Find out more about the clean diesel movement here:
http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/

If knowledge is key, a cleaner future is the lock.

Like most, I have memories of dirty diesels chugging down the road like a locomotive spitting out this oily smoke full of soot. My image of this other fuel source changed in my college years. As mentioned before, I worked for AAA Roadside for several years. A majority of our fleet was diesel and for obvious reasons. Work vehicles need the reliability and torque of a diesel motor.

Now, the industry has recognized that in order for the American market to accept diesel engines it would take making them a cleaner, less obnoxious source of power. With Mercedes' Bluetec taking the diesel industry to the next level last year, we can expect many following suit. This evolution has influenced a trend and has actually hurt hybrid sales. Diesel can be clean and sooner than later everyone will see that.

A recent study found that consumer consideration for purchasing clean-diesel vehicles, which were newly introduced to the open market in 2007, is at 23%. Compared to 2006 when only 12% of shoppers considered diesel vehicles. On average, consumers are willing to pay an additional $1,491 for the clean-diesel option and expect an average additional fuel economy of 15 mpg.

I think many hybrid owners may grind their granola when the new mpg rating system comes out in '08. Here is a snapshot comparing the new, more accurate mpg ratings to a few current diesel autos out there.

make/model cty/hwy
Toyota Prius 48/45
Honda Civic hybrid 40/45
Toyota Camry hybrid 33/34

Diesel powered:
Mazda 3 39/57
VW Golf/Rabbit 42/47
Audi A4 37/61

VW Polo Blue Motion

Soon the BMW 1 series is coming to the this side of the drink with a diesel engine that does 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and gets over 54 MPG! It is said that the VW Polo Blue Motion flaunting it's 62 mpg average on diesel is on the way as well. There is a good reason why over 50% of autos in Europe utilize this source of power and it's no wonder with the gas mileage you get. I forecast a large increase of diesel auto in the states over the next 5 years.

So save the unnecessary hybrid price hike and step away from the expensive batteries, diesel is our new friend.

Happy Motoring,

Lance

Here's a little something to spend hours of spare time you don't have surfing!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_car_manufacturers

It's a list of nearly all sports car manufacturers. Even though I am of British decent, my top 3 manufacturers are from all over:

1. TVR A true classic from the Queen's land of Great Britain
2. Holden Although it's not on the list, they make some great cars!
3. Panoz A great selection of cars all molded to meet the demands of a true road racer.

Cheers, Lance

Hello All,

I want to talk transmissions and what we can expect in the near future for mainstream automotive shifting. Now most "in the know" have seen the increase of popularity auto-shift transmissions. These shiftable automatics go by many names. BMW calls it Steptronic, Dodge is Manumatic and Porsche has Tiptronic.

In a nutshell, these are "shift-on the fly" automatic transmissions and an added feature that most either don't use or don't know how to use. As much as people think of these transmissions are so different, they aren't. These transmissions still utilize a torque converter like any other automatic.

Now for the wave of the future! Our friends at Mitsubishi have decided to step into something VW has already released in the states. I give you the The Twin Clutch SST (Sport Shift Transmission). The SST makes use of two clutches in place of a traditional automatic transmission’s torque converter. The result is faster, smoother gear changes, similar to those experienced with manual transmissions.

There are six odd and even gears on separate input shafts, each connected to an individual clutch. This enables the next gear in series to be “pre-engaged.� The system is similar to the Volkswagen Direct Shift Gearbox system. The clutches are activated for gear shifts through electronics, either automatically or at the driver’s command.

VW's DSG Transmission

I had the opportunity to drive a VW Golf equipped with the DSG transmission yesterday and was thoroughly impressed. Like most Gearheads, I always thought nothing came close to the experience or response of a standard transmission, then I realized I can't shift as fast as a computer! Welcome to the new school my friends, and many are sure to follow.

Brief history of the "semi-automatic" transmission:

Porsche was behind the racing industries semi-auto shifters (think F1 cars) but it has also been around the retail market for decades, mostly in Europe.

the first semi-automatic transmission which was marketed by a major manufacturer was the 1941 M4 Vacamatic Transmission by Chrysler . It was an attempt to compete against rival's automatic transmissions The transmission still had a clutch, primarily to change range. In normal driving, the clutch is not used.

Citroën is the manufacturer that committed to the semi-automatic transmission. First appearing in 1955 on the Citroën DS, a hydraulic system was used to select gears and operate the conventional clutch using hydraulic servos. This was an awesome accomplishment being done before the evolution of on board computer systems!

Happy Motoring,

-Lance

For many of you this is the time of year to pull the trigger on a new car. With 0% APR programs and cash back deals hey, why not! Well one thing you want to consider when looking to sell your car is what it's worth. There are several places to search out "fair market value" for your current whip but the best by far would be:http://www.kbb.com/

You can try Edmund's or black book but nothing has a better feel for California's current used car market than good 'ol Kelly Blue Book. We have used this book for years in the industry and most dealers swear by it.

Happy shopping!

-Lance

Many car enthusiast can back me when I say there's no paint job like a factory paint job (okay except when the big three experimented with water based primer in the early 90's). No matter how good the repair shop, they just can't lay it on like the factory which gets to bake in ovens to bond. Well, times are changing my friends and it's a good thing.

Traditionally a primer coat was sprayed, baked, sanded, then base coat sprayed, dried, then clear coated. Not anymore thanks to our friends at DuPont. Currently DuPont and GM are partnering on a new process that saves time and money. It's called the "3-Wet" process and takes painting cars on assembly lines to a whole new level. Imagine getting to apply the base coat while the primer coat is still wet and likewise with the clear coat over that. This is exactly what they are doing and they are reducing operating costs by 14-21%. This process shaves 40 minutes from the vehicle painting process as well.

The '09 Chevy Camaro, rebirth of an American classic.

So how does this effect you the consumer? By the manufacturer saving time and money, reduces the overall "cost per-unit". This can make $100's of dollars difference in your pocket when you finally pitch up to a new car. Their savings is your savings and that's something to be happy about.

Cheers

-Lance

Hello All,

I hope everyone had an excellent Independence Day! I wanted to share my site of the week with you guys. You ever wonder where police hangout the most? Well, this is site shares the prime spots by city and may be helpful for your next road trip.

Check it out here:
http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/ste_city.asp?state=CA

Have a great weekend!

-Lance

Hello All,

Can you all believe the 4th of July is already here? It's so hard to keep track of the time of year here what with only two seasons and all! Sorry, just bitter due to lack of an actual rainy season. I want to wish everyone a happy holiday and stress that the only thing worse than mixing alcohol with operating an automobile is mixing alcohol with fireworks! Be safe this 4th and leave the light shows to the pros.

What to do if you do drink:

Consider the cost, a $20 cab ride is a lot cheaper than a $8,240 DUI expense! See the DUI breakdown costs at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/pgs73drinkcostchart.htm
If you really need your car the next day do what many of my friends did in college. Since I worked for AAA in school my friends would call in a tow home from me. All AAA cardholders get 4 calls a year, using one to get you home safe is well worth it in my mind. Another little known fact for AAA cardholders is that you can use your card on anyone's car. That's right, as long as you are present with the vehicle and motorists in need, you can use your card on them. So the next time you see that poor person stuck on the side of the road and wish you could help, you can.

Happy Holiday!

-Lance