Monthly Archives: June 2009

Author : Paul Hata

Are you still one of those people who find hydrogen-powered cars unbelievable? Well, you’d better think again One of the best automakers in the market today is on a quest to produce a vehicle that can run using hydrogen fuel BMW says that this year, 2008, they will introduce the first hydrogen powered vehicle

Germans are absolutely determined to manufacture a great number of hydrogen powered vehicles Have you seen a BMW lately? Well perhaps in the coming months, you will see the magnificent creation of BMW

General Motors declared way back in the year 2000 that they are going to build hydrogen powered cars but most people believed that it would take around 20 years before that goal can be achieved Hydrogen technology sounds too unbelievable for them It was only in 2004 that BMW made the same announcement and they promised the public that by 2008, hydrogen powered BMW cars will roam the streets

Recent photographs of BMW cars are gaining so much attention especially in automotive blogs BMW launched their 7 Series just recently and its alternate fuel is hydrogen Many people spotted the test run of the said vehicle in Germany

There are still several things to consider before the public accepts hydrogen powered vehicles You see, the internal combustion engines are still the most popular and hydrogen fuel is just new in the market

Among the factors to consider are the following:

1 Cost Hydrogen fuel is quite costly At present, fuel cells have prohibitive prices but because of technological advancements, the cost is slowly being lowered Once the price of fuel cells drop to a certain level that is quite affordable for the public, only then can it be a viable substitute

2 Production concerns In order to develop the hydrogen cells, a great amount of fossil fuel is needed The hydrogen infrastructure is also very expensive to implement Billions of dollars is not even enough and according to some experts, the infrastructure alone can cost 1 trillion dollars

3 Storage concerns This is another possible problem associated with the production of hydrogen cells The existing gas lines can’t be used to transmit hydrogen fuel because it reacts negatively with steel Therefore, the government needs to create a distribution system that can be used exclusively for hydrogen fuel

Despite the three major concerns, automakers like BMW and the federal government are still focusing in the use of hydrogen cells as an alternative to combustion engines If ever a hydrogen infrastructure is made, the government and the people can benefit highly One benefit is that the US and other rich countries will no longer depend on foreign oil The best benefit that the entire mankind can benefit from is that the emissions of greenhouse gases will considerably drop

The two possible benefits are enough so that the government and automakers continue with their goal in producing hydrogen powered vehicles and a hydrogen infrastructure If the government does extend the much needed assistance, hydrogen technology will soon benefit everyone

The quest for hydrogen fuel cannot be realized if only the automakers like General Motors and BMW push for it They need help from the government and the support of the public If man wants to save the planet, hydrogen fuel is the best answer rather than depending solely on combustion engines Check out BMW hydrogen powered vehicles online now

The Quest for Hydrogen Fuel

City Planets,
One Planets,
Shopping Planetsand
Business Planets

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Author : MIKE SELVON

Many people find that the sight of a restored vintage car rolling along the highway, with a fresh coat of shimmering paint and chrome accents gleaming in the sun, brings a huge smile to their face as they recall wonderful memories of earlier times For people who appreciate the workmanship and attention that goes into bringing these beauties back to life, a classic car auction might be a memorable event that could even tempt one to start bidding so that they can claim the classic collectible for themselves

Classic car auctions have long been a favorite type of event for car lovers of all ages to attend Before the bidding gets underway, which can get rather heated with an enthusiastic crowd, there is a period of time when people can meander through the displays of the vintage models and appreciate the timeless and elegant lines of the cars that will soon be offered on the auction block

You will find that attending a classic car auction is very different from going to a public auto auction While the general, public auctions are more plentiful, they will offer very different types of vehicles, such as salvage car parts, to seized and repossessed cars They will not have the classic, restored vehicles that are part of a collector car auction

In the case of public auto auctions, people hope to find a decent car at a good price that will get them to and from work Seldom will there be much of a bidding war on the very average and ordinary vehicles that are seen at government auto auctions and the like But all the rules change when attending a collector car auction with an enthusiastic group of avid car collectors who know all about every model and who are looking forward to either starting their own collection or adding to one they already have

Even if you are not planning to bid on any of the vintage models that are being sold at an auction for classic cars, they are wonderful events to attend In one place you can check out a wide range of cars from many different eras, which are in immaculate shape, having been lovingly and attentively restored, and are sometimes an improvement over the original model

Because the market for the classic, collectible cars is a fairly tight market and there is so much interest in the vintage vehicles that are either still in great shape or that have been restored, a collector car auction is not the place to look for a bargain If a particular model of a classic car is rather rare or in high demand, then there could be an intense bidding war that will drive the winning bid much higher than any Blue Book estimate

At the same time, sometimes you can get a better deal through a classic car auction than if you were to buy directly from a private owner It all comes down to who else happens to attend the collector car auction and how determined they are to have that vehicle in their garage, instead of yours

Educate yourself further about classic car auction from Mike Selvon articles portal. Your feedback is valued and appreciated at our wholesale auto auction blog where a free audio gift awaits you.

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Author : Adir Le

There are many reasons your car may be in the market for a replacement carpet kit If you are restoring a classic vehicle or if you have suffered water damage in your new convertible, a replacement carpet kit is a great option If you have rambunctious children who have treated your car’s carpet as a playground, you may need new carpet If you have purchased a used vehicle and the previous owner had pets that you have allergies to, getting new carpets is a matter of maintaining your health If your car has severe stains in the carpet that you can’t remove, carpet kits are your solution As you can see, the reasons for needing replacement carpet kits for your car are varied and limitless If you find yourself in need of a replacement carpet kit, there are several factors to consider

Make/Model/Year

Replacement carpet kits are not one-size-fits all If you have a Mercedes 280SL from 1977, you’ll need a different kit than someone with a Porsche 912 Coupe Targa from 1966 Not only will the carpet vary in size but it will also vary in type Replacement carpet kits for cars can range from multi-loop carpets to perlon carpets to velour carpets to sliverknit carpets and more

When looking to find a replacement carpet kit for your vehicle sure that you specify and search for kits particular to your vehicle’s make, model, and year This will insure that your carpets are custom made, with the most attractive fit

Color

One of the great perks to investing in replacement carpet kits for your car is that you can create the ultimate custom feel for your car by experimenting with color choices for your carpet Your vehicle may have been installed with factory standard gray or black carpet but you can make your car truly unique by installing lipstick red carpets for a sexy, plush look or midnight blue carpets for a retro, classic style Being experimental and creative with your replacement carpet kit will increase your vehicle’s unique look Color choices range from standard neutral colors to bright and unexpected colors Have fun when considering which color carpet to use in your car

Maintenance

Once you have determined which color carpet to use for your vehicle’s specific make, model, and year, you will be able to order your replacement kit After the new carpet has been installed, it is important to protect your investment Properly maintaining your replacement carpet kit will extend the life of the carpet This means using the recommended cleaners in case of soiling and regular detailing upkeep You want your replacement carpet kit to look new for as long as possible

Whether you have a Porsche Roadster or a BMW 2000 or a Mercedes 240D Sedan, remember that replacement carpet kits are a great solution for making your car unique and giving it a new life Any type of vehicle can benefit from replacement carpet kits

Adir Le writes on many topics including convertible car tops and headliners for gahh.com.

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Author : Tom Tessin

Over past few years, the most expert auto shops &amp garages now need choice of automotive scan utensils which carry out everyday diagnostic work to pinpoint any of the problems with engine or else engine management system to find out what action is required to effect repair with minimum of error &amp maximum competence

There are various different tools obtainable to perform diagnostics &amp scans on different kinds of car &amp to prepare and repair as efficiently as likely Knowing in much detail what type of issues are causing car engine to act in particular manner is a key to correct fault in timely &amp effective manner

Perhaps best known maker of scan tools is OTC that will make range of tools intended for the main quality &amp best price The comprehensive variety is obtainable to allow mechanics to tackle any of the job they find, and range of the OTC automotive tools is familiar as top options for professional, and being reasonable enough for the domestic use in certain situation

Different jobs need different tools, &amp some are further more complex than the others Normally, any job to fix modern car starts with plugging scanner in engine management PC &amp downloading log of present performance date And this will include the fuel consumption, &amp time since last service It can give mechanic complete impression of how engine is working, and where there is errors happening The scan can show mechanic examining engine whether or not there are any troubles with fuel supply, electronics, air filters, and running temperature, also it can provide lots of insight in whether any troubles are related to the issue in engine itself, or really in a management system is set up

When commercial automotive scan apparatus are costly to install &amp themselves need regular network updates that carry latest settings for all new vehicle released, and they pay immediately thanks to time as they can save, and reality that devoid of them, even most skilled mechanic will struggle to find out the inner workings of latest car engines that is designed to be proficient, and strong, but are more and more complex for anybody but experts to think carrying out any of the work on

What Do You mean By a scan tool?

The scan tool is device that is used to line with car s onboard systems and these systems are in control of engine and transmission, safety systems such as antilock brakes &amp traction control, or traveler convenience &amp comfort systems such as power windows, air conditioning, &amp entertainment systems This is short list now, there are many systems incorporated in modern car, which are been controlled by some kind of computer unit but you get an idea

Majority of the aftermarket scan tools might not access all these systems No one will permit you to program any of the system So, first question to inquire is what do I want to do with scan tool? Hopefully by now, you ll have a better understanding If not, keep doing your research and the answers will come

Get articles like this and a lot more of Tom’s work all at http://www.findgascards.com/blog.

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Author : Gregg Hall

Auto dealers love to hype up their year end clearance sales by trying to convey the idea that you are getting HUGE savings but you really have to look a lot deeper to see if the “great deal” is a deal at all

Although it may be a fact that you are getting a brand new car at a reduced price, the real truth of the matter is that you are also buying a car that is a year old and according to the auction reports and the books that value vehicles your car has already depreciated several thousand dollars “But it’s new!” you say, it doesn’t matter and that is why you want to look at some other issues to be sure that you really are getting a benefit by buying a year old car

The best deals on last year’s models will be found on car’s with the manufacturer’s carryover allowance which is an incentive given to the dealer so he will order more cars even though he still has a lot full of last year’s cars GM and Ford for example, usually have incentives as high as 5% of the sticker price of the vehicle while some imports can have incentives as high as $6,000 to $10,000 on certain luxury cars!

Let’s look at an example of a domestic car like a Ford or Chevy If the car has a window sticker of $20,000 then the auto dealer is going to have the 5% carryover which in this case would be $1,000, plus their usual dealer holdback of around 3% or $600 and any factory to dealer incentives which are usually pretty large these days We’ll use $1,400 for this example So before we even get started negotiating we have $3000 that is not going to show up on the dealer’s invoice Now if we factor in that the cost of the vehicle is probably around $18,000 and we subtract our $3000 from that, we see the actual cost to the dealer may only be $15,000!

Some dealers may not want to sell the car at this figure, but keep this in mind for ammunition Almost every dealer has his inventory “floor planned” or financed which means he is paying interest on every car on his lot for as long as it is there Trust me he doesn’t want to do that I was in the business for 15 years and at the end of the year when the new models were coming out I wanted to be able to transition out of my old inventory as soon as possible without losing money The longer they keep the vehicles the more likelihood there is of losing money

Another big issue to consider is if there has been a model change This can drastically affect the value of a vehicle I can remember when the body style of the Dodge Ram pickup truck was changed in 1995; the 1994′s were practically worthless The new Ram was bringing sticker price at the auctions!

Shop around and find a dealer with a ton of current models on his lot as well as last year’s he may be more willing to bargain And remember that if there has been a big change you may want to pay the extra for the new model unless you can just flat out steal last year’s model

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For great car care products go to http://www.carcarewizards.com

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Author : kenneth kwan

Intakes are a popular after market feature for cars whose owners seek better performance and a more sophisticated image They help cars run better by providing extra oxygen for combustion engines and sound better by easing the workload of the engine to get its next breath of fresh air

Because cold air intakes are so practical, they now come in many different styles and colors This was not always the case, however There was a time when they, like all ingenious things that everyone takes for granted, had to be thought up and perfected

It all started when they came about in the 80′s A decade later, they were popular in Japan and like all good Japanese cultural obsessions, America worked hard to bring intakes across the Pacific and claim them as their own With this newfound international stardom, cold air intakes began to run themselves through more and more creative hands and minds, improving in functionality and style everywhere they went

The original idea was that a combustion engine could function far better if only it had more oxygen to combust, all the time Because cold air is denser than hot air, naturally there’s more oxygen in cold air than there is in the same volume of hot air So engineers realized that by funneling the cold air from outside the car into the engine, they could create a smoother combustion process In order to get the air in faster and with less friction (since fighting friction heats up the air) they made cold air intakes large and smooth

There are several other modifications that have been made over time One important part of an intake is its air filter, which can also cause friction, and so are specially manufactured to avoid it Often they are kept away from the engine to avoid collecting heat or made from carbon fibers Because rain and moisture can cause a lot of problems for cold air intakes, some filters are also designed to keep moisture out Also, some intakes are designed to suck air from hood scoops or wheel wells so that the air is colder and denser

Intakes have all sorts of nifty modifications to improve their performance and style Figuring out which modifications are right for you depends on a lot of things Racing vehicles will have different needs than normal cars, and cars that are often driven in rainy areas also have specific challenges when it comes to their cold air intakes Like any after market part, intakes can do a lot to make your car fabulous, but a little bit of research will help them do a lot more

Andy’s Auto Sport has the hottest and most stylish selections of Cold Air Intakes. Click here for all of the latest styles:

http://www.andysautosport.com/cold_air_intakes.html

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Author : Michael Hickmon

How to save gas is the biggest topic today And gas saving devices are seemingly in every corner of the world Devices that convert water into fuel incorporate several techniques that help to improve fuel economy The first and foremost is the Electrolyzer How does it work, and just how much HHO or Hydroxy can it produce?

To begin we need to understand how an optimized Electrolyzer works This typically requires a working knowledge of several disciplines: Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, And Mechanical Engineering Electrolyzers make hydrogen by passing an electric current through water containing an electrolyte They have the potential to lower the cost of producing hydrogen energy through the water electrolysis process For example, General Electric researchers have built and tested a unit big enough to make a kilogram of hydrogen per hour Within the next five to ten years, Electrolyzers could serve as the foundation for future hydrogen vehicle refueling stations The key however, is an optimized Electrolyzer, which splits out the hydrogen in a way that doesn’t require massive amounts of electrical current

So then how much HHO can typical water for gas Electrolyzer’s produce? It’s low Maybe 1 5 liters I have discovered however, that it’s not the huge amount of HHO, but a clever implementation of the system The small Hydrogen atoms ram onto the gas particles making them smaller and thus more efficient in the combustion process Of coarse HHO or Hydroxy itself very flammable and will also aid in improving your fuel economy But the important thing to consider is the interaction of the HHO and the gasoline mist that is in the combustion chamber It is like putting a needle to a balloon It only takes a trigger, not a brutal force, to enhance the performance of gasoline

Ozzy Freedom a fellow experimenter conducted some experiments and discovered the following: “In my car the one jar with 3 amps was enough to give me over 52 MPG average, which is 72% gain in fuel economy The six-cell arrangement (6 jars) was taking only 6 6 amps, so it couldn’t have been much more HHO than the one (maybe double), and it got me to over 61 MPG, or 107% gain So I doubled the mileage with a tiny little bit of HHO” “The 6 cell isn’t just low amps It is also very low maintenance – I drove 4 months without touching it, and I could go 6 or more months if I had to”

In my next experiment I’m going to make a High Yield unit This will require rewinding the tower so that the coils are double density or only about 1/4″ or 6 mm apart I am working with another electrolyte as well, sodium hydroxide This aids in producing more HHO than Baking Soda and is safer for the wires (Just do not use to much NaOH Overheating can take place!) I will also experiment with sodium citrate, which is as safe as baking soda (used in ice cream) My goal is to double or triple my mileage, while at the same time getting the complete Electrolyzer set to draw less than 20 amps

So really then, any one can achieve good results with very-low-cost homemade items You just have to do your due diligence and then build it

The author has created a review site that provides you with the most in-depth analysis of Water Conversion Guides on the Internet.
go to:
www. water-for-gas-reviews.com or
www.squidoo.com/water-for-gas-reviews

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Author : Gregg Hall

Hybrids are finally shaping up to be what engineers envisioned them to be With some new driving techniques, many models are achieving the mileage estimates which the makers advertised The batteries, which the hybrid relies upon for their electric energy source, are now coming with longer warranties and replaceable modules, which keep one from having to replace the entire battery The waiting lists and prices are slowly going down, too, as more makers come up with their own versions of the hybrid car or SUV All of these factors are changing the way that people think of hybrids; however, the journey of the hybrid into the mainstream auto industry has not been without some very bumpy moments There is a population of hybrid owners who have not had their expectations met

One of the biggest problems which hybrid owners have is not getting the mileage which they believe they should or would Some hybrids claiming that they will get 50 mpg are only getting 30 mpg Drivers are frustrated as they attempt to actually relearn how to drive a car This includes learning how to “pulse and glide,” which helps balance the car’s use of electric and gas when in speeds ranging from 30 to 40 mph A combination of fancy pedal work and watching arrows on the dashboard, make many drivers feel like they are learning how to drive manual or worse The other factor that comes into play is how fast one likes to accelerate Although many of the new hybrids are getting great acceleration performance, punching the gas on a hybrid also reduces one’s mileage performance If one wants to get great gas mileage on a hybrid, then they have to learn how to drive with more overall patience There has to be less hard breaking and careful attention to pressure on the gas pedal to get the most out of one’s hybrid

Complaints of hybrids performing badly in certain weather conditions have also changed some owners’ opinions about their environmentally friendly vehicle Apparently, the car battery used in hybrids needs some warming up In full hybrids (or hybrids which can operate completely in either electric or gas mode without needing the other), this problem appears to have worked out to near nonexistence For mild hybrids, which cannot have the electric or gas components work independently from one another, there have been cases of the hybrid performing poorly or much under expectations in cold weather Too much heat has been known to wear down on a hybrid’s battery as well, but this is being counteracted with thermal protection systems

Stalling has also made Toyota have to contact Prius owners Apparently, stalling or unexpected shutdowns of the engine may affect some drivers due to a software problem The stalling sounds like a frightening prospect, but Toyota took precautions by inviting owners of that specific Prius to head to dealerships for a free repair The news was also minimal in affecting opinion about the Prius since only a small number of drivers ever had to submit any complaints

Some people have been known to complain about one of the strange side-effects of driving a hybrid: the silence Because of the efficiency of the engine, the engine can drop to near silence when idling Many say that although motorcycles and some models of regular cars are too loud, at least you can hear them The silence of the hybrid poses a problem for the deaf and for children who are often too wrapped up in playing to pay attention to cars to begin with It is no wonder that makers are already considering ways to put the noise pollution back into hybrids to ensure that pedestrians are not the victims of new technology

For many, it is no surprise that hybrids have been plagued with various glitches The fact that many non-hybrid vehicles have had their share of recalls despite years of engineers working on them does not make hybrid owners feel better Consumers who are willing to take the chance with a hybrid purchase are already wondering if their car will be obsolete in a couple years like a laptop computer There is some comfort, however, that the glitches have not been as numerous as some expected and that the benefits are beginning to outweigh the negatives

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For the best in car care products for your car go to http://www.5starshine.com

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