You can't do this with Linux or OSX...

It's a 'Windows' failure, then? :^0

Those are sweet. Hand-crafted by carpenters, out of real wood, wood that's had time to settle before carving.
They don't, really don't make them like that anymore...
House I grew up in? 100 year old windows... could've done with a bit of caretaking... paint off, paint on... otherwise they were just fine.

are they more secure than the previous ones were?
or do they break just as easily?

are they harder or easier to operate?
do they open the same way?

are they blurry around the edges?

Sorry, that couldn't be resisted.

As I work in the automation and electronics industry, I just dial in to the house when I'm away and can turn the heat up so it's nice and warm when I get home. It's not my house though, I rent an apartment now, but it cost me nothing to install and the landlord doesn't mind me increasing his rental value while there.

It's nice to have an app on my Symbian (cough cough)phone though, I can play with heat, turn lights on or off, turn on the stereo, check my parking space with the video camera etc. Never cold when I get home from holidays!

Home automation is actually cheap as hell to do these days, compared to what it used to cost and what people imagine it costs.

Ford's MS experience has been mainly UK so far. While they had some nasty initial issues, I've seen the system in the Focus and it's actually really cool!

Would I buy a MS built and engineered car though? Nope!

You'd have to wait until 2015 for the 2011 model.

At least some cars have been showing exactly the kind of glitches we expect from M$... Car won't start? Try having everyone exit, close and lock doors, wait 30 seconds and then try the entry sequence again ;)

I hear that one of those dirt cheap far eastern minicars is without a computer entirely. Just low-level mechanics and electronics. Sounds appealing...

Now, that he is partially retired from the large buses, he has started to deal more with computers. In my absence, he's become the first line computer support for family & friends.

They had a bad run, very bad for the image.
We have a 2001 Bora and the only problem we've had is with the rear compartment lock, it's apparently a mechanical thing, the cylinder jams sometimes... jiggling it's release mechanism manually and then going for a drive usually takes care of it though.

They extended the warranty on most of them, in fact many dealer have with similar issues. Good thing they told you though, many, if not most, dealers won't tell you if something actually is warrantied, recalled or extended, they just let you pay for it, unless you do your homework. I've seen issues where even the manufacturer had to all but subpoena the dealer to get them to fix things under warranty.

Here it is with the Jetta, a common fix. Jetta is just the US brand/badge name for Bora. The fix kit is $40.00 US

http://jettatrunk.com/

I don't know if the tab is your issue but worth looking at anyway.

If the tab on the actuator isn't broken it's probably a weak solenoid in the motor itself. With the trunk open, tap it with a screwdriver handle while actuating the lock and see if it frees up (which would happen as you drive over bumps and why it may work after driving). If so, find an aftermarket one, just take the actuator motor to your local parts store and they should be able to match it up with a non VW part.

very interesting... Thanks!

I can't help you recover a lost MS server password but if it comes to cars or automotive engineering, I'm [i]USUALLY[/i] pretty good.

If you are wondering why I hang out there, I used to admin Novell and found the help here was better than any paid support you could possibly find. :)

Is that the wrong type of grease is used in them and this locks the assembly generally in the closed position because that's where it's generally sitting most of the time.

I've lost count of the number of times I've had to dismantle a Boot Lock clean it out and relub it to get the ability to open and close the rear again.

A real pain particularly when the maker knows better. ;)

Col

I'd have just told you to STFU and kicked you out of the car.

When I was studying auto engineering, we found a gazillion ways to fix things instead of just replacing them. When you add in shop labour costs, it's easier to just throw a new module in . These days they generally outlast the car anyway.

[i]When you add in shop labour costs, it's easier to just throw a new module in .[/i]

The electronics have become so cheap, it's actually less expensive to recycle the old and buy new.

A carburetor averages about $380.00 new, rebuilding one takes 3 or 4 hours at best, $90/hr and a rebuild kit is about $35.00 ($50 dealer cost).

Today, the key related issues would be O2 sensor related ($80 DIY or $140 shop/dealer cost). It takes about 20 minutes to replace and test and you have brand new, electronic components, not a cleaned and reconditioned mechanical device that may or may not last.

With an older car with gummed up carb ports it's harder to determine the actual source of the issue too. I can easily see and record sensor output voltages, volumes etc. while driving and plugged into the OBDII system, before it was a lengthy visual inspection where you really had to understand the vehicle's engineering in order to pinpoint issues.

Unfortunately, the OBDII system also has drawbacks, mechanics will accept work on ANY car, as they all have the same base diagnostic systems but they are less likely to learn specific quirks.

I had a lady call me, 2005 Mercedes 320SEL, that had hired a mechanic from Craigslist. He called me in to scan it and give him details. I sent him step by step instructions straight from Mercedes, EASY stuff. He didn't connect the wiring harness son the part he installed, a $150 fog light fell out while she was driving home and scratched (mechanic wouldn't pay to replace it). Again she called me back, I went in, pulled it apart and connected the sensor, buffed out and polished the fog light and charged her dinner (she was a great cook, single and worked in music, I couldn't resist!).

And, while I am babbling, a good story (for me).
I bought a truck that had failed AirCare 3X's. Judging by the AirCare reports (you can actually punch in a VIN# and see all past AirCare test results for the vehicle, no cost)and the parts the dealer had put in it, they were chasing an issue of it running lean on one bank. They had replaced over $1500.00 JUST in 'wholesale' parts costs, including the catalytic converter and barely SCRAPED it through Air Care when it was spring time (having failed in September the previous winter).

I know that that particular truck had a problem with upper intake manifold O-Rings. When they get old they lose their seal, cold weather makes them brittle and it will suck in too much Air when cold, which is why they finally got it through when the weather warmed up.

So I bought it, O-rings cost $21.00 and took about 2 hrs to install myself, problem solved! SCORE. Everything else had been replaced, all 4 O2 sensors and a $400 MAF sensor included. Low mileage, second owner brand new everything.

Even funnier, the dealership could have just registered it as being over 5100lbs and skipped AirCare altogether! :D It weighs 4800lbs, with any occupants or gear in it, it will be over 5100 most of the time. Insurance is only SLIGHTLY more expensive but it would have saved a potential owner over $2500 in shop repairs anyway.

It's a funny field these days; if you find the right mechanic, he/she will be able to fix it and replace only the problem parts at a fraction of what it used to cost. When parts are replaced, there's no tuning needed, they tune themselves nowadays. The only issue is running into mechanics that think retrieving a system code will give them the right fix (which it usually doesn't)and it costs more as they will chase codes and replace numerous parts. :)