Detroit Greetings

Anyone know of an electrical supply place around here? North/East burbs.(Macomb, Lapeer counties?)
Radio Shack has some stuff but it's not very high quality. What I'm looking for is shrink tubing with sealer/glue/waterproof in it and connectors suitable for use on motorcycles and cars. I can order this stuff on-line but I like to try to keep it local.

Well just put my foot in my mouth, a little fairy just told me the kuga is coming to the states. +1 for ford.

Sorry, studs sold separately... some assembly required. I think they had 3 of the 18"ers on the shelf. Package deal anyone?

Otherwise, anyone out there got a lightly used 18" rear tire that they'd like to sell?

Makes complete sense considering this.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060105/AUTO01/601050436/1148

they are doing well there so of course they aren't laying off workers. They are opening up factories there just like foreign brands are doing here.

Companies being profitable means bosses getting richer yeah, but the companies also doing better means the workers get the trickle down effect and a profit sharing bonus check possibly too. That money goes on to be spent in our communities. The Detroit automakers make plenty of good products, that are just as high, or higher in quality and reliability over what many of the foreign biased people think are better. VW for example being at the bottom quarter of the JD power dependability list year after year. Lincoln even placed higher than Honda and Toyota last year.

Buick the top selling foreign brand in China and they should get rid of it? Cerebus should keep dropping money into chrysler and potentially put that companies other ventures into bankrupcy also, all for what was primarily caused by this countries financial and credit issues and not completely by the companies own doings? The banks won't give them loans because they are screwed by the credit situation and won't even give many potential customers loans for cars because of the credit collapse. There are a lot more factors than you realize I think

answer is simple on a lot of that, because of our countries laws for vehicles, and consumer demand. Many of the diesel engines they sell there can't be used here without major redesigns, and the market here sucks for them. Most people don't want them, and when diesel is over a dollar a gallon more, the average person looks at that and says no way. Plus if there were that many extra diesel vehicles the price for diesel could go higher because of the extra demand. I am a diesel owner myself too so I have nothing against them.

ABEL Electronics is on Harper South of 11 mile. 27201 HArper Ave, St. Clair Shores (586.777.8232). That is usually where I get my switches, connectors, led's, shrink tubing... It's a nice "mom-and-pop" electronics store. I don't think they stock heat shrink tube with a sealer in it. I usually just use a glue gun to cover the wire. Then, shrink the tube over the glue.

You could also check a marine supply store. They usually have a good selection of water proof fitting and switches.

Thanks Daryl!

I'm just busting your balls JP but seriously, don't you want to help your Dearborn peeps before some dudes from Nissan.

Your brother in law can get you an A plan car right?


Alright I'll stop pileing on JP but it is really going to be hard not to.

Since you live in Ford's birthplace and all. In the heart of Detroit. The Motorcity. The arsenal of democracy.

No biggy.

Remember Pearl Harbor.

Dude, I agree with DetR6oit...

Domestic auto makers employ 10x the Americans the import OEM's do. Import OEM's will fill the void of vehicle sales. But, but they will not even come close with american jobs, or wages. They are almost matching UAW wages because the have too. IMO, the wages they currently pay will go down without the threat of UAW organising their workforce and an increase in unemployement...

Not to mention: If the Big three were to go under. I think the majority of our manufacturing base will also. In a time of need, Where will our Military go for the manufacturing of vehicles and weapons? Do you think Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, etc... will be willing to open their factories...

What kind of vehicle are you looking for? Or, interested in? I can't believe you can't find a domestic vehicle to "tickle your fancy".

Check your PM.

So's the Ka. Look for it in 2010. Ford is actively pursuing the transfer of Eurotech back to the US.

That's right !

You should sell all those damn imports in your garage and replace them with Harley's.

Big difference is that there ARE no American equivalents of dirtbikes, or of most street bikes. Unless you want a big-inch cruiser (e.g. Harley), the only product available is an import. (Obviously you know that, but the point is that it's not a valid comparison).

we can only pray the economy doesn't get bad enough that I feel obligated to buy a buell next time I get a bike

carquest auto stores stock dual wall heat shrink in 8" sticks (at least in the ann arbor area they do). you can also check at chrysler dealers as it is a std part number required for repairs and recalls (2008 js tpm recalls use a package of tubes and should be cheap).
edit: mopar part number for the recall pkg of 12 3" dual wall heat shrink is cbrah070.

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Kevin

Motorcycles are cool. The auto business has always been mismanaged and provided the stability of tnt in a paint shaker. Let's talk about something cool......


SNOWMOBIKING!!!!

Agreed.

Equivalence is subjective though. I had a Toyota Tundra owner in Colorado tell me "too bad there is no domestic truck like this available". I couldn't believe he was saying that, but i don't squat about P/U trucks and even less about what's important to him. Maybe for his criteria, there are no equivalents.

I think that enthusiasts like us have a very limited impact on overall sales. The business revolves around volume sales, products like the Camry, P/U trucks, etc. Products that i have absolutely no interest in. In those segments, i believe the domestic options are very good, but they struggle with perception problems.

Domestic auto companies are generally regarded as having inferior quality, resale, dealer support, etc. I think this negative perception is exaggerated and undeserved, but unfortunately it is prevalent and difficult to overcome.

haha, Well said.
Just like America does not make Motorcycles for ADV.
The big three does not make cars that suits me or most of my friends out of state.

Really, I just like import design and performance better than American. Just does not compare to me. And No there is no American Car I would want at this time. I would take a Jeep rubicon if I lived in a warm place so I could keep the top down all the time. That's about it.

In a car I like a AWD Turbo that handles like it is on rails. In a truck I like the expedition (not Ford) or rally capable and look. I have always wanted a Xterra since they came out, so I got one, my second choice was the new Toyota FJ. Hummer H3 competes with those but the gas mileage is not as good as the Xterra, plus I don't like the look of the H3. If I was in the market for a sports car I would get a Nissan GT-R nothing American can touch it.

The big three refused to do sport compact cars, that are big all over the country, That's all teens and 20 something get for the past 20 years. Hell all of my friends where I grew up with on the east coast had cars like Acura integras, Honda Crx, VW gti, Toyota supra. Now all in their 30's the ones I am still in touch with drive, Mini's, BMW's, Audi's, and one has a Subaru STi.

Until I moved to the Detroit area I did not know people even drove American anymore, besides the work trucks, taxi's and some of the big SUVs in the hip hop crowd.
We had no ties to the big three in the rest of the country. So when all of our parents got burned by buying Ford or GM in the 80's when they made cars that were meant to fall apart in 1-3 years. They got Honda's and never looked back. Also not many people I know outside of MI get leases, they buy their cars, and they want it to last and to have a high resale value
We got our Honda CRV because, the residual value of the car is better than any other if we wanted to sell it. You can get a brand new Escape today (if you have the credit) for the same price as a 3 year old Honda CRV if that tells you anything. just last year they were the same price new.

I give you that the quality is better now than in the 80s and 90s, but still not up to par. Just one of many examples, My wife's uncle just got a Grand Cherokee and Liberty lease last year and this week the transmission went in the GC, multiple body parts have came off the liberty and the defrost is nt working. I heard this is one of many reasons MB split ways with Chrysler. They were not concerned about quality especially in Jeep anymore. Jeep is the best thing they have and will be the only one snatched up if they go under.

I know most everyone in here is biased toward Detroit, but have you ever thought what would happen if you could get your way and everyone stoped buying imports. Well a lot of the south would be out of jobs and then they could no longer buy those f150s and Rams the southern boys like so much. The same suppliers both import and big 3 use could go under. The big three needs the imports to stay alive.

Have you guys ever really wondered why the imports are doing better in the rest of the country? Just think about it.
Do you really deep down in side think the big three make a superior product? Do you really think they are making products Americans want?
Figures don't lie. Toyota stocks are at 64.38 and Ford is at 2.95 end of trading Friday.
The Big three were loosing ground in the best of times for car sales, what makes you think they will do good in the worst of times when you need a 750 or higher credit score and a lot of cash to get a loan.
Do you really want the big three to stay on the same path they are on now? If so why?
The hand out from the government (Loan they will never be able to pay back) is only enabling them not to make the serious changes they need to survive in the long run.
A complete revamp will be necessary for them to be viable again. They need to get out of Detroit and see what people want to drive, in other words open there eyes. That means wiping the slate clean and starting over, including all current car models. I think Chrysler is a lost cause, Jeep should be sold to a company that cares about Jeep, dodge should be merged or sold and the Chrysler brand should be dissolved its worthless.

Kind of like AA, stop the denial, address the issue, clean the house, do what ever it takes to get better.

As far as the UAW, they are going to be out of a job anyway if this continues. Cars are not moving at all, and will not be for at least a year. So why should the rest of the US pay for their wages, health care and pensions, that deal was between them and the big three not the UAW and the American tax payer. A lot of Americans will loose there jobs this year and loose their health care and not be able to pay for there own (like myself), So why should our taxes pay for these benefits of the UAW. The UAW and Big 2.5 management both need to get their pay and benefits down to a point so that it will save the company, if they don't they will loose everything. That is a fact.

Yes, the niche markets like true offroaders are indeed, just that, niche markets. The "bread and butter" of car companies is with the family sedan market (and until the recent past, fullsize trucks), and you're right that the domestics these days are of equal and better quality to the foreign competitors like the Camry and Accord. You're also correct that the domestics have a big negative perception to overcome. But 20-25 years ago is a long time...your dad's 1979 PoS Oldsmobile wagon or whatever has nothing to do with what's on the showroom floor today.

Its not red but its cool