Americans Don't Want Small Cars!

Today I heard part of an interview with the EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, which made my blood boil. During the interview, she threw out the tired lie that American automakers are building too many "large vehicles which the American public do not want to buy" (approximate quote). If the American people don't want to buy large vehicles, then why is it that the top selling vehicles in the U.S. are as follows?Top 20 vehicles, Feb 2011*Ford F - Series...

Craigslist Overpayment Scam -- My Fake Check!

To my surprise, today I received a UPS letter envelope containing a check for $2,450. From the ATP Oil & Gas Co. in Texas. Which I have never done business with. The return address on the UPS envelope was from a different location, in Minnesota, also a place I had never done business with. Then I remembered--some guy had emailed me about a camera lens I was trying to sell on eBay, and offered...

Bob King's Posturing

The UAW's president, aptly named Bob King, is out in the press landing punches before the first bell.   "I like Alan Mulally. But I just think it's morally wrong," said King, who assumed the leadership of the union last year. "It creates problems for Ford in both the salaried work force and the hourly work force. It seems like one individual is getting all of the gain." This is typical left wing progressive posturing, setting up class envy as...

The PS Fluid Flush Scam, AGAIN

I got my oil changed the other day.  I do it at my dealership because they give me points I can use to get free service, so it works out to be a reasonable deal.  This time, they did the "we recommend you flush your power steering fluid' pitch on me, going so far as offering to show me that it was "dirty".   Upon inspection my fluid (which is about 50,000mi old) was a medium cherry color, like cherry coke.  Not very dirty. Here's...

SPD WTF

This morning, I was driving in to work and noticed the local "Irish" bar had people huddled in the doorway, waiting for the place to open for service.  It was 8:30 am.   If I was Irish I think I would be annoyed that my cultural heritage was being used an excuse to drink all day....

The Boss is... Boss

Motortend just ran a Ford Mustang Boss 302 on the Laguna Seca track.  Best lap time was 1:40.21... which beat Nissan GT-R, Audi R8 4.2, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, and Ford's own Shelby GT500.  From www.fastlaps.com: 10. Ford Mustang Boss 302 1:40.21 129 '12 446 / 1659 Motor Trend 11. Nissan GT-R 1:40.45 129'08 479 / 1740Motor Trend 12.Mercedes SLS AMG 1:40.74 129 '10571 / 1620 Bern Schneider13. Audi R8 4.2 FSI quattro 1:40.75 129'06 420 /...

PETA: Save Spiders... Donate Your Mazda?

I am not sure if this is serious.  If anyone other than PETA had mailed it out, I would think it was a joke, but PETA is not known for a sense of humor.  On PETA's blog, they are suggesting that people donate their Mazda6's to PETA rather than hurt spiders that might be hiding in the vapor emissions system.  Riiiight. Here's an idea, PETA.   How about you donate some mechanics to de-spider people's cars for free, if you are so...

DIY Coffee Roasting 101

I have been wanting to try roasting my own coffee beans, for the experience, and to see if I could notice much of a difference between fresh roasted beans and store bought beans. Equipment: 1 $10 popcorn air popper, purchased from CVS on clearance.1 extension cord, to allow outdoor roasting1/2 lb green Sumatra coffe beans, from local coffee store.~$5.00 Procedure:I poured about 5 tbsp of green coffee...

The Politics of Gas Prices

Gas (and food) prices are going to be Obama's "Waterloo" in 2012. And Obama won't be playing the part of Duke Wellington. You can't have high unemployment, high energy prices, and high food prices and expect the party controlling the White House to poll well. Obama and the Democrats' problem is that they have not had a popular approach to these issues. For example, pursuing ethanol mandates is counterproductive for both gas prices and food prices....

Video: Uphill Skiing

I'd hate to be jet-engine powering up a mountain and hit a tree... you'd need a fire extinguisher and then a stretcher. This is not a toy for the timid!Testing New Jetpack on Skis - Troy Hartman from Troy Hartman on Vim...

Mitsubishi: Dead In The U.S.?

Mitsubishi, which is barely hanging on in the U.S. (When was the last time you saw a Galant?), is rumored to be killing off its Evo line, to focus its efforts on EVs and hybrids. This is nothing less than market suicide, in the U.S. market, because U.S. consumers have note yet embraced electric motoring.  Anecdotally, the only Mitsubishi owners I knew personally were Evo drivers.   Mitsubishi, already in big trouble, will probably become...

IIHS: Decapitation Sucks, Fix Trucks

IIHS has released a report on the poor state of under-ride protection on American large truck trailers.  If you watch this video, I promise you you will feel queasy.  In it, a 2010 Malibu is crashed into the rear of a U.S. spec trailer at 35mph.   All of the Malibu's excellent front crash structures slide under the rear of the trailer, as the guard buckles and folds under, and the rear of the trailer hits the dummies in the head....