I'm sure many of you have yet to hear of a car service called Zipcar -- well it's quite unique. Zipcar has built a business around parking cars in populated areas and selling "memberships" to drive them -- whenever you need them. The University of Notre Dame has just entered an agreement with Zipcar that calls for four cars to be parked on campus for students, faculty and staff to use at their leisure -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All they have to do is become a member -- it's $35 to join -- and you'll have use of one of the four cars. It's $8 an hour to use the car and $66 per day. You must be 18 years old. Gas, insurance, emergency roadside assistance, etc., is all included with Zipcar. Zipcar also offers a fun and functional iPhone app that will honk the horn to locate a Zipcar and unlock the doors for members. Here's a link to the Zipcar website and the release announcing their relationship with Notre Dame.ZIPCAR WEBSITE
ZIPCAR @ NOTRE DAME
I have not received a response from PhillyCarShare or ZipCar on how they are handling Toyota's recent recall of Corollas and Matrix vehicles, which both companies have in their fleets. This should be information that members of both companies should be aware of as they make reservations.
ReplyDeleteToyota recalls 2005-08 model Corollas, Matrix for engine stalling
Toyota Motor Sales USA today announced that it will conduct a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 1.13 million 2005-2008 Model Year Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles sold in North America to address some Engine Control Modules (ECM) that may have been improperly manufactured. No other Toyota or Lexus vehicles are involved in this recall.
On vehicles equipped with the 1ZZ-FE engine and two-wheel drive, there is a possibility that a crack may develop at certain solder points or on the electronic component used to protect circuits against excessive voltage (varistor), on the ECM's circuit board. In most cases, if a crack occurs at certain solder points or on certain varistors, the check engine may illuminate, harsh shifting could result, or the engine may not start. In limited instances, if cracking occurs on particular solder points or varistors, the engine could stop while the vehicle is being driven.