Last Commented Automotive Blogs (377)

I am dying to find each and every person whom I offended.
My tragedy is, I remember them but they have forgotten me
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Guys in Virginia, North and South Carolina who modify their trucks with oversized tires and modified suspensions are headed down the road of legal troubles.
The trend called Squat Trucks has the entire vehicle raised with the front suspension much higher than the rear. Often they have lighting in each tire and wheel well to show off their shiny rims.
What's the problem of having your truck jacked-up?
Raising the front affects the driver's visibility and aims the high intensity headlights to blind oncoming traffic. Depending on the state they are in, more than 4 inches is past the limit. There's a ban with fines as high as $300. In the interest of public safety, repeated offenders could have their licenses suspended. A Myrtle Beach pedestrian was struck and killed in 2021.

How NOT to make a good impression on your bosses boss.
One day years ago, 1973 to be exact, my company "Koni America" went to Watkins Glen as was our annual tradition, to service the Formula One race. We had our usual spot in the main garage where we entertained race drivers and crew members that came by to chat on various technical matters referring to suspension setups especially shock absorber settings and adjustments, and also test and set their shocks on our shock dyno as well. On this particular day a driver came by to chat and we formed a rough circle in the bay. There was my boss Ted M. to my right, between us was the driver, opposite to me was my bosses boss John Z., to my left was my co-worker, Bob K., another technician. I don't remember who the driver was, it could have been anybody. Normally an event like that would be engraved on your memory, however what follows is all that I remember of that moment in time.

So there we were chatting and my bosses boss John had a banana in his hand and was mindlessly trying to peel it while deeply engrossed in the conversation. I was trying to follow the flow of the conversation but the distraction of John and the banana made that nearly impossible. My focus kept shifting from his face to his hands and I was getting increasingly agitated. Ted was watching me watching John and he later told me that he could see my eyes going up & down as my attention shifted. He said he could also see my nostrils flare. My frustration grew to an unbearable level. I wanted to rip the banana out of his hand and peel the goddamn thing for him. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I blurted out "YOU'RE PEELING IT FROM THE WRONG END". Well, Ted nearly had a seizure from laughing so hard. My first thought was OMG . what did I just do? Did I just make my bosses boss look like a fool in front of some big Formula 1 driver? Do I still have a job? Lucky for me John took it as a learning experience and flipped the banana over and successfully peeled it.

Japan's Toyota -- is currently the world's largest automaker. Toyota and Volkswagen vie for that title each year -- each taking the crown from the other -- as the market moves.GM -- America's largest automaker -- is about half Toyota's size --thanks to its 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring.

Actually -- Toyota is a major car manufacturer in the U.S. In 2016 about 81% of the cars it sold in the U.S. came off American assembly lines.

Toyota was among the first to introduce gas/electric hybrid cars with the Prius twenty years ago. The company hasn't been afraid to change the car game.

All of this is to point out that Toyota understands both the car market and the infrastructure that supports the car market. Probably understands better than any other manufacturer on the planet.

Toyota hasn't grown through acquisitions as Volkswagen has, and it hasn't undergone bankruptcy and bailout as GM has. Toyota has grown by building reliable cars and trucks for decades.

When Toyota offers an opinion on the car market it's probably worth listening to.

This week Toyota reiterated -- The world is not yet ready to support a fully electric auto fleet.

Toyota's Robert Wimmer (head of energy & environmental research) said this week in testimony before the U.S. Senate, "If we are to make dramatic progress in electrification it will require overcoming tremendous challenges - challenges including : refuelling infrastructure/battery availability /consumer acceptance / and affordability.

Wimmer’s remarks come on the heels of GM's announcement that it will phase out all gas internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035.

Tellingly, both Toyota and Honda have so far declined to make any such promises. Honda is the world's largest engine manufacturer (when you include : boats / motorcycles / lawnmowers / etc) Honda competes with Briggs & Stratton in those markets amid increased electrification of [traditionally gas powered] lawnmowers / weed trimmers /etc.

While manufacturers have announced ambitious goals just 2% of the world's cars are electric at this point.

Buyers continue to choose ICE over electric because of: price /range / infrastructure /affordability / etc. Only a small percentage of people would choose an electric car unless forced to buy.

There are 289.5 million cars just on U.S. roads as of 2021. About 98 percent of them are gas-powered.

Toyota's RAV4 took the top spot for purchases in the 2019 U.S market -- Honda's CR-V is second and GM's top seller (Equinox) comes in at #4 behind the Nissan Rogue. GM only has one entry in the U.S.top 15. Toyota and Honda dominate - each with a handful in the top 15.

Toyota warns: the US electrical grid and infrastructure simply aren't there to support the electrification of the private car fleet.

A 2017 U.S. government study found we would need about 8,500 strategically-placed charging stations to support a fleet of just 7 million electric cars. That's about six times the current number of electric cars.

But no one should be talking about supporting just 7 million cars. We should be talking about powering about 300 million within the next 20 years if all manufacturers follow GM and stop making ICE cars.

We are going to need a bigger energy boat to deal with connecting all those cars to the power grids - a WHOLE LOT bigger boat But instead of building a bigger boat we may be shrinking our boat. Power outages in California and Texas have exposed issues with power supplies even at current usage levels.

Increasing usage of wind and solar, -- both of which prove unreliable -- has driven some coal and natural gas generators offline.

Continued in first comment.

Wrong or right?
Many, having inherent slave mentality, may question me that I should better ask or raise the issue in forums etc.
First and Foremost, it relates to blogs and the bloggers. I can't agree to your( or if it's site owners') idiocy that all questions must be raised in the forums.
I think issue must be jurisdiction based.
I don't nagate that platform, i.e. forums, but I don't belong to them. Not that I didn't try, but I find people there behaving timidly.
One liners' scholars is a stupidity though, but why should I question it, if I do, then I must be a stupid.
Should I repeat wrong or right?

Hurricane Ian passed through Tampa, Florida last month and flooded the entire west coast. Photos of waist high waters in several counties were on the news. Many of the cars had to be totaled due to salt water intrusion. Once water enters a vehicle and soaks into the wiring harnesses and electronics, the reliability lost and the vehicle can become hazardous with all sorts of irregularities both mechanical and electrical.

What happens to these vehicles? That depends on the decision of the insurance company. They could write checks to the owners of cars and pay out current value. They take the cars and dispose of them. If the damage is minor, they could offer a lower settlement for the owner to keep the car but have to re-register the title. That puts the vehicle in a different classification similar to rebuilding a junker! Your old car isn't what it used to be.

Reclaimed cars in the hands of insurance companies often get sold at auction, many of them are bought by wholesale companies who special in the used car market. They get cleaned and appear aesthetically 'in good condition' only to be moved around the state and sometimes other states to be resold. Some get shipped out to foreign countries.

This isn't a new problem and happens after hurricanes, floods and other disasters.
If you are planning to buy used after a hurricane, make sure you have a reliable technician/mechanic go over the vehicle and do a careful inspection specifically looking for signs of water damage. What to look for? cars with a mildew odor, late model cars where the interior and seats were replaced is a good starting point.

All cars have a history and it's recommended to pull the 'car fax' report to see the history and location of every time it was bought and sold. Also if there are any damage reports.

Taking that further, be wary of buying a used car in (or from) Florida...

Hello friends,
No India made product can be compared to a product from Japan, U.K. USA, Switzerland, because of its quality of functionality, usefulness and long lasting qualities. Raw materials used in a foreign product are better, technology used is better and functionality world class.Indian product is like a beggar, beginning a begging culture of recolonization, appreciation and looks.
A foreign product looks beautiful, works flawlessly and lasts a lifetime. To top the list is the marketability of the product, it is done by ads. in TVs, hoardings and free gifting to its users.
A mess has been created in the automobile market, especially in Electric Vehicles (EV), giving a tough competition to US based Tesla Electric vehicles in terms of price. Some Indian companies like Tata has come out with an electric vehicle priced below 10 lakhs rupees.But Tata is wrong as well as right. In India, price is everything in life. It may be a loaf of bread or an expensive Diamond from a Jeweler. Tata has to think on another point and that is manufacturing. A foreign car is better manufactured than an Indian car.You cannot compare a Fiat car with a German Mercerize Benz.
So watch out for the foreign products in Indian market.
Manohar Bhatia.

California air regulators are set to vote Thursday on a historic plan that would effectively require all new cars sold within the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035 — a ruling that would put the nation’s most populous state in the forefront of phasing out internal combustion engines and the harmful, planet-warming gasses they emit.

If approved, the regulations are expected to significantly reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions, as well as smog-forming nitrogen oxides over the next two decades. It could also lead the way in transforming America’s aging fleet of gasoline-powered automobiles.

“The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. “California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. It’s ambitious, it’s innovative, it’s the action we must take if we’re serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations.”

The proposed rules would establish a credit system for automakers supplying California car dealerships and take effect in 2026. In that year, 35% of all new cars an auto manufacturer sells to California dealerships would need to be either zero-emission, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen-powered vehicles. That would increase to 68% in 2030 and 100% by 2035.

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He's been sentenced to 5 days in jail and 3 years of probation in DUI charges.
Happy now?



Right, not enough punishment.

I'm cleaning up bookmarks and came across a story about an electric car with airplane capabilities. The story said it's 14 years in the making and going through it's next series of tests. In July, the FAA determined it was safe for flight testing.

Expected to retail for $170,000 when it hits the market and the reserve list is up to 1,600. A deposit of $2,000 is due within 45 days after the first vehicle takes flight.

I've seen lots of 'Popular Mechanics' reviews of flying cars... dating back to when I was a kid. I'm skeptical as I cannot recall any makers who have viable aircraft for sale.

Always reading the comments, I found some interesting details, like requiring a pilots license, insurance for both a car and airplane, needing expensive safety avionics not mentioned in the story, only able to fly in or out of FAA certified airports, only certified A&P mechanics are allowed to work on the vehicle. Not one comment I read had anything positive to say about the Switchblade.

Big on hype, bigger on B.S.

Since you can only take off and land from an airport, the dream of flying out of snarled traffic isn't going to happen.
Maybe the prototype will get used in the next Mad Max movie!


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