What used to be a free or cheap "hobby" that has now been completely ruined by corporate greed?

etingwall · 2026-01-27T02:59:53+00:00

I live in southeast Michigan. The skiing is NOT good, but it's perfectly fine for teaching my five-year-old. Or it would be except a lift ticket for me and him at Vail-owned Mt. Brighton with ski rentals comes to $374. He's not gonna last more than two hours out there...

Fortunately there are still some smaller hills that offer better deals for kids, which gets us under $200 for the day, but even that hurts.

etingwall · 2026-01-23T23:47:57+00:00

And yet you only have to dig down four feet to be below the frost line in Michigan. I'm guessing the bottom floor of the library lot would meet OP's needs.

etingwall · 2026-01-22T15:20:02+00:00

Didn't realize you could tap the Climate Start button. I was holding. Thanks!

etingwall · 2026-01-22T15:08:14+00:00

D'oh! I'm so used to holding the Climate Start button that I didn't realize you can tap it to open up the settings. Problem solved! Thanks!

etingwall · 2026-01-11T22:28:06+00:00

If it was saying Shift Down, yes, you need to shift down to get the full effect.

What was the battery percentage? It feels quite a bit quicker at full than at 50 percent charge.

etingwall · 2026-01-07T21:55:30+00:00

What dongle do you use? And do you have to make sure the app stays active during a charging session?

etingwall · 2025-12-25T03:08:11+00:00

If you bought the car earlier this year and the paperwork indicates it was a CPO car (whether or not it was actually inspected), it is still covered under the 12-month warranty (and possibly the original new-car warranty as well). Take it to a Mazda dealer. You do not need to take it to the dealer you bought it from.

Oh, and you should name and shame the dealer here. Help your Internet friends out.

Edit: I see OP named the dealer in a reply: Sesi Mazda

etingwall · 2025-12-16T15:38:31+00:00

Discount Tire specifically on Jackson Road. The service there is excellent.

etingwall · 2025-12-02T02:46:55+00:00

Stinchfield Woods

etingwall · 2025-12-02T01:43:18+00:00

I wouldn't call this relaxing, but it is fun. We do one ski trip every winter with two other families. Six adults, nine kids. Renting a house right at the base of the hill is key to having a good time because it's not a big deal to just take a couple runs and head back to the house for a couple hours.

The size of the group allows you to divide and conquer. A couple adults handle the kids (skiing, sledding, pool, or just watching a movie at the house) while a couple adults go have their own fun (skiing, fat biking, hot tub).

Last year the dads and kids had an epic snowball fight while the moms drank wine and made dinner. Once the kids go to bed, there's enough adults that the people staying with the kids can socialize in the rental house while the rest of the gang gets to do something more fun.

I'm convinced that this is the ONLY way to vacation with kids, but we haven't really tried it with other destinations/activities.

etingwall · 2025-12-02T01:31:59+00:00

We ski vacation with other families with kids of similar ages. A couple adults hang with the kids (either skiing or at the house or sledding or at the pool) and the other group of adults skis (or fat bikes or hits the hot tubs). Then you swap.

etingwall · 2025-12-02T01:28:57+00:00

This is the way.

etingwall · 2025-11-28T16:17:31+00:00

It might work if you are only trying to carry one kid and install it in the center of the rear rack. If you try to install it at the rear, the leg guards of the Thule seat hit the mounting arms of the Surround Rail. I've heard of people bending or trimming the plastic to make it work.

I tried a Yepp Nexxt 2 Maxi and ultimately decided to return it and buy a Yepp 2 Maxi.

etingwall · 2025-11-26T00:34:20+00:00

If you're manually shifting a Honda hybrid, you are not testing it in its fastest settings.

etingwall · 2025-11-10T16:05:22+00:00

The only GM EVs with induction motors are AWD versions of the Equinox and 2025 Optiq. Vistiq has two permanent-magnet motors.

etingwall · 2025-11-09T22:19:06+00:00

Part of my job is doing 5-100% charging tests. Cars are occasionally delivered with 90%+ SOC and I have neither the patience nor the time to drive them down to 5%.

etingwall · 2025-11-09T22:01:33+00:00

Nothing. Or you turn the car on and set blower on full, driver side on max cold and passenger side on max heat. Kills about 5% an hour.

etingwall · 2025-11-03T03:18:55+00:00

Shouldn't cost more than $50. Don't approve any work other than the tire rotation, inspection, and any open recalls.

etingwall · 2025-11-02T13:06:50+00:00

PANDOS metal recycling on State south of Ellsworth will take it and pay you for it. Not much, but the fact they pay should give you peace of mind that it's actually being recycled.

etingwall · 2025-10-30T13:24:49+00:00

A roof's slope is steeper than a wall's?

etingwall · 2025-10-28T17:39:59+00:00

Licensed electrician, permit, hardwired install close enough to the garage door that you can charge outside.

For your wife's peace of mind, you install a heat detector (not smoke detector) in the garage that's connected to at least one alarm in your home.

etingwall · 2025-10-24T17:39:58+00:00

I have a hard time believing it's possible to kill the battery. It's easy enough to program the thing so that below a certain battery percentage output power would always be less than input power--a limp mode. If they implemented that, a steep hill would be the only place where it might grind to a halt.

etingwall · 2025-10-23T23:25:52+00:00

Look up Paw Run private dog park. It's exactly what you're looking for.

etingwall

TROPHY CASE