I gave up this weekend. I've been trying to sort a fuel pump relay issue for over two years, and yesterday I decided that the solution to the problem is a dash-mounted toggle switch with a fuse on the power side.
Running changes are nothing new to those who work on cars, but this is nothing short of criminal. A relay made in 1979 by a company that cannot be Googled (Stribel) today is NLA (no longer available). The relay available today (also made by the Google-proof company) doesn't work. It doesn't work in the car, and it doesn't work on the bench. Both have the same Volkswagen part number.
It's said that VW stands for "Varies Widely". The pundits are right. But now I can turn them off.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Strike!
I wonder how Ron Gettelfinger sleeps at night. I know the UAW members deserve to be paid for the work they do, but do they have to shut down GM in the process? And what of Ford and Chrysler? It's been practice for decades to rape the healthiest auto company in contract talks and then force the same terms down the throats of the other two, regardless of their ability to meet them.
I was hoping the UAW would go after Chrysler this year because I could see the PE owners walking away from their investment, trashing the entire thing to break the union. The UAW would go on record as shutting down one of the hands that feeds them, and that would be the end of of the UAW's reign of terror. Ironically I think that the PE guys would get their money back as the Big Two would need those plants to fill the demand that would build after the mess was cleaned up. Going after GM is from that old hardball playbook. It's time for GM to use some old school rules, too. Shut down. Shut down hard enough to hurt everyone they can touch. Don't make it easy for the UAW - their members have mortgages and summer homes and Harley-Davidsons on the line here. Make it hard for Michigan, make it hard for OH. Make it hard for every Tier supplier out there. Make it clear that it is in the best interests of the country for GM (and Ford and Chrysler) to make cars on the same terms as its competitors.
I hate dealing with strikes; they screw up my life, too. The D will be a mess, Michigan will suffer, and all sorts of bad crap will happen. But it's time for the UAW to wake up to today's realities in cost accounting and the automotive manufacturing process. We'll see who's been hitting the snooze bar at 11AM today.
I was hoping the UAW would go after Chrysler this year because I could see the PE owners walking away from their investment, trashing the entire thing to break the union. The UAW would go on record as shutting down one of the hands that feeds them, and that would be the end of of the UAW's reign of terror. Ironically I think that the PE guys would get their money back as the Big Two would need those plants to fill the demand that would build after the mess was cleaned up. Going after GM is from that old hardball playbook. It's time for GM to use some old school rules, too. Shut down. Shut down hard enough to hurt everyone they can touch. Don't make it easy for the UAW - their members have mortgages and summer homes and Harley-Davidsons on the line here. Make it hard for Michigan, make it hard for OH. Make it hard for every Tier supplier out there. Make it clear that it is in the best interests of the country for GM (and Ford and Chrysler) to make cars on the same terms as its competitors.
I hate dealing with strikes; they screw up my life, too. The D will be a mess, Michigan will suffer, and all sorts of bad crap will happen. But it's time for the UAW to wake up to today's realities in cost accounting and the automotive manufacturing process. We'll see who's been hitting the snooze bar at 11AM today.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Mixed marriages
A friend dropped by my driveway yesterday to chat and the subject turned toward a young lady he was hoping to date. His concern was that she wouldn't appreciate his rather time-consuming exotic car habit. We laughed about his ex-GF, who left him because of it, and about my spouse, who endures my falling-apart-car habit with grace and a bizarre form of sponsorship known as letting me drive his car when both of mine are out of commission.
I put some thought into it, and really, it's bad to mix car people with not car people. Not car people just don't appreciate the amount of joy cars bring to car people. The worst kind of not car people are the ones with life-consuming habits of their own, ones that they claim are "different" than the habits of car people. Fail. Fail. Fail. Cars are no more money-sucking or time-consuming than, say, quilting, Longaberger baskets ($300 for a basket? Hello?), or your garden-variety landscaping and gardening project. In fact, when done with even remote care, the car habit produces peace in a marriage. What other habit has the spouse never venturing father than the garage on any night of the week, and provides a built-in focus for all complaints? It's important to be careful to make your matches well.
This is timely because my co-host here at VPB is doing the binding thing next week. The same thing I did a rather long time ago. We both have had the good sense to pick mates who can live with our greasy selves. My mom appreciated the car thing in my dad, and my in-laws, well, the not car people do seem to eventually find each other, thank God. That leaves more car guys for us car girls. The way it should be.
I put some thought into it, and really, it's bad to mix car people with not car people. Not car people just don't appreciate the amount of joy cars bring to car people. The worst kind of not car people are the ones with life-consuming habits of their own, ones that they claim are "different" than the habits of car people. Fail. Fail. Fail. Cars are no more money-sucking or time-consuming than, say, quilting, Longaberger baskets ($300 for a basket? Hello?), or your garden-variety landscaping and gardening project. In fact, when done with even remote care, the car habit produces peace in a marriage. What other habit has the spouse never venturing father than the garage on any night of the week, and provides a built-in focus for all complaints? It's important to be careful to make your matches well.
This is timely because my co-host here at VPB is doing the binding thing next week. The same thing I did a rather long time ago. We both have had the good sense to pick mates who can live with our greasy selves. My mom appreciated the car thing in my dad, and my in-laws, well, the not car people do seem to eventually find each other, thank God. That leaves more car guys for us car girls. The way it should be.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
State of confusion
The state of Michigan is going through some rough times right now. Employers are leaving, jobs are drying up, and housing is really really cheap. The legislature needs to do something, and I think it should take some cues from the hometown auto industry.
Think of the state as General Motors. At GM, less money was coming in the door because fewer cars were being sold. In the state, less money is coming in because fewer people are working and paying taxes. At GM, the leadership (finally) recognized the problem and started trimming the staff and making the product more attractive to buyers. The state of Michigan needs to do the same.
Staff cuts need to happen. Program cuts need to happen. The state needs to make itself more business-friendly, and that means making do with less. Less income, meaning fewer tax dollars, to be specific.
Just like General Motors.
And look, GM is coming back. Maybe there's hope for Michigan, too.
Think of the state as General Motors. At GM, less money was coming in the door because fewer cars were being sold. In the state, less money is coming in because fewer people are working and paying taxes. At GM, the leadership (finally) recognized the problem and started trimming the staff and making the product more attractive to buyers. The state of Michigan needs to do the same.
Staff cuts need to happen. Program cuts need to happen. The state needs to make itself more business-friendly, and that means making do with less. Less income, meaning fewer tax dollars, to be specific.
Just like General Motors.
And look, GM is coming back. Maybe there's hope for Michigan, too.
Electricals
There's a theory I have about Bosch electrical bits. When Bosch decided to start making electrical thingies, they thought they'd be smart and hire some engineers with experience away from other manufacturers. They cheaped out and went with Lucas.
That would explain why I abandoned my Rabbit (the 1982 variety) about a mile from my house today. The fuel pump relay casing was about 150F. When I left the house this morning, the fuel pump never shut off as it is supposed to, and I said to myself, "hmm, this is new". If you own an old car with Bosch or Lucas bits, you say that a lot. I grew up saying it, and apparently haven't had the honor of (or brains to) growing out of saying it.
Fortunately I walked home and my kids had a good laugh. They are surprisingly resilient about these things.
Bosch and Lucas: why AAA has a Gold Towing Package.
That would explain why I abandoned my Rabbit (the 1982 variety) about a mile from my house today. The fuel pump relay casing was about 150F. When I left the house this morning, the fuel pump never shut off as it is supposed to, and I said to myself, "hmm, this is new". If you own an old car with Bosch or Lucas bits, you say that a lot. I grew up saying it, and apparently haven't had the honor of (or brains to) growing out of saying it.
Fortunately I walked home and my kids had a good laugh. They are surprisingly resilient about these things.
Bosch and Lucas: why AAA has a Gold Towing Package.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Oh yeah, and ...
I drove my bunny to work yesterday, and again today. I need a new radiator, the old one leaks a little bit. About an ounce every 10 miles. I have 5 washers stacked up under the clutch lever taking up slack in the clutch cable. The new old clutch is in there and working fine. The flywheel teeth are chewing up the little bit of starter bushing I lost in the bell housing. One of my speakers fell out, so the radio is not really working. I don't care.
My top is down and my car runs. In intarweb-speak, that means happy Kat is happy again.
My top is down and my car runs. In intarweb-speak, that means happy Kat is happy again.
Formula noOne
I'm one of those lucky employees who gets to see their employer's logo paraded around the F1 track on a car. Unfortunately, that appears to be not the case any more, at least in the form we paid for it.
I want to know why it never occured to the Mercedes/McLaren staff involved that maybe, just maybe, Ferrari was setting them up? Getting the competition's documents is always a rush, but are these people that clueless that the downside never crossed their minds? I guess so.
As the Wheel Turns....
I want to know why it never occured to the Mercedes/McLaren staff involved that maybe, just maybe, Ferrari was setting them up? Getting the competition's documents is always a rush, but are these people that clueless that the downside never crossed their minds? I guess so.
As the Wheel Turns....
Monday, September 10, 2007
Schmole reversal
Ha! That's the way it should be. Screw the guys, we have project cars!
Four and one half years ago, I moved into my first house with a garage. Two measly cars worth, but a GARAGE. It's even heated. It houses my precious Rabbit Convertible and my spouse's oil burner. As much as I wanted to claim both spots, discretion was and is the better part of valor, and I gave the other one up. My beautiful wagon suffers outside.
He's already promised that the next house will have a garage big enough to handle a two-post lift. I love the house we live in now - it's a bizarre and beautiful mid-century modern that we're renovating to 1961 spec. The tile we're installing is pretty damn far-out. I've never loved a house like I love this one. My woodshop takes up the entire (small) basement, and I find myself doing car projects in our cavernous living room. Nothing beats car parts in the living room - I've done an interior, a convertible top, and I'm planning a rear disc brake conversion. But I, too, feel the call of the giant garage. The siren song of space, in both the horizontal and vertical planes.
My day will come. I hope. I want a lift.
Four and one half years ago, I moved into my first house with a garage. Two measly cars worth, but a GARAGE. It's even heated. It houses my precious Rabbit Convertible and my spouse's oil burner. As much as I wanted to claim both spots, discretion was and is the better part of valor, and I gave the other one up. My beautiful wagon suffers outside.
He's already promised that the next house will have a garage big enough to handle a two-post lift. I love the house we live in now - it's a bizarre and beautiful mid-century modern that we're renovating to 1961 spec. The tile we're installing is pretty damn far-out. I've never loved a house like I love this one. My woodshop takes up the entire (small) basement, and I find myself doing car projects in our cavernous living room. Nothing beats car parts in the living room - I've done an interior, a convertible top, and I'm planning a rear disc brake conversion. But I, too, feel the call of the giant garage. The siren song of space, in both the horizontal and vertical planes.
My day will come. I hope. I want a lift.
Role-reversal.
My future husband (19 days from now!) and I are in the market for a home. CNN and MSNBC tell me the economy is crashing and the housing market's catastrophic. As a buyer, that's good.
We toured a house Saturday, a lovely little fixer-upper bungalow that we absolutely adore. Immediately afterward, we steered the Rabbit over to the local building supply warehouse to check out tile and flooring options. From there, we headed out to our editor's house for a barbecue.
We want the same features; we have similar tastes. We have been talking about our home search more-or-less nonstop, so our friends ask how the search is progressing.
"How was the house?" says Random Person at Party.
"We can build a master bath!" says Husband. "We can choose tile and buy new appliances and paint walls and build equity!"
"It has a four-car garage!" says I. "I can store my GTI! I can pull the engine and powdercoat all the brackets! If I let it sit on the 15s all winter, I can upgrade to Corrado G60 brakes! Garage!"
I like painting. I'm looking forward to laying tile. Master bath with corner tub? Oh, hell yes. But nothing beats the sweetness of that garage. A woman's got priorities, after all.
Moving day
Volkswagen's move to Northern Virginia was announced last thursday. Taking 400 jobs with them, they plan to leave 600 jobs in Auburn Hills. However.....
Three hundred of the 600 jobs remaining in AH are contract jobs, and at least one of the contractors (ProCare, handling customer care) have contracts set to expire in 2008. Technical staff of around 20 are in-house, however another 25 or so are contract, and considered replaceable. This leaves one wondering exactly how many jobs will remain in Auburn Hills say, over the next five years. My bet is very very few.
Rumors of Chrysler's interest in the VW complex are already floating around Detroit. The VW campus includes two leased buildings (including the one with the shop) and one building owned by VW. Sources indicate that certain staff groups are waiting for news of the location of a proposed manufacturing site to plan their relocations.
Speaking of factories, what better place to build than a US government-certified brownfield? With brownfield locations increasing as the armed forces shutter bases, certain locations in, say, South Carolina or other right-to-work states begin take on a certain golden hue. No doubt significant tax incentives can be made available for use of one of these sites. Port locations with rail facilities should take top consideration. I'll be very disappointed if VW screws that up. I expect a site location to be announced within 6 months.
Friday, September 7, 2007
I'm amazed by the vehicles sold through "any of Chicagoland's eight CarMax locations." Specifically, I'm amazed that the buyers of upscale or expensive cars, such as the owner of a Jaguar parked in my apartment's garage, leave CarMax stickers and branded plate frames on the car long after the purchase. Why are they content to advertise for a megastore, and why don't they mind telling the world they purchased their luxury car at a chain that thrives on peddling Dodge Neons and Chevy Aveos?
I might buy my Dr. Martens at Marshalls and on eBay, but I don't wear them with the "factory seconds" price tag still attached.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
The Volkswagen gods must hate me....
I got the transmission out. I had to, because the release bearing was stuck in and I figured the throwout plate was bad. It wasn't. The pressure plate wasn't bad, and the pushrod wasn't bad. I got nothin', as the saying goes.
So I did what every normal person does when they are faced with a problem they can't diagnose - I decided to throw parts at it. It worked with the distributor.....
Throwing parts at the car would require finding a pressure plate. A 190mm one, to be exact. I called. And called. And called. Finally, I found a shop that could get me one overnight. Yippee! All would be well in Rabbitland today.
Yeah, right. Even I know that the driven plate and pressure plate have to match in diameter. Is there a reason Valeo doesn't?
The only explanation is that the Volkswagen gods must hate me. Because I still got nothin'. Not even a clutch.
So I did what every normal person does when they are faced with a problem they can't diagnose - I decided to throw parts at it. It worked with the distributor.....
Throwing parts at the car would require finding a pressure plate. A 190mm one, to be exact. I called. And called. And called. Finally, I found a shop that could get me one overnight. Yippee! All would be well in Rabbitland today.
Yeah, right. Even I know that the driven plate and pressure plate have to match in diameter. Is there a reason Valeo doesn't?
The only explanation is that the Volkswagen gods must hate me. Because I still got nothin'. Not even a clutch.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Weight from the shoulders...
This weekend, I got around to working on a project that has been haunting me for over a year. One year, one month, and 26 days, to be exact.
On 30 June of last year, I ran my project car nearly dry of oil. I was so excited to have good weather that I grabbed a fresh battery (spare me the lecture, I forgot to take the ground off over the winter) and fired her up without performing basic PMs. I then drove the car happily for three weeks until it began squealing in a very frightening manner. Of course, I had to have it towed from work. This added the proverbial insult to injury because my day job involves the lubrication of assorted industrial processes, and I am supposed to understand the basic concepts of oil pressure an preventive maintenance. Even worse, I have an oil pressure gauge in the car that I could have simply checked once in a while.
I had the bottom end pulled apart and the main bearings fished out within a week. I found that they weren't bad so much from my failure to maintain oil pressure, but at 156K miles, pretty much trashed from previous owners' poor maintenance practices. It sounds like I'm copping out, but at least I can claim expertise in analyzing bearing failure - it's part of my job. I carry those bearing shells with me as a reminder to always check pressure and do PMs. I scouted around for a new used engine and swapped it in in less than a week of hour-here, hour-there worknights. The great part was I did it almost completely by myself, only asking for assistance with the final locating of the mounts.
Excited and proudly full of myself for the quick swap, I tried to start it. It wouldn't fire. I gave up after about a week of fooling around with it, doing every diagnostic in the book without finding the source of the problem. Then I cried. I was angry at myself for not being able to figure it out. In frustration, I mentally shelved the car for nearly a year. I'm very singular about DIY - I hate asking for help. I want to be able to say I did it myself and mean it.
About a month ago, I went out and grabbed (yet another) fresh battery (and a charger) and started fooling around with it again. I'd managed to shake most of the guilt I felt for taking up garage space and the fear of not being able to figure it out. That fear was paralyzing me. I didn't find the fault, but I did start to feel better about the possibility of getting the car running again.
Friday afternoon, a friend called up and offered to help out. I decided to get over myself and accept the help. Three hours of diagnostics (all positive), a trip to the parts store, and the decision to start throwing parts at the car (a decision I repeatedly refused to make when arguing with myself), and the engine fired strongly for the first time since being removed from its previous host. We let it idle for a bit while calling up other friends to share the sweet exhaust note over our cell phones. I would drive to work on Monday. My demon was exorcised, if for a few precious minutes. A third friend showed up to return a tool while we were enjoying our successful day and broke the reverie. The clutch was soft, and I'd been hoping to get his foot in there as he's got plenty of experience with the same setup. He infomed me that after all of my pain with the engine, either the clutch was toast or the throwout pin was broken, and I most certainly was NOT driving it to work on monday.
The engine is already chained up and the chassis is in the air. I have a spare known-good transmission in the garage and a clutchpack is available same day from my tuner. Let's hope I can get this problem solved in less than a year. I want to drive my car again. I miss her and what she does for my soul.
And yes, I unhooked my ground this time.
On 30 June of last year, I ran my project car nearly dry of oil. I was so excited to have good weather that I grabbed a fresh battery (spare me the lecture, I forgot to take the ground off over the winter) and fired her up without performing basic PMs. I then drove the car happily for three weeks until it began squealing in a very frightening manner. Of course, I had to have it towed from work. This added the proverbial insult to injury because my day job involves the lubrication of assorted industrial processes, and I am supposed to understand the basic concepts of oil pressure an preventive maintenance. Even worse, I have an oil pressure gauge in the car that I could have simply checked once in a while.
I had the bottom end pulled apart and the main bearings fished out within a week. I found that they weren't bad so much from my failure to maintain oil pressure, but at 156K miles, pretty much trashed from previous owners' poor maintenance practices. It sounds like I'm copping out, but at least I can claim expertise in analyzing bearing failure - it's part of my job. I carry those bearing shells with me as a reminder to always check pressure and do PMs. I scouted around for a new used engine and swapped it in in less than a week of hour-here, hour-there worknights. The great part was I did it almost completely by myself, only asking for assistance with the final locating of the mounts.
Excited and proudly full of myself for the quick swap, I tried to start it. It wouldn't fire. I gave up after about a week of fooling around with it, doing every diagnostic in the book without finding the source of the problem. Then I cried. I was angry at myself for not being able to figure it out. In frustration, I mentally shelved the car for nearly a year. I'm very singular about DIY - I hate asking for help. I want to be able to say I did it myself and mean it.
About a month ago, I went out and grabbed (yet another) fresh battery (and a charger) and started fooling around with it again. I'd managed to shake most of the guilt I felt for taking up garage space and the fear of not being able to figure it out. That fear was paralyzing me. I didn't find the fault, but I did start to feel better about the possibility of getting the car running again.
Friday afternoon, a friend called up and offered to help out. I decided to get over myself and accept the help. Three hours of diagnostics (all positive), a trip to the parts store, and the decision to start throwing parts at the car (a decision I repeatedly refused to make when arguing with myself), and the engine fired strongly for the first time since being removed from its previous host. We let it idle for a bit while calling up other friends to share the sweet exhaust note over our cell phones. I would drive to work on Monday. My demon was exorcised, if for a few precious minutes. A third friend showed up to return a tool while we were enjoying our successful day and broke the reverie. The clutch was soft, and I'd been hoping to get his foot in there as he's got plenty of experience with the same setup. He infomed me that after all of my pain with the engine, either the clutch was toast or the throwout pin was broken, and I most certainly was NOT driving it to work on monday.
The engine is already chained up and the chassis is in the air. I have a spare known-good transmission in the garage and a clutchpack is available same day from my tuner. Let's hope I can get this problem solved in less than a year. I want to drive my car again. I miss her and what she does for my soul.
And yes, I unhooked my ground this time.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Saleen Troy Assembly
While out at lunch today, I spotted a sign reading "Open House" in front of a building that hasn't had a sign on it since it was a Stanley Garage Door factory some time back in the late 90s. This wouldn't have raised an eye, but I knew what was inside. The owners have a habit of displaying their wares in the large front window, and you can only see so many S7s before you figure out that the old garage door plant is the midwest base for Saleen.
I swooped back to work, begged my boss for the afternoon off, and hightailed it out to the daycare to grab the kids - you only get so many shots at a racecar factory, and we weren't missing this one.
Saleen's Troy, MI assembly plant is micro-OEM facility. If you've been in a "regular" auto assembly plant, this is the Matchbox (or is it HotWheels?) version. Chasses come in one end, supplied by Ford, and are processed on two separate assembly lines. The main line is for Mustang conversions. That is too limited a word, the cars are stripped when they arrive and given new VINs indicating Saleen as the OEM. The parts that are stripped off the cars are graded for quality and shipped to a variety of recycling shops around the US that get the parts to owners and shops that need them for repairs. They are not sold as new. The chasses are painted if a Saleen color is selected, then go through what the rest of the OEMs call "final assembly". About 5 cars a day process through the Mustang line, starting with interior extraction and working through undercarriage, suspension, engine work, interior insertion, and final trim. Final trim frequently includes replacing the bonnet.
The paint line is a work in and of itself. Saleen has the expertise and equipment in-house to produce a fully baked factory primer/color/clear process and does so on all painted vehicles. They recently received the contract to paint the 08 Dodge Viper. Working with the RIM material for the Viper parts requires a unique buck assembly to protect the shape of the parts during the bake cycle. Each group of trims is painted as a body so that all parts will match exactly when the car is assembled. This commission comes on the heels of the Ford GT, a car fully painted and assembled at Saleen, short of the drivetrain insertion.
The second line in the plant processes vehicles delivered from Ford that will keep their Ford VINs. These vehicles receive factory-certified Saleen powertrain upgrades, such as the supercharger on the Ford F150 Harley Davidson. Up to 15 trucks can process each day, meaning a car carrier is showing up to unload and pick up about 8 times a week. The supercharger was designed out of Saleen's California headquarters, like most of Saleen's offerings. Troy Assembly includes several test cells for flowbenching and a brand new Dynojet for powertrain validation. If you're going to claim 400 horsies, you better be able to show you've got them. One of the modified trucks was strapped down during our visit, and plunked down a very respectable 390hp and 440ft-lbs at the wheels.
Saleen are pretty much the only OEM that is expanding in MI. The facility opened to build the Ford GT, as Dearborn wanted it done close to home, and Saleen have a very good relationship with them. An engine plant is on the drawing board - plans to bring 281s in from Ford for stroking out to full 302 spec are on the table. This will further expand not only Saleen's capabilities for modifying Fords, but the ability to produce very specific crate motors. A possible retro roadster project is also on the table, as witnessed from the assorted body and frame bucks observed around the plant.
I hope to secure a future tour that can include my camera. It's a great treat to visit an assembly shop that isn't beating me over the head over a paint defect for once. At Saleen, it didn't appear to be an issue.
I swooped back to work, begged my boss for the afternoon off, and hightailed it out to the daycare to grab the kids - you only get so many shots at a racecar factory, and we weren't missing this one.
Saleen's Troy, MI assembly plant is micro-OEM facility. If you've been in a "regular" auto assembly plant, this is the Matchbox (or is it HotWheels?) version. Chasses come in one end, supplied by Ford, and are processed on two separate assembly lines. The main line is for Mustang conversions. That is too limited a word, the cars are stripped when they arrive and given new VINs indicating Saleen as the OEM. The parts that are stripped off the cars are graded for quality and shipped to a variety of recycling shops around the US that get the parts to owners and shops that need them for repairs. They are not sold as new. The chasses are painted if a Saleen color is selected, then go through what the rest of the OEMs call "final assembly". About 5 cars a day process through the Mustang line, starting with interior extraction and working through undercarriage, suspension, engine work, interior insertion, and final trim. Final trim frequently includes replacing the bonnet.
The paint line is a work in and of itself. Saleen has the expertise and equipment in-house to produce a fully baked factory primer/color/clear process and does so on all painted vehicles. They recently received the contract to paint the 08 Dodge Viper. Working with the RIM material for the Viper parts requires a unique buck assembly to protect the shape of the parts during the bake cycle. Each group of trims is painted as a body so that all parts will match exactly when the car is assembled. This commission comes on the heels of the Ford GT, a car fully painted and assembled at Saleen, short of the drivetrain insertion.
The second line in the plant processes vehicles delivered from Ford that will keep their Ford VINs. These vehicles receive factory-certified Saleen powertrain upgrades, such as the supercharger on the Ford F150 Harley Davidson. Up to 15 trucks can process each day, meaning a car carrier is showing up to unload and pick up about 8 times a week. The supercharger was designed out of Saleen's California headquarters, like most of Saleen's offerings. Troy Assembly includes several test cells for flowbenching and a brand new Dynojet for powertrain validation. If you're going to claim 400 horsies, you better be able to show you've got them. One of the modified trucks was strapped down during our visit, and plunked down a very respectable 390hp and 440ft-lbs at the wheels.
Saleen are pretty much the only OEM that is expanding in MI. The facility opened to build the Ford GT, as Dearborn wanted it done close to home, and Saleen have a very good relationship with them. An engine plant is on the drawing board - plans to bring 281s in from Ford for stroking out to full 302 spec are on the table. This will further expand not only Saleen's capabilities for modifying Fords, but the ability to produce very specific crate motors. A possible retro roadster project is also on the table, as witnessed from the assorted body and frame bucks observed around the plant.
I hope to secure a future tour that can include my camera. It's a great treat to visit an assembly shop that isn't beating me over the head over a paint defect for once. At Saleen, it didn't appear to be an issue.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
I need an SUV to get over this writer's block. I heard the new Touareg's a great off-roader!
Writing new car reviews is freakin' tough. I don't know why I thought it would be simple. I've spent upward of 25 hours so far this week attempting to summarize 10 hours of driving a 2008 Touareg.
How people do this for a living, day in and day out, I don't know. According to a source of mine, Jim Mateja (recently retired from The Chicago Tribune) had access to several hundred press cars last year; this review of the 2008 TT is representative of his general style. The facts are jammed in wherever they fit amongst copy that reads like a hypothetical conversation between the writer and a neighbor.
"Oooh, what have you got there, Jim?"
"Well, this here's the new..."
Such pedestrian prose makes the opposite end of the spectrum (for example, the highly-controversial Dan Neil ) seem positively poetic, although that's an unfair comparison, because I don't generally enjoy poetry.
Style and talent in this industry run the gamut, and I'm positive I have a niche here that I can't yet define, much less carve out. I'm struggling to grasp the words that suit this vehicle. I need to describe the good elements of my experience, of which there are many, and force myself to evaluate the not-so-good from another perspective, because they are tainted by my own biases. I thought that my brief time with the car was enough to accomplish this, only to be later surprised and dismayed that the fleet management company retrieved it earlier than expected. And I allowed myself until tomorrow to wrap it all up.
Wish me luck. I'll post a link when the review goes live.
"...Foregoing being the king." --Geely media kit
Wes and I talked about China last night, an amateur international relations conference from the booth of a Milwaukee McDonald's.
I mentioned I read an article about a wildlife preserve in China that allows googly-eyed Westerners the opportunity to hug panda bears for a hefty fee. For at least as long as I have known Wes, he has wanted to go to China to observe and write about Chinese auto manufacturing, such as Geely or Chery. My motives are clearly much more superficial.
I asked Wes if he thinks the recent news stories about tainted Chinese-made products would hurt the chances of auto manufacturers. I'm convinced they're doomed before they even start; after all, I saw Geely's exhibit at NAIAS in January. I collected their press materials with the intention of making a kind of "what not to do" collage. I examined the display cars with fake disc brakes bolted over the drums, paint overspray peeling from rubber gaskets, and interior upholstery that closely resembled dollar-store terry cloth dish towels. If they don't have the good sense to, at the very least, hire a North American PR firm to review their press materials to fix errors and smooth over goofy translations before distribution, I don't think Chinese auto manufacturers stand a chance.
Wes disagrees. In the wake of the Chinese tire nightmare, his news post on The Car Lounge delved into the background of Chinese manufacturing: why the culture enforces such shoddy quality and why he thinks that dynamic will change. (Rather than paraphrase him, I'll rather post the link when I'm not blogging from work.) He's nothing if not thorough, that man. And since he's done far more research on the subject than I have, and these are the sort of conversations take place in our non-working hours, I'm looking forward to watching it play out. Multiple sources (manufacturers and analysts) estimate Chinese cars could land here as soon as two years from now.
He's still planning to visit an auto plant in China someday. I finally conceded that I'd like to accompany him, as long as I get to visit the pandas.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
VW's location question
We heard that VW is considering leaving MI for greener pastures out east.
This is intriguing for a few reasons. Moving to the coasts would put VW smack into the centers of population where their cars sell best. And Germans do love to fit in. This would fit well with a Volkswagen strategy of staying in the US as a niche player without any aspirations of true mass-market participation. If that is what VW are going to be about, it's not such a bad idea to move. It's not good for the bubble buyer, who will now know for a fact that VW is not interested in them, but it may result in a more refined VW product line that addresses their unique position in the US marketplace. Unfortunately, this will hamper Audi's gains in the luxury market.
If VW want to pursue their mass market strategy that is serving them well in the rest of the world, staying in the D is a better (non)move. Nowhere in the US is the American auto consumer more king that in Detroit. If VW is to truly understand what American drivers want, they will do best to put their collective ears to the ground in the heartland and mix product accordingly. They've had 50-plus years to get it right, what's a few more? I find it interesting that most of the new VW owners I know now (MkV and PQ46/B6 platforms) are people who skipped the past 20 years of VW. They are choosing the VW cars over Japanese cars. This means VW is starting to get the mass market right, regardless of what the noisy enthusiast crowd claims. Same goes for Audi.
This could all be a moot discussion - chatter indicates that some of the significant tax breaks VW received during the move to Auburn Hills require a few more years of residence to fully pay off. The cost of moving a company is not small - even if 25% of the staff transfer (an optimistic estimate based on other corporate moves), moving costs and COLAs add up. Add in the edifice complex that invariably results in a fancy new building and you've got a one-time hit that could wipe out profits for the next five years (assuming they make any). The same attrition could be achieved by cleaning house at Auburn Hills and picking and choosing from the abundance of ex-Ford, GM, and Chrysler staff that are currently overwhelming the local economy.
A third possibility is Chicago. I doubt it's being considered, but it would give VW exposure to both the coveted Euro-friendly crowd that populate the large cities of the coasts, along with maintaining access to the heartland. While staying in the D is a cheap no-brainer, a move just a bit west would offer the best of both worlds and give the Germans a bit more time to decide whether they're going to pull out entirely or stick around for another 50 years.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The time is coming. I must obtain an Illinois driver's license. Really, I should have done it months ago, but since my Vermont license expires next month, I can no longer feign ignorance.
It brings a sense of finality to my life. Funny how that works--it's as if once a government-issued photo ID says I live here, I actually do live here. Before that, it seemed kind of haphazard, like I woke up one day and found myself on the outskirts of Chicago (which isn't too far from the truth).
I just found out, though, that I have to surrender my Vermont license at the time the Illinois license is issued. I don't want to surrender it. I want to keep it. I like having a souvenir I carry in my wallet. I enjoy the looks and comments I get from liquor store clerks--"Oooh, what's it like there?"--and I don't see why they can't just snap it in half and hand it back to me, so I can frame it or something.
I am kind of a pack rat. I do get way too attached to everyday inanimate objects.
I still have my Massachusetts license, although it expired long ago. I was supposed to surrender it to the State of Vermont that September day I took an afternoon off from work, headed down the lakefront to the Burlington DMV, applied for my LB6ZGTI vanity plates, sat for a new photo, and lied about my weight. The reason I didn't hand it over? The clerk, a cute young man about my age, came out to the parking lot to verify my VIN, stopped short when he saw my GTI, and spent the next few minutes smiling at me and asking questions about the car. Government-mandated procedure was a mere suggestion at that point. Like the bumper stickers say, ILOVERMONT.
Monday, August 13, 2007
No show
Around 15 April, the thoughts of auto enthusiasts in America turn to two things: What to spend the tax refund on, and where to show it off.
My family can only survive so many car shows each year, so I get out the calendar and try to pick and choose early on. I confess that while I do like attending big ones, the smaller, more focused ones offer better chances at bringing home the hardware. Yes, I'm competitive about my car. I admit it. More trophies is better. As I expected to run the BABE 2007 in May, I cut the show schedule a little trimmer than I normally would. One of the perks of the planned BABE event was going to be spending a week driving cross-country with my co-host here at Vanity Plate Blog, something we were both looking forward to doing, and to writing about. I selected my hometown show - Motorstadt, the Woodward Dream Cruise, and the Michigan Bug-Out. The most glaring omission from my schedule was the largest midwest show for Volkswagens - Midwest Treffen.
Now that Treffen is on the horizon, I'm rethinking my decision. I can't change it due to other plans, but I'm regretting writing it off of the calendar so quickly. The show is a huge conflict for me - it is invariably scheduled for the weekend of the Dream Cruise, popular voting produces some interesting results, and Chicago is an expensive place to get a room. The Dream Cruise (watch for coverage this week as I hit Woodward) is the single largest automotive event in the United States, and when you live in the Detroit area, impossible to avoid. So you cave and enjoy it. You revel in the exhaust fumes, the ornate bodywork, and torque that, were Woodward a one-way street, might affect the rotation of the earth. With at least one budding gear-head building LEGO cars at home, it's a crime to leave town for this amazing event. And while you're supposed to go to shows for fun, my competitive streak really got the best of me last year when the first place vote in my class went to a stock car with wood-grain shelf liner stuck to its rocker panels. I swore I would never go back. It was a pretty sucky weekend - I got rained on on Saturday at the Cruise, drove like a banshee to Chicago that evening to stay in a $150 Hampton (good grief!), got displaced by the shelf liner, and returned home, rock-chipped and empty-handed, to hear that the weather improved on Sunday and there were "Ferraris EVERYWHERE, Mommy!". Staying home this year felt right, way back in April.
So why, in the face of three Plymouth GTXs, hundreds of Chevelle SuperSports, half the mobile Model Ts, and a wind-up Type 1 with a hydraulic body, do I regret staying home this year? Because Cherise missed out on the BABE ralley, and I missed out on her company. I'd be enjoying it this coming weekend at Treffen, while we planned and plotted for a bigger, better Vanity Plate Blog. This year's Treffen would have been what car shows are supposed to be about - hanging out with friends, looking at cars, enjoying yourself. My reasons for not going were pretty selfish, and here I go again, selfish in my reasons for wanting to go.
Instead of making the trek to Chicago, I'll be visiting the Seiberling estate outside of Akron, OH, built as home to the founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. We're throwing in a trip to the World of Rubber for some educational content. Not the car trip I wish I was making, but tyres count for something, right?
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