👉🏻UPDATE👇🏻 Ford uses Torx PLUS ++ Here is the Difference

[sajohnson]

had an installer torque the lugs on my dakota so tight it pulled the threads had to get a bunch of new lug nuts( strangely enough it didn't seem to harm the studs.

Unfortunately, that seems to be fairly common.

I had that happen years ago on my '85 Toyota truck, except in that case it was the studs that were stripped.

Just a guess -- while it wasn't the case with my truck, maybe the mfrs often make the nuts a bit softer than the studs, since it's much easier to replace lug nuts.

We haven't used them in a while, but one impressive thing about Costco's Tire Center is that they torque all lug nuts by hand -- using two different techs with two different torque wrenches. They are decent wrenches and they can calibrate them there in the shop.

That's the only place I've seen that though. Often shops use 'torque sticks' on their impact wrench. They may be OK, IDK, but not as good as a torque wrench.

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[Cherokee]

I say shiny beads are the way to go!

The main drawback of credit cards is that they make it easy for people to spend more than they can afford. Similar to setting a tray with a pile of cocaine on the dining room table at a rehab center.

As long as they are paid off every month, credit cards can be very useful. Many banks *pay* the customer to use them. The rebate can add up to hundreds of dollars. Ours is about $500/year, and we're retired and don't spend as much as most couples do, esp those with kids.

They also make buying online very easy (some would say too easy).

Some automatically extend mfr warranties.

A big plus is the ability to dispute charges. That hasn't come up often in my experience, but when it does, having the bank on your side is, as they say, priceless. It cuts though all of the back and forth bs with the vendor.

They also help improve credit scores.

That said, there are other ways to pay.

Even paid off every where you go you are charged about a 4% fee when you use them.

Use them often, and the banks paying you to use them becomes a smoke screen that no one sees through.

Building credit yes I get that. I built
mine to a comfortable 860 and enjoyed lower intrest rates than most ever see. Through a big credit union.
Now days, debit/credit,
Points,
Cash back,
Against the 4% usage fee, well
Banks do this because it’s profitable.
If they are making a profit you are giving it to them when you use the card.

Plus when I use my credit card I get twice the phone spam.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

tire changes/rotations:
I don't use a torque wrench, I do it by "feel". 50 years of trial and error; I've never had a bolt/nut come loose.
BUT, with the lower cost and multiple torque measuring devices available now, I might start using one for various mechanical applications on the cars. There are the digital ones which are more accurate than the ones that "click" when you reach the desired foot or inch pounds, and there are simple attachments to use with any socket wrench or breaker bar.

I might get one of these in the 1/2" version for $45, but a lot stuff requires lower ftlbs, so I guess I have to get a set, or just rely on the olde tyme clicky ones I already have for low ftlbs and inch-pounds.

 

[sajohnson]

tire changes/rotations:
I don't use a torque wrench, I do it by "feel". 50 years of trial and error; I've never had a bolt/nut come loose.
BUT, with the lower cost and multiple torque measuring devices available now, I might start using one for various mechanical applications on the cars. There are the digital ones which are more accurate than the ones that "click" when you reach the desired foot or inch pounds, and there are simple attachments to use with any socket wrench or breaker bar.

I might get one of these in the 1/2" version for $45, but a lot stuff requires lower ftlbs, so I guess I have to get a set, or just rely on the olde tyme clicky ones I already have for low ftlbs and inch-pounds.

I've never used a torque adapter but they seem like they would come in handy in some situations. Here's a good thread on Garage Journal:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/digital-torque-adapter-recommendations.506674/

The Quinn is mentioned.

I've bought from HF in the past. I have a ~40 y.o. floor jack that was $50 delivered(!) and still works well. That said, I'm very cautious with HF.

Here's an impressive post on Reddit:


Quinn best out of 4:


The primary drawback that comes up repeatedly is that they cannot be used in tight spaces.

Personally, I probably won't buy a torque adapter, just because I already have several torque wrenches but for those that don't, the Quinn (or similar) might be a good option.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Seeing as how it seem we moved on past Torx bits to credit cards and credit scores.
My FICO Score has been 850 for a few years now.
I don't know how somebody got an 860....

And now on to torque
wrenches...

 

[sajohnson]

Credit card processing fees were mentioned above. Here's some good information:
https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/business/merchants-guide-to-credit-card-processing-fees/

The fees are always paid by the merchant, not the customer. In most states a portion of the fees can be passed on to the customer but that is rarely done. One area where it is fairly common is at gas stations. Some may have both cash and credit prices. Other than than that, prices for goods and services are almost always the same regardless of payment method, so there's no reason not to use a card.

At least in our case, the ~$500/year in rebates is 'net' -- money in the bank. Whatever the fees are, the vendors pay them, they don't affect us.

When banks offer rebates/points/miles/rewards, etc., they are essentially splitting their profit with the customer. They do it to increase their business, knowing that many users will fail to pay off their card every month, meaning that not only will the bank not have to pay the rebate (or other perks) but they will be collecting their outrageous interest charges of up to 30%. In addition, more customers = more charges, so even with the rebates being paid to some customers, the bank ends up ahead.

 

[sajohnson]

Seeing as how we moved on past Torx bits to credit cards and credit scores. I don't know how somebody got an 860....

And now on to torque
wrenches...

But wait, what about credit cards...?

I was thinking the same thing about credit scores. The max on every rating I've seen is 850. I've been trying to see how high I can get ours.

Great video! I just finished watching it. The Suercup looks like a very good deal. $78 vs $790 for the Snap On.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

One of our members mentioned that he had an 860. Post #107
Also what was mentioned was that businesses add on 4% for credit card sales. Evidently that must be to everybody regardless if they pay cash or credit card. When I go to the grocery store, Walmart, Sam's, Harbor Freight, it's always the same price whether I pay cash or credit card.

 

[HeyBales]

One of our members mentioned that he had an 860. Post #107
Also what was mentioned was that businesses add on 4% for credit card sales. Evidently that must be to everybody regardless if they pay cash or credit card. When I go to the grocery store, Walmart, Sam's, Harbor Freight, it's always the same price whether I pay cash or credit card.

Yep - baked into the cost of doing business.
Use it or not, it's spread all around.

What we've been seeing a lot more of here - places that obviously baked it in because they took CC but never had a cash or CC difference in price - have now separated the prices they'll charge due to the fee - but the price of the goods didn't change.
So still baked in, and paying a higher fee for it.

Obviously other reasons for price increases.

Of course the 2-5% cash back methods aren't free - they are just passed back thru the merchant fees, back to the vendor and seller. And seller to the buyers.
So really the only amount you are getting as cash back - is the difference between your own CC usage getting it, and the folks that aren't using the cards but paying for a share of the processing anyway.

If all customers used a CC - then really no cash back being had there.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Yep - baked into the cost of doing business.
Use it or not, it's spread all around.

What we've been seeing a lot more of here - places that obviously baked it in because they took CC but never had a cash or CC difference in price - have now separated the prices they'll charge due to the fee - but the price of the goods didn't change.
So still baked in, and paying a higher fee for it.

Obviously other reasons for price increases.

Of course the 2-5% cash back methods aren't free - they are just passed back thru the merchant fees, back to the vendor and seller. And seller to the buyers.
So really the only amount you are getting as cash back - is the difference between your own CC usage getting it, and the folks that aren't using the cards but paying for a share of the processing anyway.

If all customers used a CC - then really no cash back being had there.

I'm familiar with gas stations that offer a discount for Cash.
What other stores you referring to?

Eleven states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas—and Puerto Rico have laws that prohibit merchants from charging consumers with surcharges on credit card transactions.
Merchants get around that law by offering discounts to people who are paying cash. That's why you'll see signs discount for cash payment. As a workaround.

 

[sajohnson]

One of our members mentioned that he had an 860. Post #107
Also what was mentioned was that businesses add on 4% for credit card sales. Evidently that must be to everybody regardless if they pay cash or credit card. When I go to the grocery store, Walmart, Sam's, Harbor Freight, it's always the same price whether I pay cash or credit card.

Exactly, I was agreeing with you. The highest credit score I've seen is 850.

In most states, businesses can legally charge customers a portion of the card processing fees, but few do. As you said, "When I go to the grocery store, Walmart, Sam's, Harbor Freight, it's always the same price whether I pay cash or credit card."

Your experience is by far the most common -- everyone pays the same price. All credit card fees are paid by the retailer.

One way of looking at that is that the customers paying cash (typically a minority) are being unfairly charged a portion of the processing fees. They would be better off if businesses had at least 2 prices -- cash and credit (like some gas stations). Offhand, IDK why that isn't more common.

In any case, the way things are, people who use credit cards and pay them off every month can take advantage of the banks' cynical rebate/points/rewards programs. Sadly, it's cardholders who get stuck carrying a balance that make the rebates possible. If the banks had to pay rebates to all customers those programs would dry up.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

I was at 820 a few months ago for some reason. I'm rarely above 800.

 

[sajohnson]

I was at 820 a few months ago for some reason. I'm rarely above 800.

That's very good!

My (very brief) best was 849. Prior to that it had been around 810-820. I have no idea why it jumped up, and it dropped back down very soon after.

As you probably know, there are different scales -- FICO is the most common, and there are even variations of it. Some of the banks and credit bureaus have their own. One of mine is maybe 810, but the one I just saw today (FICO 8 from Experian) was 784 -- and that was a 9 point increase. That's probably the most accurate.

We're retired and have no plans to take out any loans so the scores don't really matter. It's just a challenge. How the scores are derived is still somewhat of a mystery. Apparently, in order to raise our score I'd have to get one or more additional cards and then not use them -- or use them and pay them off monthly. I'm not gonna go to that trouble.

 

[HeyBales]

I'm familiar with gas stations that offer a discount for Cash.
What other stores you referring to?

Eleven states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas—and Puerto Rico have laws that prohibit merchants from charging consumers with surcharges on credit card transactions.
Merchants get around that law by offering discounts to people who are paying cash. That's why you'll see signs discount for cash payment.

Exactly what we have - discounts for cash.
Which obviously amounts to an extra charge for using CC.
The law is meaningless since all they have to do is have a line item on your printed receipt.
Any place selling food was biggest ones jumping on the band wagon.

And before they started doing that split - we know they were not sucking up the cost of the merchant fees to process CC transactions, it was a cost of doing business, that decided how much to charge for their product.

But last year, especially restaurants before they printed new menus for the new year with new prices, same price of product for everyone that had that baked in already, and extra if you paid by CC.

Survey's showed cash tips went down - why bother with cash when it was free to add to CC paid charge, and get your % back on at least that.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

That's very good!

My (very brief) best was 849. Prior to that it had been around 810-820. I have no idea why it jumped up, and it dropped back down very soon after.

As you probably know, there are different scales -- FICO is the most common, and there are even variations of it. Some of the banks and credit bureaus have their own. One of mine is maybe 810, but the one I just saw today (FICO 8 from Experian) was 784 -- and that was a 9 point increase. That's probably the most accurate.

We're retired and have no plans to take out any loans so the scores don't really matter. It's just a challenge. How the scores are derived is still somewhat of a mystery. Apparently, in order to raise our score I'd have to get one or more additional cards and then not use them -- or use them and pay them off monthly. I'm not gonna go to that trouble.

I believe that aliens control credit scores, with machinery that humans could not comprehend. Or, it's a chicken pecking at things and pooping on a particular square determining your score.

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