Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

I would like to throw this question out........

If you are not a vacuum enthusiast or professional in the business.

What would you pay for a vacuum cleaner[please disregard being sold by high pressure sales or hyped promotional advertising]

$5.00, $ 20.00, $ 150.00, etc. I'M trying to see how the public in general sees this industry..........

Thanks

MOLE

Hello Venson:

Do you know the age of the tires you are buying on-line?  Did you factor that age issue into your buy decision?  With the slowdown in the economy and auto sales, tire sales are way off.  Shelf life of unsold tires is increasing drastically.  In some cases by many years.  These old in stock tires have risks associated with their use that tire customers may not know and/or are not told by retailers.  Especially with on-line tire purchases where you can't see the tires to see the dates they were made.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

I see you watched that tire story also.  Slow auto sales should actually cycle auto parts inventory at a faster pace.  Keeping a car longer means more repairs and replacement parts.

What % of the consumers do you think have ever looked at the date on a tire?  Better yet, what % even knows it exists or where to find it?

Venson wrote:

Venson,  be sure that the small shop has had a profitable week and do not have the tires installed on a late Saturday evening.  Otherwise you could become a victim of higher prices if the dealer shares Carmine's business ethics.  Of course any reputable dealer would make it up to you by always giving you free air for your tires.

HARDSELL wrote:
Hi Hardsell,

Tires are also moving because of some municipalities' failure to maintain their roads and highways and that matter will probably worsen as cities and towns all across the country begin to cry poverty.  The new tires are being bought because the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and streets in more bereft parts of Jersey City have been left unattended despite all the work crews you see and assume are "doing something."  Whatever they did, they never got around to fixing the pothole that caused a dent in the inner lip of a wheel rim that caused the flat that I discovered the next morning.

New York, Jersey City -- assumed relatively financially better parts civilization.  Hmm . . . Istanbul was better kept.  I might as well be riding a buckboard here.  Anyway . . .

I took the car to my local over-priced garage who can do everything except fix a wheel rim OR recommend a local shop that could.  ($75.00 per hour for prolonged yet minimal labor.) BUT -- they were more than ready to sell me a new one.  Of course I said, I don't think so. 

As I'd already found a very compentent and affordable mechanical genius for maintenace there (you don't go to him he comes to you), I went straight back to Craig's list found a place out in Farmingdale and the wheel is now fixed as good as new.  It certainly was a job done affordably and well and my budget is not battered.  However, I was cautioned to used the old tire only as a spare for short use as the sidewall strength appeared to be compromised.  The owner of the establishment that fixed the wheel does not sell tires so there was absolutely nothing in it for him whether I buy no tires or ten.

I haven't owned a car since a long while before this one so I'm learning lesson by lesson but a lot of the stories are still the same as before.  One such is that you can't buy one tire in a case like this.  You buy two or all four.  Safety is a big concern and as I have no desire to kill myself (yet) or anyone else for that matter, I'm getting new tires.

My car also had decent suspension until road conditons, not devil may care driving, have upped my maintenance expenses.  Worst of all there's no way to be more careful.  In this reat city there are lanes and lanes of highway peppered with potholes and asphalt patches that make it feel like you're riding over a washboard.

Mechanics and auto parts sellers are going to be doing booming business in my neck of the woods for sure. My only recourse is to either buy as carefully and smartly as affordably possible or give the darn car away.

Venson

Hello HARDSELL:

No, can't say I saw the story you speak of.  I raised the issue for Venson because of a personal experience related by a friend who bought 4 new tires for his 2005 Acura MDX recently before making a cross country road trip with his grand daughter for the Holidays.  He got several quotes from tire retailers with large price fluctuations.  Turned out the cheapest quote, when he went to buy the tires and have installed, were the oldest.  He decided against them.  He's a retired auto mechanic who owned and operated his own business in Connecticut for many years.  Now owned and operated by his son.  Tires, brakes and wheel alignment.  He shared his story with me so I passed along. 

BTW, air, if you can find pumps nowadays at stations, is no longer free.  If you use nitrogen in your tires, like I do, filling can cost you anywhere from $25 to $100 for 4 tires.    Getting it free from the vendor is a customer benefit!

Carmine D.

Hi Carmine,

Sounds cool man.  I've never heard of using nitrogen instead of compressed air for tire inflation before and am doing some research to find out if its readily available nearby so I might give it a try. 

What particular benefits have you found and what do they do in regard to first time users?

Thanks,

Venson

Venson wrote:

Heilum is better.  Makes the car float.  Less rolling resistance makes for longer tire life and better fuel mileage. 

Before you fall for the nitrogen hype you should do some research.  Compressed air is about 78% nitrogen to begin with.  Supposedly nitrogen will not escape tires as quickly as compressed air. It also is supposed reduce moisture in the tire, therby reducing sidewall deterioration from the inside. 

I would prefer to pay 25 cents every two or three months for compresed air than to pay $100 for nitrogen.  I always get free air with my oil changes.  Tires will get dry wall cracking with age, especially if they are not driven frequently.  I personally have always worn the tread out long before the sidewall. 

Nitrogen is a great sales pitch and adds bottom mline profits for those shops that might be a little short of a profitable week.  Again,  ask your shop if he has had a profitable week.  If he says no just remember what Carmine said.  It is good business to stick it to the customer if you profit.

Nitrogen in Tires vs. Air:

Costco has been using this as an added service with tire purchases for the past few years in Canada.  Benefits:  1) does not escape or dissipate from the tire as quickly as air.  With my winter to summer changeover, the nitrogen tires, I never have to add, the air filled ones will always require a few pounds. 2) nitrogen tires run cooler--regular air can increase by as much as 4 PSI, I've only experienced a 1-2 PSI increase with nitrogen.  As ambient temperature changes, with each 9-10 degree temperature change, both air and nitrogen will vary by about 1 psi.

Hope this observation of mine helps out!

Vernon

Venson wrote:

HARDSELL wrote:
Hardsell, I was laughing so hard, I teared up.        DIB

Hi Venson:

Vernon hits it right on the head.  Thank you, Sir.  I prefer the nitrogen filled tires.  Less tire maintenance.  More consistent and accurate tire pressure maintained with less pressure fluctuations due to temp changes.  Better riding too.  IMHO.

COSTCO here in the Las Vegas Valley uses nitrogen with its tire sales too and has for several years, I understand.  If you buy the tires for your vehicle from COSTCO, you can return anytime and have them check/adjust the tire pressure regularly free of charge.  A new Honda dealership opened in the Valley about a year ago and mandates nitrogen use in tires with all new Honda car sales.  I suspect for the specific reason that Vernon cited above.  With the 120 plus degree outside air temps, the tire air temps can rise drastically causing the tires to blow if overinflated.  Less of a chance with the nitrogen since it runs cooler in the tires.  Granted the new Honda owner is a youngin by comparison to the older stodgy car dealers in LV who still use air. 

You're not supposed to mix [air/nitrogen].  The tire and auto dealers use green caps on the tire valves to alert industry professionals that the tires use nitrogen and not air.  But it's always good to tell them, when you take your car in for service.  In an emergency, if you use air, COSTCO/Honda dealer will deflate the tires and reinflate with nitrogen free if you bought the tires/car there.  If you are converting your existing car tires to nitrogen from air as a brand new customer, COSTCO/Honda charge from $25-$100 for the job, depending on the vehicle. 

Hope that in conjunction with Vernon's post is informative and useful.

Carmine D.