Whether or not you own a business, you are an employer!

I’ve been in and around the automotive industry pretty much all my life and openly admit to being a certifiable car nut. As a kid, I worked in my dad’s body shop pulling parts off wrecked cars. Later in life I worked for a dealership selling new and used cars and even further down the road I worked as a service advisor before venturing off into the broadcast industry. In 1994, I had an opportunity to buy an independent repair center which I thought would be a great way to exploit my love of cars for my sons and me. But I learned very quickly that there was a whole lot more to owning a repair facility than just a love for cars and the desire to help people.

To say it was an eye opening and interesting experience would be a colossal understatement. The biggest surprise to me was how vulnerable most people are when taking their vehicles in for service and repairs. I had people run in, throw the keys at me while describing a squeak or a squeal, or try and tell me the thingamajig was making noise and so on, not realizing their vulnerability because there just wasn’t enough information to direct a technician to the problem. What that allowed was the likelihood of having to spend more money on diagnostic time, which would run up the bill in a hurry.

After a few years, I decided that there were better ways to enjoy cars then working on them, so I got back into test driving and reviewing for the manufacturers and doing our radio show and it’s safe to say, that I’m much better suited to that. There are a couple of things I learned though, that I know will help ensure that you’ll get the best care possible for your vehicle. Here’s an issue I consider to be the most frequently overlooked.

The single most important thing you must do is understand that you are, in actuality, hiring someone to work for you. Think about that for a moment. I’m pretty sure that if you were going to remodel your home, you’d talk to several contractors, check their credentials, ask to see some of their work and perhaps talk to some of their customers. Even if you don’t own a business and hire people, I’m pretty sure at one time or other you have hired someone to do something for you. It amazes me that people don’t seem to grasp that a vehicle is probably the second most expensive thing we own. Why in the world wouldn’t we do everything in our power to treat it as such?

If you’re one of the fortunate ones that has used a repair facility for a lengthy period of time, and established a professional relationship with the people there, good for you. If not, then before you need work done, do some research on shops in your area. Talk with friends and neighbors and ask who they use and how long they’ve used them. When you’ve found a couple of places that sound good, then it’s time to call and make an appointment with the owner or manager. Explain that you would like to visit with them, and tell them why. I can promise you one thing: the shops that are committed to taking care of their clients will welcome the idea.

When you get to the facility, first impressions are critical. How clean is the waiting room and the shop area? More importantly, are the restrooms clean? Trust your instincts and your first impression. Sometimes pulling into the parking lot may be enough to eliminate a shop. Yes, it is a lot of work, but your time will save you money and afford you peace of mind. You have a pretty healthy investment in your vehicle, so do the legwork. It’ll pay dividends in the long run.

More info on Cathy and Bill at, http://www.ebroadcastmedia.com

What's in a Name?

I know you've heard the old axiom what's in a name many times, and in most cases the answer is not much. Ford on the other hand, is hoping there's a lot in the name Taurus, as my partner and I found out when we were invited to a press conference and test drive of the car that will be replacing the not so successful Ford Five Hundred Sedan.

Like a lot of the other writers at the meeting in Carefree, I was curious as to what exactly Ford had done along with the name change to set the Taurus apart from the Five Hundred. To begin with they upped the horsepower from 200 to 260 with a new 3.5 liter V6 which was a big step in the right direction. The Five Hundred in essence was Ford's version of the S80 but unfortunately it was basically just a boring car that created no driving pleasure at all.

Not so with the new Taurus. Styling cues while somewhat minor, have a major impact on you from the get go. Clearly wanting to capitalize on the success of the Fusion, the grille and tail lights as well as the side vents enhance the Taurus' aesthetics enough to make the car pretty good looking, especially the view over the hood from the drivers seat.

What really sets the new Taurus apart from the Five Hundred goes deeper though. Ford's manager of vehicle dynamics John Heider, told us that the suspension and chassis has been tuned to suppress noise, vibration and harshness or NVH as techy's like to say. A run up through Payson and back to Carefree validated his claim. We started out in the Five Hundred before switching to the Taurus, and the difference was certainly noticeable, with special consideration given to steering and maneuverability making a dramatic change in driving dynamics. The Taurus is a much more fun car to drive.

More fun yes, but Hieder was quick to point out that the Taurus is not a sports sedan by any stretch of the imagination. What it is though is a very solid family sedan that has very nice interior appointments with enough luxury to feel good about driving it. And speaking of driving it, the Taurus is a rear-wheel-drive car but the test vehicles were the optional all-wheel-drive which felt very solid on the twisting and winding roads we drove.

While Ford touts the styling and driveability of the new Taurus, which is all good stuff, the big thing they're emphasizing is the five-star safety rating from NHTSA, in four categories or front and side impacts. Ford crash safety engineer Rob Randolph said that even more prestigious was that Taurus has also earned Top Safety Pick honors from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Something that only 10 vehicles have achieved, allowing Randolph to say with justified pride, that "Taurus has been rated the safest full-size car in the United States."

Introduced in 1985 the Taurus was wildly successful for over a decade before questionable styling and serious competition took it's toll on sales. Why Ford didn't just do a face lift on the Taurus is beyond me because the Five Hundred was just too bland to make a dent in the "I'm okay with bland" crowd that the Crown Vic and Buick pretty much own.

So what's in a name? As far as Ford's all-new Taurus is concerned, only time will tell. But what do you think? Is there more to a name than meets the eye?

Chevy Volt, Hype or Hyperbole

According to a U.S. Department of Transportation report I read 0n GM's Chevrolet website, seventy-eight percent of commuters drive 40 miles or less back and forth to work.
What the General is trying to do is offer the Volt as an opportunity to save gasoline and money with the use of electricity, E85 and biodiesel along with gasoline fuels.

As you can see in pictures of the prototype, the Chevy Volt is one sexy little car, and Chevrolet is introducing it as a new kind of electric vehicle called, Concept Chevy Volt. What sets the Volt apart from previous electric vehicles, is its innovative rechargeable electric drive system, and range, and extended power source. It can be configured to run on electricity, gasoline, E85 or biodiesel. So, according to the information on the General Motors website, you have at least a couple of options for the most efficient drive possible all due to GM’s innovative E-Flex Propulsion System.

All that sounds wonderful but the question remains, will the Volt in actuality be built? In conversations that we had with GM Vice President Bob Lutz in Phoenix in may of this year, the answer is an emphatic yes. General Motors is very excited about the possibilities that the technology in the Volt offers albeit there is still the ubiquitous problem of battery technology that seems to be lagging.

Because Cathy and I test drive for the manufacturer we are often questioned about the development of alternative fuel technologies and what our thoughts are. I am a fan of hybrid technology today because I feel something is better than nothing. That said, I have to be quick to point out that the cost involved in aquisition of a hybrid vehicle most likely will not be recouped as quickly as the consumer may think, but it is a green car and does in a small way help.

The question of the day is, do you believe that the hype around the Volt is the real deal, or is it just more hyperbole from Detroit?

Are teenage drivers more at risk and more dangerous than ever before?

Are teenage drivers more at risk and more dangerous to other drivers than ever?
by Bill Z, from Two for the Road USA radio show.
www.tftrusa.com

We all know that teenagers are some of the most dangerous, and at risk drivers on the road, and in an effort to combat those dangers, a Senate Panel in Arizona approved a 6 month curfew and passenger restrictions. Teen drivers would have restrictions on when they could drive and how many passengers they could carry under a bill that won easy passage in its first outing in the Arizona State Senate. Instead of giving teens carte blanche when they get their driver's license, they would face an overnight curfew on driving. According to an article in the Arizona Republic by Mary Jo Pitzl, they would also be limited to one passenger under the age of 18, unless those passengers are brothers or sisters. The Teenage Driver Safety Act has drawn strong support from police and safety groups, who note that Arizona is one of only five states without a "graduated" driver's license for teens.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Barbara Leff, R-Paradise Valley, said the bill is designed to cut down on potentially dangerous distractions that come with a car loaded with teens. Dale Norris, executive director of the Arizona Police Association was quoted as saying, “It makes sense to give the least-experienced drivers a phased-in process for gaining road experience.”

As you would expect, most teenagers are not thrilled with these restrictions, but if you, like I, have seen some of the video of teenagers driving as shown on TV newsmagazines, you know that it’s important to somehow help youngsters gain the maturity and experience needed to drive on today’s highways.
According to Cydney DeModica, Arizona Motor Vehicle Division spokeswoman who is a frequent guest on our radio show, "the real key is to get as much driving experience under a teen's belt as possible before they are turned loose on the roadway with other drivers."
It’s my belief that the combination of less mature teens with access to much more powerful and well built, much easier to drive vehicles that give a false sense of security, are major contributors to the problem.

Let us know what you think, go to; http://www.twofortheroadusa.com/