Most Viewed Automotive Blogs (377)

My AT friend bought a new tesla years ago and waited over a year for the Tesla dealership to get it in. By the time her new car arrived that same car was selling for a heck of a lot more than she paid for it. It was a fancy car with all the bells and whistles with much of it is controlled by the phone. Only the back doors go up in the air over the car roof when you open them. I live on the east coast and she moved to the west coast without any problems. Starbuck has charging stations everywhere plus the car tells you where the charging stations are.

My ex came into town a few weeks ago, took me out to lunch to tell me he is looking to buy a Tesla but he wanted to check out another brand of electric car first. It was great seeing him which I got to do because the Tesla dealership is just a few blocks from my home.

The ex came to town the other day, called and said he wanted to take me to lunch again. I was okay with that so he came with a friend who drove him down from Ocala and they picked my up in his new Tesla. He got the very basic model which only has a huge computer monitor screen in the middle with no other buttons or switches anywhere. No "Oh shit" handle, no radio (You play it through the phone) virtually nothing but a huge flat dashboard. In the restaurant he was looking at how to start the AC in the hot FLORIDA car from inside while we ate. When we left we stood outside the car while he tried to figure out how to open the door. A comedy moment.

Last night we were talking and after all the research that man did before buying that $40,000 car was what happened to his insurance rates. He was told they would go up a little but the lowest quote so far is $2,000 every six months. $4,000 a year is an extremely harsh toke. What a blindside.

This is real, not a joke;



I can see this leading to - "Honest honey, it wasn't me. I paid extra for that option."



What's next various puking sounds ? Different whistles for the construction worker crowd ?

Dash cam or dashcam describes a video camera mounted on the dashboard of your car for the purpose of recording... things. Lots of things. Truckers use them to record their trips in the event of an accident as it will solve disputes of 'he said, she said' when the other persons story differs from yours.

Although not perfect, when needed if a driver's job is at risk or for insurance claims, it could be the deciding factor, especially in bad weather conditions. Lots of times police reports aren't accurate. For example, a truck having a front-end collision and stating the driver was following too closely to the vehicle in front of him, but in reality the vehicle ahead swerved into the lane of the truck striking the truck where the driver had no chance of braking or maneuvering to avoid the accident.

Most of the units I've seen don't actually mount to the dash but have a suction cup that attaches to the inside of the windshield with a wire to the cigarette lighter for power.
Usually it's a forward facing camera with sound. Some units have a wire to a 2nd camera that can be mounted on the rear window (of a car) to record anything from behind.

People often post videos on YouTube and social media of events, like road rage, trucks Rolling Coal, tailgaters, people running red lights causing accidents, etc.

One recent story was a guy involved in a fender bender where he alerted the other guy who struck his car to pull over. Taking a photo of the damage, the other guy using profanity blamed him for the accident, strides right up and takes a swing 'sucker punching' this first guy. Lucky for him it was a glancing blow and not a direct hit to his jaw. All caught on dash cam, he can press charges to police.

Dashcam prices on Amazon range as low as $35 to over $150 for units with night vision, Wi-Fi and record car movement to record activity when your car is parked.

I've been lucky all the years I drove from Miami to Boca Raton 6 days a week, racking up more than 30,000 miles a year and have seen some serious accidents. I've shopped some units and would like to have a self contained battery operated model what doesn't need to be wired into the car battery.
Maybe I'll find the right model and install one!

Despite complaints from the muscle car enthusiasts, car manufacturers are moving forward with high-power all wheel drive hybrids and electric models too!

Many years ago, I was able to purchase rear window louvers for my cars. Some were factory louvers installed by the dealers and some were after market add-ons.
I cannot find them now and I'm not sure who they disappeared.

One YouTube video has a different explanation why they are no longer available, but I didn't agree with that one and I'm thinking maybe they were a hazard if incorrectly installed, so insurance companies banned them.

The ones I had were anodized black aluminum with safety clips for removal and cleaning the glass. I recall there was an 'inside the car variety' sold in auto parts stores... They're gone too!

Summer in South Florida is brutal and the hottest my car has registered this month was 113 degrees F. so, I'm looking to buy some louvers.

For now, there are stick on window shades made from perforated plastic that is white facing out and black facing in. It restricts vision so I'm debating to use them or not.

I checked Amazon and a few car places and the only loivers I found were old inventory for some American sports cars that were never sold. Unless I could get dimensions or actually test fit to see if they work for my car, I'm reluctant to buy something that's non-refundable.

My quest for a rear louver goes on...

I left out speeding and attempting to run away. Several motorcyclists in Florida were driving recklessly Friday night when police told them to pull over. One guy didn't quite make the getaway...

Captured on body-cam.
Maybe a broken bone or two... the guy is lucky to be alive.

Story:

I have an issue with aggressive drivers using a merge lane. Yesterday, must have been aggressive driver Tuesday. In the morning on the way to an appointment, driving in a construction zone I was approaching a merge lane where two lanes merge into one.
There were lots of warning signs, traffic cones and plastic guard rails in a 30mph zone. Having passed this road several times before, I was already in the main lane and not the merge lane. Traffic was slow, but 2 drivers in Tesla's had to force their way into the merge pushing out other cars that 'gave-way' or be involved in an accident.
Usually, it's someone in a BMW doing a stunt like that.
I worked for a guy who had a truck with oversized bumpers and jacked-up tires. He always pushed into a traffic situation that forced the other drivers to stop, letting him in, especially when he tooted a horn as loud a train.
Last night was a close call. I'm on the interstate highway in the left lane that opens to the express lane. It's after 9pm and traffic is moving smoothy. There is a merge lane for people exiting the express lane that feeds back into my lane. Unexpectedly, someone shot out of the express lane and attempting to eclipse me. It happened quickly as I didn't see him accelerating. The warning light came on my mirror but there wasn't enough room for 2 cars. I shifted to the right as a white BMW passed me within inches of side swiping my car!
I like my car and though I'm shopping for a new one, I'd like the purchase to be by choice and not because my car was trashed by an aggressive driver in the merge lane.

Florida's Move Over Law aka Right-of-way traffic law, got tougher in 2024. Basically, it was designed for safety of police and first responders who have their emergency flashers on when stopped or parked on a highway shoulder.
On a multi-lane highway, you are required to 'move over' a lane giving safe clearance. For example, an officer opens his car door and steps out and he's right at the edge of the travel lane.

The law changed this year to include ANY vehicle with flashers on. This includes stranded vehicles. Maybe you've seen someone who is on the side of the road, crouched down changing a flat tire only a few feet from the roadway... they have no chance of safety. With the car jacked up and a truck flying by at 65mph there is enough wind force that could easily knock the stand off the car. The same thing for a tow truck who may be backing at a slight angle to hookup and be close to the edge of a travel lane.

Sometimes, it's not possible to move over with adjacent travel. People are too aggressive to allow someone access to their lane and not responsive to the law. In that case you're required to SLOW DOWN at least 20 mph below the posted limit.

Yeah, it's the law, but I rarely see people moving over.

The concept of a flying car isn't new. Every wannabe inventor dreams of building one. Popular Mechanics magazine has been writing stories about them dating back to the 1950's but those were full sized vehicles with gasoline engines and huge wings to give them sufficient lift.

In the last 10 years, I've seen the 'winged' versions disappear and the multi propeller electric 'drone style' high lift vehicles show up on technical and aviation news.

A Chinese company had a 2-seater with 4 sets of dual counter-rotating propellers. The problem was the propellers were at knee level without any protective shroud. that idea 'didn't get off the ground' as it failed in safety.

Why is this talking so long?
A few things I can think of.
Cost.
All the wing style vehicles need a runway.
The idea of being stuck in traffic and unfolding the wing to take off won't happen as aircraft need to have a flight plan, start and land st an airport to be on their radar.
FAA certification of the aircraft and one important detail is YOU MUST BE A LICENSED PILOT.

This year is a new flavor... it's a car with a framework like a wall fan and lots of rotors that give it lift. $300,000 for pre-orders. The first of it's kind to have the go ahead of the FAA. Delivery of this flying car is estimated to be a few years away.




Company site:


I like this video showing DOZENS of these cars flying in unison like they are on their way to work!

For people who don't know how to parallel park, there's the all electric Hyundai MOBIS with the c-Corner System. Each wheel has a motor and steering control to turn 90 degrees.



Not only can it drive sideways, it can do a 360 degree turn in it's own space and do a tilting 90 degree turn. On the road it can change lanes with all 4 wheels tipping the the car stays straight.




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