One basic thing about cars that some drivers fail to do is on how to handle cars that have suddenly overheated. Normally, cars would overheat due to:

1. Lack of Water
2. Damaged Water Hoses
3. Worn Out Belts (Alternator)
4. Lack of Ventilation
5. Engine Decompression
6. Busted Auxiliary Fans

Normally, a driver would stop the car for fear of breaking down somewhere unknown. But did you know that as much as possible, you should not turn off the engine (as long as it can) manually? If the engine would die normally, then that would be okay. But if you want to put water which is the normal impulse that people would think of, try not to fill up your radiator if you have just shut it down to avoid overheating.

Assuming you have replaced the hose or anything that needs to be fixed that are causes for overheating, try this out.

Cars normally come with a reserve water tank to which reserve water can be placed. If you happen to shut down your engine, it would be best to initially put water there. Once you do, try starting it. If it does, try out these things before turning that radiator cap:

1. Wet a piece of cloth with water and get lots of water.
2. Before you turn the radiator cap, pour water extensively on top of the cap and the radiator. This is to try and bring down the temperature as much as possible.
3. Get the wet cloth and try to place it on the cap first. Wait a couple of seconds and then try to put your weight on it, and slowly loosen the radiator cap. You are bound to feel the pressure from wanting to get out. Do not allow it to do so as extremely hot water is bound to spill all over you.
4. Once you have released the mounting pressure, open the cap and then put water while the engine is running.

Do not turn the engine off (unless you can wait for it to cool down) and place water. The sudden change in water temperature is bad for your engine and may force you to overhaul it if you are not careful.

Written by Marcel on September 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment

It is not hard to known when you encounter a flat tire. Normally you would notice a part of your car in a slanted position or perhaps would notice that your steering wheel is hard to maneuver. In some cases, you may even see that you can no longer drive at the usual pace you drive and chances are you have encountered a flat in one of your tires.

The first thing you have to do is to pull over. Assuming that you have the usual tire changing tools such as a tire wrench and the reliable car jack, it would be best to change your tires first before moving on to wherever you may be going.

Here are some tips to change you tire:

1. Prepare the tire changing tools:
a. Tire Wrench
b. Car Jack
c. Spare Tire
2. Take out you spare tire. Make sure you constantly have the tire pressure checked since even if they are not used, they are bound to lose some air while stocked.
3. Loosen the wheel bolts midway so that you will not have a hard time loosening them once you jack up your car.
4. Jack up the car at properly elevated levels. It would be wise to raise it a couple of inches higher than normal so it can be easier to install the spare tire. For safety reasons, it would be advisable to place your spare tire horizontally below the elevated portion of the car in cases where the jack may suddenly give way.
5. Proceed to completely loose the nuts and remove the tire.
6. Place the spare tire and try to tighten the bolts as much as you can. You don’t have tighten them that hard as you can do that once you put the car in its normal stance upon releasing the jack.
7. Tighten the bolts after you have taken out the jack.
8. Place your tire in place of where you got the spare tire and try to have it vulcanized immediately. You don’t want to run forever using that spare tire as it may give way also.

Written by Marcel on September 30, 2008 | 1 Comment

Here is a good tip for people who have to worry about the level of their gas these days. Apparently, it is now rare that we see people filling up their cars to the hilt, considering that the current oil price and economic crisis have become totally outrageous. Normally, people can manage the by the gallon fuel for their car but today, the price per gallon is no longer comfortable as before.

At times, you may even forget to fill up your car with gas and while many wait until they use up all the fuel of their car to the max, when your car flashes that gas pump light, chances are you will be panicking and looking for the nearest gas station to fill ‘er up.

While you gauge may be on the borderline E of your driver panel, don’t worry about it. There are occasions wherein gas stations may not be within sight. Usually, when you car fuel gauge is on the E line, you still have around 4 kilometers to spare. But rather than risk it, it would be best to try and do some adjustments just in case the next gas station is still far:

1. Avoid stepping longer on the accelerator and go with the flow.
2. Turn of air-conditioning for the meantime.
3. Try to drive at a conservative space. No sense in wasting gas if you are running low.

Just don’t panic when you see that blinking light on your dashboard. It is merely telling you that you forgot to put gas in your car!

Written by Marcel on September 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment

For most people, the logic of driving normally calls for you to stay in your lane at all times. Standard roads normally call for you to drive on the right lane, although some countries like Hongkong and London use the left line for right of lane privileges.

But when you find yourself in the long stretches such as freeways and the highway, the temptation to change lanes will always be there. But before you do change lanes, make sure you do it the right way by looking for vehicles at the back using your rear view mirror and again a glimpse when you are about to change lanes. Use the signal lights or hand signals so that vehicles behind you will know that you will be changing your lane.

The frequency of changing lanes should be properly done though. There are some drivers who always feel that they should be always first. To do so, overtaking cars means a big thing even if they would normally reach their point of destination at any rate.

A word of caution to people who drive frantically though. If you recklessly drive like a lunatic, chances are you may be apprehended for reckless driving or even encounter accidents. High speed accidents are no joke and if you are not careful, you may find yourself in a life threatening predicament.

A driver can drive as fast as they want. Just make sure you follow the right driving ethics and keep your concentration and eyes on the road. The manner of driving is entirely up to you.

Written by Marcel on September 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment

When you drive, speed is essential. But it also requires putting your mind on how fast you should drive your car. It is understandable that once you get your hands behind the wheel, the initial notion is to see how fast you can drive and get places in a hurry. However, when you get to long stretch roads like the freeway, it is likewise important to consider the factors of driving.

There are speed limits in most parts of the world when it comes to driving. There are some who could care less. Regardless of what the speed limit is, you don’t really need an officer to tailgate and catch you. If you think about it, it is a matter of being a responsible driver.

You really cannot discount the possibility of driving reckless at times. Especially if you see a road with not much cars around, the tendency is to drive fast, seeing the capacity of your car as far as how powerful it can with reference to your speedometer. But it only takes one obstacle or distraction to cause an accident. In most cases, such an accident can lead to tragedies or even loss of life.

Drivers normally learn their lesson after encountering an accident. To most, they could care less. But the fact of the matter is that driving can be entirely dangerous and apparently it all boils down to how you can discipline yourself when you drive.

Avoid the risks of accidents. It may be a matter of life and death which stems from being an irresponsible driver.

Written by Marcel on September 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment

In a nutshell, shying away from cars would normally mean lesser people interested in driving. One of the main points for consideration here is the fact that why drive if you cannot afford to have a car of your own?

Aside from not being able to afford a car, there are other factors to consider. The instability of the oil prices and fuel shortage have become another notable aspect that has to be included. With all problems facing the world today, a person can commute or perhaps hitch a ride with no worries for car maintenance and money for fuel to get to the destination that they want to be. So where does this leave the driving schools who make a living from enrolled students who hope to drive someday?

For sure, these commissioned driving schools will feel the brunt of the economic meltdown just like any other business branch we know of in the world today. While it seems apparent that it is something that people can learn without paying, their existence may reach becoming pointless.

Driving schools are a big help. Especially for people who want to learn how to drive. But considering the factors hitting our economy today, they may as well be affected as well.

The economic sector is indeed walking on pins and needles these days. On what may happen tomorrow or the day after is anybody’s guess. Hopefully though some bright light comes out of it all before businesses are shot down one by one.

Written by Marcel on September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment

A certain percentage of accidents these days stem from beating the red light. But how do you classify beating the red light? For one, if you are about to reach an intersection with the traffic light already in yellow, be civil enough to note that you are on the verge of actually trying to beat the red light. So what can possibly happen?

1. You can be caught and ticketed for “Beating the Red Light” by traffic enforcers
2. The degree of being hit or incurring an accident is high.
3. Possibly hitting pedestrians to which you will be meted a lot of charges outside that of traffic violations

If you enumerate these bullets, there is no positive thing to look forward to as far as they are concerned. They all clearly show that you are bound for trouble with the authorities and other than the discomfort of being caught, raising the degree of charges against you is a given factor.

There is nothing to prove if you beat a red light. If you are in a hurry you just have to face the fact that prior adjustments to reaching your destination or meeting must be made with time to spare. A car is not a solution to get you places fast and safe.

Your car can indeed get you to your point of destination quickly but it depends on the degree of driving you are undertaking. Try not to be like the fast-driving people in movies. They are scripted. If you should do that in the modern roads of today, accidents are waiting to happen to which you may not even see yourself driving anymore due to mishaps and mental impact of incurring such problems.

Written by Marcel on September 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

As far as the set age on when to issue a drivers license, there have been qualms on increasing the age to 17 rather than the usual 16. Apparently this is because as far as being responsible drivers is concerned, a lot of debate has been said on the actual responsibility that most new drivers (a lot in their teens) of understanding the dangers of driving on the road at such an immature age.

The convenience of driving your own car is surely there but it is about being a conservative and responsible driver that is really the issue here. Also, the safety precautions as well on the drivers that are released today are showing significant numbers as far as accidents and deaths of younger drivers which have become a prime reason on re-evaluating the set age.

One thing you will not see when studying driving is how that person would really drive in the real world. Once issued a drivers license, they are practically free to drive and do what they want. Apparently, this is something that is lacking but is beyond the control of license issuers. Unless they actually meet an untoward accident that can place them back in their senses, chances are they will not even care on how they drive and where they drive.

Teens are up against a host of distractions, from cell phones to text messages to traffic congestion and aggressive driving. Driving instructor Robert Dicks says raising the driving age might be a good idea.

“Sixteen is very much not experienced,” said Dicks. “They’re very young, they don’t know how to handle one of these things.”

Source

Written by Marcel on September 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment