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.

A toe truck was in the lane of a highway and someone didn't see it. When their car rolled on the ramp, it flipped about 20 feet into the air... not 120 feet as reported.

Video in the link:

I know BMW advertises their cars as the ultimate driving machine, but in the hands of an idiot, they become the ultimate crashing machine. When the Highway Patrol pull you over, they come to the passenger side of the vehicle for safety.
A Police officer in Fairfax, Virginia was speaking to a driver he had pulled over. The dash-cam shows just that and in the distance an 'out of control BMW' slides across the median backwards then side swipes the stopped car with such force that is bends the guard rail, hits the police car forcing it to slide back a car length.
The office saw the BMW and tried to run for cover but was struck to the ground, literally inches from disaster.

It's reported the BMW was driving more than 120 miles per hour when it lost control and spun around.

Video clip:


News link:







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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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I read this story this morning and this afternoon it's already 'gone viral' on YouTube and many news services. Caught on a dashcam of cars driving along the freeway in California, where a pickup with oversized tires completely loses the front left tire just as a KIA Soul comes up on the left side. The tire goes under the front of the KIA making it flip more than 10 feet in the air where it rolled and crashed. the tire rolled back bounced on something (out of the view of the camera) then rolls back hitting the KIA in the rear.
While this is happening, the pickup truck with three wheels continues driving and appears to be heading toward the right shoulder.
While the top of the KIA was crushed, it was reported no one was seriously hurt.

Flying KIA...




Amazing!

Last year I was internet shopping for a new car. Something a little larger than what I currently own. There's nothing wrong with my car, I just want to up-size. With 42,000 miles, the factory tires have enough tread for a few thousand miles more. The problem is the interior noise when driving on the highway is noticeably louder. Less rubber, more road noise.

I bought tires for my previous car a little over 3 years ago for around $600. A few months later I changed cars. Today's prices for new tires with mounting, road hazard and free flat repair is going to run around $1,000. If I'm going to change cars... now is the best time or I'll be buying tires. At that point, I'll wait another year before car shopping again.

A few months ago I went through the motions trying KIA, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Subaru. Nothing jumped out as my #1 choice. They each had some nice features, but none had all the features I really wanted. Strange... the things I think are important aren't many, but to get those items, it requires additional feature packages costing thousands more.
Okay, I'll get over that.

The dividing line is a cross between a hatchback to a small SUV.
Who/What are the possibilities?

Subaru Crosstrek, is a car that's jacked up a few inches. It's big on safety features but weak on the electronics. I do like the old-fashioned hand brake. This is a possible for simplicity.

Honda H-RV is an SUV, bigger for 2023 than the previous model. Lots of features, I didn't like the height of the front hood. The car had an offensive odor, possibly from the leather seats. Maybe that will go away. Good availability, I could have one in the model and color choice within a week.

I'm ruling out both KIA and Hyundai. Beautiful cars, I don't think they are going to last 10 years. That's what I'm seeing in reviews and from personal experience.

Today, I went to Mazda and tried a Mazda3 hatchback and the CX-30 SUV. Both are nice. The SUV has sufficient horsepower, but it was tame both in steering and braking. I tried some rough driving and it wouldn't accept it. Slamming on the brakes didn't happen. It stopped quickly, but the car is very computer controlled and rides like a larger vehicle. I do like the ground height. Seats were firm but comfortable.
The hatchback handling was more to my liking. Quick lane changes and jamming the brakes produces a quicker stop than the SUV.
Both cars have nice seating, but lacked on the 'visual' of the electronics. I'm told the GPS map needs an upgrade. Both have a large (but different) center console, not to my liking and their choice of color is limited. Priced within my budget... Mazda is near the top if I had to choose.
Also, Toyota keeps sending me emails to buy my car... but they have nothing to offer me this year. Three months now they said I could test a Prius Hybrid but all coming in are pre-sold and no chance to test drive or actually sit in one for comfort. They are taking NON-REFUNDABLE deposits to order one with a 2 to 3 month wait. It won't be a Toyota this year.

I've seen a few news links about catalytic converters being stolen from cars. Tonight one article revealed data from insurance companies stated what was thousands per year are increasing in numbers. One of the most targeted vehicles is the Ford F-Series truck. The truck is high enough that someone can slide under with a wrench and unbolt the unit in a few minutes.

Personally, I had an engine fail on my 2014 Hyundai Veloster caused by a piston ring that sent 3 quarts out the exhaust. My mechanic found a used engine, one recovered from a rear end collision. It wasn't running correctly and the suspect was the catalytic converter had clogged due to the oil. We could have shorted out the sensor, re-piped the exhaust and reprogrammed the brain, but that had some restrictions. I didn't want to drive a car with a tampered exhaust system so I bought a re-manufactured catalytic converter and the car ran like it did before the engine blew up.
At that time, new catalytic converters for that model were around $1,500 and re-manufactured around $500. Either way, it was a big chunk of money.

I did find flaws in some the stories I've read.
Most cars have alarm systems that are set off when you bump the car.
So, how is it possible someone can jack up a Honda (for example) and unbolt a converter without setting off the alarm?

Some stolen converters are used to replace defective ones in other cars while other are sold for the precious metals they contain.

Okay, police have suggested engraving them with a unique traceable number.
In the real world, just like stolen guns... grind off the number.
I believe possession of a gun with a tampered serial is illegal, but I doubt there are laws to cover converters.

If it's so easy to unbolt a converter... SPOT WELD the joints so only someone using a grinder could break it loose.

Maybe more thought needs to go into a method to deter the business of stealing catalytic converters...

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 see Florida lawmakers are proposing a bill that prohibits continuous driving in the left lane. We already have slower traffic to be in the right lane, that would force most of the driving to be in the center lane. Trucks occupy that lane, so it doesn't sound like a good law as it restricts us to one lane creating congestion with blocked view maneuvering around trucks and slower traffic.

C'mon Florida lawmakers, take a ride on the Turnpike and you will see what I'm talking about.

COVID hit and car buying changed. New cars were in short supply with no new inventory to replenish stock. Used car prices shot up where cars coming off a 3-year lease are selling for the same price is new.
One day I'm reading that's all going to change and another day I'm reading this inflated car prices isn't going away anytime soon.
I'm getting messages from the dealer where I bought a few years ago... they want to buy back my car. I'm just out of warrantee and have been toying with the idea of something slightly larger. In doing so, I'll miss having a car that gets around 35 miles per gallon.

I keep shopping, but nothing interesting has jumped out to get my attention...