All about auto

Peugeot recently unveiled its diesel-hybrid racing car prototype, with the plans to compete in next year’s Le Mans series.

The 908 HDi FAP “Hy” completed a few demonstration laps at Britain’s famous Silverstone racetrack in front of the packed grandstands. Peugeot’s new racing car features similar kinetic energy recovery setup to next year’s Formula 1 system. The 908 HDi FAP “Hy” works almost like a Prius on steroids and it also features a lithium-ion battery pack and an amazing 80-horsepower electric motor.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the company that is responsible for organizing and running the Le Mans series, has announced changes in rules to even out the advantages of diesel cars over racing cars that run on petrol. According to Britain’s Car Magazine, Peugeot’s 908 HDi FAP “Hy” won’t be deterred and it will enter the competition as a “‘Double Oh’ non-competitor to further evaluate the car’s hybrid technology.”

“As a car manufacturer we can use motor sport as a research and development tool for the Peugeot brand as a whole,” said Michel Barge, Peugeot Sport’s director. “Running a hybrid car in endurance racing would give Peugeot a chance to gain extremely valuable experience that would benefit the development of production cars.”

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Arizona

Police: Carjacker Threw 4-Month-Old Baby From Car After Shattering Window With Shotgun:

Reason to Blow Up the World…

MESA, Ariz. — A baby is recovering after a carjacker tossed her from a stolen car, Phoenix police said.

It happened Saturday after two armed men carjacked a woman in Phoenix. One of the men flung the woman’s 4-month-old child from the vehicle while trying to escape, police said.

The pair are also accused of shooting a man in the arm during a botched carjacking attempt just 30 minutes before.

The suspects are identified as Arthur Galindo, 29, and Romulo Cardona, 23, said Sgt. Andy Hill, a Phoenix police spokesman.

Galindo, armed with a shotgun, fired the weapon at the vehicle’s window, Hill said. Broken glass rained down on top of the woman’s 4-month-old daughter, who was still strapped in a car seat.

Galindo climbed into the driver’s seat and attempted to flee in the woman’s vehicle, Hill said, while Cardona drove off in an Impala.

As Galindo drove off, witnesses yelled that a child was in the back seat.

Witnesses said Galindo stopped and flung the infant to the pavement while still in her car seat. The child received only minor injuries, Hill said.

Police followed Galindo in the stolen Monte Carlo through south Phoenix where he bailed out and into the passenger seat of the Impala driven by Cardona.

Eventually both men attempted to flee from the Impala. Officers were able to arrest them after a brief chase on foot, Hill said.

Police believe the pair were recently released from the Department of Corrections for prior armed robbery convictions, Hill said.

This is why we need to keep violent offenders behind bars for life.

One point for each carjacking, that’s two, one more point for shooting out the window with a baby in the car and showering it with glass, another point for being a heartless scumbag and flinging a four month old baby from the car, another point for shooting another man, and one last point for being ex-cons who didn’t learn their lesson. That’s six.

I received this comment buried on a previous post, and thought it worthy of a main post (with improved punctuation):

It seems to me that Worldmark [Editorial comment: It’s actually Wyndham, not Worldmark] needs to police their telemarketing contractors a little (OK a lot) more closely if they are, in fact, not trying to use high pressure to try and make them sign the contract, even if they tell you that its not possible to afford.

[I just had a] phone call, telling me that I had entered a drawing for $75,000 and had been selected for the second and final grand prize drawing (first outright lie) and that I had “won” a 3 day, 2 night package for either Vegas or Disneyland including free airfare, hotel, and amusement park tickets (came to find out that’s another lie as the tickets will cost $50 per person up-front).

So I tell her (the telemarketer) I only live about 45 minutes from Disneyland — just send me the tickets for the park, forget the airfare and the hotel. Then she says I need verify your info and asks if my annual income is more than $40,000 a year. When I tell her “not at this time”, she tells me to just say it is when I go to pick up my tickets (no mention of sitting through a sales pitch). So I say OK.

Then she asks are you married or single and since I’m still married but separated I tell her “neither”. She says “just tell them you’re single and own your own business they’ll never check that anyway” (OK now I’m being coached at what lies to tell I DON’T LIKE TO LIE!!). But I tell her OK anyway and she rattles off about 6 different time slots that “she” has available for me to come to a fairly local location and pick up my tickets (still no mention of any sales presentation), so I set it up for about a week from now.

After hanging up I start to wonder and can’t remember entering any drawings so I Google the company name she gave me (Worldmark) and after looking at one of their pages I stumble on this page (there may really be a God after all). I may have become irate when I arrived at [Wyndham] and wasn’t just handed my prize winnings and sent on my way since the telemarketer (I’m positive it was unsolicited and we’re on the Don’t Call List BTW) never once mentioned that this was just a ‘come on’ to get anyone over 25 and willing to lie about their income into their “used car” showroom for a pressure test.

I want to thank those that shared their experiences with [Wyndham] for giving me an idea about what’s really going on there. I think I’ll take the kids to Disneyland on my own.

Phew!

Tags: trendwest worldmark

An interesting question was posted today on The Toronto Star site, TheStar.com. It’s from a couple who can’t get their Dalmatian to stop its non-stop barking while riding in the car or in their bass boat.

The writer, certified animal behavior consultant Yvette Van Veen, does an excellent job detailing the training techniques available to help solve the noisy nuisance.

By starting from scratch, you can eliminate the reasons for a dog to bark by easing them into the travel process.

This means, as the owner, you must create an environment where this learning can take place. But training plans often are discarded momentarily when necessity arises. This results in a lack of consistency and unnecessary pressure, which undermine your ability to correct the problem.

Trainers and handlers avoid this by planning ahead. So your first step is to complete necessary travel in advance to create a timeframe free from pressure.

Next, she says, formulate a strategy and stick to it.

Instead, put your energy into teaching an appropriate series of behaviours.

For example, teach your dog to sit quietly on a mat and chew a bone during rides. Those behaviours are both teachable and rewardable.

You can read the rest here. I especially like the reference to coaching hockey. After all, this is from Canada, where they live, breathe and bark hockey.

One thing she doesn’t mention is the power that music plays in keeping a dog at peace. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, there even are CDs that are specially designed to help calm a dog down while on the road. Not sure how effective it might be in the bass boat though.

Hopefully, these carefully planned steps will help the Dalmatian folks lower the stress level in the car and on the water.

Here’s to an end to the highway howling!

A few days back, I had the pleasure of being given a whirlwind tour of Carnegie Mellon University Formula SAE racing team’s garage. I’d like nothing better than to tool around in one of these tiny, awe-inspiring asphalt rockets: all that’s needed are dual cannons, a rear flamethrower and a button to make buzzsaws emerge sideways out of the wheels.

I understand that they may also be raced.

Shots of the team, and the stripped machine, after the jump!

A car loan is a personal loan that allows the buyer to purchase an automobile, but they have to pay back the source within a given time. Car loans are popular amongst teenagers and younger adults. They typically have less funds for purchasing a car right from the lot, which makes them easier targets for car loan scams.

Scammers usually get away home free, with no repercussions; just a bigger paycheck. Its easy for them to do so because many people do not seek assistance when they are scammed by a car loan company. They are forced to believe that it was their own fault for being stupid. Not many people can afford a new, or even a used car right off the top, so car loans are important for car buyers to have.

Scam victims are usually chosen by who seems like the easiest target. Sadly, young adults and the elderly are a major target for car loan scams. It is important to be wary of shady companies, and stand your ground. Always read the fine print, and ask every kind of question imaginable.

A major type of car loan scam is ones that start off with very low interest. If it is too good to be true, make sure you read the fine print. More often than not black hat companies will start off the interest very low, and then when you least expect it, pounce some heavy interest onto your bill. This can leave your credit in torn pieces. Another type of car loan scam is when they play the “No interest for 3 year” card. A reputable company will discuss the terms with you, but those that only tell you want to you want to hear can be dangerous. There is generally a fine print that reads, “if you do not pay off the entirety of the payment within the 3 year period, all of the back interest will be charged”.

Homes, cars, and valuables are lost each year to car loan scams. Scammers end up running off with most of your money, as well as valued items. Not only do they get your money for a number of years, they also get the car you were financed for as well.

Avoiding car loan scams can be as easy as taking a friend or family member with you. Having multiple people can be slightly intimidating to potential scam artists, and someone you know and trust may be able to pick up on “bad signals” given by the car loan dealer.

Closing Comments

Not everyone is the bad guy, just be careful when making a deal with a company, and know what you are doing before making any thing permanent.