I sort of think that working A/C should be required to pass inspection

"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
06/20/2016 at 19:51 • Filed to: None

(But I also understand that it would be really crappy to possibly impede with someone’s ability to go to work or school, especially if they can’t afford the repairs. Now that I’ve added my disclaimer, I can feel free to unleash my slightly warm take).

Every summer the same thing happens. Traffic seems to get heavier and drivers seem to get way worse.

Today I’m on my way home from work and traffic on my normal ten-minute skip down the highway slows to a stop at the usual place for the usual, incredibly stupid reason that I don’t have the energy to rant about. Usually, this is about a five minute ordeal that goes like this: 80-70-65-30-stop-10-stop-10-stop-10-25-50-50 for an unnecessarily long time-65. Today traffic was particularly backed up, with just small amounts of crawling between stops.

With my exit coming up in about a mile, I signaled and gingerly made my way out of the passing lane between an S550 and a 740, becoming the delicious meat pie between two slices of vollkornbrot. I think we were all happier this way, with me serving as a miniature Berlin Wall and keeping the two German car owners from contemplating too deeply whether the choose the correct German luxury sedan.

As I settled into the routine of stopping and going and stopping I began to take mental stock of the assholes around me. There was the Durango driver to my left, jumping on the pedal each time cars moved, then each time diving into the shoulder as the cars in front of him surprisingly came to a stop, once again, for the seventh time.

There was the in the beat up red Cavalier, license hanging to one side precariously, seemingly held up only by the grace of his Jesus Loves Me and What Would Scooby Doo? bumper stickers. Scooby, evidently, would drive like an asshole, causing near collisions cutting in and out of lanes—including deceleration lanes—which he would use to get a few cars ahead, only to fall behind again, because no shit, you’re in the slow lane.

There was the driver of the newish Discovery, using his crossover’s aggressive blandness to lull victims into a false sense of security, before jerking into an opening that would have been hairy for a Suzuki Samurai.

Content that I had identified the problem drivers and that karma would bring them into the path of 7 Series instead of my own, I began to look for a some commonality between these drivers.

Why was I sitting content as could be? I left for work at 5 AM, I should be irritated too. It’s already 6 PM, and I was stuck in traffic, but everything was just dandy. What if it was too late for Trump to Make America Great Again, as the laudably unselfaware bumper sticker on the Lexus RX to my right pleaded for him to do? I was happy just to sit back and listen to jazz on the radio.

Then I noticed something. Each bad driver, at each stop, flung their left arm out of their window in disgust, like a basketball coach witnessing a botched free throw. “Windows open? In this heat? What is it out? 85°?” I lean forward to tap the “Ext” button on the HVAC, the little lighter sized LCD switches from 62° and half fan speed (keeping it on auto gives me chills) to 95°.

Oh. :/

TL;DR: People drive like dicks when they're hot.

DISCUSSION (13)

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 19:58

The 4runners mileage sucks a lot with the AC, but man is it cold.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/20/2016 at 20:01

I'm getting about 300 miles a tank (roughly 15.7 MPG), but I wouldn't trade trade the happiness I feel in my little enclosed winter wonderland for anything.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 20:08

Do you at least have either power or 4WD for the mileage trade off?

Honeybunchesofgoats > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/20/2016 at 20:21

Before horsepower went all crazy, I’d have said yes, but now I just have a moderately powerful but cool sounding V8 in an old XJ8 that lives to be thrown into corners.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 20:46

Is it more than 190 crank?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 21:09

the last mile of my commute is near where 2 highways and a main road merge and always a traffic mess from 3lanes to 2 to then a bridge with 2 more lanes. Its kind a mess and nearly every day I think “where the fuck do you think your’re going?!?!?” plays in my head.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/20/2016 at 21:15

290

Honeybunchesofgoats > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
06/20/2016 at 21:21

That’s sort of similar to my problem. The usual back up is because a two-lane off ramp from one highway merges on to mine, which means people from the middle lane move into the left, the. people from the right move into the middle, then people from the left of the off ramp merge into the middle to get ahead of the trucks on the right of the off ramp, which sends more cars into the left lane.

Basically, if the cars in the middle could just stay in their lane instead of moving left and the cars coming out of the off ramp could just zipper merge, there would be no reason for everything to come to a dead stop. But no, everyone has to start cutting everyone else off so that everything eventually comes to a standstill. Then it all goes back to normal half a mile farther up.

mazda616 > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 21:23

I used to wonder how people lived back in the day before A/C was in cars. Then, I realized they didn’t sit in stop-and-go traffic all the time back then. My S10's A/C has a slow leak and when it needs a charge and isn't working, sitting at endless red lights makes me downright miserable. But, out on the highway, it's not that bad.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 21:31

That's not bad at all

LongbowMkII > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 21:40

Nah. A functioning a/c is a sign of a weak constitution and you shouldn't be allowed to drive.

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/20/2016 at 23:19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EOpWY…

Howwwwwww about no state inspection at all? :p

Echo51 > Honeybunchesofgoats
06/21/2016 at 09:22

If you can’t keep your cool because your car is warm, hand over your license and general humanity card.

Also “especially if they can’t afford the repairs.”, just means you shouldn’t have a car if you can’t afford it. It’s not a right, people.

Other then that yes, AC please. plz plz plz. I’ve grown up used to cars without, ooooh the joy of pleasant chilly air...