Things Cars Ought to Have… But Don’t
I've ranted about stuff new cars come with that seem over-the-top, unnecessary - stupid, even. The obnoxious back-up buzzer in the Toyota Prius hybrid, for instance. Headlights that stay on all...
Quadrajet Metering Rod Trick
One of the more intimidating aspects of tuning a Rochester Quadrajet carburetor is getting the air horn back on without damaging the primary metering road assembly, which must be seated as...
Did You Know . . . ?
As with software (and hardware) every now and again, it's necessary to do an update. Same goes for automotive knowledge. Maybe a better term would be conventional wisdom. Things change -...
Plastic Not-So-Fantastic
I miss glass headlights.
They didn't yellow and haze over like a 90- year-old man's rheumy eyes - like modern plastic headlight "assemblies" always do after just three or four years. Then...
Suing Honda . . . Watch Out, GM!
Heather Peters (no relation to this writer) is hopping mad at Honda. She says her '06 hybrid Civic's actual mileage more than just varied: About 30 MPG vs. the EPA (and...
The Worst New Car Feature?
I was asked by a reader which new car feature is "the worst."
This one's tough - like choosing between Hitler and Stalin. On the one hand, you have absurdly complex drivetrains...
Don’t Spare the Spare . . .
If you've looked inside the trunk of any car built since the early 2000s the first thing you'll notice is there's not much in the trunk.
Where's the spare?
It's gone!
You might find...
Short Circuiting The Market
Evidence continues to accrue that the Soviet Union did not disappear in 1991. It simply transplanted itself to another part of the world.
Here.
One of the hallmarks of the Soviet System was...
Tata vs. Uncle
We may soon have access to affordable new cars once more - if Uncle will allow it.
Tata Motors - a major automaker in India - recently announced plans to bring...
Car Stuff 101
The car business has become like the computer business - things change fast. Models change - radically - every four years (and sometimes every three) rather than once every eight (or ten)...