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As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Oct 9, 2008 - Continuing Education
This poses new challenges for small car repair shops struggling to keep up with a changing industry and institutional bias that dealers are the only ones who know how to do the job right, especially if the product is new. Independent repair shops like my buddies at Tire Town are constantly adding new equipment and training to keep pace with the changing automotive technology. I've even seen them working on electric cars. Central Pennsylvania is a long way from places like California in a lot of ways so you can see that the spread of automotive technology knows no bounds and neither does the need for education. Learn something new every day. Sound advice! Read more at the Sacramento Business Journal
Apr 5, 2008 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
We had a Lexus come into the shop with a burned out headlight. So we sent for the bulb and when it arrived it looked like something out of Star Wars and cost $370. We called the local Lexus dealer service shop to find out if there was anything more we needed to know and the tech said, "You'll need to check the control module too. Usually if the light has burned out, it's because of the control module and if you just replace the bulb, it's likely to blow out the new bulb too." $700 for that module. With labor, a burned out headlight cost this Lexus owner almost $1200. I've heard that in some parts of the country, insurance companies are making these Lexus owners have the VIN etched onto the headlight lens to help deter the theft of the assembly. But it's not just luxury cars that cost a lot for basic care anymore. Some Nissan models require that the front bumper cover be removed so that the headlight assembly can be removed to change the headlight bulb. The listed labor time in the repair manual is 2.1 hours. Yep, things are definitely looking up for the improvements we have planned for the shop!
Jan 8, 2008 - Idiot Boxes
As soon as you tell a human being that they don't have to pay attention to something, they won't. Look at the complete and utter dependence of some drivers on navigation systems now. I have relatives who cannot drive their car, even in their everyday driving, without using their nav system to tell them where to turn. They should call it Tom Tom Doh! That's why quotes from people like Carnegie Mellon director of technology Chris Urmson scare the heck out of me. "We want to make it so you can get in to go to work, read the paper, drink your coffee and get there safely." Aren't there things called buses, trains, and planes that allow you to do this already? I'm sure their intentions are good, just like the inventors of daytime running lights. Yep, those first DRL's sure made you stand out from the crowd and people were less likely to pull out in front of you because they could see you. Only now everybody and their uncle has DRL's so you're just another set of lights in the crowd. And how many times have you seen someone running around in the pitch black with just their DRL's on? Unintended and entirely predictable consequences are waiting just around the next corner as cars are turned into idiot boxes which turn out to be boxes filled with idiots who don't think they have any responsibilities behind the wheel. Read the full story at AFP
Jan 7, 2008 - Drivers Wanted?
Given Americans ongoing love affair with cars and driving, I know that I wake up every day with dreams of a car that doesn't even need me to be in it. But it does seem to be the way we're headed. Every year it seems that something is added to cars that takes away another task that humans used to be responsible for. Some are handy assists like power steering, but we've now reached the point where people are substituting GPS systems for having any clue about where they are and what's immediately outside their vehicle. While ideas like this are interesting to play with, perhaps it would be better for GM's bottom line if they'd focus on building a vehicle that drivers actually want. How's that whole Volt thing going Rick? Read the entire story at Breitbart.com
Dec 13, 2007 - Breadcrumbs
What we have here is the KITTY LOC8TOR. KITTY cleverly stands for Key Innovation That Talks to You. It's purpose it to help you find your car when you've forgotten where it is, like after being distracted during parking while on the cell phone perhaps? As technology advances, it seems that some segments of the population continue their intellectual downward spiral. We have thousands, if not millions of folks so totally reliant on their navigation systems that they couldn't find their wayout of a paper bag without turn by turn instructions, and now we'll have a parking lot wandering population who are following their KITTY as they shrug off the need to have any clue where anything is. Just the market trying to fill a need I suppose. And there are indications that some folks might need this. I hang out a lot with my friends at Tire Town, an auto repair and tire shop, and when customers come in to make an appointment, they naturally get asked, "What kind of car is it?" Here are an assortment of responses I've heard: It's a Chevy or a Ford, I'm not sure. A Dodge something. It's green or the ever popular, I don't know So be careful out there, because you see what we're up against!
Nov 8, 2007 - One Less Thing To Do
Saab is developing a new electronic system that uses cameras to watch the driver's eyes and alerts the driver by using a combination of text and voice messages, or vibrations in the seat cushion, as soon as the risk of drowsiness or inattention is detected. While many may see this as a wonderful thing, I'm seeing this as yet another item for the gadgetosity list that will mistakenly release many from their obligation to safely operate their vehicle. Why bother learning to parallel park when your vehicle can do it for you? Daytime running lights seemed like a good idea too, but many run with DRL's at night instead of turning on their actual headlights. Navigation systems can tell you where you are and where you're going, so why bother having any clue yourself? And now I won't even have to worry about being sleepy behind the wheel because the car will alleviate me of that responsibility as well. I wonder if it will come with a snooze button? The calculator Read more at New Car Net
Oct 25, 2007 - Weighty Issue
This week at the Tokyo Motor Show Toyota showed us the 1/X concept whose big idea is a carbon fiber frame that reduces the weight of the hybrid concept to a scant 925 pounds. The driver in my golf bag has a carbon fiber head and the entire club only weighs 10 ounces, so it's really easy to relate to just how much weight the carbon fiber is saving. So while the 1/X itself may never wind up in production, the idea of using carbon fiber in place of heavier materials sounds promising. Now if they can only have it come in a color other than black so I won't feel like I have to wash it every 15 minutes! A simple tradeoff Read more at Green Car Advisor
Oct 16, 2007 - Gadgetosity
Our cars have cruise control, seat belts, airbags, anti-lock brakes, telephones, global positioning systems, back up cameras, and some can even parallel park by themselves. So I wasn't surprised to see the Tech Watch item on InsideLine about Nissan's advanced parking aid system called the Around View Monitor. The high-tech parking aid system bundles four small cameras mounted at the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. The cameras give the driver a 180-degree viewing angle. The driver can choose which view is displayed on the cabin monitor — including two separate camera-specific images and an integrated top-down graphic representation — based on the direction in which the vehicle is moving. And with every "advance" I see another opportunity for drivers to think, "I don't have to be concerned with knowing how to do this". Cameras pointing in all directions sounds like a good idea on the surface, but what good does it do to draw the driver's attention away from the world outside? Why learn to drive your car when it can parallel park itself? (I can't wait for the first lawsuit on that one) Why bother to know where you are or where you're going when you have an electronic voice that will tell you where to turn? And why go through the effort to turn your head and look outside the car when you can have a camera do it for you? Technology and safety advancements are a wonderful thing. But they're supposed to aid you in driving your car, not relieve you of your responsibilities behind the wheel. Heaven help us if anyone ever comes out with a vehicle marketed as "100% safe". Endless gadgetry
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