What Happens When You never Wash Your Car

What Happens When You never Wash Your Car

By   00:10

I used to have this silver colored 2003 Mercedes C320 that I never washed. I have had some work done on the car and the repair shop washed it, but I never did. I just let the rain do it for me.

Nine years later, after about 79,000 miles I gave that car to a friend who just graduated from high school. But right before I gave it away, I washed it and the paint job was gorgeous.

This is what she still looked like:

I guess if you just leave your car in the garage for a long time and finally returns, you should be expecting to meet your car in a well preserved body paint...

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The Truth About Modern Cars

The Truth About Modern Cars

By   00:06

Every car makers (except ONE new), build cars to break down in 11 to 25 years (even with very expensive maintenance) according to themself… *Yes I have personally talked with tech people at VW, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo and Jaguar and they all admit to the fact that they do produce cars with a 15 to 25 years lifespan and also that they will continue to produce electric cars, with the same limited lifespan and yes, Nissan did even proudly declare (some months ago) that the batteries in Leaf will last 22 years and that is twice as long as the cars lifespan!

That construction principle even has a nice business name "Planned obsolescence" and is the only reason you always have to change light bulbs and buy new tech... They simply want you to buy a new car, as soon as possible and when all other car makers (except ONE new) make cars that normally last 15 to 25 years, why not do the same and possible sell more cars?

And one extra problem is that you can’t even guess which maker that make the cars that last 25 years, but you don’t have to…

The amazing FACT is that Tesla construct their cars to last 100 years OR 1 million miles (except the tires and some extra long life consumables as the 500.000 miles battery pack) and that’s also why the drivetrain (which naturally take the most intense abuse) really are built and tested to last over 1 MILLION miles (or over 1.610.000 km) to make it last as long as the main car... 

And remember that extra long lifespan, really matters for the second hand value, even if you want to sell your new car after 3 to 10 years...

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The Best Luxury Sports Car Under $150k

The Best Luxury Sports Car Under $150k

By   23:40

There are quite a few, but I would have to say for a new luxury sports car under $150k, the BMW M8 would be among one of the best since it combines luxury with performance.

According to BMW itself, on a BMW M8,  the 0–60 MPH time is around 3.1 to 3.2 seconds. BMW usually is conservative on their 0–60 times so it is likely it could even be in the high 2-second range, which is faster than a Ferrari FF or Ferrari California.

So with performance nearly matching Ferraris and Lamborghinis for nearly half the price, the BMW M8 I would think would be the way to go.

600HP and 553Lb-ft of torque means this car is capable of competing with cars that cost north of $250k for sure. If the less-sophisticated BMW M850i could do 0–60 in the mid 3 second range, this M8 for sure should be able to achieve 3.0 seconds or less.

Overall, this is why I would choose the BMW M8 for a new luxury sports car under $150k.

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Wrong Mentality of Car Owners

Wrong Mentality of Car Owners

By   23:38

One of the most common thing that I see car owners doing wrong is self-prescribing repairs.

What do I mean by self-prescribing? I mean when a car owner brings their vehicle to a repair shop and says “I need a new battery for my car”, or whatever part, but then describes something entirely different. For instance,

A friend drives into a repair shop and asks for a new battery

Technician: Starts the car, sounds good. What makes you think you need a new battery?

My friend: It just wouldn't start today.

Technician: *red flag* Can you describe exactly what it did?

My friend: Uhhh, yeah. I put the key in, turned it, the engine sounded like it was trying to start, but it wouldn't, then later started.

Technician: No sir, you don't need a battery, there is something else going on.

My friend: No, I it's the battery, it wouldn't start. Just replace it

*15 Minutes of arguing later*

Technician: Okay, i'll put a battery in, but it's not going to fix the problem.

*My friend feeling like ha has won the battle*

*30 minutes later*

Technician: New battery is installed. That'll be $150.

After receiving payment: Thanks. Here's also a phone number to a tow company so you can get your car towed out of my shop.

My friend: What?! I thought you just fixed it.

Technician: No… I only put a new battery in it, as you instructed, and now it's stuck in my garage.

This might seem trivial, but this happens EVERY DAY. People think that they know more about performing automotive repairs or diagnostics than the trained repair man, yet need and want them to fix their cars. Here's the thing: don't argue with the car doctor, listen to what he has to say. If you don't like it, please feel free to get a second opinion. Just like your physician, you shouldn't dictate the treatment he should give to you!!

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Understeer and Oversteer

Understeer and Oversteer

By   23:37

Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Oversteer occurs when a car steers by more than the amount ordered by the driver. Contrarywise, understeer occurs when a car steers less than the amount ordered by the driver.

Automotive engineers express understeer and oversteer based on changes in steering angle related with changes in lateral acceleration over a sequence of steady-state circular turning tests. Car and motorsport enthusiasts often use the terminology more generally in magazines and blogs to describe vehicle response to steering in all kinds of maneuvers.

Vehicle dynamics terminology
The standard terminology used to describe understeer and oversteer are defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in document J670 and by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in document 8855. By these terms, understeer and oversteer are based on differences in steady-state conditions where the vehicle is following a constant-radius path at a constant speed with a constant steering wheel angle, on a flat and level surface.

Understeer and oversteer are defined by an understeer gradient (K) that is a measure of how the steering needed for a steady turn changes as a function of lateral acceleration. Steering at a steady speed is compared to the steering that would be needed to follow the same circular path at low speed. The low-speed steering for a given radius of turn is called Ackermann steer. The vehicle has a positive understeer gradient if the difference between required steer and the Ackermann steer increases with respect to incremental increases in lateral acceleration. The vehicle has a negative gradient if the difference in steer decreases with respect to incremental increases in lateral acceleration.

Understeer and oversteer are formally defined using the gradient “K”. If K is positive, the vehicle shows understeer; if K is negative, the vehicle shows oversteer; if K is zero, the vehicle is neutral.

Several tests can be used to determine understeer gradient: constant radius (repeat tests at different speeds), constant speed (repeat tests with different steering angles), or constant steer (repeat tests at different speeds). Formal descriptions of these three kinds of testing are provided by ISO. Gillespie goes into some detail on two of the measurement methods.

Results depend on the type of test, so simply giving a deg/g value is not sufficient; it is also necessary to indicate the type of procedure used to measure the gradient.

Vehicles are basically nonlinear systems, and it is normal for K to vary over the range of testing. It is possible for a vehicle to show understeer in some conditions and oversteer in others. Thus, it is essential to lay down the speed and lateral acceleration whenever reporting understeer/oversteer characteristics.

Contributions to understeer gradient
Many properties of the vehicle affect the understeer gradient, including tire cornering stiffness, camber thrust, lateral force compliance steer, self aligning torque, lateral weight transfer, and compliance in the steering system. Weight distribution affects the normal force on each tire and therefore its grip. These individual contributions can be acknowledged analytically or by measurement in a Bundorf analysis.

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Unexpected Car From An Unexpected Manufacturer I Fell In Love With

Unexpected Car From An Unexpected Manufacturer I Fell In Love With

By   01:41

The Lexus LFA was far greater than any other car that the Japanese luxury brand has made. ... Under the hood was a screaming, naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V10 with a 553HP that sounded like a Formula 1 race car. Today it is still one of the rarest supercars you will ever encounter, as Lexus only made 500 copies between 2010 and 2012.

Unfortunately, most auto writers dislike the LFA’s six-speed single-clutch automated manual transmission. They say it lacks the refinement of the dual-clutch transmissions available on many of its competitors, and that it has trouble finding the right gear if you’re just cruising around in automatic mode.

The cockpit of the Lexus LFA is both luxurious and high-quality though. LFA buyers can choose from a multitude of available fabric and color combinations to personalize their LFA, and with just 500 planned for production, the added personalization only adds to the LFA’s exclusivity. And while getting in and out of the LFA can require a bit of contortion, reviewers generally agree that the seats are comfortable. Perhaps the biggest complaint about the Lexus LFA is its price tag, with a base price of $375,000 which blew my mind away or about $400,000 with its options and when you spend such amount on a car, you would probably be seeking a proper supercar like the Lamborghini Aventador which is worth serious consideration. The Aventador started at almost $380,000, but its 700-horsepower V12 engine means that you’ll get a lot more performance. With a zero to 60 mph time of just 2.9 seconds, the Aventador is also 0.7 seconds quicker to 60 mph than the LFA. Because let's face truth guys, at the end of the day, a Lambo badge stands out more than the Lexus badge.

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