New Mercury Panel Mount Control Quicksilver Part #883710a01 on 2040-parts.com

July 11: Visiting a rival

I will take it to work all week, including Wednesday when I go to Santa Monica to drive a Nissan Leaf electric car. I wonder how they'll take to seeing a competitor in the parking lot. Not far enough to worry about range, though I will look for a charging spot in Santa Monica.

You don't have to wait until 2011 to go topless in a Camaro

Spending $16,000 or more to make a Camaro into a Camaro convertible isn't a rational decision, but we can certainly understand people wanting one. We drove the concept version of this car from Chevrolet two years ago ("Top This!" AW, July 2, 2007) and loved it. Back then, Chevrolet planned to release a convertible version of the new Camaro in November 2009, but an economic cliff intervened, pushing production to the second quarter of 2011.

GM recalls Chevrolet Sonic models to check for missing brake pads

General Motors is recalling 4,296 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact models to inspect for missing brake pads. The missing part could lengthen the stopping distance, potentially contributing to a crash, the company said today in a statement. The recall targets 2012 Chevy Sonic models.