Essential Car Care

The Mercedes Benz C-Class has come out to be the winner of Germany’s vote for the most popular car. As such, Adac, a motoring organization has presented the much-coveted award called “Yellow Angel 2008″ to this ultimate crowd favorite.

Adac annually presents the “Yellow Angel” for the car with the most exceptional performance and this is one of Europe’s most desired motoring awards. To qualify, cars are judged according to the following criteria: price / performance ratio, practicality, economy safety, and environmental compatibility. There were 36 cars who were up against each other and 340, 000 people placed their votes and awarded the first place to the C-Class Mercedes. As the C-Class has established new standards since its launch at March 2007, it had an addition to its already appealing design, which also was a characteristic refinement of the Mercedes: a set of the latest technical advancements. Some examples are the Intelligent Light System and the anticipatory occupant protection system called PreSafe.

Engine problem like overheating is a very common road mishap. Overheated engine is most of the time caused by cooling system failure. The cooling system actually prevents the engine from burning. In the absence of a coolant of even if just a part within the system did not function right, more often then not, it will result to overheating. One malfunction can come from a cracked and ruptured coolant hose. This will cause the coolant to attack the reinforcement of the hose weakening it in the process. Basically, this does not happen overnight. It takes years to develop hose failures. So that it is advisable to check the coolant hoses regularly because it is always true that prevention is better than cure.

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Preventive Maintenance
Going by the book. Be Up to date and follow your car’s maintenance schedule in the vehicle owner’s manual and make necessary repairs promptly. Start saving money for car maintenance as well as for repairs as you would saving money for gas. If you think you’re saving money by skipping an oil change, think again. Missing even one oil change can accelerate premature engine wear and cause engine damage. The manual contains a maintenance schedule.
Use the right stuff. When it’s time for maintenance or repairs, use only parts and fluids meeting manufacturer specifications. Using the wrong type of oil or transmission fluid, for example, could result in damage leading to expensive repairs.

Know what to look for. Problems can arise at any time and for inexplicable reasons. So it helps to get in the habit of opening the hood and looking, listening, and smelling what’s happening in your engine bay. Look for fraying or cracks in belts, and cracks or bulges in hoses. Investing in a vehicle service manual, available at car dealerships and most auto-parts stores, will help show you what to look for and assist you with minor repairs.

Maintaining a Clean Car. Get out the cleaning products periodically. Regular cleaning inside and out can make the car a more pleasant place to be as you roll up the miles, and washing and waxing can help preserve the paint and keep the sheet metal below it from rusting. Vacuuming sand and dirt out of carpets and seats can minimize premature wear that leads to tears and holes.
Reliability. Buy a car with a good track record and that which is reliable. Consumer Reports offers comprehensive reliability ratings. Buy a car that has performed well in government and insurance-industry safety tests and has the latest safety equipment, like electronic stability control and curtain air bags. If you’re going to live with a vehicle for a long time, you will want it to provide maximum safety protection.

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Looking back, people looking for street-smart yet luxurious cars can never go wrong with any of the Teana, the Camry or the Accord. These three have all what it takes to be smartly deluxe: safety (Intelligent lighting systems), security (engine immobilizers with rolling codes), performance (variable valve timings, cruise control options), styling (leather seats, woodgrain interiors accented with chrome), and convenience (profuse cup-holders, storage spaces, smart keys, rear air-conditioning vents, retractable shades, dual climate controls). Truly, these sedans are worth showing off, having their owners as proud parents of well-behaved “kids”.

(Taken from Business World Highlife magazine, Issue 30)

Restraint systems such as seatbelts, air bags and head restraints work along with the structure of the vehicle itself to protect passengers from serious crashes in an event of an accident. These restraint system keep us secure in our seats and shield us from impact during crashes when accidents occur.

• Head restraints are now required in the front seats of all passenger cars to keep your head from injuring your neck in a rear-end crash (usually whiplash-related injuries). Some head restraints are adjustable, while some are fixed.
• Seat belts are standard on all vehicles sold in America today. These secure us to to our seats during hard braking or in a crash, but seatbelts also allow mobility and of freedom of movement during normal driving.
• Airbags are a very important and very effective safety feature because it prevents us from hitting the dashboard or the steering wheel on the event of a crash.
• Side airbags are designed principally to protect your chest and keep your head from hitting interior or intruding structures.

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When you have decided to give your car a wax, it only means that you have reached the level where you already have appreciation to your car. The remarkable power and quality of the appearance brought about by a carefully waxed car can make a compelling illusion that is really surprising to behold. If the car is not given a coat of wax, there is a risk that the car will be exposed to harsh elements. At the same time that when the car is exposed to undesirable conditions, an early corrosion of the car paint may occur. Some people wax their cars just to appreciate the beauty of it while others do it as additional protection and care for their cars.

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Back to the Basics as many of us seem not to realize the danger that driving without the proper knowledge is crazy and irresponsible and practically dumb for you and your car.

As We all know, we, drivers have our fair share of a stalled vehicle experience, on the side of the road, at what is you or your car by any chance get hit by oncoming traffic because of the mere fact the other driver can’t see your broken down vehicle.

And this is were EWD or an Early Warning Device is very Helpful.

The Explanation : Driving Safety : The EWD (Early warning Device)

For those who didn’t know they have two colors, one yellow and one red, why, well the yellow one is supposed to be placed about twenty feet farther than the red one which is supposed to be placed at least ten feet from the stalled vehicle. The yellow one attracts drivers of on-coming traffic that there is something wrong. just in case they don’t see the yellow one, the red one comes into view which means, “MY CAR’S BROKEN DOWN, GET OUT OF THE WAY!” They are now made of plastic which also serves a purpose, when on-coming traffic does not see them and runs them over, it will catch their attention and alert them that something is wrong ( I assure you that they would notice it) and hopefully get them to steer away from your car in time. Hopefully even if they run over the plastic triangles it catches their attention enough for them to get them to avoid hitting your stalled vehicle and injuring you both in the process.

For the year 2007, a triple threat of sedans came out to outdo each other. First, the Nissan Teana: it’s unmistakably a head-turner with its metallic sapphire blue shade. It’s a quiet ride going on at 170-horsepower and 2.3 liters, which proved to be above satisfactory. A favorite feature of the Teana would be the onboard monitor which gives out a number of important information: mileage specifications, temperature, approximated fuel range and the like. It also has a rear camera that provides video feedback for safe turns while on reverse. The sunroof is a cool bonus, not to mention the spacious leg room.

(to be continued)

When Shiro Nakamura, an international artist and musician, became Nissan’s design chief, he has pushed that the company must be “looser and more creative” with their design concepts. Nakamura saw to it that hindrances between design and development were remedied and from then, engineers and designers were collaborated, and not anymore waiting on each other.

Koji Nagano, Nissan’s project design director, notes that, “Design is very emotional stuff.” On a more personal take, Nagano feeds his creativity with art and music. He shares in particular that he has a large aquarium at home and relates that the fish help him see colors he never saw before. “It is very organic, how the colors interact with one another.”

As with Nissan, a growing number of car designers aimed their “creative fires to animate cold, lifeless metal”. With the aesthetics and design in mind, it is best to also keep the end user in mind.

(Taken from Business World Highlife magazine, Issue 31)

Ahhh.. This is the fault of watching Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift too many times, I want to drift but don’t know where to start. So First of all, what is drifting? Wikipedia defines drifting as:

Drifting refers either to a driving technique, or to a sport based on the technique; this article deals primarily with the sport. When the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, and the front wheels are pointed in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right), and the driver is controlling this, the car is drifting.

And now the moment you’ve all been Waiting for.. The Video from Youtube

Remember.. Safety First…