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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:28 AM) You said they'd need full replacement in 3 years. Why would you need to replace something if it isn't effectively dead/useless/no longer functional? Not for nothing, but this is what I actually said. I have no idea either, I was just curious...since I work in the tech field and I know rechargeable (even the BEST rechargeables) have VERY finite recharge numbers...and if you're recharging your car everyday, I don't see those lasting more than 3 years without needing full replacements. Not to mention, the amount of power they can store dwindles on every charge. I NEVER said what I was saying was fact...as I went out of my way (see underlined) to outright say I did not know, and I was merely basing it on my experience over time with modern battery technology, including the battery in my Jeep right now. I even went as far as to say I was curious about the question I had posed.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:27 AM) Eh? OK to be clear here, I don't have a plug-in car, its a normal hybrid. Yes there are thresholds, but its not based on "cycles" because it can't be. Its based on certain things (charge level being one) falling below certain lines any time within the warranty period. And its a big number for charge level, I can't remember right now, but it was north of 80% for the full term. Remember too, 10 years is longer than most engines last anyway, so there is nothing so awful about these warranties as you are making them out to be. No, I'm not saying the warranties are awful at all, I'm simply saying they will replace them if they fall below specified and expected losses... What I said from the start, and it was twisted by a few of you, is that the warranty will replace the batteries no matter what... I maintain that, no, it will not.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:25 AM) Hmm, nope. Think you might want to educate yourself a little more on more advanced battery charging systems. It's a little bit more than an alternator with a voltage regulator tech circa early 20th century. Of course it's a little more than that, but the alternator is what keeps the batteries charged differently than a computer or cell phone battery. Thank you for playing.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:24 AM) You said they'd probably be effectively dead in three years. That would make their 8 year warranty a bad faith claim. It would be a huge black eye and suicide for at least this niche market. You're basing your comparison off of consumer electronics batteries with dumb charging systems. I never said they'd be effectively dead in three years.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:20 AM) That wasn't your original claim. The charging systems for these batteries are much more sophisticated than your standard laptop or cell phone, which significantly helps battery longevity. Hell, my Makita power tools have similar charging techniques--the charger actively cools the battery and monitors battery levels such as heat to charge the batteries quickly while also prolonging life. They're rated for 2500 charge cycles, and those are just $100 batteries. Yes, it was my original claim. And I understand they have more complex charging techniques...it's called a f***ing alternator.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:20 AM) I think you are still misunderstanding something here... the Volt is NOT an all-electric car. Its a plug-in hybrid. It runs on electric only for 40-ish miles, then becomes a pretty efficient hybrid just like any other. You are not correct here. In fact, the batteries are warrantied for 10 years on my car, I've read the battery warranty part because I had this fear, and it DOES include any significant loss of charging ability. I AM correct here. I already said it would include SIGNIFICANT loss of charging ability. That would mean the battery isn't working properly...however, they DO have a rating on them to lose X charge per cycle, and that's EXPECTED, and not warranted. Example, if those batteries are supposed to maintain 70% charge after 500 recharges, then that's what they should do, if they fall short of that, they'd have to replace them. Otherwise it's just standard wear and tear, and like with all warranties, it wouldn't cover replacement.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:14 AM) STill looking for Volt specifics, but here's a Toshiba Li-ion battery that has 6000 charge cycles to 82% capacity. Charging every night, that's over 16 years. http://www.toshiba.com/ind/data/tag_files/...ochure_5383.pdf Many battery companies make such outlandish claims, but I've yet to see one in real use... I've not ever seen one of these batteries powering a single device...if they're so good, where are they? Not buying it. Edit: Not available yet, but coming soon! No idea what the cost will be, though. Then again, I've heard claims such as this for going on 5 years now, at this point, I'd like to start seeing them in real world use and available for purchase.

Battery tech is an upcoming BOOM industry. What we have now, across the board, from car batteries, to computer batteries are ALL in their infancy. When someone produces a rechargeable that maintains full charge for 10 years, and can hold 10x more power than the current batteries we have now...we'll start moving in the right direction. It'd be nice to only charge a phone once a week even under heavy use!

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:11 AM) The point is that even consumable items can come with limited warranties regarding expected lifetime. I really don't think GM is dumb enough to think they can produce a bunch of cars that will have dead $10k batteries in less than three years and get away with claiming "well its not covered by the warranty!" without massive PR and probably legal problems. Maybe the technology going into $10k battery packs and the systems they use to run them aren't comparable to $100 phone or laptop batteries. They wouldn't be "dead", they'd simply last for a shorter period of time. Example: Your laptop used to last 7 hours, now it lasts 2 after 3 years of use, that's not a defect, that simply a shortfall of our current battery technology, which, believe me, they're working on.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 10:07 AM) I'd argue that's a defect though, which would be covered. Right, that would be a defect. I'd have to see the manufacturers battery ratings...for example, if they claim the batteries will maintain 70% of full charge after 450 recharges, then that's what they should maintain...if it's less than that, or considerably less than that, they would have to replace them under warranty.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 09:39 AM) Proof of this? Their warranty plan just says "warrantable repairs" but doesn't list this out. If this ends up being true and GM essentially f***s over all Volt customers, it would be very harmful to their brand and any future in that market. Doesn't seem likely imo. Brakes are consumable items designed to wear down. That's the physical mechanism of how they stop your car. That is a poor comparison. Proof of what? Warranties never cover use/wear and tear. They cover breakage or malfunction. I don't think I need proof of anything in this case...warranties have never worked that way. Batteries are ALSO a consumable device which wear down. As it stands now, car companies don't replace your car battery under warranty now, either. I doubt they'd suddenly do it for these cars. No company does, including the one in your phone, laptop, etc. Batteries that no longer hold charge are user replaced, not manufacturer.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 09:23 AM) The batteries on the Volt are warrantied for 8 years/100k miles. They are replaceable, but not cheap. The Tesla battery pack is over $10k I think. Again, looking at technology lifecycles, the costs will continue to come down. Blue-Ray players were $800 a few years ago. Warranties cover the batteries from breaking...not maintaining charge...so they can warranty them for 900 years...but after 2 years, if they can't hold a charge, they aren't going to replace them for free... That's a sneaky, and almost useless warranty. That's like the current warranty you have on your breaks. If they "break", they'll fix them...if you wear them out, you get to pay.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 09:18 AM) Better question for these other guys. I have no idea. I assume you could just replace them like you would an engine part? Yea, but battery's aren't cheap! I have no idea either, I was just curious...since I work in the tech field and I know rechargeable (even the BEST rechargeables) have VERY finite recharge numbers...and if you're recharging your car everyday, I don't see those lasting more than 3 years without needing full replacements. Not to mention, the amount of power they can store dwindles on every charge. And batteries are one of the worst pollutants there is...full of rare earth materials, too, which cannot just be dismissed. Some of the elements in batteries are in less supply than oil is now. Wonder what would happen when a lot of people start needing such batteries, my bet would be batteries rise in price rather dramatically.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 09:12 AM) Yeah these were the numbers I was looking for. I assumed it would be a lot less, but .50-1.00 would be great. Guess we'll see what happens. I'm still surprised that they only sold that amount in 2 months. So what happens when you have to replace all those batteries that lose the ability to hold charge over time?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 28, 2011 -> 08:57 AM) As usual, I'm going to be the one who chimes in negatively on the current state of the economy. Worth noting; I'd never, ever have predicted the 2009-2010 stock price runup. To me, right now, I anticipate headwinds in a lot of sectors, in no small part because of the fact that things have run up so much. Banking has recovered some but not entirely from 2008...but there's a strong risk of another implosion since nothing was ever fixed there. Consumer goods or manufacturing...some inflation can help companies by giving advantages to companies with domestic production, but another oil shock would also threaten their sales. If I were looking for long-term growth, I'd either target sectors that I think might be able to show substantial growth in the next decade (Defense/aerospace, technology, pharmaceuticals, clean energy), or I'd simply go for short-term stability and let some of the overseas instability shake itself out while I sat contently holding US T-Bills. I can always move funds back into stocks from Treasuries at a later date. Why would you not have predicted it or expected it as it was occurring? While I see not "predicting" it in 2008, you should have come to expect it as already profitable companies cut fat and CONTINUED to post huge profits quarter after quarter. Scratch that, since they all trimmed fat, they posted even BIGGER profits quarter after quarter. The run up was absolutely expected, as the sell off caused by panic (not by intelligence) was easy to spot. When companies posting billions in profits have P/E ratios of under 7...it's pretty easy to put 2 and 2 together there.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 28, 2011 -> 10:22 AM) Yeah I'm pretty sure it's set up to automatically reinvest the dividends. Automatically reinvesting dividends massively complicates taxes when you do eventually sell. I never auto-reinvest dividends...I take the cash payments and leave them in the Brokerage account (cash savings), and when enough dividend money amasses, I diversify that money into a new company...and it's what I suggest everyone do with dividend payments. Never reinvest into company you are already invested in...you MUST diversify.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 04:42 PM) Bodybuilder Jim Morris agrees. Dude is 75 and looks better than anyone on this site. No, he doesn't.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 02:09 AM) I'm a Google fanboy, not because of Android, but because Google makes life easier for me in so many ways. Then when I got a Droid, it just sealed the deal. That's like being a fan of big brother, in a way. Don't be a fanboy/girl, of any company...ever. It makes you a lemming. Honestly, though, use what works best for you. I hate Google as a company, because I think they're beyond sneaky and underhanded with their repeated "oops" mistakes, that are anything but oops. That said, I believe their search engine remains the best, therefore I use it. Not a big fan of Chrome, though, I've used it twice, on 5.x and on the most recent 9.x release, but the trust just isn't there...their broken addon API annoys me, too, as they're purposefully gimping it to prevent addons like NoScript from being possible, again, showing the hypocritical nature of Google and their pseudo 'open' bulls***. I understand it's their only profit making model and their business relies on it, but they need to cut the 'do no evil' crap in that case. Iron, a derivative of Chrome is only available on Windows for the latest releases, and rips out of all of the Google's self-serving spyware included in every copy of Chrome...that's right ladies, they're spying on you to a level never before seen! I'm sure they'll get in trouble for logging information they shouldn't be and when caught, they'll say "oops", but they'll keep the data they mined anyway. Take my advice, don't be a fanboy of any company unless that company is paying you a salary and helping to feed you and yours. In the mean time, use whatever you like the most, no matter who makes it.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 03:04 PM) I'm getting so annoyed with the fanboy wars for the various manufacturers/operating systems. Who gives a s***. It's like Cubs vs Sox crap. ^^^ This. I don't even really understand the hate on any end of this argument, it's silly. Be it Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc...does it really matter? The ONLY thing that matters is the devices you purchase/use do the things you want them to do, look the way you want them to look, etc. I have zero "product" loyalty. For now, I prefer Apples IOS products (iPhone/iPad), however, that can change in an instant the second I believe a superior product arrives that is as simple to use so long as it does everything I require. Right now, I do not believe Android based tablets have 'arrived', the Xoom is nice, but Honeycomb (Android 3.0) is beta quality at the moment, it's still not optimized, and you can tell it's a first release product, despite holding a 3.x version number. That said, it will undoubtedly get better with every subsequent update...which is good for the consumers on all ends of the equation, whether you use Microsoft, Apple or products running Android. Use what you like to use...you do NOT have the qualify why to anyone, either. Until the Fandroid or Applefanboy is buying your devices for you, they get and deserve ZERO say in what you like to use.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Feb 18, 2011 -> 09:48 AM) Quick Tech Support: I have a Dell laptop that occasionally, but not always, displays random letters or conducts a certain key combination when I hit either shift key. I've done a full windows reinstall and pulled the battery for 5 minutes (something a friend recommended), and neither works. Could this be on the BIOS level? It doesn't sound like a software or firmware problem, this sounds like a faulty keyboard problem, possibly a short in the keyboard itself. Having the laptops keyboard replaced would probably fix this.

I handle all of the finances myself, from bank to brokerage, to 401k to IRA to checking to savings. I pay all the bills, etc.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 15, 2011 -> 09:22 AM) One of the nice things in the recent CC reform legislation is the requirements for CC companies to more clearly spell out what making the minimum payments will result in. Too bad they've created a culture of non-understanding that spans 20 years and nobody bothers reading the new 'easy to understand' rules, since they've not been able to understand them for over 20 years... While I applaud the effort to reform, the [most] people are still uninformed.

QUOTE (Tex @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 05:29 PM) And single handily you have saved the country from overpopulation. Don't you have some dangerous pesticides to spread around so your veggies don't get eaten by critters?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 06:06 PM) Credit Card debt is awful. It is like the worst kind of debt, the kind where you get raped at double digit interest rates. What credit card debt really is, without putting it nicely, is modern day slavery. The interest rates are high enough (immorally high, IMO) that they know you will never pay it off, and will essentially be on the hook paying them for the rest of your life. The top 5% that pay off 100% of their debt and the bottom 5% that default are easily canceled out by the middle 90% that get by with minimum payments and an ever growing balance.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 14, 2011 -> 04:13 PM) I'm pretty anal about what I spend on and when I spend it. That said I have two nice tv's (one nicer plasma that is a year old and than a 5 year old DLP). Desktop & Laptop (for my wife and I), plus a PS3. We eat at home a lot and tend to eat pretty healthy (good cuts of meat, but we shop and buy when the meat is on sale). From a car perspective, we have two cars, one we own free and clear and the other we just bought (put a pretty good amount down and pay it off over about 3.5 years) and it is nice (both are nice in my opinion) but we plan on owning each of our vehicles for an extended period (about 10 years). So it works well for us. Our cost where we live right now is cheap and we are just saving whatever we can, but luckily, we have pretty much zero debt at this point in our lives, and even after forking up for our wedding, we have a good amount in savings and hope it can keep growing. Of course, we have our vices and enjoy traveling (trying to go on an international vacation later this year) and my vice of having the baseball package, but we eat at home most of the time and bring our own lunches to work 3 to 4 days a week which helps. Good man. It means you are living within your means. Now, you could always do what 80% of the country does, and live above and beyond your means, and then b**** about your credit card interest rates... While I guessed at the 80% number, and it's been a while since I've looked it up, a vast majority of the country is in something like 5000$+ credit card debt (not counting other debt).