Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Can you immediately see why this unsual pedal thing wasn't a success?
If a kid were to (and you can bet they're going to) run into anything, that single handle is going to ram into a kid very painfully in the groin, throat, or face. How did the designers not see that before going into production?
Thanks Richard! For sending me this photo!
Friday, June 13, 2014
GM decides to recall Camaros for an ignition issue... maybe they actually learned their lesson!
The latest recall includes the current edition of the Chevy Camaro, one of the company’s more storied brands and a paragon of what Detroit has always excelled at: delivering a lot of horsepower per dollar. And it’s a pretty big batch of affected cars, too. GM is telling customers to bring in all Camaros made between 2010 and 2014—almost 512,000 cars in all.
Finally—and most importantly—the newest recalls once again stem from defective ignitions, but this time around the problems are in no way related to the ignition switches that sparked the recall crisis in the first place. The crummy Camaro parts meet all GM engineering requirements, yet they still have a tendency to shut the car off mid-drive given the slightest bump.
photo from http://stunningpicture.tumblr.com/ info from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-13/gms-latest-recall-wreck-the-camaro
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Newsflash... GM fires 15 people for failing the customers, well, killing 13 customers to be exact. 5 more disciplined, none arrested for manslaughter? WTF US Attorney General? WTF DOJ!
The delayed recall by General Motors that led to the deaths of at least 13 people was due to both the misconduct of about 20 employees, as well as “a pattern of incompetence and neglect” throughout the company, according to an internal probe of the recall released Thursday.
GM CEO Mary Barra announced that 15 employees have been dismissed from the company and five more have been disciplined in the wake of the three-month probe by former federal prosecutor Anton Valukas. Barra said some were dismissed due to misconduct or incompetence, while others simply did not do enough to fix the problem.
“It represents a fundamental failure to meet the basic needs of these customers,” she said about the findings of the report. “We simply didn’t do our jobs. We failed these customers,”
Barra’s said the report found that “GM personnel’s inability to address the ignition switch problem, which persisted for more than 11 years, represents a history of failures.” GM CEO Mary Barra announced that 15 employees have been dismissed from the company and five more have been disciplined in the wake of the three-month probe by former federal prosecutor Anton Valukas. Barra said some were dismissed due to misconduct or incompetence, while others simply did not do enough to fix the problem.
“It represents a fundamental failure to meet the basic needs of these customers,” she said about the findings of the report. “We simply didn’t do our jobs. We failed these customers,”
“While everybody who was engaged on the ignition switch issue had the responsibility to fix it, nobody took responsibility,” she said. “Throughout the entire 11-year history, there was no demonstrated sense of urgency, right to the very end.”
The recall has prompted a change in GM’s process for deciding when to order recalls and has prompted nearly 16 million recalls worldwide this year — a record for the company. GM has said it will cost about $1.7 billion to make the repairs on all those recalls.
Found on http://fox5sandiego.com/2014/06/05/gm-axes-15-over-botched-recall/#axzz33nNltEBR
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Security of expensive cars, apparently not so good... the Magamos Crypto algorithm is 20+ years old technology
That algorithm allows the car to verify the identity of the ignition key.
Flavio Garcia and the Dutch researchers Baris Ege and Roel Verdult from the Raboud University discovered the unique algorithm could lead to the theft of not just the luxury cars including Porsches and Bentleys but also of lower-end people-carriers and other makes, including Audis which use its Megamos Crypto algorithm and had planned to publish their paper at the Usenix Security Symposium in Washington DC in August, but Volkswagen won a temporary injunction banning this.
Volkswagen complained to the judge that the publication could "allow someone, especially a sophisticated criminal gang with the right tools, to break the security and steal a car".
"The chip dates back to the mid-nineties and has since become outdated, but is nevertheless still widely used in the automotive industry," they said in a statement issued by their university. "The paper reveals inherent weaknesses, on the basis of mathematical calculations, and is based on an analysis of publicly available information. The publication in no way describes how to easily steal a car, as additional and different information is needed for this to be possible," they said.
"The University of Birmingham is disappointed with the judgment which did not uphold the defence of academic freedom and public interest, but respects the decision. It has decided to defer publication of the academic paper in any form while additional technical and legal advice is obtained given the continuing litigation," a spokeswoman said.
"The interesting thing is whether this discovery renders the cars no longer fit for purpose / satisfactory quality under the Sale of Goods Act, enabling owners to return for a full refund."
Found on http://automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com/2013/08/stealing-cars-porsches-bentleys-and.html via the Manchester Guardian
Car theft stats
Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz vehicles were the most sought-after luxury brand among U.S. car thieves from 2009 through 2012
The New York City region had the greatest number of thefts, an insurance-industry group said.
More Mercedes C-Class cars, a total of 485, were stolen during the period than any other luxury model, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The New York City area, including Long Island and northern New Jersey, reported 806 thefts in the period out of a nationwide total of 4,384, the NICB said, citing data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Los Angeles region was No. 2, followed by Miami.
The second-most-stolen luxury car was Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW 3 Series, followed by Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti G Series, the NICB said.
California had the highest number of luxury thefts of any state at 1,063, followed by Florida with 674. The Los Angeles area had 491 thefts.
The number of luxury-car thefts has decreased in Los Angeles by almost 50 percent since 2005 as security technology improved, Smith said. “You used to be able to steal a car with a screwdriver,” Smith said. “Now with chips, computers and alarm systems, it’s much more difficult to steal a car.”
The recovery rate of all luxury cars reported stolen in the period was about 84 percent, the study found.
The vehicle with the highest recovery rate was General Motors Co.’s Cadillac CTS at about 91 percent.
The Mercedes S-Class model had the worst recovery rate at about 59 percent, the NICB said.
Found on http://automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com/2013/07/mercedes-top-luxury-car-stolen-by.html
The New York City region had the greatest number of thefts, an insurance-industry group said.
More Mercedes C-Class cars, a total of 485, were stolen during the period than any other luxury model, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The New York City area, including Long Island and northern New Jersey, reported 806 thefts in the period out of a nationwide total of 4,384, the NICB said, citing data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Los Angeles region was No. 2, followed by Miami.
The second-most-stolen luxury car was Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW 3 Series, followed by Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti G Series, the NICB said.
California had the highest number of luxury thefts of any state at 1,063, followed by Florida with 674. The Los Angeles area had 491 thefts.
The number of luxury-car thefts has decreased in Los Angeles by almost 50 percent since 2005 as security technology improved, Smith said. “You used to be able to steal a car with a screwdriver,” Smith said. “Now with chips, computers and alarm systems, it’s much more difficult to steal a car.”
The recovery rate of all luxury cars reported stolen in the period was about 84 percent, the study found.
The vehicle with the highest recovery rate was General Motors Co.’s Cadillac CTS at about 91 percent.
The Mercedes S-Class model had the worst recovery rate at about 59 percent, the NICB said.
Found on http://automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com/2013/07/mercedes-top-luxury-car-stolen-by.html
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Check engine light.. means break out the cash
Why does it come one? For about a hundred different reasons, right?
How do you turn it off? You have to take the car to a mechanic or dealership.
How do you find out what the problem is? Either pay a mechanic/dealership, or buy a engine code scanner.
Now, lets stop right there..... what is it about the "check engine" warning light that can't be sent to the 7 inch screen in the middle of my car, the stereo/video display/infotainment system that is also able to tell me all the "green" and gas saver nonsense, navigation mapping, wifi, sports, news, weather, the name of the song, group, year, and radio channel I'm listening to.
But the second I get a bad tank of gas and the ping sensor has a fit, the damn check engine light came on, and I'm Westbound out of Barstow Ca in the effin Mojave, and the bajillion things that 7 inch screen can do for me don't count for shit, because the engineers that designed my Hyundai Veloster, and those that make every other car, don't put the "check engine" warnings where they should be, accessible to the OWNER of the car to let the OWNER of the car be informed of what has went wrong, and if the car is safe to drive, or seriously in need of a tow truck, dealership mechanic, and big cushion in the credit card.
Images cribbed from https://www.hyundaiusa.com/veloster/interior.aspx
Update, July 3rd 2014... they aren't listening. http://autozine.com.br/informacao/kia-motors-lanca-novo-sistema-global-de-diagnostico-de-veiculo-para-oficinas#more-16091 is some nonsense about bluetooth connectivity to a mobile device for technicians
Kia Motors has announced details of its new Global Diagnostic System Mobile (GDS - Mobile), introduced in the international market to improve the level of customer service with network expansion aftermarket brand.
The new GDS - Mobile is the third generation diagnostic Kia vehicles available to its dealers and the world's first mobile solution designed for complete diagnosis and optimized for use on mobile devices system. How do you turn it off? You have to take the car to a mechanic or dealership.
How do you find out what the problem is? Either pay a mechanic/dealership, or buy a engine code scanner.
Now, lets stop right there..... what is it about the "check engine" warning light that can't be sent to the 7 inch screen in the middle of my car, the stereo/video display/infotainment system that is also able to tell me all the "green" and gas saver nonsense, navigation mapping, wifi, sports, news, weather, the name of the song, group, year, and radio channel I'm listening to.
But the second I get a bad tank of gas and the ping sensor has a fit, the damn check engine light came on, and I'm Westbound out of Barstow Ca in the effin Mojave, and the bajillion things that 7 inch screen can do for me don't count for shit, because the engineers that designed my Hyundai Veloster, and those that make every other car, don't put the "check engine" warnings where they should be, accessible to the OWNER of the car to let the OWNER of the car be informed of what has went wrong, and if the car is safe to drive, or seriously in need of a tow truck, dealership mechanic, and big cushion in the credit card.
Images cribbed from https://www.hyundaiusa.com/veloster/interior.aspx
Update, July 3rd 2014... they aren't listening. http://autozine.com.br/informacao/kia-motors-lanca-novo-sistema-global-de-diagnostico-de-veiculo-para-oficinas#more-16091 is some nonsense about bluetooth connectivity to a mobile device for technicians
Kia Motors has announced details of its new Global Diagnostic System Mobile (GDS - Mobile), introduced in the international market to improve the level of customer service with network expansion aftermarket brand.
The new system allows technicians to identify the brand more quickly and effectively vehicle faults. Wireless connectivity and Bluetooth support facilitate the work of the technicians, without the need of a computer fixed for diagnosis. The GDS - Mobile requires no wires to connect to the vehicle as a communication interface using the Bluetooth ® and Wi-Fi
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
it happens this fast. Driver cuts off motorbike, biker not driving defensively, WHAM
Found on http://blog.motorcycle.com/
Be more careful out there my friends, the life you save... could be your own whether you are in a car or on a bike
George reposted this on his Facebook, and in the comments and analyzation, it was pointed out that the car was facing the sun (see the long shadows) and that the car used it's turn signal (at the 6 seconds point in the video when looking at the back of the car) but it's obvious that the turn signal can't be seen as it is on the far side of the car from the bikers point of view, and looks like it doesn't have a yellow lens in front, or doesn't work in front.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
News flash: Agent Orange contamination, was also happening due to contact with the airplanes that sprayed it, for a dozen years after they came back from Nam
From 1971-1982, Air Force reservists, who flew in 34 dioxin-contaminated aircraft used to spray Agent Orange and returned to the U.S. following discontinuation of the herbicide spraying operations in the Vietnam War, were exposed to greater levels of dioxin than previously acknowledged, according to a study published today in Environmental Research by senior author Jeanne Mager Stellman, PhD, professor emerita at the Mailman School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management.
These aircraft were subsequently returned to the U.S. and were used by Air Force reserve units between 1971 and 1982 for transport operations. After many years without monitoring, tests revealed the presence of dioxin (also known as TCDD). All but three of the aircraft were smelted down in 2009.
The Air Force and Department of Veterans Affairs have previously denied benefits to these crew members. http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/blue-water-navy.html
http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/air-force-aircraft-returned-vietnam-postwar-source-agent-orange-contamination.html
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