Today, Nissan announced the recall of 242,720 trucks and SUVs for a potentially serious airbag complication caused by the corroding effects of repeated exposure to road salt. According to the recall, heavy concentrations of road salt result in a mixture of snow/water and salt that, if penetrates the front crash-zone sensor housing, can accelerate the rusting process and interrupt the signal, possibly rendering the airbags defective altogether. Given that only certain parts of the country are exposed to wintry conditions that necessitate the use of road salt, the recall is only effective for those vehicles either sold or registered in the Northeastern/Midwestern states (CT, DE, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV, WI, DC), and includes all Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra models manufactured from 2005-2009.

According to a recall alert published by the NHTSA today, Land Rover is recalling 19,168 Range Rovers produced between 2003-2005 due to a relatively serious problem with the drivetrain. Apparently, the front differential coupling sleeve and the propeller shaft have the potential to misaligned, which will eventually wear down the spline. The problem may not be noticeable at first, but over time it will manifest itself in noises and/or vibrations (which may or may not be audible to the driver, depending on how big the assumed aftermarket sub-woofers are and which Ice-T track happens to be playing).

Read the NHTSA’s full recall after the jump

This tip comes from the good people over at The Consumerist, which is a great site by the way. This tip will make sure you never have to deal with being locked out of your car again, and it’s so simple it’s mindboggling that I never thought of it before. Check it out:

The original tip is to get a copy of your key made at the hardware store or at a locksmith, then drill a hole through the head of it. Then you just unscrew your license plate and place the key behind it, using the hole in the key to secure it with one of the screws on the plate. The key will be secure, and in the rare case you get locked out of your car, you just unscrew your license plate (using a bit of metal of even a dime), and there’s your key.

What about those fancy new electro-keys?

As if the BMW 3 Series didn’t have enough accolades and history and positive press about it already, now they’re officially the most reliable car in the UK. This according to the annual Fleet News FN50 reliability survey of all the car leasing companies in Britain.

The survey takes into account the reliability history of 881,000 vehicles. Japanese automakers have traditionally been on top, but this year, BMW took the top spot. In addition to the #1 position, BMW also has two other spots in the top ten with the 1 Series and the Mini.

The survey assessed vehicles by the number of breakdowns per 100 of each type of model on each leasing company’s fleet, that gives them a simple percentage. Easy peasy… now check out the official press release and the complete top ten list:

CerMet Labs has introduced CerMet-Auto, a ceramic nanotechnology coating that supposedly reduces friction in engine parts. That reduced friction in turn translates into improved fuel economy. That’s the claim, at least. It’s designed to go in with the engine oil, then it’s carried to the areas of friction and bonds with the metal surfaces.

The company says it can improve your gas powered engine’s fuel efficiency by 5 to 15%. It comes in 10ml syringes for almost $200 dollars. CerMet CEO Dean Rose said: “Our product represents the meeting of nanotechnology, green initiatives, and the urgent imperative to reduce fuel consumption costs. It’s easy to apply, and provides a very high return-on-investment for the user.”

Recently, when the Phillies won the World Series, we had some lunatic car-flippers here in the streets of our good city. That’s not all they did though, in addition to the numerous cars that were lovingly flipped, vandals kicked in marble planters and destroyed bus stop shelters and smashed in storefront windows. It was some real good old fashioned celebratory destruction. GO PHILS!

“I think everyone should be outraged. I know I’m outraged as lifelong Philadelphian,” Captain Mike Costello of the Philadelphia Police said. I’m not really outraged as much as I am completely unsurprised, since I really have no faith in my fellow man. One thing that I am surprised at, however, is the fact that one guy is actually getting reimbursed for his flipped car… by the people of Philadelphia.

Having worked in the auto salvage/repair business for a few years, I know how most shops are. Going there can be an intimidating experience for the average car owner. You don’t really know if you’re getting overcharged, and the place is usually a bit greasy, maybe a little smokey, the people aren’t that nice, etc. It’s a common theme among auto repair shops.

Well, the HiQ network of garages in the UK decided to get in touch with the consulting/rebranding company Fitch to see if they could give themselves a better image. It looks like it worked.
Check out the pictures and see for yourself:

We haven’t heard about the Right to Repair Act for a while, and honestly I hoped it was dead in the water. Unfortunately not though, just yesterday it was passed through the NJ state assembly.

For those who don’t know, the “Right to Repair Act” is a piece of legislation that would allow everyone free access to various manufacturer’s codes that you would need to decipher the readings on the ECM/ECU readers. Sounds complicated, but its not. Every modern car has a “brain” or an ECM - you can plug in a computer to that brain and read all sorts of important info about the car. Certain manufacturers make their codes particularly difficult to decipher so that you have to take them to certified technicians to get work done.

Now, the bill sounds like a good idea, right? Don’t let companies have a monopoly on their mechanical work, right? Wrong, and here’s why:

In Cottage Grove, Oregon, 18-year-old Kimberly Messer was arrested for reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person after Oregon State Police clocked her doing 107 mph through a construction zone. According to OSP Trooper Ryan Hockema, he first attempted to initiate a traffic stop after observing Messer’s red ‘95 Ford Mustang flying by him at 87 mph near a construction site. Unable to capture the teenage driver’s attention, Hockema then proceeded to watch Messer accelerate to 107 mph in a work zone, following too closely behind other drivers and executing unsafe lane changes. When Messer was finally stopped, she explained to the officer that her failure to yield to the state trooper was not an intentionally evasive action, but rather an accidental oversight. Apparently, she didn’t notice Trooper Hockema because she was too engaged in her cell phone conversation.

We’ve all been in this situation before… your car begins smoking or making noises you only thought were possible when small animals die, and now you’re stuck trying to find a decent shop. You’ve heard all the horror stories, you’ve seen the outrageous amounts dealerships charge, so you’re looking for a nice local shop where you won’t get taken for a ride. One problem…most of the local shops are run by gang members or men so old you’re pretty sure they have no idea how to operate Microsoft Paint, let alone try to delve into the computer issues on today’s vehicles. Here we have assembled a list of 20 easy-to-spot signs that you may be better off having your 3 year-old attempt a fix than have work done at such a shop.

1. Your friends have had bad experiences at the shop. Okay so this may seem like a no-brainer, but in all seriousness when you need to choose a shop for work on your car, ask your friends. Let their experiences help you in finding a good quality place and a good price.