Amy’s Garage

by Amy Mattinat

The Winner’s of Wave 3 Are:

Q7: Tom Wilson & Zach Bowmann in Car #3 with and average consumption of 29.5 mpg traveling 1092 miles at an average speed of 52.4 mph.

Q5: Yves Maroselli and Christophe Boulain in Car #19 with and average consumption of 36.8 mpg traveling 1102 miles at an average speed of 52.8 mph.

A3: Should have been Royal Ford and Lauren Fix. They are both exceptional drivers and were kicking butt on all the numbers of anyone who had driven an A3. (On day 1 they averaged consumption of 44.7 mpg traveling at an average speed of 59 mph.) Unfortunately their car had a mishap and they were not able to finish the race.

A4: Kami Buchholz and Amy Mattinat in Car #10 with and average consumption of 36.7 mpg traveling 1086 miles at an average speed of 49.3 mph.

Just to be sure you got this right, The Vacation Team (with passenger Bob Massa of Michelin Tires in tow):

Kami Buchholz and Amy Mattinat

won the overall A4 Wave 3 Audi Mileage Marathon!

Wa Hooooooo they shout while doing their victory dance up to the stage! With their prize bottles of champagne in hand Audi says thanks for driving the car so well, and we say “Thank You Audi” for letting us be part of this exciting opportunity to prove the exceptional performance, efficiency and downright good time of driving your new diesel technology!

Thank you AskPatty for letting me represent “The Premier Automotive Site for Women!”

by Amy Mattinat

I’m off on an adventure!

Tomorrow morning I get up bright and early to hop on a plane to Denver Colorado.  Jody Devere from www.askpatty.com asked me if I would like to represent Ask Patty and participate in the Audi Mileage Marathon by driving a new Audi A4 TDI Clean Diesel from Denver to Las Vegas. Of course I said YES!

The Audi Mileage Marathon started on Oct. 6th. A Fleet of 23 diesel-powered Audi’s rolled out of NYC and started heading west. The first wave was from NYC to Chicago. The second wave was from Chicago to Denver. I’m on the 3rd wave: Denver to Las Vegas. The last wave will be from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

This mileage marathon is a way for Audi to introduce the USA to their new clean diesel technology. Most Americans have a preconceived notion that diesel fuel goes into trucks and is very smelly, dirty and it makes the vehicle hard to start.

Clean diesel is all the rage in Europe, and I am psyched to get my hands on the wheel of the Audi A4. Its a 3.0 liter, turbo-diesel V-6. Otherwise known as a high performance touring sedan.

The fleet also consists of the Q7 SUV, the Q5 and the A3: a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder sportsback. I will try to get some drivers to switch cars with me so I can check them all out, but there seems to be a little competition going on with the various teams trying to get the best mileage possible in their group.

Getting the best gas mileage means going under the speed limit. Put me in an Audi turbocharge and ask me to go slow? This is a bit counter-intuitive… but I will try and control myself and follow the game rules and try to get the best mileage possible.

Will be updating each night and will take pictures of my adventure to share!

We had a beautifully taken care of 1980’s Volkswagen Vanagon GL come into my shop Auto Craftsmen the other day. What was remarkable about this old camper van was that it was born and raised in Vermont.

Now for those of you that have never lived in Vermont, you need to understand that vehicles just don’t last a long time in the Green Mountain State. The road crews of VT in their attempt to keep the snow off the roads during the long 6 months of winter dump tons and tons of salt all over our roads. The salty snow clings to the underbodies and sides of our automobiles and rusts the heck out of them. Every vehicle I have ever owned I have lost to ‘Rust!’ The engine would have gladly kept running, but the body of the vehicle was rusting off the bare bones of the frame and it wouldn’t pass the yearly state inspection that takes those old rusty buckets off our

roads.

Well, this van has been truly loved. It’s owner must have given it a bath on a regular basis for the body to be in such fine shape. The van came to the shop for an oil change and a new battery. The battery lives under the passenger seat. The seat flips around slips forward to give access to the battery compartment. Typical Volkswagen. Those Germans love to make working on Volkswagens interesting, amusing… keep you guessing where things live. Oh, and of course you need to have special Volkswagen tools to even think about working on them.

This van has over 300,000 miles on it.

Seriously… 300k. Remarkable! No it’s not the original engine. It was rebuilt by my tech Jim. But it has driven over 300,000 thousand miles of the highways and byways of this country, Canada and Mexico. It’s traveled to every state in this huge country of ours and has been to Alaska and back.

What is so cool about this van is the interior. It is a camper van. Contains a very comfy bed, really cool kitchen set up and the top pops open so you can stand up in it. There is even an awning that connects to the side so you can have a porch to sit under once you have set up camp.

It would be such fun to take this old van on a road trip. Was a treat to see such a fine old van taken care of so well, and enjoyed so much!

Anyone out there have a Vanagon to top this one?

by Amy Mattinat

Yes, there are Jeeps that Swim!

They drive on the road right into the water and float away being propelled by a propeller!

Back in 1941 during WWII the US Army decided it needed a swimming jeep (known as a SEEP - Sea Jeep) to ferry the big wigs to and from ships off-shore so they could direct the battles. They built about 13,000 of them.

Only…. out in the field they got stuck easily in the mud, and tended to tip over and sink in rough waters. Instead of fixing the problems the US Army gave most of them to Russia. For more history you can to Wikipedia.

Anyways… one of the automotive technicians that works at my shop Auto Craftsmen hangs out with a group of like minded WWII buffs, who enjoy finding old jeeps, tanks, big guns, amphibious jeeps and restoring them. The Crew has been working on this Seep for a while now. The engine had to be rebuilt, various parts hunted down and it was painstakingly put together and painted. Looks Great!

I had the honor of being invited to view the maiden voyage and go for a ride if it didn’t sink.

Last Sunday morning I got a tour of the groups “toys.” They had two buildings filled with thousands of parts & pieces (supplies) and numerous vehicles and big guns. I wanted to ride in them all… but today was all about the baby duck.

I followed the Seep down the road to a small lake. They monkeyed around with it for a while making sure it was “just so” and once they were ready, they jumped in and headed for the water.

Jim is sitting in the passenger seat. He does not like the water much and claims that he sinks like a rock… but he rebuilt the engine and wanted to make sure it was running well.

Some may say these are brave men to take the first ride. When I watch ‘the boys’ do these kind of things I call it “brute strength an ignorance.”

They drove around in a circle for a bit and I could see Jim had that funny look on his face that usually meant “we have a problem here.” He kept looking down and was waving his arms about.

Jim had opened the hatch that led to the transmission area and noticed that we’re taking on water Caption!

If you look closely you will notice that the boat-jeep is leaning a bit to the right.

Those of us on shore watched in amusement as they quickly headed to dry land. When they pulled onto the ramp we noticed a deluge of lake water coming out the bottom of the Seep.

Seems that someone had neglected to put in that last plug. But that did not stop them. They jumped into a pick up, raced back to the shop to bring back the ‘box filled with various sized plugs’.

Of course they found just the right size, plugged up that major hole and jumped into the jeep and drove it back into the lake.

This time there were no problems and it went in and out of the lake all afternoon giving each of us a turn to drive into the water.

Would you jump in the Seep and go driving into the lake?

One of the popular discussions of the day is “How to be Green.” When I say “Green”, I am not talking about eating broccoli and kale. I am talking about how you can personally help clean up the environment and help keep this world safe for future generations.

It is easy to contribute to the “green Cause.” You could simply recycle your trash and/or compost your garbage. You could use your consumer dollars to save trees by purchasing recycled paper products and help save electricity by using energy saving light bulbs for your home and office.

Being an AutoGirl, I am every interested in all the various alternative powered automobiles that are being worked on all over the world. It’s kind of like the race to the moon! Companies are scrambling to create the next new technological breakthrough that will reduce our oil addiction and consumption and that everyone will want to purchase.

The alternative vehicles that you may have heard about being researched toady are: Gasoline-Electric Hybrids, Electric Cars, Clean Diesel, Biodeisel, Grease Cars, Flex Fuel, E85 fuel, Natural Gas, Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Water Cars and the new one I keep hearing about - Compressed Air.

The Gasoline-Electric Hybrid is the most commonly purchased alternative vehicle on the road today. Environmentalists love them because they reduce emissions. 50% for carbon dioxide and 90% carbon monoxide. Drivers who care about fuel economy love them because they are fuel efficient.

What is a Hybrid and How does it Work?

Describing Hybrids is a daunting task, because not all hybrids are created equal. The one thing they all have in common is: Hybrids are motorized by combining the typical gasoline engine with an electric motor powered by batteries. This is where the similarities end.

To simplify the differences I will break them down into Mild Hybrids and Full Hybrids.

A Mild Hybrid is powered by the traditional gasoline engine and the electric motor is on standby alert to provide extra power to the engine when higher speeds are needed. Instead of the engine gulping down the extra gas needed when passing on the highway or accelerating quickly, it would instead use electricity provided by the special batteries to give the extra power needed. This is where the majority of gas savings come in.

Some Mild hybrids also save you gas by shutting off the gasoline engine at stoplights and in stop-and-go traffic. But the battery can only power the vehicle in very short bursts or up to a few miles per hour. The overall fuel savings are only 10-15% and it does not reduce emissions by much.

A Fuel Hybrid is probably what you are thinking of when you hear the word hybrid. In a full hybrid, the gasoline engine and the battery powered electric motor work as partners. They both can supply power to the transmission to move the vehicle. If stopped at a traffic light the gasoline engine will turn off, and when it is time to move forward, the electric motor provides the power for the car to drive around town up to 25 mph. Once over 25 mph the gas engine will automatically take over. This makes full hybrids great for bumper-bumper commuter traffic and stop-and-go city driving. These two driving scenarios are where a full hybrid shines.

Depending on the make and model of the hybrid, the batteries are recharged in a variety of ways. Some recharge when the gasoline engine takes over, others use the electric motor to act as a generator to charge the battery, and then there are some that have a “regenerative braking system.” Every time the brakes are used the electric motor functions as a generator which captures the “kinetic energy,” and converts it to electricity and recharges the battery pack. How cool is that?

One of the main concerns I hear about is: “How long will the expensive hybrid batteries last before they have to be replaced?” The good news is that the manufacturers are standing behind their products. The typical warranty is for 8 years / 100,000 miles and most of the batteries have gone way beyond the warranty period with out failure and are still running. If after driving a Full Hybrid for 8-9 years and the rest of the car was in great condition, it would be reasonable to invest the money in a new battery. A thousand dollars is cheaper then purchasing a new car. Plus, manufacturers are researching new and improved batteries that could be installed.

At my shop Auto Craftsmen, we have invested in Hybrid training, equipment and tools. We are observing that Hybrids maintenance service and repairs is about the same as that of a conventional car. But, they are different and I highly recommend that if you have a Hybrid, take it to a trained Hybrid Technician or back to the dealer for any kind of service or repair.

Hybrids are so popular that sales have tripled in the last four years in the United States alone, with production expected to double again this year.

Are hybrids worth the price? That is something you will have to answer yourself based on which model you choose, where you live, your driving habits and your desire to help the environment. You can visit www.hybridcars.com for a lot more information.

I feel strongly that the most important aspect of buying a Hybrid is that you will be supporting a new technology that is helping to create a cleaner mode of transportation.

What do you think about Hybrids?

According to Automotive News: After only six years of selling the Hummer brand, GM announced that they are “pulling the plug on Hummer and considering all options for the brand, including selling it”

What does this mean for the approx. 170 Hummer dealers across the country and especially for the 35 dealers that spent millions building specially distinctive quonset-hut style showrooms? It means that Hummer had a good ride for a couple of years, but now they’re running out of a rode to drive on. It also means that these 170 dealers invested in the wrong brand at the wrong time.

{According to Automoitve News Data Center & Company Sources} Hummer under GM sold:

• 20,000 units in 2002
• 35,000 units in 2003
• 30,000 units in 2004
• 55,000 units in 2005
• 72,000 units in 2006
• 55,000 units in 2007
• will be interesting to see if they even sell 10,000 units this year…

Some dealers are dreaming that a Hummer Hybrid System will magically appears to save the day. Other dealers are hoping that the price of gas will drop drastically and folks forget about fuel economy.

This AutoGirl predicts that Hummer will turn back into a Army type rescue vehicle that is was design for in the first place.

What do you think will happen to the mighty Hummer?

This is a press release from AskPatty.com

AskPatty.com to Offer Independence Day Incentive to Car Dealers to Meet the Needs of Women Car Buyers.

(PRWEB) June, 16, 2008: Women car shoppers spend $300 billion annually on purchasing new and used cars, trucks, car maintenance, repairs and service. 51% of women over 18 are single and may be in the car buying market now.

Long gone are the days when the only decision women were expected to make about a new car was which color to choose. Women are now the fastest growing segment of new car buyers and, thanks to sites like AskPatty.com, are more confident, more educated and better prepared to make a decision than ever before.

Women today are looking for cars with improved fuel economy, enhanced safety features and are shopping for a dealership where they will feel comfortable during the entire car buying process.

To honor these millions of independent women car buyers, AskPatty.com is offering a special independence day incentive to new and used car dealerships to become part of the AskPatty.com network of female friendly certified dealerships June 14th - July 4th. Becoming an AskPatty.com female friendly certified dealer helps new and used car dealerships attract, sell, retain and increase loyalty with women car buyers.

Go here to learn more about becoming an AskPatty.com female friendly certified new or used car dealer here: Ask Patty.com Female Friendly Certified Dealer Tour

Properly armed with the right tools and training, new and used car dealerships can increase their share of the largest and fastest growing demographic of new car buyers in the US — Women Consumers. The Ask Patty Certified Dealer program was designed specifically for car dealerships to attract, sell, retain and increase loyalty with women car buyers.

“Women love to shop and dealerships need to understand how women go about their car buying process to earn the rewards from their tremendous purchasing power and influence. Women car buyers want to be treated with respect at the dealership and enjoy their car buying experiences, just like any other retail purchase. AskPatty.com trains new and used car dealerships to provide that kind of experience to women car buyers.” says Jody DeVere, CEO and President of AskPatty.com, Inc.

Car dealers have already noticed the effect that the Internet has had on their interaction with women car shoppers. Women do their research and usually have information printed out from the Internet so they are more confident in negotiating a good deal. With all the information fully disclosed, women feel they can make their own car buying decision, without bringing a man along. The Internet has certainly been an equal opportunities provider in the world of car sales.

What Is An AskPatty.com female friendly certified dealer?

An Ask Patty certified dealer is a dealer that has been trained to communicate more effectively with women car buyers and creates a safe and comfortable environment where women feel welcome and a dealer that makes the experience of purchasing and maintaining her vehicle a pleasant one.

Ask Patty trained and certified dealers are held to a high level of customer satisfaction for women consumers.

The Ask Patty Promise.

1. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers provide women consumers with an automotive retail experience based on relationship building, trust, respect and improved communications.

2. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers aim to surpass women consumer’s expectations with the highest level of customer service to win their lifetime loyalty.

3. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers provide women consumers with an automotive retail experience that is safe and comfortable.

4. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers surpass the highest levels of customer satisfaction for women consumers.

5. Ask Patty Female Friendly Certified dealers are committed to providing the highest quality repair and maintenance service while striving to repair the vehicle right the first fime.

About AskPatty.com, Inc.

The ask Patty.com, Inc. website, blog and Second Life venue is a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics. Women can shop for vehicles at our network of certified female friendly dealerships across the U.S.

AskPatty.com is a member and 2007 corporate sponsor of the Women’s Automotive Association International based in Detroit, MI, Chair of the UnitedSpinal Association Motorsports program, Member of the California SkillsUSA.org board, on the Women’s Board of the Car Care Council, a SEMA member and a member of the SEMA Business Women’s Networking Group.

AskPatty.com is partnered with Girl Scouts of America, AutoTrader.com, NIADA, Arkona, Chrome Systems, Inc., MyCarPage.com, MyAutoLoan, Aware and SheKnows, LLC.

Ask Patty Certified Dealer Program:

Properly armed with the right tools and training your dealerships can increase its share of the largest and fastest growing demographic of new vehicle buyers in the US — Women Consumers. The Ask Patty Certified Dealer program was designed specifically for car dealerships to attract, sell, retain and increase loyalty with women car buyers.

Go here to learn more about becoming an AskPatty.com female friendly certified new or used car dealer here: AskPatty.com female Friendly Dealer Tour

If you want more information on AskPatty.com or their dealership program, please email me at amymattinat@askpatty.com

I had to travel to Cleveland Ohio, so I booked my airfare and rental car online at my new travel website: www.vttravelexperts.com. It was quick, easy and inexpensive. Please feel free to book your next trip on my website!!!

I picked National because the prices were good and the logo was green. OK, so this is silly, but I haven’t really found that much difference between the various companies.

My friend Leigh Anne dropped me off at the Cleveland airport rental car center. I walked up to the National Rental Car counter gave the gal my name, driver license and credit card. She pulled my information up on her screen, looked up at me with a smirk on her face and told me she could not give me a car, because I had been black listed.

Say What? I told her this was not acceptable and I wanted to talk to someone in charge. I had to make the phone call… and found out that someone in Texas who was a very bad rental car driver had the same license number as I did. I handed the phone to the salesperson and the person on the phone gave her the “word” that I was OK and to rent me a car.

If I was thinking coherently (it was early and I stayed up way too late gabbing with Leigh Anne all night) I would of asked for a FREE CAR!

I had a choice of any mid-size car on the lot. I picked the Dodge Avenger because it was a pretty blue (yes I let color dictate my choices a lot!), it would get good mileage and I had never driven one before.

What I Liked: My car had a 2.7 V-6 motor. It had a lot of spunk on the highway, drove very smoothly, and I felt very safe and secure passing those huge 3 sectioned semi-trucks that are so abundant on the Ohio highways.

It had an amazing amount of trunk space! I think trunk space is key in picking out a vehicle. All the seats except the driver’s seat folds down, so if you had no backseat passengers you could turn it into a hatchback.

This vehicle has Disc Brakes in the front and Drum Brakes in the rear. Some may whine about not having Disc Brakes in the rear… but the car is small enough that it doesn’t really need them, and it is way more economical to have it set up this way. Two sets of Disc Brakes can be very pricey when replacing them.

What I didn’t like: I just hated those seats. See the way the sides curve up, well it is most annoying on your thighs.

I had 4 different passengers over the weekend and not a one cared for the seats. Seriously… I would think that designers would spend a little more time on the seats… which you sit in every time you drive the car!

The turning radius of the Avenger was very unimpressive. I drive a Honda CR-V most of the time and am always pleasantly surprised how superior the turning radius is every time I make a sharp turn. But then if you were not spoiled like I , you probably wouldn’t notice.

Cruising on the web, folks claim their Dodge Avenger gets on the average 25 mpg. Not bad. All in all it was a good little rental car, but next time I need to rent a car I would choose another just because of the dreaded seats!

On May 10th & 11th Going Green Magazine (www.goinggreenmagazine.org)put on their 3rd Going Green Expo in Burlington, Vermont. There was an eclectic variety of Eco-exhibitors. I was surprised at the number folks from the mainstream looking for information. People seem ready to make some major changes to their homes, work places and modes of transportation.

I was asked to help run their “Green Test Track and Auto Zone.” We were able to bring in a wide diversity of alternative powered automobiles. GM came up from NYC with their Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle (www.chevrolet.com/fuelcell ) and also brought along a Malibu Hybrid and a Tahoe Hybrid. The Equinox generated a lot of interest and kept the GM folks busy answering questions. When they turned it on you would hear more of a gurgle, gurgle then the normal vroom, vroom of a gasoline powered engine. Folks got a kick out that, but were very skeptical that the country could provide the infrastructure to support the Hydrogen fuel.

Also on hand was a fellow who had installed a MagDrive Hydro-Gen© in his truck. (www.fuelfromh2o.com ) It’s a hybrid system in that a small hydrogen fuel system is added to the existing gasoline or diesel engine. I’m going to visit him in June and will write more about it then.

There was a Hybrid Camry, a Hybrid Highlander, and a converted Hybrid Prius Plug-in. The Plug-in got a lot of attention. Folks are excited about the extra 100 miles the lithium battery provides before the hybrid system takes over. Most folks had unrealistic expectations that the industry should be able to provide an affordable hybrid plug-in right away. But they were open to listening and getting educated to the reality of the time, energy and money the automotive industry is putting forth to creating the lithium battery. I don’t know if Vermonters are more apt to be DYI’ers, but the Greasecar Vegetable Oil Conversion System (www.greasecar.com ) that modifies diesel vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil was a big hit. If there was an exhibitor with a Greasecar Conversion Business, they would have made a lot of sales.

There were two electric vehicles. A Miles Electric Car and a Zap Electric Truck. The Zap Truck (www.zapworld.com ) was the hit of the party. People loved the affordability of it ($12,500) and that it went 40 mph for up to 25 miles per charge. Folks who lived and worked in the city felt that this little three wheeled truck would be a great second vehicle for their family. Buzzing around the test track, I had to agree that it is fun to drive and that the math is very attractive.

Then there was the Moonbeam

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This homemade Micro Car cost $2500 in parts and about 1000 labor hours to create. Gasoline powered it goes 40 mph and gets 85-105 mpg. It was so cute and way fun to drive, but I felt it would be too small to get around town on a daily basis.

Most folks were attracted to the low cost, low maintenance vehicles. They were all very concerned about fuel prices going up, very concerned about the mpg their vehicle was getting and were apologetic when I asked what they were driving.

Which alternative powered vehicle are you most interested in? Join the conversation and send us your comments!