Safest Cars For Young Drivers

Written by Hitch on March 30th, 2010

Watching your son or daughter whip out that first driver’s license is a scary moment for parents. You want your children to be safe as possible when they’re driving. Fortunately, there are plenty of cars that are safe for teen drivers. And these cars are even ones that teens will enjoy driving.

The editors of U.S. News & World Report know their cars. They annually rank for cars for everything from fuel efficiency and performance to safety and bang for your buck. The editors have also ranked the top cars for teens and young drivers. It’s a useful list for any nervous parent.

According to U.S. News, the safest car for teen drivers is the MINI Cooper hatchback. This car is known for its long list safety features. It’s also quite stylish, a car that any teen would appreciate driving. It’s not too pricy either, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of about $18,700.

Next on the list is the Toyota Tacoma pickup. This car features tremendous safety features for its class while maintaining a cool look sure to appeal to young drivers. This vehicle is also extremely affordable, with a suggested retail price of about $14,300.

The Toyota Corolla sedan comes in third on the list. Besides safety features, this car features terrific gas mileage. It’s also small enough so that it won’t overwhelm newer drivers. The car’s suggested price tag is in the $14,400 range.

Coming in fourth is the Dodge Charger sedan. It’s not cheap, with a price tag of about $22,000, but it ranks high in all safety tests. The editors at U.S. News cited its “muscle car heritage” as the reason why young drivers will like it.

In fifth place is the Chrysler 300 sedan, which has a cool factor that, as the U.S. News editors put it, is “off the charts.” It’s pricier, too, at about $25,000. But, again, its safety features rank high in all crash-test studies.

Rounding out the top 10 in the U.S. News rankings are the Honda Fit hatchback, Scion xD hatchback, Kia Spectra5 hatchback, Chevrolet Equinox SUV and Honda Civic.

As a parent, you want to do everything you can to keep your young drivers safe. The best way to do this is to steer them toward one of the safe cars on the U.S. News list. This way, when they run off to the store for the first – or the 80th – time, you can rest assured that the car in which they are motoring down the streets is tough, durable and safe.

 

Posted in Car Safety | No Responses »
Tags:

Preparing Your Car For Spring Driving

Written by Hitch on February 10th, 2010

The temperatures are rising. The world is turning green again. You’ve finally stowed your coat and boots in the basement, and tossed your bucket of sidewalk salt in the garage. Yes, spring has arrived. The changing of the season means that it’s time for gardening, bike rides and late-evening walks. But it also means it’s time to give your car a bit of extra attention.

Winter driving is rough on your vehicle. Cars have to content with slippery roads, potholes, road salt and freezing winds. By the time winter ends, your car’s been through a lot. It’s time, then, to give your vehicle a spring cleaning and a spring checkup.

Start with the checkup. It’s always a good idea after a long winter to bring your car to your local mechanic. The repair technicians here can give your vehicle a vigorous tune-up to make sure it’s running properly. The mechanics can also look for any problems that may have developed during the winter months. Loose shocks, damaged tires and body rust are all common problems caused by snow, ice, sleet and, of course, those nasty potholes.

Once your car has been tuned up, make sure to check the pressure in your tires. The ever-fluctuating temperatures of the winter months can cause the air levels in your tire to lower. You don’t want to drive on tires that aren’t filled to their proper capacity. This is a good way to get a sudden flat tire.

Next, give your car a good washing, whether you do it by hand or take it to your local carwash. This is important because the road salt that many municipalities use during the winter can rust away your car’s body. By giving your vehicle a thorough washing, you’ll eliminate that dangerous salt.

Make sure, too, to clean your vehicle’s wheel wells. This is where road salt tends to gather during the winter months. Rust can start in this area of your car quite quickly, so don’t ignore those wheel wells.

End your car’s spring cleaning by giving it a good waxing. This will not only make your car look better, it will also protect its body and paint job.

Taking care of your car in this way is the best strategy for avoiding trips to your mechanic’s shop. Yes, it takes time and money to properly prepare your car for the spring driving season. But remember, it’s far cheaper to give your car a spring tune-up than it is to take it to the mechanic when a serious problem pops up unexpectedly.

 

Posted in Car Care | No Responses »
Tags: ,

Keep Your Car Tires Inflated

Written by Hitch on January 12th, 2010

Have you been making more trips to the gas station every month? Do you notice that your car isn’t taking turns as crisply as it once did? Maybe you even notice that your tires squeal every time you need to take a sharp turn. If so, you may have under-inflated tires. If this is the case, it’s time for you to learn exactly why you should keep your car tires inflated.

Properly inflated tires aren’t just a luxury. They are necessary for safe driving. If you don’t inflate your cars to their proper levels, you greatly increase your chances for an accident. That’s because tires are more likely to suddenly go flat if you don’t inflate them to their proper air pressure.

And that’s just one reason why you need to keep your car tires inflated at all times. Keeping them inflated also saves you money, and leaves you with a car that simply performs and handles better.

You should not consider keeping your tires filled to be a major chore. Many gas stations still allow you to fill your tires at no charge. Even those that do charge, usually levy fees that total no more than $1 to $5 for the average car. Filling tires doesn’t take long, either; you can usually fill all four tires in less than 10 minutes.

So why do so many motorists drive with tires that are severely under-inflated? Maybe they don’t understand the true benefits of keeping their tires filled to the proper level of pressure.

For instance, there’s gas mileage. In today’s dismal economy, consumers are looking to save money however they can. One way to do this is to spend less time at the gas pump. You can do this by keeping your car’s tires properly filled. It’s true: Cars get fewer miles-to-the-gallon when their tires are under-inflated. When they are filled properly, though? Their mileage dramatically improves.

Properly filled tires also result in a car that handles better. When your tires are full, you’ll better be able to navigate quick, sharp turns. You won’t hear the annoying sounds of tires squealing on the pavement as you negotiate a quick turn. In short, your ride will be far more enjoyable.

Don’t ignore your tires. When you don’t inflate your tires to their proper levels, not only do you put yourself at risk of a flat tire, you’ll also spend more time pumping gas into your car’s tank.

 

Posted in Car Maintenance | No Responses »
Tags:

Why Changing Your Oil Is Important

Written by Hitch on December 9th, 2009

You hear the pitch constantly from lube shops and quick-oil-change places: You need to change your oil every 3,000 miles. You want to keep your car running as smoothly as possible, so you listen, dutifully driving your auto to the nearest oil-change shop every time your odometer cracks the 3,000-mile mark. But you can’t help but wonder why changing your oil is important. What, exactly, does oil do for your car?

The key fact to understand about oil is that it is a lubricant. Run it between your fingers. You’ll see that it’s extremely slippery. This is important for your car’s engine. Remember, car engines are pretty violent places. Small explosions, flashing pieces of metal and plenty of moving parts all combine to propel your car down your city’s streets.

Without oil, these moving parts would constantly be rubbing against one another hard enough to create fission. And fission is one thing you don’t want in a car engine. It heats your engine to unsustainable levels. If you skip the oil change for a long enough period of time, smoke will belch from your vehicle’s front hood as you drive down the street. You’ll also severely damage your car’s engine. That’s an expensive repair.

An oil change accomplishes two things: First, it will ensure that there is enough oil in your car to keep your engine fully lubricated. Secondly, it will replace dirty, old oil with fresh and clean oil.

Dirty oil forms clumps that get caught in your engine. You may hear mechanics refer to these clumps as gunk. Gunk gets hot when your engine is firing. When its stuck to the sides and tops of your engine, this hot gunk can increase the heat of your entire engine, leading, again, to serious problems.

If you haven’t had your regular oil change, then, make sure to stop by your local lube shop. Yes, it will cost you money – anywhere from $15 to $60 or so, depending on your lube place – and it will take time out of your day. But isn’t the relatively small charge of an oil change, plus the 15 minutes or so it costs you, fair prices to pay to make sure that your car is running as smoothly as possible?

Don’t ignore the call of an oil change. Now that you know why an oil change is so important for your car, you have no excuse for skipping your regularly scheduled one.

 

Posted in Car Maintenance | No Responses »
Tags: ,

What Should You Do About A Windshield Crack

Written by Hitch on November 17th, 2009

You’re driving down the road when it happens: The truck in front of you kicks up a stone. It smacks your windshield hard, leaving a tiny spider web of a crack. You suddenly have a crack in your windshield … what should you do now?

The best advice? Take care of the crack quickly. If it’s a small crack, you can repair it without having to replace your car’s entire windshield. This will save you a significant amount of money. Fixing a cracked windshield might cost you $15 at the low end. Replacing an entire windshield? The cost of that varies widely depending on the type of car you drive. Figure on spending at least $500, though.

You have several options to fix a windshield crack. You can run a quick online search for “windshield repair kit.” This will turn up several pages of results. Most of these kits, which sell for $10 to $20 or so, include a resin injector system. You simply inject the resin into your windshield crack. The resulting repair is invisible to the naked eye. It will also prevent your crack from spreading across the rest of your windshield.

If you are uncomfortable repairing your windshield crack on your own, you can always search your local phone book or the Internet for nearby windshield repair companies. You’ll pay a bit more. But you’ll be guaranteed a quality job. And working with these companies is still far less expensive than is replacing an entire front windshield.

If you ignore that tiny crack, here is what will happen: Your crack will begin to grow. Before long, it will spider web across your entire front windshield. This is dangerous. Depending on the crack’s location, it could hamper your vision while driving. It’s also illegal. If a police officer stops you for speeding or another moving violation, that officer can also write you a ticket for driving with a broken window.

Needless to say, this can be quite an expensive infraction. Add a $250 ticket to the $500 cost of replacing your windshield, and you’re looking at quite a hit to your wallet. That $15 repair kit sounds a lot better, doesn’t it?

Next time you see a crack start in your front windshield, don’t delay: Get that crack repaired. A windshield crack is a small problem. Unless it’s ignored. It then becomes a big, and expensive, one.

 

Posted in Car Repair | No Responses »
Tags: ,

Aftermarket Parts and Quality

Written by Hitch on October 13th, 2009

True car enthusiasts have a passion for modifying and customizing their cars. They want their vehicles to look like no one else’s. If you, too, want to drive the most unusual car in your neighborhood, it’s time to learn about aftermarket parts. These are any car parts not created by the original manufacturer of your vehicle. The question many people have, though, is a simple one: Are aftermarket car parts good?

The answer isn’t quite as simple: It depends on the individual manufacturer. Some aftermarket part manufacturers boast the same standards of quality as do the bigger, mainstream auto manufacturers. Others cut corners. You’ll have to do your research before ordering any aftermarket parts to make sure you’re working with a company that fits in the former category and not the latter.

There are a wide range of aftermarket parts. Some car enthusiasts order shiny steel rims for their wheels. Others order futuristic-looking lights that shine out from the bottoms of their cars. But whatever you order, you’ll need to do your homework to make sure that the aftermarket parts you are installing are of high quality.

You can start your homework by researching online the aftermarket company with which you want to work. Do a Google search on the company’s name. You might find a list of complaints on message boards and forums about its products. Or, if you’re lucky, you might find a long line of satisfied customers praising the company’s aftermarket parts.

Once you’ve done this research, check with the Better Business Bureau. This agency tracks complaints against a wide variety of companies, including those that work in the auto business. If the aftermarket parts company you are researching has a long list of complaints against it, the Better Business Bureau will have them.

Finally, check with your friends, family members or co-workers who are also into aftermarket auto parts. They will undoubtedly have recommendations, and warnings, for you. If they recommend a company, you can work with that manufacturer with confidence; your friends or family members wouldn’t want to steer you to a manufacturer that produces unreliable aftermarket auto parts.

Aftermarket car parts can set your vehicle apart from anyone else’s. But buying them can turn out to be a significant waste of money if you don’t do your research first. Investigate any aftermarket parts company with which you are considering working. This research might prevent you from making an expensive mistake.

 

Posted in Car Repair | No Responses »
Tags: ,

Do You Need New Brakes?

Written by Hitch on September 12th, 2009

Few car parts are as important to your safety as are your auto’s brakes. Yet most of us ignore them. Brakes that aren’t functioning properly can lead to serious car accidents; you don’t want yours to fail when you turn a sharp corner to see a stalled car just feet from the front of your vehicle. The question, then, is this: How do you know when you need new brakes?

The best way to determine if it’s time to replace your car’s brake pads is to rely on your ears. Many vehicles today come with a warning signal that tells you exactly when it’s time to take your car into the shop for a brake job. It’s a signal that’s hard to misplace for anything else.

Generally, when your brakes need replacing, you’ll hear a high-pitched whining sound while you’re driving. You won’t hear this sound when you’re applying pressure to your brakes, just as your vehicle is moving. Credit this to a handy little device known as an indicator. Car manufacturers insert them in their vehicles as a way to alert drivers to brake problems.

You should be able to hear this sound even with your car windows rolled up. Don’t crank up the radio and ignore it. It’s warning you of a serious repair job that should not be tackled as soon as possible.

You should also listen to a grinding sign when you brake your car. This is a good way to tell that brakes need some repair, especially if your vehicle doesn’t come with a built-in indicator to warn you. Again, grinding brakes are an indication of serious problem with your brakes. Don’t ignore the sound; your brakes aren’t going to magically fix themselves.

Brake jobs usually aren’t cheap. In today’s economy, no one wants to spend large sums of money on car repairs. Owning a car, what with higher gas and insurance prices, is expensive enough. But replacing old brake pads simply shouldn’t be put off. If you do, you can put not only yourself at risk, but your passengers, too.

Maintaining your car’s brakes is one sign that you are a responsible vehicle owner. As soon as you hear a high-pitched whining or a grinding sound, take your vehicle to the nearest mechanic. Then, when you drive out with new brake pads, you can drive down your city’s streets confident that you have put safety first.

 

Posted in Car Maintenance | No Responses »
Tags: ,