It
is not every day that you get to go explore the off-limits secret proving grounds of the
leading automobile manufacturers. But if you are really persistent you just might find
that there are times when they open their doors and let you see what goes into making
cars. Cars sold in America are some of the safest equipment sold anywhere in the world. If
you are lucky you just might see some pretty weird stuff being tested. For instance this
Solar Car at the GM Proving grounds in Mesa, AZ.
We recently went to the Ford Proving Grounds between Kingman, AZ and Lake Havasu City,
AZ. We learned a lot about how tests were measured, what they meant and why this is a
crucial part of making cars safe for the members of our families.
But
that is not all the drivers as well as the cars get a physical work out every day, where
they push the cars to the limit until they fail. Many times that is hundreds if not
thousands of hours. Then they tear the cars down and put them back together and offer
constructive criticism in manufacturing criteria.
We
have now been to eleven of the nations proving grounds and were able to talk to those
involved in the testing and evaluations of the automobiles that we clean and polish
everyday. Many were interested in hearing what we had to say about the ease of washing or
the frustrations of leaks, window seals, body trim, rear view mirrors and grills which cut
fingers when cleaning.
http://www.carwashguys.com/mcc_tour1.shtml
Simulated
bumps in the road, obstacle courses, straight always, they had it all. All in the name of
performance, efficiency, safety and longevity. Ford has many proving grounds across the
country, some you can see diagrams, some where they stop testing even if a light aircraft
flies over. This is serious business, big business. In 2002 just over 16.8 million cars
were sold. Many of them looked very similar and each one trying to better the efforts and
image in the minds of the consumer over the competition
As we
have learned there are many factors concerning safety, from safety devises such as seat
belts, controllability and of course as we have recently seen with the Firestone-Ford
problem tires. This is why manufacturers go out of their way to provide the best advise to
their car owners about what tires to use, how much air pressure and even what brands.
Even still there are plenty of young up and coming aspiring attorneys ready to sue the
pants off the Big Three or another manufacturer as soon as the slightest signs of safety
issues appear. this is another reason why we do not have fuel cell cars yet. Who on Earth
is willing to take the risk with this new technology just have all their profits given to
attorneys in class-action lawsuits? Even our team who relies on vendors who sell us
products such as glass cleaners, Rain-X and other products that could be a factor in an
accident must be careful. This is why we work very hard to promote safe products. So do
the manufacturers of automobiles.
And of course the auto manufacturers are not dummies they want you as a customer, even
if you have the unfortunate occur such as an accident. We need you alive and well too, and
back on the road in a new car that needs a wash. When you die, the auto manufacturers lose
a customer and so do the Detail Guys. It is extremely hard to detail out dents this size.
Some
of the tests we wished we could have participated in, however we were happy to get a
poster of a test that was done as a consolation prize. On the walls of these places are
many insane tests, high speed roll over maneuvers, etc. All looked fine for the dare devil
in you, but hardly for a single mom in a Honda Car or a Soccer Mom in an SUV. Never the
less, there they are sometimes in secret, sometimes for the magazines, but always doing
what they love to do. Pushing cars, trucks and specialized SUVs to their absolute limits.
Talk about fun.
The best of all when these vehicles are done testing, someone has to clean them.
And yes we are here to serve.
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