The Fast Lane

Hey, have you checked your Saturn radiator lately? Don’t get too excited about your summer trip if you haven’t check your vehicle’s condition yet. Negligence can put you into trouble, so be diligent enough to check on your car regularly especially when you are planning to travel across the state’s border. You need to consider these tips so that your summer driving experience will be a sure blast.

The heat is on, but don’t let the sun melt you down because of unexpected car problems while driving this summer. Check out these tips and stay cool under the sun!

1. Cooling system: If your engine happens to be cold, verify your coolant and make sure that your radiator fins have not been blocked by dirt or any type of debris. Make sure to keep your fingers away from the electric cooling fan while performing this task and never take away the radiator cap if the engine is hot. In addition to the coolant, check the oil level and the fluids for the power steering, brakes and the transmission.
2. Temperature Gauge: If your temperature gauge shifted into the red zone or the high temperature warning light goes on, pull over to a safe location and stop your engine.
3. Oil: When the temperatures are high, you need oil that provides extra protection for your engine. Fully synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 is a good choice. You see, such has been made to protect your engine at any temperature and provides fuel economy benefits.
4. Belts and hoses: Examine all belts and hoses and look for signs of wear such as sweltering or cracks in the rubber. If they seem to be worn out, remove it and replace it with something new.
5. Tires: In hot seasons, under-inflated tires are more expected to blow or pop out. See to it that once a month, you check on the pressure of all tires. To find the exact pressure mark for your vehicle, look at the driver’s doorframe or check the owner’s manual.
6. Windshield wipers: The rubber on your wiper blades is prone damage because of the summer heat. Check your blades and if they show signs of wear, spend a little cash for a brand new set.
7. Battery: Examine the batteries and battery cables for deterioration, cracks and dirt. If you think your battery is weak, replace it with a brand new battery or just recharge the battery if possible.
8. Lights: Test your headlights on low and high beam, as well as your brake lights, turn signals, side marker lights and emergency flashers.
9. Vehicle Exterior: Wash your vehicle frequently to preserve the paintjob. After it has dried, apply some wax to the exterior to shield the surface from any dirt.
10. Emergencies: Carry an emergency kit in your trunk with some necessary objects in case your vehicle breaks down. See to it that you bring some important stuff like a quart of oil, a gallon of drinking water, jumper cables, windshield washer fluid, basic tools, gloves, a flashlight with some spare batteries and a first aid kit.

“Avoid getting burned by a costly breakdown,” says one auto expert. ”Take care of your vehicle now and it will be more reliable throughout the hot summer.”

Everywhere in the world, you will be annoyed by news regarding price hikes. Either you see people rallying or drivers who are on strike - these sure are affecting the economy as a whole.

But we can’t blame those people and as the answer to this issue, automakers are on the go to battle it out with the high fuel prices through fuel-saving technology. This one aims to increase a few tenths of a mile per gallon of gasoline. Not that demanding, right? But then, if you will look deeper into this technology which comes with quite a number of names, you would see only one thing - whatever the name, it still is the same technology.

It shuts down fuel to several of the engine's cylinders when your vehicle only needs limited power. Amazing, isn’t it?

According to Chrysler, the new line of V-6 engines fortunately will have cylinder deactivation in 2010 while Honda (HMC) asserted that their company will have an improved adaptation of what it calls the Variable Cylinder Management. This one will be seen on V-6 engines soon in the redesigned 2008 Accord which would be coming this fall.

And as for General Motors (GM), according to their execs, they will employ the mentioned feature on the 2008 Buick LaCrosse V-8, the '08 hybrid edition of GMC SUVs and the full-size Chevrolet.

All the mentioned automakers have been selling vehicles with the cylinder cutoff. It aids to boost mileage by about 6%. These cutoff systems work by closing all the valves and halting fuel to those cylinders that are not in use. Then, if the driver desires more power, it will be reactivated in just milliseconds.

According to the Ford spokesman, Nicholas Twork, "We have it, we can use it, but the real-world fuel-economy benefit hasn't been there. Not to say it won't be some day, but for the time being.” And Ford is not even working out to deal with this “cut-off”.

David Champion, the director of auto testing for the Consumer Reports magazine, said that, "Every little bit helps. But I think it's for marketing reasons.” Champion even attested that they’ve figured out that the systems are altered to bring their main features throughout the national fuel-economy test cycle - it’s the test that creates the mileage statistics placed on latest vehicles' window stickers.

The Japanese carmaker seems to have everything figured out which is evident in their sales figures. For the past years, the company from the Land of the Rising Sun has taken on the Big Three and is now considered as the largest car company in the world after it has outsold General Motors last year.

In the United States, the company has made considerable success. The Camry outsells the midsize sedans produced by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Not only that, they have also taken the fight to the Big Three by making the Tundra much bigger in order for it to be a strong challenger to the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado and the Dodge Ram.

In terms of the number of production facility, they rival Ford and Chrysler and even General Motors. In the past decades or so, the Japanese car manufacturer put up factory after factory in the country. The reason for this, of course, is to appease Americans who are blaming the Japanese firm why the American auto industry is suffering its worst slum in history.

By providing jobs to millions of Americans in their assembly facilities, Toyota hoped to reduce the animosity expressed towards them. That is why there are a lot of Toyota plants in the country while General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler are closing down their plants.

Recently though, Toyota announced that they will not be building additional factories in the United States. The reason for this is that the number of facilities they have in the country are reducing profit. In terms of logistics, Toyota’s facilities in the United States are scattered which poses the problem of additional cost in delivering auto parts from a facility to a vehicle assembly facility.

In fact, Toyota pointed out that it would be more profitable to build Toyota vehicles in Japan and then have them shipped into the United States as exports. This step though will result in a greater animosity from Americans which will see that Toyota is taking advantage of the strong value of yen. This animosity may lead to reduced sales and that is one thing that Toyota fears.

For now, their present assembly facilities will remain operational and will continue providing jobs to millions of Americans. While there are a lot of cities in the country courting Toyota to set up a plant in their locality, they may have to wait for an indefinite period of time before a new Toyota plant will be constructed in the country.

The Toyota Motor Corporation decided to delay the production of its next generation Prius according to the Reuters. Based from the report announced by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, the much awaited vehicle will be revealed on the spring of 2009 or maybe even earlier.

We all knew about the promise of Toyota that the new hybrid will be sporting the lightest battery lithium-ion but because of some security reasons the Japanese auto maker decided to change the plan. I guess there will be a big explanation happening coming from the auto maker since the world has been looking forward that the Li-on battery packs will be soon running the car.

The newest biggest car seller of the world have not been officially revealed when the exact launching will be however an agreement was made that the world’s most famous and best seller hybrid car will receive a revamp late in 2008.

The Nikkan Kogyo added that TMC will be replacing the promised Li-ion batteries with its company owned nickel-metal hydride battery packs which are used on some of their hybrids. The replacement is done because the company wants to ensure the quality and the functionality of the new generation Prius.

The Matsushita Electric Industrial Corporation was the company that should have supplied the Li-ion batteries for the new generation Prius. But because these batteries are running hot like those that are used on laptops, mobile phones and PDAs, the car company decided to dispelled the almost perfect battery packs for their hybrid car. The safety concerns of TMC delays the availability of the LI-ion batteries on the new upcoming Prius.

A spokesman from Toyota refused to confirm the exact date of the hybrid car’s launch. He said that it is impossible to abruptly move into a plan when the timing has not been set. He added, "Our policy is to roll out any model when all the conditions are in place.”

The hybrid car Prius followed the launch of the Honda Insight in 1997 and soon after it was released, it became the best seller hybrid car of the world. It was the first mass-produced vehicle and was retuned for its release in 2003 as the second generation Prius. Until this day, Prius still ranks first among all the hybrid cars of the market. The green image of this hybrid car also help improves the reputation of its fellow cars of Toyota. The newest best seller car maker promises that they would make more tune-ups to make it the perfect hybrid car of the future.

Are you safe with your car? Or is it ready to face any situation or any worst case scenario? Can it help you prevent yourself from getting hurt from unexpected occurrences?

Well, if you think your car is not what I’m trying to describe, you better think twice and think of getting something capable of safeguarding you while you drive. Now if you’re truly concerned about this, why don’t buy a car like the Volvo C70? We all know that when it comes to safety, we can always rely on Volvo cars.

Just recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted an evaluation and study on all convertible cars’ safety systems. And one of the top picks of this institute is the Volvo C70. The C70 was affirmed as the safest car today by garnering the number one spot in the crash tests given by the IIHS group. The C70 is one of the best-selling cars in the US last year. The C70 provides the ample amount of protection to passengers and driver with the available safety standards such as the unique inflatable curtain for side impact safety, Volvo’s Roll Over Protection System (ROPS) and multiple grades of steel for frontal and rear impacts.

The C70 was chosen as one of the top picks of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The first crash test was conducted to all convertibles and among of these cars, the Volvo C70 grabbed the top spot! The C70 was a best-seller in the US in 2006 providing an efficient safety systems and occupant protection such as the unique inflatable curtain for side impact safety, multiple grades of steel for rear and frontal impacts and the Volvo Roll Over Protection System or the ROPS.

"For more than 80 years, Volvo has built cars with Safety in mind. We are extremely pleased to have done well in the Institutes' testing program. From the very start of our modern convertible program, our goal was to bring advanced technology and engineering skills into this flagship vehicle," states Anne Bélec, the President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America.

"We found this material to be extremely hard, fatigue resistant and added protection without adding significantly to vehicle weight. UHSS was used to strengthen the 'A' pillar, and when combined with a High Strength Steel tube insert, the 'A' pillar could support the vehicle weight during most types of roll-over accidents,” states Ingrid Skogsmo, the Director of Safety for the Volvo Car Corporation.

The Whiplash Protection System or WHIPS is one of the most reliable and efficient safety standards of Volvo C70’s safety system which help out drivers avoid neck injuries when a collision occurs. The backrests and head restraints in the front seats follow the motions of the driver or the passenger’s body. "As there are no roof members to whom the curtain can be attached it is mounted in the door. When activated it is directed upwards. The curtain has an extra stiff construction with double rows of slats that are slightly offset from each other. This allows them to remain upright and offer effective head protection even with the window open. The curtain also deflates slowly to provide protection should the car roll over. This is a unique solution in the automotive world," noted Skogsmo.

You think with fame and fortune, you can get away from criminal acts without cleaning up your own mess or without paying the price? I don’t think so because money can’t buy everything! The 26-year-old famous Hollywood celebrity and a hotel heiress is now paying the price for violating probation about her reckless driving while under the influence of alcohol - she is now checked into Los Angeles County Jail for three long weeks!

Paris Hilton was ordered to check into the all-female Century Regional Detention Facility. She was allocated with the booking number 9818783. You can laugh out loud now because she will be spending her three weeks with all the 2,000 inmates in the facility with much contact as expected. Oh yes, no special treatment for the hotel heiress is granted!

Before she served her sentence in jail, she had time to participate and appear on the MTV Movie Awards. She was the usual Paris with a strapless black dress that evening and she told the Associate Press that she was really scared but she’s ready to face her sentence! Way to go Paris!

The law shouldn’t be taken for granted nor abused even thou you’re a famous personality or whatsoever. As the famous line goes from Peter Parker’s uncle Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility!” We should all be aware of that and we hope Paris learns her lesson now!

You may say it’s an odd looking car, but let me tell you this - the boxy styling is totally gorgeous and one of a kind! Nothing compares to the Scion xB’s charm and features. If given a chance, I’d be happy to own this vehicle. You know why? Because the inside, out and under of this vehicle are so fabulous! I’m talking about the exterior, interior and its engine performance.

Let me give you some clue of what I’m talking about - here’re some of the special features of the all-new 2007 Scion xB!

• increased wheelbase by four inches
• 16-inch steel wheels
• 10.83-inch ventilated discs in the front and 10.98-inch disc brakes in the rear
• for a lounge-like in
• 21.7 cubic feet of cargo area at the back of the rear seats
• A fixed tray is placed below the rear seats for hidden storeroom and can contain small items like magazines, cameras, laptops, cell phone chargers and CDs etc.
• standard 160-watt maximum output Pioneer audio system
• it features iPod connectivity and a mini-jack port
• xB's optional premium audio system has rear head unit outputs permitting for the addition of external amps to boost power to additional speakers and subwoofers
• key Scion audio system features such as Scion Sound Processing (SSP) with a user-customizable welcome screen, MP3 and WMA capability, Automatic Sound Leveling (ASL) and Sound Retouch Technology (SRT
• 2.4 L dual overhead-cam four-cylinder engine with Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) which produces 158 horsepower
• including power steering, windows, door locks and mirrors
• remote keyless entry
• four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA)
• dazzling turn signals and headlights
• driver and front passenger dual stage airbags; front seat-mounted side airbags; front and rear side curtain airbags
• Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with Traction Control (TRAC); first-aid kit; and tilt steering wheel with audio control
• Exterior color palette for the new xB includes Super White, Classic Silver Metallic, Black Sand Pearl, Nautical Blue Metallic, Blackberry Crush Metallic and Hypnotic Teal Mica.
• xBs will feature high-quality dark charcoal interior fabric.

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