Update and Happenings

A change - the Sunday, September 20 event will be a trip down Jalama Road to the Jalama Beach Grill for brunch. (Note: there is a Jalama Beach Hamburger Shack on the beach. Great burgers, but the weather or crowds may not make it suitable for eats. In that case we will head to the Shack's parent in Lompoc.) It's gotten good reviews from several local members, and the menu can be viewed at: www.jalamabeachcafe.com/ The road consists of about 150 turns each way, so a good chance to work off some of those calories. For those not familiar with Jalama Road, it is located south of Lompoc off Hwy 1 and winds its way down to the coast. We also have the option of ordering breakfast since it is served until 1 P.M. on Sundays.

There is a car event this Saturday in Arroyo Grande for anyone with a fondness for British cars. It's a fundraiser for the MS Society, hosted by XK's unlimited, with tickets at $10. Location is 1771 Corbett Canyon Road, time from 9 to 5, and there is also BBQ available. I plan to go around 10:30 and check out the cars for an hour and have lunch there. There is a website that may lead to more info, haven't checked it out: www.nationalmssociety.org

We had a good turnout Saturday for the service seminar at Coast BMW with 17 attending. We covered a lot of ground, much of the talk about service intervals. Rob Rogers and his master tech are divided on the subject of oil changes, not uncommon from what I've heard. The main point Rob stressed is that it's not the mileage but the type of service that is the main factor, and that can determined by the computer readout. Personally I will be changing mine once a year (about 12 or 13K) since the car is not driven that hard, but l will likely change the filter every 6 months to get rid of the contaminants. There is good column on engine oil in the March Roundel (Calebresians, p. 109), and he may tackle transmission fluid next month. Both Rob and his assistant were agreed on the "lifetime" auto trans fluid concept, with which Roundel's Mike Miller does not agree.......stay tuned!

Cheers, Dennis