fact or fiction

Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about gas guzzlers, self-driving cars and our on-road lives.

What is the difference between a service and an MOT?
Many people still don’t know the difference between an MOT and a service. They tend to get confused between the two. They do have some things in common as they both consist of checks and inspections but they are still quite different from each other. Both of them are necessary and cannot be ignored.
By Car Services in Reading5 years ago in Wheel
Motorcycles from my memory
My childhood was spent in a beautiful country town. My memories of the good times are always filled with my grandfather's loving face and the motorcycle that accompanied us every day.
By Shari Valdez5 years ago in Wheel
A Lady and a Camaro
Lets start from the beginning. It was 2015, in a snowing night driving a 2001 Dodge Caravan. I was going home from work and all of the sudden a few miles closer to home I check the radiator temp at the dashboard and it gauge way up to steaming hot. In a few seconds, I panicked and called my boyfriend at the time and told him about the situation with the radiator. I was surely frightened to be stuck in this winter weather and worse, the roads weren't plowed yet as the snow kept on falling. I was driving up carefully and I was safely home. In the next days, the nightmare to fix my car has begun. It started as this, I went to the main mechanic and spent at first $30.00 bucks to figure it out what's going on. This mechanic was the son of a well-known mechanic in this rural town. He was helpful, honest and reliable. But he delivered the bad news. It was the head gasket. And as I didn't understand what's going on and neither understand about cars and what to do when it breaks, I thought it was an easy fix. But as we went to another mechanic, the news were turning pretty dire. The cost? 1000 bucks. And it wasn't a good sight! My mind was racing like a mice on a spinning wheel as I didn't have enough money to at least save this thing so I can go to back to work. It was paid off a couple of months ago. I asked my boyfriend to call the dealership in which he bought the mini van from. And I specified, "I need and affordable car to go from point A to point B. No an expensive thing, that we can't afford." I said it clearly. Did he heard it? Perhaps. Did he fully understand my words? I don't think so!
By Omay5 years ago in Wheel
Touch the Truck
By late on the 3rd night of the MegaCarPlaza Touch the Truck competition, the original 20 competitors were down to 5 people in varying states of physical and psychological decay. They swayed on their feet in the dark parking lot under a sky just starting to show a hint of dawn to the east. Robert and Bethany standing at the hood had formed an alliance and were helping to keep each other conscious. They were young enough that their bodies were likely holding out better than those of their middle-aged rivals. Kelly laying hands along the truck bed at driver’s side rear had the advantage of being accustomed to working up to 10-hour shifts on her feet as a checker at the Red Apple, but staying awake for well over 60 hours was not a skill she had honed, and the line between reality and delirium was an undulating line curiously resembling the flared rear wheel fender of a sand dune metallic Chevrolet Colorado. Meanwhile, tall, stoic Carl stood unflappable as ever – perhaps even meditative – standing across from Kelly at passenger side rear, next to the loose cannon of the bunch: stout, white-bearded Mike. Mike wasn’t letting on that he was tired, but his silence betrayed him. He was taking a momentary break from his ongoing campaign to psyche out the competition by touting the grit and determination he had developed as a combat marine, and his desperate need to prevail in the competition for his beloved family.
By Gina King5 years ago in Wheel
The Journey of Stella
A cold breeze flowed through Will's fingertips as the salted air wisped off from the Pacific Ocean crisping each breath of his lungs. The faint smell of seaweed pierced his nostrils as he floored the gas on the gleaming red Targa-Top Porsche 911 around a shallow right bend, feeling the vast mechanical grip of the sport tires as he flew around another crest on Highway 101. The seductive roar of the Porsche's Flat-6 engine was reverberating along the sandstone cliffside, echoing the hauntingly beautiful symphony of balanced cylinders perfectly in rotation at 6,000 revolutions per minute. Approached a cambered left-hand turn, Will fluttered his right toe on the brake pedal slowing the 911 into the corner, simultaneously pushing the clutch pedal to the sweet spot as he downshifted from 3rd gear to 2nd. The RPMs jumped up again with a rush of controlled violence. The Porsche was balancing the fine line of chaos and order every time the balls of his feet work against the cold steel pedals. Will knew that there was no other way to relish the beauty of a classic German sports car than on a sunny mid-afternoon where the rays of light flashed brilliantly reflecting the vast detail job his father and him had performed the prior weekend on the 911. A spotless, mirror-like finish on the Porsche's brilliantly eye-catching red paint was completed as a sign of respect to the last drive Will and his father will ever feel with that German beauty.
By Kaelin Clendenin5 years ago in Wheel
The Bones of Me
I don’t know which I wish more -- that I’d never gotten bone cancer, or that I’d never met the one person who loved me more than anybody else ever has.
By Stephen English5 years ago in Wheel
The Wheel of Fortune and the Capricious Fortuna
Fate is like a whistle in the wind. You sense it, but you cannot see it, you cannot grasp it, and you cannot repeat it.
By David Kimball5 years ago in Wheel
I Gave Up My Car
I used to hop in the car to drive half a mile down the street. Simply because it was convenient and I had the option. I also lived in one of the nation's largest geographical cities, with little access to public transportation. Having a car was a necessity and one that I wanted to get rid of.
By RJ5 years ago in Wheel
Tesla's Apocalypse Software Update
This is the best investment I ever made. Keylessly, I open the door and slide into the white vegan leather seat, running my hands over the material. Both my morals and my ass can relax in comfort.
By Lindsay Rae5 years ago in Wheel
5 Short Crazy Essays Using a Content Idea Generator
Today I decided to try Portent’s idea generator to come with an idea for a decent blog post about Volkswagen cars. None of them was good enough for a post, but some of them are hilarious, so I have decided to write some short essays based on its suggestions.
By JM Miana5 years ago in Wheel
Car Repair Payment Plans During Covid-19
Covid-19 has disrupted everyone’s daily lives. For several months no one has left their house. This has decreased the use of your vehicle to a minimum. With the kids not going to school and the people not going to their jobs, cars are just sitting idle in their garages. We all are aware of car maintenances when we use our car in daily life, but the cars need maintenance even when they are stationary.
By Car Services in Reading5 years ago in Wheel
Third time is not a Charm
Bought a 2011 Mercedes Benz S550 and was loving life. This was Circa 2014. Out and about everywhere. At the time I also had a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, my first ever full car purchase. As normal, living in NYC, the Tahoe had racked up some parking tickets. Oh, I don't know, about $3500 worth of tickets. Lol. In New York, over $350 in tickets wins a tow or boot, where you would have to pay the outstanding balance and the $185 towing fee. Needless to say I knew they would come for my car, so I started hiding them far from where I live. I'm in the 230's, started parking on 207st, yes 23 blocks away. I garaged the Benz there and would park the Tahoe on the street. All was good, i started paying down some of that debt, until one evening at work. From the parking lot at work, Bay Plaza Mall, they towed my Benz. They found me, lol. 11:30pm and I was like, 'Ok, I know I parked here.' I knew they had finally found me and instead of finding the Tahoe, the found the Benz, f..k!!!!!! I now had a week to pay the $3500 or they would auction off the Benz. That they did, sold for $27000, took their $3500 and send me the $23500. I still owed $22500 to the bank. Lost my Benz and got $1000 in return. What a mess.
By Abbadon5 years ago in Wheel