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The rising cost of fuel is a significant factor in the modern car drivers expenditure. Making sure your car is performing at optimum efficiency will not only save you money but also reduce your vehicles greenhouse gas emissions and the negative impact your vehicle has on the environment. Here are the top fuel saving tips.

• Roof racks, bike carriers and roof boxes will affect a cars aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency. If you have to use them make sure you remove them when not in use. Driving with the windows or sunroof open will also decrease a cars aerodynamics.

• Change into the highest appropriate gear as soon as possible. Revving the engine in low gear uses lots of fuel. For maximum efficiency you should shift up a gear when the engine is revving between 2000 and 2500 revs.

• Maintain a steady speed using the highest gear possible. The most efficient speed is typically around 45 - 50mph. Driving faster than this will greatly increase your fuel consumption. The Department of Transport claim driving at 70mph uses up to 9% more fuel than when driving at 60mph and up to 15% more than at 50mph.

• If you anticipate being stuck in a queue of traffic for more than a minute or so then cutting the engine will save petrol and reduce emissions.

• Avoid short journeys, car engines use more fuel when cold and catalytic converters take around six miles before they become effective.

• Check your tyre pressure regularly. Under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.

• Don’t turn on the engine and leave it idling simply to warm up your car. This wastes fuel and causes engine wear. If your windows are frosted over scrape the ice off using a scraper. Running the engine for ten minutes to clear frosted windows can use up to a litre of fuel before you’ve even driven a single metre.

• Clean your windows with a good quality window cleaning fluid. Clean windows are less likely to mist up. This will mean you use fuel hungry air-conditioning and window heaters less.

• Consider taking an advanced driving schools course. This will give you a driving style which is naturally fuel efficient.

• Cars consume much more fuel when the engine is cold. Reverse into your parking or drive while the engine is warm and efficient. Then you can drive straight off in the morning rather than maneuvering back and forth with a cold, inefficient engine.

• Turning on the air condition for long periods of time will significantly increase fuel consumption.

• Plan your journeys so that you avoid congestion, road works and getting lost.

• Have your car serviced according to the manufacturers’ schedule. This will help maintain engine efficiency and cut fuel consumption.

Automobiles are like people too. Sometimes they will have good days and sometimes they will have bad days. On a good day, your car will function perfectly. It will corner properly. It will wipe the rain from the windshield properly. It will give you the ideal temperature for driving. On a bad day, your car will act like it was from a nightmare. Your engine will overheat. You will get a flat tire. On a really bad day, you might even get into an accident. Your may chip your bumper. You may smash your headlights. You may drive into another car. If you want to prepare for a bad day then you need to get auto insurance. Auto insurance comes in different types. There is auto insurance that will cover total damages. There is auto insurance that will cover minimal damages and there are many degrees of auto insurance in between. Auto insurance is essential for vehicle owners. If you do not have auto insurance now then you should certainly consider getting auto insurance as soon as possible.Think of auto insurance as a sort of umbrella. You never know when it will rain. Your auto insurance acts like an umbrella whenever it rains. You will have some sort of protection. Auto insurance will protect you from the rising costs of an accident. These costs will just keep piling up if you have no financial protection. If you get into an accident and your car gets hit, you never know what kind of costs you will incur. You may even have to pay for the damages that you have caused the other vehicle. Are you ready for these kinds of costs?If you want to have peace of mind then you have to prepare for the worst. You have to be prepared if something wrong happens. When you get into an accident, one of the things that you will treasure the most is your insurance. Your insurance can save you tons and tons of money. You will be able to have peace of mind and not worry about paying huge stacks of bills.There are a lot of auto insurance companies out there. If you want to get the best rates then you should be diligent enough to shop around for these things. You can also research on the internet about the different companies offering auto insurance. If you are one of the lucky people out there then you might even catch a special rate over the internet or with your auto insurance agent. If you are buying a new car then you might want to ask for a discount with the auto insurance companies out there. There are certainly a lot of attractive offers for new car buyers out there. If you have a vehicle already then you should not be so worried either. You can contact the manufacturer of your vehicle and ask if there are any attractive auto insurance packages out there now. Be prepared for a bad day and drive peacefully.

There are a lot of times where you will feel hungry while you are driving. You will get tempted to open a snack in the middle of the road. You will suddenly pull over a drive through and start munching. Whatever you are craving for, you have to make sure that you are not making a mess in your car. Purchase cup holders for your car if there are none. Cup holders are very important. Every meal is normally accompanied by a beverage. If you are eating brownies then you will probably have a cup of milk or a cup of coffee with you. If you are eating a burger then you will most likely have a soda with you. If you are eating a burrito then you may have lemonade with you. Without cup holders, you will have difficulty concentrating on your food. You will expend a lot of energy worrying about your beverage spilling all over your car. The last thing that you want is your coffee spilled all over your shirt. You do not want that lemonade all over your transmission. You do not want to have soda spilled all over your seat cover. The last thing you want is a messy car. Get cup holders so that you do not worry about these disasters. You can attach the cup holders near the glove compartment, behind the seats, and even at your arm rest.Aside from cup holders, you may want to get trays for the back seats. Food trays are available for all sorts of vehicles. Think of the kind of trays that are on the airplane. They drop down from the seat in front of you. You can eat comfortably when there is a tray in front of you. You can enjoy eating a two piece chicken meal. You can enjoy eating spaghetti. You can even enjoy eating your steak and potatoes. A tray is important because not only will it allow you to eat properly, you will also be able to avoid spillage. Again, you do not want steak all over your car seats nor do you want all that spaghetti sauce splattered everywhere.If you are thinking of driving while eating then you have to make sure that you are very careful. You do not want to get into an accident because you were gobbling down that spaghetti behind the wheel. You do not want to appear on the news as one of the most hilarious deaths of all time. You get into an accident and spaghetti is splattered all over your face. Do you want this to happen to you? If you are planning to drive and eat at the same time then you have to make sure that your eyes are still on the road. If you can not eat and drive at the same time then you are better off parking your car first and finishing your meal.

When it comes to choosing a driving school, or more specifically a driving instructor, there are many factors to consider in making the right choice. Choosing a driving instructor that is compatible with you is the best way to ensure that you are adequately prepared for your driving test and ultimately more likely to be a better, safer driver, when it is time to go it alone. A good driving instructor will be patient, understanding and approachable. Those factors, along with others should be central to choosing which one is right for you.ReferralsWhen people are happy with a product or service they are usually happy to refer the business to their friends and family. The same applies with driving instructors – if your friend or family member recommends a certain driving instructor then this could be a good means of finding one that is right for you. Although your friend or family member may like the driving instructor on a personal level, it is important that you find out if they are also satisfied with his or her teaching ability and how they have turned out as a driver through using their services.Car They DriveAlthough you may not be too concerned with the kind of car your instructor has, this could become a factor when you eventually get in a car on your own. If, for example, you have bought a large car in preparation for when you pass your test, then you may find it a shock to your system when you have to drive a car that is much larger in size. In that instance, an influencing factor in choosing an instructor could be to choose one that has a car around the same size and engine displacement as the one that you have bought.It is also worthy of note that many driving instructors are happy to take you out in your own car, however it is better to check with them first as not all instructors and schools will be happy to do this.ExperienceChoosing a more experienced driving instructor will mean that you are more likely to be dealing with someone who knows a lot more than what they had to in order to pass a test. With experience comes knowledge and expertise in how to deal with students, as well as how to act on the road. Although you should not be completely put off working with a younger driving instructor altogether, it is probably best to consider someone with more years of experience to have an advantage where this is concerned.CompatibilityOne of the most overlooked parts of choosing any service provider is their compatibility with you. Although it may be hard to work this out on a phone, or in a quick meeting, you should try to get a grasp for whether or not you are likely to get on with them. Keep in mind that you do not have to become best friends with your driving instructor, however having a mutual understanding is vital.

The short answer is yes! While it is always important to keep an eye on car repair costs, it pays to be especially alert during the months of January, February and March.The automotive repair industry can be quite turbulent, but it almost always experiences a slump from January to March - even April. There are a number of reasons for this, but the simple answer is that most folks service their vehicles in the spring and the fall - not during the icy cold months of a new year. For this reason, your mechanic, service advisor, and/or shop owner can get very aggressive in their repair suggestions.There’s nothing wrong with suggesting repairs and vehicle maintenance - provided the work is needed. The trouble comes when the work is being suggested because your particular shop is slow.Here’s how it plays out in real life at a car dealership, for example. You drop your vehicle off for an oil change. Your service advisor may make some service suggestions right away, or you may get a phone call that sounds something like this…“Yeah, hi, Mr. Jones - this is So-and-So from So-and-So Chevrolet. I wanted to let you know that we have your car in the shop and the technician noticed that your front brakes are junk and that you need two new tires (they’re badly worn) and an alignment (which is way out) - your car’s not safe to drive. Do you want us to take care of this while it’s here?”Now, remember that you drove your car in and it probably felt fine. Nevertheless, according to the experts - you’re in danger. It’s important to note that your vehicle may indeed need work of which you are not aware; however, this example highlights the all-too-common story that few know about and NO ONE talks about.Here’s what really happened with your car on that cold February afternoon. The flat rate technician (someone who only gets paid when he produces) looked over your car extra carefully, looking for anything that will help fatten his paycheck. While it’s true that your brakes are worn - perhaps 75% - they are far from “junk.” They may even last until the spring. The tires, only “slightly” worn, may just be due to lack of rotation - not an alignment issue.Should you agree to the above recommendations, the technician will add approximately 4.5 hours of labor to his pay check, the service representative gets his commission and you’re out a grand - conservatively.What to do…First, ask questions. Do not assume that because your service representative sounds professional and/or authoritative that he or she is telling you the “whole” truth. Ask for alternatives.For example, ask if they can just rotate the tires for now and come back for the brakes in the spring. Ask them to prioritize the repairs. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion from another shop, or ask to speak with the service manager. Also, watch out for vague language like “junk” or “way out.” Get specifics.Too often, car repair customers are bamboozled into doing work immediately when it could be spread out over months, or even years. Of course, there are many cases where the work wasn’t necessary at all - except to profit the repair facility during the slow season.

US President George W. Bush once advised Americans to invest in buying and patronizing hybrid vehicles to help cure and eliminate the country’s addition to oil. Because contract oil prices in the world market have always been very volatile, there is a pending need to significantly lower all industries and peoples’ reliance and need for oil. What are hybrid cars? Basically, these are vehicles that run on two sources of energy—the usual gasoline or oil and electricity stored within an imbedded battery. The electricity from batteries serves as a back up or an assisting energy source. There are operations and functions of the hybrid car that utilize the electricity. This way, full consumption and reliance from the gasoline engine is lowered, making consumption of gasoline significantly lower. These days, hybrid cars provide about 60-40 gasoline-electricity power, wherein gasoline energy components make up majority of the car functions.Is there a need to prefer a hybrid car? Before any purchase transaction for such a fuel-efficient car, it would be wise and logical if you would first consider the following checklist:1. Is a hybrid car the right and appropriate car for you?
2. Are your personal driving habits in favor of using a hybrid car?
3. What are the helpful and necessary options available?
4. Do you have enough information to validate the reliability and credibility of the dealer and manufacturer?
5. Are there options in terms of car dealers? Will it be viable to buy in dealers from another state or area?
6. Is there a sticker price or manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) that is the actual price of the hybrid car, no more, no less?Looking at the pros and cons of buying a hybrid car is easy. First of all, you would be able to generate a significant amount of savings in the form of gasoline consumption declines. However, it is just logical that hybrid cars currently cost higher than the normal and traditional cars. Hybrid cars are much lighter in weight and the basic structure and components and made of lighter alloys and metals, as weight is also a significant factor that boosts crude consumption. For its disadvantage, some people less prefer light structures and components in cars as such materials deform easier and are not too durable.Hybrid cars perform full functions and features of a regular car. However, in comparison, hybrid cars fall less. For instance, if you are very particular about speed, hybrid cars would surely disappoint you. That is because electricity is not yet a viable source of power and energy for cars. That is why it just installed as a back up and secondary source of power in hybrid cars. If you are worrying about charging of batteries, do not worry. Hybrid cars are designed to have components that facilitate conversion of mechanical energy to stored-electrical. That is why through braking and acceleration, the car’s battery is being charged. The disadvantage of this is that the major weight of the car and the overall space consumption can be directly influenced by battery installations.It is advisable to buy a hybrid car, but if you are after superior performance, wait further because car makers are still in the process of researching and developing better and more powerful hybrid cars.

As with questions in life, it all depends on your financial and/ or automotive situation and as well who tells the story.It is true that business can write off lease costs whereas that is not such an advantage to an individual car user. However this is not necessarily so. First it all depends on your situation and as well you’re negotiating skills. It is always better to be in an informed and prepared manner.First of all leasing a car is downright attractive due to current low interest rates. Almost every month you will read in the popular news that the “Fed has cut interest rates again”. What this means to you is that in an overall sense that interest rates are less to you. This should mean lower leasing costs to you. If interest rates, in the banking industry and market are lower, so should be the interest rate basis in your lease negotiations and payments.What are the advantages of leasing a vehicle? You will get a new vehicle to drive. When your leasing agreement term is over – then you hand the car in and walk away.It may be debated that by leasing the car you will have no equity or asset accumulation left at this point in this automotive transaction. If you had bought the car, with payments, the car would be yours at some point, lock stock and barrel.However major components and overall costs of running a car are maintenance costs. With a new vehicle – it is unlikely that you will incur these costs. First of all the car is new. Major repairs and costs are unlikely. In addition the car will come with a manufacturer’s warranty which should cover you for the majority if not all of the lease time period.With modern, newer and especially smaller cars it seems that all repairs seem to be very expensive. After a certain point of time, use and mileage, it is not as if the car “nickel and dimes” you to death. Most of the innards of modern cars seem to be electronic in nature with advanced (read expensive and hard to fix) modules. There are few simple to repair mechanically based, non electronic component, cars. In addition for mechanics to work on cars now “everything is struggle’ “and as well spaces are tight and very hard to work within. In a summary the old “nickels and dimes” are now “five hundreds, thousands and several thousands”. With a leased car arrangement you may not own the car, with its equity. Neither do you have repair costs and heartaches. In addition you have a reliable vehicle to get you to work or to chauffer around your family.There are several terms and factors to be knowledgeable about in your calculations and comparisons for auto purchase versus lease workup and lease negotiations.First of all research the leasing tax rules in your jurisdictions. For example in your state you may well only pay sales taxes on monthly payments, not on the cost of the vehicle. It all depends on the negotiations of your payments- which involve the time frame and value of the car at the take back time end of lease.Next what are the fees? For example the fee at the end of turn in, paperwork fees and fees for “excess miles”. Are these negotiatiable? In the case of the “excess mileage” and “excess mileage fees” are these carved in stone or can the allotment or rates charged be reduced? In the case of the “turn in” fee. If you offer to increase your monthly payment – often this fee will be reduced.In order to best negotiate you will have to speak the same language and terms as the lease negotiator. Several terms to know, comprehend and understand are “Capitalized Cost”, “Money Factor” and “Residual Value”.Simply put the cost of the leased vehicle is confusingly described as the “Capitalized Cost”. Just as you would haggle over the cost of buying a new car, you should not accept a stated price or manufacturers suggested retail price (M.S.R.P.) as the price paid.Haggle and argue over the “Capitalized Cost” just as you would in any car or automotive deal.Next in line in proper automotive leasing terms is the term “Money Factor”. “Money Factor “is the interest rate upon which the leasing calculations are based upon. The lower the number of the “Money Factor”, the better for you. As a rough guide and estimate multiply the “Money Factor” value by 2550 to get an estimate of the relevant interest rate.Last in the line of leasing and leasing lingo is the term “Residual Value”. “Residual Value” is the amount that the car, S.U.V. or truck vehicle is said to be worth at the end of the lease period. Simply put, the more the vehicle is deemed to be worth, at this time period, the less will be your total amount due to be paid overall for your lease. Thus the higher the “Residual Value” at the end of your lease, the much lower will be your monthly lease payments.In the end, your car purchase or lease decision will come down to two factors. Reliability of transportation and the total cash outlay from your personal pocketbook or wallet.

You might have heard of it from your friends or you might have seen the actual video yourself in Youtube or Metacafe. However, many people still do not believe that water (H2O) can be used as an alternative fuel for cars. This is because they have been educated that energy must come from flammable stuff such as petrol and oil. Since water is not a flammable stuff, of course, water cannot generate energy at all. Therefore, it is impossible to run a car on water because water cannot be used as fuel. However, is this true? I strongly disagree to this to a large extent and here, I will tell that you can run your car on water because water is indeed a source of energy!Firstly, it is possible because water is a molecule and the elements can actually be rearranged using electricity. What we are doing now is using the electricity from car battery to rearrange the water molecule (H2O) into Oxyhydrogen or Brown’s gas. (You can read more about the gas here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyhydrogen_flame)Secondly, if you look at the application of Oxyhydrogen, you will realize that the gas has been used for fuel enhancement for many years. However, it does not provide the information on how to generate the gas “perpetually”. You can find a guide book on how to modify your car engine so that it can generate the flammable gas from water “perpetually” and at low cost.Lastly, you can notice that Oxyhydrogen is now being used widely in many industry fields. Most of them are using the gas to generate high energy and high heat for welding metal and cut glass. Therefore, it is possible that water indeed can generate enough energy to move a car.From the information above, using water to run your own car is not a rocket science at all. It is changing water into a flammable gas using your car battery.

In today’s environmentally conscious society, recycling and the conservation of resources is foremost on most people’s minds. Antifreeze is one of those chemicals that all modern automobiles need to run efficiently and well. With all the focus on gasoline and motor oil, the ethylene glycol in automotive antifreezes is easy to overlook. However, your car’s radiator should be flushed and new antifreeze put in at least every 30,000 miles. This makes for a lot of antifreeze that needs to be disposed of properly. There is another solution, instead of replacing your current antifreeze with a new coolant, your old antifreeze can be recycled and used again and again. Nearly all antifreeze is a combination of ethylene glycol and an additive package. Ethylene glycol will not wear out but the additives will become old and useless. This is why antifreeze needs to be replaced. The ethylene glycol, which is the petroleum based component of antifreeze, is still good and useable. It’s the additives and the gunk that collects in the your car’s coolant that render it unusable.Antifreeze is one of those chemicals that all modern automobiles need to run efficiently and well. With all the focus on gasoline and motor oil, the ethylene glycol in automotive antifreezes is easy to overlook. However, your car’s radiator should be flushed and new antifreeze put in at least every 30,000 miles. This makes for a lot of antifreeze that needs to be disposed of properly. There is another solution, instead of replacing your current antifreeze with a new coolant, your old antifreeze can be recycled and used again and again. Nearly all antifreeze is a combination of ethylene glycol and an additive package. Ethylene glycol will not wear out but the additives will become old and useless. This is why antifreeze needs to be replaced. The ethylene glycol, which is the petroleum based component of antifreeze, is still good and useable. It’s the additives and the gunk that collects in the your car’s coolant that render it unusable.How the process works.Antifreeze recycling equipment will remove the old additives and place new additives into ethylene glycol. The process begins by using a chemical process to separate the old additives from the coolant. (For example, the Viper series produced by Clore Automotive uses the patented Techguard chemicals in this process. )After the chemicals are added to separate the additives from the coolant, the coolant is cycled through the filters to remove any additives, oils and suspended debris that has collected in the antifreeze. There are basically two chemicals that need to be added to the old coolant. The first chemical additive separates the additives from the ethylene glycol and the second chemical additive The second chemical is a coagulant. This will bond the separated additives into particles that can then be captured by the filtration system.Filtration and removal of the old additives.Once the antifreeze recycling equipment chemical process has been completed, the coolant will need to run through a filtration system to remove the particles of additives that the coagulant has just created. The Viper 3400 Antifreeze Recycling Equipment by Clore Automotive used three filters to process the treated coolant. The first two filters are a 50 micron and 1 micron rated filter. For example, 1 micron is 1/90th the diameter of a human hair. So not much is getting past a 50 micron rated filter. The third filter in the chain is a carbon filter. The carbon filter will remove any remaining garbage left in the coolant and will even remove the original green dye from it as well.Creating new antifreeze from the oldOnce the ethylene glycol has successfully been separated from the old additives and all the junk has been filtered out, it is time to add in the new additives. This process is not rocket science and it shouldn’t scare you off. Just carefully follow the mixing instructions and use the correct chemicals for the antifreeze recycling equipment you are using. Once the new additives are properly mixed in, you will new looking antifreeze complete with green dye. Once the process is completed, the recycled coolant is good for 2 years or 30,000 miles.Tips for successful antifreeze recycling.Using antifreeze recycling equipment can be a time consuming process. I would recommend completing the recycling process with the unit away from the vehicle. There is no need to tie up a revenue producing bay with an antifreeze recycling machine connected to a car. Also, remember to follow the manufacturers instruction to the letter to insure the recycled coolant is done correctly. Finally, to extend the life of your filters, carefully monitor the pressure gauge and adjust the machine accordingly.

Driving at any time of the year can be dangerous, but it is especially important to be careful driving in the winter. Winter driving can bring the hazards of snow, ice, freezing rain, sleet, blackouts, whiteouts, and much more. If your car breaks down at any other time of year, you’ve still got a good chance of being able to take care of it yourself. However, in the winter, the days are shorter, the weather is colder and it is not at all comfortable to break down in a snowstorm! There are also more ways to break down in the winter; not only can your car run out of gas, but it can also get stuck in the snow.If you are starting to panic, just relax; there are some things you can do to prepare for car emergencies. Here the top ten items to keep in your car in case of an emergency:Snow shovel – You never know when you’ll get stuck in the snow, and you also never know if a good Samaritan will be around when you get stuck. Even in the summertime, cars can get stuck in the mud, and a shovel would still help in that situation.Candle – Even though a candle may be a lot smaller than a car, it can still keep you and your car warm in the winter if you happen to break down or get stuck in a snow bank.Blanket – If you ever break down in the winter, a blanket or sleeping bag is a very good thing to have!Spare tire – Always a handy item to have when something happens to one of your car’s tires.Tools – It is important to carry the right kind of tools in your car to help you in case of an emergency. Tools such as a jack, ratchet, lighterAir Compressor – Many stores now sell mini compressors that are just for this purpose. A lot of perfectly good tires start to lose air after a while and an air compressor is a quick fix when you are stuck on the side of the road!Flashlight – This one is pretty self explanatory. You never know when something will happen, and if you happen to break down after dark, a flashlight quickly turns into a lifesaver. Without a flashlight, all the tools in the world will not help you in the dark!Food – This one may sound strange, but the truth is, people get hungry, and if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, some granola bars and bottles of water are a big help!Cell phone – Nowadays, car emergencies are not as bad as they used to be, because of cell phones. As long as you have good service in the area you happen to be in, you will be just fine.First Aid Kit – This is perhaps the most important thing to carry in your car – especially if you have children. You never know what is going to happen, and even the slightest accident can cause some injuries to you and your loved ones that can be easily remedied by a well-stocked first aid kit.