Canada Auto Information
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Once you’re comfortably seated, look at the rear-view mirror(s). Do they give you a clear unobstructed view to the rear? If not, adjust the mirrors. Many newer vehicles have power side mirrors. This is a good time to check out the adjustment mechanism, which is usually located on the left armrest, the dash or the [...]
Drive over smooth and rough pavement. Hit a few bumps. Drive over some railroad tracks. Find some expansion joints on the highway and run the car over them at your usual cruising speed. Excessive bouncing over bumps could indicate worn shocks, struts or springs. But keep in mind that, when assessing the ride quality of [...]
If the suspension and alignment is in good shape, you should be able to remove your hands from the wheel without the car darting off – do this on a deserted road at moderate speeds.
Freeplay in the steering wheel could indicate problems with parts of the steering linkage. Dering steering wheel usually indicates a serious [...]
If you haven’t already done so, take a few moments at the end of your test drive to put your thoughts and impressions on paper. Don’t leave anything out. These notes are vital to your mechanic. Even if you think a certain sound, smell or vibration might very well be nothing at all, write it [...]
Run the transmission through all four or five forward gears (and don’t forget to check Reverse). A manual transmission should shift easily without grinding gears. Some transaxles may lightly grind the lower gears the first couple of shifts on a cool day before the fluid warms up enough to allow the synchronizers to slide smoothly [...]
WHAT WE DISLIKED:
The lower-end model doesn’t handle like a charm with such a soft as a marshmallow suspension, and there’s a whole lot of shaking going on.
Steering is terribly over-assisted, so it robs the driver of any real feel for the road and it’s far too volatile, so driving is no quiet Sunday picnic.
Brakes could [...]
Sensitive suspension and wheels go wild on even the tiniest bumps on the road.
Steering is over-assisted, so it’s terribly light and touchy at higher speeds and so the driver doesn’t have a clue as to the feel of the road and besides, it’s awfully inaccurate at the center.
Brakes only offer average grip and those stretching [...]
Prices are pretty steep for models built in North America, especially given their poor reliability record. This is all the more true for the Golf GTI and the Jetta GLX who sure don’t look like they’re anything special. With such nondescript looks, why pay the ticket price and such cars aren’t really up to par [...]
