How Do I Know if I’m Covered Under Warranty?

If you have a Saab you now know the answer to this question. But how do the rest of us know if we’re covered under warranty? Usually a vehicle is covered under warranty for a certain amount of time or a certain amount of miles driven, whichever one comes first. If your oxygen sensors or mass airflow sensors turn out to be defective, a base factory warranty will usually cover parts, labor and cost of towing. But what if these parts went bad due to an accident?

A part going bad due to any external damage is not going to be covered under warranty. If you’re cruising home from work, someone rear-ends you, and then you start having problems with your a/c compressor, you’re probably not going to be covered. Most manufacturers offer different warranties for different amounts of time. A bumper-to-bumper warranty usually will cover most items on your vehicle but last a shorter amount of time, while a power train warranty usually covers fewer parts but lasts longer. Whichever warranty you have on your vehicle is determined by the agreements between the dealer and the manufacturer.

Whether or not you are covered under warranty isn’t as black-and-white as we’d all probably like. When you take your car to a dealership they not only look for the problem, they look for the cause of the problem. If the failure is due to lack of maintenance, an accident, misuse, or any other fault of the driver (and they will look for reasons), you will not be covered. For this reason it is important to check your manual and online resources to find out details specific to your vehicle before taking it into the shop. And for all of you holiday & end-of-year shoppers this December read the fine print! No one likes surprises that can cost a few thousand dollars down the road. Oh, and if you own a Saab, ignore the above. Unfortunately you’re not covered.

Testing in a Winter Wonderland

Welcome to Ford’s Drivability Test Facility located somewhere in Detroit. Here they don’t just test parts like steering racks and steering gearboxes, they test the car as a whole against the most severe driving conditions. This building is what they call “explosion-proof” and they can create the harsh rain, snow and wind of a blizzard, as well as temperatures hotter than you could bear.

It’s amazing the lengths they go to that ensure that their cars don’t let you down. During the test shown in these photos, Ford technicians were testing “snow ingestion” on the newly re-designed 2013 Ford Escape. Here, they pushed snow into the grill of the car and tested its charging system, engine cooling, cabin heating, as well as the effects of the snow buildup. From the comfort of the warm room next door, the technicians are able to shift the transmission, slam on the brakes, and accelerate the Escape through the man-made wind tunnel.  With the flick of a switch they can create rain which instantly freezes into snow and pours down on the vehicle.

This is just one of many “torture tests” Ford conducts on their vehicles before they hit the streets. Ford is obviously not the only manufacturer that performs these tests, but from the glimpse they give it looks like a pretty cool job. Having driven the same car through both the winter blizzards of the Northeast and the dead heat of Las Vegas' August desert, it’s obviously important that every car is able to handle both extremes of driving conditions. How does your car handle?

What is an Oil Pump?

We all know what a cooling fan is. It is a fan that cools. We also now what a fuel pump is. It's a pump that pumps fuel. So, guess what an oil pump does? It is a pump that pumps Oil.  Woah, the answer to that question was more surprising than the end of a M. Night Shyamalan movie.  Ok, so the oil pump sounds like a pretty basic part, but it plays a vital role in the operation of your vehicle.

The oil pump inside of an internal combustion engine is used to lubricate the engine and reduce friction.  The pump powers oil through bearings, sliding pistons, camshafts, and other small parts. The decrease in friction also means the cooling of pistons, bearings, and shafts. Failure to properly lubricate an engine will result in engine failure.  Now you see how important that cleverly named oil pump is.

The oil pump needs to be generating approximately 10 psi per every 1000 revolutions per minute in order to properly lubricate the system.  If your oil pump is working well but you are still having a low pressure issue, it may be caused by a clogged oil pickup screen, too much wear on a high mileage engine, or you just need to add more oil to your car.  Each car has different oil requirements.  Higher performance vehicles put more stress on the system and they need more lubricating. 

There are basically three types of pumps, a twin gear pump, a Gerotor Pump, and an internal pump.  A twin gear pump has one gear connected to a shaft that is driven by the camshaft or distributor.  A twin gear pump turns at half the speed of the engine and is located inside the oil pan.  A Gerotor Pump has one small gear rotating inside a larger one.  While an internal pump is a Gerotor style pump, an internal pump turns at the same speed of the engine so it creates a stronger flow. An internal pump design is used on overhead cam engines.

Your Airbags Know You're There

After Honda recalled over 300,000 of their vehicles this month due to airbag safety concerns, I started to wonder how an airbag is meant to work efficiently. Oxygen sensors, your power steering pump, and other mechanical parts are expected to show wear after time, but airbags and other safety features should always be ready to work as if they were brand new. In Honda’s case, there is concern that their airbags may explode during a crash causing pieces of metal and plastic to shoot towards the passengers. Not good.

It’s crazy to think that airbags in the driver and passenger seats have only been required by law since 1998. Since then airbags have obviously advanced and are now located in many areas in a vehicle. In many vehicles you can now find up to eight airbags, some of which fall like curtains over the glass windows or deploy inside to prevent passengers from hitting each other. Side airbags can deploy for up to five seconds which is especially important in rollover accidents. To be sure airbags don’t activate from rough pavement or small fender benders, the crash sensors are programed to detect only severe deceleration. Basically, if you got your car going as fast as it can drive and slammed on your brakes as hard as you could, you would only be decelerating at a fraction of the speed the crash sensors are meant to detect

Newer vehicles can even detect how much weight is on a seat so they don’t deploy on, for example, your beagle napping in the passenger seat. They can also determine the severity of a crash, your seat position, whether or not your seatbelt is on, and other factors to know the safest amount of air to fill your airbag (if any). I’ve never seen an airbag deploy and hope I don’t have to, but these advancements in car safety are definitely comforting.. Especially having to commute with these southern California drivers.

The Funniest Car Fails of 2011

Over the past year there have been lots of advances in automotive technology that can adjust for driving mistakes. Suspension compressor and suspension pump units that can predict and adjust for bad conditions to air bag systems that can protect the entire car the advances are amazing. These advances may be something to be marveled but they cannot help when we do really stupid things. Modern technology can only make driving safer if people let it and while most of us are not trying to cause accidents, sometimes they do happen. On the other hand sometimes people do things that defy all logic and end up with hilarious results. keep in mind that with all of these accidents no one was seriously hurt, though pride may have taken a serious hit. 

The number one has to be a man in Georgia who decided to video himself doing a burn out in a Dodge Ram. The event starts out ok but ends up with him losing control of the truck, hitting an embankment and flipping the truck. This just proves that there are people out there with more money than brains, who also have video cameras. Next has to be a group of men in Japan, while on their way to a car show in a slew of high powered super cars. The group racing through traffic, the lead driver miscalculates a pass and ends up hitting the guard rail. This will go down in history as one of the most epic crashes that has ever happened. Due to the fact that almost all the cars traveling in the group ended up in the crash and all of them totaled. Oh and one Toyota Prius that had a big of damage on the rear bumper...what a tragedy. 

The automotive fails this year did not stick to tarmac in the case of this off-road driver. He decided that Ken Block is not the only person who can jump their vehicle on a dirt road. After a long run up, of obviously not enough speed he hit the ramp and launches his Chevy. It is not so much the launch that as it is the landing that caused the problem. The truck never reached the landing area and smashed into the embankment, causing massive damage to the vehicle. Which just goes to prove when it comes to insane stunts leave it to the professionals. 

Then there is the presidential award for automotive fail this year, which actually involves the President. The Presidential motorcade was able to get high centered in Dublin while traveling over a curb. This is a vehicle that can take a shot from an RPG without a scratched and it has been defeated by a sidewalk. It just goes to show that an automotive fail can happen to anyone anytime so be on the lookout.

Jeep Scrambling to Bring Back the Pick-Up?

It’s been about 25 years since they’ve been in the production, but the likeness of the Jeep Scrambler is making its way back onto the roads again one Wrangler at a time. If you’re looking for a Jeep pick-up truck, why replace the old alternator, starter, or manual front-locking hubs of a Scrambler when you can turn your own Jeep Wrangler into the same thing? This is what MOPAR set out to do with their JK-8 Independence conversion kits.

This kit, available for $5,499, comes with everything you need to turn your Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pick-up truck. A new steel bed, inner and outer bedsides, sport bar extensions, a fiberglass top with sliding rear windows, you name it. MOPAR underestimated the demand for this product and is working hard to catch up on production within the coming month, beginning shipments to dealerships this week.  This isn’t the first I’ve heard about a possible return of the Jeep pick-up truck and seeing more of these on the road is bound to get Jeep thinking about this a little more seriously. And although this kit may not be exactly what Jeep enthusiasts are looking for in the next generation of the Jeep pickup, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

The only thing I’m confused about is that most current owners of the Wrangler Unlimited bought it for the extra interior space. So unless you’re ready to put the kids in the truck bed, this package seems to be for those new buyers still hoping for the Scrambler’s return.

Car Company to Close… I’m so Saab :(

Saab appears to have run out of gas. Not even a new fuel pump could save them now. The 74 year old car company filed for bankruptcy this morning.   This news is likely to be followed by the company announcing that it will shut its doors completely.  The only fuel pump that would rescue them would be one that turns gas into gold.

Saabs’ last chance was to acquire $782 million in loans from the Chinese company, Zheijang Youngman Lotus Automotive, but General Motors denied the deal.  GM was a former owner, but still had a say in the deal because they supply parts to Saab.  Speculation was that GM objected to the loan because they worried that some of their technology would end up in Chinese competitors’ hands.  However, GM came out and said that they were against the deal because it was, “not meaningful different,” from previous offers.

GM sold Saab to Swedish Automotive back in 2010.  Swedish Automotive is a Dutch company, which is not at all confusing.  Saab did get some funding back in June from a couple of Chinese companies, but they blew through that cash faster than my girlfriend spends her paycheck on Black Friday.

There is still a slight chance that Saab will still exist.  A new buyer could swoop in and buy the remaining assets.  So, if you and your friends have some extra cash lying around, feel free to group the cash together and go “Dutch” on the car company.

Does this Concept Indicate Wheels of the Future?

The new SIM-LEI prototype brings an entirely new function to both the front wheel hub and rear wheel hub: powering the vehicle. While I hope that no car ever looks like this, the concept behind this Japanese vehicle is unique and worth taking a look at. Rather than having one motor in the front of the vehicle this electric car has four motors, one in each of the wheels.

We’ve all seen more electric cars around in the past few years as gas prices have crept up and people are becoming more concerned about the environment. What makes this car unique is not only the LEI (Leading Efficiency In-Wheel motor) concept but its performance in speed, power output, and battery life. This prototype can go from 0 to 60 in just 4.8 seconds and each wheel delivers 65 kilowatts of power (260 kilowatts total). Compare that to the Nissan Leaf which only gives a total output of 80 kilowatts. The SIM-LEI can travel about 207 miles on one charge while the Leaf does about 100.  Having the motors located in each of the wheels also provides new possibilities regarding traction and stability control.

I’m not a huge fan of the vehicle’s design, but the in-wheel motors seem to provide more efficiency and I’m interested to see their future in electric vehicles. SIM is expecting to begin production of its four-seat sedan in 2013 which will sell for roughly $32,000 a pop. While I can’t see these guys cruising around the streets of U.S. cities anytime soon, maybe they’re onto something?

What's the Difference Between a CV Axle and a Drive Axle?

The answer to that question is “nothing.” Nothing is different between a CV Axle and a Drive Axle.  They are the same part, but referred to by two different names.  THE END. Obviously I am joking, this is not the end. Otherwise this would set a record for the shortest blog entry of all time.  Now, I do like to set records but I enjoy writing more, so I am going to discuss what a CV Axle actually does. 

CV Axles are typically found in modern front wheel drive vehicles. They can also be found on the back of rear wheel or all-wheel drive cars that have independent suspension. “CV” stands for constant velocity and “axle” actually stands for axle.  It does not represent a cool acronym, such as Awesome X-men Laser Elites, but I am sure that will be a horrible movie soon.  The basic purpose of a CV Axle is to transfer power from the transmission (or differential) directly to the wheels.  A lot of people refer to the Drive Axle as the CV Axle because it is attached to the wheel by the CV joint.  

The first thing to go bad on a drive axle is usually the boot.  If you think you might be having issues with yours, there is a simple test.  Go to an empty parking lot, such as a vacant Saturn Dealership, and start driving in really tight circles.  If you can hear a clicking noise than you have some problems.  Crawl under your vehicle and look for any cracks in the boot.  Cracks are easier to spot when you have the wheels turned all the way to the left or the right.  If the boots have already split it will be obvious because it would have flung grease all over the place.  Once the grease is out, dirt and road grime creep inside and you got yourself a bad CV Joint. The outer joints usually fail first because they turn at the sharpest angle.  The sharper the angle the more strain.
THE END… I’m not kidding this time.

Same Car, New Features? BMW Rolls Out Upgrades

So you’ve been saving up money for a few months to get yourself an iPhone, an Android, or whatever your choice may be. You finally get it in your hands, and BAM, they unexpectedly release a newer, better version just weeks later. What the heck! Although this has become a common (and annoying) theme in technology today, you have to admit it’s becoming increasingly easy to update your old products to get new features. This week, this is exactly what BMW drivers were able to do with their In Dash Navigation and Center Console Display Unit.

On Tuesday, BMW owners with 2009 and later models turned on their cars to a new, updated BMW Online system. Some of the new features they can now enjoy include viewing recent news, weather, local fuel prices, Google search access, and a better overall display. Seems like a pretty cool deal to me, although I’m not sure how safe Google-ing is from behind the wheel. This all happened automatically and even better, for free. Now that I think of it, I don’t even need to plug my phone in to update it, add music to it, or transfer my pictures to my laptop. At the rate technology is progressing, it’s encouraging to know that it’s not so hard to keep the products we buy up to date. I can hardly turn on my computer without having to update some piece of software.

It’s great that BMW has rolled out this new upgrade, and I hope other companies with the same capabilities follow suit. Oh, and I’m definitely not getting into any long lines on the next apple release date. They released the software upgrade for free just a week after their latest iPhone was released, and who needs Siri anyways?

Do Your Eyes and Headlights Make a Good Team?

I’m not sure if it’s just me getting older or my car, but it’s getting harder and harder to see the road while driving at night. It’s one thing to make sure luxury items like your Car Radio or Car Navigation System are working, but it’s even more important to maintain parts that affect your safety. Headlights begin to dim over time, and as the days get shorter in these winter months their brightness becomes even more important.

There are many different types of headlights such as incandescent, halogen, and xenon. Incandescent bulbs are the more traditional bulbs and tend to dim faster as the filament inside evaporates over time. Xenon bulbs use newer technology, specifically the HID (High Intensity Discharge) xenon bulbs which use two electrodes in a xenon gas-sealed bulb rather than a traditional filament. We are seeing these bulbs more and more in newer cars because the light they create is not only three times brighter than a halogen bulb, but lasts ten times longer. While three times brighter seems great for the driver, I can think of a time or two I’ve been blinded by an oncoming Audi or BMW, thinking their brights were on. Some headlights out today, such as bi-xenon, are so bright that they require self-leveling so they don’t blind other drivers on the road.

No matter which type of headlight your car uses, if you’re squinting to see the road at night you either need new bulbs or a pair of glasses. If you do notice your yellow-glowing halogen lights are much dimmer than they once were, be sure to change them both at the same time! It’s also fairly easy to upgrade them to xenon for that new, fresher look. Dimming headlights is a common problem but an easy fix, so don’t sacrifice your safety or the safety of other drivers on the road.

What Makes a Car or Truck Sound Raspy

We have all heard it a car or truck rolls by and we want to cover our ears. It sounds like a swarm of angry bees and we all think the same thing…”what an idiot, but what makes the sound like that. No it is not the supercharger that the person says they have added…in fact a super charger unit would probably make the car quieter. The sound is created by adding an exhaust that has not been tuned for the application.

The exhaust is much more than just a pipe that channels the exhaust gases out of the engine bay. It is a specially tuned system that has been meticulously made for that specific car. The resonant sound that comes from a motor during the combustion process creates a pressure wave which can have a positive or negative effect on the engine depending on how the exhaust is shaped.

The headed is the easiest place to see this effect taking place, when the combustion process ends and the air enters the header. At this point the pressure wave is released as well. It will travel down the pipes and bounce off where ever the header turns into one pipe. When this wave moves back towards the engine it can cause unnecessary force on the now exiting gasses which can lower performance. If the header is built specifically to send this wave to impact the outside of the valves just before they open it will have a positive effect on the system. The early impact will create a low pressure area just outside of the valves and the exhaust can leave the engine more freely. Free flowing exhaust means more HP and better gas mileage. Some people believe that removing the header all together will give better performance but in fact the specifically tuned header creates more horse power than an open system.

The rest of the exhaust system is also tuned the same way, it is all about making sure that pressure waves work for the system as opposed to it. If an exhaust system is attached to a car that is not tuned to control this flow the negative pressure waves and lack of sound deadening material causes this sound. Next time you are in traffic and someone is revving their Nissan Sentra with a huge exhaust, just laugh. Not only do they look like a fool but they have also lowered the performance of their car and lost gas mileage to boot. Not to mention that most cars that are being built now are faster than the cars people tend to “modify”. So you can be happy knowing you can smoke them off the line too. In your stock V6 Camry all the while being comfortable and hitting 30 MPG. 

Is Your Muffler Bearing Still in Good Shape?

Has the performance of your car seemed reduced as of late? Does the exhaust sound rough or just too loud? Is the idle too low and you are thinking the fuel pump has failed? Well good news everyone! It may just be your muffle bearing not the fuel pump assembly. The muffler bearing is essential for high performance cars to avoid that annoying swarm of angry bees sound. Ever heard a Honda with a fart can on it? Well the muffler bearing will keep you from looking like a fool. But the muffler bearing is not the only part that is over looked on a regular basis…there are tons of parts that just don’t get enough attention.

Most of the time blinkers stop working and it is assumed it’s time to replace the bulb but really your car is just out of blinker fluid. It is a common mistake to waste your money replacing bulb after bulb without fixing the issue. The blinker is a sensitive component and needs to be properly lubricated, if not the bulb can dry out. Lots of issues can be cause by a dry bulb, the least of which is fire. Before ordering blinker fluid, be sure to check the manual for the correct viscosity fluid for your vehicle. Don’t forget that Synthetic fluid is only intended for newer model vehicles.

This brings up on to performance gains that can be made with very little time or effort. These upgrades can give performance increases almost instantly but are seldom known in the automotive community. Parts like the radiator insulator, which keep the much needed heat closer to the engine. The engine works to create heat and there is no reason to give it away through the cooling system. The cooling system is intended to keep the transmission and axles cool not the engine. Protect the most valuable commodity or your car by insulating the radiator from cold air. Lastly are brake line upgrades. A cheap and helpful upgrade is a cross drilled brake line kit. These lines expose the brake fluid directly to the outside air and thus cool the fluid. Cooler fluid increases braking and reduced brake fade during times of heavy use. 

Automotive performance has been argued about since the dawn of the car but following the correct steps will get you ahead of the game. When working on your vehicle it is important to never listen to this guide. All of these parts are a joke and not to be taken seriously. If any of this guide made sense to you leave the automotive work to the professionals. Stay safe and always trust a licensed mechanic to do all maintenance and repairs to your vehicle.

The Mannesmann-Sachs Nivomat! Say What?

A friend of mine told me that his Volvo had a Mannesman-Sachs Nivomat shock.  Now, I know a lot about car parts. I know an ABS Control Module like the back of my hand, which my friend knows nothing about. After I made sure that he just didn’t get back from the dentist and was slurring his words, I decided to look into exactly what this strangely worded shock assembly is all about.  I am assuming my friend is doing the same thing in regards to an ABS Control Module.

The word Nivomat is actually a contraction of two French words, niveau and automatique.  In English, this translates to “level automatic.” Finally! Some words I actually understand.  Basically, the Nivomat does exactly what its English translation says it does.  It is a compact device that automatically levels out the vehicle.  So, when the back of your Volvo station wagon is full of all your kids’ really heavy soccer gear, your car will not sag in the back.  This will give you a smoother ride, keep your eyes on the road instead of the skies, and avoid looking like a low-rider.

The Nivomat shock assembly combines all the common components of a shock assembly; springs, struts, and shock absorber into one small housing.  The energy required to adjust the height comes from relative movements between the axle and the vehicle body while driving.  No electric engine or motor is required. After a few miles of driving the car will rise to optimum height. If the road is bumpy then the Nivomat adjusts to a higher level, for greater ground clearance.  That’s one clever Nivomat.

This type of suspension can be found mostly in European vehicles, cars that carry heavy loads, and trailer hauling vehicles.  So, the next time you’re in your friends Volvo, Saab, or Jaguar and their car is sagging in the rear you can be helpful. Instead of making a crude joke about them having “too much junk in their trunk,” you can politely tell them to have their Mannesman-Sachs Nivomat checked out.