Protecting Your Ride

Have you noticed a yellow residue that has settled on your vehicle? This is due to the high pollen count we are experiencing this spring. All of this settling of pollen is due to the late blooming of trees and shrubs after our long and frigid winter. In order to avoid the car wash several times a week you should get a car cover.

In the Summer time our vehicle’s paint and interior take quite a beating from strong sun rays. If you have ever seen or experienced cracking in your leather seats or on the dash board of a vehicle – this is a result from the sun. In order to preserve the value of your car, it is important to protect from this kind of exposure. All you have to do is get a car cover to deflect heat which will prevent your paint from fading and your interior from cracking.

Check out our DuPont Tyvek® cover. This car cover was fabricated for the specific purpose of keeping your vehicle’s paint from fading due to harsh sun rays. The climates this cover is ideal for would be drier locations like New Mexico and Arizona. Also, this cover is 100% breathable so even if you live in a humid climate this is still a great choice because the moisture can evaporate through the cover. No water can get trapped underneath to cause oxidization or damage. Visit our website to get more details and information at empirecovers.com

Summer season is coming and that means gas price inflation. There are ways to get better fuel economy though, here are a few tips:

1. Be sure that your engine is well maintained. If your vehicle fails an emissions test, do not put off the repairs. Fixing these types of problems with your engine can improve fuel economy by 4%.
2. Make sure you are aware of the tire pressure you are supposed to sustain. This information can be found on the inside of your driver’s side door jam. When your tires are at the correct pressure you can improve your fuel economy by around 3%
3. Using the recommended motor oil grade is suggested because this can affect the cars performance. By using the correct oil you can improve your fuel economy by 1-2%

If you keep up with scheduled maintenance and take care of your vehicle – it would be an easy way to save a few dollars this summer.

Autonomous vehicles are the future of the automobile industry. Research and development has been conducted consistently for years and test models have proven to be successful. There are a series of lasers installed to retrieve information several times a second to communicate with the navigation system which determines when the road bends or if there is an object in the road that needs to be avoided. A successful test model was developed in 2007 and it has not had any mishaps during test drives. Automotive companies and consumers are still skeptical of the idea of autonomous vehicles though.

Similar tools have been incorporated with modern day vehicles; like automatic braking and parking, and warning sounds when objects get too close. With safe driving features like these, accidents can be avoided. This type of invention is still in the testing stage and is not in a rush to go on the market. The reason for this – in the event of an accident, blame would be placed on the vehicle and its manufacturer instead of the driver’s errors.

A group of West Philadelphia High School students have impressed us all with their hybrid sports car they built themselves. This hand full of dedicated students are a part of the high school’s Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering (AAME). Over the past several years they have won numerous awards for the hybrid vehicles they have fabricated. This elite group of students has entered competitions where they are competing against large automotive corporations and colleges. Being able to compete at this level is a great accomplishment and the team of students deserves a lot of credit. They have chosen the high road and have dedicated themselves to learning instead of the influences of rough West Philadelphia.

They have created an affordable hybrid vehicle that gives us a good look at what the public may be driving in just a few short years. These kids are currently awaiting the results for the latest contest they have entered, the Progressive Automotive X Prize. There are a number of contests they have won in the past, beating out MIT and major automotive companies, these wins have had large monetary rewards to fund this positive program. These rewards and the recognition keep the students motivated to excel in mechanical engineering.

Ecotec engines have four-cylinders and the technology used is extremely revolutionary. Fuel efficiency is all the rage with the scarcity of our fossil fuels and this product will meet the mark. This new technology is going to reduce the amount of fuel utilized and emissions. In addition, these engines will be designed to last longer without as much regular maintenance required.

GM is investing almost $500 million towards production. New technology yields new jobs and this particular project will require 550 new positions to be filled. They are going to be expanding in three different US plants; upgrading the general warehouse, new machinery, and tools. With this kind of expansion the economy will definitely feel from relief with this new engine and all it entails.

Plug-In hybrid vehicles are eco-friendly and practical, with this new technology car drivers will also be considered environmentally friendly. Normally, these new model cars can get around 50 miles on just one battery charge. The good thing is that if you are traveling a long distance and do not have time to stop and charge up, it also runs on gasoline. Specifically the Kia Ray, a new hybrid not yet on the market, has incorporated a material designed to reflect heat and sun to limit use of air conditioning which will decrease emissions and battery/gasoline use. With these revolutionary designs hybrid cars will take over the auto industry.

With the 2010 North American Auto Show touring around now I feel like it’s appropriate for me to discuss my favorite concept car ever—the Jeep Hurricane. The Hurricane was unveiled in 2005 at the Detroit Auto Show.

As you can see from the images of the Hurricane, it has a very unique four-wheel steering system. This steering system allows the vehicle to move sideways, or even in circles. As badly as you may want to own one of these—they’re unfortunately not expected to be put into production. The concept car was not a complete waste for Daimler-Chrysler though, many patents were secured during the development of the Jeep Hurricane.

RECALL: Toyota announced they will be recalling a number of vehicles due to a ‘sticky’ accelerator pedal. There are several consumers who have already experienced the effects of this dangerous flaw. These runaway cars are causing quite a stir and Toyota has scrambled for a solution. All affected vehicle owners were notified via mail notification concerning the faulty car part and they are encouraged to get it repaired as soon as possible. These consumers can not afford to wait to address this life threatening problem. Toyota dealership’s service hours extended to expedite the repairs for every customer.

If you are a victim to a sticky accelerator pedal you are instructed to push on the brake pedal hard (do NOT pump the brake) and put your car into neutral, when you follow these instructions your vehicle will come to a stop. If you are not already aware of the vehicles affected, here is a list:

• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Avalon
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry
• Certain 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
• There is a talk about recalling 279,000 Prius Hybrids as of 2/5/2010.

Be on the safe side and bring your Toyota into a dealership near you to be sure you are not going to be affected by this design error.