Aussie Motoring

It’s the end of the line for 180 workers in Melbourne

Back in August Ajax Fasteners was in the news for all the wrong reasons. The company supplied nuts and bolts used in various sub-assemblies in the cars produced by Ford and Holden.

At that time an administrator was appointed and the big manufacturers offered a short-term lifeline giving the administrator a chance to find a long-term solution to ensure the company’s.

Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to have been a long-term solution for Ajax’s problems and a receiver has been appointed by the major creditor. The receiver is expected to seize the assets of the company today and all workers at the Ajax plant in Melbourne are expected to be stood down from today.

How many cars did you pass today? The odds are that four out of every hundred cars you passed was driven by someone under the influence of drugs.

Earlier this year the Queensland Government conducted secret tests on 2000 drivers and found that 1 in ever 25 drivers was under the influence of drugs. Research in Victoria has shown that illicit drugs were present in 30% of drivers involved in fatal crashes and in Europe they have found that figure was around 40%.

With a road toll in Queensland that claims an average of four lives every five days the Government is looking at ways of reducing that number. New laws will be introduced in 2007 to deal with drug affected drivers and penalties are expected to be similar to those imposed on drunk drivers.

In Queensland the data has shown that there are almost four times as many drug affected drivers on the road as there are drunk drivers.

Now you don’t even have to go to the showroom to choose what you want

With four Toyota Camry models to choose from optioning the model that suits your personal needs can be a bit hard.

You know what it’s like, the salesman wants to sell you every option he can possibly think of and you’re trying to work within a budge. You can end up either walking out in disgust or walking out with your budget blown right out of the water.

Well now that has all changed because Toyota now has a website where you can choose the Toyota Camry model you want and then add the options you want. You end up with the car that suits your needs and your budget and you haven’t had to stonewall an over-eager salesperson.

You can find the link to build your own Toyota Camry here

And you can even get a fleet discount and save even more on your new Toyta Camry right here:

Do you find that switching high beam on and off such a nuisance that you don’t use it?

One of BMW’s cheaper options is also a safety device that could make night driving safer and less tiring.

High-Beam Assist, an intelligent new technology feature for the BMW 3 Series that automatically activates and deactivates the high beam, will further increase safety at night, improve driver comfort and reduce dazzling of other road users.

“Unfortunately, the high beam is very rarely used in practice, even though such use would be more frequently possible and even desirable,” says Tom Noble, General Manager, Marketing at BMW Group Australia.

“A scientific study in the United States on behalf of the US Ministry of Transport showed that the high beam is only used in about 25 per cent of cases in which its use would be possible.

“As with windscreen wipers, which have been available with automatic functions for some years on luxury cars, the constant switching on and off of the high beam is an irritating an repetitive activity.

“So it was a logical step for BMW to consider the potential of the high beam using intelligent technology in order to provide relief for the driver.

“Other studies have shown that when drivers do switch on the high beam, they often fail to deactivate it in time, thus unnecessarily dazzling other road users.

“Such situations can be avoided by means of intelligent technology such as High-Beam Assist,” says Tom.

Photo courtesy of Morguefile.com

High-Beam Assist is now available across the BMW 3 Series Coupé, Touring and Sedan family.

The intelligent feature is standard on the 335i Coupé and the upcoming 335i Sedan and is also available as a $300 option when ordered in conjunction with Bi-Xenon headlights on the rest of the BMW 3 Series range.

BMW first introduced High-Beam Assist on the 5 Series last year and was the first European premium manufacturer to offer such a system.

With High-Beam Assist a camera sensor integrated in the rear mirror casing registers activity on the road and automatically controls the activation and deactivation of the high beam.

The system identifies the headlights and rear lights of vehicles, as well as the surrounding road lighting.

The high beam switches on in the absence of vehicles on the road ahead or oncoming traffic, provided the road itself is not sufficiently illuminated.

A scientific study in the US has shown that the high beam is used very rarely, although such use is possible and even desirable in many situations.

High-Beam Assist makes a significant contribution to ensuring the high-beam is used more frequently.

It also prevents other road users from being dazzled if the driver switches to low beam too late or not at all.

At the same time it relieves the driver and increases comfort. All in all, High-Beam Assist makes for an increase in safety.

BMW Night Vision and High-Beam Assist represent the current high point of an initiative by BMW to make nocturnal driving safer for all road users and to offer the driver increased comfort.

Xenon light, which provides significantly increase brilliance and range, was introduced in the year 1991 (Bi-Xenon for low and high beam in 2001).

It was followed by the Adaptive Headlight in 2003, whose horizontally swivelling headlamps ensure considerably improved illumination of the road ahead.

Perhaps he should have played cricket for the Poms

Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the post war Morris Minor and world-famous Mini, was born 100 years ago today, 18 November 1906. Originally from Smyrna, Turkey, a young Alec Issigonis moved to England in 1922 after his Greek father died.

Photo courtesty of Arno Schwithal

He lived with his Bavarian-born mother in London while studying engineering, later becoming a draughtsman and working for Morris before World War II.

While designing army vehicles he created the Morris Minor, a familiar sight on Australian roads, and practically all of the British Empire, for more than 30 years.

The Suez Crisis of 1956 prompted the need for more fuel-efficient, affordable cars, so the MINI was born, using a version of the Morris Minor engine, turned around in the engine bay, mounted above the gearbox and driving the front wheels. This automotive revolution defined the layout of generations of small city cars.

A forceful and authoritarian figure, Sir Alec often insisted “I did not invent the Mini, I designed it”. A technical genius, he called mathematics “the enemy of every creative human being”.

He had a dictum “never copy the opposition,” but was quite happy for others to copy his work, which they did in large numbers.

Sir Alec was no fan of luxury or comfort items in cars. He hated radios and wanted firm seats to keep drivers alert behind the wheel. Even a heater was optional, and passengers pulled a rope to open the doors when inside. By comparison, the 2006 MINI Cooper boasts airbags, air conditioning, sports seats, CD players as well as satellite navigation.

When the MINI was launched in 1959 it was the cheapest car Britons could buy at GBP 496. But because it was so much fun to drive, wealthier drivers soon latched on. Sir Alec even took The Queen for a ride around Hyde Park after her sister’s husband Lord Snowdon had bought one as a London runabout.

Sir Alec was knighted in 1969 and retired in 1971 but continued consulting until 1987. He died in 1988, aged 82.

In all, 5.3 million MINI ‘Classic’ models were built from 1959 to 2000. Since 2002, more than 850,000 new generation MINIs have been built in Oxford, on the same site where the British Motor Corporation used to build the Morris Mini Minor.

I wonder what Sir Alec would have thought of this version of his great design.

Photo courtesy of Dantada

People are stealing them right off your cars

Catalytic converters are part of your exhaust system, they help reduce the amount of toxic emissions your car puts into the air and here in Australia they are required by law.

In America they seem to have become hot property and people right across the country are finding that catalytic converters are being targeted by thieves. These guys don’t bother stealing the car, they just rip the converter out right there in the street or parking lot.

What makes them so attractive to thieves is not clear. They do contain small amounts of precious metal but hardly enough to make stealing them worthwhile.

To replace a catalytic converter can cost anywhere between $400 and $1500 forr the part but a stolen converter is only bringing around $100 on the street.

Despite the relatively low price the thefts go on and one city in Maryland has recorded 47 thefts in two weeks - all from trucks, vans or SUVs.

It’s not going to happen

The head of Mitsubishi in Japan has assured the federal Industry Minister and the South Australian Deputy Premier that Mitsubishi has no plans to shut down its assembly plant in South Australia.

But stay tuned, I’m sure there will be more because sales of the 380 - the car that was supposed to save Mitsubishi in Australian - are still not happening in the numbers Mitsubishi needed.

First it was Ford and now Holden is shedding staff

Holden announced yesterday that they would be cutting 200 positions from their engine assembly plant in Melbourne before Christmas.

Earlier this year the plant, which produces a four cylinder engine mainly for export, was operating at full capacity but since August demand for the engine has dropped and production has been scaled back from 750 per day at its peak to 500 per day.

Despite the denials it does not look good

Several months ago the ABC broke the news that Mitsubishi was looking at plans to shut down their production lines in Adelaide. Of course that brought a flood of denials from Mitsubishi and the government.

Then the ABC broke the story again when they had further information and once again they were howled down with denials from every man and his dog.

And now the federal Industry Minister and the South Australian Treasurer are in Japan today seeking assurances from Mitsubishi management that they are not going to close the plants.

Seems that a hint of smoke has developed into something much more serious.

Didn’t the federal government give Mitsubishi a multi-million dollar handout earlier this year to help with research?

There are more than you think

With the second recall of the new VE Commodore you might be thinking that Holden have a real problem with their new cars. Surely there shouldn’t be that many recalls in a matter of just a few months for a new car but you might be surprised to know that motor vehicle recalls are going on all the time.

The Australian Government runs a website known as Product Recalls Australia where they list all the items that manufacturers are recalling because problems and faults have been found in their design and maufacture.

A look at the motor vehicle section makes for some interesting reading. Since September 1 car manufacturers have issued the following recalls here in Australia:

Sept 4 - Honda CR-V, Integra and Civic (2001 and 2002 models) - problems with the ignition switch

Sept 4 - Honday Odyssey - ignition switch

Sept 4 - Jaguar X-Type - tyre placard label

Sept 8 - Mitsubishi Fuso Caner Trucks - stress cracks at the entry of the EGR cooler can cause coolant leaks and engine overheating

Sept 11 - Chrysler MY 2006, 300C and PT Cruisers - directional signal bulb function

Sept 12 - Chrysler (WJ) Jeep Grand Cherokee - front seat electric heating elements

Sept 13 - Mercedes-Benz Actros, Atego and Axor trucs - ‘Grammer’ suspension seat

Sept 15 - Renault Master II - rear brake calipers

Sept 19 - Alfa Romeo - outer rear view mirror

Sept 25 - Iveco Trucks - Daily City - steering gear mounting bolts

Sept 28 - Mitsubishi - Ralliart Turbo RG Colt - incorrect compliance plate seating details

Oct 5 - Chrysler (KJ) Jeep Cherokee - front lower suspension ball joints

Oct 10 - Honda - Odyssey - rear wiper motor

Oct 10 - Honda - Civic Hybrid and Civic Sports - unstable voltage output to the Electronic Control Unit which controls the power steering

Oct 13 - Jeep - Grand Cherokee - electric radiator fan

Oct 16 - Holden - Commodore VE and WM models - fuel hose

Oct 18 - Mack Trucks - hub assemblies

Oct 19 - Ford - UP Explorer - speed control system

Oct 31 - Chrysler - (TJ) Jeep Wrangler - clutch pedal pushrod

Oct 31 - Mack Trucks - replacement of tie rod ends

Oct 31 - Nissan - D40 Navara - relay box bracket

Nov 2 - Subaru - Liberty Outback and Liberty GT - transmission oil cooler hoses

Nov 11 - Holden - Commodore VE and WM models - rear seat belt buckles

As you can see, there are some interesting names and some interesting problems listed there.