(original for context (and because I’m feeling like a bit of a jerk today): Lousy topic but warvhing an old Doris Day,show, how many of you remember motor oil coming in cardboatd cans? [sic])
@conandlibrarian Yes! The satisfying “crunch” sound! Well, not “crunch” so much as… there’s like a “pop” and that metallic “rip”… we need to make a word for that sound!!
I still have one, I think, and one of the old piercing push-in spouts for them. The Challenger, and my home-based maintenance of it, predates the plastic cans. Castrol GTX 20w-50 quart cans from Chief Auto Parts in Las Vegas FTW.
Thanks. Today something on the Internet made me feel young instead of old.
Title edits don’t fix the URL… Also, there’s still a missing “i”.
Also unrelated, but have you ever gotten an email where the person wrote the whole email in the subject line? So there’s a really long subject and then just their name (or nothing) in the message? Those are fun.
I was just thinking of this yesterday when my buddy told me he was paying $69 for a synthetic oil change.
Gas jockeys’ would pump your gas, check the tires, clean your windshield, and check your oil. Why would they check your oil? Did cars need oil all the time?
And I knew my cousin’s dad was a serious mechanic, because he had his own metal oil can spout and funnel.
@wew Older cars had a tendency to leak oil a lot. Also it was the gas station’s version of, "Do you want fries with that?"
When I was a lowly E4 in the Navy I pumped gas to pay the bills. In addition to the tires, windshield, and oil we also had to check the water level in the battery.
@SSteve I had a '63 Rambler. Went through 3 engines with that car. All 3 burned oil. But I was in high school and it had bachelor seats (front seats that folded back flat before this was common) so I was good to go.
@SSteve This. I had a 1990 Honda Civic that would need a quart of oil ever 300 miles or so. More if I was doing stop and go driving. After a while, I stopped changing the oil and would just swap out the filter ever 3000 miles or so. Looking back, I think that lead to the failure of the engine.
@PocketBrainNot so distant future.
But when the AIs get sophisticated enough, will the car balk when you try to direct it to a repair shop, like kids resist going to the Doctor’s office?
I still have a can or two (full, unopened) of Kendall racing oil my father used in the 60’s. Not for sale.
I despised the switch to plastic pour and really miss complementary funnels.
90% of my time driving is in a rental - I’ve discussed the economics of that decision here previously . . . so I rarely deal with maintenance, but when I have to, I now open the hood, take one look, audibly you’ll hear a “what in the actual fuck were they thinking building this shit” emanate from my mouth and I’ll slam the hood down and call AAA.
@Pavlov I miss a lot of things here, but I’d like to read about the economics of driving a rental car. Got a link or search terms handy? Care to repeat it? I’ve wondered myself if it could be worth it.
@cj0e Yes, that is one of the posts where I discuss renting from Hertz.
@JerseyFrank Aside from the fact I use a lot of points and perks from Hertz for my daily driver to more than occasionally reduce the net cost of my monthly rental to zero, I did the math a few years ago on monthly rental vs. full maintenance covered fleet lease, and even if I were having to pay full fare at Hertz for a standard car and getting my comp 2 level upgrade for being President’s Circle it would be worth it to me to rent. I eat miles, I’m really (really) rough on cars, and I travel often - in the end for me it would be just as cost effective to rent. The BIG trick is NOT picking up your rental - EVER - at an airport. DO NOT DO IT. Even if they say there are no cars at the off airport location. They are fucking lying fuckers. If you are Pres. Circle and you show up at an HLE and they don’t have a car they will drive one in from another location to that HLE to rent to you. EVERY TIME. I’ve even driven away in employee’s personal vehicle to run an errand while I wait for my car to be driven to me . . . But fuck the airports - The concession fees will eat the deal to dust. Ride it out for their President’s Circle and build up points - once you do and you show up at an airport and need to get to a HLE (Oh my, I must have put in the wrong location - can you help me??) the managers will all but suck you off while driving you from their airport terminal location to your reserved car at a off-airport local Hertz HLE where the daily “tax” of a concession / tourist fee doesn’t exist - OR - they will reduce your rental at the airport counter to offset the concession fee if they can’t drive you.
President’s Circle plus $$ volume = your shit don’t stink.
I can hit fleet mileage peak limits on a leased vehicle in 2-3 months, easy. The mileage overage alone will cost me more at the end of the lease than renting full time. With Hertz I just drive it until I kill it or I turn it in. Sometimes they’ll ask me to drop it by one of their locations for service. Plus, I like being able to preference change a vehicle on a whim. I might want a luxury car for in town, but I may need a SUV to load it up for work and hit the road. All I do is drop by and preference change on the same rental agreement / ticket . . . sports car for the weekend - preference change . . . SUV for the first of next week - preference change . . . . luxury car for the following weekend - yeah, preference change.
@f00l If you have a clean driving record there are several national insurers that will issue you reduced cost “full coverage” no deductible “driver” policy that covers you for whatever car you’re piloting - just call around and get quotes. Plus, here’s a little known fact about AAA - you can basically self-insure with AAA and Hertz if you risk it a little . . . if you list your AAA group ID and show your card / have it on file with Hertz, your liability to Hertz in case of accident or theft is capped at $5000. If you’re at fault you’ll still need a basic liability policy in place - but it helps to limit loss wherever you possibly can. Some of these “driver” policies are limited to only if you are a small business (in which case, incorporate in Wyoming for less than $200 and maintain the filing for the cost of a zero dollar annual report and you’re golden). You can almost eliminate your liability to the other party in case of an accident if you’re at fault if you incorporate offshore and rent the vehicle in the business name, but that’s a whole other thread.
If you register at Hertz as a small business, they’ll generally comp their daily counter full coverage insurance once you reach President’s Circle and maintain a certain dollar amount. There are numerous perks to going into this as a small business and not as an individual. Never ever buy this coverage - always decline it - have your own in place. But if they give it to you for free, take it and run.
If you look around there are a few sites (generally geared towards advanced business accounting practices) that discuss renting vs. leasing. What I always tell people is this: start your foray into this game by leasing a very low cost daily driver and renting weekly for high mileage trips. Get your points and status built up with the rental companies (this is truly about relationship in the final analysis for it to work wonderfully) . . . Once you get the highest status bracket at the rental company, then dig in and do the math. Do what’s best for you.
Note I said WEEKLY rental - daily rentals are for suckers. Not only is it possible that you could pay for mileage / have a mileage limit on a daily rental, daily rental rates are exorbitant across the board. If your trip is only a couple or few days, you’ll typically save huge money by renting for the whole week and turning it in early (no penalty) - just remember to prepay the weekly rental for even more savings.
For instance, a Chevy Malibu in Chicago outside the airport will run you as much as $75 (approx) a day and they may cap mileage . . . the same fucking car will rent for as little as $175 (that’s “retail” - many times you’ll get it for much less if you are a preferred customer or have a discount available such as AAA) for the whole damn week (breaks for monthly rentals are even bigger once you establish well) - and there is always unlimited mileage on all weekly / monthly rentals with Hertz. They may tell you that the daily driver is unlimited mileage, but they’ll limit you in the contract on what States you can drive the car to on a daily rental - it is there, buried in the agreement.
I never buy tires, I never pay for an oil change, I don’t worry about brakes or timing belts or the air conditioning - never a surprise . . . I don’t ever worry or wait at a dealer re: “is this covered under warranty” or have those headaches . . . I just gas and go and if I drive the shit out of it, I don’t care. If I have a problem I turn it in and drive away in a new car. And I generally never get a car with more than a few thousand miles on it now, I used to get vehicles with up to 15k miles . . . but now, if they don’t smell brand new when I open the door I’ll ask for a different car.
Good luck and have fun - just watch the bottom dollar.
@f00l little known fact: most credit card issuers will insure your rental car at no additional cost. For example, I have a card that will insure my auto rental for $25000. That covers most (or all) of the value of any car I’m likely to rent. I’m not sure how that translates into collision insurance though
@capguncowboy Yeah - that’s the killer - collision. It covers you and the rental, it is a sticky situation when it comes to covering the OTHER vehicle(s) / persons if you’re at fault. I’ve heard / seen horror stories.
It may sound cold as a nun’s titties on Sunday, but I occasionally enjoy the fact I live in a State that limits my monetary liability in case of lawsuit for my negligence . . . and they can’t take my house in this State in case of bankruptcy.
@redhotqueen@RiotDemon I have one that sticks to a magnet on the side of my refrigerator - because that’s how I open the beer bottles
/image church key
Not exactly like this, but similar
@WyldeStile We actually had a S&H Green Stamps redemption store in the little town I grew up in. You’d take your books and walk in and it was like picking prizes on the old style Wheel of Fortune . . . no catalog necessary, just drive down and shop with stamps.
I loved going to grocery store and getting green stamps. I remember the wheel they would turn to spit them out for you . . . if you winked at the cashiers they might spit out a few more for you on a good day.
I still have books with stamps pasted in them I saved when they closed the program down in the 80’s.
I got in so much trouble for taking my grandmother’s books she had been saving and going down to that store . . . I worked for her for two summers paying her back every dime. It sucked, but I got to know her so well . . . and I miss her terribly. I don’t miss her having me weed the iris beds or help her put up corn or can beets. That sucked . . . but even though I took from her without permission and was paying her back as a lesson (learned well), I have never felt so loved. She was amazing.
Holy crap, how young are people here? While the plastic bottles became prevalent in the 80’s, you could still find the occasional can as late as the early 90’s (at least). I guess if you weren’t driving at the time, you might not have notied.
@RiotDemon@RiotDemon Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Even a person who is 40 now would not have started driving until 1992. By 1990, almost all of them would have been plastic, so you would have had to really been paying attention to have seen one.
I guess I am just put off that I not only “remember” them, they were the exclusive way I bought oil for my first car.
@FranKeepy Mom got all three of us boys sleeping bags from green stamps. It took a paper bag full of green stamps to get one. Very stylish! Green on the outside, and that green stamp kinda plaid on the inside. (wow, I wonder if mom was trying to get rid of us?) There was a competitor that had a yellow stamp-us kids didn’t like getting those.
I grew up(sarcasm/stupidity), and saved Belaire/Raleigh ciggie coupons, (koff,koff, glad I quit those years ago). I never bought anything as it took like 1000 coupons to buy a box of thumb tacks! So I guess my deal seeking started with the Green Stamps catalog.
You’re cranky.
Fixed it for ya
(original for context (and because I’m feeling like a bit of a jerk today): Lousy topic but warvhing an old Doris Day,show, how many of you remember motor oil coming in cardboatd cans? [sic])
@curtise perhaps he had just taken his ambien.
Ah crap. I do remember that! Quaker state. I’m old.
@jacatrow Used this for many a year.
@lordbowen I always used Castrol 30w.
When I was a kid, I loved piercing the top of the can with the spout.
@conandlibrarian The sound was so satisfying.
@conandlibrarian Talk about feeling nostalgic for something that is both trivial and, as you mention, satisfying. I miss it.
@conandlibrarian Yes! The satisfying “crunch” sound! Well, not “crunch” so much as… there’s like a “pop” and that metallic “rip”… we need to make a word for that sound!!
I think I still have one of those punch/spout things around here somewhere
@rand3y Ditto! Guess I should clean out the shop…
I bet @mfladd remembers this. He’s REAL old.
@Barney
I do remember getting these at the Citgo Station.
@Barney , @mfladd is so old he makes the crypt keeper look youthful.
@KittySprinkles Hi stranger (or should I say strange one). I miss you.
@Barney Hiya! Hope all is well. I’m just swimming along on dry land.
@KittySprinkles Just the same ol’ stuff going on around here. Some days I haven’t a clue as to what is going on.
I still have one, I think, and one of the old piercing push-in spouts for them. The Challenger, and my home-based maintenance of it, predates the plastic cans. Castrol GTX 20w-50 quart cans from Chief Auto Parts in Las Vegas FTW.
Thanks. Today something on the Internet made me feel young instead of old.
Title edits don’t fix the URL… Also, there’s still a missing “i”.
Also unrelated, but have you ever gotten an email where the person wrote the whole email in the subject line? So there’s a really long subject and then just their name (or nothing) in the message? Those are fun.
Ok, I’m through being a dick for now.
Yup. And they stacked nicely in the cabinet out next to the gas pump. Before the self-serve days you got your oil checked every time you got gas.
@Mehrocco_Mole That guy must really hate the oil.
@PocketBrain he’s just a jerk
@PocketBrain I’m pretty sure it’s just a problem with the quality control of those cans. Must have been common enough to switch to plastic.
I was just thinking of this yesterday when my buddy told me he was paying $69 for a synthetic oil change.
Gas jockeys’ would pump your gas, check the tires, clean your windshield, and check your oil. Why would they check your oil? Did cars need oil all the time?
And I knew my cousin’s dad was a serious mechanic, because he had his own metal oil can spout and funnel.
@wew Yeah. Some older cars burned oil & needed to be topped-off occasionally. People drove a car until it died…
@wew Older cars had a tendency to leak oil a lot. Also it was the gas station’s version of, "Do you want fries with that?"
When I was a lowly E4 in the Navy I pumped gas to pay the bills. In addition to the tires, windshield, and oil we also had to check the water level in the battery.
@wew Some people measured miles per quart besides miles per gallon.
@SSteve I had a '63 Rambler. Went through 3 engines with that car. All 3 burned oil. But I was in high school and it had bachelor seats (front seats that folded back flat before this was common) so I was good to go.
@SSteve This. I had a 1990 Honda Civic that would need a quart of oil ever 300 miles or so. More if I was doing stop and go driving. After a while, I stopped changing the oil and would just swap out the filter ever 3000 miles or so. Looking back, I think that lead to the failure of the engine.
Yup. I still have a large & small can spout (just in case they ever make a comeback)
50 years from now: “How many of you remember when cars had oil?”
@djslack Probably preceded by “How many of you remember when cars ran on fossil fuel?”
@djslack “How many of you can remember when cars had drivers?”
@djslack “You guys remember cars?”
@PocketBrain Not so distant future.
But when the AIs get sophisticated enough, will the car balk when you try to direct it to a repair shop, like kids resist going to the Doctor’s office?
I still have one of the punch spouts too.
Collectors who were not even around back then know…
@thismyusername Frank Fritz is 50, so he was around when cardboard oil cans were still in use.
@DrWorm sure he was… I swore I saw steel cans in the original post, but looking back it does indeed say carboard…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@thismyusername @DrWorm Ok, I love American Pickers!
@mfladd I used to, but i changed my tune recently. They’ve ruined the hobby of collecting antiques.
I still have a can or two (full, unopened) of Kendall racing oil my father used in the 60’s. Not for sale.
I despised the switch to plastic pour and really miss complementary funnels.
90% of my time driving is in a rental - I’ve discussed the economics of that decision here previously . . . so I rarely deal with maintenance, but when I have to, I now open the hood, take one look, audibly you’ll hear a “what in the actual fuck were they thinking building this shit” emanate from my mouth and I’ll slam the hood down and call AAA.
@Pavlov I miss a lot of things here, but I’d like to read about the economics of driving a rental car. Got a link or search terms handy? Care to repeat it? I’ve wondered myself if it could be worth it.
@JerseyFrank I think this is it,
/giphy maybe?
@cj0e Yes, that is one of the posts where I discuss renting from Hertz.
@JerseyFrank Aside from the fact I use a lot of points and perks from Hertz for my daily driver to more than occasionally reduce the net cost of my monthly rental to zero, I did the math a few years ago on monthly rental vs. full maintenance covered fleet lease, and even if I were having to pay full fare at Hertz for a standard car and getting my comp 2 level upgrade for being President’s Circle it would be worth it to me to rent. I eat miles, I’m really (really) rough on cars, and I travel often - in the end for me it would be just as cost effective to rent. The BIG trick is NOT picking up your rental - EVER - at an airport. DO NOT DO IT. Even if they say there are no cars at the off airport location. They are fucking lying fuckers. If you are Pres. Circle and you show up at an HLE and they don’t have a car they will drive one in from another location to that HLE to rent to you. EVERY TIME. I’ve even driven away in employee’s personal vehicle to run an errand while I wait for my car to be driven to me . . . But fuck the airports - The concession fees will eat the deal to dust. Ride it out for their President’s Circle and build up points - once you do and you show up at an airport and need to get to a HLE (Oh my, I must have put in the wrong location - can you help me??) the managers will all but suck you off while driving you from their airport terminal location to your reserved car at a off-airport local Hertz HLE where the daily “tax” of a concession / tourist fee doesn’t exist - OR - they will reduce your rental at the airport counter to offset the concession fee if they can’t drive you.
President’s Circle plus $$ volume = your shit don’t stink.
I can hit fleet mileage peak limits on a leased vehicle in 2-3 months, easy. The mileage overage alone will cost me more at the end of the lease than renting full time. With Hertz I just drive it until I kill it or I turn it in. Sometimes they’ll ask me to drop it by one of their locations for service. Plus, I like being able to preference change a vehicle on a whim. I might want a luxury car for in town, but I may need a SUV to load it up for work and hit the road. All I do is drop by and preference change on the same rental agreement / ticket . . . sports car for the weekend - preference change . . . SUV for the first of next week - preference change . . . . luxury car for the following weekend - yeah, preference change.
Fuck 'em - Hertz is my bitch.
@Pavlov
I drive a lotta miles. I buy a car and use up the value soooo fast. That rental thing might look pretty good.
If you don’t own a personal vehicle, what are their insurance requirements?
Any forums that specialized info for people into this?
@f00l If you have a clean driving record there are several national insurers that will issue you reduced cost “full coverage” no deductible “driver” policy that covers you for whatever car you’re piloting - just call around and get quotes. Plus, here’s a little known fact about AAA - you can basically self-insure with AAA and Hertz if you risk it a little . . . if you list your AAA group ID and show your card / have it on file with Hertz, your liability to Hertz in case of accident or theft is capped at $5000. If you’re at fault you’ll still need a basic liability policy in place - but it helps to limit loss wherever you possibly can. Some of these “driver” policies are limited to only if you are a small business (in which case, incorporate in Wyoming for less than $200 and maintain the filing for the cost of a zero dollar annual report and you’re golden). You can almost eliminate your liability to the other party in case of an accident if you’re at fault if you incorporate offshore and rent the vehicle in the business name, but that’s a whole other thread.
If you register at Hertz as a small business, they’ll generally comp their daily counter full coverage insurance once you reach President’s Circle and maintain a certain dollar amount. There are numerous perks to going into this as a small business and not as an individual. Never ever buy this coverage - always decline it - have your own in place. But if they give it to you for free, take it and run.
If you look around there are a few sites (generally geared towards advanced business accounting practices) that discuss renting vs. leasing. What I always tell people is this: start your foray into this game by leasing a very low cost daily driver and renting weekly for high mileage trips. Get your points and status built up with the rental companies (this is truly about relationship in the final analysis for it to work wonderfully) . . . Once you get the highest status bracket at the rental company, then dig in and do the math. Do what’s best for you.
Note I said WEEKLY rental - daily rentals are for suckers. Not only is it possible that you could pay for mileage / have a mileage limit on a daily rental, daily rental rates are exorbitant across the board. If your trip is only a couple or few days, you’ll typically save huge money by renting for the whole week and turning it in early (no penalty) - just remember to prepay the weekly rental for even more savings.
For instance, a Chevy Malibu in Chicago outside the airport will run you as much as $75 (approx) a day and they may cap mileage . . . the same fucking car will rent for as little as $175 (that’s “retail” - many times you’ll get it for much less if you are a preferred customer or have a discount available such as AAA) for the whole damn week (breaks for monthly rentals are even bigger once you establish well) - and there is always unlimited mileage on all weekly / monthly rentals with Hertz. They may tell you that the daily driver is unlimited mileage, but they’ll limit you in the contract on what States you can drive the car to on a daily rental - it is there, buried in the agreement.
I never buy tires, I never pay for an oil change, I don’t worry about brakes or timing belts or the air conditioning - never a surprise . . . I don’t ever worry or wait at a dealer re: “is this covered under warranty” or have those headaches . . . I just gas and go and if I drive the shit out of it, I don’t care. If I have a problem I turn it in and drive away in a new car. And I generally never get a car with more than a few thousand miles on it now, I used to get vehicles with up to 15k miles . . . but now, if they don’t smell brand new when I open the door I’ll ask for a different car.
Good luck and have fun - just watch the bottom dollar.
@f00l little known fact: most credit card issuers will insure your rental car at no additional cost. For example, I have a card that will insure my auto rental for $25000. That covers most (or all) of the value of any car I’m likely to rent. I’m not sure how that translates into collision insurance though
@capguncowboy Yeah - that’s the killer - collision. It covers you and the rental, it is a sticky situation when it comes to covering the OTHER vehicle(s) / persons if you’re at fault. I’ve heard / seen horror stories.
It may sound cold as a nun’s titties on Sunday, but I occasionally enjoy the fact I live in a State that limits my monetary liability in case of lawsuit for my negligence . . . and they can’t take my house in this State in case of bankruptcy.
Hey, I still remember Green Stamps. What about the Hi-C/Hawaiian Punch cans that you needed to open with a can opener.
@WyldeStile you can still get tomato and pineapple juices like that. But who even has the old style openers anymore?
@redhotqueen I still have one that’s hiding at the back of my utensil drawer. I think it has a bottle opener on the other side… Maybe.
@redhotqueen “church keys” That’s their nickname.
@redhotqueen I still have one or 2
@redhotqueen @RiotDemon I have one that sticks to a magnet on the side of my refrigerator - because that’s how I open the beer bottles
/image church key
Not exactly like this, but similar
@WyldeStile We actually had a S&H Green Stamps redemption store in the little town I grew up in. You’d take your books and walk in and it was like picking prizes on the old style Wheel of Fortune . . . no catalog necessary, just drive down and shop with stamps.
I loved going to grocery store and getting green stamps. I remember the wheel they would turn to spit them out for you . . . if you winked at the cashiers they might spit out a few more for you on a good day.
I still have books with stamps pasted in them I saved when they closed the program down in the 80’s.
I got in so much trouble for taking my grandmother’s books she had been saving and going down to that store . . . I worked for her for two summers paying her back every dime. It sucked, but I got to know her so well . . . and I miss her terribly. I don’t miss her having me weed the iris beds or help her put up corn or can beets. That sucked . . . but even though I took from her without permission and was paying her back as a lesson (learned well), I have never felt so loved. She was amazing.
Did you vent your cans before pouring?
@blaineg Yep. Fully opened on one side, and a smaller one opposite for a smoother pour.
Holy crap, how young are people here? While the plastic bottles became prevalent in the 80’s, you could still find the occasional can as late as the early 90’s (at least). I guess if you weren’t driving at the time, you might not have notied.
@DrWorm I’m in my 30s. I don’t remember them.
@RiotDemon @RiotDemon Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Even a person who is 40 now would not have started driving until 1992. By 1990, almost all of them would have been plastic, so you would have had to really been paying attention to have seen one.
I guess I am just put off that I not only “remember” them, they were the exclusive way I bought oil for my first car.
Service stations once sold oil in glass jars that they filled from drums. Some even sold recycled oil in those glass jars.
/image glass motor oil jar
@cattylaq Well - I am NOT old enough to remember using these
/giphy not THAT old
When you opened the hood back then, you could see the driveway on both sides of the motor. You could even change the filter from the top side.
Our neighbors when I was a kid got a swimming pool from Green Stamps, though I never could see how that worked. They had a 3 or 4 day care centers.
@FranKeepy Mom got all three of us boys sleeping bags from green stamps. It took a paper bag full of green stamps to get one. Very stylish! Green on the outside, and that green stamp kinda plaid on the inside. (wow, I wonder if mom was trying to get rid of us?) There was a competitor that had a yellow stamp-us kids didn’t like getting those.
I grew up(sarcasm/stupidity), and saved Belaire/Raleigh ciggie coupons, (koff,koff, glad I quit those years ago). I never bought anything as it took like 1000 coupons to buy a box of thumb tacks! So I guess my deal seeking started with the Green Stamps catalog.
“Lousy topic”?
/giphy lousy topic
I remember when the warranty came on the boxes.
Doris Day…
And Dinah Shore!
See the USA and your Chevrolet
And with Pat Boone
And in those days the “Hi beams” were turned on by pressing a button at the top left of your floorboard with your foot!