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RainyDayGarage's content can now be licensed for your print magazine or web site. Please contact us directly here. If you want to see something reviewed, then drop us a note with a link and we'll be happy to take a look.
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July 3,2008 (TurnaroundThursday) |
One of our RainyDayGarage readers sent us this link yesterday to a heated thread on the BimmerFest discussion board. We have been known to poke fun at Porsche dealers in the past. However, this story got some of the RainyDayGarage folks into a tizzy after reading it. They said we MUST do a post about the outrageous behavior of this BMW dealership.
In the thread, many different opinions were expressed by the members of that forum. Much of it vilifying Flow BMW for the "stazi-like" behavior of the manager. However, as we followed the conversation to post #877, Don Flow, the owner of Flow BMW dealership, personally posted a response to all of the rancor up to that point.
Mr. Flow then followed up in post #884 to further clarify his position regarding the incident. We thought the two responses really changed the tone of the entire discussion. We felt that he so well handled the incident, we decided to make his response the point of today's post. The point being sometimes an apology can go a long way in turning things around. Nicely done Don! Have a great July 4th everyone. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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June 28,2008 (WeekendEdition) |
Our recent brush with the all electric Tesla Roadster got us thinking if we were to get something practical (ie: <$100K) for commuting around Boston, what would we get? Would it be something such as a Vespa? Or perhaps something less well tested, but potentially more forward thinking?
Perhaps something like this carbon fiber Enertia. The Enertia is light weight (280 lbs) all electric motorcycle with a cruising range of about 45 miles. Acceleration is a peppy 0-30 mph in under 5 sec.
Even though their PR shots shows it cruising out in the country side, its current range is really sufficient only for city dwellers zipping around town. The other limitation to the Enertia is it is a single rider bike. Half the fun of riding one of these is to be able to bring a friend along. For that, one will have to consider the Vectrix.
The Vectric is quite a bit bigger and heavier (510 lbs) compared to the Enertia, but the Vectric will carry two and still be able to zip around at reasonable speeds. The range (35 -55 miles) is about the same as the Enertia, but it may be a lot more practical. Since the Vectrix Flagship Store is in Rhode Island, we will definitely go and check this bike out in person.
These electric bikes are definitely a lot more justifiable than the Tesla, but they are easily twice as expensive as the tried and true Vespa. There are still a lot of open questions regarding the actual cost of ownership, battery life, and service. Hopefully, we'll get them answered during our visit. Drop us a note if you have a question in mind. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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June 27,2008 (FotoFriday) |
We had always wondered how they got this shot of the Porsche zooming into the future. Some here thought it was Photoshopped, but other thought it was done by zooming during the exposure. Tricky to do either way.
When we were at Tesla Motors last week, we thought we would take advantage of the opportunity and try to do something similar with the Tesla Roadster.
Any idea how we did it? If you do, drop us a note with the subject line "It's a Tesla, baby!" In the body of the email, tell us what we used to create the effect. The prize is a CD of high rez images from Porsche. Contest ends at the end of June. If you need a hint, you have not been reading RainyDayMagazine consistently this month... yes, that was a hint :-) [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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June 26,2008 (TeslaGalleryThursday) |
Here is the promised collection of photos from our visit to the Tesla Motors showroom in LA. There were three Tesla roadsters on the floor day we visited. In the collections we tried to select various views of the exterior and interior components. Note the carbon fiber shots!
The car is light and very stiff due to the extensive use of carbon fiber through out. The curb weight is under 2700 lbs. Charging is done from a standard AC outlet to a special transformer and cable.
The compartment housing the 7000 Li-ion battery cells is just behind the trunk. The batteries are rated for over 100,000 miles. The carbon fiber trunk has room for the soft top and a bag of golf clubs. Note the high lip on the side of the car. Getting in and out will require a little more flexibility than with a regular sports car.
While this car is probably a lot more practical (if that should even be a point of consideration for a $100K car) in LA than in Boston, we don't care... we want one! You will too once you get a chance to see one up close and personal. If you find yourself in L.A., take the time to drop by the Tesla Motors showroom and check it out for yourself. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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June 23,2008 (MotorMonday) |
Visiting the Tesla showroom was one of the top LA to-do items on our list. Friday morning was the only gap in our schedule so we headed down and hoped the place was not to busy for us to wander around and get some shots.
Fortunately for us, the showroom was not too crowded. We pretty much were allowed to shoot undisturbed for almost an hour. The images are being sorted now and we will have a gallery up soon.
Tom O'Leary, the general manager, was about to take someone out for a test drive when we arrived. We took the opportunity and grabbed a few shots of the car starting up and pulling away.
Everyone says the roadster is completely quiet when running and drives without making a sound. However, you don't really realize how odd and awesome it really is until you see (and not hear) this in person. This is the perfect sports car for L.A.
The Tesla Roadster can accelerates from 0-60 in less than 4 seconds. Top speed of the Tesla is 125 mph. Its range is about 220 miles and can be fully recharged in about 3.5 hours.
Tomorrow we will give you a closer look at the interior of the Tesla and talk a bit about the different options available in the 2009 version of this remarkable car. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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June 20,2008 (FunInLAFriday) |
A few of us opted to brave the LA traffic and visited the new Tesla Motors showroom in West L.A. We had been doing periodic updates on the electric Tesla since 2006 and were eager to see one up close and personal. We were not disappointed.
Three of us spent about an hour in the showroom photographing everything Tom O'Leary, the general manager, would let us shoot. We'll post a full write-up of our visit on RainyDayGarage soon. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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RainyDayGarage reviewed the Kurgo TireTote (FirstLook, FirstUse) last year when we packed up the Summer tires for storage. It is now mid-May and New England's night time temperature has consistently been above 40º. Confidence is high that we will not be getting any more snow, so the Summer tire went back on this past weekend :-)
Our usual set of tools for the Winter/Summer tire swap are: torque wrench, soft socket, jack, tire mount rod, air pump, and Dremel tool with a wire brush attachement.
The Summer tires had been in storage in a cool basement since the Fall. Their pressure had dropped a few pounds. The JNC Air got things pumped up (30psi front, 34psi rear) in a hurry.
New England winters can be a bit harsh on the car and some cleaning are usually necessary. The Dremel with a wire brush made short work of cleaning off some of the rust and deposits on the rotor and the bolts.
The Boxster had also develope a slight rattle over the Winter in the driver rear quarter. Our intern had thought it was a loose heat shield on the catalytic converter.
It turned out that a plastic shield which ran underneath the length of the rear had cracked. Buffy said she'll figure out a way to secure it to the frame so it doesn't vibrate by next weekend.
The TireTotes definitely made the process of hauling the tires around SO MUCH easier. If you are "old school" like us and like to use a different set of tires for Summer and Winter, make the process a bit easier and get yourselves a set of these TireTotes! [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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The Cheetah GPSMirror is an interesting device. It will not tell you how to get from point A to point B, it will not help you steer around slow traffic, and it will not be much help if you are lost. So what good is it? It will alert you to every red-light camera in your area. More importantly, it will alert you to red-light cameras when you are travelling in unfamiliar territory.
Getting the GPSMirror up and running is a simple task. The unit is loaded with the necessary data and ready to go right out of the box. Today, we are going to show how to install one in about 30 minutes with no tools.
The mirror/GPS/LED readouts are all integrated into one unit. You can just make out the electronics underneath the mirror if tilted and viewed in the right light.
The GPS Mirror will likely be quite a bit longer than most OEM mirrors and is mounted over the OEM mirror with four self-adjusting clips. The power plug is attached to a long cord which will be long enough to run from the cigarette lighter outlet to the mirror.
Fitting the cord around the dash is a simple matter of tucking it into various gaps and crevices along the sides and trim. Just remember to start the tucking at the mirror end. Otherwise you will end up with excess cord at the end with no place to hide them :-)
When everything is plugged in and powered on, the GPSMirror will acquire the satellites and set the time automatically. We started this project at 11:45AM, total elapsed time for this install... 27 minutes.
Here are a few photos of how things in the rear looks with the OEM mirror compared to the GPSMirror. For the first time, we can see the entire rear of the car. It definitely eliminated all of the Boxster's blind spots!
We took the car out for a spin and noticed a HUGE difference in what we can see with a larger rearview mirror. We were also surprised at the number of red-light cameras we never knew existed in our area! [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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May 6,2008 (GarageTechTuesday) |
This weekend the "check engine" light came on in the Boxster while we were driving back from the SOS event. We thought... bummer, we just had the car fixed in April!
Then we thought... oh good, it would be the perfect opportunity to give the CarMD a FirstUse test. We had introduced the CarMD to RainyDayGarage readers a few months back. The kit comes complete (USB cable, AAA batteries, software) with everything needed.
The CarMD OBD reader is ready to use once the batteries are installed. Just plug it in the car, turn it on, listen for the 4 beeps, and read the code.
Of course, as you can see in the photo, the connector is oriented such that we couldn't see the display while connected. This wasn't a problem since all of the data is stored in the reader.
The kit came with some software on a CD. We will install it later and try it out. For now, we'll just look up the code in the Bentley Porsche Boxster Manual.
This CarMD OBD II code reader is very easy to use. We like the built-in LCD display as it makes reading the code much faster compared to the CarChip. What we don't know yet is if the CarMD will allow us to reset the "check engine" light without having to take the car into the shop. I'm sure we'll have more to say about the CarMD as we continue to play with it. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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Apr 24,2008 (TechniquesThursday) |
"Drifting" is a phenomenon which has turned into a sport in some circles. A reader pointed us to this interesting diagram illustrating the basics of the technique.
So, if you are tired of slowly meandering around those spiral ramps at your local car park, master the "drift" and get up or down those ramps in record time. Just make sure your car insurance has collision coverage and the payments are up to date. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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Apr 23,2008 (WowUsWednesday) |
Once in a while we get a product in house that is just so cool that we wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with it. The GPSMirror from Cheetah Advanced Technologies is one such product.
This Scottish company combined a GPS detector with a rear-view mirror. Why? More on that later. For now, just click on the images and get a closer look at this high-tech mirror.
The GPSMirror can also be interfaced with selected radar detectors to enhance the radar detector's capabilities. How? More on that later. For now, take a closer look at the interface unit. It is pretty much plug-and-play.
So what does this product actually do? The GPSMirror will help you avoid getting snagged by the revenue-raising "red-light cameras" popping up all over the place. And it does it while enhancing your driving safety.
We'll go into more detail on why this product is brilliant in the next installment of the FirstLook report on this GPS Mirror. If you can't wait, surf over to the Cheetah site and read more about it. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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Apr 22,2008 (GPSTechTuesday) |
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Last September we gave you a FirstLook at the Navigon 7100. Even though it was a pre-production unit, we loved all of the features we tested of this GPS...especially the "RealityView" graphics.
Navigon has not been standing still. This year they released a thinner version called the 2100Max. This unit has the same 3D views, but an enhanced set of GPS specific features. We'll have more to say about them in the FirstUse report.
The 2100Max is thinner, but the display size is the same (4.3" widescreen) as that of the 7100. Like the 7100, the 2100Max has an SD slot for maps.
The Navigon 2100Max comes complete and ready for use right out of the box. Just mount the holder, attach the GPS, plug in the converter and you are good-to-go! [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau
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A lit "Check Engine" light (CEL) is a common sight on many modern automobiles. Some will immediately bring the car into the dealer and get the condition diagnosed. Others may ignor the warning light until they have to get their car inspected. Many have wondered if there are ways to determine what the problem is without having to bring the car to a mechanic to find out.
RainyDayGarage readers have known about the CarChip since 2005. Using the CarChip OBDII is one way to read the diagnostic code from the car's onboard computer. Now there are many other solutions (CarMD, OBDKey) on the market.
While all three of the units (CarChip, OBDKey, CarMD) we have in house will enable us to diagnose a CEL problem. The CarMD is self-contained and is able to give a readout / mini-diagnostic without having to download the data to a computer. The CarMD does have a USB port for downloading the data to a PC for further investigation.
We have been driving our Boxster with a CEL on since last April. This weekend, we are going to see what these three OBD readers think is the problem. Maybe we'll even consider fixing it :-) - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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In our FirstLook of the Harman Kardon Drive+Play2 we gave an overview of the various parts which came in the package. Today, we'll do a bench test and take a look at how the pieces (display, hub, controller) work together.
Unlike the DP1, the DP2 hub is much smaller and may be powered in a few different ways. The simplest way is to power the hub directly by the cigarette lighter of the car. This is convenient if you don't plan to permanently install the DP2 in the vehicle.
Harman Kardon also supplies an extension cable if the hub needs to be placed further away from the outlet.
The design of the connectors of the various cables make hooking things up totally foolproof. Each connector is uniquely shaped for its appropriate socket. It is impossible to get it wrong.
Once we had the various cables connected and the power supply switched on, the screen came to life. We were pleasantly surprised by the crispness of the display. The DP2 screen is a huge improvement over the DP1.
There are a lot of display options (color, day/night, etc...) which we'll walk through in the next installment. We'll also hook up the iPod and run through the features of the wirless controller in part 2 of our Drive+Play2 BenchTest report. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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As promised on Tuesday, here is more detailed FirstLook at the Harman Kardon Drive+Play2. The DP2 is one of the best looking aftermarket iPod controller for the car we have seen to date.
The three main pieces (display, transmitter, controller) are sleek, nicely sized, and will blend well into any modern car's interior. Unlike the version 1.0, the DP2 designed so it can be moved from one vehicle to another if desired. The transmitter may be hardwired into the car or simply plugged into the cigarette lighter.
The controller is wireless and powered by an internal user replaceable battery. We like the concept of a moveable wireless controller, but we'll have to see how good an idea it really is with some real world use. We can imagine it would be quite annoying if the controller ran out of juice during a road trip.
The display connector is wired, but positioned in the rear so the wires will be easy to hide. Note that there are two separate anchor points for attaching the pedestal to the screen. This give the installer a lot of flexibility in mounting the display.
In our next segment, we'll hook up the DP2 on our test bench and check out the display. It will also give us a chance to test the wireless transmitter / controller to see how they compare to the original DP setup.
Already, we can see that one of the decisions we'll have to make with this installation is what to do about all of the different displays! All three of them (iPod Touch, D+P2, G+P) are functional in their own way. We will have to give it some thought before deciding on an approach. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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Many of you have been asking us when we will post a review of the Harman Kardon Drive+Play2. Well, we finally got a unit in house. After check out the package, we see that it was worth the wait.
The build quality of the Drive+Play 2 is even better than the original Drive+Play. At first glance, it appears that the main components (screen, controll knob) are about the same size as the original. However, we then realized the main "brain" of the system is now about a fifth of the original and is portable!
This update of the drive+play by Harman Kardon comes with all of the installation options conceivable. We are not sure which installation path we will pick, but unlike the DP1, it appears the DP2 has the possibility that we can easily take the unit with us from vehicle to vehicle. We'll have a more detailed FirstLook in a few days. - Wan Chi Lau (permalink)
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