Biography
Jim MacPherson is the host of "The Car Doctor" show Sundays at noon on WTIC-AM. Send comments, questions, suggestions in care of Special Publications, Hartford Courant, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115. For more automotive news, check out the Cars.com On The Road section each Wednesday in The Courant.
The Truth Behind the EPA's Fuel Economy Ratings
May 14, 2013
How should fuel economy results be determined when driving a review vehicle? That question was asked by several readers following an On The Road column on the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (EPA Ratings Are Only As Good As Your Driving Style, May 1). In that column, I noted that the wide variations my co-driver and I experienced in fuel economy came down to driving style, vehicle condition (he had to overcome a cold start; for my turn behind the wheel, the car was warm) and terrain.
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Mercedes-Benz Gives Diesel a Second Chance
May 7, 2013
There is an old adage that says you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Perhaps, but the makers of diesel-powered vehicles are engaged in a valiant effort to do just that as they roll out clean diesel engines that promise to deliver impressive fuel efficiency while meeting the nation’s strictest California emissions standards.
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EPA Ratings are Only as Good as Your Driving Style
April 30, 2013
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When it Comes to Crash Testing, Your Results May Vary
April 23, 2013
Senior citizens, in addition to rebelling against being called senior citizens, are used to getting special treatment based purely on their advancing years. There are senior discounts at the barber shop and beauty parlor, seniors-only travel tours, senior passes on trains and for mass transit, and now there could be senior crash test results.
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Keeping Clean on the Go
April 17, 2013
Imagine the frustration for many automakers at the New York International Auto Show as they introduced new models during the press-only days that precede the opening of the show to the public.
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Common Driving Errors (and how to avoid them)
April 9, 2013
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Live from the New York International Auto Show
April 2, 2013
The 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) held its press days last week, which are always interesting. This year’s introductions were mobbed by members of the media, manufacturers’ representatives and public relations staffers.
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Automakers Aim to Hit the Mark with New Models
March 28, 2013
I recently attended a New England introduction of the new Nissan Pathfinder, which has been on sale for several months. Doing so brought the process for designing automobiles into sharper focus. When all the challenges, problems and details surrounding these efforts are considered, it’s a miracle that any model hits its intended target.
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How to Utilize Defensive Parking
March 20, 2013
Several years ago, a friend bought a new car for the first time in over a decade. Within a week, he picked up two nasty parking lot dings. These nicks are inflicted by thoughtless individuals who open their doors with no regard to what they’ll hit and they wield shopping cars with a recklessness that would make a dedicated vandal gasp with envy. The damage they inflict is unsightly and can result in surface rust if it breaks through to bare medal.
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Going Green While Keeping Cool, Part II
March 12, 2013
Last week’s column looked at a major change set to take place in automotive air conditioning. The industry is switching refrigerants used in vehicle air conditioners, with HFO-1234yf replacing HFC-134a. The reason for this switch is because HFO-1234yf causes less damage if it’s leaked into the atmosphere.
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Staying Cool while Going Green
March 6, 2013
Back in the early 1990's, automotive air conditioning started to grab headlines in the mass media. The reason was simple: R-12, the refrigerant used in auto air conditioners at the time, was being banned.
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Going to the Edge
February 26, 2013
When it comes to hills, the standards for the Interstate Highway System are specific. In mountainous and urban areas, the maximum grade, either up or down, is no more than six percent. That’s a slope that measures just over three degrees, for people who prefer to think in those terms.
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A New Standard in Towing
February 19, 2013
Readers old enough to remember the muscle car craze in the 1960s may also recall that automakers didn’t always play it straight when it came to the performance capabilities of their vehicles. Horsepower ratings were often tweaked by the boys in marketing before being released to the masses. It wasn’t unheard of to have cars delivered to auto writers for evaluation with upgrades unavailable to the public, with no mention of the modifications, of course.
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Three Million Miles is Within Sight
February 5, 2013
In a way, it’s mildly amusing when people bemoan the fact that their five-year-old car just passed the 120,000 mile mark, and as a result, they have no choice to but go shopping for a new car.
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Automakers Going Above and Beyond When it comes to Safety
January 29, 2013
The recently concluded North American International Auto Show was the first in Detroit since the Obama administration introduced challenging new fuel economy standards for the auto industry.
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Examining Some Trends from Last Year's Auto Market
January 22, 2013
While auto sales in this country were booming in the middle of the last decade, the industry was not necessarily healthy.
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Automakers Pruning their Vehicles Lineups
January 15, 2013
Gardening is a wonderful activity. It allows its practitioners to meld with nature, enjoy the fresh air and get some beneficial exercise. There is an additional advantage. For those who are skilled, their efforts can enhance both the landscape and the dinner table.
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Avoid Cutting Corners with Replacement Parts
January 8, 2013
When the fuel pump on my current car failed several years ago, I was more than a little perturbed to discover that the factory replacement cost $425. That’s a lot of money, especially considering the last fuel pump I had replaced on another car cost $17.
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Don't Take Any Driving Lessons From the Movies
January 7, 2013
Nearly 10 years ago, the Motor Press Guild held a dinner at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. There, masters of movie chase scenes and stunt drivers Hal Needham, Jack Gill and Corey Eubanks held a panel discussion on their craft. Film critic Charles Champlin also took part, as did moderator Tim Considine, the former child actor who played the eldest offspring in "My Three Sons." Today, he is a writer, photographer and automotive historian.
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Some New Year's Resolutions Worth Considering
December 27, 2012
Christmas is over and 2013 is just around the corner. This is the perfect week to put the final touches on your New Year’s resolutions. In case cars and driving didn’t enter your thought process when you made your resolutions list, here are some suggestions to overcome that deficit. Repeat the following: "I pledge in the coming year to…
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Some Unsolicited Car Shopping Advice
December 18, 2012
A recent AutomotiveNews report highlighted the results of a national survey that showed 21 percent of new car buyers don’t test drive the car they buy. Not only did they not test drive the specific vehicle that ended up in their driveway, they never even drove a dealer demonstrator. If not "sight unseen," they made their decision "performance unfelt."
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Making the Switch to Winter Tires
December 11, 2012
Last week’s column looked at the advantages of using winter tires this time of year. Now, let’s look at how you can go about making the switch from summer or all-season tires to winter tires.
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Getting a Grip in Winter
December 4, 2012
I was bushwhacked the other day at the home center. A complete stranger came up to me and asked for tire advice while I was pondering in-line electrical switches.
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Preventive Maintenance Goes a Long Way
November 27, 2012
In addition to hosting our first snowfall of the new winter season, October was also National Car Care month.
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Be suspicious of estimates based on incomplete examinations of your car
November 20, 2012
There are ways of getting a second opinion that can lead you astray. Consider one woman who contacted me in a panic several years ago. Her car had begun making loud noises and would vibrate every time she stopped. So, she took it to her regular shop. These folks took the car for a brief test drive then put it on a lift, pulled the wheels off and came up with an estimate that called for $1,100 in brake work.
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The Importance of a Second Opinion
November 13, 2012
When Helen Turner of Unionville took her 2004 Subaru Outback with 30,000 miles on the odometer in for an oil change, the last thing she expected was news that her car needed $1,600 in repairs. When she protested that she did not have $1,600 to spend on her car, the mechanic retreated, saying that she absolutely needed $800 in repairs right now and that she could return in a week or so for the additional work. She acquiesced to the $800 in repairs.
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Safety Tips for Driving in a Hurricane
November 6, 2012
I was awakened at 5:47 on the morning that Sandy slammed into the Northeast, not by the storm, but by a call from a local television station. Would I be willing to talk about precautions that drivers should take if they have to go out in the storm, the producer asked? I told her I would, to which I was told to hold on for 10 minutes.
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Do-It-Yourself Headlight Repair
October 31, 2012
Eight years seems to be the magic number when it comes to car headlamps. Our newest car is eight years old, as is a company vehicle that I occasionally use. Both were suffering from varying degrees of fogged over, yellowing headlights, with the company car having the worst symptoms by far.
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Finding That Perfect Fit
October 23, 2012
We all like to be comfortable, whether it's at work or at home. But what about in our car? Outside of obvious considerations for head and leg room, few people think about how they’ll fit in their cars. There are other factors besides roominess to keep in mind when determining how well we fit in our vehicles.
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Do Your Research When Buying Used
October 17, 2012
No used car buyer wants to purchase a vehicle that was seriously damaged and then repaired by the previous owner. Whether it was a crash, a flood, or some other calamity that caused the damage, it’s possible the car will never quite be same even after repairs.
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What's that Button do?
October 3, 2012
"Eco" buttons are common features in many of today’s new cars, but what exactly do they do?
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Choosing a Warranty that Works for You
September 26, 2012
Would a large, unexpected car repair bill represent a major problem for your budget? Could you easily handle an $800 control module replacement, a $3,000 transmission rebuild or a $5,000 engine repair? Your answer could determine whether or not an extended service plan, often called an extended warranty, makes sense for you.
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New Ways to Plug in and Turn On
September 26, 2012
While there are still only a few plug-in hybrid vehicles on the market, the concept of a plug-in hybrid is, by now, old news. This type of hybrid charges its batteries from a household outlet. This battery power is then used to propel the car using an electric motor, with a gasoline engine taking over once the batteries are exhausted.
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New Ways to Plug in and Turn On
September 19, 2012
While there are still only a few plug-in hybrid vehicles on the market, the concept of a plug-in hybrid is, by now, old news. This type of hybrid charges its batteries from a household outlet. This battery power is then used to propel the car using an electric motor, with a gasoline engine taking over once the batteries are exhausted.
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Why Higher Prices Are The New Normal
September 12, 2012
It’s a presidential election year, which means we’re hearing politicians talk about “the new normal” whenever the topic of the economy or political gridlock comes up. But there’s also a new normal in the automotive arena. While it’s been around for some time, I’ve only just started to recognize that the higher prices I’ve seen for several years are now the status quo.
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How Safe It Your Car? It Depends
September 5, 2012
Last week, I examined the new offset barrier crash test that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) introduced to automakers and the car-buying public. In this test, only 25 percent of the car's frontal structure on the driver's side has to absorb all of the energy generated in a 40 mile per hour collision with a rigid barrier.
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Safe At Any Angle
August 29, 2012
Last June, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave a presentation in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. titled, "New Developments in Occupant Protection - Small Overlap Crash Test." Sounds a bit dry, you say?
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Heavy Hauling Doesn't Require Dropping Big Money
August 22, 2012
When architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the motto "Less is more," he was referring to a minimalist approach that favored getting more function and design cues from a building's structural elements. While he didn't have cars in mind, current trends suggest this idea could work in the automotive world as well.
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The Ups And Downs Of Convertibles
August 15, 2012
A week spent with the 2012 Volvo C70 retractable hardtop convertible prompted me to recall the convertibles I've had for review over the years. Not all have been overwhelming automotive successes, but all have been wonderful on a day when the weather invites open air driving.
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Predicting The Future
August 8, 2012
The environment in which we live was summed up neatly by Isaac Asimov when he wrote, "The only constant is change..." Keeping track of change is hard enough. Predicting it is even more challenging.
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Keeping Up With The Techies
August 1, 2012
Last week's column touched upon the complex technology that's becoming more and more common in even low-priced cars and highlighted the effort taken by Serra Automotive in Grand Blanc, Mich., to make sure car buyers are getting the most from these systems.
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Complex Vehicles Create New Opportunities
July 25, 2012
Today's vehicles are technological wonders. Managing the latest features, however, is proving to be an ongoing challenge for both dealers and customers. Theoretically, technical advancements should make our lives simpler. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way, especially in the "connected" car.
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Safety Feature Surprises
July 18, 2012
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) completed a preliminary analysis of some of the newest safety features that automakers have been offering consumers, and some of the results are surprising. Here is what the IIHS found regarding forward collision warning, adaptive headlights and lane departure warning.
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Seat-of-the-Pants Driving
July 12, 2012
It's called kinesthetic sense, the ability of a driver to "feel" what the car is actually doing at any given moment. A skilled and experienced driver uses this feedback to intuitively compare what he wants the car to do versus what the car is actually doing.
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Plenty Of Travelers Hitting The Road This Week
July 5, 2012
While there are some historians who argue we should celebrate Independence Day on July 2, rather than on the fourth, holiday travelers probably give little thought to the issue. "The fourth is the fourth," they'll say, despite the fact that the Second Continental Congress approved the resolution for independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776. It was the Declaration of Independence that came two days later.
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When To Part Company With Your Old Car
June 27, 2012
The economy is improving for many people. That encouraging news notwithstanding, there remain a large number of drivers who are trying to eek every mile possible out of their vehicle. This has prompted many to ask if there are any rules to follow that will help them know when the time has come to buy a new car.
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Summertime Means Increased Risk For Teen Drivers
June 20, 2012
"Summertime, and the livin' is easy," or so the lyrics by DuBose Heyward proclaim in George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." The driving, however, may not be so easy, especially for teenagers.
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When "New And Improved" Really Is Just That
June 13, 2012
We're not even halfway through 2012 but automakers are already introducing and selling 2013 models.
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Importance Of Monitoring Tire Pressure Rises In The Summer
June 6, 2012
The push for tire pressure monitoring systems, required on all new cars and light trucks since 2008, can be traced to the Ford Firestone tire controversy in 2000. That's when the failures of the Explorer's Firestone tires first came to the public's attention, prompted by reports of tire tread separations leading to rollovers that caused injuries and deaths.
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Putting The Brakes On Autonomous Cars
May 30, 2012
For folks eagerly awaiting the autonomous vehicles promised in Hanna-Barbera's "The Jetsons," the New England Motor Press Association Technology Conference held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology earlier this month delivered a stiff dose of reality.
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Young Technicians Put On The Spot
May 23, 2012
It wasn't a promising start for the hands-on portion of the state finals of the Ford AAA Auto Skills Contest on May 10.
