What Do We Do with that Stormwater Runoff?

Posted on: May 24, 2012

The topic of “storm water” pollution is a fascinating, but involved topic, especially here in Los Angeles.  Of course, water itself being the overriding issue, and keeping storm water runoff clean as possible, while controlling flooding, is one of L.A.’s biggest ongoing issues.

Photo courtesy of Stormtech

So, what IS “storm water” runoff?  According to L.A. Stormwater, Storm water Pollution is “when water from rainstorms, garden hoses and sprinklers causes runoff that collects harmful debris and flows through local creeks, rivers and lakes – eventually draining, untreated, into the ocean.”  They add: “Even on the driest day in Southern California, tens of millions of gallons of contaminated water and debris flow through our local creeks, rivers and lakes and into Santa Monica and San Pedro Bays.  On a rainy day, the flow can increase to as much as 10 billion gallons.”  And finally, storm water flows “do not receive any treatment because of the sheer volume of runoff.”

Transferring Phone Contacts via SD Card from Audi to Audi

Posted on: May 23, 2012

The process of transferring phone contacts from one Audi to another via SD card is made up of two steps. First, exporting the contacts from the first Audi onto an SD card. Then, importing the contacts from the SD card to the second Audi.

To export contacts that are stored in the system of the first Audi:

1. Press the Name button on the MMI followed by the Memory button.
The following screen will appear:

LAcarGUY Supports Heal The Bay’s “Bring Back the Beach” Fundraiser (And you should too!)

Posted on: May 10, 2012

Keeping It Cooler Through A Clever Envelope

Posted on: May 9, 2012

You may have heard that 40% of energy is consumed by buildings. Much of that is waste coming from inefficient operational choices (like not turning off lights or A/C, or powering down computers overnight). But looking at a new building from the initial stages of design can really help cut potential waste later.

One really logical thing—when it can be done—with any commercial or residential building is “site selection”; for example, orienting your walls to take advantage of the sun for heat, and windows for the breeze to go through and naturally cool the house. It’s often a little easier to take advantage of with a home, as the very nature of retail can take precedence, like wanting display windows facing the biggest street.

2013 Audi RS5 Begins U.S. Launch

Posted on: May 7, 2012

When it comes to high-performance coupes from Audi, buyers had two choices: the compact TT RS, or the exclusive, extreme R8. These low-slung, two-seat sports cars have been favorites of young kids aspiring to own one with posters of them on the wall just as much as seasoned enthusiasts attending weekly track days. Now, Audi offers even more high-output variety with the 2013 RS 5, launching now in North America.

The new Audi RS 5 features a high-revving 4.2-liter V8 with 444 horsepower at a sky-high 8,250 rpm with 317 lb- ft of torque and a seven-speed S tronic transmission with launch control program. That’s more power than the base Audi R8, and with two more seats. This power is transferred through an innovative crown-gear center differential in the quattro drivetrain, transmitting power to all four wheels, providing exceptional traction and grip for increased performance. This amount of force is powerful enough to rocket the RS 5 to an electronically-governed top speed of 174 mph.

Mike Sullivan To Be Awarded With Community Environmental Leadership Award From Global Green USA

Posted on: April 30, 2012

LAcarGUY‘s Mike Sullivan will be honored at the 16th Annual Millennium Awards Gala in Saturday June 2nd at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica with the Community Environment Leadership Award.

This honor recognizes Mike’s personal commitment to supporting so many important local environmental organizations and for actively promoting community projects from beach cleanups to creating school gardens. When Global Green needed hybrid cars for their Red Carpet – Green Car campaign (i.e., taking stars to the Oscars in fuel efficient cars), Mike provided them.

Progress Continues On The New Audi Pacific Terminal Store

Posted on: April 19, 2012

We are one month in to the construction of the largest Audi Terminal store and the new home of Audi Pacific! On top of all that the new home for Audi Pacific, in keeping with the core values here at LAcarGUY will be a LEED Certified building!

We have a time-lapse camera set up to track the building of the new store, and periodically we will be posting those to show everyone the progress. Have a look at our latest video, despite some of the crazy weather, we are making excellent progress.

Seriously…Self-Cleaning, Smog-Eating Walls???

Posted on: April 19, 2012

We thought we’d preview a couple of the things you’re actually going to be able to SEE on the outside. Like, obviously enough, the actual exterior of the building. And there are some pretty cool bits of information about its various parts.

First, our mother company, AUDI, has somewhat recently created a new model for all dealerships worldwide, called the Terminal…mainly to create more space for cars. But—as you may have heard—Germany is pretty progressive minded in building, so they always try to think about sustainable materials and design.

To that end, our new façade will consist of a 2mm thick perforated aluminum, shaped into an outside cover (or ‘skin’) for our building, and anodized bright silver (which, btw, also increases wear resistance!). Not to be dull, it’s decorated with a pattern consisting of hexagonal honeycomb holes. This reduces the weight and gives a 3-D sort of effect.

Audi Confirms First Hybrid For U.S. Market

Posted on: April 18, 2012

by Zach McDonald HybridCars.com

Audi has confirmed that the long-awaited Q5 Hybrid will finally be coming to the United States for 2013, according to a report on Cars.com’s Kicking Tires blog. The compact crossover will be Audi’s first hybrid available for purchase in North America.

Like Being A Kid In A Sandbox: Demo, Divert, Rebuild!

Posted on: April 9, 2012

Our new building is underway, but you might be wondering what happened to it, and wondering what we did with it after demolition. We knew that, and it’s actually one of our favorite topics.

First, did you know that construction and demolition materials account for 29% of the waste stream? But many materials can be reused or recycled, and lengthen our supply of natural resources and potentially save money in the process. (CalRecycle) We’ve really evolved…all waste that would traditionally have left a facility can (mostly) now head to a few basic directions: reuse in-house, or sort into streams to be recycled (and sold) outside a company, or incinerated in waste-to-energy plants.