Honda Delays Updates, Pricey Lucid, After-Market Paint Protection

Summary

Car Stuff Podcast – Episode 325 Summary
Episode Title: Honda Delays Updates, Pricey Lucid, After-Market Paint Protection
Date: May 12, 2026
Hosts: Jill Ciminillo (solo host this week) with Sam Fiorani (Guest/Co-Host, Auto Forecast Solutions VP)
Special Guest: James Melfi (PPF Product Manager, XPEL)

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Overview

This episode of the Car Stuff Podcast delivers a lively deep dive into recent automotive news – with a focus on Honda’s delay of new model generations, the end of the Tesla Model S, and a hands-on review of Lucid’s high-end Sapphire sedan. The show’s centerpiece features expert guest James Melfi, who explains the ins and outs of paint protection film (PPF), its growing role in car customization, and installation insights. The episode wraps up with a heartfelt quiz tribute and a discussion of classic cars, infotainment systems, and interior design annoyances.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catching Up and Classic Car Shows (01:55–06:19)

• Jill introduces the episode and welcomes Sam Fiorani as co-host, replacing Tom Appel, who is “out doing super secret spy stuff” ([01:55]).
• Both hosts share fun car show stories, including:
  • Sam judged the Greenbrier Concours in West Virginia: Best in Show went to a “two-tone green Duesenberg Model J” ([04:10]). “It was a beautiful car. It was a great show. Lots of fantastic owners with great stories.” — Sam Fiorani ([04:14])
  • Jill reminisces about attending the Lake Mirror Classic car show in Lakeland, FL with her dad ([04:50]).
• Touches on judging classic cars, particularly "malaise era" vehicles from the 1970s–2000 ([05:35]).

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2. Industry News: Tesla Model S, Chinese EVs, Lexus TZ, Honda’s Plans (06:53–13:02)

• Tesla Model S Production Ends ([07:08]):
  • “They are not making any more Tesla Model S’s. That’s it. That’s the end. Started in 2012.” — Jill ([07:11])
  • Sam recalls the test drive when the Model S launched: “We need to win the lottery. We want this car.” ([07:21])
• Chinese EVs Head to Canada First ([08:03]):
  • Geely (parent of Lotus) will export EVs to Canada—“the first automaker to do so”—while U.S. tariffs keep Chinese EVs out ([08:03]).
  • “It’s just testing the water and it’s kind of Canada fighting against the United States.” — Sam ([08:44])
• Lexus TZ Debuts as a 3-Row EV ([09:18]):
  • All-electric version of the Toyota Highlander/Subaru Getaway; U.S. arrival expected by year’s end ([10:10]).
  • Noteworthy: Highlander/Getaway built in Kentucky, Lexus version imported from Japan.
• Honda Delays Major Model Updates ([10:43]):
  • Honda scrapping near-term EV plans, extending production cycles for Odyssey, Accord, HR-V, and Acura MDX ([11:13]).
  • “I don’t know how much longer you can extend the lifespan of the Honda Odyssey… It’s really dated.” — Jill ([11:29])
  • Sam’s analysis: “The transition to electric vehicles has been too fast. There were far too many models, not enough demand… This extension of all these models—Honda is only one of them.” ([11:29])
  • History: Second-gen Accord spent 20 years on the same platform with numerous refreshes ([12:28]).

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3. Lucid Sapphire Review & Electric Road Rally Impressions (13:11–18:27)

• Lucid Sapphire Test Drive ([13:11]):
  • Jill recaps the Trinity Road Rally in the Bay Area, driving the $250,000 Lucid Air Sapphire.
    • “It has more than 1200 horsepower… 0 to 60 in like 1.89 seconds… This car just hugged the road.” ([13:26])
    • “It was probably one of the best cars I’ve ever driven on a racetrack… Even though it’s a track-purposed car, it is an amazing everyday driver and has more than 400 miles of all-electric range.” ([15:49])
    • Favorite (tongue-in-cheek) feature: “The best massaging seats I’ve ever experienced in a vehicle. The whole seat vibrates.” ([16:13])
    • Only complaint: “It had a sueded steering wheel. That’s it. Everything else about the car is perfect.” ([16:29])
• Comparisons and EV Charging ([17:24]):
  • Sam shares experiences with Lucid Touring, Cadillac Lyriq V road trip: “We got to charge from 18% to 97% in about an hour. Very fast charging.” ([18:01])
  • Both hosts discuss accessible fast charging and interactions with other EV owners ([18:13]).

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4. Infotainment Systems, Apple CarPlay, and UI Frustrations (18:27–23:11)

• User Experience Issues:
  • Jill: Frustration with Kia Telluride’s system: confusing navigation between Apple CarPlay and built-in radio ([19:22]).
  • Sam: “Manufacturers have spent so much time developing infotainment systems… they should be able to get this right and they can’t. I have yet to get into a vehicle where I go, I loved that system. Everything was perfectly intuitive and nothing is.” ([21:10])
  • Both hosts agree wireless charging and seamless interface switching should be standardized ([22:16]).
  • The constant learning curve for auto journalists jumping between brands ([22:36]).

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5. Feature Segment – Paint Protection Film (PPF) with James Melfi, XPEL (25:42–46:38)

What Is PPF and Why Use It? ([26:04])

• Protection: “It’s a physical barrier for your paint… a film that can go on the paint, stop rocks, prevent scratching, and preserve your car.” — James Melfi ([26:04])
• Evolution: Started as protection for bumpers, but now used for whole cars, aesthetic enhancements, and color or finish customization ([27:15]).
• Stealth Satin & Colored PPF: Products for custom matte/satin effects or to get that Porsche paint-to-sample look on any car ([27:51]).
• Installation Advice: “Definitely want to bring it into a place… to get a truly flawless install… the professionals come in.” ([29:15])
• PPF vs. Vinyl Wraps:
  • Vinyl = mainly cosmetic, 3–4 mils thick, fades faster
  • PPF = double thickness (8 mils), self-healing topcoat, chemical/abrasion resistance, longer-lasting ([29:58])
• Removability: Designed for safe removal, revealing “perfect paint underneath,” allowing for repeats or resale ([31:18]).
• Durability/Warranty: Designed to last 10+ years, tested worldwide ([32:59]).
• Cost Range: Depends on coverage:
  • Bumper: $600–$700
  • Full car: $7,000–$10,000+ ([33:57])
• Customization: Target coverage for high-wear zones possible (e.g., door edges, kid-kick panels) ([36:55]; [37:08]).

Interior Protection & Design ([37:26])

• Glossy “piano black” interior trim can be protected or visually customized with stealth/matte/interior-specific PPF. “Why do we have so much of this material in modern cars?” — James ([37:52])
• Stealth/matte options popular for Tesla screens, center consoles ([38:47]).

PPF on Matte Paint Cars ([40:20])

• Essential for matte OEM paints due to special cleaning needs and repair difficulty ([40:20]).
• XPEL’s Stealth V2 product intentionally color-matched to Ferrari, Maserati, BMW OEM matte paints ([41:07]).

Fun With Product Development ([42:24])

• James: “Never a dull moment—we’re constantly putting our products to the test, new products to the test, doing a full job and then just throwing rocks at it.” ([42:24])
• Question from Sam about achieving coverage on modern, complex car shapes (diffusers, contours), answered with details about software patterning and precision cuts ([43:22], [43:42]).

How to Learn More ([45:14])

• Website: xpel.com
• Instagram: Frequent posts of dealer installs and projects ([46:09]).

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6. Social Media & Community Notes (48:26–49:46)

• Sam and Jill share all their social handles; Sam gives a shout-out to quarterly reports with AutoLine, and newsletter info on infotainment ([49:46], [50:11]).
• Jill: Videos on YouTube/TikTok (“your daily dose of drive”), hashtag #cardujour ([48:58]).

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7. Dedication and Quiz Segment (51:31–59:17)

• Jill dedicates this week’s segment to the late Randy D. Meyer, the show’s former producer ([51:31]).
• The quiz focuses on the Pontiac Fiero, a beloved topic for Randy. Sam “aces” all core questions, details Fiero trivia (first mass-produced American mid-engine sports car, Chevy 2.8L V6, five model years, 1984 launch, plastic body panels) ([52:28]–[56:02]).
• Bonus (Gunsmoke-related), Sam misses it: Doc Adams was a surgeon in the Civil War before becoming Dodge City’s doc ([56:49]).
• Sam: “I feel happy that I have made it through.” ([58:37])

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8. Final Community Shout-Outs and Closing (59:17–End)

• Sam plugs the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles’ new wing grand opening in August ([59:17]).
• Website: boyertownmuseum.org
• Jill teases future discussions about confusing General Motors model names.
• Episode closes with thanks to Sam, producer Margaret, late producer Randy, and Tom. “Let’s talk about cars next time, next week.” ([60:00]–[60:53])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We need to win the lottery. We want this car.” — Sam on his first Tesla Model S drive ([07:21])
• “For the right person, [the Lucid Sapphire] is that much better: 1200 hp, 0–60 in 1.89 seconds… one of the best cars I’ve ever driven on a racetrack.” — Jill ([15:45])
• “Manufacturers… should be able to get [infotainment systems] right, and they can’t. I have yet to get into a vehicle where I go, ‘I loved that system. Everything was perfectly intuitive.’ And nothing is.” — Sam ([21:10])
• On paint protection: “If you have matte paint… PPF is absolute must. If you get a scratch, you can’t polish it or you’ll make the matte paint glossy.” — James ([40:43])
• “I think we can have a lot of fun [developing PPF]. We’re constantly… throwing rocks at it.” — James ([43:11])
• “The pattern [software] is part of what I think makes XPEL pretty special.” — James ([35:51])
• “I am handing you the virtual signature of the quiz…” — Jill to Sam, on winning the Fiero quiz ([58:43])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:55] – Show opens; Sam Fiorani joins as co-host
• [03:37] – Greenbrier Concours classic car judging story
• [06:53] – Automotive news round-up (Tesla, Geely, Lexus TZ, Honda delays)
• [13:11] – Jill’s Lucid Sapphire hands-on review
• [18:27] – Infotainment frustrations & Apple/Android integration talk
• [25:42] – Feature interview: PPF explained with James Melfi (XPEL)
• [48:26] – Social media wrap-up, newsletter info
• [51:31] – Quiz tribute to Randy D. Meyer (Pontiac Fiero focus)
• [59:17] – Boyertown Museum announcement and episode close

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This robust, friendly episode covers new car news, the quirks and realities of modern infotainment and electrification, and gives a fascinating look into after-market paint protection and customization culture. A must-listen for enthusiasts and regular drivers alike!

Transcript

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[Podcast Narrator]

Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you've come to the right place. Join Jill and Tom as they break down everything that's going on in the auto world. New car reviews, shopping tips, driving green electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, I'm just gonna jump right into the show because we have a lot going on today. First up, I'm Jill Simonello. I'm not Tom Appel. He is out today doing super secret spy stuff that we can't talk about at a location that we can't mention, but it may or may not have something to do with donuts. Second, I'm going to point out we have a new producer this week. So I want to say hello and welcome to Margaret Larkin and thank her for taking us on. And finally, since Tom is out, I've asked Sam Fiorani, our regular guest, the vice president of global forecasting at Auto Forecast Solutions, to join me as co host this week. Your title's a bit of a mouthful, but thank you for joining Us.

[Sam Fiorani]

Thanks. Thanks for having me. This is great. I really enjoy the show and glad to be here.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, well, we always enjoy it when you are on and so I'm glad I get more of you. I think Tom is going to be jealous. First I get to meet you in person at auto shows and then I have used my co host.

[Sam Fiorani]

Poor Tom. You know, I. I hope to run into one of these shows one of these days but you come to the east coast so we get to see you.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. Yeah. You're stuck with me instead. I'm sorry. So do you have a good weekend? Everything good?

[Sam Fiorani]

Everything was great. It was a really good Mother's Day. The whole family got together and we got to hang out and eat some good food and put on some good weight and show everybody how much we love them.

[Jill Simonello]

That is always good. Yeah. I was in Indianapolis yesterday. We went to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game as a family. We took my mom and it was always a good time. But yeah, so it was up at 5am this morning driving back from Indianapolis. That was the not so fun part.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yeah, no, I can see that. Definitely. We had a car show last weekend where we got to drive to West Virginia to go to me to judge a car show, the Greenbrier Concord. And we've been going there every year for about seven years. It's a fantastic car show. Lots of nice pl. Lots of nice vehicles. A beautiful setting because it's the 150-year-old Greenbrier Hotel and it's just a spectacular place to go and hang out with judges that I get to see three times a year at different car shows.

[Jill Simonello]

So. So what, what car won?

[Sam Fiorani]

The winner was a. The best of show was a Duesenberg and it was a beautiful green on green. It was a two tone green Duesenberg Model J. And my wife and I got a picture of it and the owner of the car handed us the trophy to hold it. It's a giant crystal vase or like we really don't want to hold this thing. It's beautiful. And we're standing over a stone floor. You know, I don't want to drop this thing. But it was a beautiful car. It was a great show. Lots of fantastic owners with great stories. The cars they bought 50 years ago and still own. It was. It was amazing to hear the tales.

[Jill Simonello]

That's cool. I, you know, when my parents lived down in Lakeland, Florida, we would always go to the Lake Mirror Classic car show. And that was like the big thing that my dad and I would do every year in October. And I always love like going around and looking at the cars and you know, I've never, never one to judge but I've always loved the design and you know, a lot of pictures I've taken over the years and I've made a couple of pillows out of the pictures or of the classic cars I have like if you're watching this on video, I have a great picture of a pillow that is a split window Corvette. And so always had a lot of fun with the design of classic cars over the years. But certainly, certainly not a judge.

[Sam Fiorani]

I really think you would be a good judge. We will take you under your wing and show you the ropes and figure out where you fit in my class this year. The, the head judge at this one has known me for a long time and I always say that I, I play wherever he needs me to fit in because he has a lot of specialists that, that are really old cars or racing cars and, and I'm not necessarily those specially, but I can fit in anywhere. And this year I was in the malaise class. So all the cars were mid-70s to. The newest car was a 2000 actually. And they were, you know, the bland cars of the 80s and 70s cars I grew up with.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, the bland cars.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yes. Yes.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, okay. I'll just, I'll just nod and smile at that. Bland cars. Well, I do want to dig into some news. We have a really great show ahead of us. So news and you know, I want to talk a little bit about where I was last week. And then we have a great guest coming up in our middle segment. Sam, you know we have James Melfive. You looked up hopefully at some of his stuff from Expel. I think this is going to be an interesting conversation. And then I have a quiz with a twist for you at the very end.

[Sam Fiorani]

Looking forward to it.

[Jill Simonello]

Yes. Okay, so news I don't know if you like. I was a little bit out of touch last week. So I was playing a little bit of catch up today and there were a couple of stories that really caught my eye from the past week. And the first was the last Model S rolled off the line.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yeah, I saw that when I saw all the signatures across it.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, yeah. So they are not making any more Tesla Model S's. That's it. That's the end. Started in 2012.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yeah, we got to test drive one when they opened the store in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. And my boss and I got out of the car, looked at each other. We need to win the lottery. We want this car. It was such a spectacular drive and it's a bit of a part of history losing that car to the past.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, yeah. I mean it had a good run, but this is the end. So shed a silent tear for the Model S. It is now gone. But in other electric news, I don't know if you saw this, but Geely is now going to be the first Automaker to export EVs to Canada.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yeah, they're bringing in the Lotus sports car from China and they've been planning to build that, to sell that in the U.S. but the laws for software and hardware and all the tariffs and everything have prevented it from hitting the streets. But we've been anticipating it for a long time. And Canada gets it first.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, Canada gets it first. I mean the interesting thing is right now in the United States what we have 100% tariff on Chinese cars they are going to be letting in. It says up to 49,000 Chinese made vehicles into Canada per year at a 6.1% tariff.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yes. And they're going to increase that limit to 70,000 I believe in a few years. But this is just testing the water and it's kind of Canada fighting against the United States. The tariffs that the United States got last year were pushing back on all the, the relatively small production that Canada has and it's, it's important to the US that those vehicles are built and all the parts come across. So Canada had, had to push back somehow and they said, oh, we're going to bring Chinese vehicles in.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. So I mean I just, I think it's a matter of time before they make it to the United States. And I think this is an interesting place. So I'm going to be, I'm going to be watching very curiously to see what happens over the next couple of years with Chinese built vehicles in general coming into the United States. So the other bit of news that caught my eye and Tom and I have been talking about this for a couple months now and we anticipated this would happen and it happened. Lexus launched the tz which is an all electric version of the Toyota Highlander and the Subaru Getaway. So built on the same platform as those two vehicles, three row electric ev. And you know, when the Highlander came out, Tom and I were like, I have a feeling this will probably end up in the Lexus lineup. And here it is.

[Sam Fiorani]

The interesting part about it is the Highlander and the Getaway are built in Kentucky, whereas the Lexus is going to be imported from Japan. So they are built in different plants

[Jill Simonello]

now and that is going to be very interesting. And I know that they're saying obviously the Lexus version is going to have a much more high end, you know, look and feel, especially to the interior. But yeah, so the same platforms and they're actually expecting it to be in the United States by the end of this year. So I think, I think that'll be interesting. And then the other story I was kind of following, if you have any other news you want to add after this, let me know. But the other story I was kind of following was Honda, because of scrapping their EV plans, you know, they have essentially a 15 billion dollar price tag that they have to make up the difference for. And so they've decided to extend the generations of the Odyssey, the Accord, the HR V and the Acura mdx. I mean, I'll be honest with you, I don't know how much longer you can extend the lifespan of the Honda Odyssey. Like that is probably, I think it's the second oldest minivan in the segment and it is the last time I drove it. And I'll be honest with you, it's been a couple of years, but it's really dated.

[Sam Fiorani]

Yeah, absolutely. Honda has. We anticipated something like this coming because the transition to electric vehicles has been too fast. We knew that the manufacturers would never sell the number of vehicles they brought out. There were far too many models, not enough demand for them and it was going to take a lot of money for manufacturers to sell them, to push them out to the consumers. So when Honda had in their plan all these electric vehicles, what are they going to do when there's no demand for those electric vehicles? And so we anticipated this extension of all these models. It's just Honda is only one of them. We expect this from other manufacturers as well. Honda is just the first one to come out and tell you that we're going to extend these products.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. So I think that's interesting. I don't know if that means they're not going to be refreshing them at all or if they're just waiting to bring the next generations out. So tbd, we'll see.

[Sam Fiorani]

There are a few refreshes and a couple new models coming that are going to be gas and hybrid for next generations, but yeah, they're rolling over the current models and extending them quite a bit. Honda has in the past done this for a long period of time. The second generation Accord was actually a 20 year car. It was refreshed four times or five times, but it was on the same platform for a long Time, right?

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. So, I mean, maybe nobody will notice. So, like I said, I was a little bit out of touch last week. Was there any other news that I missed that maybe we should be talking about?

[Sam Fiorani]

Well, you had said that you had driven the Lucid, and I wanted to hear your review of that because I'm getting one tomorrow.

[Jill Simonello]

Oh, okay. Yeah. So I just spent the last week in the San Francisco Bay Area participating in the Trinity Road Rally, which is a time speed distance rally. Essentially, you get like a route book and you have to follow the route and then you have to be at a certain location at a prescribed speed and time. And so there's math involved and a lot of coffee. And it was, it was a lot of fun. It was only 500 miles, so. And it's. It's done by the founders of the Rebelle Rally and it was a lot of fun. But unlike the Rebelle Rally, you get actual sleep and your days are much shorter and you get to shower. So that was, that was great. But the real star for me of the Trinity was we were driving the Lucid Sapphire. So this is the super special sport car version of the Lucid Air. And it is. I mean, it was amazing. So first off, I'm going to say this cost $250,000. And so you might say $250,000, that's like $150,000 more than the Grand Touring. Is it really that much better? And I'm going to say for the right person, it is that much better because it has more than 1200 horsepower. So that's like 400 more horsepower than the Grand Touring is going to get.0 to 60 mile per hour. Time is like 1.9 seconds less than 1.9. I think it's 1.89 seconds. And so very fast. And we were driving on some very twisty, turny roads. And I mean, this car just hugged the road really well. It has a triple motor setup, so you have like power going directly to the rear wheels. It's got advanced torque vectoring. It's got a more aggressive cooling system because of more energy being passed through the system. Dedicated track modes and sapphire modes with special like track tuning and things like that. And then carbon ceramic brakes, stiffer suspension, chassis tuning. And like on the roads that we were driving, it was. I mean, it was so smooth and I, I just, it didn't struggle at all when we were driving around. And then we got on the racetrack, we actually went to Sonoma Raceway and we had the opportunity to do some turns there and I, I have to tell you, that was probably. Even though it's a little bit heavier, obviously because of the lower center of gravity, it was probably one of the best cars I've ever driven on a racetrack because it would go when you needed it to go. It would. And we enabled the one pedal driving. So you just like lift your foot off the gas and it just slows down and it's, it, it's not herky jerky. Once you get the hang of how that works, it was so magical. And I mean I've loved everything about this car from the seat comfort to the overall visibility out of the windows to. I mean even though it's a track purposed car, it is an amazing everyday driver and has more than 400 miles of all electric range, which is more than most cars. Now. Okay, the Grand Touring version is going to have more than 500 miles of range, but I mean it literally has all the things you could possibly want on it. And I kept joking around during the, during the rally and I was like, well, you know my favorite thing about this is the massaging seats. And I mean that's not absolutely my favorite thing, but it was pretty, it was pretty good because they were the best massaging seats I've ever experienced in a vehicle. Like the whole seat vibrates. I mean it was just, I can't find. Okay, if I had to pick one thing out about the car that I didn't like and this is a stupid knit to pick, it had a sueded steering wheel. That's it. Everything else about the car is perfect. So I loved it. And I have driven, you know, the Grand Touring version of the Air as well, which is also amazing. So you are absolutely going to love the car. I have to say if the Model S has to go, the Lucid Air is more than a worthy replacement.

[Sam Fiorani]

I got to drive a rear wheel drive lucid briefly a couple years ago at an International Motor Press association event. And so I'm getting a touring tomorrow and I'm looking forward to driving that. All the electric vehicles I've had recently have been incredible cars. And when we drove to West Virginia a couple weeks ago, we drove a Cadillac Lyriq V. So that was my longest trip on in an electric car. So you had to plan out where you were going to go. And so we, we found a Walmart that had a charger and fortunately it had a cracker barrel so we could sit there and eat lunch. But it was, it made the trip very easily. We got to charge from 18% to 97% in about an hour. So it was very fast charging. I got to meet some electric people, electric drivers who were charging next to us and talk to them and find out what their experiences was with their car. But the Cadillac V was just an incredible car, and everybody. I gave everybody a ride in it who was around, and they all just loved the car.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, so I have to ask, are you Team carplay or not?

[Sam Fiorani]

Well, I'm Android, but.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, well, Android Auto, yes.

[Sam Fiorani]

But, yes, I have a problem with the systems that they have set up in some of these cars, even the ones that actually have Android and Apple CarPlay, because they don't allow you to move fast enough to change a station before it tells you your eyes are off the road too long. I'm like, well, if you would do it faster, I wouldn't have to look off the road. And I could do this much quicker. But the Cadillac, the Lyriq, still has the Apple CarPlay in it, and it was very handy. However, I preferred the system that the GM had in that particular one because the map was larger. And I like to listen to Sirius, so it was easy to listen to. They're serious, as opposed to the one through my phone.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, I want Apple CarPlay because of my podcasts and my music, but I love the native systems that they have on General Motors vehicles because of they tell you where to charge, they tell you how much range you're going to have when you get to charge. My whole thing is, why can't you have both? And that just makes sense to me. But, you know, I was in the Kia Telluride driving to and from Indianapolis. And so you speak about things like not moving fast enough. One of the problems I have with the Telluride is I haven't found the easy way to navigate between Apple CarPlay and the native system. And so when, like, I would be in Apple CarPlay and I wanted to, like my husband, I should say wanted to because I, even though I'm driving, I'm not in control of the audio. My husband would want to change the radio station. And in order to do that, you had to get out of Apple CarPlay, go into media, you know, get into the. In the vehicle that we had, didn't have Sirius, so he had to get into the FM radios and scroll through. Then if you wanted to go back to Apple CarPlay, he kept hitting the button on the bottom to go back to Apple CarPlay. But that takes you into Apple music and not, you know, where you were. So you have to go back to the home screen and then get into, you know, Apple CarPlay through that. And so I, they didn't have like General Motors vehicles actually have this, a little left hand navigation that easily puts you back and forth between the native System and Apple CarPlay. And I was kind of missing that in the Kia. I feel like you've written something about this recently about like, like systems. I don't know if it was specifically related to CarPlay, but about infotainment systems.

[Sam Fiorani]

Well, CarPlay and Android Auto were part of it. I've been complaining for years that manufacturers have spent so much time developing infotainment systems and software defined vehicles and such that they should be able to get this right and they can't. I have yet to get into a vehicle where I go, I loved that system. Everything was perfectly intuitive and nothing is. And I can't imagine why all these software engineers haven't been able to get to the right system where you have that menu where you can click quickly to whatever screen you need to get to and go back and forth. There's a piece in our Auto forecast monthly this month about why they can't do this. And it's more of a question than an answer because I don't have the answer as to why they can't do it. But I have all the reasons, all the issues that I have with them and, and the test vehicle I have has so many issues that I won't name the vehicle itself, but it does have a particular problem with the infotainment system as, as well.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, I, I, my, my, my question is why can't automakers figure out wireless charging in cars? So I, I feel you on, on the infotainment it's seems like why do we keep reinventing the wheel when, when you find something that works, like why, why can't we just, why can't we just keep it?

[Sam Fiorani]

Well, eventually I expect us to have it set up like our phones, like, like Windows, like, like Macs where it, everything, everybody knows where everything is and it's easy to use. And Tom has in the past complained about the Mazda system, but my Mazda I've gotten used to very quickly. But the problem is that when we test cars and we change a car every week, you have to quickly acclimate to that car and figure out how it works and where's the system and do I need this knob? Can I touch it on the screen however it works and how to get from menu to menu quickly and efficiently.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, I mean don't even get me started on gear shifts because they're all different. Well, on that note, I think we need to take a little bit of a break and when we come back, we are going to have James Melafi, who is the PPF Product Manager for Expelon, and he's going to tell us what a PPF is and why you probably want it on your car.

[Podcast Narrator]

Questions or comments? Drop us a [e-mail] that's carstuffinsumerguide.com

[O'Reilly Auto Parts Announcer]

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[James Melfi]

Oh oh, oh, O'Reilly Auto Parts,

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[Podcast Narrator]

Welcome back to the Car Stuff podcast.

[Jill Simonello]

All right, and we are back and we are here with James Melfi, who is the. Am I saying that right? By the way, Melfi, that was perfect.

[James Melfi]

Honest, perfect.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay, James Melfi, the PPF Product manager at Expel and yeah, I just. Can you tell us what a PPF is and can you tell us a little bit about Excel before we even just get into the questions.

[James Melfi]

Absolutely. So obviously, paint protection film is kind of what we're known for at expel. Right. You know, in short, paint protection film is. It's a. It's a physical barrier for your paint. Right. It is a film that can go on the paint, stop rocks, prevent scratching, and preserve your car. That's what it is. In short. Right. Obviously, there's a lot of crazy technology that goes into it that allows it to perform at the highest level, get the best possible esthetics, all those things, but it's there to save your paint. Right. We spend all this money on our cars, and we love our cars, and. And they kind of get beat up every day, right. You know, rocks and sand and salt and you name it. And this is that barrier to kind of preserve long term. And, you know, we've kind of been at the forefront of that technology for years and years and years, and we keep trying to push.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. So, I mean, as you said, it was originally more of a protective film, protect your car. But I'm starting to see a lot of PPFs come out in colors and designs and, you know, it seems like it's becoming more of a fashion statement. I mean, is. Am I. Am I seeing things? Is this becoming popular?

[James Melfi]

No, that is 100% the case. You know, so we obviously started out with gloss paint protection film, but we all. We all know. And, you know, I've been in the industry for. For too long, you know, a long, long, long time. And, you know, obviously then it was just, you know, we did the bumper, you know, then you did kind of the partial hood. And, you know, so it's. It's, you know, back in PPF infancy, it started at very basic kind of front of the car protection. You know, let's stop some rocks. Then it morphed into, okay, now people are starting to do the whole car. Right? And then it was, okay, now let's kind of bridge the gap between just a protective product and enhancing what you already have in terms of your paint. And then now let's. Let's modify. Let's kind of. Let's change some things up. And that's where we kind of have like our. Our stealth product, which adds like this really cool satin kind of effect, matting effect to the paint. So if you have maybe the color that you want, but you just want to, like, you want something totally different, right? That's where stealth kind of creates this really cool satin effect. And then recently we launched our color paint protection film, which is. I always say it's like okay. It's the protection and it's the color that you've always wanted. It's like that. It's the Porsche paint, the sample color that you couldn't get, but now you can't. Right. At the same time still doing the protective side. So yes, it is definitely a thing and I think what's cool about it is I think, you know, if you're, especially if you're doing a full car, you know, it's, it's an investment, obviously it's an investment to protect, but it's like at the same time, if you can kind of create your own identity with that, why not? Let's do it. So for sure.

[Jill Simonello]

So I mean, how easy is it to install a ppf? I mean, can somebody do it themselves or do you recommend that they bring it into like a place?

[James Melfi]

Yeah, yeah, definitely want to bring it into a place. I mean, I think I learned that long ago when I was first getting into it. Not as easy as it looks. Right. So we definitely recommend go to the, you know, an authorized expel dealer. Those are the professionals. It is something where it's like, oh it, you know, it looks, it looks easy. It's like soap and water. You move it around, you start squeegeeing. But it truly, to get a truly flawless install, all the edges wrapped and just, you know, if you want to go up to the car and not really know it's there, that's where the professionals come in.

[Jill Simonello]

Right. So how, how is this different than just like a vehicle wrap or is it the same thing?

[James Melfi]

Yeah. So you know, historically vinyl wrapping films have kind of been the solution for color change and adding graphics and stripes and you name it over the years. Right. That particular film isn't, is more of purely esthetic. So you're getting a color, you're getting, call it 4, 3 to 4 mils of material. So that's really not going to stop a rock. It's really not going to prevent scratching. It does fade over time and that, and that's where you know, that product is always sat in the marketplace. Paint protection film, double the thickness. So 8, 8 mils of protection verse 4. You have a top coat that resists chemicals and abrasion. And if you do get minor scratching, we have a self healing top coat that can with heat magically they all go away. So it's from up, from a technology standpoint, it's yes, it is much more of a protective product but it's also designed to last much, much, much longer than, than say like Traditional wrapping films.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay. No, that makes a lot of sense. Okay. But Sam, like sick of the color or the wrap or whatever and I want something different or I want to go back to my original. Like how is, is it possible to remove it? Is it difficult? Like what does that look like?

[James Melfi]

Yes, good question. Yeah. So the film is designed to be removed at some point. Right. Obviously we have a very robust warranty. It's 10 plus years. It's, it's, it, it's there for the long term. However, every, every, every vehicle, every, every customer journey is different. Right. And I, and I always, I like to kind of put this in perspective. The 911 customer, right. Maybe takes it on the weekends, garages, it babies, it loves detailing, loves to add layers of quick detail and what have you. That film is going to last aesthetically for an incredible amount of time. Right. Because it's just not taking the wear as much as let's say, you know, like Toyota Sienna minivan with three kids and there's a lot of touching going on, a lot of grabb. That film is going to obviously take a beating over, over, let's say a shorter period of time. So let's say that, that, that, that owner of that Sienna at the five year mark, they go up to it and they go, you know what? Wow, this was a, this was the sacrificial barrier. I mean this thing has taken some hits but I can, the beauty of it is they can take all that, that battered ppf, they can remove it and unveil perfect paint underneath just like the first day they bought it and then they can either decide, okay, maybe it's time to sell that car or let's put new film on and kind of start that cycle all over again. That, that's the beauty. It's, it's designed to be removed safely and, and preserve the underlining paint. Yeah.

[Jill Simonello]

So how long would the PPF typically last from the beat up Sienna to the baby Porsche?

[James Melfi]

Yeah, yeah. So it's designed to at least hit that 10 year mark. You know, that's where our warranty and we do, we run tons of testing in our lab to ensure that it does meet that. So we do, you know, weathering, we'll do crazy heat, add water to the mix and try to basically have the film go and be subjected to a variety of different factors. We throw rocks at it, you name it and we'll do this all over the world. So we'll put it in Dubai and we'll do it in South America and we'll do it in China just to ensure that what the customer is experiencing is going to be true across the world. So.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, so meant to last. Yes, meant to last. That's good because I can't imagine this is not. And expensive. Like how, how much is getting PPF going to cost?

[James Melfi]

Yeah, definitely depends on, on the customer, right? It depends on the level of coverage. So you know, when, when a, when a, when a customer comes to a, you know, an authorized facility and they're talking, the conversation I think they should have is, okay, what should we cover? You know, and that's dependent on the vehicle. I mean, sometimes, you know, a customer may just do the front bumper and that's a great baseline. You know, I mean, it's better than nothing. Let's at least cover an area that's going to get subjected to the most wear. And then there, you know, then there's also a conversation of what kind of paint is it? Is it a soft paint, is it hard paint? Because it's so scratch resistant. Sometimes wrapping a jet black car where you, you typically have to walk on eggshells to not scratch it. If we did the whole car in ppf, now we have a surface that's hard to scratch. So for that customer, wow, that makes so much sense. Now the difference from doing the front bumper only to a full car is quite different. Right. We're talking, you know, front bumper might be 6, $700 to, you know, and a really advanced full body install could be upwards of, you know, 7, 8, 9, $10,000 depending on how much you're doing. What, what level of install are you trying to achieve? I think that's another huge factor that kind of determines cost is are we taking a lot of the car apart to really like hide and tuck everything and all those kind of come into play. And I think when you go to an expel facility, those are the conversations I think you should have. It's like, okay, how much do we do? Where do we do it? All those kind of things come into play to determine the price.

[Jill Simonello]

No, that makes a lot of sense. So if somebody decides to just get the front bumper done, can you tell like that they had it done or if it's done right? Like you shouldn't be able to tell, right?

[James Melfi]

Yeah, I mean that's the ultimate goal, right? I mean our patterns are software, so to kind of give you a little deep dive in there. So we have dap, which is our software. What that means is if you have, let's say that Toyota Sienna you type in 2026 Toyota Sienna, your trim level and all the patterns of all the panels populate so you can look at that bumper and it's pre cut, ready to form fit to that bumper. Now, in doing, let's, let's say we're talking about clear ppf in doing that, you're right to the edge. You're really never seeing those lines. I mean, every bumper is a little bit different, but you could also extend that pattern, wrap around edges so it becomes like this completely seamless installation. That's obviously a possibility too. So a lot of room for, to modify and kind of create exactly what the customers is looking for. But the foundation, that pattern is kind of a part what I think makes Expel pretty special.

[Jill Simonello]

No, that's really cool. So, like, what I'm hearing you say is you can custom, like if you've got kids that like to kick the side of your Sienna minivan door, you can just do that one side panel so that you don't get tick marks on it.

[James Melfi]

100%. 100%. And I think about that all the time. I mean, my daughter right now is at the age where she's just like the hands are all over the side of the car, right? And it's like, you know, I got a new car recently and I haven't done it on the sides. And every time she comes up and I'm like, oh, no. But yeah, yeah.

[Jill Simonello]

So this is, this is kind of a random question for you that just occurred to me. And I don't know if this is similar something that you do or if it's something completely different, but I hate black lacquer on the interior of vehicles. And I've recently heard of people like wrapping it or covering it. Is that something that expel would do or is that like something completely different?

[James Melfi]

No, 100% something that we do. And that also drives me crazy as well. Just seeing the swirl marks on the piano. Black trim. It's like, why do we have so much of this material in modern cars? But the automakers love it. Right? So we do have patterns specific to those areas. Many, many, many, many times. Great example. Like this, this new car, I have same thing, center console, all gloss black. I mean, if I, if I put my, my arm there inadvertently one time, it's scratched. Right? So something we do have patterns for. Yes. And it again, it makes, makes that surface number one look incredible. Incredibly, incredibly glossy. But at the same time, like, let's bump up the scratch resistancy, you know, times 10.

[Jill Simonello]

So if somebody didn't want it to look like black lacquer. Could they, like, cover it in like a matted surface or like, are there, like different color options too, for the interior?

[James Melfi]

Yeah, so. So it's the same. It's the same material as the exterior. It's that same 8 mil, super robust, self healing film. But you can do our stealth, which is that matted effect that's incredibly popular, especially like Tesla screens and things like that. You could certainly do it in color. Like, I, I've kicked around the idea of like, okay, do I take the. Where the carbon fiber trim is and just do like a pop of color? You know, something, something. Something crazy. So certainly something you can do the pat. You know, you have the choice to pick the material and then obviously the patterns are there to cut anything that you'd like.

[Jill Simonello]

Now that's. That's really cool because like I said, my. One of my current big design pet peeves in cars right now is the black lacquer. And somebody's like, well, you know, you can cover that. And I was like, what? What do you mean you can cover that? So when, you know, we were talking about covering things, I was like, wait a minute. This might be the moment. This might be the thing. Yes.

[James Melfi]

Yeah. It takes an awful. An awful thing and makes it fun. You know, now you don't have to walk on eggshells. And I think that's, that's like PPF was, was created to stop rock chips. Right. But there are so many other great benefits to it. And for me, my favorite is the scratch resistance. You can have a paint that's typically really, really tough to maintain over time. Really soft, easily scratchable. And after that install, you make it so much easy to live with. You can wash it without fear, you can wipe it without fear. And I think for the car enthusiast that, that knows that struggle, I think that's a huge value add.

[Jill Simonello]

So, like, I. I'm thinking somebody who has matte paint probably specifically would benefit from putting a PPF on, because, like, I know whenever I get a test car that has matte paint, they're like, do not take it to a car wash. You know, do not do this, do not do that. And I'm just like, why would anybody want this paint? It looks cool. It looks really cool, but, like, very high maintenance.

[James Melfi]

Yes. I mean, we talked about, you know, walking on eggshells. I mean, matte paint, it's one of those things where if you do get a scratch, it's not like we can grab a polisher and start polishing. Right. If you do that we're going to make tip turn the matte paint glossy. So we're, you're very limited in terms of maintenance. Not to mention you need matte specific shampoo and matte specific quick detailer and all this stuff. You need all these things that aren't readily available. Right. So I think from a, from a matte OEM matte paint perspective, PPF is absolute must. Because if you do ever get to a point where you need to go to the body shop, then becomes the matching issue. Not every body shop is going to be able to match that paint. So if you're really trying to preserve and not kind of go down that refinishing road later, full body matte ppf. And we designed our, our Stealth product to have a very similar sheen to a lot of OEM matte paints. So we were, when we were in development of our version 2 stealth, which just came out that the beginning of this year, you know, we're going to Ferrari, we're going to Maserati, we're going to BMW, the frozen paint and we're just seeing, okay, how does our product look in comparison to that, that paintwork. And we wanted to have it be in line with as many OEMs as we, as we possibly could for that reason.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, no, it makes so much sense and I thank you for that. Of all the things that you've worked on because you've been with Expel for a while, do you have like one project or one like really cool thing that you got, you have worked on that just kind of stands out in your mind, One really cool thing?

[James Melfi]

I'm trying to think, I like to think we have fun every day. We get, you know, in product development, it's never a dull moment. You know, we, we constantly are kind of putting our products to the test, new products to the test, doing, you know, doing a full job and then just throwing rocks at it. I think, you know, that's, that's where we, I think we can have a lot of fun. I'm trying to think of a, of a specific, you know, instance where we just did something crazy. But you know, our, our team is a relatively small team, but, you know, we're, we're just constantly, you know, doing wacky stuff because there's always one area of the world that will run into a situation and we gotta try to either replicate that or prevent it in the first place. So I, that's where I think we, we like to have a lot of fun.

[Jill Simonello]

That's cool. So is there anything that I didn't ask you about. Or Sam, is there anything. Questions that you had that weren't answered before we wrap up?

[Sam Fiorani]

Yeah. I was thinking about the designs of modern cars and how many contours and such that a lot of them have. In the 90s, a lot of the cars were smooth and had very, very few intricacies about the design. How do you get around the contours of a modern car?

[James Melfi]

It's a great question. Yeah. So obviously, dap our pattern system. That's where that is an absolute lifesaver because it's all patterned and digitized for us. And, you know, let's say I'm trying to think of a, you know, let's, you know, like a Lamborghini revolt. Oh, rear diffuser. Okay. Pretty crazy. We can say so with that. Obviously, it's all patterned for us. And there's what I would call relief cuts. So what a relief cut is you have. You have this one bumper, right, this one pattern, but within the pattern are all these little incisions to allow the film to contour, to move this way, to move that way. Obviously, there is installation technique, there is stretching involved to allow the pattern to sit in a certain way. But what makes that possible are the patterns, to be honest. And sometimes that also means multiple pieces. So, like that diffuser part alone, you got to get underneath the car and contort your body to get to it. But that might be ten individual little pieces just for that one little piece of the car. But that's what makes it. That's what makes it possible.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah, Well, I just can't imagine, like, all of the intricacies it takes to, you know, and the exactness that it takes to do something like this. We are running out of time. But how can people. If people want to know more about Expel or ppf, how can people find out more information?

[James Melfi]

Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think the best place to start is expel.com. go there, have some fun, watch some videos, you know, read a little bit more about our product, our massive product offering outside of ppf. That would be the first place to go. And then. And then go on the dealer locator. Find a deep. Find a. Find a dealer local, you know, to. To themselves, and then just, you know, if they're interested in what. Whatever it is. Ppf, window film, ceramic coatings. I think the. The best place to start is to talk with the professional, have the conversation, bring your car, you know, kind of talk about what the issues are, what, you know, I do. You already have chips do we have to fix them all those kinds of things? I think that is a great place. If you're really trying to kind of deep dive into, into these types of products, have the conversations in person, I think they'll have a, a great start.

[Jill Simonello]

And do you guys have like Instagram presence so that people could like, actually see what you're working on?

[James Melfi]

Absolutely. Yep. We share, we share all the time on, on Instagram, a lot of our dealer projects. So if you're really trying to get a sense of what goes into a PPF install, which is, it's, it's pretty intense. That again, that's a great place to start. 100%.

[Jill Simonello]

All right. And so to be clear, it's xpel.com

[James Melfi]

yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Jill Simonello]

All right. Well, thank you, James, for joining us today. I think this is a great conversation and we hope you'll come back and join us again sometime soon.

[James Melfi]

No, I appreciate it, Jill. Thank you, Sam.

[Sam Fiorani]

Thanks.

[Jill Simonello]

All right, so when we come back from our break, it is going to be quiz time.

[Podcast Narrator]

Questions or comments? Drop us a line at carr [e-mail] that's [e-mail]. Check engine ABS or maintenance light on. Take the guesswork out of your warning lights with O'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE Certified Master Technicians. And if you need help, we could recommend a shop for you. You ask for O'Reilly Veriscan today.

[James Melfi]

Auto parts.

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[Podcast Narrator]

Welcome back to the Car Stuff podcast.

[Jill Simonello]

Before we get into the quiz, Sam, let's talk a little bit about social media. How can people find out what you're doing, what you're working on and just kind of check out your stuff?

[Sam Fiorani]

Well, we're on YouTube and we're on Twitter and all the things. Like you say we're auto forecast on most outlets, but if you're interested in what we do, LinkedIn is a great place to check us out. And are you on the social media?

[Jill Simonello]

I am on the social media. I am, as you said, on all of the things I do a lot on YouTube and TikTok. I upload videos daily for what I like to call your daily dose of drive. So be sure to definitely check me out there. But Also Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, Facebook, all the things you can find me at Jill Simonello. And I use the hashtag car du jour because I feel like I'm always driving a different car. So it's the car of the day. But yeah, so all the things. And I'll give a shout out to Tom too, even though he's not here. You can find him on bluesky and Twitter or X at Car Guy Tom and he will be back next week.

[Sam Fiorani]

We just had a new video posted on autoline where we worked with them and put out a quarterly report and we're looking to do that every quarter with autoline, so check that out as well.

[Jill Simonello]

Awesome. That's even more ways to find out what's going on in Auto forecast solutions. And you mentioned the, the issues with infotainment systems earlier and where, where can people find that?

[Sam Fiorani]

That's on our newsletter. So if somebody contacts me on LinkedIn, I can give them a complimentary copy of the, of our newsletter.

[Jill Simonello]

Awesome. Okay, so reach out to Sam. You can find him on LinkedIn. Okay, so before we get into the quiz, I do have a little bit, I have to get a little bit serious for a moment because the reason that we are changing up formats this week is because our former producer, Rayden D. Meyer at talkzone passed away unexpectedly. So we are a little bit in mourning at the moment. And Tom and I wanted to definitely express our condolences to his family. And you know, he will be, he would be very, very much missed. I will especially miss him because he would give me clues and hints during the quiz when I was flailing, especially when Tom would be referencing music that I have no clue about. So I'm going to miss Randy and send many condolences to his family. But to honor him, what I wanted to do this week is I'm going to dedicate the quiz to him. And we had many conversations about Pontiac Fieros. He used to have one. And so the topic of the quiz this week is the Pontiac Fiero. Okay. All right, so here's where the twist comes in. I created a quiz for you and Tom was like, well, you better make it hard because Sam knows a lot about the Pontiac Fiero. So then I went to ChatGPT and I said, can you create a quiz for me on the Pontiac Fiero, but make it really hard for somebody who knows a lot about the Pontiac Fiero? So I'm going to give you the choice of would you like to take the quiz that I originally created or would you like the ChatGPT quiz? And I will have Tom post the one that you did not choose on Facebook so people can see what the other quiz look like.

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, you're torturing me. You're torturing me. I want to take the ChatGPT one, but I have had issues with AI and the quality of its answers in some cases, so I kind of want to lean towards the. The one that you created.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay. Okay. Well, let's hope I got the answers right myself because I do not know a lot about the Pontiac Fiero. Okay, so question number one is going to be true or false. The Pontiac Fiero was the first mass produced mid engine civil sports car built by an American automaker.

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, there were lots of mid engine cars and, and Chevrolet tried to bring out a mid engine Corvette years before, but by an Amer. Oh, by an American automaker.

[Jill Simonello]

Mass produced.

[Sam Fiorani]

Okay, let's. Let's do mass produced. Okay, so we'll, let's go with.

[James Melfi]

Yes, true, you are correct.

[Jill Simonello]

I, I will say the. Tom, you have one point. He likes to say I have no points, but you have one point. And the way this goes, because this is just a, a one person quiz, you have to get three out of five to win. The bonus is included. And. All right, you've already got one, so you've got to leg up. Okay, so question number two. Which company helped develop the 2.8 liter V6 engine used in later versions of the Pontiac Fiero? Was it a Chevrolet or B Buick?

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, General Motors had a lot of V6s in the 80s. And, and they were all similar sized and, and similar design, but not exactly. And the Chevrolet 2.8 liter was originally designed for the, for the Citation in 1980. And so it was the Chevrolet V6.

[Jill Simonello]

Ding, ding, ding. You've got number two. Good job. All right, see, you just took the easy way out. The Jill quiz. Okay, so the question number three is going to be true or false. The Pontiac Fiero was produced for only five model years. True or false?

[Sam Fiorani]

Five model years. Yeah, that's 1984 through 19. The 1988 model year. That would be five model years.

[Jill Simonello]

That is correct. And you've already got the next question I'm going to tell you. So question number four. In what year was the first Pontiac Fiero released?

[Sam Fiorani]

Yes, that was the 1984 Pontiac Fiero. It was an incredible introduction when it came out because it was so different. And in my high school, it was a big deal that that was the car you really wanted to have. Not that any of us could afford it, but it was. It was very desirable at the time.

[Jill Simonello]

All right, so you. You've already got four. You've already won. You already won the last question. Okay. But I will give you the final question and the bonus question anyway. Okay, so the final question is true or false. Early Pontiac Fieros used body panels made from composite plastic rather than traditional steel exterior panels.

[Sam Fiorani]

The Pontiac Fiero did use plastic body panels, and as a matter of fact, the paint was in the body panel itself. The color itself was in the body panel. So the original model year only had three colors.

[Jill Simonello]

See, you just told me more than I knew. And, yes, you were correct. So you got five out of five. So maybe ChatGPT would have had the more difficult quiz for you.

[Sam Fiorani]

ChatGPT might have, but I. I trusted your. Your answers more than chat GPTs.

[Jill Simonello]

Oh, I don't know. Some. That requires research on my part, and I'm not infallible, so. But yeah, so five out of five, you've already won. But as Tom likes to say, because the bonus question is always related to the topic of the day, and it kind of is in a tangential way, because Tom and Randy would talk about Gunsmoke all the time. All the time. And I'm just like. I have no idea what you're talking about. So the last question is going to be related to Gunsmoke. All right, Are you ready for this?

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, I'm so looking forward to this.

[Jill Simonello]

On Gunsmoke, what was the profession of the character Doc Adams before he became the town doctor in Dodge City? Was it, A, an army scout, B, a riverboat gambler, C, a surgeon in the civil war, or D, a traveling preacher?

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, man. I want all of them to be right, and I want to hear the stories. You know, the riverboat gambler, the preacher. I'm listening for the stories right now, but I'm gonna have to go with preacher.

[Jill Simonello]

No, surgeon in a civil war.

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, there you go.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah.

[Sam Fiorani]

Gunsmoke was on forever, and I just. It's been a long time since I've seen it. And I know Tom watches it, like, every week.

[Jill Simonello]

I think he watches it every day. I really, really do. But, like, no, I mean, after we would be done with a show, like, he and Randy would talk about Gunsmoke for a half an hour afterwards, and I'd just be like, I got nothing to contribute to this conversation. I'm gonna just drink more coffee.

[Sam Fiorani]

As much as I enjoy MeTV, I don't sit down and watch Gunsmoke too often, but I will watch Batman or. Or the. The bad movies that they have on every Saturday night. That. That's entertainment.

[Jill Simonello]

Yeah. When I was younger, I would do AMC a lot, so I saw a lot of the old shows and the black and whites through that. But Gunsmoke was never. Never one of the ones. Was never never one of the ones. But, yeah. So good job. You got everything except for the bonus.

[Sam Fiorani]

Oh, thank you very much. Thank you. I feel happy that I have made it through.

[Jill Simonello]

Well, I'm giving you the virtual signature of the quiz, and I am, you know, handing it to you via zoom at the moment. I will frame it, signed the quiz, and hand it to me. And I'm just like, okay, I can now plagiarize your signature. Got it. But I feel like we've talked for an hour already, and I feel like we had a really good episode. And is there anything else that you want to close out with or anything else you want to say?

[Sam Fiorani]

Well, I want to let people know that, as Tom points out often I sit on the board of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, and we are opening a new wing to the museum in August. So if you're in the area, we would love to have you swing by. The grand opening is the end of August, and we're going to. We're going to virtually double the space that we have on display for our vehicles. If you haven't been to the Boyertown museum, there are 50 or 60 vehicles on display right now. And then we're going to double the display with another 40 or 50 vehicles in the new one.

[Jill Simonello]

And website that people can go to

[Sam Fiorani]

to find out about that, it's Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. I believe it's dot org.

[Jill Simonello]

Okay. And it's Boyertown with a B, as

[Sam Fiorani]

in boy, B O Y E R Boyertown.

[Jill Simonello]

Got it. Not to be confused with V as in Volt, which drives me crazy that General Motors would do that to their vehicles. But that's another story for another time. Okay, so that is a wrap on episode 325. Of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast. I want to say thank you to Sam for joining me as my co host this week, and thanks to producer Margaret for taking us on. Our sincerest thanks go out to Randy Meyer and talks it own for producing the podcast for the past few years. And a big thanks, very big thanks goes out to Tom for being a great co host and for making arrangements to keep us rolling without interruption while I was offline last week at the Trinity Rally. So on that note, let's talk about cars next time next week.

[Podcast Narrator]

Remember to check us [e-mail] the car stuff Podcast is produced by J Turn Media. To advertise on the show, please drop us a line at carstuffinsumerguide.com.

[Sam Fiorani]

If you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe.

[James Melfi]

It really does help the show to grow.

[Sam Fiorani]

Thank you for listening.