AutoMD.com: The Best and Worst Cities to Get Your Car Fixed

Did you ever think for a minute that the city you live in didn’t apply to how much you spend for automotive repairs? Well, according the AutoMD.com’s latest Advocacy for Repair Shop Fairness Report, the city that you live in can have a great impact on how much you spend and who you can trust at your local automotive repair shop.

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Toyota Recall Information Page

The recent recall of many Toyota models has raised crucial questions about the impact on the automotive industry. While it is too early to fully measure, TrueCar.com, the online authority in car pricing transparency, has been analyzing the situation, and providing insight to those seeking detailed information on the event and how it will effect both consumers and dealers.  Hoping to assist consumers that are overwhelmed with the news, TrueCar has created a Toyota Recall page, which will be continuously updated with news and information on sales, pricing, and incentives for the recalled Toyota models.   It also identifies a list of comparable cars for consumers who were in the market to buy one of the “stop sell” Toyota models but have since decided against it.  In addition to the Toyota Recall page, TrueCar has written a blog with more basic information on the recall. Be sure to visit both pages often, as they will be updating frequently with the latest information on the events.

Protecting your Ride, Benefits of a Car Alarm System

Has your vehicle ever been broken into?

Having this done to you is a horrible feeling. Some cry, others have the overwhelming feeling of wanting to get even. When I was 17 I had my first break in. The Toyota Celica was my first semi-sports car. While visiting a friend one day, someone tried to pop the trunk and steal my subwoofer but was ran off before he had the chance to make off with it. You think I would of installed an alarm after that but at that time I didn’t have the funds. My second break in occurred when I was 20. I was driving a Turbo Charged Eagle Talon with some goodies under the hood as well as a system in the trunk. This is where I wish I had an alarm system installed. I think it happened around 3:00 am. The thief first broke my back-side window and then my drivers side window to get in. After this he ripped the CD player out and popped the trunk for the rest. This night resulted in over 500 worth of damage and about $800 in audio equipment. All of this could of probably been avoided with a simple alarm system installed.

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Learn How Audi’s Clean Diesel TDI is Made

You will rarely find me giving you implicit instructions on your next course of action, but I wholeheartedly assure you, this situation calls for your utmost of attention and urgency.  September 24th (Thursday), on Discovery Channel, ‘How It’s Made’ will be giving the world an in depth view of Audi’s build process of its Clean Diesel TDI engines.  You will have to check local listings for availability and viewing times, but do what you must to ensure you are able to view.

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Texting While Driving – How serious is it and do we need laws in place to Ban It?

While we enter the season of youngsters returning to school it reminds us of when we used to be a teenager faced with peer pressure, an acne filled face and maybe if we were fortunate enough, a car to drive to school. Although I never got a car until after high school, I can never recall a situation where I used my cell phone while driving, let alone, texting while driving. Simply put, the reason was, we didn’t have cell phones. Today surveys and “studies” will tell you that over 85% of teens will have a cell phone before graduating from high school. Of those teens, a majority of them will be guilty of texting while driving. It is not only teenagers that are texting while driving, adults of all ages are just as guilty.

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Asbestos Still Used in Manufacturing of Auto Parts

Though it is regarded as a “problem of the past,” asbestos should still be a major concern for those in automotive industry.

For the most of the 20^th century, asbestos was utilized by car manufacturers in clutches, gaskets, brake pads and linings. Asbestos appeared the ideal choice for car manufacturers due to its flame resistant, durable and inexpensive qualities.

Today, as asbestos has not yet been totally banned, many of these products may still contain asbestos. When materials that contain asbestos become damaged, they can release its fibers into the air. A big portion of the substance is inside the brake housing or clutch space and can become airborne when repairs or work is performed. This creates a major health risk to auto mechanics and car enthusiasts who maintain their own vehicles.  

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2009 Nissan 370Z – Down-Shift SynchroRev Match What?

Kid Racer: Look Ma, I am only using two feet instead of two-and-a-half. No more heel-toeing!

Mom: What’s heel-toeing?

The days of calling any type of transmission found in cars “Manual” are almost over. Only 15% of the driving population even knows how to drive a manual transmission equipped vehicle let alone know how to heel-toe or “double clutch” in an attempt to match a rev during a down-shift.

Sport mode, launch mode, S5, S6, SMG, DSG, Single Clutch, Dual Clutch, CVT, Sequential Manual, Triptronic, paddle shift, throttle blip, and now I am getting a serious headache. The list goes on as to the technological advancements when it comes to shifting gears. Who would have thought so much thought would be put into gear changing.

Now we have something that I have honestly never seen or heard of in a full manual transmission which is found in the new 2009 Nissan 370Z, a SynchroRev Match system. Basically, from what I have understood from my research, this system automatically blips the throttle when you attempt to up-shift to a higher gear using the shifter. Of course you find a throttle blip system built into many of the new, what Jeremy Clarkson calls them, floppy paddle gearboxes, in new cars today. This is the first full manual setup that incorporates an automated throttle blip and remains to be a full manual tranny.

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Four Ways to Save on Your Car in a Recession

With the economy still going bad with no immediate promise of recuperation in the next few months, a lot of people are finding the need to be more frugal in their spending decisions.  Cutting costs and saving money seem to be more important than ever as people are losing their jobs or are now faced with financial uncertainty in the next few months.  One of the challenges motorists face today is how they can be wiser in expenses that involve their vehicles.  Cars are a necessary commodity for us to get around effectively.  And since replacing our current rides prove to be an unrealistic thing in the road ahead, one must learn the necessary skills to keep their cars in top shape without having to spend more.  The following are practical ways one can be frugal on common situations where motoring expense cannot be avoided.

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