These Three Unsafe Minivans Will Surprise You

Posted on Aug 14, 2021 in Safety | Comments Off on These Three Unsafe Minivans Will Surprise You

You assume you’re safe. You’re surrounded by acres of sheet metal and protected by a sturdy steel frame. You’re riding higher than most other vehicles and under the impression that you’re nearly invincible. Your most valuable possessions, including your new 60-inch television, your sporting equipment, yesterday’s leftovers and probably even your children, are...

Buying Used Luxury? Think Twice

Posted on Jul 27, 2021 in Safety | 1 comment

How much are those rings worth to you? Driving a luxury car for the price of a Honda is an appealing proposition. I’ve advocated for it on these very pages. Why would someone spend $25,000 on a new Accord orCR-V when they could have a used Audi A6 or Q7? The benefits make it seem like a no-brainer. For the same money you get more luxury, more brand panache,...

Exploding Airbags: Who Has the Right Fix?

Posted on Jun 24, 2021 in Safety | Comments Off on Exploding Airbags: Who Has the Right Fix?

Ten automakers have recalled a total of 8 million cars because the airbags in them can explode. While it’s true that airbags are, by design, supposed to explode out of the car in case of an accident, these airbags explode with so much force that they actually send shrapnel into the air. An airbag with shrapnel is worse than no airbag at all. Right? All the...

Cars on Autopilot: Self-Driving or Drive Yourself?

Posted on May 27, 2021 in Safety | Comments Off on Cars on Autopilot: Self-Driving or Drive Yourself?

The first autopilot system in an airplane was developed in 1912, just as car technology was in its infancy. In the 102 years since, airplane technology has evolved so aircraft can virtually fly from point A to point B by themselves. The human pilots are there to monitor progress, handle takeoffs and landings, and be prepared for emergencies. We all accept the...

Can New Technology End Distracted and Drowsy Driving?

Posted on Apr 18, 2021 in Safety | Comments Off on Can New Technology End Distracted and Drowsy Driving?

How far should an automaker go to make sure the drivers of its cars stay safe by limiting the amount of distractions behind the wheel? The latest news on battling distracted driving falls under the category of either creepy or cool, depending on your take on in-car technology. After my experience this weekend, though, I wouldn’t just call it cool, I’d call it...

Audi S4 Goes for Joy Ride: Would It Bother You?

Posted on Mar 15, 2021 in Safety | Comments Off on Audi S4 Goes for Joy Ride: Would It Bother You?

Remember the joyride scene in the 1963 Ferrari California Spyder from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”? In the movie, a valet takes the classic Ferrari for an afternoon spin but has the car back in the garage before anyone notices it’s gone. The scene was a lesson in how to properly take a car that isn’t yours for the ride of your life. Doing so in real life is...

How to Solve This Smelly Problem?

Posted on Feb 12, 2021 in Safety | 3 comments

It started with a smell. The terribly awful odor of death is unmistakable, and it came from somewhere inside my car. After throwing a small tantrum, I emptied everything out of our Legacy, hooked up the vacuum and told myself I wouldn’t stop until I found “the problem.” I vacuumed every nook and cranny, under the seats, in the glovebox… and found nothing. The...

When Car Technology Gets Creepy

Posted on Jan 19, 2021 in Safety | Comments Off on When Car Technology Gets Creepy

Bad idea… Sometimes the “thank-you wave” just isn’t good enough. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve wished I could contact another driver with whom I’m sharing the road to convey a piece of information that a wave simply cannot. Sometimes I wish I could apologize for a dumb move on my part or tell another motorist that I’ll stop and let him or her into...

GM Failing Recall Test?

Posted on Dec 17, 2020 in Safety | Comments Off on GM Failing Recall Test?

Multiple-choice question: When there’s a safety problem with a car, it’s best to fix it: A) As cheaply and easily as possible. B) As thoroughly as possible to make sure the faulty part performs as required. The answer will be revealed later in this blog. First, keep in mind that General Motors has had an extraordinarily tough year as it has dealt with the...

Personal Vendetta: Red Light Cameras

Posted on Nov 14, 2020 in Safety | 1 comment

I never thought it would happen to me. I’ve seen the bright flashes of light when people run red lights and chuckled to myself as I silently mocked them for being dumb enough to run a red light at an intersection monitored by cameras. I never saw the flash. Other schmucks run red lights. Not me. How hard is it to stop when the light turns red at an intersection...

GM’s Solution to Recall: Just Buy a New Car

Posted on Oct 21, 2020 in Safety | 1 comment

Sorry for the trouble. Buy one of these as compensation! Let’s say you bought a car only to find out later it has a defect that could potentially kill you. Would your first response be heading to your nearest dealer and buying a new version of the same brand to replace your defective car? Of course not. That’s a silly question, right? Most people would simply...

Burning Oil in a Brand New Car

Posted on Sep 8, 2020 in Safety | 2 comments

Burning oil in a 1973 Cadillac seems legit. Drive an old boat like that around for long and you’ll stop at every gas station and put in a quart of oil. Worn engines simply burn and leak oil, often causing heavy smoke and the putrid odor of crusty black tar. Drivers of those old cars don’t get too angry at the oil consumption because they know it just comes with...