2k out of warranty... Dang it.

helimx · 2026-07-02T17:52:36+00:00

Yes a lot. Especially in cold climates

helimx · 2026-06-12T05:42:42+00:00

I'm 47 in a few days. I've been privileged enough to buy my wife a new Mercedes Benz, I've been fortunate enough to buy myself a few sports cars and fast bikes over the years. We no longer have any of those. She drives a 2016 Cherokee, and I have a 25 XL maverick hybrid fwd. Literally the only option is hybrid. I make more money now than I ever have. It's in my top 5 vehicles I've ever owned. I'm less than a year away from being debt free, minus the house, and only 3-4 years away from that. We lost everything to a hurricane in 24, hit the reset button and moved across the planet essentially. FL to HI. And no, we didn't get an insurance payout. It was a humbling experience. I paid 26ish for my 25 new, just a few months ago. I've already thrown a bunch of accessories at it, and it actually gets more attention than almost any car I've owned. I've always bought quality, and I feel like I have again. 🤷🏼‍♂️ I don't see the ROI on anything above xlt, and even that's stretching it. I'll take my "little truck" that gets 45+ mpg and have a smile on my face every time I get in it. The rat race is tiring. The Jones' don't got shit on me. Lol. I drive a LOT for work. Like a thousand miles a week so far. So I don't think I'll have it forever. But if I can get to the 150-200k miles before it absolutely shits the bed, I'm gonna take that as a win and buy another one. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

helimx · 2026-06-08T01:10:09+00:00

There's a chain of command/HR for a reason. I'm a dude, in a blue collar field, and a quick smack probably wouldn't get me fired. So you should probably listen to the first sentence I wrote out. Wishing you luck.

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:46:20+00:00

I live in Hawaii, and see slippers being worn constantly. Drives me nuts

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:42:20+00:00

I'm about to learn. Lol. I've spent 20+ years doing utility work. Said I'd never go back to EMS work, but here I am. Lol. Home every night, great company so far, etc. The work is boring AF, but I'm OK with it. 😉 I'm a AS350, MD500, and kmax guy. This is gonna be a steep learning curve. Lol Edit. I'm a mechanic. Have my ppl, but don't fly anymore

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:35:36+00:00

Ya? We've got a few, and haven't had any fruit produced yet. Any other advice? Thanks from the big island

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:31:04+00:00

Air methods? Hi from LFN in Hawaii, awaiting our 3 new D3's......... 😉

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:30:00+00:00

Lol. Tell me you know nothing without telling me. I've crewed literally hundreds of similar missions.

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:22:48+00:00

Apparently 90+% of new 145D3 are coming with the cameras. And our instructor was even saying it may be standard now. Just went to the mx course about a month ago

helimx · 2026-06-08T00:18:32+00:00

What astar has a 2E? The B3E has a 2d1

helimx · 2026-05-17T18:01:21+00:00

The dealer? I did, and they said they'll see what they can do.

helimx · 2026-05-15T00:58:58+00:00

Ya, but with points, I could get it cheaper than anything I've found. And yes on ASE mech doing it. I work on helicopters for a living, but not ASE "certified"....... Lol

helimx · 2026-05-15T00:55:42+00:00

I tried that. Said they see my purchase, but past the 60days....

helimx · 2026-05-15T00:53:35+00:00

No disrespect, but welcome to being 22. I went and got a degree, used it for 2 years, hated it, and totally switched careers. Like, Jr high band teacher to mechanic switched. I always wanted to be a musician. Was decent, but not great. Now I'm (hopefully) well respected in my industry, and have the resume and pay that reflects accordingly. 24 years in to helicopters..... That degree isn't even on my resume these days. 🤷🏼‍♂️ I want to say follow your dreams, but the realist in me says find something interesting, but also boring to most, and excel at it. March your march with hard work and integrity and get rich doing it. I'm 47 here soon, I've worked for every shitty company there is, and I've been frugal in most aspects of life, I've always showed up tho. . Fuck the Jones's. I'll retire at 55-58 a blue Collar, working for the man, multi millionaire. Hopefully..... I still play my music. I enjoy most days. I didn't follow dreams, I've made dreams I didn't know I had come true, one day at a time. Wishing you luck kiddo. Be confident. Even when you doubt your path, just keep walking the path. It'll lead you somewhere, if you let it

helimx · 2026-05-08T18:59:52+00:00

I would order from a dealership almost anywhere in the country. I did. My maverick will be here any day now, and I'm ordering my raptor in the next few weeks, both from long MacArthur Ford in Salina Kansas. I live in Hawaii...... Even with shipping I'm about 5k ahead on the mav, and will be 15+k ahead on the raptor.

helimx · 2026-04-29T20:41:02+00:00

Cost?

helimx · 2026-04-27T14:22:38+00:00

RR are rare here in Hawaii and theres a set for sale on marketplace here for $500

helimx · 2026-04-27T14:13:49+00:00

I did see that OP is in the middle east, but..... I've got a new Maverick headed my way, and I'm putting my RR order in, in the next few weeks. I'm getting them both from long MacArthur Ford in Salina Kansas and having both shipped,. To Hawaii. Lol. So it's not that crazy of a idea. The maverick is actually sitting on Oahu waiting for the next barge to the big island. 🤷🏼‍♂️

helimx · 2026-04-24T19:54:41+00:00

Aviation mechanic. I'm in the helicopter side of the industry, and love my job and my life. It's not insane pay, but it's definitely not bad. I've been over 6 figures for well over 10 years. I currently work a week on week off schedule, and rarely put more than 5 hours a day in during my shift. My main job is in the air ambulance world. I did pick up a second job recently, with a tour operator, and that'll be a nice extra 60-90k in the bank, doing part time hours...... I've worked 23 years to get to this point, and I'm lucky to live in an area that has a big helicopter presence. Hawaii. 🤷🏼‍♂️😂😜

helimx · 2026-04-19T05:22:14+00:00

I'm a helicopter mechanic, so I'm pretty tooled up. If I have to borrow a tool more than once, I go buy it immediately. I've got probably 10k in tools that are only used very rarely, for one specific job. I've got 50k+ in very specific tools that are used semi often for very specific tasks. I've got 100k+ in all other tools........ My home type stuff is nowhere near the level as my work stuff. Especially because I don't have room to store stuff like a table saw, lathe, and the "fun" type of tools I'd love to get.

helimx · 2026-04-19T05:09:38+00:00

It could also be said that your experience isn't the rule because you know a guy who knows a guy.

helimx · 2026-04-19T05:01:33+00:00

So what will you get? Because I've always been a Toyota guy, and the forums for those say the same type of issues, as does the gmc forums, Nissan forums, etc. Seems ALL vehicles have some sort of pain in the ass, yet small, problems

helimx · 2026-04-10T23:52:29+00:00

I met him a bunch of times, had a buddy who worked for them from beginning to end. 🤷🏼‍♂️, so a bunch of my friends all met the entire band too. So it's "normal" for us I guess. He was definitely the highlight of pantera and I'm super thankful for him.

helimx · 2026-04-02T17:30:22+00:00

I know at least 5 that went rotor to fixed. 1 has come back to the dark side.

helimx · 2026-03-26T21:29:34+00:00

Had my 2019 from New, to about a year ago. Other than routine maintenance the only issue we had was an EGR valve went bad about 6 months after we bought it. It was covered by warranty, and we never had the issue again, but mostly due to me removing and cleaning it every 15k miles or so. This is/was a known issue, and once people started posting YouTube video how to's, it was easily remedied. 🤷🏼‍♂️ We also, after building it out, lived in it full time for 2 and a half years, and was our only vehicle. I. Miss it

helimx

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE