OEM Car Audio Systems = Horrible

I said it. We all have been thinking it. Many of us get into a new car to review, drive, buy, or even rent for a vacation. At this point in the game, 2021, I constantly tell myself the bugs have to be worked out by now. This isn’t 2008 and the iPhone isn’t new. Every time I get confident in systems, I am let down. Case in point…

We picked up a brand new 2021 Kia Seltos for my wife. This car is mid-grade, maybe a tick better with leather, awd, wireless phone charging, heated seats, and a bit more. EX model to be exact. When I picked it up, the dealership insisted on helping me set up the phone integration, so I went through the motions and played along. As we were setting this up, the Kia system takes you through Bluetooth setup, which in turn connected CarPlay, instantly. Wow - I was impressed. Wireless CarPlay on a mainstream Kia right out of the box? That is awesome and the improvements just keep coming. As we used this setup, we found issues days later.

  1. This particular Kia, possibly being the Seltos EX model, has a bigger screen and wireless charging. The only way to connect your device to the head unit is wirelessly. The USB ports charge, but they do nothing with the radio itself.

  2. When cellular service is lacking, less than two bars, the system locks up, blacks out and crashes. Why does cellular signal have anything to do with the in-car connection??

  3. If I hop in the car, want to hook my phone in to play music, use my maps or anything else - it won’t let me connect unless I completely remove my wife’s phone connection and start all over.

I find all of this unbelievable. How can they release something like this and be fine with it? I almost see what somebody was thinking. “Ok, so this Seltos has wireless phone charging on this little spot here. The future owners of this car will want to use this exclusively, so let’s make the USB ports do nothing other than charge a secondary device”

I did a quick reach out to the salesman who set me up with everything and I was given a typical company line from the dealership. They told me to make sure my phone was updated and I had a good cord. At this point it was an iPhone 12, the most current iPhone and software was all up to date. I also made sure I had a brand new Apple-branded cord. None of this mattered. From here on out, I see this going two ways. First, the system was meant to be like this and it will never change. This is unfortunate and dumb. Second, maybe there is an update at the dealership and I can take it in for service/patch/whatever for the radio.

In my experience with these types of issues, the patches rarely work and nothing gets fixed. We update and even recall issues with Subaru and Chevrolet as well. A minor bug in the system cannot be fixed for the most part. The other interesting this, lots of Kia models offer up a way to update the radio at home. Visit their site, download an update to a flash drive, plug it in and you have saved yourself a trip to the dealership. Nothing on their site indicated the Seltos was supported for this, so here we are.

My plan is to wait a bit and maybe an update will be available in the near future. I’m not holding my breath though. The problem I have found is Apple has somewhat fixed the issue or need for fancy OEM stuff with CarPlay. All Kia has to do is make their end simple and reliable. They tried to get fancy with this thing and I think they messed up. Factory Navigation is dumb, overly complicated menus are useless and touchscreens need to be reliable. I wish I could talk to somebody about this in the industry, asking them what is going on. This is one of the main reasons I shy away from specific used cars because the vehicle relies so much on a dated system. The Cadillac CTS-V, my old STi with the $250 navigation SD Card, even Ford clinging to the dumb phone keypad. They all become so dated so fast and I get that they don’t care what is going on with your radio three years later, but this Seltos is a joke.

On a positive note, I have been blown away by factory sound quality, built-in subs that are amazingly well tucked in, and the tie-in branding with Bose and others. Either way, the software and brains of the systems have to be improved. Just make it work - that is all I want. Please. We have great ideas and great software, just make it reliable and make it work, especially for people who are not the most tech-savvy.

/
Comment

Alexa In Your Ford?

The day has finally come to put Amazon Echo to the test, in my car! Ford sent over their latest Ranger and it includes Alexa. Now this is a dream come true for me, as I have almost ten of these things in my house. This is better explained in a video format, which is below, but overall I feel we are on the right track.
This gives me hope that someday Amazon will be making some sort of permanent, non-app and non-phone needing solution. This one is so close, a bit clunky, but so close. I’m just glad Ford has integrated it into this new vehicle.
Coming next - the real Amazon Echo Auto, which is on the way soon from Amazon directly!

/
Comment

How To Sell A Used Car

Since I've been flipping cars so much recently it feels like, buying and selling, I thought I'd give you my thoughts on what to do when getting rid of your car.  Moving a used car can be super easy or super tough; it never seems to fall in the middle.  With these 8 or so tips below, I feel this will help you out with your sales.  If you have tips you'd like to share, please comment or send me an email with your ideas.  I wish you the best of luck on your car sale and thanks for watching!

/
Comment

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Sport

I bought my daughter a Cozy Coupe for her birthday.  Right away, after the initial build, we noticed some problems which to me, made it unsafe. 

Watch below to see what went wrong, how it was fixed and finally if Little Tikes decided to recall the sport coupe.  Thanks for watching!

/
Comment

Update From The Garage - February 10, 2016

Well winter is here and it's awful.  Super cold, no fun and tough to get out in the garage.  The Impala Project is still in the works with me slowly working as I get free time.  I just flew to Florida to pick up the Trailblazer SS replacement; a 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.  The Trailblazer will be posted for sale once it is a little warmer out.  I also plan to sell my '98 Camaro SS, which the Impala will be replacing.  More on that in the near future, as it is in hibernation until the snow stops.

Hope you enjoy the video below, my full review on the 2016 CTS-V is posted to Youtube.  I'll have the full writeup, pictures and everything else on the site soon.  Coming up are product reviews from Muck Daddy, Detroit Treads, Innovative Wiring and much more.  The Cleveland Auto Show is very soon too, which should be fun to cover.  Be sure to follow Hoagies Garage on YouTube and all the other social media sites out there.  I update regularly and constantly have random things being posted.  Let me know if you have anything interesting you'd like to feature on the site.  I'd love to get some new opinions going on our site.  Thanks for following along! 

/
1 Comment

2015 Holiday Gift Guide

The time has come for gifts and presents.  Many times car lovers are given way too much Armor All and just useless stuff that people think you'll use.  Well the past two years, we've created a list of solid ideas that could be for you.  Take a look at the past lists and also see if anything picked out this year is up your alley.

1.  Meguiar's Whole Car Air Re-Fresher

We reviewed this almost a year ago, having great results.  People on YouTube said I rambled too long, which is true.  This is one of those clever and unique car products the recipient will be excited to rush home and try Christmas Day night.  A good smelling interior is always a good thing.

2.  Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit

This is more of a specific gift that you'll have to somewhat know the car of your gift recipient.  If you notice somebody having the gross and hazy headlights, this is a great little kit we tried out a little while back.  Safety and good looks, all in one great gift for a nice price too. 

3.  Jack Manufacturing Magic Hand Cleaner

When working in the garage, your hands get greasy and dirty.  This is just a fact of life and many people go with a bigger name cleaner or something off the shelf.  Jack Manufacturing is a great company that is one we actually like to support.  There are many others out there, which we plan to test soon, but right now Jack is the first one I reach for at Hoagies Garage.

4.  Spare Keyless Entry Fobs

Once again, if you know the make/model of the vehicle, these are a great gift to give.  It always seems like you end up needing one of these to replace the broken or worn out one you've had in your pocket for years.  Don't just buy one of these without researching, but sometimes when you replace one of these, it makes your car feel like the first day you drove it all over again.  A worn out, barely working key fob is never fun.

5.  Top Gear Blu-Ray or DVD

The guys from Top Gear are spinning off to Amazon soon and new episodes will be here at some point.  In the meantime, a great gift is one of the original seasons to view at home, anytime.  Most of us would do the viewing via Netflix, Youtube, or even illegal downloads from the UK.  This will make it easy to relive some great episodes without working too hard. 

6.  Zubie

We have been long term testing one of these out west and the results will surprise you.  A clever tool that tracks your vehicle, diagnoses trouble codes and even tell you when it's time for a battery change.  This item does require a yearly subscription, but overall there are tons of great uses for this clever OBD port tool. 

7.  Valentine 1

I can't begin to tell you how valuable this tool can be for any driver.  Unless you are kind of dead inside, and never break the speed limit, you will find yourself loving this thing.  The range is unbelievable, it's rock solid and it will pay for it self many times over.  Like I've stated before, even if you don't speed, this is a great asset to have on in your car.  You will be picking up police speed monitoring all over the place and knowing what the watchers are doing...

8. Nutsac Bag

I'm reviewing one of these right now for car and travel gear.  The man purse is a clever tool for any guy, but in all honesty I'm all about using one of these to carry your interior gear on a road trip.  When you stop for the night, carrying in everything becomes an issue.  You have your phone, radar detector, GPS, cords, chargers and anything else.  The Nutsac is a great looking bag that can help you stay organized.  Check them out and stay tuned for our review coming soon. 

9.  Haynes Repair Manual

No matter what make or model you own, one of these can always come in handy.  Finding one of these is easy enough if you know what kind of car the driver owns.  They go through procedures on how to fix almost anything and also have photographs to help along the process.  Haynes even has some clever ones like the Millennium Falcon and the Space Shuttle. 

10.  USB Car Charger

Charging devices in the car - we all do it and we all lose these little adapters.  Having a spare, or even just having one good one is smart.  Some of these are cheap, bright pink and cost too much from the gas station.  Having a good quality USB charger for your 12v outlet in the car makes everyone happy.  Scosche makes this one, with a high voltage charging rate and their stuff is usually really nice quality. 

/
Comment

Baby in a Corvette

The most important thing in my life is my child.  Her safety, happiness and well being are my biggest concerns.  With that being said, vehicle choice has come up in recent months.  The Impala Project is happening because of her, plain and simple.  A Corvette would be so much more fun on a daily basis, but Lilly and all her gear wouldn't work too well...

I decided to take her for her first Corvette ride in my father's Z06.  When taking your kid for a ride in any car, you want to make sure you are doing it as safely as possible and not breaking any laws.  The C5 Corvette is still an amazing car, especially when you consider the cost.  On this particular Z06, the passenger seat has factory installed provisions in place to allow safe transportation of your child.  The LATCH System and airbag disable make that possible.  Watch the video below to learn how you can install a child seat into your Corvette.  This will go down as one of those special moments for me, as I was able to take her for her first ride in a Corvette.

/
Comment

Mobil 1 By The Barrel!

When looking for my latest oil change items, I was blown away you could buy this stuff by the barrel.  Not that it would make any sense for me, this is just like the price club version of an at home oil change.  Does synthetic oil have a shelf life?  Could you feasibly buy this and use it for the next 10 years of oil changes?  Check it out, see if this is the deal you are looking for...

/
Comment

Acura & Honda Traction Control AND Stability Control Disabling

We had a friend of the garage stop by with an interesting tip.  If you own a newer Honda or Acura, this could be useful for you.  We learn in the video below, how to disable your traction control AND stability control.  This is not a quick, easy thing to do like pushing a button, but if you follow our guide you will be aide free in no time.  Hope you enjoy!

/
Comment

2015 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition

IX Center

The Cleveland Auto Show is in full swing, right in our backyard.  Yesterday was the media preview day so we were able to get some pictures and video.  Chevrolet came in hot with one of the first vehicle debuts in Cleveland for over five years.

They brought out the Trail Boss Edition Colorado.  Bear in mind, this is not a ZR2, Raptor Fighter, Baja Blaster or anything else like that.  Chevy kept it pretty simple with only minor aesthetic changes, saving the big boy toys for the ZR2.  Production hasn't been announced for the big guy ZR2 yet, but it sounds like it won't be far off.  In the meantime, the Trail Boss will wet your appetite and make your Colorado look just a tick beefier than your buddies when you park next to each other.  Some of the GearOn features roll over along with new wheels/tires, black flares, 3" rocker steps and other little touches.  Hope you enjoy!

/
Comment

Test Driving A Used Maserati

I happened to be driving along one day and spotted a used 2006 Maserati Quattroporte.  Never really was a fan of this car in the looks department, but the chance to go test drive a Maserati was intriguing.  For $22k, you could own a Maserati...  Just let that sink in.  The question is though, do you really want to?  Watch below to see how the drive went and what this small amount of money will get you.  Enjoy!

/
, , , , ,
Comment

Thoughts about Onstar

Onstar has been around for almost twenty years now, debuting on a few Cadillac vehicles back in 1996.  Since then, it has changed from a luxury item on expensive GM vehicles to being offered on almost everything they sell.  I have my opinions about the service and they are very simple.  What is being offered can be very useful and it is very clever, but paying each month is somewhat costly.  Personally, I don't subscribe but I won't disagree with somebody who feels they need it and there are people out there that would benefit.  With that being said, this video runs through some of the features you get with Onstar.  The nice Onstar lady even gave me a live demo on what they could do for us.  Hope you enjoy!

/
Comment

Husky X-act Contour

Husky Liners are top notch.  They make a wide variety of vehicle interior protection products that fit almost any car.  Husky also offers some unique exterior protection options as well.  When you are looking to floor liners though, they offer one of the neatest new features and are going right at Weather Tech.  Their X-act contour edge is a raised lip on the side of their liner that contains spills, water from shoes and anything else that drops to the liners.  Here is a little video showing what I mean.  Enjoy!

This 4-minute Comparison video features two fictitious engineering "nerds" named Patrick and Shannon who take the viewer through a series of four tests. The video focuses on four unique selling propositions of the Husky Liners X-act Contour Floor Liner; The premium look and feel of the product, the FormFit Edge™, the StayPut Cleats™, and Husky Liners' Lifetime Guarantee.

/
Comment

SLP Chevrolet Camaro SS RS Dealership VHS

I'm not really sure where these went to, who got them, or how many exist nowadays.  This is a super short, but super 90s promo video that talks about SLP and how they used to build the Camaro SS & Camaro RS in 2002.

SLP was GMs "helper" to build the SS, RS, Firehawk, and even some random Grand Prix models.  They also sell aftermarket parts, which is apparently different compared to the car modifier that GM relied on from 1995-2002 as a factory option.  This VHS was an eBay find, lasts just long enough to get you interested, then ends in amazing VHS quality.  Hope you enjoy!


/
Comment

Top 5 Investment Vehicles

I know, I know.  Cars are a horrible investment.  You will never make money and they cost money just sitting in the garage.  When you decide to drive them, you are just a fool if you're doing this to make money on a resale someday..  This is the normal statement from anybody concerning vehicle investment.  Most times you won't make money and most times you're going to want to drive your car.  With all that being said, there are a few decent cars out there that I feel are worth looking into.  Obviously, if you buy a 1970 Boss 302 you aren't going to lose money on it really.  But then again, you probably won't gain any money either because these have almost peaked and have also seriously gone up in value compared to where they were 20 years go.  I won't claim that these are all a sure thing, but if I had the garage space to let a vehicle sit without driving it for 10-20 years, I would easily pick one of these.

1. C4 Corvette ZR-1

The C4 Corvette is a crazy good bargain right now.  Refinement isn't really there, but you can get a Corvette for the price range of a Chevrolet Spark.  The King of the Hill though, the original ZR-1... These are something of legend.  The later ones(93-95) were arguably the best looking and they had the most horsepower.  Any of these with low mileage from 1990-1995 are going to be collectibles though and I have a few reasons.  The main one is, you never see them.  People really don't drive these much and it wasn't something that everyone bought back in the 90s.  The ZR-1 cost nearly double compared to a regular C4, which tells you that this car is something special.  Only a little over 6,000 were made in Kentucky and it kind of showed you what Chevrolet could do if they focused in that 90s period.  You aren't going to be the fastest guy out there, but for something to stare at in the corner of your garage... I can only see these cars going up.  Kept in stock form, maintained well, and knowing the history is going to be key for this.  They aren't cheap to begin with, but I think they'll be worth a good amount in 15-20 years.

2. Buick Grand National

Now for a minute, forget about the GNX.  They are far too valuable for the average person  If you don't know what I'm talking about, go watch Black Air right now.  The Grand National is another vehicle that if you owned one, at least me, I'd feel bad daily driving it.  They just seem like cars that need to be parked and then just watch the value go up.  In the past ten years, these have shown evidence of growth.  Many times, they are beat to snot and modified beyond reason.  Bone stock, original, and decently low mileage versions of the Grand National will only go up in value as the years move on.  This is one of those cars that only certain people "get" - If you told most people you spent 20k on this old, black two door - they'd probably look at you like you're nuts.  This Buick has a unique following and there is always somebody who will buy it from you down the road.

3. '95-'99 Nissan 240SX - S14

This one is a major gamble, but not a very expensive one.  First job is to actually find one with low miles and also no major modifications(Good Luck).  The next step is to let it sit, and wait.  I don't foresee this making you huge mega bucks like a Shelby Cobra did back in the 80s, but these will go up.  The main reason, you just don't see them in nice shape.  A similar investment would be a DSM Talon/Eclipse.  Not a vehicle that everyone is clamoring for, but at the same time having a clean one is few and far between.  The '95-'99 240 was an upgrade over the first gen, had GTR looks, and drove pretty good.  These weren't fast by any means and that is why they've all been modded so much.  The last couple years had low production numbers, so once again good luck finding one. 

4. 2002 F-Body (Camaro/Trans Am)

The LS1 F-Body vehicles are seriously one of the best deals out there.  300+ horsepower, looks that are still relevant, cheap parts and of course a cheap asking price.  For these reasons, everyone buys them and then does what we love - modify.  Finding one of these in stock form isn't hard, but give it time.  Eventually, this will be like the fox body 5.0 Mustang - finding one without flowmasters and the distributor rubber removed is an act of god.  The same goes for these F-Bodies.  Everyone changes out the air lid, exhaust and whatever else they can afford.  With that being said, the last model year kept unmolested and clean is going to be worth something down the road.  I would especially put stock into a highly optioned SS from SLP or even a WS6 Trans Am.  These were the cream of the crop and not something you'd see everyday. 

5. Syclone/Typhoon

I am hesitant to put this one.  The main reason is I am 50/50 with thinking it will increase in value.  To me, they still look cool, but only in all black.  If you find one of those Typhoons with the teal and gray color scheme... I just don't know.  For me though, 20 years from now finding a clean, low mileage all black Typhoon or Syclone will be very cool.  They didn't haul or tow much, but they were AWD and quick.  Most times these have had the wheels driven off or setup for the strip.  Like everything else I have mentioned, finding one to invest in is your biggest hurdle.  The interiors look dated and this was that time period when GM quality wasn't that high, so stuff wore out quickly.  Your best bet is to find one without much wear and tear, then you wait. 

All five of these vehicles I don't see going down in price, unless you pay too much to begin with.  I wouldn't expect crazy Barret-Jackson bidding wars on any of these either, but you never know.  If you find any of these on eBay or Craigslist, post a link in the story or on one of our social media sites.  Speculating car value is interesting and everyone has their own opinion.  What are some vehicles you feel would be good to invest in?  I'm sure there are more out there.... Let us know!



/
Comment

C5 Corvette Interior Temperature Sensor - Seriously?

Older vehicle parts constantly amaze me.  Sometimes the weirdest parts are dirt cheap and sometimes the most common things are outrageously expensive.  We found that out a few months back when selling old Z28 Camaro parts. 

This is a new one that I am thinking leads to a scammer in the industry.  The C5 Corvette is one of the best deals going right now for performance.  They are just cheap enough where you can buy one and not feel bad about driving it and loading up the miles.  Chevrolet loaded the C5 with technical goodies that are now super common, but in 1997 were ahead of their time.  Repair parts aren't Ferrari expensive, but they also aren't junk yard grab bag cheap either.

One of these high tech 1997 features was automatic climate control.  The Corvette reads the temperature from a small opening in the dash, right by the key slot.  There is a small grille that has a sensor inside, basically so the car can adjust your HVAC controls automatically for you, keeping you comfortable. 

The cover on our 2004 Z06.

Long story short, the grille is a stupid piece of plastic that pops off if you need access to a screw for radio changes, if your sensor goes bad, or whatever else.  I spotted this one on eBay, the guy is asking $1,000+ for this small piece of plastic.  He is price gouging, flat out.  So a quick call to a local Chevy dealership informed me of a sad truth - this part is discontinued by GM.  That is a major bummer, because this is a part that breaks constantly, but asking $1k is a joke.  This guy needs to be called out and questioned as to what he is thinking.  I get that the part is getting rare, but I found them for sale elsewhere online in the $20 range. 

Just an FYI - The $1,130 vent cover is being sold by Patriot Buick GMC in Pennsylvania.  Maybe they are really nice guys, but if they are gouging on a piece of plastic, I wonder what they do on new/used car sales...

/
2 Comments