It has been a while since attending a TDIFest, but each year I do help with the finances and bookkeeping for a popular Volkswagen diesel car club. One of the quirks of the TDIClub is that it is based out British Columbia, Canada and yet our annual “fest” is held in the U.S. The 2015 TDIFest was held over Labor Day in Newry, Maine this year so I didn't trek to Sunday River Resort … still Fred and the gang sent me a swag bag. Thanks guys!Over the years, we have found it is helpful to have both a stateside presence and as well as the founders location in Canada.
With a few connections in the drug store world, it is always interesting to see who’s next in the acquisitions and mergers. On Tuesday, the financial news filled up mid-day with the latest deal: Walgreens Boots Alliance seeking to buy Rite Aid Corp. This would merge the second and third largest chains together and reduce competition in many cities. Of course there is still CVS and many smaller stand alone stores and chains … and most of the big box stores and grocery chains are also competing in this business. The potential merger could grow scrutiny from antitrust regulators.
A deal is expected to be announced Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter. Rite Aid had a market value of more than $6 billion Monday afternoon, meaning that with a typical premium, a takeover deal could value the company at close to $10 billion. That doesn’t include its hefty debt load, which totaled $7.4 billion in August.
Rite Aid shares surged 38% to $8.38 after The Wall Street Journal reported the talks, while Walgreens rose 5% to $93.95.
A combination of the pharmacy chains would come amid waves of mergers in various corners of the health-care industry—from drug makers to hospital chains and insurers—as the federal health overhaul known as the Affordable Care Act and other developments pressure companies to lower costs, bulk up and increase leverage with suppliers.
Putting their drugstore networks together could yield cost savings at a time when the companies have been beset by drug-cost inflation. Other benefits could be derived from marrying Walgreens’ wholesale operation with Rite Aid.
Great memories of busy days logging the register cash deposits from the walk-in trade back in my Cuyahoga Falls office. It seems like a lifetime ago … and yes, I do kind of miss it. Keeping the business growing was challenging as the digital age matured, but those early days gave me a sense of accomplishing something.
The evening sky here in Ohio seem to be letting us know that the season is changing … gorgeous sunset though!
I picked up Brenda's2010 BMW X5 35d on Friday night and started tinkering with it this weekend (yes, my wife's — bummer! — but her 1998 Rav4 needed to be replaced). She absolutely fell in love with the panoramic sunroof (see below) and didn't seem to mind the “many” creature comforts either. There were a few more issues than I expected even though I knew it was less than perfect. Hopefully there aren't too many surprise mechanical problems as I'm counting on this one owner SUV with all the service records to go a few more miles.
On the plus side, it is A LOT of fun to drive and handles like no other sport ute I've driven. This heavy, full-size “truck” (see mini tailgate above) has amazing torque and pulls through all 6 gears and gets quickly up to highway speed. Once cruising, the under 2000 RPM diesel engine feels like it is idling, even though it growling along at 70 mph. Hopefully we'll be able to close in on 30 mpg when on the highway too?
For now, it's learning how to take care of the things I can do at home. I've got to find a second keyfob, athough may have to have the chip matched to the VIN number — dealer only. There are a couple other issues that won't prevent driving it, but need to be addressed.
Keyfob
AC — checked the charge today, but it is fully charged and still not blowing cold?
Plastic fastner on mirror and rear bumper
Common firewall baffle (see Bimmerforum note below)
There are 4 main parts but you may only need one or two parts. Theres the large main bulkhead tray/partition and if you locate the large rubber weatherstrip that seals to the hood, essentially three more vertical parts. Left (driver), center, and right (passenger). These prices are likely lower at ECS tuning or pelican parts and other online sites. They are likey 50% higher (or more) at local dealer. Screws can be reused, only hardware that likey will break on removal are the plastic expanding rivets, appears 4 on mine are new and had to be replaced. Not exactly sure the total quantity used, it depends on which parts are being removed.
Most all the bulkheads ive seen broken (including mine) are the left/right partitions. Many say it splits due to heat which is possible, although mine were broken while at the dealer from techs or supporting fixtures applying pressure while doing the job. They are fragile. When mine was in for cylinder head valve stem seals (huge job) i took pre and post pics (lifelong habit when going to the dealer….some bad experiences) so i knew when/how they broke, although the dealer said they were replacing due to a 'known issue in a tsb' so i never had to press the issue of responsibility of replacement.
Fyi….there are some small minor plastic pieces that are quite inexpensive in the overall assembly, however they are highly unikely to break unless in a hard collision….even then, they dont appear to create a structural hazard or airflow leak if they have small stress cracks. If being done at the dealer and not DIY, probably a $30 max increase in job. I did find all the required parts using these numbers on ebaynew from reputable oem bmw dealers for under $200, including 10 plastic rivets. Id still however buy from sites mentioned above in case a problem occurs. The main lower section is a LARGE delicate part.
bulkhead engine compartment top left qty1 51717169419 $59.07
Partition, engine compartment, top right qty1 51717169420 $59.07
Partition, engine bay, top center qty1 51717169421 $42.25
Partition, engine bay, lower center qty1 51717169422 $88.40
It is interesting how certain commercials are bring smiles to our faces … but we always seem to stumble on a commercial that sticks in our heads. This one from Time Warner Cable has Brenda and me doing back and forth “yes, welcome” to each other … just as one from Geico did in 2012. It’s not really anything special, but does trigger our funny bone.
Hurricane Patricia is well above the category 5 level on the Saffir-Simpsonhurricane scale with maximum winds of 185 MPH. It cannot be overstated how much danger this storm poses to communities on Mexico’s west coast, including Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and the numerous small towns between the two. At its current speed, it is not only the wind and surge, but the amounts of rain due to flood the surrounding areas AND well inland. Stay tuned.
The best known video streamer, YouTube, has entered the subscription based video streaming service with their YouTube Red. They are asking $9.99 from potential subscribers for ad-free content that can be viewed on a variety of devices or saved for offline viewing. They’ll compete with services from several others who have significant content libraries (movies) and large subscriber bases – chart below. YouTube(Google) has the deep pockets to acquire content and are in a strong position to stream live broadcasts to connected devices, but will need to expand more of this unique live content that is not available currently (think high school/college athletics, newscasts from all over the world and unique streaming events).
I’m fortunate to have a son, who even at 26, seems to enjoy and appreciate hearing his father opine and help hunt for new car. The two of us spent hours emailing back and forth, several weekends looking … and a few evenings after work test driving over the past couple of months … in search of the perfect next car. He (and I) finally concluded that the BMW brand was going to be the next vehicle … at least until we come face to face with maintenance woes.
Last night Taylor finally decided on his car … a BMW 528i xDrive (In with the new, after out with the old). It’s a few years old and has enough miles on the odometer to make it affordable, but this beautiful "space grey" sedan looks and drives perfectly. The one owner car had detailed records and was recently thoroughly serviced by BMW of Cincinnati. I doubt the trunk was ever opened (it’s that clean) and 3.0 liter inline six is probably the best engine BMW ever built. With new tires, impeccable paint, rear biased all-wheel drive and a long list of interior comforts, I think Taylor will be happy for a long time.
Obviously helping (enjoying) my son Taylor look for “his next car” has not been good for me. I end up finding vehicles that I want rather than what HE needs. As my son-in-law mentioned, “you need to thin down your fleet” … so true!
He has pretty much given up on economical and reliable, as we’ve met a couple times after work to test drive a couple BMW 528Xi sedans … the one on the left is a 2009 and the one on the right a 2008. Neither is going to be economical or low maintenance, but I do understand a young man’s urge to not always be frugal or logical. I’ve always struggled with the same yin and yang my entire life — usually giving in to logical and sensible.
