Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Driving Community Spirit and the Shift to Connectivity in the Auto World

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Driving Community Spirit and the Shift to Connectivity in the Auto World · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30 minute mini version of the In Wheel Time car show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11am central.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: My gosh, that's so loud for this early in the morning, and good morning.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: This is the award winning In Wheel Time car talk show.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: We're not winning any awards on the audio side, but hey, it's just a car show.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Thanks to Head Richard Tomlin, apex Auto Works on SCCA, you'll hear my thoughts on a week driving the GMC Denali Ultimate and Jeff has what's on Automotive TV this week.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: I just renamed it.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: I know that you didn't even know that.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: It's your show, you can name it whatever you want.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Okay, well, thank you very much.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: I don't know what I've done here, but anyway everything seems very loud.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it is.
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure why I'm gonna pull that mic back.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Let's turn it back just a little bit.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: I just did so, you don't?
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: You're fine with your work, very good.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Hello and good morning everybody, along with Mike out of this World, mars.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: We always need more, jeff Zeke, and I'm, don Armstrong, glad you could join us here on this rainy, cloudy, gloomy, muggy yucky, come on.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: Overcasts.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: I'm trying to think of something I could say on there, go back to sleep over there.
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: My mom might be listening, so I gotta be careful.
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: Oh, hi, mom.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: That's it.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: That's it, hello, mike's mom.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: You better be here, she still look at.
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: She overheard part of our conversation the other day.
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: We were sitting at the table, donna and I were talking on the phone and she shot me a.
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: Look like boys.
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: What do you all do?
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Well, that's what mothers do, exactly, all right, well, we are here, and Richard Tomlin is here with us this morning from Apex Auto Works.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Richard, good morning to you, sir, good morning guys.
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: Sorry about the volume.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Oh no, that's on our end.
• 1:52
  Speaker 4: But thank you, it's not my fault this time.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: So who do you have with you there?
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: I've got Kyle with me from the Alvin VFW.
• 1:59
  Speaker 4: How are you all doing?
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Well, we're doing very well.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much for asking.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: So what's going on at the VFW?
• 2:08
  Speaker 4: Well, go ahead.
• 2:09
  Speaker 4: This morning we're having a little get together fundraiser donating events.
• 2:13
  Speaker 4: We knew more car people than anything else, so we told the car people to show up, donate a hundred bucks to help them get rebuilt.
• 2:20
  Speaker 4: There have been some challenges going on at this hall, as we would call it, and the quickest way to get fundraisers to show up was inviting to bring their cars out.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Well, this is a great weather day to bring your car out.
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: It's been a slow start to the morning.
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: It was a little damp down here in Alvin for sure.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: So we've got a section for amphibious vehicles.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Phibious vehicles, yeah.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: That would work as well.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, those with the big rain tires on them, I got you Well.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: So what's happened at the VFW that we need to have a fundraiser?
• 2:52
  Speaker 5: Well, about four years ago we started a remodeling project and it's taken some time to get through.
• 2:59
  Speaker 5: We haven't fully completed any of the projects yet.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: But why not?
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: Because you know your mother always said you need to finish what you started, you bet.
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: Yeah, one fire after another keeps popping up, and it's been a case two steps forward, one and a half steps back for quite a while now.
• 3:18
  Speaker 5: So we're doing a big drive to get some stuff taken care of.
• 3:23
  Speaker 5: Though it's almost an 80 year old building, it's never been touched, never been adequately remodeled.
• 3:29
  Speaker 5: Nothing is up to code.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Well, wait just a minute, let's just go back just a minute.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: It's an 80 year old building.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: My God, 80 year old.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Things don't necessarily have one foot in the grave, and I'm here to prove that.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: How many members in the hall?
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: We've got about 45 members at this post Roughly 45 members at this post and we see about 15 to 20 on a rotating regular basis due to work and other commitments.
• 3:59
  Speaker 5: It's hard for everybody to get up here all at one time.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: So you know that you've pulled in the best of the best.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: When you talk about car guys coming to the rescue, oh yeah.
• 4:11
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: The real car guy yourself.
• 4:15
  Speaker 5: I can't afford to be as much of a car guy as I want to be, but yeah well, none of us get, none of us can afford it.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: We just hang out with Richard.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: He's got all kinds of excess cars, so was.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: It wasn't, yeah, wasn't.
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: One of the deals that y'all were trying to do was trying to get more accommodating to, let's, shall we say, handicapped veterans.
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: Yeah, the the ADA part of this was a huge part of the endeavor and I think that's probably, to me, the most touching part.
• 4:40
  Speaker 4: Of course, it ties into my hands-on driving Academy with the disabled veterans and we didn't have a disabled veterans Bathroom here, so we didn't have a place for them to actually come in and use a facility.
• 4:51
  Speaker 4: So this is part of the big growth that we're seeing in our Alvin Hall to Actually accommodate our veterans.
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: So challenges and then, while y'all are trying to do that, whenever the storm came through and created some damage in addition in it.
• 5:04
  Speaker 5: Yes sir, storm came through and the wind and dragged basically the entire ceiling Down in the hall, all the once, one into the other.
• 5:15
  Speaker 5: We walked in on a Monday morning and Sealing was laying on the floor.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Isn't that the new stylish thing to do without the open, the false ceiling?
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: and just the open concept.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we can see the beams and the air conditioning pipes and stuff.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: You know a little black paint.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Take care of that instantly.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: That's the new style.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Of course, you know, when it's 108 degrees outside and maybe not so much, right right, right right.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: All right, that's commonplace down here in Texas, you know yes, well as we know, we suffered through that this past summer.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: Richard mentioned ADA.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: That's title three of the United States that you have to have over 15 people.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: You have to have all the ADA considerations for a building if you're gonna use it you could donate the Signs.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: Well, we could.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: We could talk about that.
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: Okay, all right yeah, this building was built in 1940.
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: So there wasn't a whole lot of considerations for that at that point in time.
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: So things have changed dramatically Over the last 80 years.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt, hopefully for the better yeah.
• 6:13
  Speaker 5: Oh, absolutely for the better.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, um, alvin's a community south of houston and a small community but very tight-knit community.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Got a pretty good restaurant down there that richard sent me to one.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: What was the name of that place, richard mcdonald?
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Gordon street tavern, gordon street cavern.
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: Thank you, shut up, jeff it's more of a restaurant than a tavern, but they call it gordon street tavern, gordon street being the main street through albin um, so Easy to get to richard, were you born and raised in alvin.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: Is that why you're down there?
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: I was not, but got here as quickly as I could down.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Where were you born and raised, richard?
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: Kansas for 16 years, then north carolina, then oklahoma, then kansas.
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: Been here for 25 now.
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: Okay, I like it.
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we know, we didn't, we didn't hear at texas action, you know, so I figured you weren't from these parts that are running from the law.
• 7:02
  Speaker 4: I've been taking lessons from you.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: That's all, yeah good, all right, so let's let's talk just briefly about the scca and what's going on with that.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: You know, racing season is just about to commence and, uh, we're all kind of looking forward to that.
• 7:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, we are off the nola in two weeks.
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: Um new orleans, uh, motorsports park, um well, we call one of our flat tracks but a very fast track indy.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: Uh, champ lemons, uh, everybody runs there.
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: The vintage trans am the modern trans, am cars run there.
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: So great facility.
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: Three regions of texas coming together we should have over 150, 160 cars out there running.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: Wow, and that's going to be in indy or new orleans.
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: New orleans.
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: It's a norleans track but indy cars actually run there as well.
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: It's why the indy name out there I got you?
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's, I've been on that track twice.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: It's really really nice doing over there.
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: I was over there for a car event and it just they happened to have it on that track blossomed and I got kicked off.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: They kept saying go faster go faster and I kept going faster and I kept going off the track and they finally said you're out of here.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: What were you driving?
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: I don't even remember.
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: That was a long time ago, something he can't control.
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: Oh, if it's over two days ago, I forgot All right, okay, all right.
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: Well, we got that.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: Do you have anything local for scca?
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Local.
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Right now we are kicking off our rally program again for 2024.
• 8:26
  Speaker 4: We had some challenges 2023 with rain.
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: I think we had six events in a row that were rained out.
• 8:31
  Speaker 4: Um, it was just a wet year, um, and when you're playing in the dirt, you don't want it that wet.
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: So, uh, rallycross program's kicking off again in two weeks, and then, of course, we've got our solo events, our autocross events that happened the uh first sunday of the month, so that one just happened last week and more of those coming, 13 of those scheduled this year so if I've got a, a mudder truck you know one that's 10, 20 years old and I don't mind getting it dirty I could come out to uh, where you are today at the vfw.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Where is the vfw hall down there?
• 9:07
  Speaker 5: We're located at 812 south douglas street in alvin, texas.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Wait a minute.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: 812 south douglas.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: Yes, sir, 812 south douglas, or you use ways and type in vfw alvin and it'll bring you right to us.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Okay, well, that's good.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: So we stop by and I mean, um, do we have any anything to eat down there?
• 9:30
  Speaker 4: No, but we got gordon street tavern just down the street, guess what we'll be at 11.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: Okay, and they're giving it's a coming-go event.
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: Coming go as you want.
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: Today, stop in say hello, um.
• 9:39
  Speaker 4: You can find places to donate online at my web page, my facebook page or their facebook page.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: What's your facebook page?
• 9:49
  Speaker 5: Here's your face You're mine I don't know.
• 9:51
  Speaker 5: 37 say that again.
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: Alvin vfw post 52 37 on facebook.
• 9:57
  Speaker 5: Okay and on the web.
• 9:59
  Speaker 5: We're at alvin vfworg.
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: You can donate at both places.
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: Okay, good, all right.
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: Hey, kyle, what is your last name for my notes?
• 10:08
  Speaker 5: My last name is swaggered on social media.
• 10:10
  Speaker 5: My, my name is kyle wane Uh on facebook, but my full name is kyle.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Swaggered and what's your social security number ABC.
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: X, y Z no.
• 10:22
  Speaker 5: We got it.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: We got it Very good.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: Well, gentlemen, it's great to talk to you and we thank you very much for joining us, and we're going to send all of our friends that are currently with us down to Alvin this morning.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: It's a good, a good, nice little trip.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: As you're headed down to Mardi Gras, go down Highway 6 to get down there and you'll pass right through Alvin, but don't pass through.
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: Stop off on Douglas Street and give them a 10 bucks or something.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: 812.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: Beads are welcome.
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: Yeah, If somebody wanted to, if somebody wanted to just make a donation, you know, to kind of help out a little bit, what Well?
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: we just gave that information.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: We just gave that, I know, but if you don't want to go down there, I mean if you just wanted to call and we just gave that on Facebook, whips, yeah all that it's been two days already.
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: Slap yeah, that's okay I guess, apparently I just it's all there.
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: Audio guys.
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: It's there.
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: We appreciate anything you guys can do to help us out Listeners and staff.
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Well, it's a pleasure always and we'll stay in touch.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: You guys do the same Appreciate it.
• 11:26
  Speaker 5: Thank you very much, gentlemen.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, was he asleep over there, I guess.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: I was writing stuff down, post 5237 and 812 South Douglas, but I missed and I heard the stop by on the way to Mardi Gras.
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: But that's just far as I got.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: Let's go to VFW and then look up VFW 5237 or Alvin, texas, and it'll take you there and you can make a very good.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: Hate begging for money this early in the morning, but whatever.
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: Well, they need it, unfortunately Well that's not unfortunate.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: I mean, we all need money.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: It's all a good thing that you know that you can get permanent, beautiful new teeth in 24 hours.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: I just got a commercial on my cell phone.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: Oh, very good.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Really ticks me off.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: Getting that for Valentine's Day or yeah, new teeth.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, set a new T.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: Red ones, red ones with hearts in them.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: All right, we have things to talk about today.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, and I thought that I thought we're going to go to break.
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: Well, we, it's not time yet, okay, okay.
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: I'm ready, man, let me worry about that, I'm going to break.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: I know that I'm going to break.
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: I see that.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: Got to hold him back.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: Hold him back.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: Yes, I've done some work, this, and I've thrown you certainly have thrown Jeff of a wrench that he I don't know whether he's going to be a 10 millimeter socket.
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: Nearly 60% of electric vehicle customers would switch brands to gain better vehicle connectivity, according to a January report by the consulting firm McKinsey and company.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: It's interesting.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Mckinsey survey of more than 1600 customers in China, germany and the U?
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: S asked about 39 different connectivity features in areas including safety, autonomous driving and infotainment.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: 38% of consumers for all vehicle segments in the U?
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: S, including combustion engine vehicles, said they would be willing to switch brands for better connectivity.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: 55% of Chinese customers said that and 57% of battery electric customers across regions were willing to make a switch.
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: So much for brand loyalty.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that doesn't mean anything any longer.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: The findings present both the challenge and an opportunity for legacy automakers in the U?
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: S.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: On one hand, chinese automakers are setting new standards in connectivity.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: The survey said Chinese companies include many connectivity features in their base configurations.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: Connected car services like Audi connect and BMW connected drive perform well among consumers, and Tesla has built a reputation for smoothly integrated software.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: But the findings suggest that consumers are open minded and will flock to the brand with the best connected car services and I have to throw in here that I'm currently driving a car.
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: That is okay.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: It's the color of my shirt, yeah.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: But last week I was driving a Mazda that has the most confusing and messed up infotainment system of any car that I have driven, that you have to pay a lot of money by.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: Well, you talked about brand loyalty.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: I'm brand loyalty to General Motors, I've got friends that are brand loyal to Ford, and what respect for Mopar.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: But you also have to look at nowadays what is going to be beneficial for your usage, what are you using the vehicle for?
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: What is your need out of that vehicle?
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: and that's for the brand loyalty shifts, I think that a lot of it has to do with age.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: If you're younger, I don't think that there is anything going on to motivate anybody to buy, you know, a Ford Mustang or any other kind of Ford for that matter.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: And I don't think that anybody would go to Cadillac that's, you know, 30 years old.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: That just I just don't see that maybe they would.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: Well, depending on what, what they're looking for in that brand, because you've got a lot of General Motors Cadillac specific, you've got high, there's a high end vehicle with performance.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: Well, here's the big thing right now the dough.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: And you know the automakers have raised the price of everything, not that the grocery store hasn't either, but you know, the average price of a new car is 40 grand, 40 on average, and just a few years ago it was 30.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: That's a lot of dough.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: That's 10 extra doughs.
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: Let me finish this story.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: Sure, take a break.
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: The findings buck the conventional wisdom.
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Around connectivity, for example, automakers have created a cautionary tale from the backlash to BMW's effort to put heated seats behind a subscription in some countries a controversial attempt to generate revenue.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: Many customers strongly dislike automakers.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: Native infotainment centers I'm sorry, there I am.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: Critics ban General Motors decision to ditch the smartphone mirroring tools, apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and new model EVs as a stealthy plan to subscription revenue for customers already fatigued by Netflix and Spotify.
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: Hello, john Armstrong.
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: The one thing survey respondents expressed interest in purchasing bundled options rather than single features.
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: Bundling popular features like infotainment with connected services in other areas can increase rates of adoption and upsell single items, the survey said, and consumers are attracted to the simplified purchasing experience for bundles.
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: Customers also want to try out features and know they can bail on a subscription after a few months.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: They prefer subscription payments to one-time payments.
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: As for smartphone mirroring, you said drivers expect their phones to be compatible with their vehicles and incompatibility will be a factor in not buying a vehicle that you're interested in.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: Today's phones have the edge.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: They can be personalized and provide a better integrated experience across applications and functions, including scheduling and listening to music.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Ford Motor Company plans some big cost cuts as part of a drive to boost profitability and beat back inflation.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: I've got more on this coming up, including removing some bally hoot features from its vehicle, like automated parallel parking.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: I remember when it first came out I was amazed that it could do that.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: We don't have a lot of parallel parking here.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: I've never been in a vehicle that did that and I've never experienced someone doing that it's truly amazing.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: Does it actually work?
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: You turn it on and you go down the row of cars that are parked and it finds an open spot and it goes beep.
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: You stop the car and then hit the go button and it does the whole thing for you it backs in six inches within the curb, doesn't hit the car behind you, doesn't hit the car in front of you.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: That blows my mind because I would think the car plop, plop, plop, plop.
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you're saying, we'll do that if it needs to.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I will not, it will not hit another car.
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: No, no I mean it will back up and go forward as many times that need to.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: That would be my apprehension of that thing busting offender open.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all of this adds up to a savings in order of $10 million a year for the automaker that decided to not do the parallel parking thing, and that would be Ford, referring to Ford's active park assist and automated steering feature, which debuted more than a decade ago.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: It was designed to ease what Ford once concluded, in a study with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be among the most stressful driving activities.
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: I know when you took your driving test, that was one thing.
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: You better not hit the other car.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: Well, you better be able to get six inches within the curb.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: Kylie's got to do the parallel parking when she takes her test.
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: So there you go.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: There you have it, okay.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: We're going to come back after a quick break here on the in wheel time car talk show and we're going to have our review of the GMC Denali diesel and what's on TV.
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: It's right after these messages.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: Oh well, I have to turn that on, okay?
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: So you're just going to have to give me just a second now.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Pro Am Auto Accessories has been serving Houston's auto enthusiasts since 1984, providing world class products for sports cars, european sedans and American muscle.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: Pro Am is known as the place to go to find exclusive and hard to find parts of the accessories.
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: Pro Am is one of the very first distributors in the USA for brands such as Rekaro, redline, momo Corbo and Simpson.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: Located in the heart of Houston's premier retail and service corridor, the Galleria area, pro Am's walk in store front includes an 8,000 square foot warehouse, showroom and installation base.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Pro Am not only sells parts and accessories, but also offers installation and service.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Pro Am is now reaching a worldwide audience through proamcom, taking its local reputation to the rest of the world.
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: At Pro Am Auto, you'll be dealing with a small group of professionals who truly want to help you with your automotive needs.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: If you don't see what you're looking for on the website.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Call and Pro Am will lend you a hand.
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: Pro Am Auto 61, 25 rich men at Green Ridge and Houston's Galleria area.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: Call them at 713-781-7755.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: Want to feel good about something special you did for some one?
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: Special Inwheel time and the original loopy tortilla group of Tex-Mex restaurants have joined together to help a very worthy cause God's Garage, a Christian based 501C3 charity.
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: We know there are lots of places and organizations out there where you can donate a car, truck or SUV, but we're asking you, our car enthusiast family, to consider donating to God's Garage.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: Visit godsgarageorg and learn about its mission, the women that have been helped, how each one is screened and about their Restore you program.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: A car donation is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of others.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: God's Garage needs good operating vehicles but will take all types in working and non-working condition.
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: Make your heart and soul feel good by donating your gently used vehicle and help support single mothers, widows and wives of deployed military at godsgarageorg.
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Inwheel Time Car Talk Show and we appreciate you joining us today.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: Jeff has what's on TV.
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: It's on TV.
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: Here you go.
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: So we're going to start with NHRA.
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: We're going to do some racing stuff.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: Nhra starts March 9th, which is not too far around the corner.
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: They're going to be in Gainesville and it's going to be on FS1.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: You've got NASCAR coming up this week.
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: You've got the big race.
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: You've got the clash of the Coliseum was last weekend.
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: You've got dual number one and dual number two coming in on Thursday.
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: They start at 7 pm on FS1.
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: Tickets are still available.
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: And then you've got the big Daytona 500 on Sunday at 2.30 start time, or coverage start time.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: That's Eastern on February 18th and that's on Fox regular channel.
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: I completely missed the clash at the Coliseum you didn't miss anything, and there's all kinds of controversy.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: We like it, we hate it, drivers are crying and fighting and all this stuff.
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: I don't understand.
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: They're going to be racing tracks all over the United States and they've made so much money, apparently, that they got that kind of money to spend to transform the Olympic size stadium in Los Angeles into a racetrack.
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: It's so dumb.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: I don't.
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: I don't understand it, but the duals are coming up.
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: Those are always fun to watch, you know, in Daytona.
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: Daytona?
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, it starts Thursday Time now for this hour's car review.
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: Had a chance to drive the 2024 GMC Sierra.
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: It's available in no less than eight About them, eight trim levels.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Starts with the pro, which I find is interesting because you know Toyota has a pro model in the tunnel, but anyway, we're talking about the Sierra here.
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: This is the pickup truck.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: Starts with the pro, goes to the SLE, then to the elevation, then the SLT, the AT four, the AT four X, the Denali and the Denali ultimate.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: So if you can't find a trim level then you need to go to somebody else, because they got eight of them, you get a bunch.
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: The review trim level is the 1500 Denali ultimate diesel crew cab with the short box.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: You can't even get that on one line.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: This is called a standard pickup truck, according to your US government.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: Passengers and driver five altogether.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: The pro will seat six with the front bench and that the pro is the work truck and some, in some levels, they call it the WT, the work truck, work truck.
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: All right, that's the stripper model in our language.
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: I like stripper better than work truck.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: Why don't they just name it that and put too many letters and put that and put and put that girl that you know does one of those poses with their legs.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, like you see on the back of the mudflaps on the back of mudflaps.
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: That's an actual girl of silhouette of an actual girl.
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: Okay, I read that somewhere.
• 24:25
  Speaker 3: So so I've heard huh.
• 24:27
  Speaker 3: Back to the review.
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: All right, no changes really to speak of from last model year.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: The options include three cabs a regular, a double and a crew, three beds, depending on the cab, and four engines.
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: Wow, that's a variety.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: That's like tin tin Different things that you can get.
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: Here's the deal.
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: If you're going to spend $80,000, or in this case, $85,000 on a truck, order it that way.
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: If you want a different rear axle in there, different gear ratios, you can get that.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: If you, whatever cab, whatever you want, order it the way that you want it because you're spending 85 grand.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: Okay, Exterior features this is a gargantuan half ton pickup truck that will probably not fit in anybody's garage.
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: So take that into consideration.
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: This would be one of those deals where you'd want to go ahead and have a car port made in front of the garage because it ain't fitting in the garage.
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: Massive chrome grille with a hockey stick side slathering on there Day time running lights on it.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: That also kind of mirrors, that hockey stick thing.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: We had a huge 20 inch smoky chrome wheel option.
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: Well, retractable running boards is a nice feature.
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: What I liked?
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: The subtle body side sculpting.
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: I like that.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: I also enjoyed the multi, multi pro tailgate that comes with the Denali Ultimate trim, so they've included that.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Used to be 10,000, I don't know how much.
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: The thing cost A lot of money.
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: You have that multi pro, but that's the way to go with that tailgate Absolutely.
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: They've thrown the kitchen sink at this thing.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: You could probably order that too.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Interior highlights Well laid out dash with conservative instrument cluster pod, big infotainment screen now that's easy to maneuver through.
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: Top notch leather seating with adjustability.
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: Big shift knob on the console takes up too much room period.
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: Okay Dombs of cubbies and storage throughout the cabin.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: What I liked about it?
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: The attention to the detail stitching and the ultimate badging that's also on the seat.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: Nothing.
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: This is GM at its best Three liter inline, six cylinder diesel engine, 305 horsepower but 495 pound feet of torque with a 10 speed automatic transmission Going 8,700 pounds, hauling 1380, 23 miles per gallon, city 27 on the highway for combined a 24.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: I got 25.4 miles per gallon over 451.8 miles.
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: If you're going to keep this thing for a while, you're probably get your money back on the up pricing on the diesel engine.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: What I liked about it?
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: Smooth, quiet, power with big, big torque.
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement Nothing.
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: Engine rocks, is my note.
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: Engine handling smoother than you would think for this massive thing.
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: The tester was unloaded.
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: In other words, I wasn't hauling anything and I wasn't towing anything.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: Suspension adjustability.
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Base trim price 82.5.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: Prices tested 85.4.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: Base model price 43.4 for the pro entry level version.
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: The other entry level versions include the Ford F 150 starting at 43, five, the Ram 1500 for 41, three and the Toyota for 42.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: So, and that's my review of the 2024 GMC Sierra Denali ultimate 1500 diesel crew cab with the short box.
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: The only thing that does not appeal to me on that vehicle is the grill they never have through the whole life of that GMC version.
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: The grill is my issue.
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: I agree with you.
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: If you'd like to get in touch with us, shoot us an email.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: The address here is info at in wheel timecom.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: We are back.
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: After this quick break, the original loopy tortilla restaurants will have you telling your family and friends just what the original recipes mean when it comes to the best fajitas in Southeast Texas.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: Founders Stan Holt invite you to visit the original loopy tortilla near I 10 at highway six.
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: Here's the original house that inspired the design of all the rest and the original charm that helped make loopy tortilla the go to destination for Houston Tex-Mex.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: Speaking of original, nothing can compete with the original lime pepper marinade that everyone will agree makes loopy tortilla award-winning beef fajitas the best anywhere.
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: Loopy tortilla Katie is another location that gives you the same quality and service.
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: Historians have come to expect it Loopy's.
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: It's located just off.
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: It's in the grand parkway at Kingsland Boulevard in Katie.
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: Find yourself an ackee land.
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: Head to the loopy tortilla college station, located just around the corner from Kyle Field.
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: It's a great place to enjoy those famous frozen margaritas before or after the game.
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: Headed east to Louisiana, stop in at the loopy tortilla in Beaumont it twos on I 10.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: You can't miss it.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: The original group of loopy tortilla restaurants invites you in for the best Tex-Mex.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: Anywhere you own a car you love, why not let Gulf Coast Auto Shield protect it?
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: Houstonian John Gray invites you to his state of the art facility to introduce you to his specialist team of auto enthusiasts.
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: We promise you'll be impressed.
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: Whether you're looking to massage your original paint to a like new appearance, apply a ceramic coating, install a paint protection film, nano ceramic window tent or new windshield protection called Exo Shield, gulf Coast Auto Shield is where Houston's car people go.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: Curved your wheels instead of buying new one.
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: I'd have them repaired.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: How about a professionally installed radar detector?
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to GCAutoShieldcom.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tullway, just south of the Southwest Freeway, and get a personal tour.
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Call them today 832-930-5655, or GCAutoShieldcom.
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong Inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am, central on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InWheelTimecom website.
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify Stitcher, I Heart Podcast Podcast Addict Tune In Pandora and Amazon Music.
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.