Canada A Low Priority In Takata Airbag Recalls

As nearly 34 million vehicles in the United States go under recall over Takata’s airbag issues, Canada remains a low priority due to cooler climes.

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QOTD: Why Do You Hate Automatic Climate Control?

I recently posted a column about automatic locking, wherein I reached the following conclusion: automatic locking is the worst thing in the world. Worse than being buried alive. Worse than cutting off your own toes, one by one, for sport. Worse than a college student who won’t shut up about her MacBook Air.

As I was reading through the comments section of this column, I was delighted to find that most of you agreed with me: automatic locking, bad. Regular locking, good. But I also noticed something else: most of you don’t like automatic climate control. Poor little ol’ automatic climate control, just doing its best to make your automotive experience a little more temperate. Most of you hate it. Why is that?

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Piston Slap: MAP-ping Engine Load

TTAC regular David Holzman writes:

When my scan gauge says my engine is under 99% load, and I’ve only pushed the gas pedal about halfway down, does that mean, as I suspect, that I can floor it and I’m not going to get more than a drop more power out of it?

And, in a modern car (’08 Civic, stick), will the computer control prevent me from wasting gas by pushing the gas pedal beyond the point where I’ve reached 99% load?

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Climate Change: EVs Fair Weather Cars At Best?

Thinking about getting an EV? Better move to a balmier state.

“It turns out batteries are like people. They love room temperature,” Bill Wallace, director of Global Battery Systems at GM said at an energy forum at the University of Chicago. He had come under fire, ammunition courtesy of Consumer Reports which said its tests showed the battery’s range of the Chevy Volt would last only 23 to 28 miles in cold weather.

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  • SCE to AUX I think the 2.2 was a pretty durable engine.
  • Rochester We'll probably be trading in our 2018 Touring Edition Forester for the next model, and are waiting to see what the Hybrid is all about. Would be nice if they disclose whether or not it will be a plug-in Hybrid.
  • CEastwood I have a friend who drives an early aughts Forrester who refuses to get rid of it no matter all it's problems . I believe it's the head gasket eater edition . He takes great pains regularly putting in some additive that is supposed prevent head gasket problems only to be told by his mechanic on the latest timing belt change that the heads are staring to seep . Mechanics must love making money off those cars and their flawed engine design . Below is another satisfied customer of what has to be one of the least reliable Japanese cars .https://www.theautopian.com/i-regret-buying-a-new-subaru/
  • Wjtinfwb 157k is not insignificant, even for a Honda. A lot would depend on the maintenance records and the environment the car was operated in. Up to date maintenance and updated wear items like brakes, shocks, belts, etc. done recently? Where did those 157k miles accumulate? West Texas on open, smooth roads that are relatively easy on the chassis or Michigan, with bomb crater potholes, snow and salt that take their toll on the underpinnings. That Honda 4 will run forever with decent maintenance but the underneath bits deteriorate on a Honda just like they do on a Chevy.
  • Namesakeone Yes, for two reasons: The idea of a robot making decisions based on algorithms does not seem to be in anyone's best interest, and the thought of trucking companies salivating over using a computer to replace the salary of a human driver means a lot more people in the unemployment lines.