OT: Lost Keys
Dave Smith
Sometimes they turn up after a thorough search. Sometimes they don't and
you end up having to go out and have new keys cut. Then there are the
times that you get the new keys cut and the old set shows up.
My wife lost her keys and had been se4arching for them for almost two
weeks. Yesterday I set off to get a new set made, and knowing all along
that they old keys would be found after I did it. I went to the local
hardware store because they have never made me a key that didn't work.
The guy cut one for the house on for the Buick doors and trunk and one
for my Honda. He could not cut one for the Buick ignition because it has
a security key and I would have to go to a GM dealership for that. He
wasn't sure about the Honda, and as it turned out, it did have a
security chip so the new one would work in the doors and turn the engine
over but it wouldn't start.
I went to the GM dealer in town and had to order a key which would come
in today and I would have to bring the spare keys in to have it cut.
..... $53.95 for the blank key !!!! So I ordered it, but called my wife
to see if she had had any luck yet.
Then I headed to the Honda dealer in the city. They had a blank in
stock.... $35. I had to run it over to a locksmith to have it cut, a
mere $3 and then return it to have it programmed, and all the keys had
to be programmed together. Since they were going to be closed for lunch
hour before I could get back I stopped for a coffee. After my coffee I
scoured my Honda. I checked the console, the glove box, the trunk,
between the seats, under the seats, between the back seats. We carry a
towel for the dog in the back and I picked that up. It was all folded
up, and as I picked it up I felt something odd inside. .... my wife's
keys. They were balled up inside the dog blanket.
Since I already had the $35 dollar key cut I could not return it.
Between that and the $3 for cutting I had $38 invested in it already. I
figured I might as well go back and spend the other $35 to get them all
programmed. At least it would be worth something then.
Luckily, I was able to cancel the Buick key. So.... more than $40 spent
and three hours of running around all for nothing. And I knew all along
that they would show up as soon as I got the new keys cut.
Dimitri
"Dave Smith" <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:48e6336c$0$10355$9a6e...@news.newshosting.com...
You're lucky.
Mine has lost a few cell phones which she keeps on vibrate - that's of
course so we can't find the telephone by calling it.
The last time when we went on a concerted effort to find it, when lifting
the couch I felt a burning in my hand. After 4 trips to the doctor and hand
specialist, several cortisone injections directly into the palm of my hand I
finally had to have the Trigger Finger corrected surgically. - you're in
luck only a few bucks lost.
Count your blessings.
Dimitri
Kathleen
> Luckily, I was able to cancel the Buick key. So.... more than $40 spent
> and three hours of running around all for nothing. And I knew all along
> that they would show up as soon as I got the new keys cut.
Well, look at it this way. If, after days of searching, somebody with a
magic wand had come to you and said, "For $40 I can make your keys
re-appear", would you take him up on it? I would. And at least now
you've got a spare.
Lou Decruss
<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I sure that everyone here has lost their keys at one time or another.
Confucius say: "man who lose key get no nookie."
Lou
Nancy2
I recently bought a Grand Cherokee with security features in the keys
- it was 4 years old, and came in with only 1 key. Of course, I
locked the key in the car the first week I had it - my old car had
keyless entry, so I wasn't used to taking the keys out of the
ignition.
It cost me $65 at an Ace Hardware store (didn't have to go to the
dealership) for the key, plus it would have cost another $65 for the
remote to lock/unlock/alarm, so I didn't buy an extra one of those.
Those keys cost ya!
N.
KevinS
> I sure that everyone here has lost their keys at
> one time or another.
I'll fess up to having (once or twice) worked myself into
a snit over lost keys which I was holding in my hand.
Sheldon
> I sure that everyone here has lost their keys
> at one time or another.
I was running late to go somewhere and spent an hour hunting
everywhere for my keys while all that time they were in my hand DUH...
go figure... I was maybe 30 years old at the time so it wasn't senile
dementia, and I never did drugs, was just one of those once in a
lifetime brain farts.
Since moving here I have every key in triplicate on a ring with a tag
marked with my PO Box... one set with me, one set hidden in my barn
and another set hiddden in the woods by my house... if ever I dropped
my keys somewhere outside odds are I'd never find them. However, by
retracing my path I have found fasteners that had loosened and fell
off my tractor mower... lynch pins have a way of catching on brush and
pulling off... of course then the wheel falls off along with all the
height adjusting bushings, and not all in one spot. So far this has
occured twice and both times I was able to locate all the parts by
retracing the path I took... pure luck. I have since bought extras
but still I'd hate to hit those steel parts with my my mower blade or
worse pierce a tractor tire. I also have one of those powerful
magnets used for retrieving heavy magnetic things from under water...
I bought it years ago to clean up discrded nails from when I had some
typical dumb roofer reshingling my roof... many times it's located
lost hardware on the ground. Of all the building trades roofers are
the least skilled and have the lowest IQ.
http://www.pivotpins.com/catalog/lynch.shtml
Dave Smith
> Dave Smith wrote:
>> I sure that everyone here has lost their keys
>> at one time or another.
>
> I was running late to go somewhere and spent an hour hunting
> everywhere for my keys while all that time they were in my hand DUH...
> go figure... I was maybe 30 years old at the time so it wasn't senile
> dementia, and I never did drugs, was just one of those once in a
> lifetime brain farts.
>
> Since moving here I have every key in triplicate on a ring with a tag
> marked with my PO Box... one set with me, one set hidden in my barn
> and another set hiddden in the woods by my house... if ever I dropped
> my keys somewhere outside odds are I'd never find them.
I have always had a spare set of keys. It is well worth it to spend a
few bucks for duplicates in case you lose your keys. We keep a house key
on a safe location in case we ever lock ourselves out. However, those
new security keys are expensive.
> However, by
> retracing my path I have found fasteners that had loosened and fell
> off my tractor mower... lynch pins have a way of catching on brush and
> pulling off... of course then the wheel falls off along with all the
> height adjusting bushings, and not all in one spot. So far this has
> occured twice and both times I was able to locate all the parts by
> retracing the path I took... pure luck. I have since bought extras
> but still I'd hate to hit those steel parts with my my mower blade or
> worse pierce a tractor tire. I also have one of those powerful
> magnets used for retrieving heavy magnetic things from under water...
I have been keeping an out out for a nice big magnet. We sure could have
used one in the spring when my new neighbour was using the tractor to
mow his lawn. I don't know how it is possible for someone to lose so
many lynch pins, but he managed. He not only lost them all but replaced
them with nuts and bolts and then lost them too, so the height
adjustment bushing got lost too. It is bad enough to lose them and have
to replace them, but now there are a bunch of potential blade chipping
missiles laying around on his property.
> I bought it years ago to clean up discrded nails from when I had some
> typical dumb roofer reshingling my roof... many times it's located
> lost hardware on the ground. Of all the building trades roofers are
> the least skilled and have the lowest IQ.
I can't disagree about the calibre of roofers but FWIW I have just spent
most of the last 2 1/2 weeks roofing. I helped my neighbour do his
entire roof and then he helped me do the roof on our family room. His
used close to a hundred bundles of shingles while mine was only ten
bundles. Luckily we had a stretch of good weather. There are bound to be
a few pieces of shingle with nails that end up on the lawn and a few
loose nails from the stripping. They end up close to the house. Then
there is the odd nail that you think is set and ready to hammer in, but
when you swing at them they go flying ...... 50 feet or more. They fly
so fast they make a zing noise.
It was a lot of work, but we saved a lot of money by doing them
ourselves. Having access to a free bin and a friend to pick it up and
haul it to the dump saved multiple trips to the dump. I imagine that the
cost of having someone do my family room roof would have cost
considering more than the $300 I paid for shingles, nails, plywood and
flashing.
>
>
val189
I got sick and tired of 'losing' my keys. Now they're attached on a
nylon lanyard with dog collar clip to my purse. Not fashion forward
but they will reach the ignition and haven't lost them since I started
this system. They don't get misplaced in th ehouse or left in a
pocket this way.
Spares of keys are in the house and a house key with neighbor and
another hidden outside the house. I had a close call once when I
nearly dropped the whole keyring overboard while climbing off a boat.
Watch out for leaving your car keys on those key boards - there's one
at my gym. Wouldn't take anything for someone to grab em and hit the
panic button, find my car, and be off with it. I keep em on me now.
Sheldon
>
> I have been keeping an out out for a nice big magnet.
I have mine attached to an old wooden broomstick... just be
*extremely* careful around your vehicles... it looks so innocent but
believe me, it's deadly powerful.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32071&cat=1,42363,42356
Dan Abel
Dave Smith <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> I have been keeping an out out for a nice big magnet. We sure could have
> used one in the spring when my new neighbour was using the tractor to
> mow his lawn. I don't know how it is possible for someone to lose so
> many lynch pins, but he managed. He not only lost them all but replaced
> them with nuts and bolts and then lost them too, so the height
> adjustment bushing got lost too. It is bad enough to lose them and have
> to replace them, but now there are a bunch of potential blade chipping
> missiles laying around on his property.
When I was a kid, my father wouldn't let us outside when he was mowing
the lawn. Those rotary blades go very fast, and they can put a little
rock into a calf. I imagine nuts and bolts would be worse.
Anyway, I've been happy shopping here:
http://scientificsonline.com/category.asp?start=8&c=421188
There appear to be a couple of magnets on these pages that might be
suitable. I have no idea about shipping to Canada.
--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
da...@sonic.net
Gloria P
> I sure that everyone here has lost their keys at one time or another.
> Sometimes they turn up after a thorough search. Sometimes they don't and
> you end up having to go out and have new keys cut. Then there are the
> times that you get the new keys cut and the old set shows up.
>
> Luckily, I was able to cancel the Buick key. So.... more than $40 spent
> and three hours of running around all for nothing.
Not for nothing--you now have an extra set of keys! (Remember where you
hide them!)
gloria p
Dave Smith
> When I was a kid, my father wouldn't let us outside when he was mowing
> the lawn. Those rotary blades go very fast, and they can put a little
> rock into a calf. I imagine nuts and bolts would be worse.
Years ago my sister in law and then husband were actors and had roles in
a home safety about lawn mowers. You never know what you are going to
run over. I thought my my wife had seen that commercial but I always
have to tell her to stay clear when I am mowing the awn. You never know
what you are going to run over.
My strangest lawnmower incident involved a young robin. I was out mowing
the back yard and was cutting along the edge of the stream and a
fledgling robin took exception to my presence. The dumb bird was on the
other side of the stream, flew up and dove into the discharge shoot. He
must have had considerable momentum because he went right into the chute
and then came flying back out in pieces.
> Anyway, I've been happy shopping here:
>
> http://scientificsonline.com/category.asp?start=8&c=421188
>
> There appear to be a couple of magnets on these pages that might be
> suitable. I have no idea about shipping to Canada.
I was hoping to find an old speaker magnet. Dangling that from a string
should do the trick.
Gloria P
> Dan Abel wrote:
>
>
(RE: Lost mower hardware and a magnet to find it)
>
>> Anyway, I've been happy shopping here:
>>
>> http://scientificsonline.com/category.asp?start=8&c=421188
>>
>> There appear to be a couple of magnets on these pages that might be
>> suitable. I have no idea about shipping to Canada.
>
>
> I was hoping to find an old speaker magnet. Dangling that from a string
> should do the trick.
When we had our roof replaced (cedar shakes) they dropped many of the
old staples and neew nails in the lawn. As they were cleaning up, one
of the crew went around and around the house dragging a large bar magnet
(probably 24-30 inches wide) around behind him. It worked well.
I'd call a local major roofing company to see if they have such a thing
and if they'd let you borrow it for a day.
gloria p
Kathleen
> Dan Abel wrote:
>
>> When I was a kid, my father wouldn't let us outside when he was mowing
>> the lawn. Those rotary blades go very fast, and they can put a little
>> rock into a calf. I imagine nuts and bolts would be worse.
>
>
> Years ago my sister in law and then husband were actors and had roles in
> a home safety about lawn mowers. You never know what you are going to
> run over. I thought my my wife had seen that commercial but I always
> have to tell her to stay clear when I am mowing the awn. You never know
> what you are going to run over.
>
> My strangest lawnmower incident involved a young robin. I was out mowing
> the back yard and was cutting along the edge of the stream and a
> fledgling robin took exception to my presence. The dumb bird was on the
> other side of the stream, flew up and dove into the discharge shoot. He
> must have had considerable momentum because he went right into the chute
> and then came flying back out in pieces.
Oh, eww... Robin smoothie! We have had a couple of unfortunate
incidents involving mowers and rabbit nests.
Two of our three dogs have to be confined indoors during mowing. Scully
(female BC), tries to attack the tires of the mower. Cooper (male JRT)
runs ahead of the mower trying to capture and eat grasshoppers flushed
out by the blades.
Zane (male BC) is no problem as long as he has one or more of his sheep
surrogates (basketballs). He herds them protectively along the
fenceline, keeping them well clear of the motorized menace.
Cheryl
> My strangest lawnmower incident involved a young robin. I was out mowing
> the back yard and was cutting along the edge of the stream and a fledgling
> robin took exception to my presence. The dumb bird was on the other side
> of the stream, flew up and dove into the discharge shoot. He must have had
> considerable momentum because he went right into the chute and then came
> flying back out in pieces.
Ugh. The time of year I am afraid to mow the lawn is early spring. I ran
over a baby bunny once and it was horrible. Now I check the whole lawn
before I mow, but one time I missed a hole with a new litter of babies but I
sure heard them screaming before the mower caused them any harm.
>
sf
<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I knew all along
>that they would show up as soon as I got the new keys cut.
Don't feel so bad. At least you have back up keys now!
My son's keys for a VW Jetta cost him $200 when he had to do that. My
car keys would cost $300+ if I had to do it.
--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.
Mae West
sf
wrote:
>
>You're lucky.
>
>Mine has lost a few cell phones which she keeps on vibrate - that's of
>course so we can't find the telephone by calling it.
I put my husband's cell on a vibrate and ring combo so he could at
least feel it if he's in an area too noisy to hear it. The trouble
is, he felt like a mouse crept into his pants..... eeew! We're still
laughing about that little situation.
Edwin Pawlowski
<sf> wrote in message news:varde4d2tvbl262eb...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:57:45 -0400, Dave Smith
> <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
>>I knew all along
>>that they would show up as soon as I got the new keys cut.
>
> Don't feel so bad. At least you have back up keys now!
>
> My son's keys for a VW Jetta cost him $200 when he had to do that. My
> car keys would cost $300+ if I had to do it.
>
I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
sf
wrote:
>I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
>plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
>on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>
>I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
chip. Do they have to custom assemble each one? It's not the '80's -
chips are small and inexpensive.
Dave Smith
> On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 07:50:22 -0400, "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net>
> wrote:
>
>> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
>> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
>> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>>
>> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>
> What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
> chip. Do they have to custom assemble each one? It's not the '80's -
> chips are small and inexpensive.
Amazing isn't it. Computers components used to be expensive, but with
the huge markets, mass production and improved technology, prices have
dropped dramatically. When I was at university, pocket calculators were
prohibitively expensive.A calculator that would add, subtract and
multiply was $250. That was was about 2 weeks pay if you had a good job.
Now you can a calculator that does a lot more than that included with
binder for under $10. I find it hard to believe that embedding a chip in
plastic and attaching it to a key black can justify charging more than $50.
George
> On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 07:50:22 -0400, "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net>
> wrote:
>
>> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
>> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
>> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>>
>> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>
> What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
> chip. Do they have to custom assemble each one? It's not the '80's -
> chips are small and inexpensive.
>
>
purchase prices. So manufacturers need to use the sale of very high
markup items such as keys to make a buck.
sf
wrote:
I don't think that's correct. The correct answer is closer to
"because they can afford to pay that price".
Your answer applies to printers. They practically give us the printer
so they can sell us replacement ink at an exorbitant price.
Dan Abel
"Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote:
> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>
> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
I don't really know anything about it (and have never had one of those
fancy keys), but it seems like if somebody hotwires a car to bypass the
$3 key, they would use the same procedure to bypass a $300 key.
Nancy Young
I think the key needs to communicate with the computer, not just
make the electrical connection. In the way that a lot of car radios
today won't work if stolen.
The best things the key does for me is move my seat to where I
like it and set the radio to my choice of stations.
nancy
Mark Thorson
>
> I think the key needs to communicate with the computer,
> not just make the electrical connection. In the way that
> a lot of car radios today won't work if stolen.
Yes, and in the future it will contact msn.com
to make sure you're running the latest service
pack for Windows Mobile and make you download
several advertisements for their "technology
partners" before you're allowed to start the
engine. The advertisements play along the
edge of the dashboard screen as you drive.
Isn't the future wonderful?
modom (palindrome guy)
Our Prius key has a RFID chip in it. The car's electronics won't
function without the key being inside. It can't be hotwired because
none of the wires are hot, as it were.
Cars with immobilization technology like that qualify for reduced
insurance rates here in Texas. So I gather it works pretty well.
--
modom
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Dave Smith
>
> I don't think that's correct. The correct answer is closer to
> "because they can afford to pay that price".
>
> Your answer applies to printers. They practically give us the printer
> so they can sell us replacement ink at an exorbitant price.
The original dot matrix printers used to be quite expensive and tape
refills were reasonable. Then they brought the bubble jet printers,
which were faster and had nicer results. But like you say, they
practically give them away now. It is hard for people to resist the
upfront bargain, under $50 compared to more than $200 for a laser, and
ink cartridges for $20-30 <?> compared to more than $100 for a toner
cartridge.
My wife bought me a laser printer and after a few months I looked for a
toner cartridge. Having gone through so many ink cartridges I figured I
would need it. That replacement sat around the house for more than two
years before the old one ran out. When I had trouble with the laser
printer I took it to a shop and was told it would be $150 for parts plus
labour, but for $214 I could get a brand new printer.... and of course
it came with a new cartridge. That was an easy decision to make. I got
the new printer. That was over 4 years ago, and I just replaced the
cartridge last week. It was $113 for the cartridge, which works out to
about $25 per year, not much more than I used to spend each month on ink
cartridges.
Dave Smith
>
>> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
>> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
>> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>>
>> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>
> I don't really know anything about it (and have never had one of those
> fancy keys), but it seems like if somebody hotwires a car to bypass the
> $3 key, they would use the same procedure to bypass a $300 key.
It is not supposed to work that way. The engine will turn over but the
fuel injector or some other component is disabled.
Dave Smith
> Our Prius key has a RFID chip in it. The car's electronics won't
> function without the key being inside. It can't be hotwired because
> none of the wires are hot, as it were.
>
> Cars with immobilization technology like that qualify for reduced
> insurance rates here in Texas. So I gather it works pretty well.
When someone wondered about the theft rates for cars with these keys I
did a little research. In many jurisdictions there has been a reduction
in the number of late model cars stolen. It tends to be a significant
reduction, but did not eliminate it entirely. Meanwhile, some of those
jurisdictions reported an increase in the theft of keys, often in
burglaries.
modom (palindrome guy)
One must never underestimate the resourcefulness of America's
citizenry.
And I should have reported earlier that our previous car, a Volvo, had
immobilizing circuitry, too. Only the system failed and basically
behaved as if we were stealing our own car. Rather, it failed to
behave since it would not start. I can't remember how much it cost to
fix, but $600 comes to mind. Or was it $800?
George
> On Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:08:07 -0400, George <geo...@nospam.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> sf wrote:
>>> On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 07:50:22 -0400, "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
>>>> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
>>>> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>>>>
>>>> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>>> What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
>>> chip. Do they have to custom assemble each one? It's not the '80's -
>>> chips are small and inexpensive.
>>>
>>>
>> Its the result of Walmart thinking. Many people look for cheap initial
>> purchase prices. So manufacturers need to use the sale of very high
>> markup items such as keys to make a buck.
>
> I don't think that's correct. The correct answer is closer to
> "because they can afford to pay that price".
>
Possibly but I worked at a company where we made a product that sold for
more (or a lot more depending what was purchased) than typical
automobiles and we covered our cost but made nothing on the sale of the
product because buyers had what we (and others) call the "walmart
syndrome". They would try to beat us to death on the high price item so
the spares and repairs was what kept us going.
George
Obviously you have never seen any of the (many) poorly done TV programs
where the bad guy is running away and breaks into a car and quickly
pulls a bunch of wires from under the dash and after a couple sparks
(and seconds) is driving off...
Nancy Young
> Dave Smith wrote:
>> It is not supposed to work that way. The engine will turn over but
>> the fuel injector or some other component is disabled.
>>
>
> Obviously you have never seen any of the (many) poorly done TV
> programs where the bad guy is running away and breaks into a car and
> quickly pulls a bunch of wires from under the dash and after a couple
> sparks (and seconds) is driving off...
That's how fast they do it. But, not in cars with these
security keys.
nancy
sf
Not exactly the same procedure. $300 (keyless) keys have chips that
are needed to start the car. They also perform more functions than $3
stock keys. As far as stealing: Where there's a will, there's a way.
Mark Thorson
>
> My wife bought me a laser printer and after a few months I looked for a
> toner cartridge. Having gone through so many ink cartridges I figured I
> would need it. That replacement sat around the house for more than two
> years before the old one ran out. When I had trouble with the laser
> printer I took it to a shop and was told it would be $150 for parts plus
> labour, but for $214 I could get a brand new printer.... and of course
> it came with a new cartridge. That was an easy decision to make. I got
> the new printer. That was over 4 years ago, and I just replaced the
> cartridge last week. It was $113 for the cartridge, which works out to
> about $25 per year, not much more than I used to spend each month on ink
> cartridges.
That is so much like my experience. I recently bought
an H-P 1006 laser printer, and I almost bought a replacement
toner cartridge, but it was like half the cost of the
printer. The printer came with a "starter" cartridge
good for about half the number of prints as a real
cartridge.
After a few months, I broke the USB cable port on the
printer. It was trivially easy to do. Unlike traditional
H-P products that used genuine FR4 circuit board, this
piece of Asian crap uses a composite circuit board with
no fiberglass reinforcement, and a little crosswise
pressure on the cable when it's plugged in will break
off the piece of circuit board that has the USB jack
on it.
I can solder, and I have the printer partially
disassembled, but it could take another hour or two
to actually complete the repair. I'm not sure it's
worth it. I could buy another printer with another
starter cartridge, and I wouldn't need to reload
the software, which takes forever. I must have spent
two hours trying to load the software drivers for
this damn thing. Typical crappy H-P software would
just exit without any error diagnostic telling me
what the problem was. It was that I didn't have
enough free disk space. (H-P wants to load all sorts
of software I don't need.) I eventually guessed
what the problem was, deleted a ton of files, and
the software installation completed successfully.
When the labor of installing software is included,
buying another 1006 seems to be the most cost-effective
solution, even though I am averse to buying anymore
H-P products for the rest of my life. The H-P name
is being put on the worst crap. It's as though Nikon
or Minolta allowed their name to be put on cheap
disposable cameras.
sf
wrote:
>Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>> My wife bought me a laser printer and after a few months I looked for a
>> toner cartridge. Having gone through so many ink cartridges I figured I
>> would need it. That replacement sat around the house for more than two
>> years before the old one ran out. When I had trouble with the laser
>> printer I took it to a shop and was told it would be $150 for parts plus
>> labour, but for $214 I could get a brand new printer.... and of course
>> it came with a new cartridge. That was an easy decision to make. I got
>> the new printer. That was over 4 years ago, and I just replaced the
>> cartridge last week. It was $113 for the cartridge, which works out to
>> about $25 per year, not much more than I used to spend each month on ink
>> cartridges.
>
>That is so much like my experience. I recently bought
>an H-P 1006 laser printer, and I almost bought a replacement
>toner cartridge, but it was like half the cost of the
>printer. The printer came with a "starter" cartridge
>good for about half the number of prints as a real
>cartridge.
>
>After a few months, I broke the USB cable port on the
>printer. It was trivially easy to do.
<snip>
I've been very happy with my HP 3210 and it's still in one piece. The
cartridges aren't cheap though.
Dave Smith
>> That is so much like my experience. I recently bought
>> an H-P 1006 laser printer, and I almost bought a replacement
>> toner cartridge, but it was like half the cost of the
>> printer. The printer came with a "starter" cartridge
>> good for about half the number of prints as a real
>> cartridge.
>>
>> After a few months, I broke the USB cable port on the
>> printer. It was trivially easy to do.
> <snip>
>
> I've been very happy with my HP 3210 and it's still in one piece. The
> cartridges aren't cheap though.
I suggested to my brother that he does enough printing that he would be
better off with a laser printer but he thought he was getting a pretty
good deal on ink cartridges from a local store. He is paying $10 for the
cartridges. He goes through at least one a month. My original toner
cartridge lasted more than four years and the replacement was $114. If
he paid $50 for the printer and $10 per month for four years it would
have cost him about $530 which is about twice as much as it cost me over
the same period.
The problem with my HP laser printer was the paper feed and pateen
rollers. It was cheaper to replace than to repair.
Speaking of which.... I bought another new cordless phone last week. The
old one needed a new battery. It was cheaper to buy a new phone than to
get new batteries for the old one.
Mark Thorson
>
> I suggested to my brother that he does enough printing that he would be
> better off with a laser printer but he thought he was getting a pretty
> good deal on ink cartridges from a local store. He is paying $10 for the
> cartridges. He goes through at least one a month. My original toner
> cartridge lasted more than four years and the replacement was $114. If
> he paid $50 for the printer and $10 per month for four years it would
> have cost him about $530 which is about twice as much as it cost me over
> the same period.
>
> The problem with my HP laser printer was the paper feed and pateen
> rollers. It was cheaper to replace than to repair.
I had an H-P inkjet printer from shortly after they
were introduced a little over 10 years ago and
a fax machine based on the same mechanism a few
years later. They worked great, except the printer
was on my kitchen table next to a window, and the
heat from the Sun would dry out and destroy the
cartridges prematurely. I discovered while servicing
the fax machine that it accumulates ink in the well
over which the ink cartridge is wiped before printing
a line. If you turn the machine on one end, all that
waste ink will spill out. What a mess! That was
when I permanently switched to laser.
sf
<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>Speaking of which.... I bought another new cordless phone last week. The
>old one needed a new battery. It was cheaper to buy a new phone than to
>get new batteries for the old one.
Isn't that something? The epitome of a throw away society.
sf
wrote:
>
>I had an H-P inkjet printer from shortly after they
>were introduced a little over 10 years ago and
>a fax machine based on the same mechanism a few
>years later. They worked great, except the printer
>was on my kitchen table next to a window, and the
>heat from the Sun would dry out and destroy the
>cartridges prematurely. I discovered while servicing
>the fax machine that it accumulates ink in the well
>over which the ink cartridge is wiped before printing
>a line. If you turn the machine on one end, all that
>waste ink will spill out. What a mess! That was
>when I permanently switched to laser.
You sure handle your machines a lot. Mine comes out of the box and
stays put until I replace it.
Stan Horwitz
> On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:57:45 -0400, Dave Smith
> <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>
> >I knew all along
> >that they would show up as soon as I got the new keys cut.
>
> Don't feel so bad. At least you have back up keys now!
>
> My son's keys for a VW Jetta cost him $200 when he had to do that. My
> car keys would cost $300+ if I had to do it.
The key to my Prius costs something like $250 to replace. Its not really
a key though, it is a wireless transmitter. I have two of them, so if I
lose one, at least I have the other.
Stan Horwitz
> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>
> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
I would rather take my chances with losing my $250 key fob then a $3
traditional car key.
I have locked myself out of my car at least twice as many times as I
lost my old car keys. I am very forgetful that way. Each time, I locked
myself out of my car, I had to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to two
hours to get unlocked. That was with my older cars.
My current car doesn't require a key to be put in the ignition at all.
The key fob never leaves my pocket, so its virtually impossible for me
to leave it in my car by mistake, plus I have one fewer key to carry in
my pocket. I have two of key fobs, so if I lose one, I can use the other
one until I can find or replace the missing one.
Stan Horwitz
> On Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:51:29 -0700, Dan Abel <da...@sonic.net> wrote:
>
> >In article <RLIFk.2030$Rx....@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com>,
> > "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net> wrote:
> >
> >> I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is
> >> just
> >> plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a
> >> penalty
> >> on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
> >>
> >> I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300
> >> keys.
> >
> >I don't really know anything about it (and have never had one of those
> >fancy keys), but it seems like if somebody hotwires a car to bypass the
> >$3 key, they would use the same procedure to bypass a $300 key.
>
> Not exactly the same procedure. $300 (keyless) keys have chips that
> are needed to start the car. They also perform more functions than $3
> stock keys. As far as stealing: Where there's a will, there's a way.
There's no technology that can prevent a determined car thief from
towing a desirable car away, but the modern (and expensive) key
technologies certainly make quick car thefts more difficult and that
surely causes car thieves to pick easier targets. I am no expert, but my
auto insurance company gives me a discount because of the anti-theft
provisions in my car, which revolve around its keyless technology. I
figure that Geico knows a lot more about this subject and they surely
would not volunteer to give lower rates if these technologies didn't
really deter car thefts.
blake murphy
if you google the cartridge part number, you can find refurbished
cartridges available that are much less expensive. performance is o.k. in
my experience.
your pal,
blake
sf
<blakepm...@verizon.net> wrote:
>if you google the cartridge part number, you can find refurbished
>cartridges available that are much less expensive. performance is o.k. in
>my experience.
I haven't wanted to chance it because I've heard too many horror
stories of leaky refilled printer cartridges.
blake murphy
> On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 07:50:22 -0400, "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@snet.net>
> wrote:
>
>>I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
>>plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
>>on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>>
>>I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>
> What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
> chip. Do they have to custom assemble each one? It's not the '80's -
> chips are small and inexpensive.
if i had to guess, i'd guess the price is that high because people will pay
it.
your pal,
blake
blake murphy
not a new idea. when the gillette people started out, they gave away the
razors in order to sell you the blades.
your pal,
blake
Dave Smith
>
>> Your answer applies to printers. They practically give us the printer
>> so they can sell us replacement ink at an exorbitant price.
>
> not a new idea. when the gillette people started out, they gave away the
> razors in order to sell you the blades.
They still do. The last time I looked at razor prices it was cheaper
for a new razor with three blades than for a package of 5 blades.
Sheldon
> "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
>
> >I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
> >plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
> >on them? �I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>
> >I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>
> What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
> chip. �Do they have to custom assemble each one? �It's not the '80's -
> chips are small and inexpensive.
Of course... the first LED watches cost $1,000, now they cost less
than $2 and they do a whole lot more, same with calculators. There is
no reason that a key with a chip should cost more than a buck twenty-
five... they're all exactly the same until they're programmed, and
they can be reprogrammed over and over. Really don't even need an
actual key anymore, costs less than $200 to have remote start
installed. Anyway, if someone really wants to steal your car keys
don't stop them... professional chop shops simply winch your car up a
ramp into a van and drive off with it, they don't need to start it...
even if you have Lojac they find it in under five minutes and it's
easy to disable.
If someone wants to steal your car it's far easier than stealing your
spouse.
Sheldon
There are many sources for printer/copier refills of all types at
200pct+ discount... I buy from inksmile.com... Canon cartridges cost
likr $15 each, Staples brand cost like $12 each, inksmile.com sells
the same thing for $4, + discounts + free shipping.
Also, printers send up a "running low" message, so what, it'll keep
going a month or more until it says "cartridge empty" and then it
won't print until the cartridge is replaced. The printer manual will
tell you running low will damage your printer heads, nonsense... then
why would they program in cartridge empty and that it won't print. duh
Printers actually cost more to manufacture than they sell them for,
but they hope to make all their profit on ink... even buying
cartridges on line for $4 there is still plenty of profit, the plastic
cartridge is reusable many, many times, that model printer will go
obsolete first... the ink costs like 2 cents. There are free mailers
for returning empties, that's the best way to keep ink/toner prices
down.
dsi1
>
> >I understand the need for security, but to design a $100 to $300 key is just
> >plain wrong. People lose keys all the time so why put that much of a penalty
> >on them? I'm lucky, both my cars have cheap keys with no electronics.
>
> >I'd like to see the statistics on stolen cars with $3 keys versus $300 keys.
>
> What I don't understand is why they're so expensive even *with* a
> chip. Do they have to custom assemble each one? It's not the '80's -
> chips are small and inexpensive.
They're expensive because your options are limited for replacement.
The electronics are probably negligible in cost but my assumption is
the key blanks distribution is controlled. The key system might be
proprietary so you won't have third party keys being manufactured.
I just bought a couple of keys to our lobby downstairs. On the key
there's "Do not duplicate" stamped and indeed, most places will not
cut me a key. I have more options since it's just a standard key - I
could go to many different key cutters and someone will cut me a set
sooner or later or I could buy a blank and file a key. In the end, I
did not want to go through the hassle - I bought 2 keys at $99 each.
dsi1
Gosh, you're right!
> your pal,
> blake