Spark her plugs sooner

As you might have become used to,i only right small but smart posts,and yes,modesty- i've got plenty of.

Today,i need to speak about spark plugs. Yes those little ceramic plated rods,that fit in the engine,and of cours,give sparks and bring the car to life again.

Everyone changes them at (usually) the time plan stated in the owner's manual,but i've seen from experience,that it pays to do that sooner.

The cost from 15 to as much as 80-90 $,especially those iridium sparks,wich i don't find really up to the promise from the manufacturer. Just put the one sugested by the manual- be advised,the manual,not the dealer,as they tend to sell you anything they have a contract on,not what you need.

Why should you bother replacing them? here's why: Your car gets more MPG,swifter acceleration response time,shorter start up time,and most of all,you minimize the risk of having a dead spark plug in the middle of nowhere,Hillbilly County.

If you like to have dirty hands,you can change them yourself,all you need is a spark plug key,some copper grease,and maybe,in a perfect world,a dynamometric key. Dont want them over-tighten like my father wallet on new years eve !

Don't go the the other side either- changing them too soon. They don't grow in trees,and you're not made of money,you know.

How to solve foggy windows in rain

Well,every now and then,a mistifying question resurfaces: How to stop my car windows from fogging up (and me to start seeing again outside)?
Well i have couple of answers,but by far the last one seems to get the most votes every time. Why,beats me...
1. Stop breathing,it's as easy as that,no questions asked,satsifaction guaranteed.
2.Maybe not that simple,and definetly not as funny,leave the car,take the bus/metro/bycicle, and there,no fog on your car.
3. It requires some work,and by far,the most boring one,is to use a good ol' shaving foam,applied thoroughly on the inside of your windows ( clean them before,trust me,they're always dirty),and mix it up until you can't see it on the glass. You need only 10 minutes,unless you have 2 left hands,and your best working one is a right hand.

Oh,wait,i see a hand raised in the public...yes,you,the fat woman,please,speak louder...oh,you have no one who can borow you some shaving foam? Hmm,Jesus,i believe you can buy a cheap one,or start walking,you may be less fat and solve the foggy windows nightmare.
This really works,i know it sounds strange,but think about it- what people used before,in medieval times,on their cars? Now,as i proved it scientifically,get to work,and see (through clear windows in the rain) for yourself. You can try this trick in the bathroom mirror,first,and fill the room with vapor.

The things you do to me...

I went with a friend who owns a van,to help him deliver some goods,and,on the way back,when he started the engine,a check light bulb message was showing nice on the display. What the hell,we thought,it's just a bulb,and as he is a smart person,he had spares in the car. 10 minutes later,light bulb changed,still,same problem. I went at the electric fuses panel,and...bingo,we have a problem !! A nice 5A fuse burned down,i mean,melted inside. This fuse,my friend doesn't have,so,what can we do? No auto shops in sight,Saturday evening,so slim chances to find one near us. After some debates,we took out the horn fuse,exchanged the burned one,and thing as good to go. The only problem,and here is what i want you to remember,is that you should always have 2-3 fuses,5A,10A,15A at least,somehere handy in your car. Might be the ignition system that fails to start,and a cheap cause,the fuse the choosed to melt. In our case,the horn was a 15Amps,so it will need to be replaced with a proper 5A when he finds one for sale. You can put higher value fuses in lowervalue sockets,but risk some damage to electrical system,but not otherwise- small in high.

To air filter or not to air filter?

With this new hype of fuel prices going skyrocketing,everybody's looking for ways of reducing fuel consumption on their autos. The internet,newspapers,even news,they all have it: "X ways to save money on fuel". We all know it- fully inflated tires,slow acceleration,give up on AC use,and the likes.

Good,this crap really works,but what if you want even more? I personally have found that one simple move is to purchase & install yourself a new airfilter. You can buy a new one from all partshops,you don't need to go for the OEM parts,as they tend to be the same,just rebranded boxes. Installation is simple-open the bonnet,take the old one out,put the new one in,and-miracle,car drives better,responds prompter to the acceleration,so you don't need that heavy foot on the gas,and hey,it's like a new and more loveable car !!
What i need to underline,are two things:
1. don't change the air filter if there is no need to,but,let me tell you when it's time to do that. You take the air filter out,and with a flaslight,or against the sun( in a good fasion sunny day) you check and see if light protrudes from under it. If not,go ahead,change it. If it does,it means it's still clean,and you don't need to waste money. NEVER-ever wash your air filter,you cheap bastard !
2.make sure you dissasemble the old one easy,with care,or you risk braking the household and thne you should expect some serious check for a lucky mechanic. Again,after installing,make sure you screw/hinge the cover back like it was before.

Many of us still use to think that tunning the air filter will change the way the car acts,swifter acceleration,more top speed.etc,and,maybe to a limited degree,that is true. But i don't do that,here's why:
-the cost more( i mean,a looot more)
-they need more care,some need a special oil lubrication. And that is a helluva pain in the arse.
-some crappy producer made the form,but neglected the function,so it't pretty much possible to make things even worse,with a higher price.
-as for the top speed,with the prices of fuel going Everest avery day,and all these speed cameras,and hungry policemen,why risk it?


After you take the old one out,wipe clean the compartment. Aaa,i love the smell of fresh air in the morning ! (says the engine)

This morning i read a great article,in a romanian newspaper, Evenimentul Zilei,that was citing www.hybridcars.com saying that BMW was testing ! a new hybrid version of the already amazing BMW X6. The new car will be shown in the Frankfurt Auto Show,held in september 2009.
The picture was taken near Spartanburg, California a town that has a BMW factory in USA.

As the newspaper said,it will have 2 engines: the petrol one,being a V8 and having 400 HP and 4400 cmc and a hybrid engine,of unknown power. As all hybrids,it will help reduce fuel consumption by moving the car at slower speeds,and perhaps at highway speed,where the vehicle travels at a constant speed.
What's great,is the electric engines have full torque from the beginning,allowing very fast acceleration.
What's not cool,is that batteries add to vehicle weight and also,a higher tag price is a certainty.
It seems the starting price for the BMW X6 hybrid will be around 50.000 Euros.

For more pictures,please go to http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/860992/Primul-hibrid-BMW-surprins-inaintea-lansarii/

Car antenna,size sure does matter !!

I don't know about you,but i really miss those long,chunky radio antenna that you could even go fishing from back in the '90's.

In new cars,we can only see small antennas and even those get smaller by the day,and i wouldn't be surprised to see the future antenna will be a part of the car body,not visible from the outside.
I really don't miss those huge army-like antennas,but i really miss the quality of radio station reception that came with those long rods.
These new ones,are spiral-shaped,don't drag so much,and consequently have lower sound disturbances,but all with a trade-in in reception. I have on a car a small antenna,work great in town,but outside,over 50 km signal gets distorted,and if i don't get a CD,i better get used to listening to old AM stations,and news. And i hate news.

On my other car,there is a retractable antenna,that extends over 1.5 meters high,and gets reception almost in the Moon,i believe. What is not so cool,is that i suspect that some time it will mechanically fail,because it retracts and extends every time i turn the engine on/off. Not to mention,if i get in a car wash,i can't listen to the radio,cause those retards will break the antenna,and excuses count for crap,when i get a car with a non-functional radio.

I don't know what best solution there is,but one thing can be done better,make a longer antenna,cause in this case,size does matter !!

Parking sensors? maybe,but not the ones you think

Today i want to speak about parking sensors: Do we need them? Surely,we can do without them,and maybe in one ocasion,in a cloudy night,or a rainy afternoon,they can be useful. But other than that,we probably can use the money spent on them to buy anything else.
More and more cars come now with parking sensors standard,and i believe that in a couple of years,they will be on every car,of course,if the end of world in 2012 will not come upon us.

How do they work? By detecting obstacles behind you and also in front of you,to aid your parking and enabling you to get into those tight spots without rounding the corners of you car,or other's.
There are many variations of the design,but all work the same,emitting ultrasonic waves tens of thousand per second,and then by using a sensor,picking up the signal that bounces back from obstacles. They start emitting a horrible beep-ing sound that scares the hell out of me,if i'm not aware of them,and,as you approach an obstacle,the beep turns to a continuous tone,warning you to stop or else...
Apart from the horrible beeping ones,some also have a LCD screen, on wich they show the actual distance.
If you are not very skilled in parking maneuvers,financially,the parking sensors kit is worth because even from one dodged collision you will be avoinding money loss.

Normally, cars have parking sensors that activate when the car is in reverse,but standard new cars,have also front sensors,and,most important,to disable the sensors,if you don't feel like hearing them all the time.

The vast majority come with a DIY drilling head,that makes mounting them a piece of cake. This might seem easy,but don't act surprised if you start loosing the sensors from time to time,as you have drilled too big holes in your bumper.

There is also a parking sensor called Electromagnetic system do not look for a reflected signal, instead they create a wide electromagnetic force-field and this can extend through and beyond the car's body panels. For this reason, this type of sensor can be fitted behind the bumper so that no externally visible alteration is required, although the bumper and/or under body panel may need to be removed in order to fit the system. They have some main advantages over the classic sonic system,and here i will count them

• The sensors are compact and can be fitted without drilling the car's bumper. Maintaining your car's original factory look will improve its resale value.
• Electromagnetic systems provide a wider operating zone around, above and below the bumper,thus no dead-spots are allowed.
• They can detect closer the obstacles,so even a 4 cm-apart object is now shown.
• If you own a pick-up,or just have a towing hook,will no longer keep sounding,as the sonic system does.

They ignore fixed items that are already present and look for changes to the surrounding area and that makes them ideally for the cars that spot body alterations.

The need for speed- Audi A1 expected september 2009

More and more people feeld the need for a small car,but for the moment,most of us feel pretty annoyed by the current small car market. They are small,and the interior is a bit crowdy,but we expecat this,and surely we can live with this. What is really really bad,is the lack of engine power,that makes over-taking a car at speed over 50km/h an act of desperate courage.
Car-makers tell us that gears are so tuned for a better fuel efficiency,and not for sport-like acceleration. So,with this great technical information in mind,you need to arm yourself with a lot of patience if you're planning to go on a trip outside the town- cause you ain't gonna overtake nobody,mister.

These so called "city-cars" should be named girlie-cars,because,apart from their lack of power,they even have trendy colors,and funny car bodies. Sure,it's really cool if you are a girl,but i do believe,sir,i'd rather ride on an oversized dog at work,than in such delightful fashion..thingies.

What buggles me even more,is the fact that most car magazine hide the truth,and speak only about positive aspects,like low fuel consumption,small car length that allows you virtually to park everywhere.

Virtually. A great word for those who believe in sticking head in sand and ignoring the truth.
Low fuel consumption- yes indeed,they have one,but,so long as you don't try to speed up a little,and don't put more than a lipstick in the car,besides the driver.
And parking space? Sure,they fit everywhere,but their trendy design makes it a nightmare to try and park this little hell-born monster,especially if you need the other drivers to wait for you.
But,as always,try and see the good part of it- you can hear all the new curses and insults invented in town.

This is,of course,not a rule.Some small cars,are,actually,quite fun to drive,and pack quite a punch in engine power,this,combined with small weight making them surprisingly fast.
Some of this cars,i might mention Mini Cooper S- 177HP, Ford Fiesta 170 HP, Volkswaggen Polo GTI-140 HP, and now,finally, Audi chosed to enter the market for these cars,with the newly designed A1. Sure,for some of us who already knew,this car was presented as a concept car,A1 MetroprojectCar,at Tokio 2007.
It seems that Audi A1 will enter mass production in september,2009. Back then,the prototype sported a hybrid electric engine and a petrol engine,bold design features,rimless door windows.
The model for the masses,wil have a petrol engine and maybe a diesel one.
Petrol engines will vary from 1.2 to 1.4 TSI Vag-origin engines,bot already on use in Volkswaggen Golf and Polo,Seat Ibiza and Leon,also in Skoda Octavia. Already praised,these engine are very efficient at fuel consumption,light weight,and huge power to weight ratios.
The sportier version of A1 will be S1,and will have stiffer suspension,a bigger engine,probably,maybe sure the 2.0 TSI petrol engine with 200 HP.
All models will have manual or automatic DSG sequential gear box.

You can see the video of the prototype in an article by MikeDushane at Caranddriver.com here:
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/08q4/audi_a1_sportback_concept-video

Or,some pictures with the cabrio A1 at autoworld.worldpress.com here:
http://autoworld.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/new-audi-a1-cabrio-will-debut-on-2009-frankfurt-motor-show/

Fog lights? No,just pimp lights

Fog lights examination-do we need them?
These days,most cars come equipped with fog lights standard,so this might seem a bit of a useless question. Still,a good question and i will try to adress it from the average person point of view.
Normally,fog lights are meant to be a help when driving in foggy days,or rainy or snowy ones.But let's be honest- as a fog helping tool,they do crap.Sometimes i wonder if they really are on,because when fog is really thick,nothing can really go trough.
The only real advantage,worth having fog lights,is that you get noticed more and better by other drivers,and this is no minor thing.Especially on highway,having four lights instead of just two,is a heck of a difference,believe me. But normal fog lights have normal light bulbs,that get average light,and burn quite often,if you use them daily.

Why some fog lights seem to stick to that old-looking yellow light color? Well,it's just that a theory,proven false,said that yellow light has a different wave length and so penetrates better the fog. As i said,proven false,end of story- just stick to white light,already standard on new car models sincer 2000+. What makes thing even worse,yellow lights usually have an optical filter that actually takes a percentage of light,so you even get less light in those hellish foggy days.

For this reason,many car manufacturers introduced driving lights. What are these? A set of LED (light emitting diode) lights that can be used continuously without increasing fuel consumption,and they get burned after tens of thousand of hours of use. Bein a LED,they offer a brighter light,and in return,you are more visible on the road.

Some car manufacturers,offer fog lights with an interesting function,adaptive cornering function,that makes the fog lights turn as you turn the steering wheel.Pretty neat,i'd say,especially at night.One of these vehicles is Fiat Bravo,an European car.For this,please review the next link http://www.fiat.com/FIAT_COM/uploads/PB_TMPL_SHOWROOM/1073903335/20070315/Bravo_catalogo_BlueMe_UK.pdf

So,we can state that the vast majority of fog lights are purely aesthetic in nature,but newer version are better although still hardly effective in foggy days.

No matter what you choose,fog lights or not,if you plan on using them normally,get them mounted at a professional car mechanic,so you don't burn your alternator,or something else.
Periodically,check if they are correct aligned,as bumps on the road can affect the screws.

Also,if you need a more scientific opinion regarding the difference between yellow or white color fog lights,be sure to check this great site,Newton BBS:
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99xx4.htm

Wash your car and brush your teeth

Everybody has a car these days,and,most of us like to keep it clean,or at least,not having mud or bird crap on it. If you are like me,and don't own a garage,that perhaps,like me,you probably need to clean your car often.

The problem,is that with the economy going slower,car washing is getting out of business faster that we had expected. Where only months ago were succesful car washes,now there are signs of "space for rent".... This affects us indirectly,because now we see growing lines at those stations that survived. Week-ends now are a search for a shorter line to wash the car.
We could skip washing our car so often,but,this solution is a-no-brainer, because paint deteriorates, plus that the car that we like looks like a perfect homeless-wagon.




A better solution,is DIY car wash,it's cheaper,faster,and you get a good feeling that you did something all by yourself in these digital times,when all we do is pushing buttons.

Sure,some might see this a first sign of bankruptcy,but you need not care abou them,you have more free time,a cleaner car,and more cash in ya wallet,homeboy.

You can buy a jet washer,wich might seem costly at first,but in time,you will see that it sure is worth the money. After that,all you need is to plug it in electric outlet,and insert a water hose in it,and you have your own car wash. Newer machines actually have shampoo compartments,so you can spray foam first on your car. It has a huge pressure,so be careful not to use it too close to your car body,or on your mirrors,or you risk damaging them. Remember never to wash your hands with it,as it can actually peel of your skin. When inserting the water hose,always insert it after you let water pour through it,because air bubbles damage the jet washer engine.
For a price of at least 80-100$ or 50-80 Euros you can get a machine that will serve you well. But if you plan to use it quite often,and invite friends wash their cars,too,well,you'd better buy something worth more money.


Another solution,is to wash you car manually,this is cheaper,but needs more work,and you need some experience,if you want to duplicate the results of a jet washer machine.
What you need,is a car shampoo,some sponges,a water bucket,and some cloth. Of course you need to have the will to get yourself wet and dirty,first of all.

So let's begin:
Get some water in the bucket,preferably not cold,so you don't freeze your hands,and mix in the car shampoo,gently,so to avoid making too much foam.
Next,you need your car body pre- soaked,because otherwise you will damage the paint,and,if you car as mud stains,you also need to remove those first. If possible i recommend a hose,but if you don't have acces to one,just use another bucket.
Also very important- find a spot in the shade so the shampoo doesn't dry out too fast on the car. And also,you don't get headaches or sunburn,but who cares about that?
Also,if you drive a lot on the highway,you need a bug-remover spray,to get the damn bugs from your bumper and windshield off,and we all know those hell-spawn insects are pretty hard to clean just with water and car shampoo.
Next,start with the roof of the car,so you don't get otherwise dirt on your newly cleand doors. After the roof,clean the hood and the rear section- the trunk. Last,wash your lower doors panels and your wheels. Wheels are better to be washed with a different cloth,so to minimize scratching the paint. Always keep this routine in mind,because the last sections get sand,and pebbles encrusted on them,so you risk damaging the paint on other ares,you don't use my advice.
Word of advice,after you apply the shampooed sponge on you car, clean it after you put it back in the bucket with shampoo foam.
After you wash the car,all of the car,mufflers,bumpers,antenna,and wheels,rinse it very well,and believe me some car shampoo products can get a lot of water to rinse off.
Don't forget,after rinsing,take a clean cloth and dry the car completely,or you get water spot and streaks on it- and that is just not a good car wash. Get a good absorbing cloth.
With a window cleaner,wash the windos,both inside and outside.
When you wash the wheels,you should wait a little before watering the brake disks,as this might affect them,especially if you have a high performance brake system installed.

I usually buy a shampoo wiht polymers,because rain drops don't stick to your car,keeping it clean more.