My fleet vehicles all have “lifetime fluid” in their transmissions. That’s probably not how the manufacturer intended it, but we never have transmission services performed and it’s never an issue. So for some fluids it probably doesn’t make much of a material difference in longevity or performance.

Yeah, pretty much everything is synthetic these days. Not completely everything, but the vast majority. All GM vehicles since, I believe, m/y 2012 when their DexOS oil spec came out. Honda and Toyota have been full synthetic for a while now, and Ford has at least been a blend for almost ten years although they may…

One of the biggest lies is right there on the wall where it says “lube technician”. Technician, huh? How many minutes of training did they have to suffer through to learn how to drain oil at one end and pour it in at the other? Was Module 1 called “Lefty Loosey”? Was there a special group project on using funnels and…

That’s exactly their motivation for not sharing that information with you; they want you to go back to them for every little service. Probably greater than 90% of buyers won’t make the effort to find out what the codes mean, so they’ll see “AB612-C service due” and they’ll think “Oh my gosh, that sounds important” and…

Tesla is still very much in a transition period. They’ve started to see the fruits of their labor with the Model 3, while the S and X (older technology) are basically fading away. They’re just about to open up their new Gigafactory in China, which will greatly increase their global production capacity and in the…

Many in the UK have been lobbying to have that opportunity, especially since the full consequences of Brexit weren’t known by those who voted in favor of it at the time, but it’s fallen on deaf ears.

One of the most baller features a car can have is a built-in umbrella holder in the doors or fenders.

As someone who has spent the last 20 years in the auto repair industry, I think we could maintain the same level of certified techs for our full electric future without much trouble.

Good looking unit. Looks like a blend between modern Volvo and Kia design language, which isn’t a bad thing by any means because I think both companies are on top of their game right now.

Haha, I like your analogy but I don’t think I’m ready for an on-the-spot knee replacement in a doctor’s office.

I agree with a lot of the things you pointed out, and I hadn’t considered the backwards effect on cost that a limited profit percentage would create. Yet another of those unintended consequences of a well-intentioned law at some point.

You’d have SO much fun with the Giulia. And from what I see around forums and whatnot, 2018-up are as reliable as anything else out there. God what a blast they are... 

Cars in general are better & longer-lasting than ever, however I find no evidence that GM has learned how to build a better, longer-lasting car.

And yet, Toyota, BMW, Subaru, Hyundai/Kia, Honda and VW have never claimed to find wages to be a hindrance to being able to profitably produce vehicles here in the US, and I don’t hear anything about them having a hard time finding workers, nor about unfair/dangerous conditions in any of their factories. So is it the…

A lot of the pickups and stuff might be small business owners who can expense it to their business... I see that a lot in my area with all types of businesses from auto repair to landscapers and architects, etc. The owner and his/her spouse often have newer well-optioned trucks that they trade every few years, so I…

I like that you used the phrase “back on the rails” at the end, because it made me think... if a custom test track was built and this was modified to fit those rails, the stability issue basically goes away. But would that count as a “land speed” record then if it’s not touching terra firma? It would still be an…

Thank you for the very well-spoken, thoughtful response. That’s a hard thing to find re: the healthcare debate...

Indirectly, this makes a great case for making health insurance a government-provided service rather than saddling employers with most of the costs themselves. Since those costs keep going up, more and more employers have motivation to “find ways to do without that person”. Sure, there’s still their salary, 401k, etc.…

You’ve gotta admit, as far as cutting-edge designs go it’s hard to find one grater.

Sounds like it was a case about nothing.