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Car tyres in good condition are not an excuse for driving fast in heavy rain. There is a high potential of aqua planning, significantly reduced visibility and you may encounter a flooded road.This article provides advice about driving in heavy rain and what to do if you encounter a flood.During the winter months regularly check your windscreen wipers to ensure they can cope with heavy rain. If the rubber has deteriorated, replace it immediately. It’s very simple to do or local garage will be happy to help.If caught in a downpour then double the distance between yourself and the car in front. This is because stopping distances are increased on wet roads as your car tyres struggle to find grip. Visibility is also reduced which will lower your reaction time if required to brake suddenly.Even today’s modern road surfaces struggle to cope with a heavy downpour and standing water is a potential hazard. Try to avoid standing water and slow down. If you don’t there is a high risk of the car aqua planning.Aqua planning occurs when the car tyre’s tread pattern is unable to disperse enough water to maintain a point of contact between the tyre and the road. This makes the vehicle uncontrollable with the loss of steering, grip and a sensation of driving on ice. It can be a very frightening event as I’m sure anyone who has experienced it will agree. The best advice when it happens is to hold your steering wheel lightly and lift off the accelerator until your car tyres regain their grip.If you’re unlucky enough to break down in heavy rain, stay with your car but check you are not in a location that is at risk of flash flooding. Your engine may have been affected by the water and in many cases the car will restart when it has had a chance to ‘dry out’. If you have called for assistance do not prop the bonnet open until help arrives. This will cause the electrics to become rain-soaked and the car will be even harder to restart.The rain may be so heavy that you experience a flooded road. The AA provides some good advice about how to deal with this:1. Do not drive through flooded water unless you know how deep it is.2. Stay in the middle of the road. This is known as the crown of the road and should be where the flood water is shallowest.3. Drive slowly to avoid creating a bow wave, which can cause neighbouring houses to be flooded.4. Pass one vehicle at a time through flood water. Allow the oncoming traffic to pass first.5. Do not risk driving through fast moving water as your car can easily be swept away.6. Driving at speed through a flood can cause expensive damage. Even a small quantity of water sucked into the engine through the air intake will cause serious damage.7. As you drive through the flood water, keep the engine revving by slipping the clutch. This prevents water in the exhaust which may stall the engine.8. Test your brakes as soon as you leave the water.Car tyres in good condition will be able to cope with most wet driving surfaces. But with heavy rain or a sudden downpour extra care must be taken to avoid a possible accident or injury.

Some of the first electric vehicles showed up in the 1830s. Back in the early days of trucks, some ran on batteries. But the batteries were heavy, and you needed a large number of them. A truck was the only vehicle that could carry its own power supply. Not only that, but just about everything that could have gone wrong for electric vehicles did go wrong.First, Cadillac introduced the electric starter for combustion vehicles in the early twentieth century. That made combustion engines safer to operate, and removed a big argument for electric vehicles, even back then.Second, improving the combustion vehicle was easier and cheaper. Ford made combustion vehicles cheap enough for just about any worker to afford. That cramped the electric vehicle market in a serious way.Due to high fuel prices we are starting to see electric cars crop up again. The Toyota Prius is a hybrid-part electric, part gas-burning-but vehicles could make the move to entirely electric soon. So it’s smart to start thinking about electric cars as a viable option.But do electric cars really make sense?The biggest argument in favor of an electric vehicle is saving money on gas. But that argument might not wash, because the net savings over the time you own the car might be much lower than the savings per year might make you think. The problem starts with the purchase price of hybrids, which are close as you can get to an electric vehicle the average person can buy.You’ll probably pay $3,000 more for a Prius than for a similar non-hybrid sedan. Let’s say you save $300 per year on gas by driving the hybrid. That means you’d have to keep your car for 10 years to break even. Only after that point do you start saving anything. Most people won’t keep their cars for over a decade, so they never see the savings on gas.The second biggest argument in favor of an electric vehicle is saving the environment. But does it?There are a couple varieties of electric vehicles on the market today, some costing less than others. Both use electricity to run, though, and most electricity comes from burning coal. Not only that, but manufacturing the batteries produces even more greenhouse gas emissions.Based on where you’re charging your hybrid, your electricity might be produced by burning a significant amount of coal, and you might not be helping the environment at all. Your Prius might be responsible for generating as much greenhouse gas as any combustion car.That does not mean electric vehicles are a pipe dream, but it does mean we have a ways to go before a truly environmentally friendly, economical electric car becomes a reality.

Car tyres in good condition are not an excuse for driving fast in heavy rain. There is a high potential of aqua planning, significantly reduced visibility and you may encounter a flooded road.This article provides advice about driving in heavy rain and what to do if you encounter a flood.During the winter months regularly check your windscreen wipers to ensure they can cope with heavy rain. If the rubber has deteriorated, replace it immediately. It’s very simple to do or local garage will be happy to help.If caught in a downpour then double the distance between yourself and the car in front. This is because stopping distances are increased on wet roads as your car tyres struggle to find grip. Visibility is also reduced which will lower your reaction time if required to brake suddenly.Even today’s modern road surfaces struggle to cope with a heavy downpour and standing water is a potential hazard. Try to avoid standing water and slow down. If you don’t there is a high risk of the car aqua planning.Aqua planning occurs when the car tyre’s tread pattern is unable to disperse enough water to maintain a point of contact between the tyre and the road. This makes the vehicle uncontrollable with the loss of steering, grip and a sensation of driving on ice. It can be a very frightening event as I’m sure anyone who has experienced it will agree. The best advice when it happens is to hold your steering wheel lightly and lift off the accelerator until your car tyres regain their grip.If you’re unlucky enough to break down in heavy rain, stay with your car but check you are not in a location that is at risk of flash flooding. Your engine may have been affected by the water and in many cases the car will restart when it has had a chance to ‘dry out’. If you have called for assistance do not prop the bonnet open until help arrives. This will cause the electrics to become rain-soaked and the car will be even harder to restart.The rain may be so heavy that you experience a flooded road. The AA provides some good advice about how to deal with this:1. Do not drive through flooded water unless you know how deep it is.2. Stay in the middle of the road. This is known as the crown of the road and should be where the flood water is shallowest.3. Drive slowly to avoid creating a bow wave, which can cause neighbouring houses to be flooded.4. Pass one vehicle at a time through flood water. Allow the oncoming traffic to pass first.5. Do not risk driving through fast moving water as your car can easily be swept away.6. Driving at speed through a flood can cause expensive damage. Even a small quantity of water sucked into the engine through the air intake will cause serious damage.7. As you drive through the flood water, keep the engine revving by slipping the clutch. This prevents water in the exhaust which may stall the engine.8. Test your brakes as soon as you leave the water.Car tyres in good condition will be able to cope with most wet driving surfaces. But with heavy rain or a sudden downpour extra care must be taken to avoid a possible accident or injury.

DMV road tests normally last for about twenty minutes or so. During those twenty minutes, you’ll need to prove that you’re a good driver, and that you’re ready for your license. You may even get nervous and make a few mistakes. Yes, your examiner will be in the car with you, and he or she will be watching your every move, but it’s to ensure that you drive safely and responsibly. Once you prove that you know how to do just that, you’ll be given your drivers license!Your examiner will WANT you to pass. If you have studied, practiced, and prepared well enough, you should have nothing to worry about. From the moment you pass your written test and earn your learning permit, you need to prepare so that you’ll pass the DMV road test. You can do this by pretending that your licensed passenger is your examiner. Have him or her to watch every move you make, including your turns, stops, parallel parking, backing up, parking, etc.You also need to make sure that you understand all the laws in your state. Remember, laws vary from state to state, and in some cases, county to county. Make sure you’re well aware of: the speed limits in your area, parking laws, crosswalks, and so forth.In order to make sure that you pass the DMV road test, you should get yourself some online driver’s education as well. You can receive driving secrets and tips online that aren’t found anywhere else. Failure is horrible; therefore it’s in your best interest to pass the DMV road test. You need to practice and study. You need to have the knowledge that your examiner will have. The only way to ensure that you do is by reading the secrets and techniques online.

In winter, the weather conditions are rarely favourable and the roads are slippery and icy and in these circumstances, it is important that you keep your car well checked and have the emergency equipment to help you stay out of trouble. The snow on the road makes you lose traction, and so does increased speed. Therefore, you should be careful not to further reduce the already lost traction by increasing the speed. When there is ice, don’t rush yourself. If there is somewhere you need to be on time, you should leave early to leave enough margin for the delay caused due to the ice on the road.

The accelerator should be pressed only lightly and you should drive the car at a smooth and steady speed. You should avoid using any kind of jerky motions during driving. Don’t turn the steering wheel with a jerky movement and if you want to take a turn, do it smoothly and slowly. Bring the car almost to a stop when taking a turn that is a right angle as it is while taking this kind of turn that the car is most likely to skid.

You should try to avoid going on roads that are not used frequently. This is because the conditions on these roads are more dangerous. Other than that, you should also be extra careful when passing bridges, overpasses and shadowy areas. You should scrape ice from your windshield to make sure that your visibility is not affected. You should keep yourself on the lookout for black frost, which can suddenly catch you off guard. Bridges and intersections are places that are the most treacherous of all, in terms of icy conditions. Be careful of spots where the water runs across the road as these spots are likely to have black frost. The black frost is transparent and invisible and can mislead you.

Be sure to keep the headlights and taillights of the car free of any ice or dirt so that the other motorists can easily see you when you when the lights are turned on. Scrape the ice from the windshield, but never use hot water to remove the ice as this can cause the windshield to crack.

No matter what type your car is, it is important to keep the car in complete control and handle it as required by the road conditions. This is because it is the skill and practice of the driver that counts more.

The important thing is not to let your attention on the road get diverted, as this can cause accidents. If there is a slide, you should not overreact and should ease on the accelerator and let the car come out of the slide naturally. Turning the steering wheel unnecessarily will only make the slide worse, and the car will take much longer to get to its normal condition. If you feel your nervousness is increasing, you should pull the car over to a side and should proceed when you feel calmer.

Your car is one of your possessions that you can hardly afford to lose. Many activities now of modern living would call for the use of a car, with the pace of life now much faster compared to the days before the wheeled vehicle came into being. Moving about your day-to-day activities without a vehicle could mean a more tedious and time-consuming routine for you. Thus, it is necessary that you have the appropriate measures in your home designed for avoiding auto theft.It is best to have a completely closed and locked garage for your car as an essential part of your house. This will ensure that you sleep better, knowing that your vehicle is safe from any thief who may try to steal it. Imagine what effect it will have on you if you wake up in the morning to find out that your car is missing!A car parked inside a locked garage is definitely much safer than a vehicle parked in the open in your driveway. Insuring a locked garage for the night is mandatory to protect your main means of transportation in going to your place of work, in conducting your kids to school, in marketing for the needs of the family, and so many other movements you have to do as part of your daily routine.A pet dog sleeping in an area in your house right next to your garage is a very effective warning system that you can have as part of the security measures for the car as well as for the entire house. Your canine friend, with its strong sense of smell and hearing, will always detect anybody in the vicinity and wake you up with its barking in case an intruder comes near your place. A car thief, on hearing the dog’s bark, will likely back away from any bad intentions he may have.Install security gadgets in your garage, electronically activated, to create an alarming noise in case an unauthorized person intrudes into the building. Again, this electronic gadget is a practical warning device that not only alerts you of a potential thief, but on its own, may even scare the intruder away before he can do anything.Other instances that may expose your car to theft include those times when you park it in unattended public lots for long periods. Avoid leaving your car in these places. Even when you have to park on the road there may be instances when thieves attempt to steal it. When you park along the road turn your wheels sharply toward the curb, so when somebody attempts to take it, he cannot just drive away easily. It will be prudent to install an automatic steering wheel locking device in your car for added protection.Make it a habit always to lock your car when you park it, to make sure that if one is thinking of stealing it he cannot do it as easily compared with an unlocked vehicle.Sound alarm devices placed inside the car, with its wiring integrated with the vehicle’s electrical system, is also a practical warning system. Once there is an unauthorized attempt to open the car doors the gadget inside creates a lot of noise that attracts the people around and scares away the potential car thief. If you are within hearing distance, you can call the police right away for assistance.

Since the initial inception of the automotive dealership showroom, it has been said that the trick to selling cars is how you guide potential customers through the process of buying a car. For years, this very important step in the process was done via the telephone. As with all good things, new inventions come about, technology changes and the introduction of new ways to do business such as the introduction of the Internet, and emailing now affords consumers a whole new way to communicate. Because of this, the sales process changed and things became a little slower to complete. Dealers were not able to identify customer needs as quickly and as a result could not as easily help the buyer understand the car buying cycle.Now that cell phones and PDA’s have become common place, Honda Los Angeles Dealers offers constant communication and access to information online available 24/7. We are starting to see an even greater reliance on electronic communication. The current generation is heavily into things such as Instant Messaging and blogging. The use of instant messaging for most people has helped to bridge the gap between consumers and dealers. By allowing consumers to move at their own pace through the buying cycle online, dealers still keep in communication with customers and have the chance to gather information about the consumer and what their interests are.Consumers have seen this as an opportunity and now dealers such as Audi Seacoast and Ford New Hampshire have the challenge to either accept the change or fall behind in the race to keep consumers on board. Many dealers are now starting to implement features such as Live Chat on their web sites to allow sales personnel to engage in conversation with consumers while they are online shopping. Consumers can ask questions while dealers provide the details that consumers are looking for. This allows dealers to draw consumers in and still have the possibility of getting that ever sought after “Internet Lead” that every dealer so desperately wants.Some dealers are adjusting better than other in the internet leads race. Technology allows Southern Maine Chevrolet Dealers to respond to these customers through auto responders and template emails. Dealers have quickly learned that speed is of the essence when trying to convert an internet lead into a sale. He who responds first has a greater chance of closing the deal.The dealers that learn to adjust with the times and understand the usefulness of today’s technology will gain an extreme advantage over the dealers who choose to look the other way. Consumers are more savvy with want they want in an automobile as well as how the shop for one. How they shop will be forever changing with the latest technological advances.As with any new technology, there are concerns about the costs and maintenance of systems such as this, but as dealers are finding, these solutions are very low cost and easy to implement and can easily allow dealers to compete for these Internet-savvy prospects.

You may be surprised to find out that the United States consumes a quarter of the world’s oil supply but only carries three percent of the world’s oil reserves on its own territory. As a result,

Many experts are under the impression that the introduction and popularity of hybrid vehicles in the

The purpose of a car’s cooling system is not only to remove excess heat. It is to keep the temperature of the car engine in tip top shape at that temperature to prevent excess damage and wear to your automotive engine and its components. Why chance excess wear and tear as well as expensive repairs to your motor vehicle – whether it is S.U.V., car, truck or van?Rust will fill and clog the passages of your radiator over time. Why chance expensive engine damage? Why take the chance of ruining an otherwise good vacation or trip due to little more than heat damage to your engine. Damage to your engine from excess heat is created over time. By simple routine radiator and cooling system maintained you can prevent much of these troubles, cares and concerns. Preventive maintenance is how airplanes are cared for. Why not treat your car of SUV in this same manner? It all comes down to a regular maintenance and inspections schedule.Rust may clog the passageways of your car or SUV’s radiator. Hard water deposits a scale much like the mineral scales that clog your coffeemaker, humidifier or kettle at the lake cottage. These mineral scale deposits reduce heat transfer in your radiator. Simply put your radiator will not be able to cool your car engine. Your car or SUV will overheat. Your car engine, trip vacation at least your day will be inconvenienced and perhaps ruined. Even more if two different metals touch inside your radiator system them electrolytic corrosion can and will occur. Further trouble and radiator damage is possible.If conditions are ideal or more than ideal for rust to form – rust is guaranteed to form and deposit in the waterways of your vital radiator. Rust makes up about 90 % of all solids that can choke up the water flowing areas if your radiator- including the water storage “water jacket” areas.Scale is a deposit of the solids left by the evaporation of the water and radiator antifreeze. These scales that are formed and deposited in your radiator and cooling system are very similar to the scale that forms inside a teakettle or coffeemaker after the boiling of hard water. What the solids are composed of depends upon the nature of the water itself but they most commonly include calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and magnesium oxides.Electrolytic corrosion can result from soldered seams in older style copper radiator, copper gaskets in contact with other metals, brazed joints in steel tubes and imperfect plaiting on steel or other metal parts. An electrolytic current is set up and the metal most active electro chemically slowly dissolves.What can you do to prevent all this damage to your radiator and the grief and costs involved? As always the key words are prevention, prevention and prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth kilograms of cure.Radiator saboteurs can be averted by radiator cleaners and inhibitors used properly. You will prevent most of your troubles in your car of SUV’s vital and expensive to repair cooling systems.Fall and spring cleaning of a cooling system should always include- clearing out rust and scale with a chemical cleaner. It never hurts as well to have a competent auto repair shop conduct a thorough flush of your radiator. Basically your car’s radiator is flushed “backwards” with a strong flow of coolant to remove heavily trapped sediment and that horrible scaling. Lastly and in addition during these cleaning and preventative maintenance procedures you should insist that a radiator rust inhibitor be added to your radiator coolant. A Radiator Rust Inhibitor is a blend of rust inhibitors, lubricants and biocides that restores rust- and oxidation-inhibiting properties to coolant, promoting cooling system life. Furthermore, it provides lubricant to coolant that reduces and eliminates water pump noise.After all why cause yourself needless aggravation and car maintenance costs by not applying maintenance and inspection schedule to your vehicle’s cooling system. Your summer vacation and summer road trips will soon be here. Why not make your summer vacations road trips trouble free?

Spring has arrived and it has quite possibly been six months since your classic car has been started. Hopefully before the snow hit last year you took proper steps to secure your vehicle to get it ready for its winter slumber. But even with proper preparation, there are important steps necessary to check your vehicle over before you turn the key for that first drive of the spring.VISUAL INSPECTIONStart with a visual inspection of the entire vehicle.Begin with the body, work your way around and get under the vehicle to look for leaks or any areas a critter may have nested. You can usually find nest particles that have dropped down on the floor or on top of engine. If you are lucky, no critters have nested. If they have, try to use a shop vac to suck out the debris instead of using your bare hands. Throughout the inspection you have probably noticed all of the dust and grime that has built up and you may feel inclined to wipe a few spots while you are overlooking the car. Stop right there. Do not do this until you can wash the car properly so as not to scratch or dull the finish.UNDER THE HOODBefore attaching the battery, test it and/or give it a charge. While it is charging you can check belts, hoses and wiring to make sure everything looks good. Pump the brake pedal a few times to make sure it has a good pedal and no leaks. Change your oil and filter; moisture has had time to gather and pool inside the block. The same can be said about all lubricants and fluids, but use your discretion; the longer the vehicle has been sitting the more crucial this becomes. Remove the spark plugs and check for moisture and measure the gap. While the plugs are out you may choose to add a small amount of oil to the cylinder walls to lessen damage on initial start. With oil in the motor, turn the vehicle over by hand to get the lubrication process started. Disconnect the “+” coil wire and attach the battery. I would recommend turning the key to the run position and inspect the cars wiring. Look, feel and smell for shorts. Once the wiring appears to be o.k. go ahead and crank the engine over and check your fluid levels again. With the plugs out it will turn easily and hopefully clear out any junk in the combustion chamber. Check your fuel lines, carburetor, clutch and shifter for proper movement and operation.BRAKES AND SUSPENSIONWith the weight of the wheels, wiggle the tires back and forth and up and down. This will make sure that the wheel bearings and suspension links are ready to roll. Remove the tires and check the brakes for rust, leaks, frayed hoses and adjustment. A wire wheel can be used on rotors and drums to remove rust without damage. With correct air pressure in the tires, torque the lug nuts back and roll the car out a few feet. This will assure everything is free and ready to go.INITIAL START UPGo easy on the cranking and do not be worried if the engine does not fire up right away. Never use starting fluid to help speed this process (it can crack your heads). If you have a mechanical fuel pump, it may take a few cranks to build pressure. It may be necessary to squirt a small amount of fresh gas in the carburetor and then try starting it (never squirt while cranking or running. This will start a fire). When the car starts, hold the throttle around 2200rpm to insure proper lubrication. This should be done for about 60 seconds. Let the car idle down and shut off and take another general inspection for any surprises that may have slipped past or occurred while running. If no problems exist, restart the car following the previous procedure. Run all the controls, lights and accessories and move the car back and forth a couple of times in the driveway. Once the temp gets close to operating range you are ready for a short trip around the block.No one knows your car better than you, so pay attention on the first drive and take it easy. After a couple of laps around the block, shut the car down and recheck everything again. Most failures will occur in these first few moments, so stay close to home. If everything is humming along great, put about 40 miles on the odometer (half city/ half highway) and you should be good to go.