Drew Dowdell

Do we need a watch appreciation thread?

I mean, that was a no-brainer for Honda/Acura since they're going to use the Ultium platform. They just needed to negotiate the contractual stuff with Tesla on their own.

Ford and Lincoln did use a greyhound a few decades before the Mustang and that hood ornament was pretty cool I don't think everything has to be "badass" like a Mustang or a Viper. But check out these other ones that have been used: Bugatti: MAZ (a russian brand), Lambo isn't the only one that uses a bull.

Keep dreaming lol! you'll end up in an old fusion or escape.

Well, if it is a dealer that you pass by on occasion, stop in and peek at the window sticker and let us know.

I'd love one of these in black with the deep merlot leather interior

Yeah, but I think I want a consolidated page. Less of an article and more of a chart.

"Fleet" can really mean anything. A plumbing business with three trucks qualifies. I wonder if there is any ADM on them. A lot of times it won't be reflected on the website, it will be a sticker next to the monroney in the window.

Fisker and Rivian plan to offer it in an OTA update.

I am thinking about opening an EV page on here with links to things like home charging, EV-specific tires, Apps for locating chargers, and ideally, a news feed of any EV-related news, a list of which companies are using which standard (and when any change goes into effect). What else do you think it should include?

I need to make up a list of who has joined the NACS bandwagon. I'm thinking about building an EV resources page on here for stuff like that.

On this day 129 years ago, August 21st, 1897, Oldsmobile was founded by Ransom E. Olds. Oldsmobile was always a leader in technology, leading the way for features like the Automatic transmission, front-wheel drive in mass market cars, overhead valve V8s, GPS and more. Olds styling was typically subdued and handsome rather than brash and garish (except for 1958). Usually a best seller, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was often the top selling nameplate in the US in the 1970s and 1980s. And though a technology leading division for GM in the late 1990s, the public couldn't get around the name "Oldsmobile" and along with GM's financial troubles, GM decided to fold the marque after 107 years of production. You've all seen my 1981 Oldsmobile Toronado, but what are some of your favorite models of Olds from any year. A view through the decades:

There are a lot of disk brake conversion kits these days for older cars, but that's a modern development. It probably wasn't available when your dad bought it new unless it could be optioned that way from the factory. In my case, it wasn't that I knew they were glazed over, it's that it felt like the rear brakes weren't doing anything at all. My stopping distances were getting scary. When I pulled the shoes, the edges of the brake material looked melted over and the surface was very shiny. With brakes, only the surface receiving the stopping pressure should look shiny, so the inside of the drum and the surface of the rotors. The pad or shoe materal that touches the drum or rotor should be pretty matte. Any indication of melting of that material (virtually impossible with ceramic brakes unless you're in Indy) tells you that the brakes have overheated and must be replaced. I don't mess around with brakes and I just replace rotors/drums along with pads every time I do the brakes on a vehicle. So I have new drums, shoes, pads, and rotors for once the rest of the parts come in. Later years of the Toronado could be optioned with disk brakes, so maybe someday in a few years I'll see if I can get all the hardware to convert it.

Today, I got the starter replaced in the 1999 BMW R1100RS, the starter has siezed up. I had concerns that the whole engine was locked up, so I took the breast plate off and put a breaker bar on the crankshaft and thankfully it spun freely. So, then pulled the starter which was just two bolts and one nut to hold the wire on. It was pretty greasy under all of that so while it was out, I used some ZEP 505 Degreaser all around the area and got 20 years of grime out. Once I got it all back together and threw the battery back in, it fired right up with no trouble. It was running a little lumpy, so I got out the throttle body balancer and adjusted the idle and balance of the engine to where it's operating really smoothly (as far as boxers operate smoothly). I removed the engine guards on each side that had been spraypainted yellow by the previous owner, I'll be ordering new replacements. The previous owner also clearly had an incident on the right side at some point because that cylinder head cover is all banged up. I have the left one, and I'm watching a right one on EBay right now. I already have the gaskets. Once I get the right side, I'm going to do a valve adjustment as I can hear a tick and that is just a regular 12k mile service item and I have no idea when it was done last. Waiting to get that done and then I'll change the oil. I don't want to be opening up the engine after I put new oil in. I still need to find the front fairing for around the headlight and a new windscreen. I already have a new headlight, front turn signals, and a few other items, but it's getting pretty close to road ready. One of the things I love about these BMW boxers is how easy they are to work on. Everything is very accessible, the valve adjustment job will take me less than 30 minutes to do both sides. Pulling each cylinder cover is two bolts. Changing the oil is super easy.

I saw a news item that Fisker is opening some “EV Lounges” in premium markets. I’m not sure what that’s going to entail. I’m following Fisker a lot closer recently because I think the Ocean might be our replacement for the 300C in a few years

My Toronado hasn't been road worthy in a while due to some sketchy brakes. Today I started the rear drums and found that the shoes had been completely glazed over. I'm assuming something got stuck at some point and overheated the brakes. Drum brakes are such a mess to work on, I still do not understand why they are less costly to make than disks. I got the left side back together, but I didn't even start on the right. When I pulled them apart I found that the retainer springs and pins were being held there with not much more than caked on rust and a prayer. So over to rock auto where the complete hardware kit is less expensive than the price to ship it. Oh well, it will be here Wednesday. I also ordered some caliper pins for the front because I can feel those sticking. I could probably just grease them, but new ones are $6 a pair and the ones on there are probably 42 years old.

We opened Clubs back in 2018, but there was little interest in them, so in late 2019 we shut them down. The Clubs software has evolved substantially since then, so we are now reopening them. You can view all available clubs, or create a new one of your own, at this link. https://www.cheersandgears.com/clubs/ They are also visible under the Community Menu.

We opened Clubs back in 2018, but there was little interest in them. The Clubs software has evolved substantially since then, so we are now reopening them. You can view all available clubs, or create a new one of your own, at this link. https://www.cheersandgears.com/clubs/

We opened Clubs back in 2018, but there was little interest in them. The Clubs software has evolved substantially since then, so we are now reopening them. You can view all available clubs, or create a new one of your own, at this link. https://www.cheersandgears.com/clubs/

It's kinda hard to directly compare EVs to ICEs. They are just so much roomier inside than you'd expect from the external dimensions (except for the Benzes for some reason). The Bolt feels roomier than the Encore GX. The Ioniq 6 is about the same size externally as the Sonata, but it feels as roomy as my 300.

Fisker Inc. announced today that, starting in the first quarter of 2025, Fisker drivers will be able to charge at Tesla's 12,000 Supercharger Stations in the U.S. and Canada. All current and future Fiskers will be eligible. Current model drivers will use an NACS adapter, but a future refresh is planned to change the charge port on the vehicles to the NACS model. Those future vehicles will be supplied with a CCS to NACS adapter, ensuring broad compatibility. This move by Fisker will more than double the number of public chargers available to Fisker drivers when it comes into effect. View full article

If you're looking for other specific makes/models from GM, Ford, or Chrysler. I was gifted an extensive collection a while back that spans decades. I'm planning on selling off most of it. Happy Birthday @NINETY EIGHT REGENCY

I also made a clarification. SuperCruise is standard on all Escalade IQs.

I don't mind the C-Pillar as much as I mind the tail lights, but I think the rest of it looks fantastic. I'll reserve judgement on the screen until I can try one. The Benz EQS AMG screen was incredibly distracting, especially when the Navi map was loaded. It was the center screen in the MB that really bugged me. The Mach-E and Lightning were less distracting in spite of having similar sized screens in a similar location, but damn if I didn't need night-mode in the daytime with that bright white background. I'm interested in the light up trim graphics.