Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (H.E.A.T.) released another set of tips for the auto shoppers in order for them to be safe during this shopping season.
"Thieves look forward to the holidays when people are distracted and made careless by hectic schedules, countless tasks and mile-long shopping lists. Shoppers often take unnecessary risks such as leaving their vehicles unlocked or stowing gifts and shopping bags in open view instead of in the trunk," said Terri Miller, the director of H.E.A.T.
The Auto Channel, an online car oriented website where you can also find information about Acura alternator got this tips from the HEAT, here guys have a few minutes reading these tips and have a safe shopping:
Auto Shoppers Safety and Prevention Tips:
- Park in well-lit areas, near sidewalks or walkways. Avoid parking near dumpsters or large vans or trucks. These obstacles decrease your ability to see the space surrounding your vehicle clearly, where thieves or carjackers could be hiding.
- Consider using the valet service if you are out at a shopping center alone at night. The small fee is worth your safety. Remember to leave the valet only the ignition key with no I.D. Always keep your registration and proof of insurance in your wallet.
- Place gifts in the trunk and out of view. If need be, use a trash bag, blanket or cardboard box to camouflage packages in the back of a car, van or SUV.
- Try to keep one hand free with the other hand holding your car keys as you approach or leave your vehicle so you can maneuver if you encounter a thief or carjacker.
- If threatened by a carjacker with a gun or other weapon, GIVE UP THE CAR. DON'T ARGUE. A life is more important than any vehicle.
- If you witness an auto theft or carjacking, call the police immediately. If you have any information regarding auto theft, insurance fraud or carjacking, call the 24/7 H.E.A.T. tip reward line at 1-800-242-H.E.A.T.
Watch out, Detroit. A plethora of electric-vehicle startups intends to put a dent in the Big 3 by using advanced engineering and styling.
Steve Fambro didn't get into the car business to save the world. He did it to go faster on freeways. Fambro was driving 36 miles a day, during rush hour, to and from his biotech job in La Jolla, Calif. As traffic slowed to a crawl, motorcycles whizzed past in the carpool lane, a CNN release said.
He wanted to do the same, and after trying a motorbike and becoming worried about his safety, he decided he wanted to do the same in an enclosed vehicle. He purchased a hybrid, but as an engineer he still yearned for a vehicle that got even better fuel economy, the report continued.
That left electric cars. The selection was discouraging: tiny, boxy vehicles with a short range that took a long time to charge. "Anything you could buy looked as if it was designed in the 1970s," said Fambro.
Fambro decided to start his own auto business. In November 2008, he will begin selling the Aptera (means "wingless" in Greek). The car is a sleek 2-seat, 3-wheel electric vehicle with a top speed of 95 miles an hour. The Aptera comes in 2 versions: all electric and hybrid. Made of a Space Age composite material, the hybrid gets 300 miles per gallon, while the electric goes 100 miles on a single three- to six-hour charge.
So why the sudden change of heart? While other ventures failed, why is there a positive vibe at present?
The entrepreneurs and investors behind the firms stressed 4 factors: consumer desire for measures to address global warming, an abundance of investment capital, new breakthroughs in fiber composite body material, and the availability of cheap computing power and software that help simulate design challenges long before new cars hit the road.
For a moment, let Acura CL ball joint slip your mind and think of electric cars. What good do they make? Are you willing to embrace the technology?
Where the electric car market is booming:
Commuter Cars
- Aptera Motors, Carlsbad, Calif.
- Think Global, Palo Alto*
- Zenn, Toronto
- Zap, Santa Rosa, Calif.
- Commuter Cars, Spokane
- A.C. Propulsion, San Dimas, Calif.
Fun Cars
- Tesla Motors, San Carlos, Calif.
- Wrightspeed, Burlingame, Calif.
- Universal Electric Vehicle, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Work Vehicles
- Azure Dynamics, Oak Park, Mich.
- Phoenix Motorcars, Ontario, Calif.
Battery Makers
- A123Systems, Watertown, Mass.
- Altairnano, Reno
- EEStor, Cedar Park, Texas
- Valence Technology, Austin
- Odyne, Hauppauge, N.Y.
[via: CNN]
Winter is the one time of the year when even seasoned drivers get the chills when driving. This is because it is potentially hazardous to drive around on snowy roads. For the inexperienced driver, the first winter season is pretty dangerous and it would be better if they practice first with a seasoned driver in order for them to be armed properly before going out driving in winter. Even safe cars like those manufactured by Volvo may not be enough to protect you from harsh winter conditions.
So here are some tips from Wikihow to help you in your winter driving:
- Keep your gas tank full for 2 reasons: if you do get stuck somewhere and you're completely isolated for a period of time, you can use your car for warmth. It also prevents water condensation from forming in your gas tank. (some fuel additives are available on the market that "remove" the water mixed in your fuel.) Carrying a thick old blanket, coat or sleeping bag in the trunk is wise, too.
- Carry a small plastic bucket with a good fitting lid full of a sand/ salt mixture in your trunk along with a small shovel. If you find yourself stuck and alone sometimes putting a little sand/salt mix under your tires can really help give you some traction and allow you to get yourself unstuck. Kitty litter also works but not quite as well.
- Test the road. When first starting out, briefly accelerate firmly, then firmly brake. This will give you a better feel for the road conditions. If you notice the road conditions change, repeat the process in a safe manner (at a stop sign or empty side street). Being aware of road conditions will help you make better driving decisions.
- When driving an automatic vehicle, putting the car in neutral during a skid will prevent the car from trying to drive and reduce your stopping distance.
So there you are. Remember that accessories like Acura car cover will be taking up much space inside your vehicle. Only bring things that you will need in case you get stranded.
Where do you think you’re goin’ mister driver? You know you can drive your car, but no farther. Oh yeah, barred cars won’t cross boundaries.
As I browse some news release this morning, I chanced upon this nice info from Globe & Mail, Canada:
Michael Hill saved $15,000 on a Toyota Sienna minivan, but he can't drive it around Calgary because it's sitting on a dealer's lot 320 kilometers away in Kalispell, Mont.
Mark Perry saved $11,000 on a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck that remains parked in his brother's driveway in Spokane, Wash.
They and dozens of other Canadians have cars and trucks that are stuck in legal limbo because their vehicles don't have a theft immobilization device that meets a new Transport Canada regulation and thus were banned from entering Canada. There's no similar requirement for U.S. cars.
Now, in a bizarre twist in the saga of the high Canadian dollar and low U.S. car prices, cross-border car shoppers can drive their vehicles home, but nowhere else.
Buyers of new vehicles that lack the proper theft immobilization device may now import them, but must park these cars or trucks until Transport Canada finds a permanent solution to the regulatory snafu that prompted the ban.
Patrick Charette, Transport Canada spokesman, said the reprieve may be temporary and the ban put back in place, but for now Mr. Hill, Mr. Perry and others are allowed to bring their vehicles home.
"But that doesn't solve the issue. If their vehicle is not admissible, they will not be able to plate their vehicle and it's not a guarantee that their vehicle will be allowed permanent importation and licensing in Canada," the spokesman added.
According to reports, Ottawa banned vehicles sold by a number of American automakers because they did not have theft devices mandated by Transport Canada for vehicles manufactured after Sept. 1.
Mr. Charette said Ottawa wants to "find a fair and balanced solution." But he did not go into details. For now, importers are allowed to drive these barred vehicles to a parking lot, but won't be able to do much more. Pity!
"Right now we appreciate that there's obviously an issue with the anti-theft immobilizer, but it's the requirement and it was long planned," Mr. Charette said of the new mandate.
Blocking American-made vehicles is pretty unfair, car owners said. It "is discriminatory to Canadians as it is allowing automobile manufacturers to maintain their high pricing structure for new cars in Canada," said Mr. Hill, a Calgary financial consultant who bought a 2008 Sienna last month. "This is either collusion or unintended consequences."
As I usually do, I visited Kicking Tires' website today. I read about their entry about the 2007 L.A. Auto Show Winners and Losers. Three of Cars.com’s staff namely David Thomas, Joe Wiesenfelder and Mike Hanley have scoured the auto show and took a look at the models at the LA Auto Show. They also gave their personal comments on the cars and gave them “WINNER and the “LOSER” tags.
2008 BMW 1 Series
David Thomas: Winner
“The 1 Series gets my nod because the proportions and design, especially the back end, are the best I’ve seen out of BMW’s new school of design. I can’t wait to test one. However, I’m hung up on the near-$30,000 starting price among such affordable sports-car and entry-level-luxury competition. I don’t know if I’d ever buy one.”
Joe Wiesenfelder: Winner
“To my eye, the 1 takes a half-step back in time, design-wise, but I don’t think that’s a drawback at all. It looks like a small 3 Series. The 135i is - foremost - the 300-hp twin-turbo inline-six we loved in the 335i in a smaller and lighter car. How is that not a good thing? I sat in it and found it plenty roomy. It isn’t cheap, but I suspect it will be more fun than the 3 Series for the same reason the 3 is more fun than the 5 Series: smaller, lighter, more nimble.”
Mike Hanley: Loser
“For the enthusiast driver in me, the performance potential of the new 1 Series is incredibly appealing - especially with the available twin-turbo inline-six-cylinder that makes the 335i so engaging. That said, I'm not sold on the car's ungainly looks; its upright grille and angular C-pillars lack the smooth styling of the 3 Series. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, as BMW says the 1 Series was inspired by the blocky BMW 2002. Many designs find a way to grow on you with time, but I've been looking at this car for months and it has yet to look attractive to me."
The Volkswagen spare parts were also seen on the cars from Volkswagen on the auto show but if you wish to know more about the 2007 L.A. Auto Show's winners and losers visit Kicking Tires.
This coming holiday season, aside from the cold breeze in the air, look forward to having the worst traffic jams in every state in America! Yes, may this be a warning to travelers who are planning to have an out-of-town holiday vacation. Thank God Metro Networks has presented their top 10 list of the worst holiday traffic tie-ups in America and now we’ll know what route is best for our getaway in case we’re planning to go on a road trip. We can avoid these tie-ups and prevent our Dodge nerf bars from getting stuck in traffic tie-ups.
These are the hot spots we should avoid in the upcoming holidays if you don’t want to spend the entire Christmas eve on the road. Check this out!
The top 10 worst traffic tie-ups in America brought to us by Metro Networks published in TheAutoChannel.com:
- New York-Philadelphia-Washington, DC - Interstate 95
- Boston - Westbound Massachusetts Turnpike from downtown Boston to Interstate 84 in Sturbridge
- Los Angeles - Both sides of Interstate 5 from the Grapevine through Orange County.
- Washington, DC - Interstate 95 from Springfield, VA (just south of DC) through Fredericksburg, VA.
- New York City - The Throgs Neck Bridge and Whitestone Bridge, both of which connect the Bronx and Queens.
- San Francisco - Eastbound Interstate 80 through Sacramento to Lake Tahoe.
- Philadelphia - Northbound Interstate 476 from the NB Northeast
- Miami - The Palmetto Expressway in both directions from Okeechobee Road to south of the Dolphin Expressway.
- Dallas - East and Westbound 635 LBJ
- Detroit - Northbound I-75 and NB US-23, especially where they merge (near Flint).
All major sporting leagues have their All-Star break where the best of the best gather. In the NBA, it was recently reported that the list of players eligible for the All-Star were already ready for viewing. In the auto industry, Automobile Magazine also unveiled its list of all-star vehicles.
Jean Jennings, the editor-in-chief of the said publication, has this to say according to The Auto Channel: "This year’s list includes a number of stalwart All-Stars winners, namely the iconic BMW 3-series, as well as new entries, such as Chevy's impressive new Malibu and the sexy Volvo C30. These ten cars are the year's most exciting cars, our picks for the vehicles we'd most like to personally own in our dream garage."
Here are some of the cars which made it to the list and what the guys and gals at Automobile Mag has to say about them:
- Chevrolet Malibu - The best Chevrolet family sedan AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s staff has ever driven. Smooth, quiet, well-finished and more than able to keep up with more powerful cars, it represents a true sea change in what GM is offering the public. This is the kind of car Americans have wanted from Detroit for years.
- Volvo C30 - A perfect example of smoothly chic, Scandinavian cool. The C30 is whisper-quiet, perfectly composed and has a six-speed manual that you could teach your grandma to row flawlessly in fifteen minutes. The car embodies the one perfect criterion for All-Stardom: anyone would have it.
- BMW 3-series - Maybe we should give it a lifetime achievement award. We didn’t set out hoping to give the 3-series another All-Star award - this is the car’s thirteenth - but then we got in the car and started driving. BMW still does chassis tuning like no other carmaker. The 3-Series is the car that instantly makes any mope who slides behind its wheel a better driver.
These vehicles does not only look good with their taillight covers and perform well but are also reliable machines. Safety is also a major concern and these vehicles are certainly equipped with features that can adequately protect you in the unfortunate event of an accident.
I had fun surfing the net last night with all the research I had to finish for next week’s presentation. I really had a hard time looking for an Acura power steering pump so I just decided to read some articles from www.automobilemag.com and boy I was lucky to find an interesting subject that I can definitely share with you! It’s AutoMobileMag.com’s 25 Best cars ever! Check their top picks with their short descriptions. Enjoy!
- 1935-1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 - Superb inspiration for Enzo Ferrari.
- 1952-1955 Bentley R-type Continental - Designed by Brits, built by Brits, but not sold to Brits.
- 1971-1975 BMW 3.0CS/CSi/CSL - The coupe as art.
- 1937-1938 Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic - A seam-ingly sensational design.
- 1963-1965 Buick Riviera - Out of the fog came a Buick for the ages.
- 1938-1941 Cadillac 60 Special - A landmark sedan that got a special push from Harley Earl.
- 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray - Bill Mitchell sticks it to Zora Arkus-Duntov.
- 1947-1952 Cisitalia 202 coupe - It ushered in the modern postwar era.
- 1936-1937 Cord 810/812 - What does Harley Earl know, anyway?
- 1964-1968 Ferrari 275GTB, GTB/4 - The Sophia Loren of supercars.
- 1968-1974 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona - All-around masterpiece.
- 1968-1979 Jaguar XJ6 - It defines the Jaguar look to this day.
- 1949-1954 Jaguar XK120 - Who needs drawings?
- 1961-1966 Jaguar XK-E - Phalliform perfection.
- 1966-1972 Lamborghini Miura - A beauty under the skin, as well.
- 1940-1941 Lincoln Continental - The boss's custom.
- 1961 Lincoln Continental - Trumping Cadillac at last.
- 1957-1963 Lotus Elite - Designed by an accountant.
- 1967-1973 Maserati Ghibli - A high-water mark from an acknowledged master.
- 1954-1957 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing - Shaped by the wind, undaunted by the rules.
- 1936-1938 Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K Special Roadster - Teutonic opulence.
- 1990-1996 Nissan 300ZX - Basking crocodile.
- 1966-1967 Oldsmobile Toronado - An homage that was as successful as the original.
- 1953-1954 Studebaker Starliner - It couldn't save Studebaker, but it still shines on the salt.
- 1937-1939 Talbot-Lago Figoni-Falaschi coupe - Teardrop or not, it's a sensual sensation.
I am sure that you would like nothing but the best when it come your vehicle. Although we might not be able to afford the best, at least, we will not settle for the worst. But what are the worst automobiles really? For me, it's a vehicle which accelerates poorly, consumes a lot of gas, and drives like some kind of medieval contraption.
The Auto Channel recently reported that The Truth About Cars website has named the worst vehicles for the year. The site's publisher, Robert Farago said: "From a long and ignoble list of nominees, our readers have chosen ten cars that are less desirable than swordfish ice cream. They’re a rolling condemnation of their manufacturers’ lack of vision, taste, engineering and marketing."
The list is the result of a poll which was answered by the site's visitors. Number one on the list is the Jeep Compass. Said vehicle is described as: "Jeep’s recipe for disaster is both simple and comprehensive: laughable aesthetics, second-rate road manners, poky performance and interior materials pulled from the bottom drawer of Chrysler’s parts bin. But the Compass’ mortal sin-– for which we’ve slated it before, from which it can never be redeemed-– is the fact that this re-skinned all wheel-drive Dodge Caliber wears the storied Jeep badge. For shame."
Although given that title, I think Chrysler will be doing all it can to change their reputation of being the manufacturer of the year's worst vehicle. With Jim Press now joining Chrysler, the automaker may soon manufacture reliable cars and auto parts, as durable as Isuzu Rodeo radiator.
Interestingly, the ten worst autos for this year either came from Chrysler or General Motors. Farago though commented that their site's visitors are not against Detroit automakers. " Detroit makes some great cars, trucks and SUVs," he said. " And there were plenty of other brands that earned a place on our list of nominees and finalists. But like our writers, TTAC readers call it like they see it. These are the cars that they believe deserve a quiet, dignified and immediate death."
Bring in the star and the truck! What could be hotter than a Honda passport radiator huh? Of course, it’s the "Country Music Truck"! A vintage 1955 Grand National Show winning Chevy Cameo has been formally chosen as the "Country Music Truck" by the Country Music Association (CMA) and The Child Safety Network (CSN) for their 41st Annual CMA Awards.
According to TheAutoChannel.com, Wynonna Judd was the first to sign for the vehicle. The classic ride will be auctioned in 2008 to benefit parents in the U.S. with free information and resources to help them raise healthier and safer children.
"I'm proud of the work that Child Safety Network has done to make children safer over the past 18 years. I'm especially pleased that the Country Music Association has decided to assist by asking all of the stars that attend the CMA Awards this year to add their signatures to the Country Music Truck. This will allow CSN to have a successful charity auction and turn the proceeds into urgently needed funds to teach our nation's children how to avoid becoming victims of abuse, abduction and injury," said Wynonna Judd.
Ward Leber, the CEO of the Child Safety Network, said: "The Country Music Truck is the fourth vehicle in our 'Signature Series' campaign. We designed the Signature Series to publicize www.csn.org where parents have free access to our national database of Registered Sex Offenders, Downloadable Fingerprint Cards, Child I.D. Cards, DNA kits, along with music, videos, and award-winning resources designed to make America a safer place to live."
"Providing parents the tools and resources to help protect their children is a worthy and important cause and we are pleased to provide a platform during the 2007 CMA Awards for The Child Safety Network to reach Country artists and engage them in this vital campaign," said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese. "And we applaud Wynonna for leading the way."
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