California’s plan to ban fossil fuel vehicles by 2035 was hilariously bad

California announced they plan to ban fossil fuel vehicles by 2035 had the internet in a storm. It got so much backlash that you got to see all sorts of memes..

Now despite the fact batteries are already toxic to the environment and is no better than fossil fuel vehicles, other than no tailpipe emissions that is really just harmful if you start the vehicle in an enclosed space like a garage or litterally inhale the fumes for long periods of time most of the newer cars built after 1990 has been better improved for cleaner air.

So really besides the fact people complain that fossil fuel vehicles made them sick is like stating someone painting the outside of their home did the same thing when they walked by and inhaled paint fumes. Unless you are standing there huffing a paint can it can’t really harm you.

Besides a lot of ridiculous regulations California has this has to top the highest a ban on fossil fuels by 2035. The internet exploded in fury. So many were upset over the fact they may not get to drive their gasoline vehicle by that time and it was actually almost quite comical which may backfire which is great because electric cars are for the rich. They have the money for the car and to get charging capabilities at home which can be over $5,000. Translate that to per parking spot in an apartment complex and you’re talking about hundreds more just for rent. If you are paying $800 a month, you’ll soon be spending over $1,200 a month just to have electric vehicle chargers. Not to mention the energy cost will go up as well. If Biden wins you could be spending $50 more in running just your fridge every month. You may as well just spend $8 a gallon in gas for all thats what it would be good for.

California can’t even keep their electric grid going. You either run your AC or stop using your TV, microwave and other electronic draining devices. Imagine having to shut off your fridge just to recharge your vehicle. Many are stranded without a vehicle because they were sold the idea that electric vehicles are the future.

Well the future is dumb.

The all electric car is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. Meaning you are not saving the environment. People claim to spend money for solar. Most people don’t have that kind of money. So they are either stuck with using coal plant power or nuclear. Nuclear is cheap and currently the ideal method for lots of energy but environmentalists frown on that as well, something about using water to cool those rods might have something to do with it. But besides all that electric cars just transfer the emissions to power plants, or generators. And really the energy to make fuel is solely relied on your local power plant instead of a centralized place to refine gasoline which makes more sense to do then to add more strain to the electric grid. California is a joke with electricity. So basically people are charging their vehicles using a diesel generator and you pollute even more charging it for 5 or so hours because those generators are really just good for lights and maybe a fridge. Not designed for electric vehicles. Anyway this ban is trying to hype electric vehicles again because sales are “bad” when the electric vehicles never gained in popularity over the century and they have to find ways to push people into using them. They are not worth it. At least not for the next 20 or 30 years and by then combustion engine vehicles will burn completely clean making the bans pointless and electric vehicles will stay in the niche market because they are not practical. They can’t do anything if people stick with buying gasoline vehicles or hybrids if you want to go further on a single tank. In reality vehicles were never meant to be “plugged in” and this wasnt a very smart idea when you factor in the time it takes to charge along with not being able to charge because the range is generally not good let alone even on a lengthy trip, you will end up being close to being dead on the side of the road due to the lack of charging stations. Some people don’t even make it to the next charging station making gasoline vehicles more appealing for traveling.

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Sorry but battery electric vehicles won’t replace gasoline engine vehicles

Besides reading this article which happens to be 2 years old is still relevant today. A lot of the articles about BEV adoption is unrealistic nonsense that everyone will be switching away from gas/diesel combustion engine vehicles to battery electrics.

Without engines electric cars might be sputtering out

It may work in places like Norway where the population is only 5 million. In comparison the United States has over 300 million people. China’s EV sales only account for more than just 3% (figuring this info wasn’t easy and could be incorrect) but globally gasoline vehicles still account for over 95% of sales. The oil industry nearly collapsed and will more than likely have a nasty repercussion if gasoline vehicle sales drop in favor of battery electric. So even with looming bans of combustion engine vehicles the combustion engine vehicle sales will not only increase but continue to skyrocket as less public transportation is used for daily commutes due to the coronavirus outbreak. Not only that the oil industry will more than likely invest in combustion engine vehicles and potentially sell them cheaper than the dealer price will. Already Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge has accelerated production (before the coronavirus) so they were already prepared for a shutdown and pushed much of the inventory onto dealers. The dealerships were not happy but with extra inventory at hand they didn’t have to deal with the shutdowns of auto factories limiting the amount of vehicles being sold. But as factories are reopened the inventory levels should return to normal.

Auto sales are suffering especially for gas vehicles, but it’s to be expected when people don’t want to go outside. Some people and companies may think that electric vehicles are on the rise and the sales supposedly are not bad but they still haven’t surpassed gasoline vehicle sales. China sales overall really sunk as the outbreak was really bad there.

While over 95% of vehicle sales are going to gas (this includes hybrids) vehicles it isnt looking optimistic for electric vehicles and that wont change much, at least for the next several years. I still think the carpocalypse is still going to happen when countries try to ban combustion engine vehicles auto sales will be crushed. I mean if 1 out of every 1,000 is buying electric worldwide and that accounts to 50,000 electric out of 50,000,000 (this isnt accurate numbers) gasoline that’ll look more like 10,000 electric out of 50,000,000 gasoline sold. Eventually it’ll happen no matter what because most people wont even look at or touch a battery electric. When people go look at a car most of them dont even question the source of power. They go in and expect to buy a car that runs off of gas or diesel. This is why straight gas Honda Civics are still being sold despite having a hybrid battery option the majority still prefer straight gas.

You dont need to plug in a hybrid because the battery gets charged by the engine and brakes. Some are plug in hybrids but again most people wont consider a car they gotta plug in.

For now especially with public transportation commuters they will be buying an economical vehicle in which both Honda and Toyota offer gas and hybrids. So expect more Camry’s, Corolla’s, Civics and Accords being sold. The used market may dry up from many car buyers and will later on switch to new. It’s not easy finding a used Honda at the moment, though if you look hard enough you can find one. They’re just so good that new car buyers are still holding onto them. Either way except a ton of sedans being sold over the next couple of years.

So where does this leave the future of the car? No matter what people say or what governments will try and do electric cars wont sell a ton. They can fine the auto industry for not having electric vehicle sales but it doesn’t really matter. Battery electric vehicles are not practical. They can add recharge stations and put some chargers into residential areas but the truth is, they wont ever gain traction over the combustion engine vehicle. People wont buy a car you have to plug in. People wont buy one because they wont remember to plug it in. We’re used to going to a gas station to refuel and it refuels in minutes. When you forget to plug in an EV, it can take hours.

Electric vehicles are not the solution but an alternative energy source that’s 100% clean that’ll work in existing gasoline vehicles. That is far more practical and more than likely already underway by the oil industry. Eventually you can fuel a vehicle from home, it doesn’t have to be battery electric either. We all want clean air but it’s pointless to argue how or what to use to get there. It doesn’t even matter which is better because we worked with combustion engine vehicles for over 100 years and not one person has said, “well gee whiz, this car is so energy inefficient I wish I had a car that was far more efficient” because gasoline vehicles are energy efficient enough. You wont notice the difference other than that gas tank is smaller and lighter than any electric car battery. In fact I think electric car batteries are less efficient due to the weight/size of them. A Tesla weighs 5,000lbs while a Honda Civic only weighs under 3,000lbs. An extra 2,000lbs just for the battery. While some pony/muscle cars can weigh up to 4,500lbs its mostly due to the extra power/engine size. Other electric vehicles weigh roughly the same.

While electricity costs are low its because the demand generally is not there but in places where EVs are being driven, electric costs are going up. If EVs were replaced by gasoline vehicles today the electric cost would double and even triple. This is not just for EVs but you’ll be spending up to 3x to run any electric device at home. California already has electric costs at $0.31kW/h or higher. Illinois currently has $0.12kW/h. I shouldn’t have to pay more just so the people down the street can charge their vehicles. And I’m glad the neighbors dont have an electric car. I’ll be even more glad they wont consider  buying one. Because battery electric isnt the only clean renewable out there.

Hydrogen is the best bet, but i hope there is a better alternative to gas for the cars already on the road today. Because eventually we’ll have to abandon gas. It just should not be a car that you have to plug in to recharge it every night. Battery electric vehicles may be able to tow a lot but not for very long. Gas and diesel still has better towing range. Dont expect that Cybertruck from Tesla to get 100 miles towing a boat.

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The insanity of demonizing fossil fuels for climate change fears

Unless you haven’t been paying attention, climate change hysteria fueled by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg along with politicians across the world has been freaking some people out over climate change fears, like if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels we’ll be on fire, or under an ocean… or California will end up in an ice age. One of the biggest things right now is that internal combustion engine vehicles that run on gas and coal is under fire right now for existing.

The problem is, there is no climate crisis caused by vehicle emissions. Climate change has been happening since the dawn of time and continues to change. Droughts, forest fires and temperature changes isn’t something new, nor caused by vehicle emissions. Its nature.

Nature also corrects human mistakes, such as the fires in Australia which was man made and since a lot of animals were killed in the fire and some of the forest has been lost a huge rain bomb occurred. The planet corrected itself by making it rain. Arsonists was to blame for the fires, it didn’t help that the forest was dry enough for the fires to get out of control. The planet is fine, it’s the people we need to worry about because right now people have schemed up this idea that we are causing all the bad weather in the world and we need to switch to cleaner energy and abandon our use of fossil fuels. The problem is, everything uses fossil fuels. So switching to electric vehicles is like a drop in the ocean compared to the mass amount of production around the world. It doesnt do anything when coal is worse but coal plants do burn cleaner than they did when they first were around.

The biggest push is electric vehicles right now. Major manufacturers are starting to build them however a lack of materials for the batteries isnt making mass production possible. The long recharge times and lack of range especially in the cold are 2 major problems of EVs and even then the longevity of the batteries and electric motors is another story as they’re expensive to replace. It’s not cheap to replace a gas engine or transmission either but sometimes its cheaper to repair them. Repairing a blown head gasket vs an engine rebuild is a no brainer. Just got to have around $1,000 to make that happen vs a $4,000 engine rebuild. But electric car motors run about $3,000 per wheel and EV batteries are higher than $5,000. It makes no sense to invest in electric cars. Especially since the batteries are holding these cars from getting more mainstream. People talk about them but most don’t want one. Hydrogen is another energy but so far its supposedly inefficient, but would be far better than gas and with some modifications hydrogen could be used in current gasoline vehicles, making it a much more practical use of our technology. EVs are a stop gap and its most likely they won’t be around for much longer when the amount of EVs being sold is dwarfed by gasoline vehicles. While some countries are getting mostly EVs those are smaller countries.. even California has a small amount of EV market share. They want to ban gasoline vehicles but its unlikely in the event many people will be upset and the ban may never take hold. Not to mention bigger cars can’t handle range as good and towing reduces the charge level to about 30 minutes. Doubtful we’ll see many electric trucks in the future even though they’re trying to make them, they just won’t be practical for towing.

So bottom line is gas is here to stay for awhile at least until 2040 when they try to ban gasoline vehicles and may succeed if EVs get their way and have better range and short recharge times. Then theres the longevity factor. I would recommend sticking with gas or at the very least a hybrid. At least you can save some money on gas and not have to worry about polluting as much. Even Dodge is trying an electric torque assist to reduce gas consumption. Don’t buy into this EV insanity because it most likely won’t happen for quite a while at least.

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Stop trying to end the gasoline, internal combustion engine vehicles!

EVs or electric vehicles has only been successful to the EV fanatics for the past decade, but already people are trying to push them onto everyone and wanting to end the gasoline engine one way or another, most likely banning them from being on the roads.

Some others are doing away with all vehicles while others are constantly saying EVs will take over the automotive industry. But the truth is no one really wants them. Dealerships are keeping gas vehicles in the front and the little EV collection they got is in the back and the vehicles are never charged. Which of course would be happening everywhere if it wasn’t always a topic of conversation in the social media. Car magazines are always talking about new EV vehicles even though people don’t want to hear about them. And really Tesla boasts about faster acceleration times and little maintenance.

One thing that isn’t talked about is how much of a pain it is to actually own one. First off they’re terrible in the cold, especially if you don’t have a garage. The solution, turn down the heat. That doesnt help those who want to blast the heat to stay toasty in subzero temps.

The other would be, you only have to drive 20 miles, grab a bite to eat while your car is charging. Oh so the money you save on gas will go to a $15 meal. You are not saving anything there when you could be somewhere else not spending your hard earned cash or would rather spend your money on an Amazon item. Whatever the case is, electric cars are trash in the cold. Efficiency in gas cars is only bad when the vehicle is cold but they warm up in 10 minutes essentially returning your efficiency.

Long recharge times. The solution, charge it at home. Does no good when you don’t have anywhere to plug it in. Somehow EV enthusiasts think that everyone has a garage or something magical to recharge their vehicle while parked on the street. One guy with a Tesla ran out of battery power and recharged his car in someone’s outdoor power outlet. If that’s not enough… you got someone driving a gas car pulling a diesel generator just to recharge your EV. The future is stupid. Because at some point you’ll have a power outage and have nowhere to charge your EV. Case in point California pressures people into EVs then cuts the power. At least gas stations have backup generators. For some reason the EV crowd doesn’t know that one either.

Also they either can’t keep up with battery production or they dont have enough materials to create enough of the batteries. Either way, the price won’t ever go down. Not at least until, if they come out with another battery type or whatever and that will be artificially priced high for quite some time.

Now i get we can’t keep using gasoline because at some point we’ll run out and having cleaner air is something we could use and need but gasoline cars isnt an issue right now and we got plenty of gas to go around.

But the bottom line is that electric vehicles won’t be a viable replacement to gasoline for at least several decades. By 2050 there may be other options that hasn’t been considered or invented yet. To ban gasoline vehicles you are going to disrupt the economy in a bad way where it may have trouble recovering from. Already Audi has plans to cut 7,000 workers all in the name of producing more EVs when EVs are only a minor market. They’re expecting a surge of people to buy EVs even though sales has dropped both in the US and China. It’ll most likely stagnate and drop as more people are finding out that their EV resale value drops considerably. They’re going to think twice before buying a new EV and most likely will buy a gas vehicle.

No one wants a used EV when they have no clue if they’ll have to replace their $7,500+ battery if they will buy one. Another words the EV market will remain secluded to the EV enthusiasts. And with many major automakers spending tons of money on EV production its going to be an EV disaster that will most likely be really bad. At least many hope it will fail. Since people like me refuse to buy one if that’s all the automaker will offer the vehicle sales will tumble because nobody has time to wait for their vehicle to recharge, nor will they remember to plug it in at home if they got the capability not to mention you’ll most likely be plugging into a dirty electric grid and still be polluting.

I’d prefer to wait for a truly better car technology in which still takes decades of results for viability.

 

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I hate the idea of an electric vehicle future

Oh no not another anti-EV post. We’ll it’s here because this past week has been another fun round of what electric car is being discussed today. I’m already tired of having to explain why I don’t want one to EV enthusiasts.

With people clamoring about climate change and the recent green protests by children no less (it happened in the 70s I think) yet I’m not ready to give up on gasoline (internal combustion) engines yet. And why buy a car you’re going to hate to drive. I have driven an EV and there is only only one gear. An automatic transmission vehicle is more fun to drive but I really like manual ones better. Nothing more than feeling that surge of power with very gear shift. I haven’t bought one mainly because it would end up a hassle on daily driving. Plus I’d like to hire an instructor or a friend to show me what I can or can’t do so I’m not ruining the drivetrain. I’ve driven a few manuals in the past, recently in 2004 on my grandfather’s ranch (now my uncles) had driven a Suzuki around the farm and it was pretty easy even though I probably tore the thing apart it was just fun to drive.

If you can’t find joy in driving a vehicle you drive then it’ll seem worse when you are annoyed by other drivers. Even though that will happen regardless and daily driving sometimes feel repetitive there are times when you can have fun and enjoy your vehicle, it’s better if the vehicle is made for fun sort of like a Dodge Challenger, a lot of horsepower will make you smile.

Electric vehicles take the fun out of it. Even with modern automatic transmissions they made it so you hardly ever feel any gear shifts. Hence the fun with manual transmissions. You feel the momentary loss of power then re-engage when you shift to another gear. Its a lot of fun but i haven’t driven one in awhile so it would take some getting used to and I prefer not to be in heavy traffic trying to relearn it. If I was out in the country though I’d jump at the chance. Another is reduced fuel economy with manual, automatics are more fuel efficient so as a daily driver autos are better if you are a bit concerned with that. Especially in stop and go traffic it makes sense for an automatic. Unless you absolutely want a manual.

So besides the batteries in an EV, the lack of experience with them, there is not even a real interesting EV out there, reliability factors and the fact they don’t feel right I really just hate the idea of EVs replacing gas. Hopefully the U.S. and especially Illinois won’t force people to drive them any time soon because other countries have and really considering less than 12% of emissions are caused by cars. So switching over wouldn’t make a difference and climate change will happen no matter what. We can’t control it.

We need ground rules to prevent carbon taxes, forced EV adoption and hopefully people will fight to keep gas vehicles from being banned or shunned away due to some scientists with a government paycheck and environmentalists who positively believe that gas vehicles harm the planet (the same people who say warming up your car harms the engine). It doesn’t take a genius to see that from the recent EV craze comes the crazy environmentalist who think we need to get off fossil fuels in 10 years or we’ll pay the price.

Many auto manufacturers are investing in electric vehicle production like GM and VW, that actually scares me if people start opting to buy one. Sure it’ll sell in places where EVs are widely adopted but I do hope they do research and see that EVs are not a good replacement for gas. Most of the adoption comes from environmentalists or EV enthusiasts that care about 1/4 mile runs.

The problem is that the government won’t stop making laws, laws that could potentially kill the gas vehicles in favor of trying to save the planet (even though it won’t do any good) by imposing carbon taxes or preventing manufactures from selling gas vehicles. In the end the cost of living will go up on those unwilling or unable to give up on gas vehicles.

If these electric vehicles are the future then I don’t want to be a part of that future, because its depressing. I don’t have a problem with clean energy but that doesn’t mean we should give up on gas vehicles. Someone could invent a 0% emissions catalytic converter or a cleaner fuel that will be effective in combustion engines. Why give that up so that people have a choice instead of being forced to buy an EV if they don’t want to.

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EV batteries are a fire risk

Yes another EV post but this one should be taken seriously as there is a fire risk with the batteries.

Tesla driver dies in horrible crash and the battery won’t stop burning

There is Teslas on the road who get into accidents and survive. Internal combustion engines (gas vehicles) do also catch fire some are defects others are from poor maintence and some are just freak fires.

EV batteries, lithium ion do not generally cause a fire or explode. Usually that happens due to defects, improper battery replacements or using an incorrect cord. EV batteries also store a ton more energy so recharging them would require an outlet that is capable of handling that sort of power.

However the biggest threat is that if the battery is punctured, the battery can explode. Tesla does use materials to protect the battery in an accident but they can still be punctured. Look up lithium battery explosions on YouTube and you’ll understand how dangerous these batteries can be.

Until they can come up with a safer method for a futuristic cleaner vehicle it’s best to stick with gas vehicles. An EV enthusiast will try to claim otherwise that they are safer but the fact the batteries reignite the fire they are a major hazard. Don’t let these people try to force you into buying an EV.

There are a few hybrids that use nickel metal batteries, these are far more safer. Whether they are good for vehicle usage is another story but avoid any vehicle using lithium ion batteries. Not only they are a fire hazard, the gas released from them are toxic.

I’m waiting on hydrogen that will work on existing internal combustion engines.

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Climate change, forced EV adoption and buying a new car

Remember when I wrote about how EVs or electric vehicles are not the future? Yeah well more car makers are investing a lot of money in being optimistic about EV adoption. A few countries have heavily invested in replacing gas with EVs. California is pushing EVs but isn’t exactly pushing when much of the state already would embrace this newish technology and Colorado wants to do the same.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker recently signed off on the Paris Accords so now Illinois has to reduce its carbon emissions by 28% and that deadline is 2025. That means reducing the amount of gas vehicles and coal plants.

Now I’m all for cleaner energy but not at the expense of spending more money, or affecting what I can or cannot buy. I don’t know what will actually happen because really this carbon reduction goal is way out of reach. Especially when many people already purchased a new vehicle.

And I’m looking to buy a new car but still not enough money saved and most likely won’t have it until 2021. Between now and 2021 this gives this dumb governor enough time to come up with moronic laws or regulations pertaining to what kind of vehicles you can get. In which I hope not because I’m looking for a new Dodge Challenger. Yes, but the V6 option which has more than enough horsepower to drive during the summer. Hopefully by then I’ll have some way to fix the rust underneath my aging Grand Am that I want to keep on the road for awhile at least until I can get a truck or SUV. The Grand Am will be for winter driving and eventually be retired in a barn somewhere so when I’m an old geezer I can still take the car out to drive if I want some nostalgia. Most people wouldn’t hold onto their vehicles for very long and generally because they don’t take extra care with them. That’s another subject matter though.

I don’t know where this JB Pritzker guy is making Illinois heading towards but with a couple of states already pushing EVs out and 11 other states considering this, I worry what’s going to happen. I’m a firm believer in people spending the money they earn on what they want and need. A car can be both, you need one and you might as well buy one that you can enjoy.

The reason for me wanting the V6 Challenger and not the V8 isn’t for the sake of the environment or for trying to avoid an EV so if I use less carbon emissions it might be ok it’s mostly because I wouldn’t need all that horsepower, if I could even handle 500+. 300 hp is enough for now and I save money at the pump. 30mpg highway is pretty good and that’s what im looking for at the moment. I get about the same with the Grand Am but it’s possible that I may get more than 30mpg with the Challenger saving even more money since I’m not really a leadfoot and mostly stick to speed limits. We’ll see what happens there. On a side note Dodge is implementing a mild hybrid which is an advanced stop and start system. If you let off the gas to coast the car shuts off while the 48v battery takes over basic functions like power steering, brakes, A.C. or heat, lights and radio. Sounds interesting but is fairly expensive. I doubt the 2020 will have it and may not be employed until 2025 when car companies have to meet certain emission deadlines.

Now like I said I’m all for cleaner emissions saving the environment, blah blah blah. However that doesn’t mean changing to a Tesla or other EV because this is relatively new technology and there’s a big paradigm shift in the way these vehicles are refuled. Most people who don’t own a garage will never see the benefits in owning an EV. And the costs may not drop down anytime soon although Tesla and the other major car makers are trying very hard to make it possible.

They got many issues ahead and I don’t really have anything against EVs. It’s that they’re not ready for prime time because of the different fueling methods and the additional costs that come with them. There’s also a lack of options making it less appealing. It shouldn’t be rushed because we’ll still be here in 50 years still trying to change for the sake of the environment. There’s a lot of theories going around. Yes we should cut our pollution and dependency on fossil fuels but there is plenty of time. There really isn’t any need to toss away billions of dollars all at once or jobs as if everyone switched to EVs there’s going to be a lot of lay offs. Less moving parts is less maintence, less parts being produced and sold in part stores. It’s going to cause another recession. For me I would prefer to keep driving a gas vehicle, there’s always alternative fuels for gas that hasn’t been discovered yet. So I wouldn’t want to own an EV because the technology is too different for an expensive vehicle. And it’s powered by batteries. So it wouldn’t be a very good idea to toss away billions of dollars towards junking gas for EVs.

EVs are good in the sense that not everyone wants to maintain a gas vehicle and it’s an alternative fuel source but for right now, it’s not a replacement for gas as the technology is different and takes longer to refuel, not everyone has access to a charging outlet rated for EV charging. I don’t want an EV and shouldn’t be forced into it and neither should anyone else. This also includes hybrids.

One last thing to note while Tesla has shown that it has incredible acceleration the Dodge Hellcat and Demon (both Challenger trims) is still faster due to more horsepower. The only reason Teslas are quicker in the 0-60 tests is they are heavier, all wheel drive and this reduces wheel slippage. Their stock tires are most likely better as well. Dodge doesn’t put proper racing tires on. There’s a couple of videos on a Tesla vs a Hellcat or Demon where the rematch shows the Dodge winning after some proper tires. So while Teslas are quite impressive in launching power it’s really just dumb luck the massively heavy battery is actually a benefit. Most other EVs don’t have this sort of power.

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Brand loyalty, anti-American car, reckless driving and car maintenance

This will be my 2nd post this weekend and I’m combining a few of different topics starting with brand loyalty and my disdain for those who hate particular car makers for no particular reason. I’ve got a lot to say so make some popcorn or something.

Brand loyalty and the unwarranted hate for American cars.

Ive noticed many people are only Ford fanatics others GM, while others are Toyota only and so forth. I’m okay with liking a particular car maker im a GM person myself while i do have a particular set of favorites  (in order of course) with Chevrolet, Ford, Honda and lastly Dodge. Most of my favorite car makers are of American, considering that well i was born and raised as an American, besides the fact my grandfather was a Chevy only guy.

The fact remains however that some really go out of their way to hate a particular brand of car. One of them being Pontiac. It seems like since i took this job in the auto industry that uses old machines that Ford automaker originally had that we now use and possibly other automaker machines from the 70s that still get the job done. Anyway i have had several people i should get rid of my Grand Am because its junk? Except the fact that it runs beautifully and i wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I was planning on keeping the car running and considering they don’t make Pontiac any more im sure eventually someone might want to pay more money than it’s worth. I am saving money for another car, just in case i need that money for a new vehicle, because the Grand Am is over 20 years old. Driving over 60miles a day certainly will one day take its toll but if people were at all concerned about reliablity of Pontiacs and American cars in general, they are just as reliable as any other car provided that they are well cared for.

This one guy i work with trades his car in every 6 years. Then tells me i need to get a new car. Funny thing considering switching cars can be just as unreliable as buying a used car with little care.

Besides the Ford jokes being funny the feud is often between Dodge, GM and Ford. Some people hate American cars all together. That certainly doesn’t make any other automaker any better and while there are differences they are all using the same or similar technology. And every automaker has its defects. While certain cars are more reliable than others, it all comes down to defective parts. A lot goes into building a car and therefore a lot could go wrong.

Even my car has some defects or issues. The windows for an example has plastic and often break if you try to open them in cold weather. BCM or Body Control Module malfunctioned, a gasket leak which was under warranty at the time the hazard switch was not soldered correctly and a few other small things. But they were inexpensive to fix and i stuck through them and now the Grand Am is doing well, which it always has done well.

But had i bought a new car every 5 years or so i may not be so lucky. And its always a gamble. But people can and should have the right to drive what car they feel most comfortable with without prejudice. And its sad that some people call a car, junk based on what the name says on the outside.

Driving reckless, road rage.

This seems to be getting worse as when i first had drove, people seemed to be less in a hurry and didnt speed all the time but with accidents becoming worse and people staring at their cellphones instead of driving the highway has become a dangerous place to be. I drive to Chicago via 290 and you have people doing 90+ swerving in between lanes just so they don’t have to slow down in order to get to their destination 2 minutes faster. I take about half an hour. I used to drive 65-70 with bursts of 80 to pass in the left lane but after seeing driving only 60 im saving 1-2mpg. Driving back and forth i saved about 3-4mpg and in some cases 5! That ends up being a lot and instead of using 1.3gallon of gas per drive im only doing 1 gallon per drive. That translates to bigger savings and im only taking an extra 2-3 minutes out of my day.

However impatient drivers can’t see this logic the faster you go the more gas you consume. And i have to figure out my mileage by dividing the mileage trip counter and how much gas i have to put back in. Most current cars you can see this in real time. So theres no reason they can’t see their dimished mileage capacity on the dash. Or maybe its because they don’t care. However some of us do and wasting gas to get to your destination a couple of minutes faster is just ridiculous. Of course people do what they want and they probably never get pulled ovet for it.

Cities tried to put in speed cameras but that was removed. People got upset that they were breaking the law by speeding. But their speeding is causing problems on the highway because for one you got people racing one another to work and another,

WHAT IS THE SPEED LIMIT?

Seriously, the fact you got someone doing 45, another 60 and then 65, 70, 80 (you get the idea) so it makes driving on the highway that much more dangerous not to mention you have someone lingering in the passing lane going slower than the middle lanes. So this makes driving hazardous and people die on the highway because of this.

If these people feel they need to speed across the highway unsafely, then they really should evaluate their schedules. Leave earlier, move to a different location whatever the case is there is ni need to endanger yourself and others. The speed limit is there to avoid this sort of problem but without it being enforced there is little hope that this will change.

On a side note, i sometimes get rocks thrown at me due to the fact trucks do not clean their cars off and already its damaged my windshield, but not to the point where its cracked, just irritating. Something should be done about this.

Car preventative maintenance for maximum life.

Engine oil. Most people know to get the oil changed and there is still controversy on when that should be done. It used to be every 3 months or every 3,000 miles but automakers and oil companies claim you can go longer. Some new cars mainly Ford and GM have oil life percentage monitors that tells you when you are in need of changing the oil in your car. People claim this is accurate however i always err on the side of caution and when it gets past 6,000 miles, 6 months or 30% of oil life remaining to get the oil changed. Some might be bothered by it but for those who want to maximize engine longevity this is the way. I personally change my oil after 4,500 miles  (its an older car) which is about every 3-4 months. I always try to change it during summer and winter as the changes in temp could affect the oil. May not be completely necessary but i sometimes would then change it early or extend it to 5,200 miles depending on climate history. City driving with lots of stop and go traffic requires more frequent oil changes as early as 3,000 miles. Especially when driven hard.

Other fluids need changing and lifetime fluid is false.  No matter what anyone tells you those fluids in your car break down over time just like oil so while fluid change is different for every car its best to follow your trusted mechanics advice. No fluid is lifetime especially transmission fluid, people were told this and then 100,000 miles or so later the transmission locks up and  like your stuck in neutral. Get that changed every 30,000 miles. Or if your mechanic can’t work on it, get rid of it and post negative reviews. Cheaply made cars without the means to change the fluid is bad. Not that I’ve heard of this but auto makers are making fluid changes more difficult.

Fix any problems or noises right away.  Sometimes a problem might creep up, sometimes it’s normal but other times a small problem can turn into a big one. If it sounds odd or you have a smell or a leak have someone check it out. Note the AC unit will produce water when ran during the summer especially in humid areas so dont panic. If you want to be sure stick a finger and look at it, you might have to smell it too but if you dont want to do that, run the car without the AC in the morning. Check all the fluids, make sure you are not losing anything.

If you do have a leak get it checked out. If it looks like an oil leak, find out if the oil plug bolt needs replacing, sometimes the oil filter is not tight enough or something is wrong with the seal.

Some problems like windows won’t function might not need attention right away but if you plan on keeping the car for life, may be a good idea to get it replaced provided you have the money.  Other problems may creep up that’ll cause a chain reaction of “oh that doesn’t need fixing” to this car is junk now.

Clean undercarriage and body, if possible keep the car out of direct sunlight.  Keeping the car clean is just as important as keeping the engine in proper working order. Washing and waxing will help prevent sun fade and using touch up paint will help prevent rusting. However that’s only half the battle. Cleaning the undercarriage is just as important and will prevent rotting. I’ve made this mistake and can be costly to repair. And people will then say its not worth to fix. If you want to go the extra step and get additional protection which is highly recommended is to have an autobody shop put a protective oil underneath. The autobody shop owner i spoke to uses Fluid Film (you can look it up) and it costs about  $300. It may be different elsewhere but if i do this every couple of years my car won’t fall apart rusting.

It works best with a new car with very little rust but its important to check up on this and is easily done by looking under the car.

If you live in a snowy/salty place this oil should protect your car. Its recommended to follow what your autobody guy tells you but its important to verify they are doing the correct way.

Even if you don’t plan on keeping your car the resale value of your car will remain well due to little or no rusting, especially in snowy climates.

Don’t wide open throttle your car or do burnouts and other advice. This may sound like you can’t ever have fun  constantly flooring your gas pedal and doing burnouts can wear out your car quicker, requires additional and more frequent maintenance. If you want to extend the life of your vehicle, don’t do them all the time. Every so often though its not a bad idea to floor it every so often to get everything going. Just dont do it when the engine is not fully warmed up when the temp gauge hasn’t reached its normal peak spot (usually in the middle of cold and hot). Do it safely too and if you got a performance car it may be better to learn what not to do when hitting full acceleration. Safety first. Also Seafoam in the gas tank is good once in awhile (but research this first). I also use Shell V-Power premium gas, more expensive but my cars fuel system is happy.

 

Other tips like warming up your car, i had previously talked about this in an earlier post but it must be said, for safety reasons and for longevity warming up your car in winter for a couple of minutes is recommended.

Some people may claim that they never warm up their car and never have any issues but its most likely that they dont hold onto their cars for very long. Some auto experts may say its unnecessary and that you should drive slowly after a 30 sec warm-up. You should take it easy on the throttle during the first 5 minutes anyway but not to the point where you are going too slow.

Im right near the entrance to the highway so i have little time to allow my car to fully warm up but during winter i let the temp gauge move before taking off. And i try to increase speed on the ramp as early as i can to get up to speed. You have to time it right. On the way home though i got ample time to reach optimum temp. For some though its going to take a little more than 3 minutes of warm up time especially if you don’t have a garage and live near the highway.

Another tip if you got a garage, use it. I see many people that do have a garage but don’t use it for their car. I could understand people using it for projects and some don’t have the space but sometimes its better to have someplace to shelter your car from the cold and sunrays. The dash can warp, and can fade the paint.

Hopefully this was informative and sorry it was really long but i havent written a post (besides yesterday) but i wanted to talk about this.

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No, electric vehicles are not the future

Its been a while since i written a post, since i only have internet on my phone i haven’t been in a writing mood. Call me old fashioned but i prefer writing using a keyboard and mouse. Smartphones are great but the keyboard is too small and flimsy so i don’t really do much. I might try to transfer a topic i could write from my PC to my phone but it would require me moving a SD card back and forth.

But thats not the topic at hand here. Reading some posts on Facebook on EV or electric vehicles has got my attention, particularly the ones that say there will be 2/3rd of all cars will be electric by 2025. Now before i continue, EVs are not a bad thing. Its a great alternative for those who can’t be bothered with gas cars and in the long haul could save you a bit of money if circumstances work in your favor. They certainly will save you trips to the mechanic.

Some of this information may be inaccurate so don’t get angry if i said something completely wrong.

But anytime i hear of EVs replacing gas cars, you can hear an audible groan. For very obvious reasons which i will list below.

1. Charging takes too long. It has been easy and quick to refuel a combustion engine car, you are at the gas station and it takes as little as 5 minutes to fill up a tank with gas. However even with fancy quick charging EVs it’ll take at least half an hour. Not good for those who forgot to charge their car earlier. People will forget. I forget that i need gas in my car and while usually its not bad where im driving on empty others do.

With gas cars you drive to the gas station to fill up. You don’t fill it up at home or work so to recharge your car, it would take having to remember each day to plug it in. Some people say, you can charge these cars overnight but it takes remembering to do this. And some people will not ever have access to a charging outlet for that they park on the street or in an apt complex. Sure there might be someway to add outlets throughout where people park but it would have to be waterproof, not to mention this creates additional hazards when dangerous weather conditions cause damage to the area. So for many this really isn’t an option and people will opt to continue using gas cars.

2. Batteries are quite unreliable. For the most part anyways batteries are unpredictable and while if constructed well, batteries can last a lot longer, however investing in a vehicle can be a gamble sometimes with the increasing recalls and other defects car manufactures are plagued with its easily concieved that you would be lucky to get 10 years out of an EV battery. Most people junk their gas car when the engine or transmisson goes dead but in many cases, well maintained cars will last 20+ years before that happens but ive seen many cars get junked within 10 years. The warranty is up and the car was most likely badly maintained to begin with. While people claim they are getting 200,000 miles or over 10 years out of their EV battery. Either they are trying to decieve people in the name of getting off gas or they are just lucky, as generally its new technology and car companies are trying really hard at making these cars recall proof but even Tesla had a few problems with their power steering and possibly othet defects.

The other problem is heat. No battery can really survive under extreme heat and particularly areas where excessive heat lingers, makes it really difficult to believe you could get 10 years out of one of these EV cars before having to junk it due to the battery wearing out and no matter what they will wear out. If one cell dies in an EV battery, the whole car may not function as intended. Even if you could repair the damaged cell, it could get as costly as a gas engine rebuild. Over $1,500 and there is no guarantee that the battery will be good as new. At that point you may have to consider replacing a $3,000+ battery for a new one or to junk the car, which would increase waste as junked cars often sit in the junkyard for years deteriorating before a costly recycling process.

3.  If 2/3rd of vehicles on the road were electric, it would put tremendous strain on the electric grid.  We already have a high demand of electricity and while the cost currently is better than the insane gas prices that could change in a matter of years if we were to switch to EVs. In order for electric companies to meet these demands they would have to update the grid and more than likely would increase electric costs as a result. Its already a fragile setup as high energy demands during peak Air Conditioner usage, which is why its encouraged to only use the AC as little and and as low as possible. Otherwise if cost and electricity usage wasn’t a factor people like me would run the AC at 60F all summer. But instead so i can save money and the strain on the electric grid i keep it around 78F.

4. Mechanics loose, manufacturing loss and many jobs will be lost crippling the economy.  I don’t like visiting the mechanic as much as the next person, but in order to keep the economy running we need to give some money to others and while im not particularly fond of this way of thinking, i certainly would love to keep my job, my hours and while im only 38, i got to think of retirement. And i would like to retire sometime after 55 years. So i would like for the economy to thrive.

With EVs there are fewer engine comoonents but buying a gas engine will keep the mechanics working. Its planned obsolescence and a waste of resources but many people like myself are confined to one area to work. I am too tired to relearn a job and currently retail is a dying breed of jobs. So if you like the way the economy is, keep using gas cars.

5. Hydrogen cars are most likely a better bet. While true hydrogen cars are fully electric from little research, you could easily convert a gas car to hydrogen based and it may give mechanics a business boost for a short time. Maybe they will consider working on your broken down car a bit more (but the honest ones will most likely tell you to buy a new one if necessary). Hydrogen is basically water so instead of gas in the tank you can use water. In its hydrogen state however i don’t believe it can be stored for very long which is most likely why hydrogen cars never made it to use.

I think the oil companies wanted to have hydrogen at the ready instead of you refueling your car with a garden hose. So until our greedy friends finds a way to keep hydrogen or some other combustible source of energy, EVs are a stopgap.  The car industry loves this because they are hoping to kill most gas cars forcing people to buy EVs and then when another energy vehicle comes to fruition EVs will be obsolete so it would take more to convert.

Unfortunately this disposable way of thinking isn’t good for our future. By any means most cars should see 40+ years on the road but the average is 11 years making cars one of the biggest resource waste on this planet.  Recycling should only be necessary when the item is no longer sustainable.

EVs are not a bad thing and its good to reduce the dependance of oil however its trading one problem for another and creates new problems. While you can add smart meters to your home so you can monitor electric usage in real time and determine for yourself whether an electric car is right for you i can’t recommend buying an EV based on so many unknowns. The economy being a big factor, there really is not many options. As a hard worker in auto part manufacturing i don’t want to loose my hours or job,  because i have nowhere else to turn to. Im sure many mechanics agree. Im too tired to figure out another job field as i haven’t been in my current position for very long and it took a lot out of me to learn what i know now. Being in retail for 18 years took more life out of me than you can imagine. Mentally i feel like im 60 years old.. i can’t loose what i have gained recently and the million or so gas vehicles makes it possible for me to have a job i love so much and is sustainable for my future.

So consider this before buying an EV what impact it could have on the economy. But if you are looking for a job in auto mechanics or production, its wise to consider another field, especially if you are young. If possible take a few professions so you have a better future for yourself.

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Should you warm up your car, Part II

Should you warm up your car Part I

I recently posted about whether you should warm up your car and i have found a few additional things, a few of them actually prove that warming it up will not damage it. (warning, contains explicit language)

But also too, modern cars don’t have oil problems like what some people say (your oil is like maple syrup). It may be true if you are not using the recommended oil for your car (where the oil is thicker) in which case you already may be doing damage to it if the car isn’t designed for the oil you are using.

So oil circulating through the engine is definitely not an issue, as the guy explained in this video, if you don’t have oil circulating through your engine by that time your engine is in trouble. But what he doesn’t explain is what the cold oil is doing to the engine. The oil needs to circulate (among other engine components, like the power steering, coolant) all these things need to work and for me to be able to drive and accelerate at a decent pace, i need at least 1.7x (1,700 RPMs) rpms. Most of the time it’s around 2x rpms. So waiting 30 seconds or waiting until the engine rpms settle isn’t enough for me. He doesn’t really exceed 1.5x (2x at the most) and most others will say don’t exceed 3x. Not only that he has a turbocharged engine. It may be best to just drive it cold and it won’t hurt it anyway.

One of the more major problems is that being in 32°F or below your defroster doesn’t work very well in the cold. It works much better when it’s warmed up, but it’ll take longer for it to work if you are driving the car and sometimes it won’t work right at all because all the air that is coming out of the vents can’t counteract the fog/frost forming on the windshield. I believe someone has said in a comment in a video or article somewhere to hold your breath while driving or breathe slowly. Why would anyone do this for the convenience of having a warm defroster is beyond me. While it’s true, less idling cars in the winter will reduce emissions and gas waste as the first video i linked proves, it only takes around 40 seconds to warm the car up so it’s not running too rich, driving off prematurely isn’t always the best. Some cars do not work right when they are cold and especially a critical component like the brakes or being able to accelerate moderately to get onto the highway is ideal. You need to get the car up to the speed traffic is moving on the highway and more times than not i see people not accelerating fast enough which causes either a slowdown in traffic or it causes the people on the on ramp to slow down and then it makes it more difficult to get onto the highway or tollway. In some driver ed courses they want you to gun it, at least 3-4x on the tachometer. I only need like i said 1.7x to 2x and on the highway i need at least 2.5x (up to 3x) but most of the time i can deal with 2-2.2x early in the morning as there is less traffic.

Much of the more common reasons why you shouldn’t warm up your car, is that people will start their car, with the key in the ignition and need to leave the doors unlocked so they can get back in,

which can invite thieves. Which is very true, which is why near the end of that video they recommend that you get a remote start. I do have one on mine, one that allows you to monitor whether someone is attempting to get into the car which then would signal to the remote and shut it down, causing the alarm to go off. This may be because my remote start is basically a feature of my alarm system. So if anyone is messing with my car, either kicking the tires or trying to push the car (rocking it) it may set off the alarm sensor and that includes trying opening the car door when it’s locked (which will automatically set off the alarm and the car will shut off). Also you need to have the key otherwise the car will shut off if you attempt to put it in gear.

It’s generally best to wait with the car, but as long as you can see it out your window to see if something is going on that’s ok too (and this is with the remote start). If you don’t have a remote start, then it’s best to wait with the car, it’ll be cold but again if you at least wait until the defrosters are working which is generally 2-4 minutes depending on the temp outside you may be better to drive off at this point. Some people won’t wait and just drive off despite there is no heat which will generally help the car warm up faster. If you don’t think your car is worth a remote start (or an alarm system), it’s definitely a good idea to consider getting a different car (and it’s not worth putting a remote start in if the car is on it’s last legs or you constantly run into engine issues) because you need to have the defroster working and everything mechanically sound before taking off. Some cars do not shift properly in the cold or they shift harder putting more wear and tear on the transmission and also it gives a chance for belts and other engine components to warm up adequately before putting a load on it. So bottom line, warming your car up is ideal in the winter so you are safer when on the road. Stuff breaks when they are at their most extreme so if something were to break it would most likely break when you are pulling out of the driveway with an engine that has only warmed up for 30 seconds.

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