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News volume 1: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/news/
News volume 2: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/news2/
Transmission fluids tested on Project Farm.
Is your automatic slow to shift in the morning when cold? Maybe some Redline will help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF2jlNc9Tqw
Project Farm's testing methodology is first class, great channel!
Hello,
I recently saw a video (posted below) that might interest the community.
It is about car dealerships and EVs.
(I hope I am not breaking rules by posting it, sorry if I am)
-Toyotaholic
Electric car drivers frustrated over lack of charging stations in Nevada
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Finding an electric vehicle station is not something you want to wing here in southern Nevada. For visitors and locals alike, a trip in an electric car has to be planned and outlined in advance. Some EV drivers tell FOX5 what we’re missing in the state.
”It’s kind of a hassle, there are some stations around town but most of them are down,” said Jesse Barker who’s lived in Las Vegas for two years. He says he makes frequent trips to California, “I have to stop every 150 miles to charge,” said Barker.
For him, the pros outweigh the cons.
“I don’t mind spending extra time on the road if I’m going to save 600 bucks on a road trip for an hour to an hour and a half, I’m fine with the wait if they want to dart there and come back, I could see it being an inconvenience,” he said.
Electric charging stations are few and far between in Nevada.
“We came from Phoenix two days ago, we stopped in Kingman which is pretty much the only stop down from Phoenix to Vegas,” Caroline Clay.
“Sometimes the lines are difficult sometimes people aren’t so nice when vehicles are fully charged,” said Clay.
Tourists say that’s the theme they’ve noticed.
“When I went to my first electrical charging station, nothing was working and people were waiting, calling to see what happened,” said Stanley.
From San Francisco, Stanley says it’s been a pain trying to find one that works.
“Luckily I got this one out of the four and that one’s not working either,” said Stanley.
In 2015, the Nevada Electric Highway was born, making dozens of charging stations along U.S. 95.
Terry from Surprise, Arizona says he loves traveling to Vegas in his EV despite the stop in Kingman.
“I used to have a high-speed Camaro in my younger days and I sold it went to this electric car,” said Terry.
For him, it’s just a little bit of work but it’s all worth it.
“It’s softer and easier to drive the only difficulty is learning how to use these charging stations, you just have to be patient we’re in a learning curve,” he said.
Another Chinese cheap EV landed on the European market - The MG4 manufactured by SAIC.
It's another small EV crossover that goes head to head with the Corolla HEV (same price, 3.2" shorter, 320 lbs heavier).
It's rated at 220 - 280 miles (depending on configuration) with pretty good efficiency (160 Wh/km)
But with cheap fuel it still does not make too much sense 100 miles would cost $2.4 on the MG, and around $7 on the Corolla Hybrid (at 50mpg) based on US average fuel and electricity prices as of april 2023 - so over a 150,000 mile lifespan that would be a $6,900 difference.
With good enough performance in crash tests (5 stars, but 'only' 83% adult occupant safety category, 2% less than a Corolla Cross, 6% less than a Civic [all tested under the 2022 crash test standards])
And it has been a best seller over the last few months since its release.
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/04/06/saics-mg4-ev-is-the-2nd-bestselling-ev-in-the-uk-in-q1/
Which is not suppressing considering MG has made quite a few EVs and they're generally associated with up-market PHEVs.
Question...can someone explain to me why you should buy a Tesla...LOL
When I first saw this I thought it must have been from the "The Onion", "Babylon Bee"or other satirical site, but apparently not. From the "don't these people have anything better to do" department:
Legislation introduced requiring AM radios in new cars
"A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill that would require all new cars to include AM radio as many manufacturers have increasingly been phasing it out.
A release from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Thursday states Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who serves as the committee’s ranking member, and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), another committee member, are leading a group of nine other members of Congress from both parties to support the AM for Every Vehicle Act."
Maybe they'll want to require the old CONELRAD markings be put on the tuner as well.
Of course I hail from a time when any kind of radio was optional in new cars and have owned cars that had no factory radio. (If you were too cheap to order a factory radio in your new car it came with a blank plate, maybe with the manufacturer's name, to cover the hole in the dashboard.)
We should petition Congress to require the return of 8-Track Tape!
Maybe require all car brands to bring back the built in CD players in their vehicles too. And NA engines too while they're at it!!!
I actually don't mind this. AM radio is very useful in emergencies, and when there's hazards on the road. I think it should be considered part of emergency equipment. Better this than requiring you to have internet/cellular connected vehicles.
Although I understand what you're saying I think the idea of mandating a radio be included at all in new cars is kind of ridiculous. It's not a safety item in the sense of seat belts or air bags. You can always just carry a transistor set with you in the car to receive AM radio if desired. That's what we used to do in cars that had no radio, or if the radio was broken.
Sure it is. Seatbelts can save your life. So can knowing about hazards coming up on the road ahead. Who has an AM radio at home any more?
I have quite a few AM radios at home - table radios, clock radios, as well as transistor sets, even a console stereo that has AM band. For knowing about upcoming road hazards you might as well mandate that every car have a CB radio. Traffic reports on commercial radio broadcasts can be sporadic and frequently you won't hear about a problem until you're already in the middle of it.
The answer is, hardly anybody has an AM radio. You are definitely an exception.
CB radio is for usually used for talking back and forth, not broadcast, and no existing consumer cars are equipped with CB. It's much easier to use technology that is already ubiquitous.
There are all traffic stations that update you on my entire city in a few minutes, and they repeat it over and over. And if there were a serious threat (flood, fire, landslide, bridge out, child abduction, etc.) you could have it broadcast on all stations.
Nope, I think this is important. We can't let automakers start taking radios away.
We have no such pervasive traffic stations anywhere around here. Some major roads do have electronic signs erected that warn of problems up ahead. Relying on the local AM news station is very hit or miss. I usually just play tapes while driving. I just don't see the need for mandating this.
Most major US cities I searched have traffic radio stations.
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It takes hours to dispatch and deploy an electronic sign.
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We have road signs at every city's limits announcing the local radio stations.
It seems the USA has something similar called travelers' information station (TIS) and highway advisory radio (HAR), usually on AM 530.
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"used to broadcast information to the general public, including for motorists regarding travel ...only noncommercial voice information pertaining to traffic and road conditions, traffic hazard and travel advisories, directions, availability of lodging, rest stops and service stations ... TIS stations have also been developed for supporting emergency public safety communication ... operated by U.S. national parks and others under U.S. federal government jurisdiction ... Stations may be licensed to operate on any AM band frequency from 530–1700 kHz"
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Scotty weighs in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oiwIZ3gtNM
Pep Boys blew a customer's engine doing a fuel system service.
Thankfully, I'm pretty sure my car isn't tracking me (just my cellphone when I'm on Waze). But LOT of cars are, apparently. Here's an article on a free tool to check:
VW unveils new planned 2026 budget EV - "as spacious as a Golf, as affordable as a Polo"
The new VW ID.2all is an electric car that's planned to start from under 25,000 euros when launched.
The base model will feature a somewhat small battery - but are planning to compensate for it with fast charging.
The main competition will come from Chinese manufacturers - namely Geely.
They're already selling now, have similar priced offering with almost double the range of the base ID.2
And next year they're launching its replacement, the Geometry M6 - featuring 363 miles of range for 22,000 euros.
No word on if the upcoming ID2 or Geometry will be "maitenance free" like new Teslas or the new Hyundai iONIQ.
April 28, 2023 - 'Hero' 7th Grader Grabs Steering Wheel and Stops School Bus After Driver Passes Out
Brave fella!
And here is the key take-away, folks:
"He's been on my lap driving country roads, pulling in driveways since about 4 years old," said Steve (father). "Driving side by side with me in the passenger seat about 9, driving golf carts. He's a good driver," he added with a laugh. "He could probably drive one of the cars out of here and be OK. He's very attentive to his surroundings," Steve continued.
"I asked him, 'Dillon how did you know what to do?' " added his mom. "'How did you know how to drive that bus?' He said, 'I watch her do it every day,' so he pays close attention to everybody."
He is going to be a conscientious driver.
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1651759972974465024
April 28, 2023 - 'Hero' 7th Grader Grabs Steering Wheel and Stops School Bus After Driver Passes Out
Accidents hit even experienced profesionals
WRC star Craig Breen dies in Rally Croatia testing crash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCsQMpaNmw8
I still wouldn't leave the oil in for 10-20,000 miles, but it could be better oil.
Used cars to avoid
(based on survey responses by subscribers to Consumer Reports)
Scam Alert - Sellers beware
Apparently there's a scam going around victimizing private sellers of vehicles.
A few people will arrive at the same time to look at the vehicle. While one distracts the seller away from the car, another will use a syringe to insert oil into the coolant reservoir. They will then attempt to devalue the car by claiming it has a blown head gasket.
California has little to do with the real world, it's a bastion of craziness.
https://twitter.com/CityJournal/status/1513940048068104193
The average cost of a new vehicle is near $50,000 which is up 30% since 2019
Add to that the automakers’ new mantra: keep production low and profits high
I was suspecting something similar for a long time, there's no reason why they don't import cheaper cars into the US - surely there must be some demand for cheap workhorses.
There are plenty of cars that might interest consumers that are under $20k (I drive a car that's significantly less than 20 grand and I don't feel like I've sacrificed a thing), with very good competition in the $20k-$30k bracket that don't compromise on safety, handling, plushness while being decently spacious and having just about enough power to keep moving...
Sadly this might be also serve as an invitation for the Chinese automakers who are currently storming the European market
BYD - where I live they're on track to land in the top 5 automakers this year, and that's not a cheap car!
Chery - land rover / jaguars Chinese manufacturing partner
Lync&Co - marketed as "Swedish Premium with a Twist"
AIWAYS - owners of a huge manufacturing company supplying "Groupe Renualt", Ford and Isuzu.
And there are just countless others like WEY, Haval, Hongqi, ORA with more established companies being GEELY and MG - and they have nailed the esthetics, the fit and finish, but I would be very cautious about reliability - a lot use Volvo technology, some use GM engines, and most of the non EVs use the BMW Steptronic / Renualt EDC7 gearbox.
And don’t get me started on EVs. In my home state of California, Model Y is ranked number 1 in 2022 new car sales among light duty vehicles while Model 3 was ranked number 1 in car/sedan sales. Average price was well past $50,000 (I don’t remember the exact figure).
@DayWalker , well that's Tesla being Tesla - their prices don't have much to do with manufacturing costs.
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where I live the Geometry C is the 5th best selling car and it's a futuristic pure EV for the price of a well optioned Corolla Hybrid.
And quite honestly? It does feel like a Volvo (manufactured by Volvo's owner Geely), I don't even know what to think of it - quite a lot of the people I know bought these and all are ecstatic about them and I get that interior, exterior, dynamics are all done extraordinarily well, I just don't trust it one bit.
https://youtu.be/PYk91PP9dQk
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And on the 11th spot is a PH-EV... It undercuts its competition significantly and in the entire midsize-SUV space it has only lost out to the Hyundai-Kia (Euro) Tucson and SWB Sportage. And here too I kinda get it, It's much more plush, it has 300 horsepower, and it still gets at worst 30mpg when it runs out of the 40 mile EV range.
And yet, will it fall apart? probably yeah.
https://youtu.be/RJiVsa6rjN8
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What I mean by sub $20k cars is the route I personally, mechanical simplicity - $13k pre-tax with a conventional auto, 1750lbs towing allowance, 5 star safety rating and "augmented driving". No clue why they don't import them into the US.
https://youtu.be/nCvsfDgojl4
(^ the car here is very oddly spec-ed.)
Excellent article by autoblog on current state of new car buying. Prices are at their highest and unlikely to ease anytime soon, if ever. Add to that the automakers’ new mantra: keep production low and profits high.
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The average cost of a new vehicle is near $50,000 which is up 30% since 2019. The average monthly payment for a new car has soared to a record $777, nearly doubling from late 2019!
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Nearly 30% of the market is from households with annual income of more than $150,000, up from 22% in 2016
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Link to article:
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/02/18/new-cars-expensive-rich-people-only/
Makes a little more sense if you read it from the bottom (Land Rover) up. CR has taken a lot of flack over the years for just recommending the most boring cars. In this case, reliability is only one factor in their ratings.
But, yeah, if you are used to thinking of CR as a source for info about quality and reliability, this one will have you doing a spit take.
California has little to do with the real world, it's a bastion of craziness.
Each time I see a Tesla around me (and I see a lot of them) I have to drive even more defensively because I am not sure if they are using Autopilot or are half asleep.
Honestly, I never have liked teslas. Mostly because they're electric. Nothing satisfies more than the sound of a nice v8 motor😎
IMHO, it has to do with several factors: infrastructure, culture/allure/status, engineering/quality*.
With infrastructure, Tesla built up a pretty good network in California. Way better and much earlier than any other state. Especially in major cities, in Northern California, they are all over the place.
California is California. And it’s “cool” to have a Tesla, especially the Y and the 3. It’s probably the most successful electric car today, and that breeds other folks to jump on board. The model 3 has been out for about 5 years. And the Y just a bit shorter. And it seems to be following the trajectory of the Prius, which had a massive following in California. It’s also a “status” symbol.
And lastly quality. TBH, Tesla fit and finish is horrible. Absolutely horrible. But I think people look past that, because the actual insides of the car, the motor and the battery, is pretty decent quality.
On paper, I think many folks try to justify the purchase price, by saying they will save on gas, but I think that is a myth. Electricity seems to be on par with gas prices. (Just mental math, I haven’t really pulled the numbers).
One of the big reasons I personally dislike Tesla, is not the electric part, not the fit and finish let, but is because of the user interface. So many menus!!! No tactile feedback. And they started a trend that other car makes are copying, which makes me loathe Tesla even more.
I’ve never loved knobs and buttons so much. I much prefer knobs, but I’ll take buttons over a screen.
Consumer Reports, like all other auto rankings surveys, should be taken with a strong grain of salt.
This is worth sharing for the laugh-factor alone:
https://www.yahoo.com/autos/bmw-tops-consumer-reports-2023-150000134.html
Consumer Reports rates BMW 1st. And by a decent margin. And Mini is in a tie for 2nd. Hahaha!!!!
I almost fell off my chair reading the sales numbers from the California New Car Dealers Association about how Tesla’s vehicles like the Model Y is the top selling “light truck” in California in 2022 with 87,257 registrations. Second place was the Toyota RAV4 with 59,794 units. Third place was the Ford F-series at 40,232 registrations. These latter numbers are not even close.
The top-selling passenger car in the same period is the Model 3 with 78,934 registrations. Second place went to the Toyota Camry with 55,967 registrations, followed by the Toyota Corolla in third place with 39,865 registrations. These latter numbers are not even close.
What the heck is going on in my state?!! I am in the market for a new passenger car and would never consider a Tesla!
ned put together for the last 50+ years.
I believe their plan is to phase out all cars, to make you use public transport, instead of having the "luxury" of freedom of movement
I believe that is likely the intended end game.
It sure seems that way.
Personally I have considered an Citroen E-C4, MG ZS EV, or ORA Funky Cat- but went with an ICE instead, these EVs are pricy but not too expensive, they're all about $30k-$40k
I get what you're saying but I'd consider those to be too expensive - that's more than I've paid for every car I've owned put together for the last 50+ years.
I believe their plan is to phase out all cars, to make you use public transport, instead of having the "luxury" of freedom of movement
I believe that is likely the intended end game. It's easy to see that at least with today's state of the art that electric cars are just not going to work out on the current mass scale of gasoline and diesel, let alone long-range truck transport, construction equipment, and farm equipment. (Look up the "15-minute city". Once again, it's not a conspiracy theory when these plans are out in the open.)
> "I get what you're saying but I'd consider those to be too expensive"
Well, yeah I agree that they're expensive, I ended up buying two brand new corolla hatchback sized ($13k) gasoline powered cars for what one decent EV would cost.
https://imgur.com/7YswKwp
But overall, EV prices are coming down, the Geely-Volvo Geometry C, at $28k is well under the average car price - for now. With the demand that that new EU law may create - I think prices are going to go up significantly.