Most Liked Automotive Blogs (377)

My car has a front radar used in the safety system for Forward Obstruction Warning (FOW) and Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) but sometimes the system gives a failure warning. I called Mazda USA and spoke to someone in customer relations who says they have no records of this happening to my model or others.
Last month, I dropped the car off for it's first service and told the service adviser about the failures and showed him photos of the warnings that appeared on the dashboard display.
He did a search and said there's nothing in history of this happening to any other vehicles.

Since they need to put the car to a test drive to try to reproduce the problem, I need to schedule an appointment for them to have the car at lease 2 days and arrange a (free) loaner. While I can make arrangements, I wasn't real sure about them being able to find the trouble. For me it starts while I'm on the highway and it's raining happening about 80% of the time.

I spoke to a friend who used to work at a car dealer and he asked "Did you Google it?"

Pretty simple and I found a few Mazda Tech sites where people post questions and get responses from other car owners. I found EXACTLY what I was looking for. It appears on my model and several others current and dating back a few years. Not a new problem.

At this point, I now have the ammunition I need to get back to the dealer for something that should already know about. Making my point, I'll send the service manager some links that explain the issue, with photos so they can get to the source quickly.

Thanks Google!

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!

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 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.

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!


Links:

ok folks
post a video of this chant
i'll start

I bought a car last month and the salesman sent an email to welcome me to their family. The dealer did the same. I'm also 'in the family' of the car manufacturer and getting requests to join the family of the satellite radio service.
Part of 'being family' is some of them want me to install apps to my phone and divulge (more) personal information so that they have instant access to me and my communication devices.
I've been listening to the satellite radio introductory broadcasts knowing they are free only for a few months. They know I'm listening and I received an email from them to confirm it's really me. I'm sure requests for more information will follow and I'm sure to ignore them.
Every time I start my car there's a disclosure statement. I've got stickers on the header explaining my information is being transmitted to a remote source. Under the dash is a wireless phone charger and I'm reminded (on the screen) that my phone is not connected to the car. Thanks, but no thanks. I have no intentions of installing apps and connecting my phone to the car.
Time permitting, I'll have to get back to reading the owner's manual. Maybe there is a chapter on becoming an orphan without any family!

This involves Tesla's operating in FSD (Full Self-Driving) mode and unexpectedly abruptly braking. This week, it caused an 8-car pileup on the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
Video shows the car entering the tube and stopping. I'm thinking it has to with loss of GPS signal, but some comments from Tesla test drivers have experienced the same problems on the open road.
This safety glitch could be serious.



Link to the pileup videos:


Link to the Yahoo story:

My car is equipped with a keyless entry system. To make it work, I have to have the keyfob remote entry transmitter with me. I approach my locked car, put my hand in the door handle and it unlocks the car. It's programmable that only the driver's door unlocks or I can specify the other doors also unlock.
This keyfob is 4 times larger than the one on my previous vehicle, probably because it has more technology packed inside. If I want to leave the car running and run into the store for something... forgetaboutit, the car begins to beep letting me know that the keyfob is out of range. Actually, it beeps if I step out to open the hatchback. That feature is on my list of annoying safety features.
I always keep my keys with me as I learned from a coworker's trouble many years ago. He had a habit of leaving his keys everywhere but his pocket. Assigned to a project where he could leave his tools overnight. The keys were on the top of his rolling toolbox. He and his helper were the last out of the building that evening. The door locked behind them and no way of reentry. Realizing the keys were inside, he panicked. They had to go to a pay phone to call me and I was lucky enough to get security to unlock the building for him to retrieve his keys.
I'm not liking the lump as all my keys are on it, but I haven't figured an alternate way around 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.