Our modern cars cost more these days to buy, but the mileage can be fantastic. It is common to get 200,000 miles or more, if we change oil regularly and keep up with the auto maintenance. Our reliable cars do go down occasionally. This time it was the oil sending unit gone bad.

I started noticing puddles of fluid on the pavement. Upon further observation, the fluid turned out to be motor oil. This could be serious. The opinions from local mechanics equipped me with what I was dealing with here. I narrowed it down to three items that was causing my oil leak: oil sending unit, valve cover gasket,  or the oil pan gasket — Fel-Pro OS34308R Oil Pan Gasket Set.

When the car was idling, I saw smoke and smelled it. The smell was inside and outside of the car. I was leaving a trail of smoke behind me as I motored down the highway. I was using too much oil, as previously I wasn’t.

I immediately chose to get an oil change, along with the replacement of the valve cover gasket. This is the gasket on top of the engine, next to where the oil is poured in at. The valve cover gasket was inexpensive, and so was the labor to get it replaced. Even if this wasn’t the main leak giving me the trouble, it needed replaced anyhow.

Replacing the valve cover gasket seemed to help, and the first day I thought my oil leak problem was solved. The next day would prove me to be wrong. I was still getting puddles of oil on the pavement after stopping in town. My oil leak wasn’t cured just yet. At least my engine looked clean after replacing my valve cover gasket.

I thought it must be the oil pan gasket, which is located at the bottom of the motor. I was told that it could take a few hours to replace this item, and the labor would be somewhat expensive. The price of the oil pan gasket was cheap. The oil pan gasket turned out not to be the source of my leak. I felt lucky.

The problem turned out to be the oil sending unit.

This is a very small part that would fit in the palm of one’s hand. The price of the oil sending unit is cheap and the labor charge wasn’t bad at all. It took only a few minutes to replace the part.

The mechanic was asked if he needed a flashlight to see the part; he replied that this one is a reach and feel type of mission. Nevertheless, he found it and replaced it in a jiffy.

We lowered the car on the ground and started the engine. The oil leak was solved. The problem was the oil sending unit. Relief at last!

Features and prices for the one and only — Toyota Land Cruiser. Explore the key features. Boat oars and life jackets may not be included with vehicle options. Survival Guide to Off-roading not included in package. Your mileage may vary.

(Warning: Parts may contain language that is offensive to some viewers.)

Fastest Production Cars — Uploaded by TopGear on Jan 14, 2011

The setting for the run is at Volkswagen’s top top secret test track called Ehra-Lessien. It’s one of the few places on earth that you can drive the maximum speed of the Bugatti Veyro.

The facility features 96 km (60 miles) of private tarmac, which includes a large variety of road surfaces and curves, used as test tracks to evaluate new and prototype vehicles.

1949 — Jaguar XK120 | 124.6 mph (200.5 km/h) | An adapted version reached 136 mph (219 km/h) by Jaguar tester Ron “Soapy” Sutton. 12000 were produced from 1948 till 1954.

1955 — Mercedes-Benz 300SL | 140 mph (225 km/h) | Claimed top speed 161 mph (259 km/h). In 2005 modified car reached 150 mph (240 km/h). 1400 were produced from 1954 till 1957.

1961 — Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 | 152 mph (245 km/h) | As tested by Autocar. Different versions of Jaguar E-Type were produced from 1961 till 1975, reaching total number of over 72000 units.

1963 — Iso Rivolta Grifo A3/L 327 | 161 mph (259 km/h) | Tested by Autocar. Over 400 units produced from 1963 to 1974.

1966 — Lamborghini Miura P400 | 171 mph (275 km/h) | Tested by Motor. Over 750 units build in 1966-1973 period, which includes P400, P400 S and P400 SV models.

1968 — Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona | 174 mph (280 km/h) | Tested by Autocar.About 1400 units made in 1969-1973 production run.

1984 — Ferrari 288 GTO | 188 mph (303 km/h) | 272 produced from 1984 till 1986.

1986 — Porsche 959 | 197 mph (317 km/h) | The 197 mph (317 km/h) top speed was recorded by the 959 Sport of which 6 were ever made. The rest of the 337 units production run (1986-1989) were 959 Touring version that topped at 195 mph (314 km/h).

1987 — Ferrari F40 | 202.687 mph (326.193 km/h) | As tested by Quattroruote magazine. Claimed top speed 201 mph (323 km/h). 1311 produced in 1987-1992.

1992 — Jaguar XJ220 | 213 mph (343 km/h) | A speed of 217.1 mph (349.4 km/h) was recorded by Jaguar in 1992 by Martin Brundle at Nardo (oval) test track. 281 were made in 1992-1994.

1993 — McLaren F1 | 231 mph (372 km/h) | ) Production run of 107. At factory rev limit, it reached 231 mph (371.8 km/h) at Nardo (oval) test track. In March 31, 1998, with the rev limiter disabled, it reached 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h). It still remains the world’s fastest naturally aspirated production car.

February 28, 2005 — Koenigsegg CCR | 241 mph (388 km/h) | Recorded at Nardo (oval) test track and verified by Guinness World Records.

April 19, 2005 — Bugatti Veyron | 253.81 mph (408.47 km/h) | Production run of 300. Recorded and verified by inspection officials.

October 9, 2007 — SSC Ultimate Aero TT | 256.18 mph (412.28 km/h) | Production run of 24, built between 2006 and 2007. Recorded and verified by Guinness World Records officials.

June 26, 2010 — Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport | 267.857 mph (431.074 km/h) | The record attempt was driven by Pierre-Henri Raphanel. 30 to be built, of which 5 will be capable of this top speed. Top speed of customer cars will be electronically limited to 415 km/h (258 mph). Recorded and verified by Guinness World Records officials.

Source: Wikipedia

Wherever you are there is the Smart. The Smart car is produced in France and Germany.

The Smart was launched in October of 1998 in nine European countries. The Smart is a branch of Daimler AG. In the year of 2008, Smart was officially launched in the United States.

The third-generation Smart electric drive is scheduled to be launched by the second quarter of 2012.

The Suzuki Hayabusa is a motorcycle that has been made since 1999. Hayabusa is Japanese for the Peregrine Falcon. The Suzuki Hayabusa is said to be the world’s fastest street-legal motorcycle, with speeds up to 194 mph (303 to 312 km/h).

Sales for the Hayabusa have increased in the United States over the past several years. Suzuki is headquarted in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Another video version of the Hayabusa-powered smart can be viewed at AutoBlog, where it is labeled as a “rolling death-wish on skinny tires”.

LED lights will work for emergency lighting. If you have a vehicle and the dome light is blowed, or your console lights aren’t working properly, the Flexible Light Strip 300 SMD Bright White LED Ribbon 5 Meter or 16 Feet By Ledwholesalers, 2026wh is what you need.

LED Flex Strip Lighting is a fairly new concept and could become very popular in no time. The uses could be many.

LED strips could be used for: cabinet lighting, bathroom lighting, closet lighting, bicycle lighting, scooter lighting, travel trailer lighting, vehicle illumination, tool shed lighting, porch lighting, TV backlighting, DJ lighting, night club lighting, studio lighting, office lighting, costume lighting, sign lighting, architectural lighting, and more.

Flexible LED Ribbon Lights come in different colors and are very safe to use. Flexstrip lighting uses 12 volts for power. This is plug and play with easy installation.

The applications for the light-emitting diode seem to be endless, as well as the advantages.

On May 30, 2011 Narces Benoit started videotaping officers firing rounds of bullets into a car driven by Raymond Herisse, who died on the scene. The 4 a.m. police chase occurred on Collins Avenue, as a dozen officers fired their guns repeatedly into Raymond Herisse’s blue Hyundai (Miami Herald).

Police did find a black Berretta 92-F semiautomatic pistol in the car owned by Herisse, who had been an armed robbery suspect.

“Benoit filmed the incident from the sidewalk on the northeast corner of 13th Street and Collins Avenue, close enough to see some officers’ faces and individual muzzle flashes,” as the Miami newspaper reported.

But here’s the interesting part. As Narces Benoit and his girlfriend Ericka Davis were driving away from the scene, a cop pointed a gun at them. They were thrown down on the ground and held at gunpoint, before being hauled to jail.

The police must have noticed that several bystanders were recording the shooting. Benoit filmed the shooting on his mobile phone.

The police officers stomped on Benoit’s phone before sliding it into his pocket. But the officers didn’t know that Benoit had secretly put the SIM card in his mouth before they grabbed the phone and smashed it. Narces Benoit actually kept the memory card in his mouth the entire time the police interviewed him at the station.

He removed the card afterwards. The police demanded the phone and the video, but they never got the memory card.

You can hear Benoit’s comments  on the video. “They done killed this man. If that man ain’t dead, he’s dead now”.

About the OpenWatch Project from OpenWatch on Vimeo.

You feel that local police in your hood are too violent and too aggressive? You need an app to spy on them? No sweat, SuperHacker Rich Jones has got you covered with that.

If the local bullying neighorhood cop is engaging in his typical abusive style or you happen to have a corrupt politician that’s behaving badly, here’s what you can do. Go to OpenWatch and download the CopRecorder App.

OpenWatch is a participatory citizen media project which uses mobile technology to enable public monitoring of authority figures.

Rich Jones gives superb instructions in the video to guide you in your future endeavor.

A word of caution. Recording a cop may be illegal in some states (Massachusetts and Illinois). Hard to imagine but it could be possible. See if your state is record-a-cop friendly.

It’s called scientific journalism. Let’s keep government honest. Shall we?

Oh, and Jones will post your audio recording if you submit it and he agrees to it.

A current CDC report warns U.S. travelers that are traveling to Germany of an organism causing an outbreak — E. coli O104:H4, producing Shiga toxin. Many people have been hospitalized, several requiring intensive care, and some people have died. It is reported over 20 people have died.

Most infections have been reported in people in northern Germany (mainly Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein) or in people who have recently traveled to these areas. Cases in travelers to northern Germany have been reported in Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Officials are trying to locate the source of the outbreak. Raw vegetables are suspected to be the source. Authorities claim that suspicion falls on a farm south of Hamburg.

The sprouts are believed to have come from the organic Gärtenhof farm in the village of Steddorf, near the small town of Bienenbüttel in Lower Saxony (guardian.co.uk). The Uelzen farm has been shut down and its produce recalled.

German health authorities recommend that people in Germany, especially in the northern part of the country, avoid eating raw tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, and leafy salads, until further notice.

If you have traveled to Germany and have bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps or symptoms of HUS, go to a doctor right away and tell him or her about your recent travel.

STEC infections can cause different gastrointestinal symptoms, which often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. If there is fever, it is generally not very high (less than 101°F [38.3°C]). HUS is a disorder that usually occurs when an infection in the digestive system (such as STEC) produces toxic substances that destroy red blood cells and cause kidney injury. Early symptoms of HUS include decreased frequency or volume of urination, feeling very tired, and losing pink color in the cheeks and inside the lower eyelids. Signs of HUS typically start 5–7 days after the start of diarrhea, and diarrhea or bloody stools may no longer be present when HUS develops.

PREVENTION SAFETY TIPS

1. CLEAN – Wash produce. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime. Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food.

2. SEPARATE – Don’t cross-contaminate one food with another.

3. COOK – Cook meat, poultry, and eggs thoroughly. Use a thermometer when cooking meat. Around 145°F for whole meats, 160°F for ground meats, and 165°F for all poultry. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm.

4. CHILL – Refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within 4 hours.

5. REPORT – Report suspected foodborne illnesses to your local health department.

In case you haven’t heard about it, the Feds are adamant about the notion of installing a black box in every vehicle in the United States.

The event data recorder (EDR) is a device that’s similar to what we know of in airplanes which is called a “black box”. Information from the EDR can be collected after a crash and analyzed to help determine what the vehicles were doing before, during and after the crash or event (Wikipedia).

The NHTSA had originally set a time table for auto manufacturers to be compliant by September 1, 2010. Now the target date is going to be September 1, 2012. The NHTSA had hoped by 2010 over 85% of vehicles would have EDR’s installed.

The EDR is as you might already have guessed is very controversial. There are legal issues and privacy concerns. The EDR also has a history of inaccuracies.

There are at the present time thirteen states that make a specific reference to Motor Vehicle Event Data Recorders. That probably means that the EDR data would be recognized by a court of law in those states.

General Motors and Ford both are already implementing  this technology in new vehicles. Mercedes-Benz and Audi both are not using this technology at all.

Near the driver’s knees under the dashboard, is where the Diagnostic Link Connector (DLC) is usually located at. Downloading the module which is attached to the airbag, is possible by hooking it up to the DLC. The download will use a system called “Bosch Diagnostic’s Crash Data Retrieval System”.

The little black box may provide valuable information to police officers and insurance companies. But many drivers will object to having Big Brother spy under the hood. It seems that there will always be a privacy issue with the EDR and a stigma attached to it.

Nevertheless, legislators are bent on making this law. Next month there might be legislation presented again. And if you have an airbag in your vehicle, the chances are good that you already have this little black box there as well. Drive safely.

The phrase that is being used for research purposes is called “following too closely”. This is a desription of a careless driver that intentionally follows another driver too close and absolutely ignores the consequences of his/her doing so. There is one reason that drivers in certain states in America do it – they are legally permitted to hover right behind you. The law does not prevent them.

This generally isn’t considered a traffic violation in most states. While you have taken every precaution to be a safe, law-abiding, caring citizen behind the wheel, more frequently agressive drivers are driving in a wreckless manner. Sometimes a driver in addition will honk the horn as if they have every right to do so. Is this behavior acceptable?

My question is this. Isn’t this a major form of harassment? If it is not, why is it not? Following too closely behind another vehicle is by any standards of driving considered to be unsafe, while endangering the safety of your own passengers as well as of those in the other vehicle. It can be determined to be wreckless driving and is as dangerous as someone speeding. Because you are distracting the driver(s) near you.

So what are your legal rights as a driver when being harassed as such by a bully following you? Well, that depends on the state that you live in. Some states have Agressive Driving Laws which protect innocent drivers, while the other states literally turn a blind eye.

In the meantime, an officer can write you up for speeding even though you have harmed no other soul. It has become politically expedient for them to do so and politically popular. But if their job is truly to protect the public from harm, then that duty is not being fulfilled.

States that have such laws against agressive drivers are: Arizonia, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia.

If you live in the other states you are basically on your own. The state cop has to witness the agressive driver in action in order to prosecute. Good luck with that one.