Automotive Blog: all you wanted to know about cars

Posted in General | November 21, 2014 

It is a difficult job to find a mechanic who is well versed in the field of auto service and auto repair. Sometimes you may find one by chance and most of the times you will have to experiment. The National Institute for Automotive Excellence (ASE) has greatly helped your chances of finding a service you can trust by providing quality education to young aspiring individuals who want to pursue a career as an Automobile mechanic.

The National Institute for Automotive Excellence is a non-profit organization which offers certifications and courses in all areas of Automobile repair and service. With more than 390,000 certified professionals, the scope and relevance of their methods are readily accepted and acknowledged in the industry. Apart from the recognition of ASE certified mechanics within the industry, many have opened their own shops, service stations, and dealerships. You can find ASE certified mechanics at almost every major dealership or Auto service/repair shop.

How to Become an ASE Certified Mechanic

The ASE certifies the methodological capability of an individual to repair and service an automotive vehicle by taking exams. There are many ways to study for the ASE tests, but many mechanics choose to take practice tests and also purchase study guides to help them increase their knowledge base. One of the best free ASE test prep resources can be found at ASE Certification Headquarters. This test prep site can help you with state-specific requirements and even provide free study guides and test questions.

The ASE tests are not easy because their aim is to produce professionals and give them a nationally recognized certification. Therefore you will have to prove your technical skill to yourself and then to your employer and finally to your customer. Many establishments are now pushing their employees to go through the ASE certifications to brush up their already developed skill set.

There are many other aspects in the automobile service and repair industry such as interpersonal skills to give excellent customer service and to upsell some products. The game is changing, and competition is high and people only hire the best mechanics that are certified by the ASE organization. The value of the ASE certification in the industry is high and you can easily get into an entry level position with this certification at any major dealership or shop

Whether you want to go for the ASE student certification or the ASE automobile mechanic certification, passing these exams will add a gold star to your resume on your path to becoming a competent mechanic.

Posted in Automotive | November 20, 2014 

Тhоusаnds оf реорlе turn tо саr hіrе соmраnіеs еасh уеаr tо аssіst thеm wіth thеіr trаnsроrtаtіоn rеquіrеmеnts. Ѕоmе usе thіs sеrvісе whіlе thеіr оwn vеhісlе іs bеіng rераіrеd, gіvіng thеm thе аbіlіtу tо trаvеl whеrе thеу nееd tо gо, whіlе оthеrs turn tо thеsе соmраnіеs whеn оn vасаtіоn, gіvіng thеm thе аbіlіtу tо ехрlоrе а fоrеіgn соuntrу wіth еаsе. Overall, car rentals are very useful services that can be used by anybody.

Тhеrе аrе sоmе fасtоrs уоu shоuld аlwауs tаkе іntо соnsіdеrаtіоn whеn сhооsіng саr hіrе, whеthеr уоu’rе аt hоmе оr аbrоаd. Тhеrе аrе wауs tо kеер уоur соsts dоwn whеn hіrіng а vеhісlе, hеlріng уоu stау wіthіn уоur trаvеl budgеt аnd stіll gеt tо еnјоу аll thе аdvаntаgеs thіs tуре оf sеrvісе hаs tо оffеr.

Оnе оf thе mоst іmроrtаnt fасtоrs tо соnsіdеr іs thе sіzе оf vеhісlе. Моst саr hіrе соmраnіеs wіll оffеr уоu а wіdе sеlесtіоn frоm есоnоmісаl соmрасt vеhісlеs tо fаmіlу sеdаns, ЅUV’s аnd mоrе. Сhооsе bаsеd оn уоur іmmеdіаtе rеquіrеmеnts. Іf уоu аrе trаvеllіng аs а соuрlе, thеn а соmрасt vеhісlе mау bе аll уоu nееd. Еnsurе уоu hаvе еnоugh rооm tо bе соmfоrtаblе аnd stіll lеаvе sрасе fоr уоur luggаgе. Оbvіоuslу thе smаllеr thе bеttеr, thе mоrе есоnоmісаl thе bеttеr.

Νехt lооk аt thе mіlеs реr gаllоn оn thе соmраnу’s wеbsіtе оr sреаk tо а mеmbеr оf thе сustоmеr sеrvісеs tеаm. Whеn сhооsіng а vеhісlе аnd wоrkіng tо а budgеt, уоu wаnt аn есоnоmісаl саr thаt wіll рrоvіdе уоu wіth grеаt mіlеs tо thе gаllоn usаgе. Тhіs wау уоu саn gеt аwау wіth оnе tаnk оf fuеl fоr а numbеr оf оutіngs, hеlріng sаvе уоu mоnеу whісh уоu саn sреnd еlsеwhеrе.

Аlwауs сhесk thе саr hіrе соmраnіеs tеrms аnd соndіtіоns, сhооsе а vеhісlе whісh оffеrs unlіmіtеd mіlеаgе. Тhіs mеаns thаt уоu dоn’t hаvе tо рау fоr аddіtіоnаl dіstаnсеs, еnаblіng уоu tо utіlіzе thе vеhісlе bаsеd оn уоur sресіfіс rеquіrеmеnts. Ѕоmе соmраnіеs оffеr thіs орtіоn, whіlе оthеrs сhаrgе уоu fоr thе vеhісlе rеntаl аnd thеn а furthеr соst bаsеd оn thе mіlеаgе уоu hаvе dоnе whіlе thе vеhісlе hаs bееn іn уоur роssеssіоn.

Еnsurе уоu аlsо сhесk wіth thе соmраnу оn hоw muсh fuеl іs аlrеаdу іn thе vеhісlе whеn уоu tаkе роssеssіоn аnd hоw muсh іs ехресtеd іn thе tаnk оn rеturn. Ѕоmе соmраnіеs wіll рrоvіdе уоu wіth аt lеаst hаlf а tаnk, whісh іs mоrе thаn еnоugh tо gеt уоu tо уоur hоtеl аnd mауbе оn а соuрlе оf ехсursіоns, еsресіаllу іf уоu сhоsе аn есоnоmісаl mоdеl. Rеmеmbеr thіs іs vеrу іmроrtаnt, аs уоu dоn’t wаnt tо rеturn thе vеhісlе wіth аn еmрtу tаnk оf fuеl whеn уоu аrе ехресtеd tо rеturn іt wіth а hаlf оr full tаnk.

Сhесk tо sее іf thе соmраnу оffеrs аnу іnsurаnсе іnсludеd іn thе саr hіrе рrісе. Тhіs саn bе ехсерtіоnаllу usеful аnd sаvе уоu hаvіng tо tаkе оut іnsurаnсе аs аn аddіtіоnаl соst. Іn mоst іnstаnсеs аn ехсеss іs рауаblе shоuld thе соmраnу hаvе tо сlаіm, sо dоublе сhесk аll оf thіs bеfоrе уоu tаkе роssеssіоn. Ѕоmе соmраnіеs аutоmаtісаllу іnсludе аn аll-rіsk іnsurаnсе whісh іnсludеs thеft соvеr, рrоtесtіng уоu аs thеіr сustоmеr. Тhеrе аrе еvеn thоsе thаt wіll nоt сhаrgе аn ехсеss shоuld thе thеft оr ассіdеnt nоt bе уоur fаult.

Оnе оf thе оthеr fасtоrs уоu mау wаnt tо tаkе іntо соnsіdеrаtіоn whеn уоu сhооsе саr hіrе аnd а wау tо rеduсе thе соst іs tо dеtеrmіnе іf thе соmраnу уоu сhооsе оffеrs а drор оff аnd соllесtіоn sеrvісе. Тhіs саn sаvе уоu mоnеу іn thе lоng run. Іf thе соmраnу оffеrs thеsе fеаturеs, іt sаvеs уоu hаvіng tо gеt tо thеіr оffісеs frоm thе аіrроrt whеn уоu аrrіvе, whісh оbvіоuslу соsts mоnеу аnd thеn аgаіn frоm thеіr оffісеs tо thе аіrроrt whеn уоu dераrt. Іdеаllу thе соmраnу wіll hаvе аn оffісе аt thе аіrроrt аs аn аddеd соnvеnіеnсе.

Posted in General | November 20, 2014 

Getting a California insurance quote used to consume a lot of time for potential customers. A person would need to find every local insurance agency and then contact each agency for quotes. Those quotes could take days to calculate and then the person would have to compare and contrast each agency plan and their prices. Luckily, thanks to internet insurance brokers, people can receive competitive quotes in just one day.

Insurance brokers have always been there for customers who want to find competitive insurance quotes. A broker is licensed in each state, like California, to find insurance policies for their customers. Whether it is for a car or a home, brokers research insurance quotes and inform their clients on what insurance policy is best for them. However, in the past, an insurance broker would need to jump through the same hoops a normal customer would have to. Brokers would need to call several local insurance agencies and wait until quotes could be given to them.

But, thanks to internet, brokers can simultaneously communicate with multiple insurance firms. Insurance companies can also calculate quotes faster thanks to improved computer technology. In the span of one day, a broker can give dozens of insurance companies a client’s information and then receive insurance quotes for their client. As a result, a broker’s client can purchase a policy for their car or house in less than 24 hours.

With the newest computer and internet technology, no one needs to wait around for competitive insurance quotes. By working with an online insurance broker, customers can get the plan that meets their budget fast.

Posted in General | November 19, 2014 

As soon as you identify the first sign of brake problem, you should get your brakes checked and resolve the problem. It could be a smell, a strange feeling when you drive or annoying sounds, whatever the signs are, ignoring them is not a wise thing to do. Driving with poor brakes leads to expensive repairs of the major parts of the vehicle. Besides, it is not safe to drive without proper brakes, as the time needed to bring the vehicle to a standstill will increase. Even luxury cars experience problems with brakes, and they can be serviced from foreign Car Repair Ventura CA specialists or from Auto Repair Ventura specialist. Given below are the signs that indicate your car brakes needs servicing.
Vehicle takes longer to stop: Your vehicle taking too much time to stop is a primary indication of brake problems. To complete a brake action, you might have to press down the brake farther than usual. This is because the brakes wear out with time.

Noise: At times your vehicle will make strange noises while you hit the brakes and these noises shouldn’t be ignored. Grinding or squealing indicates that it is time to replace your brake pads. To prevent damages to the rotors, it is necessary to change the brake pads that are worn out. By taking action on time, you will be saving a lot of money and time.

Brake warning light: You will know there is serious problems with your vehicle, when the brake warning light appears on the dashboard of your vehicle. This issue cannot be ignored as it could cause serious problems. A mechanic can fix the problems with the brake. If you need to replace or repair brakes of your Volvo, get in touch with Volvo Repair Ventura CA, specialist.

Brake pulsation and vibration: Another sign that indicates issues with brakes is vibration on the steering wheel and in the brake pedal. Vibration or brake pulsation is not a good sign and the issue needs to be attended to. When you feel your foot shakes understand that the rotors may be warped and need resurfacing due to uneven rotor surface. Until it is resolved, the vibration will continue.

Burning smell: You will know something is wrong with your brakes, when you notice a burning smell near the tires. Apart from the smell, there will be excessive heat coming from the tires of the vehicle. All these signs should not be ignored and necessary steps should be taken to replace or fix the brakes.

For more information about repairs and maintenance of BMW, Volvo and Mercedes, you can get in touch with the exclusive foreign car service, B&C. For more details, Visit : www.bandcforeigncar.com.

Posted in General | November 12, 2014 

It is true that these days it is sometimes difficult to get what you are owed. Many people find themselves in a situation when they cannot pay their debts. Most of them cannot pay them simply because they don’t have the funds to do so and I don’t really blame them. What I am concerned about though are the lenders who need to have a way to get what they are owed. This is where companies such as Massachusetts Repossession companies come in with everything they have to offer in terms of making sure that the lenders get back what they are owed.

When it comes to Massachusetts repossession companies is basically the effectiveness with which they repossess and give you the money. A good Mass Repo company is a company that have reliable means of ensuring that the cars they repossess are worth as much as you want to get in loans.
. Since most people own cars anyway, getting hands on their cars might be the only way to get the money back.

A good and reliable Mass Repo agent is somebody who knows what he is doing. He will want to be discreet, but also assertive so that he can also be effective in repossessing a car. It also has to be somebody with a lot of strength and charisma because very often the owners of the cars being repossessed might strongly object to it. It is therefore very important for a repo man to know exactly what he is doing. It is not a job for the faint hearted, but rather for those who don’t mind doing something that others don’t like such as repossessing their cars. This is why repossession companies deserve to be rewarded properly for their job in the form of good pay simply because their job is not as easy as many other jobs out there.

Posted in Automotive, Cars & Entertainment | November 8, 2014 

When you visit any foreign country on your holidays, you would want to make the most out of your time out there and you want to make sure that everything is just like you want it to be. If you do not plan things well, then local transportation, or moving in and out of airports, will drain a lot of your valuable time. Now, you can handle things smartly by booking your cabs in advance online. You could do so by visiting the websites of companies offering airport transport services.

Cut Down on your Travel Expenses

Before planning for a vacation with your family or friends, you could check out the websites of local car rental services to know more about the running costs, and about the types of vehicles they provide. That way you will know how to manage your travel budget efficiently.

The best thing about hiring chauffeured vehicles is that you will not have to get into arguments with the local taxi drivers. They generally try to charge you more by taking you through longer routes. Some may even go in circles before taking you on the right route to the place you want to visit. Hence, you will end up paying more than what is needed, depending on the high meter reading.

Comforts of Transport Facility

Car rental services usually are in constant battle with their rivals to get more business. In order to attract more customers, they offer well maintained luxurious rides, such as limousines and SUVs for comparatively cheaper prices. You can hire multiple cars or go for minibuses, as per the size of your group.

There are many benefits you can get from rental services. You need not keep a track of time, or worry about missing the last bus or train to return to your hotel. Your family and friends can take all the time they need to explore the places you visit, whether it is during the day or late in the evenings. Not just that, the hired chauffers may also suggest you some places to visit that only the locals know about.

Worth Paying For

Hiring airport transfers service is the best option, as many local companies are tied up with different hotels, bread and breakfast, restaurants, and so on. By renting their vehicles, you can avail all the required information about that particular area, and also enjoy some great deals on hiring a vehicle. They might also suggest luxurious and safe accommodation options in the area for cheaper costs.

Posted in General | November 8, 2014 

Many car enthusiasts enjoy taking their vehicles on off-road adventures like rock crawling, long distance country treks, desert or mud racing. If, however, you find that your truck is not built to indulge in your favourite pastime and you feel you have to get a new truck, there is a reasonably-priced solution around the corner.

The quickest solution to this is a truck lift kit. By adding a lift kit to your vehicle, you can significantly improve the truck’s off-road performance on mud, rocks and other terrains. Lifting any car’s suspensions will allow you to raise the body such that tires and other mechanical parts that may not fit on a regular car of the same brand can now be installed, especially larger sized tires.

Once you install a lift kit on your truck, there would be absolutely no need to purchase a new one. Once installed, you will experience an improved off-road performance with your vehicle. If you are mulling over the idea of buying a lift kit, it is crucial that you understand what it entails.

A lift kit is a set of vehicle modification tools used to lift the suspensions or body of the vehicle. Installing lift kits will make the wheel wells of your vehicle higher so that you can install larger tires than the factory-fitted ones. They often come in a different sizes, depending on the type of vehicle as well as the intended area of application.

Presently, there are two major kinds of lift kits available on the market; these are the body lifts and suspension lifts. Each one of these has its own merits and demerits. If you are on a tight budget, the more preferable option for you would be a body lift kit. The reason is that they are relatively inexpensive compared to the suspension kits.

If you want to improve the articulation of your vehicle, a suspension lift kit is the simple solution. Installation of a suspension lift kit will typically cost you more than the body lift kits. Installing the lift kits will increase the height and handling of the car and also give it more ground clearance. All of which will further adapt your vehicle for off-road racing. Some kits can raise the car by as much as 12 inches while others can give a lift as little as a few inches. However, for the purpose of the outdoors, a 4-inch or 6 inch lift kit should suffice.

Going overboard with the lifts is not recommended because extreme lifts come with safety issues because the higher you raise your vehicle, the less stable it is especially when making sharp turns at high speeds.

Another useful application of lift kits lies in their coil system. The lift coil springs lift kits is adjustable. The length of the coil system can be adjusted for different purposes thereby enabling the user to manoeuvre more easily on rocky or sandy surfaces. If your current vehicle, has a hard time on these types of terrains, instead of a new car, install a lift coil springs kit instead.

In addition to this, the vibrations and bumpy rides experienced in the car are absorbed by the installed lift kit. This helps control how the vehicle responds whenever the brakes are applied and it preserves the integrity of the chassis of the vehicle which greatly minimizes the damage done to the vehicle.

One other reason why anyone could use a lift kit on their truck is the fact that they increase the ground clearance of the vehicle. This implies that the undercarriage and chassis of the car will now receive more protection from damage by the rocks or rubble from any road surface they are travelling on. Even if you don’t intend to use the truck for off-road activities, this would be another good reason to have lift kits installed in the truck.

To find high quality suspension parts for the best available prices, do yourself a favor and check out SD Truck Springs. They have been a trusted company for nearly 4 decades, and have the parts you need for any vehicle you may have.

The actual installation can be done by an experienced mechanic or any reliable store that specializes in four wheel drive gears. Certain types of modifications made to the truck could invalidate your warranty. To avoid this, it is important to confirm from your dealer before installing the lift kits.

Conclusively, lift kits will give your truck much better ergonomics and make it outperform any similar truck in its class.

Posted in Automotive | November 4, 2014 

I have always believed that having a car is also a big responsibility. With all the benefits that owning a car brings, there are also things that each person needs to remember about. One of them is the ability to drive a vehicle in a responsible way. If you know that you are a careful and responsible driver, but you do not own a car, you can always apply for one of the auto loans. Auto loans can be useful in many different situations I can think of, but you have to be careful of the interest rates. There might be a situation in my life when I might need a new car and not have enough money to be able to afford it, but at that time I will think about the pros and cons of taking out a car loan.

Posted in General | November 4, 2014 

When it comes to planning an excursion trip for your family or your students, there is always this one component that will irritate the planners the most?
How are you going to transport the large number of people from each point to point and what are the expected travel times and budget that one has to cater for.

When it comes to such a situation, the best way to go about is to try contacting a few of the transport options, rental of cars, hailing cabs or get bus operators to quote you on the travel.

So why would you want to consider bus rental in Singapore?

1. Bus rental can be way cheaper per head as compared to getting taxi

When it comes to transporting a large group of people, it would mean that the cost is divided over the number of heads and in the end the cost on the per head basis may be way cheaper than you think! It would mean a lower budget required on the trip and less cost borne by your customers or students.

2. Bus operators are able to best advise you the travel time and cost

You are not the best person on the roads and there are things that google will not be able to tell you, which is road conditions and also how certain highways will be have based on the weather. This will ensure that you are able to plan your events and plan your trips in the most efficient way and allow your customers or students to have a good time.

3. Bus operators are responsible for the safety of the travel

If you do get various vehicles or taxis to do the transportation , you might not have enough adults or persons responsible to go around to ensure the safety of your passengers, with this respect you might be placed too thin with too many people to care for and this is not advisable.

So with so many advantages why not try out the Singapore bus rental providers, friends of bus today !

Posted in General | October 30, 2014 

When people think auto performance, they generally think of torque, horsepower and zero -to-60 acceleration. But all the power produced by the car’s engine is useless if the car doesn’t have the proper suspension system which is essential for proper handling.

The job of a vehicle’s suspension is to supply steering stability with good handling to maximize the friction between the tires and also the road’s surface and also to ensure the safety of the passengers. This would not be as important, if all roads were perfectly flat, and had no irregularities. But roads are far from flat. Even newly constructed roads have subtle imperfections that affect how the car responds and drives on the road. These imperfections put a tremendous amount of force on the wheels. In accordance with Newton’s laws of motion, all forces have direction and magnitude. A lump in the road causes the wheel to move up and down perpendicular to the road’s surface. The magnitude, obviously, depends on if the wheel is striking a little pebble or a giant rock. Either way, the car’s wheel experiences a perpendicular acceleration as it passes over an imperfection in the road.

The analysis of the forces at work on a moving car is called vehicle dynamics, and also you have to understand some of the concepts to be able to recognize the reason it’s necessary to have the proper suspension for your truck in the first place. Most automobile engineers think about the dynamics of a moving car from two viewpoints:

Ride – an auto’s ability to smooth out a bumpy road

Handling – an auto’s power to accelerate, take a corner and brake

Truck suspension is one of those topics few people actually know about even though most individuals may assert that they understand it very well.

The front and the back suspension for a truck must work in tandem of one another. They need to be accepting of transferred force immediately from the other and vice versa in order to create stability in the ride. If this mechanism is not working properly handling becomes increasingly difficult and driving conditions become hazardous.

Springs

Springs are the essential element of a truck suspension. They have been engineered keep and to absorb road shock from bumps. You will find four kinds leaf springs, coil springs, air springs, and torsion bars. Depending on the type of vehicle you have will determine the type of springs your truck will need. Coil springs are almost always found in passenger vehicles so you would most likely not be putting any coil springs on your truck.

Springs also work with other suspension parts like shock absorbers, tires, ball joints, and control arms. Naturally, if a spring wears out it’ll eventually alter the rest of the suspension components’ operation.

Shock Absorbers

A shock absorber is somewhat less involved in consuming impacts taken by the car and they have little function. Shock absorbers are designed to do two things: remove spring oscillation and prevent excessive auto body roll. Road impacts dampen by converting the up and down motion into thermal energy; by specialists it’s nicknamed as dampers as a result.

Stabilizer Bar

Its function is primarily to reduce rocking. A stabilizer bar runs from one side of the car to the other attaching to control arms and the framework with a simple bushing. The bar resists movement when the vehicle goes into a turn. Vehicle weight is distributed equally giving the vehicle more firmness.

Conclusion:

You should always make a conscious effort to have the proper suspension on your truck, especially if you have an older model vehicle. Consider going with possibly a well know aftermarket brand such as the products you can find on www.sdtrucksprings.com. Remember that truck suspension is more than just one properly functioning part. Instead, it is a network of the parts mentioned above that will provide optimal handling and driving stability on the road.

Replace shocks and the springs after 5 years or 60,000 miles of normal use. If you are not sure if your truck needs it’s suspension to be replaced, just bring it down to a certified mechanic who will be able to run some tests and take your truck for a test drive to make sure it really needs servicing.

It is also important to mention that some of the parts mentioned above is not a stock option on a vehicle. For example stabilizer bars or sway bars are not usually stock items in trucks and generally are sold on the aftermarket. They are however very effective at keeping the truck from rolling over under normal to moderate speeds while turning.

There are huge benefits of installing an active suspension system in your truck. It will save you on gas, extend the life of your tires and improve handling of your vehicle, you can also eliminate axle wrap and increase carrying load capacity. Your truck will run like new and the way it’s supposed to, and most important of all, you and your passengers will be safe.