Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Revthought

ORIGINAL: InfiniteMonkey

Why not hold out for the M1A2 Abrams, the F-22, and the V-22?

Well, the Japanese at least purchased a Tiger tank, and had planned for its shipment to Japan, along with its design specifications and the right to produce it. It cost the Imperial Government 600,000 marks.

In fact, it was sitting in Marseilles waiting for submarine transport to Japan on June 6th, 1944. The Germans hadn't quite figured out how they were going to disassemble the tank for transport in the submarine when Overlord started. As a result, the Germans leased the tank back from the Japanese government for use against the Allies. I believe it was eventually lost in France.

All that said, you might be on to something! I wish I was artistically inclined so I could draw up a scene of IJA soldiers riding around on an M1A2! [:D]

ORIGINAL: goodboyladdie

For the record I am the opponent in question and suggested this to Scott. As far as I am concerned, it is up to him what he spends his finite resources on. Just because in real life the Japs made serious errors in what they produced, does not mean that he has to. As his pilots are so precious and he cannot really afford to train loads more, armour in his planes is a no-brainer as far as I can see. Same thing with utilising an existing engine with the Ki-61 airframe - how did it take so long for the Japs to see it? Scott cannot afford to do any more than a couple of these anyway and I have complete faith in his sense of fairness and proportion, after playing him since 2005.

Besides, he needs all the help he can get...[:'(]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

I heard or read that that was a Panther tank actually.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

A few days ago, my auto-minded son told me about Mercedes going through a massive redesign of one of its vehicles in the mid 1980s. The changes included lights (green, yellow, red) that indicated the oil level (state of the art stuff, at the time). After changing the oil, a mechanic then had to flip a switch to reset the light to "green." The engineers put that switch somewhere behind the engine. In order to get access to it, the auto repair guy had to loosen the engine mount and move the engine, thus making a simple oil change incredibly expensive.

Germany engineering is fabulous (I hear, though I've never owned a state-of-the-art German vehicle, airplane or tank), but sometimes the littlest things....

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

A few days ago, my auto-minded son told me about Mercedes going through a massive redesign of one of its vehicles in the mid 1980s. The changes included lights (green, yellow, red) that indicated the oil level (state of the art stuff, at the time). After changing the oil, a mechanic then had to flip a switch to reset the light to "green." The engineers put that switch somewhere behind the engine. In order to get access to it, the auto repair guy had to loosen the engine mount and move the engine, thus making a simple oil change incredibly expensive.

Germany engineering is fabulous (I hear, though I've never owned a state-of-the-art German vehicle, airplane or tank), but sometimes the littlest things....

Sometimes I think the designs must be a way of making sure the dealerships can charge huge amounts for labour and thus keep their loyalty to Mercedes (or whatever manufacturer). I remember having a tail light go out (can't remember which car model though), and the only non-destructive way to change it required removal of body panels to expose the back of the tail light module, which then had to be totally removed before you could get to the bulb! And of course every auto maker has their own proprietary bulbs! It's a plot, I say! [:@]

ORIGINAL: adarbrauner

I heard or read that that was a Panther tank actually.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

A few days ago, my auto-minded son told me about Mercedes going through a massive redesign of one of its vehicles in the mid 1980s. The changes included lights (green, yellow, red) that indicated the oil level (state of the art stuff, at the time). After changing the oil, a mechanic then had to flip a switch to reset the light to "green." The engineers put that switch somewhere behind the engine. In order to get access to it, the auto repair guy had to loosen the engine mount and move the engine, thus making a simple oil change incredibly expensive.

Germany engineering is fabulous (I hear, though I've never owned a state-of-the-art German vehicle, airplane or tank), but sometimes the littlest things....

Sometimes I think the designs must be a way of making sure the dealerships can charge huge amounts for labour and thus keep their loyalty to Mercedes (or whatever manufacturer). I remember having a tail light go out (can't remember which car model though), and the only non-destructive way to change it required removal of body panels to expose the back of the tail light module, which then had to be totally removed before you could get to the bulb! And of course every auto maker has their own proprietary bulbs! It's a plot, I say! [:@]

It definitely is... on the luxury lines. Buy a Ford or a Chevy and it's not that way.

Cadillac, BMW, and Mercedes have always been that way.

ORIGINAL: bomccarthy

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy



Sometimes I think the designs must be a way of making sure the dealerships can charge huge amounts for labour and thus keep their loyalty to Mercedes (or whatever manufacturer). I remember having a tail light go out (can't remember which car model though), and the only non-destructive way to change it required removal of body panels to expose the back of the tail light module, which then had to be totally removed before you could get to the bulb! And of course every auto maker has their own proprietary bulbs! It's a plot, I say! [:@]

It definitely is... on the luxury lines. Buy a Ford or a Chevy and it's not that way.

Cadillac, BMW, and Mercedes have always been that way.

Not always - years ago a tail lamp bulb burned out on my 2001 BMW 330i. The dash display showed the location of the bad bulb and the owners handbook showed how to reach the bulb from inside the trunk/boot (an access panel that unscrewed with a coin). The operation took ten minutes and a $2 bulb from the local Pep Boys.

This was a major contrast with replacing a front daytime running lamp on my 1998 Camaro - the bulb wasn't expensive but it took an hour to figure out a way to get a socket wrench to the back of the light from underneath the front air dam, with the help of a handheld mirror and a flashlight.

ORIGINAL: bomccarthy

Not always - years ago a tail lamp bulb burned out on my 2001 BMW 330i. The dash display showed the location of the bad bulb and the owners handbook showed how to reach the bulb from inside the trunk/boot (an access panel that unscrewed with a coin). The operation took ten minutes and a $2 bulb from the local Pep Boys.

This was a major contrast with replacing a front daytime running lamp on my 1998 Camaro - the bulb wasn't expensive but it took an hour to figure out a way to get a socket wrench to the back of the light from underneath the front air dam, with the help of a handheld mirror and a flashlight.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
Well that's a nice handbook [;)].

These days, I use the internet. My cars are 1997 and 2001. There isn't a nice handbook for them, but Google usually has something.

ORIGINAL: wdolson

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
Well that's a nice handbook [;)].

These days, I use the internet. My cars are 1997 and 2001. There isn't a nice handbook for them, but Google usually has something.

My old car was a 1992 Buick I bought new and I bought the shop manual for it. Came in handy a number of times.

My SO had a 96 Subaru Outback that is still a daily driver for her ex (she gave it to him when she got a 2013 Subaru). It was a very reliable car, but she upgraded the headlights and there was something with the new headlight kit that it ate headlights. I had to replace at least one a year. One side wasn't too bad, but the other side required taking apart a bunch of stuff in the engine compartment. I always groaned when she said the light on that side was out and put off replacing it as long as I could.

The irony is she's the gear head of the family. Her father owned a couple of car dealerships and she grew up fixing cars with her father and working in his dealership as a teen and I never cared much about them. But somehow I'm the one who ends up having to do car maintenance things.

She still tells the story sometimes of our second "date". She was in Portland at the time and I was in Seattle. She came up to see me and we went to the store to pick up supplies for dinner. On the way back I noticed the alternator light was on with my car. She asked how old the battery was and I had to think about it. It was the original battery and the car was 6 1/2 years old at that point. So after we ate we went down to the auto parts store and got a new battery. I couldn't get my hand down into the gap to reach the retaining nut, but she could. She reached down there, felt the nut and told me what size socket she needed. She was right. She got the retaining nut off and we were able to swap the battery.

And it turned out it wasn't the battery, it was the alternator. The original battery outlived the original alternator.

I had that car 24 years and it still had the original starter as well as a number of other things when I sold it. Except for a bit of carpet wear, the interior looked brand new. My mechanic wanted to buy it because it was in such good condition, but unfortunately he died about a year before I replaced the car. I did find an enthusiast who wanted to replace a totaled car so I think it's in good hands.

I've sometimes said I have good carma. Whenever a car has decided to have something happen, it's always been in a convenient place and I've never had anything catastrophic happen. Knock on wood.

Bill

ORIGINAL: bomccarthy

I stopped doing "major" work on my cars back in the mid-90s. The OBD-II systems in cars after 1997 (I think) essentially required software diagnoses for engines and the newer systems even use software checks for brake jobs, etc. A battery replacement in my 2009 328i requires that the new battery be initialized with the car's computer, or else the alternator might overcharge the new battery (there have been a few cases of battery explosions). With run-flat tires, I don't even have a spare, so no more side-of-the-road tire changes. I believe my 2005 Z-4 was the last BMW with an engine oil dipstick - BMW is afraid of overly cautious owners overfilling the sump and then coming in to the dealer with a damaged engine during the free scheduled maintenance period.

On the plus side, cars nowadays are much more reliable (for the most part) than what we drove in the 70s and 80s. Plus, they're faster and they handle better ....

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Car manufacturers have every reason to NOT put a spare tire in new cars. Those that do not acquire one and get a flat out in the sticks will be obliged to pay a huge price for a repair service to visit them, or drive on the rim and destroy it - which will require buying a new, overpriced rim from the manufacturer.

ORIGINAL: wdolson

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Car manufacturers have every reason to NOT put a spare tire in new cars. Those that do not acquire one and get a flat out in the sticks will be obliged to pay a huge price for a repair service to visit them, or drive on the rim and destroy it - which will require buying a new, overpriced rim from the manufacturer.

Now that so many cars have alloy wheels instead of steel wheels with hub caps, you are pretty much locked into buying a rim from the manufacturer if you want one that matches. Also don't get me started on the fad with low profile tires. True they can improve performance a little bit in some situations, but for overall ride comfort and rim protection, I'd much rather have more rubber and less rim. With my new car 19" rims were the smallest available. I would have taken 17" if they were offered, but it appears the brake discs are big enough that about an 18" would be the smallest rim you could put on there.

Woops, I guess I did get started...

Bill

ORIGINAL: Lord_Calidor

I came here looking for Japanese plane research. Now I know how to change the oil on an old Mercedes, light bulbs on BMW and Subaru, and a rear tire on a Pontiac.
The wonders of life!

ORIGINAL: bomccarthy

Low profile tires actually improve cornering a lot. They're probably the main reason why a modern street car can run rings around a 1960s-era production-based race car on a road course. The problem is that manufacturers have gone a little extreme on some models - I don't think that anyone really needs a tire with an aspect ratio of 40 or less on the street (50 would likely satisfy most of us who enjoy spirited canyon driving).