Bring Your Own Parts

Of course you know my position on bringing your own auto parts. This is a growing trend (war in some places) that I believe will continue to grow. These people have done what a good politician will do... See an inevitable change and jump out in front to claim it as your own. Hey, there is nothing wrong with that. I am just jealous they got there before me. Before long I can imagine our rightnowautoparts.com parts showing up at their store to be installed. Innovation is the American way, good for them!!

Concept Jaguar Hybrid CX75 - Beautiful!

Read the press release and see more pictures at Autoblog.com

How can I see this and NOT post it?

Somebody has too much time on their hands ...

1930's Concept Car

I have highlighted several concept cars on this blog in the past. I really love the ideas that flow from creating these cutting edge ideas... not to mention the artistic element. Basically, most concept cars combine art, science fiction and engineering. Buckminster Fuller was a scientist, futurist, engineer and visionary that crossed into several different fields, including theoretical math concepts. Displayed here is a vehicle he designed in the 30's that has been reproduced for an exhibition. Check out the link here...

Make a Difference Tour - Alpharetta Georgia

The family is going to this concert Saturday night. I am really looking forward to it. If the tour comes near you I would highly recommend trying to go... These guys are great, and their message is important.

BMX UTV for $7500

One of the cool things about running a blog like this is that I get to post pretty much whatever I feel like posting (within reason). Luckily, my interests line up pretty well with the subject matter I discuss, so very rarely do I need to move outside of my market to find material. Today I am using the blog as a kind of registry for what would be cool if someone decided to buy something for me... Hey, a guy can wish right? I would LOVE to have a new Yamaha Rhino in the four seat configuration but it might be a little unreasonable to drive something into the woods that costs as much as all of the vehicles my family drives to work and school each day. I found this one that sounds a little more reasonable. You can tell I have it bad when I can use the word reasonable to describe a hunting toy for $7500. Hence... the wish list.

Honda Ariel Atom - I "Need" One

Camaro VS Mustang ... V6 Version

Change the season, change the ... antifreeze

Well, here in Atlanta it is still 95 degrees and not a raindrop in sight for the week. It is time to talk about protecting our engines from freezing! Actually most people don't really realize the purpose for antifreeze is more about corrosion protection than freeze or heat protection. At the same time we can use the change of seasons and temperature protection to spark our memory that it is time to perform this routine maintenance item. Read this step by step instruction process from Ask.com that will walk you through the basics of flushing and renewing your radiator/heater core system. If you find you need new parts, you know where go... www.rightnowautoparts.com.

Is 100,000 miles near the end?

I can remember when anyone who had 100,000 miles on their vehicle could brag about the longevity they were able to obtain by taking care of their car. A few years back many of the manufacturers began touting first tune-up at 100,000 miles! These days cars are engineered so well that many are able to reach this milestone even with less than diligent owners. What most of us need to know is that by following some pretty simple guidelines, outlined in the owners manual, we can expect to almost double the life expectancy of our cars. Now we just need to work on the "Need vs. Want" aspect and reset that new car itch for a longer shelf life.

Read this article from MSN Auto for more information.

2012 Jeep Pickup

I am really not sure why Chrysler hasn't done this before now, but it seems there will be an available option for a Jeep pickup on lots beginning in 2012. A few years back when Jeep/Chrysler unveiled 37 different SUV's, it seems this might have been a better path to take. The crowd that loves the Jeep line also loves to tow things and carry things, etc.. Well, finally, according to pickuptrucks.com it will happen soon. The biggest comment I keep hearing is "How about a diesel version?". Surely there is a market for some manufacturer to step in and offer a sub-midsize diesel pickup with long life expectancy and great gas mileage (with reasonable towing capacity).

Read the article at pickuptrucks.com.

It was a dark and cloudy night ...

There are many products on the market that help us keep up with the effects of UV discoloration on headlight lenses. The secret is to be diligent and use them for maintenance as soon as they get a little hazy. If you wait until the lense is completely clouded over you may only be able to improve the situation but not cure it. My rule of thumb is a light cleaning with one of the products (I use Meguairs Plast-X) every time I change the oil. That is also a good time to spray down your engine compartment and components with Simple Green. If you work on your own car, keeping the engine clean will make it much more enjoyable. If not, your mechanic will thank you.

Read this article from Popular Mechanics for more info.

Maybe I Need a Math MBA Degree?

I have to agree with the author of this article I found on Businessweek.com ... enough already with the equation sounding monikers on the new vehicles being introduced. I know that performance cars are targeted towards males, and males love statistics (i.e. sports, math, figuring out women, etc.) but come on! If it takes me more that 10 seconds to say the name of a new car then it probably needs to be shortened. Do I feel a new Jeff Foxworthy series "You might be pompous euro-trash if ..." coming on? Anyway, what I would like to see is a trend where people buy good looking cars and remove all of the badges so that they can be appreciated by their look, not the marketing icons.

Land Speed Record - 307MPH

Student engineers from Ohio State have reportedly broken the record on the Bonneville Salt Flats with an electric vehicle known as the Buckeye Bullet. Read about this event here. There are also unsubstantiated claims that someone else has broken the record also... on a moped.

I'm out of juice, bring me some batteries!

While unveiling an all electric Fedex test vehicle, I wrote a few months back on the subject of a standardized battery configuration for the coming influx of totally electric vehicles. The infrastructure and time logistics of getting batteries charged just seems to be a non-starter for me. I can easily imagine the benefit of my daily commute to and from work using an electric vehicle (especially if I have a free charging station at work), but what can I do if I want to go on vacation? What if I need to run several errands and accidentally run over my allotted mileage? What if I forget to plug in the vehicle and don't notice until I get in to go to work the next morning? An eight hour charging cycle will just not work. This article from Reuters explores many of these issues and highlights several companies who are jumping at the chance to become solutions to what will be a very large issue within the next few years. It will be an interesting news story to follow. Keep in touch...

Canada to Mexico on one tank of gas!

Jalopnik.com has a great article about an engineer who has broken the record for gas mileage on a trip from Canada to Mexico that averaged 115 MPG. Click through and read the entire article here.

N2G Nitrogen Generator

This is one of the best descriptions of the benefits of filling tires with nitrogen that I have seen. If you work at a tire shop, independant garage, dealership, etc., you should give Chad a call to discuss the money making opportunities available by offering to give your customers the cleanest, most environmentally safe, cost effective option in preserving the life of their tires.

I'm Not Worthy!!

There is something about luxury cars that personify success. Maybe it is the extreme costs involved in purchasing the labels that are recognized as the best of the best. This slideshow on MSN shows many of the cars we collectively drool over. Take a few minutes to review the lineup of beautiful cars... just to make yourself feel inferior.

Congratulations to Tony Stewart!

Read about and watch the video of his win by following this link to FOX Sports.

Dad Rap

Red Necks At Play

Typing is not one of my favorite pastimes but it is needed to get my job done. When I have the opportunity I sometimes prefer to abbreviate longer items. Recently I have found myself abbreviating Rightnowautoparts.com as RNAP... So I had a brainstorm and went to check if that URL was available. Well, it looks like someone has already taken the shortened form of our name. I can actually see some synergies between our two companies! See if you agree? Maybe we can do some co-op advertising sometime in the future!!

Video Games are Getting Better and Better

Mazda Shinari Concept Car

I really love the trend of new concept cars like this new Mazda Shinari that have long elegant hoods reminiscent of old Ferrari's and Aston Martins. I haven't seen the proposed specs on this one yet, but most seem to be coming out with well over 300 horsepower and 30 MPG.

I say bring em on... There is a huge pent up demand for beautiful cars that are efficient. Just please try to keep the prices reasonable so that we get to see them on the road more often.

Read more about this beautiful car on autoblog.com