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Car Club Council Legislation History
The first legislation the council took on was personal property taxes on antique vehicles. A member club in the Northern Neck area confronted their Commissioner of the Revenue over sticker fees. This was the stickers that cities and counties used to charge as a "fee" for having a vehicle in their locality. It is not a fee but a tax - fees are voluntary while taxes are mandatory and have penalties for not paying. These car hobbyists pointed out that localities cannot charge more for something than the state does. While state register of vehicles is a one-time charge the localities were charging sticker/registration fees every year and the tax was exceeding what the state charged for registration. They got the commissioner to follow the law but the commissioner decided to "get back" at them by using a section of the Code of Virginia that allowed the taxing of vehicles using a "recognized guide".
Usually localities charged very little for antique and older vehicles but using a guide this commissioner charged #1 values for vehicles that were not inspected to determine their true value. This really ticked these hobbyists off and we got a bill into the General Assembly to get rid of the personal property tax on antiques. But that was not the end because that's when we discovered there were many localities in Virginia still taxing antiques even after the law was passed.
I worked with hobbyists in several localities to get the tax stopped and we were successful everywhere we could get the local car hobbyists to support our help. I still think there may be a couple of places where they do still tax antiques. They should not be taxed - they have been taxed and depreciated - each one would have to be inspected to determine its value (there is a big difference in price between a #1 and #5 condition vehicle.
Back in the 90s I never registered a vehicle as an antique because of the restrictions: only drive to shows and parades, to get the vehicle repaired and for testing the vehicle - you had to be careful with that one. In 1999 the councils got a bill in the General Assembly to change the antique registration law. On a floor amendment a delegate added to the bill 250 miles of pleasure driving a day. It passed and completely changed how antiques were used in the state. Which led to a problem that was handled later.
In 2000 the General Assembly passed a bill that exempted antiques from emissions testing. The testing was only taking place in Northern Virginia but people were worried it could spread to all the state. The law also exempts all 25+ year old vehicles from testing. Finding the correct emissions related parts for 25+ year old vehicles can be difficult or even impossible.
The problem created by the 250 miles of pleasure driving was that now someone with an old vehicle that could not pass inspection could register as an antique or a farm use to avoid the inspections and continue to drive the vehicle. People noticed these old clapped out cars and trucks with oblivious defects (I recall seeing a truck missing a complete headlight assembly on the road with antique plates) so something needed to be done. A DMV committee of DMV employees, a couple of members of the General Assembly, lobbyists, a rep from the State Police and car hobbyists worked on the new antique law to be. The hobbyists came up with a plan that all antique vehicles had to have antique vehicle insurance. The companies would determine if they wanted to insure the vehicles and this would keep the clapped out defective ones from getting antique plates. A lobbyist for several insurance companies had a fit over it and stated he would make sure any bill with that in it would be killed. This left one option and that was to dump enforcement on the police. DMV also would have everyone with an antique sign a certification that the vehicle would pass state inspection for its year of manufacture. That is still the law - not prefect but good enough.
Many hobbyists have parts or project vehicles on their property. Some localities went after these people. In Northern Virginia the county flew a helicopter over properties to locate these vehicles. In the western part of the state a man went on an out of town trip for a couple of weeks and came home to find his vehicles had been hauled away and crushed. In 2004 the General Assembly passed a bill that allowed parts and project vehicles on personal property if they were shielded from view of the road by the property.
We also served on the DMV committee that came up with the modern yellow antique plate. This was needed because the last vintage plate with the year embossed on it was 1973 and there were now antique vehicles (25 or more year old - state law) that were newer than 1973. This enabled people to have an antique plate that can be personalized.
After hearing about police in a couple of counties citing antique vehicle owners with having an illegal exhaust system we decided to get the exhaust law changed. The law stated that all vehicles must use the parts exactly like factory - no conversion from single to dual exhaust and no aftermarket mufflers. My delegate at the time was the speaker of the house so I contacted him and asked that he sponsor a bill. After meeting with his legislative aides (he never would meet with me or call me) and the State Police Safety Division we were going nowhere. The speaker sent me an email saying that there was no support for a bill and that it would never pass. After a couple of years of this we decided to get through all the members of the General Assembly and find those who were car hobbyists. I then sent all of them letters asking that they sponsor a bill. Senator Bill DeSteph from the Virginia Beach area sponsored the bill. After putting in the bill he called and spoke to the head of the State Police. Despite the speaker of the house stating there was no support for this bill it passed with every member of the House and Senate voting for it and the governor signed it into law.
That was a quick recap and a few things got left out but you can see the council has made the car hobby better in the last 30 years.
Show 13 Car, Truck and Bike Show August 23
See all the photos at Album - opens to a new window.
Jewels Found On Ebay
Here are a couple of hot finds from Ebay Motors.
eBay item number: 157208265638
$10,000 or best offer
eBay description: The 1972 AMC Javelin SST is a collector car with a unique original blue interior and exterior color. This automatic transmission sedan has a powerful balanced, blueprinted and bored .30 over 8-cylinder engine with a 0.6L size, making it a standout in its class. With features like AM/FM stereo, air conditioning, and sport seats, this classic car offers comfort and style for its 4 passengers. Additionally, safety features like fog lights and back seat safety belts enhance the overall driving experience. This vehicle is a must-have for any car enthusiast looking for a piece of automotive history.
See all photos, which are a part of the listing description. This vehicle is being sold AS-IS, WHERE IS. No warranties are expressed or implied, A DEPOSIT OF $500 WILL BE REQUIRED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF PURCHASE. The buyer will assume all responsibilities for vehicle shipping to their location. Please contact me with any questions or for more photos/info.
Did someone come back from the bar one night and decide to go out and take photos of this car and post it for sale? These are some of the worse photos of a car for sale I've even seen. There is not one photo of the whole vehicle, no photo of the engine or trunk - just photos of small areas. Gotta love that "powerful balanced, blueprinted and bored .30 over 8-cylinder engine with a 0.6L size, making it a standout in its class". In case you are wondering a 0.6L engine has 37 cubic inches. Under Item Specifics it says the engine is a 304 but also states the 0.6L. Also under safety features it says "Back Seat Safety Belts, Fog Lights". Too bad the seller doesn't have a clue how to list a car despite having 775 feedbacks.
Next up is a "project".
eBay item number: 326691116793
$4,000.00
eBay description: 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback
We purchased this car from a small body shop that closed its doors
Stalled Restoration
Needs 100% Restored
See photos for all details
Selling As Is
Clean Title
Please add your states sales tax to Final Purchase Price
$500 nonrefundable deposit due at time of sale
Balance to be paid within 3 days
Call with any questions
Best to Reach by phone 812-XXX-XXXX
Here we go with another rust-stang. This one is rusted, dented, missing most of the parts and just look at that rip in the b pillar! I love the "Please add your states sales tax to Final Purchase Price". Why would anyone do that? Some states require dealers to charge a state tax and collect from the buyer but that's not the case here. The seller wants you to add your state sales tax to the purchase so he can have some free money on top of the price.
eBay item number: 157265934998
Bid to $29,000.00
eBay description: 1965 Corvette Convertible Project Car Mako Shark Type hard top, soft top frame, good interior, good floors. See pictures it appears check motor numbers to have a period correct high performance 327, 4 speed, frame is good surface rust only, complete car good restoration or restrooms project.
Who knew a non-running modified Corvette with a multi-brown paint job would be valued by someone at $29,000? When was the last time you saw a brown Corvette? This is a convertible and has the removable hardtop with the plastic back window that has gone to the point that you can't see through it. They have also done the "custom" trick of mounting the headlights below the pods that they came in from the factory. Usually custom Corvettes are tough sells that don't go for much. The auction has 5 days to go and it's already at 29K!
Marjorie Taylor Greene to Introduce Bill Prohibiting ‘Weather Modification’: ‘Will Be a Felony Offense’
From Breitbart
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) revealed that she was introducing a bill to prohibit the use of “weather modification” or geoengineering to change weather conditions, temperature, or sunlight intensity.
In a post on X, Greene explained that she had been “researching weather modification” and had been working with the legislative counsel for several months regarding the bill. Greene continued to express that no person, company, or government should be able to “modify our weather by any means possible.”
“I am introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity,” Greene wrote. “It will be a felony offense.”
Greene added: “I have been researching weather modification and working with the legislative counsel for months writing this bill. It will be similar to Florida’s Senate Bill 56. We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification and geoengineering.”
Geoengineering is described as referring to “large or planetary-scale interventions in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and soils with the intention of counteracting only some of the effects of climate change,” according to the Center for International Environmental Law. Methods of geoengineering “range from reflecting sunlight to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”
“This is not normal,” Greene continued. “I want clean air, clean skies, clean rain water, clean ground water, and sunshine just like God created it!! No person, company, entity, or government should ever be allowed to modify our weather by any means possible!!”
Breitbart News previously reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) had spoken about Florida’s Senate Bill 56 (SB 56) prior to signing it, stating that it “protects Floridians from geoengineering and weather modification activities.”
Under the National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976, the Secretary of Commerce is directed “to conduct a comprehensive study of the state of scientific knowledge concerning weather modification and weather modification technology.”
A Rasmussen Reports survey conducted between May 14-15, 2025, and May 18, 2025, of 1,012 likely U.S. voters found that 44 percent of likely voters in the U.S. believe that it is “likely that government agencies have been secretly releasing chemicals into the atmosphere” as part of weather modification or geoengineering.
Twenty percent expressed that it was “very likely” that weather modification and geoengineering activities were taking place, while 39 percent expressed that they don’t believe weather modification is likely.
Helsinki Goes A Full Year Without A Rraffic Death
From yle
A city traffic engineer credits the success to lower speed limits and smarter design.
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Helsinki has not recorded a single traffic fatality in the past 12 months, city and police officials confirmed this week.
The city's most recent fatal accident occurred in early July 2024 on Keinulaudantie in the city's Kontula district.
Authorities are calling the situation exceptional.
"A lot of factors contributed to this, but speed limits are one of the most important," said Roni Utriainen, a traffic engineer with the city's Urban Environment Division.
Slower speeds, safer streets
According to Utriainen, more than half of Helsinki's streets now have a speed limit of 30 km/h. Fifty years ago, that proportion featured 50 km/h limits.
Earlier this summer, Helsinki decided to lower speed limits near schools to 30 km/h, a measure that is set to take effect as the academic year begins.
Smarter design and better enforcement
Street design has also played a key role. Pedestrian and cycling infrastructure has been significantly upgraded in recent years. In addition, cooperation with traffic police has intensified and more traffic cameras and automated enforcement systems have been introduced.
"Public transport in Helsinki is excellent, which reduces car use, and with it, the number of serious accidents," Utriainen noted.
Vehicle technology has also improved, making both cars and other personal transport options safer than ever.
The positive trend extends beyond fatalities. In the past year, there were 277 injury-causing traffic accidents in Helsinki — a sharp contrast to the nearly 1,000 injurious accidents recorded annually in the late 1980s, when traffic deaths in the city commonly approached 30 per year.
The Briefs
Electric vehicle maker Tesla is liable for $243M in damages after a jury found August 1st that the company's driver assistance technology was partly responsible for a fatal 2019 crash. Legal experts say the judgment, likely to be appealed, may set a significant precedent in cases involving self-driving technology.
In the accident in question, a Tesla Model S struck and killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and injured her boyfriend after running through a stop sign in Key Largo, Florida, at night. The driver said he had Tesla's Autopilot—a slimmed-down version of its full self-driving software, typically used on highways—engaged when he dropped his cellphone. The plaintiffs argued Tesla's claims about the feature's capabilities encouraged inattentive driving and that the company allows it to be used in areas the system is not designed for, such as rural roads.
OPEC+ countries agree to raise oil production by over 547,000 barrels per day in September.
Tesla’s European sales slumped sharply in July, with steep drops in Germany and Britain underscoring the electric-vehicle maker’s deepening challenges in two of the region’s most important markets.
Police in Ontario shut down multiple roads in the King area when a pair of bison broke through a fence and escaped from their pasture.
York Regional Police issued an alert on social media Monday warning drivers in the area to avoid the area of Keele Street and Davis Drive due to the presence of loose bison in the area.
Local residents were warned not to approach the animals.
Garrett Mac Sweeney, the farm's owner, said the bison are currently in their mating season, which makes them more aggressive.
"That was quite scary," Mac Sweeney told CityNews. "We noticed they were very aggressive this past week and the week before."
Police confirmed the two bison were safely returned to the farm about two hours after the initial social media alert.
Mac Sweeney said the bison had broken through the fence around their pasture.
"This is the first time in 13 years since we've had the bison that they've gone through the fence like this," Mac Sweeney said.
Traffic on a Washington state highway was brought to a halt in both directions when a herd of escaped bison found their way into the roadway.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said on social media that the bison blocked traffic in both directions on Highway 12 in Elma early Tuesday morning.
"This isn't Yellowstone," the post said.
Trooper Katherine Weatherwax, public information officer for the Washington State Patrol's 8th District, said it was an "interesting morning" for the troopers called to wrangle the escaped bovines. The bison were safely wrangled and returned to their owner's property. No injuries to humans or bison were reported.
Firefighters in Florida came to the rescue of a tiny kitten found to have taken shelter in the engine compartment of a vehicle, where it became stuck.
Escambia County Fire Rescue said its Engine 1 and Logistics 1 crews were called out for a small animal rescue on Loveland Circle in Pensacola.
The crews arrived and determined the kitten was stuck inside the engine compartment of a vehicle.
"Firefighters removed several skid plates from beneath the vehicle to make access to the kitten," officials wrote on social media. "The kitten was removed unharmed."
The kitten was given a new home with a family member of a firefighter.
As Albert Cutler was driving home from church on July 27, he noticed a bald eagle flying over the highway in Okauchee Lake, Wisconsin. The eagle was carrying a fish -- until it wasn't, and as Cutler watched the fish fall, he wondered if he had hit it with his car, Fox6-TV reported. Upon arriving home, Cutler's daughter located the fish, stuck in the grill of his truck. The largemouth bass went into the family's fridge, and Cutler said it's the "biggest bass" he's ever caught.
When an unnamed man got caught after stealing Smokey Bear signs from state forests in Florida, Smokey himself was on hand to aid in the arrest, WTSP-TV reported on July 31. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said the suspect had traveled from Pensacola to Orlando, lifting the signs and posting them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 each. Smokey held the door open for the perp as he entered the patrol truck and was seen in the driver's seat after the arrest.
Animal rescuers in Massachusetts said a 6-week-old kitten is recovering after being saved from a storm drain near an interstate on-ramp.
The Animal Rescue League of Boston said its Field Services Department responded to Neponset Street in Canton on July 19 when a resident reported spotting the kitten wandering alone near the Interstate 95 on-ramp.
ARL personnel searched the area and discovered the kitten had fled into a storm drain, where they could hear it crying.
"Once the exit pipe was located, agents set a humane trap and played kitten sounds to lure him out of his hiding place," the ARL said in a news release. "After a short wait, the kitten came out and was immediately drawn to the food that had been placed in the trap."
The male kitten was taken to the ARL's Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center, where veterinarians determined the 1-pound kitten was underweight and dirty, but otherwise healthy.
The kitten, now named Pigeon, is now slowly gaining weight in a foster home and will be put up for adoption once he is old enough to be neutered.
North Carolina firefighters were summoned for an "animal rescue" and arrived at the specified location to discover a bobcat had somehow gotten stuck inside the front grill of a vehicle.
The Alexis Fire Department said a crew was dispatched to a location off Mount Zion Church Road on a request for an animal rescue.
"Upon arrival, crews found a bobcat stuck in a car grill," the department said on social media.
Firefighters called for assistance from a local animal rescue group and they were able to remove the wild cat from inside the vehicle's grill.
The feline was taken by the rescue group to be treated for minor injuries. It was unclear how it came to be trapped inside the grill.
Thousands of frozen hot dogs spilled across Interstate-83 in Pennsylvania, closing the busy highway in both directions after a multi-vehicle collision.
State police and four separate fire departments responded to the crash this week at an exit in Shrewsbury, Pa., the Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Company confirmed on Facebook. The collision occurred around 9:10 a.m. EDT and the highway was later re-opened around 3:45 p.m.
Shrewsbury is a borough in York County, located in south-central Pennsylvania.
Four people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while several sections of the highway were damaged as a result of the collision that involved a tractor-trailer truck and two other vehicles.
The Pennsylvania State Police confirmed they are now investigating what led up to the crash.
The closure stretched for four miles along the interstate, between exits 4 and 8.
"We all came to a dead stop and I was wondering what was going on. Then I saw some emergency vehicles...and hot dogs all over the road," witness Jake Sitcosky told WPMT-TV.
Cleanup efforts were hampered by the amount of grease left on the pavement.
Local media showed photos of destroyed cardboard boxes and hotdogs littering the road.
Sheriff's deputies in Florida had a "loony" situation on their hands when a coyote was struck by a vehicle and ended up wedged in the front bumper.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said on social media that deputies responded to a call from a driver reporting they had struck an animal that "became stuck in the front portion of the bumper."
"That animal turned out to be a coyote, which we appropriately named Wile E.," the post said.
"Wile E. needed medical attention (apparently anvils don't hurt, but vehicles do), so Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida Rescue and Transport was contacted, who came to get him," deputies wrote.
A North Carolina road was temporarily closed so crews could clean up the minty-fresh mess of spilled toothpaste mixed with sawdust.
The Asheboro Police Department said on social media that the incident occurred Wednesday morning on Gold Hill Road, between Old Liberty Road and Giles Chapel Road.
"Spilled toothpaste mixed with sawdust may smell good, but it sure is slippery," the department said.
The roadway was reopened Wednesday afternoon.
A Washington road became a sticky-sweet mess on Monday when a semi truck overturned and spilled its load of cherries into the roadway.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said on social media that the truck overturned Monday morning on Grant Road, between Union Avenue and the roundabout at Urban Industrial Way/Airport Way.
The road was closed in both directions while crews worked to clear the wreckage and the now-crushed cherries from the pavement.
The road was reopened in both directions as off 12:30 p.m.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers raided a Home Depot parking lot in Los Angeles, Calif., using Penske rental trucks to cover their approach.
The raid resulted in 16 arrests, Fox News reported. The Department of Homeland Security has further stated that the area of McArthur Park is an MS-13 stronghold. Hence, the reason for the raids.
Penske is a rental truck company known for its iconic dark yellow trucks. Home Depot, moreover, is a known and stereotypical hot spot for illegal immigrants seeking under-the-table work on home improvement projects.
ICE began raiding the popular store's sites at the suggestion of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Los Angeles, moreover, has been at the center of the mass deportation effort, with President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to combat anti-ICE riots.
How Drilling Oil Might Help California Meet Its Environmental Goals:
When students in Jamie Rector’s Energy and Civilization course at the University of California, Berkeley, came to him with the idea for a project on California’s abandoned oil wells, he was intrigued.
The state has more than 120,000 abandoned oil and gas wells, as well as 30,000 idle and 70,000 active wells. Many were drilled or dug in the late 1800s, clustered in areas such as downtown Los Angeles and near present-day Dodger Stadium, where the California oil boom began.
The concern among some is that these wells might be emitting methane or other hydrocarbons. Older ones are likely to have been improperly or shallowly sealed.
The federal government has spent $4.7 billion to plug and reclaim abandoned wells. California has plugged around 1,400 wells at a cost of $29.5 million since 1977, and now requires operators to eliminate idle wells or face increasing fees.
As they researched California’s abandoned oil wells, Rector’s students discovered an abundance of natural oil seeps located above the same fields—and came to a surprising conclusion. Geologically driven, natural oil seeps are a major contributor to California’s greenhouse emissions, they say. And drilling—long seen as the problem, not the answer—might be a panacea for emissions. (More)
The Environmental Protection Agency is terminating a $7 billion grant program designed to provide solar energy grants to over 900,000 low-income households.
California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project is under investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The probe, launched Aug. 19, will focus on whether project officials knowingly misrepresented the ridership projections and financial viability of the long-delayed and expensive rail line to secure federal and state funds.
Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) has requested a staff-level briefing, documents, and communications related to the project.
“The [California High Speed Rail] Authority’s apparent repeated use of misleading ridership projections, despite longstanding warnings from experts, raises serious questions about whether funds were allocated under false pretenses,” Comer said in a statement. “The massive cost overruns and lack of progress warrant a reassessment of whether [the authority] acted with transparency and complied with the law.”
The High Speed Rail Authority was first established in 1996 to plan a railway connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Costs for the project were originally expected to reach $33 billion, and Californians were told it would be completed by 2020. Voters authorized the rail line in 2008, but to date, the state has not laid any track, and the railway is now expected to cost up to $128 billion.
California legislators considered a plan earlier this week that would dramatically loosen restrictions on drilling and refining oil in the state, as it scrambles to reconcile ambitious climate goals with the sobering reality of continuing demand for conventional transport fuels. The plan comes at the urging of Gov. Gavin Newsom—a major shift from his hardline decarbonization stance that would have seemed unlikely a year ago.
Citing rapid changes in the transportation fuels sector and the sudden exits of several refineries, the Democratic governor in April asked state agencies to work with refiners to stave off the impending crisis, as California faces mismatched supply and demand during a critical phase in its transition to carbon neutrality. Phillips 66 refinery in Los Angeles announced in October it would close by the end of this year, and Valero announced the closure of a Northern California refinery by the end of 2026. Six refineries have closed since 2008, with two converting to renewable diesel. Operators have cited high operating costs and punishing state regulations as reasons for leaving.
Waymo has been granted a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in New York City, the first such approval granted by the city. The company told TechCrunch it plans to start testing “immediately.”
The company is allowed to deploy up to eight of its Jaguar I-Pace SUVs in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through late September. Waymo’s vehicles must have a trained safety operator in the driver’s seat, with at least one hand on the wheel at all times. The company cannot pick up passengers (since it would need a license from the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission) and it has to regularly meet with and report data to the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT), according to the mayor’s office.
The permit brings Waymo one step closer to launching a robotaxi service in the city, which would be arguably its most challenging to date. The company currently operates in San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. All of those are warm-weather cities, and only San Francisco comes close to the complexity of operating in New York City.
The world’s first commercial offshore carbon storage facility began operating yesterday off Norway's western coast. The Northern Lights project—led by oil giants Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies—aims to cut industrial carbon dioxide emissions by capturing carbon from smokestacks and injecting it beneath the North Sea seabed for permanent storage.
Captured CO2 is liquefied, shipped to a terminal, and pushed through a 68-mile pipeline into the seabed’s geological reservoirs about 1.6 miles below the ocean floor. The first CO2 injection came from a cement plant in southeast Norway. Norway’s state-backed project currently has a storage capacity of 1.7 million tons of CO2 per year and targets an increase to 5.5 million tons by 2030.
Although endorsed as a climate tool by the UN, carbon capture and storage is expensive, complex, and viewed as controversial. Critics argue that the method potentially extends the use of fossil fuels and redirects resources from renewable energy. (Carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up about 0.04% of the Earth's atmosphere, which is equivalent to approximately 400 parts per million (ppm) - this is a giant waste of time and money.)
Faced with a severe staffing shortage, the Trump administration is betting that the roar of a muscle car might do what traditional incentives have failed to achieve: draw thousands of new recruits to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to federal documents, ICE has purchased two 2025 Ford Mustang GT Fastbacks—each a 480-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 machine—at a combined cost of more than $120,000. Decked out with gold ICE logos and emblazoned with the slogan “Defend the Homeland,” the vehicles are meant to serve as “a bold, high-performance symbol of innovation, strength and modern federal service,” writes Auto Blog.
The Mustangs will headline career fairs and recruitment drives, part of a broader strategy to rebrand ICE and inject energy into an agency struggling with low morale. The initiative coincides with the administration’s effort to expand civilian immigration arrests and hire 14,000 new officers over the next two years—an ambitious target backed by $30 billion in funding from what the White House calls “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
The flashy cars are hardly the only prong of the campaign. ICE has already sunk more than $700,000 into customizing other vehicles, including a Ford Raptor and a GMC Yukon wrapped to mimic former President Trump’s private Boeing 757. Those vehicles have been rolled out at events and featured in recruitment videos designed to catch attention on social media.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright vowed that the Department of Energy will continue to use its authority under the century-old Federal Power Act to stall the planned retirements of up to 54 fossil-fueled power plants by 2028 to ensure the nation’s electric grid can cost-efficiently handle rapidly expanding demand from data centers and the use of artificial intelligence.
Repair Mistakes & Blunders
From Rock Auto
The left rear door on my 2011 Honda CR-V started making a chattering sound when locking and unlocking. After checking a CR-V owners forum, I ordered a door lock actuator from RockAuto. When the part arrived, I was excited to get the job done. I had already watched several videos about the repair. Everything the videos warned me about was true; the screws were extremely tight, space to wiggle the lock in and out is limited and the rod connecting the lock to the outside handle is tricky to get free because you can hardly see it. An hour and a half later, I had everything back together without breaking anything and no leftover parts. Time to check my work!
All went well until I got in the back seat and closed the door. It wouldn't open from inside! You have to transfer two original cables from the inside handle to the new lock actuator and I thought I might have messed something up there. I pulled it out a second time, opened it up and everything looked fine! What happened?! A little head scratching and it suddenly hit me - THE CHILD SAFETY SWITCH! Anyway, things get easier the more you do it. When I need to replace the next lock actuator, I believe it will be a 45 minute job.
James in South Carolina
States rethink a long-held practice of setting speed limits based on how fast drivers travel
From MSN
Rose Hammond pushed authorities for years to lower the 55 mph speed limit on a two-lane road that passes her assisted living community, a church, two schools and a busy park that hosts numerous youth sports leagues.
“What are you waiting for, somebody to get killed?” the 85-year-old chided officials in northwest Ohio, complaining that nothing was being done about the motorcycles that race by almost daily.
Amid growing public pressure, Sylvania Township asked county engineers in March to analyze whether Mitchaw Road's posted speed is too high. The surprising answer: Technically, it's 5 mph too low.
The reason dates back to studies on rural roads from the 1930s and 1940s that still play an outsized role in the way speed limits are set across the U.S. — even in urban areas.
Born from that research was a widely accepted concept known as the 85% rule, which suggests a road’s posted speed should be tied to the 15th-fastest vehicle out of every 100 traveling it in free-flowing traffic, rounded to the nearest 5 mph increment.
But after decades of closely following the rule, some states — with a nudge from the federal government — are seeking to modify if not replace it when setting guidelines for how local engineers should decide what speed limit to post.
Drivers set the speed
The concept assumes that a road's safest speed is the one most vehicles travel — neither too high nor too low. If drivers think the speed limit should be raised, they can simply step on the gas and “vote with their feet,” as an old brochure from the Institute of Transportation Engineers once put it.
“The problem with this approach is it creates this feedback loop,” said Jenny O'Connell, director of member programs for the National Association of City Transportation Officials. “People speed, and then the speed limits will be ratcheted up to match that speed.”
The association developed an alternative to the 85% rule known as “City Limits,” which aims to minimize the risk of injuries for all road users by setting the speed limit based on a formula that factors in a street's activity level and the likelihood of conflicts, such as collisions.
The report points out the 85% rule is based on dated research and that “these historic roads are a far cry from the vibrant streets and arterials that typify city streets today.”
Amid a recent spike in road deaths across the country, the Federal Highway Administration sent a subtle but important message to states that the 85% rule isn't actually a rule at all and was carrying too much weight in determining local speed limits. In its first update since 2009 to a manual that establishes national guidelines for traffic signs, the agency clarified that communities should also consider such things as how the road is used, the risk to pedestrians, and the frequency of crashes.
Leah Shahum, who directs the Vision Zero Network, a nonprofit advocating for street safety, said she wishes the manual had gone further in downplaying the 85% rule but acknowledges the change has already impacted the way some states set speed limits. Others, however, are still clinging to the simplicity and familiarity of the longstanding approach, she said.
“The 85th percentile should not be the Holy Grail or the Bible, and yet over and over again it is accepted as that,” Shahum said.
Rethinking the need for speed
Under its “20 is Plenty” campaign, the Wisconsin capital of Madison has been changing signs across the city this summer, lowering the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph on local residential streets.
When Seattle took a similar step in a pilot program seven years ago, not only did it see a noticeable decline in serious injury crashes but also a 7% drop in the 85th percentile speed, according to the Vision Zero Network.
California embraces the 85% rule even more than most states as its basis for setting speed limits. But legislators have loosened the restrictions on local governments a bit in recent years, allowing them to depart from the guidelines if they can cite a proven safety need. Advocates for pedestrians and bicyclists say the change helps, but is not enough.
“We still have a long way to go in California in terms of putting value on all road users,” said Kendra Ramsey, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition. “There’s still a very heavy mindset that automobiles are the primary method of travel and they should be given priority and reverence.”
But Jay Beeber, executive director for policy at the National Motorists Association, an advocacy organization for drivers, said following the 85% rule is usually the safest way to minimize the variation in speed between drivers who abide by the posted limit and those who far exceed it.
“It doesn't really matter what number you put on a sign,” Beeber said. “The average driver drives the nature of the roadway. It would be patently unfair for a government to build a road to encourage people to drive 45 mph, put a 30 mph speed limit on it, and then ticket everyone for doing what they built the road to do.”
80 is the new 55
Fears about oil prices prompted Congress in the 1970s to set a 55 mph national maximum speed limit, which it later relaxed to 65 mph before repealing the law in 1995 and handing the authority to states. Since then, speed limits have kept climbing, with North Dakota this summer becoming the ninth state to allow drivers to go 80 mph on some stretches of highway. There's even a 40-mile segment in Texas between Austin and San Antonio where 85 mph is allowed.
Although high-speed freeways outside major population centers aren't the focus of most efforts to ease the 85% rule, a 2019 study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — a research arm funded by auto insurers — illustrates the risks. Every 5 mph increase to a state's maximum speed limit increases the chance of fatalities by 8.5% on interstate highways and 2.8% on other roads, the study found.
“Maybe back when you were driving a Model T you had a real feel for how fast you were going, but in modern vehicles you don't have a sense of what 80 mph is. You're in a cocoon,” said Chuck Farmer, the institute's vice president for research, who conducted the study.
A town's attempt at change
If elected officials in Sylvania Township, Ohio, got their way, Mitchaw Road's posted speed limit would be cut dramatically — from 55 mph to 40 mph or lower. The county's finding that the 85% rule actually calls for raising it to 60 mph surprised the town's leaders, but not the engineers who ran the study.
“If we don’t make decisions based on data, it’s very difficult to make good decisions,” Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski said.
For now, the speed limit will remain as it is. That's because Ohio law sets maximum speeds for 15 different types of roadways, regardless of what the 85% rule suggests.
And Ohio's guidelines are evolving. The state now gives more consideration to roadway context and allows cities to reduce speed limits based on the lower standard of the 50th percentile speed when there's a large presence of pedestrians and bicyclists. Authorities there recently hired a consultant to consider additional modifications based on what other states are doing.
“States have very slowly started to move away from the 85th percentile as being kind of the gold standard for decision-making,” said Michelle May, who manages Ohio's highway safety program. “People are traveling and living differently than they did 40 years ago, and we want to put safety more at the focus.”
It's unclear whether any of these changes will ultimately impact the posted speed on Mitchaw Road. After years of futile calls and emails to state, county and township officials, Hammond says she isn't holding her breath.
“I just get so discouraged,” she said.
TV commercial film for Volkswagen Beetle Funeral 1969
Ford’s new Universal EV Platform is a game changer that will unlock $30,000 electric cars
From: electrek
Ford claims its new midsize EV pickup will have a lower cost of ownership than a Tesla Model Y and more space than a Toyota RAV4. Starting at $30,000, it will also cost about the same as the RAV4. Here’s how the new Ford EV Universal Platform will make it happen.
Ford reveals new affordable Universal EV platform
Ford’s big bet is about to pay off. The company is preparing to launch a family of affordable electric vehicles based on the new Ford Universal EV Platform.
The first vehicle based on the platform will be the promised midsize four-door electric pickup. Ford’s new EV pickup will start at around $30,000 and will be assembled at its Louisville Assembly Plant.
Based on the new Ford Universal EV Platform, it will also have more passenger space than the latest Toyota RAV4.
“We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable electric vehicles that delight customers in every way that matters – design, innovation, flexibility, space, driving pleasure, and cost of ownership,” Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said during the event in Kentucky.
According to Farley, Ford is done with the “good college tries” from other Detroit automakers to make affordable EVs, promising the company’s new platform will change the game by lowering costs and optimizing efficiency.
Ford is the first automaker to build prismatic LFP batteries in the US, which will not only cut costs but also free up interior space.
Farley explained that the new platform reduces parts by 20% compared to the average vehicle. It also has 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations dock-to-dock in the plant, and 15% faster assembly time.
Perhaps, most importantly, Ford’s leader explained that it will help reduce costs for owners. Farley claimed that the new Ford Universal EV platform will enable “lower cost of ownership over five years than a three-year-old used Tesla Model Y.”
How so? For one, it’s significantly more efficient than the first-gen Ford EVs. The wiring harness alone in the new midsize truck will be 4,000 feet shorter and 10 kg lighter.
The LFP batteries lie flat under the floor, which improves handling, creates a quiet ride, and “provides a surprising amount of interior space,” Ford said. In fact, it will have more passenger room than the latest Toyota RAV4. And that’s not even including the added Frunk and truck bed.
Doug Field, Ford’s Chief EV, digital, and design officer, said the company took inspiration from the Model T to make it more than just a utility vehicle.
Ford promises that the new electric pickup will also be fun to drive, with a targeted 0 to 60 mph time as fast as the Mustang EcoBoost, and even more downforce.
The company will release additional information for the midsize electric pickup soon, including a reveal date, final prices, range, battery sizes, and charge times.
Ford said it’s aiming for a starting price of around $30,000, with customer deliveries set to begin in 2027. The company invested around $5 billion into its Louisville Assembly Complex, creating nearly 4,000 jobs to deliver its new EV pickup and LFP batteries.
California to Launch Bike Highway Program Under Bennett Bill
From Santa Barbara Independent
Assembly member Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) introduced AB 954 that would launch a pilot program for Caltrans to develop a bike highway program. Offering full separation from motor vehicles, bike highways accommodate high volumes of people traveling longer distance on bicycles (more than 3 miles) by connecting users to major destinations, employment centers, and transit hubs.
Bike highways offer an important alternative to residents seeking relief from rising gas prices and those working to lower their carbon footprint. In June 2022, Caltrans released a Bay Area Bike Highway Study that identifies feasible opportunities to add these corridors and incorporates best practices most suitable for the region. With the U.S. importing an estimated 2.4 million e-bikes between 2020-2023, commuting longer distances by bike is becoming more feasible for the average consumer. California prioritizes bicycling as a key part of its larger decarbonization goals, and is among 19 states offering assistance to purchase an e-bike with the launch of the California E-Bike Incentive Program in late 2024. The State of California was recognized as the 4th most Bicycle Friendly State in the Country by the League of American Bicyclists in December 2024.
“I’d like to see California elevate our offerings to our residents,” said Assembly member Steve Bennett. “We must strengthen and diversify the connections neighborhood to neighborhood and from city to city. Bike highways provide the highest sense of safety and will attract more people to take advantage of their bikes. If you build it, they will come.”
“The Bicycle Highways Bill will create a safe, separated bikeway network, similar to California’s highway system,” said CalBike Policy Director Jared Sanchez. “This is an essential step to make getting around by bike a viable option for more Californians. We know better infrastructure leads to more biking and we know that more biking is crucial to combat climate change, so CalBike is excited to sponsor this bill.”
Kate Faulkner, Government Liaison for Channel Islands Bike Club said: “Channel Islands Bicycle Club, representing over 300 members, supports the Bicycle Highway Bill. Bike Highways will reduce traffic congestion, improve fitness and health, and provide travel options for those who don’t feel safe cycling on roads. Studies have shown that many people, particularly families, women, and seniors, would choose to bike if safe options are convenient and available.”
“The Bicycle Highway Pilot Program under AB 954 is a vital investment in both infrastructure and people. For BikeVentura.org, it’s an opportunity to expand our mission of delivering critical bicycle safety education to underserved communities, ensuring they can thrive in a transportation system designed with equity and safety at its core. BikeVentura stands proudly with Assembly member Bennett on this transformative initiative,” said Lawrence Abele, Board Member of Bike Ventura.
Assembly member Bennett has supported active transportation throughout his tenure in the State Legislature and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. He is chair of the Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on Transportation, Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Energy.
Why Self-Serve Gas Was Off-Limits for Years
From The Epoch Times
America runs on gas stations. The US has more gas stations than any other country in the world, around 196,000. These rest stops and corner pumps supply the country with the gas it needs for its commerce and road trips.
Not only do they fuel the wheels of the American economy, they have also been an icon in American culture. To the average person, the legal history of filling stations might seem boring, even pointless. But to the trained eye, the history of gas stations reveals a political economy shaped by public-private collusion, cronyism, and even violent attempts to eliminate competition.
Self-service laws, statutes that prevent customers from pumping their own gas, are almost obsolete in 2025. In fact, only one state, New Jersey, has this law on its books. For years, Oregon and New Jersey were the last remaining states to have self-service laws on the books, but the Oregon Legislature repealed them in 2023.
While it may seem strange to some readers, the concept of self-service was not always the historical norm. In 1905, the first gas station was opened in St. Louis, Missouri. Fifteen years later, the United States experienced a boom in gas station construction, with roughly 20,000 service stations operating by 1920. Full-service stations, where an employee of the gas station pumps gas for the customer, were originally the norm. The concept of self-service did not emerge until the 1930s, and because of bans, self-service stations did not become widespread until the 1960s. But why was that the case? Simply put: the history of self-service laws is a history of rent seeking.
In 1930, Indiana became the first state to ban self-service at fuel stations. This ban did not occur in a vacuum; it was a direct response to the political entrepreneurship of businessmen. Following the opening of two self-service stations in 1930, the Indiana Petroleum Association lobbied the state fire marshal to ban self-service. This was done as this new model at the pump threatened the profits of full-service stations.
This story repeats itself across the country. In NJ, for example, a self-service ban was passed in 1949. According to Paul Mulshine, local full-service station owners had entered into a price-fixing agreement with each other. Naturally, this gas cartel was formed as a way of protecting their profits and keeping out competition. But a man by the name of Irving Reingold opened a self-service station offering gas at a few cents lower than the price-fixed rate. This drew in major business for Reingold, but the cartel was not happy. They shot up Reingold’s gas station, but he simply installed bulletproof glass. With this attempt not working, the cartel turned to lobbying and the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act was passed. Not only does this story show the public choice history of self-service laws, but also how easily cartels collapse under price competition.
Despite their popularity with the public, self-service threatened the profits of incumbent gas stations. Full-service stations saw their customers buy gas at the cheaper, newly opened self-service stations. Naturally, these businesses did not want to face this new competition, and all across the country, the lobbying of state fire marshals took place to eliminate self-service gas stations. In 1948, nine states had banned self-service.
Economists Ronald Johnson and Charles Romeo note in their article on self-service bans that “in 1968, only 27 states allowed the self-service dispensing of gasoline, and some of those states required that attendants be standing by.” Things began to change, however, and self-service laws were repealed, bringing back freedom of choice at the pump. By 1977, every state except for New Jersey and Oregon had removed self-service bans.
While many claim self-service laws were passed because of benevolent politicians’ care for the public interest, history shows these efforts had far more to do with cronyism than public safety.
More than just a story in public choice, self-service bans also reiterate basic Econ101 principles.
Self-service bans make the market for gasoline less competitive. Firms must pay more for labor to comply with self-service laws. These higher costs act as a barrier to entry for new firms. These bans also have the distorting effect of making gas stations compete on narrower margins. Economist Vitor Melo notes that gas prices fall by 4.4 cents per gallon when self-service bans are repealed. While self-service bans may seem minuscule, they ultimately harm the common good by limiting competition, violating property rights, and making gas less affordable for consumers.
Self-service laws hold a more interesting history than initially perceived. This story of cronyism and rent seeking vs. entrepreneurship and innovation has played out millions of times across countries and years. Despite the claims by many that laws are passed in the name of the public interest, the history of self-service laws makes one take a step back to examine that claim. Just like other regulations, self-service laws were passed as a way of protecting business against competition.
To learn the full story, read my article published in the Independent Review on the topic.
Burgum Orders Scale-Back on Solar, Wind Projects, Citing Low Energy Efficiency
From The Epoch Times
A wind farm is roughly 5,500 times less efficient in producing energy than a nuclear plant on a per-acre basis, according to the Department of the Interior.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order on Aug. 1 to rein in “environmentally damaging” wind and solar power projects and ensure that federal lands are used optimally for energy initiatives.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) is legally required to ensure that land use decisions are “judicious,” the agency said in an Aug. 1 statement. This requirement raises the question of whether allocating federal lands for wind and solar projects is permissible, given their high land requirement and the blockage of other land uses, according to the agency.
“One advanced nuclear plant ... produces 33.17 megawatts (MW) per acre, while one offshore wind farm produces approximately 0.006 MW/acre, which is approximately 5,500 times less efficient than one nuclear plant,” the DOI stated.
Because there are alternatives that can generate the same amount or a higher amount of energy by using less federal land, power projects based on solar or wind power “may unnecessarily and unduly degrade federal lands,” according to the agency.
The DOI stated that unreliable energy projects such as wind and solar are inefficient uses of land compared with coal, gas, and nuclear.
As such, the department stated that it would consider an energy project’s capacity density when judging how it benefits the country and affects the environment and wildlife.
Capacity density calculates how efficiently the land is used for producing energy, according to Burgum’s order. Higher capacity density translates into higher energy generation with less impact on federal lands. This will ensure that more land is available for other purposes.
As such, the DOI “shall only permit those energy projects that are the most appropriate land use when compared to a reasonable range of project alternatives,” the order states.
It also asked the department to identify and make necessary changes to any regulation, policy, or practice to implement the order. Within 30 days, officials are required to submit a report listing the actions taken to implement the order.
“Gargantuan, unreliable, intermittent energy projects hold America back from achieving U.S. Energy Dominance while weighing heavily on the American taxpayer and environment,” Burgum said.
“By considering energy generation optimization, the Department will be able to better manage our federal lands, minimize environmental impact, and maximize energy development to further President Donald Trump’s energy goals. This commonsense order ensures our nation is stronger, our land use is optimized, and the American people are properly informed.”
On July 29, the agency stated that it was implementing four policy measures to end special treatment for wind projects, including considering terminating the designation of 3.5 million acres for wind power.
In a July 31 statement, environmental group Sierra Club blamed the Trump administration for obstructing wind energy development in the country.
The federal government’s “relentless obstruction of wind energy is clear evidence that [it does] not care about creating affordable and reliable energy for everyday Americans,” said Xavier Boatright, legislative director for clean energy and electrification at the group.
“Offshore wind is a readily available option to power millions of homes, create thousands of jobs for Americans, and achieve energy independence,“ he said. ”It’s time for Donald Trump and his administration to get their heads out of the sand and face the facts: renewable energy is cheaper, more resilient, and safer.”
Enforcing Trump’s Energy Policy
Burgum’s Aug. 1 order states that it is in line with two executive orders issued by Trump.
The first is the Jan. 20 presidential action called Declaring a National Energy Emergency. In it, Trump accused the Biden administration of having pushed the United States into a situation of national emergency, in which “a precariously inadequate and intermittent energy supply, and an increasingly unreliable grid, require swift and decisive action.”
The second is a July 7 executive order seeking to end market-distorting subsidies for “unreliable, foreign controlled energy sources.”
The proliferation of unreliable energy sources such as wind and solar “displaces affordable, reliable, dispatchable domestic energy sources, compromises our electric grid, and denigrates the beauty of our Nation’s natural landscape,” according to the executive order.
Subsidizing such energy projects threatens national security by making the United States dependent on supply chains under the control of foreign rivals, it states.
Burgum’s order also referenced a July 7 report issued by the Department of Energy that evaluated the reliability and security of the U.S. electric grid.
The report highlights that 104 gigawatts of firm power generation—power generated at all times, such as coal, natural gas, and nuclear—are scheduled to be retired by the end of this decade without any timely replacement.
“[This could] lead to significant outages when weather conditions do not accommodate wind and solar generation,” the report reads.
“Modeling shows annual outage hours could increase from single digits today to more than 800 hours per year. Such a surge would leave millions of households and businesses vulnerable. We must renew a focus on firm generation and continue to reverse radical green ideology in order to address this risk.”
Mechanic Horror Stories
This lady took her car in to a mechanic, complaining of warning lights and poor drive quality.
“An older lady bought a Prius. One day it had thrown a CEL and started driving like shit, so she took it to the dealer to be fixed. The mechanics started on it and they found the problem. So, they asked her when the last time she had the oil changed and her response was, ‘never, the Prius doesn’t have a motor, so why would I do that?’
The engine was shot from never having an oil change.”
Customer comes in complaining of a heavy clunking when stopping and the same clunk when moving from a stop.
There was a bowling ball in the trunk.
Here’s one from my own personal experience as a mechanic in a small local garage. A woman brought her car in complaining of high fuel consumption. She claimed she was getting far under the spec description of 44 MPG.
After plugging her car in with the reader and getting no faults, I performed a visual inspection but found nothing. The O2 sensors were brand new, as was the car with less than 2,000 miles on it. Upon asking the customer, how she knew it was drinking too much fuel, the answer tickled me pink.
She told me the MPG dial on the car kept going up and down, sometimes as low as 10 MPG depending on how fast she was going. I gently explained that average miles per gallon and a real-time MPG reader are two different things and actually changing to her average MPG dial showed 40 MPG overall. She became irate and claimed I was trying to fleece her. This went on for an hour before she left, I heard from one of our sales team that she had phoned them the next day asking for a refund on her purchase.
Had a car come into my shop a few years back complaining of a rattling when driving. 3 road tests later we find the bearings, brakes, steering and suspension components all good, exhaust was solid. Turns out the rattling was from the plastic hubcaps. Some of the clips had started to break and when driving the cap would shift and rattle on the wheel. We explain to the customer and ask if they want to buy a new set, take them off or just leave it as is. They decline the new ones and want the caps on, so we just put it all back together. Charge them for the inspection and send them on their way.
5 minutes later they’re back complaining that it’s still rattling.
I replaced the clutch in a car for a woman then returned her car. By the time I got back to the workshop there was a message waiting for me that she couldn’t get the car into gear. (This was before mobile phones). I was driven back to her house where she was stood waiting for me looking like she was ready to murder someone. I got in the car, started it up, foot on the clutch, into first and drove it round the block, up and down through every gear. She apologized and off we went back to the workshop once more only to get the same woman on the phone.
This time not just a little angry but screaming all kinds of curses at us. Back we went to her house and you guessed it, started the car put it in gear and drove round the block again. This time instead of leaving we told her to try before we left. She jumped in, started the car and crunched the gears hard and loud. It was at this point that the penny finally dropped. I am almost 6ft tall. This woman was about 4ft 5. She didn't move her seat forward so was only pressing the clutch pedal quarter of the way down. After explaining this to her I got an earful of abuse from her saying that she didn't even know that her car seat COULD move so how was she supposed to adjust it. Oh, and she would be writing to the newspapers to tell everyone about the bad service she got from our garage.
One lady had her car towed in because it was making weird noises. We checked a few basic things first, then started it to see what the noise sounded like and the exhaust system spit out a whole bunch of nasty sludge and smoke but wouldn’t actually run.
Turns out, she thought the opening to add gas was the opening to add everything. When she first started having problems, she dumped oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid in there to “make sure it wasn’t running low on fluids.”
During my apprenticeship, myself and the other mechanics went for tea break, leaving the more “greener” apprentice to finish putting the wheels back on a car and parking it on the forecourt. He shouts to us in the canteen, asking “How did you get this car on the ramps? It’s too wide”. I looked down into the workshop and called the others over to see he’d put the steel wheels on inside-out.
Former Porsche tech here; Customer dropped her new iPhone under the passenger seat of her 911 and it slipped under the carpet and into the sheet metal of the car. I got the phone out all the while being bitched at about how it better not be scratched, she’s not paying, and we need to call Germany to tell them it’s a design flaw.
Customer says there’s a “wooshing” noise everytime she steps on the gas pedal. Wooshing noise was caused by throttle plate opening and air going into the intake.
Customer says at 3,000rpm his 911 turbo sounds completely different than his Ferrari at 3,000rpm so clearly there is something wrong with his 911 Turbo.
Cayenne owner says the car pulls. On the test the drive I find the car doesn’t pull but the steering wheel is 90 degrees off. I raise the car up and see a bent tie rod. Then the customer bitches us out about how it should be warranty and that he never hit anything.
Currently in my new job as a field rep for a hi end manufacturer: Customer says speakers always have feedback and make buzzing noises. She’s only playing music with vinyl type feedback purposefully recorded in the background. She demands the car be bought back and that they should never have built such a car in the first place.
“Lady came in with her two kids and her few-month-old MDX. RO said Customer states- Very foul odor coming from interior. Check and advise.
Mind you, this was the peak of summer, about a 90deg Fahrenheit day.
Tech next to me was thinking, ‘hmmm, defective catalytic converter…?’ Nope. The smell began to woa
Looked under the middle row seat and found a POUND OF HAMBURGER?! jammed underneath, with an expiration date of about 3 months prior. With live maggots protruding out of the packaging. She actually tried to get insurance to cover checkout time and a full interior detail for that. From what I remember her insurance agent laughed out loud at the request.
I couldn’t eat a hamburger for like 6 months after that.”
I had an old army buddy that I was mechanic with tell me he used to work in a VW shop in North Carolina...some guy had a wreck with his VW bug and left it at the shop he worked at. Couple hours later the guy comes back get this stuff out of the car and asks if they have a vacuum in the shop he can use. My friend pointed to the one centrally in the shop and said have at it.
My friend left the general area and heard the guy switch on the vacuum, then about 30-60 seconds later he hears this explosion in the middle of shop and the guy who had the end of the vacuum running around like he had his head chopped off....he comes to find out that the idiot was trying to siphon gas out of his wrecked VW and thought that using a vacuum would be a good idea...till the gas fumes hit the electric motors inside the vacuum!"
"Directly behind the shop was a wooded
area, complete with ravine and a 30 foot drop nearly straight down. But hey, they put a curb there.
A few years back, in the middle of a busy day, a gentleman came in with a white Chrysler LeBaron convertible with the top down for an oil change. He pulled it in, classic rock blasting on the radio, got out leaving his can of Coke in the cupholder, and had a seat in the waiting room. The oil and filter was changed, fluids checked, tires checked, windshield washed, all normal for the $14.95 or whatever it was service. When it came time to start the car to make sure oil pressure came up and there was no leak from the new Quaker State filter, the tech...mechanic leaned in, twisted the key, and.... out the open bay door the car lurched.
It was manual. And in gear. And had a bad clutch switch.
The car rolled out the door, over the curb, and down into the ravine.
Blasting classic rock the whole time.
Down there somewhere by the little creek that ran though it the LeBaron was arrested by a tree, and had finally stalled. Radio still playing.
A tow truck was called out to winch it from the abyss. All the while people were driving in and out, getting oil changes. Eventually all the cars had to be backed out, as the tow truck was blocking the rear entrance.
Meanwhile, as they're winching the car up, customers are watching the ass end and dirty underbits of a 90's LeBaron creeping slowly up over the curb.
Blasting classic rock.
I wonder what they were thinking.
Eventually the car was yanked to freedom, towed to a body shop (I can't recall if it was repaired or written off), and the place got a fun little story to tell all new hires. All of it which I believed to this day.
Except that not a drop of Coke was spilled from the open can in the cupholder."
I used to work as a service writer at a shop owned by a department store that you mainly see out in front of malls. Had a woman in her early forties come in complaining of a severe vibration and clunking coming from the front of her car. During the walk around I noticed that her driver's side front wheel was a full-size spare, only being held on by ONE lug nut, and was missing 3 of the five studs. I asked her about it and she told me that she'd had a flat 2 months earlier on that wheel and that her son had changed it for her. I told her that this was most likely her problem, but that it would need to be addressed even if there was something else causing the vibration. I asked her if she wanted the flat repaired while we're at it and she said "sure."
The tech took it from there, came back and told me that 3 of the studs were sheared off at the outside of the wheel and the only one with a nut was cross-threaded and would need to be replaced as well. On top of that the lower ball joint was shot, probably contributing to the problem. The flat tire was nowhere to be found in the car.
We did a full evaluation on the car and there were a few other issues, but nothing that would render the car undriveable. It was company policy to bring all known issues to the customer's attention and provide them with a rundown of the associated costs. I went through everything with the woman, who had waited patiently at the shop, explaining VERY clearly that the 4 lug nuts absolutely needed to be replaced, the ball joint should be addressed, everything else should be taken care of as soon as possible.
Completely straight-faced, she looks me dead in the eye and asks "So when do you think I'll have to fix it?" I'm sure my face showed a mixture of horror and confusion at this question, but I calmly replied "Today. Now." I explained that the car could not be driven, and that I couldn't even take it off the lift in its current state. So she goes outside and talks to someone on her phone for a minute, comes back in and says that she wants to take the car, that her son will fix it, and that we're trying to rip her off with all the 'extra crap I was trying to sell her.' I tell her again that we don't need to do anything but the studs, but that she can't drive it like it is. She gets pissed, I get the manager, he tells her the same thing. She starts freaking out, saying it's her property, blah blah blah.
Now the manager was from some northern state where they have inspections, and can hold your car or make you have it towed if it's not roadworthy. However, this isn't the case in Florida, so he gets the cops on the phone and they tell him to release the car. He warns her that there's a good chance that the wheel will fall off if she tries to drive it and offers to call a tow truck for her. She keeps going on about how we get kickbacks from the towing company or some shit, and demands her keys. We take it off the lift, and the manager hands her the keys with a final warning that she shouldn't drive the car.
She hops in, and flips us the bird as she drives away. As she makes the right turn into the mall parking lot, the wheel decides enough is enough and goes rolling on its merry way without her. She even had the nerve to come back and ask for our help, which was met with a hearty chuckle. We called loss prevention and they had a wrecker come out and take the car away."
It's the late-1980s. At the family auto repair shop, we hear this car making a tremendous knocking sound coming down the street. Sure enough, the ~3 year old Honda Accord turns into our driveway, and the very slight slope up is enough to cause the knocking to become a loud BANG followed by a large fluid dump and a cloud of steam.
The customer, a young, earnest, and rather mechanically-clueless grad student from the nearby religious-affiliated university, parks it and says it's been running rough, maybe it needs a tune-up? He'd been taking it to his hometown Honda dealer for maintenance, but now that it was out of warranty, one of his neighbors had suggested he come see us.
Open the hood, and #2 and #3 con rods (well, their remnants) are sticking out of the hole they made in the side of the block, as a pool of coolant and oil spreads out from under the car. One of our techs says "Gonna need more than plugs and a cap & rotor to fix that one..." and goes back inside, shaking his head.
Upon a bit of investigation, we find a disturbing amount of oil sludge under the cam cover, and the filter looks to be the OEM one, not the Honda service part. Question the customer about oil changes, and he produces a file of receipts showing regular changes well within recommended intervals, all done at the Honda store in his hometown where he'd bought the car (he'd go home on school breaks and get the service done "because he knew those folks. They're nice.").
They'd also wall-jobbed him EVERY SINGLE TIME he'd brought it in for an oil change. The drain plug had never seen a wrench.
We put a Honda reman engine in it for him, and IIRC, one of my uncles was deposed for the suit he brought against his friendly hometown Honda store."
"The customer had a Mercury Grand Marquis and decided he wanted it to be a Donk. He even bought the cheesy "24s" decal from Pep Boys before he got his rims. He was in at least once a month with slow leaks because he bought the awful and cheap Chinese wheels and never avoided potholes (skinny 30-series tires, + weak aluminum = square wheels with bent rims).
We were constantly repairing his rims trying to get them to stop leaking (they weighed at least 80 lbs by the way and NOBODY wanted to work on them. Removing and mounting skinny tires is the absolute worst. It usually takes two or three people just to get them mounted). To make these massive rims fit he had to use a lift kit, but was too cheap to buy the extended shocks and just bought the springs.
One day we were jacking up the front of his car to repair a wheel when *BANG* something broke. After our hearts started beating again we looked under the car...the shock shaft had sheared in half. After however many miles of being stretched way past its limits, the stock strut had snapped.
Luckily it was the front, which is a factory coilover, so the spring kept the shock from flying out and killing someone. Lucky for him it happened when we were working on it instead of when he hit another pothole. Otherwise he'd probably have won a Darwin Award."
I work on my cars regularly. So one of my coworker who doesn't know squat about cars comes up to me one day and asks me if I work on cars. I reply with a yes and then immediately ask what's wrong now?
Coworker said on the way to work the car's steering wheel would shake uncontrollaby but he made to work anyways. I said I will check it out after work in the parking lot.
So after work I walk out to me and he described his way to work and how hard it was to control it on the HIGHWAY! We get to the car and what do I see?
On the driver side of the car, the front tire of the rusty but still trusty 89' corolla was blown. Let me rephrase that. The front tire of the rusty but trusty 89' Corolla was missing. I was amazed how he drove that car on the highway 10 miles to work without noticing the lack of tire on the wheel. I mean there had to be sparks flying everywhere because all was left was the steel wheel. The wheel was really dented and torn to scrap too.
I shook my head in disbelief. Then proceeded to help him swap his spare in. It took another 4 hours because of no spare in the back, no jack, and then the wheel was rusted to the hub. Let me remind you that it took that long because he never told me he had either one. I would have made one trip but I really took 3 because he neglected or was just not car centric.
Anyways that was a horrible day. but well invested. I got first dibs on his trusty corolla for $100 after he got a newerish car."
The worst one I ever saw (I worked at an aftermarket Euro-centric shop for three years) was an exploded transfer case. The owner must have switched their Jeep Grand Cherokee out of 2H and driven it for a while.
Actually, I don't know what the hell they did, but whatever they did was good enough to bind the driveline so intensely that the transfer case exploded rather gratuitously.
When the transfer case exploded, it severed one of the
hard brake lines, which wrapped around one of the shafts in a way that I'd never seen before.
Did I mention that the owner only came into the shop for poor braking and a 'small" noise?"
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