U.S. proposes new labels for fuel economy, emissions

WASHINGTON -- Consumers shopping for new cars would be able to compare fuel economy and emissions levels with the U.S. fleet average by looking at labels on window stickers under a federal proposal made today.



The Obama administration is carrying out a 2007 law that requires labels to put new vehicles in fleetwide context for fuel economy, greenhouse gases and smog-forming pollutants.



The comparison must cover electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles.



One part of the administration proposal would give each vehicle a bold letter grade from A+ to D for its fuel economy and greenhouse gases in comparison with the rest of the U.S. fleet.



The auto industry opposes this approach while many environmental groups support it.



Current labels have just a mile-per-gallon figure for the vehicle without any pollution ratings. Comparisons also are limited to the class of vehicle rather than the entire U.S. fleet. An SUV, for example, is compared just to other SUVs.



“We want to help buyers find vehicles that meet their needs, keep the air clean and save them money at the pump,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement.



The EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation said they want to have the new labels in place for as many 2012 model cars and trucks as possible.



The proposed changes constitute the most significant overhaul of the fuel-economy label since its inception more than 30 years ago as automakers plan to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles, the agencies said.



Advanced-technology vehicles



The administration today also proposed different labels for advanced technology vehicles -- including plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles -- that are soon to be mass-marketed.



These labels would contain additional information tailored to the technologies of the vehicles, the EPA said. For example, the label would identify how many miles the advanced technology vehicle can go before recharging or refueling.



The administration is seeking public comment over the next 60 days before it adopts a final rule.



The administration proposed two labeling approaches for vehicles.



One approach would feature a letter grade. The label also would estimate the vehicle's fuel-cost savings over five years compared with the fleet average.



The second proposal would keep the current label's focus on fuel economy and annual fuel-cost projections. Sliding-bar graphs underneath would compare the vehicle's fuel economy and tailpipe emissions with the fleet average.



The auto-industry lobby opposes letter grades, while a number of environmental groups favor it.



“Automakers support providing our customers with meaningful information for decision-making on vehicles that meet their particular needs, but the proposed letter grade falls short because it is imbued with school-yard memories of passing and failing,” said Dave McCurdy, CEO of the Auto Alliance.



The lobby represents Toyota, General Motors, Ford and eight other domestic and foreign manufacturers.



EVs would get an A+



Under the grading system, 17 of the 2,011 models in the current fleet would receive an A or above, said Gina McCarthy, an EPA assistant administrator.



Electric vehicles would get an A+, plug-in hybrids would get an A, and the “very best” hybrids -- such as Ford Fusions, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Prius -- would get an A-, she said.



A total of 14 vehicles in the current fleet would receive a D or D+. These include high-performance vehicles such as a Ferrari 612, McCarthy said.



The median grade would be a B-, she said.



Luke Tonachel, a vehicle analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York, said: “A bold letter grade would simplify the process of finding the cleanest, most efficient vehicles.”



McCarthy said it is possible the final rule will contain a blend of the two proposed approaches.



Misleading information?



Environmental groups expressed dismay that the proposed labels would not factor in pollution caused by electric vehicles' use of power plants for recharging.



This pollution is particularly acute in Midwestern and Eastern states, where generating facilities rely heavily on coal, environmental advocates said.



“It misleads consumers about how polluting the vehicle is,” said Daniel Becker, director of the safe-climate campaign at the Center for Auto Safety.



EPA said it intends to make this information available on the Web.

Vintage Car Racing

Vintage Car Racing, originally uploaded by cdjones82.

The Quintissentially British Motor Car

The Quintissentially British Motor Car (London,England), originally uploaded by Mr Andy Bird.

2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Brake Noise

My brakes make a horrible a screeching noise with light pressure on the brake. They’ve been inspected several times and I ‘m told my brakes are fine. I’m told the thickness of the brake pads is fine. They’ve blown off “dust” which didn’t improve anything. I’m told they can cut the rotor but you can only get one cut from a rotor. I can have new brakes installed but if I’m told my brakes are fine…why would I have new ones put on? I’m at a loss on how to remedy this situation. This is a new vehicle. Brake noise started at 8,000 miles. It’s a 2009 JEEP Grand Cherokee.



Response:

from a safety and function stand point, there is no need to replace the brakes. The brakes will perform properly.



You can have the brakes cleaned multiple times but unless you have the pads and rotors replaced, the noise will return over time.



I would ...read the entire brake article

Is this the right time to buy a car?

There are many different factors when it comes to making the decision of when is the right time to buy a car. Probably the most important factor would be necessity. If you need a car and either do not have one or the one you have isn't worth fixing, Now is the perfect time to buy a car.

Many buyers may need to wait to see if their job is secure before running out and buying that new convertible that they have been wanting, but all the financial aspects aside, this is a buyers market. Car manufacturers are offering great incentive along with some of the best quality of cars we've seen in years. And with dealers being closed left and right by manufacturers, they are more willing to sell first and haggle on price later. What I mean by this is this, The dealers HAVE to sell a certain amount of cars in order to remain in good standing with the manufacturer and ultimately keeping their doors open. So the dealer more worried about the volume of cars they sell and less about maximizing the profit on each unit/car.



So if you need or want a new or used car, now is a great time to purchase a car. Know what you want and what you want to pay before you go and odds are, you get it.

You can can get a FREE online quote ahead of time to give you an idea of pricing so you are prepared before you go. Get a FREE Online Quote Here

Prices of used SUVs, crossovers surge 30% from last year, Edmunds says

Some used SUVs and crossover vehicles are selling at retail for 30 percent more than they did last year, in a sign of how high used-vehicle prices remain. But on average, prices of used vehicles retreated again in July from record levels this spring.



Edmunds.com reports that the retail price paid for a used Cadillac Escalade, averaged over all model years, was $34,715 last month, up 36 percent from the average price paid a year earlier. The retail price paid for a used Dodge Grand Caravan in July, averaged over all model years, was $15,629, up 34 percent.



Joe Spina, Edmunds.com senior analyst, says a lack of confidence in the economy is driving more people to buy used vehicles. That puts upward pressure on prices of an already limited supply of used vehicles.



“This time last year, consumers were buying fuel-efficient vehicles and trading so-called gas guzzlers,” Spina says. “Now, those who need trucks and large SUVs are buying them, but the inventory is low because there is a current shortage of lease returns and trade-ins of this vehicle type.



“Prices are indeed very high now. While this is the case, last year’s prices were low, making the gains even more dramatic,” he says.



Even so, data from Manheim and ADESA Inc. show that wholesale used-vehicle prices in July declined from record high price levels this spring.



The average wholesale used-vehicle price in July was $10,060, ADESA says. That was 2 percent lower than the average price in June and less than 1 percent higher than the average price in July 2009.



The monthly Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index stood at 118.9 in July, down from 120.2 in the previous month but up from 115.4 in July 2009. The index is adjusted for make, model mix and time of year.

Kia unveils electric city car concept

Kia Pop

Kia has unveiled a concept for a three-seat electric city car that will debut at the Paris auto show next month.



Called the Pop, the zero-emissions car is just 3000mm long, the same length as the four-seat Toyota iQ minicar and 300mm longer than the two-seat Smart ForTwo.



Kia said the Pop aims to bring "innovative design chic and dramatic styling to the city car segment." The Pop has seating for two adults in the front and a single seat in the rear behind the front passenger.

Kia Pop Top

Ford: F-150 delivers the mpg buyers want

Even with gasoline prices stable and below $3 a gallon, pickup buyers want good fuel economy, Doug Scott says.



"Fuel economy is the No. 1 unmet need" for owners of full-sized pickups, said Scott, Ford Motor Co. truck group marketing manager, at a media event last week.



Citing Ford research, he said 70 percent want better fuel economy and about a third of those say they would change brands for a "significant improvement" in mpg.



Ford is replacing the F-150's entire engine lineup for the 2011 model year. A V-6 will be standard. Also available: two V-8s and an EcoBoost V-6 with turbocharging and direction injection.



Ford says the new lineup will be 20 percent more fuel efficient than the current lineup of three V-8s. Currently, the standard engine is a 4.6-liter V-8 that gets 19 mpg on the highway.



Ford has not released EPA mileage figures for the new engine lineup.



Fuel economy is more important to buyers now than it was before the 2008 price spike, Scott said. And Ford still believes gasoline will jump to $4 to $4.50 a gallon in 2013 or 2014, he said.



Gasoline peaked at a national average of $4.05 a gallon in July 2008. Last week, it was $2.74.



Dealers can order 2011 models in October. Sales of vehicles with three of the four engines begin in December. The EcoBoost engine will be available in the first quarter of 2011.



THE F-150'S NEW ENGINE LINEUP

• 3.7-liter V-6, standard

• 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6

• 5.0-liter V-8

• 6.2-liter V-8

Source: Ford Motor Co.

Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course

DSC_7295_edited-1, originally uploaded by nolightoff.

Ferrari 458 Italia

Ferrari 458 Italia, originally uploaded by Mark Plat.

blue smoke from exhaust

my 1994 pontiac bonneville se has started putting out blue smoke after i start it. does anyone know what that means and how to fix it?



Response:

It's caused from POOR maintenance, High Mileage, Overheating, just plain ol' neglect. Pull a valve cover and see (look) if the Oil Return Galleys are restricted with paraffin and residue. If they are clean them out and CHANGE the oil BEFORE restarting. This will slow some of the burning. Next, take a compression reading on all the cylinders. They should all be within 10 percent of each other and above 125 psi. If not, the Piston Rings are shot. Time for a Rebuild. Although rare, I have known people to use fuel additives and some of these cause "Blue Smoke" like a 2 cycle engine. You have said how many miles are on the engine or that it has had regular oil changes which should be done every 3000 miles. Or if you have to add oil and the frequency that you may add oil to it. Also check your Coolant as that too can cause "Blue Smoke" and could mean a blown Head Gasket. Best case scenario, your pissed off neighbor dumped oil into your gas tank to rid the neighborhood of Mosquitoes.

VW may add small car or SUV to U.S. plant

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan -- Volkswagen may build a small car or an SUV at its new U.S. plant in Tennessee, in addition to the mid-sized sedan that goes into production there next year.



VW is considering options for the plant's second product even before it has begun building its first, Tom Loafman, the company's purchasing director, said here last week at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars.



Loafman also said the plant's large Chattanooga site is in the running for a new engine plant Volkswagen hopes to build in North America. The engine plant also could go to a separate greenfield site or to VW's production complex in Puebla, Mexico, he said.



The engine plant would supply the Chattanooga and Puebla plants.



Volkswagen is counting on its $1 billion Chattanooga venture to bring down the costs of its U.S. products and give it capacity to reach 800,000 VW brand sales in the United States by 2018. Last year it sold 213,454 VW brand vehicles.



Volkswagen expects the new mid-sized sedan to compete more directly against high-volume family sedans such as the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.



"We haven't been able to compete well in that segment," Loafman said.



VW's strategy calls for Chattanooga to turn out cars at a much lower cost than mid-sized Passats imported from Europe. While the Passat reaches U.S. consumers at a price of about $27,000, the rival Accord sells for below $20,000.



The price difference is partly the result of a dollar-euro exchange rate that pushes the U.S. price higher. That has prompted Loafman and his staff to source much of the new vehicle's content in North America.



Loafman said that the sedan is about 63 percent U.S.-sourced so far and that a fifth of the suppliers in the project are new to Volkswagen.

1989 ford ranger sending unit help

1989 Ford Ranger 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic



I need a new FUEL SENDING UNIT but when I talked to a local auto supplier they asked if the sending unit was on the passenger or driver side. Is there anyway I can tell which sending unit I need to purchase without dropping the fuel tank?



Apparently, the sending unit for the “drivers side” is twice the price of the passenger side but when I searched EBAY to purchase a sending unit it never indicated whether it was for the drivers or passenger side.



Response:

A fuel Sending unit is in the gas tank and sends an electrical signal to the fuel gauge on the dash to display how much fuel you have left.



A fuel Pump sends fuel to the fuel rail. On this vehicle it has 2 fuel pumps. One low pressure pump located in the gas tank mounted to the fuel sending unit. And One high pressure pump located on the frame rail of the truck.



So you will need to attach a fuel pressure gauge to the the fuel rail test port and test the pressure. It needs to be 30 psi. If all you see is 20 psi or less, you need to replace the READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

Alquiler de coches por Internet

En los viajes veraniegos, bien será por necesidad o por elección, se suele recurrir al alquiler de vehículos. Decía que por elección, porque a veces es mejor evitarse los problemas del atasco de ida y vuelta al destino usando el tren o el avión, y una vez en dicho destino alquilar un coche para disfrutar de la movilidad que aporta.

Si tenemos que alquilar un coche, una buena opción es la web www.tualquilerdecoches.com, con cobertura nacional e internacional y a través de la cual tenemos acceso a las mejores empresas de este sector.

A través de la web podemos buscar la opción que más se adecúe a nuestras necesidades: coche, furgoneta, monovolumen… usando para ello el sistema de búsqueda en el que podemos indicar dónde queremos recoger el coche, dónde lo vamos entregar o las fechas. Según indican en la misma web, el mejor precio está garantizado, no hay costes ocultos ni comisiones, la confirmación de la reserva es inmediata, se puede operar tanto nacional como internacionalmente y cubren todas las ciudades de España, así como las estaciones de tren y aeropuertos.

Resumiendo, un cómodo y eficaz método de búsqueda, una oferta amplia y ajustada en precio y una confirmación en el momento de la reserva del automóvil. Sencillo.Si usamos internet para buscar hoteles y vuelos agrupando en un sólo lugar la oferta, usémoslo del mismo modo cuando vayamos a alquilar un coche.

Ford completes sale of Volvo to China's Geely

Ford Motor Co. said today it has completed the sale of Volvo Cars to China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group for $1.8 billion.



Divesting Volvo completes Ford CEO Alan Mulally's strategy of exiting European luxury brands to focus on the core Ford brand, following the U.S. carmaker's 2007 sale of Aston Martin, and of Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors Ltd. in 2008.



Ford paid $6.5 billion for Volvo in 1999.



“Volvo is an excellent brand with a strong product line, and it has returned to profits after a successful restructuring. We are confident Volvo has a solid future under Geely's ownership,” Mulally said in a statement.



He added: “At the same time, the sale of Volvo will allow us to sharpen our focus on the Ford brand around the world and continue to deliver on our One Ford plan serving our customers with the very best cars and trucks in the world.”



Ford said agreements between Ford and Geely will allow both Volvo and Ford to establish "the proper use of each other's intellectual property."



The company said it will continue to cooperate with Volvo in several areas to ensure a smooth transition, but has not retained any ownership in the Volvo business. Ford will continue to supply Volvo with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components.



The automaker will also provide engineering support, information technology, access to tooling for common components, and other selected services for a transition period.



VW's Jacoby to head Volvo



Geely said that Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, will be the new CEO of Volvo Cars. Stephen Odell, current Volvo CEO, is returning to Ford as chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe. Stuart Rowley, Volvo's finance head, is also returning to Ford as chief financial officer of Ford's European unit.



“Volvo is a proud company with a talented and dedicated team of employees,” Odell said in a statement. “I am especially pleased that with Ford's continued investment in recent years, Volvo is well positioned for the future with an exciting range of products that remain true to its core values – safety, quality, environmental responsibility and modern Scandinavian design.”



Jacoby said: "I am honored to join a company with the prestige and growth potential of Volvo. Our employees, suppliers, dealers - and above all our customers - can be confident that Volvo will preserve its special status as the industry leader in vehicle safety and innovation - even as it pursues new market opportunities."



Booming auto sales in China made the nation the largest auto market last year, generating profit that's allowing its manufacturers to reach out to Western markets and technologies.



Geely's plan for Volvo includes using the Swedish nameplate to produce luxury brands in China, while maintaining its operations in Europe to supply the international market.



Volvo profit challenge



Geely, which only started making cars in 1986, faces a challenge to restore Volvo to long-term profits. Volvo Cars posted revenue of $12.4 billion in 2009 by selling 334,000 cars, but it recorded a pre-tax loss of $653 million.



The last time Volvo made an annual profit was in 2005, when it posted a pretax profit of $377 million. It has been profitable the first two quarters of this year, posting a pretax profit of $53 million in the second quarter, compared with a $237 million loss in the same period a year earlier.



“Geely is not necessarily stepping into a clear-sailing situation; the challenges aren't over for Volvo,” said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst for IHS Automotive based in Lexington, Massachusetts. “The Chinese business culture is very different than the Swedish business culture. A lot of this will depend on how they interact.”



But, despite China's dismal record at overseas M&A, Geely may be better equipped for success due to its experience working with foreign partners, including its acquisition of Australian gearbox maker Drivetrain Systems International and its tie-up with British cab maker Manganese Bronze, IHS Automotive analyst John Zeng told Reuters.



"Geely is not a beginner in global M&A like many people think," he said. "In China, Geely has established itself as a mass market carmaker, the acquisition of Volvo provides an opportunity to bring it to the next level."



Geely Chairman Li Shufu, who got his start in refrigerator parts and motorcycles and has since been dubbed China's Henry Ford, has already been named chairman of Volvo.



Chinese cities vie for Volvo plant



Geely's plans would see its new Volvo China plant nearly double its annual global production, with an aim to sell 150,000 Volvo cars in China annually by 2015.



Volvo builds its S40 and S80L models for the Chinese market at a factory co-owned by Ford and Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Volvo will be able to use this plant even after Geely's takeover, but a number of Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, are courting Geely for a new Volvo manufacturing site. No decision has been made so far.



Geely has said it is prepared to pump up to $900 million in capital into Volvo on top of the $1.8 billion it is paying Ford for the carmaker.



Volvo sold 191,832 cars in the first half, a 20 percent increase from a year earlier. In China, Volvo's fourth-biggest market, deliveries surged 88 percent to 15,497 cars in the period, helped by last year's introduction of the S80L, a longer version of the S80 that's sold only in that market.