Consumer Research

We have a two year old LED 4K TV and seems to have part of the screen turning darker or a gray tone vs. the rest of the TV. Reading online it may be a bad LED bulb but not sure. Anyone have experience with this or know what it may be? Anything to do to fix it or know a repair person to call to support?

I would hate to dump the TV given how new it is but the repair may not be worth it.

I just replaced all of my LED backlights a few weeks ago. Found them online for $65 and replaced them myself. On mine, I was losing the areas of Red and Green causing it to look purple in spots because the blue was just fine. Then along the top there was a gray strip which was all three colors getting weak. It took a few hours to do. Basic tools and a YouTube video for instructions.

Before
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During
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After
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We have a two year old LED 4K TV and seems to have part of the screen turning darker or a gray tone vs. the rest of the TV. Reading online it may be a bad LED bulb but not sure. Anyone have experience with this or know what it may be? Anything to do to fix it or know a repair person to call to support?

I would hate to dump the TV given how new it is but the repair may not be worth it.

Those TV’s really aren’t made to be repaired. If you took it to a shop to be repaired, they might say they could do it, but for what they would charge you could practically buy a new TV.

My brother had a similar problem last summer with a Samsung 55″ model. A grey strip about six inches wide developed on the right edge of the screen from top to bottom. He quit using it right away and got a new TV. He called me and asked if I wanted the TV. I told him only if I could fix it. I did a little research online and discovered the problem was common to this model of Samsung. It was less than a year old. I found a video on line of the exact same model with the exact same problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwxfWPuwImE&t=15s

As Jup said, it was a malfunction of the LED’s. On mine there were LED strips that ran along the bottom edge and projected up. About four of them had overheated. The grey strip is where the bulbs started to melt the diffuser panel. Depending upon how long you’ve watched the TV after the problem first came up will probably determine whether the TV is repairable. If you quit using it right away, you should be OK. The LED strips are pretty easy to find and not very expensive. I paid $27.00 for mine plus shipping. The diffuser panel is not easy to replace. It’s part of an internal unit that is made up of about seven layers of varying thicknesses. It’s not shown anywhere as a replaceable part that I could find.

If you are a DIY’er, you might be able to save some money and fix it yourself. It took me a little over an hour to fix mine. Good as new. It just takes a little patience, the right tools and a good-sized work surface or dining room table to lay it all out. It was actually pretty easy to do.

PM me if you have any questions

I bought my LED backlights from Shop Jimmy and used a video from them as well. Very happy with the results.

I got my LED strips from a vendor on eBay.

Also very happy with the results. This was shot the evening after the repairs.

https://i.imgur.com/7NqaovH.jpg?2" />

oh… my TV is a 65 4K LG from 2017.

Hmmm…. Is this a common problem with those type of tvs? I guess we have 4 TVs from around that same year and haven’t seen issues yet. One LG, one Samsung, and 2 TCLs.

I think it has becoming more common. TV’s get cheaper as they use cheaper parts. LED backlights are one of those areas that companies like LG & Samsung have had issues with. It has me thinking about moving up to OLED in the future. But my current fix should last at least a few years, then I will pony up for OLED.

I have a 40″ Samsung from 2009 that has had issues with white for about 5 years. Bright whites show slightly pink. So watching hockey is not great. But I switch it to movie mode and it seems to look much better. I am temped to get new backlights for it just as a hobby project after already doing it once for a much bigger TV.

Looking for a good 2 way walkie talkie set…

Taking the wife and 3 kids along with my in-laws to the cabin and Glacier Nat’l Park this summer. Looking for good set of walkie talkies with a decent radius especially driving form the Cities to the cabin. As well as closer proximity while in the mountains. Knowing as long as we are on the same side of the mountain they should work. Cell service is sketchy in parts of North Dakota and eastern Montana. And becomes more of a problem inside GNP and the higher elevations and other mountain ranges in the Flathead Valley.

I grew up in the area you are describing and that sounds normal for this time of year and the weather we have had. Keep an eye on it, but this seems normal.

My sump basically runs all the time in the Spring.   With all the rain this month it’s been non-stop.

We might have a really high water table here because even when they replaced my drain tile a couple years ago (in late December) there was standing water while the new tile was going.

gator wrote:

Thanks guys!!! And my sister and brother-in-law live in Apple Valley less than 2 miles from me. And in their nearly 20 years living in their house their sump pump has never turned on.

They likely live over sand, gravel, or cobble which allows water to drain easily. My home in Coon Rapids was build on sand and it didn’t even have a sump pump and the basement was always dry.

My current house is on clay so the soil is always wet and the sump is needed.  I actually now have a back up sump pump and each pump has 2 floats.  And they have an alarm if any of them aren’t working.  I don’t want to go through the flooding again.

gator wrote:

Thanks guys!!! And my sister and brother-in-law live in Apple Valley less than 2 miles from me. And in their nearly 20 years living in their house their sump pump has never turned on.

You might want to check where all of your downspouts are discharging to, and also check your gutters for any obstructions.  If you are getting a lot of water into your drain tile system, it’s discharging too close to your foundation.

5 O.T. wrote:

gator wrote:

Thanks guys!!! And my sister and brother-in-law live in Apple Valley less than 2 miles from me. And in their nearly 20 years living in their house their sump pump has never turned on.

You might want to check where all of your downspouts are discharging to, and also check your gutters for any obstructions. If you are getting a lot of water into your drain tile system, it’s discharging too close to your foundation.

I have checked my gutters and downspouts and they are clear and discharging. Though I could look into one or two of the downspouts and lengthen them from the house. Though water does drain from the house pretty good.

Bertogliat wrote:

5 O.T. wrote:

gator wrote:

Thanks guys!!! And my sister and brother-in-law live in Apple Valley less than 2 miles from me. And in their nearly 20 years living in their house their sump pump has never turned on.

You might want to check where all of your downspouts are discharging to, and also check your gutters for any obstructions. If you are getting a lot of water into your drain tile system, it’s discharging too close to your foundation.

Not necessarily… The downspouts only discharge water from the roof. Rain (and irrigation) falls on the whole yard. There are also properties with high water tables (like mine), and even underground flow. There are parts of my back yard, if I dig down less than 1 foot, water will fill the hole. I spent a lot of money to install drain tile in the back yard to move underground water away.

I don’t have the high water table issues you do.  Ordinarily, my sump basket is bone dry.  Even during wet springs and times when we get a lot of rain.  However, I have a lot of big maples and a big ash tree that are relatively close to my house. They have lots of seeds and leaves that end up in my gutters at certain times of the year.  When that happens during a hard storm, the seeds and leaves clog up my gutters.  This causes water to gush over the tops of the gutter, with the water coming down very close to the foundation.  Those are the times when I get a lot of activity with my sump pump.

I need new gutters with covers because I’m getting tired of cleaning the leaves and seeds out of my gutters.  It’s always something.

Anyone had good service from ‘Weed Man’ for lawn service care?!?!?!

We’ve been in the house for a year now and now I’m tackling the yard with a patio project, driveway project and getting the yard (grass & trees) under control.  The house was a rental for several years prior to us buying it.  While I give the house inside and out an A- for upkeep, especially for being a rental.  I give the yard a C- at best.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by gator.

Bertogliat wrote:

If you’re at all interested in managing your own lawn care in the future, I highly recommend you watch videos from the “Lawn Care Nut.” If the lawn is in rough shape, use any lawn service this year and then take over next year using the LCN tips.

Thanks… That’s my plan. I tried to stay on top of it last year, but the lawn was in rough shape with weeds and crabgrass.  So my plan was to have a service company help this year. And next year take over myself once I get the yard in control.  It just to long as rental and not having much care.

I’m interested in more info about this crabgrass killer

Jupiter wrote:

Bertogliat wrote:

I have the best crabgrass killer. POST emergent. When you are ready to tackle crabgrass, let me know.

Yeah… I think we need to have that info shared!

Quinclorac 75 DF is the herbicide.  It comes as a pellet that you dissolve in a hudson sprayer along with “methylated seed oil.”  These are chemical typically used in farming equipment and can be rather nasty.  Follow safety instructions.  You should cover us and use eye protection and gloves.  I actually believe you can’t buy this in certain states unless you have a farm or commercial operation.  We can buy it in MN and I think I had mine delivered by Amazon.

This combination kills crabgrass 100% post-emergent after only 2 days.  It has never harmed my lawn, but I don’t spray in extreme heat and I don’t allow my grass to go dormant.  If you have a lot of crabgrass be ready to overseed a couple weeks later to fill in the bare spots.  I have about a 1/3 of an acre and usually use only a half gallon of solution and typically use the remainder on my neighbors yards.  You must never dump the remainder in a drain or gutter or near wetlands.  Just make sure to not make too much solution.

Control Weeds in Your Lawn with Quinclorac

As someone who was always frustrated by crabgrass, I could not recommend this stuff enough.

PS.  The link tells you to measure by weight.  The instructions on my bottle of Quinchlorac give me the ratios in tablespoons per gallon.  So don’t worry about buying a balance.  I use QualiPro brand, but I am sure most brands are similar.  I believe my methylated seed oil is “Southern Ag” brand.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by Bertogliat.

Chill Kessel wrote:

Will this kill my dog?

i don’t know.  Do you typically have crabgrass throughout your lawn?    If not maybe chain the dog to a small area for 2 days after treatment, then hose it down.

if crabgrass is widespread I would suggest a preemergent crabgrass killer in early spring.  May be too late now. I would actually recommend this every year.

then only kill the crabgrass that breaks through the preemergent.  For me, I use pre emergent.  Then 90% of my crabgrass is typically along the edge of my front lawn where it meets the street.

iPhone help…

My wife gave up her work phone and number. At first, we were going to keep her work number and work even signed off on it. Though then it became a problem with Sprint. So, we just took her other phone which was Verizon and switched to AT&T.

Ever since she switched, I can’t FaceTime her. She can FaceTime me, but I can’t with here. I can with anyone else who has an IPhone. When I try to FaceTime her I get the following notification. We have googled and everything seems to be working. Just not working.
Any iPhone genesis out there?!?!?!

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by gator.

Do you have her old number still in your contacts for her?

MATT said

Do you have her old number still in your contacts for her?

Yeah, I wiped her clean as a contact and created a new contact for her.

gator said

iPhone help…

My wife gave up her work phone and number. At first, we were going to keep her work number and work even signed off on it. Though then it became a problem with Sprint. So, we just took her other phone which was Verizon and switched to AT&T.

Ever since she switched, I can’t FaceTime her. She can FaceTime me, but I can’t with here. I can with anyone else who has an IPhone. When I try to FaceTime her I get the following notification. We have googled and everything seems to be working. Just not working.
Any iPhone genesis out there?!?!?!

First I would check to see if anyone else can FaceTime with her, both on an iPhone and an Android if possible.  And you may have already tried this: Go into both your Contacts and see the screen with your /her number. Directly under the name there is Messages-Phone-Video-Mail-$

Is the video and phone icon blue?  Now look slightly down at the dedicated FaceTime section.  Do you have both a Video AND a phone icon?  I believe both must be there to FaceTime.

If this isn’t it then yes you may have to go to an Apple store and see the “Genius” bar.  Or call HELP with Apple and they may be able to solve it with a phone call.

Bonin21 said

Kelly Red said

First I would check to see if anyone else can FaceTime with her, both on an iPhone and an Android if possible.

Android can’t facetime. Guessing it is something with the switch to ATT. They have something called “AT&T Video Call” which may be effing it up on one end. Was the switch that both phones are now on ATT instead of just one? Didn’t quite track that part.

Lol, I had no idea you couldn’t FaceTime on Android!

Interesting. So much work though compared to just starting a video call on Whatsapp

Bonin21 said

Interesting. So much work though compared to just starting a video call on Whatsapp

or Facebook and whatnot.

I was surprised that Apple even did it at all. But creating a link and texting it to someone is pretty quick. I know I don’t have the Whatapp App… So I would use the link method if I needed too.

Because we haven’t planned to spend enough money this year my wife and I are looking to buy a bigger SUV.  We have a 2015 Murano but with two kids and a dog we just don’t have a lot of cargo space, so we are looking at 3 row SUVs

We went to test drive a Honda Pilot last week and are looking to still test drive a Palisade, Atlas, and potentially a Telluride.  I’m amazed at how many dealerships don’t have at least one available for a test drive even with the inventory shortages.  We were able to drive a 2021 pilot but finding a Palisade or a Telluride to drive is looking to be really difficult because of how popular they are.  In talking to a couple dealers they said people are putting orders in without driving them at all, which surprises me given the cost of vehicles these days.

davescharf wrote…

Because we haven’t planned to spend enough money this year my wife and I are looking to buy a bigger SUV.  We have a 2015 Murano but with two kids and a dog we just don’t have a lot of cargo space, so we are looking at 3 row SUVs

We went to test drive a Honda Pilot last week and are looking to still test drive a Palisade, Atlas, and potentially a Telluride.  I’m amazed at how many dealerships don’t have at least one available for a test drive even with the inventory shortages.  We were able to drive a 2021 pilot but finding a Palisade or a Telluride to drive is looking to be really difficult because of how popular they are.  In talking to a couple dealers they said people are putting orders in without driving them at all, which surprises me given the cost of vehicles these days.

We had a 2020 fully loaded Telluride that we had for a year and half.  We traded it in for a smaller vehicle and the dealer gave us $8K more than we paid for it due to the demand.  We really liked the vehicle, we just didn’t need 2 large vehicles in the family.

As for pre-ordered cars, my understanding the deposit are refundable if you end up not liking the car when it arrives.

The rental companies unloaded their vehicles during the pandemic, no business. So now they are reloading. Then the microchip shortage, and other assorted things with supply chain, etc etc etc. Lots of bricks that build up, and here we are.

What I find funny is that people are pumped that they might be able to sell their vehicle for more than they paid for it…then realize, well, uh, shoot. Now we have to pay an inflated price to replace said vehicle.

The dealership I bought my car from offered me a higher price than what I paid, but…that car is paid off, so why bother? Not worth it. ;)

gator wrote…

The Rube wrote…

What I find funny is that people are pumped that they might be able to sell their vehicle for more than they paid for it…then realize, well, uh, shoot. Now we have to pay an inflated price to replace said vehicle.

 

Same for houses…

Bingo. Real estate guys are telling me I can get $50k more than I paid like its some big exciting thing. I’ll have to pay $50k extra to move into something else

Yep, the lenders with that interest on the loans are the winners right now.

Kelly Red wrote…

davescharf wrote…

Because we haven’t planned to spend enough money this year my wife and I are looking to buy a bigger SUV.  We have a 2015 Murano but with two kids and a dog we just don’t have a lot of cargo space, so we are looking at 3 row SUVs

We went to test drive a Honda Pilot last week and are looking to still test drive a Palisade, Atlas, and potentially a Telluride.  I’m amazed at how many dealerships don’t have at least one available for a test drive even with the inventory shortages.  We were able to drive a 2021 pilot but finding a Palisade or a Telluride to drive is looking to be really difficult because of how popular they are.  In talking to a couple dealers they said people are putting orders in without driving them at all, which surprises me given the cost of vehicles these days.

Due to a black ice incident (coming home from a Gopher game just to make it more painful) we needed a new SUV.  At the beginning of February we ordered a 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.  Sight unseen, no test drive, looked up options online, but we’d driven a 4 yr old one as a rental. We gave 3 colors we’d accept.  It was finally delivered beginning of May!  Dealer had a stack of pre-orders on his desk.  They had NO inventory, no showroom cars, nothing.  Like you I choked on ordering a car unseen, but I don’t think anyone has extras, it doesn’t matter what brand.  It’s crazy.

We managed to find a Palisade to drive tomorrow at one of the local dealerships.  The Atlas actually won’t be hard to find from what I can tell, but Wisconsin probably has a better chance at winning next year’s Hockey National Title than we have of finding a Telluride.

The Kia dealer I reached out to a few weeks ago told me he had 250 orders on their desk and they weren’t taking any more orders because it was a 12 month wait.

Bertogliat wrote…

davescharf wrote…

Kelly Red wrote…

davescharf wrote…

Because we haven’t planned to spend enough money this year my wife and I are looking to buy a bigger SUV.  We have a 2015 Murano but with two kids and a dog we just don’t have a lot of cargo space, so we are looking at 3 row SUVs

We went to test drive a Honda Pilot last week and are looking to still test drive a Palisade, Atlas, and potentially a Telluride.  I’m amazed at how many dealerships don’t have at least one available for a test drive even with the inventory shortages.  We were able to drive a 2021 pilot but finding a Palisade or a Telluride to drive is looking to be really difficult because of how popular they are.  In talking to a couple dealers they said people are putting orders in without driving them at all, which surprises me given the cost of vehicles these days.

Due to a black ice incident (coming home from a Gopher game just to make it more painful) we needed a new SUV.  At the beginning of February we ordered a 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.  Sight unseen, no test drive, looked up options online, but we’d driven a 4 yr old one as a rental. We gave 3 colors we’d accept.  It was finally delivered beginning of May!  Dealer had a stack of pre-orders on his desk.  They had NO inventory, no showroom cars, nothing.  Like you I choked on ordering a car unseen, but I don’t think anyone has extras, it doesn’t matter what brand.  It’s crazy.

We managed to find a Palisade to drive tomorrow at one of the local dealerships.  The Atlas actually won’t be hard to find from what I can tell, but Wisconsin probably has a better chance at winning next year’s Hockey National Title than we have of finding a Telluride.

The Kia dealer I reached out to a few weeks ago told me he had 250 orders on their desk and they weren’t taking any more orders because it was a 12 month wait.

It’s very possible my next car is a Telluride.  But I am in no hurry…..

Bertogliat wrote…

davescharf wrote…

Kelly Red wrote…

davescharf wrote…

Because we haven’t planned to spend enough money this year my wife and I are looking to buy a bigger SUV.  We have a 2015 Murano but with two kids and a dog we just don’t have a lot of cargo space, so we are looking at 3 row SUVs

We went to test drive a Honda Pilot last week and are looking to still test drive a Palisade, Atlas, and potentially a Telluride.  I’m amazed at how many dealerships don’t have at least one available for a test drive even with the inventory shortages.  We were able to drive a 2021 pilot but finding a Palisade or a Telluride to drive is looking to be really difficult because of how popular they are.  In talking to a couple dealers they said people are putting orders in without driving them at all, which surprises me given the cost of vehicles these days.

Due to a black ice incident (coming home from a Gopher game just to make it more painful) we needed a new SUV.  At the beginning of February we ordered a 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.  Sight unseen, no test drive, looked up options online, but we’d driven a 4 yr old one as a rental. We gave 3 colors we’d accept.  It was finally delivered beginning of May!  Dealer had a stack of pre-orders on his desk.  They had NO inventory, no showroom cars, nothing.  Like you I choked on ordering a car unseen, but I don’t think anyone has extras, it doesn’t matter what brand.  It’s crazy.

We managed to find a Palisade to drive tomorrow at one of the local dealerships.  The Atlas actually won’t be hard to find from what I can tell, but Wisconsin probably has a better chance at winning next year’s Hockey National Title than we have of finding a Telluride.

The Kia dealer I reached out to a few weeks ago told me he had 250 orders on their desk and they weren’t taking any more orders because it was a 12 month wait.

It’s very possible my next car is a Telluride.  But I am in no hurry…..thankfully.

 

Everything I’ve read seems to be positive and I know a few people who are waiting fir one or just got theirs.  When we looked at them at the auto show we liked the design of the Palisade a little more but we will see what happens after driving it.

after driving the Pilot I think it will be a huge difference.  The Pilot just felt outdated to us

Bertogliat wrote…

I’ve had 2 pilots.  My current car is a 2015 Pilot.  They’re great cars.

 

They don’t have all of the bells and whistles as some other cars.  But they are the MOST reliable vehicles.  They don’t try to be a Jack of All Trades, rather they have a few tricks and do them very well.

Sometime after 2015 the Pilot changed design to look more like a minivan and I want no part of that.  As much as I like my Pilots, I won’t buy one until they look like an SUV again.

We bought one around 2009 and we liked it but passed on buying the 2015 because it just felt even bigger than the 2009  This new one felt a lot like our old 2009 in terms of how it drove.

Our biggest issues with the current one is if we want heated seats and captain’s chairs in the middle row we have to get the trim level that also requires an entertainment system.  I’m sure it’s the same one that was available in the 2015 but it’s outdated now in 2022.   If we want ventilated front seats (which our current Murano has and we like) then we have to go up another yet another level.  I think I was a little turned off at the place we drove the Pilot at too by the fact that they add a bunch of stuff like the 3M protectant, etc. on all their cars now so that adds another $2500 to the price, but I haven’t done enough research yet to see if it’s that dealer, all Luther dealerships, or just a new thing everywhere.

We’ve heard Honda might be refreshing the Pilot for 2023.  It doesn’t need all the bells and whistles but I think it really needs that refresh because it just looks dated now compared to everything else I’ve looked at.

My work truck got upgraded last December to a 2019 Silverado with a push button start and backup camera.  I love both things except for when I forget my key fob in my office if I leave the office to go on a run.  I usually empty my pockets when I’m working in the shop, that is why I don’t have my fob on me all the time.  Oh…and I LOVE the remote start feature!  The backup camera is wonderful for backing up to trailers and also backing out of parking spots in a busy place like Menards, you can see people so much easier in the camera.  I don’t totally rely on the camera though when I back up, I usually just check the camera and then back up like I would normally using the mirrors.

I’m not sure how much I would use a backup camera in a car though.  I look forward to finding out someday.

Jupiter wrote…

g-manpuck wrote…

I’m not sure how much I would use a backup camera in a car though.  I look forward to finding out someday.

I love it in my car… Especially when you are surrounded in a parking lot with an SUV on both sides. It really helps give you a wider view out the back to see if someone is there. I also love to use it for pull through parking. I just quickly put it in reverse to see the center parking line to make sure I am not within the other space behind me.

Both of these, yes.  Since we have kids in sports, the back up camera is SO helpful to make sure no young kids are walking/running behind the car as you’re trying to back out of a busy parking lot at soccer or hockey.  We also have a heavily used sidewalk in front of our house.  I park in a single stall garage and have to back out slowly to ensure I don’t rip off my mirrors.  In the time it takes me to back out, people and kids have time to occupy that sidewalk.  Kids playing and biking don’t always pay attention to cars backing out.  Since most kids are shorter than my rear window, the camera is much better used than mirrors.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by Bertogliat.

We still plan to look at an Atlas but I think my wife fell in love with the Palisade today.

We use the rear view camera on both cars all the time.  Our Murano has a 360 birds eye camera that is really nice too for looking at how you’ve parked or pulled through a spot

My new car has a bunch of sensors that alert me if anyone/anything is cutting behind me while backing up.  It will also brake automatically if I don’t.

I’m not against the backup camera, just so used to mirrors after using them for forty years.  I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually.

random thought…I remember when the passenger side mirror used to be an option and not standard.

Zwak wrote…

My new car has a bunch of sensors that alert me if anyone/anything is cutting behind me while backing up.  It will also brake automatically if I don’t.

I’m not against the backup camera, just so used to mirrors after using them for forty years.  I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually.

random thought…I remember when the passenger side mirror used to be an option and not standard.

Yeah – you will get used to it.  It took me time but it’s really helpful along with the mirrors for things like parallel parking or other tight spots.

D2D – I remember the used car I bought for college for 30 years ago didn’t have cruise control or power steering even though it was only a 1989 model.  They were still options even then.   I drove a lot between Minneapolis and Omaha in college and I was exhausted from fighting the wheel and trying to keep my speed somewhere near the limit for 400 miles

Just bought a new Silverado. The infotainment screen is bigger than my first tv. I can see how people can get distracted when messing with that thing while driving. The technology in vehicles these days amaze me. This is the 1st vehicle I have owned that doesn’t have a CD or Cassette or 8 track in it…