BMW Zagato Coupe

I probably couldn't find Lake Como even if I had a car naviagtion system or an in dash navigation system, but after dicsovering a car show they hold there I am sure gonig to try.

This Northen Italian Lake is where one of the most luxurious auto shows on the planet occurs, The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.  The name by itself sounds like a car worth a million dollars.  BMW chose this prestigious event to unveil is Zagato Coupe.  They probably decided to introduce this eye catching beast in Italy because their partner in designing the car was Italian manufacturer Zagato.

Zagato has been styling sports cars since 1919. The company has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Bugati, Bently and many more.  The combination of Italian styling and German engineering has hit a home run with the Zagato Coupe. I guess since this is Italy and Germany I should say they scored a goal, instead of a home run.  But don’t take my word for it, check out the pictures yourself.

The best news of all is that this may not just be a concept.  BMW has put the Zagato Coupe through high speed testing, and it meets German road standards.  We may actually see this thing on the road!  

How To Resurface Headlights

Last time we covered some important tips for driving at night. Having clear and working headlights is essential in any low-light situation; one cannot rely on a car navigation system with an in dash navigation screen alone. Most modern headlights are made out of polycarbonate, which is great because it is durable and will not break easily in a minor fender-bender. The downside to polycarbonate is it oxidizes over time and turns cloudy and yellow. Hazy, yellowed headlights do not provide proper visibility – good news is you can easily resurface your existing headlights instead of having to replace them. Here is a quick guide for restoring your headlights.

 There are many kits out there for restoring your headlights, but they all have the same basic tools you can get from anywhere you like. The main choice you have is whether you want to polish them by hand, or use an electric drill. Using an electric drill makes the job go quicker and easier, but some people do not have this tool so it can be done by hand.

Start by masking off the area around your headlight. Use two layers of thick masking tape around the headlight itself.  Then thoroughly scrub and clean your headlights, making sure they are free from dirt or caked on tar and bugs. After they are scrubbed and dried, get them extra clean by wiping the surface with rubbing alcohol.

Most kits include several different grits of sandpaper or buffing wheels. They polish the surface of your headlight using polishing discs and compounds. You can also polish your headlights without a kit by wet-sanding. We will cover the wet-sanding method first. 

Buy wet/dry sandpaper in 1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000 grit increments. Soak the sandpaper in cold water for 10 minutes or so before you begin. Spray the surface of the headlight with water, and begin with the lowest grit sandpaper first,  sanding in one direction back and forth over the surface of the headlight. Make sure the surface remains wet – if it starts to get dry, spray it down again.

Next once the headlight sheds the yellow color but is cloudy from the sandpaper, switch to the next grit of sandpaper, working in the exact opposite direction of the first grit and keeping the surface wet.  Do this again with every grit, switching the direction, until you get a nice, polished surface. The last step with 3000 grit sandpaper will probably take quite a while without a buffing wheel, but will make your headlight look like new.

After resurfacing your headlight, wash them off thoroughly and wipe them dry. Then apply a UV Plastic sealant to the headlights so they don’t oxidize so quickly in the future. This should keep them looking nice and bright for years to come.

 Using a kit with an electric drill is much the same as sandpaper, just a bit quicker. One main difference is that you often do not need to wet the surface, and instead will use a polishing compound. Each kit has specific instructions so make sure to read them carefully to get the best results. Work with the drill on a low setting and use light to medium pressure – if you press too hard, you can heat the plastic and cause it to warp.  After you have finished with the last and finest polisher, your headlights should look like new. Make sure to clean the surface well, dry thoroughly, and apply a UV Sealant the same as you would if using sandpaper by hand.

The end result should be a shiny, brand new-looking headlight that is protected from UV and thus further oxidization. You can clean and re-apply the sealant at the intervals suggested on the product to retain your headlight’s clarity and shine. With clean and clear headlights, you’re free to enjoy night driving as much as you like.

Rear-Facing Camera's Might be Required by 2014

Last week we covered why it might be a good idea to install a dash cam into your vehicle. So many vehicles now come with a Car Navigation System and In Dash Navigation Screen stock, that adding a few cameras in the front and the rear can be easy and provide you with a range of benefits. Soon, however, automakers will not have a choice: rear facing back up cameras are set to be required for all vehicles made after 2014.

Based on a proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers must have the ability to see behind their vehicle when the vehicle is put into reverse. According to NHTSA, this "blind spot" regulation could save 95 to 112 lives per year, and prevent 7,000 to 8,000 or more injuries. Tragically, backover accidents cause an average of 229 deaths per year, 44% of which are children under 5 years old. Cars with lots of travel and small back windows (like SUVs) have very poor rear visibility, especially for children who are not taller than the back windows of the vehicle.

The matter is not cut and dried, however: there is some heated debate on whether measures like this are necessary. The NHTSA says the total approximate cost to equip their estimate of 16.6 million vehicles sold in 2014 would be between $1.9 billion and $2.7 billion. Of course it's impossible to put a price on a child's life, but it is possible to hold drivers responsible for making sure there is nothing behind their vehicle, especially if there are children around.

There is also the responsibility of parents  to keep an eye on their children to make sure they are not playing behind cars, and not in the driveway when a car is running. Given that in 2009 33,808 people were killed in automobile related accidents, back-up related deaths are relatively rare.

The decision has been delayed on several occasions so the jury isn't out yet on the issue, but if passed we could be seeing even the lowest base model cars with in-dash screens to support rear-facing cameras as early as 2014. Do you think the burden of responsibility lies with automakers or parents?