WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Noted In Passing: Stockpile of Unfinished Ford Super Duty Pickups Missing Chips Is Now Visible from Space
byVanderleunonMay 26, 2021
2021 Raptor You Gotta Slow Your Roll!
Just because vehicles need chips to be delivered doesn’t mean you have to stop making ’em altogether. Case-in-point, Ford is still making trucks; it’s just making them without the necessary bits, holding them until the chips finally come in, and then shipping them out to dealers. Ford is doing this with what looks like thousands of vehicles, and you can see the results from space.
Ford Pickup Profits for 2021 in the crusher as the fallout from the 2020 Chinese Communist attack on America continues.
It’s the robbery level of pricing that prevents me from purchasing, not the absence of chips.
What do I need chips for?
My current truck doesn’t have any and I’m not a fan of all the silly doo-dads that keep the soiboi’s happy. Seriously, what is the point of the camera that points out the back? And the TV screen in the dash? Heated mirrors? Pleez. More stuff to fail and cost horrendous sums to repair.
The Gods of the Used Car Lot smiled on me when I bought my ’05 Tacoma a little over ten years ago. I found it on Craig’s list at a dealer out in Corona. The price was right, and I bought it pretty much sight unseen for just under ten grand. I am a minimalist when it comes to vehicles. I don’t need the bells & whistles. The pickup just seemed to have my name on it. It had less than 50k on it, and was as bare-bones stripped stripped as they made them: 4 cylinder, cloth bench seat, five-speed, air conditioning, and a CD player. That’s it. I’ve never tried the CD player. All the spots on the dash for switches and buttons are filled with blanks. But the good part is the chain drive OHC. No serpentine belt. I would kinda’ like a cruise control, but I travel in the thing so seldom that I don’t miss it much.
A friend of mine just got a new Four-Runner. He was showing me all the fancy stuff it has. It’s linked to his phone, and his security camera, and it knows when he’s coming, and unlocks the door. If he’s talking on the phone, the car automatically picks up the phone call as soon as he gets in so he never has to hold the cell and drive. The car tells you if you’re drifting in your lane. It knows the speed limit every where you are. It has all sorts of cameras. It records every move you make and every word you speak when you’re driving. Total telemetry with the internet 24/7. It’s about one chip short of having HAL on board. Creepy AF, if you ask me.
As a last note. I believe that cars once ran just fine without chips. No, really! The only reason they need chips in a truck is to satisfy EPA, carbon neutral, save the global climate warming nonsense.
JWM
Kevin in PAMay 27, 2021, 4:07 AM
jwm said, “It’s about one chip short of having HAL on board. Creepy AF, if you ask me.”
Talking with my mechanic recently. He informs that many of the new cars with chips are recording everything. Did you have your seatbelt on when you back up? If you are overdue for an oil change it will show in the record and void the warranty. If you are involved in an accident it knows how fast you were traveling at the point of impact, etc. Yeah, creepy as….
By the way, jwm, I checked out your stone carving project and really enjoyed the info you shared about how you got involved and the details of your process. Very cool. Please keep us updated.
Mike SeyleMay 27, 2021, 5:12 AM
Agree with Kevin in PA re: JWM’s carving and write-ups. I click on his site often to see if there’s an update. Captivating commentary, and art in progress (and I can see, in my mind’s eye, his other work perched in that window, pending a voting outcome).
Annie RoseMay 27, 2021, 6:02 AM
We have an auto plant near Rockford, IL that we pass from time to time that now looks like a ghost town. It used to have an overflowing parking lot 7 days a week. They make Jeeps and can’t get chips. As for doodads, you can’t get a new car without them. The manuals are thicker than a Bible and you get a mini-booklet just to get you started on the basics. The salesman spends about 10 minutes showing you the basics, and even they may need to call over another guy to show them what they’ve forgotten. I will admit that the heated outside mirrors are fabulous for dealing with caked on solid ice that can quickly build up in our area in just an hour. I also like the defrosted back window, heated steering wheel, and seats. They have spoiled me in the dead of winter. In the summer, the AC seats are wonderful. Cons: Siri likes to listen in on conversations and interrupts to ask questions from time to time even though I have it turned off, my phone and the car are plotting against me and make suggestions for how long of a drive it will take to a destination—my movement patterns have been memorized. I get a text “You will arrive at the grocery store on Lettuce Drive in 8 minutes”. My neighbors hear me shouting “Shut up! I’m not going to the damn grocery store!” Soon it will admonish me not to get fast food or to stay away from that friend who was rude last week. Even if I could turn all the tracking features off, I know it would still be tracking me and listening in. So hold onto your old cars for as long as possible.
ghostsniperMay 27, 2021, 7:14 AM
Between my wife and me we might drive 2000 miles per year. Might. When I absolutely must leave the compound as soon I exit the driveway I’m already anxious to get back. We have a mostly home made paradise here and see little reason to go elsewhere. We don’t eat out because of, people. We don’t go to places because of, people. Mostly superficial people.
So vehicles are not a major issue as long as at least 1 is working properly.
If it’s going to snow and we need to go somewhere we put a tarp over the vehicle before it snows. And park up at the top of the driveway. But in the winter we rarely go anywhere. I don’t even turn the radio on nay more cause it’s mostly trash, and besides I find it distracting. I observe the surroundings instead and most of the time I don’t have the phone with me. In fact, I don’t use the phone much at all. I use a Samsung phone that I bought on QVC 3 years ago and it uses the Tracfone service for about $100 per year. I use the phone to make/receive calls maybe 5 times a year, don’t do texting, nor phone emails or web browsing and the few times I tried to use the map function it failed out here in Ruralvania. It took a lot of little steps along the way to get to this point and the underlying driving factor is the avoidance of people. There are just 2 dam many of them and they get in the way. Everywhere you go masses of extremely large people spread out all over the place. Just going to the grocery store is a pain what with all the land whales and their screaming whale spawn and obese blimps in the motorized speedbumps. One of these days, after a few more steps, we may stop leaving the compound altogether. Just stay right here and let the rest of the world go straight to hell in a rocket powered bobsled….
Sam L.May 27, 2021, 7:29 AM
Wife and I just bought a 2013 Ford F-150 5-seater pickemup.
Runs gooooooooooooooood.
rabbit tobaccoMay 27, 2021, 7:54 AM
I have a bunch of chips
in my pringles can.
RichardMay 27, 2021, 8:25 AM
2001 Honda Accord. Bulletproof. Hope to never have to buy another vehicle in my lifetime.
I will continue to purchase and drive a new Ford F-350 every three years, we don’t hide at home, not about to allow anybody to diminish our travels. We live in Gods Country, Intend on seeing pieces /parts weekly. Here we can go hundreds of miles and see literally three other vehicles.
Unlike the others I’ve grown to enjoy some of the “ do dads” incorporated into the truck, the back massager the heated and air condition seat is a blessing on my back. Ours is the King Ranch version, I’m told it’s the gentleman ranchers choice, while the platinum is for city folk. We don’t do big city’s.
Also have large toys, these 350 diesels pull our stuff with ease at 16 mpg while towing. In the market for a fifth wheel toy hauler sadly it’s looking like a 40 footer, if I want to haul a razor and my vintage motorcycles.
Presents a-problem most federal state and county RV parks are set up historically for a max of thirty feet.
Logic has us going toy hauler as they can carry 150 gallons of water come with 5500 gen sets, separate master bedrooms. Have an on board gas station which holds 30/50 gallons of fuel for the toys. As long as one has fuel, one has gen power, and solar power. A lot of money but then yea can’t take it with you, if I’ve planned this right, we’ll be absolutely broke when we pass.
We live in our home, we play all over the state of Oregon.
Back to the new vehicles. We could have paid cash, but at 2%, knowing a new ones coming in two years, why spend our savings. I still drive an old 06 dodge 2500 plain Jane roll your windows up, with a six speed gear box.
It’s a power house, still, nowhere near what the newer diesels are capable of.
We saved scrimped invested right, for forty five years, both retired public employees. Won’t touch savings in 401s until mandatory 70 yrs old. Life’s for living, I’m often amused at folks sitting on a million or five, million, in their 60s, with the intent of leaving it for the kids! Sheesh if you did your parenting job correctly, your kids should be well adjusted, working and saving. Married the woman, or man they love, and are popping kids out like Mormons and Catholics! Ha ha.
We gave ours the tools, for life success, and the doe for their educations, we expect them to live off of their own work ethic. They get in a jam, we will help.
Life is grand on this here mountain. Live life like you stole it.
KlausMay 27, 2021, 9:08 AM
I’ll never buy another new vehicle again. I was part of that trap for decades. Now my daily driver is a 61 Ford F100 with original drivetrain. But like GS said there really isn’t a need to leave the compound much anymore. You can keep all the info gathering /monitoring vehicles but you really shouldn’t.
Frisco Scooter TrashMay 27, 2021, 10:10 AM
I was surprised to discover my 2000 Triumph Tiger scooter has an engine management unit (computer) and “communicates” with the bikes components via a network. It did run flawlessly for me for 15 years though.
talgusMay 27, 2021, 11:25 AM
Chip shortage: just wait until CCP attacks Taiwan and Biden does nothing, you want to see a chip shortage.
ghostsniperMay 27, 2021, 12:25 PM
Klaus, that F100 is a definite life long keeper, you lucky dawg!
My wealthy neighbor has been buying ‘spensive F350’s forever. Bought a $70k 2021 F350 in Feb and 3 days later took it back. Said it wouldn’t pull their 34’ travel trailer worth a shit. Next day he went and bought a RAM 3500 and we haven’t seen them and the trailer since. If ya got it, spend it as you see fit, can’t take it with ya. I’ll keep enjoying my heaven right here.
I’d like to have a F-150 but I don’t need it. I followed my mechanic’s advice and bought a 12-year old Rav4, with 120K. It does have the top of the line trim, and I like those things. The V-6 makes it take off like a bat out of hell. I just added a tow hitch and will add the transmission cooler in a couple of weeks. That will solve my cargo issues.
I rented a car a couple of weeks ago in another town. It was a small SUV, same class as the Rav4. Step on the gas and it gets noisy, but not much else happens. It was a Dodge Dakota, no doubt with the 4 cylinder.
I’m living in a town of downsizing. Folks sell the big house up north and buy a smaller one here, on one level, with those oh-so-nice tall toilets. Perhaps a trailer house? There’s plenty to choose from. Then, someone gets sick, or dies, and it’s into a small apartment in the assisted living world. And from there, it’s a studio suite, or smaller, with nursing care.
Man, I can do without the last two steps.
Gordon ScottMay 27, 2021, 1:57 PM
Oh yeah: So now Ford joins GM in saying it’s electric as far as the eye can see.
Well, that’s fine. But if all the third world children are crossing our southern border to be welcomed by Biden, who’s going to mine all the lithium we’re gonna need for all those batteries?
Shoot, a chip factory can be spun up in a year, if it has to be. Not easy but there’s folks who know how. But batteries are heavy, messy, polluting, and that’s the work Americans don’t want to do. Unless we start mining asteroids, nickel is scarce. And so on. Sure, we can recycle batteries. That’s dirty, messy, polluting and expensive, but it can be done. Somewhere else please, I don’t want the dust settling on my garden.
flannelputzMay 27, 2021, 2:46 PM
FYI: We all have known for years that our modern cars have black boxes that record driver inputs, location and speed just before and during an accident, and that this information can be subpoenaed and used against you in a court of law. It was news to me, however that these devices record all the time, and can be used against you even when no accident is involved. A story in the paper had a divorce proceeding, and then, after a fender bender, the black box was checked, and it turned out the defendant hag gone over 80 MPH 7 times in the last 6 months. This was then used against him in the divorce, as an indication of child endangerment. I drive fast, when conditions allow (as chronicled in these pages) ,and this scares me.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
It’s the robbery level of pricing that prevents me from purchasing, not the absence of chips.
What do I need chips for?
My current truck doesn’t have any and I’m not a fan of all the silly doo-dads that keep the soiboi’s happy. Seriously, what is the point of the camera that points out the back? And the TV screen in the dash? Heated mirrors? Pleez. More stuff to fail and cost horrendous sums to repair.
The Gods of the Used Car Lot smiled on me when I bought my ’05 Tacoma a little over ten years ago. I found it on Craig’s list at a dealer out in Corona. The price was right, and I bought it pretty much sight unseen for just under ten grand. I am a minimalist when it comes to vehicles. I don’t need the bells & whistles. The pickup just seemed to have my name on it. It had less than 50k on it, and was as bare-bones stripped stripped as they made them: 4 cylinder, cloth bench seat, five-speed, air conditioning, and a CD player. That’s it. I’ve never tried the CD player. All the spots on the dash for switches and buttons are filled with blanks. But the good part is the chain drive OHC. No serpentine belt. I would kinda’ like a cruise control, but I travel in the thing so seldom that I don’t miss it much.
A friend of mine just got a new Four-Runner. He was showing me all the fancy stuff it has. It’s linked to his phone, and his security camera, and it knows when he’s coming, and unlocks the door. If he’s talking on the phone, the car automatically picks up the phone call as soon as he gets in so he never has to hold the cell and drive. The car tells you if you’re drifting in your lane. It knows the speed limit every where you are. It has all sorts of cameras. It records every move you make and every word you speak when you’re driving. Total telemetry with the internet 24/7. It’s about one chip short of having HAL on board. Creepy AF, if you ask me.
As a last note. I believe that cars once ran just fine without chips. No, really! The only reason they need chips in a truck is to satisfy EPA, carbon neutral, save the global climate warming nonsense.
JWM
jwm said, “It’s about one chip short of having HAL on board. Creepy AF, if you ask me.”
Talking with my mechanic recently. He informs that many of the new cars with chips are recording everything. Did you have your seatbelt on when you back up? If you are overdue for an oil change it will show in the record and void the warranty. If you are involved in an accident it knows how fast you were traveling at the point of impact, etc. Yeah, creepy as….
By the way, jwm, I checked out your stone carving project and really enjoyed the info you shared about how you got involved and the details of your process. Very cool. Please keep us updated.
Agree with Kevin in PA re: JWM’s carving and write-ups. I click on his site often to see if there’s an update. Captivating commentary, and art in progress (and I can see, in my mind’s eye, his other work perched in that window, pending a voting outcome).
We have an auto plant near Rockford, IL that we pass from time to time that now looks like a ghost town. It used to have an overflowing parking lot 7 days a week. They make Jeeps and can’t get chips. As for doodads, you can’t get a new car without them. The manuals are thicker than a Bible and you get a mini-booklet just to get you started on the basics. The salesman spends about 10 minutes showing you the basics, and even they may need to call over another guy to show them what they’ve forgotten. I will admit that the heated outside mirrors are fabulous for dealing with caked on solid ice that can quickly build up in our area in just an hour. I also like the defrosted back window, heated steering wheel, and seats. They have spoiled me in the dead of winter. In the summer, the AC seats are wonderful. Cons: Siri likes to listen in on conversations and interrupts to ask questions from time to time even though I have it turned off, my phone and the car are plotting against me and make suggestions for how long of a drive it will take to a destination—my movement patterns have been memorized. I get a text “You will arrive at the grocery store on Lettuce Drive in 8 minutes”. My neighbors hear me shouting “Shut up! I’m not going to the damn grocery store!” Soon it will admonish me not to get fast food or to stay away from that friend who was rude last week. Even if I could turn all the tracking features off, I know it would still be tracking me and listening in. So hold onto your old cars for as long as possible.
Between my wife and me we might drive 2000 miles per year. Might. When I absolutely must leave the compound as soon I exit the driveway I’m already anxious to get back. We have a mostly home made paradise here and see little reason to go elsewhere. We don’t eat out because of, people. We don’t go to places because of, people. Mostly superficial people.
So vehicles are not a major issue as long as at least 1 is working properly.
If it’s going to snow and we need to go somewhere we put a tarp over the vehicle before it snows. And park up at the top of the driveway. But in the winter we rarely go anywhere. I don’t even turn the radio on nay more cause it’s mostly trash, and besides I find it distracting. I observe the surroundings instead and most of the time I don’t have the phone with me. In fact, I don’t use the phone much at all. I use a Samsung phone that I bought on QVC 3 years ago and it uses the Tracfone service for about $100 per year. I use the phone to make/receive calls maybe 5 times a year, don’t do texting, nor phone emails or web browsing and the few times I tried to use the map function it failed out here in Ruralvania. It took a lot of little steps along the way to get to this point and the underlying driving factor is the avoidance of people. There are just 2 dam many of them and they get in the way. Everywhere you go masses of extremely large people spread out all over the place. Just going to the grocery store is a pain what with all the land whales and their screaming whale spawn and obese blimps in the motorized speedbumps. One of these days, after a few more steps, we may stop leaving the compound altogether. Just stay right here and let the rest of the world go straight to hell in a rocket powered bobsled….
Wife and I just bought a 2013 Ford F-150 5-seater pickemup.
Runs gooooooooooooooood.
I have a bunch of chips
in my pringles can.
2001 Honda Accord. Bulletproof. Hope to never have to buy another vehicle in my lifetime.
I will continue to purchase and drive a new Ford F-350 every three years, we don’t hide at home, not about to allow anybody to diminish our travels. We live in Gods Country, Intend on seeing pieces /parts weekly. Here we can go hundreds of miles and see literally three other vehicles.
Unlike the others I’ve grown to enjoy some of the “ do dads” incorporated into the truck, the back massager the heated and air condition seat is a blessing on my back. Ours is the King Ranch version, I’m told it’s the gentleman ranchers choice, while the platinum is for city folk. We don’t do big city’s.
Also have large toys, these 350 diesels pull our stuff with ease at 16 mpg while towing. In the market for a fifth wheel toy hauler sadly it’s looking like a 40 footer, if I want to haul a razor and my vintage motorcycles.
Presents a-problem most federal state and county RV parks are set up historically for a max of thirty feet.
Logic has us going toy hauler as they can carry 150 gallons of water come with 5500 gen sets, separate master bedrooms. Have an on board gas station which holds 30/50 gallons of fuel for the toys. As long as one has fuel, one has gen power, and solar power. A lot of money but then yea can’t take it with you, if I’ve planned this right, we’ll be absolutely broke when we pass.
We live in our home, we play all over the state of Oregon.
Back to the new vehicles. We could have paid cash, but at 2%, knowing a new ones coming in two years, why spend our savings. I still drive an old 06 dodge 2500 plain Jane roll your windows up, with a six speed gear box.
It’s a power house, still, nowhere near what the newer diesels are capable of.
We saved scrimped invested right, for forty five years, both retired public employees. Won’t touch savings in 401s until mandatory 70 yrs old. Life’s for living, I’m often amused at folks sitting on a million or five, million, in their 60s, with the intent of leaving it for the kids! Sheesh if you did your parenting job correctly, your kids should be well adjusted, working and saving. Married the woman, or man they love, and are popping kids out like Mormons and Catholics! Ha ha.
We gave ours the tools, for life success, and the doe for their educations, we expect them to live off of their own work ethic. They get in a jam, we will help.
Life is grand on this here mountain. Live life like you stole it.
I’ll never buy another new vehicle again. I was part of that trap for decades. Now my daily driver is a 61 Ford F100 with original drivetrain. But like GS said there really isn’t a need to leave the compound much anymore. You can keep all the info gathering /monitoring vehicles but you really shouldn’t.
I was surprised to discover my 2000 Triumph Tiger scooter has an engine management unit (computer) and “communicates” with the bikes components via a network. It did run flawlessly for me for 15 years though.
Chip shortage: just wait until CCP attacks Taiwan and Biden does nothing, you want to see a chip shortage.
Klaus, that F100 is a definite life long keeper, you lucky dawg!
My wealthy neighbor has been buying ‘spensive F350’s forever. Bought a $70k 2021 F350 in Feb and 3 days later took it back. Said it wouldn’t pull their 34’ travel trailer worth a shit. Next day he went and bought a RAM 3500 and we haven’t seen them and the trailer since. If ya got it, spend it as you see fit, can’t take it with ya. I’ll keep enjoying my heaven right here.
Shades of the old Chrysler Corporation Sales Bank days of the 1970s:
https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ChryslerSalesBank.jpg
I’d like to have a F-150 but I don’t need it. I followed my mechanic’s advice and bought a 12-year old Rav4, with 120K. It does have the top of the line trim, and I like those things. The V-6 makes it take off like a bat out of hell. I just added a tow hitch and will add the transmission cooler in a couple of weeks. That will solve my cargo issues.
I rented a car a couple of weeks ago in another town. It was a small SUV, same class as the Rav4. Step on the gas and it gets noisy, but not much else happens. It was a Dodge Dakota, no doubt with the 4 cylinder.
I’m living in a town of downsizing. Folks sell the big house up north and buy a smaller one here, on one level, with those oh-so-nice tall toilets. Perhaps a trailer house? There’s plenty to choose from. Then, someone gets sick, or dies, and it’s into a small apartment in the assisted living world. And from there, it’s a studio suite, or smaller, with nursing care.
Man, I can do without the last two steps.
Oh yeah: So now Ford joins GM in saying it’s electric as far as the eye can see.
Well, that’s fine. But if all the third world children are crossing our southern border to be welcomed by Biden, who’s going to mine all the lithium we’re gonna need for all those batteries?
Shoot, a chip factory can be spun up in a year, if it has to be. Not easy but there’s folks who know how. But batteries are heavy, messy, polluting, and that’s the work Americans don’t want to do. Unless we start mining asteroids, nickel is scarce. And so on. Sure, we can recycle batteries. That’s dirty, messy, polluting and expensive, but it can be done. Somewhere else please, I don’t want the dust settling on my garden.
FYI: We all have known for years that our modern cars have black boxes that record driver inputs, location and speed just before and during an accident, and that this information can be subpoenaed and used against you in a court of law. It was news to me, however that these devices record all the time, and can be used against you even when no accident is involved. A story in the paper had a divorce proceeding, and then, after a fender bender, the black box was checked, and it turned out the defendant hag gone over 80 MPH 7 times in the last 6 months. This was then used against him in the divorce, as an indication of child endangerment. I drive fast, when conditions allow (as chronicled in these pages) ,and this scares me.
Kevin and Mike:
Thank you very much.
JWM