Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Pickups Diesels Diesels in the News
8144 messages, Last post on Dec 03, 2009 at 4:39 PM
You are in the Diesels Forum. Your Host is kcram
|
At the risk of belaboring a point to death (when has that stopped me before?), if the buying public has deserted the Big 3 because of doors that mount crooked, hoods that won't close, and extra screws or missing bolts, blame the union...if they deserted because the design is boring, blame management... I would think that many people would intentionally buy a boring car but will avoid a car that looks like it was slapped together by duct tape... While the average person probably does not know what the UAW is, they certainly know if the car squeaks, rattles, and closes like a tin can...they may not know "UAW", but they know a POS when they see one, and THAT, IMO, goes to the union labor making the car... As far as making a diesel, the automakers ought to notice the improved mpg from them, stretching our limited petroleum resources even further, while developing fuel cells and other means...hybrid cars will be a problem when it is time to buy a new battery and dispose of the old one...the enviros will go bonkers when they see all those batteries in landfills...be careful what you wish for, you might get it... Belabor on................................................................
|
|
|
Replying to: marsha7 (Dec 15, 2008 1:14 pm) Design-wise - jeez, some of these vehicles have questionable esthetics, at least to my eye. The interiors lack some ergonomic details. Why is the radio so far away? Why is the onboard computer information button so far away? Why won't the outside mirrors adjust enough outward so I don't have any blindspots? Why are those mirrors so small and poorly shaped? So, I guess the reason I haven't owned a "Big 3" car in over 20 years falls on the management. So tell me again what they're going to do with the taxpayer money to fix the design issues that I perceive as deal-breakers for me? |
|
|
Replying to: winter2 (Dec 15, 2008 12:50 pm) |
|
|
"So tell me again what they're going to do with the taxpayer money to fix the design issues that I perceive as deal-breakers for me? " I wish I knew.................. |
|
|
Replying to: winter2 (Dec 15, 2008 12:45 pm) I read a description of the system and just the basics were about 6 pages long. Most of the "complication" of a hybrid is just computerization. The BlueTec system also takes a lot of hardware and a complicated computer to do it's bidness. I'm all for more BlueTecs and more hybrids on the road. Complicated cars are the present and the future. There is no going back now. "Complication" can no longer be considered a negative criticism.
|
|
|
Replying to: larsb (Aug 01, 2008 12:30 pm) How about COMPLEXITY decreases longevity further perpetuating the throwaway mentality of our consumerism. The more to go wrong the higher the cost of maintenance after the warranty. The more likely a person will dump it for a new car. Maybe good for the economy, bad for the environment.
|
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Dec 16, 2008 11:11 am) Complexity is the future of cars. When all cars have it (and the REALLY GOOD ones already do) then it cannot be called a negative. It is then called "status quo." |
|
|
Replying to: winter2 (Nov 30, 2008 9:53 am) .. ... I really hope these new systems by Bosch, Delphi and Green Diesel Corp and ???, will eliminate the need for particulate traps, that I am close to calling a failure.
|
|
|
Replying to: larsb (Aug 01, 2008 12:30 pm) Blue Tec does take extra hardware and some extra software. Six pages for the basics is not so bad. I wonder how many pages cover the basics for a hybrid like the Prius or others like it. The computer used to control Blue Tec is not as messy as you make it out to be.
|
|
|
Replying to: roland3 (Dec 17, 2008 7:22 am) A big issue is fuel quality, or lack of fuel quality. Domestically, the cetane is too low and there are too many aromatic compounds in domestic fuel that contribute to particulate formation. A higher cetane would help reduce particulate as fuel would ignite more readily and burn more cleanly. Removing aromatic compounds would reduce the energy content of the fuel a little, but would help reduce PM formation and some of the other nasties that are formed when aromatic compounds are burned. DPF requires little or no maintenance as I understand it. A drive at highway speed for several minutes usually does the job of clearing them.
|
|
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
