How much do you value the engine in your car? Think about it, because the life of your engine depends in no small part on the quality of the oil you put in it – oil is the lifeblood of your car’s engine. From the mid 80’s for 8 or 9 years there was a veritable revolution in car engine oil. All oils were no longer the same thanks to the popularity of hot hatches, 16-valve engines and turbos as the tuner scene started to rise. Combined with the devastating problems of black death, the days of one oil catering for everyone were over.
Take Castrol for example. They led the field for years with GTX. This was surpassed a few years back by semi-synthetic and fully synthetic oils, including GTX2 and GTX3 Lightec. Now, that’s been surpassed by Formula SLX which can cost upwards of $75 for 5 litres. And most recently, Castrol GTX Magnatec which is muscling in on the hitherto separate world of friction reducers.
Since late 2008, Chrysler and General Motors have received over $85 billion in loans from the federal government. These funds were designed to revamp their current manufacturing and assembling processes. Additionally, these funds were appropriated for research and development for the production of advanced vehicles with fuel economies of at least 35 mpg by 2020. However, recent reports suggest about $30 billion will never be recovered. Consequently, both companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009. Since this filing, General Motors has unloaded four brands from their lineup: Saturn, Pontiac, Saab, and Hummer. Moreover, Chrysler has merged with Fiat, with plans to create smaller, more profitable vehicles. The 2009 car and light truck sales totals are at their lowest in 28 years, leaving plenty of room for speculation of these companies potential sustainability.
The beginning of 2010 continues to be a good time for car buyers. Creative buying incentives from the “Big Three” U.S. automotive companies have enticing offers to any customer walking through their dealership doors. General Motors just ended their campaign to unload all of their Pontiac and Saturn inventories with savings of up to over $7,000 per vehicle. Currently, GM is offering 0% APR financing or up to $4,500 cash back on new vehicles. Chrysler is offering incentives similar to that of GM. However, their cash back options are about $2,000 less than that of GM. Toyota, seeing a significant decrease in profits last year, are also promising low APR financing options. Expect to continue to see these specials for at least the next two quarters.
1. Initial homework – Find out about the car you are considering. Check out any known mechanical problems with that model. The consumer magazine Which! offers good long term reviews on cars. Which! offers a 1-month trial for just £1.
2. Current prices – Check out the current second hand value for the car. A good place to start is www.whatcar.com. Also get your local paper and some of the specialist second hand car magazines and look up the prices of similar cars.
3. Running costs – Plenty of costs in relation to running a car, including -
- Insurance – do a quick check on the internet. Also do a search for the car’s ‘insurance band’ which will be quoted between 1-20, 20 being the most expensive
- Road tax – is the car currently taxed, if so when does it run out. Cars are now taxed depending on CO2 emissions – check here
- General running costs – fuel economy, servicing, tyres etc.
At last, starting next week, General Motors and Ford Motor will receive normal supplies of auto components from an Indian producer, after a 45-day strike ended.
Rico Auto Industries Ltd. will resume full supplies to General Motors and Ford Motor after workers agreed to end their strike last night, Surendra Singh Chaudhary, senior vice president in charge of human resources, said by phone today. About 2,200 workers struck at the company’s factory (at Gurgaon near New Delhi), demanding that 16 of their colleagues who were suspended be reinstated.
General Motors and Ford temporarily shut factories because of the shortage of components, even as they strive to boost sales amid the worst global recession since the 1930s. Automakers sourced $3.6 billion worth of parts from India in the year ended March 2008, compared with $330 million a decade ago, according to the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India.
Is it a car? Is it a helicopter? Actually it’s both. A futuristic dream becoming reality! The first flying automobile, equally at home in the sky or on the road – meet the gyrocopter PAL-V Europe NV. “Driving and flying will be combined in one vehicle that could cost little more than an executive saloon car.”
Experts have designed the world’s first practical flying car aimed at frustrated commuters – and it looks like a Reliant Robin.
The bizarre three-wheeled vehicle promises relief to motorists stuck in traffic jams by turning into an aircraft capable of soaring up to 4,000ft above congested roads. With a top speed of 125mph on land, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V, corners like a motorbike by automatically tilting as it negotiates each bend. But hidden in its roof and rear are a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section which allow it to take off and fly at speeds up to 120mph.
Its comical appearance betrays its rapid acceleration from 0 to 60 in just 5 seconds – a far cry from Del Boy Trotter’s yellow Robin Reliant in Only Fools and Horses. Its inventors believe that when the the one-seater cars go on sale to the public, they would cost little more than an executive saloon car. When airborne, the PAL-V is similar to the tiny autogyro aircraft Sean Connery flew in the 1967 James Bond movie ‘You Only Live Twice’.
The PAL-V Europe NV’s design includes a rotor on the roof to lift it through the air, and a propeller at the rear to provide forward thrust.
To fly the PAL-V you need a recreational pilot’s licence, which takes between 10 and 20 hours training to obtain, while a normal driver’s licence covers you for use on the road.
If you secretly nurtured a dream of owning a flying car, the good news is your dream can be a reality by 2011.
Terrafugia, a start-up created by Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winner Carl Dietrich and colleagues at MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is aiming to show off what it calls the Transition “personal air vehicle,” a vehicle resembling an SUV with retractable wings, to the EAA AirVenture Conference in Oshkosh, Wis., at the end of July 2009.
TMIT students, from Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, have successfully flight tested the prototype of a winged car for the first time. This car took off from a runway in Plattsburgh, New York. It flew for 37 seconds. The engine used in this whole exercise was 100 hp Rotax engine that gets 30 mpg on the highway using regular unleaded gasoline.
Many people do not think about car insurance until they need it. That’s perfectly natural. However, to save your family some stress and anxiety, be sure that you always have current car insurance. Your car insurance protects you and your car in case of an accident. Policies vary, so it is critical to check your car insurance policy. Most car insurance policies will cover you if you have a car accident with another car at either you are at fault or it is a no-fault accident. Your car insurance will pay to have your car repaired. The good news is there are some simple steps you can take to get cheaper car insurance and keep down the cost of covering your set of wheels:
1. The car insurance industry relies on customers being enticed with generous initial offers which don’t last forever, so the key message when looking for cheaper car insurance is shop around. Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show you can save 35% on your premium by comparing as few as five car insurance providers – so don’t automatically settle for your renewal premium until you have made sure it is competitive.
2. Auto Car insurers use a combination of factors to work out how much to charge. Those living in areas with high crime rates can expect to pay more, as can those in certain professions. This is why it is crucial to keep your policy details accurate and up-to-date, including as much information as you can about factors such as where you park the car, your mileage, and whether you use the car for commuting.
3. Make savings by buying online, and by paying for your car insurance annually upfront, rather than in monthly instalments.
After a recent trip to two major auto parts dealers for oil, I realized synthetic oil is slowly replacing nonsynthetic on the display shelves. The problem is, I’m getting conflicting information about synthetic oil. One store attendant told me I shouldn’t go back to regular oil after changing to synthetic. Then he said it would be okay to add a quart of regular oil to synthetic, if I needed to top up. Another clerk said I should never mix the two. At a different store, the employee said it didn’t matter if I used synthetic and then later replaced it with regular oil.
Early synthetics got a bad reputation for leaking. This was because, despite the claims of the oil manufacturers, the seal-swell characteristics of the new synthetics were different from those of the mineral oils they replaced. If the seal-swell rate was lower, the seals shrank and oil leaked from crankshaft seals and rocker cover seals. If the rate was higher, the seals swelled a little extra and the engine was tight. Then if the owner changed back to mineral oil, or added a quart when no synthetic was to be had, things got really bad.
Fortunately, the situation has improved; you should have no problem switching back and forth. Adding a quart of mineral oil to a crankcase full of synthetic will be fine. Read the fine print — a lot of the “synthetics” on the market are blends containing a substantial proportion of mineral oil.Most automobile manufacturers recommend oil drain intervals of 3,000 to 6,000 miles for petroleum motor oils. Amsoil recommends up to 35,000 mile oil change which is 5 to 11 times fewer oil changes.Just think about the savings on the environment.
Oil is the lifeblood of your engine. The purpose of motor oil is to lubricate and protect your engine from heat and friction; the two major enemies of your engine. Without oil, your engine would overheat and cease working. Your engine might even crack. Motor oil may be the single most important fluid you will put in your engine.
It is now confirmed that the much-anticipated Toyota small car for India would make an appearance – at least as a concept – at the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi in January 2010.
The company said that hatchback and sedan versions of the small car would be showcased at the Auto Expo. It is interesting that the company is working on both together – although it is no guarantee that by the time the small car is ready for production, the sedan would still remain. Much will depend on the reaction of car buyers when it is displayed.
At this point, the small car is variously referred to as the “Entry Family Car“, “Emerging Family Car” or EFC. We do not know if its a real code name, or an invention by the automobile trade press. Update: The EFC is now called the Toyota Etios.
Nissan Motor Company has unveiled an original personal city electro vehicle – the Land Glider Concept. It is characterized by the ability to lean in corners, combined with a 1+1 seating layout. It has width of just 1.1 meters. The powertrain adopts 2 electric motors.
“The exterior incorporates a soft, sleek-looking body that appears to be protected by a special armor,” explains Takashi Nakajima, Nissan’s Project Design Director. “And while it is very mechanical in its nature, the four-wheeler boasts a dynamic body design that almost seems alive. As part of Nissan’s expanding zero emission family, the Nissan Land Glider Concept exudes a clean, friendly attitude.”
Technical Specifications
- Length: 3,100 mm;
- Width: 1,100 mm;
- Height: 1,415 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2,180 mm;
- Seating Capacity: 2 seats.