It seems each year there is  a lot of hype for certain vehicles that are in the now as well as the future. This year was taken over of what the future lies ahead of us, for all manufacturers.

One thing for sure, the Marketing guys were no where to be found, as they are the ones with the money. Budgets tightened up it’s understandable why.

Having said that. There were a few surprises, for me anyways.

I’ll classify this in certain categories.

Biggest Surprise: Pontiac G8 GXP

Pontiac finally got it right. In almost every case, interiors, take a dump when it comes to refinement and quality in Domestics. Not here. The G8 did a lot of right things and for the price you can’t go wrong. Frankly, I would consider this vehicle to be the Poor Man’s  BMW M5. That’s right, I said it. Half the price for a similar car.

The only difference in these two will be resale value. Unfortunate, that the timing of the vehicle’s release.

Most Underrated: Acura TL

New for this year. The TL doesn’t let down. And the truth of the matter the TL is like the Mercedes CLS, as when the car came out, it was like “WTF?” The Acura TL is not very photograph friendly as the CLS, but when you see it live, it’s a thing of beauty. With 300 hp and all-wheel drive all has been fixed, as the last generation was front wheel drive, which can be detrimental with that amount of horsepower. So, both areas have improved and once you get in the vehicle, you’ll feel complete.

Car of the Show: Volkswagen CC

The car looks good, great price and mileage. Enough said. Volkswagen has a winner on this one.

Bang for your Buck: Hyundai Genesis V6

I was not blown away, but then it is Hyundai…somehow blown away and Hyundai don’t mix. The value for what you are getting are nothing sort of miraculous. Comparable car in the German Series will easily fetch another 20-30k.  An option for the times and Hyundai has a great warranty to boot.

Realistically, because of the looming car crisis I really didn’t spend much time on the concept cars or inaugurations of certain models as the game has changed. And things will be changed before they come out in the market.

If there was ever a good time to buy vehicle, it is now, or especially right after this mess of the Big 3 gets “worked out.” Within the next 6 weeks will be crunch time…for all.

Lawrence

Finally. The word rings true at this stage of the game.

I went to the L.A. Auto show today to hear what the “Buzz” was on this fiasco before I commited on this final chapter.

First off, I could come up with solutions…many of them, but isn’t i too late and I’m too small at this stage of the game. So, what I’m saying is that I feel sorry for the people that are going to feel the brunt of this; and it’s just begun.

A good friend of mine has an in with a lot of the higher end brands, like Lamborghini, Maserati and Bentley and they are hurting as well. So, here is the story that comes from the horse’s mouth. “They” don’t feel any pity for the Big 3, but they do know if the repercussions, if they do go under. In other words, the middle class cars will disappear and really Volkswagon and Toyota can offer the gamut. Could they have the perfect model?

Let’s put it this way, during this next short while, get yourself a part time job, learn a trade, get so more education and DON’T take on anymore payments, even it is the greatest deal, as it’s going to get rough. This could be an oppurtunity to write that book, spend more time with your kids or even better and saying “Fuck it” I’m going for it. Good for you!

I can lay blame to many aspects to this, but the one source that put the biggest curve ball have been the oil companies. The Union has been around forever, so they are not fully to be blamed, but I have no problem pointing my finger, the middle one to boot. And President Bush? Well, why bother.

I’ll never forget the picture of Exxon’s head guy, on the Drudge Report, and he looked like Jabba the Hut from Star Wars and below it was the profit…in the billions. And that is just one company. Further, on one of my other blogs, I have a friend that did the books for a couple of oil rigs of the coast of California and she said, and I quote, 300-400 million per year PER rig. I mean how much is too much? That was 2002.

Let’s put this simply, gas goes up to the point that GM, FORD and even Toyota take an immediate dump; and in fact retool the factories in just under a year. There are cars in development that take anywhere from 4-10 years, but yet all of the sudden they have to drop everything so as to appease the public as well as staying alive! Never mind all this other shit that is going on. Possibly, there are other factors, but to me, if you are given a bill and you don’t pay then there is consequences. In this case, the bill, is in the Trillions.

Whew. 

So, is this a bad thing…the Big 3 going under?

Well, GM is now buyable. You could purchase GM, I believe, for just over 2 Billion. There are plenty of Billionaires but no one is jumping up to the plate. Why is that? Even the Chinese are interested, which could be a “Wag the Dog” situation. Who knows.

The truth of the matter is that they would inherit a lot of problems, instanteously and realistically, you’ll need to break into the piggy bank-big time.

So, is it better to let them go bankrupt and go into restructing mode with a clean slate?

I like to think so, as now they have gotten rid of the union in one short swipe. They also know that they have to make more efficient vehicle and along the way change some things that were just in perpetuation. Further, the gas/oil prices are down for the time being. Conversely, there will be some great losses on the workers side, almost catastrophic, but generally, where factories lie, the cost of living is quite cheap. In other words, if they are in their mid 30’s and up, there is a good chance that there homes are paid off. Let’s put this way, all my friends back home, have a home, cottage and all the toys.

So,what does this all mean?

It means we all have to work together as we are all in it. Truly.

Help out your family, friends and even your neighbors, as goodwill goes a long way….It’s the American thing to do.

Lawrence

Funny thing, yesterday, the head of U.A.W. (Union) came out to say that we shouldn’t be to blame. No sir. You are not to blame, but are or should I say were part of the problem.

As I mentioned other cultures, countries, manufacturers do not have unions. They seem to get along just fine too. The bottom line is that the loser, whiner and slacker can get ahead, whereas the harding working man or woman are not noticed and rightly so as they are doing their job. Enough about Unions.

The factory mentality itself.

Let’s cruise over to Germany for a second. Top notch and pretty much any manufacturer, but let’s take on Porsche. All employees where uniforms and it’s always clean. Whereas back in the States, at the Corvette factory in Bowling Green Kentucky, at lunch hour they sit ON the Corvettes. Missing part…Let the dealer fix it. That’s right.

I just can’t see any German or Japanese manufacturer pulling that stunt, personally, they would be embarrassed.

Have you seen any pictures of the Car Factories in China? You would think you were looking at some militant operation. Maybe so, but the truth of the matter is that they are disciplined, which is something we lack over here and a little pride wouldn’t hurt either.

The fact is that WE are all responsible. The guy that puts the one part on, or ships it, or how he deals with the customer, or the Executive that organizes, or the Manager that manages some aspect of the operation, etc. A corporation is made up of everbody from the ground up. Personally though dealing with the executives from here in the States is a very frustrating problem and I can’t imagine how the masses feel. Enough said.

About three years ago, GM and Ford receive “Junk Status” and went on a sales spree to keep their sales up. And to correct the problem they truly worked to make a better car. In fact, they were just around the corner from having a line up that appeal to the masses, number 1 and that could have better longevity, number 2. As far as Chrysler. No comment.

And what happens next?

Oil and Gas prices soar. This put a serious monkey wrench into their plans. 

You see these cars generally need a few years to perfect and they were about a year shy to getting to that point. Then prices go through the roof, and a result truck and SUV sales take a nose dive. They have to shut down plants, convert the factories for cars, etc. It’s a mess.

Part 3 will put this together.

Lawrence

Anywhere you look there is doom and gloom, whether it be the economical turmoil, the pass election or in this case, the Auto Manufacturers.

I’ve been involved with cars for over 30 years in so many facets that I cannot deny what I see and know.

These indicators are to put certain perspectives in place and there will be many.

Let’s start with one of my vehicles, an 2002 SVT Focus, a two years in row for Motortrends 10 best cars of the year. Conversely, a 1988 Honda CRX.

The SVT has gone through things that weren’t possible, but yet have happened way too many times. And for concise purposes I will list it out:

-New Engine, New Rack and Pinion (Steering component), 12 O2 (Oxygen)sensors, All four wheel bearings, lower control arm,  etc, etc. These are things that NEVER get replaced. I did not include wear and tear, like the clutch and suspension components.

-Honda CRX- Zero items.

The SVT 132k, CRX, 100k.

How can this be? After all the Focus had already in been Europe for 5 years before they introduced it here in the States and after being on the market, SVT (Special Vehicle Team) put together a vehicle that was tweaked for the driver and in “theory” was good. Futher, SVT staff is composed of personnel with racing backgrounds…they went under last year.

Honda at the time was dominating Formula 1 with McLaren. Yes, that technology does get watered down for the masses.

Funny thing, was that CRX was driven, every single moment like it had been stolen.

Another factor, I have many friends and contacts in the industry. However, the way Ford handled this situation is, let’s just say, is indicator of what is going on…higher on the food chain. Conversely, dealing with other manufacturers it has been quite easy with my other vehicles with professionalism, I might add.

I won’t be pulling any punches on these blogs as you deserve to know the truth.

The manufacturing aspects…If you ever get to a chance to take a tour of Japanese or German Manufacturer versus a Domestic manufacturer, you will have an eye opener or in this case, a reason why the Big 3 are taking a Big Dump.

As a young man I worked in factory that made car seats for Trucks. Another factory we made the fiberglass liners for under the hood of the car. This is what they had in common….they both had drug addicts and drunks, one was union and the other not.

You see, at GM they print out what vehicle is made of (options and features) and within 15 minutes, all subsidiary companies get their report, seats, hoodliners, etc. And to put this in perspective Chrysler alone has 300,000 thousand suppliers. GM, since it is global, there will be a lot more, to say the least. Keep this in mind, if they go under. FYI-Suppliers as of today are cutting off credit to GM. Let’s leave this alone for a second.

Unions, for me, this is one of the biggest demises of the Big 3. In GM’s case, each vehicle, $1500.00 goes to Union related activities. As I mentioned, as they were filled with drug addicts and drunks, I personally had a friend that had a drug problem and didn’t show up for work for a week, because of the drug issues was fired. He then went to rehab and got his job back. Further, lunch hours we would hit the bars and didn’t make a difference what place I worked, 4-6 beers were consumed, then we worked on your vehicles. I was 19 and as far as I was concerned that’s what 19 year olds do…I just didn’t realize that people in their thirties did the same thing. Ever heard of “not buying a vehicle on a Friday or a Monday,” well now you know why.

Unions were great for the past, especially in 1920’s and 1930’s where working conditions were less than ideal. Nowadays, they are protected by certain laws. No problem if they are being taken advantage of.

Do you think they have Unions in Japan and Germany, or even better, Japanese factories in the U.S.? Hmmm…

Further, in these Union factories when 5:00 o’clock comes around, it’s Miller time and other such places, that would not occur and it’s not because of money.

This will get interesting and will come full circle.

Lawrence

Since gas prices have gone up the Toyota Prius owners have been running rampant. Living in the L.A. area they are as common as the Ipod.

Riding on my motorcycle it used to be SUV owners that would cut me off, now it’s the Toyota Prius. In fact, I’ve had a couple try to race me while on my bike. This is a select crowd.

 There seems to be an evolution that is taking place or they may operate like they did with their SUV, but get better gas mileage. It’s happened pretty much overnight too.

I’m still on the fence about the Hybrid technology, but Toyota has a hit on their hands. And Honda is around the corner with their version of it: The New Honda Insight. Not to mention, Prius will be getting a new facelift and maybe by then the Dealerships won’t be price gauging…it’s a nice thought anyways.

The truth of the matter in the next couple of years, personally, we are going to see a mish-mash of vehicles coming out. Just for the fact, that it takes years to bring their concepts into fruition. I feel for the manufacturer, now they have to produce “something” that won’t be polished, so as to meet up with gas prices.

This is a dark period. Most people haven’t realized it.

Lawrence

I was privileged to meet up with a living legend-Cole Mckay. Cole has been a stunt man for over 25 years, specializing in car stunts.

I had been trying to meet up with Cole for close to two years and had spoke on the phone several times and I might add he is great guy. There is a reason why he is always working.

We have this image of what cars can and can’t do via movies and commercials. Well, being on the other side he definitely had a different perspective. If you have ever noticed cars driving really close to each other, usually in car commericials, they are creating an effect of precision as those type of drivers, usually, come from Autocross field (driving around pylons as quick as be). Whereas the stunts are from a different animal. No pun intended.

As Cole put it “They work with 6 feet, we work with 6 inches.”  And he means it.

As I have some ”stunt” work under my belt I asked him how to do certain stunts. One is the Rockford, which came from Rockford Files. This I could do, no problem. Now, Cole goes over it, in great detail. He would take it up to 65 miles, to start off with and end up 2 feet away from where he needs to be. I can definitely say I can’t do that, with that kind of precision is mastery in itself as there people around. And if you ever have looked stats in car magazines, they usually have the acceleration, braking distances, etc. Let’s say, a 4000lb vehicle will stop at roughly 130-150 feet and to come to 2 feet away is amazing.

This is how the title of this article ties in with safety. Cole was telling me about rolling(flipping) the car. First thing he does is cut’s out the air bag (as it can break your nose) and only uses waist seatbelt and leans over to the other seat and grabs on to something, usally a strap. Sometimes, it has a roll cage, sometimes not. Some times he wears a fire retardant suit and sometimes not. The last stunt he rolled the car through an explosion.

The point I’m making here that driver education, in my eyes, will be senior to safety. Of course, this take practice. I’ve always been a proponent of enhanced driving skills/schools and definitely not run by the government.                     

We have taken the driver out of driving. A couple of years ago, there was an article on these car journalists that drove a 1990 M3, first generation of the M series being offered by BMW. Well, they couldn’t drive it. They have relied on technology so much that they forgotten to drive. Go a a generation before that where seatbelts weren’t even mandatory and I’ll show you driver. Those days are over, that’s for sure. 

Conversely, we are going in the direction of magnetism, which means eventually, we won’t have to keep are hands on the steering wheel  or even keep an eye on the vehicle in front of us. Further, we are also designing and building 2 seater track cars, for the weekend to get back the experience of driving.

So, which is it? Safety or the experience?

I know what Jay Leno would say.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Ribeiro

Pick your controversial story. It’s a nice change today, considering it’s the 4th of July where hopefully, you are not under the yoke of all this.

 A couple of months ago the monthly reports on sales were just brutal. This was the worst I have ever seen.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/01/by-the-numbers-april-2008/

The last couple of months have improved for two reasons: Incentives and people wanting better gas mileage vehicles.

No brainer. However, how long can this last?

People have gone nuts for Prius’s. I went to locate one for client, which I never had to go to any great detail to find one and get a deal. Simple. Not now. Frankly, you’ll be paying premium for a used one. Last year, with about 5-7k(miles) could be gotten for under 20k(cost)-easily. Now, add 5k to the cost and 10k more mileage to boot. So, tell me, how long will it take for you to get your money back on that? At these costly gas prices, probably not too long.

This kind of parallels the housing market. It’s a buyers market for gas guzzlers. Hummers, Escalades, Pick ups-any can be gotten with relative ease. New or used. You might say the off-set cost will work itself out. Let’s say, you save 5-7k on a new truck. How long before you eat that up in gas prices? Well, two weeks ago I was at the Land Rover dealership and looked at the manufacturer sticker and at the bottom it calculated yearly costs depending on gas mileage. Well, one thing I noticed. It estimated it for $2.28 per gallon! That seems like a distant memory. Having said that, it’s doubled and if I recall right; and the estimated costs were just under 3k. Now, well over 5k. So, there you go, if you buy a new truck for 5-7k off, you’ll have roughly, 12-18 months before the costs reverse. Providing the gas prices stay current.

Is it a risk? Yes, as the housing market is, as the prices will be dropping. And of course, gas hasn’t dropped lately has it?

Even myself, I’ve been taking advantage of my motorcycle. Funny thing though, I’m paying more on my motorcycle in gas expenses than my car just two years ago. Interesting situation. Even though, it is a motorycle I usually get 35-40 mpg and where as the Prius gets consistently 45 miles per gallon. Another way of looking at it. Driving/Owning a Prius will save you enough money in years time where you could buy a brand new motorcycle. Something to ponder.

This is is the permaculture of the Auto Industry. Sustainable transportation, if you will. But finding Prius is a whole new proposition.

Here in a L.A. “IF” you can find one. You are looking at 4-5 k ABOVE MSRP. When going to the local dealership, a car transporter, was picking up a Prius for 4k above MSRP for someone in Arkansas. So, you have your work cut out for you. There are other alternatives for finding such, but you’ll have to be creative, to say the least.

 Forget all this for one day and go and have a good time.

Happy 4th of July.

Best,

Lawrence Ribeiro

I’ve been fortunate to meet up with a legend in the Stunt world of Hollywood. Cole Mckay a veteran stunt man of 25 years in the film industry.

I had been trying to meet up with Cole, for close to two years and had spoke on the phone several times and I might add he is great guy. There is a reason why he is always working.

We have this image of what cars can and can’t do via movies and commercials. Well, being on the other side he definitely had a different perspective. If you have ever noticed cars driving really close to each other, usually in car commericials, they are creating an effect of precision.  Those type of drivers usually come from the Autocross field (driving around pylons as quick as can be). Whereas the stunts are from a different animal. No pun intended.

As Cole put it “They work with 6 feet, we work with 6 inches.”  And he means it.

As I have some ”stunt” work under my belt I asked him how to do certain stunts. One is the Rockford, which came from Rockford Files. This I could do, no problem, with lots of space that is. Now, Cole goes over it, in great detail. He would take it up to 65 mph to start off with and end up 2 feet away from where he needs to be. I can definitely say I can’t do that, with that kind of precision.  That’s mastery in itself as there are people nearby. And if you ever have looked at the statistics in car magazines, they usually have the acceleration, braking distances, etc. Let’s say, a 4000lb vehicle will stop at roughly 130-150 feet and to come 2 feet away is nothing short of amazing.

This is how the title of this article ties in with safety. Cole was telling me about rolling (flipping) the car. First thing he does is cut out the air bag (as it can break your nose) and only uses a waist seatbelt and leans over to the other seat and grabs on to something, usually a strap. Sometimes, it has a roll cage, sometimes not. Sometimes he wears a fire retardant suit and sometimes not. The last stunt he rolled the car through an explosion. Further, Cole told me of a time where he did three in one day. And were worried about what exactly?

The point I’m making here is that driver education, in my eyes, will be senior to safety. Of course, this take practice. I’ve always been a proponent of enhanced driving skills/schools and definitely not run by the government.                     

We have taken the driver out of driving. A couple of years ago, there was an article on these car journalists that drove a 1990 M3, first generation of the M series being offered by BMW. Well, they couldn’t drive it. They had relied on technology so much that they had forgotten how to drive. Go a a generation before that where seatbelts weren’t even mandatory and I’ll show you a driver. Those days are over, that’s for sure. 

Conversely, we are going in the direction of magnetism, which means eventually, we won’t have to keep our hands on the steering wheel  or even keep an eye on the vehicle in front of us. Moreover, we are also designing and building 2 seater track cars, for the weekend to get back the experience of driving.

So, which is it? Safety or the experience?

I know what Jay Leno would say.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Ribeiro

The other day I had my car aligned (4 wheel alignment) after replacing pretty much my entire suspension. A friend recommended Johnson’s Alignment Service out of Torrance. All I can say is WOW! (I usually, don’t write about a specific shop, but was truly impressed with the product and service that Johnson’s offered and in some cities these types of shops don’t exist, unfortunately). You’re probably thinking…big deal? Well, it was a big deal for the fact I haven’t seen a shop like this for close to twenty years! Most technicians have been there 10+ plus years and knew their stuff. Totally “old school” but for the right reasons.I spoke to John, the Manager and spent a little time with him on the phone and he asked me what components that I had put on. John knew the products cold. Having said that, once I arrived…it was all Porsches, BMW, SAAB and a truck, yes, a good ol’ Chevy pickup.John asked me how I wanted it set up. I told him that I don’t race the vehicle anymore and suggested “aggressive street driving”. Now, I’m going to water this all down. This is like asking me how I want my steak - rare, medium or well done, as well as getting the salad dressing on the side. He catered to my needs. There is sort of rule is these type of setups…better handling applications increases wear and tear, more so, in how it is aligned. In other words, an aggressive set up will make you look like Jeff Gordon or Mario Andretti, but you’ll need a pocket book like Trump, because it will wear down your tires faster. Conversely, a good, standard alignment will give you longevity, better than factory handling (I will talk more about this later), better gas mileage, etc. Further, with these “old school” techniques they work out all the components over and over and yes, over again. With these typical shops that you get a 4-wheel alignment, which is done electronically and can have you out in jiffy- 30-40 minutes, tops. At Johnson’s he worked on it for 2 hours straight! And let me tell you, even though I replaced the entire suspension, it wasn’t until the alignment came in effect that the car was, frankly, a new car. In fact, I felt, that I had to learn how to drive the car again.John told me what was out  and let’s just say for argument sake that the tire can go in roughly dozen plus positions and multiply that with 4 wheels, are you getting the math on this? Well, to make a long story short there were considerable amount of things that were out and when he explained it, it’s almost like I was driving a tractor out on the freeway. Three words: Night and Day. As I mentioned earlier about factory “settings.” The manufacturer gives tolerances and parameters to work with and as long as you are within those “boundaries” you are good to go. In other words, when you get a brand new car whether it is an Audi or Yugo, professionally speaking, they will suck. As I mentioned, there was a BMW 5 series, it was brand new. Another gentlemen had just bought a Porsche Cayman (one of the best handling vehicles in the world) that he was putting the finishing touches. In fact, he was doing something a little bit more advanced-corner balancing. In laymen’s terms, this is like getting an adjustment from your Chiropractor, so that your hip is in place and that the legs are moving freely and going back and forth to legs and to hips, but in the cars perspective, from corner to corner and yes, OVER and OVER.Lastly, as I mentioned that an old pick up had an alignment done. You see, it doesn’t matter what you are driving and alignment like this WILL pay for itself from decreased wear and tear on your tires to better gas mileage. I almost felt like I ripped John off, from how much he charged me. Now, how often does that happen when you take your vehicle to the shop?Sincerely, Lawrence RibeiroFor more info about our services call, toll free 1-866-583-4711

I recently interviewed my mechanic , which nowadays the term Technician is becoming more prevalent. I asked him several questions. Kirk has been a mechanic for 25 years and has seen everything, as well as the evolution of technology.

First question: If there was one thing you said you would tell your customers, what would that be?

“Doesn’t matter what I say, it always come down to time and money. So, my importance is servicing the customer well.”

Second question: What cars/vehicles do you recommend?

“Japanese. Toyota, Honda, Nissan” Kirk claimed. I asked him why? “They are reliable, well built and simple.”

Third question: If there was one thing that you could say to the manufacturers to improve their vehicles, what would it be?

“Keep it simple. The basics like changing the oil or light switch has actually become a bit of a process. Mercedes seems to lead the pack. They’ve over-engineered simple things. This is where the Japanese stand out.”

Question four: If you could improve your industry what would you do?

“Increase education in unison with equipment for everyday uses. There are some hi-tech pieces of equipment that require time and money to master.”

I asked Kirk how he felt about apprenticeships. He claimed that smaller shops couldn’t compete with big dealerships, as they can’t ship their guys to get training. It’s a catch 22. 

Mechanics operate off the “book.” The book determines the length of the job. For example, if the book states 3.5 hours to replace the brakes, they charge 3.5 hours times the shop rate, which most cases with dealerships is $90.00+. The kicker is that it only takes 1.5 hours and they still charge you for 3.5 hours. I can definitely confirm that this is the case at least 80-90% of the time. And mechanics make a commission. They are not by the hour. Service writers are the same too. Here’s the catch though, and this makes sense, most times I had to bring the vehicle back, time and time again.  In other words, they rush through, as that is the incentive. Personally, if work needs to be done, I like less middlemen.

In conversation Kirk said something interesting. He had mentioned that Infinity had bought 10 cars in the area with different mileage on them. They would send them back to Japan in which their engineers would take them apart and evaluate each part individually for wear and tear. I’ve spoken to the Chief designer of Toyota FJ cruiser and he claimed that Toyota never strived for the perfect car, but they do strive for improvement. So, when I hear stories of buying 10 cars and sending them back for evaluation, they obviously take their work seriously.

You get what you pay for, so why not get something that has a good start to it.

Lawrence Ribeiro

For more info about our services call, toll free 1-866-583-4711