Let's Talk Wheels Blog

This weeks M-B

Mike Herzing — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:43:19 +0000

Ok.. Big change this week. The Power Wagon has been replaced by the hot rod Mercedes Benz C63 AMG. This thing is a real beast. 450+ HP in a small sedan. WOW. Let you know more soon. MH

2011 Ford Super Duty FX4 Truck Review in Texas

Eric Keller — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:59:14 +0000

Recently Ford Motor Company approached me to test-drive a few of their vehicles. Evidently, they have identified me as a “social media influencer.” While I don’t know if I deserve the title, I have been actively working the net for my employer XPEL Technologies in an effort to educate the automotive enthusiast about the benefits of clear bra’s and paint protection film. Whether that merits me as an automotive influencer only time will tell. What I do know, is that I will see a wide range of vehicles and over the next several weeks and will be providing my opinion and experiences (of which I am sure that there will many to write about) on the Ford product line.
First up is the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty FX4 Crew Cab Lariat. The best description I have about this truck came from my friend Kenny this morning in Houston. As he hopped into the cab, he said “Man this thing is a Freak’n Hoss.” I think that pretty much nailed it.
The Super Duty arrived at my office Wednesday afternoon, and the size of this truck speaks to everyone’s inner Godzilla. Like Godzilla, you feel like you can devour anything that comes into your path as you cruise on down the highway. For Godzilla, it is laying waste to skyscrapers and power lines. For the driver of this truck it means devouring any small car that is in front of you on the road. I am quite sure I could monster truck an old Triumph with it.
The second feature that I took a liking to is the powerful 6.7 liter V-8 Diesel engine. I imagine that this truck with a nearly $8,000 diesel engine upgrade is designed to pull a horse trailer somewhere in South Texas or a 38 foot powerboat around Lake Travis in Austin but if you don’t have either, don’t worry. The power that this engine offers makes this truck a lot of fun on the highway.
As for the ride itself, it is amazingly smooth and quiet for a huge truck. I have been in many a diesel truck over the years, and the noise that the engine produces can be quite loud at times. Engine noise is definitely not a problem with this F-250. Now, the engine does get great mileage for a truck of this size, but don’t expect to make too many trips between San Antonio, Austin and Houston like I did without parting with some serious money at the fuel pump. Of course, I was having so much fun I was always going faster than I should. Sorry, it just felt natural.
Overall, during the week that I had the truck it was a blast to drive on and off road. It took a little getting used to from driving my daily four-door Volvo, but luckily, it always seemed like the other driver was eager to get out of my way.
During the week, I was able to travel over a good section of the state of Texas and catch some nice views and sunsets while on the road. I am not a native Texan, (I grew up in Southern California) but I sure did feel like a Tall Texan in this very capable F-250 Super Duty. I think that the country music stations that I was listening to on my way to Houston from San Antonio sounded a little bit better too.

Eric R. Keller

2011 Dodge Power Wagon

Mike Herzing — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:34:29 +0000

Driving a new 2011 Ram Power Wagon this week. It is sure a big Bubba truck. Feeling a little empowered after driving a Smart Passion Coupe a couple of weeks ago. (and you thought my job was glamorous) I got a chance to do a little off roading and had a little fun. Check out my video on this site! The Hemi runs good, but I would rather have the Cummings Diesel! (don’t offer it for this truck) I would much rather see the Diesel’s 20mpg instead of the 14mpg from the Hemi. Other than that, this is a great truck and a kick to drive. Wish I still had the Smart so i could put it in the bed and have a spare. See you soon! Mike

SunPro Gauges Review

Mike Herzing — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:05:18 +0000

Sunpro Gauges. Many of you love to do little things to your vehicles to jazz them up a little. Here is something that not only looks cool, but serves a great purpose. That is adding a few gauges from Sun Pro. Sunpro has been making gauges since I was a kid, and if you ask me, they are still at the top of the food chain. I recently added a transmission temperature gauge and a boost gauge to my sons Ford diesel and of course, I used ones from Sum Pro. They were priced right (my water/oil temp gauge was $18) and also work the best. Installation was simple because the instructions were so good. Anyone wanting to add a little to their vehicle needs to look at the offerings from SunPro first. They are sold all over, and you can also go to SunPro.com. to look at their online catalog.

GM’s new Volt and Cruze debut at Houston’t Lone Star Chevrolet

Mike Herzing — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:26:39 +0000

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the debut of the Volt and the Cruze at Lone Star Chevrolet. The people at the dealership were friendly and always ready to help. Of course the big draw was the new Electric Volt. Unlike a Hybrid, the Volt runs ONLY on electric power and uses a backup generator to charge the battery to extend the 40 mile range for another 300 miles without refueling. The battery technology is amazing! I also learned that Chevy cools and heats the battery to extend its life. Unlike other EV makers that don’t bother. The Cruze was interesting and should be a big draw for Corolla and Civic customers looking for more value. The fit, finish, and overall build quality of both cars was as good as anything on the market today. Anyone that hasn’t been to a GM showroom lately is in for a big treat. With the product this good, it is easy to buy American. MH

Mazda AC woes

Mike Herzing — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:01:54 +0000

Chuck writes: I have a 84K mile 2006 Mazda Tribute that had a AC compressor fail last December. Since then, I have had it fail two more times. Is starts by getting noisy and a week later, it quits cooling. My repair guy has been good and replaced them under warranty, but I can’t keep doing this. It is starting to make noise again. What can I do?

Mike:
Let me explain little of the problem. When your original compressor failed, it more than likely pumped metal shavings throughout the system. This type of contamination is difficult to remove. Even with repeated flushes, it is hard to get the system completely clean. Invariably, some little slivers of metal still in the system break lose and travel right to the compressor and kill it. (like a blood clot heading for your heart) Many times the slivers, or splinters are embedded in the rubber AC hoses and vibrate loose weeks later and cause the problem again. Of course, when that compressor fails, the cycle starts again. I would remove the evaporator and condenser and send them to be power flushed. Replace the compressor, hoses and accumulator and you will be fine. Always use a new compressor if possible.

Mike the Car Guy University

Lynn David Cole — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:58:55 +0000

In response to all of the great e mails I get every week, I will soon be doing a series of classes on understanding your vehicle, and using that knowledge to extend its useful life. Details are still being worked out, but the classes will be in a series and hosted by some of the outstanding dealers in our area. If you would like to be notified when I am teaching in your area, just e mail me and I’ll let you know.

Clean the Vents Under the Windshield

Mike Herzing — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:57:08 +0000

If you routinely park around or under trees, you could have some AC problems soon. The issue is the leaves and other things that gather at the base of the windshield, usually under the edge of the hood. This “mulch” for want of a better word, ends up falling into the intake for the AC evaporator case. Of course, the cool & damp environment is perfect for growing your own little science project on bacteria- under your dash. You will soon get the moldy “dirty socks” smell out of the vents and wonder where it came from. Do yourself a favor and stop it before it happens by cleaning your cowl vents every few weeks. You will be amazed at how much stuff gathers there.

Ford Re-Invents the Explorer for 2011

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:58:37 +0000

2011 Ford Explorer

Ford has been on a roll lately. With everything seemingly going their way, there was still work to do on their lineup. Mainly, it was time to update the one of the best known vehicles in America, the Explorer. Ford knew that the new model HAD to be good.

Their momentum depended on it. People still want SUV’s, but on different terms. They just want the size and utility of an SUV, but with the fuel economy and the driving dynamics of a car or a CUV. Ford went after the lead in both categories.

Well folks, Ford didn’t let us down. I had a chance to look over the new Explorer last week, and I was blown away. They didn’t just re-invent the Explorer, they re-invented the segment.

2011 Ford Explorer

Ok, let’s throw out some facts -

Fuel economy: Best in class with both the 237 hp 2.0 EcoBoost I-4 and the 290 hp V6. 30% increase over last year.

2011 Ford Explorer Interior

Ride and interior noise levels: Best in class.

New terrain management system: Easier than ever to use the 4X4 features.

Quality: Huge leaps in overall build quality.

Technology: The new Ford Touch system controls all four major functions by voice.

I can’t describe how good this vehicle looks.

Mike Herzing

Oil Change Interval – 2

Mike Herzing — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:21:07 +0000

I get questions about this every week, so I’ll talk again about oil change intervals. If you are one of those of that is still changing their oil every 3k miles you are wasting money and resources. Advances in oils and engine technology has pushed that standard 3k mile interval to either 4 or 5 thousand miles. I recommend going 4k miles if you are using premium oil and 5k if you are using synthetic blend. (like most newer cars use) The real test is to try it for an interval or two and have your oil change guy check to see if it is too dirty or ok. If the oil looks too bad, then shorten the interval a little, if it still looks good, go a little farther. Everyone’s driving habits are a little different. Find out what works for you and go with it.