I recently purchased a 1998 Pontiac Gran Prix GTP Coupe. The drivers side headlight lense is cracked, I purchased a new one, (entire lamp assembly, not just the lense.) Anyone know how to replace it? Looks to me like it will come out by removeing the 2 star shaped plastic headed screws...is this correct? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
BTW, two words, local libarary.
You know something, I bet you were once the one who came into a group and asked a question that had already been asked many times. I see you did indeed give this person a link to help them and that is great, but this is more then just a help group. In case you have not noticed, people do not always come here to get a quick answer. Some come to see what other's are buying and the problems they are having with them. Some even become friends here. It is called life. You try and make new friends, while you on the other hand scare off most new people that show up here with your little comments. Sure, some questions have been asked many dozen's of times, but why can it not be asked again? I have been reading this group for a *very* long time, and on my newsreader alone I have well over 14,000 unread posts that I have yet to get too. That is a lot of info to surf through when looking for an answer. This person described his/her problem and vehicle very well, why could you not just give them the link and make him/her feel welcome instead of making them feel like they have upset the Earth's rotation by merely asking a question?
I recommend you kiss my ass dumbshit. You know squat but expect everyone in this group to cater to your whims. THIS IS NOT A HELP GROUP. This is not a spoonfeeding group. Don't like Usenet go the f*ck away sockpuppet
BTW, unless it is a post from a known regular I will not answer any more requests. Screw this nonsense.....
If the 14000 posts are unread how do you know an answer doesn't lurk there? By not looking before asking it makes many regulars will ignore posts with the same topic in the subject line. The person in question might have read previous posts, looked up answers, then posted an interesting question because their particular problem might be a one-off but it will never be read thanks to the asshats wanting to be spoonfed thereby causing the topic to be ignored. I mentioned the library because that is a way overlooked resource. Who are you to criticize anyway? Don't like my posts, DON'T READ THEM. I am getting real tired of people telling me their opinions when they offer nothing.
After re-reading my post to you I feel I was way too harsh. I apologize. It just ticks me off when no matter what I do someone feels the need to dog me. The reason for the library add on post was to give a heads up to where I found the information. I guess I need to take a "lighten-the-f*ck-up" pill.
I do understand what you mean by people coming in with questions that have been asked many times before, but my point is either ignore them, help them or let someone else help. I have seen some questions asked here at least twice in the same week, yet someone chirps in with a link or an answer to help them. Myself, if I see a post I don't like, I just ignore it, which I have been trying to do with yours but I just think that you are being too hard on the new people coming to the group. Like I said, you did provide a link and that was great, but maybe that was as far as you should have gone. I mean no offence, I am just trying to say this group should be an open and friendly place for people to visit, not a place where people are bashed for asking a question which some of us might find easy, yet to someone who is just starting out, might find very difficult. Just remember, everyone has to start somewhere.
Not only that, but many news servers don't contain the entire archive for the groups. That would take a massive amount of storage. FBR, what makes you think the OP DIDN'T look at previous topics that he/she could see and didn't find the answer there, despite the question having been asked before but his/her server didn't retain a copy of the thread?
My local news server has a retention time of about 30 days. The earliest message I can see in the groups I visit is from 8/16/2005.
FBR, what do you mean by this: "THIS IS NOT A HELP GROUP"? This is certainly a place I would start when looking for help with my Pontiac. Usenet, just like web forums, is a great place for people with similar interests to gather and discuss those interests as well as share information that may be needed for repair of vehicles, computers, bikes or whatever may be the topic of the group.
Could you kindly re-post that charter for this group and point out to where it specifically states that this isn't a help group, only a place to talk about Pontiacs? You probably won't find anything of the sort in the charter. I'm going to look for it now as well and read it when I return to my computer later this evening.
This is directed mainly toward FBR, not 80 Knight.
Nevermind, I went and read it now, I found the charter posted by another person.
Here are some excerpts from it: "The group will be open to discussion about anything Pontiac related. All years and models are welcomed. Posts concerning restoration, modification, driving, collecting, cars or parts for sale/wanted/trade, personal stories, Pontiac events, and so on are all welcomed. Inappropriate posts woould be commercial advertising, off-topic (non-Pontiac) posts, personal attacks, or vulgar material (this is intended to be an all-ages inclusive group)."
Nothing there about this NOT being a help group!
Here's more:
RULES
Posts on all aspects of the Pontiac automobile will be encouraged. These Include:
Posts that should not be tolerated are:
Hmm, FBR, if this was a moderated group you certainly would have been kicked by now with your use of language that can be deemed vulgar.
I'm not trying to launch a personal attack here, just pointing out how you don't seem to adhere to the rules you SEEM to know so well since you pointed out that this "isn't a help group".
"lighten-the-f*ck-up"
If your newsserver has crappy retention issues try looking in GoogleGroups. Ever since "talkaboutautos" and "autoforumz" started dumping into this group the group IQ seems to have dropped 50 points. Most of these asshats are drama queens who just want to troll and see if they get an answer. The charter was posted yesterday but I guess that was too hard to read. The group is about Pontiacs, not about spoonfeeding cluless twits.
So by mentioning where I found the info, I somehow was being cruel? Buggar that. Since "talkaboutautos" and "autoforumz" has been leeching this NG for content the BS factor has gone up by 100%. The only bashing I do is on the stupid. Honest questions get the best help I can offer and info on where I found the answer from. This NG is almost spam and commercial free thanks to some of us being critical. I will continue to be helpful where I can and critical when I feel like it. As you say, don't like my posts you can ignore them. I hope you don't but it is your choice.
Don't like my posts then don't read them. Simple as that.
The replies that I have saw from you which had help in them were great. All I am saying is if a new poster comes in and you feel he/she is a total dipstick for asking that you don't like, then just let it slide by you and leave them alone. When I first started on USENET back several years ago, I knew nothing about cars. I had to take mine to Canadian Tire everytime the SES light came on or when it started to chug. Now, from reading posts here, on the GM group and on the Net, I have learned quite a lot. I too probably started off by asking a question that someone has asked many times before, yet if I had of been told to 'go look it up' or called a name, I would probably have avoided this group and not learned all from it that I have. I mean absolutely no disrespect towards you FBR, and I do feel that some people take it too far, and yes, some people are just trying to get a rise out of the group, but I think if you ignore those you don't like then you too will have a better time here and they might just be able to help someone out in the future with the knowledge they get from here, just like I know try too.
I'm familiar with GoogleGroups, I have just not chosen to change to that service yet. Mainly because I like the interface I use to read posts and have not investigated using the same program to read GoogleGroups, if it's possible. Also, it's not my newsreader that chooses to have retention problems, it's my server, which is maintained by my ISP.
So what if someone chooses to just ask? We're all here to help each other. If everyone just searched for the answer to the problem they're having, we likely wouldn't have any new posts. Sometimes those searches are hampered by poor subject lines. I saw one in a chevy truck group with the subject of "truck". How's that help someone looking for the answer to a problem? One would have to be an internet master, or at least have mastered the use of Google, in order to find the exact subject they're looking for when possibly the only post on the topic only contains useful info in the body of the message with no useful subject line for a search to pick up. It IS possible, even using some search functions in Google, but one would need to pick up a "Mastering Google" book to find the answer to a car problem, rather than just posting the question as a new topic in here and getting the answer from people that are helpful.
You mentioned you won't answer any posts from "newbies" in here. I would qualify for that title, I've only been in this group a couple weeks, it doesn't have nearly the amount of traffic some of the other groups I visit have. I started reading because I'm expecting delivery of my '06 GP that I found out on Monday has shipped from the factory so I'm to expect it in about 6 more working days.
I'm not trying to bash you, but we also need to use some common sense that not everybody that's in here jumped right to GoogleGroups instead of first trying (and possibly sticking with) the Usenet service provided by their ISP. The configurations for those are usually fairly simple, the groups are as easy to navigate to as just looking through e-mail folders and messages in the same program as your e-mail, I've even seen the "installer" from the ISP provide the configuration information to start reading the newsgroups.
These people are looking for help with car problems, they're not looking to be called "asshats" or "twits".
I only mentioned GG as a source if your ISP had poor retention.
Ok, this is one of my gripes. If someone can't be bothered to do any research on thier own, and the question is one that has been asked and answered dozens of times, why spoonfeed?
If everyone just searched for the answer to the problem
I agree, all good points.
Congrats! Should be a sweet ride from what I've read.
Maybe they're not looking for it but I calls em as I sees em. Not long ago I posted how to find anything and was basically raked over the coals for it. But 8 people emailed me thanking me for showing how I found answers. I guess it's a matter of perception. Thanks for your post.
Snipped for space, not content .
No. Shall I also let commercial spammers slide? How about the folks (drama queens) who appaently have different issues with a whole collection of cars?
When I first started on USENET back several years ago, I
Maybe, but if the skills had been offered I bet yoiu would have used them rather than making a fuss over a post.
The word 'spammer' has a different definition between people. I myself have no problem what so ever with someone coming on here advertising Pontiac cars or parts for Pontiac's. I honestly don't mind it, now if you come on here trying to sell you're Honda, then I might think you are a few bulbs short of a Christmas tree, but like I said, advertising Pontiac's is fine by me. When you come to think of it, there are many topics in any NewsGroup that may seem off-topic, yet no one minds. Me personally, I just prefer they include OT or 'For Sale' or what not. That way people who have no interest in that stuff can steer away from it. That and if there is a proper title, people can always skip past the thread or 'kill' it if they want too.
True. Also, I think most of what you did with you're "How to find answers" post was a good thing. Is there perhaps a way to make a similar post stay at the top of the Group at all times? A simple message telling people to make sure to give complete definitions of there problem(s) as well as year, make, model, engine and what not would probably cut down a lot on the amount of "my car won't start. please help" post's.
I thought about that. Short of reposting everyday, or going to the message boards (which scavenge newsgroup/Usenet content. but give nothing back but idiots) there is no easy way to do it. With an unmoderated group there's no way to keep a message at the top of the que.
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