Intel WiFi Link Network Cards and HP Laptops

$10 part number

The wireless network card on my three year old HP laptop has recently been malfunctioning.  It was disconnecting by itself and not reconnecting without a reboot.    Naturally, this was occurring at convenient times like when I was doing client presentations.    Since the laptop didn't have any other real problems, it would be a shame to replace it for this issue.

And by "shame" I mean it would cost me $2,950 (after tax) for a brand new Apple Macbook Pro, not that I've been visiting the Apple Store to drool on them.

The device driver was up to date so I suspected the card simply had a loose or ever slightly corroded connection.   I pulled the card out, looked for physical signs of a problem (didn't see any), and reinstalled the card.  


So far, so good.

The card was easy to remove.   It's accessed by removing the speaker cover on the bottom of the laptop (one screw).    The antenna connections can be removed by gently pulling on the plugs with small pliers and two small screws secure the card in place.  Total time to pull the card - about 5 minutes.

Here's the curious thing.   Some bright young MBA at HP decided to label components that are likely to need replacement with HP part numbers.   The idea was probably to make it easy for HP repair monkeys ("technicians") to confirm that replacement parts match.  Too bad it doesn't make it easier for consumers to order the part.  

You'd think that searching HP's website by the HP part number would lead you to a simple way to purchase the part.   But that's not how it goes.   HP's website says that HP no longer carries the part but links to a list of resellers.   The list starts with Canadian companies and US companies are further down (why?).

The first US based HP reseller linked from the HP website didn't have a searchable website, so I gave up and easily found it on eBay and various other places for $15 to $18 (plus shipping).    I ripped off the haphazardly attached  HP label and searched eBay by the Intel part number where I found used network cards for as little as $3 (plus shipping) and brand new ones for $8 (free shipping).

Here's a few things that HP clearly doesn't understand.

1. Consumers develop relationships with products that extend onto the web.    An HP website that is 99% focused on selling new laptops and buries parts and service with crappy menus and poor search tools is deeply frustrating.   The relationship isn't positive here, it's negative.    Are you listening HP?   Fix your damn website.    

2.   If you're going to cover up the manufacturer label with your own part number, at least align the label and put it right side up.   And cross reference it with the OEM part number.

3.   Don't put links on your website to resellers who without online capabilities to search and purchase parts.  Our time is value and we aren't going to call a reseller, spend 20 minutes on the phone talking when we can spend 2 minutes searching the web.

References
Laptop:  HP HDX X18T-1200 CTO Premium
Wifi Card:  Intel WiFi link 5100 512AN_MMW
HP Part:  480985-001

DIY Lift Gate

So your Jeep gets rear-ended and it's going to cost you a bundle for a new liftgate.    What do you do?   

Not this.

Jump Start Gone Wrong

This is what happens when you cross polarities when jump starting a car battery.     Or rather, what might happen.   In the immortal words of Dr. Egon Spengler, "Don't cross the streams."

Remember, it's + to + and - to -.  

More pics
Source:  Quackstatic

Bottom Bracket Rescue

Between the crank arms, nestled in a cylindrical hole in your bike frame rests a device called the bottom bracket.   In essence, it's a couple of sealed bearings inside a threaded tube with a small axle running through it.   After years of abuse, the bearings can fail, leading to a crackling noise when pedaling.   

Today, I pulled my very first bottom bracket, a fairly straightforward procedure, provided you have the right tools.  The tools themselves are cheap - about $20 on sale at my local bike shop. There are also plenty of how-to videos online, so I'll skip that.   Here's what I learned... 

Sometimes, the bottom bracket isn't bad.   My local shop didn't have the correct size bracket, but the mechanic checked out my bracket and thought it turned smoothly.   She suggested that grit that gets into the threads can also make a crackling noise.  

So, I gave it a go and surprise, surprise, my bottom bracket is fine.   The crackling noise is now completely gone.  So before running out to replace your bottom bracket, try cleaning it, regreasing, and reinstalling it first.   Oh, and don't be surprised if the bottom bracket comes out looking like a rusty mess.  Mine sure did, but it cleaned up nicely. 

Bottom bracket from my GT Terra Mountain Bike

Lexus Bodyshop Work [Update]

NK93FRYEAMKJ More pics of the Lexus repair work arrived in my inbox.  

Supposedly the car will even be ready for pickup today.   Fingers crossed...

Lexus Bodywork Pics [Fix It!]

Time for an update on the work being performed to repair our Lexus LS430.  The shop promises the car will be available for pick-up early next week.  









The bodyshop:  Stuttgart Automotive in Englewood, CO

Car Crashes and Liberty Mutual Insurance

A few weeks ago, my wife was rear-ended while driving our 2001 Lexus LS430. This post initiates a series on the topic.

Here's a picture of the car the night of the accident:

As I write this, I feel a lot of anger and frustration, only a small portion of which is about the damaged car. My wife was injured in the crash. Cars are disposable. People are not.

The pain that she experienced and continues to experience is the worst part. She's going to several medical appointments each week and treatment is ongoing.

But this post isn't about whip lash or medical treatments. This is GearThoughts. Let's talk about cars, car repair, and the ongoing scam called automobile insurance.

The Lexus itself appears to have done an admirable job of crumpling on impact. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 35 mph. Most people exceed that speed by 5 to 10 mph.

The other driver was at fault and ticketed. At the scene, he told me that his brakes locked up and he couldn't stop. He said his tires were nearly bald which likely contributed.

The other driver may have been negligent driving around on bald tires, or he may have been going too fast, or he may have been distracted. Yet my anger isn't really directed at him either.

Liberty Mutual is the source of my ongoing frustration. They're our automobile insurance company and they've been handling the claim process.

Over the years, we've been pretty good customers. We have multiple vehicles and our house on the policy. I've never paid a premium late and prior to this experience, I've never filed a claim.

Unfortunately, Liberty Mutual hasn't been treating us nearly as well as we've treat them.

After experiencing delays and getting the run-around (details below), and despite complaining to supervisors, Liberty Mutual continues to be horribly unresponsive and uncooperative. Worse, when I asked about previous complaints regarding the same issue, the supervisor told me there was no record of any complaints in my file.

I've discovered that auto-insurance is really only as good as the claims process. Just because you pay for coverage doesn't mean you're going to have a good experience when it comes time to file a claim.

My mom taught me that you always get what you pay for. Except in this case, we've been paying a lot. Why are we receiving so very little? Something doesn't add up.

My experiences thus far dealing with Liberty Mutual:

• 4 days to get a rental car.
  
  
• 1 full week before Liberty Mutual sent an adjuster to evaluate the damage to my car. The excuse: Everyone was attending a meeting (seriously). Maybe they were counting their yet to vest stock options in the upcoming IPO.
  
  
• Several days, and repeated phone calls and emails to get a tow authorization. The excuse: My claims adjuster went on vacation (but the supervisor confirmed he was in the office for a full day and half after I sent email and left voice messages).
  
  
• Liberty Mutual's initial estimate was about $7,500. The body shop evaluated the car and the estimate is now about $10,000. It's been 4 days since the body shop called Liberty Mutual to have the additional work approved and, as far as I know, they're still waiting for a visit from the claims adjuster. As of the date of this post, Liberty Mutual has not yet visited the body shop to inspect the damage and approve the work.
  
  
• I told Liberty Mutual that I was concerned about the fact that when I sell or trade in the car, the CarFax will show it's been in an accident. My claims adjuster told me I could file a diminished value claim against the other driver's insurance (Geico), but not to be surprised when Geico offers very little. Translation: Too bad about your loss but it's your problem.
  
  
• Despite previous complaints about unresponsiveness, Liberty Mutual continues to perform poorly. As of this writing, they have yet to respond to my last inquiry and it's been +60 hours.
  
  
• The purpose of my last call was to go over the evidence I've gathered showing the vehicle should probably be considered a total loss including estimates of market and salvage value from dealers. I've sent Liberty Mutual email and I've left voice messages. I'm still waiting to hear back.

The saga continues...

Here's the damage to the car in the daylight:

Here's the car being towed away:

On a side note - Liberty Mutual appears to be going public. They've filed a registration for an IPO (S1) which highlights that their net income nearly tripled in 1Q10 to $306MM. Gee, I wonder how they managed to do that?

Mark Levinson Amp Replacement

IMG_0323, originally uploaded by oparvez.

This is what a Mark Levinson amp looks like as installed in my 2001 Lexus LS430. Apparently these amps are prone to failure, which kills the stereo system entirely. The dealer wanted $2,000 to do the repair but offered to sell me the amp alone for about $800 (with exchange of my existing bad amp). After doing my research on part numbers, I bought an upgraded used amp (p/n ends with 01) from eBay for about $325. Described as remanufactured, I was hopeful it had already been through the dealer process but the amp that arrived was missing the remanufactured sticker. Bummer. But I decided to go ahead and install it. It took me a little over an hour to do the work. It now seems to work fine. Here's a link to the full photo set.

You can also find more information on how to diagnose and replace your ML amp here and here.