Just was posting about a 1964 Mercury Comet with 576K on it. I think that high mileage vehicles are going to become rarer as time passes. What are you going to do with a 5 year old Focus and it needs one of the several computers that it has for a horrendous cost, could be as much as half the worth of the car. The constant transmission goes out on your rice burner and again the cost is prohibitive, you have to go borrow money at the bank to repair might just as well buy a new car, same payments just for a longer period. Body shops have been seeing this for a while now, blow a couple air bags and a little body damage and your car is headed for the salvage yard. This may be a blessing in disguise as more used parts will be available. Have you ever noticed where most computers are located, where are are likely to be destroyed in an accident, there are a few under the dash which is a little safer. Mounted on the inner fender is not a good choice however in the event of an accident. ABS and HVAC controllers are the same story, expensive and poorly placed. We fight to keep home computers cool and the manufactures place them in the engine compartment. As engine compartments become more cramped and hotter I believe we are going to start seeing heat problems on several components as the current day cars get some miles on them. It is going to cause some difficult decision making if we should repair or replace, of course if the price of cars keep going up this may not be that large of a problem.
All posts by John
Car Computer Hacking
You are driving and having a discussion with your passenger when your radio joins in and offers a few comments. You cars computer system has been hacked. Now I don’t know if the ability to talk will be possible, but it is possible to listen into a conversation. The hacker can also tell your location using the GPS, disable and apply your brakes, they could also disable the ignition and lock or unlock your doors. I think there are several more apps that will come up as more hacking is done. Think of that 17 year old you have been yelling at to stay off your grass having control of your cars computer systems. He will be the one laughing as you try to unlock your doors to exit your car when you get home. You will notice many of the items that can be hacked are also ones that can be accessed by On Star, don’t know if this a coincidence or not. I am sure the HVAC system will be on this list as will security systems. That 17 year old could possibly turn up the volume and change channels on the radio, remember you are locked in. Rethinking that emergency escape tool you seen advertised earlier.I don’t know how the manufactures plan to update the onboard computer systems but I hope some serious security is part of the plan, but then some other 17 year old geek will beat it. Listen up shops time to hire a geek, don’t wait give them the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed but I started when computers were in there infancy, greetings cards have more memory then my first computer, I grew along with them. When I say MS DOS or Windows 95 and you don’t start giggling you don’t know what I am talking about.
No Spare Tire
Just had a flat and you open your trunk to discover no spare, you may have a tire inflator or some other tools that are supposed to inflate the tire but trust me these seldom work. Time to call a tow truck, at the shop they tell you the price of the tire and you respond ”no I don’t want to buy a whole set just 1 tire” and then you find out that is the cost of 1 tire. Several manufactures have dropped the spare from their vehicles in the past several years with little publicity about it. It would not be a bad idea to check if you haven’t that there is a spare. A few have included different options to reinflate the tire but if it is a sidewall or blow out or you were on the highway and shredded the tire these are of little use and tow trucks can run well over $50.The part I don’t understand is they are using very expensive tires on these same cars. Are they thinking because the tire are expensive they won’t have a problem? I just don’t see any cost saving here. It may be a weight thing, but I don’t see the saving as being that much. I have had several pickups that did not have a spare or it was impossible to get it out, I did give mine a kick this summer and it felt like it had air in it. So far no problems, now I wish I wouldn’t have mentioned it as I probably will have a problem. What is next 2 buckets with pillow for a back seat?
2012
A few predictions for 2012, I know I am late with them but wanted a few things to shake out before making a guess.The Dodge dart will wake up Ford and GM, the Focus and the Cruze are OK but they are not a MOPAR.Electric and EV will not take off like the manufactures hoped they would just too expensive and added expensive of charging stations are a hindrance. They need to do something about battery replacement costs also. If Ford can live up to the Fusions gas mileage claims, the mid forties, they will scare the rice burners and further set back the Hybrids. The V-6 will become the engine of choice for full size pickups and we will see a return of mid size. Nissans Frontier made a huge sales increase in 2011. The Ranger, slightly larger, and the Colorado will see a comeback, maybe not till 2013 but we are going to see a resurgence in mid size trucks. Saab is gone and sadly so are there parts supplies, several off brand companies have made an effort to purchase the company without any success. More computer apps will move into the automotive accessory list. Techs out there get prepared now. The days of nuts and bolts mechanics are numbered, the day of the geek tech is here. The new Corvette will flop, to spendy not enough bling for the buck. The shortage of qualified technicians will continue and to hire and pay those that are qualified will drive the cost of repair even higher. Shops are not that far from needing a computer Geek, I doubt if Best Buys Geek Squad can fill this need.
Charged Engine Service
With the introduction of V-6 engines that are either super or turbo charged, a word of advice on oil change procedures. Most charged engines use engine oil to lubricate the moving assemblies. These move at a very high RPM and need constant lubrication and if certain precautions are not taken when the oil is drained you will cause problems. The most critical of these procedures is to fill the filter with oil before it is installed this prevents oil starvation on start-up while the filter fills with oil, true this is a very short period but it is enough to damage a device with the high RPM of a super charger. When I did my own servicing I always filled the filter before installation, no reason just seemed like the proper thing to do. A quality filter is also important as the charger, more a super then a turbo can be damaged by minute particles not removed by a cheaper filter. Brand and type of oil is also important, stick to the type of oil that the owner’s manual calls for and if possible use a quality synthetic. Contrary to popular belief there is a difference in synthetic oils they are not all manufactured the same. Most formulas are a highly guarded secret so it is hard to say which is which. Mobil one is in its own world as to how it is manufactured, it has been rumored for years they use ethanol. Any quality brand will suffice. A synthetic blend will not work in place of synthetic. True synthetic such as Amzoil the jury is still out on. If your charger is not lubricated by engine oil follow the recommended service to the letter, checking the oil level in some is a pain but it must be done. Asked the service writer where I get my oil change and he showed me a check list they go through when servicing the new Eco-Boost engine, it is a Ford dealership, they of course recommend only Ford synthetic and I am sure GM is doing the same for their new oil.
Sex Sells At Daytona
So Stewart Hass Racing bought Danica Patrick’s way into the Daytona 500 by aligning itself with Tommy Baldwin Racing and scooping up Dave Blaneys points. Blaney is the only hope TBR had last year and did several start and parks to stay in the game financially. In comes SHR and Go Daddy’s money and buys Danicas way into the 500. The powers to be at NASCAR are of course loving the hype she is bringing and according to NASCAR it is all within the rules. Blaney did an excellent job keeping TBR in the hunt with limited equipment. Between Danica and David Reutimann will drive the 26 races Danica will not run and try to keep her in the top 35 so she will never have to qualify. Daytona is the World Series and Super Bowl tied into one for NASCAR why cheapen it with such antics.; Shame on you Tony Stewart I know money is hard to come by but at what cost. Who is running the show the teams or the sponsors? Danica also gave the Indy 500 the cold shoulder and is running in the Coke 600. This race was on her Bucket List she did give some mention to running both races in the future but I doubt Tony will let her as he knows how tough it is to do a double. Patrick is a huge draw and nice to look at but at what cost to the sport of racing. Is it racing or business I am afraid it is becoming a business due to the high cost of fielding a competitive team. Patrick will appear in Go Daddy commercials during the Super Bowl along with several Go Daddy girls with only paint on she will have clothes on but sex sells and it looks as if the Driver/sex symbol is making the most of it.
more Bulb Fiasco
A follow up to my light bulb fiasco. I checked several sites and UTube. I was told on one to remove the bumper. In hindsight this would not have been a bad idea as I did put a small scratch on it. It will be easier to remove the scratch however then the bumper. Another instructed me to remove one small screw and pull out the housing, this is the correct procedure, I had to loosen the park lamp assy to reinstall anyway. To replace a headlamp bulb you would have to remove the assy, going to rethink replacing my hlamp bubs with brighter ones, maybe this summer. I do think this repair would have been easier if it had been warmer out and the plastic a little more forgiving. Next time the nipco warms it up before I start, melted plastic is easier to disassemble.
Bulb Nightmare
Front turn signal bulb out on my 2001 Dakota. Piece of cake it’s only a bulb. Little did I know? After a trip to the local parts store to buy a bulb, which are only available in 2 packs, when I need the second one I can never find it. Reaching behind the headlamp assembly I discovered the bulb does not have enough clearance to be removed from the case. I proceeded to remove the entire headlamp assembly. Should have stopped here and went to a shop. I have over 40 years experience tearing things apart and reassembling them but this was a nightmare. It has been unseasonably warm here but at 40% plastic is not designed to snap apart. I will admit I should have searched for some instructions before going any further but it was just a bulb right. Upon disassembly I discovered it is designed to snap apart the head lamp assembly from the mount, but at 40% this is not easily done. Also the headlamp adjusting screws were rusted into the plastic retainer, if I had researched instructions I would not have had to remove them. The repair is not that bad once you understand how it is assembled. 3 bolts and a ball joint snap and the whole assembly is easily removed. A large hairpin retainer at the top and a small screw at the bottom and the mount is separated from the assembly. I did end up replacing both bulbs and the side marker light, reassembly was easy except for snapping the ball joint back in to place. I even ended up with the headlamp alignment on the money. So the moral of the story is no matter how simple a repair looks read the instructions first, I probably won’t to old to change my ways now, besides you learn from tearing apart more then is required.
$20
I really liked this and wanted to pass it on A friend just posted this and I wanted to pass it on… A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, “Who still wants it…?” Still the hands wer………e up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air. “My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, YOU are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special-Don’t EVER forget it.”
Modern Shops
Wandering through a shop the other day, there still are a few that will let me wander around, I noticed a few things.The toolboxes are huge, they are bigger then a park model home in Phoenix and many are equipped with a laptop computer. With the computer controlled systems and cramped engine compartments today’s techs need a variety of tools to repair modern vehicles. They were also spotless and waxed to a shine, with the $ they have invested this is not surprising. I am sure many have 30 to 50 K invested and this may be a low estimate. I also noticed a manual on replacing batteries. It listed the necessary steps to take before disconnecting a battery and how to reprogram the accessories after installation. On some models this list is extensive. The power windows require reprogramming on some models. The numbers of fluid flush and replacement machines were also numerous. Tire repair and replacement also requires more than just a tire machine and a balancer. Special tire machines are required so the expensive rims are not damaged. TPMS also need reprogramming, and no longer just a simple plug is stuck in a tire. Installing a belt may also require special tools as stretch to fit belts are becoming the norm. The dollars they charge per hour for repair dont seem quite as excessive as they did before my tour.Whatever happened to replacing the rear tires, I burnt the tread off of last night, on a manual tire machine, replacing a belt with a crescent wrench and putting some 50 cent gas in my tank.