Posted by Anonymous on 8:36 AM
Nobody wants to get into a car accident. But sometimes fender benders happen. How you handle the situation afterwards can affect your personal health, how your insurance carrier will handle the incident, and the overall outcome of the accident.
There are a few general things to consider doing after a car accident. This article from Cars.com lists the steps you should take to ensure that all parties involved in a fender bender are taken care of physically, legally, and emotionally.
1. Think safety first.
It's a given to think safety in a more serious crash, but the after affects of fender-benders can be dangerous too. While in many states, the law requires you to stop after a collision, it's important to pull out of any driving lanes, even if the traffic behind you is stopped. This is to avoid a secondary collision, as well as to not impede traffic flow.
If you are the front car in a collision, motion to the other driver and have him follow you to the closest spot where there's room for both of you to pull over safely. If you are parked in the breakdown lane, be sure to stay as far away from moving cars as possible as you exchange information and assess damage.
If you can't move your car out of traffic, stay in the car with your seat belt buckled and call 911. No matter where you are stopped, turn your hazard lights on or put out flares or an emergency triangle if it's safe to do so.
2. Check for injuries.
Even in a relatively minor collision, people can be hurt. First, look at yourself, in a mirror if possible. While your adrenaline will be flowing hard, stop and think about if any part of your body hurts or if you are dizzy, short of breath or have other symptoms of an injury. Once you decide you are okay, ask the others involved if they are hurt. If anyone is injured or even seems like they might be, call 911. Unless you have first aid training, don't move anyone who is injured unless they are at risk of further injuries because of their location.
3. Consider calling the police.
In many states, if no one is hurt, the cars involved are not blocking traffic and damage is under $1000, reporting the accident to the police is not required (New York and Massachusetts are two such places), but you may choose to make the call if you want a police report taken. If you think getting a report of the accident would be helpful in establishing fault or because you suspect fraud, then certainly make the call to request police assistance.
Sometimes, especially in cities where officers are busy responding to calls of injuries and lawbreakers, the police may not respond to this request for a minor accident. Even if they don't respond, you may be required to file a report yourself, if anyone is hurt or if the damage exceeds a certain amount. Check with your local police, Department of Motor Vehicles or insurance company to find out. Keep in mind though, that in many states, if a police report is filed, your insurance company will be notified of the accident, which could derail you if you have plans to keep the accident quiet, though not reporting it is illegal in many states.
4. Look for eyewitnesses.
Noting any eyewitnesses to the collision is a smart move, especially if there's any question of fault in the collision. Go to the eyewitnesses as quickly as possible to get the full name, street address and day and evening phone numbers for each witness. Even if no police report is taken, you can provide this info to your insurance company.
5. Make a plan if your car is being towed.
If the damage to your car is severe enough that it needs to be towed, take a few minutes to make a plan your next steps. Where do you want the car to be towed? Having it delivered to a dealer, mechanic or body shop you trust is ideal, even if you need to pay a bit because it's being towed further away. If you car is taken to the towing company's yard or other nearby location and you'll want it to go somewhere else later, you could end up paying for a second tow.
If your car is being towed, make sure to get all of your personal belongings out of it first. If these items are stolen, they won't be covered under your auto insurance, plus they may be things you need later.
6. Make notes.
In addition to the contact info of any eyewitnesses, take a moment to jot down the time of day as well as the street or highway where the collision occurred and the nearest cross-street or exit -- your insurance company will ask you for these details. It's also a good idea to note the road conditions, the weather, the speed limit sign, traffic signals and accident results, such as skid marks, since your insurance company may ask that information as well.
7. Take pictures.
If you have a camera, even in a cell-phone, take pictures of the damage (or lack of it) of all the cars involved, as well as any pictures that can help the insurance company understand how the accident occurred and possibly determine fault or fraud. If possible, photograph each car by standing at an angle from each wheel, so one side and either the front or rear of the car is visible in the frame. Take close-up pictures of any vehicle damage (from this accident or not) and, if appropriate, of any people involved. You might also want to photograph the items you took notes on.
8. Double check the other party's information.
Everyone knows to exchange information, but do so by writing down the info yourself by copying it from the person's driver's license and insurance card versus having them write it down for you. As you copy the info, ask if this is the person's current address and also compare the vehicle description, including the VIN, from the insurance card to the car itself. Make note of any discrepancies.
9. Call your insurance company.
Even in a fender bender with minimal damage, you are going to want to call your insurance company (and, in some states, you may be required to do so). Repair costs for even a new bumper and taillight can easily exceed a low deductible, and even seemingly minor damage to a car's exterior can reveal underlying damage once a body shop looks at the car more carefully. Be very cautious if you opt to try to handle the repair costs between the parties involved, check your state laws on this and decide in advance how to handle it if your car repair costs go up if they find more extensive damage once they have your car apart or if a person decides they are injured later.
10. Consider visiting a doctor.
Even if you are not seriously hurt, it may be wise to see a doctor within the day or so after the crash. Soreness and stiffness can be signs of a more serious injury and if they are, it should be diagnosed and treated promptly. While it's not right to take advantage of the system, it is appropriate to ensure that any medical issues that are a result of the accident are taken care of by the at-fault party. You don't want to wait until months later to discover the lingering problem you have is a result of the car accident.
Click the link to read the full article from Kicking TIres:
http://aol.it/1lHbFkx
Posted by Anonymous on 8:16 AM
Did you know that 1 in 24 people admit to nodding off recently behind the wheel? And that's only the people that admit it. Health officials believe the number may be much higher. That means the driver next to you on the highway might be sleeping! That's a scary thought.
This article from Cars.com explores drowsy driving and how drivers can combat it.
This could give you nightmares: 1 in 24 U.S. adults say they recently fell asleep while driving.
And health officials behind the study think the number is probably higher. That's because some people don't realize it when they nod off for a second or two behind the wheel.
"If I'm on the road, I'd be a little worried about the other drivers," said the study's lead author, Anne Wheaton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the CDC study released Thursday, about 4 percent of U.S. adults said they nodded off or fell asleep at least once while driving in the previous month. Some earlier studies reached a similar conclusion, but the CDC telephone survey of 147,000 adults was far larger. It was conducted in 19 states and the District of Columbia in 2009 and 2010.
CDC researchers found drowsy driving was more common in men, people ages 25 to 34, those who averaged less than six hours of sleep each night, and - for some unexplained reason - Texans.
Wheaton said it's possible the Texas survey sample included larger numbers of sleep-deprived young adults or apnea-suffering overweight people.
Most of the CDC findings are not surprising to those who study this problem.
"A lot of people are getting insufficient sleep," said Dr. Gregory Belenky, director of Washington State University's Sleep and Performance Research Center in Spokane.
The government estimates that about 3 percent of fataltraffic crashes involve drowsy drivers, but other estimates have put that number as high as 33 percent.
Warning signs of drowsy driving: Feeling very tired, not remembering the last mile or two, or drifting onto rumble strips on the side of the road. That signals a driver should get off the road and rest, Wheaton said.
Even a brief moment nodding off can be extremely dangerous, she noted. At 60 mph, a single second translates to speeding along for 88 feet - the length of two school buses.
To prevent drowsy driving, health officials recommend getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, treating any sleep disorders and not drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
Click the link to read the full article from Cars.com: http://aol.it/1eewsb9
Posted by Anonymous on 7:54 AM
At some point in your driving you've probably been sitting at an intersection singing your heart out to a song blasting on the radio. You might have been embarrassed when the person in the car next to you looked over and caught you right when you started belting out the chorus, or you might not have even noticed. But what song was it you were listening to?
Cars.com has polled drivers to learn which songs are the best for jamming to. Here are the top ten:
1. "Don't Stop Believin' " by Journey
2. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (27 percent)
3. "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC (22 percent)
4. "Any Way You Want It" by Journey (22 percent)
5. "Life Is a Highway" Tom Cochrane (21 percent)
6. "Dancing Queen" by ABBA (19 percent)
7. "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (16 percent)
8. "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson (15 percent)
9. "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen (14 percent)
10. "Fortunate Son" by Creedance Clearwater Revival (14 percent)
You can read the full article from Cars.com here:
http://bit.ly/1dSKq2r
What is your favorite song to sing along to in the car?
Posted by Anonymous on 7:29 AM
For some reason, when everyone thinks of the future one of the first things that comes to mind is a flying car. The idea behind the flying car is that they will get us around faster than today's cars and make driving a much more convenient experience. But no matter how great George Jetson's life seemed, there are actually a number of reasons why you may not want to ever own a flying car, whether they ever become a reality or not.
An article from
HowStuffWorks.com points out logical and practical reason why a flying car might not ever be a good idea.
Flying Cars Are Expensive
A lot us of deep down really do want a flying car, but one of the main drawbacks to having your own will be the cost. Consider the following facts:
• A flying car project that the U.S. government is exploring is costing $50 million [source: Vanderbilt].
• A plane/car currently being developed by a private company is priced at $279,000 [source: Terrafugia].
Flying cars might not be millions of dollars like the government project, but they definitely won't come cheap. The closest thing we have to flying cars right now is more like a plane that folds its wings up and drives like a car. The car-plane, developed by Terrafugia, has a price tag closer to $300,000 compared to the average cost of a new car which is about $30,000 [source: Welsh]. So you can imagine that if car companies start selling flying cars in the future, they'll be priced higher than most of us can afford.
Not only that, but if you're tired of filling up your car to go to work, you're not going to be much happier filling up a flying car either. Fuel costs for planes are more than the cost for cars [source: AirNav.com]. Even if we are able to fill up flying cars with regular unleaded gasoline, if you start running low on fuel in the air it's not like you can just pull into a station and fill up.
The cost of your car insurance is going to skyrocket, as well, because you're not just insuring a car anymore; you're insuring a car that can fly. Imagine paying for premium coverage because your car cannot only get into accidents, but also crash to the ground.
Breaking Down Means Falling Out of the Sky
This particular reason why you don't want a flying car is pretty self-explanatory, but maybe we should go through some possible scenarios just to drive the point home.
Lots of us have been stranded on the side of the road at one time or another. Maybe your car overheated, you ran out ofgas, got a flat tire or that weird sound you've been hearing for months but never did anything about actually turned into a major problem. When your car breaks down on the road, most people try to quickly maneuver it out of traffic and get it to a safe place away from everything else. Well if you break down in a flying car, the only option you have is to fall from the sky.
You're still not going to have some Good Samaritan help push the car to the side of the road. There won't be an option to pop the hood and diagnose the problem and you can't just get out and walk a few miles to get some more fuel. Gravity is going to have its way and its way is down. An object, ignoring air resistance, falls 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) in about 8 seconds [source: George]. So if you're 1,000 feet in the air and you have an accident, or your car just stops working, you better have a back up plan you can implement quickly.
Even if you can glide or use some sort of parachute, you're going to have to know how to land your car in an emergency. How much of a runway do you need? Can you just put in some trees? Are there houses around? Breaking down in a flying car seems like a huge hassle, not to mention a serious danger.
You'll Have to Learn How to Drive All Over Again
Learning to fly even the smallest and simplest of planesrequires going to flight school. Remember sitting in drivers ed and learning things like the average car travelling 60 miles per hour (96.6 kilometers per hour) will need about 272 feet (82.9 meters) in order to come to a complete stop? It may have been exciting at the time because we were all so close to getting a little taste of freedom, but after you've been driving for years, who wants to sit down and learn a whole new set of rules for flying in car? Because there will be lots of new rules.
If you and your neighbor start your flying car at the same time and want to lift off in front of your house, who goes first? When making a turn in a flying car do you have to look above and below you as well as left and right? How about learning an entirely new way to navigate to a destination? Sure we could set up a GPS system in the flying cars, but if your GPS can't find the satellites, then how do you know where to go?
Pilots learn how to fly without using their eyes to guide them. They rely on their instruments to tell them things like how high they are and what their speeds are [source: Wynbrandt]. Even though we use instruments for some of these things when we drive, we rely mostly on our eyes to see what's going on around us. But in the sky, you don't always have a good reference point. Factors like weather conditions or flying at night can make it impossible for pilots to use their sight to navigate the plane, so they rely on their instruments [source: Wynbrandt]. If you have a flying car you'll need to learn how rely on and trust your instruments more than your sight.
Think you still want a flying car? You can't say we didn't warn you.
Click the link to read the full article from HowStuffWorks.com:
http://bit.ly/LgPUaI
Posted by Anonymous on 8:28 AM
Last week was one of the coldest the United States has seen in quite some time. All across the country drivers had issues with cars not starting and dead batteries. But those aren't the only two things that the cold can take a toll on when it comes to your car. Check out this infographic from Jalopnik to see all the ways the extreme cold can affect your vehicle.
Click the link to read the full article from Jalopnik: http://bit.ly/KA2kuF
Posted by Anonymous on 9:10 AM
“Well gosh officer, I didn’t see the speed limit sign!” – the most common excuse police hear when pulling drivers over, according to an article from Cars.com about a survey done by Insurance.com. The comparison pooled licensed drivers 18 an older. More than a fifth of the drivers polled said when they gave an excuse to the officer that pulled them over they said they couldn’t see the sign that told them not to do something.
There were 10 other popular answers given among drivers polled. They are listed with their percentages below:
1. I couldn’t see the sign telling me not to do it :20.4%
2. I’m lost and unfamiliar with the roads: 15.6%
3. I didn’t know it was broken: 12.4%
4. Everyone else was doing it: 6.4%
5. I’m having in emergency situation in my car (for instance spilled a hot drink on your lap): 5.4%
6. I missed my turn/exit: 4.8%
7. I had to go to the bathroom: 5.6%
8. I didn’t do anything dangerous: 4.2%
9. I was on my way to an emergency (for example, to help someone who was ill or injured): 4.0%
10. My GPS said it was the right thing to do: 2.2%
11. I’m just helping out; I wasn’t even supposed to be driving (for example, your friend is intoxicated): 2.0%
To read the full article from Cars.com, click the link : http://bit.ly/15XAT5U
Posted by Anonymous on 7:41 AM
Did you know that 16% of the United States thinks that speeding is okay for skilled drivers? A recent study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found this and many other interesting stats about speeding in the US.
Kicking Tires has highlighted the study in this article:
Is it possible to believe that "slow and steady wins the race" while also feeling the need for speed? Evidently it is, according to a survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showing motorists' paradoxical positions on speeding.
The just-released "National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behavior" provides estimates regarding how drivers feel about speeding versus their actions. Most (91 percent) agreed with the statement that "everyone should obey the speed limits because it's the law," while nearly half said it is very important that something be done to reduce speeding on U.S. roadways. About 4 out of 5 said driving at or near the speed limit makes it easier to avoid dangerous situations and reduces the chances of a crash.
"However, despite acknowledging the safety benefits of speed limits and reasons drivers should follow them, more than a quarter of those surveyed admitted 'speeding is something I do without thinking,' and 'I enjoy the feeling of driving fast,' " NHTSA reported in a statement. "Further, 16 percent felt that 'driving over the speed limit is not dangerous for skilled drivers.' "
Younger male drivers are the most likely to speed, according to the study. Male drivers admitted to speeding more than female drivers, while those with the least experience (ages 16-20) copped to speeding more frequently than any other age group — with 11 percent reporting having been in at least one speeding-related crash during the past five years compared to 4 percent for the overall population.
NHTSA notes that speeding deaths nationwide account for nearly a third of all traffic fatalities each year, taking nearly 10,000 lives.
Click the link to read more at Kicking Tires:
http://bit.ly/1jMp2in
Posted by Anonymous on 11:05 AM
Many people will be traveling by car to see friends and family this holiday season. Not only is this time of year a particularly busy one on the roads, but the possibility of inclement winter weather also gives you reason to be extra cautious. Use these tips from AOL Autos to be sure that you are safe on the road this holiday season.
Buckle Up Besides being the law in almost every state, using your safety belt reduces your risk of serious injury or death in an accident. That goes for rear seat occupants just as much as for front seat occupants. Airbags do a lot of good, but they are supplemental restraints. They are no substitute for a properly fastened seat belt. Buckle up, and if you're driving, make sure your passengers are strapped in before heading out.
Keep Your Cool
Congested roads and tight schedules can lead to frustration for drivers. Frustration can lead to poor decisions and risky behavior behind the wheel. Road rage is a tragic possibility if you don't keep your cool. Some of the things you can do to reduce your stress while driving include giving yourself plenty of time to spare, keeping your passengers occupied to reduce distractions, expecting the unexpected from other drivers, and taking the time to learn your route ahead of time.
Use A Designated Driver
Drinking and driving is never a good mixture. In family feast situations, even the teetotalers among us sometimes overindulge in the chardonnay. Have a plan for who is drinking and who isn't if you need to drive elsewhere after your festivities. That plan should include having the number of the local taxi cab service on hand should the designated driver forget their responsibilities and dip into the punch bowl once too often.
Stay Alert
Although turkey generally gets the wrap for the drowsiness that typically follows a big feast, the tryptophan isn't solely to blame. In fact turkey has just as much of the sedative as other meats and cheeses. The carbohydrates and alcohol we're consuming are probably more to blame for the sleepiness most revelers experience, along with simply overindulging. A drowsy driver is a dangerous driver though, with accident rates as high as drunk drivers. So try not to overeat, don't try to do too much in one day, and pull over for a nap if you catch yourself feeling the need to nod off.
Slow Down
The old phrase, “Speed kills” might be an oversimplification, but the truth is that increased speeds leave less time and distance to react to problems ahead. Speed is a contributing factor in many traffic fatalities simply because speeding drivers don't have as much room for error. Obey all posted speed limits and be mindful that excess traffic might mean you need to travel well below posted limits in congested areas. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can speed around delays to make up time. Chances are you'll never save enough time to risk losing your life.
Click the link to read the entire article from AOL Autos: http://aol.it/1di9ziA
Posted by Anonymous on 7:20 AM
Cars have been moving Americans for more than 100 years. How has car transportation changed since the Model T in 1908? Take a look at the history of all things cars with this infographic. Some of the history may surprise you.
Click the link to see the full screen infographic: http://bit.ly/8uCOc
Posted by Anonymous on 7:31 AM
The holiday season is here! Families are out chopping down Christmas trees and bringing them home to decorate every branch. Before you can think about decorating the tree though, you have to get it home. This can sometimes prove to be a difficult task, especially if you don't have a transportation vehicle. Check out some of these tips from Kicking Tires for how to safely get your Christmas tree home with the vehicle that you have.
Vehicle-related road debris is estimated to cause more than 250,000 crashes a year and claim 81 to 90 lives, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
What's the best way to keep your tree from becoming a statistic? Rick Dungey, National Christmas Tree Association spokesman, recommends trusting the experts. "If someone at the farm or lot where you buy the tree offers advice on the best way for you to transport your tree, take it. Those folks deal with thousands of trees per year and you deal with one," he told Cars.com.
To make sure your Christmas tree makes it all the way home, the National Christmas Tree Association helped us compile few tips about getting your tree home in one piece:
• Get your Christmas tree netted before leaving the lot to make it more manageable. If it's going on the roof, the trunk should be facing front. Doing both these things will help reduce wind damage to the foliage.
• Make sure to select a tree that will either fit inside your cargo area or, if you have a roof rack, on top of your roof properly. Also ensure that you have enough rope or cord to wrap around the tree and secure it to the roof rack or to cargo hooks.
• Place a tarp or blanket over the cargo area to protect the interior from loose needles. If you're going to place the tree on the roof, place a tarp, plastic sheet or blanket between the tree and the rack to protect the roof from scratches.
• If you are transporting a tree in the back of a pickup truck, keep in mind that there could be hot spots in the bed—from the exhaust pipe, for example. This can damage the tree's foliage, so put something under it like an old blanket.
• Before leaving the lot, give the tree a good tug to make sure it's secure.
• Drive slowly and avoid the highway, especially if you're not used to hauling heavy objects on your roof. The extra weight affects your vehicle's center of gravity and consequently emergency handling.
We don't recommend tying a tree on your car's roof without a roof rack. If you don't have the proper vehicle to take your tree home, find a friend with a more capable vehicle. Even better: Some Christmas tree lots deliver.
Once home, Dungey recommends getting the tree out of the wind and sun as soon as possible. Even if you're not putting it in the stand right away, he says putting it in a bucket of water will minimize damage to the foliage.
When all else fails, there's always an artificial tree!
Click the link to read the full article from the Kicking Tires blog: http://bit.ly/1bhyIqJ
Posted by Anonymous on 7:05 AM
Now that it's December, friends will be having holiday parties that you may be required to bring a dish or two to. Sometimes transporting your transporting your homemade dishes in your vehicle can prove to be a difficult task, especially if you're bring a hot dish, or your food is in a container that could easily spill. The Kicking Tires blog has come up with a great list of tips for how to easily transport your delicious creations from home to your final destination for the holidays. Feel free to comment with your own tips!
Casserole Dishes
Piping-hot casserole dishes can literally be a pain to the person holding them in their lap in the car. The heat from the dish itself can burn your spouse's lap — not to mention the damage that could occur if it spills and your hubby is left with 350-degree green-bean casserole drippings on his, well, you get the idea. Placing the casserole dish on the floor rather than on someone's lap isn't much better. Do you really want to be cleaning oyster stuffing out of your car's carpet and floormats for the next three months?
Instead, invest in a travel casserole dish. I purchased one from Target recently for just $14. It comes with a Pyrex casserole dish, a secure rubber lid, a microwaveable gel pouch to help keep the goodies hot on the road and an insulated carrying case. You don't, however, want it to be loose on the car's floor. If you have to brake quickly to avoid another holiday road warrior, the casserole dish could become a dangerous projectile.
Instead, try securing your travel casserole dish in your car's trunk, safely away from the passenger compartment. You can borrow a grippy drawer liner from your silverware drawer to help keep the travel casserole dish from sliding around in the trunk. It also doesn't hurt to wedge it in with other larger, less messy items.
If you don't have a travel casserole dish and don't want to invest in one, you can use a casserole dish with a lid and secure the lid to the dish's handles with two rubber bands. This can then be secured inside a tote basket or laundry basket lined with towels. The basket can be stashed snugly on the floor behind the driver's seat or even better yet, secured in your car's cargo space using a few bungee cords and the tie-down anchor points in the cargo floor. If the dish happens to have a leak during transport, the towels will soak up any messes. If you don't have a leak, your kids can roll the towels up after dinner and use them on the drive home as pillows to sleep off that turkey-induced fog.
Slow Cookers
By some estimates, something weighing just 20 pounds (a turkey, a slow cooker or whatever) can hit a person with 600 pounds of force if involved in a crash while the car is moving just 35 mph. Slow cookers with locking lids are the surefire option for transporting food in the car and will help keep any leaks or spills from getting on your fabric upholstery. I purchased one recently from Amazon for just over $30. Again, you want to keep slow cookers out of the passenger compartment if possible.
Portable 12-Volt Heater/Coolers
If you're really serious about keeping your sweet potatoes at the perfect temperature while on the road, a portable 12-volt heater/cooler is the way to go. This plugs into the 12-volt outlet in your car, can be switched to heat or cool, and keeps your marshmallow-laced sweet-potato puree inside it at a consistent 140 degrees. While you're limited as to where you can secure it in the car based on where the outlet is located, you still want to secure it safely. Again, getting creative with bungee cords is a great option.
Pies
Tinfoil is your best friend when transporting pies. If you're transporting just one pie, take an extra metal pie tin, flip it upside down and use it to tent the pie. Then seal the edges of the two pie tins together with a strip of tinfoil. Just to reiterate: You don't want a pie to hit you in the back of the head if you get in an accident, so secure it in the trunk. Use the grippy-drawer-liner technique to keep the pie from sliding around, or better yet, stash it in the laundry basket next to your casserole.
To transport two pies, place them side by side on a baking sheet, wrap tinfoil around the pies and baking sheet, and then secure the tinfoil around the baking sheet's edges. Store the baking sheet in your trunk with a grippy drawer liner under it to keep it from sliding around.
All Those Yummy Leftovers
If you're going to take some goodies back home, be prepared and arrive with your own plastic storage containers and zip-close plastic bags rather than having your granny dig some up for you and the rest of your finicky family. Pack a load of disposable plastic containers in a reusable fabric bag. You can pack the containers full and have a convenient tote at the ready to carry them to the car.
Use the bungee-secured laundry basket you used earlier to transport your pie and casserole dish to dinner to then get your leftovers home.
Click the link to read the full article from Kicking Tires:
http://bit.ly/1fCAlHp
Posted by Anonymous on 7:12 AM
What does the car of the future look like? We have all wondered it at some point. Will it drive by itself, or communicate with other cars to avoid accidents? The infographic below from InsuranceQuotes.com paints a picture of what the car of tomorrow may possibly look like. Take a look and see how it compares to today’s cars.
Click the link to read the original article from Mashable: http://on.mash.to/107IRat
Posted by Anonymous on 6:43 AM
No good can come from driving a broken muffler. Not only is the loud engine noise annoying, but exhaust fumes can be dangerous, and you'll pay more for gas. Learn all the downfalls of a broken muffler here.
In Your Ear
The muffler on most stock exhaust systems lives up to its name quite capably -- hushing engine noises to almost imperceptible levels. The sounds escaping from a broken muffler may upset your neighbors, but a more serious outcome could be permanent. While neighbors may glare and stew, vehicle occupants are the ones subjected to conditions that are known to contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus. Close proximity and reverberations from road surfaces amplify the dangers for the driver and passengers encased above the racket. Extended periods of exposure increase the chances of irreparable hearing losses.
Up Your Nose
Carbon monoxide is only one component of exhaust fumes, but it may be the most toxic in concentration. When fumes exit the exhaust system prematurely, this odorless gas can enter the cabin of the vehicle. People hidden in a car trunk to sneak into a drive-in movie, or bundled under a blanket in a rumble seat, were often sickened and in some cases killed. The onset of carbon monoxide poisoning can seem like a trivial case of the flu. Headaches and dizzy spells can precede profound confusion, but impaired driving is an immediate result that can be just as deadly.
Out of Pocket
As any novice hot-rodder soon discovers, removing all exhaust restrictions is an ineffective method of improving engine performance. Engines need exhaust back pressure for everything from basic air flow to reducing air pollution. Computer sensors reliant on proper pressures can blindly increase fuel consumption to no avail. Solids from unburned fuel can combine with rain and adhere to body surfaces. Not only does the poor fuel economy burn a hole in your pocket, but caustic compounds eat through the vehicle body panels as well.
Losing the Race
While a new muffler might seem expensive, the cost is minimal in comparison to potential losses. Whether you subscribe to some scientific theory or not, it remains a fact that air pollution adversely affects our planet and our persons. The exhaust converter of an automobile with a leaky muffler never gets enough heat or time to convert and reduce the poisons entering our atmosphere. If preservation of the human race is not a convincing reason for responsible motoring, perhaps a trip to the police impound lot would be.
Click the link to read the full article from ehow.com: http://bit.ly/19zwLJU
Posted by Anonymous on 6:27 AM
Is your glove box full of clutter? Time to clean it out. This article tells you what items you should have in your glove box. Go ahead and get rid of everything else.
The glove box can be a useful treasure chest in cars, housing everything from important papers and receipts to tire gauges and extra fuses. It's a safe, easy-to-access place for crucial items, and almost every car has one. Even the best of us are sometimes guilty of littering our glove boxes with unnecessary items like CDs or cosmetics.
Don't let yourself go down that path. Rather, be prepared and consider the following things to keep on hand.
License and registration: Keep all important documents like proof of insurance, automotive registration and a copy of your driver's license in a plastic bag or held together by a paper clip.
ICE: Experts at AAA recommend keeping an ICE — in case of emergency — card with important information about you and your passengers. On that card you should list emergency contacts, physicians, any medications used or allergies for you and your passengers.
Put your owner's manual on a diet: We'd all like to keep our car's owner's manual in the glove box, but have you seen the size of these things lately? If your car came with a combo pack of a manual plus other materials like stereo or navigation instructions, optional warranties and more, put the less vital guides elsewhere. Keep just the main manual — with important info on engine care, wiper blade sizes and more — in the glove box.
Tire pressure gauge: Unless you have a new Nissan Altima with its Easy Fill Tire Alert system, a tire pressure gauge is one of the most essential items to have in your glove box. Thankfully, it's also small.
Flashlight: There are dozens of small — sometimes even flat — LED flashlights on the market that take up only a little space but emit a lot of light. A flashlight will come in handy when trying to change a tire in the dark.
Fuses: Stock your glove box with a few backup fuses, which can be picked up at a hardware store for a few dollars. If your car's taillights or power windows stop working, replacing a blown fuse takes just seconds. Fuses are ideal for the glove box because they're tiny.
Wheel-lock key: Wheel locks help to ensure that someone won't walk off with your car's pricey wheels, but you won't be able to change a flat tire without the wheel-lock key. If your car has wheel locks, keep the key in the glove box next to the tire pressure gauge.
First-aid kit: If your car is short on storage space, find a small pouch or container and make a basic first-aid kit for the glove box. It should contain adhesive bandages, tissues or cotton balls, a pain reliever like aspirin and backup prescription medicine. You could put the ICE card in there, too. Some retailers carry first-aid kits for glove boxes such as the LifeLine, which costs less than $10.
Phone charger: If you have a smartphone you know how quickly the battery can run out of power, especially if you're using Bluetooth. Luckily, most chargers are small. A cellphone is one of the most important items you should have with you in a car in case of an emergency; don't let it run out of juice.
Paper map: Put a printed — yes, printed — fold-out map in your glove box. In this day and age where portable GPS units and cellphones with navigation software dominate, having an up-to-date paper map as a backup is just plain smart.
Click the link to read the whole article from Cars.com : http://bit.ly/YhkYeM
Posted by Anonymous on 7:02 AM
The scariest part about driving is usually other drivers. You never know what someone else on the road might do. That's why when you're behind the wheel, you always need to drive defensively. Here are a few tips on the best ways to be a defensive driver.
Following Distance
When driving, following distance is crucial. Many drivers tend to tailgate, which can easily lead to one car rear-ending another. A tip is to check your speed, divide it by 10, and then keep that many car lengths between you and the car in front of you. For example, if you are driving 40 miles per hour, keep the distance between you and the car ahead 4 car lengths.
Distractions
When driving, 100 percent of your focus must be on the road and what's going on around you. Avoid distracting activities when driving, such as talking on the phone (even hands-free), eating, shaving and especially texting.
Changing lanes
A lot of drivers when changing lanes will slow down and not signal. It is important to keep consistent speed when changing lanes to avoid being rear-ended and it is important to use your turn signal to give cars in other lanes notice that you are changing lanes.
Space Cushion
It is hard to control cars around you, but safely try to move yourself around so you are not driving directly next to anyone or directly behind anyone.
Read the full article from ehow.com here: http://bit.ly/16qLmD5
Posted by Anonymous on 7:02 AM
The smallest error in properly securing a child's safety seat can compromise the effectiveness of the device in the event of an accident. AAA has put together a list of 12 of the biggest mistakes parents are making when installing a car seat. Read the tips here and learn how you can prevent them.
AAA has put together a list of the twelve biggest mistakes parents make when using a car seat. Some items on the list may seem like insignificant oversights, but even the smallest error in properly securing these safety devices can compromise their effectiveness in the event of a crash.
Read on to see the mistakes parents are making and how you can prevent them from happening to you.
1. Moving a child out of a booster seat too soon.
Seat belts are designed to fit adults, not children. Putting a child that isn't ready into an adult seat belt can result in an abdominal or neck injury in the event of a sudden stop or crash. AAA recommends keeping your child in a booster seat until they are absolutely ready to fit into adult seat belts, which usually occurs between ages eight and twelve, depending on growth and development. Children should be able to sit with their back against the seat, knees bending at the edge of the seat and feet touching the floor. The lap belt should be positioned low across their hips and upper thighs with the shoulder belt across their chest and collarbone.
2. Not installing the car seat tightly enough.
If a car seat is installed too loosely, it can subject a child to much greater force during a crash. A car seat should not move more than one inch front-to-back or side-to-side when installed correctly.
3. Harness straps too loose.
Having the harnesses too loose on a child is very dangerous, as they will not be properly restrained in the event of a crash. This can result in subjugation to much greater force and even ejection from the seat entirely. Harnesses should lie flat without any twists. Ensure that they are snug enough that you cannot pinch any extra material at the child's shoulder.
4. Retainer clip (or chest clip) is too low.
The retainer clip helps keep the child secure in the car seat. If a retainer clip is too low, a child can come out of the harnesses or the hard, plastic retainer clip can cause internal damage. AAA recommends ensuring that the clip is placed at armpit level.
5. Turning your child forward-facing too soon.
According to AAA, children in the second year of life are 5 times less likely to die or be seriously injured in a crash if they ride in a rear-facing car seat. A child should remain in a rear-facing seat until they reach the upper weight or height limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer. Once this happens, then switch to a rear-facing convertible car seat with higher height and weight limits.
6. Allowing a child under the age of 13 to ride in the front seat.
Children under the age of 13 are almost always too small to ride in the front seat, and they can be seriously injured by air bags in the event of a crash. Be safe and do not allow a child up front until they are a teenager.
7. Forgetting the top tether.
Neglecting to use the top tether on a car seat will subject a child's head and neck to excessive forward movement. When recommended, always use the top tether with either LATCH or seat belt installations.
8. Adding additional toys, padding or mirrors to a child's seat.
Don't add additional stuff to a car seat, as it can interfere with the seat performing the way it was designed to during a crash. Toys and mirrors can turn into dangerous projectiles in the event of an accident, as well. AAA recommends only using products that come with the seat or are recommended by the seat manufacturer. Secure all loose items in a vehicle trunk or storage space.
9. Installing a car seat using LATCH in the center rear seat of a vehicle (when not permitted by the manufacturer).
Most vehicles do not support LATCH in the center rear seat. Using lower anchors intended for the outboard seats could cause the whole system to fail and the car seat to be thrown in a crash. Refer to the vehicle's owner's manual and only use lower anchors in approved seating positions.
10. Transporting unsecured, heavy items (including pets) in the vehicle.
Loose items can turn into nasty projectiles during a crash. Secure items in a trunk or other storage location. Properly restrain pets with approved devices.
11. Installing a car seat using both LATCH and a seat belt.
More is not better in this scenario. Using more than one system to secure a car seat can put unnecessary stress on the seat, affecting its performance during a crash.
12. Having children wear bulky coats/sweaters while buckled into a car seat.
Unapproved padding, including coats and sweaters, placed behind or under the harness can compress in a crash, resulting in slack in the harness system. AAA says that you should always place blankets or jackets over the child after the harness is snug and secure.
Click the link to read the full article at AOL Autos: http://aol.it/18upxb8
Posted by Anonymous on 7:22 AM
It's fall and the days are getting shorter. That means that it's more than likely you'll be driving in the dark. Nighttime driving isn't at all natural for humans. Visibility is extremely low. Nighttime is also more dangerous because sleep deprived or drunk drivers are more likely to be on the road. Use these tips to help you drive in the dark.
5. Stay Alert and Sober
Sure, you have to watch out for drunks and wannabe "Fast and the Furious" extras at night. But you might actually be your own worst enemy. That's because we all operate by a circadian rhythm, which regulates our daily activity levels. Research has shown spikes in the number of car accidents to coincide roughly with the ebbs of the circadian cycle -- early morning, when most people are asleep or just waking up, and early afternoon [source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration].
So before driving at night, avoid taking medications that make you drowsy. Even what you eat has as influence. Eat foods that are high in protein rather than ones high in carbohydrates, which are more likely to make you sleepy [source: National Sleep Foundation]. Also try to make sure you're adequately rested before you drive at night. Prior sleep deprivation is usually a culprit in drowsy driving accidents.
Some people avoid coffee and other caffeine products as a matter of principle or for health reasons. But research shows that drinking the equivalent of two cups of coffee can stave off a "sleep attack" for up to an hour.
It's also a good idea to have someone else in the car with you, if possible. They can help you to stay awake with conversation or, at the very least, share the driving duties. The numbers tell the story on this one -- drive with a buddy and you're less likely to crash and die [source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration].
No article on driving safety would be complete without mentioning alcohol. By now, everybody knows how badly alcohol impairs driving ability, so we'll spare you the sermon. Do realize, however, that other people will get boozed up and jump behind the wheel at night -- putting you in potential danger should you be unfortunate enough to cross their drunken path.
4. Let there be (Unobstructed) Light
We already mentioned how there's less light available at night for you to spot possible hazards. So it's critically important that you use technology -- both to see and be seen.
Let's start with your headlights. First, make sure both of them work. If they don't, replace them in pairs; otherwise you'll have one weak, dull headlight and one brand-new bright one, which is distracting to other drivers and can be mildly disorienting to you.
You'll also want to make sure the lens of the headlight housing is clean and clear. Grime and pitting from oxidation reduce the amount of light that can illuminate the road in front of you. Headlight lens buffing kits can help you restore headlight clarity and allow more light to hit the pavement, right where you need it.
Make sure both of your brake lights work, too. They give drivers behind you critical warning and reaction time when you need to make an emergency stop.
Most people know to turn their high beams off in well-lit areas or if another car is approaching. What many drivers don't know, or simply ignore, is that fog lamps should also be turned off for ordinary night driving. The water droplets in fog diffuse the light of your regular headlamps so that they have a difficult time illuminating obstacles and making your car more visible. Fog lamps are a bit more effective at cutting through fog, but their intensity can hurt the eyes of other motorists if it's a clear night.
3. Don't be a deer in the headlights
Now that you know when and when not to use the lights you have at your disposal, what do you do about those drivers who don't know? The "less-enlightened" ones, if you will?
And what about those drivers in vehicles with headlights at or near your eye level -- the ones that make your retinas feel as if they've caught fire? If such a car or SUV is approaching from the opposite direction, you can divert your gaze down and to the side, using the lane marker or painted median strip as a guide. If the person is behind you, use the nighttime reduced-glare setting on your rearview mirror.
2. Use technology for its intended use: Safety
Remember where we said to leave the gadgets alone? Well, we need to qualify that statement -- because sometimes gadgets can be life savers. Just make sure you're at a complete stop (parked) when you use them.
Among the gadgets that can get you out of a late-night predicament:
• A cell phone lets you call for help in the event of a breakdown, accident, or even if you're too tired or tipsy to drive
• A GPS navigation system can prevent you from getting lost in a shady area; many units have a nighttime setting that inverts light and dark colors -- making the unit easier to read at night and also less distracting
• Integrated "telematics" systems such as Toyota's Entune and Ford Sync can provide directions not only for where you are, but to the nearest rest stop, police station, or motel at which to rest your weary head; and of course, there's the granddaddy of major carmaker telematics systems -- GM's OnStar, which can automatically detect if you've been in an accident and call emergency services for you
• On some higher-end cars, infra-red night vision is available; these systems can spot obstacles, people and animals seconds before they enter the range of your vehicle's headlights, providing crucial added reaction time
1. Carry a Roadside Emergency Kit
gadgets alone? Well, we need to qualify that statement -- because sometimes gadgets can be life savers. Just make sure you're at a complete stop (parked) when you use them.
Among the gadgets that can get you out of a late-night predicament:
• A cell phone lets you call for help in the event of a breakdown, accident, or even if you're too tired or tipsy to drive
• A GPS navigation system can prevent you from getting lost in a shady area; many units have a nighttime setting that inverts light and dark colors -- making the unit easier to read at night and also less distracting
• Integrated "telematics" systems such as Toyota's Entune and Ford Sync can provide directions not only for where you are, but to the nearest rest stop, police station, or motel at which to rest your weary head; and of course, there's the granddaddy of major carmaker telematics systems -- GM's OnStar, which can automatically detect if you've been in an accident and call emergency services for you
• On some higher-end cars, infra-red night vision is available; these systems can spot obstacles, people and animals seconds before they enter the range of your vehicle's headlights, providing crucial added reaction time.
Imagine driving along the interstate just as the snow is beginning to fall. If you make good time and don't stop, you should be safe at home in just a couple more hours. Unfortunately, a couple of tractor trailers have jackknifed across the roadway up ahead, causing traffic to back up for miles. The snow intensifies, icing over to turn road surfaces into a skating rink. Despite a frantic response involving emergency crews and theNational Guard, you become one of many people stuck, in freezing temperatures, in their cars, for more than 20 hours. Mayhem ensues.
Does this sound like a treatment for a melodramatic, made-for-TV movie? Or perhaps an incident that crippled motorists in some underdeveloped country? Such a thing could never really happen in the United States, right? Actually, this exact scenario played out in Pennsylvania in February 2007. It offered a pretty stark example of why every driver would be wise to keep a roadside emergency kit stashed in the back of his or her vehicle.
While today's cars and SUVs are more reliable than ever, you can still easily become stranded night or day. You never know when a belt will break, a tire will deflate or an act of nature will delay you from reaching your destination. An emergency kit won't keep you safe through the entire Apocalypse, but it can provide some warmth and sustenance for a few hours or even days, until help can arrive.
For between $25 and $40, you can pop into your local auto supply store or discount warehouse store and purchase a pre-assembled kit. Otherwise, you can piece one together on your own. Here are a few of the necessities you ought to have:
• Jumper cables or battery re-charging device
• Quart of oil
• Bottled water (which can double as engine coolant)
• Emergency roadside flares
• Blanket
• Plastic tarp
• "Multi-tool" handheld miniature toolkit
• Tire sealant
• Granola or other snack bars
• First aid kit with assortment of bandages
• Flashlight and batteries
• Nylon bag to keep everything contained and tidy
And naturally, you'd want to check your kit every six months or so to consume and replace perishables and check batteries.
Click the link to read the entire article from howstuffworks.com: http://bit.ly/YTjGD6
Posted by Anonymous on 2:03 PM
Automatic car washes are quick and protect the driver from the elements. But be careful, because not all automatic car washes are not safe for your car. They may cause damage to the paint job or the car itself. Use these tips from ehow.com to distinguish a reliable car wash from one that should be skipped.
Common Damages
One of the most common damages blamed on car washes is scratched paint. According to Jacob Scalici, a Philadelphian who writes about sports cars, the brushes used in a car wash are hard on paint and clear coat. Rear windshield wipers and antennae are also frequent victims of car wash machinery. Industry groups like the Southeastern Car Wash Association even post bulletins on their websites about which parts of specific models are especially vulnerable to damages.
Choosing a Car Wash
Choose a "brushless" car wash. Older car washes may still use abrasive brushes, which can easily scratch your car's finish. Brushless car washes use long cloth strips instead. Or you can select a car wash that bills itself as "touchless," where all that touches your car are high-pressure jets of water and detergent. Another thing to watch is the drying phase. If attendants hand wipe cars, make sure their towels are clean and soft. If they use the same cloth for many cars, pieces of dirt will accumulate in the cloth and scratch any cars they wipe. If the towels are dirty, let your car dry naturally.
Who is Responsible?
When a customer accuses a car wash of damaging her car, the two parties must determine who is responsible. The car wash employee may be certain that the scratch was there before the car went through the wash. The driver may be just as adamant that the scratch is new. Usually the manager will be consulted, and both parties will try to determine whether the equipment could have caused the damage. If it looks like the customer is right, the car wash will pay for repairs at a body shop, and sometimes even provide a rental car. If the car wash is convinced it is not in the wrong, the customer can file a claim in small claims court.
Self Defense for Car Washes
Brad Hooper, who owns Rossmoor Car Wash and Detail Center in Los Alamitos, California, recommends that every car wash should have good digital video cameras. He suggests that employees should point out noticeable scratches to the camera as the car approaches the wash. The owners of Venture Car Wash in Ridgeland, Mississippi, budget about a nickel per car to go toward repairing damages. Some months they have no damages at all. Other months they have a few in quick succession.
Doing it Yourself
According to Scalici, some cars weren't made for the automatic car wash. Upscale sports cars, especially those in dark colors, are unforgiving when it comes to any sort of brush. He recommends soft towels, microfiber mitts and gentle soap.
Click the link to read the full article from ehow.com: http://bit.ly/19wK0IA
Posted by Anonymous on 6:55 AM
Driving at higher speeds is dangerous, right? This may actually no longer be the case. Some police departments and politicians are pushing for higher speed limits, saying that it would make roads safer and improve quality of life. This article from AOL Autos explains why authorities believe highway speed limits up to 80 miles per hour may be in the best interest for drivers everywhere.
For the last few years, as budget-pressured states and municipalities have pressed law-enforcement to write more speeding and traffic tickets, employed speed camerasand battled in court against drivers who warn other drivers about speed traps, there are voices, including those of some police departments, saying higher speed limits would be safer and contribute to our quality of life.
Take Michigan State Senator Rick Jones, a Republican from Grand Ledge, Mich., and a former police officer, who has proposed that state speed limits be raised to as high as 80 mph, up from the upper limit of 70 mph. The Detroit News recently supportedJones' measure with an editorial.
Jones knows local police forces may fight the proposal until they figure out how to replace lost ticket revenue.
"All good police officers oppose speed traps," Jones says. "Speeds should be posted scientifically and properly for the safest speed and then the officers will catch the big violators. We don't need to get the average Joe getting to work." Jones also said the higher limits would afford police the ability to focus on other enforcement areas such as impaired, distracted or careless driving, and restraint (seat-belt) enforcement.
There is support at the state level.
"With artificially low speed limits we put police in a position of actually ticketing safe drivers," said Lt. Gary Megge of the Michigan State Police Traffic Services. He's pushing for Jones' bill.
Illinois has recently upped its speed limits on rural highways from 65 mph to 70 mph. And there is support in Wisconsin's state house for similarly increasing the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph, a measure that has support from some of the state's newspapers.
AAA generally opposes higher speed limits. The organization said in its opposition to Illinois' measure that nearly half of the state's traffic fatalities involve speeding, with that percentage on the rise. But let's look behind the numbers. There were 1,248 fatal car accidents on Illinois highways in 2007 and 918 in 2011. The percentage of accidents involving speeding was 42% in 2007 and 47% in 2011. Not only are the numbers and percentages close, but drawing a straight line between higher speed limits and more traffic fatal accidents is not valid. Unknowns, for example, in those statistics are how many accidents may have been caused by motorists suddenly adjusting speed at the sight of a police speed trap, the number impacted by impaired drivers or influenced by road construction.
Why and what is the theory behind higher speed limits being safer for drivers? The National Motorists Association argues that higher speed limits make roads safer, endorsing research that supports the idea that setting speed limits around the speed that 85 percent of drivers travel.
"We're supportive of the 85th percentile rule," Michigan Dept. of Transportation DOT spokesman Jeff Cransontold The Detroit News. "There's a misconception that speed alone kills. It really depends on road conditions. If it means increasing the speed limit to make some roads safer, then it should be done."
There are a lot of variances in speed limits in the U.S. as anyone driving cross country can attest. The highest speed limits are for the most part 75 mph in western states and 70 mph in eastern states. Northeast states have 65 mph limits. A small portion of the Texas and Utah road networks have higher limits of 80 mph and even 85 mph.
Remember when speed limits kept drivers to a hair-pulling 55 mph? Between 1974 and 1987, the lower highway speed limit was a result of policy that said the lower speed limit would save gas. During World War II, the speed limit was set at 35 mph for the same reason. While it is generally true that most vehicles will use less gas if their speed is set between 55 and 65 in highway driving, proof that the national policy saved energy on the whole is debatable at best. The National Maximum Speed law was repealed in 1995 and speed limits were given back to the states to set.
Will higher speed limits make us less safe? After New York raised the limit on its highway traffic to 65 mph in 1995, the state's total crash rate dropped by 4 percent. In 2000, the Automobile Club of Southern California determined that higher speed limits in that state did not increase the rate of statewide accidents over a period of five years. Additionally, traffic fatalities as a percentage of miles traveled dropped sharply after the repeal of the 55 mph rule.
Speed, however, does have a direct effect on how serious an accident can be. Physics dictates that the force of impact increases with speed. But research in this area can be quickly out-dated as car makers have added technology to new cars-multiple airbags, seatbelt minders that chime until the belts are buckled, electronic stability control. These features are all found standard on every new car. Even more technology, such as sophisticated collision-avoidance systems, are being phased into cars, albeit mostly luxury cars for now.
In case you are wondering when speed limits were first set, it was in Colonial times. In 1757, in Boston, the board of selectmen set the speed limit for wagons, carriages, horses, etc. on Sunday was set at "a walking pace." Anyone exceeding this limit would be fined 10 shillings.
Today's vehicles have a lot more horsepower. And it could just be safer to let them run.
Click the link to read the article at AOL autos: http://aol.it/15u6TK5
Posted by Anonymous on 6:26 AM
How a car looks is almost as important to some people as how it runs. Unfortunately though, there are many outside factors that can prevent us from having the squeaky clean car exterior we often wish for. Gravel can cause small scrapes and scratches and dirt and grime can take the shine away from our paint jobs. A simple car wash can't always do the trick to get our paint jobs looking like new again.
This article from cars.com has some great tips on how to maintain an aesthetically pleasing paint job on your car, even after all the grit, hot sun, bird poop and...well, you get the picture.
UV ProtectionCoatings that resist the dulling, chalking effects of sunlight have come a long way. Ultraviolet light still will oxidize a car's finish, but unless you are parking in a barren lot in the desert, the paint on recent models is going to last many years. Of course, you can buy one of those canvas booties that encase a car, but don't look at us when you're fighting the wind to put it on.
CleaningThe best advice is the simplest. Wash or at least rinse off dirt of any kind on your car ASAP. The longer it's on, the more likely that it will penetrate the paint. Cool your car in the shade on a shallow incline; the angle will help channel water drops to points where they fall off the car and onto the ground.
Rinse before you wash because the mildest of car soaps and freshest of sponges — both of which you should use — won't help if there's sand between the sponge and the paint.
Rather than dish detergent, use car soap, some of which is made to remove stuff like wax. When it comes to tools, you don't have to buy a sponge directly from the Mediterranean, but you definitely shouldn't use old underwear (too hard, no snap and … just don't).
Wash and rinse one section at a time so you don't have water drying on the body. Don't scrub that strong-yet-delicate surface. Use long, light strokes that run along the length of your car. Scratches created with circular wiping leave marks that are more noticeable than straight ones. Rinse your chamois or sponge before dipping it back into the bucket to prevent grit from being reapplied to the car.
Dry by blotting rather than wiping. Ignore memories of your dad or granddad who looked oddly happy to be driving away "to dry the car." They likely were sneaking off to a tavern, a game or to anyplace quieter than home. You'd probably have to drive at unsafe speeds to blow the water off a wet car — all the while accumulating new dirt.
There's a class of cleaning product designed to be used after your car has dried and before you wax. Obviously, this is above-and-beyond detailing. Maybe it's even obsessive. But if you've got the money and ego to buy a jaw-dropping paint job, it makes sense to do everything possible to maintain the sheen.
Wax On, Wax OffYou shouldn't rush the rinse-wash-rinse-rewash process, but you're shooting yourself in the foot if you take shortcuts with the wax. This is the thin, invisible layer of material that not only deepens the beauty of good paint, but also is like diaper cream in that it keeps the bad stuff (including a significant portion of UV rays) from ever touching your baby.
The gold standard is carnauba wax. It's expensive, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything that brings out paint's richness better. Wipe it on and immediately wipe it off.
You have to be careful, though. A lot of wax-makers say theirs is carnauba, but manufacturers can seemingly mix essence of carnauba in their waxes and claim it's the real thing. You want at least 20 percent carnauba in the can, preferably without any petroleum products mixed in. You'll get better results with natural oils.
Polymer-based waxes are great, too, and worth their price, but they still can't equal the show that carnauba puts on.
Car Washes — Even Evil Has a PlaceThe less said here the better. As has been pointed out, if you're willing to go to a car wash that uses brushes, you probably aren't motivated to wash your car to begin with.
But let's say you're on your way to pick up actress Natalie Portman for a date when a flock of geese off-load some dead weight onto the hood of your car. The best-case scenario is as follows:
Drive to a no-touch car wash that only sprays water and soap. Cut in line, saying you're late to your daughter's graduation from Brownies. Tip an employee to give the car a rinse before it rolls in. Run to the register and throw your platinum card at the cashier, but keep running to the wipe-down area. The wipe-down area is where everyone else stands around watching his or her car getting dried by hand. If the dryers don't do a good job, the driver stiffs them on the tip. Doofus move. Instead, walk up to the first dryer to touch your car and give him or her the largest bill in your pocket. Say these words: "Use the towels reserved for newborn infants accidentally delivered here."
If the bill you hand over is $100 or greater, tell them about blotting, otherwise go get your credit card back. There's a high likelihood that the cashier's phone number will be on the receipt. That's just a bonus, and has nothing to do with getting the cleanest and least-damaging car wash. Pick up Natalie.
Click the link to read the full article from cars.com:
http://bit.ly/17Hq0DR
