Alamo Rent a Car has to be complemented on their service. I picked the cheapest rate I could find out of Las Vegas. That was Alamo. They have an on line check in service where you walk right by the desk pick out your car and leave it takes about 2 minutes at the drive through and you are on your way. The vehicle was a Chevrolet Uplander, an impressive ride, good mileage (22+) nice interior excellent sound for a GM radio (not Bose) but a few drawbacks. – The rear seat is difficult to enter I am sure the mid seats fold forward but with difficulty and not worth the time and energy.- The gear shift indicator has a red light which bugged, me make it yellow or blue or even green but not red that means trouble.- The mid seats do not have inside arm rests which make them uncomfortable as they are fairly narrow.- The throttle response had a lag off idle I tried one at the dealership same result.- I don’t like vehicles with a long nose I assume if I was still wrenching for a living I would but they are hard to park.- Sliding doors are hard to close. – Off the subject but the add ons to the rental were a 1/3 of the cost, but it was Vegas.

Lake Havsau is a strange town to a North Dakota guy. They have no streetlights and this makes it very dark the stars are unbelievable, I had forgotten how beautiful and numerous they are. For some reason they are even brighter than they are at the lakes where there is also very little light.They have no storm sewer system they have dips in the streets that take care of the runoff.There is no such thing a drink of cold water as the pipes run very close to the surface. No grass just rocks and more rocks, they bragged that the desert was alive with color after the recent rains, there was some but not what I expected. The people are very friendly and the service in the stores and restaurants was great ours has been going downhill recently.A number of beautiful older cars but you can tell the ones that are not garaged the paint is literally burnt off. The parks and area around the lake and channel is clean and well maintained as are the waterways.The place we stayed was a new twin home in excellent shape but they tend to skimp on the building materials IE doors windows flooring is not what you expect to see in a $250K house. Coyotes roam the town at night not as frequent as the town grows but still seen frequently. Thew public buildings also have lockers for your gun to be stored in when you enter the building Thye stay on daylight saving time year roundExcept for the lack of green grass I had an excellent vacation and wouldn’t mind a return visit but not for more than a couple weeks. I still think Florida is nicer not quite as dry so it is greener.

If you have not made the trip to the Grand Canyon get off your duff and go. With $3.35 gas and in a motor home it was still worth the trip. The immense size is almost too much for your mind to grasp. It is so colorful and has many different formations. We were on the south rim (North rim was not open). There is a 7mile drive’ Hermits run that we took with the motor home, normally you have to take a shuttle but due to the fact I had my cane (only need it when I walk long distances) along we got a handicapped pass.There are 7 stops along the run where you can pull over and look out over the Canyon. They were all different and fantastic. The one pleasant surprise is that the Grand Canyon is not overcommerlized we did not find a decent souvenir outlet. There may have been some on the way in but we did not stop there. There was a few times when were a little too close to edge for comfort (I am not a big fan of heights) but all in all it was a great trip.On Tuesday we went to the sand dunes by Yuma, once again this is a trip worth the time. Would love to take a dune buggy up through them. There were several on the top when we were there. They really need a road through the dunes so you could get a better look but I suppose this would destroy the natural beauty. My daughter in law is prego and is going to start a blog about the bathrooms of the Southeast United States, as she has to go about every 50 miles. More about this and the Towns later.Before any one complains I know this is not DYI related but thought it would be of interest.

Once again I am going to cover engine oil, as there has been a lot of discussion concerning it lately.I use Chevron 10-30 in all my vehicles. It is what most of the oil change specials in this area provide. No I don’t change my own oil just too much of a hassle at my age and really not worth it for what they charge. If I go synthetic I may change it then. I have a Bonneville with a 3.8 that had a Good Wrench engine installed recently. I may use synthetic in that. My problem with synthetics is that I just cannot leave it for the recommended interval so it does get expensive. If I do go to a synthetic it would probably be Mobil 1. I do not think the semi synthetic are worth the $ as the percentage of synthetic is very low. My Dakota and Pontiac convertible have a lot of miles and every now and then I use a high mileage, but I always assure the oil is changed hot at the next oil change, to be certain all the extra additives are removed. All the name brand oils are good in fact they are not that different except for a few of the more expensive ones. For example Gibbs racing sells a oil that is high in zinc and this is a good choice for older engines (before Lead free). There are several other specialty oils on the market. I guess I if would have to choose the best oil out there it would be Castrol. The problem is it is hard to find a shop that uses it (to expensive). I used Havoline for many years then when it became hard to find I went to Amoco then Chevron bought Amoco so I went to Chevron and as I said before many shops in this area use it. I have no complaints about the performance, it is a little stiff in the North Dakota winter but I have no where I have to be so I just wait for warmer weather. Bottom line is your car is one of your most expensive investments so use the best oil you can afford. If you can leave it alone synthetic is by far the best but if you are anal like me and cannot leave it in for the 6-9 thousand miles with one filter change then go with whatever name brand is available in your area. Stay away from the high mileage and semi they are a rip off, also avoid most additives here again they are a waste of money. I use 2 Seafoam and Lucas but only on a very rare occasion and then only if I am trying to cure a specific problem (noisy lifters is one). I also use Seafoam as a stabilizer and have excellent results from it. To most technicians oil types are like blond, brunettes and red heads it is matter of preference. A good site for oil references is chris-longhurst.com he also has a tire speedo chart among other types of info, once you start reading it is hard to stop as it does contain a ton of info.

I know most of you thought you were going to get through Christmas without the Ol Crew Chief putting in his 2 cents about Christmas. I was raised Catholic and went to a catholic school for 12 years( I am now a Lutheran) so I had Religion crammed into my brain. When I first went into the service I made a 180 and ignored it until Viet Nam and then I made a quick turnaround, as did many, when my kids were growing up I once again went to church regularly. Now I find myself missing church too often. We always say we should go but it is hard to get motivated on Sunday to easy to sit and read the paper “we will go next Sunday”. I do believe Christmas has a definite place in our society. With the current WAR, health care, housing loans fiasco. And high gas prices it tends to give us hope of a better tomorrow. It brings families together and they seem to get along better than usual. I love opening presents, I like the thrill of the surprise, I do like nice presents but even the small ones are a thrill. So here is hoping you get the same thrill this Xmas eve or whenever you open your presents.

I just found out that my old shop was up for lease and the thought crossed my mind if I would entertain the idea of going back into the repair business and if so for what reasons. I know I miss the daily interaction with people whether they were customers employees or suppliers. I also miss the day to day challenges of auto repair and this is something that gets more challenging every day. one more reason that you may find kind of strange is that there are all kinds of cool new tools out there and I don’t have a reason to but them. Then I remember that I am no spring chicken with a bad back and several other health problems and so there goes another great idea out the window. I do enjoy maintaining this web site and several other answer sites that I am involved with. I also babysit my Grandchildren on occasion and I enjoy this immensely in fact I have thought of a site dedicated to grand parenting.

Few things are as exciting and rewarding as taking a kid to a car show or teaching a child how to wrench on a car. The passing on of knowledge and experience gained is something all street machine enthusiasts should take part in as they learn new things and meet new enthusiasts. This is especially important when it involves the youth in our hobby. The National Street Machine Club celebrates youth involvement and their enthusiasm for street machines by featuring a young rodder in each issue of Street Thunder magazine. The Youth Rides column is a place for young enthusiasts to share their passion for the hobby, to explain what led to their interest in cars, and to show off what they’ve been learning or working on in the garage as they grow their automotive knowledge. The column is written about youth by youth, which makes it unique. Do you know of a young street machine enthusiast or are you one yourself? If so, we’d like to learn more! We’re always interested in hearing the stories behind young rodders and learning of their dreams and automotive aspirations. If you’re under 25 years-old and are working on a traditional hot rod, custom, muscle car, classic truck, or late-model American street machine (or know a young enthusiast who is), let us know! You can send details, contact information, or even a complete story with high quality photos to us by mail to: National Street Machine Club — Youth Rides, P.O. Box 3515, Minnetonka, MN 55343 or by e-mail to: [email protected]. Be sure to check out the January/February 2008 issue of Street Thunder magazine to learn about another one of the NSMC’s promising youth.

After 17 years selling cars in West Palm Beach, Fla., James Arrigo knows a thing or two about what consumers want. “There shouldn’t be 1,000 ways to order a minivan,” he says. And he’s tired of watching Chrysler botch the launch of critical new models like the Sebring, a midsize sedan. “It should be a front-runner in that segment, but because of quality and marketing issues, it doesn’t compete.”For years Arrigo and outspoken dealers like him have offered suggestions for how Chrysler could sell more vehicles and improve its image. Too often, especially in recent years, when Chrysler was owned by Germany’s Daimler, those ideas took a back seat to concerns about cost control or factory productivity.Now Chrysler has a new owner, new bosses and a newfound interest in what its dealers are saying. Between now and the end of the year Chrysler’s executives are hitting the road for a series of “fireside chats” with dealers to solicit feedback on how the company can turn its business around and simultaneously help dealers improve their profits.The discussions are needed to repair dealer relations after a disastrous 2006. Chrysler built more cars than it could sell, forcing dealers into a financial bind: They had to pay higher borrowing costs to carry the extra inventory yet offer bigger discounts to move unsold cars off their lots. “We couldn’t make any money,” explained Arrigo, who is president of the Chrysler-Jeep Dealer Council. As inventories piled up, he says, “dealers lost faith in the company.”The frosty relationship started to thaw in January, after Chrysler ousted its top sales and marketing executive and began putting in place more dealer-friendly policies. Under Cerberus Chrysler has accelerated those efforts. For example, Chrysler killed a controversial sales bonus program that pitted dealers against one another in price wars. Then it tripled the “goodwill allowance” dealers receive to take care of customer complaints after a car’s warranty has expired.”We need to reestablish a partnership with our dealers,” says Chief Executive Robert Nardelli. “Their objective has to be our objective. They’re an extension of our company. If they’re not profitable, we’re not profitable.”Arrigo is impressed with Cerberus’ moves so far. “They said, ‘We know we’ve got a problem with marketing –let’s hire the right people.'” Among them: Toyota veterans Deborah Wahl Meyer, now Chrysler’s chief marketing officer, and the folksy sales chief James Press, who pushed for these new meetings with dealers.Arrigo has plenty of advice. “I think we’ve got way too many products–products that overlap,” he says. Dodge, though, needs more entry-level vehicles. “So do we need these sport utilities that we’re not doing a great job with, like the Durango? Do we need an Aspen for Chrysler? Maybe Dodge has an eight-passenger SUV, and Chrysler has a seven-passenger, so there’s no overlap,” he says. Likewise, maybe Chrysler doesn’t need both a Dodge Nitro and a Jeep Liberty SUV. “Do we need hybrids? Yes. Diesels? Probably.”Noting that 70% of Chrysler’s sales are of trucks, SUVs and minivans, Arrigo says: “There’s a huge passenger-car market that we haven’t even begun to touch.”For all the problems, however, Arrigo is more optimistic than he’s ever been as a Chrysler dealer. “This new management understands that the consumer drives everything. The way you treat consumers today will determine the future of this company News source: Forbes

In our relentless endeavor to bring faithful Outdoor Newshound readers stories they simply won’t find anywhere else, we offer you the tale of a Washington man who tried a shotgun approach to car repair this weekend.That’s shotgun used as a noun, and not an adjective.The Kitsap County sheriff’s department reports that a 66-year-old man received serious leg injuries on Saturday when he tried to loosen a stubborn lug nut on his Lincoln Continental using a 12-guage shotgun loaded with buckshot.Deputy Scott Wilson told the Kitsap Sun that the unnamed man, apparently frustrated by not being able to remove the final nut on the right rear wheel, blasted it with “a shell of double-ought from arm’s length.”The deputy described the man’s legs as “peppered” from his feet to his mid-abdomen with pellets, pieces of the wheel and other debris.He was transported by medics to a Tacoma-area hospital, where his injuries were described as serious, but non-life threatening.If you’re wondering what would drive someone to take such action, you can rule out adult beverages.“He wasn’t intoxicated,” Wilson said.While decidedly remiss in his choice of tools, one can’t fault the man’s resolve to finish the job he’d started. News source: Outdoor Life

POLICE are seeking witnesses to the theft of a unique $600,000 Falcon Sedan from an auto repair workshop in Collingwood St, Osborne Park.The car, which is a red 1971 Phase III GT HO Falcon Sedan registration number 71 HO, is valued in excess of $600,000 and is a unique collector’s item within Australia. The car also has distinctive 15-inch Bathurst Globe mag wheels. A 600K Falcon How far are classsic car prices going to go I have to say it again a 600K Falcon