Recent content by PandaBear

I think the biggest problem is the unpredictable nature of the depreciation when you can't move it fast enough. Other cars with unpredictable residual value has the same problem, like those of orphaned brands. Low maintenance is not a problem (look at Prius), direct sales is not a problem in...

I met a guy at Lexus dealership about 20 years ago for a "business meeting" and he was paying like $100 for an oil change, and back then it would have cost only $40 in Jiffy Lube or $60 at Toyota dealership. My local Lexus dealer provide pick up and drop off if I do warranty work there, 1...

Maximize longevity: buy the biggest capacity battery and it will last longer before it reach a minimum acceptable range for you to keep it on the road. I am not familiar with battery degradation but I know in flash memory it is every 15% extra capacity will double the life cycle. If you use 8% /...

Leveraged Buyout, Private Equity, Corporate Raider, what do you expect? https://www.axios.com/2020/05/26/hertz-bankruptcy

Quest 3 is $500. I got my Quest 2 for $190 last week, and my Go for $130 5 years ago. Would I love to have everything better? Sure, but since Quest2 uses the same lenses as Go and I want to upgrade from Go mainly due to 1) overheating in Skybox VR, 2) resolution limit, 3) browser support...

This question is probably only for those of us who are into VR, not sure how many of them are on BITOG but anyways. Had my Oculus Go for 5 years and I think it was the best $120 I have ever spent. No I don't really play games with it but I have been using it as a personal projector for web...

Usually DC to AC multiphase motor to control the output of the AC compressor to be just right, constant on, without cycling on and off. This is like your inverter AC (a very popular thing in Asia) and with multiphase constant on, variable output, there is no surge that stress the inverter. This...

labor and real estate cost likely dictate what components you buy. Unless it can be DIY, most places with high labor cost would likely get new durable batteries instead of worn out EV batteries. Home energy storage in 3rd world definitely doable.

In theory you can swap cell all you want, but in practice they aren't done because 1) labor cost is something you can't recoup in a high cost of living area. It may be worth doing in Mongolia but not in California, don't forget just because you can DIY doesn't mean it is free. It is like saying...

They have a 10 year lifespan compression tank that either need recertify or replacement, and it cost almost as much as a BEV battery. The refueling depending on your location can be stuck behind a fleet of bus or garbage truck, in 2024 it is even harder to refuel a CNG passenger car than a...

Not sure about the exact detail, but the dry dual clutch transmissions burn up much more frequently. Most likely due to not having ATF to cool or absorb the shock of engage / disengage and put much higher stress on the clutch material and plates.

“not inspected, sold as-is.” 1 hour the most.

I use it to blend with 5w20 or 0w20 I got on discount (remaining oil on discount) to substitute 10w30. That's about it.

Head warp related blown head gasket, cooling system related and not oil related.

It really depends on how you look at it. Do you look at the CEO as just an employee or do you look at him as a commission based sales person? If you have an agreement with the sales person and he got you 10x the amount of sales, you probably wouldn't be able to negotiate down the amount you...