We, and many others, are really annoyed that no such survey happens in Australia. So we are all still in the dark as far as Australian-made cars are concerned! No local insurance company or auto magazine seems to want to produce their own survey, and the local car companies refuse to make industry quality surveys public.  Yet these very same companies benefit from millions of dollars  showered upon them by the Australian Government – that’s our tax dollars – so don’t you think they have an obligation to divulge how well they make their cars with our money, and that we have a right to know before we buy? We’d like to know how you feel, so click below to write your views

Some car enthusiasts hate bumper stickers – they spoil the clean lines and detract from the overall design of their machines, and if you change your mind about the sticker and you put it on the paintwork (bad, bad move), the paintwork can get damaged. The only stickers you’re ever going to see on machines owned by these people are the little tags that all cars have to have to tell those passing by and inspecting them that the car is road legal and all the paperwork has been done and paid for. Plus a few little stickers in obscure parts of the window about the security system installed.

 
For other people, however, car bumpers and car rear windows are a blank canvas to express creativity and personality – and a sense of humour. In extreme cases, you won’t just find bumper stickers but also things that attach by suction cups onto the rear windows and possibly fuzzy dice or rosaries hanging from the rear view mirror. At the least creative end of the spectrum, you have those “Baby on Board” stickers or suction-cup thingies, warning anyone driving by that there is an occupied child seat in the back. These things were originally marketed as being a safety item, with the idea that if people saw them, they’d slow down and be more considerate. This isn’t the case, especially as you can now get rip-off versions of these than inform the world that you have a certain breed of dog on board – which is likely to be obvious if the windows are down and your Irish Terrier, German Shepherd or whatever is putting its head out the window to catch the breeze (impressive in a long-eared, long-haired breed like the Afghan Hound). At the other end of the spectrum, you get stickers with pictures and slogans. Few cars in Australia come close to the sticker-mania of taxi drivers in Peru back in the early 1990s (yes, this writer was there then and rode in them). It wasn’t the outside but the inside of the taxi (usually owned by a freelance driver and usually one of the classic old VW Beetles) that was covered with stickers with all sorts of jokes and witticisms on them, usually slightly indecent. Or very indecent, but my Spanish wasn’t that good. The stickers were probably there to distract you from the overall poor condition of the vehicle and the bad driving. Or maybe the taxi driver just liked to look at them while waiting for a fare.

 
Bumper stickers tend to come in two main types: those that make a political statement and indicate the good cause supported or the opinion held by the driver/owner of the car. This includes stickers that promote or advertise products (not including company logos). The other type includes witticisms and tends display a sense of humour. The political/good cause type of sticker can express nearly opinion under the sun and range from the discreet (small fish signs indicating that the driver is a Christian) through to large and eye-catching.

 
The ones that display a sense of humour are this writer’s favourites. While you won’t find any adorning my Honda Accord (the other half can’t stand bumper stickers), the following are a collection of my favourites:

 
• When I grow up, I want to be a BMW. (Seen on a very small hatchback).
• I used to be a Range Rover, but I shrank in the wash. (Ditto).
• Help! Dad just farted and we’re trapped!
• Don’t follow me – I’m lost, too.

What are favourite stickers spotted or put on the cars of readers? Send us through the good ‘uns for us all to enjoy (preferably clean – this is supposed to be a family-friendly site!).

You may recall last month that I had my own worst car experience with a Holden. Surprisingly that same make gave me my best car experience, too.

Ten years ago I bought a Holden Statesman. It was just over two years old, and had a mere 18,000kms on the clock, so I thought I was pretty safe. But it didn’t turn out that way – at least initially.

The engine had a strange knock on start up, so I took it to the dealer to investigate. The result was that they kept the car for two weeks whilst they replaced the engine. So I reluctantly thought I’d bought another lemon and was getting prepared to sell it.

And sell it I did, but 240,000kms  and six years later! It’s hard to recall if I ever kept a car that long, as I simply didn’t know what to replace it with. Its only demand on my wallet was for petrol, regular servicing and tyres. That’s it- not an extra cent to spend and not a drop of oil between services.

So Holden gets both the winners and losers guernseys in my book.

What about you?

Do you have a stunning reliability story to tell? If so we’d like to hear from you, and there’s a Tom Tom sat/nav for the best answer.

Click on comments below.

New Zealand’s AA Battery Service is involved with recycling used car batteries, and Bill Keane, General Manager of AA Battery Service, stated that “More than 97 % of a battery is able to be recycled.  After every replacement by our mobile battery patrols, we send the used batteries to professional battery recyclers.  Almost all the components – plastic casing, acid and lead – are recycled to reduce the environment impact.”

Recycling car batteries helps to reduce the amount of hazardous landfill waste.  There are plenty of landfill sites across Australia.  You’ve probably got one near to where you live.  It is better if we can avoid the large build up of waste over the coming decades.  At the www.ephc.gov.au website, you’ll find the low down on the Australian government’s plans and policies regarding waste products and landfills.  One of their aims is to help national companies and small businesses to operate effectively and efficiently and manage waste products and waste materials responsibly during and at end of their useful life.

A car’s battery is able to recharge itself so that it can power the starter motor, the lights, the electronic gadgetry and the ignition system for the engine.  These batteries are often called SLI batteries, and they have a lead and acid mix in their chemical make-up.  SLI batteries are huge environmental polluters.

Hybrid powered cars use battery power alongside fossil fuels to power their cars.  The hybrid batteries are a nickel metal hydride make-up, and their toxicity levels and environmental impact are considered to be much than SLI batteries.  However, you still have to use natural resources up to produce a car battery.

Whether you are in business or involved with doing your own maintenance on your car at home, the best way to dispose of your car batteries is to pop them at your local refuse station in the recycling section specially catered toward receiving old dud car batteries.  Another benefit of recycling a used car battery is that mining for materials to replace that car battery dumped into the landfill is stopped.  Certainly, the recycling of car batteries reduces this environmental impact.

If you’re not sure where to go with you old car battery, contact your local council so that they can point you to the closest recycling station.  Don’t put your old car battery in the household rubbish, into the general rubbish to go to the landfill or leave the old car batteries lying around the home.

The first Women’s World Car of the Year award was given in 2009, marking the dawn of a new and exciting period in auto development. Women have become the fastest growing consumer demographic in many areas previously dominated by men, including auto purchases. The Women’s World award is based on various criteria specifically aimed at the modern independent female driver. Safety, sex appeal and fuel efficiency are a few of the criteria used in judging a car’s drivability.

The 2012 Range Rover Evoque has been named the Women’s World Car of the Year for 2012. The Evoque offers excellent handling and braking capabilities and a powerful four cylinder engine. Stylish though it may be, the Evoque is also quite the off-road vehicle; it is capable of 240 horsepower with 250 pounds per foot of torque. This is possible because of the Evoque’s supercharged 2.0 liter engine, which provides excellent performance with easy handling. Therefore, most women who try the Evoque find it comfortable and easy to drive despite its impressive power.

One category that played a large role in the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year award was family friendliness. The interior of the Evoque is relatively average; many of its interior features are similar to those found in many other luxury SUVs. It is the exterior, however, that makes the Evoque ideal for the modern woman. The Evoque is the only two-door compact SUV available. This gives the Evoque a huge advantage over other compact SUVs, because the Evoque also comes in a four-door model. These two options make the Evoque equally ideal for both single independent woman and mothers with several children, since the four-door option is perfect for women with even large families. This versatility gives the Evoque a significant advantage over competing compact SUVs. Most of the vehicles up for the award accommodated families, but it was the Evoque alone that offered a sexier independent exterior option as well.

A major aspect of the Women’s World Car of the Year award is safety. The Evoque offers a wide variety of industry-leading safety features, including driver, passenger, side and thorax airbags. It also comes with anti-lock brakes, emergency brake lights and hill start assist.

The Women’s World Car of the Year award is separated into four categories: luxury cars, sports cars, economy cars and family cars. The vehicle rated best in all these categories combined is given the title of Women’s World Car of the Year. The Evoque achieved this title by combining style and luxury while still holding its own as an efficient family car. The well rounded Range Rover Evoque is 2012’s ideal vehicle for the independent woman, offering options other compact SUVs do not.

Female motoring writers from all over the world were brought together to judge all the vehicles released in 2012. Each car was scrupulously analyzed and criticized to find the one that offered the optimal blend of efficiency, comfort and aesthetic appeal for the woman of 2012. The Evoque impressed judges in all categories and claimed its position as 2012’s best vehicle for women worldwide.

 
Anyway, philosophical maunderings about energy sources, aside, what’s some of the great facts and records this year for the world of motoring? Take notes now – you never know when these facts might come in handy for a pub quiz trivia night.

 
Fastest electric car: This record is held by the Buckeye Bullet 2, which, unfortunately, isn’t a production car but a project by some engineering students studying at the Ohio State University. Its top speed is a very impressive 487.672 km/h, which is more than four times the legal road speed – is that fast enough for you?

 
Fastest solar-powered car: This record’s one that Australians can be proud of: it’s held by the Sunswift IV, and it can get up to 88.73 km/h. The Sunswift was made by the NSW Solar Racing Team.
Longest journey by coffee-powered car: This isn’t a nutty idea from the USA but one from the eccentric Brits instead: they managed to get from London to Manchester in an adapted VW Scirocco that has a way to convert coffee granules into carbon monoxide (not so eco-friendly) and hydrogen, and the hydrogen fires the engine. The journey covered 337 km and did it at a fuel economy of 1 km per 35 expressos.

 
Best selling-hybrid car: No surprises here: the record’s held by the Toyota Prius, which has sold over two million units since its launch in 1997.

 
Best selling production car: This is held by the Toyota Corolla, which was the first car to achieve 30 million sales. The first car to reach 20 million sales, however, was the VW Beetle. The first car to achieve 10 million sales isn’t one you’ll find in our car reviews page: it was the Model T Ford. To get a little more specialised, the best-selling sports car is the Mazda MX-5.

 
Greatest fuel range: Hold your head up high, Volkswagen: the Passat 1.6 TDI managed to get 2456.88 km on just one tank of fuel.

 
Largest vehicle producing country: this is held by China, which also holds the record for the country with the larges vehicle sales (it’s just managed to beat the USA for this latter record).

 
Vehicle with the largest mileage: a 1966 Volvo P-1800S managed to get over 4.5 million kilometres on the clock and it’s still going strong. Another record-holding Volvo is the XC60, which can proudly wear the title of the first car with a crash avoidance system.

 
Smallest roadworthy car: This is a home-made job knows as the Wind Up, and it measures 104 cm high by 66.04 cm wide by 132.08 cm long. This is not a suitable family vehicle…

 
Fastest caravan tow: a person driving a Mercedes Benz S600 in South Africa managed to clock 223.88 km/h while towing a caravan – on an Air Force runway. Cops tend to get a bit grumpy if you try doing this on the roads.

 
Fastest production car: This is still held by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport with a top speed of 431.072 km/h.

 
Most expensive car: Held by a Ferrari 205 GTO. The most expensive production car is the Mercedes-Benx CLK/LM.

]]> http://blog.privatefleet.com.au/home/its-a-record-some-2012-chart-toppers/feed/ 0 http://blog.privatefleet.com.au/home/dodgy-roads-how-about-this-dodgy-path/ http://blog.privatefleet.com.au/home/dodgy-roads-how-about-this-dodgy-path/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:58:03 +0000 David http://blog.privatefleet.com.au/?p=1669 Remember the blog post from a couple of years ago where we featured the infamous ‘Bolivian Highway’?  Well that’s nothing compared the the footpath featured below and filmed with a handycam.

Yes I know this is a car blog and it is, I admit it’s a tenuous automotive link but it’s well worth a share … unless you don’t like heights.

This is the ‘El Caminito del Rey’ (Kings Pathway) – an old abandoned walkway in Spain built in the early 1900′s to support workers activities at the nearby hydroelectric plant.

This hugeley rare Ferrari Enzo (only 399 made) and worth an expected $1.5 m was apparently abandoned by a British ‘backpacker’ in Dubai a while ago and now it’s coming up for auction. OK, he probably wasn’t a backpacker, but he was protective of his freedom. You see, being in debt is a jailable offence in Dubai, so it’s not that uncommon for foreign businessman to abandon their cars when they make ‘a rapid exit’ from this middle east nation. But abandon cars are usually fairly mundane machines, so this fleeing Brit must have incurred massive debts before his early departure 18 month ago..

The car, along with a over 100 others abandoned cars, will form part of a Police auction in Dubai today, and is expected to raise well in excess of a million dollars.

FOOTNOTE:- It seems that the Dubai police pulled the car from sale amid world wide publicity, claiming that it is still needed for evidence of crime. It may be re-listed as soon as their enquiries are complete.

 
I heard on the radio the other day that Lamborghini had launched something a little cheaper than usual. A car? Nope. Turns out that although Lambo have put out a number of new cars recently (which you won’t find reviewed in our car reviews page – we’re into cars that the average Aussie and the average business is likely to actually buy!) and have also put out a bike – a limited edition bike.
This is not a motorbike, in spite of the Italian thing with little scooters like the Vespa. No, it’s a pushbike, so it’s up to you what the top speed is. To be sure, the bike is made from super-light carbon-fibre and has all the design features that help a bike go faster. And yes, it’s got the bull logo along with very aggressive styling designed to match the Lamborghini Aventador – and a Lambo-style price tag to match. Quite frankly, you can pick up a decent new car from a more everyday brand (e.g. Toyota) for the same price, so guess which one I’d rather spend the equivalent of €20,000 on!

 
Lambo aren’t alone in dabbling in the world of pushbikes, which are, after all, supposed to be the most efficient machines ever invented (amount of energy put out is about 99% of the energy put in, with minimal energy converted to heat and noise). According to one news website, BMW, Land Rover and Porsche have popped their characteristic badges onto top-end road bikes, with HSV and FPV also having a go with mountain bikes. It’s considered widely to be a bit of a branding exercise, although it could also be a recognition of the upswing in good quality road bikes as a form of zero-carbon transport, especially in Europe. Well, minimal carbon, anyway, as you still breathe when you’re biking, putting out CO2, to say nothing of the methane coming from other end if you’ve eaten a carb-rich breakfast to power your biking efforts.

 
The Lambo bikes (known as the BMC Impec Automobili Lamborghini Edition) are limited edition models and only 30 are going to be made, so we’re unlikely to see too many bull logos on the bikes in the racks around our cities. We’re unlikely to get any in Australia at all, so keen cyclists will have to just get Giants or the like.

 
Actually, if you are desperate for something with the Lamborghini brand on it and are based in a rural area, the way that you can get a cheap(ish!) Lamborghini for your business (assuming your business is in the agricultural area) is to get a farm tractor. Lamborghini started out making tractors, and they still do. Naturally, they’re top-of-the line machines with torque levels that make what you can get out of even the juiciest sports car: 820 Nm from one model. They’re very popular in Europe, where you’re more likely to see a Lamborghini in the fields beside the road rather than on the roads.