Some Summer Car Care Tips

It seems safe to say winter is over, spring has sprung and just around the bend it will be summer time

again. With the summer weather comes the hot temperatures. Is your car ready for the summer?

Have you had the engine cooling system checked? No, I don't mean the air conditioner when I say

"Cooling System" I mean the system that prevents the engine from running too hot. The antifreeze, fan

belt or belts, water pump, thermostat and radiator. I've worked on many vehicles that had overheated

because the cooling system was not checked and a simple thing like the fan belt that drives the water

pump broke causing the engine to overheat. A small investment that would have prevented a very

expensive repair to the engine had the cooling system been checked for summer use. If your vehicle is

five years old or more you should have the cooling system drained, flushed and new antifreeze installed.

The radiator, water pump and fan belts should also be carefully inspected. I would recommend a qualified

auto technician perform this service.

How about the windshield wiper blades? They usually get pretty beat up over the winter months due to the

snow and ice. Now is a good time to replace them. There are some auto parts stores that will even replace

the blades for you at no extra charge.

OK, now lets get to the tires, you know, those four round things that keep your car from touching the

ground. It seems most owners neglect ever checking the condition of the tire wear much less the

pressure in the tires. Good tire condition and proper inflation will give you safer handling and better fuel

economy and with the cost of fuel, that is a real plus.

Well we now have the engine running cool, we can see out the windshield when it rains and our vehicle

rides and handles great so off we go only to find that it is hot as you know what inside of our vehicle.

WHAT happened to the air conditioner.
Most of the vehicles today will retain their refrigerant charge for a good number of years but should be

checked for proper performance by a qualified technician in the AC field. Yea, I know what your going to

say. If my system doesn't get cold like it did when I first bought it, I can go to a Wal-Mart or other parts

store and buy one of those recharge kits and do it myself. Now, I'm not saying you can't, what I'm saying is

that a low refrigerant charge may not be the problem and that by adding additional refrigerant to the

system you may be creating a dangerous condition of excessive high pressure which could cause a

refrigerant hose to rupture which may cover you with refrigerant and cause injury to your body especially

your face or eyes, or a compressor to seize up and damage drive belts or other parts of your vehicle. I

strongly recommend you have the system serviced by a qualified AC technician.

Recharging your automobiles A/C, yourself

It's going to be summer soon, and in many parts of the world, things are going to be heating up. Make sure your A/C is running at its best. If the AC isn't quite as cool as it used to be, the solution might be as simple as recharging the system. The air coming out of the vents should probably be between 40*F and 50*F unless it's very hot outside. If the air coming out is much warmer than this, your A/C is probably not functioning properly.

Cautions: The A/C system is under high pressure. Also, while R134a isn't as bad for the environment as the older R12, there is still a heavy fine for venting R134a into the atmosphere. You should never take apart your A/C system without proper training and refrigerant recovery equipment. Wear protective glasses at all times while servicing your A/C. Also, you will be working under or near the car while it is running. Please observe all safety precautions and refer to our disclaimer for carfix_online at the bottom of every email!

With the car running and A/C on Max, pop the hood and listen for or watch the A/C compressor pulley. It has a clutch, so the center of the pulley may spin intermittently. It should start and spin for 30 seconds or longer. If after 90 seconds it never spins, make sure your A/C is turned on. If it spins for just a few seconds, stops, then starts again after a few seconds, it is short cycling. Either of these could be caused by low refrigerant levels. There may be a leak or something more serious at fault.

Interdynamics makes it very conventient for a DYI’er (do-it-yourself) to recharge a R134a system. There quick charge charging gun QCK-2CS,(a video of it can be seen later in this article) and you simply connect the hose to the low-pressure port, screw a can of refrigerant into the Quick Charge, squeeze the trigger to dispense and release to stop. Quick Charge will automatically give you a pressure reading on the built-in gauge. Quick Charge is completely re-usable.

Locate the Low-pressure A/C recharge port of your system. The low-pressure port usually has a blue or black dust cap and is located on the larger diameter metal tubing that runs between the evaporator (in the dashboard) and the compressor. If you can’t find it or your not sure stop here and seek professional help!

With the car off, a rule of thumb is that the pressure should read about the same as the ambient temperature in Fahrenheit. If it's 80 degrees outside, the pressure at this service port should be somewhere around 80 PSI.

Start the car and run the A/C on high with recirculation as shown below. This will make sure that the A/C pump is running as hard as possible. If the A/C compressor isn't running (you can usually hear it), the pressure may read high. If the A/C compressor never starts, or if it's short-cycling, the readings could be off. If the system needs recharging, start adding refrigerant to the system per the instructions that came with the recharge kit. For the Interdynamics charging gun, you simply read the pressure, then momentarily hold the trigger down to add refrigerant. Release the trigger, and check the pressure again.

A few other things to note. There is a high-pressure service port under the hood (covered with a plastic cap, near the radiator). A high pressure gauge hooked up to this port, combined with the low pressure gauge in the recharge kit, can point out a failure with the expansion valve or the compressor. These high-pressure gauges use a different size of connector, and are not usually sold with the "do-it-yourself" style A/C recharge.Note: You can't repair an AC system properly with just a low side gauge. It requires a low side and high side reading to know what is actually going on!

The video below is taken from the “The Two guys” TV show.

It shows the Quick Charge
charging gun and how it is used.

http://www.id-usa.com/video/interdynamics-shortvideo(WindowsMedia-DSL).wmv

What to Do and Not Do in the Event of an Accident

What to Do and Not Do in the Event of an Accident

What You Need to Know After an Auto Accident

The worst thing has just happened to you. You have had an accident. There's never a good time to have an accident but it always seems to happen at the worst possible time. So what do you do? First off you need to stay calm. It's a totally natural reaction to lose your head or panic right when you need to be rational. Just after the accident is the time you should be taking note of all the information you will need to ensure that you are fully compensated and covered for any damage done to your property or to you. Talk to witnesses, get their contact details, make notes and take pictures if possible at the time of the accident. You'll be glad you did as it will be difficult to accurately recall all of the details as time passes. Finally remember not to admit that you caused the accident, even if you did.

Right after the accident this will all be the last thing you think of, so make a checklist and keep it in the car.
While you are at the Accident Scene, note the following details
You will need:
Driver Details of everyone involved in the accident. Don't forgrt to add yours too. These details should cover the Drivers Name, driving license details, and driver insurance details including the insurance company name, policy number, and contact details. Finally remember to get the car license plate number. If you are carrying a camera take pictures of the accident scene, the damaged vehicles, and any injuries that were caused by the accident. Note the contact details of any witnesses such as name, address, phone number and email address so that you can follow up with them later.

Post-Accident Follow Up
Complete your own fully detailed description of the accident as soon as possible after it occurred. You can fill this in with the details and any pictures that you took at the scene of the accident. If you were injured then take pictures of your injuries. Follow up with the witnesses to the accident and get their written details of the accident. If the Police attended the scene of the accident ask for their report.

After the Accident
If you were injured you will need to keep track of the following medical expenses and visits:
Any hospital visits and treatments at hospitals such as MRI, x-ray, physiotherapy and laboratory services. Over the counter and prescription medications.
You should keep track of the dates, times and reasons you had to visit a doctor or the hospital, and keep a note of the time off of work due to the accident. If the time off caused a loss of income, you should get a letter detailing all of the lost income from your employer. Similarly if you are still in school you should keep track of all of the hours of missed schooling due to the accident.
While you are undertaking medical treatment you should take pictures of your injuries to show their progress over time. Keep a log of the date and time of the picture and add details of any pain that you are experiencing, how you are feeling, and any distress or discomfort that you experience as a result of the accident.
Keep track of all other expenses related to the accident. These will include some of the following: Property damages such as car repairs, damage to barriers, fences and signs.
Some other indirect expenses may also occur such as a cancelled vacation due to injuries sustained in the accident or the cost of a rental car while yours is repaired. Finally there are other miscellaneous costs, such as ointments,lotions to treat your injuries, and bandages.

Finally
Never reply to any questions or queries from any other party involved in or related to the accident, such as insurance companies or attorneys without first consulting your attorney. Do not settle any bills or sign any documents until you are sure of the extent of current and future medical expenses related to the accident, and have agreed on it with your attorney.

(From an article by Steve Dolan)

Do you need to use fuel system additives?

If you only drive long distances and do no stop-and-go driving there is very little need to use fuel system additives to keep carbon buildup from forming on the intake valves, as long as your using a Top Tier gasoline. This will give you the minimum additives required by the auto manufacturers. Is this so?

Yes, however for most drivers, additional additives are needed to keep carbon buildup from forming on the intake valves. Lack of gasoline detergent additives in modern gasoline coupled with high concentrations of alcohol causes carbon buildup on the intake valves. The carbon builds up on the back face of the valves, causing different symptoms.

The carbon acts as a sponge and absorbs the incoming air/fuel mixture causing a lean condition which results in hesitation when accelerating. In extreme cases can cause a lean “pop-back” condition which manifests as a misfire/backfire into the intake manifold. Carbon which sticks to the intake valve stem or on the valve guide will make the valve stick open. When the engine is turned off and engine cools down, the carbon turns hard and causes a valve to become stuck in the open position. The next time the engine is started it will have a dead cylinder because of the valve remaining open. This results in a no-start condition or dead cylinder. Proper chemical decarbonizing treatment can remove this carbon from the engine.

Synthetic Oil: Scam or Real Deal?

Look on the shelf of your local auto parts house and you'll see more oils than breakfast cereal choices at the supermarket. It wasn't so long ago that you had about a half dozen to pick from, and since they were all made from the same gunk, it didn't matter much anyway. Then in the early 1970s popped up a new batch of lubricants -- synthetic oils. Made popular by brands like Amsoil and Mobil 1, die-hard gear heads, racers and enthusiasts started using synthetic oil exclusively. Unfortunately, it wasn't until almost two decades later that the major oil companies started offering synthetics to the masses. Despite the number of benefits over mined oil (the stuff they pump out of the ground), Americans still haven't fully embraced this advanced technology.

So what's the difference? Synthetic oil is produced in a lab, which means the only stuff in it is what they put in it. Despite the high-tech refining of crude oil, there are still contaminants in the oil that can build up and eventually damage an engine. Changing your oil and filter removes any loose particles that form, but often the build-up occurs in an isolated area of your engine, usually where it gets really, really hot. This build up can clog oil passages and valves, which can eventually lead to reduced engine life.

There are also ecological benefits to using synthetic oil. Its viscosity (ability to lubricate) stays higher than mined oil at high temperatures, enough to even affect your gas mileage. Since it breaks down much more slowly than petroleum-based oil, you can greatly extend the time between oil changes. One truck driver drove his semi 409,000 miles on synthetic without changing the oil! Think of how much less oil would have to be collected and recycled if we used half as much every year.

The bottom line is synthetic motor oils are an easy choice. The extra couple of bucks you spend for an oil change will be returned in no time at all. Better is better, whether its engine life, gas mileage or environmental impact.

(From an article by Matthew Wright)

Automatic Transmission fluid changes

I have heard that dropping the drain pan and doing a complete filter change will remove most of the old transmission fluid in an automatic transmission. Is this so?

No, the drain and filter change leaves more then half of the automatic transmission fluid behind in the transmission and mostly in the torque converter. A flushing machine is the only way to remove all of the fluid in your transmission

Information About Radar Detectors

Radar detector models nowadays are the result of combining trouble-free ergonomic designs with state-of-the-art technology. They provide motorists with inexpensive, much needed protection from troublesome speeding tickets and hazards on the road.

How are radar detectors able to this?

From the name itself, radar detectors detect beams that usually come from police radar, which measures the speed by which vehicles are traveling on the road. A radar detector will provide a warning signal even before the police radar can measure the vehicle's speed, buying the motorist some time to adjust his driving speed and be saved from a speeding ticket.

What should you look out for a radar detector?

The Type. A radar detector has three types, namely remote-mount, corded, and cordless.

A remote-mount detector is mounted permanently to your car, ensuring an installation that is clean and almost undetectable by thieves.

A corded detector is usually mounted on the car's windshield using suction cups and is considered to provide the best kind of protection.

A cordless detector, on the other hand, is easily transported between cars, and gives an installation that is cleaner than its corded counterparts.

City Mode. City mode is a very important feature because it lessens the sensitivity of your radar detector, especially in the city, such that you get a lesser number of false alerts.

Laser Detection. A radar detector with a laser sensor detects beams in front of the car, but not on your sides or behind. Three hundred sixty degrees of laser detection, on the other hand, assures you of more protection since there are a couple of sensors to watch out for pulses on your sides, as well as the rear. It is more reliable, but of course, more costly.

Spectre and VG-2 Protection. These shielding features are important since they inform the motorist if the police have a Radar Detector Detector (RDD). Spectre is considered as a more sophisticated RDD technology and is being used by several Canadian states. Some detector models provide Stealth, a kind of protection that warns the driver and turns off the radar detector. Pricier models provide Invisible, a kind of protection that shields the radar detectors from Spectre, VG-2, or both, such that they will continue working without being traced.

Digital Voice Alert. More modern versions are equipped with digital voice alerts that will inform the driver of any laser, beam, or pulse that they were able to pick up. No need for the hurried motorist to take his eyes off the road and examine the display of your radar detector.

Instant-On Protection. The truth is you can no longer defend yourself if Instant-On radar has already been aimed at your vehicle. Your speed will already have been measured by the time you are alerted by your radar detector. However, if another vehicle was the target of radar, a radar detector with Instant-On Protection will be more K-band receptive and sensitive, such that you will be alerted right on time to slow down. It is this K-band receptivity that allows manufacturer promotion of Instant-On Protection from radars.

There you go - everything you need to know about the benefits of using radar detectors, how they work, as well as the features that you should look out for in them. Go ahead. Make yourself and your vehicle safe.

(From an article by By Mario Chompass )

Changing to a different motor oil

I have heard that if you have used the same motor oil for the life of the car, then the best recommendation is to continue to use the same oil. Is this so?

Not so, switching over from petroleum oil to synthetic oil is one of the simplest and easiest ways to increase fuel mileage, power and engine longevity. The only time it isn’t recommended is when your engine has been neglected and you have a major buildup of sludge inside the engine. Since the synthetic is a highly detergent oil a bunch of sludge might come off and plug up the oil pump intake screen and cause catastrophic engine failure. Otherwise you can change over to synthetic slowly. Put in a quart, run it till your oil change interval comes around. Next time put in 2 quarts run it and at the next oil change then change to 100% synthetic oil.

Hybrid Things to Know

Hybrid vehicles of all types are becoming fairly commonplace sights -- but there's still a lot of mystery (and misinformation) about what hybrids can and can't -- or shouldn't -- be asked to do.

Q: If I run out gas, can't I just drive to the next gas station on the batteries?

A: Absolutely not. Doing so risks completely discharging the hybrid battery pack, which could mean you end up having to pay for a complete replacement (at a cost of potentially several thousand dollars in a worst case scenario). Never drive a hybrid with an empty gas tank.

Q: What's the "Regenerative Braking"?

A: Hybrids recharge their battery packs in two ways. Electricity is generated by the operation of the internal combustion engine -- and by recycling the kinetic energy of forward motion that would otherwise be lost as heat through braking. This is known as regenerative braking.

Q: Why would anyone buy a hybrid SUV or luxury-performance vehicle? Isn't the point of the exercise saving fuel?

A: Yes, exactly. While hybrid SUVs, pick-ups and luxury-performance cars may not be as fuel-efficient as a compact economy car, they have the potential to be far more fuel efficient than they might otherwise be. Not everyone can get by with a compact economy sedan. Some buyers need the extra room/capability of a larger vehicle -- or simply want more luxury or better performance -- just not the sky-high gas bills that often come with that. Hybrid drivetrains in SUVs, pick-ups and luxury-performance cars let these buyers have their cake and eat it, too.

Q: What is a "mild" hybrid?

A: There are two types of hybrids currently on the market. So-called "mild" hybrids are hybrids that operate primarily on their internal combustion engines. The vehicles operate in pure electric mode only when the vehicles are stopped in traffic. Sometimes, the electric motor acts as a "pusher" when vehicle is being accelerated -- but the vehicle never drives on battery/electric power alone. "Full" hybrids, on the other hand, can be driven at speeds up to about 30 mph on battery power alone -- with the gas engine coming online only when higher speeds (or loads, as when accelerating rapidly) signal the onboard electronics that additional power is required. Mild hybrids typically offer a 5-10 percent potential fuel efficiency increase over an otherwise similar non-hybrid vehicle. Full hybrids can achieve much higher fuel efficiency -- 20-40 percent better than an otherwise equivalent non-hybrid vehicle.

Q: Do hybrids have different warranties than regular cars?

A: Yes. Most new hybrids have special warranties that cover hybrid-specific components, including the battery pack and electric motor(s). This "separate" warranty is usually longer than the warranty on the non-hybrid components of the car. Typically, hybrid components are covered for at least eight years and 100,000 miles.

Q: Are hybrids cost-effective?

A: It depends. The typical hybrid costs about two to three thousand dollars more than an otherwise equivalent non-hybrid version of the same vehicle. If you drive a great deal (especially in stop-and-go city-type driving, where a hybrid is at its most efficient) or gas prices go up considerably over the time you own the vehicle, then you may quickly make up the higher up-front costs in over-the-road savings. On the other hand, if your driving is mostly at higher speeds, on highways (where a hybrid is least efficient), don't put that many miles on your vehicle -- and gas prices don't go up from where they are at the time of this writing (about $2.25 per gallon for regular unleaded) then you may never break even on your hybrid vehicle purchase. It's important to do the math for your specific situation, type of driving -- and so on -- before you come to any decision.

From An Article By Eric Peters