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I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

davidmuller.github.io

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Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#431
post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People always think that they are compatible if they share more or less a common understanding in big subjects, but stuff like these really test you. One of my exes hated onion, and when I look back, this made my life way more insufferable than having to hear the (to me) weird political opinions. "Oh I'd like to have this salad but please no onion, and please don't use a knife that's used to cut onion when preparing!…

Entitled to special treatment. A modern phenomenon. A good sign that you should move on to a different partner.

Really curious whether this said with sarcasm or not. I think everybody has their own idiosyncrasies and it is fine to accommodate to them a little.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife, bless her heart, leaves everything partially open. Not even just open, but she'll screw the lid on jars just enough where if I pick it up by the top they'll drop. It drives me crazy.

People always think that they are compatible if they share more or less a common understanding in big subjects, but stuff like these really test you. One of my exes hated onion, and when I look back, this made my life way more insufferable than having to hear the (to me) weird political opinions. "Oh I'd like to have this salad but please no onion, and please don't use a knife that's used to cut onion when preparing!…

I've had a few girlfriends and female friends who "don't like onion". It's incredibly common. I simply never mention onion again and not once have I received a complaint about the presence of onion in pretty much every single dish I prepare. I think it's just the word they don't like.

It would be a complete deal breaker if they actually complained about onion or imagined they could taste it.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife, bless her heart, leaves everything partially open. Not even just open, but she'll screw the lid on jars just enough where if I pick it up by the top they'll drop. It drives me crazy.

My flatmate does this with kitchen cupboard doors, and, most annoyingly, the microwave. She'll open the microwave to stop it, takes her food out and, just ... leaves it open. Then when I close it later it will start up again with nothing inside. Arrrgh!

We do this to ventilate it so that it doesn't steam up the inside of the microwave. Seems pretty sensible.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sterile compared to what? Is there another manufacturer of acceptably-tuned rear-drive sedan chassis out there at a semi-reasonable price point that I should know about? (I'm talking about pre-2010 BMW here; I would totally agree with most new ones being sterile)

As a current owner of a 90s Jaguar and an 05 Volvo, I've been looking at low-mileage E90 era BMWs for my next daily driver. Not too scared of moderately expensive maintenance, but would like it to be more reliable than the Volvo has been.

As a former E46 and current E83 owner, my advice is go for the earliest chassis code you can find while keeping mileage low. You need to find a unicorn at this point. (Unless you like turbos - then you have to go E90 or newer.)

BMW really ramped up the electronic complication starting with my E83, and that shit wears out right alongside all the typical flimsy BMW plastics and rubbers. Plus the delightful parasitic drains from tfa.

They also ramped up their maintenance-unfriendly designs around the E46 era. On an E39, a rear spring swap is easy. Try it on a newer one, and you will regret the attempt.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#435
post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At a guess it has something to do with needing to withstand 70+ mph winds. There needs to be considerable force holding the door against its seals at all times, and in a mechanical latching system this force must come from a spring, which must be charged with energy via a good slam. However there are minivans with electronically operated sliding doors, which either power the latch allowing you to gently close the doo…

It's not about wind pressure. It's that the door when properly closed becomes an integral, load-bearing part of the car's structure. In the event of a crash or rollover, an incompletely-closed door makes the car much weaker and less protective of the occupants.

I'm not sure I buy this - how is load being transferred through the door? Surely not through the rubber seals, those have minimal shear strength even when compressed. That leaves the hinges, which are certainly robust enough, and the latch, which unless I'm mistaken is only designed to secure the door from opening (usually they engage with some sort of rod or peg, which can't transfer torsional or axial force (i.e. the latch is free to slide along or around the peg).

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#436
post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm getting older and one of the things I started to notice is that men are just there, doing things that are generally... straightforward. I mean I guess posting on hacker news is probably pretty strange to a lot of people - so ignore that. Anyway, women however, I feel like they build these neurotic behaviors - like learned things that just stick with them forever. Like ouch, the pan was hot, don't do that again, b…

Reminds me of the stereotype that women will tell you something that happened in the most expansive way possible with all this context that doesn't really matter while guys will just tell you what happened.

Actually this might rather be coming from an autism spectrum. This work mate, a very fine programmer I must say, starts any point he might have with a few minutes long background presentation. I can't say that I get much value from that intro, but that's his way so I say let him have it. And we're never under that time pressure to need to interrupt him anyway.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife, bless her heart, leaves everything partially open. Not even just open, but she'll screw the lid on jars just enough where if I pick it up by the top they'll drop. It drives me crazy.

My flatmate does this with kitchen cupboard doors, and, most annoyingly, the microwave. She'll open the microwave to stop it, takes her food out and, just ... leaves it open. Then when I close it later it will start up again with nothing inside. Arrrgh!

> My flatmate does this with kitchen cupboard doors, and, most annoyingly, the microwave. She'll open the microwave to stop it, takes her food out and, just ... leaves it open. Then when I close it later it will start up again with nothing inside. Arrrgh!

So? Hit the cancel button when you close it - you have to be right there to close it after all.

TBH, I do this too, because I hate putting in some milk to warm for cereal and getting out warm milk flavoured with and smelling of the curry we warmed last night.

Anytime the microwave oven is used for aromatic food or any meal with flavouring, leave the door open.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#438
post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People always think that they are compatible if they share more or less a common understanding in big subjects, but stuff like these really test you. One of my exes hated onion, and when I look back, this made my life way more insufferable than having to hear the (to me) weird political opinions. "Oh I'd like to have this salad but please no onion, and please don't use a knife that's used to cut onion when preparing!…

Entitled to special treatment. A modern phenomenon. A good sign that you should move on to a different partner.

Second opinion from someone in a 25 year marriage: do not move to a different partner over a disagreement on onions. You'll be moving a lot.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#439
post #7

Well this is timely. I have a parasitic draw on my NC Miata. The first mechanic just replaced the battery. The second told me it's normal for the battery to die if you don't drive it for 3 days (because "cars have computers now"). It seems like mechanics really don't like digging into the electrical part of the car... but these days that encompasses more and more of what can go wrong. Without time to dig into it myse…

> it's normal for the battery to die if you don't drive it for 3 days I've heard this nonsense a couple times now. I was incredulous at first but everyone seems to say this. What are anyone's suggestions for a weekend-only car? (I bike to work so I don't need a car on weekdays.) Trickle charge the car battery on weekdays?

That's because it is nonsense.

I have a week-end only car (2002 Mini) and I've had no issue letting sit for a week or two. Including opening/closing it without starting the engine to retrieve stuff in that timeframe.

And a week or two is on the low-end of how much you can let it sit. My SO car (1st gen citroen C3) often don't run for one or two month at a time and there is absolutely no issue with the battery.

On the other hand, if you have parasitic drain and access to an electric socket, there are battery chargers that can keep the car topped up. Or without an electric socket, just unplug the battery when the car isn't used (though that may disable some things, for example in my car the hatch is inoperable without power).

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My flatmate does this with kitchen cupboard doors, and, most annoyingly, the microwave. She'll open the microwave to stop it, takes her food out and, just ... leaves it open. Then when I close it later it will start up again with nothing inside. Arrrgh!

> My flatmate does this with kitchen cupboard doors, and, most annoyingly, the microwave. She'll open the microwave to stop it, takes her food out and, just ... leaves it open. Then when I close it later it will start up again with nothing inside. Arrrgh! So? Hit the cancel button when you close it - you have to be right there to close it after all. TBH, I do this too, because I hate putting in some milk to warm for…

I’m learning so much from this thread.

The idea of warming milk for cereal has never crossed my mind.

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