2021 – Page 3

Car Trends That Need To Stop

May 9, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

Automotive is progressing rapidly, Faster cars can now travel fastest. Cars are looking stylist at the same time they are fast and safe. Most of the modern automobile trends are splendid. Adaptive headlamps, Ventilated seats, automatic wipers are awesome but at same time there are some weird trends which are totally irritating to eyes. Automobile manufacturer always try to introduce new unique and exciting designs; not all innovations are good some innovations are disaster.

Let’s look at modern car trends that car manufacturer needs to stop producing.

One developing trend is going on right now is eliminating physical buttons and moving these functions to touch screen. Let’s discuss infotainment touchscreen first, that is available right from entry level economy cars to luxury cars nowadays. These Touchscreen are super sleek, looks cool and feel upmarket on dash boards. Some touch screen display looks like they are glued inside the car rather than integrated in dashboards. You will have to get your eyes off the road to use touch screen panel to reduce or increase volume when car doesn’t have steering mounted control.

How many features can be controlled while driving on single touch screen. Some manufacturers decided to have all the controls through touch screen. Touch Screen AC control is just a gimmick. In Honda City, you need to use touch screen to control AC fan speed. It looks very fancy, futuristic and also add to feel good factor. When you are driving on hills or bumper to bumper traffic, touch control can be extremely dangerous. Driver will have to get eyes off the road to look over AC control panel to control temperature or reduce blower speed. Without looking at touch screen panel driver may activate wrong function as touch buttons are placed very close to each other.

Voice commands technology in cars is far behind mobile Phones. Differentiating regional accent is the major problem. It takes longer to recognize command and follow instruction. Command misinterpretation is common problem.

In Generation Y, everybody has smart phones and they have internet on phone with 4G data connection. Mobile data connection is fast enough to do anything anytime. Really difficult to understand why manufacturer are offering Wi-Fi hot spots in car just to lure customers. Mobile wifi works even better than car Wi-Fi in some situation. Wi-Fi may affect your privacy as well. Manufacturers can easily obtain your data of video you watch or social media account details and most importantly your location.

It’s an offence to use mobile phone while driving then question arises why manufacturer use smartphone integration and mirror linking in car infotainment display.

Piano Black finish on dash board. Piano Black or any glossy interior that is either reflective or metallic. These are fake piano black textures made with poor quality plastics and sometimes it gets reflection. The Sun hit it and reflect in driver eyes and making really hard to see out of the car. It looks good but soon it shows hairline scratches. It gets covered with smudgy finger prints and dust. It also gets dirty very quickly.

Flat Bottom Steering wheel actually makes driver uncomfortable.

Vents and Air Dams looks cool and sporty. Functional vents help to pass air and reduce drag resistance. It also keeps car engine cool. There has been extremely good-looking design in 90s and early 2000s. Simply look at bonnet air dam of 2007 Scorpio. It looks amazing. Fake vents are totally irritating to eyes. New generation cars come with big vents; those vents are not functional. Those vents are added to design to improve car aesthetics. We are at the end of internal combustion era but vents are becoming bigger and bigger. Engines are becoming smaller and efficient; these engines require less amount of airflow.

In economy car its ok to have fake exhaust but sports cars, luxury sedans and SUVs; there is no need to have fake exhaust. Style exhaust has been around decade. It is becoming increasingly bolder aesthetic part of new car design. Fake exhaust portrays image of power prestige. In high end performance cars, there is no need to have fake exhaust.

A Pillar is the foremost roof pillar in a vehicle. Rollover test and roof strength test gives it a lot more importance to A Pillar as a result A Pillar is getting thicker and thicker. Roof strength helps in safety of occupants during rollover protection but now it comes at cost of outward visibility. Some car manufactures come with innovative concepts like lattice on A Pillar.

Sometime manufacturer offers services at premium price but these services are almost free for any economy car. For example; Suzuki Connect, Buyer will have to pay for subscription but you can get similar service barring one or two additional features with any OBD device available on Amazon.

Massive front Grills: Really don’t understand why car need massive big grills.

Performance badging and actual performance model look identical but there is vast difference between them.

Car size is growing steadily. What if someone want small vehicle. If you stay in village, it does not matter but if you stay in metro cities it really matters and car doesn’t fit in tight parking spaces.

You might have noticed spare wheel in your car is smaller as compared to other wheels. Width and profile of spare wheel is also small. Car manufacturer have started following international standard where car have run flat tires and it is not mandatory to provide spare wheel with car but here in India we don’t have good roads.

Luxury Cars Features Offered in Regular Cars

May 2, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

Gesture Controlled Tail Gate

Some Premium Cars allows easy access to load luggage in boot, just by making smooth kick motion below boot. The tailgate opens automatically. This feature is available in cars like Hyundai Verna and Skoda Superb. The sensors are located below the rear bumper one on either side. When sensor recognizes foot gesture the turn signal flash and opens tailgate automatically.

Electronic Seat Adjustment

Car Front seats can be adjusted electronically in order to make passenger and driver more comfortable while driving. There are adjustment control buttons given on either of seats. The front control moves entire seat forward and back and also let you adjust height of the seat cushion. By pulling the Centre of the button, you can also adjust height of the entire seat. The vertical control allows you to adjust the seat back. Push top of vertical control button to recline or pull bottom to adjust seat to straighter position. In addition, some manufacturer offers two way or four-way lumbar control switch. Simply by pressing top or bottom of control occupant can adjust lumbar height in three position top, middle and bottom. The firmness of lumbar can be adjusted by pressing front of button. Electronic seat adjustment is available in Toyota Yaris, Kia Seltos and many other mid segment sedan and SUV cars.

Heads Up Display

Car manufacturer offers 8 inches heads up display with top variants. Heads up display is basically a transparent glass pops up at the push of the button. It can provide vital information to driver such as Vehicle speed, Speed Limit Alert, turn by turn navigation, Cruise control etc. Since that vital information is available to driver’s line of sight, driver can focus on road without getting distracted. This feature normally available in luxury sedan but Kia also offers this segment first feature in Seltos GTX variant.

Automatic Parking

Now a days we have cars that can park themselves. The automatic parking system incorporates front, Back and side sensors that measure parking space for car. Sensor gets activated when auto parking switch is on. System sounds warning alert, to stop and inform driver that suitable parking space is available. System automatically steers the car. System informs driver to put car in reverse through audio message. Driver just need to use the brakes to control the speed. System will also tell when park assist is finished. Skoda Superb and Ford Endeavour offers similar feature.

Ventilated front seats

Premium Car brands like Mercedes Benz and BMW has perforated leather seats. There is fan inside the seat that blows cool air from seat bottom as well as seat back. It keeps occupant cool and dry from sweating. Normally this feature offers three levels of cooling high, medium and low. Kia Sonet and Hyundai Verna offer this feature in top trims.

Emergency assistance service

Emergency Assistance service is feature which nobody wants to use like an airbag but it’s very important safety feature. System connects mobile phone via Bluetooth. If emergency assistance service detects an accident, Emergency assistance will use Bluetooth to call the emergency services directly from phone. SYNCs multilingual support will speak for driver even if driver is not speaking local language. The vehicle exact GPS location will be given. Emergency assistance is built upon the existing emergency infrastructure. Emergency Assistance call is given priority. The driver is able to override and cancel the service if it’s not required. This important safety feature is offered by Rolls Royce and Ford.

Wrist Band key

Tata Nexon and Altroz Activity key is a robust and fully waterproof security wrist strap. It allows driver and passenger to enjoy range of activities like swimming, running where it is difficult to keep smart access key secured. Wrist Band key can be used to lock and unlock the car. When activity key is activated, the vehicle locks the alarm system and any smart key remain inside the vehicle disables.

Active Roll Over protection

Umbrella Holder

All Rolls Royce manufactured after 2003 have umbrella holder in door. Just press the button and umbrella pops out. Skoda Superb, Tata Altroz and Nexon also provides space to keep wet umbrella.

Wireless Phone Charger

Gi enabled mobile phone charger available in Hyundai Creta and Aura can charge mobile phone wirelessly in car.

Gesture control Infotainment System

BMW offers gestures control that enable some functions to be operated by moving your hand. When you move your hand in circular direction with your index figure pointed forward, you can change volume, Clockwise direction to increase the volume, anti clockwise to reduce the volume. Toyota Yaris also offers gesture control. You can swipe your palm in front of infotainment system to change the music or increase volume.

Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control

It allow Driver and front passenger to select desire temperature separately. When dual switch is turn on, the driver and front passenger can select temperature according to their individual needs. Mahindra XUV 300 offers this feature in W8 trim.

Car Washing Tips for Beginners

April 24, 2021May 16, 2021 VD

Use nice microfibre cloth or something with similar softness for cleaning. Never use paper towel, Old T-shirt, Sponge and bathing towel on paint. Use nice microfibre cloth that absorbs water well. Even for cleaning of tire rims, use microfibre cloth with lubricant or wheel cleaner. Always snap out microfibre towel, to get any loose dirt, dust rocks out that may scratch paint. Never use dropped towel directly for cleaning. When you drop towel, it picks up small rock, dirt and debris that can scratch car paint.

Always Use two buckets for car cleaning. Make sure you use clean bucket. One bucket for soap water. It’s a clean bucket and another bucket is a rinse bucket. Fill rinse bucket with water all the way to top and rinse microfibre cloth in rinse bucket after cleaning that allows all unwanted dirt, dust, rocks to settle down in rinse bucket. Soap water bucket won’t get contaminated.

Cleaning in swirling motion: Pick a direction right to left and clean in that direction. If you clean car surface in swirling motion, you are more likely to scratch car surface at different angle.

Clean from top of the car to bottom of the car: Always start cleaning your car at the top and then finish cleaning at bottom. Use different microfibre towel for cleaning rims and car body, In order to prevent all dirt getting on the towel and scratching the whole car. All car’s bottom is lot more dirty than top. Quite obvious! All road grime, dirt and mud stick up bottom of the car.

Use Shampoo made car detailing: Always use automotive soap as these products are exclusively made for car cleaning. Automotive soap foams really well and provides lubrication while using microfibre cloth against car surface. These products are pH balanced hence they won’t strip out the wax coating. Kitchen soaps/hair shampoo are not pH balanced so they may damage clearcoat of car and also can strip out wax coating.

Car surface gets hot in direct sunlight. The water you are using to clean your car will get evaporate and leave water marks on car surface that looks ugly. Shampoo and other chemical being used for car cleaning and polishing are not made for hot surfaces. Because of these are two major reasons you should never clean your car in direct sunlight.

Use lubrication while cleaning car: Never use towel against dry surface of car. Make sure the towel you are using is completely covered in soap and water, so it provides proper lubrication and won’t scratch your car. If you notice bird dung spots on your car, never just wipe this off with a towel. Bird dung has acid in it which can break down paint and clearcoat. Always spray some lubricant and then wipe out.

Black car shows scratches very easily hence it is very difficult to clean a black car. Never use power washer while cleaning. Always check water pressure before using. If you put your hand in front of car washer if it hurts your hand then it’s is too much pressure for your car.

Never use any chemical on brake pedal, accelerator, gear knob and steering wheel that makes it slippery. This could make driving dangerous and potentially cause an accident.

Must Have Safety Features in Car

April 17, 2021August 7, 2021 VD

Following are top 10 safety features that should have been offered even in base variants of entry level cars

Tyre Pressure monitoring system

Properly inflated tires help in the best performance, the best fuel economy, reduce blow out and extend tire life. TPMS stands for Tire Pressure monitoring system that consist of sensors that go in each of car wheel and They tell driver about car tire current pressure. When TPMS check 25% reduction in tire pressure it illuminated light on dashboard. In advance countries like USA; TPMS is a mandatory installment for all new cars after year 2008. If your car has TPMS sensors and that is five years old its time to replace sensors.

Headrest

Headrest prevent whiplash injury. Head rest quickly catches head during emergency. Whiplash injury occur when head is lag behind the body and neck is not able to pull the head along. A lot of cars have movement or adjustment that will move the headrest or just tilt.

Rear parking sensors

The rear parking sensors helps to enhance driver alertness by detecting object close to vehicle while parking. There are sensors in all four corners of the vehicle that can detects object within 32 inches in rear; the rear center sensor can detect objects about 43 inches. Audible alters are issued when objects are detected. The moderate beeping occurs when rear center sensor detects objects between 43 and 32 inches of the vehicle. Beeping becomes more rapid when any sensor detects an object within 32 inches to 22 inches. Objects between 32 inches and 18 inches trigger even quicker beeping and it becomes continuous when objects are 18 inches or less from sensor.

AirBag

D Pedal

ABS with EBD

ABS prevents wheel lock up and delivers improved steering control during hard braking. ABS helps tire to maintain better grip on road during difficult stops and helps with better grip to stop the vehicle more effectively. Tire steer better too. A skidding tire has less braking and cornering capability than a rolling tire. A skidding tire generates very little cornering force hence ABS help to improve driver’s ability to stop and steer at the same time.

EBD reduces brake pressure at lightly loaded wheels that are more prone to skid. When driver steps on the brake pedal during a straight ahead stop; the vehicle weight transfers forward to front wheels; when driver steps brake pedal while cornering, the vehicle weight transfers to the outside wheels in both cases momentum shifts weights and reduces braking grip on a specific set of wheels with less vehicle weight. ABS wheel-based sensors are designed to detect this weight difference before it turns into full fledge skid and began to reduce pressure to the less loaded wheels. With EBD, the brakes can be modulated more precisely to keep brake force at wheels to the most traction and maintain vehicle stability.

Manual Antiglare Mirror

Nighttime driving can be stressful for small car drivers. Headlight glare from rear view mirror can reduce visibility, cause fatigue and discomfort. Antiglare mirror can help diminish eye strain and improve night time driving safety. Antiglare mirrors are design to reduce light intensity from vehicle behind you.

ISOFIX Child Mount

It is a standardized international car set fitting system. It was first developed in 1997 and made standard in all cars in year 2006. ISOFIX makes installing car seat simple, easy and quick. ISOFIX latch on specially designed anchor points and metal clip at base of seat of the car. ISOFIX also comes with antitipping and anti-rotational device to provide better stability. Top tether is a secured belt that attaches to car top tether anchor point which is either on boot floor or seat back. These are universal ISOFIX car seat. There are semi universal ISOFIX car seats that support leg of foot prop that rest on floor of the car. ISOFIX provides more direct and rigid connection by attaching chassis of the vehicle. It also reduces risk of incorrect installation making safest way to secure your child in the car.

Emergency Stop Signal

The emergency stop signal feature detects the emergency or panic braking condition and warns trailing vehicle by making brake lights and hazard lights blink. During panic braking brake lamps will blink based on vehicle speed followed by hazard lamps blinks to warn oncoming traffic. This helps reduce the chance of rear collision during emergency or panic braking.

Seatbelt Pretensioner with force limiter

Recent advancement in seatbelt technology have resulted in more sophisticated technology that enhances occupant protection while helping reduce injury from system itself. Pretensioners automatically retracts the seat belts and securing occupant instantly during sever deceleration. The aim is to control occupant movement within the cabin space while ensuring belts are comfortable in everyday use. To avoid injury to the occupants by seatbelt themselves force limiter systems were used. Force limiter system come into play when seatbelt pressure applied to occupant predetermined level at that point limiter allows the belt to extend to help reduce the impact on occupant chest. In serious collision when SRS airbag may deploy the pretensioner activates with airbag after a signal is received from SRS sensor assembly. Force limiter reduce the load applied to occupant’s chest. Combined these systems help comfortable airbag deployment during front collision. As an added steps vehicle are equipped with adjustable height seat belts, they should adjust correctly for occupant of different heights to maximize safety.

Speed Sensing Auto Lock & Unlock

It is a very important safety feature. Car gets automatically locked when it gets speed of 15 to 20 kmph. Also all doors and boot automatically unlocked if any of these conditions are met, The car is stand still and key is removed from the ignition, If any one of the door is opened from inside, In event of an accident the airbags have been triggered. Automatic unlocking gives access to the emergency crew or people nearby to help occupants in an emergency situation.

About Avutovable

April 13, 2021April 13, 2021 VD

Autovable is made for one who loves automobiles. Someone who wants stay updated about automobiles. Our forte is keep updating articles on interesting topics about automobiles. Autovable provides unbiased advice to readers to buy new or second hand car, Tips while buying, new car discounts etc. If you are planning to purchase a new car just leave a query we will reply with help of automobile experts.

This website will also share ownership experiences, driving experiences. Every month Autovable post latest news about automobile.

5 EASY TIPS FOR CAR OWNERS WHICH DO REQUIRE EXTRA MONEY

April 11, 2021April 13, 2021 VD

Always check tyre pressure after refuelling

Tires are often most neglected of all car parts. Tires play exceptional role in controlling your vehicle as well as your safety and comfort. An underinflated tire may cause various problems. Even most fuel efficient car won’t give you desired mileage with inflated tires. It may also result in lack of control. Also underinflated tires may end up with high body roll and uncomfortable ride. Maintain proper tire pressure will not only ensure your safety but you’ll get more life of your tire. Properly inflated tire will allow precise handling and cornering. Most of the petrol pumps in India have facility of air pressure gauge. You can use this facility free of cost.

Half Filling the Fuel Tank

Every car owner’s biggest concern is fuel efficiency. If you are not driving your car daily it is better idea to half fill fuel tank. Bharat Stage VI unleaded petrol has a density of 720 to 775 gm per litre. Let’s consider an average density of 750 gm per litre. If your tank capacity is 50 Litres total weight you carry with full tank is 37.5 KG. Half-filled fuel weight shall be 18 kg hence you don’t have to carry extra 18 kg of unwanted petrol weight which ultimately increases your car fuel efficiencies. This logic also applies to carrying extra luggage in boot.

Always drive minimum 7 to 8 kms after cold start

Real damage happens to an engine when it is getting hot-cold-hot. Most of the times you might have seen courier cars being driven for short period of time and stop long enough to cool down and then driven for short distance, this habit will not only cause wear and tear of engine but also poor fuel efficiency. The metal parts in an engine are expanding and contracting over and over which ultimately accelerates damages to engine.

Keep car exterior clean

Wash a car every month at car service centre. Removing dust, dirt and pollutant from car surface is one of the important reasons to keep car exterior clean. There are certain hidden benefits as well. You are keeping car paint intact which will give you better resale value. Better visibility can protect you from accident. Car fuel consumption goes up due to a layer of dirt. A clean car reduces air resistance while driving and increases fuel economy.

Check Fluids level

Check Brake oil and Engine oil once a week. It takes only a minute to check engine oil level once in a week but that one minute could save your engine from serious damage. Always check Engine oil when engine is cool and oil is settled. Along with Engine oil you can also check anti-freeze/Coolant, Brake and clutch oil fluids levels through the semi-transparent plastic reservoirs. The fluid level should be maintained between maximum and minimum mark.

Test Drive A Car Like A Pro

April 10, 2021September 5, 2021 VD

No matter you buy a used car or brand new car, always test drive on leisure day at convenient time and place.

Always test drive on leisure day at convenient time and place

Schedule a test drive preferably on Sunday or Holiday. Scheduling a test when you are not in hurry will help you to understand your next car better. It takes 2 hours to complete a test drive and pre-post discussion with sales executive.

Always test all shortlisted cars on same day

Tests drive all shortlisted cars on same day, why? Driving experience remains fresh in your mind and you can compare cars better to arrive at final decision. Also test drive minimum three to four cars in single day for better comparison. Don’t forget to reset trip meter to check real life mileage according to your driving habits.

Test drive only the version/variant you have selected

Don’t hesitate to ask car dealer to provide a variant you intend to buy. Same thing applies to power train. Generally, test drive vehicles are top variants. In case that particular powertrain and variant is not available with dealer you can try to contact another car dealership. If the variant you want is not available for test drive, you can even ask a dealer to show that variant so that you can inspect features.

Check each and every features of car

Car manufacturers offer some useful features and some gimmick features. It is important to prioritize features you want before new car booking and also it is necessary to check each and every feature during test drive. You can even ask sales executive to demonstrate car features. Obviously, you cannot ask him to demonstrate airbags functioning.

Check "A" pillar size and obstruction

Driver may face visibility problems. Tall driver may face problems if car have a fillet round A Pillar, while short drive face visibility problems if a car has quarter window.

Check Gear low end torque.

Low end torque is equally important as car BHP numbers when car is driven every day in city traffic. When your car has good low end torque means you have access to power and you don’t have to down shift the gears when accelerating from lower speed and also during overtaking, so overall drive experience is more relaxed.

Check braking

Feel the brakes. Check the brakes are too weak or too strong. If brakes are powerful then braking efforts are less.

Check handling of car

It is important to drive minimum 10 KMs during test drive. Don’t drive only on highway and good road, driving a car on rough road will let you know suspension performance and rattling noise in cabin. Test drive at different gear ratios and different speed to check engine and gear box performance.

Check clutch travel

Driving a car with more clutch travel in city traffic condition is painful. Driving in slow moving traffic can be quite a painful experience when clutch travel is more. Clutch should travel down ¾ inch to 1 inch without any efforts and after that considerable efforts require to depress down the floor. Low clutch travel can relieve driver’s stress.

Car Engine noise and vibration in cabin

Vehicle interior comfort is very crucial. Sound produced by internal combustion engine can cause irritation, stress and reduced concentrate while driving. Engine vibration is major reason behind distress. Car buyer should never neglect engine noise and vibration while considering car luxury and comfort.

Car air conditioning

We live in tropical climate where we experience humidity and heat almost 8 to 10 months in a year. Hence it is important to check car air condition performance and it is more important to check engine performance when car A/c is switch on. Some cars offer bigger compressor for fast cooling. Car air condition performance also depends of cabin size, condenser, cooling coil and blower speed.

Call test drive vehicle at home.

Single most benefit of calling test drive vehicle at home is to check vehicle can be parked in available parking space with minimum efforts. Also, you can call family to check and feel the comfort of vehicle.

You can even book OR subscribe a rental car, you can experience the car for a month or two and then you can book your next car. At the end don’t forget to carry valid driving license for test drive a car. Also, if you are not satisfied don’t feel shy to ask for second test drive before buying a car.

Driving Habits

April 10, 2021April 11, 2021 VD

That May Ruin Your Car and Dig Your Pocket

More time you spend on driving more driving skills you acquire, you also acquire certain habits. Not all habits are good one and over period of time it becomes harder for you to break it. Some common habits are listed here that will ruin condition of your car. This post will help you to avoid ruining your car and saves unnecessarily expenditure on repairs.

Frequent Breaking

Braking is a skill to be mastered. It needs regular practice to do it correctly. Moreover proper braking makes driving process less stressful for both driver and the passenger. Unnecessarily braking requires regular brake check-ups and certain cases need brake pad and disc replacement. To avoid these expenses it is always better keep safe distance while driving in traffic. If you still decided to brake frequently better keep good amount of money for brake hose, brake pad and brake discs replacement.

Harsh Braking on Bump and Potholes

Potholes are drivers’ worse enemy. Potholes can potentially damage tyres, rims and suspension. When you hit pothole and hit brake pedal at same time, there is dual pressure puts on car suspension system. This impact results in suspension system damage/bent, broken suspension components, premature wear and tear of shocks and struts. Always keep safe distance between vehicles so that you can spot pothole and slow down your vehicle that will save the car from the impact.

Resting your hand on Gear Stick

Never rest your hand on gear Knob, it puts small but constant pressure on gear knob. Transmission set is complex and they have many moving parts. Your habit might result in displacement of synchronisers and gear. Ultimately leads to a problem of shifting gears. Gear box that is not working seriously can cause serious problem on road and in car mechanics. This bad habbit may lead to huge expense on transmission repairs. Better move your hands to steering wheel to rather than resting on gear knob..

Be gentle while engaging reverse gear

It is advisable to shift reverse gear gently. In normal practice we shift reverse gear with full energy which cause potential damage to reverse gear teeth which why you may have notice noise coming from the transmission.

Refuelling only when tank is almost empty

The fuel filter starts damaging due to dirt, as fuel contains certain impurities. When car is not under use these impurities accumulates at the bottom and forms sediments. It is advisable that tank should be at least half filled with fuel.

Frequent braking while driving downhill

Many new drivers tend to keep their foot on brake pedal at higher gear while driving downhill so that car is ready to stop at any movement but this practice leads to braking system over heating and wearing out brake pads and discs. The correct method to do is to shift to lower gear and initiate engine braking; reducing engine speed reduces vehicle speed which helps to reduce use of brakes. Don’t get panic while hearing roaring engine sound that is pretty normal. Professional race drivers often use technique to slow down while taking another turn.

Neglecting to use hand brake

Car manufacturer recommend use of parking brake to immobilize any parking vehicle. When Car with automatic transmission is parked on the slope; the entire burden falls in lock gear. Also when car is in Park, Not a common but may cause car to roll away, hence hand brake is required. Hand brake helps to relieve stress and tension on transmission and other moving component. It doesn’t really matter if your car has manual or automatic transmission.

Ignoring Suspicious sound

Though most modern engines doesn’t need warming up but during cold freezing temperature it is advisable to keep engine running for 2 to 3 minutes. During that time you can adjust mirrors, adjust driver seat and clean windows, windshield.

Remember to driver carefully and patiently.

Things You Should Consider While Buying A New Car

April 10, 2021August 8, 2021 VD

According statistics Indian car owners change their car once in every six to seven years which is pretty long period. Consider these 10 tips while buying your dream car.

Resale Value

Never consider resale value of the car as important criteria while buying a new car since you buy car for your own use and not for the second hand car buyer. Even though resale value is still important criteria for you then you should consider some important features. First is the car brand matters a lot. There are brands e.g. Maruti Suzuki Cars are more popular among pre-owned car buyers. Old car sales market is bigger than new car sales in India. Don’t forget about its colour; white is most popular colour in India, one in every five cars is white followed by silver and grey. Red, Orange or green colours are not that popular here in India.

Features that you need

Make check list of features that you need right from most important one to least important. Choose car variant very wisely according to features that you need. If you don’t smoke you don’t need lighter. All active and passive safety features are important. Additional airbags, Auto dimming rear view mirrors, head restraints and ABS are important and never save your money by neglecting these features.

Car Maintenance.

Many people take car price into consideration. They forget further expense on technical service/maintenance, insurance and other hidden charges. Car maintenance cost will increase year on year. If your income is not aligned with it will be difficult for you to keep the car running.

Big car OR small Car

Always consider number of times you are going to use the car, number of passengers, think where you will be driving the vehicle, If you stay in metro city where roads are generally good think about sedan car, if you are a joint family consider MPV, SUVs can be consider for people who drive on bad roads.

New Launch Car

Never buy a car that is just launch in your country. For first three years company gather information, issues and improvements required to make car more reliable. Best choice will be a car model that is older than 3 years.

Car prestige and technical characteristics

If you can afford then go for a better car. Surprised! Better car will take you all new level of driving experience in terms of performance, safety and comfort. It’s always better to focus on technical specification, reliability and price. It’s not about prestige.

Research

Gather as much information as possible from reliable websites, consult freelancing specialist and most importantly test ride the vehicle.

Offers

Best time to buy a car is in Jan to March if you are looking for a better deal; during January and March dealer were looking for old stock to clear.

Not trying to negotiate/Lower Price

Rivalry between dealers is very high. Remember to leave different contact numbers at dealers as they have DMS system. Compare different dealers offer and negotiate to low price car.

Never show anxiety

Always spent some time to gather information, compare pros and cons, Think what is best for you and then only go for purchase.

Did I miss any point let me know in comments section below.

When Should I Change My Car

April 10, 2021May 17, 2021 VD

A lot of people get very attached to their old car. It’s just hard to say goodbye as the car become family member, but you should remember one thing very clearly that car you owned should let you reach destination safely. Sometimes you should keep sentimental value aside and go and replace the car. Make sure your vehicle is reliable.

There are other set of customers who overwhelmingly said car ownership is average three to four years beyond that period you should replace your car. These people are targets for new car buyers. These people lose lots of money in paying interest and car depreciation.

You can consider following points before you actually to replace your car.

Does your car suit your needs

If you are a joint family; it is useless to have 5 seater vehicle. If you stay in rural area where road condition is really poor it is useless to own a sedan, you will need to keep good amount for funds for car suspension work. It is more important to understand needs and if car doesn’t suit the purpose its time upgrade and move on to something else which will serve your purpose.

Safety

Car safety is the #1 important reason among all reasons listed here. Your car may have basic safety features like airbags, three point seatbelts and ABS but if it don’t have active safety features like Electronic stability control, Brake assist, LED headlamp and autonomous braking. These are the real reasons to upgrade to new car. Never get mislead by gimmick features like upmarket music system, engine push start, auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers, voice commands etc. Safety should be your top priority.

Cost of repair vs value of the car

If cost of repairs is two third of car valuation, then it’s time to look for a new car. If your current car worth is INR 6 Lakhs and it needs INR 2 Lakhs cost to fix a problem in transmission; this is the time to upgrade to new car.

Future Repairs

Good mechanic will tell you future car repairs. Check requirement beyond regular maintenance of the car with help of your local mechanic. Garage can diagnose major failure in car. Start the look at whole vehicle on the exterior. Then check the car tyres; use simple methods like measure tyre depth. Once you give general look around your vehicle. Check brakes, suspension points and try to assess with help of expert. Your car may need brake pad replacement, bushing, suspension work, tyre replacement in near future. These things need to be considered before you sell old car and going for new one.

Fuel Economy and Reliability

Fuel is getting dearer every day. If you are spending INR 5000 on fuel in month and if you get car which is 30% more efficient than current car; you can save INR 1500 on fuel per month.

If you stay in coastal states where climate is humid; car gets corrosion and you need to change your car early.

Car Payment and insurance increase

It is worth fixing your vehicle based on car payment affordability and also other things to consider like insurance payment, tax payment and car maintenance.

Above things will help you to consider and better decision making when to go for new car.