Car News Articles

Ryan Briscoe won the ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225 -  Sunday’s IndyCar race at the Milwaukee Mile claiming his first IndyCar victory and the 300th overall win for Roger Penske’s racing team.

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Los Angeles County’s lifeguards are world famous for their skills, their courage and their ability to fill out a red swimsuit. They make up the largest lifeguard organization in the world, and now they can also be famous for being the first lifeguard organization in the country to “go green” with environmentally friendly vehicles. 

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Google is a rational thinker’s nightmare. If a surfer has the slightest pseudo-scientific bent– astrology, phrenology, Dianetics, Jessica Albanism– Google reinforces their problematic predilection. For example, while Wikipedia defines numerology as “any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mystical or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things,” there are 6.8m more credulous alternatives. It’s even worse if you start a search with the idea that numerology is for real. Enter “GM 29 percent” and you find the USPO’s FlexFuel fleet gets 29 percent worse mileage than its gas-only vehicles, GM’s SUV sales fell 29 percent in April, GM CEO Rick Wagoner got a 29 percent raise in 2002, GM sales in Brazil rose 29 percent in the third quarter of 2007 and GM reduced its output of Saturn vehicles by 29 percent in 1994 (the same year Tahoe sales increased by 29 percent). Search “GM 29 percent lapel” and The New York Times reports on the magic number. “In 2003, G.M.’s market share dropped to 28.3 percent, said Paul Ballew, G.M.’s chief sales analyst. That is down from 28.7 percent in 2002, and the first decline for G.M. in three years. Some G.M. executives have started wearing lapel pins with ‘29′ on them to encourage employees to push the company’s share over that figure.” Guess who was CEO back then? Guess what GM’s share is today? And guess who’s still in charge? And while you’re contemplating that non-mystical mystery, Justin and I discuss the day’s car news.

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Pistonheads reports that Suffolk police are leading the charge to ensure that all UK motorists are banned from driving. OK, that’s not the goal– even if it isn’t entirely unimaginable. As befits the British Nanny State, the police are trying to ticket as many speeders as possible to stop them from killing themselves. Or others. Yes, we’ve been down this road (at the posted speed limit) before. But I think it’s important for TTAC’s Best and Brightest to appreciate the Suffolk Po-po’s full commitment to public safety. Pistonheads reports that the constabulary nailed 94 percent more mobile scofflaws between April 21 and 27 than they’d collared during their previous six-day high water mark. We’re talking 854 selfish bastards vs. 264 ’scrotes. Assuming the absolute minimum possible fine for all [who bloody well should be] concerned– £44 or $86.2749– The Suffolk Old Bill added £37,576 ($73,668.63) to the county coffers. If they could maintain that pace (£6,262.66667 per day), they’d raise £2,285,873.33 ($4,481,316.10) in a year. But that’s not the point, is it mate? Speaking on behalf of “you should see what I’ve scaped off the pavement” police everywhere, Sgt Steve Knight said a “significant” number of motorists have “failed to grasp the concept” that speed kills. “Motorists really have no excuse,” he said. 

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We’ve all seen those pictures of slow-moving traffic on monster multi-lane highways in Los Angeles, right? It’s the city that grew up with the revolutionised lifestyles the automobile introduced in the last century. The end result was an extended urban sprawl, a city ‘without a heart’ and one that is almost totally reliant on highways and the car. That’s the conventional wisdom anyway.

And it must have a diabolically bad carbon footprint you might think. Apparently not and I must admit I was staggered by this.

In a study just carried out by the Brookings Institution looking at US cities’ carbon emissions, Los Angeles was found to generate less carbon per head than any other metropolis in continental America (it was only beaten by Honolulu in Hawaii).

How can that be? Two factors stand out. While Los Angeles scores badly on automobile traffic levels, it enjoys a relatively benign climate that reduces the need for heating buildings in winter and air-con in the summer. And secondly, the urban sprawl isn’t as extensive as it looks - people are packed in quite tightly together in LA and that lowers energy usage per head, especially if household occupancy is high.

The thing that got me about this is that it kind of puts the motorcar’s carbon contribution in context. Yes, it’s an important contributor but so are other things and perhaps the industry as a whole needs to better communicate the message on its contribution in terms of a bigger picture that ordinary people can understand. That way, people can better make informed choices about vehicle choice and usage.

A sharpened up message to the public at large would also feed back into the politicians and regulators.

Grams of CO2 per vehicle km driven is fine for judging one car against another, but how does it compare to the CO2 your household generates via the main energy utilities in a typical year? Are you better off cutting down on journeys rather than downsizing? How many people are in the car on most journeys? Or should you just change your household boiler and add insulation? Or just not fly as much? Or offset?

In short, how does your car and its usage fit in to the bigger carbon picture?

I don’t think many of us know the answer to that and there’s no obvious place to look for simple guidance. If what’s going on here in the UK is anything to go by, the politicians and civil servants are as confused as anyone.

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Why choose a Specialist over a Generalist? Independent over Dealer?

As a specialist we know your car better, especially when it comes to the right way to make economical repairs that a general repair shop wouldn’t know about or a Subaru dealer would never consider. Sometimes a vehicle will develop a pattern failure and a real solution needs to be found or a more economical repair procedure can be had.

Through the years we have found solutions to replacing expensive parts by making repairs to existing components rather than just blindly install new ones. We have been able to become very good at repairs and service work by specializing in Subaru and we try to share this experience with our customer with lower labor prices.

We know what parts we can use on your Subaru without sacrificing longevity. Most automakers have become pure design and assemble companies leaving the parts manufacture to other companies. These auto parts companies are free to sell the same parts in aftermarket channels with out the Subaru logo. While in some cases in only makes sense to stick with Subaru parts especially when it comes to slower moving items that may have not been introduced in the aftermarket by the companies that originally made the parts for Subaru. There is also a good chance that the exact replacement part can be found at a 20% savings if you know how to look (we do).

From top to bottom we really know your Subaru well and want to help you get as many trouble free miles out of it as possible. We have seen these cars go well over 300k and I am the owner of a 1992 Legacy with 292k and counting. We take pride in servicing cars with higher miles and often have suggestions to help keep them going. Even though your Subaru may be getting up there in miles don’t discount just how long they will run.

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