Teenage Drivers

Teaching your teenager to drive can be a real pain! And after having seen teenagers do some pretty reckless things, getting them behind the wheel can be terrifying! That’s why when you’re teaching your teenager to drive, you need to be prepared, know exactly what you want to go over, the order in which you’ll go over it and exactly how you’ll go over it.

This About.com article, “The Five Stages of Learning to Drive,” is a great place to start the journey of teaching your teenager the road: http://bit.ly/jTpB0L

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13 Weirdest Ways to Clean Your Car

As a car owner, you want to treat your car similarly to how you would treat your own body. A car has a skeleton and an entire system of interconnecting pipes and motors that, much like your own body, you want to keep clean and running smoothly. Additionally, a car has a superficial layer that, as an owner, you want looking nice since that is generally what others will see. Besides for these two aspects, however, is a car really that much like a person? Well, according to Reader’s Digests, “13 Weird Tricks to Clean Your Car,” it might be way more like us than you would think. For instance, did you know that using hair conditioner with the ingredient lanolin to clean your car will keep it looking waxed and even repel rain water? How about the fact that a jug of cheap vodka mixed with water and liquid detergent is a way to make your own windshield wiper fluid? And we won’t even go into what they recommend you do with Maxi Pads, but you can surely check it out for yourself by clicking on the link here: 13 Weird Tricks to Clean Your Car

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Air Powered Car Tech

No one likes walking up to the pump and spending over $3 a gallon for gas. But what if you could run your car on something else, something that is everywhere and inexpensive to get? What if you could be driving a car that ran on nothing but air?! It seems too good to be true, almost like something out of science fiction, but...

“That's what Peugeot-Citroen says it will be selling: A hybrid car that runs on a combination of gasoline and air. Digital Trends has an explainer on how they think it works, but they admit they were looking at poorly translated press releases. It seems to use hydraulic power to keep the car running and powering it up to speeds of 43 mph.
In recent years, volatile gasoline prices and worries about long-term supply have sent consumers and entrepreneurs alike searching for alternate fuels and alternate energy sources to power their cars.
Companies all over the world are looking for the newest fuel that will power our vehicles in the future, under the belief that at some point, oil will start running out. In fact, here's a look at some wacky, yet plausible, fuel alternatives that are in the process of development right now that could eventually find their way into your car's gas tank.
Peugeot isn't the first company to think about using air. A small British company is making fuel out of thin air, developing a process that uses air and electricity to manufacture a synthetic fuel that has already powered a Lotus in test drivers.
This one is still a ways away. The company behind the technology, Air Fuel Synthesis, wants to build a full-scale refinery, but that could take 15 years. Still, don't bet against it. Britain's deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, recently visited AFG's testing facility and came away saying, "I feel I've glimpsed the future."

More info and a video here: http://aol.it/10EeWkK

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Car Care: Spring Maintenance Check List

It’s officially March, and spring is just around the corner! You and your car may be excited to hit the road again in the nice weather, but over 9 million people break down and have to call AAA each summer. What can you do to help your car recover from the winter, and get ready for the nicer weather?

“If, like most Americans, you're not driving a fresh-from-the-showroom ride - the average age of passenger vehicles in the U.S. is just over 10 years old - it's time to give your car a little springtime TLC.
"Drivers often overlook their cars when it is spring cleaning time," says Shawn Hoelzer, master technician for CarMax, the largest U.S. chain of used car dealerships. "Following a few easy steps to spruce up your vehicle helps avoid costly repairs."
So take your car to a dealership to get checked out - or, better yet, to an independent mechanic you trust. (See Save $300 on Auto Repair.) Use this spring maintenance checklist to make sure your car is reliable and running efficiently.
Check the battery: You can't get where you are going if the car won't start. "Winter is tough on all the starting components like the starter and alternator. The battery works harder and can get drained," says Jimmie Swims, a specialist at the auto parts chain Auto Zone. Signs of a weak battery: dimming headlights or interior lights; power windows that take longer than usual to go up and down.”

“Check the brakes: Winter conditions and salt on the roads can lead to corrosion of brake parts; Auto Zone's Swims also points out that anti-lock braking systems get an especially hard workout in winter's slick conditions. Nothing is more crucial to your safety than your brakes, so get them checked. Trouble signs: pulling to one side when you hit the brakes, squeaking or grinding noises and a brake pedal that feels too soft.
Tire photo courtesy of Flickr user Bryan Alexander Battery photo courtesy of Flickr user Robert Hruzek”

Full article here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-40542866/car-care-spring-maintenance-check-list/

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Car Confessions Data Chart

We all have little bits of interesting information and odd behaviors somewhere in our relationship with our cars. Some people don’t mind if you smoke in their car, others don’t always wear a seat belt (though they should), and most people have even named their car! This infographic presents the results of a poll where more than 1000 people were asked a variety of questions about their cars, so check out this infographic for the results.








More here:
http://blogs.automotive.com/car-confessions-data-chart-120407.html#axzz2M7LpmIqL

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