What's a new car buyer to do?

A couple of weeks ago one of the comments left on my blog was that most of my posts are to do with things I dislike, and why didn't I write something positive? Well - out here in the real world of motoring, there's not a lot of happy things to write about. Roads are choked. Politicians are legislating cars out of existence. Abominable car designs continue to pour on to the roads. Cars have more and more distractions to stop the driver from concentrating on the job at hand, and the police - by and large - are more interested in stopping people for doing 5mph over the limit than they are in stopping people who are committing properly dangerous offences like lane-hogging, crossing the gore, shooting red lights, jumping railroad crossings and such. However there are some bright spots. In my opinion, Ford is one of them right now. I've always been anti-Ford and anti-GM. I thought they were both purveyors of awful cars. In GM's case that's still true - there's not a single vehicle that company produces that is even slightly appealing. I've always been a VW/Audi fan, or in some cases the odd Honda or Toyota. Ford however have had a turnaround. Over the last few years their European vehicles have become properly decent - they look OK, drive well and have some appeal. With the latest generation now making their way over the pond, if I were in the market for a new car, I'd be seriously looking at Ford right now. I love the Fiesta - it's a pokey little rollerskate that is fun to drive. The new Focus I think looks really good, drives well, handles way above average and has a semi-decent interior. I love the look of the 2013 Fusion - looks super-classy, like an everyman's Aston Martin. And the Kuga (to be called the Escape over here) I think is destined for success based on drives I've taken in the old generation ones in the UK. I think that Ford are also benefiting massively because they didn't take any government handouts. It's not all sunshine and roses though. The Expedition, Explorer and Edge I think come from the old-school Ford where ungainly ugly designs filled with cheap plastic and thirsty engines abound. But as a buyer I wouldn't be in the market for a road-tamed Panzer. I'd be looking for a car - a crossover or compact SUV at the most. Between the Hyundai Veloster, the VW Tiguan, the Fiat 500 and all the new Ford vehicles, I'd be spoiled for choice. Now if only Citroën would bring the DS3 Sport to the US, we'd have some proper competition.

Did you know in some states there's no eye test for the driving licence?

A Couple of months ago, New York became the seventh state to axe eye tests from driving licence renewals. I'm not sure how or why this got suggested or even voted on, but it did. Worse still, eight states allow you to self-certify that you aren't medically blind. In short, as long as you promise you can see OK, you're fine to get a driving licence. Hmmm. The vehicle safety inspection doesn't cover things like brakes and seatbelts, cracked windows, missing body panels, bare tyres or failed suspension, and now there are states that technically don't require you to be able-sighted to get a licence. I'm sure this is all in the name of road safety. Promise you're not blind and NY will renew your driving licence

Also remember the competition to win a CarMD vehicle diagnostic system is still open but only until tomorrow: Win a CarMD

Sunroofs : why?

One of the buying decisions I had to make on a new car a couple of years ago was whether or not to get a sunroof. Actually, it wasn't really a decision because it was pretty clear-cut; there's no point in having a sunroof in a car unless you want years of anguish and problems. In the case of my car, it was even clearer - it had the option of one of those full-length glass roofs with two opening segments - the worst possible combination.
I can understand why manufacturers still put them in though. They're perceived by the buying public as a luxury or nice-to-have feature. The glossy photos in the brochures and on the website look beautiful too because of all the light streaming in from above. But cut to the harsh reality of owning a car with a sunroof: it will leak. I've yet to find a manufacturer capable of building a sunroof that doesn't leak. It will be fine for the first few months of course, especially if you buy it in the summer. But as the weather begins to turn, you'll notice odd creaks and pops from the roof as everything twists and torques when you drive in the cold. Rubber seals will begin to shrink and perish, mechanisms will begin to stiffen and pretty soon you'll find yourself with the odd drip here or there where something won't close properly, or something else isn't sealing quite right. If you live in a snowy environment, there's not a sunroof in existence that can handle a few inches of melting snow sitting on its seals. And then begins the endless number of trips back to the dealer, where they'll never be able to find the problem, but will be able to accidentally unhook one of the drains meaning you'll now have a footwell full of water the next time it rains. Still - when summer comes around again you'll long forget the woes of the constant interior wetness. Now you have to deal with the burning heat of the sun shining into your mobile greenhouse. That's why most sunroofs have covers on the inside, which you'll close in the summer in a desperate attempt to keep the heat down.
In which case, you might as well have not bought a sunroof in the first place.
The salesman at the time I bought my car was mystified by my decision. He was absolutely confident that there was no way the roof would ever leak. After all this was a modern car! Take a look on the forums, go visit a workshop in the rainy season and see how many people are having trouble with leaking sunroofs and then tell me again what the benefits are.

Also remember the competition to win a CarMD vehicle diagnostic system is still open : Win a CarMD

Electric cars and our crumbling infrastructure

The UK minister for transport was quoted last year as saying "if you don't like the rising price of gas, buy an electric cars". This comment was naïve at best and demonstrated a lack of understanding on two fronts. First, power infrastructures in the developed world are crumbling through neglect. Here in America, in England and in many parts of Europe, the power grids are one disaster away from complete failure. Right now they're supplying households and industries quite well but what happens when people start jumping on board and buying electric cars that get plugged in every night to recharge? Do we really think our power infrastructure can handle this? More to the point, until the manufacturers can agree on a common standard for the charging gear, drivers are faced with the prospect of changing their charging equipment as often as they change cars. Only Tesla have come even slightly close to solving this problem by beginning to install their own charging infrastructure around LA.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, making the comment that high fuel prices can be circumvented by buying electric is nonsense. I can guarantee with 100% certainty that when the power companies see enough people using electric cars, the prices will skyrocket, or you'll have to pay an additional "car charging" fee.
I'm sure electric is the way of things to come but it won't be cheap and it won't be plentiful or reliable for decades to come. And until we come up with an even half coherent energy policy, electric cars are essentially still burning fossil fuels, just all in one place (the power station).

Also remember the competition to win a CarMD vehicle diagnostic system is still open : Win a CarMD

2013 Dodge Dart and its videogame dashboard

One of the more intrigueing items on display at the recently closed Detroit auto show was the all-video dashboard for the upcoming Dodge Dart. If you've read my blog for any length of time you'll know I'm not particularly keen on touchscreen controls - stuff you should be able to do without taking your eyes off the road (like changing a/c or fan settings) that gets buried in a menu-driven interface. Dodge have taken this to its logical conclusion with their new dash. The dash itself is a video display - which is sort of neat - but it presents w-a-y the hell too much information - so much so that it's now distracting. Their in-car controls for everything else are now driven with a touch-screen interface, thus showing they've learned nothing from Ford's experience with the MyTouch interface (and it's appalling customer feedback). Dodge have made it so you don't have anything haptic any more - no knobs, no buttons, so you can't even guess where a menu item is. Now they've forced you to take your eyes off the road to look at a screen to do everything. And given how most shiny surfaces in a car react to driving in sunlight, my guess is that a full 50% of the time you won't be able to see what's on the screen meaning it won't just be a quick look-see but a full-fledged moving-the-head-around attempt to see the most basic display. Stupid. See for yourself: Dodge Dart 2013 videogame dashboard

Also remember the competition to win a CarMD vehicle diagnostic system is still open : Win a CarMD

Ban the 'check engine' light.

We all know the 'check engine' light. For car enthusiasts it's a slap in the face. For people who just view their vehicle as A-to-B transport, it's dangerous. It obscures all manner of problems, shrouding them in a fog of mystery and making it easier for dishonest mechanics to take advantage of unknowing customers. We have chimes and lights on the dash for seatbelts, lights, low tyre pressures and keys left in the ignition but that check engine light can be anything from a loose petrol cap to an engine on the verge of destroying itself. All modern cars are equipped with OBD-II onboard diagnostics - they have been since 1996. We have the ability to put LCD displays in just about everything now so why not replace the check engine light with an LCD display that tells the owner what's actually wrong? Instead we have to rely on nerds like me with handheld scanners and an internet connection, products like the excellent CarMD or sometimes less-than-scrupulous dealers and mechanics with their "special tool".
In the US at least, there are federal mandates for things like tyre pressure warning systems and airbag warning lights - isn't it about time we got them to ban the check engine light and force manufacturers to put something more useful in its place? It can't be a cost issue - look at all the funky new electronic gizmos that are being put in cars now from pointless touchscreen interfaces to even more pointless auto-lights. Is it perhaps some conspiracy theory to keep dealers and mechanics profitable by hiding what could be a very simple problem from largely ignorant owners?
If, like me, you think the check engine light has had its day and you think there's a better opportunity, then go and sign the petition: Ban the check engine light.
In the meantime I can make life a little easier for you as I have a CarMD to give away in a competition. Head on over and try your luck. At the very least you'll be able to go to the mechanic with some level of knowledge next time that little yellow light comes on.