China's Booming Car Market

Reading the paper these days can be a bit depressing. Somtimes though, you just have to giggle about the underlying tone of an article.

I was reading one today about the rise in new car purchase in some major cities of China. This particular one was talking about a dealership in Bejing specifically. It started out like most business articles do. Facts and figures about the rise in sales of foreign cars and how some companies are seeing a better bottom line.

The numbers were an insight as to the simple mass of humans that live in that region. Albeit a 1.3 billion person populous, they just don't buy cars like others in the world. Only 3.5% own cars in China. Now compare that to 10% in Brazil and almost 44% in the U.S. Well now, that is still 35 Million cars owned in China. 'Nuff said.

The continued tone of the reporters humor became ever clear to me. The writer must have been laughing at the assignment.

More than car sales, this is a nation of new driver's, the reporter states. This nation is known for thier accidents. The largest dealership in Bejing has build a body shop that can handle 1200 cars per month. I assume that the premise is that Chinese drivers are going to need to use the body shop, thus improving the dealership's bottom line.

Well "Confucius Say: A single fact can ruin a good argument." There was another article that states that 'Women and Gay men are the worst drivers in the world.' But that is another story altogether. Here is the link if you would like a giggle. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1574402/Women-and-gay-men-are-worst-drivers.html

All I can say is that as we enter an even larger world market we must still remember that we live in a smaller community...where everything is real for us. Drive safely Carchicks and Cardudes. Beep, Beeep.

The cars broke and it don't talk back!!!

Well, that isn't exactly true is it now? When your baby decides to STOP working she will normally leave clues as to why she is being temperamental. You just may not be speaking her language. Perhaps we can help with some therapy to get you both on the same page.

We are all adjusting in this world...at every turn it seems. Your car is doing the same thing. Just like our own brain, the vehicle has certain pathways to it's brain box. Signals are sent from the many sensors mounted in various systems to the PCM (Power Control Module) or brain box.

The brain uses it's programming to determine what signal to send back to adjust. The process is happening over and over again once the vehicle is turned on.

If you are a person who is looking inward to create a better you then this may seem a familiar pattern because it is. The brain in the vehicle and ourselves tell the other parts what to do. It is rather a bossy device. It is controlling and stubborn. It just does what it does and cannot be stopped.

If the programming gets messed up then the brain may not know how to send the signals to the other parts. In the end this causes a breakdown. In some cases the parts are broken and cannot receive the proper signals. They have gone deaf or dumb. They have fallen and cannot get up.

That is where a good mechanic/therapist can help. The goal is to determine if there is a part that is broken or if the brain needs a reboot. There is no need to feel like you are left out of the process. We can work together to understand the symptoms which helps us determine the cause of the breakdown. We can replace the broken parts, reboot the computer and try again. We take her for a test drive. We can give advice about changing some habits to help this from occurring again. Hopefully we are all done and send you on your way.

The Carchicks send you out with a hug and a pat on the back. That's just what we do to keep the communications open...and filled with hope.

Automotive Air Conditioning

In our little automobiles we can savor the same levels of bliss that we are allowed at home and at work. It may be 100 degrees outside but do not fear. The automotive air conditioning system is here.

The interesting thing is that A/C (Air Conditioning) systems in automobiles have been around since the 1940’s. It was then simplistic. Now it is a monolith. Sensors, brain boxes, hoses, pumps, accumulators, evaporators and vents. Plus all the buttons you need to push on your dash just to turn it on.

They call it a “climate control system”. This has always made me giggle. I mean can we really control anything completely after all?

The cool part, pardon the pun, are the leaps in technology that we are seeing now. The newest progressing system is called “Thermoelectrics”. It makes me think of the film ‘2010 Space Odyssey’ and good ‘ole Hal.

Basically, it takes between 3,500 – 4,500 watts of power to operate a conventional automotive A/C system. With “Thermoelectric” it will only require around 630 watts of power to run the same or better cooling environment. It also uses heat from the exhaust of the engine to help in this process.

You may be asking “What the heck does that mean?” It is recycling at its best. A greener light at the end of the tunnel. It means that less power will be asked from the engine. This will decrease elevated fuel consumption levels that occur with the old style system. It reuses heat already expended by the engine.

So the bullet points are:
∙ Greater fuel economy
∙ Heat already created by the engine is reused
∙ Less friction wear on components inside and outside the engine.

The money you will save with the new system you can use for your next oil change or brake job. Perhaps even a few lattes. Hey, some things just stay the same. For awhile anyway.

Famous Car Stuff

Being a carchick in the Los Angeles area has its rewards. We've had the opportunity to work on the cars of famous persons. We've worked on movie sets. I've even been invited to parties because I am a female mechanic. We've seen some of the most expensive cars ever made. We've had fun and mostly We've been blessed to be able to do what we love to do...everyday.

Hopefully we can pass on some knowledge about the mechanics of being an owner of a car. We look at it more like being a guardian or parent. Everything has a learning curve. Perhaps we can assist in making those curves less slippery when wet.