Essential Car Care

This is a real-world scenario that causes many accidents year after year and as with many other car troubles, totally avoidable (most of the time that is, there is the 1% in the 99% reliability of your brakes that it can fail without any apparent reason).

The key is maintenance, for if there has been sufficient maintenance on the vehicle meaning all safety and vital systems are inspected on a regular basis, there should not be any problems like this. Maintenance gives owners a chance to find problems as they begin as with brakes, yoi can see fluid from the brake system on the pavement or on the wheel rims. Hoses might be cracked or for the unfortunate few, that rock or piece of steel you ran over might have severed a brake line (actually hose) and your car is bleeding vital brake fluid needed to stop safely. Enough of the sermon and back to the point,

What do you do?
First, any sign of trouble whe in a car, hit the flasher lights to tell everybody that something is wrong. Check the area in front of you if there are any vehicles in the way, if there are then you have to find spot to go to without hurting anybody else. If you are on open road like the interstate or highway, you can try pumping the brake which might give you some stopping power and use the hand brakes intermittently till you get to a full stop, ideally off the road on the shoulder. Using the handbrake is effective, but do it slowly for pulling hard can cause the rear tires to lock and spin you in many ways than one.
The point is, to keep you calm for panic causes you to loose your objectivity. Most modern cars have dual brake systems where the front driver’s side wheel and the rear pasenger’s side wheel are connected and so are the opposite two. You can brake (but you might have to push a bit harder on the pedal) even with one system down and use the handbrake to augment them. For some more important information check out the NSC fro more details
Keep safe, drive carefully and get home safe.

Source : Study Driving via Honda Cars DIY

During the winter season, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles offers two fantastic and valuable services available at any Volkswagen Van Centers and authorized repair centers. These two services are the Express Visual Check and the Warm-up package.

The Visual Check service will give a fast and free 29-point test to all key working parts of the vehicle. It means checking all vital fluid levels like brakes and coolants, and also checking the tire treads and lights condition.

The Warm-up Package includes a number of services including car wash and vacuum, battery condition check among others. These two services are just part of the company’s commitment to provide excellent customer care.

Source

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.

Source

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.

Source

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.

Source

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.

Source

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)