http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:12:28 -0500 Tips and Advice -- find out how to maintain, service, insure, wash and wax, and change the oil in your car with tips from TheCarConnection.com. Lifestyle/Fashion http://static.thecarconnection.com/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038872_ford-gaining-on-honda-and-toyota-in-perceived-quality http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038872_ford-gaining-on-honda-and-toyota-in-perceived-quality Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:48:00 -0500 Among mainstream brands, consumers still rate Honda and Toyota highest in quality--whether that is or isn't the case on actual quality surveys. But Ford is quickly gaining ground. That's according to the latest Perceived Quality Study (PQS), from residual values expert Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG). Perceived quality sometimes fails to mirror ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038599_toyota-floor-mat-safety-recall-my-prius-goes-on-notice http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038599_toyota-floor-mat-safety-recall-my-prius-goes-on-notice Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500 You're well aware that Toyota is recalling the 2004-2009 Prius--among a list of vehicles--for an issue with floor mats. Here at High Gear Media, we have at least two vehicles affected by the recall, both 2004 Toyota Prius hatchbacks, both even the same shade of blue. One of them's mine, and in the nearly six years we've owned our Prius, it's ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037654_chrysler-recalls-rear-wheel-drive-cars-for-front-wheel-issue http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037654_chrysler-recalls-rear-wheel-drive-cars-for-front-wheel-issue Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:02:00 -0500 If you drive a late-model rear-wheel-drive Chrysler or Dodge car--a 2010 Dodge Challenger, for instance--you'll want to take note of this one. Chrysler has issued a recall of select 2009 and 2010 model-year rear-wheel-drive vehicles for a problem that might lead to the front wheels falling off. Apparently, some of these models left the Brampton, ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037501_ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years-you-might-be-surprised http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037501_ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years-you-might-be-surprised Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:59:00 -0400 Think that the design of the Volkswagen New Beetle is more hideous than iconic? Apparently you're not alone. Business Week has posted its "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years," including a number of models present and past, and the New Beetle is just one of the newer and still-produced models on the list. Others include the Cadillac ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037363_2010-toyota-rav4-sport-cleaner-look-more-convenient-layout http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037363_2010-toyota-rav4-sport-cleaner-look-more-convenient-layout Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:37:00 -0400 Last year the Toyota RAV4 got a little bit of a facelift, with a refreshed front and rear appearance, a stronger and more refined base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, and an upgraded feature set. But it was a little surprising--as it had been when the RAV4 was last fully redesigned for 2006--that Toyota didn't address the RAV4's most ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034436_tcc-tip-buyer-beware-your-bluetooth-may-not-pair http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034436_tcc-tip-buyer-beware-your-bluetooth-may-not-pair Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0400 This week, as we've sifted through TheCarConnection.com's email for your questions, we've found an interesting one concerning Bluetooth connectivity. We're big users of the hands-free frequency, though we do advocate that you make all calls from a parked car, not a moving one. We're also experienced in setting up difficult and easy Bluetooth ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034973_tcc-tip-can-the-bmw-7-series-get-baby-on-board http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034973_tcc-tip-can-the-bmw-7-series-get-baby-on-board Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:30:00 -0400 A few times each week, TheCarConnection reaches into our mail bag to answer car questions and offer advice our readers can't find anywhere else. Today's question comes to us from North Carolina, from a reader who wants to know if he can get his babies on board in the new big Bimmer: I enjoyed your review of the 2009 BMW 7-Series.  I have three ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036394_even-on-a-chrysler-300c-srt8-sirius-backseat-tv-is-for-kids http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036394_even-on-a-chrysler-300c-srt8-sirius-backseat-tv-is-for-kids Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:47:00 -0400 The low-riding, mean-looking, top-of-the-line Chrysler 300C SRT8 feels like a mature high-performance luxury sedan--big 6.1-liter V-8 under the hood; rich-sounding audio system inside, backed up when you need it by a punchy Kicker sub in the trunk; and classy, supple black leather seats with grippy, ventilated suede inserts. Seems about the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035553_dan-brown-may-sell-lots-of-books-but-he-knows-nothing-about-cars http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035553_dan-brown-may-sell-lots-of-books-but-he-knows-nothing-about-cars Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:53:00 -0400 We hardly need mention that The Lost Symbol, the long-awaited sequel to The Da Vinci Code, is now out and available at millions of bookstores and online for your reading pleasure. We do feel compelled to point out, though, that Dan Brown doesn't know much about cars. Or at least about Smart cars. Specifically, the Smart ForTwo two-seat city ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035359_head-on-crash-2009-chevrolet-malibu-vs-59-bel-air http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035359_head-on-crash-2009-chevrolet-malibu-vs-59-bel-air Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:31:00 -0400 To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air has been crashed into a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu--in a head-on frontal-offset test, at 40 mph. The result is not only interesting viewing for our inner gawkers; it's a lesson in how far occupant protection has advanced over the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035136_new-top-safety-picks-2010-journey-mkt-and-mazda3 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035136_new-top-safety-picks-2010-journey-mkt-and-mazda3 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:35:00 -0400 Three new sets of crash-test results released late this week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) appear to leave very little, if any, room for improvement. All three of these vehicles--the 2010 Dodge Journey, 2010 Lincoln MKT, and 2010 Mazda Mazda3--achieved top ratings in all the major categories and were named Top Safety Picks ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034829_sprinter-van-sprints-from-dodge-back-to-mercedes http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034829_sprinter-van-sprints-from-dodge-back-to-mercedes Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:25:00 -0400 It's official; as of January 1, 2010, the much-loved Sprinter van, made by Daimler, will once again have the three-pointed star in the U.S.--and be sold by Mercedes-Benz rather than Dodge. Automotive News reports that the Sprinter will be sold by 120 appointed dealerships as part of Daimler Vans USA, a new entity that shares its corporate ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034794_volkswagen-audi-do-the-right-thing-with-transmission-issue http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034794_volkswagen-audi-do-the-right-thing-with-transmission-issue Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:45:00 -0400 Volkswagen late last week issued a service program covering several Volkswagen and Audi models equipped with Direct Shift Gearboxes (DSG). In a release, Volkswagen Group of America reported that some owners of vehicles with the DSG transmission have reported "performance issues, due to a faulty component in some of the units." The program ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034651_driven-2009-cadillac-cts-v http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034651_driven-2009-cadillac-cts-v Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00:00 -0400 While crawling along in traffic or responsibly setting the cruise on a pockmarked Interstate, it's quite possible to forget that you're in the fastest American sport sedan ever, with more than 550 horsepower on tap. That's a huge compliment, as most high-performance cars let themselves be known in ever-present ways, with droning engine notes, ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034513_monterey-verdict-collector-car-market-surprisingly-strong http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034513_monterey-verdict-collector-car-market-surprisingly-strong Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:00:00 -0400 Many investors and auto hobbyists alike are understandably still pretty shaky about putting money down on the stock market. But that hesitation hasn't shown any lasting sign of translating to the top of the market for collector cars. That's the verdict after last weekend's big Monterey auctions, long considered some of the top sales of the ..]]>