The Garage Blog

The Garage: Your daily dose of automotive news, reviews and motorsports coverage

Archives for November 2006

Should I fix it? How much is too much?

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One of the most common question I’m face with owners of old cars is: It’s a lot of money. should I fix it?
It’s quite a dilemma, and it’s a question with no easy answer.

The scene is almost always the same. The customer is driving a 10 or 12 year old second hand car. A couple of years ago they scraped together to buy it and have done next to no maintenance. They have developed a problem that is beyond the skills of the local major tire chain and they have to come to a dealer. The car has many faults, several of which are not only terminal, but expensive. The car isn’t safe to drive. The repairs needed to make it safe will cost more than the car is worth and they likely don’t address the driveability problem that brought them in in the first place. Then comes the question.
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Turmoil in The Garage

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Thats right folks, there is some hefty turmoil here in The Garage these days. No, we aren’t losing the war on sploggers, the trouble is much more real world than that. As anyone in the car industry will tell you, ours is as unpredictable as a fart in a thunderstorm. You never know what curves the industry will throw at you. Some of us switch jobs like underwear, it’s just part of the game. Ownership changes happen on occasion. Every now and then, a manufacturer decides to pull a franchise out from under a perfectly good team for some inexplicable reason.
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2006 Tall Pines Rally

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The Bancroft area came alive today with the sound of rally cars for the 2006 running of the Rally of The Tall Pines. Our man Jaimie headed out to see his first ever rally and provided us with some great pics. He actually took a whole gallery full. It’s a shame that nobody is running an old quattro these days, as that is what new rally spectators are hoping to see.

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BMW Hydrogen 7

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After researching the possibilities offered by hydrogen since the 80’s, BMW is launching a production, hydrogen powered car to the public. The 2007 BMW Hydrogen 7 is based on the 760Li and apparently drives pretty much like the standard car. With a combined fuel range of 700 KM of fuel on board, the Hydrogen 7 seems set to deliver good mileage for a big sedan. Also, when operating on Hydrogen, the vehicle emits nothing more than clean water vapour.

The one thing that isn’t mentioned in the press release is a delivery network. I’m not sure about European stations, but I’ll bet that the North American fuel stations aren’t lining up to store hydrogen for the handful of cars that may show up. That said, as more manufacturers jump on the hydrogen bandwagon the supply issue should cease to be an issue. At that time, I wonder if they will be able to safely increase the size of the hydrogen tank and decrease the gasoline tank. Zero emissions, while performing like a normal vehicle seems like a pretty good deal to me!

Press release and lots of photos after the break
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Lewis Hamilton Lands F1 Seat with Mercedes McLaren

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2006 GP2 Champion Lewis Hamilton has landed the number two seat for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team, alongside World Champion Fernando Alonso. Starting his career at age 9 in karts, Hamilton has been groomed for F1 by McLaren since way back in 1998. That gives the 21 year old a whopping 12 years of racing experience, with the last 9 years supported by McLaren and Mercedes. Talk about killer backing! The best equipment and driver’s coaches money can buy. Little wonder the kid shines! That said, you’ve got to wish him luck and hope he doesn’t get overshadowed by his team mate.

Press release after the break
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Fibre Optic Flashlight Attachment

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This cool device is pretty simple, yet is a must have for anyone who works on cars. It consists of a hood that slides over your Mag Light, with a fibre optic tube that extends 20 inches. Just perfect for looking around under a dashboard, or peering down into a carb to see where that nut you dropped is.

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Villenueve on NASCAR: If you can’t join em, buy em

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NASCAR should be a much different series next year. Names like Montoya and Toyota are sure to shake things up and the good old boys are gonna whine about them furrin guys takin’ all the wins. There have been some other names trolling the paddock for a ride too. Paul Tracy hasn’t been able to get into a seat, and Jacques Villeneuve was said to be in talks with Roush Racing to put a ride together. While PT is fooling around with brewskis and golf carts, the scruffy Jacques has been busy putting together a team.

Villeneuve and former manager Craig Pollack are said to be sinking up to 100 million dollars of JV’s money into building their own NASCAR team, which will be assembled by the Roush Racing folks. Talk about a heck of an arrive and drive program! There has been no word if it will be a one or two car team, or who the second driver might be if there is one. One can assume that JV will take time out of his singing career to tackle roundy rounds.

Source Sportsnet

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