Bright
Lights & Elbow Grease! No, that’s not the latest Broadway
play. That’s the Car Clinic formula for fun & our philosophy for
doing business. Beneath the glare of spotlight, we are proud of
our diligence in delivering top-notch programming & production
services with our listeners, viewers, sponsors & affiliates top of
mind.
Here’s a sample of what
we’re up to:
BOBBY
LIKIS HONORED IN TWO INDUSTRIES / Bobby Likis
receives awards in broadcast & automotive service:
PENSACOLA, FL - Respected automotive industry expert, host
of the nationally syndicated “Bobby Likis Car Clinic”
broadcast and owner of “Bobby Likis
Car Clinic/PreRepair®” has been honored in both the
broadcast & the automotive service industries.
Likis, who recently returned from the New Media conference
in New York City, was named to the 2011 “Talkers 250,” the
broadcast industry’s prestigious list of the top 250
talk-show hosts in America. The only car-talk host on
commercial radio so named for the 4th consecutive
year, Likis originates his radio, television, globalcast and
social media programming on the Car Clinic Multi-Media
Network from an all digital studio within Bobby Likis Car
Clinic/ PreRepair® automotive service center. “Earning the
trust of automotive consumers locally, nationally and now
globally is a humbling experience,” Likis reflects. “I’ve
answered more than 100,000 car questions, one call at a
time. Each interaction is a one-on-one, personal connection
with a car owner who wants to make the best automotive
service, repair and product decisions. It’s my job to help,
and I love it.”
Bobby Likis Car Clinic / PreRepair® with a 40-year track
record of success just won the 2011 “Best of the Bay” awards
for “Best Auto Service Shop” and “Best Oil Change” in a
Gannett-sponsored challenge. Likis remarks, “We celebrated
‘Bobby Turns 40’ in May, and now we’re honored again. We’re
a repeat winner as Best Auto Service Shop, and we’re most
proud to win the new Best Oil Change category. Our oil
service suite includes Royal Purple and our ask-for-by-name
BoosterShot® that definitely lives up to its name.”
To schedule Bobby Likis as an on-air radio or television
guest or for a print interview regarding automotive consumer
tips or industry trends and technology: DSomer@CarClinicNetwork.com
Summer's almost here
and it's time for some BOBTLC, Bobby's 6 easy-to-do
things to help your car ready to hit the road.
B / Battery: If your battery's 3 years old,
replace it. If less than 3 years old, have it cleaned &
serviced professionally (forget baking soda).
O / Oil: Change oil & filter. Use
lightest weight (e.g., 5W30 vs 10W40) in winter (&
year-round). Upgrade to
Royal
Purple synthetic for best protection.
B / Belts: Twist the belts and inspect for
cracks. Replace for certain every 4 years.
T / Tires: For every 10-degree drop in
temperature, PSI is reduced by 1 pound, so tires need more
air in colder temps. And for goodness sake, do the
"Abe Lincoln" test for wear. Less tread = less grip.
L / Lights: Check all your lights, external &
internal, so you can see & be seen.
C / Coolant: Flush coolant system every 2 years
or 30K miles, even if you're not "having problems."
Coolant stops freeze-ups in winter and helps prevent
overheating in summer.
And here's a extra tip: Have an Annual Inspection (ANI)
performed. Like a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI), an
ANI gives you decision-making power. At Car Clinic
Service/Pre-Repair®, we think the ANI is such a valuable
service for our customers that we refund the cost. If
you want an overview of the value of an ANI, click
here to see my PPI video
(it takes a little while to open), which reports the
condition of the same 5 areas on which an effective ANI will
report.
This
time it’s about mph, not mpg.To be better prepared for
your summer cruises, be aware of the latest on speed camera
legislation, insurance implications for tickets & safety
issues revolving around mph. Click here. Then
catch
ESCORT’s “Drive Into Summer”
Event for a free $50 accessory pack with the purchase of any
new Escort radar detector...and an up-to-$80 savings for
trading in an old detector.
Welcome to the newest Car
Clinic Partner: DELPHI Why
choose Delphi parts? As a partner to 25 of the largest
vehicle manufacturers globally (e.g., Ford, Toyota, Audi,
Ferrari), Delphi is the company who makes "the parts cars
are born with." Delphi lives up to its motto, “High
standards. Below the surface.” I use Delphi parts on my
customer cars – and my own cars – so I can vouch for the
quality & innovation. Speaking of innovation, Delphi has a
long “invented-here list,” including the first automotive
radiator in 1911...the first car heater in 1929...the first
vehicle A/C in 1954...my favorite, the first in-dash radio
in 1936 (over which the first Car Clinic broadcast was heard
in 1991)...and first automotive multimode electronically
scanning radar in 2009. Welcome to the Car Clinic family of
Partners, Delphi. I’m proud to be associated with such a
fine company.
Bobby gave away a Shelby GT Mustang on Friday...how fun is this! CARSTAR will make
this lady very happy!
Press Release follows:
Panama City, Florida Woman Wins Dream Car in CARSTAR Hertz
Shelby Mustang Sweepstakes
Local Panama City resident Velda Lynn Savage didn’t own a
car due to financial reasons when she entered the CARSTAR
Hertz Shelby Mustang sweepstakes, but her hopes... were high
that she might be lucky enough to win this spectacular
solution to her transportation challenges.
This Friday, CARSTAR and Hertz will make Savage’s dream come
true when they present her an incredible new set of wheels:
a limited edition 2007 Hertz Shelby GT Mustang, the grand
prize in the CARSTAR Hertz Shelby Mustang sweepstakes.
Savage, an employee at local institution Funland Arcade,
will be presented the vehicle by Bill Garoutte, AVP, senior
marketing executive of CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, and
BOBBY LIKIS, host of
the Bobby Likis Car Clinic network radio show, on Friday,
May 6 at 10:30 a.m. EST at the Hertz location at 2106 W.
15th St. and Foster Ave. in Panama City, FL.
Congratulations to RYAN LERMAN of Coral Springs/Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. Ryan scored
big when I called him & told him he’d won a car cover.
Congratulations to SHANNON SCHULTE of Hartford, CT!
Shannon lucked out when she
won the BAR’S PRODUCTS / RISLONE Jumbo Goody Box, including
Bar’s / Rislone products, hats, tshirts & a $200 Visa card.
A full-time mom of two boys, Shannon’s “job” is to use the
$200 on something nice for herself. It is Mother’s Day,
after all! New Car Clinic Sweeps soon at
www.CarClinicSweepstakes.com
April 8-9: Bobby's in Kearney,
NE, participating in the 7th KAAPA Ethanol Annual Meeting.
KAAPA Ethanol is the only
farmer-owned ethanol plant in Nebraska, produces 60M gallons
per year, and owns a grain elevator in Elm Creek, Nebraska.
Bobby will be on a panel of industry professionals, and
they'll talk about ethanol—from corn field to fuel tank.
Joining Bobby will be Norris Marshall (president and owner
of Marshall Engines), Fred Bosselman (president and owner of
Bosselman Energy), and Scott Merritt (executive director of
the Nebraska Corn Growers Association). Robert White
(executive director of the national Renewable Fuels
Association) will act as panel moderator.
They're all guests of CHUCK
WOODSIDE, KAAPA Ethanol CEO. If you’re in the Kearney/Minden
area, join Bobby for lunch and a very spirited panel
discussion. Lunch is on Chuck, but space is limited &
first-come-first-served reservations are required.
Stephen Poulos, GM Chief Engineer,
eAssist Global Powertrain
(also from the Chicago Auto Show
Welcome to our newest Partner,
Escort Radar.
Educate yourself:
read why tickets are on the rise.Then cruise (at safe speeds,
of course) around Escort's "drive smarter" products,
including the Passport iQ and the Passport 9500ix.
Bobby's latest winner of a Passport iQ last Saturday:
Alfonso Melendez Tulsa, OK
We are
so proud to announce that Bobby is again named to the
Talkers 250,
the broadcast industry's prestigious the prestigious
industry listing of top 250 talk-show hosts in America. This
award distinguishes excellence in broadcasting, based on
(alphabetically) courage, effort, longevity, potential,
ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent & uniqueness.
For the third consecutive year, Bobby is the only commercial radio car-talk
host included.
“Bobby Likis Car Clinic” originates from Bobby’s all-digital
studio within Car Clinic Service/PreRepair® and is
syndicated on the Car Clinic Network’s “Media Station” of
125 national & global affiliates, including broadcast
stations, PalTalk chat room, HealthyLife.Net Radio Network,
podcast on multiple outlets, iTunes, iPods, iPhones, WiFi
Radio, Windows Media Radio, Squeezebox, BWM/Mini integrated
radio, retail stores, Internet globalcasts and CelleCast
(available on all cell phones). The Car Clinic
globalcast audio is heard on CarClinicNetwork.com (live
&
library). In addition, you can watch Bobby every
Saturday 10a-12n live from the Car Clinic studios at
www.WatchBobbyLive.com.
The Car Clinic Network is enjoying a major growth spurt, as
HEALTHYLIFE.net RADIO NETWORK just added “Bobby Likis
Car Clinic” to its programming suite & rich distribution,
which includes WindowsMedia.com, BMW Mini in-car access,
PDAs & Smartphones, Squeezebox, Hotel Radio Systems, Retail
Environments, and many more. And my hat’s off to LINDA
MACKENZIE, President & GM. We’ve already created the feel of
a lasting Partnership.
Twitter Bobby and find out what he's up to everyday.
He's giving away $100 to a Follower soon!
From the "Email
Bobby" Mailbag, check out
Bobby's
step-by-step guide for storing your car for the Winter
or for prolonged storage (helpful for our military/troops
during deployment).
“Distracted driving” starts outside the passenger
cabin...with a dirty windshield! So, make your vehicle
safer with a set of
Bosch ICON™ wiper blades, providing the
cleanest wipe and optimum visibility. And if you purchase
two Bosch ICON™
wiper blades between now and February 28th,
you can receive a $15 cash back rebate. For more information
about the wipers I use,
click Bosch
ICON™ wiper blades!
WOMEN ON WHEELS
(WOW),
you're in the Headlights! Bobby's featuring the
brainier gender on a special segment of Car Clinic for the
next 5 weeks. WOMEN ON WHEELS launches next Saturday,
and it's all about showing how smart you are...by asking
questions. Send Bobby your car question to
Women@CarClinicNetwork.com. If Bobby chooses your
question and you're the first to have asked it, you'll win a
wheely, wheely great Car Clinic gift pack. Like it?
You'll Love it!
Bobby is named in the "Talkers 250" as one of the top talk
show hosts in the country (and the only car-talk host on
commercial radio who made the prestigious list). This award
distinguishes excellence in broadcasting, based on
(alphabetically) courage, effort, longevity, potential,
ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent & uniqueness.
“Bobby Likis Car Clinic” originates from Bobby’s all-digital
studio within Car Clinic Service /
Pre-Repair® and is
syndicated on 110 affiliates locally, nationally and
globally, including broadcast stations,
iTunes Radio,
Pal Talk, podcasts,
CelleCast, NokiaCast, globalcasts and
live on www.CarClinicNetwork.com.
Click
"Talkers 250" for the press release.
"Cash for Clunkers"
is now a reality. You ask about it & Bobby talks about
it often on Car Clinic, so tune in this Saturday.
Meanwhile, hear Bobby's
Cash for Clunkers Outtake from his conversation with
Chris Haydocy and browse the
Autobytel list below of their
Top 20 Cash for Clunkers picks based on the % of the
carmaker's line-up qualifying for vouchers:
Mini - 100% Scion - 100% Honda - 94% Saturn - 93% Subaru - 88% Suzuki - 85% Pontiac - 79% Mazda - 74% Hyundai - 73% Volkswagen - 73% Kia - 71% Toyota - 62% Mitsubishi - 62% Nissan - 54% Mercury - 50% Ford - 46% Volvo - 45% Chevrolet - 45% Audi - 39% Lexus - 39%
Check out Bobby's
newest discovery: AutoTraderClassics.com! It's a whole new online
Community for people who are
passionate about classics. At
AutoTraderClassics.com,
Members can search 1000's of classic cars, show off theirs,
talk shop, look for parts, find and post events, or check
out members' profiles. Like Bobby's!
Talk about a perfect
Summer Double Dip:
GI Joe &
Royal Purple!Oh, yes...and then there's Bobby in camouflage. Click on the
player & take a look.
You can now enter Bobby's
Jumpstart Summer Fun
Sweepstakes every week
for a chance to win lots of prizes, including a $500 gas
card. Winners everywhere! Hear the
Excitement:
Bobby announced the
Winner of Car Clinic's Fuel Holiday Fun Sweepstakes and
$500 Gas Card: Andy Stasko who listens to Car Clinic on WNBF
in NY! Take a listen to Bobby
Fuel Holiday Fun Sweepstakes Winner Andy!
Look, ma...no hands.
Given the accidents that are caused every year by
distracted drivers who occupy their hands with something
other than the steering wheel, cell phone driving
legislation is now being considered across the US and
Canada. Different states and provinces mandate different
flavors of restrictions including full ban; texting ban;
those applicable to school bus drivers, state vehicles and
novice drivers; and those which cluster under the
driver-distraction category. For the scoop in your state,
compliments of
Parrot Safe Driving, click on the map below.
We are so proud of
the addition of CelleCast to Car Clinic Network's "Media
Station." Through CelleCast, you can hear Car
Clinic on your cell phone 24/7: any cell phone and any
cell-phone service. How cool is that?
Bobby-in-your-pocket cool! Click
hear Bobby on
CelleCast to sign up
GIMME MORE GAS SWEEPSTAKES!
Talk is cheap...well, not in Bobby's case. On July 16, Bobby drew the
lucky winner of the first Car Clinic GIMME GAS $250 free gas
card. Debbie W. in San Diego, CA joined Bobby on the Car Clinic broadcast on
Saturday, July 19, and shared with him her excitement and the
plans for her summer roadtrip from southern California to San
Francisco...using her GIMME GAS free $250 gas card.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of GIMME GAS, Bobby
launched GIMME MORE GAS and surprised winner Bill J. from
Tulsa, OK on the national Car Clinic broadcast on Saturday,
September 13. Bill's wife Laurie is in dialysis in a
hospital 50 miles away, so how lucky for Bill to win the
GIMME MORE GAS Sweepstakes and how lucky for us that such a
loyal Car Clinic listener was rewarded in such a nice way.
Check out photos of Bill (a former undercover narcotics
policeman) and Laurie and enjoy Bobby & Bill's on-air chat.
Bobby's already planning his "Fuel the Holidays"
Sweepstakes to be announced soon. To have a little fun calculating
your "free fuel miles," click FUEL
HOLIDAY FUN Calculator.
Brrr...Winter's here
and it's time for some BOBTLC, Bobby's 6 easy-to-do
things to help your car weather the storm. Click on
the
YouTube version of BOBTLC or read on:
B / Battery: If your battery's 3 years old,
replace it. If less than 3 years old, have it cleaned &
serviced professionally (forget baking soda).
O / Oil: Change oil & filter. Use
lightest weight (e.g., 5W30 vs 10W40) in winter (&
year-round). Upgrade to
Royal
Purple synthetic for best protection.
B / Belts: Twist the belts and inspect for
cracks. Replace for certain every 4 years.
T / Tires: For every 10-degree drop in
temperature, PSI is reduced by 1 pound, so tires need more
air in colder temps. And for goodness sake, do the
"Abe Lincoln" test for wear. Less tread = less grip.
L / Lights: Check all your lights, external &
internal, so you can see & be seen.
C / Coolant: Flush coolant system every 2 years
or 30K miles, even if you're not "having problems."
Coolant stops freeze-ups in winter and helps prevent
overheating in summer.
And here's a extra tip: Have an Annual Inspection (ANI)
performed. Like a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI), an
ANI gives you decision-making power. At Car Clinic
Service/Pre-Repair®, we think the ANI is such a valuable
service for our customers that we refund the cost. If
you want an overview of the value of an ANI, click
here to see my PPI video
(it takes a little while to open), which reports the
condition of the same 5 areas on which an effective ANI will
report.
Now, button up your overcoat and tune in next Saturday.
Step
right up to hear the next talented generation of
automotive service technicians. Chris Cheek and Paul Bretl, ably coached by Carl Hader, won the 2008 Ford/AAA
Student Auto Skills Competition. Come back soon to hear how
they stepped up to the challenge and won the title, a
personal visit with Allan Mulally (President of Ford Motor
Company) and a week with Roush Fenway Racing. Enjoy
the latest
car-talk from the newest star technicians.
Bobby's Smart car is here...and what a baby it is! We
had under wraps (make that a Block-It® car cover) but now,
it's time for the Smart car reveal!
We're all feeling the pinch at the pump,
but some pumps are pinching harder than others...even in your
own community.
For local price swings,
click
gas stations and enter your zip code. Going to a station a mile
or two out of your way could mean more than pennies in your
pocket.
For what's happenin'
elsewhere, click
gas pumps across the nation.
If (and only if) you have a FFV
(Flex Fuel Vehicle), you can fill 'er up with E85 (a blend
of 85% Ethanol and 15% gas). Click
E85 stations
in all states that offer E85. Oh, by the way, FFVs live up
to their name. They are so flexible that they can use
gasoline or any blend of Ethanol. For more info on
Ethanol, click
here for Bobby's chat with
Tom Slunecka (Executive Director, Ethanol Promotion &
Information Council).
More, better, faster ... that's 2008! And it's all
packed into 1.7 Million square feet of the latest, and
believe me, the greatest electronics from the Center of the
Entertainment Universe in Las Vegas
.Join Bobby this Saturday for the on-the-scene update
from Dave Graveline, the award-winning host of "Into
Tomorrow." Click here
to download a juke box, so it's click & go on Saturday.
Jim Blose and Gonzalo Checaof
Kimberly-Clark DIY
/
Professional products business joined Bobby in the
studio last Saturday and shared with pros and DIYers
alike the secrets to making clean up for your project a
snap...and cost effective, too! Enjoy the audio-and video-of Bobby,
Jim and Gonzalo's
conversations with Car Clinic listeners from the US...and
the UK.
Welcome to our newest two broadcast affiliates:
WBNW in
the Boston market and
WJOB in Chicago!
We're delighted to have you as part of the Car Clinic
Network, and Bobby looks forward to info-taining your
audiences in the Automotive Lifestyle.
WBNW 1120 AM of the Money Matters Radio
Network reaches listeners from the Boston harbor to
Worchester. General Manager & Program Director is Scott
Couper.
WJOB "All You'll Ever Need to Know" 1230 AM
entertains along Lake Michigan's south shore from Chicago to
east of Gary, Indiana. General Manager is Jim Dedelow,
and Program Director is Michael Stewart, aka Stew.
Our hats are
off to Sarah Wilson, a sophomore at the University of
Central Florida, who wears well her own hats of creator,
writer, director and producer of award-winning video. "The
Letter," Sarah's submission to Bridgestone's Safety Scholar
contest, just won her a new set of tires...and a $5,000
scholarship. Designed to be a part of solution to the
staggering problem of traffic fatalities among 16-21 year
olds, the contest engaged blossoming student film makers
from across the U.S. to produce videos that inspire a "drive
safe" message. Click on the player below to see "The Letter"...and
if you missed
Bobby's on-air chat with Sarah about the inspirations for
her video and her aspirations in the future, click
here. We're sure
she'll need that set of Bridgestone's for her long trip down
the road to success.
What do lifebloods have to do with
your car? Everything! Your vehicle's fluids or
lifebloods are a major contributor to its health or its
demise. Recently, Charlie Polston joined Bobby on-air
as they chatted with callers making real-life decisions
involving their cars...and their wallets. As a writer for
Motor Age Magazine, a facilitator of hundreds of automotive
consumer & industry workshops and a senior instructor at BG
University, Charlie brought a wealth of insight of the
science and practicality of fluid monitoring & follow-up.
Click here.
This splash is a Tidal Wave!Car Clinic has acquired Jeff
Brooks’ (“On the Road with Jeff Brooks”)
network of radio stations. With this acquisition, Bobby
Likis Car Clinic’s reach has expanded to approximately 110
affiliates, including terrestrial broadcast, web, and Sirius
Satellite Radio. Click here
for the national press release.
To our new affiliates...Welcome! We are
delighted to be part of your station's line-up and, as you
will quickly see, Bobby will share with your listeners
solutions for their vehicular challenges...provide direction
for products and services that have been Bobby-tested and
approved...feature industry co-hosts with exciting
scoop...and info-tain your listeners with everything
connected with the Automotive Lifestyle!
A
Man Before His Time...and Now A Man Who's Time has Come.
That's Steve Schneider, CEO of Zap (which is
acronym-ese for Zero Air Polution). And if you're thinking,
"Another tradeoff between environmental wisdom and
automotive whiz-dom," click
here to
hear Steve describe the Obvio, a flex-fuel vehicle that runs
on mixtures of 0%-100% ethanol, comes loaded with a car-puter,
Windows XP, Bluetooth...and hits the road with 175
horsepower and top speed of 120 mph. Not enough? The
200 hp version zooms from a standstill to 60 mph in less
than 5 heartbeats (4.6 seconds).
You'll also get a charge when you hear Steve's answer to the
Conspiracy Theory of Who Killed the Electric Car and how
Zap's Xebra is changing all that.
You don't have to go to the Post
Office to hear about the
10 Most Wanted...Car Killers, that
is. BG co-host Mike Belluomo and Bobby
disclosed to Car Clinic listeners how to prevent the
criminal and costly "spilling of vehicular lifebloods" by
proactively monitoring their levels and conditions, then
applying the optimum combination of chemistry, equipment and
expertise to extend the life & performance of your 2nd
largest investment: your automobile.
Mike is BG's Technical Service Director, so he knows the
science of identifying and preventing automotive abuse,
CSI-style. Click
here to
get all the details.
The
gloomy winter is over on the beautiful Gulf Coast, and
Summer is heating up! Talk about Hot Spots. But the weather isn’t all that’s changed, and the beach
isn’t the only Hot Spot! At Car Clinic Service, we are
proud to welcome you to our brand new Customer Center.
What used to be the “waiting room” is transformed into a real
Hot Spot where our customers can relax in style, enjoy
coffee, watch the flat-panel TV, surf the high-speed
Internet or do work on a customer-dedicated computer in
their own Car Clinic “Red Room” office...and WiFi from what
seems to be a favorite spot, the “bar” table & stools. All
free and a “thank you” for choosing Car Clinic to service,
Pre-Repair™, and repair our customers' 2nd
largest investments...their vehicles.
If you're ever near the "Center of the Automotive Universe
in Florida, please consider yourself our guest and drop in
for a visit. Meanwhile, click here for the photos.
Abracadabra!
How do you change 400 water
bottles into a hood of a car? Amanda Roble of GE Plastics knows the answer and she's telling all. Click
here to hear how former
ugly land-fillers are transformed into the futuristic hoods
of cars like the Chevrolet Volt, using GE's iQ technology.
Amanda will fill us in, too, on Hyundai's new QuarmaQ which
incorporates over 30 plastic applications to enable design,
reduce weight, and drive environmental benefits. So, what's
next? Windows out of plastic? Why, yes. And it's
no magic trick...just (in "borrowed" words)
ecomagination at work.
Now that
Summer's here, Americans are hitting the road
with boats, 5th wheelers, and trailers, towing all sorts of
recreation. But that doesn't mean they always tow safely.
On-air guest Mike Sheridan, Master Lock's Automotive
Group Product Manager, reveals the results of Master Lock's
2006 Towing Troubles Research Study with some disasters you
won't believe. Then Mike unlocks (OK, one little pun :) the
secrets to successful towing, cargo management, and vehicle
security. Click here
before you take the first turn out of your driveway!
Gentlemen, start your engines…Bobby
kicked off a very exciting Daytona 500 weekend as he
broadcast Car Clinic live from the
Daytona
International Speedway. From a stage
located front and center in the Daytona USA building
adjacent to the track, Bobby funneled all the fun of race day into
multiple Car Clinic
broadcasts.
Click
here to relive the
excitement of Friday's
PalTalk and Saturday's Car Clinic with special guests and
racer buzz.
Forget the Italian version in
the 15th century. There's an American Renaissance--underway
in the here and now--which will change the way we
drive...and live. It's all about the development of
home-grown resources and the resulting independence from
foreign oil. If you click one page on our website, make it
this one. You'll
hear and see interviews with the movers and shakers in the
world of alternative fuels. From oil company executives to
venture capitalists, U.S. government secretaries, and even
the former director of the CIA, you'll get It straight from
the people that are making It happen. Click
here.
Rising fuel prices are so
commonplace these days, they aren't even front-page news...but
they are on the minds of consumers every time we
shell out at the pump. So what about alternatives to
traditional gas slurpers? Check out Bobby's chat with
Mike Marshall, Director of Automotive Emerging Technologies
for J.D. Power & Associates, about the results of J.D.
Power's
"Alternative Powertrain Study." Take this
3-question test; then listen to Bobby and Mike to see how
your answers measure up to those of the consumers in the study:
Are consumers putting their green
money where their green "environmentally conscious" mouths are, as they make their "next car" buying
decisions?
According to the study's
voice-of-the-customer research, how much higher of a price
tag were the interviewed consumers willing to shell out at
the dealership for a more environmentally friendly vehicle?
And, what was the expected ROI in
terms of an increase in mpg?
Click
hereto find
out more about the top 30 most environmentally friendly
vehicles, what SUVs made the list, and where you can go to
learn more about the Automotive Environmental Index.
Liz
Wetzel, Karyn Leland, Crystal Windham and Ester Martinez are
giving a whole new spin—literally—to the term
"Designing Women." These women and their teams of young,
passionate automotive architects are in charge of General
Motor's "Turnaround by Design" strategy, transforming
consumer preferences into pure pzazz on wheels. Bobby
recently chatted with Liz, a fourth-generation carmaker and
GM’s Global Brand Design Director. Click
here to discover how GM is
defining "Seductive Performance" and "Pinnacle Prestige,"
and the splash that "the hot, sexy car” is making in the
marketplace.
Just
in time for Summer Vacation! Bobby and guest Tom Rooney
teach a real-life lesson in Geography, Biochemistry and
Economics. It's called..."the Alaskan Pipeline."
Discovered by a BP employee in March 2006, a
large oil spill in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska prompted a federally
mandated inspection of the Pipeline for corrosion. In
August, that investigation revealed serious breaches, which
resulted in partial closure.
Geography:Tom's company (Insituform) is among the enterprises charged
with repairing the Pipeline. This conduit of "liquid gold,"
aka oil, runs 800 miles in Alaska from Prudhoe Bay to
Valdez. Oil was discovered in 1968 in Prudhoe Bay, located
at the tippy-top of Alaska within the Artic Circle and
sporting an approximate population of 47. Though
the place marker for North America's northernmost "ice-free"
port,
Valdez is nonetheless situated on a fjord
sandwiched among 5 glaciers on the northeast section of
Price
William Sound. About 4036 people hang their fur-lined hats
in Valdez
homes.
Biochemistry:
Tom tells
us that corrosion of oil-flowing steel pipes happens from
the inside out. Why? Tiny microbial bacteria eat the oil
and produce a hydrogen sulfide by-product which, when
combined with water, results in the formation of
metal-eating hydrosulfuric acid. Talk about a feeding frenzy
creating an economic frenzy.
Economics:
Supply lowers. Demand increases. Price rises. That was
easy!
Click
here for today's full story.
Check back in '07 for Tom's "Adventures from the Tundra"
when he joins his crew for the Pipeline restoration.
Calling
all Pirates of the Caribbean and other exotic places!Remember
telling your first-grade class what you did on summer
vacation? Well, imagine this…going on The Hunt for
Buried Treasure in the form of 5,000 pounds of twisted
steel: a Volvo XC 90. This on-line contest, developed as part of Volvo’s
sponsorship of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, attracted
over 52,000 wanna-be Pirates in the U.S.
alone.
Like a
page ripped from the script of Dead Man’s Chest, the race to
the booty began on June 12 with Volvo’s announcement that a
brand new car had been indeed buried somewhere in the world.
The 7 contest finalists (3 from the U.S and 1 each
from Austria, England, Japan and Spain) were flown to an undisclosed location
(now revealed as Abaco Island in the Bahamas) for the
final leg of the hunt. Once
there, they competed in a race for the treasure,
deciphering clues that lead them closer to the exact
location of the buried Volvo. The first to dig it up
kept it.
By the way, this is no ordinary Volvo.
It’s one-of-a-kind beauty...booty that Jack Sparrow would be
proud of...with its $82K
price tag, menacing Pirate graphics, black leather seats, and custom-painted 20-inch wheels.
As a special treat for Car Clinic
listeners, Bobby interviewed all 3 of the final contestants
from the US: Jenny Buckalew from Newnan, GA; David Hutz
from Herndon, VA; and James Hutz from Carefree, AZ. Click
here to hear these Pirates chat.
Update! For the ultimate
"show and tell," click
here and listen to winner Dave Hutz (and yes, he's one of "our" U.S. Pirates!)
as he gives you
the scoop (literally) on unearthing the treasure!
If you've visited
CarClinicNetwork.com in the past, here's a BGO (blinding glimpse
of the obvious)! We're proud to announce that our old website was razed and a
new one was raised. Our new site was architected around 3 top
design points: Ease of navigation; depth of content; and sheer
beauty. It's deep and wide, and we've only just begun. We're
developing a photo album page (target: Spring 2007) for you to
show off your automotive beauties, share your road trips, and
tell your stories. Meanwhile, click around and let your ears &
eyes be infotained!
Ain’t technology grand? Just ask
Bobby…Dave Graveline did on his national radio show last
week. And did he get answers…about hybrids, fuel
alternatives, and how & where technology will drive the
consumer “Into Tomorrow.” Click
here for Bobby’s reveals.
In need
of a modern-day hero-cum-Renaissance-man?Check
out Bobby’s chat with John Cooper Fitch. Mr. Fitch is a
blue-water sailor, fighter pilot, professional racing
driver, team manager, race course director, entrepreneur,
safety expert and prolific inventor (source: Carl Goodwin).
And this October, at 89 years old, he’ll seek to break a
speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a 1955 Mercedes
Benz gull wing. Zeroing in on the safety expert & inventor
categories, John invented the yellow crash cushions--aptly
named “Fitch barriers”--that protect vehicles from bridge
abutments and highway dividers and the “Fitch Fuel Catalyst”
that prevents gasoline deterioration. Among his honors are
the Safety Innovator Award, Top 100 Private Sector
Transportation Professionals of the 20th Century
designation and recognition by the National Academy of
Science for his Lifelong Contribution in the Field of
Roadside Safety. And finally, M. Jodi Rell, Governor of
Connecticut named April 21 as “John Cooper Fitch Day.”
Wonder what John will do with the second half of his life?!
Bobby's "in vivo," real-world lab
(Car Clinic Service) just splashed its Online GLOve BOx. We
call it GLOBO, and it can do everything but shine your shoes!
Imagine accessing all your vehicles' records electronically, in
a single place, from anywhere, anytime. Available exclusively to
Car Clinic Service customers, this innovation in service is
complimentary and returns value during vehicle ownership...and
at sale time. Though access to individual GLOBOs is password
protected, visit
www.CarClinicService.com & cruise around.
Joe Averkamp, Director of Product
Strategy for Sprint's Automotive Telematics Business, recently shared the mic with Bobby on the national Car Clinic
broadcast. Sprint's core business has morphed from POTS (Plain
Ol' Telephone Service) to PANS (Pretty Amazing New Stuff). So,
what's the WIIFY (What's In It for You)? Just your future, aka
Telematics. Though the term is evolving, telematics is the
marriage of computers & wireless communications technologies,
and its offspring are products like global positioning satellite
(GPS) tracking, remote roadside diagnostics, obtaining "smart"
transportation information, accessing the Internet / email in
your vehicle, and downloading audio & video files. Bobby & Joe
chatted about Sprint's telematic features from Roadside Rescue
to Family Locator to Power Vision with callers from some very
interesting locations, including a swamp in Louisiana. Now
that's some connection! Click here to enjoy the show.
And last but not least and forever
in the Spotlight is our
Mission Statement.
Paraphrasing Norma Desmond, aka Gloria Swanson, in Sunset
Boulevard, we're "ready for our close-up." Our Mission Statement
is the stage on which "all we are and do" is set. It's our
director for all we produce. And we pursue it with a daily
passion.
