On The Road

courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz 2018 E-Class Coupe includes all of the latest safety features.

So you’ve decided to reward yourself with a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but without children at home, you don’t really need a four-door sedan most of the time.

If that’s the case, you’re in luck. Mercedes-Benz recently introduced its 2018 E-Class Coupe, offering the sleek styling of a true two-door coupe but with the interior capacity of a mid-sized sedan.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
If California bill AB 1103 becomes law, bicyclists may treat stop signs as yields.

A variation of what’s commonly known as the “Idaho stop” – the law that allows bicyclists in that state to treat a stop sign as a yield sign – may soon become legal in California.

The California State Legislature will consider a bipartisan bill, AB 1103, in January that would permit bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields.

As long as I can remember, we’ve had a great relationship with other auto repair shops in the area. My father used to network with shops when I was growing up. We would always share know-how and tools.

When I took over the shop in 1990, I became a member of the Automotive Service Council of California. It’s an organization that encourages shops to communicate with one another and holds monthly meetings to discuss the ever-changing automotive field.

courtesy of Ford
Through a combination of batteries and electric motor, the Ford Fusion Hybrid gets 42 mpg.

With California’s emphasis on air quality, automobile companies are mandated to sell a specific number of zero-emission vehicles each year, as well as meet emissions and fuel economy standards across their entire sales volume.

California also may be the most car-crazy state in the U.S., representing a significant market for cars that are simply satisfying to drive.

Town Crier file photo
Being a responsible cyclist requires riding no more than two abreast.

The training I received from Michael Munk prior to our 3,400-mile bicycle ride from Newport Beach to Salisbury Beach, Mass., in 2011 inspired me to write on this month’s topic. There were 21 of us on that trip, and Mike’s goal was to ensure that every one of us made it safely to the Atlantic Ocean.

A customer recently brought in his 2004 Honda Accord EX because the check-engine light went on. I asked him if the car was doing anything out of the ordinary, and he said no.