Traveling can be a challenge, especially when returning home to a family. Dave and Ian share humorous anecdotes about the struggles of managing family life while juggling travel. The conversation shifts to the frustrations of low fuel lights greeting them after trips, and they explore caffeine habits during road trips. The episode also dives into car maintenance, particularly a warning light on Dave's Lexus GSF, and the duo discusses the marketing strategies behind car sales brochures, reflecting on their own experiences and preferences.
There's a first time for everything, and this week Dave discloses his first warning light experience with his new to him GS F. Ian also has a light on his dash, and fire in his eyes. We love you!
"...you had explained that like keeping fuel topped off is much better because should you get stranded in the Colorado winter somewhere and you need to idle the car,..."
Having a full gas tank means you have enough fuel to keep your car running, especially in case of emergencies. It helps avoid problems like running out of gas when you need it most.
Keeping your fuel topped off means ensuring your gas tank is full, which can prevent issues like running out of fuel in emergencies. It also helps keep the fuel system clean and reduces the risk of condensation forming in the tank.
"...with her new BMW the range, it has like a 460-some-odd mile range. So who knows if she's ever really going to get into much gas use on that."
Range is how far a car can go on a full tank of gas or battery charge. It's important to know so you can plan trips without running out of fuel.
In automotive terms, 'range' refers to the distance a vehicle can travel on a full tank of fuel or a fully charged battery. It is an important factor for drivers to consider, especially for planning long trips.
"... my wife's car, put gas in it, although with her new BMW the range, it has like a 460-some-odd mile range...."
The BMW New Class is a group of cars made by BMW that were really important for the company in the past. They helped BMW become known for making stylish and high-quality cars, and today, some new BMWs can drive a long way on just one tank of gas.
The BMW New Class refers to a series of vehicles produced by BMW in the 1960s and 1970s that marked a significant turning point for the brand, introducing modern design and engineering principles. This line of cars helped establish BMW as a leading manufacturer in the luxury segment and is often credited with shaping the brand's identity. The mention of a BMW with a 460-mile range highlights advancements in fuel efficiency and technology in modern BMW vehicles.
"...t. Yeah. But it's like if I'm in the car for like six plus hours. Yeah. And I'm dragging this Red Bull. Oka..."
The Morgan Plus Six is a special sports car from England that looks old-fashioned but has modern features. It's known for being fun to drive and is made by hand, which makes it unique and special for people who love cars.
The Morgan Plus Six is a modern interpretation of the classic British sports car, featuring a lightweight design and a powerful engine that delivers an exhilarating driving experience. Known for its distinctive styling and handcrafted construction, the Plus Six combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary performance. It is often discussed for its unique charm and the driving pleasure it offers over long distances.
"We got our first warning light on my Lexus GSF. Okay. Okay. Well, this is a Lexus warning light. So this is like no shit. You got to pay attention."
The Lexus GSF is a sporty version of a Lexus car that offers more power and better handling than regular models. It's built for people who enjoy driving fast while still being comfortable.
The Lexus GSF is a high-performance variant of the Lexus GS sedan, featuring a powerful V8 engine and sport-tuned suspension. It's designed for those who want luxury combined with performance.
"...the alert that I got was for the headlight auto leveling system. Okay. Right? Okay. You know, you kind of think like for a, you know, 20 or 10 year old car that sure, like with the fancy auto leveling headlights..."
This system helps keep your car's headlights aimed correctly, so they shine on the road and not into other cars' eyes. It adjusts automatically if the car is loaded differently, like when you have passengers or cargo.
The headlight auto leveling system adjusts the angle of the headlights based on the vehicle's load and road conditions. This ensures optimal illumination and prevents blinding oncoming drivers.
"...the car was lowered before. And there are ride height sensors..."
Lowering a car means making it sit closer to the ground. People do this for better looks and handling, but it can make the ride bumpier and reduce how much space there is under the car.
Lowering a car refers to the process of reducing its ride height, typically by adjusting or replacing suspension components. This can improve handling and aesthetics but may affect ride quality and clearance.
"...there are ride height sensors, one on the front driver side and one on the, on the rear driver side, suspension arms, right? And so basically it's almost like a little like this..."
Ride height sensors measure how high a car is off the ground. They help the car's suspension adjust properly for better driving and handling.
Ride height sensors are components used in vehicles with adjustable suspension systems to monitor the height of the vehicle from the ground. They help ensure that the suspension system maintains the correct ride height for optimal handling and performance.
"...one on the front driver side and one on the, on the rear driver side, suspension arms, right? And so basically it's almost like a little like this..."
Suspension arms are parts that connect the car's body to its wheels. They help the wheels move up and down while keeping the car stable on the road.
Suspension arms are components of a vehicle's suspension system that connect the chassis to the wheels. They help control the movement of the wheels and maintain proper alignment during driving.
"...when you like the alignment folks will do your, you know, alignment and you, they can get to that stuff from underneath the car in the middle..."
Alignment is how the wheels are adjusted to make sure they are straight and working well together. Good alignment helps your car drive better and makes the tires last longer.
Alignment refers to the adjustment of a vehicle's suspension components to ensure that the wheels are set to the correct angle relative to each other and the road. Proper alignment helps improve handling, tire wear, and overall vehicle performance.
"Yeah. Because then I'd be able to isolate it to an axle probably. Yeah. Right. If it's a front axle or right. Because I didn't look at the front sensor."
An axle is a part of a car that connects the wheels to the rest of the vehicle. It helps the wheels turn and move the car forward.
An axle is a central shaft for rotating wheels or gears. In vehicles, it connects the wheels to the drivetrain and allows for the transfer of power from the engine to the wheels.
"But yeah, so first warning light, yeah, it hasn't come back since then, thankfully. But yeah, Ian, I mean, first warning light on the car, you know? And I mean, you think"
A warning light is a signal on your car's dashboard that tells you something might be wrong. It could be something small or something that needs immediate attention.
A warning light on a car's dashboard indicates that there is a potential issue that needs attention. These lights can signal various problems, from minor issues to serious malfunctions.
"...unless like the head, one of the headlight motors, like actuators was truly going bad..."
Headlight motors help move the headlights up and down or side to side, especially in cars that have headlights that can adjust automatically. They make sure you can see well when driving at night.
Headlight motors are components that control the movement of headlights, particularly in vehicles with adjustable or self-leveling headlights. They ensure that headlights are positioned correctly for optimal visibility.
"...they have had them replaced under warranty as part of like the Lexus troubleshooting path..."
A warranty is like a promise from the car maker that they'll fix something if it breaks within a certain time. It's a way to protect buyers from unexpected repair costs.
A warranty is a guarantee provided by the manufacturer or seller that promises to repair or replace a product if necessary within a specified period. It often covers defects and certain repairs.
"...to put in the huge 14.9 inch brake rotors. Right. Like, are you doing that decimal point?"
Brake rotors are the round metal discs that your car's brakes squeeze to slow down. Bigger rotors can help your car stop better because they can handle more heat and pressure.
Brake rotors are crucial components of a vehicle's braking system, providing a surface for the brake pads to clamp down on, which slows or stops the vehicle. Larger rotors can improve braking performance by increasing surface area and heat dissipation.
"...I'll find the one for the R32. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Compare and contrast all of our different cars."
The Volkswagen R32 is a sportier version of the Golf hatchback. It has a more powerful engine and better handling, making it fun to drive.
The Volkswagen R32 is a high-performance variant of the Golf, known for its powerful engine and all-wheel-drive system. It was produced in limited numbers, making it a sought-after model among enthusiasts.
"...hat next time and I'll, I'll find the one for the R32. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Compare and contr..."
The Nissan Skyline is a famous sports car that many people love because it's fast and can be customized in many ways. The R32 version, made in the late 1980s, is especially popular and is known for being really good at racing.
The Nissan Skyline is a legendary sports car that has gained a cult following, particularly for its performance and tuning potential, especially the R32 model from the late 1980s. It is well-known for its advanced technology, including all-wheel drive and turbocharged engines, which made it a favorite among car enthusiasts and in motorsports. The R32 Skyline is often discussed for its iconic status in car culture and its influence on the performance car scene.
"It is for a, not one, but two 1985 Maserati Biturbos or $300. Oh my God. Yep."
The Maserati Biturbo is a car made by Maserati in the 1980s. It's a sporty car with a turbocharged engine, but it has some reliability issues.
The Maserati Biturbo is a sports car produced by Maserati from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. It is known for its twin-turbocharged V6 engine and distinctive styling, but it has a mixed reputation for reliability.
"one manual, one automatic. Uh, they are complete, not currently running."
An automatic transmission is a car system that changes gears for you, so you don't have to do it yourself. It's easier to drive, especially in traffic.
An automatic transmission automatically changes the gear ratios as the vehicle moves, allowing the driver to focus on steering and acceleration without needing to manually shift gears.
"one manual, one automatic. Uh, they are complete, not currently running."
A manual transmission is a car system where you have to change gears yourself, usually with a stick and a pedal. It gives you more control over how the car drives.
A manual transmission is a type of transmission that requires the driver to manually shift gears using a clutch pedal and gear stick. It offers more control over the vehicle's power and speed.
"...you compare this to like a 1985 Porsche that's in the same condition and how much more that is. It's so, it's so crazy. Right."
A Porsche from 1985 is a car made by the brand Porsche in that year. These cars are popular among collectors and car lovers because they have a unique style and driving feel.
The mention refers to a Porsche from 1985, which could represent various models from that era, such as the Porsche 911 or 944. Cars from this period are often sought after by enthusiasts for their classic styling and driving experience.
Select text to request an explanation
Dave. Ian.
It makes a Jason cars such etc. Um, as you know, I have been
traveling a ton. Mm hmm. And the dynamic of like leaving my
house, and then coming back to my house with you know, like a
wife and kids at home is always an interesting thing,
right? Oh, do you mean your secret family or your real
your I'm sorry. So at one point, my wife, this is a
different time. This is not what I was planning to open it
with. But Jenny made a joke about how because I she was
asking how many hotel points I had available because I travel
so much, but we you we use the hotel point. Yeah, use your
car points, use your hotel points. Yeah. Yes, we use them a
lot. Yeah. Why didn't you have that many? Are you using them
for upgrades for your other family? And I was like, I'm
sorry. You think not only do I have another family, but you
think I'm gonna I went out and saw someone with fancier taste?
You think I'm going out and I'm like, you know what I need in
my life? I need more demands on me, but also fancier. Right
exactly. Yes. Yes. More financial strain, more more surface
area to manage more more things. Yes, because your calendar
isn't complicated enough. Right. If I ever have a secret
anything that I keep from my wife and children, it'll be a
storage unit with a cop in it. Yes, exactly. Soundproof on the
on the on the wall. So that's it. Yeah, just a white noise
machine and a pillow and a blankie. Yeah. Yeah. Secret family.
Oh, Jesus. No, but anyway, so I mean, you know, it's all it's
it's tough to travel when you have kids at home and stuff like
that. And then sure. And then on top of it, you know, sometimes
you come home and you're not as Donald Rubfeld would would say
greeted as liberate as a as a liberator, right? You're not
you're not welcome back with open arms necessarily because
people are stressed out. Sure. You know, they're doing things
on their own. But there's one particular thing phenomenon that
I've been experiencing as I travel, especially lately, which
is that I get greeted at home by one particular thing. And I'm
just curious if other people have this as well where I'm I'm
gone. The house is running smoothly. Right. Then I go to
take Gus, my my youngest kid to school with the car. Okay. And
the link that I put in is what is what greets me. I have a
hunch because this is, I think, one of the most stereotypical
just male things you will ever do. I don't know what it is, but
I have a feeling that if you were to venture into stereo, sorry,
stereotypical male ish, take my wife please sort of thing.
I have a feeling that this is going to be somewhere in that area,
but I don't. So, okay, here, let me pop this in the in the
browser here. Ah, yes, the low fuel light in the car.
It's like literally I pull out of the driveway and start going
forward and the light comes on. And I cannot tell you how many
times it has happened from like just seven 30 in the morning,
the day after I get home for a work trip. Yes. Yes. You know, now, I know,
now, see, I think that there is, there's a couple of different ways that this goes.
So, like, there's like kind of like the way, and I know you're not going this way. So,
I want to get in front of this, like the way of like, oh, you know, like somebody just
like doesn't think about that or like they expect me to do it, you know, or like they,
you know, like it's just like something that is like a knock against you because like you would
be, I don't know, like kind of just coming at it wrong. Right. You have a justification
and you've told me this and I've remembered this. This is how like we listen to each other.
This is how I remember this. I remember you telling me a while ago that you
like you had explained that like keeping fuel topped off is much better because
should you get stranded in the Colorado winter somewhere and you need to idle the car,
like a huge traffic pile up, who knows, right? And you need to idle the car to keep people alive
that is just better to be more equipped with a full fuel tank. Yes, this drives me crazy,
especially the winter months to not have fuel in the car, especially Dave, we live,
I mean, I could throw a baseball from my front porch and hit a gas station with your left hand,
like you could. Yes, like we live so close to gas. Now, granted, it's the most expensive fuel in
Denver. Sure. I could see it from my house. Right. Yes, I understand. I understand. And
I think that this is something that I get. So you and I lead very different lives.
One of the things that I like to do just for my wife just to kind of show my love is I actually
fill up her car's gas tank for her. And so once every week or two weeks, if the car's dirty,
I'll take her car for a wash, I vacuum it out, I fill it up with gas. And so
she's never had anybody do that for her before. And I think that people with her previously have
kind of approached it the wrong way where it's like, I want you to rely on me to do this kind of
stuff for you. Because I think that there's that aspect to masculinity that is very unsavory
to a lot of folks for good reason, like that introduced dependence. But having the opportunity
to just show somebody that you care for them in that way and taking that time to wash my wife's
car, put gas in it, although with her new BMW the range, it has like a 460-some-odd mile range.
So who knows if she's ever really going to get into much gas use on that.
You can just put stable in it for her.
Honestly, that might be something we have to do. But yeah, so I understand. And I think that
there's a few different ways like you can go with this. And I know that you have a good heart
that you're concerned about safety, right? Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I get it. Yeah.
Your buddy greeted you, you know. Yeah. Hey, welcome home. That's the welcome home light.
I would like to glass half full this, okay? You know the low fuel light works.
That's true. That's true. In your Volkswagen, you know that that LED works.
Yeah, that's very true. I don't know that it works in my car because I've never hit it.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. So I get it, buddy. I get it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm glad your friend greeted you home.
He did. Yeah. He was like, hey, buddy. Remember me, bitch?
Yeah. I get it, man. Good morning. Yeah. Yeah. Guess what? You have another to do. Yeah.
So that's what really derailed you from seeing your secret family was you had to go get put gas in
the car. See? Well, jokes on her. My secret family runs a gas station.
And I get all this candy and soda I want. Yeah. They gave me Slim Jens.
I do like that if you were given like you could grab one item from a gas station,
you know I'm getting candy and I know you are getting some kind of cured meat stick.
Yeah. Right. Oh, well, here's a good question. So we were talking about this.
Who's that talking about this with? Your secret podcast. My secret podcast, yeah.
You're cheating on me with another podcaster. No, we were talking about this with our mutual friend,
Sal. Yes. We were talking about the road trip because we just did a big road trip,
you know, from back from Duluth down to back down to Denver. And we were talking about our
preferred caffeine intake on road trips. Yep. Yep. Because, you know, I,
so when you're on like big long road trip, you're gonna, you got a 12 plus hour day.
Yes. You're crushing some miles. What's your go-to solution and is it different than your
like normal everyday solution? Sure. Sure. Yeah. So everyday solution is usually a few
Espresso's, maybe a K cup of like a short shot of Kureg coffee, because I have to have stuff done
for me early in the morning before I'm fully awake. And then I'll go to an Aeropress. So I'm
like a three to four-ish cup person at the most. Four is absolutely at the most, kind of like
caffeine intake, right? But that's like, that's the cocktail, right? Yeah. And then I'm usually a
hard stop by 1130. So that's like, that's like the daily caffeine, right? Road trip, of course,
right? Fun rules. You got a long thing ahead of you. So like, you know, like I want to string it
out longer, right? And you don't want to pee so much. So I will do gas station coffee,
you know, because I'll kind of like sip on that, like over the course of like, you know,
an hour or so, you know, and just kind of nurse it a little bit. And so like, yeah, you know,
like if the gas station coffee is absolutely crap, and a McDonald's or Dunkies or something
like that isn't nearby, because you and I have our hierarchy, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If something
like that isn't nearby, then it is really for me, like, I'll go diet Pepsi, just a diet Pepsi.
I don't mess with energy drinks or anything like that. I'll just do like a diet,
and I like Diet Pepsi chemicals more than I like Diet Coke chemicals myself.
And it's not even that it's diet. It's just like, I like the science taste of Diet Pepsi more.
Yeah. But I will suck it up and I will drink some gas station sludge, man. I really will.
You know, it has to be aggressively bad before I like, it has to basically be like what it was
in Wisconsin with brown water. Yeah. You know, yeah. Yeah. I've been burned too many times by
gas station coffee and I've stopped even trying because every time I see that, I mean, but even
still now after 30 years of doing this, I will see that that tank of gas station coffee and
have a little tickle of hope somewhere back, the back of my head that says, you know, maybe this
is the one. Right. Right. Because we've had those cups of gas station coffee or like Waffle House
coffee, like that one cup that you get like out of like 15 or 20 years that for some reason is
mind blowing. Right. And it's not that you were like hungover or anything. It's just like,
it was like a perfectly normal day. There were no weird circumstances. But for some reason,
this one cup of coffee is crazy good. Right. Like lightning in a bottle good. Right. Yeah. So I
get that. Also, there is no other, I would say like food thing beverage or otherwise that has
such a like audience that enjoys the smell versus audience that enjoys the taste of it as it is.
Right. Like so that like smell trigger of coffee is almost always good unless it's actively on fire,
no matter what the coffee tastes like. Right. That's very true. Yeah. Yeah. So I get how like
you can have that like, oh, maybe, maybe, but I can also get how you would just stop trying by,
you know. Yeah. Yeah. So then where do you go? What's your go to? So again, yeah. If
McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts aren't available. Yeah. I will get and it's just like we're just
doing gas station stops. Yes. That sort of thing. I go Red Bull and I go like classic Red Bull,
not even sugar. I don't do sugar free because I don't like the chemically taste. Okay. I go the
little can. Yeah. And I'll do one of those, a fuel stop if I need to. Oh, wow. Okay. But
okay. And it's the only time I drink Red Bull. Yeah. Is on a road trip. So I maybe do that
once or twice a year. Right. Yeah. But it's like if I'm in the car for like six plus hours. Yeah.
And I'm dragging this Red Bull. Okay. But it's the only thing is that it's like a
now a Pavlovian thing of like, oh, I'm, I have to be alert because I have a Red Bull. Right. Right.
Yeah. Yeah. Weird feedback loop. Right. Yeah. Like your brain starts activating like the stuff
before you even take the first sip. Like you feel awake just like giving likes tapping your credit
card or whatever. Yeah. For the thing. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know why,
but it's, it occurred to me that the, it's the only time in my life that I really
will drink a Red Bull. Maybe like during the like 24 hour race. Sure. Sure. I'll have a Red Bull,
but that's about, that's about it. Well, I mean, that is kind of a road trip. Right. It's sort of
the same, same thing. Right. Yeah. But yeah. And I was like, oh, I don't know what Dave's is.
Yeah. Yep. I will, I will go deep on gas station sludge. I really will. Yeah. Yeah. I mean,
and I think that I've had cups more often than I used to be disappointing. And I don't know if
that's just my taste getting better. Cause I mean, yeah, I still don't drink the greatest coffee all
the time, you know? So I don't, I don't know if I'm getting picky, but yeah. Well, and I'll choke
down a bunch of hotel coffee and yeah, yeah. You know, the terrible K cup thing out of the
whatever company's conference room I'm in that I've been washed in 17 years or whatever. Exactly.
Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Right. But there's something about a giant cup of hotel of gas station coffee
though that's extra disappointing when it's bad because I think it's then, I think part of it
honestly might be because if it's like, okay, so if I'm at like some corporate office someplace
and I get a bad cup of coffee in the back of my hand, I'm kind of like, you know what, I'm going
to walk out of here and I will go someplace else. Yeah. Yeah. Go get another cup of coffee. It's
going to be fine. Right. But if I'm trying to make time across. Right. Yeah. Then I'm stuck in the
car with 172 ounces of garbage. Right. Right. And I'm stuck with it. And I know that I'm stuck
with it. And every time my hand brushes in the cup holder, I'm going to be pissed. I get that.
I get that. Also, I think that like gas stations have an obligation to provide decent drinkable
coffee. Right. Especially gas stations in the middle of nowhere. I do think that like,
that is something that like, if you, what if you went into a gas station, they were like,
no, we don't have coffee, fucking weirdo. Like that, like that would be insane. But like,
we have come to expect just drinkable coffee from a gas station. You know what? Okay. This is
when we come to power sort of thing now. Okay. Because if you think about it, like every time
you go to gas station, all the states, there's inspectors at those facilities already because
they do, they put the tape on the thing and they're inspecting the gas tanks and pumps to make sure
that they're counting accurately. I like where they're auditing all of that. I think coffee quality
should be an additional duty for those auditors. Yes. And they should be able to revoke the license
of a gas station if the coffee is not up to snuff 24 hours a day.
I'm in favor of this. I feel like it is like how somebody at a hotel needs to do the pH test on
a hot tub. Right. Sure, you might get chlamydia, but like you're not going to get your eyeballs
burnt out from too much chlorine. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I think we're onto something here. I think
this could be a new government program. Yes. And you know what? Oh, I'm going to go a step further.
Here's what we really need to do. This is going to solve several problems at once. This is many
birds of one stone. I've now completely hijacked this week's episode. This is going to be a jobs
program, kind of like AmeriCorps. Okay. Well, we'll call it a hipster corp. And we're going to take
baristas from the big city. Oh boy. Okay. And we're going to force them to do these audits
in the middle of the country. So we're going to get, you know, we're not mixing as a country.
You know, we're not like we're not interacting with each other. Right. Right. So this is also
going to force some interactions between someone who is only, you know, serving pour overs to people
with NPR tote bags. Right. With Iowa truck stop people. Yes. Right. Yes. No. Yeah. Right. And
we're going to force some mixing. Right. A little undercover CEO action. Yeah. And just so we don't
think like, Oh, we're, we're, we're, we're foisting big city values on sure. On the lower
bill. You know what else we're going to do? We're going to have some of those truck stop people
come and evaluate people in the city and make sure they fill up their fucking gas.
Yeah. I like that you brought that. I was wondering where the plan was going to land. I didn't,
I didn't know it was going to be at home and that you were going to be landing.
It's just, just my house. I'm going to come to my house.
I do think that there is a value in cultural exchange at, at that level, the coffee cultural
exchange. I think that there's a lot of merit to it. I would really be interested to hear. I want
to see in the YouTube comments, like folks's, uh, um, cafe road trip caffeine choices.
Yes. And like, uh, does everything you do as far as caffeine go out the window? Is it exactly the
same? Are you truly like, are you someone that is unhinged and slamming those like ghost energy
drinks like every hour in your normal life? You know, right? Well, I see those huge cans of like
monster or whatever. You'd have to pee so much, right? You've got to. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know.
I don't know, buddy. You know, I like nurse bladder is a thing at, you know, at, at in the
healthcare industry. Okay. This is something that is just a thing. Like nurse bladder is a thing.
Like a nurse will like hold it an entire like 10 hour shift, right? Like, you know, not great,
but like, oh, me neither. Yeah. Like, no, I had to drive to steamboat with one of our nurses
that worked in our department one time and she was so upset that I was stopping like every hour
and 15 minutes. Like the fact that three times, right? Yes. Yes. Yeah. Amy was very upset. Yeah.
That's really funny. But yeah. So yeah, I would, I'd be curious to know if somebody else has like
a caffeine hack that I might want to try out. It's like, yeah, like I don't mind, I don't mind
a soda. I don't mind like, like a barks root beer or something, but like, you know, like there's
the folks that like coffee, there's nothing that replaces your coffee, you know? So
yeah, if somebody has something else, I've tried those like Starbucks powdered
things and just gotten hot water at the gas stations before or whatever. Yeah. And that's,
that's okay. It's not great. And there's like some, like some better brands of those that are just
like more like mom and pop brands. They're pricey, but you know, in a pinch, they'd be worth it,
you know, that kind of stuff. So if somebody has something good, let me know. Let us know. Yeah.
Because we both need to keep up on our caffeine. It is clutch in our lives. It is a real thing.
Yeah, right? Yeah. You know, I did have something speaking of lights on the dash, Ian.
I wanted to tell you the seal has been broken, Ian. Oh, do we have our first problem?
We got our first warning light on my Lexus GSF.
Okay. Okay. Well, this is a Lexus warning light. So this is like no shit. You got to pay attention.
Right. Yes. Yes. Like it's, it shows you a message on the thing. It'll read it aloud.
It'll tell you like to see the dealer. That kind of thing. So the alert that I got,
and I think Peter may have been in the car when this happened.
The alert that I got was for the headlight auto leveling system. Okay. Right? Okay. You know,
you kind of think like for a, you know, 20 or 10 year old car that sure, like with the fancy
auto leveling headlights, yeah, maybe like something is up. So I did some additional
research into it. And I think what happened is, is not, I don't think that as much as I love my
GSF, I do not think that this is Lexus' fault. I think this is human's fault. Okay. So can we
blame it? Is this a previous owner? Can we say previous tenant? It could be
one of the previous owners because there's more than one, right? Oh, okay. Pardon me. Pardon me.
Yes. So I think I'm the third or fourth owner of this car, even though I don't,
I did break 28,000 miles in it. Yeah. Right. So the car was lowered before.
And there are ride height sensors, one on the front driver side and one on the, on the rear
driver side, suspension arms, right? And so basically it's almost like a little like
L like this, right? It's like a sensor arm going horizontally and then a little plastic dog bone
going vertically. And I think that when the car was lowered, right, the ride height is lowered.
So it kind of like puts it at like this angle, right? And then I, I'm wondering if that sensor
was adjusted while the car was lowered, right? So that it was like this again, right? So that it
was like back to 90 degrees. And when I put it back to stock height, it would be like this,
like more than 90 degrees just sitting, right? Right. So headlights keep trying to do like you're
going up a hill or something. Like it thinks like it's unloaded or you have something big in the
back or something like that. Exactly. And like it, when the car goes over bumps, it truly will
push the headlights down if the front picks up and all that stuff, like you're saying, right?
Like, yeah. And so I'm wondering, I took the rear driver side wheel off because I think that that
would be the culprit. And I, I just kind of like looked around at everything in there. I found the
sensor, like I, I couldn't see exactly how to adjust it. Like should the ride height be different?
So like I kind of like cleaned everything. I like unplugged everything and kind of cleaned it out
and just like kind of made sure that sensor was okay. And I do have like the part number. The
sensor unfortunately is like 400 bucks, right? Oh, yeah, I know, right? The seal has been broken
indeed. Right? Yeah. Okay. So fancy car. So speaking of like getting something with more expensive
tastes, right? Well, and if you adjusted, I'm assuming you have to try to do that with the wheels
on the car, right? Like the body weight of the car and you can like, you can do it from like,
I had it on the lift and initially before I took the wheel off, it was just a lot easier to clean
everything out with the wheel off. Right? Yeah. It's like when you like the alignment folks will
do your, you know, alignment and you, they can get to that stuff from underneath the car in the
middle, you know, or by reaching around the wheels to kind of adjust those things. So
I think that that is possible. So should it happen again, I will just take it to the Lexus dealer
and have them focus on just that because I don't think it's like, I don't think it's a headlight
assembly thing. Like everything is so freaking clean in that engine bay, man. Like when you're
still seeing the headlights move, right? You know, I haven't, it's one of those things where like you
kind of don't even notice because they just stay where they are on the road. Right? I would have to
like upset the car or like have, have like you push down on the back or like jump up and down in
the trunk or something to see if like we can see him shifting around. Yeah. Or just put a jack under
it and like, like, oh yeah, good point. Jack it up and see what happens. Yeah. That's a good idea.
Yeah. Okay. No, hey, good, good idea. I will do that. Should it happen again?
Yeah. Because then I'd be able to isolate it to an axle probably.
Yeah. Right. If it's a front axle or right. Because I didn't look at the front sensor.
So yeah. Okay. The rear didn't show, I don't think there was any ability to adjust it. So
yeah, we'll see. Crazy. But yeah, so first warning light, yeah, it hasn't come back since then,
thankfully. But yeah, Ian, I mean, first warning light on the car, you know? And I mean, you think
that if it wasn't lowered before and then restored to stock height, would I ever, would this have
ever fired? Probably not, you know, unless like the head, one of the headlight motors,
like actuators was truly going bad. But from looking online, like people are never talking
about replacing those. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. They have had them replaced under warranty as part of
like the Lexus troubleshooting path. But after like folks warranties have dried up, nobody is
mentioning replacing the headlights. Okay. So, right? Weird, weird, weird. Yeah. So that's,
that's what's going on with the G, buddy. Okay. Yeah. What else we got? You know, speaking of
the GSF, I can't remember if I told you, I have the original sales brochure in PDF form for the
GSF. Oh, okay. And so I would like you, Ian, I would like you to look at this marketing brochure,
because I want you to outline, you know me very well. I want you to outline
how close you think I am to what the marketing department's intended audience was. And then
how this PDF would need to change, should it be something that is accurate to me today? Like,
if this was the thing that got me to buy it today. So, yes. And plus it's like,
I love sales brochures for your cars, right? They're cool as hell.
Okay. So here it is. So this is the 2016 GSF sales brochure. Right? Okay. Got a nice like
roller picture of it on a racetrack. I don't know where that is, but who knows? You know,
then they have their typical kind of like good dramatic shot. And then Ian, this is where the
human comes in. This dude. Okay. We can do some zoomies and enhances on the dude.
All right. More than a new standard, a new breed.
Okay. First of all, this person is about 40 years too young to be a typical Lexus owner.
It's obviously, you know, intentional. Sure. Sure. It's not a 20 year old dude in the brochure
or a 30 year old, right? He's probably 30. I don't know. Those like,
those four headlines are kind of pushing it a little bit for me. Yeah. Yeah. But I get what
you're saying. Okay. All right. Yeah. Yeah. I don't see a wedding ring. It's true. Okay.
Okay. All right. Yeah. I mean, it's a flashy jacket. Right. Reading against the car.
Yeah. Hmm. You can obviously in some sort of like office park situation. Right. Yeah,
there's like a glass wall up against him or something reflective. The baller behind him.
Yep. Mm hmm. Very like, very like a slightly corporate feeling space, right?
Mm hmm. Or commercial slash corporate feeling space.
Mm hmm. Right. You did a button down. Oh, there you go. Yeah. Button down, belt,
shirt tucked in. Mm hmm. Yep. Mm hmm. So let me, let's dig into Dave real quick.
Okay. Sure. I guess I'm not, what, what depiction of, of masculinity or, or, or male beauty,
would you look at and be like, oh man, I wish, I wish that, I wish that was the case over here.
Oh yeah. Like somebody that I think like, right. What appeals to you in that way? I think that like,
maybe 10 years ago, I looked at Ben Wyatt on Parks and Rec and was like, oh, like in a
corporate environment, I would like to dress more like that. Okay. You know, something like that.
Okay. What's not a million miles off of what we got here? Right. Right. Yeah. This is just
definitely like, you know, less RPG games and more like, you know, more smoldery,
smoldery and going for cocktails. Right. Okay. Yes. All right. You know, so I think like that's,
you know, like, you know, I'm not opposed to button ups or anything like that or a nice sweater.
Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I have my hoodie uniforms, you know. Sure. Okay. All right.
Okay. So I don't, we'll have to look to see if there's kind of any other like
person centric things in here, but the rest of the, the rest of the marketing materials definitely
shows, you know, the, the calipers, the paddles, the interior, you know,
there's another shot of it like on a racetrack up there. Yep. Exactly. Yeah. With the high fence.
Yep. You know, kind of showing that it is for, you can fit four folks.
Mm hmm. Some, some Lexus racing stuff, a person in a helmet. Okay. You know,
back on the track. There's more, yeah, there's more like on the track sort of stuff than I would
have guessed. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, I would say the majority of the shots are kind of
like track or like motorsport focused, right? Interesting. Yeah. Here's, here's a roller of
the orange one. And yeah, some, some racetrack stuff. More racetrack. Yep. And then here we have
like the, the driving modes and the G meter and it shows the G meter being used, you know.
Mm hmm. Yeah. Only at 55 miles an hour. At 55 miles an hour in fourth year, which I can say is
pretty anemic for that engine. Right. Yeah. Um, yeah. And you know, kind of, oh yeah, here we go.
Here's, here's a couple other dudes or the same guy again in kind of a different setting.
All right. Here we go. So he's looking at his iPhone six, I assume.
Yeah. Yeah. 2016 maybe. Yeah. Oh no, we're probably in like iPhone. I don't know. Yeah. Eight era.
Yep. Okay. But still like, oh, you know, purplish pants, sunglasses, a little bit of a corporate
scowl on his face. Yeah. You know, yeah. And then, and then this dude driving, this,
this is after hours guy. Right. This is on the weekend. Yes. Yes. We're doing a canyon drive.
Yes. When the sleeves can be rolled up. Mm hmm. Yeah. I don't know if we can see what is,
what they put on the, uh, multimedia. Uh, fix this by the colorist.
I don't know if that's even a real band or not. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's, that's an, that's
an interesting fix this, the colorist. Oh, it is. It's a real thing. Okay. Yes. It's a real song.
It's probably like the, the head marketing persons, like cousins or nephews band.
That'd be really funny. They are from Orange County, California formed in 2009. Okay.
They've been inactive, uh, since December, 2016. Okay. Oh, wow. Okay. They have one album.
Oh, they have some EPs and stuff. Okay. I'm going to listen to a snippet and see. Okay.
Ian's listening to a snippet. I'm, I'm going down past some kind of, kind of like metric E.
So like faster indie rock. Okay. Yeah. All right. Yeah. So we got the facts and figures laid out
nicely. We've got, yeah. So these are the only two options that it came with in 2016 were the
Mark Levinson and the Orange Break Calipers and I have both. Nice. Right. Um, yeah. Uh, here's the
interior and exterior colors and yeah, then all of the like footnotes stuff. Yeah. And stats and
yeah. Right. So Ian, what, like, what do you think like how? I think honestly,
they did a pretty good job. Okay. Targeting their, the demo that they were hoping to target, right?
Like it's honestly, it's, it's dudes in their, you know, 30s and 40s who probably work in tech
that are well off. Yeah. Yeah. Have disposable income and have and are also interested in motor
sport, but it's maybe not their whole thing. Right. Right. You might dabble. Right. You need a car that
will do several things. Right. Well, you can drive it to the office and look and look good in a suit
next to it. Yes. But then also take it to the track. Yeah. I mean, I think that's exactly what they
were going for. Yeah. It is funny though that like it would be funny to see this compared to
the RX for the same year. Oh, okay. I lost from the same year. There you go. Okay. Yeah. Because
those are three distinct different demos. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's a good idea. I should have prepared
that. I don't want to, I don't want to go down to Google or have a hole right now trying to find it,
but yes, I do like that. Maybe, maybe I'll do a little bit of digging and we'll report back. Okay.
Okay. All right. So, I mean, you know, I am, I am in tech, like I am, well, I'm in IT,
I'm in tech services for healthcare. So, I'm in a very techie role. I'm not super well off,
but I'm doing okay, but I'm nowhere near, so I'm 48. I am nowhere near being able to afford a $90,000
car straight off the hop today. I mean, like let's say I made horrible financial decisions,
sure, maybe I could, but like this is not something that I would ever even think about buying. I had
to, it took a lot from an even buy used. Organizing decisions. Yes. Right. Yeah. That's a big, that
would be a huge thing for me and not like the casual, like more of a casual decision that it
kind of comes across as in the marketing decision. You know, like because the person that would be
buying this in the marketing wank here, I feel like it's somebody that would just be getting
something at that level period. It wouldn't be that they would be shooting for something like this
because it is outside of like, like they wouldn't be making exceptions because it's a GSF. They're
just going to be at that financial level of 88 to 95-ish thousand dollars anyway. Right. Right.
You know, and that's not me. That's not me. Right. Yeah. You know, so beyond just having the snippet
of the multimedia be Apex Twin or Autech or Alive from, you know, something, like how else do you
think that this would kind of like, if they were to pitch this to me, what do you think would be
the Hansel and Gretel way to get me into a GSF? Right. Well, I think honestly, so I think it's,
I don't know how you would communicate to the first owner, but I would also like hiding a message
in there for the third. Oh, yes. Okay. I like this. Like some lemon juice riding on it.
Yeah. I think maybe some pictures of like some anodized bolts or something. Okay. Of like,
or of like the manufacturing process or the QA process of like, this is going to be fine.
Longivity. Gotcha. Okay. When you get to this, okay, bolt is going to come off. Gotcha. Okay.
Okay. Right. Yeah. And to the first owner, they're going to be like, Oh, look, they use good
materials. Right. Right. You're going to be like, Oh, that's not going to work. Exactly. That's a
great point. Yeah. See, you know me. You know me, Ian. Yeah. So much so that we're basically,
you and I are wearing every shade of green right now. We're dressed. Yeah. Okay. All right. What
else do you think? Like, how would you change the presentation or anything like that? Because
I'd like the photography is good. I like it. You know, maybe have included an autocross and
road course. Sure. Sure. I would also have put in, in the technology section, maybe the backup
camera in a Costco parking lot. Yeah. Costco parking. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay. I like that. Thank you.
That is important. Oh, the driver's seat further back. Yes. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. And call out like
the height of the person sitting in it in a photo to show that they are comfortable. Yeah. Okay.
But other than that, I think honestly, I think they did a pretty good job here. Yeah. Yeah. I
don't feel like this is something that's like really selling something that's like,
like the idea that they're pushing here is not truly too different from the execution. This is
not like when you would buy like an Atari game back in the day with like a crazy like illustrated
cover and like, and it's just seven pixels moving around a screen. Right. You know, this is not like
it, it, it does what it says on the box. Right. If this is the box, you know. Yeah. Yeah. No,
I'm not too happy about, but you know, things like that. Yeah. I need something that's a little bit
more like I got you boo kind of. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe playing up the fact that like I can
leave the traction control on all the time. Right. Right. You know. Yeah. Yeah. How do you
think like, how do you think they, they could target you, Ian? Um, yeah, I don't know. I think
obviously it would be like they'd, they would do less office park stuff. Yes. And it would be more
like in an urban environment, like, like street parked outside a coffee shop or right outside
a record store or something like that. Yeah. Um, but I don't know that like, I think that if it was
in a grittier situation, it would look out of place. Right. I get that. Yeah. I mean, yeah.
Like I don't, I don't think it would look right. Yeah. There's a way to present abstracts, you know.
Yeah. Yeah. There's a way to present something like this in that environment
that like it's good that it stands out. Right. But I think that that's kind of tougher to execute,
you know, but for me, I would be like, Oh, that stands out there. Yeah. And I wouldn't want that.
Right. Right. Yes. So yeah, I don't know. That would be harder, I think.
I don't know. Yeah. Okay. So like I'm writing copy for this, right? And I have the decision
to put in the huge 14.9 inch brake rotors. Right. Like, are you doing that decimal point?
Are you, are you saying like, you know, like, yeah, what would you know? I like, I like that.
I like the 14.9 inch. That works for me. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I don't want 14.
You don't want 14.9. You would rather just be like nearly 15 inch.
Either that or I just take me over to millimeters at that point.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Take you to millimeters. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I thought you were gonna make a joke
that like the typical Lexus owner is maybe rounding up on their measurements anyway.
I mean, I do.
Yeah. Yeah. Short of them like showing that the seats are Cheerio and milkshake resistant.
Right. Yeah. There's definitely no children in this.
Right. Right. Yeah. Like they don't even like, you know, like the, the child seat tie down things
aren't even remotely. Yeah, they're not invisible in there. Visible, right? Yeah.
So it's a true four-seater. It's not, you can't really, that middle seat is sort of,
yeah. Sort of there for appearances. It is for show, really. Yeah. Yeah. You're,
you're putting like, yeah, a 35 pound person on there. Yeah. You know, that is somehow,
doesn't need a child seat. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that was very interesting. I'm glad you
showed me that because it's, it's interesting to go back in time and see what you're thinking.
Yeah. I have the original sales brochure for a Vigen kicking around as well. I,
I have it in a folder over there. So yeah, we'll have to deep dive on that to see.
Yeah, that would be good. Let's do that next time and I'll, I'll find the one for the R32.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Compare and contrast all of our different cars. Yeah.
You know, cause we all ended, we ended up with all of them, but. Right. Yeah. But were we the,
did they know that we would be getting them? I like that. That's good. Okay. Okay.
Yeah. What else should we do? Uh, you want to do, uh, what's this Facebook marketplace? Oh,
yeah. Our buddy Tim Burr sent us this and I, I apologize for not letting your dad know about
this as soon as it came through because it's a missed opportunity. You can do a Craigslist
missed connections for this, but Tim sent us a Facebook marketplace post, Ian. It is for a,
not one, but two 1985 Maserati by turbos or $300. Oh my God. Yep. So I apologize, Ian's dad, Eric,
for not letting you know about this as soon as possible, but I'm sure you've probably,
this hat, you have to have an ongoing search, don't you? Yeah. So two Maserati by turbos,
one manual, one automatic. Uh, they are complete, not currently running. Last time they ran was 15
to 20 years ago. Wow. Yep. So yeah, got the front license plate holes in the front bumper,
finding one of those on touch test to be crazy hard. Um, yeah. I like the white,
pardon me, the white wheels on this first one. Yeah, that works on that car. Yeah,
it kind of does, right? Yeah. Can you smell this interior, Ian? Well, no, I don't really know
the interior because I'm most of the ones I've been in have had the interiors ripped out. Oh,
okay. Okay. I didn't know if you had been in one that still had some. Uh, not really. I've seen
them, but not really spent much time in it. Yeah. Yeah, man. Right. $300. It's so fun. Like
you compare this to like a 1985 Porsche that's in the same condition and how much more that is.
It's so, it's so crazy. Right. That's, that's a good point. Yeah. Give yourself a great project.
Let's not go crazy. Great. Let's get yourself a project. Get yourself a subjective identifier,
subjective descriptor project. Yep. Okay. I think it's appropriate to use an asterisk in that
setting. Okay. Nice, dude. Yeah. But I think that was about all I had. We could save some
stuff for next time, but yeah, I would love to hear an album of the week, buddy. Okay. This one
is one that I am psyched about because I think you will really dig it. Okay. I was kind of going
through some of the odds and ends of this year that I hadn't gotten to in one album that I had
seen pop up on a few lists that I had meant to listen to when it first came out and then I just
never did. Um, is this album How You Been by SML? Okay. Um, it's, uh, real, I think you will really
dig this because it is a lot of electronic. There's so jazz in there. Um, it's just, it just sounds
like a Dave record. Really? Okay. Yeah. Chicago born recording company. Anthem. International
Anthem is the label. I don't know much about this band. I just started listening to this the other
day and I've listened to it like four or five times since, since I started listening to it. But
yeah, there's like saxophone on it. Oh, there's a couple of songs that are like recognizably like
jazz and then most of the rest of it is just like a milieu of weird electronic stuff. Oh,
cool. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know any of these musicians or anything about any of these folks.
This is really cool. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I really like this record a lot. Okay. Check it out. I'm
very curious to hear what you think about it. Yeah. I will give this a listen. How you been,
SML. Okay. Nice, dude. Yeah. Yeah. I'm here for the cover. That's a
That's a cool cover, right? Yeah. Delightfully kind of quasi avant-garde cover. Yeah. I'm into it.
Okay. All right, Ian. Yeah. So links to their band camp if they have an official artist site,
Apple Music and Spotify will be in the YouTube description along with
whatever you folks put in there for your caffeine recommendations. Yeah.
You know. Yeah. Nice, dude. Thank you. Yeah. I will check this out for sure.
I think that's about it. I think we done did a car show. Yeah, buddy. Everybody apexadjacent
at gmail.com. Fill up your gas tanks. Fill up your gas tanks. Fill up your spouse's gas tank,
your significant other's gas tank. Put a blanket in your car. 720-515-1391.
Thank you. We love you. Goodbye.
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