California Smog & Emissions Exemptions; a Brief Rundown

A question we receive on a regular basis is about California's regulations on emissions testing for road vehicles. It seems quite a few people are confused as to what the current law says about the emissions status of motor vehicles. 

Tech Tip: Thermostat Replacement Interval

The summer driving season is in full swing, and while it is nice to be able to cruise the streets and hit the beach, we would like to remind you to check up on your car's cooling system.  The extra stress placed upon your car's cooling system during the summer means you should check up on the condition of the system, and more specifically the thermostat.

Old School JDM, or New Car? Which would you want?

An article posted in the New York Times piqued our interest.  It was talking about how some people eschew owning a new car and import used Japanese cars which are over 25 years old.  This got us thinking, would you want to own a new car or something that's nearly as old as some of the readers of our blog?  Why would someone want to own such a car?

$750,000 for a nice used car

If you had $750,000 to spend on a car, what you want to buy?  Maybe some vintage Ferrari or a Bugatti Veyron?  Or how about this:  $750,000 used car 

Our friends at the CarScoop first grabbed our attention to this fine piece of machinery.  The car you see is on sale by its owner, and all we can say is, "Wow..."  Custom body work is great if helps accentuate the lines of the car, but this one seems like the owner didn't want to stop until he used up all his buckets of Bondo!  There's not much left of the original car, and quite frankly if you wanted to be noticed, why not start with an exotic super car like a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Bugatti?  Can't imagine that parking or driving this car would be very easy with the huge blindspots it has.  We were surprised that the asking price was so high too!  To each their own, but we think we'll pass on this car.  =) 

Ford Set to Release New Focus ST

2013 Ford Focus is set to be priced just under $25K.  Photo courtesy of Ford.

 If the Scion FR-S doesn't pack enough straight line punch to satisfy your need for speed, then Ford may have your answer. 

Using Physics to Beat a Ticket

The next time your kid asks you, "When will I ever need this stuff?" about homework, tell them you can beat traffic ticket. =P  An article posted by ARS Technica stated that a San Diego physicist was able to avoid a ticket using physics to explain why he did not deserve the ticket.

The paper written by physicist Dmitri Krioukov is titled, The Proof of Innocence, and details why the officer mistakenly thought Krioukov had ran a stop sign.  The paper notes, "... we show that if a car stops at a stop sign, an observer, e.g., a police officer, located at a certain distance perpendicular to the car trajectory, must have an illusion that the car does not stop, if the following three conditions are satisfied: (1) The observer measures not the linear but angular speed of the car; (2) The car decelerates and subsequently accelerates relatively fast; and (3) There is a short-time obstruction of the observer's view of the car by an external object, e.g., another car, at the moment when both cars are near the stop sign."

So there you have it, a real world example of why it's important to stay in school. =)