Sleek aerodynamic designs, powerful engines, luxurious interiors, and numerous state-of-the-art technological features at our fingertips – all these seem important for someone looking to buy a car.
Amidst all this, it is passenger safety that is top priority for car manufacturers. Millions of dollars is invested by them each year to provide a host of ultra hi-tech safety features to help detect, prevent and protect passengers from dangerous situations on the road.
Based on the evaluations of experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), here are a few names from the bigger list of Safest Cars of the year 2017:
The moderate overlap frontal test, is where the car is run into a wall that, on impact, covers 40% of the front of the car. The small overlap frontal test is similar to the moderate overlap frontal test, except in this, the wall covers 25% of the car when hit. The side test assesses the sides of the vehicle upon impact after hitting an obstacle. Roof strength test is done to determine if the roof can deal with four times its own weight and yet maintain its ability to hold its shape during roll-overs in a crash. And finally, the head restraint test ensures the passenger’s neck is protected incase of a crash.
If a car passes these requirements, only then does it qualify for the next rank, to be on the list of topmost safe cars.
The front crash prevention tests are done to see if the computers in the car can actually prevent a frontal crash. And, headlights are checked for their quality of brightness to ensure drivers can spot obstacles from hundreds of yards away.
Newer technological improvements are constantly explored and designed as part of car safety elements every year. Along with paying for a host of add on features you might want for your prized possession, a new vehicle, do make the effort to ensure it is a safe ride for all and choose the best that would protect valuable lives.
Being aware of roadside assistance and policies related to it is important. You may not be aware that certain policies cover families too. It is always useful hence, to understand benefits of various assistance available and the policies one could benefit from so that you are prepared in case of an emergency. Here are some breakdown covers that any vehicle owner should know about.
AA Breakdown Cover
AA (Automobile Association) is a British motoring association found in 1905, which provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, roadmaps and other services. Later the association was demutualized and became a private limited company in 2002. AA breakdown covers up to 4 vehicles in a single policy and up to 5 claims a year. There is no minimum or maximum age limit for vehicles under this policy. Vehicles can be added at any point in the membership year, but each subject to a 14-day claim exclusion period from the date they are added to the policy. Only vehicles specifically nominated under this policy will be covered.
RAC Breakdown Cover
RAC is UK’s most progressive motoring organizations. They assist both private and business motorists and they are believed to have advanced computer systems to deal with roadside assistance calls. Within an average response time of 30 minutes, the RAC patrols fix four out of five vehicles on the roadside. It takes cover for your car, for the driver, and even provides hotel accommodation or alternative transport for up to 8 passengers, and it does so 5 times a year. RAC provides breakdown extra services like battery rescue, courtesy car, garage parts and labor and key replacement. It is said that they carry over 500 parts and tools, including a universal spare wheel, to get your vehicle fixed and move again.
Green Flag Cover
Green flag is one of the leading UK based company with 40 years of experience. It has millions of customers nationwide and across Europe. They work with the help of Green flag app which helps in finding road names, what motor junctions are next to you and so on without any fuss. They offer 24 hours’ roadside assistance, 365 days a year. It provides breakdown cover, European cover, motorbike cover, personal cover, caravan and trailer cover and family cover. They don’t charge the customer for coming out to assist them in breakdown or other situations.
Every car owner would wonder when to change the engine oil. The best thing to be done is to consult your owner’s manual. Most of them suggest for an oil change after 4000 miles and as your car gets older it’s better to drop down to 3000 miles, it again depends on what car you use. Most of the recently designed cars comes up with more millage without wanting for major repairs.
If your car is brand new, then make sure you give it for first service within 3 months or when you cover almost 4000 miles. They would probably provide a free service including the change of engine oil.
Changing of engine oil differs accordingly to the conditions it’s been used. The type of engine oil you use plays the major role. It is advisable to use a good quality oil to get longer run time. Cheaper oil gets dirty at the earliest causing damage to the internal parts.
• Typical condition: According to the Ford Motor Company, drivers with typical driving habits who own 2008 and newer models should change their engine oil every 4500 miles or every 6 months, whichever comes first.
• Less typical condition: Drivers with less typical conditions includes frequent off road driving or driving in dusty conditions, towing or carrying heavy loads, excessive idling or driving at low speeds for long distances should change engine oil every 3000 miles or six months for vehicles 2008 and newer, and every 1500 miles or three months for 2007 model and older.
• Severe condition: The type of oil you use and how you make use of your vehicle and driving habits dedicates to how often to change oil in your car. The worst type of driving for oil life is short distances below highway speeds. Driving for 1000 miles in town for five months will spoil the oil condition making it too dirty reducing millage.
• Functions of the oil: Thicker the oil gets, the tougher it gets along the parts of the vehicle forming a cover over them damaging the parts. Functioning of oil will be affected when you don’t change the oil in time. Firstly, improves lubrication and the moving parts needs to be lubricated to move freely. Secondly it cools down the heat generated due to friction. The engine moves up and down producing heat and the heat is transferred to the oil to keep your car from overheating. The next thing is that it seals the combustion chamber and rotary engine of the car. All the by- products that comes out from the oil is finally filtered by the oil filter which could be replaced while changing the oil.
While we all buy motor oil for our car, we should really know which one to pick after thoroughly researching what’s best for the car. It’s not just the brand and the viscosity grade that we want, we should really be looking for what’s known as the API (American Petroleum Institute) donut symbol. This article examines the various factors that need to be assessed while picking out the motor oil for your car:
Certified Oil
It is a certificate provided by the American Petroleum Institute for testing the oil to meet the standards of API. You will find the symbol on every container of reputable motor oil. For diesel engine you will find a ”C” for the compression and commercials. So, the API donut symbol may be on the front of the bottle of oil or at the back. But what it tells us is few different things. First and foremost, in the middle of the symbol you will see the viscosity rates (5W-20 or 5W-30). Viscosity is very important. We have to make buy the correct viscosity grade not only to protect our engine but to make sure it can handle the climate outside that the car is operating in. The lower the number in front of ‘W’ the lower temperature in which it remains fluid. The bigger the difference between two numbers on our viscosity grade the wider the operating service range
Viscosity
There are two types of oils available the single viscosity oil and the multi viscosity oil. The lower the number the thinner the oil and more easily it flows. the higher the number the thicker the oil and the flow is very slow. Here’s a quick explanation of what these numbers appear to be when we see them in the front of oil cans, for example 5W-30. There are two sets of numbers here. 30 relates to how the oil performs at 100 degrees centigrade and 5W relates to how the oil performs when the oil is cool. It is an important component of oil change to understand.
Types of Oil
The premium conventional oil is preferred by most for the light- duty vehicles on road, particularly for lower temperature. Full synthetic oil is for high tech engines like Audi and Mercedes Benz which is superior and gives long lasting performance. These types of oils are very expensive and may not be required for your car engine. In fact, some car engines may not have certain features required for synthetic oil.
Everyone who owns a car doesn’t necessarily know everything about it technically other than to drive it. Brand new cars usually run well for an initial period. But it when you start noticing minor problems that you are aware of its various components like oil change. Just like water lubricates our joints, oil lubricates the various parts of the car, keeping it in shape. It flows over the machines, areas where parts rub against each other and absorbs the heat, lubricating the engine and allowing the internal parts to work together effectively without overheating.
• Identifying the problem: It is important to give your car for first service provided by the same car company. You are supposed to give your car for the first service after three months from purchase or after covering 3000 miles as advised by your service operator. It is very simple to identify the time to change the engine oil, when the engine is off, open the car’s hood and find the dipstick, pull the dipstick out, you will notice the color of the oil the darker the color the soon the oil needs to be changed.
• Warm up engine and park on level surface: Warm up the engine by driving your car for a short distance this will loosen up the oil which is at the bottom of the tank. Park the car in your garage or some leveled surface with the support of a jack rise the car and let it rest on jack stand.
• Draining old oil: The oil drain plug is located at the bottom of the engine and the oil filter is seen on the side of the engine. Be very careful when you drain the oil as it will leak and makes the whole place a mess. It’s better to loosen the cap holding plastic bag so the oil drains into the bag and keep a pan ready under the drain plug to store excess oil. Do the same with oil filter and replace it with the new oil filter.
• Refilling new oil to the car: Locate the reservoir in your bonnet to add new oil. Check the user manual for how much oil has to be poured to the reservoir. You can now pour the oil with a help of a funnel to avoid spilling. Pour it periodically by marking on your dipstick so to get close to top without overflowing and close the cap. Start the car leaving it to run for 2-3 minutes to let the oil flow through the parts.
A car shouldn’t just be owned, it should be cared for with proper love and attention. At the same time, try not to go overboard with care, for it could prove to be more harmful to your vehicle. Here are few myths about car maintenance that you should stop believing in if you really want to save some money:
• Get an oil change in every 3000 miles: Follow the advice in the owner’s manual and please ignore the self-serving pleas from oil companies and quick lube shops. Most vehicles can travel 7,500 miles or more between oil change under normal driving conditions. Changing oil certainly won’t do any damage to your engine but you will only be wasting your money unnecessarily.
• Warmup your car before drive: This myth is still followed among many people. This might be right for two wheelers when it comes to modern engines, driving is the fastest way to warm up your car. The sooner the engine warms up the sooner it delivers its best millage.
• Changing brake fluid: The brakes actually don’t work on brake fluids. So, there is no point in changing brake fluid quite often. Brake fluids just act like a lube for the brake to move freely and to reduce noise when its stricken. It needs to be changed once in a year or two or as per the owner’s manual.
• Tune up: A tune up ensures your car and engine to provide optimum performance in long run, but tune up engine inspection is done to understand the engine performance only. A full tune up for car should be done once in every 30,000 miles.
• Filter fancy: There are filters for oil, air fuel, transmission. However, they all do not need frequent replacement or at every oil change. Consult your owner’s manual for the recommended replacement intervals, or better yet, speak to your mechanic.
• Cool-offs: It used to be conventional for owners to drain their radiators twice a year- spring and fall. Not anymore. Most cars now have closed systems that don’t lose coolant over time, and modern coolant fluids can last up to two years or more before losing effectiveness.
• Air-conditioning: the common myth is that using the air conditioner wastes more gas than opening the windows. While switching the air conditioner on does indeed cut into your fuel supply, you won’t save gas by keeping the windows open instead. That, instead, generates wind resistance, making the vehicle less aerodynamic. These two factors combined cause the car to work harder to speed up, thus ending up using more fuel than the car would have if the windows were shut.
We use our cars nearly every day for various things. Right from school runs to trips to the grocery store, and picking up laundry, our car has been a trusty companion. It would be very difficult indeed to function without our car for even a day. It is important that we take good care of them. Just like the human body, a car too needs food (fuel), hygiene (regular cleaning), and regular check-ups (visits to the mechanic) and water or lubrication. Lack of lubrication can cause car trouble.
What is Lubrication?
Lubrication is something that keeps your car limber, just like intake of water and oil does for your bones and joints. Friction overtime, can prove to be harmful for the engine. Therefore, a good quality lubricant is essential to keep your car running in optimum condition. Lubricants help reduce friction in your car’s engine and keeps it running smoothly. Look out for oil change coupons to save big on them.
The Different Types of Lubrication
There are different types of lubricants that are used for different parts of your car. There are different qualities of lubricants too. You don’t want to settle for a cheap quality lubricant and compromise on the health of your car.
• Engine oil is a kind of a lubricant that is changed at intervals while your car is being serviced. Transmission oil and differential oil too, is changed at regular intervals. Lubrication on different parts of the car needs to be paid attention too. However, these needn’t be changed at regular intervals. Some parts that need lubrication are ball joints, tail shaft universal joints, clutch forks, pivot balls and brake caliper slides. You can get great deals on oil change by keeping an eye out for oil change coupons near you. You might save up to 90% by doing so.
• Motor Oil is the most common kind of lubricants. Replace it every 1000 miles or so for optimum health of your engine. Be sure to consult an expert and choose a motor oil suited to your vehicle. Your big saver might have lube coupons for some of the best names available.
• Grease is kind of a lubricant, that keeps all the parts- well, greased or well oiled, so that there isn’t much friction or kinks while it functions. It also prevents those annoying groaning noises your car could make or from your car parts wearing off before time. Local gas or service stations regularly offer great discounts on oil changes and offer oil change coupons for the same.
• Transmission Fluid lubricates moving parts of your transmission, keeping it cool and preventing it from corroding. Transmission fluid is usually colored so that leaks can be easily detected and fixed immediately.
Don’t skip out on regularly replacing lubrication or essential fluids of your car as cars are an important part of our life and lubes help maintain its life.
Choosing a motor oil for your vehicle really isn’t a complicated chemistry lesson. All you need to figure out is what viscosity your car requires, whether or not it has been running on synthetic oil, the quantity of motor oil that is required for the car and the best brand there is. Here are some of the top brands to consider. Whichever oil you use, check with your dealer for discounts or oil change coupons.
• Valvoline: Valvoline has been developing oils for high mileage vehicles for a long time. Valvoline offers your engine a certain warranty if you replace oils regularly, if you have less than 125,000 miles or less on the engine and your vehicle meets certain other requirements set by them. Oil change coupons come in handy while regularly planning to replace oils.
• Total Motor Oil: Total Motor Oil is a known name in the US today. A partner for Red Bull’s Formula 1 team, the brand has a reputation in great oil performance and boosting engine longevity.
• Castrol Oil: With great user reviews, this global brand offers lubricants and product for every kind of application. They also make great high-mileage oils. And even if your engine hasn’t been used over a long period of time, it will fire up easily if you have been using Castrol as it stays on for an extended period of time.
• Pennzoil: A huge player in the market, Pennzoil has the reputation to keep your engine clean besides keeping it squeak-free. Improving the engine’s power in turn, it helps improve fuel efficiency. The brand is Ferrari’s official oil supplier.
• Mobil Oil: Keep your engine running in top shape with Mobil Oil. It comes with technology for wear protection, high- and low-temperature performance and protection against sludge and harmful deposits. The brand also offers adapting oils to work with turbo charged engines.
• Quaker State: Offering a mineral-synthetic blend, the oil focuses on a long engine life despite the engine having many miles on it. The oil gives you a feeling of using a brand-new engine.
• Amsoil: This synthetic oil brand has some great reviews in staying on the engine longer too. Known for improving performance of the engine, they were one of the first synthetic oils produced in the world and are one of the few companies recognized by the American Petroleum Institute.
Sometimes, certain brands too, offer oil change coupons and discounts for oil replacement for optimum maintenance of your vehicles.