©2003 May not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author. This includes publishing at other websites.
MERCEDES-BENZ SLR MCLAREN SUPER SPORTS CAR TO DEBUT
Set to make its world premiere this fall at the renowned Frankfurt Auto Show, the new Mercedes-Benz SLR super sports GT celebrates the formidable SLR race cars of the 1950s. The new SLR bridges the past and future with styling elements from the original 300SLR roadster and "Uhlenhaut Coupe" (in background) as well as the latest Formula 1 Silver Arrow race cars. Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 partner McLaren showcase their collective experience with such features as a carbon fiber structure and composite ceramic brake discs. Powered by an AMG-produced supercharged V8 engine producing well over 550 hp, the limited-production SLR McLaren will go on sale in Europe late this year, and its U.S. launch is planned in 2004.
MODELS
The number of models of Mercedes is staggering. There are more C-Class variants than there were Mercedes models when I started. Right now we have:
C230K, C230KMT, C230WZ, C230WZMT, C240W, C240W4, C240WMT, C240S, C240S4, C240SMT, C320C, C320CMT, C320WZ, C320WZMT, C320W, C320W4, C320WMT, C320S, C320S4, C320SMT, C32 AMG. That's 21 models. I could be wrong. That's from memory.
Then we have E320W, E500W, and in MY 2004 we get E320S and E500S and E320W4, E500W4, E320S4, and E500S4. E55 AMG.
CLK320C, CLK500C, (2004) CLK320A, CLK500A (replacing CLK430A). CLK55C AMG (CLK55A AMG?)
SLK230K, SLK230KMT, SLK320, SLK320MT, SLK32 AMG.
S430V, S430V4, S500V, S500V4, S55 AMG, S600
CL500, CL600, CL55 AMG
SL500, SL600, SL55 AMG
ML350, ML500, (ML55 out of production)
G500, G55
I get 56 or 57 models depending on whether we'll have a CLK55A or not, and I've probably left something out.
I think we had 10 when I started. Hmmm, 240D, (and 4-speed manual version), 300D-T, 280E, 300D-T, 300SD, 380SE, 380SEL, 380SL, 380SLC.
SLR MCLAREN
New SLR Super Sports GT to Debut at Frankfurt Show
MONTVALE, NJ - The new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which is set to celebrate its world premiere this fall at the Frankfurt Auto Show, celebrates the formidable SLR race cars of the 1950s and marks a new era of Mercedes-Benz passion for grand touring sports cars. A futuristic interpretation of styling elements from the original 300SLR and from the latest Formula 1 Silver Arrow race cars bridges the past and future, bringing cutting-edge motorsports-inspired design and technology to the road, just as the SLR did in 1955.
The new SLR allows Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 partner McLaren to showcase their collective experience in the development and production of high-performance sports cars. This unique combination of expertise is evident not only in the pioneering developments and impressive performance of the new SLR, but also in its high levels of safety, as well as the grand touring comfort already associated with the renowned SL.
The limited-production SLR will go on sale in Europe late this year, and its U.S. market launch is planned in mid-2004. While pricing will be announced later, it's expected to be in the mid-$300,000 range.
Carbon Fiber Body
One dramatic example of technology transfer from Formula 1 racing is the carbon fiber composite construction of the new SLR McLaren monocoque and body panels, which provides rigidity and strength never before achieved in road-going vehicles, with reduced weight to help ensure the SLR's targeted performance characteristics.
Equally impressive is its high level of occupant protection - specially designed crash structures of carbon fiber help this innovative car to set new standards in energy absorption.
Ceramic Brake Discs
Brake discs on the SLR are made of a new composite material - a fiber-reinforced ceramic that boasts extremely high heat resistance, outstanding structural strength, reduced unsprung weight and long service life. The high-performance SLR sports car will be one of very few production cars to make use of ceramic brake technology.
AMG Supercharged V8 Power
Under the SLR hood in a front mid-engine location lurks a supercharged V8 engine with dry-sump lubrication developed and built by Mercedes-AMG. Delivering unprecedented levels of horsepower and torque, each SLR engine is hand-built at AMG's manufacturing facility.
Reinventing the SLR Legend
722 won the 1955 Mille Miglia, one of the great driving epics in auto racing history
The first SLR was one of the most successful sports racing cars of all times, achieving a string of five 1st and 2nd place finishes in 1955 with drivers such as Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio. Like the new car, the SLR of the 1950s combined leading-edge technology from the 300SL sports car and the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 racecar. Its three-liter, straight-eight engine made 310 horsepower, pushing the SLR to speeds of around 190 miles per hour.
Perhaps the original SLR's most astonishing feat was in
the 1955 Mille Miglia, at the time a no-holds-barred race through Italy
over twisty public roads. Setting a record never to be matched, Stirling
Moss and navigator/journalist Denis Jenkinson piloted the 300SLR over the
1000-mile road course in 10 hours, seven minutes and 48 seconds - an average
speed of about 100 miles per hour!
ENHANCED EURO DELIVERY
(This article was initially left out of the online version, so it will be reprinted in the July online newsletter. Sorry, CRR)
Effective with Model Year 2004, the following models will receive 5% customer savings from the base MSRP price-C-Class, E-Class, SLK and CLK Coupe (AMG models excluded).
With the purchase of a European Delivery vehicle MBUSA offers:
· One night lodging at your choice of selected 5-star hotels
· Fifteen days of zero-deductible comprehensive insurance (you can purchase additional insurance prior to delivery if you plan on staying longer in Europe).
· Two taxi coupons for travel from Stuttgart Airport or Central Railroad Station to your hotel in Stuttgart or to the Sindelfingen Factory.
· Breakfast or lunch at the Sindelfingen Factory restaurant
· Ground transportation of your vehicle from any of the established drop-off points.
· Ocean shipping and marine insurance
· Customs Duty and clearance
· European and U.S. wharf charges
· VPC processing and delivery to your selected U.S. dealer
· Black Forest Alps Rally an exhilarating
option to our Standard Package for just $1,200 extra (one or two people).
The customer will experience a 6-day, 5-night self-guided "rally"
tour that takes them from our factory into the Black Forest and then into
the Austrian Alps, where the Arlberg Pass will bring them close to Innsbruck.
From there they will head north to scenic Munich, Germany.
The C-Sports Sedan, the hottest seller at Star this last month
C-CLASS PROMOTION
About the hottest thing we have going is the C230 Sport Sedan. They're really hard to keep in stock. Usually this would mean that there wouldn't be any promotions on the C-Class. Logic says you promote what's not selling, not what is. I suppose somewhere some models of C's aren't selling, so they've thrown in the C230 Sport Sedan. (The only ones we're not having people fight over are the stick shift models because most people don't want to shift in Houston's traffic.)
Despite logic Mercedes-Benz is offering 2.9% APR financing for 36 months or 3.9% APR for 48 on all 2003 C-Class and MLs through July 31st. Must take delivery by July 31, 2003.
The hot C230 Sport Sedan is included.
M-CLASS ROLLOVER "TESTS"
Following up on the morning news, I went to the NHTSA website to see how the M Class was rated for rollovers. No data on M's (but the Acura MDX got the highest rating for SUV's). No crash tests on current M's either. I started going backwards in time, and all I found was a 1998 test, front only. I checked the Insurance Institute site, and all they had was 1999, front only. I wonder why there is nothing more current. The current M Class ought to test pretty well, at least as good as the MDX.
James L. Dougherty, Jr.
The gumment doesn't test SUVs for rollover. They only calculate based on height and weight and other things, ignoring Electronic Stability Program. When this body style came out they didn't even do that. Soon they're going to change to a real live test. Just as Chrysler wouldn't submit its new SUV for rollover "testing," we haven't made a fuss to get this body "tested." We want it TESTED. Two things are involved.
1. How easily does it rollover-not tested by US Gumment. Voodoo math used instead.
2. What happens when it rolls over-not tested by US Gumment. Crash standards involve a very mild roll over that can be passed by every vehicle sold in the US. Since some of them collapse if you look at them upside down, we know this isn't enough. Friends and acquaintances lost in Suburban rollovers is up to 9. 4 thrown out, 5 crushed. And we all know about the Exploder, er Explorer's problems with crush when it rolls over.
Mercedes does a severe dynamic roll over test, and multiple things must happen for it to be a Mercedes. The roof has to stand up to a severe multiple bounce and roll. The side curtains, seat belt tensioning devices, seats and headrests must do their thing.
I wouldn't expect to see us on the NHTSA's list until we come out with the new ML in '05 calendar year.
Re the MDX, I don't believe it has ESP, and roofs on Hondas have traditionally been on the weak side. I don't think I'd accept $50,000,000 to be a crash test dummy in one, but I sure would to be a crash test dummy in an M, maybe $49,000,000.
KRASSIMIR'S QUESTIONS
Here are some topics that I would like to read about in your newsletter. All of them have one thing in common - to educate your customers.
Definitions and relationships between horsepower, engine volume, engine performance, efficiency and longevity. A typical European car has higher ratio of horsepower-to-engine volume than a typical US car. What does this mean in terms of engine performance, efficiency and longevity.
Most American engines use pushrods and overhead valves, though this is changing. These are not as efficient as overhead cams, so a 3.2 liver Mercedes V-6 has about the same horsepower as a 5.0 liter pushrod Ford V-8. Too many factors are involved to determine longevity based on engine type. Build quality and design features determine that. The only thing you can GENERALLY say is an engine with a timing CHAIN will outlast an engine with a timing BELT. Belts have to be replaced at intervals and are very expensive to replace. On the other hand our ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE ML320 has 215,000 miles on it, and we're contemplating the first timing chain maintenance.
A turbocharger apparently functions to squeeze more horsepower from the same size engine. If a MB client goes to the aftermarket for a turbocharger or directly for a new kompressor, what is the price for increasing the horsepower in physical terms like maybe fatigue/longevity; what are the relevant criteria for making the right choice.
Avoid aftermarket turbochargers or superchargers. Engines need considerably different internal parts to handle the extra horsepower obtained by supercharging. As with any hopup procedure, reliability goes to hell in a handbasket. Supercharged Mercedes engines are engineered with the supercharger in mind. Lower compression pistons must be used, and different parts must be fitted to handle the boost. Our turbocharged V-12s are very expensive, well-engineered to deal with 493 hp.
Last year, I chose the C240 with manual transmission to C320 with automatic, because of the feeling of control, negligible 0-60 mph acceleration difference and price break. I love the 6-speed manual but do not understand why. What are the major design, performance, reliability, longevity differences between the manual and automatic transmissions.
A good driver can get 150,000± miles out of a clutch and probably never wear out the manual transmission. Maintenance, thus, for the first owner is generally nonexistent. Automatic transmissions used to require considerable preventive maintenance, but no more. Our electronically controlled transmissions are sealed. I don't know the life expectancy of the current generation automatics, but when one fails completely, it's a $4,000 item. This is not usually a consideration of the first owner, maybe not even the second. They usually don't fail completely. Modules fail. They're replaceable for less.
What are the pluses of the manual transmission that I feel practically every day, but cannot explain.
With the quality of our TouchShift automatics these days most automatic cars get better gas mileage and similar acceleration times to the manual alternative. This is because they require less electronic intervention to meet federal emissions standards. You get a manual transmission these days because you like it, not because you need it. It also saves $1300 on the price of the car. This is compensated by the automatic's higher resale value.
How can one squeeze the best out of the manual transmission when trying to achieve: a) max acceleration,
Shift near the redline and shift rapidly. Do be aware that missing a gear in those conditions is a non-warranty mistake. Usually a new engine is required.
b) max fuel-efficiency,
Accelerate at full throttle for volumetric efficiency, but upshift at 1500-2000 rpm from first to third to fifth (or sixth in a 6 speed). Alternately, just keep the revs down and get into the highest gear practical as soon as possible. Stay off the brakes until you really need them. Don't drive in Houston heavy traffic. Go to work at 0230 and come home at the same time.
c) max comfort for the passengers,
Shift SMOOTHLY at moderate rpms.
d) combination of a) and c)
Drive by yourself. Otherwise pick one.
Why the MB oil change schedule is 12k instead of 3k miles.
3,000 mile oil changes have been made obsolete by technology but hang on because people selling oil are perpetuating 1960s practices. Oil is much cleaner now, and so are Mercedes engines. With any manufacturer, follow the manufacturer's schedule for the type driving you do.
What are the advantages of using synthetic oil; what is the right oil to use for the Houston climate.
Synthetic oil has no impurities and generally doesn't sludge up. It tolerates heat and cold better and flows better at startup. The right oil is the oil put in by your Mercedes-Benz dealer. With free oil changes for 48 months/50,000 miles, there's no reason to go elsewhere during the warranty. After that the dealer just has too many advantages over the aftermarket. Software updates are automatically downloaded into the engine at the dealer. Aftermarket shops can't do that. They don't have the computer to communicate with the engine. I recommend Mobil 1, and I believe we use 15w50, but that varies with car models.
Advantages of having a rear-wheel to front-wheel drive
Balance, the ability to control both ends of the car, better driving feel, more even wear on tires and drive components.
How exactly the ESP improves the driving dynamics
ESP will stop wheels from spinning either by braking the spinning wheel or by cutting back on the torque to the drive wheels. Additionally, using a yaw sensor and a steering wheel position sensor, it will CORRECT SKIDS by braking the appropriate wheel to straighten the car out. DO NOT turn off ESP on the street unless driving with an undersized spare tire or snow chains.
How exactly the suspension system enhances driver control
That would take an entire book. Essentially the suspension's job is to keep the tires touching the road in an efficient manner, allow steering input in the front and not in the rear, absorb road irregularities to allow a comfortable ride, transmit braking forces to the contact patches, and attract young women. I lied about the last part.
Mercedes-Benz's 5-link multilink rear suspension is the state of the art. It is often imitated, and there are a lot of cheap copies out there. Volvo, for example, uses a 4-link multilink. They say it's just as good. 4 is as good as 5? Okay, hold out your hand. Which finger can I cut off? If 4 is as good as 5, you don't need that pinkie, do you?
With coil spring, Airmatic, and active suspensions, we have enough for an engineering type to write several books-and they have.
What is the right way to estimate the MB residual value after 5, 10, 15 years
I've only been in the car business a quarter century. I haven't learned that yet. Ask the people who correctly predicted September 11, 2001. They're the only ones who know how. Oh, no one predicted it? Hmmm, does that tell you something?
Judging from personal experience, I guess many of your MB clients are very busy people who do not have the time to go out and do research and educate themselves about their own car. I am really looking forward to learning more about the MB I am driving.
Krassimir Doynov
NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
A frequently asked question about our nav. systems involves what to do when you "know" the way and the nav system wants to take you a different way.
You're driving, right? Go the way you want to. The nav. system will catch up. Once in a while the nav. system has found a better way. I'll pull back to small scale to see where it's going. I found a new way to Fredericksburg that way, and I like it better than the way we'd been going for 20 years.
All of the navigation systems have idiosyncracies of some sort. The latest CDs for the cars (MLs use a different system) don't show Harris County when you pull up Houston. This'll freak you out until you ignore that, choose Ft. Bend County, and input your Harris County address. It'll work. The MLs have gone to DVD, and the system is quicker in operation, and you don't have to have a CD collection when you drive from Houston to Toronto. Why you'd want to do that I don't know, but the biggest complaint we get on the CD based systems is that people are constantly having to change CDs as they commute to Anchorage.
We don't have touch-screen technology, and some of the
lesser lights do. But touch-screens don't pass MB's durability testing.
We have enough trouble with having to warranty these without adding a guaranteed
warranty problem.
GREAT PHILOSOPHY
A professor stood before his Philosophy 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous - yes.
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."
GOING DIGITAL
I finally bit the bullet and bought a digital camera body for my collection of Nikon autofocus lenses. I've been using film since I was 10 or so. This was a big switch. Recently I would get a CD from the processor with digital (JPEG) images of my photographs, but that took 2 weeks and left a lot to be desired.
Upon taking the D100 out to take pictures I immediately discovered it changes things. The flash memory card, which one uses instead of film, holds 151 images in FINE, LARGE JPG format, more in less quality modes, less in TIFF or NEF (Nikon Image Format). The 151 image card costs $200 or so, but it's reusable. When I download the images to the computer, it erases the card, and it can be filled up again. 2 cards, just to have a spare, should handle any vacation or event short of a war. Bigger and smaller cards are available.
(A friend, who runs the digital photography department for a major newspaper tells me this has become a real problem. the big memory cards encourage shooting because you won't run out of film if you over do it. The result is a LOT of pictures being turned in by the photographers, and they're really hard to catalog and store.)
I save them to the hard drive at work and transfer to a CD whenever I get enough to justify it. Images worth keeping get the name of the subject in the file name so I can retrieve them.
Some other features are neat. Film speed? Set it wherever you want to from 200 to 1600, higher if needed, with some compensation necessary for 3200 and the like. Change it between photographs.
There's a new feature, White Balance. Shooting indoors under florescent light? Don't worry. It won't turn your photos green. Automatic white balance will take care of it. If it doesn't, you can adjust to the light temperature.
And you'll know what works because you can look at the images on a little screen on the back of the camera. Don't like it? Delete.
Drawbacks? 6.1 Meg pixels is smaller than a 35 mm negative. I've been using 35 mm film since the sixties. The brain works in that format when photographing. A 35 mm lens is now equal to a 50, a 50 to a 75, a 300 to a 400. The 20 mm wide angle lens isn't all that wide angle now. Canon has come out with an 11 megapixel, 35 mm sized back, for only $9,000.
The motor drive isn't up to the one on the F4, which can do 6 frames a second for a whole roll. This one's limited to 3 frames/second for 3 at a time.
But the $600-1000 I spent a year on film and processing becomes $0.
I think I'm going to like digital.
MISC. RAVINGS
Vacation
Usually when I take a 3 day weekend I'm accused of taking vacation. It's a sore point because a) after 22 years with the store I get a theoretical 2 weeks b) The Redhead gets 4 weeks c) vacation pay at Star is equivalent to the cost of a tank of gas or 2. d) I didn't even use up my 2 weeks last year. e) with the 1960s adequate vacation pay and the loss of selling income and momentum, I can't afford to take real vacations, and it bugs me. I get, theoretically, 3-4 days off a month other than Sundays. I generally take them all at once, if at all. In June I'll only take one day, June 13th.
But in July I'll be gone 10 whole days in a row, using 1 week's vacation time and July 4th's coming on Friday. I think I was gone 10 days in a row last in 1984. I'll be gone July 4-12 and back July 14th.
The Redhead and I are going to the famous "undisclosed location." She doesn't know where we're going, but it does not involve cowboy action shooting or Mercedes, other than the one we'll be driving. She'll learn the destination no more than one day ahead. She likes it like that.
Verizon Phones:
If you have a Verizon V.60 phone and have broken the antenna, a common affliction, the latest replacement kit replaces the base and improves the connection for better reception and improved sturdiness. They should install it for you at the Verizon Store. Additionally, if you get a new phone, any type, and need to upload your address book from the old one, they can do it there.
Crazy Memorial Day
I wouldn't expect craziness to pop up on Memorial Day, of all days. But it did. In 25 years in the car biz, I've had to slow down a couple of drivers on test drives. I try not to, wanting the customer to get the feel of the car. But on Memorial Day I had to slow down a driver zigzagging at high speed through heavy I610 traffic. The driver thinks I just lack appreciation for true driving mastery. After he slowed down I indicated his exit in plenty of time. He waited until he could zag across 3 lanes of traffic to exit. I had visions of the 12 car pileup and a $100,000 pile of twisted metal. Needless to say he didn't buy a car.
Another driver twice almost changed lanes into a car on the right but was honked out of it by a driver more observant than he was. By the end of the day I was ready to drive home alone.
News Flash
At Heathrow Airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a compass, a protractor, and a graphical calculator.
Authorities believe he is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement.
He is being charged with carrying weapons of math instruction.
Purple Heart Stamp
The U.S. Postal Service just announced a Purple Heart stamp. First-day of Issue ceremonies were held at Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, who ordered the Purple Heart in 1872. The 37¢ stamp features a photograph of a Purple Heart awarded in 1968 to James Loftus Fowler, a Marine lieutenant colonel, who served in Vietnam. The Purple Heart has been awarded to more than 1.5 million people who have been wounded or killed in military action.
The Last Medal of Honor
I have two fervent desires that will never happen, 1, that there be no more Purple Hearts awarded. This is unrealistic because there are evil people in this world, and the United States, whether she likes it or not, is the target for evil. The result will be Americans wounded and dying for their country. Since that one won't happen, I'd settle for 2, that there be no more Medals of Honor awarded. Major medals are awarded when someone screws up. I don't know if any Medals of Honor are in the works for Afghanistan or Iraq. I know of at least one Air Force Cross awarded posthumously. There was no doubt of the recipient's earning the award, but there was also no doubt people above him in the chain of command screwed up to put him in the position he was in. The award of major valor awards is usually a sign of a failure of supply or leadership (exceptions noted. The only exception that comes to mind is Herman Hanneken, who won his award back in 1919 in Haiti. He was given an impossible mission and accomplished it through skill and ingenuity.) The most recent examples were the "Blackhawk Down" recipients, Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart. They shouldn't have died, and the Medal of Honor was poor compensation. The failure to support the troops adequately there went all the way to the White House.
Backwards
We seem to have it backwards. When we get old enough to afford them we get Mercedes, the safest cars in the history of the automobile. But we put our kids out in little econoboxes or Mustangs, dangerous little things. Who has the most accidents per capita? Kids. Who has the most life in front of them? Kids. Who needs the safety of Mercedes most?
We've got Mercedes at Toyota prices now, the C230 Coupes and Sports Sedans. Does that suggest anthing?
Merlin's last photograph. Click on the photograph for a special memorial section
MERLIN
Merlin was born October 11, 1997. He found me at a Cat Show January 4, 1998. The Redhead had valid objections to my bringing home another male cat. Too many cats. But I talked her into it anyway. When we got home we slowly discovered what the breeder had done to make him look good. His coat was a mess, kind of curly and kinky. It matted easily and looked messy 20 minutes after a professional grooming session. His extreme Persian face meant his eyes teared all the time. We just couldn't clean them often enough. He would be at the vet countless times with respiratory infections and need 2 eye surgeries before we finally got a handle on it through preventive measures.
Then came "alien kitty." I was sound asleep, and Merlin pounced on my head, all claws extended. The Redhead had to peel him off claw by claw. It happened again the next night. He had other behavioral problems. It became obvious he was having seizures of some sort that would last 10-15 minutes. Eventually after several consultations with an understanding veterinarian, we started giving him a human antianxiety drug, Buspar, and visits by alien kitty became more and more infrequent until they disappeared altogether. The kitty that stayed was the sweetest, most trusting, gregarious cat I have ever had.
Putting up with his problems was easy when he would climb onto my chest, settle himself down, and purr for as long as I could stand it. Merlin purred louder than a Harley with no muffler, and he purred often. You could touch him, and he would begin to purr. He purred when he ate. He purred to get Pounce and purred while eating them. Whenever Emerald would extort Pounce from me, he would appear and demand his share. He would stick around and entertain me to pay for them. When one of us came home he wanted to be picked up and placed on our shoulder-left shoulder, where he would put his front paws around your neck and purr. Always there was the purr.
When Bear was there he was beta male. They didn't fight much, but it did happen. Whenever Bear got anything, snuggle, food, or Pounce, Merlin wanted some. When Bear sat in my lap Merlin would wait his turn, sometimes not politely. When Bear left us, he became alpha male and finally became The Redhead's kitty, sitting on her shoulder and purring, sleeping at her feet, sitting on her chest and purring, following her around, always purring.
Speaking of following around, he would follow me around so much I predicted that the headline of my death would be, "Houston man killed by cat." I tripped over him so many times I'm amazed neither of us was ever injured by it.
When Bear died we had Merlin scanned for the disease that killed Bear, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. He was pronounced disease free. Nevertheless whenever he would climb into my lap and purr I would tell him how much I loved him and how I wanted him to live forever.
That was not to be. On May 21st he died of the disease that killed Bear. The house is very empty and very quiet without him and his purr. Coming home and not finding him at the back door is tough. I can only imagine that God decided there wasn't enough purr in Heaven.
Emerald, our one surviving cat negotiates for Pounce Cat treats (digital photo by The Redhead)
OFFICIALS CAUGHT CHEATING ON REDLIGHT CAMERA-PAY VICTIMS HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS
TWO IMPORTANT ARTICLES ON EMISSIONS TESTING
The Following is reprinted with the written permission of the author. Normally these two articles would only be available to paid subscribers of wardsauto.com.
Bob Brooks
Feb 25, 2002, 12:00 a.m. ET
CHICAGO The Environmental Protection Agency's long-awaited MOBILE6 forecast for light-duty vehicle in-use emissions to 2030 indicates the contribution of Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) vehicle-emissions testing programs is "essentially irrelevant."
So says Donald Stedman, director of the University of Denver's Fuel Efficiency Automobile Test Data Center. The study was released in late January and analyzed for Ward's by researchers at the center.
Stedman says the data extracted from MOBILE6 indicates that average emissions of hydrocarbons declines by 58% in 2010 versus 2000 without an I/M program, but only an additional 3% reduction is achieved with an emissions-testing program. A similar ratio is projected out to 2030.
The center has collected vehicle-emissions data in 21 countries and 25 U.S. locations over a period of several years. Stedman says Denver data is representative of many parts of the country because most other fleets consist of about the same mix of vehicles.
The EPA's M6 data is identical for expected value of I/M programs whether employing vehicle onboard diagnostic systems (OBD) or current testing methods.
Independent researchers for nearly a decade have reported that EPA's computer-generated MOBILE estimates have overstated in-use vehicle emissions. The EPA confirmed this when it released its draft MOBILE6 in 1999 and effectively verified studies performed in the early 1990s that found no significant difference in average vehicle emissions in areas with I/M programs versus those without.
In its May 2000 report "Modeling Mobile Source Emissions," The National Research Council says, "Early indications are that MOBILE6 will substantially reduce the emissions-reduction benefits from I/M compared with MOBILE5." With the release of MOBILE 6, the NRC's assertion has proved to be true.
Now that the EPA has forecast a high percentage of future reduction in vehicle emissions will result from new technology and other factors rather than I/M emissions-test programs, legislators seeking to manage state finances will ask whether I/M is justified at all or at least can be made cost-effective if a particular region is forced to retain an emissions-test program.
Separately, sources tell Ward's that the EPA would like to throw out all MOBILE calculations for the future, to be replaced with so-called "in-flight" tailpipe emissions testing: portable emissions-test apparatus that can be carried in vehicles for research purposes.
But selecting representative vehicles ("clean" and "dirty") would be difficult, say industry engineers who object to this notion, noting Mobile equipment lacks the needed precision.
Instead, they prefer the use of drive-by sensors, which are able to quickly measure average emissions of thousands of vehicles in I/M and non-I/M areas at low cost. The few high-emitting vehicles that have good repair or scrap potential could be spotted at the same time.
Sources also tell Ward's that although I/M-240 dynamometer testing was widely hyped as a highly accurate emissions-test method when first introduced (it was claimed to replicate a segment of the federal test procedure), promoters of OBD-based I/M now claim I/M-240 only is a "screening" method.
The arguments for and against competitive I/M systems now will be considered in context with MOBILE 6's revelation that I/M overall has little value. This, in turn, will put the focus on improving emissions-control system durability, which costs less than aftermarket repairs.
© 2003, PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of PRIMEDIA Business Corp.
By Bob Brooks
May 14, 2003, 12:00 a.m. ET
Growing concern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the value and fairness of state-run inspection/maintenance (I/M) vehicle emissions testing programs has kicked off an internal EPA review, with new directions to be announced by late summer.
The EPA acknowledged in 1999 that the focus should be taken off the emissions testing process and instead put on "cleaning the air by whatever method makes the most sense."
Greg Green, director of the EPA's Vehicle Certification and Compliance Section in Ann Arbor, MI, tells Ward's the emissions-reduction gains attributed to I/M programs are small, and declining annually because of the gradual turnover to new vehicles with more effective emissions-control systems. EPA is evaluating efficacy of state emissions-test programs.
He says the EPA also is increasingly concerned about the cost to repair older, complex-technology vehicles. State-run I/M programs, whether using tailpipe testing or data generated by the vehicle,s onboard diagnostic (OBD) systems, require owners to have the vehicle repaired often at considerable cost in order to be driven legally.
Green acknowledges emissions tests that rely on OBD systems magnify motorist repair liability by signaling more faults, some of which are temporary.
Older owners, who drive infrequently and seldom at speeds and loads adequate to clear catalysts from sulfur effects, are another group disproportionately impacted by emissions testing.
Asked for its view of EPA's I/M review initiative, a spokesman for the Missouri AAA Motor Club says the impact of I/M on lower-income drivers must be viewed in context with the unfortunate fact that 30% to 50% of urban motorists don't carry legally required vehicle insurance, and there is a growing problem of stolen license plates and registration tags. The spokesman says expensive repair consequences of I/M programs effectively adds to the number of vehicles driven illegally.
The EPA's latest computer-modeled estimates (M6) indicate that in a typical urban area, about 95% of vehicle hydrocarbon reduction can be attributed to ongoing vehicle technology improvements and just 5% to I/M programs. The data has led one researcher to label emissions-testing programs as "irrelevant." (See related story: New Data Shows I/M Emissions Testing Irrelevant) <http://subscribers.wardsauto.com/microsites/newsarticle.asp?newsarticleid=289561&siteid=26&magazineid=1004&instanceid=8674&pageid=824&srid=10088>
While the EPA now is reacting to the situation and shows concern for the social consequences of expensive repair of high-tech vehicles, states with I/M programs are finding it difficult to adjust.
One example is the Illinois EPA, which recently issued a forecast (state implementation plan) for vehicle pollution reduction. But in a document obtained by Ward's, Illinois, SIP does not state its I/M programs, actual contribution to pollution reduction separate from other vehicle-related factors.
Illinois funding justification for its three-dozen emissions test stations is at risk of cutbacks.
Further illustrating the difficulty of cutting back high-profile I/M programs, a spokesperson for Ohio Senator Leigh Herrington told Ward's earlier this year that Herrington and other state legislators asked that the state program test vehicles more than five years old, rather than vehicles more than three years old.
The governor, however vetoed the proposal on two grounds: The testing contractor threatened legal action to collect more than $27 million over the remaining term of the contract as compensation for lost business, and the Ohio EPA claimed that failure to test 4- and 5-year-old vehicles would mean a large negative air quality impact.
Green also says the EPA is developing a response to a July 2001 National Research Council's study of I/M programs that calls for peer-reviewed measurement and statistical evaluations of I/M programs for publication in professional journals for further review and dissemination.
© 2003, PRIMEDIA Business Magazines Media Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of PRIMEDIA Business Corp.
Stop to Salute a stpry appropriate for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Veterans Day, or Tuesday.
It was raining "cats and dogs" and I was late for physical training. Traffic was backed up at Fort Campbell, Ky., and was moving way too slowly. I was probably going to be late and I was growing more and more impatient.
The pace slowed almost to a standstill as I passed Memorial Grove, the site built to honor the soldiers who died in the Gander airplane crash, the worst redeployment accident in the history of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Because it was close to Memorial Day, a small American flag had been placed in the ground next to each soldier's memorial plaque.
My concern at the time, however, was getting past the bottleneck, getting out of the rain and getting to PT on time.
All of a sudden, infuriatingly, just as the traffic was getting started again, the car in front of me stopped. A soldier, a private of course, jumped out in the pouring rain and ran over toward the grove.
I couldn't believe it! This knucklehead was holding up everyone for who knows what kind of prank. Horns were honking. I waited to see the butt-chewing that I wanted him to get for making me late.
He was getting soaked to the skin. His BDUs were plastered to his frame. I watched-as he ran up to one of the memorial plaques, picked up the small American flag that had fallen to the ground in the wind and the rain, and set it upright again.
Then, slowly, he came to attention, saluted, ran back to his car, and drove off. I'll never forget that incident. That soldier, whose name I will never know, taught me more about duty, honor, and respect than a hundred books or a thousand lectures.
That simple salute -- that single act of honoring his fallen brother and his flag -- encapsulated all the Army values in one gesture for me. It said, "I will never forget. I will keep the faith. I will finish the mission. I am an American soldier."
I thank God for examples like that.
And on this Memorial Day,
I will remember all those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom, and one private, soaked to the skin, who honored them.
True account written by Army Captain John Rasmussen
Empty Pillows
Pillows lay empty across our great land.
Our nation's best have left to make a stand.
Wives hug babies alone in the night.
Husbands tuck in children a little too tight.
Deployed in a flash and ripped from their lives,
There is no time to questions the how or the why.
Across oceans they toil in a land far away.
Soldiers stand guard and keep evil at bay.
A baby is born while daddy is gone.
Mom flies a sortie while a son learns to run.
Loving hearts quicken with each bit of news.
Silently fearful of all they might lose.
Always respect those who stand on the wall.
They watch silently through the night to bring peace to us all.
Whenever you lay your head down please pray,
A silent thank you for all those who protect, and make mighty, the USofA.
- David M. Cornell II 2003