Lincoln Touch What’s Wrong

In the most recent J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, the Ford and Lincoln brands suffered a major setback. Ford dropped from 5th place to 23rd, and Lincoln dropped from 8th place to 17th. Ouch.

Does this mean that new Fords and Lincolns are shedding parts all over the driveway? Not necessarily. The IQS score doesn’t just tally mechanical failures; it’s also affected by any frustrations that owners are having with their cars. And for Ford and Lincoln, a big source of frustration is their MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch electronic interface. After spending a week in an MKX with MyLincoln Touch, I can see why.

While I did not experience any of system failures or freezing up that some others have, the functionality of the system alone was problem enough.

Great expectations
Ford had such high hopes for this system. The company announced the technology in January 2010 at the Consumer Electronics Show, which has sort of become what the world fair used to be: a great window into the future. At that unveiling, Ford VP and head of global product development, Derrick Kuzak, said that this new technology “creates an experience that will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again.”

Um, not quite.

How it works
The system centers around three LCD color screens. Two 4.2-inch screens on either side of the speedometer display information. 5-way controllers on the steering-wheel spokes select what is to be displayed. Vehicle information (fuel economy, engine RPMs, trip computer, etc.) is on the left, infotainment (phone, audio system, navigation, etc.) on the right. So far, so good.

The problems start with the large, 8-inch touchscreen in the center of the dash. You can call up home screens for navigation, audio, phone, and climate control at any time, by touching one of the four corners of the screen. That’s good. What’s also good is the modern appearance and high resolution of the displays. What’s bad is how many functions have been sucked into the screen. It’s especially bad because the spots you need to touch to operate them are very small, requiring lots of eyes-off-the-road time to use. And the touch spots don’t always react reliably, often needing a second or third jab.

A few functions have redundant buttons on the steering wheel, and you end up using those a lot. And yes, there are also voice controls, but talking to a computer in your car is about as satisfying as talking to an automated voicemail tree on the phone. “Please say or enter your 13-digit account number…”

Still more touchiness
Below the screen, additional buttons handle the most-used chores for the audio and climate-control systems—tasks like changing the temperature, tuning stations, and switching among preset stations. Unfortunately, Ford here has gone to capacitive, touch-sensitive “buttons,” which really are not buttons at all, but are touch-sensitive areas, demarked by tiny raised nubs. They present no advantage whatsoever over traditional switches, and suffer several disadvantages. Like the on-screen buttons, these demand a lot of attention to hit the right spot, and they don’t always react immediately.

Lincoln, on the leading edge
Lincoln takes the touch-madness one step further, by replacing volume and fan-speed knobs with touch-sensitive slide bars. You’re supposed to swipe your finger across these horizontal raised sections, while an on-screen graphic shows how much you’re raising or lowering fan speed or audio volume. In practice, not only is this again far more demanding of a driver’s attention than the traditional system would be, but even when concentrating, it’s almost impossible to get the outcome you want because of the system’s time lag and its hit-or-miss sensitivity. The slider swipe bar ends up being far less precise to operate than any normal solution; you’re sort of herding the volume or the fan speed in the direction you want it to go, and hoping that it ends up somewhere near where you intended.

No wonder owners are not thrilled.

Totem of the high-tech age
It would appear that the iPhone and iPad and their ilk have made the touch-screen the customer-dazzling technology of the moment. Although that might be fine for many consumer objects, it is—so far, at least—very poorly adapted to in-car use.

(One exception would be the draw-your-own letters and numbers touch-pad on Audi’s latest navigation system, which requires less eyes-away-from-the-road time than any other method of input.)

Despite the problems with touch-screens, however, automakers have embraced them as a hallmark of modernity. Touch-screens are the tail fins of today, except that their benefits are even more dubious.

Posted on Saturday, February 11, 2012 / 0 Comment / Read More

How to Change a Flat Tire

Most of us have at one time or another changed a flat tire or at least witnessed someone else doing the dirty work.  Flat tires can happen anywhere and at any time, so it’s absolutely crucial for your own and the safety of others to learn how to change a tire correctly. It might sound like a no-brainer or common sense procedure, but you’d be surprised how the smallest errors can lead to some serious problems.  It’s always good to go over the basics, so we’ve prepared this video to go over the safest and best techniques to change a flat tire correctly, check it out:

Now that you know the basics, you’re good-to-go, right? Well…not exactly, here are some additional things to keep in mind when using a spare tire:

1. It’s smaller than the regular tire
2. It’s for emergency use only
3. It’s a temporary tire to get you to the nearest service center
4. The spare tire is small and light weight for better fuel efficiency
5. Do not drive at a speed over 80km/h (50m/h) with a spare tire

Here are the essentials you should always carry in your vehicle.

1. Spare Tire – The whole point of changing a tire would be pretty useless if we didn’t have a spare one in our trunk. Flat tires happen, so always make sure you have a spare in your trunk, back seat or wherever it’s safe and convenient.

2. Tire Changing Kit – Most vehicles come equipped with a tire kit, but if yours doesn’t, make sure you go to your local dealership or nearest store to stock up on a wedge, hub wrench, jack, nut wrench etc…

3. Emergency Signs: You want to make sure that cars behind you are able to see that your vehicle is idle or it could lead to some serious consequences. Any sort of warning sign that you could set on the road would be helpful, to warn the cars behind you.

4.Work Gloves: To keep your hands squeaky clean, warm and safe.

Unless you’re in a racing team’s pit crew, changing tires isn’t exactly a fun and thrilling experience, but at least you’ll be well prepared the next time you have to change a flat.

Posted on Monday, February 06, 2012 / 0 Comment / Read More

Chevrolet future and concept cars

In this section you can find out all about the exciting future Chevrolets like the thrilling New Camaro Coupe and convertible, due to go on sale later this year.

In early 2012 the Volt- our extended range car will be available in the UK.

You can also read about the concept cars which give our designers and engineers the freedom to test new ideas, technologies, styles and aerodynamics.

Every new model brings fresh possibilities to the table, and every concept car represents a different vision of how our global teams see the future of driving.

One thing, however, never changes – the heart and soul of every new concept car is always uniquely Chevrolet.

Subscribe to our Future Cars News via RSS Feed.

Sequel - the cross-over concept powered by hydrogen

Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2012 / 0 Comment / Read More

How to Check Your Tire Pressure [ VIDEO]

Posted on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 / 0 Comment / Read More

Why Does My Car Repair Cost So Much?

People ask me all the time how the price of an auto repair is determined, usually phrased something like, "Why does my car repair cost so much?" This is a question worth asking, especially if you've been given a repair quote that runs into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

There are three main criteria used in pricing any given auto repair. The first is the labor rate, or what the shop charges for the time and expertise that goes into repairing your vehicle. The second is for the parts themselves, and whatever other shop support materials are used in the process of the repair. The third area to consider are the fixed costs or overhead that the repair shop has to cover, but that doesn't get reflected on your bill.

Understanding Labor Charges

When you see a line item for "labor" on your repair estimate or bill, there are two factors that go into it. The first is the shop's own per-hour labor rate. The second is "book time."

A shop's labor rate is the hourly rate it charges for work. The term "book time" refers to the average amount of time it takes to perform a particular automotive repair or maintenance job. This is a number that's set based on how long it takes a factory mechanic (or "technician," as is the common industry parlance) to do the job, but with a modifier applied in order to establish a more realistic time that a less trained technician might take. It's the automotive tech's responsibility to complete the job within that "book time" window, though sometimes repairs take longer or can be performed quicker.
Shop labor rates vary with the geographic area of the country and are competitive within a particular area. Labor rates typically run $80-$150 per hour nationwide.

A shop that specializes in a particular area usually charges higher labor rates for their service than a general service shop. While a specialist may charge more, this type of shop can often wind up being cheaper in the long run. A specialist is more likely to diagnose and repair a problem in laser-like fashion, fixing the vehicle in less time and using fewer new parts. Shops unfamiliar with a type of problem can end up muddling around, wasting the customer's money on unnecessary parts and long hours of labor just trying to find a solution.

Parts And Supplies

Yes, auto repair shops mark up the price of parts. These guys have to make a profit to stay in business, so typically they will tack on about 30 percent. Keep in mind that this markup also means that reputable shops can provide a warranty for their repairs.

The type of parts used for auto repair directly affects the bottom-line price. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts tend to be the highest priced, followed by aftermarket parts. There are typically two to three tiers of aftermarket parts. Different tiers are defined by quality. I use the top of the line aftermarket parts to raise the chance of a longer lasting, effective auto repair.

Finally, used parts also vary in price depending on the mileage and/or demand of the part. A used part can render an effective repair, depending on its condition.

"Shop support" can be defined as any products or services used to complete the repair. During the course of any auto repair certain stuff gets used, supplies like brake cleaning solution, shop rags, and replacement fluids. There are other ancillary services that you might encounter, like recycling and disposal fees for oil and other fluids. Costs of this nature are often passed onto the consumer.

Keeping The Lights On

What's not often passed onto the consumer are the costs of running a shop, which in this modern age, can be pricy. Regardless of size, a shop has expenses that have to be paid by the work generated. There are the obvious ones, like the rent, electricity, heat and other utilites.

But there are also substantial costs for equipment and technology. In order to work on today's cars a shop must have state-of-the-art scanners, diagnostic software, and lab scopes to analyze vehicular datastreams in an effort to extract critical information for accurate vehicle repair. Without such info, techs cannot deliver accurate repairs. Other equipment such as vehicle lifts, floor jacks, lubrication equipment and the likes are necessary to operate a shop efficiently and effectively.

Good trained service personnel costs money, period. Usually techs are classified as "A", "B", or "C" techs, and the more high-grade techs in a shop, the more it costs to pay them. In order to attract a high-grade technician these days, shops have to pay a good hourly rate or weekly salary. In addition, health insurance and other benefits such as a company car often go into the package to attract the class "A" technician.

These technicians have to go to school on a regular basis to keep up with new automotive technology. Without this training, techs cannot repair vehicles in the "book time" allotted for a particular service operation. (Not to mention the occasional "headache" job that comes along that every tech in town has had his/her hands on without success.) A repair shop usually pays for this training.

Many shops carry their own parts inventory. Given the number of different years, makes, and models of vehicles on the road, this inventory must be broad. Sitting on this inventory is not cheap.

As you can see, there's a lot more that goes into auto repair pricing than parts and labor.

Posted on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 / 0 Comment / Read More