This list of questions for prospective van buyers was put together on this
list:
If you read this, do me one favor - only forward it to women.
At the risk of being called a "stalker", I'll tell you how to protect your
privacy on Usenet. Not many people know about this, since most of the
people who do - keep it to themselves. In 4 years on Usenet, this is the
first and last time I will mention it. Right here in Ally McBeal (haha)
DejaNews ( www.deja.com ) keeps a copy of almost every message posted to
Usenet, which can be a bad thing if you don't know this. Sometimes
newbies post private information, which is saved forever by DejaNews -
and can be read by anybody who knows how to find it (which you will learn
shortly). DejaNews makes you dig for this utility, since it reduces the
worth of their database.
Most of you know a lot about DejaNews. You probably know that putting
"x-no archive" at the top of your posts will prevent them from going in to
the DejaNews database, but you don't know about "nuking". Nuking is how
you erase your posts from the DejaNews database. I've it used about 5-6
thousand times.
In order to Nuke a message, you have to be able to receive e-mail at the
return-address that was used on the message you want to nuke. This
usually isn't a problem, unless you switched ISP's at some point.
All you do is go to the Nuke page, and enter your e-mail address, and
DejaNews will show you every message they have under that name. As you
select each message, under the "Author" label is a "NUKE" link. If you
click that link, it will take you to another page that says a "Safe Nuke"
message has been sent to the return address that was on the message in
their database. You can Nuke all your messages if you want, and your
e-mail box will receive a lot of "Safe Nuke" messages.
You have to reply to the Safe Nuke e-mail in order for you original post
to be deleted from the DejaNews database. This stops other people from
Nuking your messages. Later you'll get a Grunt Nuke message, saying your
post will deleted from their database in 2-5 days.
You can delete all the Safe Nuke messages after you've replied to them,
and the Grunt Nuke messages as soon as you get them.
Another "use" for the Nuke page is to enter somebody else's e-mail
address, and you'll get a list of everything DejaNews has on them in their
database. It takes about 3 seconds and it's a lot more efficient than
using the regular DejaNews search facility. (But that would be stalking.)
My recommendation is to get a free Hotmail account, and use that as your
return address in all your newsgroup posts. Spam will go to your Hotmail
account, and not your real e-mail account. Which brings up the one
Gotcha.
If you use a "mangled" e-mail address, you can't use the Nuke facility.
If you try, the Safe Nuke message will go to the mangled return address
(like [EMAIL PROTECTED]), and you'll never receive it and be able to
confirm the Safe Nuke. This is the real reason you use the Hotmail
account, so you can get the messages you need from DejaNews to delete your
posts after they are in the database.
In a "friendly" newsgroup, the "x-no archive" is sufficient, and people
will realize you don't want your post going in to DejaNews. In a
"hostile" newsgroup, it's better not to use "x-no archive", and quietly
purge any private information using the Nuke facility. People will
intentionally reply to your message in it's entirety, after they strip out
the "x-no archive". And you wont be able to Nuke their post. (they
usually say, "Hey, I made sure your stuff will get picked up my
DejaNews!")
If you have information in DejaNews under an old or mangled e-mail
address, you can *still* get those suckers deleted - but you have to
e-mail DejaNews a scanned image of your driver's license and a text file
of all the message ID's (from their database) that you want deleted. They
make it a big pain in the ass to do this. They (at their offices) will
*not* delete messages based on a mangled address, even though the Nuke
page can pull them up.
If you posted under an old ISP account, it might be worth it to
re-activate the account for a month, just so you can Nuke your old
messages yourself (without having to beg DejaNews to do it).
So now you know how to prevent your messages from going in to DejaNews,
how to Nuke them, how to get mangled ones out, and how to find every post
DejaNews has on somebody.
Why only send this to women? Because stalking does go on, and I would bet
a million dollars that a stalker knew all about this stuff and the victim
had never heard of it. Maybe this will help.
Any guys (who know me), now know why they can never find any dirt on me in
DejaNews (haha)
- Bill
QUESTIONS TO ASK DEALERS WHEN PURCHASING A VAN
(not all questions are applicable in all cases)
1. How much weight is added to the vehicle during modification?
2. Does the added weight lead to premature suspension and front end
problems?
3. Does the manufacturer use the original fuel tank or a fuel cell?
Does the manufacturer use the original fuel pump?
4. What other original parts are used, and which are replaced? How do
the changes affect the van's overall durability? Are there any
electrical items which are added to the conversion which create a
constant demand on the battery?
5. What will the finished height of the van be? What will the ground
clearance be? How do the modifications affect the van's center of
gravity, and stability in turns?
6. How do your modifications affect the warranty from the van's original
manufacturer? How does your warranty compare with the original
warranty?
How does the manufacturer feel about your modifications to their
product?
7. Have vans with your modifications undergone crash tests, and what
were the results compared with non-modified vans?
8. Will the modifier or manufacturer pay for a rental in the event
there are problems during the warranty period, and help me find such
a vehicle, if needed?
9. What about after sale service? Where are repairs done, and how is
the van taken to the repair shop if repairs can't be done at my home
(is
that my responsibility, or part of your service?) How fast is the
response when I call your company to report a problem? What happens
when the warranty period is over? What if the manufacturer issues a
recall of this model?
10. How helpful will you be in accommodating me in my particular
circumstances, whatever those may be?
11. What type of kneeling system do you install? What parts are most
likely to break with normal use, and how much does repairing or
replacing said parts cost in money and time? Why is your particular
kneeling system the right one to choose? Can I get an upgraded
battery to deal with the added drag of powering the lift and the
kneeling system? Is the hydraulic fluid in the kneeling system
affected by the air temperature, and, if so, at what temperatures?
12. What happens if the kneeling system breaks during or after the
warranty period, and how difficult is it to fix? If the kneeling
system breaks when I am out, can the van still be driven, and will I
be held responsible for any additional damage caused by driving the
van in this condition?
13. If the van's engine and/or battery fails while I am in the van, how
do I get out of the van? How do I activate the ramp and van kneeling
system (if applicable?) What about releasing the power tiedowns?
14. Can this van tow a trailer?
15. Depending on the repair required, may I stay in the van during
repair if I have to bring it in for service myself?
16. I don't currently plan to drive this van, but that may change in the
future. Can the required adaptations for driving be added later,
without damaging the integrity of the vehicle? Depending on how
soon such changes are made, how will they affect the warranty?
17. I'd like a security system and remote engine start in this van.
Would I be better off with the manufacturer's alarm system, or
should I have a vendor local to me install the alarm?
18. Have you told me about all the options and trim levels available
from the manufacturer of this van?
People who drive (from their chairs or after transferring into a seat)
will likely have additional questions.
Alan
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