Let`s all pull for Saturn`s success and GM`s first serious import fighter. But no air bag, no discounting, no rebates, no dickering over trade- in allowances-and no lesson learned from Infiniti by advertising that showcases people instead of product? Add to this a slow, spotty introduction. Let`s pray for Saturn. R.W., Lake in the Hills, Ill.
No air bag was a stupid mistake that would have given Saturn a wide edge over the Japanese imports that typically don`t offer bags in small cars. No discounting and no rebates are the result of almost no cars, or at least so few that the law of supply and demand dictates getting full sticker price or close to it. If Saturn were heavily discounted or rebated, there would be howling that the car was distressed merchandise. The slow, spotty introduction (one Chicagoland dealer open, and he has no cars) is a blessing in disguise. It means quality control in the factory takes priority over simply shipping huge numbers of cars to dealers and letting the public serve as guinea pigs for potential problems in an all-new car.
I`ve followed your articles for some time and found them informative and amusing, so it is with a degree of sadness that I conclude you`ve lost your mind and it`s time you be put out to pasture. In your reply to J.P. of Chicago, who complained about a power steering system failure, you questioned how long a system should last before the factory is let off the hook. It should last 50,000 miles. It`s too bad American automakers have the same attitude as you and explains why foreign carmakers have such success in this country. My Toyota power steering system has performed flawlessly for 60,000 miles. E.B., Morton Grove
Most readers discover the mind loss in a matter of weeks. No car and no system in the car (or truck or van, for that matter) is immune to flaw or failure. J.P. was upset that the power steering system developed a problem after 20,000 miles. You obviously wouldn`t be upset if a problem developed after 50,000 miles. Others complain if the system doesn`t work perfectly up to 75,000 miles, while others would want a free repair or replacement even after 100,000 miles. What we ask is where does the factory`s responsibility end and the consumer`s begin?
I would like to see some innovation regarding what I consider an urgent need in cars. Very often when driving in the afternoon, the sun hits the windshield so that it`s almost like driving blind. The visor helps little. A cupholder isn`t more important than driving blind. What we need is a device permanently attached to the visor that pulls down and goes back up when not in use, and a shade for the side window like those on an airplane, only one you can see through. I`d like to write Lee Iacocca but don`t know where to write him. A.Z., Munster, Ind.
Tint along the top portion of the window helps, and many visors now have slide-out extensions to block glare from the side. But a pull-down screen for front and side window seems a bit impractical. It sounds as if your problem may be because you`re short, which puts you at eye level with the sun just below the visor or the tint on the window. Suggest you explain your problem to your eye doctor, who may be able to come up with glasses of sufficient size and tint.
I didn`t win your Chilton repair and tuneup manual desk cleaning giveaway but am interested in obtaining some old Chilton books. Are they available?
P.W., Michigan City, Ind.
Several readers wrote or called to ask the same question. To obtain an old Chilton repair manual for your car, truck, van or motor home dating back as far as 1940, call Chilton at 1-800-345-1214.
Do you have the name and address of a local MG club? D.H., Oglesby, Ill.
John Dugdale of MGB Magazine said you can contact the Chicagoland Chapter of the MGB Club by writing Tom Jofefek at P.O. Box 455, Addison, Ill. 60601. You also can address MG questions to the magazine at P.O. Box 321, Otego, N.Y. 13825, or call 607-988-7956.
To the reader who wrote stating he was amazed that 4.2 inches more in wheelbase could produce a smoother ride and that his father`s car, with a 136- inch wheelbase, must have been smoother than any of today`s models, on which 108 to 110 inches is typical: A 4.2-inch extension to a wheelbase is massive. For example, add 4.2 inches to a compact Pontiac Grand Am and you get a midsize Pontiac Grand Prix. And the ride is probably smoother on both the Grand Am and Grand Prix than it was on that 136-inch-wheelbase car with its crude suspension system.
