Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

This post is for those who live in the Metro Vancouver area.

I received a bill yesterday from TREO who manage the toll fees for those crossing the Fraser using the Port Mann Bridge. Unfortunately, the plate they photographed did not belong to my car but was on one that I sold two years ago.

Phoned them up and talked with a pleasant lady who informed me that the plate was still registered in their system under my name.

'Ahh' I asked, 'Don't you reference the ICBC database?'.
'If only that were true,' she replied.

Apparently TREO operate their own system completely independently of ICBC and never the twain shall meet. Instead they require anyone using the Port Mann bridge to call them or access their account on the internet and update their plate details personally. I did not know this.

I suspect that TREO would be able to access the ICBC database if they paid for it.

So.. if you use the Port Mann bridge and sell your car and don't take the trouble to advise TREO, then prepare to receive an invoice.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

In Ontario when one sells a car the plates are removed by seller. This prevents all manner of such things happening.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Same here, I think. The plates go with the owner and not the car.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Plates in BC go with the owner as well however if you no longer have a car after you sell and need to cancel your insurance, ICBC wants the plates back and I would also assume once you cancel your insurance, the plate number goes back into the pool to be used again.



As for Treo they are run really poorly. Lots of reports of them not sending bills out then people find months later they owe money.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

behind the times in lotus land to think or worry about the important things

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

mean while, here in Ontario we still have the e-test (emission test) for vehicles. Mine is a 2002 with near on 300,000KM due to be tested early 2017

I have a 'check engine light' on. My mechanic tells me it needs a something or other sensor + module costing over $300 + labour.

With the new testing that is 'plug in the drive clean computer to my under the dash connector' the emissions testing drive clean folks computer scans & reports 'pass or fail'. If I have a check engine light on, I am told it WILL fail

Doing a scan of my in car computer, my mechanic resets it, tells me to drive the vehicle 100km then get it tested. That is what I did & it passed, good till 2019.

Sorted, I now have my 2017 plate sticker

I'm still driving the vehicle 5 days after the e-test & the check engine light has not reappeared.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Scan tools are $20 on eBay, easy to use and a must for most people who own a car in Ontario, as emissions are done thru the scan tool plug odb2

Mostly it's either the engine isn't warming up fast enough or the intake sensor gets grubby. Nothing to stress about and an easy re set, as N2O mech will testify to

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Random medical thought, even in this day and age of advanced medical treatments, our bodies can still stump doctors.

I assume if it hasn't killed me by now its not serious, but man does it make life a bit more complicated.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I got one of those Bluetooth ones that connects to an Android tablet (that I already owned) when my car had a persistent but intermittent fault. A free or v cheap app (Torque?) allowed me to check and reset the code. Turns out it was something to do with the complicated variable valve timing mechanism, caused by sludge in an oilway somewhere deep in the motor. A $20 oil flush cured it, which with the $15 cost of the OBDII reader was still a long way short of the nearly $200 the Honda shop had quoted just for running the diagnostic checks.

It's interesting, too, to see what else the thing can measure in real-time (when somebody else is driving, obvs...) - from oil pressure to intake air temperature to net fuel flow rate - and computed values such as fuel consumption or instantaneous g-force... pretty much anything the car measures and/or the tablet can sense. Apparently they're also useful on a track-day car, for overlaying acceleration/braking/gear-change and other diagnostic information onto a circuit map.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Power outage. Not good.

Corals not doing well. Hoping I don't lose the whole tank.

Car stuck in parkade as landlord won't pay anyone to come and manually open it.

Wife had to take taxi to work.

Luckily can get wifi from Safeway on the patio.

Seems a substation blew and it's a huge outage.

Fire lights in hallway only have 30 min battery power so now the hallway is pitch black, can't see a thing, had to feel the walls to lead to the exit door.


Anyone know how long freezer and fridge stuff will safely last without power if kept closed?

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Major transmission problem-affecting Abbotsford Chilliwack and Hope-apparently they have technicians on scene but no update as to when your power might come on again. Just keep the fridge/freezes shot and you should be good for a good number of hours:cool:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

do not open, should be good for several hours

Power should be restored within 24 hours

Get to the corner store, gas station or Safeway 4 hrs after blackout to purchase two or three bags of ice, place inside freezer & fridge, this should keep items cold without spoilage

Place towels in the bottom of the fridge as well as freezer space to soak up the melting ice

Get to a coffee shop (McD's) & keep calm

Good luck to you

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

They seem to be aiming for a 4p power return according to the phone center but subject to change.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Power is back on. Fridge stuff I checked with the thermometer still in the 38-40F range so still fine, freezer still cold at -10.


I am not sure the deign of these buildings with under ground parking is wise, or if our building is just messed up. First time living in a building with under ground parking.

There is no way to access the garage without using the elevator which of course doesn't work with no power.

There are doors to exit the garage to the street, but there is no way to access the garage from the street level.

So essentially in a power outage there is no way to access your car.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

You can see the blemishes on the outside of your body but very often you have absolutely no idea what's going on inside. Many heart or cancer patients have discovered this, much to their chagrin.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Never knew about this - wish I had heard of it 15 years ago when I was fit! Now this would have been quite some adventure to do..

https://thegreattrail.ca/

"Travel The Great Trail Your Way

Whether you are looking for a place to hike, cycle, paddle, ride, cross-country ski or snowmobile, you can find an experience that resonates with you. As the longest recreational trail in the world, The Great Trail offers a wide range of activities through a variety of landscapes – urban, rural and wilderness, along greenways, waterways and roadways.

True to its name, The Great Trail embodies the vastness of our terrain and the diversity of our people."

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Lovely but impractical advice. Where the hell does one buy dry ice? In the middle of a power cut??

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Perhaps wet ice will do the trick? :rofl:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I'd never heard of it as "The Great Trail", but as The Trans Canada Trail it's really old news. I don't like the way names are changed for no purpose other than to create confusion.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

“********, can you call Nando’s and order me two whole chickens, two double skewers and two orders of wings and 8 Portuguese buns for immediate pick up.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m, taking the afternoon off to go fishing.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s nice and sunny and the tide is perfect.”

“What’ll happen if ******* calls?”

“He’ll just call me direct.”

“But what if he calls the main number?”

“Then he’s a naffing p***.”

“Will you be in tomorrow?”

“Depends how much I drink while fishing.”

“See you on Monday then.” :lol:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Ahem. Please note Step 2.

http://www.icbc.com/vehicle-registra...ownership.aspx

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Many thanks for this useful advice... but...
All this was done.
The issue is that TREO operates a database that's completely independent of ICBC and relies, as I have only just discovered, on vehicle owners keeping their details up to date.
When they don't have a plate on file then they presumably only then contact ICBC for information as must have been the case the only time I traversed the Port Mann using the plate in question.
When they have a plate on file then they bill the individual linked to that plate irrespective of whether it is actually the current licensee of that particular plate.
It's clear that I'm not the only one not to know this since the current licensee has also failed to keep his/her details up to date.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Went to the immigration museum in Halifax yesterday and saw and old sign from the department of 'Manpower and Immigration' from 1968.

Was this CIC non politically correct name back then?

How many times have they changed the name because it's IRCC now?

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I stood on the sidewalk and watched them take down the sign that said Unemployment Centre and replace it with one saying Employment Centre.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

How did this other guy get hold of your plates? This sounds more like a police matter to me if as u said u removed the plates? Go look in shed see if some one nicked em !!

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I suppose nobody thought of just replacing Une with E :rofl:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I wondered that, then thought maybe they re-use numbers for new plates. Since the toll people aren't government they'd still have them registered to the OP.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

:nod:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

In BC you buy a new set of plates when you buy a car or renew insurance after having surrendered the old plates, eg to obtain a refund of unused insurance, eg when you sell the car.

You are not allowed to transfer plates between owners. The surrendered plate numbers then must re-enter the plate pool to be re-issued.

You will quickly realise that the ICBC system of plate allocation is open to abuse especially where third parties, who rely on plate recognition, is concerned.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I have a new rant.

I just discovered that a stop light had failed on my 2010 Toyota Matrix. Change the bulb I thought, easy.

The bulb holder is located in a hidden recessed circular cavity accessible from a removable piece of trim. 'Sounds straightforward' I hear you say. And so it is if you gave fingers that are 200mm long, each 3mm in diameter and fitted with 28 joints and a prehensile neck that allows you glimpse what you are trying to do.

What I'm trying to say is that it was a tricky and difficult job and it need not have been. The engineer who designed this catastrophe of a light fitting should have been sentenced to a lifetime of bulb replacement therapy.

Rant over.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

The Monkees :thumbsup:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Bloody Canada Geese! I walked out of a building this evening to find that huge skeins of the buggers were forming and flying down the Saint John River....they know that the winter is coming....and I would far rather accept anything else:eek:

It was minus 1 this morning, and plus 18 by lunch....please give a little more plus days for a while:o

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I've never liked this band, but I like this song, popped up on my FB this evening.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

WOW. I wold love to see that.

When your old cat has not much teeth to speak of, it is very foolhardy to walk past his bowl in your bare feet .

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I like 'em, lots.

Lonely Guy was my anthem :nod:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I've been seeing vast herds of them recently too.

On a brighter note, I'm still in shorts and I'm not done yet. Since the start of May we've only had seven days when it didn't get above 15 degrees (and that was in early June).

It's coming though. The daily lows are heading south rapidly.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I just saw someone wearing a Leicester/Vardy shirt in Moncton. :eek:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Popular in Toronto too. Seen a few about now.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Great Mysteries parts 37 and 52.

Why, when you've just made a fairly major purchase off Amazon - say a TV or Laptop - do they send you an email to say that based on your recent activity (when you bought said TV or Laptop) you might be interested in this TV or Laptop? :rofl:

If a Bank advertises it's low interest rate credit card plus a free balance transfer at zero interest for 10 months, why does it turn your application down because you "don't have enough income to take on any more debt" when the purpose of the application is to transfer your existing credit card debt, not only not taking on more debt but saving yourself monthly interest on it so that you do have more money available to clear the debt more quickly?