AAA: 25 Percent Of Drivers Can’t Afford A Major Repair

Just in case you need proof that most Americans are suffering in this stagnant economy, try this experiment: next time you’re at shopping mall or discount store, take a look at the cars around you. Expect to see bald tires, in some cases tires that are worn down to the radial belts. You’ll find scored brake rotors aplenty, too, evidence that a front brake job simply isn’t in the budget, no matter how dangerous driving with worn-out brake pads might be. If you could look in on drivers starting their cars (not something we’d recommend, by the way), we’re sure you’d see quite a few “Check Engine” lights glowing on instrument panels, too.

It’s one thing to have a hunch about the state of car repairs, but now AAA is backing this up with data. According to a recent AAA survey, one in four Americans could not afford a car repair expense of $2,000, and one in eight Americans couldn’t afford a car repair totaling $1,000. In other words, more than 12 percent of the drivers around you couldn’t afford to replace brakes, rotors and tires on their cars, at least not at the same time. Double that number of drivers couldn’t afford significant repairs, such as an engine or transmission replacement, or the cost of a new ECU.

As AAA points out, reaching that $1,000 or $2,000 threshold isn't difficult, especially if you've put off scheduled service to pay other bills. Even a transmission repair can top $2,000, and four new tires for contemporary vehicles with factory wheels larger than 18 inches can easily exceed $1,000.

As you’d expect, American drivers are also holding on to existing cars longer, and are delaying or ignoring both required maintenance and repairs. Ignore something like a “check engine” light long enough, and you could end up replacing an expensive catalytic converter instead of a relatively inexpensive oxygen sensor.

Still, when there are other bills to be paid, it’s easy to put off upkeep and repairs on your car until it no longer starts or leaves you stranded by the side of the road.

[American Automobile Association]

This story originally appeared at The Car Connection

TCC Tip: Buyer Beware, Your Bluetooth May Not Pair

This week, as we've sifted through TheCarConnection.com's email for your questions, we've found an interesting one concerning Bluetooth connectivity. We're big users of the hands-free frequency, though we do advocate that you make all calls from a parked car, not a moving one.

We're also experienced in setting up difficult and easy Bluetooth connections, from the simple-as-pie 2010 Kia Soul to the occasionally cranky Ford SYNC system. From our hands-on testing of nearly 300 cars a year, we can confirm what a reader from Virginia's found out--that Bluetooth isn't the universal connection it's cracked up to be.

Harris Miller writes:

My wife recently bought a 2009 Audi A4, after being a BMW devotee most of her life. Generally very happy, BUT the her new Verizon Blackberry [a 9630 Tour] is not compatible with the car's Bluetooth.  And when she contacted Audi...she was basically told, "Too bad. We are not going to fix the problem."...Please give them hell publicly.  

In this case, the Millers bought the 2009 A4 in a specific form (with a manual transmission) just a few months prior to the 2010 model-year cars entering showrooms. Miller says he was told the 2010 A4 would in fact connect with the phone, which sounded like a firmware issue on his 2009 A4 to us.

We contacted Audi's U.S. public relations team, to find out more on the situation. Unfortunately for the Millers, an Audi spokesman does confirm that the Blackberry Tour "has not been certified for use with the MMI," Audi's Multi Media Interface, on either the 2G or 3G bands. The Tour model isn't the only one: other Blackberry models have been showing compatibility problems, they add. Audi does point out that the voice connectivity usually is not a problem, since Bluetooth is supposed to be downwardly compatible, but the lack of compatibility would render the MMI's audio and voice functions useless.

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2010 Ford Ranger: Almost A Classic, Now With Side Airbags

This week, TheCarConnection.com updated its full review of the Ford Ranger for 2010, and even though we haven't driven the 2010 yet we've driven countless earlier models and can speak from experience. The Ranger is built on a design that's absolutely ancient—we'll get to that shortly—but Ford has finally fit side airbags to the 2010 Ranger.

The 2010 Ranger now has a very respectable safety package, including those side bags, electronic stability control with Roll Stability Control, and anti-lock brakes. About the only top safety feature it lacks—and one that's not always on the safety list for newer designs—is side curtain bags.

That is about the only thing that's changed on the Ranger for 2010. It's one of the few vehicles in the Ford lineup to not yet offer Sync, for hands-free calling and easy audio interfacing, and its lineup is quite limited, with the six-foot bed you end up with in most cabs and trims (a seven-footer is offered for fleets only) just barely large enough for weekend-hauling tasks but not large enough for a 4x8 sheet of plywood.

But we don't mind those minor downsides. Despite the rather low Overall Rating of 6.2 for its MetaReview, the Ranger remains a longtime favorite of several of us here at TheCarConnection.com because it's one of the few pickups that keeps it simple. With the base four-cylinder engine and manual transmission, the Ranger is very fuel-efficient and just peppy enough, provided you don't plan to tow, with low operating costs all around. The seats are disappointing (no indication from Ford that they've been improved for 2010), but the interior is simple and sturdy. It's quite a deal at about $18k, destination included, and it hits the mark for compact shoppers while other trucks from Chevrolet, GMC, Toyota, and Nissan have become a half-step larger. For now—perhaps until the Mahindra pickup arrives next year—it's the only true compact.

And as for the design, we think it's already becoming a classic. The Ford Ranger is one of the few vehicles on the market that dates back to the early- or mid-1990s, when TheCarConnection.com hadn't even signed on yet. And our country was more innocent. We hadn't yet heard about Monica Lewinsky, right?

There aren't even a handful of models that date farther back without any major redesigns—the Mercedes-Benz G-Class (Gelaendewagen, or G-wagen), the Ford Econoline vans.

Have we missed any? Let us know.

This story originally appeared at The Car Connection