Questions To Ask Houston Auto Repair Shops

If you are new to any area or shopping around for a new place to take your car, it’s best to do your homework. Spending some time and energy asking the right questions can save you money, time, effort, energy and frustration. Ask Houston Auto Repair shops the tough questions instead of going to the wrong place. Your motor vehicle is one of your most important assets; it takes you everywhere. There may be a couple of places to choose from, so it’s best to choose right from the start. This way, you may end up only having to deal

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Ford Lightning pickup truck will strike soon with 320-mile range

The enduring Ford F-150 pickup family will soon expand with the long-anticipated Lightning debut this summer with its just announced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification and manufacturer revealed charge range. Depending upon engine configuration, the 2022 F-150 Lightning will have a range of 230 to 320 miles. Towing capacity is 7,700 pounds. The Lightning will come with two electric powertrain choices. The larger, extended range system will produce an estimated 563 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque. That will make the F-150 Lightning Ford’s fastest pickup. It will have an estimated 0-60 mph time in the mid-4-second range when equipped

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Mystery icons on your dashboard? Pictures tell the stories

Flashing rectangles on the navigation system? Vibrating steering wheels? Abrupt warning sounds? It’s enough to drive a driver into making a mistake or it can save their life. And then there are those icons. Less invasive and also simultaneously helpful and confusing, warning icons can also abruptly appear on your car or truck’s dashboard without, well . . . warning. Some of the icons are commonplace, others are more difficult to decipher. MotorTrend.com, the online version of automobile magazine dating to 1949, has accepted the task in long form of explaining in alphabetical order 10 icons that can appear on

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2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580: Value-priced, Ultra Luxury

Like sports cars and economy vehicles, what defines a luxury car is blurred in marketing materials and manufacturers’ whims. An ultra-luxury car easier may be easier to pinpoint since fewer are made. The 2022 Mercedes-Maybach qualifies without any squabble. After its long tumultuous tenure, Maybach ceased as a standalone manufacturer in 2013. Two years later it became a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. Beginning in 2021, Daimler began to make ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Classic and GLS-Class using the name Mercedes-Maybach. The 2022 edition is available in S 580 and S 680 trims. The reviewed S 580 features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo

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#223, Hypercar Invitational Founder Alessandro Borroni

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:28 — 46.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreLike many automotive enthusiasts, Alessandro Borroni has a passion for automobiles that extends past his appreciation for fast cars and iconic carmakers. He’s giving back to the community while the inviting like-minded to mingle among peers, drive iconic machines and raise money. The result is the Hypercar Invitational. The fourth-year event will be held June 9-12 headquartered at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway. Borroni, the founder of the event, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James

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Tiger Woods driving again but he should never drive again

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The fandom and television network adulation stopped for a while, but now it’s all back. Tiger Woods is playing in The Masters this week and it will be celebrated as miraculous and with additional adjectives always best used sparingly, particularly in sport. Woods apparently didn’t spend much time considering the possibility of his children being fatherless before he crashed on Feb. 23, 2021, while driving twice the speed limit on a notoriously dangerous Southern California road. The golfer was lucky. Removed from his Genesis SUV via the “Jaws of Life” after suffering substantial leg injuries, Woods was alive, but a

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#222, Author Russell Hayes’ new book: everything VW Golf

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:12 — 38.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe VW Golf is the third best-selling car in history, behind the top-selling Toyota Corolla and Ford F-Series of pickup trucks. More than 35 million of the versatile vehicles have sold since the car’s debut as a 1974 edition. With the motoring icon approaching its 50th anniversary, author Russell Hayes has expanded and upgraded his book The Volkswagen Golf Story to include the full Golf 7 range and the latest incarnation, the Golf 8. The new edition is available from Behemoth Publishing  Co-host Bruce

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#221, Modern car icon Carl Benz will get inventing honor

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:52 — 41.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreGerman engineer Carl Benz was the first to design a car around the internal combustion engine rather than adding an engine to an existing wagon or carriage, a critical insight in auto evolution. Benz, who died in 1929, is often called the inventor of the modern automobile. With six additional luminaries, all patent holders whose inventions range from cataract surgery to the Super Soaker will be honored as part of the latest class of National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) inductees. Rini Paiva, the

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2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance: New, upscale, worthy

The automotive industry is always expanding with new niche markets unveiled within broader style segments. Welcome the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. It’s a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive small luxury sedan. The new Lexus is a few cars in one. It’s ideal for buyers seeking an upscale comfortable and capable sport sedan. The top-performing model in the IS lineup, the 500 F Sport features the same non-turbo V8 engine as its siblings, the LC 500 and the RC F coupes. It also has 472 horsepower, a power surge further bolstered in key areas. A sport-tuned adaptive suspension, Torsen limited-slip differential,

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#220, IIHS, HLDI, Progressive work together for auto safety

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:29 — 44.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreMatt Moore, Senior Vice President of Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), oversees the organization’s research program, the collection of vehicle information and the production of loss data. A complementary company to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, HLDI processes insurance data from companies that represent approximately 85 percent of the U.S. private passenger auto insurance market. Moore is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia interview the automobile safety expert with an emphasis on his involvement

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2023 Toyota Sequoia: vast upgrades for plush, powerful SUV

After five years of only slight changes, the 2023 Toyota Sequoia will debut this summer as a new generation of the large SUV with interior upgrades, technology improvements and a more powerful powertrain. The Sequoia will be offered in two-wheel drive or the available part-time four-wheel-drive system on SR5, Limited, Platinum and Capstone grades. The TRD Pro will be offered only in four-wheel drive. The part-time four-wheel-drive system relies on a transfer case, controlled via a lever on the center console to select between two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive high or four-wheel-drive low. One powertrain will be offered, the same i-FORCE MAX hybrid

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Pending new USPS trucks remain contentious

The pending first new USPS trucks in 30 years haven’t been driven. But they continue to be stuck before they start and the problem appears worse. The problem, percolating for months, now may include an investigation into a decision by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to purchase up to 165,000 gasoline-powered mail trucks over the Biden administration’s objections. In a letter to Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb, lawmakers questioned whether the Postal Service had complied with a law requiring environmental reviews of major federal actions. Further, the lawmakers believe the multibillion-dollar contract would undermine the nation’s climate goals. The contract, worth up

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2023 Ram ProMaster: bigger, badder, more versatile

The 2023 Ram ProMaster, a full-sized van designed for businesses, construction job sites and commercial fleets and a versatile-use towing capacity of 6,900 pounds, debuted recently at National Truck Equipment Association’s (NTEA) Work Truck Week trade show in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to the manufacturer, the new ProMaster will include best-in-class features like cargo volume, turning radius, standard interior cargo height, load-floor height, cargo width between wheel wells and maximum cargo width. Available in 19 configurations, the Ram ProMaster includes three roof heights, three wheelbases and four vehicle lengths resulting in cargo lengths of 8-ft, 10-ft, 12-ft and 13.5-ft.ew is the

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2022 Mazda MX-5 still best-value roadster at age 34

The Mazda MX-5, then called the Mazda Miata, arrived as a diminutive, lightweight roadster in 1989. It’s now reached relic status, a near automotive dinosaur. With its attractive design and low-to-the-ground driving, the MX-5 became the best-selling, two-seat sports car in history in 2000. The one-millionth MX-5 sold six years later. The 2022 Mazda edition, called the MX-5 since 2006 to appeal to a larger buying audience, is updated and offered toward the end of the car’s fourth generation. The MX-5, by any name, is now 34 years old, Its general consumer appeal is minimal; its enthusiasts remain stalwart and

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Tesla in space rings true with skyrocketing price increases

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There once was a time when Elon Musk unveiled a plan to change the automotive landscape and offer his Tesla performance electric car for about $35,000. Musk has changed the car industry but his marketing promise never materialized. The original Tesla Model S debuted in March 2009 with a base price of $57,400 ($49,900 after federal tax credits). With the company founder’s pricing increase announcement March 15, the entry level price for Tesla is now about 40 percent more than originally promoted nearly 15 years ago. The latest price hike is far from the first price increase for the performance

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#219, RV living on the road: One family’s travels

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:00 — 46.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreSpencer, Kristi and Kade Stevens, otherwise known as the Adventurtunity Family, live full-time in their RV. The family is traveling throughout the United States, embracing a lifestyle they’ve determined is best — at least for now. Spencer is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with the husband and father about the trio’s RV adventures. He discusses the beauty of seeing the country to the challenges of the road. The Stevens’ lifestyle is also the

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