Turbo Zone

Everybody knows that cars need maintenance, but for some reason the majority of car owners seem to ignore most of these simple chores. Most of this stuff isn’t difficult, and you can pay people a reasonable sum of money to simply do the things that are difficult for you. For the most part, It’s procrastination that is the problem for this vast swathe of car owners; they’ll do it next week right up until the point where they’re stranded on the side of the road wishing that they hadn’t also procrastinated about renewing their AAA membership.

So please, if you have a car, even if it’s a sad, old jalopy, do some basic maintenance on it. If you don’t you’ll suffer from 12 Horrible Things That Will Happen If You Don’t Properly Take Care of Your Car.

If you forget to change your oil… your engine will lose power, run really roughly, and eventually die, leaving you stranded on a desert highway with no reception and nothing but angry scorpions and disgruntled rattlesnakes to help you. It’s pretty simple. Just change your oil at the manufacturer-recommended intervals, or when your dipstick/onboard computer shows that said oil has gotten too nasty. If you’re not willing to do it yourself (and you should be, because it’s easy), just get a local shop to do it. It’s still not that expensive.

If you forget to flush your transmission fluid… you’ll never have a chance to flush it again, assuming you have an automatic transmission. No really, with the complexity of automatic transmissions, a lot of good mechanics will tell you not to flush your fluid if you’ve waited too long, as that can cause problems. It’s better to just sit back and hope that your transmission makes it.

If you don’t change your engine air filter… your engine will get starved of air and run rich, meaning that it doesn’t have enough oxygen for the amount of gas in the combustion chamber. This will cause your engine to start running very roughly, lose power, and be rather inefficient. Eventually, it may stop running all together, but you’d have to wait a really long time for that to happen. You’ll spend too much money on gas. Check the filter every time you change your oil, and if it’s nasty, put a different one in there. Easy.

If you don’t replace your cabin air filter… airflow will be impeded to your HVAC system and your car will smell musty. Check your manual on when to replace it.

If you don’t wash and wax your car regularly… the paint on your car will be covered in a thin layer of grit and grime, meaning that when anything at all rubs against it will leave hundreds of tiny scratches, and hard objects will have an easier time leaving large scratches. Over time, your car’s paint will get dull and ugly looking. In the short term, you’ll just look like a lazy slob. It’s best to do this by hand, but it’s way better to go through a drive through car wash than to never do it at all.

 (To be continued)

Carmakers all over the globe are really finding ways to lower down the costs of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Recently, Tesla has reworked the ex-GM/Toyota NUMMI plant in Freemont, California into a high-tech electric car factory, but it may soon outgrow the place. The company–which has built about 30,000 Model S sedans so far — has previously hinted at a larger plant that would coincide with plans to ramp up production.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk described a “Giga Factory” that would build battery packs for a future mass-market electric car. Tesla currently buys individual battery cells from Panasonic, but under the new scheme it would start with raw materials and finish with complete packs.

The Giga Factory would likely produce batteries for Tesla’s “Gen 3” models, which are expected to be significantly less-expensive than the current Model S and will sell in larger volumes. Set to appear around 2016, Musk previously quoted a 200-mile driving range for the cars, despite the fact that they will use smaller battery packs.

One of those cars will be a small sedan, likely called Model E. Musk previously said the car would compete against the BMW 3-Series in the lucrative small luxury segment, and would have a starting price of less than $40,000. A crossover based on the same platform is also possible, as is a a new sports car to succeed Tesla’s first production model, the Roadster. However, both won’t see showrooms for some time, if they get built at at all.

Very exciting news for the automotive industry, indeed. But it makes us more wanting for a similar development in the Philippines. Which makes us wonder: whatever happened to our Alternative Fuels Act?

We thought we already made headway, when the House approved HB 5460 on March 2012, while the Senate passed its version Senate Bill 2856 last January 2012. But somewhere between consolidating the bills, pushing it towards a real law went kaput. How long – again – will we wait for a true development in this arena?

Hyundai has revealed a new concept ahead of next week’s 2014 Geneva Motor Show, a stylish crossover powered by a fuel cell. Is this also a glimpse on how the next-generation Tucson and Santa Fe might look like?

The new concept, called the Intrado, features Hyundai’s next-generation fuel cell system, which is said to be smaller and lighter than contemporary systems. It also features several other technologies that are a new to the Korean brand, and it’s also the first concept to utilize Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language first shown on the 2015 Genesis.

Inspiration for the design came from the aviation industry. In particular, the underside of an aircraft’s wing, which produces lift and enables flight to take place. The advanced technical aspects of the Intrado also take inspiration from aviation, such as the use of advanced materials, removal of all unnecessary weight, and a highly-efficient powertrain.

The use of advanced materials in the construction of the Intrado, such as carbon fiber for the frame and a new type of lightweight steel for the body, has allowed engineers to keep weight down. Hyundai also claims that the materials are joined using a special technique that has the potential to change the way cars are constructed in the future.

The interior of the Intrado is defined by a focus on usability and adaptability, and is in keeping with the lightweight ethos of the concept’s construction. The seals of opening panels shut directly against the central carbon frame, showcasing the carbon fiber whenever the doors, hood or trunk are opened.

Hyundai hasn’t revealed full details on the Intrado’s powertrain just yet, but the company says the vehicle has a driving range of about 372 miles on a full tank of hydrogen. The fuel cell stack fitted to the Intrado doesn’t power the vehicle directly, but charges a 36-kWh lithium-ion battery that than powers an electric drive system.

Looking at the Intrado shows you how Hyundai has really come a long way in terms of styling and technology, making it quite hard to imagine where they were 10 to 15 years ago.

These days, everybody can use more ways to save money. Whether that’s leaving your lights on less at home to save on your electric bill or cooking more, instead of spending money on fast food, savings is savings. Keeping proper car of your car, and driving it like a normal person, can help too. Here’s the second part of our tip sheet.

Know where you’re going. This is a simple matter of driving more and idling more than you need to. Find the quickest route, know that route, and execute that route, before getting in the car, where you’ll be wasting gas.

Use good-quality gas. Here’s a newsflash, guys: Those commercials that big brands air about all the additives and cleansers aren’t lying. They might not make the gas as high-tech as those vibrant demonstrations suggest, but when it comes to gas, don’t cheap out. Put quality fuel into your car and expect a cleaner engine and better mileage. The added benefit is that your car will continue to run better for longer. 

Keep your tire pressure up to specs. When you’re driving with tires that aren’t to the correct pressure, there’s more friction and resistance. When there’s more friction and resistance, it’s harder to get the car going and keep it going. That means more gas pumping through those veins.

Keep your tire pressure up to specs. When you’re driving with tires that aren’t to the correct pressure, there’s more friction and resistance. When there’s more friction and resistance, it’s harder to get the car going and keep it going. That means more gas pumping through those veins.

Maintain the speed limit on the highway. Drivers, meet cruise control. Cruise control, meet speed limit. Driving at higher speeds creates more wind resistance, and by now, you know more resistance means a harder struggle for the engine to keep up. Constantly going faster and slower will also drain your tank much faster than you’d like, so try to stay consistent. Nobody likes those people anyway. 

This is nothing new, but makes a lot of sense, especially now that the gas prices are skyrocketing and traffic means more fuel lost. Just a reminder that no matter how small the engine size of our vehicle is, if we don’t use it properly and apply bad driving habits including poor vehicle care, we won’t be able to achieve the fuel efficiency claims of our vehicle’s manufacturer. Here are 10 Ways to Improve Your Car’s Gas Mileage:

Eliminate long idling situations. This is a small step that won’t really make a huge difference at first, but over time, it’ll be saving you gas and money. Little steps. Park and go inside of Taco Bell, instead of sitting in line, waiting for the drive-through. Turn your car off, when you’re waiting in the driveway for your friend. If you’re letting your car warm up, make sure you only wait a few minutes and don’t forget that your car is out there using gas. Simple, but effective. Some brands (like Mercedes-Benz, for example) are even starting to incorporate built-in start-stop “ECO” modes on their cars that do exactly this. They stop the engine when you brake and come to a stop at a light or sign, and start back up when you let your foot off the brake.

Below around 80 kph, roll your windows down when it’s hot. This has been a hot topic of debate in the automotive real for decades. What’s better for gas, AC or windows down? In all reality, there is no one specific answer, as all cars (and how those cars are being driven) will have different results. However, as a general rule, you’re better off with your widows down when you’re just tooling around town a low speeds. But if you’re on the highway, the wind resistance with your windows down will greatly hurt your gas mileage. So, when you’re driving at higher speeds, it’s better to use the air conditioning.

Keep a clean air filter. Your engine is constantly sucking in air, and the air filter keeps all the nasty shit that’s clogged up our oxygen from getting into your block. When the filter is dirty and clogged, it’s going to be working harder to suck in air. That means more work for your engine.

Don’t use your car as a storage locker. Imagine putting a 100lb bag of rocks on your back and trying to continue on your day, doing the same routine. It’d be harder, right? You’d be using more energy, and therefore, you’d require more fuel. It’s the same with your car. More weight (yeah, we’re talking about your swirly bowling ball, box of old magazines and tool box) means more fuel required to run it.

Keep your gas capped. We’re not even talking about the idiotic act of forgetting to put the cap back on after you gas up. There are plenty of people who have gas caps improperly put on or gas caps that have been cracked and are allowing gas to evaporate right out of the tank. Your money could literally be disappearing into thin air.

(To be continued)