Factory navigation systems are offered in more models every year – are they right for you?

By Chris Haak

01.23.07

To me, some of the greatest advancements of the past decade in the world of automobiles have been in the kinds of “infotainment” (which is a manufactured word combining “information” and “entertainment”), such as DVD entertainment systems and navigation systems. One of the more visible examples of this are factory-installed navigation systems. Generally, these systems consist of a 5 to 8 inch LCD display, a GPS receiver, and a map (stored on DVD or a hard drive). Some people deride these systems as nothing more than a status symbol; or as being too expensive (generally $1,500 to $2,000, when a handheld unit can be bought for less than $500). However, after having a factory navigation system in one of our vehicles, I’ve become a believer. When we purchased our most recent new vehicle, a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, my wife was reluctant to get one with a factory-installed navigation system. In the past year and a half, she has also become a believer, for several reasons:

She is a stay at home mom and she and our son go to peoples’ houses for play dates. In many cases they haven’t been to the houses before, but navigation takes them right to the door.
On longer trips, even when I know how to get there, I program the destination into navigation (which takes 5 seconds if it’s an entry in the address book – and Nissan’s interface and joystick entry isn’t even all that intuitive) to keep tabs on how much further there is to go (distance and time).

The trip computer and information center are much easier to read and more robust when there is a color LCD display. There is a fuel economy function, tire pressure function, and two separate trip computers (time, distance, average speed) built in.
My father is in the auto sales industry, so he is much attuned to the trade-in and wholesale value of cars, and he has told me that most of the upfront cost for navigation in a new vehicle can be recovered at trade-in time. That is, his “black book” shows a $1,500 addition for navigation when he’s appraising a car.

There are definitely some negatives too. I’m aggravated about the outdated map CD that came with our 2005 Pathfinder – our house was built in 2002 and our street isn’t even in the database. I received an offer last month to buy an updated CD, but what’s to say that it will get everything that the 2005 edition missed? This isn’t a big deal for us, since we know where our house is, but if our destination is newer construction, it can be a hassle. Also, the system sometimes insistently recommends a route that we know is not the quickest way to arrive at our destination, and on occasions when we ignore its advice, the computer begrudgingly admits its error by shaving miles and time off of the ETA calculation.

I can understand why some people would not want a vehicle with a navigation system – people who rarely go to new addresses, or who want to save money at the time of their car purchase, or who are afraid of the potential expense to repair or replace yet another electronic device. Specific to BMW, many purchasers of new 3-Series BMWs skip navigation to avoid the hated iDrive.

However, from the manufacturer side, I cannot understand why automakers do not make factory-installed navigation systems at least available as an option in all of their vehicles, no matter the price of thecar/SUV/truck. I seriously doubt that it costs an automaker $1,500 to $2,000 to install a navigation system in an individual vehicle, so let’s assume that their cost is $500 (excluding engineering costs, which are likely minimal). That means that each navigation system installed adds $1,000 to $1,500 to the bottom line. Let’s say that a vehicle line that typically sells 100,000 units per year has navigation available for $1,500, and has a 10% take rate on the option. Assuming that the parts cost $500, that’s $1,000 per unit or $10 million in profit. It’s nothing to sneeze at. Furthermore, there are buyers like me who would cross a model off of their lists without navigation available as an option. From the standpoint of buyer choice, I applaud Honda and Mazda for offering navigation in lower-priced cars like the Civic and Mazda3.

Depending on the level of integration an automaker would like to have for factory-installed units, it’s possible to add a GPS receiver and antenna beneath the dash, use a radio head unit with an LCD touch screen, and put the DVD drive or hard drive underneath the front passenger seat. I would imagine that this would not really require that much engineering and development expense for navigation to be available in nearly every car. If an automaker wanted to put its best foot forward, it could have a different dashboard layout that put the navigation LCD display at the top of the center stack, which may require some non-standardized parts between the navigation-equipped and non-navigation-equipped examples. The BMW 3-Series, Honda Accord, Lexus RX 350, and Nissan Pathfinder are among the vehicles that have a different dashboard shape when equipped with navigation, which makes for a nicer package and eliminates the need for the driver to remove his or her eyes from the road for an extended period.Navigation shouldn’t be standard in anything except for luxury brands like Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, and Cadillac. But it should be available as an option on most cars for consumers that want it, both for financial reasons for the manufacturers, and for the enhanced perception that it can bring to the brand. Next time you’re car shopping, check out a model with navigation and get some direction in your life, like your father always told you.

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Odds and Ends About Cars and the Car Business

By Brendan Moore

01.20.2007

MACK TRUCK, Volvo Group’s American subsidiary has rolled out an innovative diesel hybrid. The firm says its system can cut fuel consumption by up to 35%, using a traditional diesel engine; a Volvo I-Shift automated transmission; an electronic motor to generate some 160 hp electric power with energy storage and power train control systems. Canada’s Truck News reports that an agreement with the US Air Force has assisted the Volvo Group in demonstrating that its I-SAM (Integrated Starter Alternator Motor) hybrid setup is suitable for heavy trucks. Volvo Group president Leif Johansson told journalists that its U.S. subsidiary Mack Trucks has won four contracts from the US Air Force to develop hybrid-powered trucks, and further, says the firm plans to leverage that effort fully by producing civilian versions. Mack will build and test trucks though 2007 and 2008 and start production in 2009. Truck News quotes Johansson as stating that there is a big potential market for heavy-duty hybrids in North America and Europe with 20,000 refuse trucks; 80,000 construction vehicles; and 200,000 urban delivery vehicles that are already in operation. Not to mention the possibility of the system being successfully downsized for smaller trucks that are still much bigger than cars, like an SUV?

GAS will cost over 4$ a gallon in the U.S. by 2015, and over 5$ a gallon by 2020, according to auto company executives polled by the UMTRI (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute).

CHERY, the Chinese partner of Damler-Chrysler will sell 29% more vehicles in China in 2007 than in 2006, according to their website. You’ll see Chery cars where you live soon enough, even if the badges on the cars say something else.

CARFAX has announced an agreement with AutoTrader.com, an online vehicle listing service, which will enable to AutoTrader.com to certify vehicles as “one-owner” vehicles, according to an article in Automotive News. Larry Gamache of CarFax commented that their consumer research shows that consumers are willing to pay an average of 15% more for vehicles that have had only one owner, based on the belief that the vehicle experienced better care during ownership by the same person. Gamache estimates that 50%-75% of the approximately three million vehicles on AutoTrader.com have the single-owner designation. Which, frankly, on the face of it, seems to be a statistical impossibility, but we’ll take his word for it. Also, it should be noted that some states note on the vehicle titles themselves how many times the vehicle has changed hands, generally by affixing a letter designation on the title. An example of this lettering sequence would be the original owner having an “A” title, the second owner of the same car having a “B” title, and so on. Very handy when you’re buying a used car in a private-party transaction and the guy selling it swears he’s the original owner, and then you see the title, and it’s a “D” title, and then you know that he is a prevaricator filled with avarice and greed. Just as an aside, I bought a project car once with a “T” title in Pennsylvania, one of the states that use the lettering system to track ownership changes. Now, that’s a lot of owners. By the time I sold it (completely restored), I was living in another state, so unfortunately the title could not earn another letter.

FORD is expanding capacity at its plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ford says it expects sales to grow 30% this year, which will put unit sales at 150,000. Ford is regarded as something of a premium brand in Russia (as it is in Mexico) and demand is very strong for the locally-produced Focus, which is driven by many of the 20-something and 30- something hipsters (and now their fans and wanna-bes) in the country.

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY in Pittsburgh, PA, recently completed a traffic study for the AAA called Traffic STATS, which is detailed, searchable, and available as a PDF and a hard copy report. If you love data like I do, you’ll find lots of nuggets in here. Here’s an example: Men between the ages of 21 and 25 who drive motorcycles between the hours of midnight and 4 AM have a fatality rate that is 45,000 times higher than average. Wow. Those are staggeringly bad odds if you’re a guy that drives a motorcycle home from your job on the evening shift. Of course, lots of other data points in the huge study; elderly driver data, geographic data, time-of-day data, gender-driven data, etc.

TOYOTA is expected to pass General Motors in total volume of vehicles sold in 2007 and then become the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer, but GM is vowing to do whatever it can to hold on the No.1 designation. GM says it is not going to offer rebates or discounts just to keep the biggest automaker title, but it will do everything it can to sell as many vehicles as possible in every region of the world in order to fend of Toyota. GM president Rick Wagoner says that GM has plenty of room for growth on a world-wide basis, and that the company is not going to give up the sales crown without a fight. GM’s sales worldwide dropped by 1% in 2006, but that was mostly due to the elimination of auto sales to rental fleets in the U.S., a practice GM said was unprofitable. Mighty Toyota, meanwhile, demurs when asked about being No.1, officially stating that it’s not something that is a goal to the company. Yeah, that sounds about right. It’s probably never even mentioned at the company meetings.

LATVIA is the fastest-growing new car market in the EU, according to JATO Dynamics, one of the largest auto data firms in the world. Latvia showed in increase in new car sales of 51.8% from 2005 to 2006. That is 16,857 vehicles in 2005 compared to 25,582 in 2006.

DAIMLERCHRYSLER has taken the wraps off its new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and it looks like they have a winner on their hands. This from the official company press release: “The new C-Class is larger in virtually every dimension over its predecessor. Interior space has increased in the areas of rear legroom, front and rear hip room as well as front and rear shoulder room”. And some more words from the company: “The design of the new C-Class is based on the modern Mercedes idiom, which reflects the technical superiority of automobiles bearing the star with taut lines and large, tranquil surfaces. The pronounced wedge-shape of the front end serves to emphasize attributes such as agility and performance.” Well, it does look pretty nice. The technical specifications are pretty swell, too. If they have effectively banished the quality gremlins that haunted them until a couple of years ago, they’re going to shift a great many of the new C-Class.

EVER wonder just how many “certified” used cars go across the blacktop every month? You do? Jeez, I thought it was just me. You say you also wonder how it breaks out by manufacturer? Here are some selected figures: Autodata Corp. says that Ford (includes Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover) sold 13,275 certified vehicles last month (Dec. ’06). Bentley sold 27, Porsche sold 461, Toyota (includes Lexus) sold 26,700, and General Motors (includes all brands, including Saab) sold 41,800. Suzuki sold 2 and Hyundai sold 5. Nissan sold 4,506 and much-smaller BMW sold quite a bit more at 5,901.

PEUGEOT has announced that they are going to try selling used Peugeots over the internet in the EU. Peugeot’s press release stressed that the company is not interested in selling new cars over the internet or via any retail method, in a pre-emptive effort to head off what is sure to be some measure of sound and fury from the Peugeot dealer network. Some of our readers may recall that Jac Nassar toyed with the idea of factory dealerships when he was CEO of Ford, and the Ford dealer base went ber-serk. That, in turn, was one of the things that got Jac his walking papers at Ford, and, furthermore, prompted auto dealers in the United States to subsequently press their state lawmakers to erect onerous regulatory hurdles around what legally constitutes an auto dealer. The current regulatory environment ensures that there will never be direct sales of automobiles to consumers from any factory or through big-box retailers (think big-screen televisions, washing machines, computers, etc.), as the auto dealers have used the laws that they themselves helped write to make sure that they will always be around.

SAAB says it is going to use “surgical” marketing to heal itself in the U.S. I bet that was at least a 30-page PowerPoint deck at the monthly executive meeting at Saab. Saab needs some fresh product in the States, and not a re-branded version of a Chevrolet SUV, either.

SMART has started recruiting dealers in the United States in earnest and expects to have 50-60 dealers when it starts selling cars next year. A Smart franchise requires about a $300,000 investment on behalf of the potential dealer; and it also reguires separate showroom space for the franchise. Smart says that it expects the average franchise to make a net profit in the first 12-24 months and to sell over 200 vehicles in the first year. The company expects to get their first dealers up and running in the metro areas along the Eastern, Gulf and Western Coasts of the U.S.

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RAYMOND LOEWY designed the 1934 Hupmobile, the bullet-nosed 1942 Studebaker Champion, the stunning 1953 Studebaker Starliner and the 1961 Studebaker Avanti, a zenith of Modernist design. That was more or less in his spare time.

Loewy also designed the famous silver streamlined locomotives of mid-century America, the equally-famous sleek Greyhound streamliner, ships and hydrofoils, and the interiors of the Lockheed Constellation, the interior of Air Force One, the interior of the NASA Spacelab and the interior of the Concorde SST. He also designed the iconic Coca-Cola bottle, the Lucky Strike cigarette pack, the Sears Coldspot refrigerator, and the Shell, BP, International Harvester, U.S. Postal Service, and Exxon logos.

In addition, he designed uniforms, furniture, appliances, televisions, stereos, commercial and consumer radios, early computers, office equipment, industrial machines, offices, buildings, and department stores. He was one of most prolific and successful industrial designers that ever lived. It is very close to impossible to spend 24 hours in any developed country and not see something that Raymond Loewy designed or influenced through his original design of the object decades earlier.

Loewy believed that design should not speak to the user of the object, but to him as well – literally. His daughter recalled that when he finished designing the Studebaker Starliner, a car that many automotive designers of today consider the most beautiful American car ever produced, he put on some jazz, turned out the lights, and ran his hands over every square inch of the clay mock-up of the Starliner, while he “listened” to what it had to say. He then turned around to her and pronounced it finished.

Raymond Loewy was born in Neuilly, France in 1893 and died in Monaco in 1986.

By Brendan Moore

01.14.2007

The Detroit Auto Show is over, my opinions are now fully formed and here’s the recap:

Best Concept:

Chevrolet Volt – I don’t know how anyone can say the best concept car was anything but the Volt from General Motors. Stunning and audacious.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X – Could be Mitsubishi’s comeback vehicle in the U.S.

Ford Interceptor – Mustang attitude with extra doors

Lincoln MKR – Ford should listen to the great feedback on this car and actually build it.

Toyota FT-HS Coupe – Great design, which doesn’t happen too often with Toyota, so hopefully it will show up in this form as a production car.

Best Production Car:

Cadillac CTS – Very successful and luxurious updating of Cadillac’s bread-and-butter sedan.

Smart Fortwo – Retains the funky charm of the original in a larger package and I predict that Smart and United Auto Group will exceed their U.S. sales projections.

Honda Accord Coupe – Will be much better than the tepid Camry restyle, and that’s what’s important, no matter the brickbats some auto journalists threw at it.

Chevrolet Malibu – Make no mistake, this is one of the most important cars to Chevrolet that General Motors has rolled out recently. I like the twin-cockpit treatment which gives the car a certain amount of verve for the price segment.

“Nap Time” Production Cars:

Ford Five Hundred – I liked the old look better, but at least it got the mechanical and horsepower upgrades it so desperately needed.

Ford Focus – Tough to be satisfied with this warmed-over old Focus when the absolutely brilliant new Focus and its equally wonderful platform mates frolic in Europe to deserved acclaim.

BMW M6 Convertible – The quintessence of what is wrong with BMW design, and although incredibly fast, it’s not that interesting to drive, either.

Pontiac Torrent GXP – Yeah, it’s just not working for me in any way whatsoever.

Nissan Altima Coupe – An amorphous blob that does not excite the senses.

That covers the iron, and from an overall perspective I’d have to say that GM was the star of the show, mighty Toyota, for whatever reason, laid low, Ford had an opportunity to go big and impress those who have already written them off and instead made a weak showing, Honda demonstrated it’s not going to take the increase in Camry sales lightly, Nissan kind of did their own thing quietly, Chrysler’s show effort was workman-like, but muted, and of course, the Chinese vehicles there produced some speculation among the other manufacturers and various auto dealers.

If you ever get a chance to go to the Detroit show, go – you’ll have a blast.

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By Brendan Moore

01.12.2007

Sales figures for Saab in the United States for 2006 came out recently, and showed an 18% drop in units sold. This surprised no one; Saab has been struggling in the United States for years, and 2006 was no different. However, Saab had a phenomenal year outside the United States, with a global increase in sales of 5.4% and additionally notching an all-time sales record in Europe. In its home country of Sweden, Saab was even better, with a sales increase of 20.5%, most of it driven by the new 9-5 model. Their order bank for 2007 in all their international markets is stuffed to capacity, ensuring an excellent start for the next 12 months.

So why can’t Saab get it going in America?

Continue Reading

I think I’m seeing the future of General Motors and it is the Volt.

GM will introduce the Volt today, and it is a huge step forward in terms of a proposed production vehicle. The Volt is essentially an electric vehicle that has a small supplemental internal combustion engine (bio-fuel, diesel or gasoline), as opposed to the current hybrids which have ordinary gasoline engines supplemented by small electric motors. GM says this is the first iteration of their “E-flex” system (not called E-flex 1.0 because that wouldn’t sell too many cars).

The Volt is not ready to buy, and in fact, the 400-pound lithium ion battery it needs to hit its performance goals like range and acceleration hasn’t been invented yet. GM says the battery probably is not going to be available for another 3-5 years, and if GM’s projection regarding battery improvements don’t pan out, then the Volt, and the E-flex system with it, is effectively a technological dead-end.

But GM is betting that won’t happen, and I think that’s a pretty good percentage bet, and if it doesn’t happen, then the Volt is a production car revolution. Bob Lutz of GM calls it the equivalent of an automotive “moon shot” and I don’t think that’s overstating the case in this instance. If the battery technology shows up on time (or early), then the worldwide axis of automotive technology suddenly tips considerably in GM’s favor. Depending on what percentage of the battery charge was employed during driving, a vehicle like the Volt would realize an effective actual mpg of anywhere from 150-200 mpg of whatever fuel the internal combustion engine was burning. If the driver only drove the vehicle on trips of less than 40 miles, then no gasoline would be burned. And that’s just the first iteration of the platform – it would get better. Such a vehicle would make every car on the road now look like an antique.

This is not some flimsy lab project; this is a real car on a real platform from the largest auto company in the world. It simply needs a better version of a battery that exists today, and it’s not that improbable that those batteries are going to show up. This could change everything.

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Note: We receive no compensation of any kind for referrals, clicks, sales, etc. from the sites in this list.

http://www.tippersvintageplates.co.uk/ – Pre-1973 U.K. black license plates made from modern materials so you can bend them, wipe them off, etc. If you want the correct-period plate for your vintage car without the hassle of the old plates, this is for you. Plates can be drilled or fixed with adhesive backing that comes with the plates. A pair costs £20.

http://www.1z-usa.com/ – For those of you driving in a cold-weather climate, the Gummi Pflege Stift “Rubber Care Stick” is sold on this site – it promises to keep your car doors from freezing shut when the temperature drops. It does this by virtue of a foam applicator tool that you use on your rubber door seals, and it costs a mere $7. My friend in Minneapolis says this stuff works great, and from what I understand, it does get pretty cold in Minneapolis in the winter.

http://www.breitlingforbentley.com/ – A massive, good-looking watch (like the car, I suppose) the new Bentley Flying B watch is not cheap (starts at $14,000 dollars), but if you have a Bentley, you can afford it. Breitlings last a long, long time, and are very attractive; this one is merely more so.

http://www.grantproducts.com/ – New custom steering wheels to replace your stock unit or to make that rod or race car something special. They even have stuff for airbag-equipped steering wheels. Other stuff includes shift knobs, horn buttons, etc., but they’re mostly all about steering wheels.

http://www.holden.co.uk/ – very cool Autoart Suspension Table Light made from the pieces of a race car, and not just thrown together, either. The design and the assembly quality are superb. It’s not expensive (about $170) for what you get – it would make a wonderful gift for someone you know that’s mad for cars. I very much want one. In England, so you’ll pay a little extra for shipping if you’re outside the U.K.

http://petrolgallery.co.uk/ – The artwork of illustrator and cartoonist Guy Allen, with cards and prints available for sale, etc. Good stuff, a lot of it humorous.

http://www.franke-techart.ch/index.php – Unbelievably wonderful, detailed cutaway drawings of various cars and racecars done by one guy. You can buy prints of the cutaways here, but the whole site is in German, with no English language version available on the site. A drawback, certainly, but there are lots of translation programs on the web.

http://www.roundaboutsigns.com/ – Actual new, authentic, full-size metal road signs from around the world for sale, some of which are pretty amusing.

http://hotrod.artehouse.com/ – Photo prints, murals, cards, magnets, etc. that are cool with a capital C from Hot Rod Magazine. Very stylized and retro-hip. The models in the shots are absolutely perfect for the genre.

http://www.europeanplates.com/ – If you want a set of real European plates for your European car, this site has current EU Standard Issue plates from Italy, Belgium, UK, Germany, etc. for sale. Good service and shipping.

http://www.emmonscoachworks.com/ecommerce/catalogset_gifts.html – Clothing of all sorts with the logo of almost any auto manufacturer available on the item. Not cheap, but not exorbitant, and I’ve heard good things about the quality of the pieces, so hopefully that will hold for you as well.

http://www.schumachercargo.com/ – One of the best companies to use if you need a car shipped overseas, and you want someone else to deal with all the hassles of duty, customs, VAT, etc. on your behalf. Pickup and drop-off at 5 ports in the U.S.

http://www.lifesapicnic.co.uk/ – Willow picnic baskets for your car with any sort of china and silverware you want – Art Deco, 1970’s plastic, fine china, etc. If you want something different for your car, this is it.

http://www.dynacorn.com/ – This company sells complete, new body shells for 1969 Chevrolet Camaros (both convertible and fixed roof coupe), and complete new cabs for 1947-1950 Chevrolet Pickups, and 1952-1954 Chevrolet Pickups. The site shows the body shells in detail. These are genuine GM Heritage Parts, certified by General Motors. Dynacorn also has an astounding amount of various parts for some other GM products, but you cannot buy them or the complete body shells from Dynacorn directly – you must purchase from one of their authorized dealers, a list of which is available on the site.

http://www.studio88.co.uk/ – Lots of auto-related artwork here, as well as some other stuff, all from Michael and Graham Turner, noted British artists.

http://www.frenchclassics.co.uk/ – Classic cars for sale, all French, and based in the U.K., in case your French is a little rusty (or non-existent). Peugeots, Renaults, and Citroens are here, with prices shown in euros and dollars, good photos and descriptions. Mostly Citroen DS models shown (I suppose because they are so beautiful!) but they say they can get any French car you want, and ship it anywhere in the world that you want it to go to. Personally, I have lust in my heart for the Citroen H Van they have for sale on the site.

http://www.autolit.com/ – These folks bill themselves as having the largest inventory of automobile literature in the world. They just revamped their website recently, which improved it considerably.

http://www.hella.com/ – I’ll make it easy for you: if you’re looking for the yellow bulbs to replace your clear OEM bulbs in your foglights, go to the Optilux line within the Hella line, and of the three choices, pick the last one, and you should get a drop-down of about 15 yellow bulbs with full specs (so you can match the OEM bulbs you’re replacing) to choose from. If you want anything in the rest of the comprehensive Hella line, just pick your country and away you go. You can also print out a PDF catalog, or, have one sent to you through the mail. You can’t order direct from the website, but at least you can figure out what you want and get the correct model number before visiting your preferred retailer.

http://steelheaddesign/ – Bragging rights regarding the size of your rolling tool cabinet will be yours when your friends get a look at this 60-inch, 27,390 cubic inch capacity toolbox. Massive in spec, this cabinet features 16-gauge, welded construction, heavy-duty full extension, ball-bearing drawer slides rated up to 400 pounds, 5×2 inch heavy duty sealed ball bearing casters rated at 935 pounds each, and non-slip drawer surfaces, just to get you started. There’s more. As there should be at USD $5,880.

http://www.racingjunk.com/ – Think of a lot of racing shops having a huge combined garage sale (literally and figuratively), and you can get the idea behind this site. Stuff for sale includes new and used (almost all used) racing equipment, safety equipment, car hauler trucks, flat-bed trailers, and of course, engines and cars. Some of the engines have lurid amounts of power – think a 515 HP small-block crate engine with only 22 hours running time would be the ticket in that project car you’re working on? It’s here, along with 400 HP six-cylinders, 420 HP turbo-charged fours, 700 HP big-block engines, etc. A great way to go fast(er) for less money.

http://www.chrisoart.com/ – Cars and musicians together as imagined by an artist named Chris Osborne. Some of my favorites are the jazz and blues artists paired with a logical choice of car, i.e., Robert Johnson with a Hudson Terraplane, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong at rest with a Packard.

http://www.bmh-ltd.com/ – British Motor Heritage offers OEM-quality complete bodyshells for your iconic British sports car of the Sixties. Much better and quicker than getting the bodywork yourself on your project car.

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By Brendan Moore

01.05.2007

In the 11.10.06 Check Your Mirrors column, I wrote the following:

IN California, I have noticed that people are having their clear OEM bulbs taken out of the fog light/driving light assemblies and replaced with yellow bulbs. The clear OEM lens remains with yellow bulb inside. I talked with some of these (20-something) guys, and from their point of view, this accomplishes two things; 1) it gives their vehicle a distinctive front look when the lights are on, and 2) they gain greater lighting efficiency in fog conditions since they believe the yellow light results in less reflection off the fog. Obviously the first reason is more important, with the second reason a rationalization, but a good rationalization always helps when you change something on your car. Besides, they are not alone in that point of view – many vehicle lighting engineers believe that yellow light is much better in fog conditions for the same reason, that is, it reflects less than a clear bulb. This change mimics the factory look of many sports cars and luxury cars from the 70′s, 80′s and early 90′s, i.e., Mercedes-Benz, Acura, Ferrari, etc., and I must say, is attractive to these eyes. Since trends like this tend to start on the West Coast and go east, you have now been given the early heads-up.

Since that time, I have been deluged with questions about yellow fog lights. Since interest in this subject seems to be high, I’m going to print the most frequently-asked questions (FAQs) that I received, along with the most frequently-given answers (FGAs?), just in case others had the same questions.

Here we go:

Q: Is it true that yellow fog lights work better than clear (white) fog lights in the fog?

A: I don’t know, although I have been told this many times over the years. I am not an automotive lighting engineer. However, a former lighting engineer from Mercedes AG told me that this is true, that yellow bulbs work better because yellow light reflects less off of fog. A month later, a current automotive lighting engineer at General Motors also concurred with this opinion. Here is another fact that they both added to their answer – a yellow bulb inside a clear lens is much more efficient from a lighting perspective than a clear bulb inside a coated yellow lens. They both said that coated lenses produce a 30-50% decrease in light output, depending on how thick the coating on the lens was applied. The ex-Mercedes engineer noted that before the mid-70’s, manufacturers generally used coated lenses for yellow fog lights (as did Mercedes), but as soon as the bulb technology improved everyone went to yellow bulbs housed in clear lens modules. It should be noted, however, that there are many engineers that insist that there is no difference in light effectiveness between clear lamps and yellow lamps in fog conditions. My personal opinion, having driven cars with both types of fog lights in heavy fog conditions (I live in San Francisco) over the years, is that the yellow lights seem more effective in the fog. Also, whether it’s because it’s a different look up front or they’re more visible in bad weather, other drivers seem to be able to see me better when I have the yellow lights on a car.

Q: If yellow fog lights are better, than why are my OEM fog lights on my (insert your personal car here) the clear lights?

A: Important distinction here: Clear driving lights are better than yellow driving lights (more light on the road way up ahead of you). Yellow fog lights are considered by many to be better than clear fog lights (more light and less reflected glare off the fog right in front of you). If you’re a manufacturer, and you have one set of lights on your car that you advertise as combination driving/fog lights, you usually go with the clear lights, because most people don’t have a clue as to the differences, and the ones that do, all want to think of themselves as drivers that go fast, so they need driving lights, because they’re cool like that. Exceptions in the U.S. include Mercedes (for approximately 35 years, until the mid-90’s), Infiniti with their SUVs, Lexus with the LS 400 and the IS series, Acura in the early 90’s, lots of European cars not sold in the States, and some others. In Europe, the dealers tend to give a choice depending on your personal driving habits: if you usually drive at sustained speeds of 100 mph or more (say, in Germany), then you need driving lights more than you need fog lights, and you probably should get the clear bulbs. If you do not or cannot typically drive that fast (like in the U.S.) and you want as much security as possible during inclement weather conditions, then the dealers will swap the bulbs out for the yellow bulbs and you’re good to go. Personal preferences/needs are important in the decision if you’re thinking about changing out your lights.

Q: Are yellow fog lights legal in the United States?

A: Yes, as noted in the previous Q&A text, many manufacturers have yellow fog lights as original equipment on their vehicles. The NHTSA is fine with yellow fog lights; it’s when you start playing around with the color of your primary headlights that they get irritable. Just make sure you get the same wattage, amps, lumens, etc. as the OEM clear bulbs you’re replacing – you can’t have any kind of lights on your car that are too bright for other motorists, whether those are headlights, fog lights, etc.

Q: Is it hard to swap out the bulbs as opposed to just getting replacement lens covers?

A: Sometime the degree of difficulty is pretty high; sometimes it isn’t. It depends on the OEM light module assembly. I pay a mechanic to swap mine out because I am dangerous with tools in my hands. Make sure the bulbs match up in terms of technical specifications.

Q: Where do I get the yellow bulbs?

A: Hella, Bosch, PIAA, Marchal, Lucas, etc. – most of the aftermarket vehicle lighting suppliers sell yellow bulbs that match up to your OEM bulbs. Some of them sell direct off websites, but most of them only sell through their dealer network – aftermarket stores or websites, auto parts places, etc. I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve been told that a lot of General Motors parts departments will order the correct bulbs for you through their aftermarket accessories division.

Q: Do the yellow lights look pretty cool?

A: Yes, I happen to think so. And it’s a relatively cheap way to make your car look cool (and different). It’s mostly young guys making the swap here in CA, lots of import tuners and sports car drivers, but I’m starting to see older guys switch their OEM fog lights out, too, and we’re talking some pretty expensive iron – Ferrari, Mercedes AMG, lots of Porsches, BMW M6, Cadillac Escalades, etc. Bulbs don’t cost much – $30, $45 at the most. Even if you have to pay someone to swap the bulbs out, you’re probably looking at $200.00 all in.

Q: Are you one of those “Fast and Furious” guys in California?

A: No.

Q: Would this be considered “retro-cool”?

A: I have no idea.

Q: Can I buy the bulbs from you?

A: No

Those are all the questions I can answer on this subject. That’s everything I know about yellow fog lights, so I hope this answered any questions you might have had.

COPYRIGHT Autosavant – All Rights Reserved

By Brendan Moore

01.01.2007

Let’s cut to the quick. Here are some lists of cars that caught my interest for various reasons in 2006. My point of view, so if you have another, I have no problem with that.

Mostly because my opinion is still the correct one.

Cars in 2006 that are in tune with the Cosmos

Honda Fit – Wonderful and more than enough car for most households
Nissan Versa – Close, but not as good as the Fit, but better in the crash tests
Saturn Aura XR – Great effort from GM and equals Camry or Accord
BMW 335i Coupe – the essence of what is wonderful about BMW cars
Infiniti G35 – So very close to the BMW 3-Series now and good-looking, too
Mercedes-Benz E320 Blutec – Happy marriage of luxury and diesel
MazdaSpeed 3 – Wow, like a nuclear roller skate.
Volkswagen GTI – Perfect blend of performance, utility and price
Audi RS4 – Very expensive, but somehow worth it
Ford Fusion – Lots of fun, good build quality – can you believe it?
Porsche Cayman – Preferable to a Boxster, and that’s saying a lot
Scion xB – Slow, but cool little box-on-wheels that will steal your heart
Saab 9-3 Combi – Bag the SUV, this is sport and utility together in one vehicle

Cars in 2006 that were jarringly discordant

BMW M6 – Fast but somehow not fascinating
BMW 650i – Encapsulates everything that is going wrong with BMW
Toyota FJ Cruiser – Cartoon that apes a classic
Dodge Caliber – Wanted to like it but it’s so wrong on many levels
Chrysler Sebring – Kind of a mess attached to a great stereo
Jeep Compass – Puking now
Isuzu i290/i350 – Warmed-up leftovers of GM product that was bad at start
Nissan Stanza – Great car for people who don’t like cars
Nissan Quest – Soporific
Chevrolet Uplander/Buick Terraza/Saturn Relay – Simply craptastic
Chevrolet Impala – Rental car in your driveway
Volkswagen Passat – styling gone wrong and price has really climbed
Lexus LS 460 – The most luxurious interpretation of boring
Lexus LX 470 – See LS 460, and add in environmental crimes
Hyundai Azera – Could have been made in Soviet bloc
Lincoln Mark LT – Failure in so many, many ways
Kia Optima – Ugh
Honda Ridgeline – Japanese El Camino, but with only the V6 engine
Honda Element – Weird, not half as good as the Scion xB

Bittersweet farewells to models going away

Porsche Carrera GT – Rocket with no compromises, but heart-stopping price
Volkswagen Phaeton – Wrong company for this car
Ford GT – So delicious in every way
Ford Taurus – Ford starved this once-great nameplate to a slow, ugly death
Acura RSX – Wonderful car, but Civic Si has made it superfluous
Pontiac GTO – Very good coupe, but looks didn’t match performance

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