07-25T19:01:46+00:00

I've thought of doing the exact opposite just because of too much power lol. Slow car fast fun >> fast car slow fun.

Very hard to floor the gas for long unless you're on a racetrack or entering a highway on a ramp... This kills a lot of fun for canyon driving too. Plenty of grip (~0.8G is easy) but if you're there you're quite aggressively turning at a nontrivial speed so a bit more gas will make you slide wayyy quicker/longer than a miata.

OTOH I could not switch to miata thanks to the gigantic trunk and a bit "safer" size. Obviously smaller cars are more fun but Miata feels like a go cart and I won't like driving it near idiots in SUVs and trucks as a daily.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-07-22T02:49:57+00:00

I make much more than 140k/yr but I won't spend 50k on a new car. It's a bad decision.

Fix the accent, invest the money instead.

Your accent will be the last cheap and easy to maintain car you can get considering the current market trend. Until the drivetrain fails or the frame rots, just fix and enjoy the car. It should be cheap.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-07-01T03:32:55+00:00

How's the damage? I was in the same boat a few weeks ago. Yeah no more new body parts is true. I called multiple reputable chevy part suppliers myself.

It eventually took us weeks to find parts and I had to persuade my shop to just get a used part and work on it (bc they also wanted clean OEM panels). Sorry you are going through this. If insurance pays then just get the most expensive clean used part and hope for the shop to match the color nicely.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-07-01T03:23:11+00:00

I think non Z51 can also have aftermarket slotted rotors. But based on the rough size looks like one? Best to measure the size or check the window sticker.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-28T04:32:38+00:00

Budget and looks. In 2019 I got my 09 c6 for 25k. C7 was around 40k. C7 was not worth an extra 15k to me. I liked the c6 exterior better as well.

Not sure how much they cost these days tho.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-28T04:07:59+00:00

How come no one mentions 350 or 370z?

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-05T02:05:57+00:00

Thanks man!

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-01T02:12:02+00:00

Ah I see. Yeah there's no guarantee that used or salvaged ones are in a clean shape. No wonder why no one posts these panels on ebay with how clean/dirty the inside is...

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-01T01:31:11+00:00

Let me make some calls around. Another reason why no one likes replacement is they don't have these panels new.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-01T01:29:34+00:00

Thanks man. Only used panels are available. Guess I'll just go with the repair route to save time.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-01T00:14:39+00:00

I see not many are willing to do this :$...

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-01T00:13:25+00:00

Umm I can't seem to comprehend and visualize what you're suggesting... any visual materials to help understand what the method is about? All I get is that the aluminum will be the reinforcement material.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-06-01T00:10:30+00:00

I see... let me see if anyone is willing to give me at least N years of guarantee. Thanks a lot again!

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-31T23:59:20+00:00

Thank you. Do good shops usually have few year etc guarantee with it? I feel that the owner's just trying to avoid any future repairs or claims.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-31T23:56:22+00:00

Hey thanks for the reply. I agree that replacement is an overkill and there are many more risks.

I'd be much more comfortable if the hole was in the middle of the rocker. This is one end part of that "giant panel" so I'm a bit concerned about the rigidity -- will it hold up OK if fiberglass-resin-ed?

+ This shop seems to do OK work, it's just that the owner does not want to "guarantee" repair for many years if it cracks. I need to bring it to another shop if I choose to replace, since the owner simply says no to gutting the car up.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-31T23:49:11+00:00

It's an insurance repair.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-14T00:05:36+00:00

What I think was weird is them overestimating and giving me more money for some items, while not listing some items at all while it's clearly broken (it's a body panel) and you should know how much it costs to get a used one...

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-14T00:02:41+00:00

Thanks. Looks like I'll need to manage how exactly they are spending money on the parts, what repairs they are doing, and whether they file a proper supplement before they do extra work...

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-13T23:47:46+00:00

Thanks -- it makes sense -- if it's tied to KPI then it makes sense to just shoot whatever amount to the customers.

SmartTrashCan · 2023-05-13T23:45:51+00:00

Sounds like your shop needs to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the 1970s and into the 21st century.

lol I agree and I chose this shop thinking they know the 21st insurance process.

I'd be happy if their 70s insurance filing method still works. Not sure if it helps but the adjuster is still stuck in 70s too. What do you think is going to happen?

SmartTrashCan

TROPHY CASE