Nice trip Chris! Last week was fall break so I omagine it was nuts up there. Hard to beat those views in the morning and evening. Leaves are starting to change too so pretty soon it will be a madhouse up there. I avoid Pigeon Forge at all costs when the rod run, truck shows or any type of car show are going on. The traffic is awful, and during a car show is downright unbearable.
Above 1200 Sq/FT C Dub's Garage Build in Central NC
- Thread starter Cdubu52
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
We thought it was going to be a nice getaway and we had always heard how nice Dollywood was, compared to the big Mouse House. It was an absolute mad house. We went on Friday and Saturday. Friday was beyond ridiculous. The traffic in PF was crazy, we went to The Island, and it took us and hour to go 2 miles. We decided to get out of PF and ride to Gatlinburg for lunch and that was worse. We got out of the madness and went to Dollywood later in the day and closed it down and that was the best way to see it. Once most of the kids went home. we rode everything we wanted to between 4pm to close. I would like to go back, just got to pick a better time. And we missed peak leaf season by a couple of weeks.
Its been a busy few weeks. A couple of weeks ago, my FIL had his gall bladder rupture and had to have emergency surgery, so we spent some hours in the hospital waiting room. Hes doing great now, just had my wife really worried for a few days. Then we went down to our beach house to do some maintenance on the house. It was time for the quarterly HVAC maintenance and I also had a few minutes to fix the washing machine. A couple of years ago, we had to replace the washer. Since its not our primary residence, we figured we would buy a fairly inexpensive top load washer. Well apparently, these Whirlpool's had a problem with their control boards. After tons of googling and youtube videos, I was able to diagnose the issue and after months of backorder, I finally got the part. Since I was already going for the HVAC, I went ahead and replaced the control board while I was there.
Sunset on the water at one of our favorite spots in NMB.
With the crappy weather expected this week, I made sure we got home on Sunday in plenty of time to get the second mow in. I also took some time to add a little seed and did some cultivating to the areas that are being a little stubborn. For the most part, the fall overseed took very well.
Sunset on the water at one of our favorite spots in NMB.
With the crappy weather expected this week, I made sure we got home on Sunday in plenty of time to get the second mow in. I also took some time to add a little seed and did some cultivating to the areas that are being a little stubborn. For the most part, the fall overseed took very well.
slim_grim
Well-known member
I absolutely HATE fixing appliances, but it sure is a good feeling once it's done. Great stuff. Also, I wanna lay on that grass.
So do I, but, I was fortunate that the washer issue was a known problem. I just had to research the symptoms and figure out the best solution. It was fairly simple, but still a pain in the ***. It was nice to be able to wash clothes instead of bringing home a bag of dirties to wash when I got home!
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
The yard is looking amazing. Nice work. Coming up on 4 weeks since my reseed this weekend. Excited to get my first mow in and see things.
Thanks, I still have a couple of spots, but Im hoping with this rain and the warm up this weekend the work I did last weekend will start to show. I did have some clover creep in on the spots that I sprayed to kill the crab grass. I will treat that in a few weeks with some post emergent. I just have to find a warm weekend to do that.
Well, its been an eventful week. Because I commute about 35 miles to and from work each day, I try to rotate my cars, just to keep them all road worthy and keep miles off of the Gladiator. This week I was driving the Suburban and noticed a terrible grinding noise in the brakes. Well, I found the cause. That is one of the passenger side rear pads. The other one was not quite as bad this one. I got every bit of life out of this set.
Then I took off the driver side rear. And the pads look brand new.
I then tested the calipers and sure enough, driver side caliper is seized and was doing zero or very limited braking.
That was just the start of the headache. I did all of that on Friday, so that I could go to the parts stores on Saturday and grab everything I needed to get the burb back on the road Saturday evening. I went to 3 different parts stores and none of them had what I needed in stock. All of them could get what I needed by Monday, but I wanted it done on Saturday. So I went home for lunch and broke out the laptop to see who had what I needed. I live about half way between 2 small towns, both of which have the same auto part stores. So, I looked at NAPA first and found exactly what I needed in the next town over. And even better, they had them all listed as available for pick up in 30 minutes. This was a 11:50am and they were set to close at 1pm according to the NAPA website. I bought everything I needed, rotors, pads, and calipers. So I decided to head on up to the parts store and I also needed to run by HF while I was in the area. I get to NAPA and it was closed. I can see the hours on the door and it said they closed at noon, but the website said 1pm. I called and even looked up the website on my phone and sure enough, online, they were supposed to be open, but apparently the website is wrong. So at that point I decided it wasnt meant to be, so I went home and mowed and got up my leaves. The NAPA story is to be continued...
Before:
At the start:
In the middle:
All done: until next week.
And then, my headache started all over again. Well, my online order email from Saturday said that the part order was being processed and I would get an email when they were ready. Since they open at 7:30 on Monday I had expected an email early this morning that they would be ready. I kept checking and finally at 9am I called them about the order. The person who answered he phone couldnt find my order at first and then told me it would be ready soon. I asked him 2 questions, why the order had not been picked and marked complete so that I would get an email and the second is why the website had them open until 1pm on Saturday. He said that the website was wrong and that he couldnt control the internet. Fair enough, but then he told me that they didnt call people when their orders were complete. I said that I didnt expect a call, but rather an email to let me know to come get the parts. He said they didnt do that. That they would get the parts together when i got there to pick them up. This was an entire chicken/egg conversation. I then asked, how would I know that they were ready to be picked up. He finally agreed that I as the customer would not know. He then proceeded to tell me that 90% of the online orders are wrong and doing a return on Online orders is hard and that they dont use the NAPA system like its designed. They just wait for the customer to come in and pick the inventory then. When I got to the store, it was more of the same. Even though they knew I was coming to pick up the parts I had already purchased, based on the vehicle that I had already put in the system to order the parts, this space holder of a salesman, then has me confirm the vehicle to make sure I had the right parts. Then goes and picks them all and puts them on a cart and rolls out the cart to me. Just here you go. No thanks for buying from us, no sorry for the confusion. Nothing. Then I asked if he could throw in a $8 bottle of brake fluid "for the trouble", just so I didnt have to come back and you would have thought I was trying to steal it. Zero concept of customer service. Oh, and this was the "manager".
I tried to shop local instead of going with Rock Auto, Amazon, or any other online parts store, and this is the experience. It sure turns me off from going there ever again. The bad thing is I had a local contact at my hometown NAPA, and it was always great, but he retired a few years ago and the small mom and pop NAPA was sold and is now a corporate NAPA that also owns the store that I went to Saturday and Monday. I know the previous owners would be irate at how this was handled.
Anyway, now I have to find the time this week to try and get the burb back on the road. Unfortunately, it may be on the jack stands for another week, since it may be Sunday before I will have a couple of hours to take care of it.
Then I took off the driver side rear. And the pads look brand new.
I then tested the calipers and sure enough, driver side caliper is seized and was doing zero or very limited braking.
That was just the start of the headache. I did all of that on Friday, so that I could go to the parts stores on Saturday and grab everything I needed to get the burb back on the road Saturday evening. I went to 3 different parts stores and none of them had what I needed in stock. All of them could get what I needed by Monday, but I wanted it done on Saturday. So I went home for lunch and broke out the laptop to see who had what I needed. I live about half way between 2 small towns, both of which have the same auto part stores. So, I looked at NAPA first and found exactly what I needed in the next town over. And even better, they had them all listed as available for pick up in 30 minutes. This was a 11:50am and they were set to close at 1pm according to the NAPA website. I bought everything I needed, rotors, pads, and calipers. So I decided to head on up to the parts store and I also needed to run by HF while I was in the area. I get to NAPA and it was closed. I can see the hours on the door and it said they closed at noon, but the website said 1pm. I called and even looked up the website on my phone and sure enough, online, they were supposed to be open, but apparently the website is wrong. So at that point I decided it wasnt meant to be, so I went home and mowed and got up my leaves. The NAPA story is to be continued...
Before:
At the start:
In the middle:
All done: until next week.
And then, my headache started all over again. Well, my online order email from Saturday said that the part order was being processed and I would get an email when they were ready. Since they open at 7:30 on Monday I had expected an email early this morning that they would be ready. I kept checking and finally at 9am I called them about the order. The person who answered he phone couldnt find my order at first and then told me it would be ready soon. I asked him 2 questions, why the order had not been picked and marked complete so that I would get an email and the second is why the website had them open until 1pm on Saturday. He said that the website was wrong and that he couldnt control the internet. Fair enough, but then he told me that they didnt call people when their orders were complete. I said that I didnt expect a call, but rather an email to let me know to come get the parts. He said they didnt do that. That they would get the parts together when i got there to pick them up. This was an entire chicken/egg conversation. I then asked, how would I know that they were ready to be picked up. He finally agreed that I as the customer would not know. He then proceeded to tell me that 90% of the online orders are wrong and doing a return on Online orders is hard and that they dont use the NAPA system like its designed. They just wait for the customer to come in and pick the inventory then. When I got to the store, it was more of the same. Even though they knew I was coming to pick up the parts I had already purchased, based on the vehicle that I had already put in the system to order the parts, this space holder of a salesman, then has me confirm the vehicle to make sure I had the right parts. Then goes and picks them all and puts them on a cart and rolls out the cart to me. Just here you go. No thanks for buying from us, no sorry for the confusion. Nothing. Then I asked if he could throw in a $8 bottle of brake fluid "for the trouble", just so I didnt have to come back and you would have thought I was trying to steal it. Zero concept of customer service. Oh, and this was the "manager".
I tried to shop local instead of going with Rock Auto, Amazon, or any other online parts store, and this is the experience. It sure turns me off from going there ever again. The bad thing is I had a local contact at my hometown NAPA, and it was always great, but he retired a few years ago and the small mom and pop NAPA was sold and is now a corporate NAPA that also owns the store that I went to Saturday and Monday. I know the previous owners would be irate at how this was handled.
Anyway, now I have to find the time this week to try and get the burb back on the road. Unfortunately, it may be on the jack stands for another week, since it may be Sunday before I will have a couple of hours to take care of it.
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cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
You definitely got your use out of those pads.
I have also had issues with trying to use NAPA for online orders here to the point that if NAPA is the only option, I will drive there and put the order in in person. Otherwise, I use Advanced or OReily these days.
I have also had issues with trying to use NAPA for online orders here to the point that if NAPA is the only option, I will drive there and put the order in in person. Otherwise, I use Advanced or OReily these days.
I went to O'Reilly's first, but they didn't have everything I needed. They had one caliper and no rotors, Advance was about the same. My buddy's son works at Advance, so I went there to see him, but they also didn't have the entire order and wouldn't have it until Monday. So i went NAPA online because they had it all and I could pick it up that day. That was the only reason I went with them. All of the pricing after core charge reimbursement were within $25, so it wasnt a cost thing. It was all availability. Oh well, I hope I wont have to worry about it again anytime soon.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
I used to treat them as such but they each have their purpose I suppose. Twice in the last 5 years, O'Reilly's has saved me with electrical issues. When I broke the one wire harness connector for the alternator solenoid on the ISF, they have the new connector. It would have delayed me 2-3 days if I had to get it from the dealer. I have gotten needed Denso O2 sensors quickly from them as well. I have not had to go to them for brake parts, though.
I am still bitter with NAPA for an oil filter for the NSX. It was on super sale. It was $3.** per filter. I ordered 20 of them. Figured at 2 oil changes a year, I would be good for 10 years. I got the email to pick up my order. There were 2 filters. They said they thought it was a typo, but no one called me to verify that they just changed it. They couldn't order me more, and the filter was back to $10 each by that point.
runit
Well-known member
I went to vato zone the other day and the high as a kite cashier dude told a customer that the lower number on the oil viscosity range is when it freezes
none of them are worth a **** anymore
none of them are worth a **** anymore
Thanks. Im starting to believe that is the case. Its so hard to find good people. The last time I went to Advance, I needed a battery in our Lexus IS, we were in a bind, out of town and had a dead battery. It was the last resort. Got the battery replaced the and tech dropped the battery on the fender and dented it. Im still waiting for that resolution. Also, I think its the wrong battery because we have had a ton of electrical issues that we have never had before. Going to take it to my mechanic and pay for a new battery and return the crappy one.
As for the Suburban, I went with a parts store to get it done that day. I had not planned on having to work on the burb this past weekend, but I had time and wanted to do it all in one day. Well, that didnt pan out.
Well that makes some sense as to why this store didnt follow normal procedure. They were probably hoping that I didnt come get them and the order would void out. Its funny, after I picked everything up, I got the email that it was ready, followed by an email with my receipt.
Small updates:
I finished the brake project on the Suburban. Still havent heard anything from NAPA on the screw up, but not the end of the world. I had some free time the weekend before Thanksgiving so I knocked it out. While I was under there, I noticed the shocks were rusting fairly bad so I went ahead and ordered new shocks and installed them while I had it up on jack stands.
While I was mowing, I realized I had let the front get a little out of hand. So with us hosting family at Thanksgiving, I had better make the front sidewalk passable again.
I finished the brake project on the Suburban. Still havent heard anything from NAPA on the screw up, but not the end of the world. I had some free time the weekend before Thanksgiving so I knocked it out. While I was under there, I noticed the shocks were rusting fairly bad so I went ahead and ordered new shocks and installed them while I had it up on jack stands.
While I was mowing, I realized I had let the front get a little out of hand. So with us hosting family at Thanksgiving, I had better make the front sidewalk passable again.
runit
Well-known member
Bilsteins!
Because racecar!
Because racecar!
Well, I have been shopping for a lift and shocks for my daughter's 4Runner and Bilstein's are the most common upgrade for that, so I used Chat GTP for some comparison for value and performance and decided they would also be good for my Suburban.
Lift, well leveling kit, for the 4Runner has been ordered and will be installed when I have some time at Christmas.
Great job on the brakes/shocks.
Sorry to heat about the hassle getting parts. I find the lack of customer service and having to deal with reps that make it expressly oviously they don't want to be working and its a privilage to buy from them seems to be getting pretty common at a lot of businesses these days.
We still have a few decent people at the local auto parts places nearest to me but it can be hit and miss. I do find I am more often than not given the wrong parts and then every aingle time that happens when I return the wrong parts it usually an argument over them being wrong and then when they check i'm told the correct parts are 3-5 day lead time. Never an appology or an effort to get them faster etc... If its not a part I need same day I have started to buy more and more stuff online as the prices usually are better and if there's not customer service or parts aren't in stock why pay a prenium? So I hear you on those frusterations.
Of course being in Canada the frusteration with online orders is its common to pay massive shipping fees and for it to take about a month for parts to arrive.
Sorry to heat about the hassle getting parts. I find the lack of customer service and having to deal with reps that make it expressly oviously they don't want to be working and its a privilage to buy from them seems to be getting pretty common at a lot of businesses these days.
We still have a few decent people at the local auto parts places nearest to me but it can be hit and miss. I do find I am more often than not given the wrong parts and then every aingle time that happens when I return the wrong parts it usually an argument over them being wrong and then when they check i'm told the correct parts are 3-5 day lead time. Never an appology or an effort to get them faster etc... If its not a part I need same day I have started to buy more and more stuff online as the prices usually are better and if there's not customer service or parts aren't in stock why pay a prenium? So I hear you on those frusterations.
Of course being in Canada the frusteration with online orders is its common to pay massive shipping fees and for it to take about a month for parts to arrive.
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Thanks D, Yeah, I usually avoid the parts stores if possible, unless I need some fluids or other simple things. One of my buddy's kids used to work for one of the local stores and I would go get stuff from him if I saw his truck in the parking lot. I will probably choose to shop online going forward. Its a shame that it is that much of a hassle. Also, I get tired of arguing with them about things that I know about my cars, that dont match up to their computer.
I didn't think about the delay on getting parts in Canada. Im sure that is a huge headache.
Been a busy couple of weeks!
Made it out to my first Hurricanes game this season! One of my golf buddies has season tickets so I'm like the 3rd alternate when a ticket becomes available! Always a great time. Not always great hockey.
Also had a chance to play a little golf last week. My summer golf trip guys always plan a winter day to go out and play in the Pinehurst area. We couldn't get on any of the numbered courses, but we found some times at one of my favorite tracks in the area, Southern Pines GC. I absolutely love this place. Its such a great track! This place is an absolute gem, and is a traditional Pinehurst style course.
The 17th is my favorite hole on the course. This is a shot from 17 green with 18 fairway in the background.
Although, this post has been all fun a games so far, we did have a little bit of life get in the way. My Daughter has had 2 previous hip surgeries and this week she had her 3rd. She originally tore the labrum in her hip when she was 14. Once that was repaired, she rehabbed for 6 months and did everything she was supposed to do and got cleared just in time to make the varsity softball team as a Freshman. She played every game all season as the Short Stop with no issues. In the last regular season game she got taken out at second base and got her leg caught under her and heard a pop. Yep, she had retorn the labrum. Actually, she pulled out all of the surgical anchors that were put in and required a second surgery. She had her second surgery, exactly 365 days after the first. Her first was 9/1/20 and her second was 8/30/21. Since it was her second surgery, that recovery was not as cookie cutter as the first. Although she did the 6 month rehab, she never felt great. That led to her only playing half of her games her sophomore season. She was cleared by the Doctor and her PT to play, but never felt like she could go full speed. We went back to the Dr after the season and after an MRI, the hip was still not fully repaired. She then had a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection to help with the healing. After that treatment, she felt mostly ok, until this summer when she started having pain and discomfort. Through a series of appointments, she finally convinced her Dr to do surgery again. He was pushing for another PRP, but they only last about 2-4 years on average and she didnt want to keep going through this. He agreed that she knew her hip better than anyone else and agreed to do an exploratory surgery. Since she is in college, I was pushing for May 2026 so that she would be home for summer and not between semesters. I lost that argument, she reminded me that she didnt want to spend the summer in a brace, and she will be able to walk without crutches in 4 weeks. Also, her school has disability service agreement where they will pick her up from class and take her to her next class or wherever she needs to go on a golf cart. So, with all of that set, she had her 3rd surgery a week ago. Its a long recovery, but she feels better already, and there is not a goal or season to get ready for, so there is no pressure on her to be back at a certain point. I will add that she put that pressure on herself, not me. I wanted her to sit out her Sophomore season after her second surgery but she was dead set on playing. The surgery went well and the Dr added a couple more anchors where he found a couple of small tears, he removed a lot of scar tissue, which he thinks is what was causing the issue. The good news is all of the bone looks good and a replacement is not on the table any time soon. So, here we go again. 6 months of rehab and hopefully we put this in the past. This surgery was 100% a quality of life decision and it was one that we let her make. She's been great after the first 36 hours, but she cant drive for 2-3 weeks and is dependent on her crutches for 4-6 weeks. She is also in a huge brace that keeps her leg from flexing too much. That bubbly looking thing is the ice pack that attaches to cooler with ice and water in it that circulates cold water. This is our second one of those, we wore out the first one after the second surgery!
Now that she's a bit more independent on her crutches, I may be able to get back out to the shop!
Made it out to my first Hurricanes game this season! One of my golf buddies has season tickets so I'm like the 3rd alternate when a ticket becomes available! Always a great time. Not always great hockey.
Also had a chance to play a little golf last week. My summer golf trip guys always plan a winter day to go out and play in the Pinehurst area. We couldn't get on any of the numbered courses, but we found some times at one of my favorite tracks in the area, Southern Pines GC. I absolutely love this place. Its such a great track! This place is an absolute gem, and is a traditional Pinehurst style course.
The 17th is my favorite hole on the course. This is a shot from 17 green with 18 fairway in the background.
Although, this post has been all fun a games so far, we did have a little bit of life get in the way. My Daughter has had 2 previous hip surgeries and this week she had her 3rd. She originally tore the labrum in her hip when she was 14. Once that was repaired, she rehabbed for 6 months and did everything she was supposed to do and got cleared just in time to make the varsity softball team as a Freshman. She played every game all season as the Short Stop with no issues. In the last regular season game she got taken out at second base and got her leg caught under her and heard a pop. Yep, she had retorn the labrum. Actually, she pulled out all of the surgical anchors that were put in and required a second surgery. She had her second surgery, exactly 365 days after the first. Her first was 9/1/20 and her second was 8/30/21. Since it was her second surgery, that recovery was not as cookie cutter as the first. Although she did the 6 month rehab, she never felt great. That led to her only playing half of her games her sophomore season. She was cleared by the Doctor and her PT to play, but never felt like she could go full speed. We went back to the Dr after the season and after an MRI, the hip was still not fully repaired. She then had a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection to help with the healing. After that treatment, she felt mostly ok, until this summer when she started having pain and discomfort. Through a series of appointments, she finally convinced her Dr to do surgery again. He was pushing for another PRP, but they only last about 2-4 years on average and she didnt want to keep going through this. He agreed that she knew her hip better than anyone else and agreed to do an exploratory surgery. Since she is in college, I was pushing for May 2026 so that she would be home for summer and not between semesters. I lost that argument, she reminded me that she didnt want to spend the summer in a brace, and she will be able to walk without crutches in 4 weeks. Also, her school has disability service agreement where they will pick her up from class and take her to her next class or wherever she needs to go on a golf cart. So, with all of that set, she had her 3rd surgery a week ago. Its a long recovery, but she feels better already, and there is not a goal or season to get ready for, so there is no pressure on her to be back at a certain point. I will add that she put that pressure on herself, not me. I wanted her to sit out her Sophomore season after her second surgery but she was dead set on playing. The surgery went well and the Dr added a couple more anchors where he found a couple of small tears, he removed a lot of scar tissue, which he thinks is what was causing the issue. The good news is all of the bone looks good and a replacement is not on the table any time soon. So, here we go again. 6 months of rehab and hopefully we put this in the past. This surgery was 100% a quality of life decision and it was one that we let her make. She's been great after the first 36 hours, but she cant drive for 2-3 weeks and is dependent on her crutches for 4-6 weeks. She is also in a huge brace that keeps her leg from flexing too much. That bubbly looking thing is the ice pack that attaches to cooler with ice and water in it that circulates cold water. This is our second one of those, we wore out the first one after the second surgery!
Now that she's a bit more independent on her crutches, I may be able to get back out to the shop!
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Been a couple years since I have made it over to a Canes game. Huge hockey fan. Good times to be had there.
Really liked that course when we played last year. Speaking of Pinehurst we have our house booked again for our trip this spring. I need to get to booking courses for that week now.
Sorry to hear about your daugther that is rough. Hard on anyone to have that many surgeries. Crazy to have so many that young. I always felts lucky to make it out of my youth sports career never needing one. Can't imagine the rehab.
Really liked that course when we played last year. Speaking of Pinehurst we have our house booked again for our trip this spring. I need to get to booking courses for that week now.
Sorry to hear about your daugther that is rough. Hard on anyone to have that many surgeries. Crazy to have so many that young. I always felts lucky to make it out of my youth sports career never needing one. Can't imagine the rehab.
Thanks, yep, it was all her. She knew something wasnt right and she convinced the Dr. to go in and he said she was right. He thinks it was all of the scar tissue that was causing her discomfort. Im proud of her for standing her ground. I didnt want her to have to through the rehab and recovery again, but she was dead set on getting it fixed. She is having a hard time with the cabin fever right now. Like she said, its too cold to go outside and she is dependent on us to drive her around.
I love going to a Canes game. I end up at 4 or 5 throughout the season.
SPGC is one of my favorites. We are looking at a Mid Pines, Pine Needles, Southern Pines package for this summer. We have been doing the same Talamore, Mid Pines, Legacy package the last few years and may change that up this year. We did not play Legacy last year since they were doing a ton of renovations. I love the Legacy layout and apparently its been almost completely redone, but I have not seen it to know what exactly is done. I do know they redid the clubhouse. There is so much golf in that area, almost any package is a good one.
As for Sarah, part of her hip problem is genetic. I forgot to mention that. Her hips are turned in and it caused a form of dysplasia and that caused pinching in her right hip. They think that she would have had hip issues regardless of whether she played sports or not. It was that the sports usage just caused it to show up sooner.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
I think we are going to try and book roughly the same group of courses for our trip. I should submit that request this week while I am off. I might already be too late. I always book through Talamore even though we don't stay there just cause it is honestly so nice and easy.
We played Legacy two years, and the guys didn't really like it, unfortunately. I was a fan of the layout and saw the potential. I knew they were doing the reno last year, and I had hoped to convince them of that but in early conversations, no one wants to play it still. Might just tell them it was the only option available for Sunday, haha. Our Sunday tee times are normally hard cause we need to try and go off as one of the first groups of the day as we have a full car heading back to PA afterwards.
Oh that is tough on her for sure. Knowing you are going to deal with it anyways Good on her for playing the sports regardless and having fun with it even with the surgeries. Hope she has a problem free recovery.
We played Legacy two years, and the guys didn't really like it, unfortunately. I was a fan of the layout and saw the potential. I knew they were doing the reno last year, and I had hoped to convince them of that but in early conversations, no one wants to play it still. Might just tell them it was the only option available for Sunday, haha. Our Sunday tee times are normally hard cause we need to try and go off as one of the first groups of the day as we have a full car heading back to PA afterwards.
Oh that is tough on her for sure. Knowing you are going to deal with it anyways Good on her for playing the sports regardless and having fun with it even with the surgeries. Hope she has a problem free recovery.
You are correct, Talamore makes it so easy. We stay at their condos and they are great. But, there are a lot of good Airbnb's in that area that can accommodate your size group. I bet there is still availability. We were late a couple of years ago and Talamore and Mid South condos were all booked so they put us in some condo's off of #5. They were not quite as nice, but great location.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
We have an AirBnB we found for our first year and have used it every time since. It works great for our group of 8 and can't beat the price. I am more worried about course availability. Trip is fast approaching in April.
Nothing shop related, but just some random stuff.
My wife picked up what I feel is now my favorite Christmas Decoration. Snoop on a stoop!
Proudly on the mantle, not on the stoop.
Also, I picked up the Lexus this week from our mechanic and had to take a pic of the water beading. Proof that the products that I use work very well to bead and shed water. I swear its the best looking 10 year old Lexus that i have seen. But, I am a little biased.
I did get some resolution on an issue that I had with the Lexus. Back in the summer, the battery died, and I went to our local Advance Auto to get a battery. I should have just taken it straight to my trusted mechanic, but I didnt. Lesson learned. Anyway, we had a terrible experience at Advance. They sold me a battery, and then proceeded to put it in, and at one point the tech, dropped the battery on the fender and dented it. Then she had a hard time getting it to seat properly and needed help. Then, the second person who came over to help told me that the battery more than likely was not the right one and they seemed to have issues with batteries in Lexus and Mercedes due to all of the electrical needs. Her words, not mine. Well, she was right, not long after installing the battery we had multiple electrical gremlins. The door lock actuator failed on the passenger door, the trunk latch worked intermittently, TPMS stopped showing pressure, AC and Heat stopped working like it was supposed to, it would not recognize the key all of the time. All of these issues started happening in the last 6 months and the battery tested good, but I dont believe in coincidences. And, having what the second tech said ringing in my ears, I took it to my mechanic and had them replace the battery and check everything out. Everything seems to be back to normal, and we have not noticed any other issues so far. The door lock actuator works like it should, and the TPMS sensors are working again, so thats already a sign that something is working better. I will give the Manager at Advance some credit. After telling him about all of the issues, he reluctantly agreed that something wasnt right and he refunded me for the battery. Usually, they would just warranty the battery and replace it, but I had already replaced it and wasnt getting another battery. And, he has agreed to fix the dent in the fender, which i showed him when it happened, I just finally got a quote for the repair. So, once I get the dent repaired, hopefully the Lexus will back to normal and continue to be my wife's daily for the foreseeable future.
I got out and mowed for what I hope is the last time this year. I hope this concludes all mowing and leaf gathering for a while. I also did all of the edging and tried to give it a good cleanup until spring.
My wife picked up what I feel is now my favorite Christmas Decoration. Snoop on a stoop!
Proudly on the mantle, not on the stoop.
Also, I picked up the Lexus this week from our mechanic and had to take a pic of the water beading. Proof that the products that I use work very well to bead and shed water. I swear its the best looking 10 year old Lexus that i have seen. But, I am a little biased.
I did get some resolution on an issue that I had with the Lexus. Back in the summer, the battery died, and I went to our local Advance Auto to get a battery. I should have just taken it straight to my trusted mechanic, but I didnt. Lesson learned. Anyway, we had a terrible experience at Advance. They sold me a battery, and then proceeded to put it in, and at one point the tech, dropped the battery on the fender and dented it. Then she had a hard time getting it to seat properly and needed help. Then, the second person who came over to help told me that the battery more than likely was not the right one and they seemed to have issues with batteries in Lexus and Mercedes due to all of the electrical needs. Her words, not mine. Well, she was right, not long after installing the battery we had multiple electrical gremlins. The door lock actuator failed on the passenger door, the trunk latch worked intermittently, TPMS stopped showing pressure, AC and Heat stopped working like it was supposed to, it would not recognize the key all of the time. All of these issues started happening in the last 6 months and the battery tested good, but I dont believe in coincidences. And, having what the second tech said ringing in my ears, I took it to my mechanic and had them replace the battery and check everything out. Everything seems to be back to normal, and we have not noticed any other issues so far. The door lock actuator works like it should, and the TPMS sensors are working again, so thats already a sign that something is working better. I will give the Manager at Advance some credit. After telling him about all of the issues, he reluctantly agreed that something wasnt right and he refunded me for the battery. Usually, they would just warranty the battery and replace it, but I had already replaced it and wasnt getting another battery. And, he has agreed to fix the dent in the fender, which i showed him when it happened, I just finally got a quote for the repair. So, once I get the dent repaired, hopefully the Lexus will back to normal and continue to be my wife's daily for the foreseeable future.
I got out and mowed for what I hope is the last time this year. I hope this concludes all mowing and leaf gathering for a while. I also did all of the edging and tried to give it a good cleanup until spring.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
I had not seen that Snoop on a Stoop. Love it.
Can't tell from the picture if it is a 250/300/350 but girlfriend has a 350 fsport same gen and it is indeed a fantastic looking car. The reliability on them is great. Hopefully, the new battery is the last of your issues.
Lawn is looking fantastic. I just mowed, hopefully the last mow yesterday as well. With the crazy warm temps we have been having I put down another round of fall fertilizer on the newly seeded areas as well.
Can't tell from the picture if it is a 250/300/350 but girlfriend has a 350 fsport same gen and it is indeed a fantastic looking car. The reliability on them is great. Hopefully, the new battery is the last of your issues.
Lawn is looking fantastic. I just mowed, hopefully the last mow yesterday as well. With the crazy warm temps we have been having I put down another round of fall fertilizer on the newly seeded areas as well.
I had not seen them either, until I went to a Christmas Party at one of my neighbor's and they had one. The next day, my wife happen to see it wherever she was shopping and brought it home.
The Lexus is a 250. I really wanted a 350, but the 250 is what we found in the color that we wanted at the time. Its a fun car to drive, and my wife loves it. It got 175k on it now, but I plan on keeping it for a while. It just needs some technology updates, like carplay, but I havent seen anything that I like in terms of upgrades.
Please look into SoftWave treatment. Like the PRP it is a "regenerative" treatment. You should be able to find a Chiropractor in your area that offers the service. Some surgeons are now incorporating it into the repairs. Most professional sports teams use it for their athletes.Been a busy couple of weeks!
Made it out to my first Hurricanes game this season! One of my golf buddies has season tickets so I'm like the 3rd alternate when a ticket becomes available! Always a great time. Not always great hockey.
Also had a chance to play a little golf last week. My summer golf trip guys always plan a winter day to go out and play in the Pinehurst area. We couldn't get on any of the numbered courses, but we found some times at one of my favorite tracks in the area, Southern Pines GC. I absolutely love this place. Its such a great track! This place is an absolute gem, and is a traditional Pinehurst style course.
The 17th is my favorite hole on the course. This is a shot from 17 green with 18 fairway in the background.
Although, this post has been all fun a games so far, we did have a little bit of life get in the way. My Daughter has had 2 previous hip surgeries and this week she had her 3rd. She originally tore the labrum in her hip when she was 14. Once that was repaired, she rehabbed for 6 months and did everything she was supposed to do and got cleared just in time to make the varsity softball team as a Freshman. She played every game all season as the Short Stop with no issues. In the last regular season game she got taken out at second base and got her leg caught under her and heard a pop. Yep, she had retorn the labrum. Actually, she pulled out all of the surgical anchors that were put in and required a second surgery. She had her second surgery, exactly 365 days after the first. Her first was 9/1/20 and her second was 8/30/21. Since it was her second surgery, that recovery was not as cookie cutter as the first. Although she did the 6 month rehab, she never felt great. That led to her only playing half of her games her sophomore season. She was cleared by the Doctor and her PT to play, but never felt like she could go full speed. We went back to the Dr after the season and after an MRI, the hip was still not fully repaired. She then had a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection to help with the healing. After that treatment, she felt mostly ok, until this summer when she started having pain and discomfort. Through a series of appointments, she finally convinced her Dr to do surgery again. He was pushing for another PRP, but they only last about 2-4 years on average and she didnt want to keep going through this. He agreed that she knew her hip better than anyone else and agreed to do an exploratory surgery. Since she is in college, I was pushing for May 2026 so that she would be home for summer and not between semesters. I lost that argument, she reminded me that she didnt want to spend the summer in a brace, and she will be able to walk without crutches in 4 weeks. Also, her school has disability service agreement where they will pick her up from class and take her to her next class or wherever she needs to go on a golf cart. So, with all of that set, she had her 3rd surgery a week ago. Its a long recovery, but she feels better already, and there is not a goal or season to get ready for, so there is no pressure on her to be back at a certain point. I will add that she put that pressure on herself, not me. I wanted her to sit out her Sophomore season after her second surgery but she was dead set on playing. The surgery went well and the Dr added a couple more anchors where he found a couple of small tears, he removed a lot of scar tissue, which he thinks is what was causing the issue. The good news is all of the bone looks good and a replacement is not on the table any time soon. So, here we go again. 6 months of rehab and hopefully we put this in the past. This surgery was 100% a quality of life decision and it was one that we let her make. She's been great after the first 36 hours, but she cant drive for 2-3 weeks and is dependent on her crutches for 4-6 weeks. She is also in a huge brace that keeps her leg from flexing too much. That bubbly looking thing is the ice pack that attaches to cooler with ice and water in it that circulates cold water. This is our second one of those, we wore out the first one after the second surgery!
Now that she's a bit more independent on her crutches, I may be able to get back out to the shop!
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and are getting ready for the New Year! We were extremely busy with the Christmas Holiday, and I was able to be off of work for about a week. We spent a lot of time with family and hosted 4 different family events at our house. That was a crazy couple of days, but we got through it. I played some golf and did a little work in the shop.
For Christmas my daughter wanted a lift/leveling kit for her 4runner. She doesn't ask for a lot and is a pretty good kid, so thats what she got. I had to pour a lot of time in searching Facebook groups, YouTube, and forums looking up how to do a lift and what are the best options. Im fairly familiar with Jeeps, but not with the 4Runner community. She also needed shocks. At 150k miles, the orginal shocks were showing their age and wear.
I ended up going with the Bilstein 5100 kit. Apparently, it is one of the most common and affordable leveling options for the 4Runner. Since the 4Runner uses the coil over strut system, these shocks include a movable snap ring that can be set at 0-2.5 inches of lift in the front. So, I moved the snap rings to 2" and used that for the level.
I have to agree with my Daughter, she did not like the factory rake. Also, ever since I installed new brakes, the front end dive has been terrible. I also noticed recently that the rear end felt worn out as well. Just real soft over bumps and it felt almost like it was bottoming out. There is about 2.5-3" of rake front to back. When I measured the front fenders were around 35" off the ground and the back was almost 38". You can see the gap difference between the tires and the fenders.
I was a one man band and needed all of my hands so I did not do the best job of photo documentation. The only thing that I really didnt like was using the spring compressor. I have used them in the past with the mustang and dont really like them. I just made sure to stay clear of anything while compressing. It worked fine and I was able to swap the factory springs over to the new shock/strut.
Here you can see the drop on the passenger side vs driver side. This set up not only adds the lift, it also extends the travel of the front and rear by over an inch. Not that its going to be seeing any trail use. It was just noticeable when trying to get a jack under it.
Fronts after installation.
Originally, I had not planned on doing anything in the rear, other than the shocks, but when I put the front end back down after the lift. It was too level. The front lifted the 2 inches but it was too close to the rear height, it almost looked squatted. Planning for this potential, I had ordered a .5 inch rear spacer, so that was also installed.
The good thing, its a solid axle and I have done springs on my Jeeps, so it wasnt an entirely new experience. It was just a pain to push down and remove the spring with one hand each. I ended up using a foot or knee to help. I had to do it solo, since my usual shop helper is fresh off of crutches.
Rear all buttoned up.
New stance and my daughter loves the new look.
It doesnt look like much, but It measured out to now be 37.5ish inches in the front and a little over 38 in the back. The rake went from 2.5 inches to just under 1 inch. The ride quality is vastly improved. Its amazing how you dont realize how bad the old shocks were until you mount new ones.
Photos never do it justice, but in person, it feels like a bigger truck.
For Christmas my daughter wanted a lift/leveling kit for her 4runner. She doesn't ask for a lot and is a pretty good kid, so thats what she got. I had to pour a lot of time in searching Facebook groups, YouTube, and forums looking up how to do a lift and what are the best options. Im fairly familiar with Jeeps, but not with the 4Runner community. She also needed shocks. At 150k miles, the orginal shocks were showing their age and wear.
I ended up going with the Bilstein 5100 kit. Apparently, it is one of the most common and affordable leveling options for the 4Runner. Since the 4Runner uses the coil over strut system, these shocks include a movable snap ring that can be set at 0-2.5 inches of lift in the front. So, I moved the snap rings to 2" and used that for the level.
I have to agree with my Daughter, she did not like the factory rake. Also, ever since I installed new brakes, the front end dive has been terrible. I also noticed recently that the rear end felt worn out as well. Just real soft over bumps and it felt almost like it was bottoming out. There is about 2.5-3" of rake front to back. When I measured the front fenders were around 35" off the ground and the back was almost 38". You can see the gap difference between the tires and the fenders.
I was a one man band and needed all of my hands so I did not do the best job of photo documentation. The only thing that I really didnt like was using the spring compressor. I have used them in the past with the mustang and dont really like them. I just made sure to stay clear of anything while compressing. It worked fine and I was able to swap the factory springs over to the new shock/strut.
Here you can see the drop on the passenger side vs driver side. This set up not only adds the lift, it also extends the travel of the front and rear by over an inch. Not that its going to be seeing any trail use. It was just noticeable when trying to get a jack under it.
Fronts after installation.
Originally, I had not planned on doing anything in the rear, other than the shocks, but when I put the front end back down after the lift. It was too level. The front lifted the 2 inches but it was too close to the rear height, it almost looked squatted. Planning for this potential, I had ordered a .5 inch rear spacer, so that was also installed.
The good thing, its a solid axle and I have done springs on my Jeeps, so it wasnt an entirely new experience. It was just a pain to push down and remove the spring with one hand each. I ended up using a foot or knee to help. I had to do it solo, since my usual shop helper is fresh off of crutches.
Rear all buttoned up.
New stance and my daughter loves the new look.
It doesnt look like much, but It measured out to now be 37.5ish inches in the front and a little over 38 in the back. The rake went from 2.5 inches to just under 1 inch. The ride quality is vastly improved. Its amazing how you dont realize how bad the old shocks were until you mount new ones.
Photos never do it justice, but in person, it feels like a bigger truck.
I put some 4600s on my Suburban after doing a ton of research for the 4Runner. I went down the shock review rabbit hole on YouTube. I decided for the 4Runner with the lift, the 5100 would do the trick and I wouldnt have to buy the Leveling pucks. So, the only thing I needed to buy was the shocks. They ride really well so far. I noticed an immediate difference.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Happy New Year!
I agree a tech upgrade would be nice. I have been contemplating one of the Android radio CarPlay units that give you an upgraded 10in screen for either her birthday or Christmas but I have not pulled the trigger yet. I love mine in my ISF but the ones for that gen each seem to have some compromise you have to make depending on the brand. The worst part is that each compromise from each brand is different, and no one seems to have it all ironed out.
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