2008 Pontiac G8 GT: Brakelight Fix-it Ticket

"There is an auto parts store in town. Should be easy to just stop in there and get a new bulb." That was the advice given to us by the CHP officer writing a citation for the burnt out driver-side brakelight on our 2008 Pontiac G8.

We couldn't remember the last time we were issued a fix-it ticket. But the voice in our head was reassuring, "Spend a couple of bucks on a new bulb, replace it and have the next cop we see sign it off. Then mail it in. Done." Well, it wasn't quite as simple as our internal advisor remembered.

A new bulb set us back $5 and we replaced it in 10 minutes. Easy. We searched out our nearest certification station to approve the work, and found it closed. With some effort we found the next closest station. We pulled up and the inspector said, "Yep, it works. That will be $40. There is a correction fee of $25 and inspection fee of $15."

Disgusted, we handed over our debit card to pay the charges and were greeted with, "Cash only, sir." In our pocket sat exactly $27.26 worth of not enough. We left to find an ATM, withdrew the cash and returned to pay the fees. This wasn't what we expected.

2009 Nissan 370Z: Trunk Review Lite

The 370Z served airport duty the last two days, allowing me to see how this sports car handled my admittedly light luggage requirements. However, you can see by this picture where the old 350Z's giant structural cross brace would've intruded upon the trunk. These bags probably would've been fine back there, but a pair of standard roller suitcases would've been questionable.

Also, note the 370's cargo cover that hides away your valuables from would-be car burglars (as well as preventing trunk contents from reflecting in the window). I'm pretty confident the old car did not offer such a cover as the brace would have impeded it. That brace was also known for casting a pretty nasty reflection in the rear window, which is obviously no longer there.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Which One?

Which one do you think looks better?

Karl's Plum Crazy 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE or our long-term 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T?

2008 Pontiac G8 GT: You Write the Caption

Uh oh. Busted.

Our Pontiac G8 GT got into a little situation with the man.

We suggest: Cited for Burning Donuts

What have you got?

We'll post our favorite this afternoon.

2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: RRE Tunes The Garrett GT30R

Some tuners use ECUFlash. Others swear by EcuTek. Mike Welch of Road Race Engineering, on the other hand, doesn't play favorites.

While Project Evo X, our long-term 2008 Mitsubishi GSR, was in his care, Mike constantly switched between the two calibration interfaces while on the dyno. It turns out that certain functionality and datalogging can only be accessed through the EcuTek interface, while other tables are better served by ECUFlash. An ECUtek license costs real money, though, and uploading changes to the ROM takes several minutes instead of seconds. So he uses both. These are the tricks you learn when you've been modifying Mitsubishis since 1994.

After adjusting the calibration on the dyno until he was satisifed it was producing safe and consistent power, checking the vitals on the street and making subtle tweaks, he was done tuning Project Evo X with the Garrett GT30R turbo.

2009 BMW 750i: Free Scheduled Maintenance

We spent $0 to service our 2009 BMW 750i thanks to BMW's free scheduled maintenance program. But it cost us 4 days. Can that still be considered free?

Long Beach BMW had a 9am Thursday appointment available and we took it. We arrived on time and the car was pulled inside before we left. On the agenda was its routine service, a check engine light and misaligned hood.

We contacted our advisor at 3pm to learn they couldn't see our car yet. It would stay overnight. And 24 hours later we initiated contact again. "I was just about to call you," our advisor began. "My mechanic won't be able to complete the work today. And he's not in this weekend. Can I get back to you on Monday?"

Monday afternoon the phone rang. The car was ready. Oil, oil filter and microfilters were refreshed. Our check engine light was the result of a leaking gas cap, so it was also replaced. One of the strikers was adjusted to remedy our misaligned hood. And per an open campaign the front door handle Bowden cable was replaced. Should this take 4 days? Would you be satisfied?

Free scheduled maintenance is in the eye of the beholder.