Mike’s Cars Blog

We should always keep a spare tire whenever we use our vehicle and go somewhere else. However, we may be lucky enough to not suffer from the disadvantage and hard work of replacing our car tires along the road. For a long time, we may have that spare tire kept and idle.

If in case you suddenly broke that tire of yours and you realized that the tire you have as spare has been sleeping for so many years now, think twice first and examine your tire if it could still be used and give you a safe ride. After so many ears of being idle, your tire may have lost its elasticity that could cause accidents along the road. Some hidden defects may have been caused by the long time it has been kept in your compartment. It may be rotten inside and if used, could cause the driver to lose his control while driving especially when driving at high speeds.

Tires are made of polymeric materials that may degrade after a certain period of time. To check when the car was manufactured, look at the last four digits of the embossed series of number on the outer or side wall of your tires that indicates the week and year it was made such as 2406 which implies that your tire is manufactured on the 24th week of 2006. According to vehicle safety experts, tires could be reliable until it reaches its 6th year and tires that are more than six years of age could cause tire failures.

Another important to consider is to check your manual. A certain portion should be allotted there for your car tires safety precautions. You may also request for a maintenance assistant to kindly check your spare tire as well even just every 6 months to determine whether you have to get yourself another spare tire. If you¢re stranded on the highway, check the appearance of your spare tire, use it temporarily until you get your destination and visit and auto shop to verify if your old spare tire is still in good shape.

The aim to eliminate the pollution and harmful effects of Lead caused by leaded gasoline led to the birth of unleaded gasoline. Leaded gasoline was used years ago to prevent the knocking-effect in the car’s engine, which is addressed by the presence of Lead in the gas. At present, unleaded gasoline and several car engine innovations have made leaded gasoline to obsoletion.

Presently, there are different grades of gasoline that could be used in your car: unleaded, super unleaded and premium unleaded. You just have to check which type is advised in your car owner’s manual. These types differ in the octane rating where the higher octane rating depicts better performance and more cost. A higher octane rating makes your engine have faster acceleration and more power plus a less violent explosion in your cylinder. You can use the grade specified in your manual or something higher than that, but not lower. There are also some types which are advertised to have other additives that could keep the engine cleaner and this, of course, cost more.

An important thing to note is to fill your tank in gas stations where several vehicles are filled up and gas supply is easy replenished. In this way, you’ll be sure you’ll get fresh gas and no “unwanted stock” will clog your tank.

We may be so concerned with the outside appearance of our car, specifically its paint, tint, rust-infected areas ad so many more. However, some people may take the inside of the car for granted. We may have the best looking car physically (outside) but when we invited friends to share the ride with us, we may create a major turn-off and negative impression if we have a dirty and stinky car.

Our vehicle takes us to places we want to go and it gives us the convenience of having a ride during a bad wintery weather. It is therefore a must that we do every little thing that we could to keep our auto clean and presentable.

Every corner of your car should be cleaned regularly to ensure you won¢t be keeping some disgusting stuffs in there. If you went to the store and bought something like fish or meat, clean your car immediately. See to it that you include cleaning your compartment and properly arrange your tool box and other stuffs in it. Decorate it with a few pillows and clean seat covers; but do not decorate too much. (You might over decorate your car and forget about your safety.) Buy some air freshener with a scent that¢s just right to keep your car smelling nice. Get your car prepared to make sure you¢ll have a ride that¢s worth riding. Keep it clean and smelling fresh, make it look nice from the outside to the inside.

In love with cars?! Yes! And do you know that there exists a line of cars that is called YES? This little sports car was introduced in the 2008 Chicago auto show, by Funke & Will AG. The speculative minds have studied the features that may capture car lovers, specifically those in love with sports cars.

Just a glimpse of the 2008 YES Roadster 3.2 will surely make you utter that “WOW!” for its cool looks that will definitely cause a lot of street heads to turn just to see this car again.

The Roadster weighs around 2000 lbs, about the same weight as Lotus Elise. The performance is also similar with Lotus but could be availed in a much higher price. Roadster 3.2 makes a horsepower of 255 and will reach 60mph in just 4.8 seconds and could be availed at $77,995. To get the turbocharged version to add another 100 hp and a much faster 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, could cost you $20,000 more while another $7,995 could give it a total of 415 hp. Removable hard top, heated seats and nav system are also available, but for another extra cost. The Roadster is just another proof that it really pays to have a beautiful car.

To have a good view of the road, you should always keep and maintain a clear windshield. Your windshield may be made of glass or plastic that when suffered from a little crack could lead to propagation to make an even bigger and more noticeable crack.

You may sometimes drive along rocky roads and a stone may hit your windshield that could cause a little crack on it. A lot of people may think that an immediate replacement would be the only solution to get rid of this problematic windshield but a little repair could get rid of it and let you save a lot.

Windshield repairs are already offered in auto repair shops. The repair includes the use of an advanced technology to prevent that crack from propagating. Cleaning and filling the damaged area are the major steps in the repair. The windshield must be properly cleaned to ensure that no dirt will be trapped inside the glass and it must be dried as well to prevent the windshield from cracking again on the same area. A resin is used to fill the crack and the curing process is aided by ultraviolet light. The clarity of the repaired portion may slightly vary from the unaffected portions.

After the repair, your windshield is almost as good as new, with lots of dollars saved for having the repair instead of the total replacement. You just have to find a reliable windshield repair provider to minimize that blurred portion after the repair.

Mike’s Cars Blog is a blog that is dedicated to providing information about automobiles, cars, and sports utility vehicles (SUV). Here you will be able to find and read articles about choosing a car, where to get car financing, basic trouble shooting, setting up your ride and doing minor repairs.