Hummer Down the Drain

Hummer Dies

Personally, I'd rather Hummer died than have Chinese Hummers. Way to keep winning, GM! Perhaps next it'll be time to either auction off or kill Buick.

Noises from below...

It's a long cold winter here in SW Montana which takes it's toll on cars. If you've been letting your PMCS slip all summer, odds are that this is the time of year you'll notice it. The freeze-thaw cycles are hard on gaskets and seals, hoses, belts, bearings, and electronics.

I have several cars I space out between driving duties, and therefore must keep an eye on all their mechanicals. This includes the usual regular services, like oil changes, tune-ups, and tire rotation. But it seems to be more important to be in tune to each car's unique sound signature.

It's common for my Durango to make any number of guttural chattering noises upon start up in sub0-freezing temps. This used to make me nervous, but I now recognize these sounds as just normal complaining. The other day the cold starts added a new din to the ensemble: A high-pitched RPM dependant squealing. My first thought was the belt. But wait, what if it's a serpentine bearing? Or accessory bearing going out? So, not to become another stranded motorist sitting on the shoulder of the interstate talking into a phone on my shoulder, I opened the hood upon start up. It's a simple task; one that's actually expected to be performed by the average operator. I used a flashlight and my ears to try to pinpoint the sound. I'm still not 100% sure where the sound is coming from, but my experience with this vehicle tells me it's most likely the belt. They just start squeaking about every 30,000 miles. I just happen to carry a spare in the smuggler's compartment.

This kind of check does two things: First, it gives one firsthand knowledge of the car they trust daily, and second, it puts the responsibility on the operator--not the mechanics who last serviced it, the dealer who sold it to you, or the engineers who designed it. It's your car and no one is more responsible for it's operation or lack thereof, than you.

The check engine light and rough idle on my Crow Vic required similar actions. For this issue I started at the auto parts store and borrowed their OBD II diagnostic scanner. This tool is just too simple to use and diagnose problems. Seconds later I knew that the car only suffered from needing a basic tune up. Cylinders 1 and 7 were misfiring (the car's words, not mine). A quick inspection of the suspect plugs confirmed what the car already knew (and had been telling me through the CEL): those plugs had too much condensation on the coil boots, grounding them out through the spark plug tunnels.

Both of these issues could have been indicators of other more serious problems, which if left undiagnosed and repaired, could have left me stranded. I could have went straight to a mechanic, but that would put the well being of my cars into someone else's hands. No, it's best to spend a few minutes of your own time first, try to figure out why somethings making noises, and if possible, fix it yourself.

World's Highest Highway

Wow, just read this article at jalopnik . What an awesome trip. Especially if you used a Lada.

What vehicle would you take over the Karkoram highway?

The Greatest Car of All Time...

1977-1990 Chevrolet Caprice

I've been preaching this for years: Chevy hit a home run with this model. Weather you agree or not, you have to admit that sales were huge: over 2 million units.

While their popularity has taken a huge hit, Caprices have an unyielding beauty and panache of style that is only rivaled by their driving performance. Currently they are being degraded by ghetto cars for all the "Hackmens" or pimped out with ridiculous rims and massive woofers. But I stand behind their beauty and classic lines (thus the Caprice "Classic"). How many other cars can pull off barn-door aerodynamics with such slight of hand?

Now, before you start stating all their drawbacks, let me list some attributes:

1) Aforementioned styling

2) Ultra-durable power plants (not to be confused with reliability)

3) Ease of maintenance

4) Comfort, for driving, what else?

5) Safety. I've never seen one totaled in a junk yard.

6) Heavy-duty chassis, suspension, and drive-train components

I welcome your comments, but remember we now have a confirmed sixth generation of the Caprice built on the capable Commodore or Statesman platforms of Holden.

Bimmer Vs. Bummer

So I figured my phone has some pretty sweet adaptive texting technology when I meant to text "bummer" to someone this morning and the first prompt was "Bimmer."

What is the douchiest car you can think of?

I nominate the BMW X6. While undoubtedly quite remarkable for a nearly two ton SUV-thingy. It is also a total waste of the superb talent of BMW's engineering team. It has neither the luggage space of an X5 or the handling and relative frugality of the 5 series Touring. The X6 really isn't offroad worthy and carries less luggage than it's sedan counterparts. Basically there's absolutely no reason outside of sheer excess to buy it over any one of BMW's other vehicles, and for that reason as while as it's rather grotesque styling, I nominate the X6 for douchiest car on the road.


(photo courtesy: www.autoclub.com/au)

Double-clutch blog launched

I don't know who all will be viewing this but this is the inaugural post, for a blog I've been wanting to create for awhile. Basically this is all about car adventures, mishaps, wrenching, or anything else automotive related I or my fellow editors can think of. There will be photography, video, and last but not least entertaining and thoughtful writing. I look forward to your input and hope you find our work entertaining.
Cheers!