Automotive Blogger

This week’s Friday Freebie really is free, and it comes to you courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine, and Hyundai. What is it? Well, it’s museum day. Click on the image to follow the link, and get a free pass for you and a guest to spend this Saturday, September 29th, at one of a number of museums around the country.

Whether you choose a museum that focus on the evolution of automotive engineering from war tools to space flight, or simply decide to go look at some amazing art, spending a crisp fall day at a museum is a great destination for when you get into your car for a weekend drive.

We’re quite the media trawlers here at AutomotiveBlogger.net this week, but that’s not because we have nothing to say. It’s because beginning Monday we’ll be having longer, linkier, posts, with a couple of shared projects in the works with some fellow 451press.net bloggers.

In the meantime, for Green Thursday, we want to talk about Hydrogen, and while for many of us of a certain age, that brings strains of Smash Mouth’s “Walkin’ on the Sun” into our minds, for the folks at BMW hydrogen is a groovy new fuel source: totally clean, and the by-product is water.

Hydrogen cells aren’t ready for mass-market use yet, but we like that the performance car makers are getting into the mix with alternative energy sources. The Hydrogen 7 BMW is making its official debut at the Rome Film Festival. Tell Mr. DeMille it’s ready for a close-up:

Fine clothes. Fabulous shoes. Fancy cars. Many fashionistas love them all, and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood is no exception. The English designer is collaborating with famous English automaker Bentley Motors on the former’s new exhibition, opening tonight at Milan’s Palazzo Reale. This is the touring version of her exhibit, which was first presented in London at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The bond between Bentley and Westwood was on display as well at an exclusive event in Düsseldorf, during Germany’s Fashion Week, and celebrated a partnership based on similar appreciation of bold lines and personal flair - two elements that are crucial in high performance cars, as well as high fashion clothing.

At the Italian event, Bentley Milano will be showing off a bright yellow version of their 1992 Continental convertible, as well as providing Ms. Westwood with a Bentley Continental Flying spur for her in-town driving as well as offering her the experience of riding in their most recent cabriolet, the Continental GTC.

The exhibition represents the second such collaboration for these two quintessentially British names. The first was a show last year, “Vivienne Westwood Shoes 1973 – 2006â€? held at another Milan-area location, the Castello Visconteo Sforzesco in Vigevano. This year’s event, which coincides with the opening of Women’s Fashion Week in Milan will close at the end of Men’s Fashion Week, in February of next year.

The Bentley Continental GTC that Westwood will ride in at least once during her time in Milan, comes with a price tag of roughly $190,000.

I’ve had muscle cars on the brain recently, not for any particular reason other than that I was searching for something and found a line item in Google about a vintage ‘cuda selling for upwards of $2,000,000. Even for a hot car, that’s some serious change.

Retro-inspired neo-classic muscle cars are featured offerings at Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet this year, as they have been for the last couple, sparking two kinds of controversy: the first, are these modern muscles worth collecting (purists say no)? The second issue is: should we be buying things that are so totally the antitheses of modern green-thinking technology? What good is horsepower if the air outside your windows is toxic to human life?

Whatever side of the issues you fall on (and we’d love to hear your perspective), we thought we’d share a list of the top five muscle cars from a “price increase since the year 2000″ point of view, as of last year’s Kelley Blue Book:

1. 1971 Plymouth “Hemi” ‘Cuda convertible.
2. 1969 Dodge Charger R/T-440 hardtop.
3. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28/SS coupe.
4. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-454/LS-6 convertible
5. 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 roadster

The 2008 Toyota Highlander is offered this year in standard gasoline and hybrid versions, and Toyota is very proud of the fact that it’s built on a car platform. But don’t take our word for it:

No, we’re not giving anything away free. This is merely our way of spotlighting a website that we saw. It won’t necessarily be every week, but we’ll alternate it with the usual Five for Friday lists.

This week, we wanted to tell you about ParkingSearch.com a site that hooks up those who have parking spaces to sell or rent, with those looking to buy or lease them.

If the concept of owning or leasing a parking space seems odd to you, chances are you don’t live in New York or Chicago, which together supply about 35% of the users of the site.

Still, for those urbanites who need a reliable, reasonably priced place to store their cars, this service is a fabulous idea. Check them out.

We’ve trawled YouTube this week for our TechThursday spot, and offer this video, on how to change a tire:

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed new legislation regulating the use of cell phones by teenage drivers.

The new law will take effect July 1 2008, and specifically restricts California drivers under the age of 18 from using text messaging devices, laptop computers, or cell phones, while driving. It is hoped that the new law, which will fine teen drivers $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent ones, will help reduce the number of car accidents caused by young drivers being distracted by technology.

The law prohibits ALL cell-phone use, even hands-free use, while teens are behind the wheel, but it also requires adult drivers to use hands-free technology to stay connected while driving, with the same deadline of July 1st in force.

Other states with similar cell-phone legislation include Colorado and Maryland.

We all know the obvious ways to save money on auto insurance - good driver discounts, defensive driver discounts - things like that.

Here are three not-as-obvious ways to help reduce your premium a little bit.

1. Pay Annually: Sure monthly payments are easier on the budget at a casual glance, but if you can afford to pay the whole six months, or even a whole year, you’ll be saving that monthly handling fee, if not getting a discount for paying up front.
2. Pay Electronically: Reduce handling fees even further, and help reduce wasted paper as well, by getting your statement sent to you by email, and having automatic payments made from your bank account (electronic funds transfer). They clear instantly, and you’ll have one less bill to open each month.
3. Stick Together: If you have the option for auto insurance through work, a union, a trade organization, or even an alumni association, look into it. It may not always be cheaper, but it can save you money to be part of a group.

What other money saving tips can you think of, for auto insurance? Feel free to share!

In the news this week, aside from GM’s attempt to negotiate with their workers, are a couple of recalls drivers of late-model vehicles need to know about.

Honda’s the first one. They’re recalling almost 200,000 2006 and 07 Civics because the wheel-bearing seal, isn’t. While it doesn’t sound dramatic on first-read, the reality is that this could lead to corrosion that may eventually cause the wheel to separate from the rest of the car. For more information, visit Honda’s website.

Our other recall concerns Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge, which is not only calling back about 300,000 Jeep Commanders and Grand Cherokees from 2006 and 2007, but also 90,000 2007 Jeep Wranglers and 50,000 2007 Dodge Nitros, all for a brake issue that affects uphill driving.

As if that’s not enough, Chrysler’s also announced a recall for a bit more than 72,000 2008 Sebrings and Dodge avengers for faulty latches and locks on the front doors.

Chrysler customers who are affected by the recall can call 800-853-1403 for more information.

If you are considering one of these cars, make sure you get written documentation that the issue has been resolved before you take the car off the lot.

Drive a car long enough and you’ll see the odometer creep toward that 100,000 mile mark, which means two things: first, by this time your car loan is long since paid off, and a paid-for car is a beautiful car, and two, there are going to be a whole lot of issues that even the best insurance doesn’t cover, because it’s normal wear and tear. Here are five common complaints for cars nearing the 100,000 milestone:

1. Catalytic Converter will fail: This happens on many models, especially Subaru, but the good news is that even though a “check engine” warning will be triggered, it’s not an issue that makes driving the car particularly hazardous. Do get it fixed. Don’t stress if you can’t afford the roughly $1000 repair bill right away. However, remember that it must be fixed before you have an emissions inspection.
2. Ignition Lock gets sticky: A known issue on some versions of the Ford Focus, as the car ages, the ignition lock on the steering wheel gets stubborn. The good news is that a good locksmith can fix it, generally for under $500.
3. Transmission slipping: On Honda Accords from the late 90’s, down-shifting will start to get rough, and it may feel like the transmission is slipping. It’s common as the car ages - have it looked at by a transmission specialist.
4. Interior lights and displays stop working: You may be driving along and suddenly realize that the clock is dark, or the map lights no longer work. These little annoyances aren’t serious, but they will start to happen more and more frequently.
5. Head gaskets: The most serious complaint, occurring with many cars with serious mileage is that the head gaskets go bad. While repairing this isn’t difficult, it is time consuming. Expect a good ten hours of labor on your mechanics bill.

Remember, unless there are major drivetrain issues, modern cars should last well past 100,000 miles, but you need to be vigilant about regular tune-ups, and fixing problems as they occur.

We expect hybrid vehicles from Honda, which offered the first one in the USA, and Toyota, since their Prius is still the poster-car for the green car movement, but when we think of alternative fuel, Audi isn’t generally the first name that comes to mind.

It soon will be.

Audi has been working on a hybrid-electric system they refer to as a parallel engine, because it will work solely on gas, solely on electric, or both at the same time. The Q7 SUV will be the first to sport the new system, and, sometime next year, Audi’s alternative-fuel offerings in the USA will expand again to include diesel engines that have a 600-miles-per-tank range between refueling stops.

We’re always on the lookout for interesting Women on Wheels, whether they’re NASCAR drivers, members of the automotive industry as businesswomen, or just fascinating enthusiasts. It’s this latter designation that we feel describes Linda R. Moore.

In 2003, Ms. Moore was planning a month-long solo motorcycle trip around the southwestern United States. Life got in the way, and her plans had to be rearranged, but in 2005 she did make a motorcycle journey from California’s Silicon Valley to a point deep in the heart of Texas, and, as if that wasn’t enough, she wrote a book about the experience.

Ms. Moore’s book is called A Little Twist of Texas, and you can read excerpts of it at her website, which also has a link to her blog, and shares many more of her adventures.

We applaud the spirit of Linda Moore, and all women on wheels.

Maybe you have a habit of taking “doggie bags” home from restaurants, and forgetting to remove them from your car, or perhaps you had a passenger who smokes, or were transporting a sick dog (accidents happen). Whatever the cause, your car has that “less then fresh” odor going on, and you need to get rid of it. Here’s how:

1. Clean your car as thoroughly as possible, removing all loose items and trash from inside. Make sure you check in the back seat cushion, and under both front seats. Remove the floor mats, if you have any.
2. Vacuum the entire car, including the upholstery. Use a crevice tool where necessary. After you vacuum, use a rag or paper towels, and clean off the hard surfaces: dash, center console, windows.
3. Shampoo the rugs and upholstery, and let the car air dry with the windows open. (If you can do this outside, where air can circulate, so much the better.)
4. If your odor issue was caused by mildew, be certain to find and stop any leaks, or the smell will return. Then spray the carpets with an antibacterial cleaner. Lysol is good, but if you have a different brand that you prefer, it’s probably fine.
5. Park your car in a well-ventilated, flat area, and start the engine. Set the air flow on your air conditioning system so the source is “outside air” or “fresh air,” and set the fan and air conditioner to their highest power.
6. Go to the front passenger side of that car, look under the hood, generally along the bottom edge of the windshield, and find the air intake vent for the air conditioning system. It’s also known as the cowl vent, and it will have some kind of filtering screen or louvers. Spray room deodorizer, such as Oust, Febreze, or Renuzit into the intake.

7. Get back in the car, and smell the air. You should be able to detect the deodorizer moving through the system. Let it run for a few minutes, then switch from full cold to full heat and spray the intake vent again.

You may need to repeat the deodorizing process a few times before your car smells as fresh as you want it to, but even one time through the process will make last week’s leftover tuna salad a distant memory.

It’s been done with coffee (remember those old Folger’s commercials), soda, and a variety of other foods, but only in parody has it ever been done with cars. Until last week, that is. Ford, in an effort to create more consumer buzz, started a “Swap My Ride” challenge where they masquerade as a market research company (they created a dummy corporation just for this purpose) and have people trade their new cars for new Fords for a week. Here’s one of their video spots, and more information can be found at the Ford Challenge website.