This thread was started in 2010 . . . !
And the person that just revived this thread isn’t even the same person that started it
Not to mention that half of the story isn’t even about the motor mounts, anyways
Perhaps this thread should be put to bed AGAIN, and kept there . . .
I’ve never understood the obsession with closing discussions just because they are old. Unless you have something to hide or a vested interest in seeing the topic squelched…People are still contributing and those that are interested in understanding the full extent of the problem are getting more information in every post. People are signing up just to contribute to this thread so they are highly motivated. Why would you propose to end that?
Would it be preferrable to have 50 individual posts on a similar topic or simply have people append to an existing one? If you don’t want to read about Honda motor mount problems it’s easier to skip over the one… 
But who are we responding to?
OP has long since left the building
OP had a specific car, model year, mileage, and his own set of problems
When a new guy revives a thread, the make, model, mileage, and sometimes even the problems are different
And to top it off, sometimes people just revive an old thread to rant and rave
I’m not specifically saying that’s going on here, but it’s been know to happen
By the way, it’s very easy to start a new discussion.
Right now, we have 2 similar ongoing water pump/timing belt discussions. I see no reason to combine those into one
That’s my take on the matter
I see both sides of the close vs. leave open argument. Every couple of months or so I go back and set the new archive date. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be working if you can add to this thread. The reason I really try to close the old threads is not because people revive the old topics and muddy the water with the specifics of their own issue, but because for a while a fair number of new, non tech savvy users would open an old thread and post about something completely unrelated (e.g., totally different make). It was just easier.
The title of this section of the web site is called “community”. Is that what were engaged in or is it some sterile environment where if someone shows up to a circle of people discussing some topic and says “hey, I ran into something similar…” you run them off because it is not specific to the current topic being discussed? Is that how we act when we’re face to face? Why should we act that way on this forum? Are we exchanging ideas, experiences and knowledge or are we simply disseminating facts related to a specific problem?
Again, I believe the intent here is to engage people. To entice them into contributing and grow the population. People actually registered and posted because they felt strongly about this topic. Do you want to discourage that? I ask the “regulators” of this board what their mission statement is for this site…
Sure it’s easy to start a new discussion. Many people won’t do it. I suspect those that contributed believed they were contributing in a meaningful way or they wouldn’t have done so. Do we really NEED 20 different posts on motor mount failures just because they involved different people/cars??? BTW- even db4690 referred to it as a discussion. Again, I will ask what your definition of discussion is and what relationship it may have to the way people actually interact in real life might be…
@TwinTurbo I like to think of this forum as an “electronic cocktail party” where outgoing and interested people of like minds exhange interesting and valuable information, mostly about cars.
If some of us were taking a drink during our time on the computer, we might be more friendly!
I don’t think it’s a good idea to consolidate all the motor mount and timing belt discussions, for example
Not all guys with motor mount problems have the same symptoms
And not all timing belt discussions are about the same thing
@TwinTurbo, I’m picking up on some frustration about how things have worked here. Here’s my thought process.
In “real life” (the term reminds me of an observation @cigroller made recently), somebody wanders into an ongoing discussion and pipes in with their two cents or experience. Virtually speaking here, the old replies live on long after many original discussants left the party. The analogue in “real life” is someone starting a new discussion with whoever was around. Here, we have been organizing that by requesting posters start a discrete thread for each occurrence of a problem.
But put more simply, I asked people to do it because many of the regulars here requested it. If people want it changed, I’ll go along with that.
your threat is about zero, your a ZERO
@ILdriver
huh . . . ?!
Looks like a reaction to being rejected for trespassing on your Honda engine mount thread.
This is a strange message board where hot topics are closed when new members leave comments about their own experiences at the request of one. Notice that there are 1.4 million views on this topic.
“Looks like a reaction to being rejected for trespassing on your HOnda engine mount thread.”
I’m quivering . . .
I’m not frustrated at all. I just think you’re making a mistake in allowing a few people to dictate the continuation of threads according to their own beliefs about the mission of this site. You say “many of the regulars” but have you actually gone back and reviewed how many of your posters that actually represents? I’m betting it’s a handful if that…do you fear the board will devolve into choas if threads die naturally versus killing them perhaps prematurely?
OK. When I read I was running people off the board, I took it at face value, and it’s far from what was intended. And, yes, I am aware of how small that group is. I didn’t hear a lot of vociferous opposition, so I thought it seemed sensible. No dictating involved. This particular issue hadn’t come up for a long time, but when it did a couple of years back, I was probably acting on feedback from about 7-12 people who asked OPs to create their own discussion, mostly as a way to ensure their issue got proper attention and it was easily identified by someone skimming the topics. In terms of the prematurity of the closing, the routine maintenance thread closure happens every few months, and I close what’s older than 3 months. That generally doesn’t affect any truly active discussions, and they tend to die on their own, as you say. Chaos reigning? Hardly. Edit: I should actually say how little I have to do - by and large, this group is very knowledgeable, well spoken, respectful, and generous with their time and expertise, with little condescension, cursing, or flaming.
Now, in rare instances, I do actively close an ongoing discussion because it got too far from the Community Guidelines. That’s another conversation, and I don’t think it’s what you’re referring to right now.
I’m not frustrated
I’m quivering
Yeah, right . . .
LOL
If some of us were taking a drink during our time on the computer, we might be more friendly!
What makes you think we aren’t? (Taking a drink, that is.)
@db4690 : Please stop quivering in public. This is a family-friendly site!
PDQ = Public display of quivering
Better call the authorities
Where else can you find entertainment like this? (NO sarcasm intended!)
@cdaquila
None of my posts were intended to insinuate you were running people off the board.
And I’m not impugning your automatic closure policy.
However-
No dictating involved.
My original response was following this post by db- Perhaps this thread should be put to bed AGAIN, and kept there . . .
Here is an instance of a contributor dictating the policy of the board based on their own interpretation of what is valuable and worthy of being discussed. Why not just stop opening a topic if you feel it’s no longer worthwhile? Why do people feel the NEED to suggest closing it (before the automatic policy kicks in) when they perceive it has been played out?
I visit many automotive based forums and have been coming here since it first started. This forum is unique in the respect that it draws in people listening to the radio show that might not be quite as tech savvy as those posting to more traditional forums frequented by hardcore DIY and professionals. As such, the tone and compassion towards the posters is far more forgiving and rightly so. Hence my references toward “real life” in discussions. People are discouraged from posting here more easily than the other sites where contributors tend to have thicker skins. All the more reason to make it friendly toward a meandering discussion that more closely mimics real life and encourages people to contribute. I’m suggesting that you consider what is best for the growth and prospering of the web site rather than what a few of the more vocal members of the site see as fitting…myself included.