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Massachusetts drivers have many options if hands-free cellphone bill becomes law

If the Massachusetts House gets its way, Bay State drivers can hang onto their steering wheels or their cellphones - but not both, according to the Boston Globe.

Last month, the lower house passed legislation that would ban drivers from text messaging while on the road and require them to use hands-free technology while making voice calls.

Drivers have plenty of hands-free options. Millions of phones have jacks for a headset; wired headsets can be had for $10 or less. Millions of other phones feature Bluetooth, a short-range radio networking technology. Bluetooth phones work with wireless headsets that sell for $25 and up.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 12:06 PM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Notice Nagging Problems? Here Are Solutions

Clutch problems on 2007 Nissan 350Zs and moaning Acuras are among this month’s roundup of technical service bulletins, according to The New York Times.

The bulletins, known as T.S.B.’s, from alldatapro.com offer automakers’ solutions to some recurring problems with various models.

The bulletins are not recalls; they are information provided by manufacturers to dealers’ service departments and other mechanics. Unless otherwise noted, the manufacturers do not offer payment assistance for these repairs beyond the normal warranty.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:35 AM to Auto industry | Permalink | Comments 0

BMWs beat each other to death on rough Atlantic crossing

SOME customers waiting patiently for a new BMW have received unhappy news: 122 were totaled during a rough North Atlantic crossing that damaged 430 of the vehicles, according to The New York Times.

The Courage, a car carrier headed to New Jersey from a North Sea port in Germany, rolled in heavy winter seas on Jan. 2, breaking BMWs from their lashings and sending them pinballing around a cargo hold. The ship docked in Newark on Jan. 11.

“Once one car broke loose, it all started going downhill,” said Tom Plucinsky, a BMW spokesman. “They just beat each other to death.”

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:33 AM to BMW | Permalink | Comments 0

Chevrolet Impala: Prestige for Everyman

One fine winter day 50 years ago, my father pulled into our driveway with a new Chevrolet, a ’58 Bel Air Impala Sport Coupe in Panama Yellow, according to The New York Times' Jerry Garrett.

At the time, the Impala was not yet a separate model in Chevy’s line, just a nameplate that designated its status as the top trim level for the popular Bel Air coupes and convertibles.

But Dad did not buy this car to signal his upward mobility or to be part of some Chevrolet plan to nudge buyers upmarket. No, he was smitten by the car’s handsome details — and the 283-cubic-inch Ram-Jet fuel-injected V-8 under the hood.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:25 AM to Collecting | Permalink | Comments 0

Chevy Traverse pegged a top seller

Chevrolet will introduce a model at the Chicago Auto Show today that promises to become the best-selling member of General Motors Corp.'s acclaimed family of crossovers, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Chevrolet Traverse seats seven or eight people and shares its major mechanical systems with the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. While those three models come from a plant in Lansing, GM will use its entire Spring Hill, Tenn., assembly plant to build the Traverse.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:24 AM to GM | Permalink | Comments 0

Chicago show: Dodge debuts limited-edition Challenger

The Chicago auto show has a reputation as a truck show, and it won't give much ground on that this year. General Motors, especially, is rolling out an intriguing array of trucks not seen at the Detroit show last month — or anywhere else, according to USA Today.
Other automakers have a variety of models top show, including sleek coupes and updated sedans.

Check them on USA Today's site - but tell me this is not a beautiful beast:

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8: Not just any ol' Hemi, but a chuffing big 6.1-liter Hemi makes the midsize Challenger retro-muscle car into an SRT8 — Dodge's designation for the highest-performance models. Expect it in April, boasting 425 horsepower, 420 lbs.-ft. of torque, mated to a five-speed automatic and shamelessly asking for premium fuel, as muscle cars did when gasoline was 40 cents a gallon. Should be good for 13 mpg in town, 18 on the highway, Dodge says.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:21 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0