Archive for January, 2011

The latest updates to Auto Gift Garage are complete with new galleries and sections.

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Queue the music. The latest updates to Auto Gift Garage are complete with new galleries and sections.

The newest gallery is our Bookstore where you will find unique items developed by Dennis E. Horvath and Terri Horvath. The first offering is an electronic version of Cruise IN: A guide to Indiana’s past and present. The ebook looks at fascinating auto-related sights around the state and a glimpse at automobile manufacturing. The second selection is 93 Tips on Buying a Collectible Car. This book is designed to be an easy-to-understand guide on finding, buying and caring for a collectible car. Two electronic audio auto tours in Indiana will be released shortly.

One of the new sections is our Feature Item section where every month we will highlight one item from the many selections in our galleries. We have your “genuine car nut” in mind when we review these feature items.

Our new Auto History section features insights into automotive history. America’s automotive history has evolved over the past 110 years. Monthly we will spotlight interesting factoids on the auto scene.

The other section is our blog Celebrating Car Culture. Here we’ll be sharing news and views about the automobile in American culture. Some of the Car Culture views cover general interest topics. The Auto Alert news covers federal and state legislature auto topics. We welcome your feedback regarding our musings.

These sections compliment the Web site’s offerings to share unique automotive experiences.

So, grab some of your favorite goodies, and slide into your favorite chair. Take some time to find that unique auto gift or celebrate our car culture at the new Auto Gift Garage.

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Concerns with E15 gasoline

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

Recently the EPA issued an E15 waiver for 2007 and newer vehicles. The EPA’s ruling responds to a request from the ethanol industry to raise the ethanol content in gasoline from 10 percent (E10) to 15 percent (E15).

This ruling may be fine for newer vehicles, but it may be harmful to older vehicles and power equipment. The Specialty Equipment Market Association Action Network (SEMA SAN) and other groups have voiced concern that ethanol increases water formation which can create formic acid and corrode metals, plastics, and rubber.

In fact, collectible car owners report concerns with current E10 gasoline, which may be exasperated by a change to E15 gasoline. Some of these concerns include vapor lock, corrosion of fuel system metals, and deterioration of rubber components. Other collectors have experienced paint stripping around the fuel filler of overfilled tanks. These concerns carry over to lawn mowers and other outdoor power equipment.

If you are concerned about possible damage to your vehicles, whatever age they are, I encourage you to support SEMA SAN (www.semasan.com) and other groups to oppose adoption of E15. I believe we should wait until there are conclusive scientific findings that demonstrate that E15 will not harm automobiles of any age as a result of corrosion or other chemical incompatibilities.

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