Protecting Your Ride

This Saturday July 24th, in Reamstown, Pa in Lancaster County, the Lee-Ream family will be hosting Cruisin’ for Cures. This car show will be a lot of fun with tons of great, colorful and different vehicles to view, music, raffles, prizes, music and food. There’s something for everyone here so feel free to bring the kids as there is a playground. This show is in support of a great cause being in association with the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life. Help show your support in finding a cure for cancer pay a visit to Cruisin’ for Cures this Saturday!

The auto industry is constantly making changes to accommodate the current consumer. For example, the Chevy Equinox has been modified for the female driver. Chevy has adapted with concave door panels so women do not knock their rings while using the lock and window controls. Also, they have made the center console large enough to fit a purse. The safety features they have employed is to advocate for the high-heel wearers. This is in an effort to make driving safer. Women now have an angled accelerator pedal in the Equinox to make it easier to drive while wearing heels. The new angle of the pedal will also take strain off the driver’s ankle making driving more comfortable all around.

Have you turned to riding a scooter to get you from point A to point B in an attempt to minimize your ecological footprint and save money on gasoline? Now, we are about to have a product for you – a scooter cover to protect your ride from weather. It is important, if you store you scooter outside, to have a cover so you are prepared for when it rains and you don’t get stuck with a soaking wet scooter. Stay tuned for our new product!

A group of West Philadelphia High School students have impressed us all with their hybrid sports car they built themselves. This hand full of dedicated students are a part of the high school’s Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering (AAME). Over the past several years they have won numerous awards for the hybrid vehicles they have fabricated. This elite group of students has entered competitions where they are competing against large automotive corporations and colleges. Being able to compete at this level is a great accomplishment and the team of students deserves a lot of credit. They have chosen the high road and have dedicated themselves to learning instead of the influences of rough West Philadelphia.

They have created an affordable hybrid vehicle that gives us a good look at what the public may be driving in just a few short years. These kids are currently awaiting the results for the latest contest they have entered, the Progressive Automotive X Prize. There are a number of contests they have won in the past, beating out MIT and major automotive companies, these wins have had large monetary rewards to fund this positive program. These rewards and the recognition keep the students motivated to excel in mechanical engineering.

Ecotec engines have four-cylinders and the technology used is extremely revolutionary. Fuel efficiency is all the rage with the scarcity of our fossil fuels and this product will meet the mark. This new technology is going to reduce the amount of fuel utilized and emissions. In addition, these engines will be designed to last longer without as much regular maintenance required.

GM is investing almost $500 million towards production. New technology yields new jobs and this particular project will require 550 new positions to be filled. They are going to be expanding in three different US plants; upgrading the general warehouse, new machinery, and tools. With this kind of expansion the economy will definitely feel from relief with this new engine and all it entails.

Plug-In hybrid vehicles are eco-friendly and practical, with this new technology car drivers will also be considered environmentally friendly. Normally, these new model cars can get around 50 miles on just one battery charge. The good thing is that if you are traveling a long distance and do not have time to stop and charge up, it also runs on gasoline. Specifically the Kia Ray, a new hybrid not yet on the market, has incorporated a material designed to reflect heat and sun to limit use of air conditioning which will decrease emissions and battery/gasoline use. With these revolutionary designs hybrid cars will take over the auto industry.

RECALL: Toyota announced they will be recalling a number of vehicles due to a ‘sticky’ accelerator pedal. There are several consumers who have already experienced the effects of this dangerous flaw. These runaway cars are causing quite a stir and Toyota has scrambled for a solution. All affected vehicle owners were notified via mail notification concerning the faulty car part and they are encouraged to get it repaired as soon as possible. These consumers can not afford to wait to address this life threatening problem. Toyota dealership’s service hours extended to expedite the repairs for every customer.

If you are a victim to a sticky accelerator pedal you are instructed to push on the brake pedal hard (do NOT pump the brake) and put your car into neutral, when you follow these instructions your vehicle will come to a stop. If you are not already aware of the vehicles affected, here is a list:

• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Avalon
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry
• Certain 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
• There is a talk about recalling 279,000 Prius Hybrids as of 2/5/2010.

Be on the safe side and bring your Toyota into a dealership near you to be sure you are not going to be affected by this design error.