Q:
I don’t understand why it is that only the big pickups are diesel powered. We need a smaller truck and prefer diesel. Any plans afoot you know of?
A:
The Dodge Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is diesel powered. As of midsummer it was the only half-ton pickup with a diesel engine. If consumer reaction is good, there will, no doubt, be additional options.
Q:
When I read last year that BMW was going to manufacture electric cars, I figured the company would be out of that arena in a couple of years, electric cars being somewhat antithetical to the typical BMW driver. So how’s that going?
A:
Even better than expected. Bloomberg News reported during the summer that demand has far exceeded expectations, to the point that BMW ratcheted up production of the i3 electric car so that by year’s end it will have produced about 20,000 of them. The original target was 10,000.
A reader/expert weighs in. I recently reiterated my frequent refrain that it’s unnecessary to warm up cars for extended periods before driving off. A lovely regular reader, who’s an ASE certified master tech, reminded me that I usually share the information that many experts (though certainly not all) say that extended warmups can actually damage cars. His words: “It’s not good for the catalytic converter to let the car idle for a long time … Here in my town, most residential speed limits are 25 or 30 mph. When I get in a stone-cold car in the morning I usually wait one minute then drive off. That gives the engine time to get oil to all components, and driving 25 mph is much better than just letting the car sit and idle. It takes me four or five minutes to get out of town, and that’s plenty of slow-driving time before getting up to speed on a highway. I’ve heard and seen horror stories of converters overheating or just melting inside because of way-too-long idling time.”
So there you have it: the perspective of a guy who’s seen plenty of car innards. It’ll be years, I suspect, before there’s real agreement on whether prolonged idling actually damages cars. But for now be aware that some number agree with this gentleman.
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What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email [email protected].