Monthly Archives: January 2011

Car battery prices – What you need to know

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Contrary to common belief, more information is not always better, I guarantee you that you can spend hours reading articles and websites which talk about car battery prices and you can be no further forward, trust me I’ve tried it myself. The fact of the matter is you don’t need to know everything on a subject to make an informed choice; you just need to know enough of the right information to get what you want. This article is going to tell you what you need to know when buying a new car battery.

First of all forget reading articles, there are far too many varieties of auto batteries out there and I doubt you’ll ever find an article that has a comprehensive breakdown of the cost of the model you require. But don’t despair at this news, there is in fact an easier way than toiling through thousands of pages of content to find what you’re looking for. The autozone.com offers a free tool which will tell you exactly which type of battery you need providing it is given the right details about your vehicle, the whole process takes roughly a minute and you can find out exactly what battery you need in seconds.

Use Google Shopping to try and compare prices of the battery you’re looking at, don’t just opt for the cheapest provider, you also need to feel comfortable doing business with them, that’s why I always opt to buy from larger online retailers. Readers should note that many cars have different requirements from batteries and this is reflected in their prices, generally speaking you could pay anywhere from $40-$100 for a battery for your car. Why the difference in price? There are number of reasons including but not limited to a battery’s size, manufacturer and power.

If you’ve found this article helpful you can read the authors extensive guide to garage flooring right here.

Hydrogen for Car Fuel

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Talking about Hydrogen for car fuel might make lots of people start to think about the flaming destruction of Hindenburg, and shiver. Hydrogen’s energy is very flammable, as that tragedy has proven. Besides the danger, there are two other really big problems for hydrogen in automobiles as fuel which are its availability and distribution.

There are filling stations that exist which may be adapted to handle the hydrogen. The tanks for storage would need excavation. Also there would need to be safeguards installed. A lot of trucks for delivery would require assembling. The Hydrogen has to be made by electrolysis which is from water and requires a large drain of electricity. Then it will need to be saved under force. Setting up such a system to make hydrogen available as a fuel source, would require a very high cost initially. This is one the main things stopping it from being done. It would take a long time and millions of vehicles that are powered by hydrogen before any profit could be made.

Despite the many problems, some people are not discouraged and have made an on board hydrolysis machine that produces hydrogen, for themselves. The fuel produced is supplemental. There are a lot of instructions on how to do this and some places sell kits. If done correctly, it is a rather simple process and not a reason for excess concern for the person driving. Water does not cost much and some consumers have claimed the motors ran more smoothly and they got a 20 to 30 percent increase in mileage.

EFIE is an acronym for electronic fuel injector enhancer. This device is electronic and it functions in tandem with a car’s computer to create the enhanced fuel miles device properly operate. Normally, a sensing device that is in the exhaust, will record the content of the oxygen of the fumes from the exhaust, to regulate the amount of the vehicles fuel injection system. There can be more than one oxygen level due to the mileage enhancer. The EFIE tricks the computer in order to make the difference in the oxygen level and the result is the device is able to increase the fuel mileage.

Tail Pipe Emits White Smoke While Driving

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Smoke that comes out the tail pipe can determine if there is problem with your car, by observing the color of the smoke that your car emits you can easily identify if there is something wrong and help you provide correct solution to the problem, like when your car emits white smoke. If the white smoke from exhaust comes out just before the engine has warmed up this is normal and nothing to worry about, as you may not know a cold engine has formed a condensation during night while the engine is sat on your garage. During morning when you start your car the condensation that has formed will steam off and this comes out the exhaust as white smoke.

However, if the white smoke comes out the tail pipe at any engine temperature, say the engine is warmed or cold or hot. I n this case then it’s not normal which means there is a problem with your car. With that said it is safe to say that the culprit is a blown head gasket.

Since the white smoke can be noticed at any given engine temperature then this is an indication of blown head gasket, the key here is that the white smoke is notice at any engine temperature. The problem probably is that the head gasket has ruptured or develops a crack. You see, gasket is the one that keep the water that circulates the engine from entering the combustion chamber, when the gasket develop even small crack the water will enter the engine cylinders. Once the water is inside the cylinder it will burns off as steam and this steam is the one you notice coming out the tail pipe as white smoke.

Now how are you going to solve this problem?

Well obviously you have to replace the blown head gasket. What you should do is seek a reputable auto repair shop and explain to the auto mechanic about your car diagnostics, tell him about the nature of the problem and ask him to just replace the head gasket and nothing else. This should fix your problem.

Your Car Won’t Start Just a Clicking Noise Occur

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Have you ever experienced one morning when you start your car, it just won’t crank and instead of starting only clicking sound is heard while turning the ignition on? This is so annoying especially if you are in a hurry to drive for work. However, if you know what causes the problem then you can easily fixed your car and have it on the road in no time.  

Let’s do the car diagnostics.

Well, with this kind of problem the only possible reason is the one that involves your car battery. When the car wont start clicking noise is the indication that the battery is at fault, therefore the first thing to do is check the battery condition.

To do this you have to turn the ignition key “ON”, this is the position where the clicking sound occurred. On this position, operate the windshield wipers. Observe if the wiper speed is normal, if the wiper speed is slower than the normal then there is a problem with the battery, windshield wipers is operated by the battery, since this is the case the wipers will not operate at normal speed if the battery has problem.

Now, to check what is wrong with the battery you have to open the hood and locate the battery terminals, it’s easy to know where the terminals are located since you can easily notice the battery when you open the hood. Observe the battery terminals, if there is corrosion on the terminals then this cause the problem. When the terminal has corrosion it prevents the battery from sending electrical current to the starter. Without enough current the starter will not start the engine.

What are you going to do then?

Well, of course you have to get rid of the corrosion on the battery terminal. To do this, use a wire brush in removing corrosion to the terminal, pour in some water mixed with baking soda to help dissolve the corrosion. After you clean the terminals it should be prevented from having corrosion in the future, and to do this you need to apply petroleum jelly on the terminals to prevent the corrosion from forming into the terminals.

Factors to Know Before Buying a Used Audi A4

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Before you buy a used Audi A4, you should have in mind all the possible options and what to look for. You will want to end up with a vehicle that is right for you needs and wants, and not get stuck with something you are disappointed with. There are many options to consider, such as engine size, year, four-wheel-drive, common problems to watch out for, and modifications that you can do.

Engine Sizes, Year, and Other Options

The 1.8t is a good powerful A4 to get, and can be modded extensively, but is less reliable. The 2.8 is the opposite. Four wheel drive (quattro) A4s are highly recommended if you plan on doing hard driving, such as corners and hills, but many owners also recommend it even if you are not doing any serious driving. The handling is overall a lot better. As for year, the older pre-2000 A4s have bad timing belts but are better for modding because they still have drive-by-cable engines. So if modding is not important for you, you can go with a later year.

Known Problems

The older A4s face a few common maintenance problems, which is actually a good thing as you can be more prepared for what you will need to do. One of the first things you will want to do is change the timing belt. These are very weak on used A4s, and breakage will result in serious engine damage if it happens while you are driving. Next, use synthetic oil for your oil changes to avoid gel in the oil, a very common problem on older Audis. Anti lock brake problems can result in the ABS light coming on; this will just need to be fixed if/when it happens.

Modifications

The 2.8 engine size has less power, and is less moddable, than the 1.8t. However, the 2.8 is also more reliable. So you need to take into account how much reliability you want versus how much power and modding you want. Some of the mods that are available for both engine sizes are chips, superchargers, and exhausts. Chips will add a handful of horsepower, or more, depending on the 1.8t or 2.8. Superchargers are very expensive but are the only way to get a lot of power for the 2.8. Turbochargers are a good option for the 1.8t. Exhaust is good for sound but can add a little bit of power as well if it is high flowing enough. Stick to well known brand names in all cases; it’s worth the extra dough.

A good way to get a luxury vehicle at decent cost is to buy a used Audi A4 and do a bit of modding, which will net you a vehicle with good efficiency and power. Decide what mods you want and what kind of power, versus reliability and expense. Keeping these factors in mind will help you buy the right A4.

The Goodyear TripleTred Family of Tires

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The all season Goodyear Assurance TripleTred provides excellent traction on both wet and dry roads. It is a very flexible and durable tire that can serve you for years. The durable synthesized rubber can withstand extensive wear for the city driver. On snowy and icy roads, it can maintain traction at low speeds, It is better to purchase a dedicated snow tire set for this type of road, but this has the danger of road drag on normal roads.

The Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires or Assurance has three distinct part that enables all season driving. The outer dry zone, the middle aqua zone with Aquachutes technology to propel water out of the tire’s way, and the central ice and snow zone with interlocking grooves for better control in icy roads.

The inner rim is infused with powerful twin belts that help stabilize the tires during top speeds. The water zone of the Assurance is etched with Aquachannel grooves to facilitate water removal. The interlocking tread in the central zone serves as a spike for more traction on icy roads. This ensures the tires grip the road fairly well on icy roads. The dry, outer zone has the regular tread pattern that is perfect for dry roads.

What’s more, the Assurance Triple Tread is finished with Goodyear’s patented Permablack that retains the brand new look of the tire throughout its lifespan.

The Goodyear Fortera TripleTred is another tire offering from Goodyear that is a perfect upgrade for your SUV and light trucks. This all weather tire has the same benefits as the Assurance but is designed primarily for heavier, work vehicles.

Rain or shine, the Goodyear tire series offers good traction and confidence you will want in an all around tire. Keep your family and your loved ones safe during trips, Replace that stock tires now!