Tech/Horsepower

It was -12 this morning in Columbus. The kind of cold that humans, let alone machinery and engines, enjoy operating in. Every winter morning, I scamper out and start my Chevy Trailblazer. By the time I did today, it was up to a balmy -10 degrees. It usually makes not-so-wonderful sounds when starting up under 40′ish degrees, but this morning of course was much worse. The alternator SSSQQQUUUEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLSSS and the power steering pump WWWHHHHIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSS and GGGGRRRIIINNNNDDDSSS. Everything is fine, it’s just noisy. After some warm up time they mostly go away.

Later in the morning I get an email from a friend in Toledo. He had a similar experience with his 2003 Chevy Avalanche – an entirely different vehicle on a different platform. I type to him in reply “Yea, typical GM” – then I did a double take. I know GM has a perception problem from years of subpar vehicles. But I always told myself that they would pull out of it, people would take notice of their new offerings and quality and migrate back to them. Will they? A GM fan and car guy like me, knowing GM vehicles as in-depth as I do, still has faith lost at times like these. It makes me wonder if those owners of the new “quality” offerings such as the Chevy’s Malibu and Traverse (and their various platform twins) have changed perceptions or do their vehicles squeal and whir too?

What about Honda owners?

Toyota?