Automotive Blogs (377)

Yeah, I know the first thing that pops in your head when you hear that phrase: Once you go black. Summer in South Florida can be brutal. Over the years, I had one white car and usually the others were silver. The one I bought a year ago is a dark graphite color. Depending on the lighting metallic charcoal. In the middle of the day, it's as good as black because you cannot touch the exterior without burning your hands. Mazda didn't offer silver in my model. They did have white and that would have been my second choice, but the feature package (for what they had in inventory) was a step down and didn't have leather seats. I would have to wait 6 weeks to order one and the dealer made the right price for the one I bought.

A friend has a black Honda and it gets so burning hot you can grill steaks on the hood!

I'm already shopping for a new car and thinking of returning to Toyota. Last year, they had a wait as long as 4 to 6 months for cars, depending on the model and were taking non-refundable deposits to order one.

Things are returning to normal and deliveries of dealer orders are arriving weekly.

Do I need a new car? No
But the 2024 Prius is their 4th generation hybrid and I've seen a few videos about it being Toyota's best mechanics and technology they offer. The Prius was always designed as a hybrid, unlike a Camry or RAV4 where they added the hybrid features to and existing model. This information came from a few YouTube videos where mechanics who often post new car reviews all had the same opinion about the Prius.

My finger is on the trigger... doing research and comparisons.
It's a 2-liter engine and I'm currently enjoying the power of a 2.5-liter engine that has a longer wheelbase to ride like a larger car. I won't know if the ride of the Prius can compare without a test drive.
Silver being my preference... I'm thinking white could be the best choice.

If you happen to read it, be informed that you are my crush.
And you know it.

Like it or not, electric cars are here to stay. Every major manufacturer has at least one EV in their lineup. Do they sell? Yeah... kinda. Price incentives and options change all the time. More charging stations are being built and there is less fearmongering as there was a few years ago.
My memory says the same group of people who complained about 5G cellular technology are the ones who complained about electric vehicles. Battery fires, landfills of dead EV batteries and negative issues were regurgitated over and over.

I haven't personally witnessed an EV battery fire. I'm sure it's a spectacular explosion with zero time to escape. I have seen car fires of the gasoline version... That's a monthly event on highways. There was one in a residential community near me that scorched the tall trees along the roadway. It's been more than a year and the void in tree growth is still apparent.

I know a few people who are driving EV's and have no complaints about them.

A few weeks ago, I attended a swap meet for model aviation and one guy had a table with old lithium-polymer rechargeable batteries he was selling for a fraction of the price for new ones. As these batteries age, they become less efficient and gasses form inside the sealed jacket and they begin to swell, making it obvious the battery life has been shortened. I asked what he would do if they don't sell and he told me they would be dropped off at the recycling center.
Prior to this, we were told to drain the power to zero and leave the old batteries in a bucket of salt water as it will neutralize the volatile metals when exposed to air where they can be disposed of like normal garbage... probably in a landfill somewhere.
The guy told me advances have been made to reclaim the precious metals these batteries contain and the technology is improving all the time.

I did an internet search and found that EV batteries are being reprocessed and not ending up in landfills as originally feared.

Batteries that were originally mined and manufactured in China get recycled in America, the new batteries are now considered to be made in America. The plus side of that equation is we didn't have to strip mine land in America to make these products.

I was waiting at a red light yesterday when a guy in an SUV pulled along side of me. The music coming out of his vehicle was so loud, it was making my car thump. I didn't know the (hip-hop) song, but I could clearly hear the lyrics from inside my car with the windows rolled up and the a/c on high.
A friend of a friend owned a car stereo shop who did custom work. By word of mouth, people came from miles for him to install some HUGE systems. Most upgraded car sound systems have special speakers and a sub bass box in the trunk that only plays the low notes.
Some background:
It's usually stated the range of human hearing is 20 to 20,000 HZ (hertz or cycles per second) and there are many factors that affect those numbers. loud sounds for example. Industrial workers in high noise environments are required to use hearing protection. The guys at airports who direct jets into the gate wear noise reducing protection. Loud sounds without hearing protection will accentuate hearing loss. Ask any Heavy Metal musician if he's got hearing loss and their first response could be "Huh?"

SPL is the acronym for Sound Pressure Level and there are metering devices for measuring pressure. I've always heard sound pressure is measured in decibels for music loudness and for the purpose of this blog, any pressure musical or not, is considered the same. Sub-octave sounds below the threshold of human hearing are felt more than actually heard and can be described as pulsating air.

So what's the purpose of a 5,000 watt sound system in your SUV?
It doesn't follow logic, but in certain circles there is status for having 'more bass' much the same as someone on a Saturday night doing racing with the fastest car or the most horsepower.

The shootout is a competition event where vehicles are 100 yards (or more) from the judge who has a decibel meter. They play their best sound with hope of generating more SPL's at the greatest distance.



This style of competitive volume isn't limited to the United States, as many of the photos I've seen are from enthusiasts in European countries.

Because of the high power current draw, the vehicles have to be equipped with several alternators and batteries to generate sufficient wattage.

Yes I confess I was wrong. I realised it just after but couldn't apologize. I do it now.
My mind was playing games with me by assurances and reassurances that it was not that bad as she claimed and that she mistook and misunderstood me
But those mind games are crystally clear to me now. Yes for sure, I insulted her. I know it's too late 8 long years late.
She was so enthusiastic.She was so energetic and vibrant. I killed her innocent advances... I killed something precious within her. Yes I did How could I be that mean.
If you can forgive me... come lets play again.
I know you didn't stop playing chess after this mishap.

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.

I'll wager that the entire world is involved in some form of road construction from a busy metropolis, main highway through America to the most remote village in Africa with only a few paths made from dirt. They are all making developments that affect the normal flow until the new work is completed.

I know in South Florida they could be near completion of a 3-year project and realize it wasn't enough to handle the growth and after, tear up new roads to make changes under a new plan. They only do the contracted work approved by the state (DOT) Department of Transportation.

I'll never forget, they created an 'Express Lane' that was metered by how many miles you traveled on it. It had poles every few feet that separated it from the normal travel lanes. Shortsightedness and the dedicated lane passed the exit to the Fort Lauderdale airport. It didn't take long to realize their mistake, except they didn't provide a merge lane and you had to pass the airport by a few miles to leave the Express Lane.
Morons.

One really busy intersection near me had 2 left turn lanes leading to another road with 2 lanes that merged into one. It appears they are widening the crossroad so the 2nd turn lanes can continue without merging. This work started months ago. While that area is under construction with a single turn lane, it didn't occur to them that only 5 or 6 cars can get through the intersection with the timing of the light. That means a line of about 50 cars are always waiting to make a left turn and it takes several signal changes before getting through the intersection. So many, that it blocks the cars going straight.

Hey! DOT, I've got a suggestion... reprogram the turn lane light to stay on 15 to 20 seconds more than it's doing, so more cars can pass through the intersection.

It's not 'rocquet' science.

The entire state of Florida is engulfed in heavy rains and extremely high winds as a result of a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico. I was out a few times today and witnessed it raining sideways, about the same as a direct hit from a tropical storm. Most wind gusts are around 25 to 30 miles per hour with a few bursts of 45 miles per hour.
The wind report is easy, it's the local flooding that could occur, especially near the East coast. The warnings went out yesterday.

Some of my neighbors have moved their cars to higher ground, I'll keep watch and if I think there's a chance my street will flood, I'll move my car too. Years ago, a few of us lost cars to extreme flooding that was nearly 2 feet deep in the middle of the street. I heard it was fault of the waterway management system who failed to turn on the pumps that take sewer water into canals and reservoirs. After four hours of steady rain, It was half the night waiting for the streets to drain.

Rain water drainage is an issue...
As far as the high winds... Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow.

In November, the price of gasoline (around here) was around $3.15 per gallon and dropped to $2.85 before Thanksgiving. After, it went up to $3.10 for a few days and it's back below $3.
Since some directly blame the president when the price goes up, they should also thank him when it drops... Thank you president Biden. You've done a fine job!

I go through phases of reading car reviews and watching YouTube videos. Although I bought a new car earlier this year, I'm already looking to see what my next car will be in a few years from now.
I'm happy with the size and performance of my Mazda M3 as it's got a 2.5 liter engine. The three previous cars were 2.0, 1.6 and 1.2 dating back 20 years, so this Mazda is a poor man's performance vehicle!
I was explaining to a friend, it's actually changed my personality as I can now pass a car on a 2-lane road and not worry about lag in acceleration.

Listening to a few YouTube videos about my model, some reviews were about the turbo engine that's available on the more expensive cars. I test drove a turbo on a Hyundai and didn't like the delay driving in the city. The salesman stated it 'kicks in' nicely at highway speeds. Thanks, but not interested was my response.

While listening to videos, many were talking about naturally aspirated models. WTF is that I said... I've been driving cars around 55 years and had to look up naturally aspirated.
Oh, I get it. A naturally aspirated engine is one that's non-turbo. Well duh! I suppose all engines were naturally... naturally aspirated prior to the invention of superchargers and turbo power boosters.