RK.md » cars

“Running A Red Light”

Rishi — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:42:07 +0000

So I was in Dallas last weekend for one of my good friend’s wedding and received a $75 fine in the mail for “running a red light at an intersection.” I’ve been driving in the Texas Medical Center long enough to know that stopping, yielding to pedestrians, etc. is a routine habit before making rights on reds – in fact, the first picture is an awfully good shot of me stopped at the light. Maybe I’m missing something about Dallas driving laws?

The fine is already paid, but I’d be interested to know how many people have received similar citations.

Quixx Acrylic Scratch Remover Review

Rishi — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:26:54 +0000

I’ve had my car for over five years and never really looked into cleaning the headlight enclosures. Since starting my clinical rotations, I’m leaving the house before sunrise and returning after dark; therefore, good visibility in the dark has become increasingly important. After looking at several headlamp cleaning products, I went with the Quixx Acrylic Scratch Remover.

Right off the bat, this kit comes with everything you need – the actual paste, sandpaper, and a polishing cloth. Because my headlamps were extremely dirty, I spent extra time with the sandpaper removing whatever filth I could with some water and a dry cloth.

Per the instructions, I then applied some paste, buffed it away with the included cloth for a minute or two, and then repeated the instructions with the other headlight. The entire process took roughly five minutes per headlight, but I plan to regularly clean them from now on.
The Quixx product definitely brought my headlamp covers back to factory condition. I didn’t think to take a “before” picture, but here’s an “after” picture of the driver-side headlight.

Overall, it was $10 well spent. I’ll be returning to the hospital tomorrow (off today for MLK Day), so I’m excited to see how much my driving experience has improved.

Lexus LFA

Rishi — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 09:44:01 +0000

It’s no where near the top of my list of dream cars, but the Lexus LFA is still an impressive first-go at a supercar for the Japanese luxury line. High revving. Pretty good looking. Light frame. Form following function. Lots of technological amenities.

But very… very… overpriced. Oh well, it’s still nice to see the Japanese having an answer for the European performance enthusiasts.

USA SPEC PA12 BMW Z4 Installation

Rishi — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:24:54 +0000

Since I’ll be spending a lot of time in my car during clinicals, I needed something to keep me going during the long commutes. Unfortunately, my car didn’t come with an iPod interface, and the dealership was going to charge me an arm and a leg to install an add on module. After quickly perusing the Internet, I came across a significantly cheaper option – the USA SPEC PA12-BMW.

This module works by “hijacking” the prewiring intended to be used for a multidisc changer. As embarassing as it is, out of the 45 minutes it took me to install the device, a solid 20 minutes went into searching for these wires. I was flying blind with my fingers trying to separate out cables until I found the right 3 pin and 6 pin connectors. The rest of the installation was straightforward. I passed the module cable from the trunk into the cabin via the rear passenger speaker cutout. Using the molding to hide the cable, I was able to route it to my console (where the SPEC PA12 module currently resides), and then pass the iPod and auxiliary cables out near the cigarette lighter.

So how’s the iPod’s sound quality? Well, quite frankly, it’s fantastic! The track title and artist properly display on the console, and I can use the toggles to skip through songs in a given playlist. The only drawback to this set up is that the CD player will no longer function. That’s fine though, because now I’ve got hundreds of songs at my disposal and a much more enjoyable commute. I just wish I made this investment years ago!

I’ve uploaded a few more pictures of the install process here.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Rishi — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:14:14 +0000

Meet the fastest production car in the world. Top Gear has a new #1 track time.

Bugatti Veyron – A Triumph of Automotive Engineering

Rishi — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:53:04 +0000

If you even remotely consider yourself a car enthusiast, you’ve heard of the Bugatti Veyron’s unbelievable specifications and staggering level of engineering. Here’s a video which wonderfully illustrates this modern day culmination of automotive ingenuity.

Porsche 911 GT2 RS

Rishi — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:54:50 +0000

Given that the Porsche Panamera is an aesthetic disaster, I’m glad the automotive gurus from Germany finally rebounded with a testament to what they should be doing – making ridiculously fast performance vehicles. I give to you the most powerful, street-legal car Porsche currently has in the pipeline.

Between the new GT2 and Spyder 918 hybrid concept, Porsche is sure proving its reputation.

Mercedes McLaren SLR Factory

Rishi — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:50:43 +0000

A fantastic video showcasing the assembly process of the SLR – an automotive masterpiece by Mercedes Benz and McLaren.

Ferrari Engine Assembly

Rishi — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:44:47 +0000

There’s just something so incredibly elegant and beautiful about the process of building this monster V12 engine. Perhaps one day in the unforeseeable future I will be a proud owner of a prancing stallion.

BMW Z4 HID Conversion Kit

Rishi — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:10:44 +0000

This morning, I received an HID (high intensity discharge) conversion kit for my roadster, and I must say, it was a fantastic investment. I found a reason to try out the new headlights tonight, and not only did I see the unlit portions of the Grand Parkway like never before, but I was able to test the amount of beam scattering. Lucky for me, my previous halogen bulbs were housed in a really nice set of projectors, so the HIDs produced a sharp beam with very little glare towards oncoming traffic.

If you’re interested in the brand name, it was an MTEC HID conversion kit (bulb type – H7, temperature – 6000K). The kit and installation costed ~$250.