AutoMuse®

The 4 teenage boys who live across the street from my Mom have declared that I have “the coolest job on the planet.” Why? Because I have the opportunity to drive all different types of vehicles. Whenever I go to her house, I arrive driving something different. Often, that something different is a teenager’s dream car.

Take my recent line-up, for example. It started with a 2006 red Hummer H3; I swapped off with a colleague into a Jaguar XK8 convertible; then moved to a Porsche Boxster S; back to a Jaguar XJ8; and finally landed in a 2004 Porsche 911. (The hardest thing about driving the 911 was to drive it slowly. Fast was easy; slow was hell. If you can believe it, the car actually sulked along a lengthy 25 mph patch.)

Of course, the neighbors have no idea about the late hours, stressful moments, and tough decisions, and there’s a lot of hard work in what I do. But, yeah, I have to admit, this job can be pretty cool.

Things have been so hectic around here that I forgot to note the AutoMuse blog’s one year anniversary. Wow! I can’t believe a whole year has passed and I actually managed to figure out the concept and fun of blogging.

While things have been slow as manufacturers are just coming back from shut down, autobloggers have kept interest moving. Autoguy is now in London where he writes that bombs went off just a few blocks away from his location. AG also has a spirited commentary with others who live/lived in London who bashed the cars, unemployment, mass transit, and food. Personally, I love London and the rest of Britain. OK, unless things have changed dramatically since the last time I was there, ordinary meals can leave something to desire. But who goes to London for the food? When I go, it’s all about history. Besides, I love a country that moves Guiness around in the equivalent of oil tankers. Maybe that’s why gas prices are so high — half of the fleet is dedicated to moving top quality ale. Anyway, keep your head down, Guy, good luck in Britain, and make sure you keep posting so we can have a firsthand account of the European automotive world.

The Auto Prophet highlights an unexpected safety hazard: Baby mirrors. Just when you think you’re being a responsible parent by installing a simple device that gives one the ability to check on a baby in a rear-facing car seat, you find out that device can actually harm the child. How frustrating for today’s parents, but a good catch by AP. Also on the topic of safety, Autoblog recaps recent recall announcements.

The Automotive Business Blog brings us the full circle bad to good. What? Yes, cars that have turned from ugly to iconic. Sample? Wayne’s World’s AMC Pacer. I agree, it gets a big thumbs up from me, too. Courtesy of Dave Leggett, you too can vote on Car Magazine’s (paying attention here, Joe?) cars you think deserve to be called the ugliest cars ever.

Grant’s Auto Rants has an interesting analysis on hybrid technology and the market’s desired use for hybrids as a means of obtaining greater performance with the potential for fuel efficiency as a secondary consideration.

The View Through The Windshield’s, Joe Sherlock, shows us a piece of personal nostalgia with his July 19th post of a concept car drawn in 8th grade. While Joe calls it “cliched”, I think it looks like Bat Girl’s version of the Bat Mobile. Joe also laments over the “Badges of Mediocrity” car companies have gone to, replacing stand-out emblems with cheap decals. Alas, quality has gone plastic.

Holy unbelievable, Batman! Carpundit has captured a previously-thought-extinct mutated Cadillac Sedan DeVille in canary yellow. Apparently, this little ditty was spotted hanging out at a Home Depot. Rumor has it that this vehicle belongs to one Little Joe Cook of Little Joe Cook & The Thrillers. Gosh, I hope so, because only a musician could drive something like that and not be invited for a semi-permanent stay in a padded room.

Last week, I missed posting an interesting entry from At Home Mechanic, in which AHM talks about positive things General Motors has done to sell cars. Equally interesting were the comments of Bryce on how platform sharing has hurt GM by stripping nameplates of any unique products.

Cars! Cars! Cars! posts about further slips in earnings by GM and possible cut backs by Ford. On a lighter note, however, CCC! brings us the great news that two teenagers have invented freon-free air conditioning.

On a very sobering note, Joe Katona, the Director of Vehicle Architecture for GM Product Engineering, writes in the FastLane Blog about a change in his transportation focus due to a car accident that left his 17 year-old son paralyzed from the shoulders down. As tragic as the situation is, Joe writes that he is now confronted with mobility issues that are entirely new to him but that he has been able to reach out to coworkers at the GM Mobility unit within the company. This unit has information for those confronting mobility issues, but it also needs information from customers about their needs, so people are encouraged to post.

My Ford Dreams writer, Joe, is asking readers for input on whether he should buy the Mustang GT or the Pony; Changing-Gears.com writes about how style matters when it comes to cars and how Ford can’t keep Mustangs on the shelf they are so hot. Jalopnik gives us a very slick roundup in That Was the Week in Cars that Was with meaty stuff on J’s review of BMW’s de-Banglized techno-sedan, spy shots, and automotive interiors since the 1970s. Likewise, Trollhattan Saab “gets down to business” by detailing the 3 things that a car needs to have to be a SAAB. (Just 3 things, just those 3 things — Curly won’t mind.)

For all of those out there who need assistance, Wordlab gives us a mnemonic to remember the name of that guy in the new Chrysler ads.

As I have written about before, one of the issues the Antitrust Modernization Commission is considering is a possible recommendation to Congress for the reexamination, limitation, or repeal of the numerous immunities and exemptions to the federal antitrust laws. Particularly troublesome for many is the insurance exemption to the application of the majority of federal laws, including the federal antitrust laws, via the McCarran-Ferguson Act. The AMC issued a call for public comment on the topic of immunities and exemptions which were due July 15th. Some interesting comments were submitted.

Probably the most interesting comment on the immunities and exemptions issue came from, where else? The Office of the New York Attorney General. The NY AG’s Antitrust Bureau is still hot on the trail of abusive insurance practices and its comment identified that “our investigation of the insurance industry disclosed serious, well-substantiated evidence of bid-rigging that resulted in artificial inflation of commercial insurance rates in the absence of real competition.” (Pg 9) The comment goes on to note that this is a pervasive national problem that involves 10 cents of every dollar produced in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

Consider that the National Association of Attorneys General adopted a Resolution on the Principles of State Antitrust Enforcement at its spring meeting affirming its opposition to any legislation that weakens antitrust standards for specific industries, and I would say insurers may soon have some explaining to do to in front of a state enforcer with substantially more clout than the Insurance Commissioners.

PCI and AIA both submitted comments outlining that McCarran-Ferguson is necessary for the proper operation of the insurance industry. Yet, there is an acknowledgement that MFA would not be necessary for those insurers who elect to opt in to a proposed optional federal charter.

It certainly will be interesting to see what develops. In Verizon Communications, Inc. v. Law Offices of Curtis V. Trinko LLP, 540 U.S. 398, 415 (2004), Justice Scalia stated that, “The Sherman Act is indeed the ‘Magna Carta of free enterprise’”. That being the case, even the King was not entitled to an exemption from the application of the Magna Carta. In point of fact, no one was.

As I have written about before, one of the issues the Antitrust Modernization Commission is considering is a possible recommendation to Congress for the reexamination, limitation, or repeal of the numerous immunities and exemptions to the federal antitrust laws. Particularly troublesome for many is the insurance exemption to the application of the majority of federal laws, including the federal antitrust laws, via the McCarran-Ferguson Act. The AMC issued a call for public comment on the topic of immunities and exemptions which were due July 15th. Some interesting comments were submitted.

Probably the most interesting comment on the immunities and exemptions issue came from, where else? The Office of the New York Attorney General. The NY AG’s Antitrust Bureau is still hot on the trail of abusive insurance practices and its comment identified that “our investigation of the insurance industry disclosed serious, well-substantiated evidence of bid-rigging that resulted in artificial inflation of commercial insurance rates in the absence of real competition.” (Pg 9) The comment goes on to note that this is a pervasive national problem that involves 10 cents of every dollar produced in the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

Consider that the National Association of Attorneys General adopted a Resolution on the Principles of State Antitrust Enforcement at its spring meeting affirming its opposition to any legislation that weakens antitrust standards for specific industries, and I would say insurers may soon have some explaining to do to in front of a state enforcer with substantially more clout than the Insurance Commissioners.

PCI and AIA both submitted comments outlining that McCarran-Ferguson is necessary for the proper operation of the insurance industry. Yet, there is an acknowledgement that MFA would not be necessary for those insurers who elect to opt in to a proposed optional federal charter.

It certainly will be interesting to see what develops. In Verizon Communications, Inc. v. Law Offices of Curtis V. Trinko LLP, 540 U.S. 398, 415 (2004), Justice Scalia stated that, “The Sherman Act is indeed the ‘Magna Carta of free enterprise’”. That being the case, even the King was not entitled to an exemption from the application of the Magna Carta. In point of fact, no one was.

For those who had an insurance total loss declared resulting from the use of a valuation product from CCC Information Services, Inc., there may be money coming your way. CCC and 15 of its customers have agreed to pay about $10,000,000 in settlement of class actions for undervaluing total loss claims. The settlement is subject to court approval, so until the judicial word comes down that the settlement is a “go”, everything’s on hold.

A provision of the proposed settlement requires CCC to hire an independent third party evaluator to periodically review the valuation product and to oversee valuation studies.

One of the places the announcement showed up promptly was in the Insurance Journal. What was truly revealing, however, were the comments to that article of insurance industry insiders detailing their own perceived unfair treatment with CCC in a total loss claim. Ouch.

CCC doesn’t have any information up on its site yet pertaining to the proposed settlement, but I’m sure the nice folks in the company’s public relations department would love to hear from you, so I’ve attached the link.

Thanks to a tip, I found Changing-gears.com, a blog devoted to “everything automotive by enthusiasts”. Even better than the fact that they think my blog is worthy of a read (which just shows what good sense these folks have!), Carblogger posted this interesting point-by-point commentary on Autoguy Rick Todd’s entry about what’s ailing Detroit.

Definitely worth a read. Welcome to the flock, gear changers!

Trying to explain blogging to my non-blogger friends is hard; trying to explain blogging the Carnival of Cars is nigh on impossible. That said, who cares if they don’t get it? We do, and since we’re the ones reading and writing its substance, that’s all that matters.

The Auto Prophet dishes about Jaguar’s possible plan to use the name Daimler (which it apparently owns) as the name of a new $100,000+ luxury vehicle. AP wonders about the sense of this when VW’s Phaeton, Mercedes Maybach, and BMW’s Rolls Royce are struggling to sell product in that dollar range. AP also wonders if there wouldn’t be brand confusion with DaimlerChrysler — which I dare say there would be.

Autoguy has a number of interesting posts from last week. First, AG addresses the bizarre thought process auto analysts seem to have. Next he looks at an environmental solution to diesel pollution ; on to the doomsday question of gas prices; and rounds out the week with an interesting commentary on American manufacturers’ inability to compete in the world market because they have to pay for employee health care. AG puts a finger on an issue that was a significant topic of conversation at last summer’s J.D. Powers Automotive Roundtable, and which I am certain is an ongoing source of debate among American manufacturers. It’s tough for manufacturers to compete in a world market in which their competitors’ costs are reduced by the fact that the government picks up the health care tab.

Carpundit shows us the first BMW E90 seen on the streets. CP is always very candid about thoughts on cars, so the thumbs up on the E90 should give BMW something to be happy about.

Cars!Cars!Cars! gives us a great defense to the employee discount gig. Build a car for which people want to pay full price. CCC! shows us a delicious new Honda Civic that still fits in our pocketbooks and raves about the Acura RL. A moment of silence, please, as the NSX goes off to pasture.

GM’s FastLane Blog suggests summer reading while the manufacturer is on its traditional 2 week re-tooling shutdown. Sorry, FastLane, but Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is just out, and I have Harry to catch up with.

Jalopnik writes about an insurance study done in 2002 identifying which astrological signs are most likely to have accidents: Answer Gemini number 1; Capricorn number 12. Gee, get on the stick, Jalopnik — I wrote an article which addressed that study as an adjunct to the whole insurance risk score debate in April of 2002. Where have you been?

Just Auto comments on the Russian car market, My Ford Dreams talks about how life has been getting in the way of blogging; and Autoextremist lets us know that Detroit is “officially” out of ideas.

Joe Sherlock of The View Through The Windshield gives it to Chrysler and Ford for their “lemming-like” response to GM’s employee discount. Joe has also found that Top Gear from the Discovery Channel is a substitute for his inability to find the British magazine Car.

Trollhatten Saab gives us 2 Lincoln Pennies worth of opinion on the new Saab 9-5 (courtesy of his spy-shots et al.) Disappointment. Lack of traditional design. I hear ugly growling in the Saab-buying world. Hey, have they thought of employee discounts for everyone?

Autoblog reveals that 82 Morgan roadsters will be imported to the U.S. Right now, we don’t know why, but who cares? These beauties look just like they did 40 years ago — which is to say magnificent! I’ve always thought this was what every roadster should look like. With a price of $73,500 plus shipping, it is more reasonable that some of the other toy cars available. Count me in and, yes, I would like mine in hunter green as pictured, thank you very much.

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)issued a news release apprising its members of 19 newly enacted state security breach notification laws and warning more states will likely follow suit. Given the recent spate of alarming security breaches, most notably at ChoicePoint and Lexis/Nexis, states are moving to follow California’s lead requiring businesses to notify customers of security breaches which expose personal information to non-authorized persons. Before these highly publicized security failures, California was the only state requiring disclosure to consumers that their information had been compromised. Without California’s law, I doubt we would ever have heard about the problem.

Given the amount and extent of personal information insurers collect in claims processing, NAMIC is smart to inform its members about these new laws and what they require. I shudder to think what information identity thieves could get if they hacked into insurer files.

Security Breach Notification Laws Should Concern Insurers, NAMIC Says (RR)

I walked into the office the other day, and smack in the middle of the lobby, like some piece of art deco, was the black hard top to a 2004 Ford Thunderbird. The hard top is still proudly occupying space there, and I have to admit it’s beginning to grow on me as some weird form of performance-meets-modern art.

This car is a delight to drive with the top down. It has the retro-T-Bird design with a toothy grille and deeply set luminous orbs for lights. Once you’ve seen the prominent front, the body slims down and glides away like a fish moving off for more interesting waters.

Once inside, the ride gets better. This particular car has a black exterior and continues the theme with a black dash and silver door accents, settling into a tan leather interior and tan soft top. Detail is everywhere in this car. It’s seats are lush and comfortable, the steering wheel and shifter knob have padded leather grips, and it has lots more leg room that the smaller, sportier SLK, Boxster, and TT.

Although it remains true to the retro look, the Thunderbird offers the modern conveniences, like CD, heated seats, and adapter outlets. It also combines the dial gauges using turquoise indicators with digital dash information, and provides a digital read of which gear the car is in. I found the last particularly helpful as D5 and D4 are very close together, and it is hard to distinguish by looking at the floor shift. I did not, however, really need the car to display “Top Down” when I got in — although I imaging that could be helpful if the convertible top did not latch properly. Speaking of which, the convertible top is fully automated and only requires human intervention to secure the two catches and latch it down.

I have to admit that I find rag tops irritating. They always look dirty, no matter how clean the car is. And then there is that irritating someone-slashed-the-top-open-to-try-to-steal-something effect. No matter how you slice it, I’ll take the retractable hard top any day.

Other than the soft top issue, my only other real criticism is the lack of visibility when the hard top is (off our lobby floor and) on the car. The hard top has these fun round fish bowl windows that compliment the car but don’t really help with viewing.

All said, I like the ‘04 Thunderbird. It has wonderful pickup from the V8 motor and it soars effortlessly down the road. My neighbors liked it too! (They were probably as thrilled because the car is a beauty as much as these were pleased that I came home in something small and quiet rather than big and noisy. I’ve been driving diesel trucks lately, and I doubt I am very popular when I get home late from work.)

Attributes:

Black out (body and hard top)
Tan leather in
10,000 miles
V8
CD
Heated seats
Traction control
Power pack
Power tilt
Wheel media/cruise controls

The Auto Prophet gives a detailed look at the 2006 Mazda5 and gives it an ecstatic exclamation for manual transmission availability. AP has this to say about how the Mazda5 rates in the ever technical “Can I Sit Behind Myself Test”:

Sitting in the second row, I was pleased that there was plenty of room for me. A critical test is the “can you sit behind yourself” test. I am 6″ tall, and in many cars, I can not comfortably sit behind myself; in the Mazda5, I did not have a problem.

Gee, I’ve been trying to sit behind myself for years, but I just can’t get it to work. AP also reminds us you can buy car stuff at amazon.com — it’s not just for books any more.

With that never-flagging edgy wit, Carpundit outs a wanna be M edition BMW. CP also subtly reminds us to visit the Ralph Lauren collection in Boston before it disappears.

Bob Schulties of Cars! Cars! Cars! takes a wack at the Big 3 for saying “No” to Honda’s suggestion that windows stickers be required to include information on government crash test and rollover ratings. Bob also focuses on the notable issue with Ford and Chrysler following GM’s employee discount lead: The Japanese manufacturers aren’t following suit. Why not? Because they don’t need to. An in-your-face on that last comment, Autoblog writes that Toyota has actually raised prices on its products. For some serious reflection on the GM employee discount for everyone, Grant’s Auto Rants looks to a significant issue largely ignored by pundits in the wake of the manufacturer’s elation to have increased sales so dramatically — the effect the program will have on values in the used car market. Over at My Ford Dreams, Joe poses the question of whether the other employee-related incentive programs will continue during the tag-along discount period. Some of those questions are answered in the comments to his post, and thanks to the Ford folks who provided real answers.

View Through The Windshield’s, Joe Sherlock talks about a “fill and wipe” technique for successfully covering paint chips. Seems that Joe cashed some chips in on his Jaguar and has it looking spiffy again. Not competition spiffy, as he explains why he decided against entering it in the upcoming Concours d’ Elegance.

As I was looking at the car, I thought about entering it. Then I came to my senses. I don’t want to spend the next two weeks cleaning crevices with Q-tips and detailing the engine compartment - waaaaaay too tedious.

Joe also gives statistics on the effect of the GM EE Discount. The only one I would add came from some folks inside the company who have said that GM hasn’t had a sales month like June 2005 since 1986.

GM’s FastLane Blog invites everyone to sign up for a free one-year subscription to the GM magazine. And speaking (does it seem like GM has become the only subject in the automotive world?) of GM, Swade of Trollhattan Saab links to a BusinessWeek report of the hush-hush sneak peak Bob Lutz gave to the media of product designs to hit the pavement later this year.

AutoGuy Rick Todd talks about his recent adventures learning to drive stick — hem … manual transmission that is. Now Todd is moving to Britain where he will get a chance to use those newly acquired skills with his left hand.

And speaking of Britain, above all else, the AutoBloggers were respectfully quiet in recognition of the July 7th explosions.

I will be slow on posts as I am off to testify on behalf of consumer interests at the NCOIL hearing on aftermarket parts. Anyone interested in what I will be saying can read the written testimony submitted.

A friend forwarded this little piece of press release fun to me from BoreMe.com on issues of technology advancement related to computers and cars.

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At COMDEX recently, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, “If GM had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.”

In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive, but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single “This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation” warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask “Are you sure?” before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again, because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. Oh yeah, and last but not least . . . you’d have to press the “Start” button to turn the engine off!