Toyota / Lexus Tidbits

[Patate]

Could you stop it with the taxpayer nonsense? For the record, GM has been "bought" by the governement, so in no way has it been free money.

      

If you hoped the auto bailout had ended when Chrysler and General Motors emerged from bankruptcy, you might want to stop reading.

The Detroit News reports, "The Treasury Department plans to inject up to $5.6 billion in new capital in GMAC -- the latest effort to help the auto finance giant, a government official confirmed late Tuesday."  The government will accept preferred shares of stock in return.  "The new government infusion would be on top of $12.5 billion in government support extended since December. In May, the Treasury Department injected $7.5 billion in GMAC, took a 35.4 percent stake in the company and appointed two directors."

It would be GMAC's third federal bailout loan.  The New York Times explains, "as the Obama administration contemplates a third rescue of GMAC, the onetime finance arm of General Motors, federal officials, automotive executives and analysts all say the company is - just like the biggest Wall Street firms - too big to fail."

The company's role in the American auto industry is pivotal.  GMAC is now the primary finance company providing loans to those buying General Motors and Chrysler products.  Chrysler's former finance arm, Chrysler Financial, is in the process of shutting down and originates very few new loans.  GMAC also provides the financing that helps most GM and Chrysler dealers operate, and, in the years before the recent financial collapse, began investing in subprime mortgages.

GMAC, however, is not doing well.  CNN Money notes that the company "has lost $4.6 billion so far this year and has posted losses in seven of the past eight quarters, as vehicle lending has plunged along with demand for cars and its subprime mortgage loans have gone bad."

Quick question... who owns GMAC?

[articsteve]

Majority shareholder is US Government and what are those shares worth?  Probably nothing.  Point is that every car GM and Chrysler produce is financed with taxpayer cash.  GM can't operate on it's own.  Without the continuation of Billions quarterly to finance dealers and customers to buy cars from GM, GM's manufacturing would shut down.  Essentially GM is INSOLVENT at this moment. If it doesn't get this next 6.5 Billion it's OVER.

[Leviathan]

When engaging the security system the horn sounds.   How annoying is that at 2:00 a.m.   

http://www.chevrolet.com/assets/pdf/owners/manuals/2010/2010_chevrolet_malibu_owners.pdf

Entering Personalization Menu
1. Turn the ignition on while the vehicle is stopped.
To avoid excessive drain on the battery, it is
recommended that the headlamps are turned off.
2. Press and hold the information and reset buttons at
the same time for one second, then release to enter
the personalization menu.
If the vehicle speed is greater than 3 km/h (2 mph),
only the UNITS menu will be accessible.
3. Press the information button to scroll through the
available personalization menu modes.
Press the reset button to scroll through the available
settings for each mode.
If you do not make a selection within ten seconds,
the display will go back to the previous information
displayed.
<snip>
LOCK HORN
This feature, which allows the vehicle’s horn to chirp
every time the lock button on the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter is pressed, can be enabled or
disabled. When LOCK HORN appears on the display,
press and hold the reset button for at least one
second to scroll through the available settings:
OFF (default): The horn will not chirp on the first press
of the lock button on the RKE transmitter. The horn
will still chirp on the second press.
ON: The horn will chirp on the first press of the lock
button on the RKE transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 3-4 for more information.
To select a setting and move on to the next feature,
press the information button while the desired setting is
displayed on the DIC.

UNLOCK HORN
This feature, which allows the vehicle’s horn to chirp on
the first press of the unlock button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter, can be enabled or
disabled. When UNLOCK HORN appears on the display,
press and hold the reset button for at least one
second to scroll through the available settings:
OFF (default): The horn will not chirp when the unlock
button on the RKE transmitter is pressed.
ON: The horn will chirp on the first press of the unlock
button on the RKE transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 3-4 for more information.
To select a setting and move on to the next feature,
press the information button while the desired setting is
displayed on the DIC.

[articsteve]

Malibu owners will never figure out. 

[vdk]

I'm sure there's dozens of cars that sound the horn when the doors lock. And in 99% of them you can turn it off.

[ovr50]

Mine doesn't sound the horn, and I don't want it to. I went into that much-maligned "iDrive" and turned off the horn. A couple of clicks on the iDrive and it was a done deal - easy.

[Leviathan]

The Sentra had instructions on how to enable/disable the horn on the FOB itself.

[Patate]

Malibu owners will never figure out. 

I didn't have to anyway.  You don't have to press twice to lock your doors.

[Honda Owner]

Quick question... who owns GMAC?

There is no quick answer to that one, except that it is NOT Government Motors. The GMAC ownership structure is about the most convoluted mess I have ever seen and it is yet again ponying up for another huge dollop of corporate welfare.

The Wikipedia entry has about the best account of the convoluted structure of GMAC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMAC

[Altima1]

http://kansascity.injuryboard.com/automobile-accidents/toyota-sudden-acceleration-case-is-not-closed.aspx?googleid=273964

VW has superior engineering   http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8980024

Floor mats?  http://www.freep.com/article/20091104/BUSINESS01/911040368/1002/Business/Some-dont-buy-mats-at-fault-for-Toyota-accidents

[articsteve]

INJURYBOARD.COM is a front for personal injury lawyers.  Dopey ppl who fall for this crap are encouraged to register in order to place a comment and then bingo they get a call from a law office in their area.

Remember in the USA, lawyers take cases on spec and in the event you as a plaintiff lose, you walk away without a cent in cost so ZERO risk.  The defendant gets stuck paying their costs regardless.  In Ontario for example, the plaintiff can end up paying the whole shot if the lawsuit proves to be a loser.  Hence we have very little of this type of "roll the dice" litigation.

Lets see how this "out of control acceleration" has affected US Camry sales. 

October:  30136     YTD:   294493

Malibu and Impala combined sales despite the most advertising I have ever seen on one vehicle in my life.  Howie Long please die.

October:  24807      YTD:  270658


http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales.html

[quadzilla]

VW has superior engineering   http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8980024

Interesting bit about how VWs (and a few others) will override the gas pedal when you press the brakes.

Also noticed he said that (some?) modern transmissions are confusing to find neutral. Was he being serious?

[Altima1]

VW has superior engineering   http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8980024

Interesting bit about how VWs (and a few others) will override the gas pedal when you press the brakes.

Also noticed he said that (some?) modern transmissions are confusing to find neutral. Was he being serious?

Let's remember most of us here are enthisiast and often mechanically inclined, for some a gated shifter in a moment of panic could be a problem....for many it's start shift in D and go...you know...the ones that get their summer air replaced with winter air

[Altima1]

INJURYBOARD.COM is a front for personal injury lawyers.  Dopey ppl who fall for this crap are encouraged to register in order to place a comment and then bingo they get a call from a law office in their area.

Remember in the USA, lawyers take cases on spec and in the event you as a plaintiff lose, you walk away without a cent in cost so ZERO risk.  The defendant gets stuck paying their costs regardless.  In Ontario for example, the plaintiff can end up paying the whole shot if the lawsuit proves to be a loser.  Hence we have very little of this type of "roll the dice" litigation.

Lets see how this "out of control acceleration" has affected US Camry sales. 

October:  30136     YTD:   294493

Malibu and Impala combined sales despite the most advertising I have ever seen on one vehicle in my life.  Howie Long please die.

October:  24807      YTD:  270658


http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales.html

Took you 34 minutes before coming back here and spew crap on GM...BTW, it's a Toyota thread as you are often quick to point around here

Watch Nightline tonight on ABC

[rrocket]

Let's remember most of us here are enthisiast and often mechanically inclined, for some a gated shifter in a moment of panic could be a problem....for many it's start shift in D and go...you know...the ones that get their summer air replaced with winter air

Yea, but on the ES350, it's a straight push up to hit neutral...in either Drive mode, or "manumatic" mode.

OH..and the floormats being used were not from an ES350 and they were not the regular carpeted ones (they were thick all weather rubbery type).  So if the wrong floormats are put in....how is it Toyota's fault?  Sounds like the fault of the rental company to me...

What is Nightline's spin going to be?  "This is what happens when the wrong equipment is used in the wrong car!"

[Altima1]

What is Nightline's spin going to be?  Interesting

Watch it or you can catch bits of it on the ABC website.

Me, I think my next car is german, will give them a try for once.

[quadzilla]

So if the wrong floormats are put in....how is it Toyota's fault?  Sounds like the fault of the rental company to me...

I thought the car was a loaner car from a Lexus dealer?

[airbalancer]

So if the wrong floormats are put in....how is it Toyota's fault?  Sounds like the fault of the rental company to me...

I thought the car was a loaner car from a Lexus dealer?

It was a loaner car, I have never been able to find out what his is regular drive was
RX floor mats were put on top of the ES mats

[rrocket]

So if the wrong floormats are put in....how is it Toyota's fault?  Sounds like the fault of the rental company to me...

I thought the car was a loaner car from a Lexus dealer?

It was a loaner car, I have never been able to find out what his is regular drive was
RX floor mats were put on top of the ES mats

And not only that..they were the thick, rubbery all weather mats.

[Altima1]

This appears to be more than floor mats  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYWqqgr7Wcg