With all of the electronics added to cars you’d think that cars would be much harder to steal. (Did you ever try to get a key programmed for a vehicle? )

The number of stolen vehicles is going down but there’s still more than 1 million vehicles stolen in the US each year according to the latest stats from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (ncib.com).

Here is the list of the top 10 stolen vehicles. Btw – notice that your Porsche or BMW looks like it’s pretty safe…

1995 Honda Civic
1991 Honda Accord
1989 Toyota Camry
1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
2005 Dodge Ram Pickup
1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup
1994 Nissan Sentra
1994 Dodge Caravan
1994 Saturn SL
1990 Acura Integra

You try to save some money by getting a cheap used car that’s easy on gas and look where it gets you. There’s a good chance that your car will be chopped and sent to other countries. I’m not exactly sure what they do with your fuzzy dice or St. Christopher’s statue.

With the poor economy, one number that is going up is “owner give-ups”. That is the official term for the nitwits that file false vehicle theft reports after the owner burns, drowns or composts it. If you’re thinking about trying this, you might want to come up with another plan. The police aren’t going to be real understanding. They’ve seen all of these games already and they’re better at it than you!

Just saying…

Shhh!  I’m going to let you in on a secret. I’m going to give you a tip on how to lose 2 feet of stopping distance every year. As a bonus, I’m going to wear out your tires more quickly. (Btw-have you bought tires recently?  Lots of bucks!) If I did this to your car, you’d probably be calling your lawyer. But, you won’t get mad at all!

Well, the secret is that you are already doing it… all by yourself … without any help from me. I’m willing to bet that you don’t know the last time that your shocks and struts were replaced. No BS…worn shocks eat your tires up!

This isn’t the place for the technical stuff about ride control. If you want to know how shocks and struts work, here’s a website that can do a better job than me… http://www.checkyourshocks.com

All you need to know is that every year that you drive your car, you lose about 2 feet of stopping distance. Your struts slowly lose their ability to recover from driving on our pothole-ridden roads and your regular stop and go driving.

Next time a kid or dog runs out in front of you, will you be able to stop in time?

Just saying…

Some things you shouldn’t have to explain. Should we really have to make a law to outlaw texting while driving?  I bet that you see dozens of people everyday, texting behind the wheel. And how many cars do you see driving for miles in the left lane (sometimes with the blinker on!)  Usually when I finally get around them on the right I see that they are blabbering away on the phone in their own little world.

It’s crazy that we need a law making it illegal to text while driving. Duuuh, can it really be that hard to pull over and send a message? If car makers created something to distract you so that you couldn’t see the highway, there would be lawyers lined up to sue! If someone can’t concentrate on driving and talking on the phone, THEN WAIT TO TALK OR DRIVE!!!  In case you are looking places that you can legally text and drive, here is a list of states and the laws on texting or using cell phones go to http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.

I hate to admit, but maybe there should be some sort of text block built into cars to save these idiots from themselves! Don’t the police have enough to do without busting knuckleheads for TWD!!!

Just saying….

I got custody of the 2003 Toyota Sequoia in the divorce and I was very happy about it. My daughter called it the “Moose” cuz we could put 37 kids and a VW in the back of it. I reluctantly sold it a few weeks ago. It was a sad day in our family.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard about the recall for 2003 Sequoia’s. It was a minor driving issue, but got lots of press because of Toyota’s other recent recalls. I drove that truck up and down the mountain to 7 Springs hundreds of times and never had a problem. There was a time that I never thought that I’d own (let alone defend) a Japanese vehicle, but that was one great Moose.

I replaced it with a GMC Denali and I have to say that I kinda like the GMC. It has lots of gadgets and it’s a beast. But, it’s no Moose!

What’s your feeling about the Toyota recalls and how they have handled them? Shout back and let me know.

Years ago car makers gave us “idiot lights” on our dash instead of gauges to warn us if there was a problem with our car. At first, there was the only the oil pressure, water temp and battery lights. Slowly the carmakers added more diagnostic systems with more lights. Then the  EPA forced them to add emission systems which added more lights. The idea was that the car’s diagnostic system would monitor the engine and tell us if there was some sort of engine malfunction. Over the years, we slowly did less and less preventative maintenance on our car and depended more and more on the idiot lights. We are at the point now that if there is a problem, most people have no idea what to do with their vehicle.

One of the most misunderstood lights is the “check engine light”. It started out as a warning that you were getting low on oil. Now it has a much more complicated meaning. As you drive, you car or truck is taking thousands of measurements in as many as a dozen computers in your car. Your vehicle stores that activity in another computer. When there is a problem with your vehicle, the diagnostic system records that problem and turns on the “check engine light” on your dash. It stores a number that translates to the recorded problem.

Finding out what the computer stores is easy. You can buy a gizmo to tell you what the computer says. The challenge is figuring out how to fix the car. The code just gives you the symptom. It doesn’t usually give you the exact repair. You have to guess what the REAL problem is!  The funny thing is that a national auto parts chain will read the code for you (free of charge), but can’t tell what is real problem is with your car. They will sell you the parts for the symptom, but not the malfunction. (Think about a pharmacist selling you aspirin for your broken arm!)  I’ve heard lots of stories about people buying $150 oxygen sensors when the real issue is an unrelated part.

Remember, usually you get what you pay for!

If you have had an experience (good or bad) with your Check Engine Light, let me know.