Living in the city on the days that I drove to work the manual transmission got to be a pain in the ass quite literally. Driving to Whistler every weekend saw my sciatic nerve get testy by Squamish. Shooting pain down the back of my leg. Got rid of the manual and got relief. My physio says it was the shifting.
Many new vehicles now have 9 and 10 speed auto. Seems crazy. I’m sort of looking for a new vehicle now as my 7 year old Ridgeline has had too many issues. Two rear view camera replacements, fuel injectors replaced, hood latch replaced, torque converter being replaced now as well as the ignition button. All on warranty, extended warranty or recall. the differential pump was replaced for around $2000 a few years back. Not warranty. The symptom was a loss of all wheel drive, in November. In Whistler. It took five trips to North Van over about three months to get it addressed. That was at about 50,000km. By the time I drive the vehicle home on Tuesday it will likely tick over 80,000km. Not impressed. Anyway I’m ranting.
When I was working I would ride my bike to and from work as much as possible. I could afford the gas and parking and a decent car but riding was more fun and I’d get exercise every time. More freedom too to pop into a shop and not have to park and pay somewhere. I kept a bunch of office clothes at the office, has shirts cleaned and pressed downtown, had a membership at a gym which had a bike lockup and towel service.
When I was a geologist we had the best 4x4s. Rented ones. Brought them back muddy and maybe dented with worn tires, cracked windshields etc. one guy I worked with always thought the winch needed to be on the back. "Why haul yourself further into trouble?"
April 5, 2024, 2:54 p.m. - Andy Eunson
Living in the city on the days that I drove to work the manual transmission got to be a pain in the ass quite literally. Driving to Whistler every weekend saw my sciatic nerve get testy by Squamish. Shooting pain down the back of my leg. Got rid of the manual and got relief. My physio says it was the shifting. Many new vehicles now have 9 and 10 speed auto. Seems crazy. I’m sort of looking for a new vehicle now as my 7 year old Ridgeline has had too many issues. Two rear view camera replacements, fuel injectors replaced, hood latch replaced, torque converter being replaced now as well as the ignition button. All on warranty, extended warranty or recall. the differential pump was replaced for around $2000 a few years back. Not warranty. The symptom was a loss of all wheel drive, in November. In Whistler. It took five trips to North Van over about three months to get it addressed. That was at about 50,000km. By the time I drive the vehicle home on Tuesday it will likely tick over 80,000km. Not impressed. Anyway I’m ranting. When I was working I would ride my bike to and from work as much as possible. I could afford the gas and parking and a decent car but riding was more fun and I’d get exercise every time. More freedom too to pop into a shop and not have to park and pay somewhere. I kept a bunch of office clothes at the office, has shirts cleaned and pressed downtown, had a membership at a gym which had a bike lockup and towel service. When I was a geologist we had the best 4x4s. Rented ones. Brought them back muddy and maybe dented with worn tires, cracked windshields etc. one guy I worked with always thought the winch needed to be on the back. "Why haul yourself further into trouble?"