Last year, I had stock brakes and (very good Semperit) 15inch 195 section-width snow tyres. This year I have big brakes and 17inch 225 section-width snow tyres.
Wider is not better. In fact, wider is damn near worthless.
I'm a total tyre freak, and I'm seriously questioning my decision to go with 17inch 225/45 snows. I got a lead on a bunch of good quality Dunlops for cheap (dirt cheap), and I figured why bother with a whole new set of 16s - I'd have to buy wheels along with tyres. If I grabbed the 17s, I could slap them on my tired-but-pretty Rials and wait until summer to get new wheels and so forth. I snagged them and mounted them up. In the cold and dry, they're everything snows should be - firm, solid, and great grip.
It just snowed in Detroit. The only redeeming factor is the stopping. I can stop with no trouble. But going? Going ain't happening as far as I can tell. It's kind of weird to have the going be the hard part. After all, it's the stopping that usually kills you. And who wants skinny tyres? I sure see the point.
Oh well, lesson learned. I've got three seasons to go on these unless a set of 16s somehow falls into my lap.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Mushroom trucks
We've all heard about how the Dodge Ram logo looks like a uterus. That is only meaningful if you know what a uterus is. If you're seven years old, you probably don't see the resemblance. That does not mean, however, that you think it looks like a sheep with horns.
On the way back from visiting the grandparents, I occupied my sons with identification of the assorted cars we passed and were passed by on the Ohio Turnpike. My younger one kept announcing "mushroom trucks". I had to ask him to point out what a "mushroom truck" was. I'm from eastern PA, and mushroom trucks over there are usually full of mushrooms. He pointed out a Grand Caravan and announced that it was a "mushroom minivan".
Hey, at least he didn't think it was a body part....
On the way back from visiting the grandparents, I occupied my sons with identification of the assorted cars we passed and were passed by on the Ohio Turnpike. My younger one kept announcing "mushroom trucks". I had to ask him to point out what a "mushroom truck" was. I'm from eastern PA, and mushroom trucks over there are usually full of mushrooms. He pointed out a Grand Caravan and announced that it was a "mushroom minivan".
Hey, at least he didn't think it was a body part....
Buckle up. Yeah, you. With the harness.
There's this pesky rule over at NHTSA that motor vehicles have to have safety belts that are interlocked to a warning system that tells you if they're not securely fastened while the car is running. I recently discovered while riding around in my girlfriend's new New Beetle that this function is also tied into the passenger airbag sensor in newer cars. Adding to the legal fun is your local police precinct, which will gladly cut you loose from a few greenbacks if you're caught motoring without restraint.
So where does this leave the weekend racer who drives his or her barely street-legal asphalt-eater during the week? Likely in a bind. The factory three-point belts are long-gone due to their complete lack of utility at more than 0.02g and proper five-point harnesses have been installed in their places. Multi-point harnesses rarely meet standard DOT or NHTSA safety requirements because they cannot be interlocked properly (or easily) to the vehicle's warning systems. The center cam locks that actually secure the harnesses are free of the traditional hard mounting points that enable sensor wiring to be deployed.
Word got to VPB recently that Ford and Roush are working on a new way of getting safety gear to communicate with the standard on-board systems that allow the interlocks to function. The communications issue seems to have something to do with data streams from independent systems. While I don't have much more info than that, I'm guessing that they are up to something that afficionados of factory-built racers will flock to: factory multi-point harnesses with full NHTSA- and DOT-legal interlock functionality.
So where does this leave the weekend racer who drives his or her barely street-legal asphalt-eater during the week? Likely in a bind. The factory three-point belts are long-gone due to their complete lack of utility at more than 0.02g and proper five-point harnesses have been installed in their places. Multi-point harnesses rarely meet standard DOT or NHTSA safety requirements because they cannot be interlocked properly (or easily) to the vehicle's warning systems. The center cam locks that actually secure the harnesses are free of the traditional hard mounting points that enable sensor wiring to be deployed.
Word got to VPB recently that Ford and Roush are working on a new way of getting safety gear to communicate with the standard on-board systems that allow the interlocks to function. The communications issue seems to have something to do with data streams from independent systems. While I don't have much more info than that, I'm guessing that they are up to something that afficionados of factory-built racers will flock to: factory multi-point harnesses with full NHTSA- and DOT-legal interlock functionality.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Mr Hybrid Fusion Drive
After a huge paella and sufficient sangria to prevent an ice cream run, saturday night found us parked in front of the tube with a DVD of "Back to the Future". The kids were going to see it eventually, so why not now? I love Christopher Lloyd, and I love time-traveling DeLoreans even more.
My kid were beside themselves over the Libyans in the old VW bus and I decided that I need a panel van that advertises "24 Hour Scientific Experimentation".
The part that I most enjoyed this time around was at the very end. Dr Brown returns from the future with some slight modifications to the time machine, including a new drive (replacing the original Libyan plutonium-fueled powerpack) called the "Mr Fusion". Mr Fusion runs on banana peels and Miller Lite - talk about your basic bio-fuels, hmm? Pay close attention to the Mr Fusion logo, then go out and check out the GM Hybrid drive logo.
I know a bunch of guys over in design at Warren. They're all goofy and love to have a good laugh when they can. I know they are laughing every time they see their hybrid logo go by. Now I'm laughing, too.
My kid were beside themselves over the Libyans in the old VW bus and I decided that I need a panel van that advertises "24 Hour Scientific Experimentation".
The part that I most enjoyed this time around was at the very end. Dr Brown returns from the future with some slight modifications to the time machine, including a new drive (replacing the original Libyan plutonium-fueled powerpack) called the "Mr Fusion". Mr Fusion runs on banana peels and Miller Lite - talk about your basic bio-fuels, hmm? Pay close attention to the Mr Fusion logo, then go out and check out the GM Hybrid drive logo.
I know a bunch of guys over in design at Warren. They're all goofy and love to have a good laugh when they can. I know they are laughing every time they see their hybrid logo go by. Now I'm laughing, too.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Stupid loud exhausts
I heard a noise last night, and got up to find my 7YO fully dressed and wandering around the kitchen. "Mommy! I got up early!" Yeah, 0300 is a bit on the early side, honey. I crawled back into bed and heard a sound I usually sleep through at night - someone heading up Adams, winding up something with a stupid loud exhaust.
My spouse rolled over and asked me if my Rabbit was still in the garage (it was). I cowered a bit and asked him if it really is that loud.
I admit it - I love my stupid loud exhaust! It's gloriously noisy and it sings its four-part harmony with gusto and vigor usually reserved for throaty V8s. A combination of four-foot long headers and a wide open muffler give it depth no normal 4-banger ever finds. Before it got a muffler, it turned the heads of Harley riders all over Oakland county, right before it knocked them over. Oh, Lord, is it fine.
But I could hear that guy for two miles. It made me cringe in my PJs a bit. Is my tiny little bunny with the soup can tip one of those cars? Am I one of those drivers?
postscript - I have a fueling issue as of yesterday morning. No more noise until I get that fixed. :(
My spouse rolled over and asked me if my Rabbit was still in the garage (it was). I cowered a bit and asked him if it really is that loud.
I admit it - I love my stupid loud exhaust! It's gloriously noisy and it sings its four-part harmony with gusto and vigor usually reserved for throaty V8s. A combination of four-foot long headers and a wide open muffler give it depth no normal 4-banger ever finds. Before it got a muffler, it turned the heads of Harley riders all over Oakland county, right before it knocked them over. Oh, Lord, is it fine.
But I could hear that guy for two miles. It made me cringe in my PJs a bit. Is my tiny little bunny with the soup can tip one of those cars? Am I one of those drivers?
postscript - I have a fueling issue as of yesterday morning. No more noise until I get that fixed. :(
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Bentley vs Bentley
Sue Callaway does it again, and brings a supercar to life on paper. Oh for the day that I can bring gently sueded leather to life like that.....
link to arrive when it's posted.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Rental: Chevrolet Cobalt Coupe at 31K
At 31 000 miles, the Chevy Cobalt makes quite a rental. I got to, er, enjoy one while on a recent trip to Sedalia, MO, where I was making wheels at the local wheel plant. I put about 250 miles on the dark teal blob, and discovered a whole host of reasons why I have pet peeves. I also believe that the American trend of designing everything for 6'5" males is screwing the US automakers in ways they can't even begin to imagine. Oh, and forget Emerald Isle at National if you want a compact. That perk only applies to midsize and up. Discrimination!
This oldish Cobalt was holding up rather well on the mechanical end. Brakes were solid enough, transmission was smooth, and the engine never wimpered. I was actually a bit above my usual comfort level with GM products - the smallish Cobalt was well-suited for the highway cruise I took it on from Kansas City to the Ragtime Capital and back. The interior was not as bad as I expected, with minimal fit and finish issues. Most notable was the pulling away of the soft lining on the door card from around the handle cup. This was occurring on both doors, so it's not possible to blame it on crappy treatment as a rental ho. This was a miscut of the trim material. The majority of the soft surfaces were wearing well. Overall, not too bad for a cheap entry-level coupe with a mildly stylish exterior and a pleasant, non-challenging interior.
Let's focus on the interior. One thing I have not paid much attention to in the past is chrome rings on the instrument cluster. I find them annoying in daylight for sure, but at night, they are downright distracting. Any stray ambient light is reflected, and I spent a lot of time looking down to find out that the moon was the source of the movement on the tachometer, not my accelerator input. Add chrome gauge rings to my peeve list. The centerlines of the cluster, the steering column, and the seat were different and not aligned - the one thing that above all drives me nuts. The climate and audio controls were clearly laid out, not complex, and perfectly suited for the teenage girls that make up the target market for this product.
The seats were ok, as long as you didn't try to adjust them. Getting your hand between the seat and door card was a feat even for me and my girlie hands. There wasn't any room there! I found myself pulling over several times to open the door so I could adjust the seat properly. This was less of a problem on the four-door Cobalt I rented earlier this year in Chicago. As usually, I found the pitch of the lower cushion to be oppressively forward, but I have come to grips with the fact that very few other people besides myself like to drive like Emmo in his Indy car.
Another sore spot (my neck, actually) was the headrest, or lack of one. The moulded-in headrest on the seat was about six inches above where it would have been useful for me. I mentioned above the large-scale design that plagues American cars - this is an example of it. Other examples included a parking brake lever that was positioned in a way that made it useless for anyone with an inseam of less than 34 inches. The shifter was moved back to accommodate Big-Gulp-sized cupholders, and this was also farther back that I found comfortable or useful. What really got me was the turn signal stalk. My fingers are long for a girl, I span over an octave on the piano. This means I rarely have to stretch to reach for switchgear. I had to stretch in the Cobalt. Not just stretch, but release my grip on the steering wheel. That is unsafe, and GM knows it.
The head of the Mustang product team at Ford was fired for not making the back seat of the Mustang comfortable for a 6'5" man. A huge mistake, the firing, that is. The target market for Mustangs is not families of basketball players. And the target market for the Cobalt is not giant men, either. It's young people, mostly ladies, who need a car that fits them physically as they grow into driving. Instead of worrying about the big guys, the General should focus the Cobalt design team on the small girls. The IP of the Cobalt is perfect for young drivers - it's minimally distracting (chrome rings aside), and delivers the right information. Focusing the interior layout on people from 5'0" to 5'6" would move the Cobalt into more hands the same way well-fitting clothes find their ways onto more bodies.
The Big Three need to give up their 99th percentile rule and focus on the lower 50%. You can't design a good small car around a 300 pound guy, but a 130 pound girl is a great place to start.
This oldish Cobalt was holding up rather well on the mechanical end. Brakes were solid enough, transmission was smooth, and the engine never wimpered. I was actually a bit above my usual comfort level with GM products - the smallish Cobalt was well-suited for the highway cruise I took it on from Kansas City to the Ragtime Capital and back. The interior was not as bad as I expected, with minimal fit and finish issues. Most notable was the pulling away of the soft lining on the door card from around the handle cup. This was occurring on both doors, so it's not possible to blame it on crappy treatment as a rental ho. This was a miscut of the trim material. The majority of the soft surfaces were wearing well. Overall, not too bad for a cheap entry-level coupe with a mildly stylish exterior and a pleasant, non-challenging interior.
Let's focus on the interior. One thing I have not paid much attention to in the past is chrome rings on the instrument cluster. I find them annoying in daylight for sure, but at night, they are downright distracting. Any stray ambient light is reflected, and I spent a lot of time looking down to find out that the moon was the source of the movement on the tachometer, not my accelerator input. Add chrome gauge rings to my peeve list. The centerlines of the cluster, the steering column, and the seat were different and not aligned - the one thing that above all drives me nuts. The climate and audio controls were clearly laid out, not complex, and perfectly suited for the teenage girls that make up the target market for this product.
The seats were ok, as long as you didn't try to adjust them. Getting your hand between the seat and door card was a feat even for me and my girlie hands. There wasn't any room there! I found myself pulling over several times to open the door so I could adjust the seat properly. This was less of a problem on the four-door Cobalt I rented earlier this year in Chicago. As usually, I found the pitch of the lower cushion to be oppressively forward, but I have come to grips with the fact that very few other people besides myself like to drive like Emmo in his Indy car.
Another sore spot (my neck, actually) was the headrest, or lack of one. The moulded-in headrest on the seat was about six inches above where it would have been useful for me. I mentioned above the large-scale design that plagues American cars - this is an example of it. Other examples included a parking brake lever that was positioned in a way that made it useless for anyone with an inseam of less than 34 inches. The shifter was moved back to accommodate Big-Gulp-sized cupholders, and this was also farther back that I found comfortable or useful. What really got me was the turn signal stalk. My fingers are long for a girl, I span over an octave on the piano. This means I rarely have to stretch to reach for switchgear. I had to stretch in the Cobalt. Not just stretch, but release my grip on the steering wheel. That is unsafe, and GM knows it.
The head of the Mustang product team at Ford was fired for not making the back seat of the Mustang comfortable for a 6'5" man. A huge mistake, the firing, that is. The target market for Mustangs is not families of basketball players. And the target market for the Cobalt is not giant men, either. It's young people, mostly ladies, who need a car that fits them physically as they grow into driving. Instead of worrying about the big guys, the General should focus the Cobalt design team on the small girls. The IP of the Cobalt is perfect for young drivers - it's minimally distracting (chrome rings aside), and delivers the right information. Focusing the interior layout on people from 5'0" to 5'6" would move the Cobalt into more hands the same way well-fitting clothes find their ways onto more bodies.
The Big Three need to give up their 99th percentile rule and focus on the lower 50%. You can't design a good small car around a 300 pound guy, but a 130 pound girl is a great place to start.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tailgate Gate
Toyota's taken a few hits in the quality department, and they seem to keep coming. Way back when I first put my hands on the Toyota Tundra early last year, I complained to anyone who would listen that the tailgate was flimsy. It felt like the frame stamping was missing, leaving just the inner and outer skins hemmed together. It didn't 'thunk' when I closed it. It was downright wimpy.
The folks over on Tundra Solutions have been cataloguing some sheet metal failures of these tailgates, and it does indeed appear that there is a problem with the sheet metal. While hemflanges are rarely welded, they are always sealed. The white goo in many of the pics is that sealer. I'm troubled that the sealer does not run the perimeter of the flange - pretty much guaranteeing that once the seam deflects, water will penetrate. TBH, there's just not enough metal in that flange to hold anyway. Who was manning that Autoform desk?
We have taken Toyota "quality" for granted for a long time. What we got used to is not "quality" per se, but downright overbuilding. This tailgate issue is overengineering - building at the lowest limit of build quality to make the part at some prescribed duty cycle. Each time we hear of a Toyota failure, it's come down to the same thing - overengineering and sacrificed build quality.
How can you blame them? There's money in every bit of metal you don't put into your product. There's money in every redesign you don't do, every test you don't do. And apparently, there's a crapload of money in marketing the gimmickry that passes for the new version of luxury.
Thanks, I'll take good ol' overbuilding over this overengineering stuff.
The folks over on Tundra Solutions have been cataloguing some sheet metal failures of these tailgates, and it does indeed appear that there is a problem with the sheet metal. While hemflanges are rarely welded, they are always sealed. The white goo in many of the pics is that sealer. I'm troubled that the sealer does not run the perimeter of the flange - pretty much guaranteeing that once the seam deflects, water will penetrate. TBH, there's just not enough metal in that flange to hold anyway. Who was manning that Autoform desk?
We have taken Toyota "quality" for granted for a long time. What we got used to is not "quality" per se, but downright overbuilding. This tailgate issue is overengineering - building at the lowest limit of build quality to make the part at some prescribed duty cycle. Each time we hear of a Toyota failure, it's come down to the same thing - overengineering and sacrificed build quality.
How can you blame them? There's money in every bit of metal you don't put into your product. There's money in every redesign you don't do, every test you don't do. And apparently, there's a crapload of money in marketing the gimmickry that passes for the new version of luxury.
Thanks, I'll take good ol' overbuilding over this overengineering stuff.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Soccer Mom Angst
I'm a Cub Scout Den Mother. I really enjoy the scouting aspects of it. I could do without the stay-at-home moms, though. While the working moms pick up and drop off their sons with aplomb and rarely find it necessary to raise their voices, the stay-at-homes rarely smile and generally comport themselves with chips the size of Microsoft on their shoulders. The SUVs, sedans, and minivans of entire bunch can also be divded into two groups - those with clean interiors, and those that rival EPA Superfund sites.
Like many of the other professional women I know, whether through work or through my new time suck, the interior of my car is quite nice. It's a bit cluttered occasionally, but under that, the upholstery still looks good and the carpets are clean. My kids and whichever friends are riding along get the rules: No food. No drinks. No anything that can't be brushed out. I have too much personal pride to drive a pigsty. I've worked too hard to let my image be compromised by anything other than a stray harness or occasional grocery bag. If nothing else, I keep my car - my personal space in the outside world - clean enough to invite guests into.
Open the doors belonging to the angry moms, and you reveal Doritos in the carpet and papers stuck to the floor. Pinch your nose, because let me tell you, oxidized fruit juice smells bad. The vehicles look like bombs went off. I can only imagine what their lives are like if they can't even keep the car clean.
If my car looked like that, I'd be cranky, bitchy, and yelling at my kids all the time, too.
It's not being forced to drive a five year old minivan that makes you miserable. It's being so out of control of your life that you can't even keep it clean that does.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Bus People
I camped with my kids and about 150 bus people last weekend. It was the most mentally relaxing weekend I have had in years.
I suppose "bus people" takes some explaining. The VW world is split between aircooled (old Beetle and Bus) and watercooled (Golf and Jetta). I am a watercooled person, largely because all of my cars are watercooled and I have never done the aircooled thing. The aircooleds are divided into "bus people" and everyone else. Bus people are aging hippies with microbuses, usually the camperbus variety.
I was invited to join L.E.A.K.O.I.L. for their yearly weekend at Kelleys Island, OH. The Lake Erie Area Kombi Owners Involvement League provides a forum for bus people around the middle lakes. Several friends participate in the group and had shared tales of a weekend of drinking and no driving at a 4H campground. All kids welcome - someone would look after them! I arrived at the campsite and took in the 50-plus buses that showed up. My sons took off for Lake Erie, about 150 yards away. For the next 24 hours, I watched as my sons played with the other little kids (and big kids) that were at the site. I enjoyed a few beers with their parents as we watched over the 15-plus kids that were skipping stones in the lake, running around with boxes on their heads, and at night, coverd up in glow sticks. Dinner was potluck and later in the evening, I learned to drive a friend's '59 Single Cab (second gear is where?). We slept through the overnight golf-cart mayhem, and joined other friends for breakfast. There was something in the air that set me completely at ease.
I've never really grasped the bus lifestyle, but I think I understand part of it now. A tiny microcosm of the VW world, it's a step out of time into a place where time doesn't matter quite so much. My husband and I have toyed with the idea of finding a Eurovan Weekender (watercooled modern camperbus) for some time, and I'm a lot closer to taking the plunge now. What's holding me back? The only thing that costs more than a decent camperbus is a decent Eurovan. At $40K, they still sell for close to new prices, and are rarer than needle valves on a Civic.
I can still dream.
I suppose "bus people" takes some explaining. The VW world is split between aircooled (old Beetle and Bus) and watercooled (Golf and Jetta). I am a watercooled person, largely because all of my cars are watercooled and I have never done the aircooled thing. The aircooleds are divided into "bus people" and everyone else. Bus people are aging hippies with microbuses, usually the camperbus variety.
I was invited to join L.E.A.K.O.I.L. for their yearly weekend at Kelleys Island, OH. The Lake Erie Area Kombi Owners Involvement League provides a forum for bus people around the middle lakes. Several friends participate in the group and had shared tales of a weekend of drinking and no driving at a 4H campground. All kids welcome - someone would look after them! I arrived at the campsite and took in the 50-plus buses that showed up. My sons took off for Lake Erie, about 150 yards away. For the next 24 hours, I watched as my sons played with the other little kids (and big kids) that were at the site. I enjoyed a few beers with their parents as we watched over the 15-plus kids that were skipping stones in the lake, running around with boxes on their heads, and at night, coverd up in glow sticks. Dinner was potluck and later in the evening, I learned to drive a friend's '59 Single Cab (second gear is where?). We slept through the overnight golf-cart mayhem, and joined other friends for breakfast. There was something in the air that set me completely at ease.
I've never really grasped the bus lifestyle, but I think I understand part of it now. A tiny microcosm of the VW world, it's a step out of time into a place where time doesn't matter quite so much. My husband and I have toyed with the idea of finding a Eurovan Weekender (watercooled modern camperbus) for some time, and I'm a lot closer to taking the plunge now. What's holding me back? The only thing that costs more than a decent camperbus is a decent Eurovan. At $40K, they still sell for close to new prices, and are rarer than needle valves on a Civic.
I can still dream.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Hackie!
I'm a bit behind the times on this, but I'd like to call attention to one of my favorite, formerly-regular reads, "Hackie." It's a column by a guy called Jernigan, musing about his life as a cabbie in the fabulous Burlington, Vermont, and runs oh-so-appropriately in Burlington's alernaweekly, Seven Days. (Full disclaimer: I wrote several music reviews for the paper after I graduated from college, and one of my favorite journalism professors is a regular contributor.) The actual columns rotate off the webpage fairly quickly, resulting in dead links, so I will instead link to Jernigan's blog .
Jernigan rarely, if ever, discusses the actual motoring aspects of his profession; however, I still feel it's worth a mention on Vanity Plate. He has a knack for communicating the subtleties of the people he meets and the relationships he develops. Also, I am amused by the parallels between Jernigan and Queen Jean.
Jernigan rarely, if ever, discusses the actual motoring aspects of his profession; however, I still feel it's worth a mention on Vanity Plate. He has a knack for communicating the subtleties of the people he meets and the relationships he develops. Also, I am amused by the parallels between Jernigan and Queen Jean.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Running changes
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.
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.
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.
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