What Your Minivan Should Have

By: Joe Ratzkin

When it comes to practicality, nothing comes quite close to
owning a minivan. A minivan is also known as a multi utility
vehicle, or MUV, and also known as a multi purpose vehicle, or
MPV. It is just like a van however, it has rear side doors and
windows and its interior can actually take in around seven
people or more. It also could take in various types of cargo.
Thus, the very reason why when it comes to practicality, people
often choose minivans.

Aside from your minivan holding a large amount of people and
cargo, a minivan should also have adjustable pedals and
telescoping steering wheel. This would be a good thing for
parents or drivers of minivans to be comfortable. Adjustable
pedals and telescoping steering wheels are of big help to people
who are not physically that long.

A center folding storage tray always helps a lot especially to
those with kids who would have to eat inside the minivan. Simply
described, a center folding storage tray is actually just a tray
with cup holders. They fit in between the front captain chairs.

The automobile world calls this mirror the overhead convex
mirror. However, to parents and to guardians, they call this a
conversation mirror. It works as a spyglass. Parents and adults
in the front could simply look in the mirror and they would be
able to see what is going on at the back without having to turn
their heads. This assists parents to keep the whole situation at
the back in control.

A low tire pressure warning system is another feature that your
minivan should have. This gives the drive the ample amount of
information regarding their wheels. Of course, it is important
to have the tires inflated just right. If they are over inflated
or under inflated, the chances of having a blow out or of
meeting potential accident situations are increased.

A reverse sensing system or a rearview camera would serve as
your eyes. They are extremely helpful especially when backing up
a driveway or a parking lot. The thing is, with a minivan, you
cannot see much at the back especially if you have a group of
children with you as passengers.

With all the amazing technological breakthroughs in the
automotive industry, Car
Parts Rush stands by its commitment of delivering
excellently engineered Ford parts
to go with Ford's efforts of sustained production of
environment-friendly vehicles.

About the author:
Joe Ratzkin is an avid fan of anything automotive. This 34-year
old bachelor wanted to be a mechanic when he was a kid but
changed his mind and became a freelance writer and researcher
instead. He is currently based in Chicago, Illinois.

Making Your Visit to the Mechanic a Short One

By: Stacey Wilson

Sometimes, it really does take a long time for some auto repair
or maintenance shop personnel to assist you in your needs.
Standing in line may be one of the worst things that you would
have to do. However, there are actually ways on keeping your
trip to the mechanic shorter than usual.

The visit need not be that time consuming. All you would have to
do would be to actually plan ahead of time. That way, you would
know when to go to the garage and prepare all the needed
information that they would surely be asking about once you
bring your vehicle to the shop. Aside from that, take that extra
step and communicate with the shop. They would be able to
provide you with information when would be the best time you
could bring in your vehicle without you having to wait on
queues.

If you are bringing your vehicle to a maintenance shop, go
through your car owner's manual first. Check the maintenance
schedules. Be very aware of the limits and of the dates, the
deductibles, as well as the length of coverage of the whole
warranty of your vehicle. As you go over the manual, take note
of the scheduled maintenance. Make sure that you do complete the
recommended maintenance as outline in the manual. This is very
important. You would be actually just wasting time at the
maintenance shop arguing about service when it was a fault on
your end. You see, some shops and service centers deny any
further maintenance services if the scheduled maintenance is not
performed.

Major problems could occur even to the newest vehicles. If it
happens to your vehicle, bring your vehicle to the nearest
service department as soon as possible. This way, you actually
are reducing your vehicle's chances of suffering from further or
additional damage. Some major problems with vehicles could
actually result to greater and much more complicated problems if
not corrected immediately. The lesser the damage to your
vehicle, the shorter would be your trip to the shop.

Meanwhile, Auto Parts
Fast provides vehicle owners the best value for Eagle parts
online. It is actually one of the web's most powerful and
advanced auto parts shopping systems.

About the author:
As a former news correspondent for an auto-related website,
Stacey has gathered extensive knowledge and experience in the
automotive industry. This 34 year old mother of two from Memphis
is a genuine car lover.

Deceptive Car Dealer Ads and Activities - Pervasive As Ever

By: David Maillie

You hear them on the radio and TV everyday. Some have outrageous
ads and sales gimmicks. "Push, pull or drag your trade in for
$4000 minimum trade", "Best price in the world!" "Best bumper to
bumper warranty ever - we cover everything." "Repo'd car sale
today." Bet you didn't know that these ads can be and usually
are very misleading and can be illegal.

According to Leslie Anderson, AAA, Misleading advertisements
and deceptive marketing from car dealers has been on the rise in
recent years. Car dealers, due to a struggling economy are
resorting to grey market sales tactics and ads. Many of these
ads are either borderline or even illegal in nature. With all
the publicity in recent years of scams and illegal business
activities by businesses from every state you would think most
states would have toughened up their laws and started to crack
down on bad car dealers. Only one state, New York, has really
done anything.

There are laws already on the books that make many of these
advertisements and such illegal, but few states will even look
into these activities. In New York, if you run a Push, Pull or
Drag sale the odds are you will get fined. The thinking behind
New Yorks laws is that if you promise someone a set figure for
their vehicle it should not be factored into the discount or
markup of the newer, replacement vehicle. This is deceptive
advertising. Yet I hear these same ads, with even higher amounts
promised on the radio and TV in North Carolina and South
Carolina all the time. Then there's the matter of expressed and
implied warranties.

Expressed and implied warranties are actually covered under
federal laws. Every car dealer must have a federally approved
warranty disclosure placed in the window. This is to show if a
warranty exists and what is actually covered. This was done as
there was too much discrepency in the past with car salesman
blurring the line of what is really covered and what isn't. On a
recent drive from North Carolina to South Carolina I saw 11 used
car dealerships that did not have these in the windows - at one
we found they were in the glove compartment. When we asked the
salesperson why it wasn't in the window he said it wasn't
necessary. In New York, every car dealer you drive by or visit
will have these prominently displayed.

Then you have the usual lies - car dealers advertising a
repossession sale, cream puffs, etc... They will lie about the
origination of cars just like in a recent Carfax ad. Oh that was
just a little fender scratch (complete repaint from a 50mph
accident) or new upholstery (due to a flood and complete
submersion). These repossession sales, like Repo Joe, do a media
Blitz and claim they have all repossessed vehicles for a great
buy. When in fact they probably don't even have one repossessed
car that is for sale. Most car dealers get their cars from
either trades or local auctions.

Regardless of what they claim they most likely do not know the
vehicles history. You can't even rely on Carfax 100% as many
vehicles are repaired without full salvage disclosure or even
any repair history. A carfax report is only as good as the
information that is actually entered into the system. Before you
rely on that Carfax or what the dealer says is the cars history
listen to this - Tennessee attorneys Frank Watson and David
McLaughlin charge that Carfax's ads promise more than it can
deliver. "Carfax fails to disclose the limitations of their
database," says Watson. "People think they have a little
insurance policy on their Carfax report, and it's just not
accurate," says McLaughlin. Carfax is an online company that
searches databases for a vehicle's history, claiming to be "your
best protection against buying a used car with costly, hidden
problems." But, critics say when it comes to many accidents,
online reporting companies fall short. A class-action lawsuit
against Carfax claims the company doesn't have access to police
accident data in 23 states.

This article should be a wake up call to car buyers to be more
on the alert to car dealer scams, lies and untruths. It should
also be an alert to states from Oregon to Florida that more
needs to be done to curb bad car sales tactics. Most car dealers
aren't small mom and pop organizations. They are large million
or billion dollar companies that will do anything to make a
dollar. Even crossing the line or blurring what is legal and
what isn't. And according to one big dealer in Charlotte, North
Carolina whom didn't want his name or dealership mentioned for
obvious reasons - "its all about that bottem line and if we get
caught, thats what our lawyers are for. Per another car dealer,
"it's a buyer beware market: Buyers must beware and be
detectives too."

About the author:
David Maillie holds numerous patents including his recently
awarded patent for headlight repair, cleaner and restorer. He is
always striving to create new products that save the consumer
money: MDwholesale.com

Hybrid Cars - The Cars Of The Times!

By: David Maillie

Hybrid cars are a fusion of technologies. Unlike standard cars
moving on a single propulsion system, hybrid cars are driven by
the power of multiple propulsion systems. Most common among
these hybrid vehicles are those cars that use gasoline and
electrical energy as their source of power. Serious
experimentations with ethanol or plant based oils are also being
conducted.

History The history of hybrid cars runs back to the time when
inventors were strongly battling to switch over from
steam-powered automobiles to electrically driven carriages. At
best, these could be termed as trials and were limited to
working with just one, two or few models. Success on a
mass-scale came about the beginning of the twentieth century;
however, it was not until 1999 (on the verge of the 21st
century) that America saw the launching of the hybrid car on a
commercial-scale, to be bought and used by the mass.

Components

The hybrid car driving mechanism consists batteries, an electric
motor, a fuel tank, a gasoline engine, a generator and a mode of
transmission. Each part has its definitive role and keeps a
hybrid car running.

How Do They Work?

As said, the dual mechanisms employed in these hybrid vehicles
make use of both gasoline and electric energy to set the
vehicles into motion - while gas cause the internal combustion
engines (ICEs) to function, the electric batteries supply power
to the car's electric motors. The recent car models are even
converting kinetic energy (produced by the engine) into electric
energy to charge the batteries.

Conclusion Hybrid cars with their comparatively smaller gasoline
engines contribute to the pollution-free, greener environment
cause. Moreover, with their sleek, aerodynamic designing and
ultra light materials joining hands to give these vehicles
driving force of about 60-90 horsepower, you can be sure that
the hybrid cars will rule the automobile industry until the
arrival of new eco-friendly, efficient cars.

About the author:
David Maillie holds numerous patents including his recently
awarded patent for headlight repair, cleaner and restorer. He
can be reached at M.D. Wholesale: MDwholesale.com

Nine Secrets to Maintaining Your Car

Robert Sikorsky’s little book Drive It Forever offers invaluable tips to keep your car going the extra mile. His stellar advice could save you a year’s worth of car payments or more!

The smoother you drive, the longer your car will run. Stopping and starting, fast lane changes, scratching off all lead to shorter life for your car.

Naturally, you can’t drive at all without stopping and starting. But your goal is to keep moving smoothly any time that you can. Does it look like a stoplight is about to turn green? Then slow down and if possible, gently keep moving until the light changes.

Less engine idle means less engine wear, says Sikorsky. If you have to idle longer than 30 seconds, you may as well turn the engine off and start it when you’re ready to roll. So turn off the car if you’re waiting in parking lots, waiting on others to ready themselves for travel, if you have to go back in the house for something, etc.

And never rev up the car while it’s not moving.

If you’re driving in “bumper to bumper” barely moving traffic, it’s wise to turn your air conditioner off. This saves a lot of wear on your car. The engine has to work overtime if the air is on and you’re stopping and starting frequently.

You’ve probably heard that it’s good to take your car out periodically for a good drive on the highway now and again, and that’s good advice. This allows your engine to get fully warmed up and helps get rid of some deposits built up by short trips.

If it’s below freezing, try not to take your car out on short trips of less than five miles. Sikorsky says this is one of the worst possible conditions for your car.

Don’t cruise around a parking lot forever, trying to find a spot. Go ahead and park further away and get in a little exercise.

Avoid accelerating suddenly unless there’s an emergency situation. Putting the pedal to the metal may get you someplace today, but tomorrow you may end up hitching a ride from a neighbor.

If possible, don’t park your car headed uphill. When you’re ready to start it later, the engine will have to use extra power to pull itself. It’s better to park headed downhill than uphill.

Driving on dusty roads cuts your gas mileage considerably as well as adds to engine wear.

I’ve found Drive It Forever a valuable read! It’s personal, and easy to read, even if you’re mechanically challenged.