Actually there are a few situations where the 4L60E transmission in my Blazer will not be locked in overdrive. One of them is when the transmission is cold. It will stay unlocked until it warms up to help the transmission warm up faster. It will also unlock in the situation I described above -- getting back on the throttle after just having your foot lifted off of it. If you are just accelerating gradually, it will lock back up quickly, but if you accelerate harder, it will stay unlocked until the speed stabilizes. The transmission will run warmer if the torque converter is not locked up because there is greater power loss, and where there is power loss, there is heat generated. The process of locking and unlocking the torque converter is electrically actuated, so there would be little or no heat generated simply by the process of locking and unlocking it. The torque converter lockup feature is the main reason why automatic transmissions today usually get almost the same fuel economy as manual transmission models of the same vehicle, and in some instances the automatics do better than the manuals. When power is going through an unlocked torque converter, it's being transferred through a fluid -- there is no direct mechanical connection. Automatic transmissions used to work this way all the time, as there was no lockup clutch. Once the torque converter locks up, the power is no longer being transferred through a fluid. There is a direct mechanical link just as you have in a manual transmission with the clutch fully released.

Sorry I probably wasn't clear enough, my post was just talking about the convection ovens not the speed ovens, although Miele has the programs in both ovens. Electrolux and Bosch only have the programs in the speed oven, not the wall oven. I agree that the preprogrammed stuff on regular ovens is not necessary and I also would probably never use them. However, I think speed ovens are a different story. Most people can easily find recipes and program their ovens for the proper temperature and cooking time. But will they be able to program in the proper time proportions for microwave, convection, and thermal heating elements? I doubt it. No recipe I've ever seen has that information. It would require an awful lot of experimentation to figure out the right settings. Also, the only speed oven that even lets you do that manually is the Miele Chef series, not the Bosch. So as alerievay says you are locked into using those 9 programs if you want to speed cook with the Bosch. Otherwise you must use microwave or convection separately. I downloaded the manual for the Bosch speed oven which by the way is something you should always do before buying something. The 9 Autochef programs are: 1 - Chicken Breast 2 - Chicken Thighs 3 - Whole Poultry 4 - Beef Roast 5 - Pork Tenderloin 6 - Pork Chops 7 - Meatloaf 8 - Fish Fillets 9 - Brownies What if you want to cook something besides those things? I agree, I would find that very limiting. There is a frozen foods button but that does not use microwaves, only convection and thermal heat. There are pizza and auto defrost buttons too but the manual does not make it clear how they work.

It would be helpful if you posted the model numbers of the equipment in your quotes. You can also post the prices if you want comments but be aware prices vary by location. Is the basement 900 sq. feet? If yes then a 2 ton unit seems is very over sized.It does not take much to cool a basement if it mostly underground. My suggestion would not to spend money on a 2-stage unit and buy a dehumidifier. You could be the $300 big box store 70 pint type, but in your case you may want to spend the money on a better unit such as a Santa Fe brand. It is three times the prices but will last a long time and dry out your basement.

One of the biggest problems with this Kitchen (per the original post) is that all three primary work zones are crammed into a small part of the Kitchen with a lot of space outside these zones with no real purpose - that's why I call it "wasted". There are three primary work zones in a Kitchen: Prep Zone...where food is prepared and includes a water source, the trash pullout, and a bare minimum of 36" of counterspace - 42" is much, much better. This task is where the most work and time are spent in the Kitchen: 70% or more. Because this is the most used zone, it should have the best location - view, etc. Cooking Zone...where food is cooked and includes the range/cooktop and, if possible, oven(s). Activities include actually watching food cook, stirring, adding ingredients, putting something in the oven, etc. This is where the least work/time is spent: 10% Cleanup Zone...where dish cleanup takes place and includes a water source and the DW. Activities include clearing the table and counters, wiping down the table and counters, handwashing the few items that are handwashed, loading/unloading the DW. Depending on how much you handwash, 20% or less of the work/time spent in the Kitchen is spent cleaning up. Dish storage should be in this zone. It should be separated from the Prep and Cooking Zones so there is little or no zone-crossing (see below). Ideally, it should be located near the primary eating area. Other info: The Prep Zone and Cooking Zone should either be next to each other or across from each other with an aisle of at least 42" (for a one-person Kitchen). If more than one person will be working in the Kitchen at the same time, then the aisle should be a minimum of 48". I would not have an aisle much wider than that, personally. There should be no traffic through the Cooking Zone - this is the zone that should be the most protected b/c of the presence of the range/cooktop and working with hot food, etc. The Cleanup Zone should be separated from the other two zones with it's own workspace. Ideally, the trash pullout that's in the Prep Zone should be accessible to the Cleanup Zone, but some people just put in a small trash can under the cleanup sink or put a small trash pullout next to the cleanup sink instead. If there is only one sink in the Kitchen, then the sink acts as the separator - the Cleanup Zone is the side with the DW and the Prep Zone is the side without the DW but with the trash pullout. You need the most workspace for the Prep Zone, but it would be nice to have at least 36" in the Cleanup Zone as well for stacking dirty dishes. Aisles are measured to/from the items that stick out into the aisle the farthest - whether that's a counter edge, appliance/appliance handle, or something else. They are not measured cabinet-to-cabinet - which is how your layout appears to be measuring (that's not your fault - most GCs and many KDs make this mistake for whatever reason.) Placing the Cleanup Zone in the island puts your dirty dishes "front and center" and on display for all to see - is that what you want? In addition, it puts dirty dishes "in the face" of anyone sitting at the island - not pleasant from a visitor's point of view. In a small Kitchen, this sometimes cannot be avoided, but that is not the case in your Kitchen - it's plenty big enough to avoid this pitfall! I'd much rather see a prep sink in the island and the Cleanup Zone on the perimeter where the dirty dishes are not so prominent. The trash pullout should be in the Prep Zone b/c the majority of trash & recyclables are generated when preparing and cooking a meal. Ideally it should also, first, be near the Cooking Zone and, second, accessible from the Cleanup Zone. The refrigerator and MW should be on the periphery of the Kitchen so snackers can use them without getting in the way of those preparing and/or cooking a meal. The refrigerator should also be near the primary eating location - whether that's a Nook or a Dining Room. Thee should be no zone-crossing - i.e., you should not have to pass through the Cleanup Zone to go b/w the Prep & Cooking Zone or to/from the refrigerator and Prep & Cooking Zones. Sometimes it's not possible to eliminate all zone-crossing, but it should be minimized. The most important one to avoid is having the Cleanup Zone b/w the Prep and Cooking Zones. The island should not be a "barrier island". I.e., you should not have to go around the island to get to the refrigerator from the Prep or Cooking Zones and you should not have to go around the island to/from the Prep Zone and Cooking Zone. Island...I would not put cabinets under the overhang much deeper than 15". Accessing cabinets under an overhang - any overhang - is not easy. Yes, this is complicated by the fact that the minimum recommended seating overhang for counter-height seating is 15" of clear leg/knee space, but even a skimpy 12" is an issue. (Just so you know, 24" deep cabinets under any overhang will be almost impossible to use.) In addition, I would put pullouts facing the sides of the island with other cabinets b/w them under the overhang. This helps minimize the issue with the overhang. Seating recommendations... -- Overhang: Minimum 15" for counter-height, 12" for bar-height, 18" for table-height -- Linear spacing: Minimum 24" per seat for counter-height & bar-height, 30" for table-height (30" is a relatively new recommendation)