askthemercedesmechanic.com

Five years ago, in 2003,

A couple of years ago, a scientist has figured out the solution and he created a car that would run only with water. No hydrogen tanks, no “bombs” in the car’s trunk, only an electrolysis system and water. The car was supposed to travel from one corner of the

Every driving student had heard from friends and relatives to “be very careful and drive slowly” on the driving test. However, this could not be further from the truth. Doing this is over caution, a situation in which the student taking the test is very careful and can annoy traffic behind him. This situation has several “symptoms”, but also one very easy cure.One sign of over caution, as mentioned above, is slow driving. Many students believe that if they drive under the speed limit they are “safe”. This is very wrong. Most examiners will fail a slow driver. Some have a strict rule (like in

Another sign of over caution can be interpreted as lack of confidence. At a stop sign, some applicants just stop and wait the road to be clear for miles ahead. This is another wrong practice. It upsets the drivers behind and cause traffic delays. It is another behavior you should just not do.Over cautious drivers also get “stuck” sometimes on left turns. They just wait in their lane signaling and hope that the police will block oncoming traffic to let them turn. This practice can really annoy drivers, since some students don’t know when it’s safe to pass and when to hold and wait for oncoming traffic to clear.Lastly, over cautious drivers can stay in their lane forever. Some drivers, terribly afraid of an accident, cannot change a lane quickly and smoothly. They often signal, check their mirrors, over the shoulder, in the mirror again, and one more look over the shoulder. Often they don’t realize that the driver behind them just lets them in, and they don’t merge into the lane they want. When they finally decide to change, it’s often too late as the other driver decided to pass them for not entering the lane.Over caution is a serious problem causing many students to fail. However caution has a solution consisting of two parts: practicing, but practicing the right maneuvers. If you encounter one or more of the situations above, you need some practice.

There she is stranded alone in the parking lot. Two small children press their noses up against the cold December glass. They’re wondering why Mommy is so upset and why they haven’t started home.The woman looks around for someone to help. She wonders, “what happened to my car? It started this morning before we went to the mall.”Does this sound familiar to you? It happened to my wife once. It was really frustrating for both of us. I was out of town on business and we had just recently moved to the area and had no one to call.Fortunately a good Samaritan came by and helped her. She had one of those portable air compressor and battery charger units in her trunk. She went straight to my wife’s car connected the clamps to the terminals and my wife’s car started right up.My wife went on and on about how neat and compact this device was. I decided to look into it further especially since I didn’t want her to be in this situation again. It turns out that for around $100 or less (depending on what features and how powerful it is) we could keep one of these gadgets in my wife’s trunk. That’s cheap insurance to keep yourself or a loved one from being stranded if you ask me.There are several different makes and models and may offer different options. Here is a summary of some items to look for:Emergency StartingFor the most bang for your buck get a system that offers the most cranking amps available. Many systems are available that offer between 250 to 375 amps. This high amperage will allow for starting a completely drained battery.Air CompressorAlthough you can buy them without an air compressor having one with your battery charger for your trunk makes sense. For emergencies this device can inflate a flat tire in less than a few minutes. For slow leaks this may buy you a little more mileage to get to the nearest tire service shop. You can use this to inflate your beach toys too!Work LightHaving both hands free makes hooking up a compressor charger unit less troublesome especially at night. A built in work light is like having a third hand. Just set the charger on the engine or side of the compartment to give light to what you are doing (just make sure to put the charger back on the ground before starting the engine.)Reverse Polarity AlarmOne of the most important things to be mindful of when using an automotive battery charger is making sure the clamps are connected correctly. Knowing which terminal or post is positive and which is negative is less of an issue with a reverse polarity alarm. This handy indicator may save the battery and lessen the risk of explosion for the user.If you have loved ones that drive at all, getting a portable air compressor and battery charger really is cheap insurance from getting stranded. There are many kinds available for all budgets and they are simple to use so get one today!

One recent movie said -

You know what? This is something that is not so hard to do. You can start by considering car donation.Car donation is a great way to show the world how much you care for other people. It is one clear way to show how one act of random kindness can spell the big difference.If you are planning to buy a new car and you don’t know what to do with your present car, well, you need not think any further because you might want to consider donating it to car donation. Instead of selling it, you can choose to give it to car charity and get benefits you will not get, although generally you will make lesser money from this.But that’s not the important point as you’re not after the money anyway but what you want indeed is to help raise funds that will be of help to underprivileged people. By donating your auto to car charity you can also send poor students to school.Funds generated from car donation could be used to help for the medication of many sick people. It could also be used for efforts that will help clean and save the environment. Victims of abuse are other people who can directly benefit from car donation.There are auto donation organizations focusing on cancer patients. There are also those who help build new homes of people affected by calamities like hurricanes and floods.There are also non-profit organizations that open up programs that will aid people to find livelihood and jobs thus making them productive members of society. This can also make them very self-reliant.Giving your used car to car charity can be life saving for reasons already mentioned. This simple deed can assist in the efforts of non-profit organizations to improve the living conditions of thousands of people. Orphanages and rehabilitation centers are among the institutions that benefit from car donation campaigns and drives.  Other non-profit organizations like Yellow Ribbon Fund and Joy for Our Youth are good examples.Not only that fund raisers like car charity will be help improve lives of Americans, it could also be helpful to other people living in other countries as there are foundations that focus programs to help them.
Car donation organizations are examples of groups that are very easy to deal with and they are likewise very open to your questions.If you want to help people and at the same time benefit from a simple act, the right option would be to give your car to car donation programs. It’s great. It’s moral and life-saving. So, what are you waiting for?Go get that phone today or browse websites and contact people who are into car charity campaigns. Negotiate and see for yourself the advantages and goodness that car donation can bring you.

Gas is on the rise and it’s expected to continue to climb. Here’s two ways to get around the high costs of fuel and literally drive for cheap:1. Vegetable Oil. Note: This process will only work with a diesel vehicle (see #2 for gasoline vehicles).What this consists of is converting your diesel car or truck to run off of free vegetable oil. The conversion can be relatively straight forward and you can buy an already put together kit that you and your buddies can install over a weekend. The other option, which is cheaper, is just getting the same parts as in the kit separately. This can save a bunch of money and the parts are generally just as good.The free vegetable oil will come from grease bins in the back of fast food or Chinese restaurants. You have to filter out the grease a few times to get it clean, but since it is free this process is definitely worth it. Plus you can now buy filtering pumps that will do all the work for you.2. Run your Car with Water, saving a ton of money on gas.Here is a new process that works for gas cars and trucks, (and actually diesels too if you don’t want to do the vegetable oil conversion). You are not running solely on water, rather it consists of running your vehicle by supplementing water with gasoline. This can literally double your gas mileage and obviously save thousands of dollars a year.This requires a conversion as well, but it is a do it yourself process, and it’s easily reversible so it will not interfere with your car warranty’s, nor will it harm your vehicle. Essentially you are using electricity from you car battery to separate water into a gas that burns smoothly and efficiently.

However, when looking back at the fuel trends in 2007, the prices fluctuations were rather staggering. We all remember looking at the price on the gas station’s sign and cringing at the sight of $3.00 per gallon but a couple of days later feeling the relief when seeing it under $3.00 per gallon- if only to $2.99 per gallon the single penny lessened the blow. to our pocket books.Prices in 2007The gas prices in 2007 put a dent in the wallets of many individuals and businesses alike. However, it is the business that really felt a punch. With many large businesses running large fleets of vehicles, they had to develop cost-efficient ways to transport goods despite the rising gas prices. Although these fleet management techniques worked to curb costs, large retailers began offsetting costs by increasing their prices thus creating a vicious circle of rising prices. Whether it was truly necessary, no one knows, but they touted fuel costs as being the reason why.Just as crude oil rose to astronomical prices per barrel, diesel took a punch as well.Let’s take a look at the roller coaster ride 2007 took us: January 1st opened up with gas prices at $2.38 per gallon, which is nothing compared to the prices we are seeing now. With crude oil at $58.85 per barrel, we thought it was the end of the world and even diesel had reached $2.58 per gallon. Luckily, by February 5th, the price of crude oil had decreased to $58.27 per barrel and gas prices were showing a promising $2.23 per gallon and diesel was down to $2.43. But by March 5th, we were biting our nails again when crude oil spiked to $60.37 per barrel and the gas prices reached a very uncomfortable $2.55 per gallon. Diesel reached $2.62. Seven days later, crude oil was $59.95 per barrel and gas was $2.60 per gallon with diesel hanging at $2.68 per gallon. By April 2nd, we witnessed gas prices hit $2.75 per gallon and diesel was only 4 cents more at $2.79 per gallon. Crude oil prices had hit $68.92 per barrel. But it was on April 30th that the punch was truly felt when the signs at the gas stations read $3.01 per gallon for gasoline and diesel was actually showing a lower price at $2.81 per gallon. Crude oil prices had hit $67.16 per barrel, which was actually less than earlier in the month. By May 28th we saw gas prices spike at $3.25 per gallon and a crude oil price of $69.20 per barrel. Diesel was still hanging around the $2.81 mark and we were being warned that it would be rare to see gasoline prices go below the $3.00 mark. However, we did have a little bit of a reprieve in August when gasoline reached $2.82 per gallon and diesel was once again a tad bit higher at $2.84 per gallon. But the crude oil prices were hanging around at $71.51 per barrel. As for the end of 2007, crude oil prices continued to hang between the $70 range and we didn’t see the prices drop below $3.00 per gallon very often. Prices in the range of $2.92 to $2.96 per gallon were what we saw the most of.The trends of 2007 definitely took the public for a loop. Despite the rising prices in crude oil, the prices in gasoline did not increase at the same rate, which is good for individuals and businesses trying to operate on a budget. Hopefully 2008 is going to be less of a roller coaster ride.

Turn the nozzleWhen you have finished filling up your gas tank try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees.
This will drain a bit more gas into your tank; in some cases up to an entire half cup that would otherwise be a bonus to the next gas customer.Once you get into the habit of turning the hose you’ll find yourself doing it without thinking. That extra half cup that you get each time that you fill your gas tank can add up to a lot of extra gas at the end of the year that you never have known about.>>> High octane gas!!!!! Please consult your Owner’s Manual before changing the grade of fuel you use. !!!!!For most cars these days, buying higher-octane gas is a waste of your money. Regular unleaded has approximately 87 octane already and is fine for your vehicle.By avoiding buying high-octane gas you’ll be saving a large amount of money over a period of time.High octane gas is always more expensive at the gas pumps so the next time that you feel guilty for filling up your SUV with regular gas you can be assured that no harm will come to your vehicle.Octane is simply a measurement of how difficult it is to ignite the gas in your car and has nothing to do with the quality of the gas. If you are experiencing engine pings, rattles, or knocks you can switch to high octane gas.However, you shouldn’t be experiencing any of those knocks and rattles if you are keeping your vehicle maintained and making sure that you don’t miss those scheduled maintenance checkups.
If you are driving a new model car you definitely shouldn’t be hearing any pings or rattles and if you are you should take your vehicle to a mechanic.>>> Avoid topping offTry to avoid “topping off” at the gas pumps. When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn’t have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing.The best time to replenish your gas tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle, or when you find a gas price that you just can’t afford to miss.>>> Avoid running your gas tank too close to emptyTry not to drive your car when the gas gauge is on empty.You may think that you using very little gas when your car is on empty, but you are in fact using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently as it tries to accelerate and decelerate in a normal fashion.
Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible.>>> Avoid buying gasoholYou should never purchase gasohol for your car since it contains only two-thirds of the energy of gasoline.This means that you would need to buy much more gasohol to go the same distance on a tank of gasoline.Gasohol is a mixture of ethanol (alcohol made from grain) and gas, and is used by some farmers to help cut the amount of pollution in the air.Even if you are traveling and it seems like the only fuel choice for miles is gasohol try to avoid buying this type of adapted fuel.

In order to discourage the occurrence of theft in various cities, car alarms are being installed by car owners.  By definition, car alarms are devices attached in vehicles which will emit sound of high volume when circuits are cut or when triggered as a sign of warning. One might wonder as to how a sound, such as a klaxon, siren, horn of the vehicle or verbal warning, is triggered and hence, produces a sound.Car alarms are very sensitive that it emits sound just by the sense of vibrations produces when a person touches the car. The sound can also be triggered when it senses loud sounds, infrared radiation, ultrasound and even microwave. The benefits that are being offered by the car alarms have somehow relieved the many vehicle owners in different countries especially in the

Every year hundreds of children and adults are injured and some are killed as a result of vehicles backing over these victims. Most back up accidents involve children under the age of 5 and elderly persons over 60 years of age. These backing up deaths occur in SUVs, passenger cars, trucks and commercial trucks as well.In 2003 there were 91 deaths associated with people backing over people (although only 44 were from cars, SUV’s or pickup trucks). We’ve spent millions of dollars developing back-up alarms and back-up cameras - some cars even come equipped with them.But, in that same year, 143 people died as a result of a rear end accident to a passenger car or truck. So why don’t we make stronger rear bumpers or relocate the gas tank to protect the 143 people that die from fires resulting from a rear end accident?Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of backup cameras and backup alarms. But I want you to take a close look at these statistics to see if we need stronger bumpers or tank relocation before we get backup alarms or backup cameras.Fires occur in approximately 2.4 percent of all fatal crashes. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates approximately 310 deaths per year are caused by post-collision vehicle fires. The largest cause of these fire-related fatalities, are rear impacts.Although fires are rare, they are not as rare as accidentally backing over someone. If you just take the statistics from 2003, and you consider only passenger cars, SUV’s or light trucks, you are over 3 times more likely to burn to death in a rear-end collision than you are to kill someone by backing over them!When you consider just pickup trucks, you are over 2 times more likely to burn to death in a rear end collision than you are to back over someone driving a pickup truck. And it’s a gruesome death. Usually the frame of the vehicle gets crushed to the point where the doors jam shut. And, because it’s almost impossible to punch your way through the safety glass, you end up trapped.77% Of Fuel System Ruptures Were The Result Of Rear End Collision Damage. Why? Because The Fuel Tank On Most Vehicles Is In The Rear! And, rear-end impacts are three times as likely to result in fatal fire crashes. Although today’s gas tanks have protective bladders, the tank sometimes ends up separating from the filler hose and the gas starts leaking.There are only two ways the problem can be fixed? Relocating the gas tank and/or shielding it from rupture or puncture. These are the two single and most practical solutions to fuel fed fires.The rear end collision is the most frequent accident on the highway today. Shouldn’t we consider stronger bumpers, a better shield and/or tank relocation before backup alarms and cameras?

Hydrogen can appear to be the answer to our fuel problem, unless we’ve looked at the big picture. I saw a comment to an article I was reading about BMW and a hydrogen car they were supposedly going to market next year. The person asked why we didn’t have a full-on hydrogen car in the

Going back to hydrogen, there is a hydrogen producing system that’s as close to free energy as you can get. It seems to make sense to use what’s already available, as opposed to wasting it and expending other energy to produce more. A high priced, high tech vehicle isn’t necessary. But, to make everything work at the optimum, you need to have all the information and not just one piece of the puzzle.