Monday, August 18, 2008

Simple Steps to Insure Your Transmission Doesn't Fall Out!

The red transmission fluid bleeds out them like blood from a hospital patient. It is terrifying for many technicians. Have you experienced this? You call your local mechanic with a story of your check engine light on and your vehicle won't go over 30 mph without screaming at you. That's your transmission.

Chances are your mechanic shuddered and said better call the tranny shop. Don't fret though people, transmission repair is a simple and easy thing. There's this wonderful thing in your glovebox called your owners manual. Pull that bad boy out, dust it off, and get ready to read. There's knowledge in there and power that can save you thousands of dollars.

Every vehicle has a designated maintenance schedule that you are supposed to follow but almost no one ever does. It's fast and simple and a lot times can save you money. Most vehicles 10 years or older require your to change the transmission fluid every 12- 24000 miles. That's maybe once every year or two. Compared to the every 3000 miles your engine needs it's a very long time. That's why it's important to check your transmission fluid every time you change your engine oil.

To check your transmission fluid you need to have your car running and in either park or neutral depending on the make. Again open your magical owners manual and check to see what it says. The fluid should be between the hashes. The fluid should also be red in color and not smell burnt at all. There also should not be any metal or other contaminates in the fluid. If by chance you do find some horrible smell or some shinny chunks of metal in the fluid it's time to call your friendly neighborhood transmission shop.

Check to make sure that they are BBB, ATRA certified, and that they have a clean nice shop area. Call and ask them if they offer a free diagnostic or road-test. Make an appointment don't just show up. How would you like it if your friends just showed up at your house and wanted you to make them dinner or something. Same basic idea.

Drop your car off if you can that way they have lots of time to look into things. You may be asked if it's ok if they drop your transmission pan. Tell them yes this is the only way they can get a look inside your transmission. there's probably a minimal fee for it so don't worry about it. You should get a call in a couple hours after that and they will let you know what's happening.

Good luck, from there you are on your own!

By: Chris L. Jensen
Lifted from this source: http://ezinearticles.com

About the Author:

Chris Jensen is a contributing author of Jetfly Blog. For more related articles and views visit Jetfly Automotive Blog now. Also, for the best up-to-date related online products, check out Jetfly Automobile Collectibles Shop for today's current online deals.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Why You Should Have a Good Exhaust System

Capitalism is all about giving the people what they want. Well, selling the people what they want may be a better way of stating it. This is basic notion is the very reason we have hybrid vehicles today.

Any type of trend soon grows attributes that are often not exactly accurate. These can be both positive and negative attributes, depending on who is pushing the point. Two false ones have surrounded the hybrid vehicle.

The first myth is that you will get a major tax break if you buy a hybrid vehicle. This is generally true, but not absolutely. Just to make you groan, you should know the agency that controls the issue. Yes, the IRS. So, when can you get a tax credit?

Well, there are a few rules. First, you have to buy a new hybrid from a dealer. Second, you can only claim a tax credit if you buy an IRS approved hybrid. Third, you need to figure out the tax credit amount available when you actually buy the hybrid.

Many people want to know the amount of the hybrid tax credit, but it is an impossible question to answer. The IRS sets a different amount for each and every car. It then has the option of reducing this amount each quarter of the year.

The hybrid tax credit was designed to get people interested in hybrids. Given this fact, it should be no surprise the credit is phased out after a certain number of vehiles are sold. The beloved Prius, in fact, is about to lose its credit.

Many people are outraged by the phasing out of the tax credit available for hybrids, particularly the manufacturers. Talk about a selling point! The credit, however, was never meant to support an industry, only generate interest in it.

Batteries. Who would have thought we would discuss them in this article, but a myth exists regarding their use in hybrids. The myth is they don’t last very long. This is suggested to be a big negative because replacement costs are high.

The great hybrid conspiracy is truly funny once you look at a key fact. Each new hybrid comes with a battery warranty between 80,000 and 100,000 miles. This would suggest that they last a long time, no?

Should you make your next vehicle a hybrid? If you want to cut your driving costs and help the environment, then the answer is definitely yes. Just make sure to buy it new and check with the IRS on your tax credit amount.

By: Ricardo d Argence
Lifted from this source: http://feeds.feedburner.com

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Origination, Truth And Facts About Concept Cars

Concept cars, or cars designed according to a certain theme or older model, are by and large prototypes introduced at car and motor shows to estimate consumer response and appeal.

Combining the best of modern technology with the sleek lines of tried and time-tested cars from the past, concept cars are often tentative feelers put out by automobile companies to test the waters before "diving" into serious production.

The automobile industry being a multi billion dollar industry, car manufactures alike see the benefit of these widely attended car shows. The manufactures have an opportunity to glean a great deal of valuable information from these shows at a relatively low cost.

Concept cars were first introduced by designer Harley Earl of General Motors in the 1950s. It was for the concept of a car that offered buyers state-of-the-art motor car engineering in a new design which was really a version of a senior theme. This gained almost instant popularity with the universal public.

Recognizing a winning horse when they saw one, General Motors further publicized the concept and their car, through its traveling Motorama shows of that period. Beautiful to behold, concept cars show off radical, futuristic designs, powerful engines and sometimes even controversial technology.

However, alluring as these concept cars may appear under the spotlight, many of them often obtain changes before being put on the production line by their manufacturers, and all of them are subjected to alterations that make them more suitable, and affordable, to their target markets.

An from the eyes of the public these changes to the car are often very drastic changes. This of course, is after the study of the data from these shows. Which again as become a valuable asset to the car manufacturers. These car shows alone save the manufacturer several million dollars. Just knowing that a car is not deemed acceptable or needs a few modifications before going to production.

The majority of concept cars seen at auto exhibitions such as the Geneva Motor Show are the dream rides of automobile fans and racing enthusiasts, but are more often than not only show models made of wax, clay, metal, fiberglass and plastic. In fact many concept cars never even reach this phase due to impractical design glitches and price factors.

An interesting example of an old, functional concept car being brought back into service would be the 1954 Ford Lincoln Futura, which after having been stored in the North Hollywood car shop of George Barris came out of storage to stand up to stardom as the Batmobile of the 1966 Batman series on the ABC TV Network.

On the same note, current examples for concept cars would be the Mercedes-Benz bionic car (this is said to mix the best of nature, engineering and the ever popular DaimlerCrysler engine), the 2006 BMW Mille Miglia concept coupe (based on the earlier BMW 328 Traveling coupe and the BMW Z4 M coupe), the Camaro Concept sports coupe (which follows the lines of the first Camaros) and the Chrysler Imperial Concept 2006 (a direct descendant of classic Imperial and Chrysler designs).

Sadly, the bulk of concept cars are destroyed once their use has been served. However, some do escape the crusher and continue to live their lives in storage or on exhibit in automobile museums.

The information that is gathered by manufacturers from these car shows is proven to be a method of great value.

By: Bowe Packer

Lifted from this source: http://www.myowncarshow.com

About the Author:
Bowe Packer provides free online information to the public. He has written many articles on Cool Cars - such as concept cars, exotic cars and tricked out cars. Visit his Cool Cars site and learn about exotic and hot cars for free.