subject:"Re\: \[MBZ\] I Am Living Right"

And not to beat this to death, but I bristle a bit when people start ripping up 
HOAs, mainly because of the misunderstandings many have about them.

There’s no doubt that people abuse their power as board members in some cases, 
as well as form cabals with other members to control and abuse people. That 
sucks, to put it bluntly. My former and soon to be new neighborhood has exactly 
that. A former Marine officer who has been HOA president for going on 10 years 
because he’s intimidated everyone off of the Board. That won’t be for long, as 
I’ll be running for the Board over there once I’m a property owner. However, 
under the proper circumstances an HOA is a good thing and works well for what 
it’s intended in the majority of cases.

Some are really restrictive, like ones around here for million dollar homes in 
gated communities. Places that won’t let you ride a motorcycle, you have to 
trailer them in and out, and yes, that is a real bylaw in one I know for a 
fact. Tony Dungy, the former Buccaneers and Colts coach lives in that one.

As I stated previously, given the choice I would much rather have a “vast 
estate” as in Floyd’s situation, but that’s not in the cards for me, at least 
not as long as the spouse is present. If, G-d forbid, she kicked it, I would 
high-tail it to the styx in a heartbeat and start Okie Acres South.

Until then, I’ll gladly serve on the board and do what I can to maintain our 
community as best I can. Yeah, the old lady near the north entrance will pin me 
down at the grocery store and bitch about the guy across the street that 
doesn’t cut his lawn as often as she likes, and I’ll nod and feign interest and 
assure her I’ll have the management company look into it. Whether or not 
anything happens probably doesn’t matter to the old gal, she just wants to be 
able to rant at someone, and if that’s me I’m OK with it. She’ll wander off 
into the produce department and I’ll head down the dairy aisle, and all will be 
good. Until I see her next time.

D- Doing my civic duty

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 6:53 PM, Curley McLain via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> We spend winters in the HOA.   I've already related the experience.   If the 
> neighbors were not atypical, I would be fighting it.   "The colonel" used to 
> run it for decades, and would not have wanted to be there when she ran it. 
> Fortunately her retirement coincided with the acquisition.   Whenever she 
> shows up at a meeting she often gets her hackles up about something 
> insignificant.  Shes in her 90s now.   HOA meetings are mostly free 
> entertainment.
> 
> Conversely, the best community I lived in was Volcano Village.  Nice 
> community center, no dues. lots of activities, including cub Scouts, and 
> later Boy Scouts too.  NO HOA, No association of any kind.   The community 
> center had a board.  It regulated use of the community center, and sponsored 
> holiday events.
> 
> It was a very educated/intelligent 4000' community.  Few, if any busybodies, 
> but lots of neighborliness (perhaps because most were armed?)   My neighbor 
> cut lava blocks out of his lot to build his house.  He had a beautiful 
> garden, and grew most of his food.  Kept to himself, rarely left.  He was a 
> great neighbor.   Some people had junk cars.  some didn't.  Live and let 
> live.   if a junker was left for a year, the jungle grew over it.  Some 
> people had little more than shacks, others had somewhat large and very nice 
> houses.   It is the best place in the country, IMHO.
> 
> Oceanview was a very different community some 50 miles away.   Most people 
> there were antisocial, and most were involved some way with the pakalolo 
> industry.  But some just wanted to own a piece of paradise, even if water was 
> scarce, and if they had to drive 30-40 miles to work.   We had friends of 
> this type, who lived there.  Off grid.   Most people there had a homestead 
> that looked like a junkyard.   Most of them loved it.  They too had a 
> community association that sponsored events for holidays and such.  NO HOA, 
> no dictating what you have to do. Participants were mainly the second type, 
> but some of the pakalolo growers participated too.
> 
> Max Dillon via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 4:40 PM:
>> I'm thinking most of the anti-HOA comments come from folks who've only heard 
>> or read the horror stories, but never actually owned a home in an HOA.
>>  I'm retired Navy, grew up in the country hunting and fishing, and I'd much 
>> rather have a vast estate like Floyd and all the freedom that comes with it. 
>> However, I married a city girl, and need to live within a reasonable commute 
>> of work and schools, and given the choice I'd probably make the same 
>> decision and buy in an HOA.
>>  Are Dan and I the only list members with HOA experience?
>>  Kind of reminds me of the impression of America one gets watching the 
>> evening news, nothing but shootings and kidnappings and death and mayhem and 
>> corruption. Why would anyone

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

We spend winters in the HOA.   I've already related the experience.   If 
the neighbors were not atypical, I would be fighting it.   "The colonel" 
used to run it for decades, and would not have wanted to be there when 
she ran it. Fortunately her retirement coincided with the acquisition.   
Whenever she shows up at a meeting she often gets her hackles up about 
something insignificant.  Shes in her 90s now.   HOA meetings are mostly 
free entertainment.


Conversely, the best community I lived in was Volcano Village.  Nice 
community center, no dues. lots of activities, including cub Scouts, and 
later Boy Scouts too.  NO HOA, No association of any kind.   The 
community center had a board.  It regulated use of the community center, 
and sponsored holiday events.


It was a very educated/intelligent 4000' community.  Few, if any 
busybodies, but lots of neighborliness (perhaps because most were 
armed?)   My neighbor cut lava blocks out of his lot to build his 
house.  He had a beautiful garden, and grew most of his food.  Kept to 
himself, rarely left.  He was a great neighbor.   Some people had junk 
cars.  some didn't.  Live and let live.   if a junker was left for a 
year, the jungle grew over it.  Some people had little more than shacks, 
others had somewhat large and very nice houses.   It is the best place 
in the country, IMHO.


Oceanview was a very different community some 50 miles away.   Most 
people there were antisocial, and most were involved some way with the 
pakalolo industry.  But some just wanted to own a piece of paradise, 
even if water was scarce, and if they had to drive 30-40 miles to 
work.   We had friends of this type, who lived there.  Off grid.   Most 
people there had a homestead that looked like a junkyard.   Most of them 
loved it.  They too had a community association that sponsored events 
for holidays and such.  NO HOA, no dictating what you have to do. 
Participants were mainly the second type, but some of the pakalolo 
growers participated too.


Max Dillon via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 4:40 PM:

I'm thinking most of the anti-HOA comments come from folks who've only heard or 
read the horror stories, but never actually owned a home in an HOA.
  
I'm retired Navy, grew up in the country hunting and fishing, and I'd much rather have a vast estate like Floyd and all the freedom that comes with it. However, I married a city girl, and need to live within a reasonable commute of work and schools, and given the choice I'd probably make the same decision and buy in an HOA.
  
Are Dan and I the only list members with HOA experience?
  
Kind of reminds me of the impression of America one gets watching the evening news, nothing but shootings and kidnappings and death and mayhem and corruption. Why would anyone live in such a violent country?


Max Dillon
Charleston SC





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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Mitch Haley via Mercedes

One of the big ones I remember didn't even involve a HOA, his own government 
did it to him.
https://nypost.com/2015/07/30/pilot-hated-by-neighbors-for-storing-cessna-in-driveway/

> On October 21, 2019 at 6:28 PM Dan Penoff via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> 
> Quite true. The media likes to blow stuff like this up way out of proportion 
> as they are wont to do.

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

We’ve always been a “nice” HOA. When our HOA was turned over to the owners, the 
consensus was that we would be a “nice” HOA.

When the economy was crappy we split the assessment payments up into multiple 
installments ($200/year pad quarterly as opposed to a single payment) to make 
it easier for people to pay their assessment. On more than one occasion we 
deferred assessments for owners in financial distress. We talk to our owners 
when there is an issue or violation so they understand what’s being asked of 
them.

In a community of 250+ homes there are a couple of assh@ts. There always will 
be in a group of people that large. However, by and large the group is 
self-policing much like Curley’s neighbors are. Community pressure and gentle 
reminders/discussions tend to yield far better results, and people are far more 
cooperative when the relationship is non-adversarial.

Where we run into trouble is with institutional investors, like Invitation 
Homes and American Homes. They bought up a lot of mid-range properties when the 
economy was bad and turned them into rentals. As you might imagine, some 
renters don’t have a sense of ownership or community because they’re 
transitional. Dealing with these folks can be challenging, as can dealing with 
the management companies.

We recently lumped all of the violations for one of the management companies 
into a single legal action. They did not like this. It will cost them money to 
defend and sort out. However, it was the only way we could get them to respond 
and comply with our community standards. Big corporate entities tend to ignore 
groups like ours because they can. However, state law gives us far more power 
in the ability to “defend” our community and association, as they’re finding 
out.

We’ll get their properties in compliance and their sandbagging will cost them a 
lot of money.

-D

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 4:46 PM, Curley McLain via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> Daughter bought a house. No disclosure of HOA.   Lo and behold, there is a 
> HOA.  Got a copy of the bylaws.  Most of it is innocuous, but I am irritated 
> by "no clotheslines" one.   Why should "natural" and "energy saving" be 
> illegal? I'm inclined to claim "no disclosure, no HOA" but most of the 
> neighbors are very nice.  Many are retired military. (Just lost a WWII bomber 
> pilot and a korea war pilot)  The HOA spends the dues money to maintain the 
> entrances and such, so its an ok HOA.   We do some volunteer work for the HOA 
> in the winter. wunna the jackass neighbors called the city on her because 
> we let wildflowers bloom in parts of the yard before mowing.  City claimed 
> wildflowers are "noxious weeds."  Blah blah...
> 
> There are new owners of a house down the street from her.  He is military, 
> (deployed right after they moved in) and their kid was killed in a car 
> accident in town right after they moved in, so most neighbors are willing to 
> cut them some slack, but most of the time, they have 5-6 vehicles parked on 
> the grass (mostly dirt and tree roots now)in front of the 3-4000 ft sq ranch 
> house.  The house is situated long side to the street, so it is 70-80 feet 
> long.   HOA does not forbid this, (parking on what is supposed to be lawn) as 
> they all move, mostly daily. Neighbors are talking to them privately, asking 
> them to park in the drive or the paved backyard.   It has helped somewhat.  
> To me, sowing some tolerance, and talking with them privately is a better 
> approach than invoking the long arm of johnny law.   This too shall pass.  
> They will move, or their kids/renters will go, eventually.
> 
> G Mann via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 3:10 PM:
>> In Arizona, HOA's became so power mad the state had to legislate laws to
>> reign them in. Now, home owners have full legal recourse against HOA's who
>> abuse home owners and try to be self elected neighborhood dictators.
>> [Within the limits of the HOA protection laws in place.]
>> 
>> So, it is a two edge sword..
>> 
> 
> 
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

As they should. Same thing in Florida, which is why HOA and condo association 
law is pretty tightly controlled. It gets tighter and tighter every year, which 
is a good thing. I have to take a class on an annual basis to stay current with 
state law. We also employ a management company to handle most of our business, 
which shifts a lot of liability to them and away from the Board members.

Tough to get people to volunteer to serve if they have liability exposure.

-D


> On Oct 21, 2019, at 4:10 PM, G Mann via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> In Arizona, HOA's became so power mad the state had to legislate laws to
> reign them in. Now, home owners have full legal recourse against HOA's who
> abuse home owners and try to be self elected neighborhood dictators.
> [Within the limits of the HOA protection laws in place.]
> 
> So, it is a two edge sword..
> 
> On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:24 PM Randy Bennell via Mercedes <
> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> 
>> HOA's are something that we do not have here and it does not appear to
>> create any issues. If you buy in a decent area, most of the neighbours
>> tend to keep their places quite tidy.
>> There are some rules enforced by the city but not to seriously unless
>> there are complaints.
>> 
>> Randy
>> 
>> 
>> On 21/10/2019 12:35 PM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes wrote:
>>> Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
>>> settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
>>> some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?
>>> 
>>> On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:06 PM Curley McLain via Mercedes <
>>> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
>>> 
 The self-righteous, who want to be able to tell others how to "live
 right," want HOAs.
 
 Jim Cathey via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 9:19 AM:
>> I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.
> Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.
> 
> -- Jim
> 
 
 ___
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
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>> 
>> 
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Quite true. The media likes to blow stuff like this up way out of proportion as 
they are wont to do. I would add that condominium associations are a totally 
different animal and are typically the ones that garner bad press, as they have 
far more power in a number of areas regarding the community.

Believe me, much like Max, I would much rather have a vast estate with 
neighbors miles away, a large steel building for a shop, a place to park 
whatever cars follow me home, and a big honking berm for use as a pistol and 
rifle range. However, the spousal unit prefers next door neighbors and the 
proximity of retail and other establishments. Her call in this case.

None of the opinions expressed here are new or unusual. The State of Florida is 
especially sensitive to the HOA issue, as when you look at a house for 
purchase, the realtor has to give you a written disclosure that you must sign 
stating that you are aware that it is in a deed restricted community and to 
live in that community you must agree to abide by the bylaws and community 
standards.

You’ll see and sign a similar disclosure two more times if you buy the place. 
One at the time you tender an offer (a "planned development rider”) and again 
when you close on the property. That disclosure is an attestation on your part 
that you’ve read, understand, and agree to comply with said bylaws and 
standards. You don’t? No deal. It’s the law.

Believe it or not, people will sometimes go rogue on the association and refuse 
to comply with community standards, stating things like, “I never agreed to 
this” or the like. When that occurs we bring out a copy of their attestation 
and show them where they did, in fact, agree. That usually gets them to be far 
more amenable to working within the framework of the HOA. I’ve been involved in 
one instance where someone did not comply. Something like this gets turned over 
to our attorneys as prescribed by state law - not vindictiveness or hate from 
the Board. It’s not our choice.

The instance I speak of cost a property owner over $2k to resolve. This was 
over $400 of assessments (two years @ $200/year) they refused to pay. The rest 
was in interest, penalties and legal fees that accrued over the almost four 
years it took to resolve this. We had to foreclose on their home, more of a 
symbolic act than anything else as their bank is first in line, but this 
assures our attorney’s ability to collect in the event the home was sold or 
went into foreclosure. It also motivated their lender to put pressure on the 
owner to sort things out. Banks don’t like HOAs nipping at their heels. Again, 
this was not a Board action, it was dictated by state law.

Owner had to work out a payment plan with the attorney that took then 3 years 
to pay off. And that’s for being “most right” - and all of the actions by the 
HOA were not vindictive or hateful. We had to take action or violate our 
fiduciary duties. Ouch.

-D

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 5:40 PM, Max Dillon via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> 
> I'm thinking most of the anti-HOA comments come from folks who've only heard 
> or read the horror stories, but never actually owned a home in an HOA.
> 
> I'm retired Navy, grew up in the country hunting and fishing, and I'd much 
> rather have a vast estate like Floyd and all the freedom that comes with it. 
> However, I married a city girl, and need to live within a reasonable commute 
> of work and schools, and given the choice I'd probably make the same decision 
> and buy in an HOA.
> 
> Are Dan and I the only list members with HOA experience? 
> 
> Kind of reminds me of the impression of America one gets watching the evening 
> news, nothing but shootings and kidnappings and death and mayhem and 
> corruption. Why would anyone live in such a violent country?
> 
> Max Dillon
> Charleston SC
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
> 
> 

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Exactly.

-D

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 5:29 PM, Floyd Thursby via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> Hey, if he's happy... Merka!  Where we still have choices!
> 
> I'd eat my gun before I would live in a HOA community, but fortunately I can 
> choose not to do either.
> 
> --FT
> 
> On 10/21/19 5:26 PM, Randy Bennell via Mercedes wrote:
>> uh oh - Dan drank the kool-aide
>> 
>> Randy
>> 
>> 
>> 


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Max Dillon via Mercedes



I'm thinking most of the anti-HOA comments come from folks who've only heard or 
read the horror stories, but never actually owned a home in an HOA.
 
I'm retired Navy, grew up in the country hunting and fishing, and I'd much 
rather have a vast estate like Floyd and all the freedom that comes with it. 
However, I married a city girl, and need to live within a reasonable commute of 
work and schools, and given the choice I'd probably make the same decision and 
buy in an HOA.
 
Are Dan and I the only list members with HOA experience? 
 
Kind of reminds me of the impression of America one gets watching the evening 
news, nothing but shootings and kidnappings and death and mayhem and 
corruption. Why would anyone live in such a violent country?

Max Dillon
Charleston SC


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Floyd Thursby via Mercedes


Hey, if he's happy... Merka!  Where we still have choices!

I'd eat my gun before I would live in a HOA community, but fortunately I 
can choose not to do either.


--FT

On 10/21/19 5:26 PM, Randy Bennell via Mercedes wrote:

uh oh - Dan drank the kool-aide

Randy



On 21/10/2019 4:21 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote:
Our County does have such laws. That is not the purpose of an HOA, 
and it’s also an oft-repeated misstatement by the uninformed when the 
subject comes up. There is no straw man argument here.


The primary purpose of a homeowner association is to maintain and 
enhance property values. Period. People who buy homes in a community 
with a homeowner association typically place value on community 
appearance.


I can’t “pester” my neighbors, even as a board member. I have to 
adhere to a code of conduct and am bonded with a fiduciary duty to 
the Association. No such thing as a “condo commando” here. I have no 
more power over the Board or my neighbors than any other owner does. 
Yes, there are nightmarish stories about HOAs gone wild, but in 
reality they’re rare. The biggest problem most associations 
experience is the inability to get people to serve. I serve because 
it’s my way to give back to the community not because I “want to feel 
important". For that matter, a lot of people don’t want to servve on 
the Board because of the visibility it gives them. Much like an 
elected official, which Board members are, when someone sees you 
outside or at the grocery store, they have no qualms about cornering 
you to ask about something or gripe about another property owner. I 
don’t mind this at all, as it gives me the ability to problem solve 
and make my fellow property owners happy.


It takes a minimal amount of my time and allows me to better connect 
with my neighbors. I want my neighborhood to remain desirable and 
maintain it’s value, so this is how I can contribute to that effort. 
Yes, I get violation notices just like anyone else, and I don’t mind 
it. If something is out of whack I want to make sure it gets 
addressed, like the oil stains on the driveway. I pressure washed it 
yesterday after I finished working on the W211.


An HOA is not interested in enforcing existing laws, only community 
standards to assure the homes are maintained and somewhat consistent 
in design and appearance. Nothing more. If a property owner puts a 
car up on blocks or has a non-operating vehicle parked on the street 
for weeks, the County deals with it, not the HOA, just as the County 
would do anywhere else.


To quote from HOA-USA:

"Recent surveys show that over 70% of residents are satisfied and 
happy to live in a community with a homeowner association.


These association members want the protection of restrictive 
covenants and rules to protect the value of their home and community. 
They do not want an overgrown weed infested yard to stand out in an 
otherwise well landscaped community. They do not want boats and 
utility trailers and RVs and commercial vehicles parked in driveways 
and streets. They do not want the rogue neighbor to paint his house 
orange in protest. They do not want their neighbor to build a fence 
that blocks a beautiful view; much less a do it yourself home 
addition that goes on forever.


These association members want the value of shared amenities. They 
enjoy the pool, the tennis courts, and the clubhouse. They value the 
rules that set standards of conduct.”



We don’t have a community pool, tennis courts or clubhouse, but we do 
have a 60+ acre private park that belongs to us for the exclusive use 
of our owners and their guests. It’s a venue I’ve been trying for 
years to use for a "Florida Q” because it would be a great place for 
one.


The HOA promotes a sense of community here, and sponsors a number of 
events for the residents at no cost. For example, there is a 
“Halloween parade” for all the children in the neighborhood this 
month. It costs nothing to participate and is a means by which our 
neighbors get together and enjoy each other’s company.


So to my point - the HOA isn’t a bunch of Nazis going around busting 
your chops for a car on blocks in your front yard. It’s a means by 
which the collective community of owners use agreed upon standards to 
maintain their property values. To think anything different exhibits 
a clear misunderstanding of their purpose.


And I’ll leave it at that.

-D



On Oct 21, 2019, at 4:26 PM, Curley McLain via Mercedes 
 wrote:


Right.  The big reason for HOA regs that I hear most is "you don't 
want your neighbor to park cars in the yard on cement blocks."   
That is a straw man, because most burgs have laws/ordinances against 
that anyway.   I suspect Dan's city has the regulation.  So it BS as 
the argument for a HOA.


Holier than thou people like HOAs so they can pester their 
neighbors. It makes little people feel important.   Some of em ride 
hogs without mufflers to get attention.  others get elected to HOA

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Randy Bennell via Mercedes

uh oh - Dan drank the kool-aide

Randy

On 21/10/2019 4:21 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote:

Our County does have such laws. That is not the purpose of an HOA, and it’s
also an oft-repeated misstatement by the uninformed when the subject comes up.
There is no straw man argument here.

The primary purpose of a homeowner association is to maintain and enhance
property values. Period. People who buy homes in a community with a homeowner
association typically place value on community appearance.

I can’t “pester” my neighbors, even as a board member. I have to adhere to a code of
conduct and am bonded with a fiduciary duty to the Association. No such thing as a
“condo commando” here. I have no more power over the Board or my neighbors than any
other owner does. Yes, there are nightmarish stories about HOAs gone wild, but in
reality they’re rare. The biggest problem most associations experience is the
inability to get people to serve. I serve because it’s my way to give back to the
community not because I “want to feel important". For that matter, a lot of
people don’t want to servve on the Board because of the visibility it gives them.
Much like an elected official, which Board members are, when someone sees you
outside or at the grocery store, they have no qualms about cornering you to ask
about something or gripe about another property owner. I don’t mind this at all, as
it gives me the ability to problem solve and make my fellow property owners happy.

It takes a minimal amount of my time and allows me to better connect with my
neighbors. I want my neighborhood to remain desirable and maintain it’s value,
so this is how I can contribute to that effort. Yes, I get violation notices
just like anyone else, and I don’t mind it. If something is out of whack I want
to make sure it gets addressed, like the oil stains on the driveway. I pressure
washed it yesterday after I finished working on the W211.

An HOA is not interested in enforcing existing laws, only community standards
to assure the homes are maintained and somewhat consistent in design and
appearance. Nothing more. If a property owner puts a car up on blocks or has a
non-operating vehicle parked on the street for weeks, the County deals with it,
not the HOA, just as the County would do anywhere else.

To quote from HOA-USA:

"Recent surveys show that over 70% of residents are satisfied and happy to live
in a community with a homeowner association.

These association members want the protection of restrictive covenants and
rules to protect the value of their home and community. They do not want an
overgrown weed infested yard to stand out in an otherwise well landscaped
community. They do not want boats and utility trailers and RVs and commercial
vehicles parked in driveways and streets. They do not want the rogue neighbor
to paint his house orange in protest. They do not want their neighbor to build
a fence that blocks a beautiful view; much less a do it yourself home addition
that goes on forever.

These association members want the value of shared amenities. They enjoy the
pool, the tennis courts, and the clubhouse. They value the rules that set
standards of conduct.”

We don’t have a community pool, tennis courts or clubhouse, but we do have a 60+
acre private park that belongs to us for the exclusive use of our owners and their
guests. It’s a venue I’ve been trying for years to use for a "Florida Q”
because it would be a great place for one.

The HOA promotes a sense of community here, and sponsors a number of events for
the residents at no cost. For example, there is a “Halloween parade” for all
the children in the neighborhood this month. It costs nothing to participate
and is a means by which our neighbors get together and enjoy each other’s
company.

So to my point - the HOA isn’t a bunch of Nazis going around busting your chops
for a car on blocks in your front yard. It’s a means by which the collective
community of owners use agreed upon standards to maintain their property
values. To think anything different exhibits a clear misunderstanding of their
purpose.

And I’ll leave it at that.

-D

On Oct 21, 2019, at 4:26 PM, Curley McLain via Mercedes
wrote:

Right. The big reason for HOA regs that I hear most is "you don't want your
neighbor to park cars in the yard on cement blocks." That is a straw man, because
most burgs have laws/ordinances against that anyway. I suspect Dan's city has the
regulation. So it BS as the argument for a HOA.

Holier than thou people like HOAs so they can pester their neighbors. It makes
little people feel important. Some of em ride hogs without mufflers to get
attention. others get elected to HOA boards.

Randy Bennell via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 2:23 PM:

HOA's are something that we do not have here and it does not appear to create
any issues. If you buy in a decent area, most of the neighbours tend to keep
their places quite tidy.
There

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Our County does have such laws. That is not the purpose of an HOA, and it’s 
also an oft-repeated misstatement by the uninformed when the subject comes up. 
There is no straw man argument here.

The primary purpose of a homeowner association is to maintain and enhance 
property values. Period. People who buy homes in a community with a homeowner 
association typically place value on community appearance.

I can’t “pester” my neighbors, even as a board member. I have to adhere to a 
code of conduct and am bonded with a fiduciary duty to the Association. No such 
thing as a “condo commando” here. I have no more power over the Board or my 
neighbors than any other owner does. Yes, there are nightmarish stories about 
HOAs gone wild, but in reality they’re rare. The biggest problem most 
associations experience is the inability to get people to serve. I serve 
because it’s my way to give back to the community not because I “want to feel 
important". For that matter, a lot of people don’t want to servve on the Board 
because of the visibility it gives them. Much like an elected official, which 
Board members are, when someone sees you outside or at the grocery store, they 
have no qualms about cornering you to ask about something or gripe about 
another property owner. I don’t mind this at all, as it gives me the ability to 
problem solve and make my fellow property owners happy.

It takes a minimal amount of my time and allows me to better connect with my 
neighbors. I want my neighborhood to remain desirable and maintain it’s value, 
so this is how I can contribute to that effort. Yes, I get violation notices 
just like anyone else, and I don’t mind it. If something is out of whack I want 
to make sure it gets addressed, like the oil stains on the driveway. I pressure 
washed it yesterday after I finished working on the W211.

An HOA is not interested in enforcing existing laws, only community standards 
to assure the homes are maintained and somewhat consistent in design and 
appearance. Nothing more. If a property owner puts a car up on blocks or has a 
non-operating vehicle parked on the street for weeks, the County deals with it, 
not the HOA, just as the County would do anywhere else.

To quote from HOA-USA:

"Recent surveys show that over 70% of residents are satisfied and happy to live 
in a community with a homeowner association.

These association members want the protection of restrictive covenants and 
rules to protect the value of their home and community. They do not want an 
overgrown weed infested yard to stand out in an otherwise well landscaped 
community. They do not want boats and utility trailers and RVs and commercial 
vehicles parked in driveways and streets. They do not want the rogue neighbor 
to paint his house orange in protest. They do not want their neighbor to build 
a fence that blocks a beautiful view; much less a do it yourself home addition 
that goes on forever.

These association members want the value of shared amenities. They enjoy the 
pool, the tennis courts, and the clubhouse. They value the rules that set 
standards of conduct.”

We don’t have a community pool, tennis courts or clubhouse, but we do have a 
60+ acre private park that belongs to us for the exclusive use of our owners 
and their guests. It’s a venue I’ve been trying for years to use for a "Florida 
Q” because it would be a great place for one.

The HOA promotes a sense of community here, and sponsors a number of events for 
the residents at no cost. For example, there is a “Halloween parade” for all 
the children in the neighborhood this month. It costs nothing to participate 
and is a means by which our neighbors get together and enjoy each other’s 
company.

So to my point - the HOA isn’t a bunch of Nazis going around busting your chops 
for a car on blocks in your front yard. It’s a means by which the collective 
community of owners use agreed upon standards to maintain their property 
values. To think anything different exhibits a clear misunderstanding of their 
purpose.

And I’ll leave it at that.

-D

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 4:26 PM, Curley McLain via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> Right.  The big reason for HOA regs that I hear most is "you don't want your 
> neighbor to park cars in the yard on cement blocks."   That is a straw man, 
> because most burgs have laws/ordinances against that anyway.   I suspect 
> Dan's city has the regulation.  So it BS as the argument for a HOA.
> 
> Holier than thou people like HOAs so they can pester their neighbors. It 
> makes little people feel important.   Some of em ride hogs without mufflers 
> to get attention.  others get elected to HOA boards.
> 
> Randy Bennell via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 2:23 PM:
>> HOA's are something that we do not have here and it does not appear to 
>> create any issues. If you buy in a decent area, most of the neighbours tend 
>> to keep their places quite tidy.
>> There are some rules enforced by the city but not to seriously

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Daughter bought a house. No disclosure of HOA.   Lo and behold, there is 
a HOA.  Got a copy of the bylaws.  Most of it is innocuous, but I am 
irritated by "no clotheslines" one.   Why should "natural" and "energy 
saving" be illegal? I'm inclined to claim "no disclosure, no HOA" 
but most of the neighbors are very nice.  Many are retired military. 
(Just lost a WWII bomber pilot and a korea war pilot)  The HOA spends 
the dues money to maintain the entrances and such, so its an ok HOA.   
We do some volunteer work for the HOA in the winter. wunna the 
jackass neighbors called the city on her because we let wildflowers 
bloom in parts of the yard before mowing.  City claimed wildflowers are 
"noxious weeds."  Blah blah...


There are new owners of a house down the street from her.  He is 
military, (deployed right after they moved in) and their kid was killed 
in a car accident in town right after they moved in, so most neighbors 
are willing to cut them some slack, but most of the time, they have 5-6 
vehicles parked on the grass (mostly dirt and tree roots now)in front of 
the 3-4000 ft sq ranch house.  The house is situated long side to the 
street, so it is 70-80 feet long.   HOA does not forbid this, (parking 
on what is supposed to be lawn) as they all move, mostly daily. 
Neighbors are talking to them privately, asking them to park in the 
drive or the paved backyard.   It has helped somewhat.  To me, sowing 
some tolerance, and talking with them privately is a better approach 
than invoking the long arm of johnny law.   This too shall pass.  They 
will move, or their kids/renters will go, eventually.


G Mann via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 3:10 PM:

In Arizona, HOA's became so power mad the state had to legislate laws to
reign them in. Now, home owners have full legal recourse against HOA's who
abuse home owners and try to be self elected neighborhood dictators.
[Within the limits of the HOA protection laws in place.]

So, it is a two edge sword..




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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Right.  The big reason for HOA regs that I hear most is "you don't want 
your neighbor to park cars in the yard on cement blocks."   That is a 
straw man, because most burgs have laws/ordinances against that 
anyway.   I suspect Dan's city has the regulation.  So it BS as the 
argument for a HOA.


Holier than thou people like HOAs so they can pester their neighbors. It 
makes little people feel important.   Some of em ride hogs without 
mufflers to get attention.  others get elected to HOA boards.


Randy Bennell via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 2:23 PM:
HOA's are something that we do not have here and it does not appear to 
create any issues. If you buy in a decent area, most of the neighbours 
tend to keep their places quite tidy.
There are some rules enforced by the city but not to seriously unless 
there are complaints.


Randy




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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread G Mann via Mercedes

In Arizona, HOA's became so power mad the state had to legislate laws to
reign them in. Now, home owners have full legal recourse against HOA's who
abuse home owners and try to be self elected neighborhood dictators.
[Within the limits of the HOA protection laws in place.]

So, it is a two edge sword..

On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:24 PM Randy Bennell via Mercedes <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:

> HOA's are something that we do not have here and it does not appear to
> create any issues. If you buy in a decent area, most of the neighbours
> tend to keep their places quite tidy.
> There are some rules enforced by the city but not to seriously unless
> there are complaints.
>
> Randy
>
>
> On 21/10/2019 12:35 PM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes wrote:
> > Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
> > settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
> > some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?
> >
> > On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:06 PM Curley McLain via Mercedes <
> > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> >
> >> The self-righteous, who want to be able to tell others how to "live
> >> right," want HOAs.
> >>
> >> Jim Cathey via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 9:19 AM:
>  I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.
> >>> Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.
> >>>
> >>> -- Jim
> >>>
> >>
> >> ___
>
>
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Kaleb Striplin via Mercedes

I like to have junk around

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 2:55 PM, Dan--- via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> While I think that some of you are grossly exaggerating the effect of an HOA, 
> I fully understand the desire to have no restrictions on the use of your 
> property. In my case I prefer to know that my property value will be 
> protected if not enhanced by the presence of an HOA, and in order to achieve 
> this I’ll gladly comply with community standards in place for my community.
> 
> And it’s also clear that there is a misunderstanding of how HOAs work. As an 
> FYI, rules or standards can’t be established arbitrarily, they have to be 
> voted on and approved by 2/3 of the ownership in my community. With over 250 
> properties, it’s a struggle to get 50% to respond to a proxy mailing much 
> less get a majority. They also can’t conflict with laws covering ownership or 
> Fair Housing laws, too. In other words, Jim’s paranoia about defining who can 
> live in the house is simply misguided and wrong.
> 
> In my community the “rules” as it were pertain mainly to things like house 
> paint and roofing colors, landscaping and some basic land use. The County has 
> ordinances covering things like occupancy and use, that's well beyond an 
> HOA’s responsibilities.
> 
> Again, to each his or her own. I have chosen to live in a suburban community 
> that has standards in place to maintain and enhance property value, as that’s 
> important to me.
> 
> -D
> 
> On Oct 21, 2019, at 2:36 PM, Jim Cathey via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
>>> a real j**k could move in next door...
>> 
>> I have a friend who _owned_ the property in question, and a real
>> jerk moved in.  Couldn't get rid of them, of course.  Renters' rights...
>> 
>> -- Jim
>> 
>> ___
>> http://www.okiebenz.com
>> 
>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
>> 
>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

> Jim’s paranoia about defining who can live in the house is simply misguided 
> and wrong.

Not paranoid.  Just sparking a philosophical discussion.
What if I can provide statistics that prove that black families'
neighborhoods are worth less than whites'?  Should I not be able to
protect my housing investment?  "There goes the neighborhood!"

I'm a firm believer in the law of unintended consequences, in light
of which _all_ restrictions should be thoroughly chewed over, with
plenty of devil's advocacy.  It really, IMHO, comes down to what kind
of people do we want to be?  Free?  Brave?  Tolerant?  Or... otherwise.

But the locality that says you can't have a flagpole,
or an RV _and_ a boat, really galls me.  Especially since
it's rural acreage!

-- Jim


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Randy Bennell via Mercedes

HOA's are something that we do not have here and it does not appear to 
create any issues. If you buy in a decent area, most of the neighbours 
tend to keep their places quite tidy.
There are some rules enforced by the city but not to seriously unless 
there are complaints.


Randy


On 21/10/2019 12:35 PM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes wrote:

Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?

On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:06 PM Curley McLain via Mercedes <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:


The self-righteous, who want to be able to tell others how to "live
right," want HOAs.

Jim Cathey via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 9:19 AM:

I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.

Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.

-- Jim



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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Dan--- via Mercedes

While I think that some of you are grossly exaggerating the effect of an HOA, I 
fully understand the desire to have no restrictions on the use of your 
property. In my case I prefer to know that my property value will be protected 
if not enhanced by the presence of an HOA, and in order to achieve this I’ll 
gladly comply with community standards in place for my community.

And it’s also clear that there is a misunderstanding of how HOAs work. As an 
FYI, rules or standards can’t be established arbitrarily, they have to be voted 
on and approved by 2/3 of the ownership in my community. With over 250 
properties, it’s a struggle to get 50% to respond to a proxy mailing much less 
get a majority. They also can’t conflict with laws covering ownership or Fair 
Housing laws, too. In other words, Jim’s paranoia about defining who can live 
in the house is simply misguided and wrong.

In my community the “rules” as it were pertain mainly to things like house 
paint and roofing colors, landscaping and some basic land use. The County has 
ordinances covering things like occupancy and use, that's well beyond an HOA’s 
responsibilities.

Again, to each his or her own. I have chosen to live in a suburban community 
that has standards in place to maintain and enhance property value, as that’s 
important to me.

-D

On Oct 21, 2019, at 2:36 PM, Jim Cathey via Mercedes  
wrote:

>> a real j**k could move in next door...
> 
> I have a friend who _owned_ the property in question, and a real
> jerk moved in.  Couldn't get rid of them, of course.  Renters' rights...
> 
> -- Jim
> 
> ___
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> 
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> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
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> 
> 

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

> a real j**k could move in next door...

I have a friend who _owned_ the property in question, and a real
jerk moved in.  Couldn't get rid of them, of course.  Renters' rights...

-- Jim

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Curt Raymond via Mercedes

 Until somebody steals your dog out of your front yard...
I don't like anybody having the right to tell me what I can and cannot do on my 
own property.
Thats what I really like about our place in Maine, when we built the garage dad 
and I went to pull a building permit, the clerk laughed us out "For a garage on 
a farm? Just build it!" So we did...
To counter Dan's point, homes outside of HOAs tend to be less expensive. ;)
-Curt

On Monday, October 21, 2019, 2:03:38 PM EDT, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes 
 wrote:  
 
 I agree it can get really asinine, but if you want the freedom from
interference by officious neighbors then you must accept the chance that a
real j**k could move in next door and park his junk (non Mercedes) cars in
the front yard for you and any future property buyers to see.

Our subdivision doesn't have a HOA but there is an overall covenant
prohibiting any fences in front yards.  I see nothing wrong with that.

On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 1:52 PM Jim Cathey  wrote:

> > Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
> > settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
> > some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?
>
> But where does it stop?  If you don't want 'their kind' next to you,
> can/should
> you dictate what vehicles they can even own?  (Must own at least one EV,
> to prove their progressive attitudes.)  Their jobs?  (Must have adequate
> income
> and political sensitivity, in order to preserve 'our' way of life.)  Too
> many/few
> kids for your liking?  Too old?  Too young?  Too black?  Too white?  Too
> many/few
> penises and/or vaginas in the household?  Too ambiguous regarding same?
>
> We have a neighbor, retired Navy.  His HOA prohibits his erecting a
> flagpole.
> Nice.
>
> Yesterday I watched (Netflix) a recent film adaptation of "The Little
> Prince".
> Very well done.  The neighborhood absolutely _screamed_ HOA to me,
> but I know which neighbor I'd rather have!
>
> -- Jim
>
>
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes

I agree it can get really asinine, but if you want the freedom from
interference by officious neighbors then you must accept the chance that a
real j**k could move in next door and park his junk (non Mercedes) cars in
the front yard for you and any future property buyers to see.

Our subdivision doesn't have a HOA but there is an overall covenant
prohibiting any fences in front yards.  I see nothing wrong with that.

On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 1:52 PM Jim Cathey  wrote:

> > Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
> > settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
> > some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?
>
> But where does it stop?  If you don't want 'their kind' next to you,
> can/should
> you dictate what vehicles they can even own?  (Must own at least one EV,
> to prove their progressive attitudes.)  Their jobs?  (Must have adequate
> income
> and political sensitivity, in order to preserve 'our' way of life.)  Too
> many/few
> kids for your liking?  Too old?  Too young?  Too black?  Too white?  Too
> many/few
> penises and/or vaginas in the household?  Too ambiguous regarding same?
>
> We have a neighbor, retired Navy.  His HOA prohibits his erecting a
> flagpole.
> Nice.
>
> Yesterday I watched (Netflix) a recent film adaptation of "The Little
> Prince".
> Very well done.  The neighborhood absolutely _screamed_ HOA to me,
> but I know which neighbor I'd rather have!
>
> -- Jim
>
>
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Dan--- via Mercedes

I’m not going to get into the discussion over HOAs versus no restrictions, but 
this is a point well taken and one side of the HOA/deed restrictions discussion 
that rarely comes to light.

An HOA doesn’t “tell you how to live (right)”.  Bylaws and covenants outline 
community standards that have to be met or exceeded. Most are pretty simple, 
but I do believe that for many who opt into a deed restricted community do so 
for the reason above - they’ve  made a substantial investment in their home and 
want to do whatever possible to protect the value of their investment. I can 
assure you that property values for comparable homes that I see are noticeably 
higher for the property that’s in a deed restricted community. There’s a reason 
for this.

Whether you live in a deed restricted community or not, you are probably not 
aware that your municipality has ordinances in place that serve much the same 
purpose, for example, the inability to render animals or make soap. I’ve seen 
these very restrictions in place on several properties we’ve owned over the 
years that were not in deed restricted communities. Sure, you’re not going to 
pull the “Granny from Beverly Hillbillies” stuff around your cement pond, but 
who’s to say your neighbor won’t decide to do so?

My point is that HOAs or deed restrictions are not nearly as onerous as most 
people make them out to be, that’s all.

-D

> On Oct 21, 2019, at 1:35 PM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
> settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
> some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?
> 
> On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:06 PM Curley McLain via Mercedes <
> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> 
>> The self-righteous, who want to be able to tell others how to "live
>> right," want HOAs.
>> 
>> Jim Cathey via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 9:19 AM:
 I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.
>>> Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.
>>> 
>>> -- Jim
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ___
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>> 
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

> Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
> settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
> some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?

But where does it stop?  If you don't want 'their kind' next to you, can/should
you dictate what vehicles they can even own?  (Must own at least one EV,
to prove their progressive attitudes.)  Their jobs?  (Must have adequate income
and political sensitivity, in order to preserve 'our' way of life.)  Too 
many/few
kids for your liking?  Too old?  Too young?  Too black?  Too white?  Too 
many/few
penises and/or vaginas in the household?  Too ambiguous regarding same?

We have a neighbor, retired Navy.  His HOA prohibits his erecting a flagpole.
Nice.

Yesterday I watched (Netflix) a recent film adaptation of "The Little Prince".
Very well done.  The neighborhood absolutely _screamed_ HOA to me,
but I know which neighbor I'd rather have!

-- Jim


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Curt Raymond via Mercedes

 I agree. HOAs limit both ways and appear to me to only be valuable to the 
curtain twitching bores of the world.
Watch the new Adams Family movie, its got an interesting commentary on 
homogeneity. I certainly prefer the company of the weirdos and oddballs that 
have no place in an HOA.

-Curt

On Monday, October 21, 2019, 1:53:24 PM EDT, Jim Cathey via Mercedes 
 wrote:  

 > Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
> settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
> some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?

But where does it stop?  If you don't want 'their kind' next to you, can/should
you dictate what vehicles they can even own?  (Must own at least one EV,
to prove their progressive attitudes.)  Their jobs?  (Must have adequate income
and political sensitivity, in order to preserve 'our' way of life.)  Too 
many/few
kids for your liking?  Too old?  Too young?  Too black?  Too white?  Too 
many/few
penises and/or vaginas in the household?  Too ambiguous regarding same?

We have a neighbor, retired Navy.  His HOA prohibits his erecting a flagpole.
Nice.

Yesterday I watched (Netflix) a recent film adaptation of "The Little Prince".
Very well done.  The neighborhood absolutely _screamed_ HOA to me,
but I know which neighbor I'd rather have!

-- Jim

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes

Not to be a contrarian, but if you have hocked your financial future to
settle down as a homeowner in suburbia, isn't it in you interest to have
some assurance that a sloppy neighbor won't drag down home values?

On Mon, Oct 21, 2019 at 12:06 PM Curley McLain via Mercedes <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:

> The self-righteous, who want to be able to tell others how to "live
> right," want HOAs.
>
> Jim Cathey via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 9:19 AM:
> >> I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.
> > Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.
> >
> > -- Jim
> >
>
>
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

The self-righteous, who want to be able to tell others how to "live 
right," want HOAs.


Jim Cathey via Mercedes wrote on 10/21/19 9:19 AM:

I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.

Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.

-- Jim




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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

> I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA.

Sure you can: all the asshats are prime examples.

-- Jim


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread Max Dillon via Mercedes


Does it also work for line cutting, for instance at the grocery check out?

Max Dillon
Charleston SC

Mon Oct 21 05:07:10 EDT 2019 Dan Penoff via Mercedes :
 
> I did. It was much the same as the others that were offered in the same price 
> range. However, it did not smell of Chinesium when I got it, so that was a 
> good thing.
> 
> And it’s a floor polish and desert topping, too!
> 
> -D
> 
> 
> 
>> On Oct 21, 2019, at 3:41 AM, fmiser via Mercedes  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> Dan wrote:
>>> 
>> You use a seat cutting tool like this:
>>> 
>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> Whaa?
>> 
>> Did you read the description?
>> 
>> 
>> FUNCTION - One end is a seatbelt cutter for cutting seatbelt, and
>>  the other end is the window breaker tool with two hardened
>>  sharp and heavy carbon steel points,and this car hammer is
>>  very sharp and easy to break out the window for life-saving
>> 
>> FEATURES - High performance and durable. Double-tipped hammers
>>  which are made of high grade carbon steel combined with
>>  engineering plastics 
>> 
>> 
>> ___
>> http://www.okiebenz.com
>> 
>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
>> 
>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

I did. It was much the same as the others that were offered in the same price 
range. However, it did not smell of Chinesium when I got it, so that was a good 
thing.

And it’s a floor polish and desert topping, too!

-D


> On Oct 21, 2019, at 3:41 AM, fmiser via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
>> Dan wrote:
> 
>> You use a seat cutting tool like this:
> 
>> 
> 
> Whaa?
> 
> Did you read the description?
> 
> 
> FUNCTION - One end is a seatbelt cutter for cutting seatbelt, and
>the other end is the window breaker tool with two hardened
>sharp and heavy carbon steel points,and this car hammer is
>very sharp and easy to break out the window for life-saving
> 
> FEATURES - High performance and durable. Double-tipped hammers
>which are made of high grade carbon steel combined with
>engineering plastics 
> 
> 
> ___
> http://www.okiebenz.com
> 
> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
> 
> 


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-21 Thread fmiser via Mercedes

> Dan wrote:

> You use a seat cutting tool like this:

> 

Whaa?

Did you read the description?


 FUNCTION - One end is a seatbelt cutter for cutting seatbelt, and
the other end is the window breaker tool with two hardened
sharp and heavy carbon steel points,and this car hammer is
very sharp and easy to break out the window for life-saving

 FEATURES - High performance and durable. Double-tipped hammers
which are made of high grade carbon steel combined with
engineering plastics 


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Craig via Mercedes

On Sun, 20 Oct 2019 20:46:20 -0400 Dan Penoff via Mercedes
 wrote:

> As an aside, I made sure nothing got into the cylinders while I was
> cleaning and cutting by removing the glow plugs and blowing compressed
> air into the glow plug ports while I was working in the injector bores.

Great idea, Dan!


Craig

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right - LONG

Wow, that’s steep. My new house is getting inspected by the same guys that 
inspected my current home for me on Tuesday. $475. And that includes a wind 
mitigation survey, which is critical here as it guarantees to your insurer that 
your roof is up to code. My insurance last year with a 20 year old roof was 
around $1700. When I got my roof replaced and had a wind mitigation study done, 
my new insurance dropped to $1200.

-D


> On Oct 20, 2019, at 9:15 PM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> You should get licensed as a home inspector.  They charge $750 per house
> around here.
> 
> On Sun, Oct 20, 2019 at 8:35 PM Buggered Benzmail via Mercedes <
> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> 
>> Great story!
>> 
>> --FT
>> Sent from iPhone
>> 
>>> On Oct 20, 2019, at 8:01 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes <
>> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Not the house I built in Florida with a spec home builder. We were their
>> worst nightmare as we’ve built several houses, some ourselves, some using a
>> general contractor who subbed much of it out to us.
>>> 
>>> Read some of the anecdotes. You’ll understand why I said what I did:
>>> 
>>> We red-lined medicine cabinets in all the bathrooms. Interior framers
>> went ahead and framed in for them anyway. Not a big deal as long as the
>> finish carpenters don’t cut them out. Again, we went around and marked the
>> drywall so the finish carpenters knew not to cut out the openings for
>> medicine cabinets. They cut one out before we could stop them. Builder said
>> they would have the hole patched. No you won’t, we told them. It’s MR
>> (moisture resistant or “greenboard”) board and there can’t be any holes in
>> it. Fast forward several days and nothing is done with it. One morning I
>> get a call from the job super in a huge panic. "Someone is vandalizing your
>> home!!!" I pause and give it some thought. “I doubt it. I suspect that’s
>> the wife providing some nonverbal feedback.” Yup, they had patched the
>> hole. She saw it on her daily morning walk through, went out to her car,
>> got a hammer and punched holes in the rest of the drywall sheet so it had
>> to be replaced as we specified.
>>> 
>>> I was looking at the interior framing one evening when we were doing our
>> twice daily inspections. I noticed that the wall between out dining room
>> and laundry room, which had the dryer vent going up to the roof through it,
>> was a standard 2x4 wall. So there’s a 4” metal vent pipe in a wall that’s
>> 3-1/2” thick. Yeah, I don’t think so. Job super says “Yeah, we do them all
>> that way. It’s not a problem, the vent pipe just flattens out a little.
>> Nope. Better comply with code, guys, and put in a 2x6 wall to accommodate
>> the 4” pipe. They did.
>>> 
>>> Same wall was curved. I mean curved. I don’t recall what spec was,
>> something like no more than 3/8” deviation in a 6 foot run, something like
>> that. I took my 8’ carpenter’s level and struck a line to show the wall was
>> well outside the spec. They tore it out and did it again, and the new wall
>> was square/plumb. Amazing!
>>> 
>>> Doing the final punch list we pointed out that there were no switches
>> for the spa pump and heater on the wall of the lanai like there was in the
>> model. “Oh, we don’t do those, they’re only in the model.” Pull out copy of
>> the construction contract. “Spa pump and heater with all wiring and
>> installation, as shown in model.” Yeah, sorry, but you’re doing them in
>> this house. Two days later an electrician came out and wired the switches
>> for our spa pump and heater on the wall of the lanai. The punctuation on
>> this - when we did the final-final punch list, the job super gave us the
>> switch box from the model labeled “spa pump/heater”. It was empty. It was a
>> dummy and had never been connected to anything.
>>> 
>>> Lastly, not long after we moved in, we received a bill from the local
>> propane supplier. It was for the initial fill and also had a line for the
>> tank lease on it. We never signed a lease for a propane tank. We had a 100
>> gallon propane tank buried in the front yard to feed our gas appliances,
>> fireplace and spa heater. It was an addendum to the construction contract
>> done at the time of purchase. Contract stated, “Builder shall provide 100
>> gallon propane tank and all related piping, valves and hardware for spa
>> heater, fireplace, etc., etc.” We called the builder and asked them what
>> was up. “Oh, all the tanks are leased.” Yeah, I’m afraid not, as we paid
>> for this tank as a part of the contract." They had to buy out the lease
>> from the propane supplier.
>>> 
>>> These are just a small sample of the crazy sh*t that took place the one
>> time we used a spec home builder. They handed out these little carbonless
>> forms that you could fill out and turn in to the office if you found
>> something wrong. They ended up giving us a whole box of the forms.
>>> 
>>> And the really sad part is that we didn’t do anything but hold them to

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right - LONG

2019-10-20 Thread Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes

You should get licensed as a home inspector.  They charge $750 per house
around here.

On Sun, Oct 20, 2019 at 8:35 PM Buggered Benzmail via Mercedes <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:

> Great story!
>
> --FT
> Sent from iPhone
>
> > On Oct 20, 2019, at 8:01 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes <
> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> >
> > Not the house I built in Florida with a spec home builder. We were their
> worst nightmare as we’ve built several houses, some ourselves, some using a
> general contractor who subbed much of it out to us.
> >
> > Read some of the anecdotes. You’ll understand why I said what I did:
> >
> > We red-lined medicine cabinets in all the bathrooms. Interior framers
> went ahead and framed in for them anyway. Not a big deal as long as the
> finish carpenters don’t cut them out. Again, we went around and marked the
> drywall so the finish carpenters knew not to cut out the openings for
> medicine cabinets. They cut one out before we could stop them. Builder said
> they would have the hole patched. No you won’t, we told them. It’s MR
> (moisture resistant or “greenboard”) board and there can’t be any holes in
> it. Fast forward several days and nothing is done with it. One morning I
> get a call from the job super in a huge panic. "Someone is vandalizing your
> home!!!" I pause and give it some thought. “I doubt it. I suspect that’s
> the wife providing some nonverbal feedback.” Yup, they had patched the
> hole. She saw it on her daily morning walk through, went out to her car,
> got a hammer and punched holes in the rest of the drywall sheet so it had
> to be replaced as we specified.
> >
> > I was looking at the interior framing one evening when we were doing our
> twice daily inspections. I noticed that the wall between out dining room
> and laundry room, which had the dryer vent going up to the roof through it,
> was a standard 2x4 wall. So there’s a 4” metal vent pipe in a wall that’s
> 3-1/2” thick. Yeah, I don’t think so. Job super says “Yeah, we do them all
> that way. It’s not a problem, the vent pipe just flattens out a little.
> Nope. Better comply with code, guys, and put in a 2x6 wall to accommodate
> the 4” pipe. They did.
> >
> > Same wall was curved. I mean curved. I don’t recall what spec was,
> something like no more than 3/8” deviation in a 6 foot run, something like
> that. I took my 8’ carpenter’s level and struck a line to show the wall was
> well outside the spec. They tore it out and did it again, and the new wall
> was square/plumb. Amazing!
> >
> > Doing the final punch list we pointed out that there were no switches
> for the spa pump and heater on the wall of the lanai like there was in the
> model. “Oh, we don’t do those, they’re only in the model.” Pull out copy of
> the construction contract. “Spa pump and heater with all wiring and
> installation, as shown in model.” Yeah, sorry, but you’re doing them in
> this house. Two days later an electrician came out and wired the switches
> for our spa pump and heater on the wall of the lanai. The punctuation on
> this - when we did the final-final punch list, the job super gave us the
> switch box from the model labeled “spa pump/heater”. It was empty. It was a
> dummy and had never been connected to anything.
> >
> > Lastly, not long after we moved in, we received a bill from the local
> propane supplier. It was for the initial fill and also had a line for the
> tank lease on it. We never signed a lease for a propane tank. We had a 100
> gallon propane tank buried in the front yard to feed our gas appliances,
> fireplace and spa heater. It was an addendum to the construction contract
> done at the time of purchase. Contract stated, “Builder shall provide 100
> gallon propane tank and all related piping, valves and hardware for spa
> heater, fireplace, etc., etc.” We called the builder and asked them what
> was up. “Oh, all the tanks are leased.” Yeah, I’m afraid not, as we paid
> for this tank as a part of the contract." They had to buy out the lease
> from the propane supplier.
> >
> > These are just a small sample of the crazy sh*t that took place the one
> time we used a spec home builder. They handed out these little carbonless
> forms that you could fill out and turn in to the office if you found
> something wrong. They ended up giving us a whole box of the forms.
> >
> > And the really sad part is that we didn’t do anything but hold them to
> the terms of their contract. We asked for nothing that wasn’t stated or
> defined in the contract. What’s worse is the thought about how bad they
> hosed other people’s homes up who either weren't involved in the
> construction or didn’t know any better. G-d forbid if you bought an
> inventory home from them!
> >
> > This is typical spec home builder behavior, I might add. They were so
> upset with us that when the house was almost finished out they banned us
> from the property and hired a security guard to sit in front of the place
> after hours. Dipsh*t never got out of his

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

The OM648 has flat seats where the copper sealing ring goes between the head 
and the injector. Much like the “heat shield” of the OM617, only copper, and 
the injector is held in place with a forked clamp that goes around recesses on 
each side of the injector body and has a hold down bolt threaded into the head.

You use a seat cutting tool like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HH9MDF7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8=1

It works for a number of different common rail engines like the OM648, which in 
this case, has 17mm flat seats.

In this case it would appear that no one had cut the seats in some time. They 
were clearly “dished” in shape as the old copper washers indicated when they 
were removed. The sealing washers/rings should have been flat. In this case the 
condition just contributed to the leaking of the injectors, as the copper 
washer wasn’t sealing properly. When I ran the seat cutter the first few turns 
only the very outer portion of the seat was cut, like maybe a millimeter or so 
around the outside. I had to cut for a bit to get the seats flat again.

Consider that if the seats aren’t flat that combustion gasses will quickly find 
a way past the sealing ring. I suspect this contributed to the seat wear or 
distortion, especially based on the mileage on this engine (+327k).

Interestingly, some owners in Europe have had good results using a slightly 
thicker copper washer that is used by Honda in some of their over the road 
diesels. It looks like these might have been used in this car, as the copper 
washers I removed from the engine were definitely thicker than the washers 
supplied by Mercedes.

In other words, someone down the line was cutting corners and not seats. This 
was just on cylinders #3 and #4, the remaining cylinders are not seeping or 
leaking, so I’m not touching them. At least now I know what’s required to do 
the job should it occur again.

As an aside, I made sure nothing got into the cylinders while I was cleaning 
and cutting by removing the glow plugs and blowing compressed air into the glow 
plug ports while I was working in the injector bores.

-D

> On Oct 20, 2019, at 8:30 PM, Curley McLain via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> Just curious, should I ever have to deal with one of these Lektronic demons, 
> How do you "cut the seat?"   MFI OM engines have tapered seals, as you know.
> 
> I never heard of this.
> 
> Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote on 10/20/19 1:45 PM:
>> It took me a while to cut the seats flat, but I got it done.
> 
> 
> ___
> http://www.okiebenz.com
> 
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> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Curley McLain via Mercedes


President of Vice!  That is good!

Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote on 10/20/19 3:49 PM:

Actually, I’m the vice president this year. I was president for a couple of 
years and the state dictates that you can’t hold the same office for a term of 
more than two years unless no one else will step up.

Yeah, those board members are real assh*les. I think my wife is sleeping with 
one of them.

-D




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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right - LONG

2019-10-20 Thread Buggered Benzmail via Mercedes

Great story!

--FT
Sent from iPhone

> On Oct 20, 2019, at 8:01 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> Not the house I built in Florida with a spec home builder. We were their 
> worst nightmare as we’ve built several houses, some ourselves, some using a 
> general contractor who subbed much of it out to us.
> 
> Read some of the anecdotes. You’ll understand why I said what I did:
> 
> We red-lined medicine cabinets in all the bathrooms. Interior framers went 
> ahead and framed in for them anyway. Not a big deal as long as the finish 
> carpenters don’t cut them out. Again, we went around and marked the drywall 
> so the finish carpenters knew not to cut out the openings for medicine 
> cabinets. They cut one out before we could stop them. Builder said they would 
> have the hole patched. No you won’t, we told them. It’s MR (moisture 
> resistant or “greenboard”) board and there can’t be any holes in it. Fast 
> forward several days and nothing is done with it. One morning I get a call 
> from the job super in a huge panic. "Someone is vandalizing your home!!!" I 
> pause and give it some thought. “I doubt it. I suspect that’s the wife 
> providing some nonverbal feedback.” Yup, they had patched the hole. She saw 
> it on her daily morning walk through, went out to her car, got a hammer and 
> punched holes in the rest of the drywall sheet so it had to be replaced as we 
> specified.
> 
> I was looking at the interior framing one evening when we were doing our 
> twice daily inspections. I noticed that the wall between out dining room and 
> laundry room, which had the dryer vent going up to the roof through it, was a 
> standard 2x4 wall. So there’s a 4” metal vent pipe in a wall that’s 3-1/2” 
> thick. Yeah, I don’t think so. Job super says “Yeah, we do them all that way. 
> It’s not a problem, the vent pipe just flattens out a little. Nope. Better 
> comply with code, guys, and put in a 2x6 wall to accommodate the 4” pipe. 
> They did.
> 
> Same wall was curved. I mean curved. I don’t recall what spec was, something 
> like no more than 3/8” deviation in a 6 foot run, something like that. I took 
> my 8’ carpenter’s level and struck a line to show the wall was well outside 
> the spec. They tore it out and did it again, and the new wall was 
> square/plumb. Amazing!
> 
> Doing the final punch list we pointed out that there were no switches for the 
> spa pump and heater on the wall of the lanai like there was in the model. 
> “Oh, we don’t do those, they’re only in the model.” Pull out copy of the 
> construction contract. “Spa pump and heater with all wiring and installation, 
> as shown in model.” Yeah, sorry, but you’re doing them in this house. Two 
> days later an electrician came out and wired the switches for our spa pump 
> and heater on the wall of the lanai. The punctuation on this - when we did 
> the final-final punch list, the job super gave us the switch box from the 
> model labeled “spa pump/heater”. It was empty. It was a dummy and had never 
> been connected to anything.
> 
> Lastly, not long after we moved in, we received a bill from the local propane 
> supplier. It was for the initial fill and also had a line for the tank lease 
> on it. We never signed a lease for a propane tank. We had a 100 gallon 
> propane tank buried in the front yard to feed our gas appliances, fireplace 
> and spa heater. It was an addendum to the construction contract done at the 
> time of purchase. Contract stated, “Builder shall provide 100 gallon propane 
> tank and all related piping, valves and hardware for spa heater, fireplace, 
> etc., etc.” We called the builder and asked them what was up. “Oh, all the 
> tanks are leased.” Yeah, I’m afraid not, as we paid for this tank as a part 
> of the contract." They had to buy out the lease from the propane supplier.
> 
> These are just a small sample of the crazy sh*t that took place the one time 
> we used a spec home builder. They handed out these little carbonless forms 
> that you could fill out and turn in to the office if you found something 
> wrong. They ended up giving us a whole box of the forms.
> 
> And the really sad part is that we didn’t do anything but hold them to the 
> terms of their contract. We asked for nothing that wasn’t stated or defined 
> in the contract. What’s worse is the thought about how bad they hosed other 
> people’s homes up who either weren't involved in the construction or didn’t 
> know any better. G-d forbid if you bought an inventory home from them!
> 
> This is typical spec home builder behavior, I might add. They were so upset 
> with us that when the house was almost finished out they banned us from the 
> property and hired a security guard to sit in front of the place after hours. 
> Dipsh*t never got out of his car, so it made it easy for us to go through the 
> place from the back...
> 
> -D who could write a book about building houses….
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Oct 20, 2019, at 5:48 PM, Mitch Haley via

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Curley McLain via Mercedes

Just curious, should I ever have to deal with one of these Lektronic 
demons, How do you "cut the seat?"   MFI OM engines have tapered seals, 
as you know.


I never heard of this.

Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote on 10/20/19 1:45 PM:

It took me a while to cut the seats flat, but I got it done.



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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right - LONG

Not the house I built in Florida with a spec home builder. We were their worst 
nightmare as we’ve built several houses, some ourselves, some using a general 
contractor who subbed much of it out to us.

Read some of the anecdotes. You’ll understand why I said what I did:

We red-lined medicine cabinets in all the bathrooms. Interior framers went 
ahead and framed in for them anyway. Not a big deal as long as the finish 
carpenters don’t cut them out. Again, we went around and marked the drywall so 
the finish carpenters knew not to cut out the openings for medicine cabinets. 
They cut one out before we could stop them. Builder said they would have the 
hole patched. No you won’t, we told them. It’s MR (moisture resistant or 
“greenboard”) board and there can’t be any holes in it. Fast forward several 
days and nothing is done with it. One morning I get a call from the job super 
in a huge panic. "Someone is vandalizing your home!!!" I pause and give it some 
thought. “I doubt it. I suspect that’s the wife providing some nonverbal 
feedback.” Yup, they had patched the hole. She saw it on her daily morning walk 
through, went out to her car, got a hammer and punched holes in the rest of the 
drywall sheet so it had to be replaced as we specified.

I was looking at the interior framing one evening when we were doing our twice 
daily inspections. I noticed that the wall between out dining room and laundry 
room, which had the dryer vent going up to the roof through it, was a standard 
2x4 wall. So there’s a 4” metal vent pipe in a wall that’s 3-1/2” thick. Yeah, 
I don’t think so. Job super says “Yeah, we do them all that way. It’s not a 
problem, the vent pipe just flattens out a little. Nope. Better comply with 
code, guys, and put in a 2x6 wall to accommodate the 4” pipe. They did.

Same wall was curved. I mean curved. I don’t recall what spec was, something 
like no more than 3/8” deviation in a 6 foot run, something like that. I took 
my 8’ carpenter’s level and struck a line to show the wall was well outside the 
spec. They tore it out and did it again, and the new wall was square/plumb. 
Amazing!

Doing the final punch list we pointed out that there were no switches for the 
spa pump and heater on the wall of the lanai like there was in the model. “Oh, 
we don’t do those, they’re only in the model.” Pull out copy of the 
construction contract. “Spa pump and heater with all wiring and installation, 
as shown in model.” Yeah, sorry, but you’re doing them in this house. Two days 
later an electrician came out and wired the switches for our spa pump and 
heater on the wall of the lanai. The punctuation on this - when we did the 
final-final punch list, the job super gave us the switch box from the model 
labeled “spa pump/heater”. It was empty. It was a dummy and had never been 
connected to anything.

Lastly, not long after we moved in, we received a bill from the local propane 
supplier. It was for the initial fill and also had a line for the tank lease on 
it. We never signed a lease for a propane tank. We had a 100 gallon propane 
tank buried in the front yard to feed our gas appliances, fireplace and spa 
heater. It was an addendum to the construction contract done at the time of 
purchase. Contract stated, “Builder shall provide 100 gallon propane tank and 
all related piping, valves and hardware for spa heater, fireplace, etc., etc.” 
We called the builder and asked them what was up. “Oh, all the tanks are 
leased.” Yeah, I’m afraid not, as we paid for this tank as a part of the 
contract." They had to buy out the lease from the propane supplier.

These are just a small sample of the crazy sh*t that took place the one time we 
used a spec home builder. They handed out these little carbonless forms that 
you could fill out and turn in to the office if you found something wrong. They 
ended up giving us a whole box of the forms.

And the really sad part is that we didn’t do anything but hold them to the 
terms of their contract. We asked for nothing that wasn’t stated or defined in 
the contract. What’s worse is the thought about how bad they hosed other 
people’s homes up who either weren't involved in the construction or didn’t 
know any better. G-d forbid if you bought an inventory home from them!

This is typical spec home builder behavior, I might add. They were so upset 
with us that when the house was almost finished out they banned us from the 
property and hired a security guard to sit in front of the place after hours. 
Dipsh*t never got out of his car, so it made it easy for us to go through the 
place from the back...

-D who could write a book about building houses….

> On Oct 20, 2019, at 5:48 PM, Mitch Haley via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>> On October 20, 2019 at 5:01 PM Dan Penoff via Mercedes 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Then don’t come to Florida, as the majority of newer communities are “deed 
>> restricted”, as in having an HOA.
> 
> I can't imagine wanting to live in a

Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Craig via Mercedes

On Sun, 20 Oct 2019 15:55:26 -0500 Kaleb Striplin via Mercedes
 wrote:

> I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA. 

Agreed.


Craig

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Then don’t come to Florida, as the majority of newer communities are “deed 
restricted”, as in having an HOA.

The area I live in consists of two very distinct groups of neighborhoods 
bisected by a major thoroughfare. The western half was built out in the mid to 
late 1980s. The eastern half, where I live, started in the late 1980s and my 
neighborhood was one of the last to be built out in the late 1990s.

The western (older) part did not have HOA or deed restrictions. Some of the 
neighborhoods in the western part of the newer (eastern) section did not have 
HOAs.

You can drive through and tell what communities have them and which ones don’t. 
That’s all I have to say. To each his or her own, of course. Given the choice I 
would rather live in a rural area like you and have a decent sized piece of 
land I could do whatever I want on. Not my choice.

-D

> On Oct 20, 2019, at 4:55 PM, Kaleb Striplin via Mercedes 
>  wrote:
> 
> I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA. 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Oct 20, 2019, at 2:57 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Yeah, I’ve only had two this year. After I finish pressure washing the oil 
>> stains on the driveway so the HOA will get off my back.
>> 
>> -D
>> 
>> 
>>> On Oct 20, 2019, at 3:10 PM, Floyd Thursby via Mercedes 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> strong work.  Go have a beer, you deserve one
>>> 
>>> --FT
>>> 
 On 10/20/19 2:45 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote:
 At least today I am….

 Did the injector reseal on #3 and #4 on the the W221, both of which were 
 bubbling slightly. Fairly easy with the injector slide hammer to pull the 
 injectors. The seats hadn’t been cut in years, which was probably why they 
 were leaking. It took me a while to cut the seats flat, but I got it done.

 Tightening the stretch bolts was scary. I got a 90 degree turn first and 
 maybe 45 degrees (spec is two 90 degree turns) on the second before I 
 chickened out. With freshly cut seats and new copper washers I’m pretty 
 confident they’re sealing well. A test drive yielded no leakage 
 afterwards, so we should be  good.

 As a bonus, I was poking around for the glow plug controller in 
 anticipation of having to replace it and found that the big B+ connector 
 was disconnected. I plugged it back in and it appears that we were getting 
 glow plugs bases on the light. Tomorrow morning will tell for sure with a 
 stone cold start.

 I have been losing sleep over this job, paranoid that something was going 
 to break like a hold down bolt and I would have a major repair job on my 
 hands. I followed the book and made sure everything was done as described 
 and all went well - as it should have.

 Ah.

 Dan
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>>> -- 
>>> --FT
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ___
>>> http://www.okiebenz.com
>>> 
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>>> 
>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
>>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
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>> 
>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
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>> 
> 
> 
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Kaleb Striplin via Mercedes

I can’t imagine anyone wanting to live somewhere with a HOA. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 20, 2019, at 2:57 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> Yeah, I’ve only had two this year. After I finish pressure washing the oil 
> stains on the driveway so the HOA will get off my back.
> 
> -D
> 
> 
>> On Oct 20, 2019, at 3:10 PM, Floyd Thursby via Mercedes 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> strong work.  Go have a beer, you deserve one
>> 
>> --FT
>> 
>>> On 10/20/19 2:45 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote:
>>> At least today I am….
>>> 
>>> Did the injector reseal on #3 and #4 on the the W221, both of which were 
>>> bubbling slightly. Fairly easy with the injector slide hammer to pull the 
>>> injectors. The seats hadn’t been cut in years, which was probably why they 
>>> were leaking. It took me a while to cut the seats flat, but I got it done.
>>> 
>>> Tightening the stretch bolts was scary. I got a 90 degree turn first and 
>>> maybe 45 degrees (spec is two 90 degree turns) on the second before I 
>>> chickened out. With freshly cut seats and new copper washers I’m pretty 
>>> confident they’re sealing well. A test drive yielded no leakage afterwards, 
>>> so we should be  good.
>>> 
>>> As a bonus, I was poking around for the glow plug controller in 
>>> anticipation of having to replace it and found that the big B+ connector 
>>> was disconnected. I plugged it back in and it appears that we were getting 
>>> glow plugs bases on the light. Tomorrow morning will tell for sure with a 
>>> stone cold start.
>>> 
>>> I have been losing sleep over this job, paranoid that something was going 
>>> to break like a hold down bolt and I would have a major repair job on my 
>>> hands. I followed the book and made sure everything was done as described 
>>> and all went well - as it should have.
>>> 
>>> Ah.
>>> 
>>> Dan
>>> ___
>>> http://www.okiebenz.com
>>> 
>>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
>>> 
>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
>>> 
>> -- 
>> --FT
>> 
>> 
>> ___
>> http://www.okiebenz.com
>> 
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>> 
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>> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Actually, I’m the vice president this year. I was president for a couple of 
years and the state dictates that you can’t hold the same office for a term of 
more than two years unless no one else will step up.

Yeah, those board members are real assh*les. I think my wife is sleeping with 
one of them.

-D


> On Oct 20, 2019, at 4:20 PM, Rick Knoble via Mercedes  
> wrote:
> 
> Aren't you the president of the HOA? Look in the mirror and tell yourself to 
> p*ss off
> 
> 
> Rick
> 
> From: mercedes@okiebenz.com
> Sent: October 20, 2019 2:58 PM
> To: mercedes@okiebenz.com
> Reply-to: mercedes@okiebenz.com
> Cc: d...@penoff.com
> Subject: Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right
> 
> Yeah, I’ve only had two this year. After I finish pressure washing the oil 
> stains on the driveway so the HOA will get off my back.
> 
> -D
> 
> ___
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> 
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> 
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
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> 


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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes

Two b**rd since January 1?

On Sun, Oct 20, 2019, 4:21 PM Rick Knoble via Mercedes <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:

> Aren't you the president of the HOA? Look in the mirror and tell yourself
> to p*ss off
>
>
> Rick
>
> From: mercedes@okiebenz.com
> Sent: October 20, 2019 2:58 PM
> To: mercedes@okiebenz.com
> Reply-to: mercedes@okiebenz.com
> Cc: d...@penoff.com
> Subject: Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right
>
> Yeah, I’ve only had two this year. After I finish pressure washing the oil
> stains on the driveway so the HOA will get off my back.
>
> -D
>
> ___
> http://www.okiebenz.com
>
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>
> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
>
>
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread Rick Knoble via Mercedes

Aren't you the president of the HOA? Look in the mirror and tell yourself to 
p*ss off

Rick

From: mercedes@okiebenz.com
Sent: October 20, 2019 2:58 PM
To: mercedes@okiebenz.com
Reply-to: mercedes@okiebenz.com
Cc: d...@penoff.com
Subject: Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

Yeah, I’ve only had two this year. After I finish pressure washing the oil 
stains on the driveway so the HOA will get off my back.

-D

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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right

2019-10-20 Thread OK Don via Mercedes

No, you should swab the entire drive with used oil so it all matches - then
no worries about future leaks.

On Sun, Oct 20, 2019 at 2:58 PM Dan Penoff via Mercedes <
mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:

> Yeah, I’ve only had two this year. After I finish pressure washing the oil
> stains on the driveway so the HOA will get off my back.
>
> -D
>
>
> > On Oct 20, 2019, at 3:10 PM, Floyd Thursby via Mercedes <
> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
> >
> > strong work.  Go have a beer, you deserve one
> >
> > --FT
> >
> > On 10/20/19 2:45 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes wrote:
> >> At least today I am….
> >>
> >> Did the injector reseal on #3 and #4 on the the W221, both of which
> were bubbling slightly. Fairly easy with the injector slide hammer to pull
> the injectors. The seats hadn’t been cut in years, which was probably why
> they were leaking. It took me a while to cut the seats flat, but I got it
> done.
> >>
> >> Tightening the stretch bolts was scary. I got a 90 degree turn first
> and maybe 45 degrees (spec is two 90 degree turns) on the second before I
> chickened out. With freshly cut seats and new copper washers I’m pretty
> confident they’re sealing well. A test drive yielded no leakage afterwards,
> so we should be  good.
> >>
> >> As a bonus, I was poking around for the glow plug controller in
> anticipation of having to replace it and found that the big B+ connector
> was disconnected. I plugged it back in and it appears that we were getting
> glow plugs bases on the light. Tomorrow morning will tell for sure with a
> stone cold start.
> >>
> >> I have been losing sleep over this job, paranoid that something was
> going to break like a hold down bolt and I would have a major repair job on
> my hands. I followed the book and made sure everything was done as
> described and all went well - as it should have.
> >>
> >> Ah.
> >>
> >> Dan
> >> ___
> >> http://www.okiebenz.com
> >>
> >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
> >>
> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
> >>
> > --
> > --FT
> >
> >
> > ___
> > http://www.okiebenz.com
> >
> > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/
> >
> > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
> > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
> >
>
>
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>
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>
>

-- 
OK Don

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to
pause and reflect." Mark Twain

"There are three kinds of men: The ones that learns by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence
for themselves."

WILL ROGERS, *The Manly Wisdom of Will Rogers*
2013 F150, 18 mpg
2017 Subaru Legacy, 30 mpg
1957 C182A, 12 mpg - but at 150 mph!
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Re: [MBZ] I Am Living Right