SLAM, BANG

bucky wrote:
The only thing that gets to me is the horn chirp when people lock their cars. This is programable by the owner, I guess they think it's a status symbol or something. The really dumb ones manage to set the alarm off.

Guilty. But if I'm getting anything out of the truck after dark, which is extremely rare, I use the door switch, not the keyfob.

wbwood wrote:

bucky wrote:
I always liked those Magnums, I was surprised when they stopped production. Maybe they couldn't turn off the chirp either :).

Most cars(newer ones at least) on
Y chirp when you press5)3 clicker one more time after it locks.

People do realize that keys still lock doors right? Especially at night when camping.

What keys? I'm serious: what keys? Last car I rented, there was no key! Just an electronic fob.

bucky wrote:
I always liked those Magnums, I was surprised when they stopped production. Maybe they couldn't turn off the chirp either :).

The Mag was dropped because they wanted the line to build Challengers. :(

Without the optional vehicle information centre, there was no way to disable the horn chirp when locking the doors...this holds true for the Magnum, Charger, and I think the 300. (Though that might have the EVIC standard.)

Jloucks wrote:

Stars101 wrote:
When we have to leave "o'stupid early" I found the best trick was to quietly get dressed, tip toe outside and unhook electric (we have a TC). Plan to eat at a restaurant... there's no way I can cook without clanking a pan and making a terrible racket.

The REAL issue we have is when we wake up our 6 y/o son. He's LOUD & CRANKY at 4-5 am and has no trouble expressing his displeasure at having parents that wake him up when it's still dark. And it's just as bad to have two adults hissing threats of bodily harm if he doesn't quiet down! Now! That type of whispering travels all over the CG. All. Over. (I checked)

So now we have a new system. I hold the door open while my DH grabs our sleeping son out of bed and covers his mouth. Then he runs him into the truck and throws him into the booster seat. I am in the front seat and lean into the back and slap my hand over his mouth (sometimes I gotta hold his head between my hands and really lean into him). DH buckles the kiddo's seat belt and then he jumps into the driver's seat. Once the truck (diesel) starts, we try and leave as quietly as possible. Once we are 1 mile away I release my hold on DS mouth and we spend the next 20 min. listening to our own personal musical H*ll on Wheels.

This has worked out perfectly.... unless someone in the CG is awake and sees us. Then we have an "escort" once we hit the highway.... usually with lights and a siren, but we can't hear it over all the wailing coming from the backseat :)

** please note the joke of the above post. but as some parents know.... it is based in reality** and DS is actually a really good kid and polite... the "absolute silence rule at 5am" is just hard for him b/c he honestly forgets how loud he is.

Sooo,,, umm,,, why not leave at some time other than o'stupid early? The thought of going thru all this makes me shudder. My grandpa use to do this to me (4 am departures so he could be wherever at magic noon) and I still don't get it.

I've got to respond to both of these.

Stars101, I got the joke. Well at first I didn't until I got to the point where you were leaning back with his head clamped between your hands. At that point I started laughing out loud. :B

Jloucks, I like to do the early departures for road trips. Not when camping mind you, but when leaving the house to go on a trip. The reasons are many but they all make sense to me. Here are my two most common reasons for leaving early.

I live in San Diego. It takes me 1.5 hours to get to the southern end of Los Angeles where horrific traffic jams occur. It also takes about 1.5 hours to get through that huge city and out of traffic.

So if I leave at 4am, I hit the southern edge of the city at 5:30 am and am in the middle of the city by 6 am, and am on the northern end before 7 am and I miss all the traffic. OR I can leave the house at 6 am, hit the southern end at 7:30 am and sit in commuter traffic for the next 3 - 4 hours.

The other reason which may be more of a parenting issue and not a "I don't like to sit in traffic on vacation!!!" whine (I'm referring to me about the whine:o)
When I drag the kids out of bed at 4 am and put them in the car they complain. But by 4:30 or 5 at the latest they are all asleep again. And by the time they wake up we are 4 hours into a 6 hour drive and they are much happier to know that they only have two hours driving before we arrive.

I also like to arrive near 12 - 1 pm at the latest. My reasoning is that it gives the kids at least part of the day to unwind after the drive before they have to go to bed.

bucky wrote:
I always liked those Magnums, I was surprised when they stopped production. Maybe they couldn't turn off the chirp either :).

Most cars(newer ones at least) on
Y chirp when you press5)3 clicker one more time after it locks.

People do realize that keys still lock doors right? Especially at night when camping.

Lantley wrote:

Dakzuki wrote:
That bothers me a lot less than the person with the diesel truck perpetually idling.

A couple of weeks ago there was a really bad offender near us. He figured EVERYBODY wanted to hear his Duramax for 40 minutes while he went through his departure evolution. He was a long haul trucker in real life and made sure to let the neighbors know.

Duramax pick ups are no louder than gas engines

That may be true when you pick them up from the dealership, but some people consider the quiet idle to be a defect, and spend hundreds of dollars "correcting" it so that you can hear their truck from several blocks away. They tend to be the same folks who think that huge clouds of black smoke on hard acceleration are a sign of masculinity.

I always liked those Magnums, I was surprised when they stopped production. Maybe they couldn't turn off the chirp either :).

Because of all the technology, our senses are now dulled. We like all other animals carry instinct, but ours is little used anymore. You can get it back by turning things off and listening to the quiet. It really is a good thing. It's good for both your mind as well as your body.

Ever wonder why they use light and noise for torture? Because they're not natural.

bucky wrote:
The really dumb ones manage to set the alarm off.

I did that once.

New truck. Drove it from the dealer directly to the campground. I woke up the next morning at 6am, and while I was in my tent fumbling with my gear - I accidentally hit the red button. :o :S

Jloucks- My Grandad and Dad did this when I was a young boy, for a fishing trip to Canada.