4th Gear: Anyone here have personal experience with the automatic braking systems? How often do you get a “false alarm” where it slams on the brakes for no reason?

It’s something I’m concerned about when car shopping in the future... I have a vehicle now that gives me a warning to brake, but doesn’t do the braking for…

I wondered the same thing myself. Don’t line workers have the authority to stop the line if something doesn’t look right in production, so it can be fixed then and there?

I was always under the impression that premium gasoline options (93/94) typically have better detergent packages than the lower grades as well. For instance, a Shell or Sunoco station HAS to use that brand’s premium fuel which contains their best detergent package, but they can often buy whatever regular octane they’d…

I know that part of the problem with mine was that all of the weatherstripping was shot, so water would run down between the breaks in the weatherstripping and then those little rivers would freeze.

I had a similar experience with an ‘87 Camaro. Sometimes carefully body-checking the door over and over again would break up the ice in the door jamb, sometimes I’d have to resort to climbing through the hatch. Winter was always interesting with that car...

Good call, I hadn’t thought about that aspect.

The closest thing we have is probably SEMA or the Auto Care Association. Both have a strong focus on legislation that benefits car owners and were largely responsible for the “Right to Repair” bills in different parts of the country. Not as powerful as the OEMs but they are gaining steam.

I saw that, too. Sure looks like someone was desperately trying to pry it open for some reason. Just a thought, but could someone have broken in to try to steal it and accidentally started the fire via a botched hot wire job?

As someone who has had GM vehicles in his fleet for over a decade, along with some Nissans and Fords, THIS. Modern GM vehicles are very nice when they’re new. Tight interiors, panel gaps, ride quality - they make a great first impression.

A year or two later after flimsy broken seat levers, shifter buttons that…

“The latest pole shows the ‘Jalopnik bump’ is real.”

Good to know! Maybe they’ll have one open at the NY Auto Show so I can check it out (although I doubt it if it’s just debuting there...)

Great car otherwise. The 4 cylinder with the DCT is a lot of fun.

Having lived with two screens in my TLX for over a year now, I can tell you that on a day to day basis I think they’re a plus. Audio information and HVAC controls are always visible on the lower screen, meaning navigation, phone controls or backup camera can display on the top screen without fighting for real estate.

I…

This isn’t entirely true.

While the average vehicle will not see any performance gain with higher-octane fuel, many stations/brands (even Top Tier) only offer their best detergent package with the highest grade. The “regular” could come from any supplier with only the most basic additives.

With many vehicles now using…

#FIFY

Easy: Require right-hand-drive cars to get a transponder for tolls, which people should be using anyway. Far more efficient and much faster.

It may not be awesome, rare or interesting to you, but I bet there’s a few people who’d be interested in a rear-drive hatch with a stick. To each, their own... but it shouldn’t be destroyed simply because the majority of folks find it boring.

This certainly isn’t the first right hand drive vehicle to arrive here - the US Postal Service has used thousands of them for decades.

Also, your personal preference against something isn’t justification for preventing all of your fellow citizens from using/having it. That’s a pretty slipperly slope... There are easily…

Well, to be fair, nobody’s really sure if the turn signals work on ANY BMW so that has little to do with it being imported...

Regarding the headlights, are the lenses and whatnot themselves different, or is it just a matter of aligning them properly to US spec?

I don’t think Clinton is your freedom choice, either... There’s one party on the ballot in all 50 states though that wants “to keep the government out of your bedroom and out of your wallet” and I’d like to think they’d keep them out of your garage, too if given the opportunity.

Your issue regarding brand new vehicles and the currency exchange rate is a valid one, but let’s look at a realistic compromise - how about allowing an 8-10 year old vehicle instead of waiting until it’s a quarter of a century old? A vehicle like that is probably into its second or third tier of ownership and well out…