Batauto.com

General Discussion
1

What do you guys think about the batauto.com website?

I remembered it from several years ago, and it had some severe problems and may have disappeared for awhile. Apparently, they’ve been having severe financial difficulties. Believe it or not, I used to enjoy watching “weekend mechanic” with Bruce Bonebrake. I miss shows like that.

I wasn’t aware it had a forum, where guys could talk to each other and post questions, until just a few minutes ago.

And I KNOW that some people that post on this website also are active on the forums there, because I recognized at least one of the user names.

So what’s the verdict?

Clearly, one of the reasons I’m asking is because I have doubts as to whether the cartalk website will survive in the long run. And I’m thinking of getting ready for the day when it’s not around anymore.

I hope nobody flags this as spam. It’s quite the opposite, in fact. I’m ASKING about the website, not promoting it.

2

That’s why I have a hobby. :grin:

3

I just checked, and there are at least 2 people, who’ve posted on this website often, who’ve also posted on the other website. I won’t bother mentioning names

That other website definitely has less traffic than this one, and it’s more on target. Meaning guys are trying to get their cars fixed, but less off-topic stuff like politics

It lists the members, and there aren’t many :frowning2:

It might actually be in more dire straits, than THIS website :fearful:

4

Just curious, why do you think that? No web site with a narrow focus like this lasts forever, but I can see no reason Car Talk forums would end sooner than any of the other ones currently in use. I haven’t tried the one you mention so can’t compare this one to that. But as a figure of merit, I’d judge one vs another by

  • forums are well moderated on a frequent basis & inappropriate content removed quickly
  • % up time; i.e. ability to log on at any time of the day or night and have a high % that everything works
  • speed of new page loads
  • the degree to which advertisements interfere w/use of the site
  • the frequency of troll posters and troll posts
  • the quality of the explanation of how it works & advice what to do next from the pro expert posters
  • the quality of the advice as above, from the diy’er posters
  • a good mix of both pro and diy’ers giving advice

Of the others I participate in, Car Talk is by far the best on the above accounts.

2 Likes
5

You do have some good points, but nothing lasts forever, the radio show has been on reruns for some time now, and even that is apparently coming to an end

As for the other website, this one is clearly better funded, whereas the other one may be on life support

Maybe I’ll just have to check out iatn.net . . . although I suspect it’s MUCH more goal-oriented, and not as much entertainment as this website. And for what I want, it would be $19/month. I don’t suspect THAT website is going to disappear overnight, as there are membership fees involved for 3 of the 4 levels

6

I sincerely hope this site goes on for a long, long time to come. But should the worst happen, I’ll sincerely appreciate the many years of enjoyment and knowledge that I’ve gotten from the site. And I’ll pursue other hobbies. This is really the only forum that I frequent. It’s the only one I enjoy participating in.

2 Likes
7

BatAuto? Never heard of it!

Just kidding, of course. I’m the guy db4690 is referring to.

I’ve been a member of a handful of online auto forums for quite a few years now, BatAuto being one of them. I like it because I’ve gotten to know a handful of guys over there who I can count on to give good advice. They are either professional mechanics (or former professional mechanics), or well-seasoned backyard guys. One guy (who I believe is retired) has a very distinct way of writing that is very funny! He likes to harken back to the “old days” and throws in his actual experiences in a very humorous style. Sometimes I’m laughing to the point of tears because I don’t think he’s trying to be funny, but he just is!

As for financial problems - I don’t know anything about that. There was a very brief time where the website went down for upgrades (maybe a week?). The site had the look of the early day Bulletin Board sites and they dressed it up a bit. Seemed like everyone returned after the intermission, so I’m still there, too. .

But it all started for me with CarTalk - because of the radio show. At some point, however, I think I drifted away from it because it turned into a bit of a circus. In fact, I distinctly remember one particular early-day Car Talk poster returning to post something to the effect of, " … same old thing here … this board is purely for entertainment … and I’m not going to tell you guys where the real forums are [because you’ll ruin them] …". I felt the same way, and so I went elsewhere.

But then the forum was redone (and I didn’t like what they did to it … the old forum format was much better, I thought), but I came back because there are several people here - just like BatAuto, who I can trust for meaningful feedback … and it seems like the riff-raff has been gone for a long time now.

.

2 Likes
8

Well, you can kiss that idea goodbye…

;-]

1 Like
9

Nope, I’m still here.

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10

Just out of curiosity . . .

why did you use the same user name on the other website?

I spent a few hours on batauto.com this afternoon, just browsing. I haven’t registered yet. But it seems they’re asking for donations to keep it running. In any case, the website layout seems to be older than this one, but that’s not really a judgment, just an observation. It also wasn’t clear who all the sponsors are, except for alldata, who they seemed to mention a few times.

11

Here’s a few things I like about THIS website

It’s amusing when some guy storms on this website, talking smack about this and that, conspiracy theories, insulting various regulars, etc. And then he gets knocked down a peg :head_bandage:. I LOVE IT . . . ! :yum:That should say something about ME, because it’s the first thing I mentioned. But that’s my personality, take it or leave it. I love watching arguments, and “sometimes” I even like participating :punch: Nobody’s perfect :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I also like it when guys like Volvo keep things in check, by pointing out when somebody has made some comments which he apparently feels are off-topic and/or unhelpful. I won’t mention any other names, but IMO he kind of serves a “checks and balances” role. And I also like his blunt comments, particularly when he’s telling somebody to start their own discussion or stay on target :dart: Sometimes bluntness is what’s needed, not beating around the bush

This may be controversial, but I actually like that new guy’s . . . John Goreham? . . . comments. Yeah, he’s coming at things from a different angle than most of the rest of us, but I feel he’s said a lot of useful things. But I suppose you can pick and choose. If you don’t like something he has to say, just disregard it.

I also like that the regulars here have such a diverse background. Mechanics, parts guys, drivers, shop owners, diyers, engineers, educators, engineers, etc. It really adds to the whole experience :+1:

@cdaquila Carolyn, if you’re reading this, I hope you do everything in your power, to influence the big shots NOT to shut down this website :pray:

2 Likes
12

what really makes this site tick is that people USE it

too many other sites have too small number of people who get to write something useful (or even not) to respond to other people thought… something that I really like here

1 Like
13

I don’t know anything about it but as a non professional, I like the varying degrees of contributors here. I’d sure like to find a decent woodworking board again though. Not shop owners, just guys and gals that like to make stuff. Mine went belly up and I miss it. I think a lot of these boards though hang on by a thread. The old car talk off-shoot ended up with just one guy holding it together, and then got killed in a car accident.

14

Hey, all. No, this site isn’t going anywhere for the time being. We all want to see it survive and thrive.

If I may, though, take a somewhat different tack on the incidents where people are taken down a peg - I think it isn’t helpful to the community’s long-term prospects when new people (or infrequent posters) are jumped on. Sure, I get it when people come in and are outright, unquestionably disrespectful - it is provocative. Resurrected threads are a good example of when to check ourselves. Sure, it’s different, but what the new system does is email the OP, and sometimes this brings people back, even after years. That means more people! This is good.

And even though the shows won’t be aired anymore, let’s try to keep the discussion in the spirit of Tom and Ray’s responses to questions in the best way we can.

Thanks, and enjoy your weekends.

6 Likes
15

Sorry for the late reply (Haha - two years), but I just ran across this looking for an answer to a forum issue I’m having.

What’s wrong with using the same username on multiple websites? Years ago, when I logged onto my 2nd site, I did consider using different usernames, but then I thought it would just be too confusing (for me).

Do other people use different usernames on multiple websites? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen evidence of people using fake accounts on some of the auto boards I’m on. I can tell by the way they write - the way they (strangely) use, mis-use, or mis-spell words.

16

I have a few different usernames, but I use the same username on related type sites.

So all automotive type sites I would use It_s_Me
All book/reading sites I use another name, same name on all of them.
Music sites I use another name, same name on all of them.

17

Absolutely nothing. Using the same passwords can come back to haunt you.

18

That makes perfect sense to me, but really - why not the same username everywhere? Are you afraid someone out there is going to put the puzzle together about you: he drives a car, he reads books, and he listens to music … OK, that narrows it down to 300 million people … LOL!

19

There’s a LOT of bad people out there . . . that’s a fact, not an opinion

you’d do well to make it just a little harder for them to track you . . . at least that’s how I see it

Please stop joking . . . I don’t care what car you drive, what authors you follow and who your favorite band is . . . that’s not what we were talking about, anyways

1 Like
20

Simple answer - personal choice - this doesn’t even seem like something to worry about.