Car Bay

Many people allege that the times when a car was a luxury are gone, and that it’s a mere means of transportation. Well, there is a grain of truth in it, however, such factor as ‘convenience’ should always stand in the limelight. Contemporary car manufacturers try to combine the functional characteristics together with technological innovations that create the atmosphere of convenience. Along with that, each person can equip his car with auto gadgets that make the driving easier and more pleasant.

In-car DVD players have become an integral part of any vehicle, that is why the range of makes and models is rather diverse. Read More »

People in business tend to thrive on class and want cars that are classy and demand attention while on the roads. These cars are very expensive to maintain and hire. In Dublin, there are a lot of cars on the roads and most of them are classy and flashy. Some people especially those in business want to show off their class and what they are worth through cars. They also change the cars on a regular basis and you really need to book your car early in advance. There are quite a number of places to tour while in Dublin and some of the best places include the art galleries, the beautiful architect and the large cities. This is a very good place for business people and car hire Florida is available in different parts of the city. If you are on a business trip, you need to choose a car that will fit your needs.

Different people need the diverse cars and a good company will need to stack different varieties of this cars. Many companies in Dublin have online booking form which is a fast safe, effective and reliable method to get a car. Read More »

In this huge world of automotive accessories, there is no product that screams louder than the underbody light kit for this type of individual. If you consider driving in your car is among your favorite hobbies and you relish the stares of pedestrians and fellow-motorists, then a under car light kit may be for you.

These lights, which mount to the body around the perimeter of the vehicle’s undercarriage, come in kits that contain the elements you’ll need for installation. The “how to install under car lights” instructions that you’ll be directed to shortly, are fairly straight forward, but since it requires drilling into the body of the vehicle and substantial electrical work (depending on the kit you buy), it’s best left to the more experienced do-it-yourselfers. If this project seems a little too hard for you, be assured that there is a growing number of custom shops that perform this type of installation. If you do decide to take on the installation yourself, which anyone can do with the correct instructions, be sure to purchase a kit that is compatible with your vehicle, and read and follow the instructions that come with the kit carefully.

Ever wondered how long car lighting kits have been around? Well Hot Rods were the first cars to have under car lighting installed on them, (although, the lights were nothing like they are today) back before import and export was a big industry world wide. And today, thanks to the Internet and the fact that import and export is now more commonly practiced throughout the world, they have become more popular then ever before.

As a related note, please keep in mind that the main issues we face with having neon or LED car lights on our vehicles these days is the fact that they are often frowned upon by the authorities. So to avoid any uninvited fines, its best to install neon lights under a car so as they can be activated through a separate switch rather than having them come on when the headlights are turned on. To do this, you can run a power wire directly from the car battery to the kits operating switch, thus by-passing the vehicles headlight wires.

High gasoline prices, high monthly car leases, job lay-offs, business closings and financial insecurity brought on by rigid political views, have reeked havoc on the American consumer and car buyer. However, the bankruptcy of General Motors, the near collapse of Ford, the sale of Chrysler to Fiat and unending competition from German and Japanese automakers have triggered innovation in the automotive industry.

Gone are grandfather’s land yachts, the big Mercurys, the big Fords, the big Lincolns and the big Cadillacs and in their place are the small SUVS with 4 and 6 cylinder engines and 4-wheel and all-wheel drives that are gaining in popularity and in sales.

Despite their size, these small vehicles have a lot of innovation, luxury and sophisticated hi-tech gadgetry that make them very appealing to family oriented buyers. Just about every small SUV on the market has, as an optional choice and in some cases as standard equipment, GPS systems, satellite radios, blue tooth connection capabilities, hand-less telephone capabilities and luxurious interiors with three-seat and five passenger capacity.

High gasoline prices have forced the manufacturers into developing the 4 and 6 cylinder engines that are available on these small SUVS. In turn, these small engines have lead to better gasoline gallons per mile that range from 23 mpg. These new small engines, along with the safety and stability added by the all-wheel and 4-wheel drive, have caught the attention of the family buyer. And, one trend that is definitely in place and bound to grow is the hybrid engine.

Prices ranging from the small, bug-like Nissan hatchback at $19,579 to the Chevrolet Equinox with a $22,000 starting price to the highly-rated 2011 Toyota RAV-4 with a starting price of $33,000 with a 4-wheel drive, 3.5 litre V-6 engine are also appealing to the pocketbooks of the family interested in buying a small SUV.

President Barack Obama, with the backing of major carmakers, announced a plan Friday to boost average fuel economy of new cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, nearly double current levels.

The new standards are the outcome of a compromise with the industry after the White House initially proposed even tougher requirements that would have raised the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standard to 62 mpg.

The fleet standard was stuck at 27.5 for two decades until it was raised under the Obama administration, which set an increase from 30.2 this year to 35.5 mpg in the 2016 model year. The new rules would require an additional 5 percent annual improvement in car fuel economy from 2017 to 2025. For light trucks the standard would rise 3.5 percent a year from 2017 to 2021 and 5 percent annually from 2021 to 2025.
The White House said the new rules have won the backing of automakers representing 90 percent of cars sold in the United States.

Some automakers and analysts have warned that technology required by the new standards will add thousands of dollars to the cost of a typical new car. But the White House says that will be offset by savings at the pump, which it said would average $8,000 over the life of a vehicle by 2025.

The White House figures are based on gas prices rising a modest 13 percent from 2015 to 2025 and vehicles being driven an average 15,000 a year. One environmental group welcomed the new standards but said they could have been even stronger.

The group, The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, also pointed out that actual mileage achieved by cars and light trucks in the 2020s will be much lower than the published CAFE standards, which are based on laboratory tests rather than real road performance.

To stay on the road to safety, you need to inspect your vehicle’s headlights after they have been out in the sun. Its heat can cause damage to them and make driving unsafe.
In fact, if you are out cruising at night, the odds are good that you can’t see anywhere near as well—or as far—as you could when your car was new. Why? Over time, your headlights get dull and cloudy, a condition somewhat akin to human cataracts. This cloudiness, caused by degradation from the sun’s bright rays, reduces and diffuses the light going through the headlight lens. This makes it difficult to see when driving in the dark and creates an unsafe situation for many Americans, most of whom don’t even realize it has happened. In addition, the buildup actually creates an unusual beam pattern that can be a major distraction for oncoming traffic.

Most likely, if your car is five years old or older, the headlights are already showing visible signs of weathering and hazing. Folks who live in warm climates are likely to experience the problem much sooner.

So take a step outside and look at your headlights. If they are hazy or cloudy, there’s a good chance your visibility is being greatly compromised. But there is a solution—and it’s a simple one. A headlight restoration kit enables only about 30 minutes per lens to restore them. You do not need to be a mechanic. You don’t even need to be mechanical. If you can wash your car, you can clean and restore your headlights.

Before heading outside on a hot day, you probably slather on some sunscreen and throw on a pair of shades to protect your skin and eyes from too much exposure. The headlight restoration kit does the same for your headlights with its unique UV Block Clear Coat, a specially formulated coating designed to extend the life of your headlight lenses. Plus, it takes years of degradation away, provides up to three times more light on the road and, most importantly, provides you with greater visibility and a safer nighttime driving experience.

You can never be sure if you hit a nail or ran through glass while on drive. What you do know is that your tire is definitely flat. It could be repaired at the mechanic’s shop or you could save yourself the trip and expense and do it yourself. The process can be a little time-consuming, but once you know how to repair a flat you will never again be at the mercy of closed shops or stuck in the middle of nowhere. Taking the time to learn this essential maintenance process now will save a lot of time and hassle later.

The first thing you need to do is determine where the puncture is located. A quick way to do this is to submerge the tire in water and watch where air bubbles form. Obviously this area or areas are the place you need to concentrate on. Before the patch job can begin, it is important to remove any foreign object that is stuck there. Pliers are a good tool for this step. Simply use the pliers to pull the object out in the same direction as the tire’s tread. Being sure to go with the tread helps ensure that minimal additional damage is done to the tire.

Now is the time to prepare to patch the tire hole. Using a tire reamer clean the hole out from the inside of the tire. This will remove any dirt or oil that may later cause adhesion issues with the cement and patch. Place the patch centered over the puncture to be sure sizing is correct. Remove the patch and coat an awl with cement. Be sure to run the awl through the hole several times to be sure the cement is coating the damaged area adequately. Place a coat of vulcanizing cement on the patch and buffed area of the tire and allow drying thoroughly.

To finish up the tire repair job and to help make sure your tire problems are a thing of the past, take the time to complete a few preventative measures. One useful precaution is to take a look at your valve stems. If they look worn, old, or damaged it is a good idea to change them. Be sure they are the right length and diameter for your car’s tires.

Valve stems are important because not only do they function to retain valve core air retention, but they also keep moisture and dirt from getting inside the tire. Once you are assured that the valve stems are in good condition re-inflate the tire. Using soapy water sprayed on the tire is useful to see if there are any leaks in the new patch, around valve stems, or the beads.

You are not paying attention to the road and the other vehicles around you if you are doing any of these 5 dangerous and risky driving behaviors while you are behind the wheel of your car. Most people assume when they get into their car to travel, they’ll return home uninjured. But with the increasingly complex and time deficient lives most Americans are subject to, multi-tasking is the norm.

Unfortunately, multi-tasking when you’re behind the wheel of a car can be dangerous to your health and compromise the safety of other drivers on the road. Still, many Americans choose to use their daily commute time to engage in some rather dangerous car games. Do you engage in any of these risky driving behaviors?

It seems as if this practice has become epidemic. People are using their drive time as an opportunity to carry on completely unnecessary conversations with family and friends. When engaged in cell phone conversation, it’s been shown that drivers have slower reaction times and are more likely to miss seeing important obstacles in their road ahead. Hands free devices don’t appear to be the answer since drivers appear to be just as distracted when their hands are free. It appears that the simple act of carrying on a distracting conversation is enough to increase the risk of an accident.

This is a dangerous car game that many women play. It’s not unusual to see lipstick and mascara being applied while the car is in full motion and the guilty party’s eyes glued to the mirror instead of the road. The age group most likely to do this is the younger set who has the least experience driving. No wonder women seen at the site of a fender bender often have smeared lipstick.

There are people in this world who are quite convivial until they get behind the wheel of a car. Shielded by that tinted glass, they feel invincible and impervious. When someone inadvertently pulls in front of them, their dark side takes over and they emit a barrage of verbal abuses and hand gestures directed out the car window. They may even go so far as to play the dangerous car game of attempting to run the vehicle off the road.

Many people feel so time strapped that they feel compelled to eat their Big Mac and French fries with the car in full motion. With that oversized hamburger in one hand and their mouth full of fries, they can be seen going subnormal speeds in the left hand passing lane as drivers struggle to get around them. A study carried out in England using car simulators showed that drivers who ate while driving had double the risk of a car crash.

Summer heat may be the greatest instigator of car malfunctions. Cooling system issues are the leading cause of roadside breakdowns, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. To make matters worse, an estimated 23 million people are operating their vehicles with the wrong kind of coolant.

During the hot months of summer, it’s just as important to hydrate your car as it is your body. Using the wrong coolant for your car could result in radiator and pump damage. Not sure which coolant is right for your car? Check the label under your hood or your owner’s manual. If you are buying coolant for your vehicle, make sure to read the label to confirm the product is made for your vehicle’s make and model.

An excellent method of preventative maintenance for your cooling system is to have it flushed. Refer to your owner’s manual for recommendations. The frequency of how many times a year you have it done depends on the vehicle you drive and the conditions you drive it in. If you’re in a state that has sweltering summers, you may need to change your coolant twice a year or just before summer and winter. If your weather is moderate, an annual cooling system flush will be sufficient.

Other checks are simple. Make sure your hoses are attached properly and that they do not have leaks and are not cracked or brittle. Look for signs of corrosion on your radiator and check to see if the radiator cap fits tightly. Are the coolant levels correct? Is your coolant clean and free of oil and sediment? Incorrect coolant levels and dirty coolant could also lead to your engine overheating.

If you’re just running water through your radiator, consider using an anti-freeze. It may seem a strange product to use during the heat of summer, but antifreeze contains corrosion inhibitors that have a higher boiling point than water. When having your cooling system flushed, ask the mechanic to check the thermostat. If for some reason your thermostat is stuck, an incorrect reading could lead to your engine overheating.

For many drivers rainy weather is disturbing, however, there are some persons who like to drive in rainy days. Rain is the cause for thousands of accidents each year. The majority of those accidents can be prevented, but still are caused by drivers who do not understand that wet road differs considerably from normal one.

The initial thing, when the road is wet, the film of the water on the asphalt brings tires to lose traction. Less evident is the fact that rain lowers driver perception because it’s more complicated to see through the rain. Rain also reduces visibility via its action on headlights, windshields and the road surface.

Rainy weather demands certain driving rules to be followed. It is not recommended to utilize cruise control. If you hydroplane, there is possibility for your car to actually speed up. Cruise control permits drivers to be less watchful and to take their feet away from the pedals. Not a reasonable idea when reaction time is very important.

Driving with the turned on headlights is obligatory, even when there’s a slight sprinkle. Headlights help you see the road clearly, and more essentially that it facilitates other motorists to see you. In case your vehicle is equipped with fog lights, you might also find it beneficial to turn these on because they give a little extra light on the road.

Brake earlier and with less force than you do in normal weather conditions. Not only this increases the stopping distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, it as well allows the driver behind you to realize that you are slowing down. In case you begin to hydroplane, try not to brake or turn the wheel all of a sudden, otherwise you may spin into a skid. Release the gas pedal at slow pace and steer straight till the vehicle regains traction.