Movie Cars: Vanishing Point

 The movie Vanishing Point was released in 1971. This movie is about a car delivery driver, Kowalski and his journey to get a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Colorado to San Francisco. The catch is, he made a bet to get that vehicle to California in less than 15 hours, so you can imagine all the antics involved. This movie created a huge fan base for the 1970 Challenger and made the car even more popular than it already was. 

There were actually 5 Challengers used during the filming of the movie (which were on loan from Chrysler). The Challenger in the movie was white but rumors are that one of the cars used actually went through a repaint. It is said that during one of the scenes, you can see some green paint when the main character, Kowalski, was changing a tire. 

We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center hope you enjoyed this segment of Movie Cars featuring Vanishing Point. Wishing you a happy Fall season! 

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Movie Cars: Bullitt

 

Bullitt was a film that came out back in 1968. This movie starred Steve McQueen and the famous 1968 Mustang. The film was action packed and featured a very iconic chase scene. If you have not watched it, I recommend it, it’s a classic! The 1968 Mustang that was featured in this movie became extremely popular and belonged to a few owners over the years. 

It lived with a man named Robert Kiernan and moved around the country as their family did. The car was basically in hiding, but when Ford released the Bullitt edition car back in 2001, the Kiernan family wanted to try to get the car back on the road. Unfortunately, Robert passed away back in 2014, but his son Sean was able to get the car road worthy. He even brought it to some shows including the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. The Mustang was later sold at a Mecum auction for a record breaking $3.74 million!!

Fun fact, when Robert Kiernan owned the Bullitt Mustang, Steve McQueen tried to buy it from him but Kiernan would not let it go. McQueen really loved the car when he was making the movie and wanted to own it for himself. 

We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center hope you enjoyed another segment of Movie Cars. Stay tuned for more exciting history on other famous cars in film. 

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Movie Cars: Rebel Without a Cause

 

Welcome to a new segment, Movie Cars! This segment will be going into details on several famous cars that appeared in movies. Thought it would be interesting to talk about some pop culture but of course revolve it around cars. The first one up is James Dean’s 1949 Mercury Coupe that was featured in the movie, Rebel Without a Cause. The Mercury Coupe was made by Ford and marketed to be a family vehicle. The Mercury was not the fastest car and James Dean’s character in the movie needed a race car. Some aspects of the vehicle were modified to make it go faster as it could run the quarter mile in 21 seconds. 

The famous 1949 Mercury Coupe now resides in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, California. The vehicle did not only become famous for its appearance with James Dean but its style. Many Americans and hot rod enthusiasts fell in love with this car for its customization and stylish appeal. 

We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center hope you enjoyed this new segment. Stay tuned for more Movie Cars to come!

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Why do my headlights get yellow over time?

 

When you look at older cars, you can notice that their headlights are yellow and foggy. Unfortunately this happens as your car ages due to a few conditions. The first being oxidation. Oxidation is when your headlights get foggy and cloudy due to the UV rays  from the sun. From the manufacturer, your headlights come with a clear coating to prevent oxidation, but over time it does wear off. Once it is worn off, the sunlight turns your plastic headlights yellow. Other things that can affect your headlights are:

• Debris: Rocks, road salt, and other road debris hit your headlights as you drive. Over time this wears down that protective coating and creates scratches. 
• Dirt: Dirt will collect on your headlight causing the light beam to appear dim. This can alter the way you see as you drive down the road. 
• Water Vapor: When headlights are made, they are manufactured with a watertight seal. Unfortunately, over time this seal can break causing condensation to form inside. This cannot be wiped away unless you take apart your headlight. The water that is inside will scatter the light, making it even harder to see at night. 

Fortunately there are some things you can do to keep your headlights clean and clear. 

1. Try to park your car in shaded areas to limit the exposure of the sun, thus slowing down the oxidation process. 
2. It is important to wash your car often, and when you do, make sure you hit those headlights. Washing them with regular car soap will remove any dust, dirt, and debris causing your headlights to appear foggy.
3. You can polish your headlights with a polishing agent and cloth. This will remove yellowing. 

Unfortunately, yellowing of headlights comes with the aging of your vehicle. Fortunately there are several ways you can slow down this process. We here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center hope you found this helpful and stay safe on the roads!