While the tattered remains of Toyota's quality reputation twist in the gale force winds of public and congressional anger, I think it's important to understand just how important the Camry is to Toyota.

Every four or five years, Toyota introduces a new generation Camry sedan. Then, over the next few years, updated and redesigned models of its other popular Camry-based models appear.

In today's global automotive world, the basic chassis, electronic architecture and wiring, HVAC controls, switchgear, greasy bits and larger chunks of metal like engines and transmissions are used to create a variety of models. Volkswagen pioneered this kind of platform, drivetrain and cost sharing more than two decades ago with its best-selling Golf.

In the United States, the Golf derivatives include: the VW GTI, VW Jetta, VW Jetta SportsWagen, VW Tiguan, Audi A3, and the Audi TT. Under various VW-Group brands (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat), the new Golf platform (6^th generation) is employed for dozens of models worldwide.

Volkswagen is planning a new platform known as MQB (modularen querbaukasten or modular transverse engine mount architecture). It will replace a few current platforms, including the Golf, and VW boasts that by the middle of the decade it could be used for up to sixty different models under various VW-Group brands (noted above); but it's unlikely to be used by premium VW-Group brands: Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti or Lamborghini.

Toyota operates under three divisions: Toyota, Scion and Lexus. And like all global manufacturers, it uses the basic architecture of one main model to create many different vehicles in different markets:

The Toyota Camry was the best-selling passenger car in the United States in 2009 with sales of 356,824. Like the Golf, the Camry platform and behind-the-fascia parts are used to create:

Toyota makes buckets of profit on the Camry; but its Lexus versions are even more profitable. The Lexus RX is the best-selling luxury SUV in the United States and accounts for nearly half of all Lexus sales in 2009. Together, the Camry-based ES and Highlander-based RX account for 65% of all Lexus sales. Toyota would do pretty much anything to protect these Lexus products from a major recall due to a frightening safety defect.

A 2009 Lexus ES 350 was the car involved in the August 28, 2009 crash in San Diego that killed the driver - a CHP officer, his brother, his brother's wife and daughter. This crash was so horrific that Toyota was forced to act on the unintended acceleration issues. The mechanical systems in the Camry and Lexus ES 350 are functionally identical.

But it's not just the Camry and its derivatives that Toyota is having problems with. There are recalls for the Corolla. Floor mats, sticky accelerator pedals and power steering problems top the list.

What other cars are based on the Corolla?

A large recall would involve millions of vehicles and would be another major blow to Toyota.

What about Toyota's trucks? The compact Tacoma pickup truck is the donor platform for the 4Runner, FJ Cruiser and Lexus GX 460. The full-size Tundra pickup truck is the platform for the Sequoia SUV. The Toyota Land Cruiser donates the platform for the Lexus LX 570.

All manufacturers are under pressure to reduce costs and all of them share platforms, drivetrains, electronics, switchgear, and yes, things like accelerator pedals and software code, silicon chips and central processors that run these complex machines. Toyota may be the whipping boy today; however, it could happen to any manufacturer.

Ford publicly stated that Toyota's problems with unintended acceleration prompted its own internal review of the electronic throttles and software systems used in Ford vehicles worldwide. I don't think I'm going out on a limb by “guessing” that just about every other manufacturer has ordered immediate internal reviews of their pedals and software code.

Note that no other manufacturer has openly criticized Toyota. The reason is obvious: they are all terrified that something like this could happen to them. The fear is that the problem is not mechanical; but in the electronics.

Toyota hasn't been able to recreate the problem and neither have outside testing firms. The only time someone has been able to recreate the acceleration problem is by cutting through two shielded boxes and exposing wires – something, Toyota points out, that really can't happen in real-world driving conditions.

The Camry is key to Toyota's success in the United States. I continue to believe that the unintended acceleration problem isn't with sticky pedals or crunched floor mats; rather it's in the cars electronic systems. Let's all hope that Toyota is able to find and fix the problem before anymore lives are lost or people are injured.

Vehicle History Reports For Less

(Issue 291, 1 March 2010)

After dragging its feet for nearly eight years, the U.S. Department of Justice has finally made good on a 1992 law that established a National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Thirty one states, including California, participate in the database. Prospective purchasers of motor vehicles can access title and “brand code” information (see below) on the millions of vehicles in the database for a modest fee ranging from $2.25 to $4.95.

This is the same government information that services like CARFAX (owned by automotive data specialists R.L. Polk & Co.) and AutoCheck (owned by credit reporting service Experian) use to formulate reports that cost between $25 and $35.

The new website, www.vehiclehistory.gov, is where you go to start a records search. I tried it and found it a good first attempt. The NMVTIS doesn't actually provide the report; rather it directs you to an “approved provider” list. Currently there are only two approved providers: Auto Data Direct Inc. (www.add123.com) and CARCO Group Inc. (www.autotitleinfo.com).

I tried both services and found that the information was essentially the same. Auto Data Direct ($4.95) sent me an email with a receipt and the information in raw data format – not particularly user-friendly, but complete. CARCO ($3.50 + tax) allowed me to view, print and save a PDF file of the report which was organized and presented is a much easier to read and digest format. The disclaimers and information sources were the same.

The information in the NMVTIS system INCLUDES:

What is a “brand” or “brand code?” A brand is a mark or code applied to a vehicle title or odometer record to indicate that something was wrong such as “theft,” “not actual mileage,” “junk,” “flood,” “salvage,” “rebuilt,” or “kit.” A “brander” is generally the state or state agency in charge of vehicle registration/title. A “brand date” is the date the brand is attached to the vehicle title.

No one should take the information from any of the car history/report services as the gospel truth with no omissions or mistakes. Millions of records are handled daily. There are delays in reporting by some states and agencies. There clerical errors in any database, including incorrect odometer readings and incorrect vehicle identification numbers. Vehicle title and odometer fraud goes undetected.

These services don't have direct access to insurance company records. The insurance company may have considered a car “totaled” for insurance purposes; but it didn't meet that definition for state purposes. In addition, a significant accident may not have been handled through insurance and not reported to the state.

In the case of the newly-established NMVTIS, its obvious Achilles Heel is that only thirty-one states currently participate.

In the case of the large for-profit services, primarily CARFAX and AutoCheck, while they have title and registration data from all jurisdictions, they still don't have access to insurance information and they can't possibly detect fraud in all cases. Sometimes they raise a “flag” that really has no bearing on the quality of the car. An “incident” could be something as simple as a smog test or inspection report.

There are many angry posts on the internet by people who bought a used car with a clear vehicle history report; but when they try to resell the same car, there is an accident on the record. This usually caused by delayed reporting or a clerical error on a VIN. Another frequently reported problem is an incorrect odometer reading recorded by the dealer at the time of a sale. The new owner doesn't notice until he or she tries to resell the car. Try getting that rectified!

Some accidents really shouldn't affect value. A cosmetic fender bender isn't the same as a major rear-end collision; yet both are reported as an “accident.” If you're the seller, try telling that to your buyer. Good luck.

The bottom line is that for most California used car buyers, a vehicle history report just got more affordable. Knowing the vehicle history gives you good information, and a place to start your investigation of the prospective purchase. Keep in mind that it may not be a complete picture of the vehicle's history and you should always have a mechanic look at it for signs of things like flood or accident damage hasn't been reported. When you purchase from a private party, it's always sold “as is” so do your best to understand what you are buying and get it at the best price possible.

The Last Cost-Plus Mercedes-Benz

(Issue 290, 25 Feb 2010)

Before Daimler Benz AG bought and dumped Chrysler and before Mercedes-Benz decided that it needed to have a car or SUV to fill every niche to compete with BMW and Audi, it was a company run by engineers. Mercedes-Benz cars were over-engineered, slowly built – in may cases by hand - and a new model would easily last for more than a decade.

In the “good old days,” a Mercedes was a cost-plus affair. The engineers and designers created a car – the chassis, engines, transmissions, steering, HVAC, seats, etc. Then the engineers presented the finished product to the cost accountants and marketing department to cost, price and sell. If a part cost more, the price was increased. It was pretty simple. They weren't trying to appeal to everyone, just customers who were wealthy and sophisticated enough to appreciate the car for its bullet-proof design, engineering, safety, durability and value.

This is the actual text from a Mercedes television commercial from 1971:

There is a car - a very special car that proved itself long before you touched its wheel.

The Mercedes-Benz, engineered like no other car in the world.

They meant it and it was true. Unfortunately, engineers are now subservient to the cost accountants and quality has suffered since 1995. It's sad, but in the real world, Mercedes can't compete without sacrificing some of its original heritage.

The last great cost-plus executive-class car to grace our shores was the 1986 – 1995 Mercedes 300E/E320 (internal designation W124). The executive class cars (now branded as E-Class) are the bread and butter car for Mercedes. Yes, in a stripped form, it was (and still is) the favorite car for taxi drivers in Germany. But in its more proper business suit, it was/is a middle-class executive's car.

It was sold as a four door sedan, wagon, limited edition coupe, and in its last 3 years, a hand-built convertible. The coupes were very expensive – in the $60,000 range – which in 1992 was a boatload of money. The convertibles easily hit $80,000!

The base engine on the 300E was a 3 liter in-line six cylinder engine. In 1992, it was bumped up to 3.2 liters, hence the new badge, E320. Originally, the “E” was for ethyl – or gasoline - engine and a “D” was for diesel. The 300 Class was the executive class before the alphabet-numeric name shuffling that happened in 1994; but you could have a 300E 2.6 which was a 300-class sedan with a 2.6 liter inline six. A 300CE was a gas-powered coupe and a 300TD was a diesel-powered wagon (Touring).

In 1994, Mercedes shuffled its model designation system to reflect classes of cars: C-Class was for compact cars, E-Class for executives and S-Class was the big Mercedes. The SL-Class is for “sport light.” The engine size/type follows the letters.

The best car I ever owned was a 1995 Mercedes-Benz E300D. The silver Special Edition sedan had a 3.0 liter inline diesel engine. It wasn't a turbo-diesel, so it was a tad slow; but always faithful. I called it my favorite German washing machine. This thing got 25 mpg in the city and around 34 on the road and it was the ONLY E-Class Mercedes with a 25 gallon gas tank – all other E-Class vehicles has a 19 gallon tank. You could drive this thing from LA to San Francisco, round trip, on one tank. The E300D was unique in that it came to the US and was sold legally in all 50 states only in 1995. To this day they are a rare find and most have been beaten to death.

These cars came well-equipped with very few options. For the US market, they all had a 4-speed automatic transmission, power steering, power anti-lock disc brakes, power windows, power mirrors, power vacuum-locking doors, automatic climate control, a Becker AM/FM radio (with digital tuning and display), power antenna, power sunroof, driver's and rear seat arm rests, power side mirrors, a single, center windshield wiper, digital ambient temperature gauge, full-size spare, etc.

Options included leather interior, third row seats in the wagon, a rear wiper on the wagon and a six-disc CD changer mounted in the trunk.

The inline six-cylinder engines (3.0, 3.2 and 2.6 liter variations) were considered bombproof. Mercedes stopped making inline sixes after 1995 and today, all its sixes are Vees. An inline six is considered inherently better balanced and it's more expensive and less compact than a Vee. Only BMW still makes an inline six that drives the rear wheels.

Check for head gasket problems, as those are expensive to fix. Also the ECU (electronic control unit) can malfunction in extreme heat. Look for that “check engine” light and find out why its on before you buy. The 4-speed automatic should last a very long time; but it is expensive to fix. Have it checked by a mechanic.

Chrome wheels were not a factory option; they were done by the dealers in response to customer demand and many just didn't wear well. The standard mat finish aluminum wheels are more desirable.

Inside, check the air conditioning to see if it still blows cold. If not, a recharge may resuscitate it; but if not, the compressor replacement or rebuild is costly. The wood on the dash and center console may warp or crack if it wasn't cared for or left to bake in the California sun. Likewise for the leather seats. The standard Mercedes MB-Tex vinyl that you find more often in the wagons is hard to destroy.

In the coupes, the seat belt extenders should work properly as the fix is expensive.

I'd also look for the original radio as aftermarket units just don't properly fit the very conservative interior. If you need to add iPod and/or satellite radio functionality, make them hidden in the glove box or arm rest.

W124 Models 1986 – 1995

300E/300E 2.6/300TE/300TD/300CE/E320/E300D – Sedan, wagon, coupe, convertible with inline six cylinder gasoline and diesel engines.

400E/E420 – Sedan only with V8 engine.

500E/E500 – Sedan only with 5.0 liter V8, built for Mercedes by Porsche.

Who is Robert Bosch?

(Issue 289 15 Feb 2010)

Robert Bosch GmbH is the largest auto parts supplier. You've seen the Bosch name at the auto parts store, under the hood of your car and at the appliance store. It's a German multinational giant. In 2009, it had revenues of €38 billion ($53.4 billion), down 16% from €45.127 billion in 2008. And for the first time since 1945, Bosch will have a pre-tax loss of more than €1.14 billion in 2009.

The year 1945 wasn't exactly a good year for Germany. There was that total surrender thing at the end of World War II, war crime trials of Nazis, the Holocaust and the total destruction of the German economy. Yet for more than sixty years, Bosch has not had an annual loss. That's a pretty good track record, considering the world has had more than a few recessions and the auto business has had its share of downturns too.

Two thousand nine was about the worst year on record for the auto industry. General Motors and Chrysler went though bankruptcy. Pontiac and Saturn bit the dust. Hummer was sold to the Chinese and Ford is about to sell Volvo to the Chinese. Porsche lost its independence to another German powerhouse, Volkswagen. Many suppliers went bankrupt and as many were sold or merged into bigger entities. In addition, thousands of independent auto dealers closed shop and thousands more found their franchises terminated by bankrupt manufacturers.

So it should be no surprise that Bosch had a bad year; but the sting of its first loss since The War is still hard for them to swallow.

Let's look a bit closer at Bosch, because most Americans don't really know much about the company. It was founded by Robert Bosch, a well-educated industrialist, engineer and inventor, in 1886 in Stuttgart, Germany (also home to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche). Bosch's first successful device generated an electric spark to ignite the air/fuel mixture in a stationary engine. A year later, he adapted the device for a vehicle engine.

Bosch was a liberal and socialist. He was the first German employer to introduce an 8 hour work week and other worker benefits. He believed in social responsibility and education and gave millions to local charities. He was a part of the German resistance during WW II; however, like all other German companies, his company was taken over by the Nazis to support the state's war efforts.

Today, Robert Bosch GmbH has over 275 subsidiaries and global operations under three major divisions:

Operations are broken down between Europe (66%) the Americas (17%) and Asia-Pacific (17%) based on 2008 information.

Bosch Automotive makes products to make driving cleaner, safer and more economical.

Bosch Industrial Technology

Bosch Commercial Goods and Building Technology

What is a GmbH? It's an abbreviation for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung – Gotta love those German compound words. We would call it an limited liability company (LLC). This business form means that Bosch is NOT a publicly-traded company like Volkswagen, Daimler or BMW. So who owns Robert Bosch GmbH?

Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH (Robert Bosch Foundation) owns 92% of the non-voting common (dividend) shares and is entitled to 92% of the dividends from Robert Bosch GmbH. The Bosch family owns 7% of the vote and 7% of the common shares. Robert Bosch GmbH owns 1% of its own shares, but no votes. Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG (Robert Bosch Industrial Trust) owns 93% of the votes, but none of the common shares. The Trust's shares are voted by agents of the Bosch family, top company managers and prominent outside industry executives - a board of directors.

The Bosch Foundation has been one of Germany's largest industrial foundations since June 1964, when the heirs of Robert Bosch transferred control of the majority of their shareholdings to the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH. The share dividend received by the foundation is used exclusively for charitable purposes, i.e. to support general medical care, international understanding, social work, training and education.

Oh those damn socialistic, communistic, capitalist-hating Germans. How dare the Bosch family dedicate the profits of such a large for-profit enterprise to the common good. That's un-American!

DWD (Driving While Distracted)

(First posted 1 Feb 2010 Issue 288)

The rain brings out the worst in drivers in Los Angeles, land of sunshine and droughts. I was driving west on Santa Monica Blvd into West Los Angeles in the pouring rain. Next to me was a middle-aged man driving a rental Nissan Sentra, windshield wipers on and both hands on the wheel – uh, sort of. The four fingers of each hand were at the top of the wheel, but his cell phone was mashed up against the wheel with and his thumbs were feverishly texting. Yeah, that's safe!

Now you would have thought that the law against texting while driving had been repealed on January 1, 2010, when in reality, it was celebrating its first anniversary. The texting law along with the hands-free mobile phone law are not just ignored, but most drivers routinely and openly flaunt them. And why not? It's not like people get tickets for these things. I see police officers/sheriffs drive by countless cars with people openly texting or talking on their phone. If caught, the ticket is only around $150 (including fine and tacked-on fees).

To be fair, I have heard about a friend of a friend – a chronic iPhone texter – who got a ticket for texting while driving. But he's the only one. Never mind that all the studies show that texting while driving is as dangerous as drunk driving. And the most recent studies show that talking on your mobile phone while driving – whether or not it's hands-free – is also as bad as driving drunk. Your attention is no longer on the road; it's on the conversation.

Interestingly, the same studies show that talking with passengers doesn't distract driving attention in the same way as talking into the air. There's still a problem with driving parents turning around to check on screaming or convulsing children; but anytime you turn your entire torso in the opposite direction while driving is bound to cause problems.

Most accidents are caused by intoxicated, distracted or just plain bad drivers, not mechanical failure. Two decades ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) led the crusade to toughen-up state laws against drunk drivers and educate people about its dangers.

Now we have another nanny nonprofit called FocusDriven (FocusDriven.org), sponsored in part by the US Department of Transportation (Distraction.gov), to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while distracted (DWD) by your mobile device.

FocusDriven's mission is: “Support victims of cell phone distracted driving and families of victims, and increase public awareness of the dangers of cell phone distracted driving by putting a human face on the disastrous impact of this behavior, in order to promote corresponding public policies, programs and personal responsibility.”

If you want heart-wrenching horror stories of distracted-driver accidents, this is the place to go. Judy Teater is the Treasurer and Founding Director of the foundation. Here's her story:

On Jan. 19, 2004, Joe and I were on our way to an after school activity. We were driving down an urban divided highway when a 20-year-old woman, driving a Hummer while talking on her cell-phone, ran a red light and slammed in the passenger side of my car, killing Joe [her 12 year old son].

The driver of the Hummer passed four cars and a school bus that had all stopped at the red light. She never applied her brakes, and witnesses reported seeing her talking on her cell phone and looking straight out the front window. She was looking, but she didn’t see the red light or realize that she should have stopped. She didn’t see the three cars before me cross the intersection, but she was looking straight ahead. This is what we mean when we say drivers suffer cognitive distraction. Their minds are distracted, and they aren’t paying attention.

Happy days, huh?

If a law isn't enforced, it has no teeth. So what do we do to make the streets and highways safer? One approach is to do nothing and just live with the consequences because people are not going to unplug from their wireless devices. Many people believe that the government already intrudes too far into our private lives.

In fact, this problem, if you consider it a problem, isn't going to get better. The New York Times recently reported (January 20, 2010) that the average young American now spends practically every waking minute – except for time in school – using a smartphone, computer, television or other electronic device. The study was conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. One pediatric physician suggested that it was time to stop arguing about whether the use of these devices was good or bad and to accept it as part of the environment of youth like “the air they breath, the water they drink and the food they eat.”

Today's youth are tomorrow's drivers. Don't blink because it's already happened.

If the traffic laws aren't a deterrent, what about insurance laws? What if your insurance company was allowed to deny coverage of your injuries and/or property damage from an accident caused by DWD? If the police report points to your distraction, it's pretty easy for the insurance company to get your cell phone records to see if you were talking, texting or web surfacing at the time of your accident. The burden of proof would shift to you to show you weren't distracted by the device – good luck with that.

Another avenue is a penalty to your driver's license for this kind of accident or ticket. The penalty would allow your insurer to double or triple your rates for a period of time. The insurance companies already do this to drivers with a DUI (driving under the influence) on their driving records, why not do the same for mobile device distraction accidents?

Technology may also provide a solution. Like the breathalyzer installed for DUI convicts, there could be a device installed in your car that jams wireless signals while the car is moving. It would allow only 911 calls. Look for this kind of a device at CES 2011.

I believe in personal responsibility and I'm a big advocate for smarter, safer drivers. Unfortunately, one thing I have learned is that people resist education and without some draconian penalty, the DWD problem is here to stay.

NAIAS = Dearborn's Show

(originally posted 11 Jan 2010 #287)

The 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) is held at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. The shorthand for the show has always been the "Detroit Auto Show." This year, it should have been named the "Dearborn Auto Show," because the show belonged to Ford Motor Company and no one else.

The big award announcements came early Monday (January 11) morning:

North American Car of the Year: The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

North American Truck of the Year: The 2010 Ford Transit Connect

Then, with much deserved fanfare, Ford introduced the most important car for its future here in North America and around the world: The 2012 Ford Focus.

The all-new 2012 Ford Focus rides on Ford's global C1/C-car (compact car) platform. This same car will be produced for all markets - a true global car - designed as such from Day One. In addition to the Focus, there will be up to 10 unique models based on the C1 platform, including the outstanding Ford C-Max and Ford Grand C-Max (both coming to the US market for the first time).

In late 2006, when Bill Ford stepped down as CEO and hired Alan Mulally from Boeing to run his family's company, outsiders scoffed. What does an airplane engineer know about cars? Well, for one thing, he knew that Boeing sold the same jet liners in all markets. They didn't produce a different 767 for China, Australia or North America. So why was Ford spending so much money designing, engineering, producing and marketing similar but different cars all over the world?

"One Ford, One Team, One Plan, One Goal" is Mr. Mulally's mantra at Ford and he's focused (no pun intended) the company on producing top quality, profitable cars that are sold worldwide. The 2012 Ford Focus is the first car completely designed with Ford's new global plans. Ford says the new Focus will be nearly identical in all markets, with 80% parts commonality around the world. This spells huge cost savings making the Focus not only profitable, but giving it upscale materials and luxury car features at an affordable price. The big market difference will be drivetrains, with only minor differences in colors, materials and options.

The new Focus is foreign to the US market because for two car generations now, the US market has been saddled with a sub-standard Focus, not sold elsewhere. The "good" Focus was reserved for Europe and Australia. The 2012 Focus will go into production simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010 with individual market launches starting in early 2011. Launches in Asia, Africa and South America will follow. Initial production will be concentrated at Ford's assembly plants in Germany, Michigan and Chongquing (China).

Here's an overview of the 2012 Ford Focus for the North American market:

Drivetrain: Ford's new 2.0 liter direct gas injection engine with Variable Camshaft Timing is mated to Ford's new dry-clutch six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission using advanced dual-clutch design. The engine gains 10% fuel efficiency over the old 2.0 liter Duratec engine and the transmission offers an increase of 9% fuel efficiency over the old 4-speed automatic.

Electronics: Ford's MyTouch ^(tm) Driver Connect technology, Sync ® (2^nd generation) voice-activated communications, eight inch touch-screen navigation, Intelligent Access (keyless doors and ignition) with push-button start; high-end Sony sound system, digital dual-zone automatic climate control, rearview camera and a semi-automatic parallel parking system that automatically steers the vehicle in a parking spot.

Interior: Driver-oriented cockpit, leather seats, French-stitching detail on seats and dashboard, soft-touch plastics.

Exterior: Ford calls it a "kinetic" design. I'd call it fresh and modern... maybe, uh, focused? It will be available in both 5-door hatchback and sedan models at launch. A 3-door "hot hatch" variant may be available in the US a year or more after launch.

I Dream of Diesel

(Issue 286, 4 January 2010)

I should know better than to believe the promises, whispered teases and breathless rumors of European-style clean diesel cars from my American and Japanese lovers. I was giddy thinking of advanced clean diesel engines with gobs of torque and better-than-hybrid fuel economy. The torque numbers alone twisted my heart into knots. I was in love before I had a chance to stomp the accelerator.

My Japanese geishas, Honda and Nissan, never even showed up for the party. The promise of a clean diesel Acura TSX using Honda's brilliantly-engineered catalytic c