I recently had a minor fender bender in my 2012 Accord. I failed to stop on an icy surface and barely tapped a pickup truck that was stopped in front of me. The airbag did not inflate, the truck had virtually no damage and my front bumper had a small crack in it. The estimate came to $2,200. That is ridiculous! I have only ever had one accident before, many years ago and the bumper had a scratch. Are we being ripped off by the car companies and/or repair shops? – Donna
No. That "plastic" bumper is merely a cover for an elaborate occupant protection system designed to deflect forces and collapse in accordance with the severity of the impact. Behind that thin skin is a honeycomb-like structure designed to retain the bumper shape and absorb energy. It is also filled with sensors and other equipment that measure forces and structural differences in small increments. They determine whether or not the air bags should inflate, among other things. Modern cars also have other expensive items buried behind that cover, ranging from parking sensors to automatic cruise control measurement systems. Some of that may have been involved in your crash. The bumpers of the old days, like the cars themselves were solid and passed the forces of the crash on to the occupants. New ones absorb much of those. Take a look at this video showing the difference between new and old cars.
High gas consumption
I purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid last spring. Gas consumption all summer was excellent, averaging 6 to 7 litres/100 km. Since November, gas consumption has been steadily increasing. I live in Atlantic Canada. December (mild weather) and January gas consumption has been 18 to 20 litres/100 km. The dealership mechanics replaced the water pump and thermostat and I was told this would solve the problem. The gas consumption is still at 20 litres and I have already used a quarter of a tank of gas in just 60 km. Toyota service department staff are saying that fuel consumption will be higher with cold weather but I find this extreme. Is it possible that the hybrid battery needs to be replaced? It is only under warranty for another few months. – Doris
You don't say how many kilometres are on the Camry but I doubt the battery is your problem. There are cars similar to yours in use as taxis in Vancouver and New York, for example, with hundreds of thousands of kilometres on them and still using the original battery. Winter has a greater effect on hybrids than conventional vehicles because they have to rely on the internal combustion engine more. In warmer weather, your battery provides a certain degree of motivation. In winter, it also has to run the defroster, heater and other items. All this at a time and ambient temperature that has batteries at their least efficient state – they don't like the cold any better than we do. That means the engine is running for the vast majority of the time, consuming gas, and recharging the battery pack. I bet as the temperature warms up, your mileage will return to what you had experienced last summer.
Don't always believe what people post on the Internet
Has Subaru Canada addressed the heating issues on its Forester lineup? We are in the market for a new compact SUV and like the Forester, but would like Subaru Canada to confirm if it made design changes to address this issue in its 2015 model. There are numerous posts and blogs on Subaru heating issues but nothing stating there was recall and or a fix. – Art
Subaru is not aware of any such issue, nor is a neighbour who bought a 2015 Forester and also owns a 2014 Civic. He says they both take about the same time to warm up in the morning – but the Civic took longer than last winter. Therein lies the problem – weather and Internet. We have had two unusually cold winters and that affected all vehicles with regards to warming up and providing heat. A quick search found more than a dozen posts/blogs about "heating issues" with an equal number of vehicles. A single person or a couple think there is something wrong with their vehicle and post that on the web. Soon they are joined by more – maybe dozens have the same view – out of hundreds of thousands of owners. That does not mean anything is wrong. It takes a while for engines to produce enough heat to warm all that metal plus the liquid circulating within so the heater can do its job.
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