BigB23....Where are you?

**Mikeg** · August-15-09, 10:20 AM

gazhekwe,

Note that I am trying to describe the line between purchasing and the release engineer which exists for purchased parts that that go into the vehicle and which are designed and released by GM product engineers.

Lopez and his minions tried to "teach" the suppliers how to find and take cost out of the product in other ways that were internal to their operations. If along the way a supplier came up with a cost-saving idea that required a product change, the release engineer was obliged to investigate it and then decide whether or not it could be incorporated without affecting the performance of the part.

There was not quite the same fine line between the buyers in purchasing and the GM employees who initiated orders for other types of purchases, such a indirect materials [[used internally to manufacture) or tooling systems. They often found their specs getting overruled by Lopez's buyers who were focused only on saving dollars on that individual contract, since that was how they were measured. Any argument that said that the buyer was ignoring the opportunity for a longer term savings on subsequent purchased was usually ignored. Keep in mind that these suboptimal purchasing decisions did not affect the parts that went on the car.

**Gannon** · August-15-09, 10:43 AM

Hey! I take the stand that a little delusion is important for a person to recognize, that ain't a personal attack but merely a reminder that we've all got limits to our perception and analysis.

You were arguing that it didn't make any difference, everyone who has worked on these vehicles after they pass 50,000 miles has another opinion, it is not mine alone.

Thank you for relating your observation. As an engineer, I'm sure there is no way you would've argued to keep something a little bit more expensive and possibly slightly heavier if it meant the result was engineering for 250k miles instead of the 125k expected life of the vehicle.

It was a complete change in focus, and I'm still insisting that the car company's reputation suffered because of it...as well as the overall business HEALTH of their entire supply base, it wasn't merely the relations with them that were damaged.

Sorry to ruffle your feathers...lemme get back to my Saturday delusions....

**Mikeg** · August-15-09, 12:32 PM

As an engineer, I'm sure there is no way you would've argued to keep something a little bit more expensive and possibly slightly heavier if it meant the result was engineering for 250k miles instead of the 125k expected life of the vehicle.

If only it were that simple. Product release engineers have multiple constraints [[performance, mass, piece cost, squeak & rattle, etc.) that their design must satisfy before it ever gets to the physical validation part of the design process where life-cycle testing takes place. Mileage isn't a product design life target, cycles of operation are. The product design and validation process is an iterative one whereby the final result is an optimized design that usually meets all of the imposed constriants.

I have 76 K miles on my personal vehicle and I have yet to use the jack handle, yet I have paid the fuel economy price of carrying it with me for every one of those miles. How much more mass from the initial design iteration should the release engineer have kept in that jack handle "just in case"?

**gazhekwe** · August-15-09, 04:52 PM

Well, Mike, it is fine if you don't have to use it, not so fine if it breaks the first time you use it. That happened to me with one of my cars, sometime in the 80s. I can't remember which one, might have been the Dodge Shadow. That one had many problems. My mistake buying the thing when it first came out. Nothing to do with Lopez, that one.

I have now graduated to AAA, so I don't worry about those things so much. I probably couldn't get that flipping bunny spare out from under my car anyway.

**Gannon** · August-15-09, 05:41 PM

I understand, because stress-testing machines only go back and forth and up and down, but 'cycles per' and mileage are both indicators of time lapsed...duration.

I'm saying they got you to look at minimums on stuff that used to be built with the maximum lifespan for whatever important job it was designed to do.

If we look at those jack handle requirements REAL hard, especially bending the metrics for your life experience, expectations, and wishes...

...you'd surely spec one made of magic balsa wood with wings to fly to where-ever you need it along with some form of use insurance.

Of course, the career-focus of looking AT lightening the jack handle caused a whole bunch of engineers to fail to recognize the better solution was having four run-flat tires on the car with no need for any heavy spare or jack or handle.

But my premise that some parts that used to last forever...especially on GM cars, but the other companies are not immune [[even perfectionist BMW got caught in supplier woes when they tried similar cost reductions)...wear out at ODD early times still stands.

These may even miss early detection, as many mechanics would simply not look closely at anything they didn't expect to have a limited lifespan.

I admire your dedication to specifications and rules and all that...stuff wouldn't get built without that...but the difference between a car designed to last 40 years [[say like what we're celebrating on Woodward Avenue today, or the stuff that keeps Cuba rolling after our half-century embargo) and what they build now with a 120,000 mile countdown to the scrap heap is the difference between the passion to rebuild every time it breaks [[no matter what) and keeping a lease under mileage restriction!

**Bigb23** · September-04-09, 12:18 PM

Interesting facts I found in Details magazine. [[September issue).

21 cents = the average amount per resident the federal government has spent on stimulus contracts in Michigan, according to USA Today.

14.1% = Michigan's unemployment rate in May, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. [[15.9% now).

$26 = the average amount per resident the federal government has spent on stimulus contracts in North Dakota.

4.4% = North Dakota's unemployment rate in May !!!!!!

Whats wrong with this picture ?

I could use a little more stimulation.

**sumas** · September-05-09, 07:16 AM

Big B, its so good to hear from you. Car problems suck big time. Glad that the place you went to was able to help at an affordable rate. Keep posting as you can, always love your insight and wit.

I hate the fact that you are going through such stress. Best wishes that good times will come back for you. Sumas

**Bigb23** · September-09-09, 01:00 PM

Met Gazhekwe yesterday for coffee. What a knowlegable woman on the history of tribes in the Great Lakes area ! Seems we have a distant connection through our family history on the native side.
Gaz - stay in touch, as you have my info to reach me.

Keep posting as you can, always love your insight and wit.

Thanks Sumas - I've had a hard time keeping my humor over the past year. But if I can still make the nurses laugh, than I still have the touch.

**gazhekwe** · September-09-09, 01:35 PM

It was great meeting you, BigB! I really enjoyed our get together. You have some fascinating info there, and I loved that Leelanau Twp. History. I'm still trying to figure out GGGrandfather Garrett Smith. What a puzzle. I will get back to you on who is going to adopt that research.

Mino bimaadziwin, niiji. Best of health to you, friend.

**Bigb23** · September-09-09, 01:54 PM

Miigwech, Gaz.

**gazhekwe** · September-27-09, 05:21 PM

Aanii, Kchi'Amo! I sent you a message with some info on your historian compiler. I hope you got it.

**Bigb23** · September-30-09, 02:27 PM

Thanks for the new info ! Check your messages.

**Bigb23** · December-09-09, 03:16 PM

I'm waiting on a Toshiba laptop from Bestbuy for $299. What are my chances of getting this on a raincheck?
It looks like my forum work will be on a laptop or Netbook at a McDonalds with the $1.00 menu for now on.

**MikeM** · December-11-09, 04:42 PM

I'd just like to add that my GM jack broke on about the fourth turn. At 2:30. In the morning. In an airport parking lot.

**Bigb23** · December-18-09, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by Bigb23

I'm waiting on a Toshiba laptop from Bestbuy for $299. What are my chances of getting this on a raincheck?
It looks like my forum work will be on a laptop or Netbook at a McDonalds with the $1.00 menu for now on.

I've got the the laptop now, and am using it on Wi-Fi at the Library. Does anybody know how I might be able to download maybe the top 30 subjects on each forum here for reading at home where I have no connectivity ?
I looked on my old XP bible for hints, but they refer to web pages only, not forums. And I'm running Windows 7. That would really free up some time while I'm at the library.
Thanks !

**Mackenzie68** · December-18-09, 05:13 PM

A simple cut and paste into Wordpad or whatever word processor [[don't buy one, there are good freebies like Open Office will work but it won't format the way you are used to it. I don't know how to do it more cleanly but you have lots of disk space to fill [[and empty and fill and empty ...)

**Bigb23** · December-21-09, 03:05 PM

Thanks Mac -

When I found out that MS Office is no longer free but almost a hundred dollars, I freaked. Happenstance made me look for alternitives today, and was downloading OpenOffice 2009 when I saw your post.
I was hoping to avoid the copy and paste method and looking to copying a functional forum for home access. I don't have my hopes up though.
Are you running OpenOffice ? For free, it's got some pretty good reviews. I'm just sick of shoveling money to MS, and I need to open my Docs after the thirty day Office trial.

**gazhekwe** · December-21-09, 05:15 PM

I found this in the FAQ:

Thread Tools What are thread tools?
At the top of each thread, there is a link called 'Thread Tools'. By clicking on this link, a menu will appear with a number of options:

Show Printable Version - this will show you a page with the thread post content in a reduced graphics format that is more 'printer friendly'.

And this, though I am not sure how it works. Maybe you can download the RSS feed and read it later?

RSS and Podcasting Can I use RSS to keep up with new posts?
If the administrator has enabled RSS syndication, this lets you view newly created threads in guest-viewable forums without visiting the board.
The feeds are currently provided in two formats, RSS and RSS v2.
Most modern browsers have facilities for reading RSS feeds and will automatically detect the availability of feeds on bulletin board pages.

This was under Quick Links/Subscribed Threads:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/subscription.php

**Bigb23** · December-22-09, 04:26 PM

Thanks, Gaz.

I'm piggybacking off a LAN here at home right now. From the info I can gather, my Wi-Fi radar points to an unsecured network to the north of me where there are no homes for a three square mile area. Nothing but woods. I think it's part of Wireless Oakland at the county park. Oh well, if it's my neighbor, he offered some of his bandwidth a year or so ago.
I'll try the RSS feed if it works.

**Bigb23** · December-22-09, 06:56 PM

I've been all over that OpenOffice program, and can find no fault with it. I downloaded it to a SD card and scanned it with the newest Norton and AVG upgrades. As much as I would use an office suite, this one for free is a pretty good deal. Opens all Office .Docs, and has an drawing program better than MS.

**Mackenzie68** · December-22-09, 07:30 PM

Bigb23,
I started with WordStar [[yes, I 'm old), then went to WordPerfect, was forced into MSWord and was happy to find Open Office. It is easy to use/figure out and it translates into and out of MSWord seamlessly. I was using it with XP and loaded it onto the new Vista machine and it handled it without a burp. Good luck with it, and give a report on the particulars of your laptop. Portable computing is on my wish-list.

**Bigb23** · December-23-09, 02:21 PM

I'm trying to find my way around Windows 7 on the laptop, but the OpenOffice seems to work with no problem. I just activated the free trial for Office, and will see if there any conflicts.

**Bigb23** · December-23-09, 11:43 PM

Llowell, How about that Lancaster bomber over in Windsor? Nice header. My dad flew in a B-24 over Europe,so I'm kind of partial .Any stories would be appretiated.

**Bigb23** · December-29-09, 06:06 PM

Just an [[I found) update - I'm on a stray WiFi signal I can pick up in the corner of my living room. I puchased a keyfob style WiFi detector for $4.95 at a Radio Shack today. It shows a signal strength snapshot in about a second. Nice buy for the people on portables. Now I can check outside restarants before dragging my laptop in.