What You Need to Know About Vehicle Theft

For many people, their car is their life. Imagine the setbacks you would face if your car was stolen – it gets you to work, school and pretty much anywhere else you’d want to go. This infographic from the NHTSA explains more about vehicle theft and gives you the facts.

To learn more about how to prevent your car from getting stolen, check out the NHTSA website.

The Dangers of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving can be dangerous for more than just your car. When you allow distractions to take you away from the process of driving, you can put yourself and your family at risk. Unfortunately, there are many things today that can cause distractions in the car, from cell phones and mp3 players to children and food. The next time you’re driving, make sure you avoid distracted driving by following these tips from eHow:

1. Avoid talking on your cell phone. Some states require you to pull over when using your cell phone while driving.
2. Never multi-task while driving. Do not do things like adjusting your radio, compact disc player or GPS unit.
3. Do not read while driving. When you need to read or use a map, pull off the road.
4. Avoid taking your coat off or changing clothes while driving.
5. Put makeup on, comb your hair and shave before leaving your house or office. These things should never be done while driving.
6. Avoid eating or drinking while driving.
7. Keep music at a reasonable level. Listening to music that is too loud or using headphones or earplugs while driving can be distracting and can prevent you from hearing emergency vehicles sharing the road with you.
8. Avoid lighting up or putting out cigarettes, or dealing with falling ashes while driving.

Read the entire article here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2043250_avoid-distractions-driving.html#ixzz2IGgJ0A1Tqx4M

What Makes Brakes Work?

One pedal makes it go, and the other one makes it stop - but how much do you really know about your brakes? They’re critical to keeping your car on the road and your family safe. In fact, brakes use a lot of interesting technology to ensure that you always stop when you press the brakes. Here’s a quick explanation from How Stuff Works:

We all know that pushing down on the brake pedal slows a car to a stop. But how does this happen? How does your car transmit the force from your leg to its wheels? How does it multiply the force so that it is enough to stop something as big as a car?
When you depress your brake pedal, your car transmits the force from your foot to its brakes through a fluid. Since the actual brakes require a much greater force than you could apply with your leg, your car must also multiply the force of your foot. It does this in two ways:

• Mechanical advantage(leverage)
• Hydraulic force multiplication

The brakes transmit the force to the tires using friction, and the tires transmit that force to the road using friction also.

Learn more about your brakes and read the original article here: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/brake.htm

How Can I Keep Rust Away From My Car?

One thing that scares car owners is rust. This pesky problem can make a car almost undriveable. However, you can keep your car from declining into a rusty junkheap. It requires monitoring and regular maintenance, but with some work, you could keep rust at bay. What causes rust in the first place? Here’s a technical explanation for the curious:

Rust is iron oxide, a molecule consisting of two iron atoms and three oxygen atoms. It's the product of an electrochemical process called corrosion. To create rust, three factors must be present: an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte. An anode is a piece of metal that will readily release electrons under the right circumstances. Cathodes are metals that will accept electrons. Electrolytes are liquids that facilitate the movement of electrons.

As electrons flow from the anode to the cathode via the electrolyte, the anode metal corrodes. In the case of metals with iron in them, part of the anode metal becomes rust. As the metal corrodes, it weakens. That's not something you want to have happen to your vehicle.

There are several points on your car that are more susceptible to rust. For example, your car's engine, frame, chassis, exhaust system and trunk compartment can develop rust. Optional equipment, like trailer hitches, can also fall prey to corrosion. Rust can even attack painted surfaces on your car.

Getting rid of rust is challenging. It's easier to take steps to prevent rust than it is to eradicate it. In the case of rust, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Read the full article (and get some great rust prevention tips!) here: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/vehicle-maintenance/prevent-automotive-rust.htm

11 Amazing Uses for Vinegar in Your Car

One of the biggest challenges many people face when it comes to their car is keeping it clean. Fortunately, there may be a solution for many common car cleaning projects that you already have in your pantry: vinegar! It’s not just for salad dressing - you can actually use vinegar for many common car cleaning tasks. Here are 11 ways to get you started:

1. Keep car windows frost-free overnight in winter by coating them with a solution of 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part water.
2. Polish car chrome with full-strength white distilled vinegar on a soft cloth.
3. Remove unwanted decals and bumper stickers by covering them with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar, or by repeatedly spraying them with full-strength white distilled vinegar. They should peel off in a couple of hours.
4. Rid the windshield wipers of road grime by wiping them with a white distilled vinegar-soaked cloth.
5. Remove the leftover odor after a rider has been carsick by leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar overnight on the floor.
6. Get rid of hard water stains on your car with a rinse made from 3 parts soft water to one part white distilled vinegar.
7. Wipe vinyl upholstery with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.
8. Remove winter road salt residue on car carpeting by spraying with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water, then blot with a soft towel.
9. Remove the hazy film that builds up on inside windows by spraying with white distilled vinegar.
10. Remove dirt and stains from car carpeting with a mixture of half white distilled vinegar and half water.
11. When doing car maintenance, soak rusty bolts and screws with white distilled vinegar to make them easier to remove.

Read more uses for vinegar in your car here: http://bit.ly/VMV3Xc

Happy New Year!

Whatever Happened to Hood Ornaments?

Remember when car hoods had fun, sleek or sophisticated figurines? Today, you’ll hardly ever see one. But what happened to the hood ornaments we knew and loved in the past? It turns out, there’s a surprising history behind hood ornaments - and why they disappeared.

Ornaments have long adorned our modes of transport, from lady luck strapped to the bow of a ship to the ornate spires worn by carriage horses. Car historians trace the hood ornament back to the early 20th century, when cars still had external radiator caps and temperature gauges. Seeking ways to dress them up, designers turned to miniature works of art—animals, emblems and model machines that embodied the car's identity. In the 1920s, the Cadillac LaSalle featured an elaborate statuette of its namesake, intrepid 17th century French explorer Robert de LaSalle, tipping his hat over a burned-out campfire.

By the end of the decade, the practical need for the hood ornament was gone, as radiator caps were relocated under hoods and temperature gauges moved to dashboards. But that didn't stop the auto mascot from enjoying a life of its own. Some sort of doppelganger topped most cars made in America between 1930 and 1950. Among the classics: the forward-leaning Roman messenger goddess Mercury used on Buicks in the 1930s; the wild and sinewy Archer on vintage Pierce Arrows; and the Goddess of Speed that once graced Packards.

Stripped-down hippie tastes, Nader-esque concerns that ornaments could turn otherwise minor pedestrian scraps into fatal accidents, and even irrational fears about heightened fuel costs from increased drag, began to erode the popularity of hood ornaments over the years.

Read the original article here: http://thebea.st/UkF42c