Speed Cameras: More Debate

As an automobile enthusiast, I'm not a fan of speed cameras. I think they're generally a revenue stream disguised as public safety. The city where I live, here in Ontario, recently introduced speed cameras to our community.

At first, they said they'd put them only in school zones. This, of course, came with little protest since everyone agrees that people shouldn't be speeding in areas where children are present. However, I warned on local forums that this was just a gateway for them to expand the use all over the city, and sure enough, more cameras started appearing in what they called "high traffic" areas.

Debating with speed camera supporters, they instantly assume you dislike them because you intend to speed, and owning performance-focused cars, that's hard to argue with. However, I think if you look at it from a different angle, it becomes painfully obvious that the real goal is to generate revenue.

My car's GPS shows the posted speed limit of whatever street I'm on. So technically, the car knows the speed. Technologically, we'd have no problem creating vehicles that were physically limited to only go as fast as the posted speed of the streets they drive upon. So it would be physically impossible for them to be speeding, and thus there would be no need for speed cameras at all. Of course, it's not as easy as that. There are older cars this tech wouldn't work with, and people would straight-up hate it! But why?

I would assume most people see a speed limiter as a restriction of their freedoms. But if we're willing to accept speed cameras in our communities, which hand out automated punishment when you exceed the speed limits, aren't they also limiting our freedoms as much as a speed limiter in your vehicle would? Is it that we think we can get away with speeding outside the camera zones when "the law" isn't looking? What if there were insurance breaks for those who installed a speed limiter in their vehicles? What if all commercial vehicles were required to have them?

Like it or not, I think autonomous vehicles are opening the door to this future. Soon we will have taxis that drive themselves, buses, shipping vehicles, and I would bet that personal passenger vehicles that are not driven at all aren't too far off.

Once this happens, future people will be amazed that people of the past were ever allowed to control a vehicle by hand at all. When automation comes online, speed cameras, traffic cops, state troopers, and their revenue will be a thing of the past.

Wanted to share this vid posted when I talked about this subject on the Throttle House Discord channel.

I've Posted My 2014 Shelby GT500 FOR SALE

I’ve decided to finally put my triple black 2014 GT500 up for sale.  As I say in the ad it’s a very nice, very fast car that sits in my garage and does nothing.  So why do I have it?  I’ve posted it as $69,000 but that is negotiable.  I'm really just looking to get the loan paid off and out of my hair.

 

It’s stock expect for a few small cosmetic additions like headlight covers and fender scoops added by the previous owner.  It has the supercharged 5.8L rated at 662hp. There is really nothing wrong with it but the front spoiler is scratched up I assume from driveways, they were there when I got it.

I’ve really enjoyed the car.  It’s one of those vehicles that no matter how much you drive it you still get butterflies before starting it up.  Here in Canada we don’t get enough nice days to justify having a rear-wheel drive monster which is why my daily is the Focus RS.

If you're interest I'm in the Greater Toronto Area here in Ontario.  You can view the ad posting HERE

Newmarket Ontario Car Show June 10th

Think I'm going to pay this car show a visit and grab some nice car photos for Instagram.  Anyone else going?

The RS is Now Tinted and Protected

Today I dropped the Focus off at D-Works Tinting and Auto Detailing to have the clear protective film added to the front.  While I was there Mike fairly easily talked me into getting the windows tinted too.  I've been thinking of getting that done so I took the plunge with a fairly dark tint.  I said, "I want it dark but I don't want the cops harassing me about it."  The one he suggested was what he described as the most popular.  I think it looks pretty bad ass.

I really should have taken it to get the protective film added much sooner because there are already several spots that had chips.  Unfortunately there isn't much that can be done about it and the film kind of accentuates them.  But hopefully future ones will be harmlessly deflected away.

The Focus looks so tough with that dark tint I'd really like to get it done to the Shelby as well but I think this concludes my car additions for the summer.

Thanks to D-Works for the great job. Check out the link to see some other examples of their work.
 D-Works Auto Tint and Detailing

Dave Wood Pre-owned Centre In Newmarket

There is a used car dealership near me that certainly has an interesting stock of cars.  When I first moved to the area it seemed like any normal used car dealer but recently they appear to have started focusing on performance and specialty vehicles.  I walked past there today and took a few shots.







Just out in the lot today there was a 2010 and 2012 GT500 Shelby Cobras.  A 2015 Mustang GT, a Camaro convertible, a Charger R/T, and an old 1961 GMC truck with a 454 big block in it.

Then inside the showroom there was a Challenger Hellcat, a GT350, and a Camaro with it says a Limited edition Panther package that produces 600 hp from it's supercharger.  Never seen on of those before.  Unfortunately the dealership was closed for a civic holiday do I had to take shots through the showroom window.

 

I'm not sure why they are focusing on such a performance driven stock in a town like Newmarket but it's certainly fun to see these cars come and go.  I certainly didn't know about a Camaro Panther package before this.

As a side note I've heard this dealership isn't very good.  However my only experience with them was when my girlfriend's car broke down and she coasted into their lot a couple years ago.  She is an attractive blonde and was on the last straw with her troublesome car.  If there was ever a time to sell a person a car that was the time.  However the Dave Wood salesmen just stood in the showroom looking at her through the window.  She called CAA and they towed it away. They never came out or even attempted to approach her.

Car Wash Shortcuts

Here is a little video I took at the Petro Canada station here in Newmarket on Mulock and Cane Parkway.  Other stations don't do it which is way it stands out so strongly to me and frankly it doesn't make much sense.

You or course pay a little more in the no-touch wash includes a wax spray.  However this station skips the rinse cycle after the soap and just sprays the wax on top of the soap and rinses it all away. Much or the wax never touches your car. Other stations spray soap, then rinse, they spray wax so it actually touches your car before rinsing the wax off.

I realize in reality that spray wax doesn't do much but if it never gets a chance to touch your car it does even less, plus you're paying for it.  How much could they be saving by skipping one rinse?  Well I suppose they are saving hot water, power, and time and I'm sure it adds up.  They are being a little cheap and nobody is complaining so why stop?

Newmarket Mitsubishi is The Worst Kind of Dealership

UPDATE: After posting this article I was contacted by the dealership's manager.  He feigned concern and claimed he wanted to help but they still have done nothing.

Sometimes when you buy a car you get a dud.  Sometimes when you buy a car you get a dealership that's a dud.  If you’re really unlucky you get a dealership and a car that's a dud.  This is what my girlfriend was unlucky enough to receive when she bought a new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander from Newmarket Mitsubishi.

When we went out to look for a new car I stressed to her that we should look around at several cars before settling on something.  The first dealership we went to was Newmarket Mitsubishi and the first car we checked out was the 2014 Outlander.  When I saw the car I was instantly ready to keep looking because I’m sorry but that car is UGLY!  She however loved the 7 passenger seating, all the nanny controls, and the 0% financing Mitsubishi was offering.  Paolo the salesman seemed a little sleazy to me but aren’t most car salesmen?  So needless to say she came home with a 2014 Outlander.

When she left they gave her two key fobs.  One was a regular key fob and the other was a key fob with remote start.  I asked her, “Did they give you a second fob that I could carry?”  So we tried to get the car to work with just the remote start fob and it would not work, insisting that the other key be present.  So the two key fobs wouldn't work when separated?  Well one would work independently the other with the remote start would not.  It was like a completely different fob just for remote starts and nothing else.  What sense does this make?  So she called and they said, “Oh so sorry I could have sworn we gave it to you two that worked separately.  We we'll get you one.”  Great!

A second problem was that often when you remote start the car and then get out there and put it in drive it would die.  Then you have to put it back in park and start it again and it would be fine.  After a service appointment the problem still happens.

Now most recently the auto hatch no longer goes up and down but instead just beeps at you and waits for you to do it manually.  So for me the build quality for that car is bad.  It seems that Mitsubishi really can’t handle long term use of fancy and unnecessary electronics. 

So now talking about the dealership.  As I said above she called Newmarket Mitsubishi and asked for a second key fob for the car.  Weeks later still no key, months later, still no key.  She finally decided that she should resort to calling almost daily and rather than helping her they ignored her calls and just wouldn’t answer.  To test this she called on her phone and it would ring and ring forever.  Then she reached over and tried a company phone with a different caller ID and they answered instantly.  I was shocked to hear they actually refused to take her calls.  What kind of business does this?  You sell a car and then kick the customer in the ass and hope to never see them again?  I’ve heard of this asshole service from dealers when the person has a used car but never when it’s a new car is still under warranty.  What kind of bullshit is this?

So currently we still don’t have the correct key fob and the automatic hatch lid is still broken.  I would strongly discourage anyone from buying a Mitsubishi and even more strongly discourage them from buying it from Newmarket Mitsubishi 301 Mulock Dr. Newmarket.