Auto Magazine

Tricks for Putting on Mileage without Putting out Your Car

by Carsurfer Admin on 2016/09/16 in Auto Maintenance with Comments Off

A car or truck with 80,000 to 90,000 miles on it is often considered a high-mileage vehicle. Even so, if you have one of these vehicles, it could still be on the road at 200,000 miles if you practice good oversight and regular maintenance. If your car is getting on in years of miles use these tips to keep things running smoothly.

Check Oil Regularly

Check the level of your motor oil every two weeks and be sure to get regular oil changes. One recommendation is to change your conventional motor oil once every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first. If your vehicle uses synthetic motor oil, change it every 8,000 miles or eight months.

Check Other Fluids

Check your coolant once a month. If it’s low, have more added. Have your mechanic check your differential and transmission fluids as well. If you’re the owner of an AWD or 4WD vehicle, you’ll have three differentials that need to be serviced in order to prevent costly repairs down the road. Recommendations for when to change the differential and transmission fluids vary. Let your owner’s manual and your auto mechanic be your guide.

Get a Good Mechanic

Be sure to have the vehicle inspected annually. Mechanics who inspect high-mileage vehicles usually pay particular attention to the suspension, bushings, radiator hoses, engine belts, and brake calipers. If you have a good mechanic on your side, it will make it easier to prevent future problems and to get the best maintenance.

Tune-Ups

Have your mechanic do a tune-up once every 30,000 miles or every two years. It involves checking the battery, belts and hoses, windshield wipers, wheel bearing and alignments, headlights, tail lights, brake lights, and blinkers. The mechanic will also check the air filters and the power steering, brake, transmission and antifreeze fluids.

Be Aware

Between inspections, noting new sounds, vibrations, pulling to one side, difficulty in shifting gears, fluid leaking on the ground, and more, you should be aware of any changes in how your car handles. Under any of these circumstances, have the vehicle checked out. Your car’s tires should be rotated every few months as well. Discount Tire Centers can do this regularly if you schedule with them ahead of time.

Wash and Wax

This preserves your car’s finish and prevents rust and is particularly important in harsh environments such as seaside communities where the air is salty. It’s also important in weather zones where harsh ice melter is often used on the roads.

By focusing on the operation of your motor vehicle and investing money to maintain it rather than waiting to take your car to the shop when a problem occurs, your vehicle could still be on the road when it’s nearing 200,000 miles.

Browsing the Lots: Important Features to Look for in a New Car

by Carsurfer Admin on 2016/09/14 in Auto Buying Tips with Comments Off

Unfortunately, cars aren’t made to last forever. More than likely, every five to seven years you’ll have to get a new vehicle to replace an older one. However, you should make sure you are informed before you visit local dealerships to insure you get the best value possible out of your purchase. With that in mind, below are some important features you should look for in a new car.

Gas Mileage

The expense incurred for owning a car isn’t limited to the payments you make to own it. The amount you have to pay for gas each week can also be quite significant especially if you need to commute to and from work every day. With this in mind, make sure to check the gas mileage listed for different models. Also keep in mind that your gas mileage will be different for highway versus city traffic.

Space

A car should be utilitarian first and foremost. It needs to be able to do what you purchased it for. Consider the space available in a vehicle. Do you have a large family, or are you only purchasing it for you own use? Do you need a lot of trunk space? Do you need to use the vehicle to haul materials for your job? The answers to these and other questions should determine the kind of vehicle you purchase whether it’s a compact, mini-van, truck or some other kind of automobile.

Used Auto Parts

You should also consider the possibility of having to replace your car’s parts in the future. Some companies, like U Pull & Pay, know that used auto parts are more widely available for certain models over others. If you need to replace parts in the future, the availability of used auto parts will certainly determine how much money you are forced to spend to make repairs.

Safety

Another very important part of shopping for a vehicle should be reviewing the safety rating for different models. If you have a family, the safety ratings for different cars should be very important to you. Such ratings can tell you how well different vehicles are able to survive situations like crashes and head on collisions.

Transmission Types

You have two choices in regards to transmission when shopping for a car, manual or automatic. These days, many people don’t know how to drive with a stick-shift. If that is the case, you should stick with automatic transmission. However, if you want to save a bit on your gas mileage and can drive with a stick shift, manual transmission is a good choice.

Overall, make sure to do plenty of research before you decide what new car you want to purchase. A new car is a big investment. You need to make sure you are making the right decision so you get the most out of your investment.

Rules Of The Road: 4 Annoying Things Drivers Do That They Shouldn’t

by Carsurfer Admin on 2016/09/12 in On the Road with Comments Off

Driving may be the most convenient form of transportation, but it can also be an extremely frustrating experience. In addition to dealing with unwanted traffic, the other drivers on the road can make you crazy with their annoying habits. These horrible habits can also be very dangerous to everyone else on the road. While there are dozens of things that drivers do that they should not do, these are the four most annoying.

Not Using the Turn Signal

The turn signal was put in cars as a courtesy to the other drivers on the road. Everyone behind the wheel knows when they need to turn, but the cars behind you have no idea what will happen unless they are told. Forcing cars behind you to unexpectedly slam on their brakes while you turn out of nowhere is a great way to get rear ended. Failing to use a turn signal doesn’t lead to a large number accidents, but it is still an annoying habit.

Using the Phone

It does not take very long to see a driver using their cell phone while on the road. Talking on the phone while driving is a very annoying habit, but it pales in comparison to texting while driving. If you were hit by a distracted driver on their phone, then you need to contact an attorney in Louisville to get the help and results you need. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 17 percent of all car accidents are caused by distracted drivers, so everyone needs to put down the phone and watch the road.

Following Too Close

Riding on the bumper of the car in front of you serves no purpose other than to annoy the other driver. Tailgating is usually done to get the other driver to go faster, but this rarely works. Since the driver getting tailgated is extremely annoyed, they are usually going to slow down even more. Tailgating clearly causes aggravation for both drivers According to a recent study by The Highways’ Agency, it also is the cause of more than one-third of all accidents.

Driving Too Slow

There is no reason to drive well below the speed limit on a safe road without traffic. This habit is even more annoying when it is done on a two-lane road. Nobody wants to be late to work or an important meeting because you decided to spend the day driving half the speed limit.

Driving is hard enough on its own, so there is no reason to make it more difficult. If everyone avoided these four annoying driving habits, then the roads would be much safer than they are right now.

Need A New Ride? 4 Hot Features Sure To Make You Drool

by Carsurfer Admin on 2016/09/09 in Auto Design with Comments Off

It seems like just about every car these days has some sort of new technology. We’ve all heard about back-up cameras, automatic trunks, and blind spot alerts. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great features to have on your next car, but these aren’t the hot features that will really set your car apart and make your neighbor jealous of your ride. When you get a new car, from somewhere like Jack Burford Chevrolet, you want to make sure to get the best car for you with all of the hottest new features. Here are a few great new features to look into for your new car.

Built-in Vacuum

This is the cup holder of the 21st century. It’s a feature that most parents don’t even know they need. Think about all the soccer snacks, fast food wrappers, and dirty shoes that are sure to make a mess in the back of even the most careful parent’s new car. The days of rushing home and dragging the vacuum out to the car are over. This vacuum is conveniently already in your car and ready to clean up any mess life may throw your way. The Honda Odyssey is the first van to have this convenient feature, but I’m sure more cars will start including vacuums in the near future.

Hands-Free of the Future

Everyone knows that it’s a huge mistake to use your phone while you’re driving. However, most car manufacturers have realized that you often need to see information from your phone while you’re driving. Luckily, now-a-days there are things like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Both of these offerings let Android and iPhone users see their phone screen right in the dashboard of their car. This is a much safer way to have access to all that smartphone information while driving.

Auto-pilot for Parking

There isn’t a situation much more stressful than trying to parallel park on a busy street while lots of traffic is piling up behind you. That’s why the automatic parking feature on many new cars is so genius! It takes out all the guesswork and automatically parks using a series of sensors and cameras. This can definitely help make the most difficult parking a breeze.

360-Degree View

While it’s true that many cars today have backup cameras to help you see directly behind you, a true drool-worthy feature to have on a new car is the ability to see everywhere. The new 360-degree view camera systems allow drivers to park with confidence and see hidden obstacles by providing a birds-eye view from above the car. This is the perfect feature for anyone who needs to park in tight situations.

Hopefully the features listed above will whet your appetite and give you some inspiration as you are searching for your next new car. These features are useful, practical and will hopefully help you determine which new car has the features you need the most.

Disastrous Crash: Should You Scrap Your Car?

by Carsurfer Admin on 2016/09/07 in Auto Accident with Comments Off

After a serious car accident, your car can be severely damaged. This begs the question of whether you should repair it or opt to scrap it instead. While the answer may not be the same for everybody, let’s look at some good reasons why it may be best to get rid of your car as opposed to repairing it.

The Insurance Company Declares It a Total Loss

If your car insurance company declares your car to be a total loss, they will write you a check for its current value. In the event that this amount is more than what you owe on the car, you may want to consider getting a new vehicle. However, should you owe more than that amount or think that the insurance company isn’t offering you true market value, you may want to get a second opinion. It also may be a good idea to talk to Toledo car wreck lawyers about a possible personal injury case if another driver caused the crash.

The Car Suffered Frame Damage

Cars that have a rebuilt frame may not be as sturdy as those who still have their original frames. In addition, the car will not be worth nearly as much after a serious accident even if there isn’t any work done to the frame. Therefore, it may the better decision from both a financial and safety standpoint to get a new car.

How Old Is the Car?

If your car is more than a few years old, it may be a good idea to scrap it and get a new one. However, it may be best to at least get some repair estimates if you are driving a vintage automobile or a luxury vehicle regardless of its age. In such a scenario, it may be worth your time and money to restore it if you really like the car.

How Valuable Are the Parts?

There are times when selling the parts to a car individually nets more than selling the car as a whole. If you can salvage some of the car’s components, you may want to think about getting rid of the car and selling those components online to raise money for a new vehicle.

If you have been in a serious accident, the most important thing is to make sure that you and others involved are OK. However, once you have gotten yourself checked out, it’s time to decide what to do with your damaged vehicle. Talking to your insurance company or with a trusted mechanic may help you decide what the best option is for you.