Tag Archives: prius

Environment

Malcom Gladwell on the SUV Phenomenon & Gas Prices

2010-2011 Toyota Prius photographed in Manassa...
2010-2011 Toyota Prius photographed in Manassas, Virginia, USA. Category:Toyota Prius (NHW20) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malcom Gladwell is one of the funnier and more interesting writers of our time. His book “The Tipping Point” is one of my favorites. His recent article from the New Yorker, “Big and Bad” is a fascinating look at the history and marketing of SUVs, why people like them, and what the auto manufacturers have learned about how to make and sell them, to satisfy our craving for them.

When John wrote the article below, Gas Prices Too High? it brought home that, in a roomy and comfortable Prius, a 3,500 mile drive he took on his recent vacation cost him all of $249 in gas (at an average $3.35 gallon).

When John wrote the article below, Gas Prices Too High? it brought home that, in a roomy and comfortable Prius, a 3,500 mile drive he took on his recent vacation cost him all of $249 in gas (at an average $3.35 gallon).

In an area where many people (my wife included) commute to Roseville or Sacramento, or beyond to get those perpetually necessary paychecks, the result is quite a financial squeeze if you don’t own efficient vehicles. What’s the point of getting a higher paycheck if it is eaten up by the commute to work?

There are plenty of reasons for big powerful vehicles. Towing and hauling is a real requirement for many people. But you should really read Gladwell’s article to see why people REALLY buy SUVs.

It’s a hoot.

This article posted by Richard Webster

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Bits & Pieces

The Runaway Prius – What Gives?

Let’s go over the bad press that Jim Sikes is getting and then I’m going to take his side in case he was telling the truth. (Some doubt there huh?)

Here’s some comments by >John Voelcker Car Expert:

“But in one sentence: There seems to be a growing possibility that Jim Sikes, the bankrupt, heavily indebted real-estate salesman who claims his 2008 Toyota Prius accelerated uncontrollably for more than 30 minutes on a San Diego freeway, is not telling the truth.

Overseen not only by Toyota field representatives but a Congressional staffer, NHTSA investigators were unable to replicate the behaviors Sikes describes in his car. Pressing hard on the brakes did in fact bring the car to a stop, over multiple tests.

Indeed, Sikes’ 2008 Toyota Prius has a “smart accelerator” function built into its throttle software: If both the brakes and accelerator are floored, it cuts power to the engine, making it impossible for the accelerator to overpower the brakes.”

So OK, if you put on the brakes and the accelerator quits working, how did Sikes burn his brakes out? The claim is that you can gently put on the brakes and then continue to accelerate. So you can gently put your brakes on and burn them out in a short period of time?

Here’s some more from John Voelcker

“The website The Truth About Cars rented a 2008 Toyota Prius to test the braking behavior. Its report is worth reading in full.

It concludes that Sikes could have applied the brakes at “moderate” pressure while continuing to accelerate, which would produce the smoking brakes and the worn-down brake pads that were observed by the investigators.”

OK, to defend Sikes a little more, I had a brand new 1999 Chevy Silverado. While in Sacramento, the engine fuel mixture started acting up and making the engine run rough. I took it into the Chevy dealer, he checked the on board computer and said the fuel mixture was OK. But then he came back after checking for fuel problems on 1999 Chevy trucks and stated that there was an upgrade for the on board computer that would fix the problem.

Now, I wish that was the end of the problems with that truck, but it wasn’t. I would drive the truck and try to come to a stop and the brakes wouldn’t work from time to time. Now that’s a thrill! To make a long story short, the Chevy dealer drove my truck several times, finally kept it for five days and could never recreate the problem.

I had to go to arbitration to get GMC to take my truck back. The reason I won in arbitration is that there were numerous cases just like mine on the web. The brakes wouldn’t work and the on board computer did not catch the problem. It didn’t catch the fuel problem and it didn’t catch the brake problem.

As I said before, I ran my 2005 Prius up to 50 mph on Brunswick Road and put it in neutral with no problem.  So my question to you and that everyone else is asking, why didn’t he put the car in neutral? The 911 dispatcher told him over and over to put the car in neutral and he completely ignored her. But let’s take that a little further. The driver of the runaway Lexus, who was a highway patrolman, did not put his Lexus into neutral. Of course you heard that he had a fatal crash that killed him, his wife and his daughter. So what happens, does a person panic when the car suddenly gets away from you? I don’t know.

So, who’s telling the truth, Mr. Sikes or the experts who say Mr. Sikes isn’t telling the truth? By the way, you can see they are really digging for dirt on this guy.

What do you think?

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker

Bits & Pieces

Driver in Runaway Prius Afraid to Put Transmission in Neutral

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2005 Prius. This is the car model that I drive.

James Sikes claims his Prius runaway with him in El Cahon, California.  However, if you listen to the 911 call, the dispatcher repeatedly asked the man to put the car in neutral. He completely ignored the dispatcher’s attempt to help him. He later stated that he was afraid the car would go into reverse.

Yesterday, I drove my 2005 Prius on Brunswick Road at 50 miles per hour and very easily put my transmission into neutral without going into reverse.   I think if my car took off, I could care less if the car went into reverse.

I remember my high school days when I was just fooling around and going about 65 plus, I accidentally slammed my car into reverse. There were a lot of skid marks on the pavement, some weaving, but I got the car under control quickly.  Maybe, for James Sikes, it was just a panic situation and who knows what you do when you panic.

The picture above is what the transmission shift knob looks like on a Prius. Notice that you have only four positions. Reverse, Neutral,  Drive and Braking. The B is for engine braking. Living here in the mountains, I use that position constantly.  It has served me well, since I have 108,000 miles on my Prius and still have the original brakes. The driver could have also shifted to the B position which would also have the engine brake help him stop his car. Maybe he should have read the owner’s manual.

So I don’t know how you have enough presence of mind to dial 911 for help, yet ignore completely what they are telling you. You can hear the 911 call at 911 call of driver of Prius in trouble

Here’s a video of what happened.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P1V-DH4djw

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker

Environment

My Prius At 107,000 Miles, Still Going Strong

By John J. O’Dell

I bought my Prius in 2005.  Since then, I’ve racked up 107,000 miles and the car is still going strong. Am I happy with it?  Yes, and although I’ve had a couple of small problems with it, the small problems were expensive.

The first major problem was that my driver’s side headlight went out. No problem, right? No, it’s a major problem. Although one brochure put out by Toyota stated that the headlights should last 15 years, it went out after 3 years. My model Prius has the optional xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights.  Replacing the one headlight cost, are you ready for this, the Toyota dealer charged $443.75. Yes, the light bulb is over $300 and the rest is labor.

The second problem was the small battery in the Prius gave out and had to be replaced. That’s not the $3,000 plus big battery, but the small auxiliary 12 volt battery. How could I tell it was going, well, the car just started running funny, since the battery was only putting out about 6-8 volts and things just started getting weird. A couple of times I had to get the car jumped to start and the electronics were acting up.

Of course, the 12 volt battery is hidden under the trunk in back of the car. This means that it’s a special battery with special venting built into the battery. This is because there is no air coming into the battery space unlike most cars were the battery is under the hood. That replacement by my Toyota dealer cost $374.91.

Toyota is getting a bad rap on their recall situation. I can certainly understand the frustration on that point.  About six months ago I received a notice from Toyota that my floor mat might create a problem with a stuck accelerator pedal. The notice said that I should remove the mat and Toyota would notify me when they have a replacement mat.  Yep, here we go with the accelerator pedal sticking. I called a Toyota dealer yesterday and asked if they had a replacement mat that would not create an acceleration problem. The service manager told me that Toyota was working on it, and they still don’t have a solution. Six months later, no floor mat, no solution, way to go Toyota!

The good part is that I have not had to replace the brakes yet. I don’t know how long the brakes are going to hold up, but I just had the tires rotated and the tire dealer said my brakes were fine. That’s because when you slow down to brake, the wheels are powering a generator to recharge the main battery on the car, which in turn does most of the braking for the car.

Another positive about owning my Prius is the gas mileage. My other vehicle is a 2002 four wheel drive Chevy truck.  It gets an average of around 10-12 miles to the gallon compared to my 42-44 miles to the gallon when I’m driving in Nevada County. I get better mileage in the flat lands, but let’s stick with 42 miles per gallon.

So let’s do the math.  At 107,000 miles divided by 12 miles per gallon, that’s 8,917 gallons of gas burned if I had used my truck.. At 107,000 miles divided by 42 miles per gallon that’s  2,547 gallons of gas using my Prius.  The difference is  6,370 gallons of gas. If you use $3 as the price of a gallon of gas, that’s a savings of $19,110. If you use an average gas price of $3.50 in the last 5 years that’s $22,225 saved in the last 5 years, either way, it’s a great savings.

So in general, I’m happy with my Prius and I’m keeping it for another 50,000 miles or more. Maybe by that time I’ll get a new floor mat. What do you think?

By the way, the Auburn Toyota dealer might have got to me on my bulb replacement. Read the following article if you have a Prius and need a  new headlight bulb All About Prius

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
General Contractor
Civil Engineer
Here to help you in buying or selling real estate. E-mail me at jodell@nevadacounty.com

Environment

Malcom Gladwell on the SUV Phenomenon

Malcom Gladwell is one of the funnier and more interesting writers of our time. His book “The Tipping Point” is one of my favorites. His recent article from the New Yorker, “Big and Bad” is a fascinating look at the history and marketing of SUVs, why people like them, and what the auto manufacturers have learned about how to make and sell them, to satisfy our craving for them.

When John wrote the article below, Gas Prices Too High? it brought home that, in a roomy and comfortable Prius, a 3,500 mile drive he took on his recent vacation cost him all of $249 in gas (at an average $3.35 gallon).

In an area where many people (my wife included) commute to Roseville or Sacramento, or beyond to get those perpetually necessary paychecks, the result is quite a financial squeeze if you don’t own efficient vehicles. What’s the point of getting a higher paycheck if it is eaten up by the commute to work?

There are plenty of reasons for big powerful vehicles. Towing and hauling is a real requirement for many people. But you should really read Gladwell’s article to see why people REALLY buy SUVs.

It’s a hoot. 

This article posted by Richard Webster