Its summer and it’s hot out there. Overheating of your car engine is often thought of as being associated with warm weather – but the fact of the matter is that your car engine is built to dissipate heat regardless of the season – if your engine’s cooling system is working properly, that is.
When you are driving it’s always a good idea to check the indicators on your dashboard periodically, so that you are immediately alerted when anything starts to malfunction.
Do you need to store your car for a period of time? Here are some tips on how to do this so that you can get it back in service as quickly as possible, when the time comes.
Before you store the vehicle, clean inside and out thoroughly – you don’t want to come back to a nasty smell inside, or damage to the paintwork because of a deposit on the exterior of the car that could easily have been cleaned off before storage.
Don’t leave your car outside if at all possible – store it away in the best environment available. First prize will be a cool, dry, locked garage. If you don’t have access to a garage, and you have no other choice, cover the car with a car cover made out of thick, breathable material. Arrange for someone to check up on it on a regular basis, to ensure that no tears develop or that the cover is not stolen. Don’t park under trees, as tree sap, birds or falling branches could cause damage.
If you are planning to store your car for more than 6 months, it is worthwhile to find a storage company who will store the vehicle for this time. Make sure that the oil, oil filter and coolant are changed prior to putting into storage, and top up the fuel tank so that there is as little air in the tank as possible to avoid rusting in the tank.
Park the car on level ground and leave in gear if a manual transmission, in park if automatic. Leave the handbrake off.
Plug any possible entry points for rodents or other animals – block the air intake and exhaust pipes with rags.
Arrange for your car to be checked on a regular basis while it is in storage – checked for leaks, fluid levels and tyre pressure. The car should be started and the engine warmed for about 15 minutes, every 2 weeks.
When you are ready to use your car again, check for evidence of rodents, such as teeth marks on wires, belts and cables. Check the fluid levels and the battery, as well as the tyre pressures before you start driving. Before you drive on an open road, check that the brakes are working. Book your car in for a service as soon as possible.
Nitrogen is a colourless, odourless, non-toxic gas that makes up 78% of the earth’s atmosphere. It has been used to inflate tyres of racing cars, aircraft and heavy commercial vehicles for some time, and is recently gaining popularity for use for inflating tyres of normal passenger vehicles.
Some benefits claimed for inflating your car’s tyres with nitrogen instead of normal air, include that it will reduce the running temperature of your tyres, improve ride quality, increase tyre life and keep tyre pressure more constant, slow the rate of pressure loss and finally, that it will not react with the tyre and rim materials. Let’s examine these claims a little more closely.
Reducing the tyre’s running temperature – there is some truth to this claim, however, this is caused by the lower moisture content of the nitrogen gas. Dry compressed air will also ensure that your tyre will run cooler, and any likely benefit will only be of importance where your tyres are running at or near their maximum load and speed.
There is no valid reason why nitrogen would improve your ride quality at normal tyre operating pressures and temperatures.
Tyre life will increase slightly with a lower operating temperature – however there are some claims that using nitrogen will double the life of your tyres, and this is in all probability not going to be achievable.
The pressure inside a tyre will increase as the operating temperature increases, and nitrogen could provide a more stable pressure as a result of the lower operating temperature – however, you are only likely to notice benefits under heavy loads and/or high speeds.
The chemical structure of nitrogen means that it will be slower to leak out of your tyres than normal compressed air – this is true, but you still need to check your tyres regularly in case of a leak.
In tyres filled with compressed air, you could experience oxidation/rust of the metal components of the wheel rim. It is also claimed that the compressed air reacts with the rubber of the tyre – but there is no evidence pointing to whether this reduces the life of the tyre or not. Nitrogen, being a relatively inert, dry gas means that in theory, this problem is prevented. However, this is offset by the fact that there is probably still some air in the tyre which means that your tyres won’t have 100% nitrogen content.
You also need to consider that nitrogen may not be readily available near to your home or office – and this may lead you to neglect a regular check on your tyre pressure.
Normal compressed air contains 78% nitrogen anyway – so it is likely that the benefits of using pure nitrogen in your tyres are overstated. The most important factor in looking after your tyres is regular maintenance which includes regular checks on your tyre pressure, wheel balance and alignment.
Your car is one of the biggest expenses that you are likely to make – and isn’t it worthwhile to spend a little extra effort to keep it looking and smelling good for longer.
Start off with the interior – using electrical devices such as a vacuum cleaner after you have washed your car and water is around, is really not such a good idea. If there is any dried mud on your carpets or seats, scrub the area with a dry scrubbing brush to loosen before vacuuming up. Dog hair can also be a real pain to clean up – try the scrubbing brush or alternatively the dimpled rubber gloves used by animal groomers to gather up hair and then vacuum up. Clean your dashboard with a damp chamois, and if you have a lot of dust in air vents and hard to reach areas, try using a dry paint brush.
Wash your car on a regular basis to keep it looking good – the more often that you wash it, the easier it will be to clean. Wash the car with a mild detergent and rinse well. Dry it using a good quality chamois. Polish your car every month or so– this will protect the paint. A hand wash for your car is much, much better than a car wash where they use brushes or anything that comes into contact with the surface of the car. Commercial car cleaning products contain harsh chemicals which may damage the paintwork over time, and also affect the environment. If you wash your car on a grassed surface, potential run off of contaminated water is reduced. In order to conserve water, use a pistol grip nozzle on the hose.
Spend some time cleaning the window properly – there is nothing more irritating than having to peer through a streaked window after having washed your car. Use a fine mist household glass cleaner and a damp chamois, followed by a polish with a dry soft cloth. Clean the outside of the window first, so that you can see the marks on the inside more easily.
Using a good quality polish every three months or so will keep your paintwork protected and make sure that the exterior of your car looks shiny and new.
Just a few hours every week or so can help to maintain your vehicle in pristine condition so that you can enjoy your ride and also protect your investment, as it’s no secret that buyers will pay more for a good-looking car.
The seats in your car, especially the driver’s seat, are critical to the level of usability and comfort of your vehicle – but how much thought to you give to this aspect of your car when making a buying decision?
Here are some pointers for you to consider, next time you are looking to buy a vehicle.
Firstly – what is the material covering the seats? Cloth seats are usually comfortable, and these days are made from durable fabric that will last well with normal use. Vinyl or imitation leather can cost more than cloth, but may not be more comfortable as they can feel firmer than cloth seats. They are however, easier to clean than cloth. Alcantara is a synthetic material popular in sports vehicles for seats, steering wheels and trim, often used with leather. Alcantara wears well and feels good to the touch. Real leather looks and feels great, and the durability depends on the quality of the leather used – the better the quality, the higher the price.
Secondly – what type of body support is provided by the seats? Look at what support is provided for your hips and lower back, and check that the seat cushion supports enough of your thighs to be comfortable. Basic seat adjustments will include height, forward/back, headrest height and backrest pitch adjustments. Over and above these basic settings, adjustable lumbar support is great for long journeys – and if you are larger than the average body size, you will benefit from adjustable side bolstering and adjustable under-thigh support.
Finally – what luxury features are supplied? Here we are talking about things like heated seats for those cold days, and seat ventilation to prevent sticking to the seat on those hot summer days. Massage seats are a bonus if you drive long distances and maybe have back problems. Some cars come with seat position memory settings – a time saver if you have more than one regular driver of your car.
You can upgrade from cloth seats to full leather at a cost on most vehicles where these don’t come standard. To get more of the other advanced features you may have to consider upgrading to a higher spec vehicle – but it is all about knowing what your choices are, and picking the options that will work best for you, within your available budget.
Buying a new car and looking at the audio options available to you? With the range of options available this can get confusing.
These days, a number of well known home entertainment brands are working with car manufacturers to make their systems available – for example, Mark Levinson (Lexus), Bose (Nissan, Mazda and Skoda), Harman Kardon (BMW), Bowers and Wilkins and Bang and Olufsen (Audi), Dynaudio (Volkswagen), Infinity (Hyundai), Meridian (Jaguar), Mcintosh (Subaru) and Bermester (Mercedes-Benz).
But what are the components of these audio systems and what do the various terms mean?
Firstly, the amplifier and channels and speakers – these are the components that amplify or boost the audio and make the output louder. The stronger the speaker signal, to less distortion of the sound through the speaker, and higher the quality of output with clearer sound. There are different types of speakers which handle the different ranges of sound – high frequency sounds are reproduced by tweeters, bass is handled by larger low range speakers and subwoofers, while the mid-range is looked after by mid-range speakers.
The number of channels refers to the number of amplifier outputs and the number of speakers that are attached. The more channels there are, the higher the number of speakers and the greater the range of sound and volume that can be reproduced. Channels are sometimes described by two numbers separated by a decimal point. A 12.2 system has 12 speakers and two subwoofers.
Secondly, watts which refers to the electrical power of a sound system. Simply put, the more watts, the more powerful the output – for example, a basic system in a small car may have 50 watts, while an expensive system in a large car may have 1000 watts.
Surround sound, which is next generation stereo uses speakers placed around the cabin to create a greater degree of depth of sound.
Active noise cancelling is a technique whereby the system plays the exact inverse sound wave of ambient noise caused by tyres and wind, relaying it through the stereo speakers. The two opposite sounds actually cancel each other out.
It might seem strange that playing additional sound through a speaker might help improve cabin ambience but the systems can be very effective.
A higher-end system will provide an equaliser – which will allow you to adjust the balance between base and treble, to allow you to customise the sound for different types of music.
Customising your in-car sound system can range from the modest to the magnificent. The simple addition of an amp can lift your car’s sound profile to a much more enjoyable level. But for some people the bigger and bolder the system, the better – the choice is yours.
If you are currently on the hunt to buy a car, then this one is for you! Perhaps you have had the headaches of visiting multiple dealers and car yards, and are frustrated with the process. Whether you are overwhelmed with too much information or frustrated at the lack of information – the car buying process can be complicated, and how do you know you are getting the best deal when you do eventually sign?
This is where car brokers can step in and make your life a whole lot simpler!
Car broker businesses are relatively new to the market in Australia – but the concept is taking off in a big way. A car broker can take you through the whole process of buying a new car. All you have to do is to contact a car broker and discuss what type of car and which model you are interested in.
The car broker will then make contact with all the dealers in their network, to find out who has the make and model that you are looking for available, and at what price. Brokers are dealing with large numbers of requests on a daily basis, and as such, have better negotiating power than you, as an individual buyer, could command. A car broker could therefore get the make and model that you are looking for at a discounted price and/or with extras thrown in. Sometimes car brokers may even get fleet prices, if they have a large demand for the particular vehicle and are able to negotiate a bulk purchase.
Generally speaking a car broker will be able to source a vehicle for you at a better price than you would be able to achieve on your own.
Do you know what car you are looking for? or what your specific needs are for a new car? Find out which makes and models suit your requirements, this makes it easier for your car broker to bring you relevant deals to suit you.
Other services provided by car brokers can include
For professional and expert car brokers, contact Carbiz today. Carbiz – A better way to buy and sell your car.
Airbags are an important and effective safety device in your car. Statistics show that airbags reduce the risk of fatality in a head on collision by about 30%. Nowadays, we also have seat mounted and door mounted side airbags – and some cars have six or even eight airbags. The airbags deploy in the event of a crash, and provide cushioning for the driver and passengers in such a situation.
However, it is important to take note of the following, because while airbags are a vital safety feature in a vehicle, they can also pose a danger and/or may not function as expected under some circumstances.