The Wheel World

In case of accident

phoskins — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:32:37 +0000

DocuDent USA has designed a kit to serve as your best witness in the event of an auto accident. The DocuDent Accident Documentation Kit allows drivers to easily record exactly what transpired, helping protect them from false injury claims, infl ated damage claims and more.

The kit includes:

• Reloadable camera with flash. Insurance companies consider this the best tool to document vehicular damage at the time of an accident.

• Accident documentation instructions. Acceptable to police, insurance companies and other relevant authorities. These include pointers on what to ask from the other driver and what to photograph; offered in English and Spanish.

• Accident report form. A step-by-step process guiding you through the aftermath of an accident. This will also help document essential, accurate insurance and registration information.

• LED flashlight with built-in measuring tape. To measure skid marks and assess damage.

• Pen. There never seems to be one available when you most need it.

• Whistle. To scare off hostile drivers involved in the accident or alert help to your location.

• Adhesive bandages. Just in case, for minor scrapes and abrasions.

Enter to win

If you would like to enter to win, e-mail your name and phone number to Lisa.Carpenter@gazette.com with the subject line ACCIDENT KIT. Entries must be received by July 31 and the winner will be drawn Aug. 1.

Test drive: Mazda CX-7

phoskins — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:33:55 +0000

SpringsWheels writer Kevin Carmody does a little creative writing in his recent test drive of the Mazda CX-7 crossover:

“Imagine the looks on the Mazda engineers’ faces when they got this assignment: Develop the automaker’s first crossover-utility vehicle based only on a picture of the RX-8, Mazda’s quintessential sports car.

Imagine the conversation that might have taken place.

‘OK, let me get this straight. You want us to take this picture — a sports car — and make a new midsize SUV with the same features, inside and out?’

‘That’s the idea.’

(Intermittent laughter) “You’re crazy, right?’

‘A little. But I also sign your checks.’

(Laughter stops) ‘Actually, as crazy it sounds, I think it’ll work.’

Who’s laughing now?”

The 2008 CX-7, provided by Bob Penkhus Mazda, 1101 Motor City Drive, came loaded with standard features, such as a 244-horsepower four-cylinder engine, automatic Sport transmission, power-assisted ventilated antilock brakes with advanced dual front air bags and an illuminated remote keyless entry system with a panic button. Carmody calls the CX-7 the most-spirited crossover he’s driven.

Read the full story here or test drive your own at Bob Penkhus Mazda.

Photo courtesy of Mazda

Hot spots

phoskins — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:05:30 +0000

We recently talked about the most stolen vehicles. Now, a report showing the cities with the most car thefts has been released. The National Insurance Crime Bureau tracks metropolitan statistical areas for vehicle theft rates, determining them by the number of vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 habitants using the 2007 U.S. Census population estimates, the story from MSNBC.com says. Four of the top 10 cities for auto theft in 2007 are in California (all in the top five). So, you might want to think twice about parking your 1995 Honda Civic — or any car, really — in Modesto, Calif. if you’re attached to it.

The full story is here.

The top 10 car-theft hot spots

1. Modesto, Calif.

2. Las Vegas/Paradise, Nev.

3. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, Calif.

4. Stockton, Calif.

5. San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, Calif.

6. Laredo, Texas

7. Albuquerque, N.M.

8. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz.

9. Yakima, Wash.

10. Tucson, Ariz.

That’s right. I’m cool.

phoskins — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:54:55 +0000

When I bought my Honda Element I got a variety of reactions from people. One friend described it as the Swiss Army knife of cars. Another called it ugly. Almost everyone thought it was interesting. Most reviews of the car I read were average. I never really saw a glowing test drive, but most reviewers had little bad to say about it. But now, one car reviewer has dubbed my car “cool.”

Top Gear on BBC America (airing locally at 6 p.m. Mondays on digital cable channel 109) is my favorite car-related program. It’s funny and quirky, though not always relevant as it is from Britain and the cars — and language — don’t always translate. Plus, they generally get to drive supercars that I’ll never see outside of movies and magazines and they get to do fun stuff like race jets and tanks. Putting my envy aside, I still think it’s a fun show, and the hosts — Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May — are pretty critical of most cars, even cars they like.

As you’ll see in this video, May sets out to see if the Element is a “cool Honda.” All the things I love about my Element — the seat configurations, the rubber floors, its funky looks — are the things that he thinks qualify it as cool. That and the fact that “old people” wouldn’t buy it.

So, while my car is practical — and I don’t fit May’s description of the typical driver — it’s a cool car. Which makes me cool. Right? Right?

Test Drive: Dodge Ram

phoskins — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:49:19 +0000

A recent test drive turned out to be one of the most fun I’ve ever taken. I think that’s mostly due to Ken Collins, sales representative with Colorado Spring Dodge, 7455 Austin Bluffs Parkway. The dealership provided the Ram. Collins provided the fun. He took me off road in the big quad cab pickup and showed me its power and agility.

He told me ahead of time that I’d find new words after driving the truck, and I found myself using words I hadn’t used in a test drive before.

“The truck scurried up steep grades — leaving us looking at nothing but blue sky — and down like a smaller SUV. It felt secure and planted throughout the off-road course. And it was a whole heck of a lot of fun. Very few test drives elicit laughter and hoots from me, but this one did.”

Read my full test drive here or check out the Dodge Ram in person at Colorado Springs Dodge.

Photo courtesy of Dodge

America’s Most Wanted — 1995 Honda Civic?

phoskins — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:16:21 +0000

The National Insurance Crime Bureau released its Hot Wheels 2008 auto theft report for vehicles stolen in 2007. As in previous years, thieves preferred to steal older-model vehicles. The top 10 most stolen vehicles in 2007 included decades-old models like the 1988 Toyota pickup and the 1989 Toyota Camry.

The full list (in case you want to avoid owning any of them):

10. 2007 Toyota Corolla

9. 1988 Toyota Pickup

8. 1994 Nissan Sentra

7. 2004 Dodge Ram

6. 1994 Acura Integra

5. 1994 Chevy C/K 1500 Pickup

4. 1997 Ford F150-Series Pickup

3. 1989 Toyota Camry

2. 1991 Honda Accord

1. 1995 Honda Civic

The reason older models are ripe for the lifting is that vehicles that were hot sellers as new cars a few years ago now need replacement parts — especially Ford’s F150 and GM’s Chevy C/K 1500 pickups, both popular selling trucks in the 1990s, according to this story from Forbes.

You can see a slide show of these “Hot Wheels” here.

Test Drive: Chevrolet Malibu

phoskins — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:11:24 +0000

SpringsWheels writer Heather McDonnell recently test drove the very popular Chevrolet Malibu. The car is so popular, in fact, Al Serra Chevrolet, 230 N. Academy Blvd., who provided the car for the test drive, almost didn’t have one for Heather to try out.
“The dealership managed to come up with a base model Malibu LS — the only Malibu left on the lot — for me to test drive,” she writes. “With no added options or upgrades, the sticker price (after the destination charge) came to just $20,550. But even with the low price and the lack of extra bells and whistles, the test car was packed with desirable standard features, including XM Radio, a driver information system, remote keyless entry, tire pressure monitoring and more.”

You can read Heather’s full test drive here. If you want to test drive a Malibu for yourself, you might want to call ahead to Al Serra Chevrolet, because the Malibu’s are flying off the lot.

Photo courtesy of General Motors

Chill out: Hot tips for keeping your car cool

phoskins — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:29:48 +0000

Did you know the inside of your parked car can reach temperatures in excess of 180 degrees Fahrenheit? If you grew up in the 70s or earlier, you might remember cars with vinyl seats. If you remember the seats, you remember how unbearably hot they got in the summer. Shorts — or a swimsuit — and vinyl car seats in the summer were a combination I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. We may not have vinyl seats to contend with (in most cars) but steering wheels, door handles and seat belt buckles can get really hot up on a warm day. The heat and sun can do a number on your vehicle — not to mention your hands (or other body parts).

To help you combat the ravages of summer, here are some tips from my handy-dandy Rain-X calendar this month:

Park in the shade whenever possible.

Open doors and let the air circulate in the car for a few minutes before getting in.

Use a sunshade to shield the dash from UV rays and lower temperatures.

Wash your vehicle regularly and try using a quality wax with a UV absorber.

Consider having your cooling and air-conditioning systems serviced annually.

Test drive: Mazda6

phoskins — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:59:57 +0000

I recently test drove a Mazda6, provided by Bob Penkhus Mazda. Sure it’s a safe, practical car that gets 21 miles per gallon city and 28 mpg highway, but it’s not just some average boring sedan.

It was fun to drive, with good acceleration from the 2.3-liter, 16-valve, dual-overhead-cam, four-cylinder engine. The engine pumps out 156 horsepower and 154 foot-pounds of torque, providing plenty of get-up-and-go off the line and merging into traffic.

Mazda calls the Mazda6 a sports sedan, and the car does have a sporty look and feel to it. “Mazda’s purpose is to give every person a sports car,” says Sasha Calavera, sales manager at Bob Penkhus Mazda. “(The Mazda6) has the sports car DNA.”

You can read my full test drive story by clicking here, or test drive a Mazda6 for yourself at Bob Penkhus Mazda, 7455 Test Drive.

Photo courtesy of Mazda

Local students compete in Dearborn

phoskins — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:21:30 +0000

Sean Geisen and Jordan Wood of Doherty High School in Colorado Springs represented Colorado June 24 at the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills national finals in Dearborn, Mich. The students were accompanied by their instructor, Brad Wheaton.

The contest gives the “best of the best” an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and capabilities by resolving the same types of automotive challenges they would encounter in the real world, working to repair a “bugged” 2008 Ford Focus. As an incentive to students to pursue automotive careers, Ford and AAA awarded $7 million in scholarships at this year’s state and national competitions — a $1 million increase over 2007.

Crossing the finish line in 73 minutes and 40 seconds, aspiring auto technicians Paul Bretl and Chris Cheek, 2008 graduates of Grafton High School, in Grafton, Wis., drove their fully repaired 2008 Ford Focus to victory in the 59th annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills national finals.

Although Giesen and Wood didn’t place in the winning top 10 at the competition, they were among the 50, two-person teams that had triumphed over more than 8,000 auto tech students who entered the competition last fall at high schools across the country. Following an online exam, the highest-scorers advanced to their states’ hands-on competition, then onto Dearborn, where the 100 finalists sat for another written exam worth 40 percent of their overall score. The hands-on finals account for the other 60 percent of the score.“This competition fulfills two important functions — allowing students to gain experience and earn education scholarships and also to recognize prospective career options,” said Steve DeAngelis, Global Manager of Technical Support Operations at Ford.