askthemercedesmechanic.com

There may be a time that you have listened to a piece of music that has altered the way you drive your vehicle. You may have done this yourself or heard your parents tell stories of how they would be driving down the road and a good ‘Journey’ tune would come on the radio, resulting in them driving like maniacs down the roads of their teenage and young adult years.Things have changed, though. ‘Journey’ is certainly not considered aggressive music this day and age, but we hear the sounds of rap reverberating from the inside of cars and the dark gothic tunes of Marilyn Manson provoking some head-banging at the stop light. What happens sometimes is that the head-banging doesn’t stop, the foot gets heavy, steering becomes over exaggerated, and the car ends up wrapped around a telephone pole. This scenario has been played over and over time and time again.Since the realization that aggressive music may influence driving, there have been a variety of studies conducted to prove or disprove this theory. When some individuals were asked about music and their driving habits, some said that heavy metal music and other aggressive forms of music didn’t alter the way they operated their motor vehicle because they said the music relaxed them.However, there have been others who have been asked how music influences their driving and they will tell you that their attention to the road and traffic decreases. One young man stated in a report that he got so caught up in a song that he would start singing and playing the “air guitar.” Suddenly, he would return to reality and realize that he wasn’t paying attention to the road or the way he was driving And then there are those who love their music loud You may recall earlier in the article a mention of how the sounds of rap and heavy metal such as Marilyn Manson’s music reverberates from the cars of many. Even if the aggressive music doesn’t cause the driver to drive aggressively, it definitely takes its toll on the rearview mirror.If you’ve ever played loud music in your car, you have probably noticed that the rearview mirror likes to dance even if you can’t because you’re driving. Sometimes the mirror vibrates so hard that you can’t see anything in it. This can be very dangerous because you can’t see what is behind you, especially when changing lanes. Another negative is when an emergency vehicle is behind you. You can’t hear the sirens because of the loud music in your car and chances are you aren’t going to see them very well if your rear view mirror is ready to vibrate off of the windshield.Another factor is the tempo of the music. Listen to a piece of classical music and you might drive like it’s Sunday, but listen to something with pounding bass riffs and squealing guitars and you’re going to be squealing down the street. However, music tempo can be used to the advantage of the driver if the driver is one who has a propensity to drive according to the tempo. Change the station to something slower to calm yourself down.So there you have both sides regarding those who say aggressive music doesn’t influence the way they drive and those who say that it does. Studies that have been conducted have shown that aggressive music has an influence on some, but it seems that those who say that it doesn’t just might be telling the truth since some do not seem to be phased by what is playing on their radio.

Owning a car has always been considered a necessity. But it is a common knowledge that investing to purchase a vehicle is not that simple because of high costs.These days, cars are very expensive and not all people with decent jobs can very much afford buying one. Owning a brand new or even a second-hand car is not that easy since the impediment of price is standing still. Moreover, cost of maintenance is equally stressful. You surely are aware of how expensive gasoline costs are becoming each day.For people who have always dreamt and longed for driving a car, there is hope. If you are a little tight on budget, but is very much determined to enjoy the privileges of owning and driving a car, perhaps, getting into a car club would be a logical move.A car club is basically offering people to drive and enjoy a car even without the need for actual purchases. Car clubs are founded to serve as formal facilities and organizations for car rentals. These days, when you say you want to enter a car club, it means you are about to enter a group that has the privilege to rent or lease a car even for a short term use.If you are intending to join a car club, it would be helpful if you would take note of the typical good traits of a good and reliable car club. First of all, the car club should be a name you could trust.There are popular car clubs operating in the market. Popularity in this aspect could very much be a gauge for reliability because it is just practical that trustworthy and reliable car clubs are loyally patronized and supported by highly satisfied members and clients.The car club must be offering comprehensive terms for membership. Read the membership guidelines to find out the offered perks of the club. Specifically, find out about the many benefits and added services and advantages offered by the car club. For example, a good car club should be offering the free and convenient services or advices from qualified technical service advisors.A good car club would never pose too many hassles for new membership. Regular booking for membership is usually fast at about half an hour via telephone or Internet transactions.When choosing a car club, also check for the offered perks involving parking bays. Good car clubs also offer a convenient listing of car models and brands available for rent. Thus, you would have even the slightest idea about what types of cars you could likely rent or lease in the future.Look at the subscription charges. Normal options are monthly and annual payments. Monthly membership payments are not too heavy on the pocket, though it can be a little tedious to regularly make payment transactions once every month.Annual payments are convenient, though usually a little felt by the budget. There are also many perks and additional benefits or discounts offered by car clubs for members who prefer monthly payment of membership dues.  If you set to sign in for membership in a car club, always remember the mentioned factors and simple guidelines

Nowadays people today are immensely disruptive by the heighten gasoline prices. Virtually all of us have a fantasy of acquiring a powerful car and drive thousands of miles without having to frequently stop for gas. However, you can now get great gasoline mileages from your car. By saying that, there are a few things that can be done to gain gas fuel consumption rate of your car.You cannot control all the factors that impact the gas mileage of your car. To gain the mileage of your car by significant levels you must follow the next steps. For the increasing the petrol mileage of your car, you will need the following tips:Automotive Parts, Automotive Repair Manual, Car Oil, Car Jacks, Tire Gauges.Take the next precautions to increase gasoline mileage of your car: Take care of your vehicle. You must clean the inside parts of the engine like the spark plugs, put clean engine oil and have a well-tuned drive that is more effective than a run-down system. You must check your old air filter. If the air filter is clotted and dirty, then you must straightaway change the air filter. This will cut down the unnecessary wastage of fuel for the acceleration. You must make minimum use of the air conditioner system of your car. This helps in reduction the sum of power that is exploited in the running of the Air conditioning system.You must use the correct fuel in the car. The recommended fuel is the fuel that contains the octane that has a valuation of 86. It is ascertained that the cars that have very powerful engines require the high-octane gas. If your car is emitting funny noises like trembling uncooked popcorn, then you should use the higher-octane gasoline. You must always keep your tires decently in flatted. That is you must always check the air pressure level in the tires.You must keep the air pressures in the tires as per suggested by the manufacturer. This helps in reduction the rubbing between the road and the tires and thus the power exploited for the speedup and running smoothly is reduced. Thus, it improves the fuel consumption rate of your car. You must drive at even speeds whenever possible. It is more handy and improves the gasoline mileage of the car. You must obviate rush on a highway.You must use cruise control condition that saves a lot of fuel. You must select the road that has a flat terrain and requires few stops. You must drive on a highway whenever possible. A car driving on a city street consumes more fire than on highway because of stops and accelerations. Once you have started doing some errands, try not to stop for long periods as a cold engine consumes more fuel than a warmed up engine.

No matter what kind of vehicle you drive, you can probably make a way to save some gas. This can help with the mileage on your vehicle and dampen the reality of gas prices when they increase. Using more than one of these tips can help increase your gas mileage significantly.Take It Easy And Slow DownThe more you accelerate, the more gas you use. Ten or more miles over will cause you to use more gas. To save gas, you should drive at the speed limit. You’ll be using less gas that can be used for future trips. If people think you’re going too slow driving the speed limit, let them pass you up. Make sure your driving on the right side of the road, which is considered the slow lane.Be Careful How You AccelerateYou waste gas when you engage in a start-stop acceleration mode. If you’re on the road and you can see vehicles slowing ahead of you, then start slowing down. It’s not good to accelerate and have to brake suddenly. You can lose of lot of gas this way.With manual transmission vehicles, the driver should shift in the beginning of the trip to dampen the engine noise. Go ahead and shift downward if you have to accelerate. With automatic transmission vehicles, accelerate wisely. This way, the transmission will change to higher gears.Your Tire PressureYou can lose gas if your tires are not inflated properly. You should check your tires periodically with a tire gauge. On cold days, check your tires. Since there are different tires for different vehicles, refer to your vehicle’s manual for further instructions.Air FilterYour vehicle should have a clean air filter. This helps with the gas mileage for your vehicle. If your air filter is dirty, the engine’s air flow is inadequate. The result is that the vehicle’s performance will not be up to par.Changing an air filter in your vehicle is simple. Take the filter out of the vehicle and line it up against the sun. If there is no light coming through it, it’s time for a new one. If you’re still not sure about your air filter, take it to a reliable mechanic or auto supply store. It is recommended that air filters be changed every 10,000 - 12,000 miles.Lay Off The Air ConditionerDuring the summer months, (depending on where you live), it can get very hot. When you’re driving, the first thing you want to do is turn on the air conditioner. Utilizing the air conditioner sucks up gas quickly. You can save more gas by letting the windows down and catching a breeze. Even when it’s really hot, you can still manage to get something. If you have a sunroof, you can open that too. However, if you just have to have some type of cold blast hitting you, keep the air conditioner at a lower speed and you can still save some gas.

One area where every workshop can make a significant improvement to the way a car drives is in the way the wheels are set up, and the best way to do this is using a wheel balancer.A wheel balancer allows you to quickly and conveniently assess any slight imperfections in the way a wheel turns, and then add small weights to the wheel in order to offset the effect of these problems.Getting the balance of wheels right on a vehicle will make a huge difference for the driver. When the wheels are running completely in true the ride quality will be a lot smoother, and the fuel efficiency will also be much improved.The long term benefits of balancing wheels properly on a vehicle are that it reduces the mechanical vibration that the car feels and the vehicle will be much smoother on the road. In turn this reduces the amount of wear and tear suffered by key components of the vehicle – in particular the axle assembly and shocks, giving these parts a much longer lifespan.One of the reasons why a wheel balancer is required in an auto work shop is that due to the manufacturing process used in making tires, there are always slight imperfections in them, such as slightly different thicknesses of rubber, and these cause the tire to be slightly uneven. This must be compensated for by adding small weights to the wheel in order to offset the effect of the tire’s imperfections.The method by which a wheel is balanced is very straightforward. Quite simply, the process begins with the wheel being removed from the vehicle and mounted onto a wheel balancer. This is a computerized machine that rotates the wheel at a variety of different speeds. At the same time as this is done, the computer measures the vibration on the axle caused by the imbalances in the wheel. A calculation is then performed that advises the amount of weight that needs to be added to the wheel.The variety of different wheel balancers available today is enough to ensure that every single workshop can have access to an appropriate model for the kinds of work that they most often carry out.These days, even the most basic entry level wheel balancer will come armed with hi tech software that makes finding an imbalance and taking appropriate action as straightforward as any other mechanical task, and thanks to the easy to use and understand computer interfaces that have been built into these machines, diagnosing the problem with a wheel is straightforward.With increasing demand for all areas of wheel balancing from customers who want to ensure better reliability, a more enjoyable ride, and better handling, now is definitely the time to invest in a tool that will make carrying out this precision task a lot faster and more convenient, giving you more time to concentrate on your key areas.

The two ways to save money buying gas is to pay less and use less. One of the best ways to use less gas, pay the best price and maximize savings is to plan ahead. Organizing when and where you fill up will go a long way to reduce the amount of gas you use.Plan ahead to take advantage of other purchases when buying gas. Check out coupons in your local area that offer money off certain items, like convenience food. If you purchase your gas at a service pump that has a convenience store attached then you can use your money-saving coupons for convenience purchases.Although you are not saving money on your actual gas purchase, just by combining your convenience purchase with your fuel purchase you will find some money saving benefit by shopping and fueling up at the same location. You will be saving on your convenience purchase and you will be conserving gas by not making an extra trip.You can save money on your gas purchase if you plan when and where to fill up. Don’t wait till you are almost empty to fill your car. Plan ahead where and when you are going to purchase gas. Save by trying to fill up once a week at a gas station that you have discovered that sells at a good price.If you let your tank get too close to empty you may find that you are forced to buy gas at a higher priced station to avoid running out of gas. If you plan your purchase ahead it will allow you to take advantage of the lower priced stations.Scouting out the best gas prices as you drive can save you plenty. Keep a look out for stations around your house or on roads you travel often and note the prices and locations in a notebook. Soon you will know where the best deals are. You will have created your own local database of prices without using any additional gas to do it.Sometimes waiting to buy gas can save you money. If on a particular day you cannot find the price you were looking for, wait a day or two and you may still find your price. The price of gas is constantly changing. A few days could make a difference. Again if you plan to fill up well before your tank is close to empty you will have the flexibility to be able to wait till you find the right station with the right price.A little advance planning can go a long way to help control your gas costs. It may seem like a small thing to do.

Tesla Motors, no I am not talking about Nikola Tesla who invented the Radio, nor the great rock band Tesla. I am talking about a handful of wealthy cyber geeks wanting to change the way we think about GREEN CARS (electric).Tesla cars, with the help from the engineers that brought us the Lotus Elise, is going to be just what we all could want in a sports car, 0-60 in under 4 seconds, great handling, phenomenal styling and exceptional handling. We may soon have a choice in a sports car all while keeping the oil industry at bay and satisfying the environmentalists.The first production cars may be pricey, rumor has it George Clooney has already put a 100% deposit for a “signature series”, but if Tesla has its way and is accepted by the consumers, prices for future models may be priced under $30,000.Imagine going 0-60 in under 4 seconds, 0-100 in under 11 seconds and not worry about having to stop at the pump to fill up. The estimated range is 200 to 250 miles, which is not bad for a car the can get you there in a hurry and look great doing it.Tesla motors is brining us an environmentally friendly car that looks and quite possibly drives like the Lotus Elise, meets all the regulatory requirements for crash safety, and consumer expectations for durability and reliability, with talk of a 5 year / 100,000 mile warranty for the battery packs, Tesla may just be bringing us the same thing Nikola Tesla did years ago with the radio. Something we cannot live without!

At the ‘08 Detroit Auto Show, the big three have unveiled vehicle lines centered around smaller, more efficient motors; technology created with fuel savings in mind, not unabashed fuel consumption and waste. It seems that the big three have finally started to listen to the growing environmental concerns voiced by the public.According to the New York Times, General Motors has gone so far as to cancel a $300 million program to develop a new V-8 motor. Their reason - recently passed legislation that requires a 40 percent improvement in overall gas mileage by 2020.You read it right, President Bush recently signed a fuel economy bill that requires a considerable improvement in fuel economy by 2020. The bill has been touted by many as fluff. Critics cite that 2020 is so far off, who’s to say what technology will be in place then? I disagree. Just look at the moves the domestics are now making. This legislation was just the catalyst the big three needed to turn things around.In an attempt to appeal to the environmentally conscious, Ford has been focusing on a new technology called, EcoBoost. This new technology uses gasoline turbocharged direct-injection technology resulting in up to 20 percent better fuel economy and a 15 percent decrease in CO2 emissions compared to larger displacement motors. These will be widely used in 6-cylinder applications and will replace many of the V-8 options Ford once offered.Some may brush this off as a gimmick but I think Ford is onto something with this technology. Many foreign auto makers have already proven that you do not need eight cylinders to go fast; a big enough turbo can make almost anything go zoom, zoom, zoom.Chrysler is taking a slightly different approach. Instead of phasing out their famed Hemi V-8 motor, they are making strides to improve it’s fuel economy. One such example is the MDS technology included in the new Hemi motors.In a nutshell, an MDS cam-shaft can variably activate and de-active four of the eight cylinders, instantaneously. Once the computer senses that the throttle is wide open, all eight cylinders are activated. During regular driving situations, the MDS system deactivates four cylinders. MDS technology can result in a 10-20 percent fuel economy improvement over unequipped models. That’s pretty impressive considering that the Hemi motor was one of the biggest gas guzzlers on the planet.V-8 lovers, hold off on the doom and gloom for a second. If you look at what Subaru and Mitsubishi have done with boosted 6 cylinder applications what are we really losing if the V-8 is phased out? In many cases, these little motors out perform big V-8s and get better gas mileage too. So what are we really losing? Maybe the throaty sound and high gas prices, sprinkled with a bit of nostalgia here and there but is that really enough to justify paying $4+ per gallon just to keep these beasts on the road?

The BMW M3 was a well thought out car, as development of the car begun as far back as 1981, and continued for almost six years prior to its total production in 1986. The original concept of the BMW M3 was grounded in foundations from the E30 3Series car, a famous performance car with rich background. The E30 M3 later would spawn and encourage numerous other models within the 3 Series. BMW Motorsport, previously produced the E12 M535i Saloons, M635Csi, and the M1 supercar, and those cars were designed for superior racing performance, but those cars could only garner limited appeal. The main idea about the E30 M3 was to snag a wider audience both on and off the racetrack. When the decision was made by “FISA’s Group A” confirmed homologation, which stated that “5000 road cars should be produced within 12 months, with minimal changes but allowed changes to be made to the engine, drive train, and body”. The actual production of the M3 took place at BMW,

Until very recently, advances in tire technology concentrated on the rubber, tread, and the radial metal used in the structure of the tire. Over the past twenty years, the humble tire has come a long way, but one thing remained constant. The means by which the tire was inflated. Now, thanks to huge research into what could improve tire performance for all drivers, nitrogen tire inflation systems are available that are set to revolutionize the whole industry.Using regular compressed air to fill tires has been the standard practice for more than a century, but the fact is, the air inside the tire is one of the main contributing factors in tire degradation, which can lead to a catastrophic failure in the tire. Using a nitrogen tire inflation system allows you to replace the regular air in the tire with pure inert nitrogen gas, which in turn protects the rubber, and has a number of other important benefits for drivers.Using a nitrogen tire inflation system allows you to give drivers a more efficient, safer, and more comfortable drive. There are many reasons for this, but they are all related to the fact that when you use nitrogen to fill the tire rather than regular air, less of it escapes, meaning that the pressure is more reliable, so the tire stays at its optimum level.Normal ambient air contains around 78% nitrogen; however, the remaining 22% is made up of other gases, including around 21% oxygen. Oxygen is one of the most reactive gases in the world, and it can cause a great deal of damage to both the rubber of the tire, and the metal of the rim. Over time, the oxygen degrades the rubber and the metal making the valves less effective, and the rubber more porous. A tire filled with regular air starts to deflate gradually.Low pressure in a tire means that it has a higher rolling resistance. In turn this means that the engine has to work harder to push the car along, meaning a higher fuel bill. By using a chemically inert gas with a nitrogen tire inflation system, you are able to guarantee a higher internal pressure in the tires. This provides a better ride, better fuel economy, and of course better safety, as a tire that is properly inflated is less likely to fail in use due to proper distribution of weight, and even wear.Over the next couple of years, as concern about man made climate change grows, and with the ever increasing cost of fuel, many drivers are going to be looking for an edge from their workshop. Nitrogen tire inflation systems are set to be that edge. Imagine being able to offer a single service that can improve fuel efficiency by an average of 8%, extend the lifetime of an expensive part of a car, and provide your customers with a better ride. You can with a Nitrogen tire.Nitrogen tire inflation systems have been extensively tested by manufacturers such as RTI, and are demonstrating some excellent results. For example, the RTI RTINTF-15 Plus is an excellent piece of equipment for inflating nitrogen tires. The headline of these results is the 8% improvement in fuel economy. To put that amount into perspective, over 12 months, a person who spends $50 per week on fuel would potentially save up to $200 thanks to just replacing the air in their tires with pure nitrogen.Offering the best possible service to the people who use your workshop or auto repair center means bringing them the latest advances first. Nitrogen tire inflation systems can give your business an edge over the competition, providing you with the means to provide a service that other people cannot, and that can only be a good thing for you and your bank balance.