Automobiles

A good car dealer?

December 10, 2004

It is just possible we found a good auto dealer. The emissions workshop has been on for a long time. On Monday we brought it to Findlay Volkswagen. $170 later it was fixed. Until we got home. It has taken two more trips but they say they're making good and fixing it for no additional charge.

Check Engine: Emissions Workshop!

September 8, 2004

The Passat spent another day in the shop. The final determination - unknown problem. They checked it high and low, hooked it up to the computer and couldn't find anything wrong. So I went to pick it up and take it to the Volkswagen dealer sometime soon. I'd also asked them to look at the oil sender because the wires had been weak and broken. Volkswagen's buy extra parts plan starts with an oil pressure sender unit that has unreasonably fragile connections, and worse yet no way to fix it. They made a way and attached the dangling wires. I thanked the shop guys and got in the car to leave. Amazingly there was NO check engine light. It would appear that a broken wire to the oil sender is reported by saying there is an emissions problem. Who would know... I wonder if a flat tire is reported as an electrical problem.

Passat problems

September 5, 2004

Four days and a thousand miles after getting the Passat back from having its timing belt replaced, heads machined and all new valves the check engine "Emissions Workshop!" light comes on.... Of course it's Sunday on a holiday weekend and we're a thousand miles from home. Several sites on the net suggest things such as a problem with a vacuum line, not having the gas cap tight or a misfire. Maybe it needs plugs... the annoying thing is it's impossible to tell. From now until Tuesday morning when the shops open up we're clueless.

So somebody should come up with a tool that will plug in to the car and give mere mortals the readout. Bonus points to somebody who makes one that is a small LED or LCD display that can be mounted near the dash instrument cluster.

Air hybrid vehicle study

August 12, 2004

The brilliant minds over at UCLA are investigating air hybrid technology. It is a very cool concept that works in much the same way electric hybrids do today. Instead of storing energy in batteries, however, the new breed of hybrids will store the energy in compressed air. That is a waiting list worth getting on. Will Toyota be the first to release a production car using it?

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