Essential Car Care

These are some of the symptoms which may lead to brake problem although this is not the complete list you have sufficient info on what symptoms to watch out for.

Below are just a few most common symptoms that indicate a brake system problem:
- brake warning lights comes on while driving
- brake fluid level is low
- ABS warning light comes on while driving
- the vehicle pulls to one side during braking
- the brake pedal pulsates and (or) the vehicle vibrates during braking (mostly you can feel it from the steering wheel)
- the brake pedal is too hard or too spongy
- the brake pedal goes down too far
- any kind of noise while braking (e.g screeching, squeaking, grinding)
- the brakes drag (the car does not roll freely)
- smell of burnt brakes

Parking brake operation
Many people who drive automatic transmission vehicles rarely use parking brake. This may cause parking brake mechanism and cables to seize up. To check, try to set the parking brake – it should prevent vehicle from rolling. Once released, the vehicle should roll freely.
Regular mechanical inspection
For your safety, We recommend to have your car inspected regularly, at least once a year, by a qualified mechanic in a garage. I mean not just visual inspection by one of the fast lube places, but by a professional mechanic that can lift your car and check major components such as brakes, suspension, etc., while having your tires rotated, for example. This is because many components (e.g ball joints), can not be inspected visually.

Source

Via Honda Cars DIY

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.

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

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…

Jaren Cudilla Posted This really awesome Post on StudyDriving.com : Going On a Road Trip and now this is a good reminder for us and we can make this as a basic checklist template.. whenever we’re planning a roadtrip. Exciting, yes.. I love roadtrips. It’s an escape from the realities of life. Driving makes me happy inside. Driving is my Inner Peace.

Going on a Road Trip? Here are tips for a safe, pleasant, worry-free road trip.

Before planning a road trip, make sure to have your car checked or serviced first, things like under the hood (the car battery, A/C, Engine Oil) and under the chassis (shocks, align wheels, as well as the exhaust systems)

Now on the actually going to the road trip part, Before leaving make sure you check :

1. Check the Brake Fluid Level. Fill up to the recommended level
2. Radiator coolant Level. Fill up to the recommended level
3. Window wiper Washer Level. Fill up to the recommended level
4. Check Brake lights, Headlights, foglamps, and always bring a spare bulbs
5. Check Fuses, bring spare fuses
6. Fuel tank. A full tank is wise choice
7. Check tire pressure. Inflate to recommended level
8. Check your spare tire, set of car tools, Early warning Device, First aid kit
9. Maps

Simple Tips I’ve learned from driving on long road trips

1. Bring Water for all the passengers.
2. Eat light snacks to keep you alert
3. To keep you charged, drink energy drinks, soft drinks, or fruit juices.
4. Don’t drive all the way take short breaks to stretch your muscles, If you have a replacement driver even better.
5. Whenever you feel sleepy, take a rest or switch with your co-driver.
6. Listen to a happy driving song, ( I listen to Gin Blossoms & Better than Ezra, whenever I go on a road trip)

Lastly, Have fun and Safe Road Trip.

Image Source: www.importcarsfromjapan.blogspot.com
Yes Indeed. When people buy cars, one significant factor to think is safety. By that, we mean car features that can guarantee safety or at least minimize injuries during accidents and other road disasters.

MSNAutos.com reports that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers has come up with a list of safety picks for 2008 to conduct car shoppers in getting the safest vehicles possible. The safety picks were chosen from among the various car segments: small cars, minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks. The crash assessments were made in the front, rear and side of the cars and measurements were done on the intrusion into the passenger compartment, the injury on dummies, and the control of restraint systems.

Fourteen Japanese cars have completed it to the list such as Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Impreza, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, among others. Way to go, Japanese cars!

There have been recent studies that have shown that Nitrogen gas for use in inflating your car’s tires makes them last longer. Well, there might be a good scientific backing for this for many of the new muscle cars that are coming out onto the market have them in their tires.

Nitrogen being an inert gas that prevents the problems associated with regular compressed air which contains a sizeable amount of moisture that causes corrosion in aluminum and steel wheel rims. Oxygen causes oxidation which can eventually weaken wheels whatever type they may be. Nitrogen is also cooler than regular air which can translate to better mileage which may be needed due to ever increasing gas prices. As it turns out, the tires on your car looses air even if it does not have a puncture which translates to 2 psi per month compared to 6 months for nitrogen gas.

Nitrogen also causes less problems with your car’s wheel valves making them last a tad longer than usual. Wheel valves should be replaced everytime you have your tire changed to ensure they are at par with the wheel. They might be slowly leaking air which if added to the leak in the rubber tire can get you in an odd spot when you least expect it.

Also, it would be a good idea to make it a ritual to have the tire pressure checked everytime you fill up to ensure your wheels are running as designed. Uneven wear, cupping and other wheel maladies should be taken seriously for they are indicative signs of other problems such as in the suspension. Low tire pressure leads to poor mileage (it also heats up the wheels excessively even causing failure). If you have experienced having to run on a flat tire due to an emergency or unexpected flat the tire would surely be a goner for the plies of the tire tends to separate on the sidewalls for they are not designed to come in contact with the surface of the road. Till next time, keep safe on the road and off guys. Drive safely.

Thanks to Marcel for this Interesting post on StudyDriving : Nitrogen For Your Wheels