More to Gas Prices Than Dollars and Cents

By Marty Padgett December 13th, 2005

Email this page to your friend:

I've been driving for 59 years and the other day I observed something I'd never seen before: red "quarantine" tags on gas pumps at a neighborhood BP station near my home in suburban Detroit.

Upon inspection, it seemed the tags were from the Michigan Dept. of Weights and Measures. The tags declared the pumps had been tested that day and found to be inaccurate. The station was given, as I recall, five days to correct the problem. A State of Michigan truck was parked in the gas station.

I drove away to a neighbor "unquarantined" station to fill for a penny more ($2.099 vs. $2.089), but the event was something new in my experience and caused me to ponder. A day or so later, I noticed that red tags still were attached to some pumps at the offending station.

The message here is to be wary of retail gas operators who cheat, either deliberately or through faulty equipment. But how can you tell if a pump is rigged to charge you for drawing off more gas than actually flowed? I don't think the motorist can, which is why states have weights-and-measures cops with measuring devices.

Of course, gas stations have their problems, too. There have been scattered reports of "driveaways" in the metropolitan area, especially when gas exceeded $3 per gallon for a period right after Katrina. If the driver of a full-sized van with 42-gallon dual tank capacity, like the Econoline Club Wagons I used to have, drove off without paying, he'd be guilty of a felony for exceeding the customary $100 threshold.

A mirrored problem with pricey gas is siphoning theft. I once caught a bunch of kids filling their outboard boat's tank from my '55 Plymouth, and that was when gas was 25 cents a gallon, so it's all relative. A quarter-century ago, after the Iranian Revolution induced a gas crisis, there was a big movement to equip cars with locking gas caps or filler doors. The need or demand seemed to wither away in subsequent years, although many vehicles still have the feature as standard. One wonders if locking caps will make a comeback. In the short run, that's a need that aftermarket auto supply stores ought to be able to fill.—Mike Davis

Tags: Enthusiasts, Reviews, Shoppers

Smash His Viper?

By Paul Eisenstein December 12th, 2005

Email this page to your friend:

Gotta get my glasses checked...

When the e-mail arrived, I could've sworn it said "I smashed up my Viper." Having pushed the Dodge 2-seater right up to its limits a few times myself, I can understand just how easy that might be. But a closer read revealed a very different situation. Seems the folks at SmashMyViper.com have come up with a well, rather interesting idea that would've been novel even during the years of the "Internet Bubble." The apparently Siamese-twined daveandjason have decided that they're ready to scratch, smash and drill their way to prosperity by letting their readers pay to do the damage. The late-model Viper "is the only thing I have to show for all the work I've done in my life," explains Jason Gunther, in the site's FAQ.

A key scratch will only set you back a buck. A swing with a Louisville Slugger is $25. Oh, and there are apparently some lovely and scantily clad young ladies in Jason's neighborhood who haven't been taking their Prozac lately. They'll do the dirty work for you for an extra $100. No, no price has been set for taking a swing at the doomed Viper's owners.

Here in Detroit, of course, there are lots of folks willing to mess up a car -- for free. Unfortunately, it may be your car they take their aggressions out on.

Tags: Industry

Double Jeopardy for Pontiac

By Paul Eisenstein December 11th, 2005

Email this page to your friend:

On the popular TV game show "Jeopardy," contestants are supposed to respond to clues with a question. But we can assure you that "What is Toyota?" was not the right answer to one particular puzzle presented by host Alek Trebek the other day. Nor was Mercury, nor Buick. But that was as close as the three contestants could come, reports the Detroit News, when shown a picture of the Aztek, and given the clue, "The GM brand whose model lineup includes Aztek and Grand Prix."

In case you've forgotten yourself, the correct question, for $200, would have been, "What is Pontiac?" Actually, that's a very good question, and not just in the "Jeopardy" studios. There was a time when the General Motors division was one of the nation's best-known. But after a series of wrong-headed management decisions, marketing mistakes and disastrous products - such as the Aztek - Pontiac's name recognition is down to near zero if Trebek's three contestants are any indication. Now, let's face it, when you get in front of the TV cameras, with those hot lights and a live audience baiting you, it's not unusual to make some silly mistakes. But we'd be willing to bet that you could ask the very same question on the streets of New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, and stump a lot of otherwise well-informed folks.

Last April, GM's car czar Bob Lutz referred to Pontiac and Buick as "damaged brands." (At least one of the "Jeopardy" contestants recalled the latter division's name, if not its lineup.) GM's PR machine quickly tried to spin a different meaning to Lutz's candid comments. Yet there's no question that at senior meetings, the automaker has been giving serious thought to Pontiac's future. But it wouldn't be easy to send Pontiac off to the scrapheap, as the demise of Oldsmobile proved. It took years to phase out that other, troubled brand, and cost billions, much of it handed out to Olds dealers to cover their losses. Cutting Pontiac would cost easily as much, and it would also complicate matters in showrooms that pair the division with GMC, the much more successful light truck nameplate.

Still, Pontiac can't just be allowed to stumble along. With its minuscule name recognition, this brand truly is in jeopardy. As GM continues to cut its way to survival, one can only wonder if the next mention on that popular TV game show will be "brands that General Motors couldn't revive."

Tags: Industry