Our recent Zipcar electrical failure trilogy reminded us of a request from Consumer Reports Cars last week. For the November issue, they’re looking for your stories of car battery failure, epic and otherwise. Do you have one to share?
autos
Use Google Trends To Find The Best Time To Go Car Shopping
By 7.29.09
Engine Industries used Google Trends to map the frequency of search terms like “used car,” “new car,” and “buy car” through Google. They found that “people search car-related keyterms most in the summer and least in the winter, with a small spike right before Christmas.”
Don't Threaten To Kill Telemarketers
By 7.21.09
We know how you feel; telemarketers suck. But no matter how much they’re in the wrong, please don’t threaten to burn down their place of business and then kill them and their families—even if they call you a jackass—because they may report you to the police. Then, if your police are anything like the ones in St. Louis, Missouri, you’ll likely be arrested and charged for making terrorist threats, like poor Charles Papenfus.
Everybody Gets A Mediocre Minivan! Everybody Gets A Mediocre Minivan!
By 7.15.09
What’s Oprah’s latest giveaway? Not, thankfully, chicken. She’ll be giving away two Routans. Hey, cool! But does the Oprah endorsement mean that the Routan is any good? Well, according to Consumer Reports Cars…not really.
Hey, New Stockholders – What Kind Of Cars Should GM Make Now?
By 7.3.09
The U.S. and Canadian governments now own a substantial portion of General Motors. If that means that us taxpayers are the real owners. So Consumer Reports Cars wants to know: what do you think GM should make?
By 6.1.09
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On Sunday, a judge approved the sale of nearly all of Chrysler’s assets to a group led by Italy-based Fiat. [BBC]
GM Files For Bankruptcy Today
By 6.1.09
After failing to get its debt-for-stock offer approved last week, and missing the June 1st deadline for concessions from creditors and its union, GM will file for bankruptcy later today. Reuters notes that its filing will be the third-largest in U.S. history, after Lehman Bros and Washington Mutual, and the largest ever in manufacturing.
In GM Bankruptcy Plan, Government Will Select New Board Of Directors
By 5.28.09
Let’s say the U.S. has poured billions of dollars into a failing company. How strongly should it try to protect that money once the company files for bankruptcy? The Washington Post is reporting that the plan for GM—which may go belly up as early as Monday—is for federal officials to select 5 or 6 of the company’s new board members, and have a say over which 6 of the existing board will remain. The UAW gets to choose another, and Canada might possibly be given one slot to fill. The rest of us will probably just get t-shirts or a souvenir mug.
Customer Drops Off Car At Dealership For Repairs, Gets Tires And Wheels Stolen Instead
By 5.27.09
Before you drop off your car at your local dealership for any sort of repairs, make sure you’re clear on the chain of liability should anything happen to it—especially right now, when dealerships can barely afford those flappy air things, much less tires. A woman in Charlotte, NC was left with around $1,000 in damages when the tires and wheels were stolen from the 2005 Audi she’d left with the dealership over the weekend.
Chrysler Will Close One Fourth Of Its Dealerships Next Month
By 5.15.09
Mark Calisi, 47, who owns Eagle Auto-Mall in Riverhead, New York, says he was “devastated” to learn that his dealership would be closed. He said Chrysler accounts for a third of his business, which also sells Volvo, Mazda and Kia, and that on Thursday he had to sack 30 of his 100 employees.
Jiffy Lube Tries To Scam Yet Another Customer
By 5.4.09
Seriously, Jiffy Lube? You haven’t received enough bad coverage about ripping off your customers? Fine, here’s another one: Daniel says they tried to add about $170 in extra “needed” repairs and replacements recently when his girlfriend dropped off her car to get the oil changed. Even after she turned them down, they still slapped an extra $6 “Peak Global Life Time 100%” charge on the bill. We don’t know what that means, but those are all good words, and anything that’s 100 percent has got to be quality. Apparently Jiffy Lube doesn’t know what it means either.
Engine Massacre After 10,000 Miles No Oil Change
By 5.4.09
It doesn’t take 30,000 without an oil change to wreck an engine, here’s pictures of reader Eugene’s sister’s blown engine and turbo after just 10,000 miles without so much a dipstick getting exposed to the outside air. See how it’s covered in what looks like piles of dried BBQ sauce? That’s not a good look for an engine. Oily is good, black-oily is bad. “One big week long project, ” writes Eugene. More grisly photos, inside… UPDATE: Commenters suggest the bigger culprit may have been using non-synthetic oil in a turbo car. Looks like a VW 1.8 turbo- notorious engine for sludge buildup. A turbo engine, that one in particular, requires frequent oil changes and synthetic oil,” says anAdmetus.
Car Warranty Racket Exposed On Today Show
By 4.30.09
The Today show recently aired a terrifically entertaining exposé of US Fidelis, one of the biggest companies behind the auto warranty racket that you’ve probably encountered via junk mail, telemarketing, or even on TV. They start by looking at an individual who spent $3,180 on one of their auto warranties only to be left stranded when her car overheated and they refused to pay.
Here Are Some Of The Companies Behind The Car Warranty Robocalls
By 4.29.09
Verizon continues its recent campaign of turning robocallers into charitable contributions, this time by settling a lawsuit against two of the companies behind those awful car warranty calls. Last time it was for $25,000; this time it’s for $50,000, all of which is being donated to the Joyful Heart Foundation, which Wireless Week describes as “a nonprofit devoted to empowering survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.”
Chrysler May Avoid Bankruptcy
By 4.28.09
It now seems much more likely that Chrysler will avoid bankruptcy. BusinessWeek says that Chrysler and the US Treasury have reached a deal with the banks and private equity firms that hold Chysler’s debt.
Chrysler Financial Accused Of Turning Down Government Loan To Avoid Executive Bonus Restrictions
By 4.20.09
The Washington Post has just published a story accusing executives at Chrysler Financial of turning down a $750 million government loan because they “didn’t want to abide by new federal limits on pay,” and instead opted for more expensive private sector financing, “adding to the burdens of the already fragile automaker and its financing company.” Chrysler Financial denies the charge.
General Motors' Greatest Innovation? Not Cars, Credit
By 4.20.09
Sorry to disappoint all of you who think that the two-person Segway is the most innovative thing GM has produced in its long history — it seems that the company’s most important new idea was consumer credit. More specifically, convincing a nation of thrifty debt-averse tightwads that taking on debt was socially acceptable. Yes, it’s true. We weren’t always a bunch of debt junkies.
Austin Jiffy Lubes Too Cheap To Dispose Of Oil Properly, Keep Dumping It In City Sewer System
By 4.10.09
Heartland Automotive Services, Inc., which runs 31 Jiffy Lubes in the Austin area, has to pay a $300,000 fine after admitting to pumping used oil into the city’s sewer system instead of recycling it. Normally shops are paid by the gallon for used oil, but in this case a damaged wall let water seep into the oil collection area and create a toxic mess that couldn’t be sold—so instead of paying to remove it, they pumped it down the drain.
