Blogs

That was a nice short drive to Portland from Seattle. Once you get past Tacoma traffic, you are in open country, and some pretty country at that. A whole lot of nothing.

Arrived here yesterday, and first thing we did was dropped in at Peet's Coffee, and had some. I love Portland. The people, the weather (yes, I like rainy and 48 degrees). Gary does NOT! Too bad for him, it's all about me. :-)

Looking forward to seeing the Technicians that are attending this seminar, as it is now officially closed to anymore attendees. Last man standing just signed up.

So here we are in Seattle, and looking forward to this ISTA Seminar for BMW. I have specially chosen this seminar to help a number of Technicians on the "ins-and-outs" of the newest Factory BMW Diagnostic Software called ISTA.

I have one of my very best Technical Support Site Members on BMW and the use of the ISTA, "BMW Brian" to demonstrate the diagnostic and programming power of the ISTA to the class.

We have a number of newer 6 and 7 series model BMW's for our Diagnostic Sessions, as these models have "lots of stuff" packed into the modules, so we're going to have some fun.

Driving a motorcycle on the Wall of Death is crazy enough, but driving a car on the Wall of Death? My question to you: who's crazier: the guy driving the car, or the "ringmaster" guy standing in the center of the thing just waiting for the car to tumble upside down on top of him!  I'll give them this, the vintage Indian's they're riding are very cool.

Watch the video below, and then check out their web site: www.demondrome.com

The NHTSA has issued a recall notice that affects over 360,000 my 2004 - 2010 BMW's in North America. The bulkhead connector for the positive battery cable may be attached "incorrectly" and could loosen, which could lead to the car catching on fire. Sweet.

NHTSA is advising BMW owners to PARK THE CAR OUTSIDE as a precaution, until the fix is made (BMW plans to begin fixing cars in April). We'd suggest that shop owners should heed the same warning... park your customers BMW outside your shop if you have it overnight.

The battle over requiring auto manufacturers to share diagnostic and repair information with independent garages is heating up in Massachusetts. The latest version of the “right to repair” bill would mandate that manufacturers create an online database of diagnostic and repair information by 2015, as a condition to sell vehicles in the state.

Car manufacturers said if the initiative passes, they will be unable to comply with the 2015 timetable set for compliance, and will no longer be able to sell cars in Massachusetts after that time.

Bad girls kicking butt. A little over four minutes of unbelievable animated high speed car chase with plenty of destruction, and a finish that might surprise you...

CLICK HERE to watch the video

Volkswagen jumped into the "variable displacement" game yesterday when it unveiled it's Polo BlueGT at the Geneva Auto Show. The Polo BlueGT is powered by a 4 cylinder 1.4 liter turbo engine with "ACT" variable displacement technology. It produces 140 hp, claims a top speed of 131 mph, zero to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and averages 50 mpg. Sweet! Check out an excerpt from VW's official press release below.

Returning to HOMEBASE, another city under my belt, another successful seminar. I love
Boston, the people, and especially the great Technicians that I meet when I am up here.

I wish to give a VERY BIG Thank YOU to all of the Technicians that attended, and put up with my style of teaching, as I always want to give it my 110% to everyone, and make it somewhat enjoyable and fun to learn. At least when I am enjoying the company of my fellow "Brothers in Arms", it makes me feel like I am with family. Some real smart Techs in Boston, and I met and made a few new friends. Thank You for that.

The Baum Tools EURO PTT is here! 

Ok we have been talking about it for a while; we now have them in stock with CARDAQ (J2534) PASS-THRU Device.

Shuttle Box specifications are as follows:

There is a hidden gem on the Discovery Channel's website, especially if you're an F1 fanatic! "The Secret Life of Formula 1", 27 videos with subject ranging from the technical ("Power", "Downforce", "Launch Control") to history ("England Rising", "The SIlver Arrows") and the people ("Bernie Ecclestone", "John Cooper").