General | Car Tuning Central






By N2H

What is Car Sharing?

Car sharing has over the years evolved as a workable solution to the problems of traffic and pollution, especially in urban areas. Set on the simple model of multiple car ownership, car sharing entails members cooperating together in making use of a pool of cars, in a common geographical area.

Car sharing, as the term implies, refers to sharing of automobiles by individuals for short periods of time. Individuals can rent cars on hourly or daily basis to commute distances within a specified area.

On a small scale, car sharing can be an arrangement between individuals and on a larger level it may be operated by a car rental agency. However, private sharing arrangements are usually referred to as ‘car pooling’ or ‘ride sharing’. Car sharing is seen as a cost-effective method of traveling, especially for urbanites, who prefer public transport and/or need cars only occasionally.

Car sharing originated in Switzerland where it was first launched in 1987. Thereafter is spread across Europe and finally arrived in America in 1993. However, reference to car sharing can be traced as early as the 1940s but at that time it was in an infantile stage. As the concept of car sharing caught on, various changes were made in the working of its system. Improvisations included computerized systems of operation, better parking facilities, multiple pick-up/drop points and advanced reservation facilities. Also, car sharing progressed from non-profit organizations to profit-making agencies.

How car sharing works?

A car sharing agency rents vehicles to authorized drivers for specified hours or a whole day. Advance reservation of vehicle is required and the fees may be charged per hour or per mile. Picking-up and returning the car is the hirer’s responsibility. Further, it has to be ensured that the vehicle is returned in a good and clean state.

Terms of use of car sharing usually vary according to the rental agencies and regions. Rates, inclusive of insurance and fuel charges, are pre-determined. Agencies can check driving records of hirers. They often offer customer-friendly services like drop points that are near public transport junctions.

Benefits of car sharing (Pros)

Car sharing has myriad benefits, especially in an urban set up:

Ideal for people who want benefits of using a car without its maintenance hassles.
A good alternative for individuals planning to buy a second family car.
An effective solution to multiple problems like traffic congestion, pollution, parking trouble, high fuel prices, etc.

Drawbacks of car sharing (Cons)

Car sharing also poses a number of difficulties:

It may not be feasible for everyone due to its limited accessibility
Due to lack of funds, the concept of car sharing has failed to catch up with majority of the population
It is pitted against the concept of owning a car, which is a social esteem factor in most developed countries, especially America.

In spite of its drawbacks, car sharing is seen as a progressive way of living in the current set up. Apart from being economical, it adds a social aspect to everyday life: community cooperation. Moreover, it also stands to be an eco-friendly answer to many modern day problems.

Tags: Fun, General

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Garage Accessories

For car tuning enthusiasts, you probably keep your car safe and secure at night or when you take it off road. This means that your vehicle probably spends plenty of time in the garage. For those enthusiasts that want to get the most out of their cars even when they are off the road, there are plenty of garage accessories that will make your area where you store and work on your vehicle more comfortable. Following are some of the top garage accessories.

Garage Flooring
If you find that you work a lot on your car while it is in the garage one of the items that you should look into is garage flooring. You probably have already experienced lots of fluids whether motor oil, trainy fluid, etc dripping onto the floor making the floor not only sticky, but ruining the concrete. There are a wide variety of accessories available to protect your garage floor, as well as you when you creep under to maintain it. Some of the most popular garage flooring include: easily rolled out mats, garage floor tiling and special sealants to block fluids from seeping through the floor.

Ding Protection
If you park in a garage that doesn’t offer a lot of space, one of the things you are probably worried about is making dings on your door when you exit or enter your vehicle. There are plenty of products available that not only protect your vehicle, but the garage walls. They include ding protectors which are simple rubber type strips that go along your garage door to protect your vehicle at door and bumper length and garage parking aids such as the “Park Zone” product that shows you a traffic light with red, yellow and green to safely pull all the way into your garage without bumping into the walls.

Tags: Car Parts, General

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Cars Vs Trucks - What to Choose?

Cars do offer in saving a lot of fuel and money in the long run when compared with trucks. You can feel much more comfortable driving a car, as it is equipped with more aerodynamic features. On the other hand, trucks offer you more safety and it helps you to carry heavy goods through long distances.

You are sure to get confused when it comes to choosing the one between cars and trucks although there is a subtle difference in people driving cars and people driving trucks. There might be difference in opinions in choosing the right one, but people buying cars are considered to be more sensible than those buying trucks. People, who buy trucks, just buy it for the sake of owing one. This is because a truck serves no real duty or purpose except for carrying some heavy goods.

Cars do have the clear advantage over trucks and there are many reasons behind this. A car is considered to be more practical than a truck as it saves a lot of fuel and is much more spacious and comfortable. You feel much easier driving your car on the city roads than driving a truck because the former is much easier to handle and drive. On the other hand, trucks are large and are very impractical to be used in the city. A truck is noisy most of the time and offers you a very little room for your family and other passengers.

Cars are more liked by people than trucks because it offers you more mileage and is more aerodynamic than trucks. Although it is true that a truck has more horsepower and offers you a better four wheel drive, but it is a real big and boxy thing which offers you lesser aerodynamic drive as it makes more wind resistance. A truck is not at all recommended for fast driving as it slows down killing your mileage and has bad handling features.

But if you are more concerned with your safety, it is recommended that you go for buying a truck. This is because security experts say that if you are driving a car, you are more likely to be killed in an accident than if you are driving a truck. Cars are generally lighter compared to trucks making them more vulnerable to have accidents than the later one. Trucks are taller and are heavier by nearly 1000 pounds than cars making it safer than cars. According to auto experts, a body of a truck is stiffer and is made of heavier frames than cars thereby absorbing more energy during an accident or a crash.

Reports also suggest that occupants of a car are at more risk and danger than occupants in a car during truck-car crashes.

If you are really confused in choosing the correct one between a car and a truck, then it is recommended that you go for your vehicle according to your needs. If you are in need of moving large goods and carrying heavy weights, then you should go for a truck. Trucks are specially designed to haul heavy construction materials very easily. You can also move your entire luggage via a truck while shifting homes as it is made with strong metal sheets to carry heavy loads. Cars, on the other hand, are unable to serve such purposes.

Tags: General

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Buying a Car - Things to Consider

You should make yourself educated with the different features and user reviews before buying a car. Don’t forget to determine the right price along with after sales services of the car company. You should also take ideas from the salesman and check your credit errors for fast approval of car loan.

Buying a car is a dream come true for many people, so it very much necessary to decide and consider many factors before buying your car. It is extremely important to ask yourself the need of buying a car. There may be various reasons behind buying a car. Many may buy it for luxury, whereas others have it for convenient transportation. You can also come across individuals having some other pressing reasons behind buying a car.

Identifying the exact reasons for your need in buying a car and justifying them with valid proofs is extremely important to consider before buying a car of your choice. It may be a necessity for buying a car, as it can save some great transportation costs while you are to and from work. Other reasons may lie in fulfilling your dreams for a car and you want to outdo your neighbours.

The first and foremost point, which you should consider before buying your car, is deciding if the price is right. You should choose the best price of the car available in the market and don’t hesitate to visit different showrooms to get the best price. It is usually recommended that the best time for buying your dream car is later in the month. This is because dealers of different cars offer numerous bonuses and rebate programs by the end of the month, which is decided on his monthly sale quotas.

Some dealers also give some exciting offers in the end of the month after falling short in meeting their sales objectives. Dealers are left with no choice but to sell cars at a price lower than their normal rates at the end of the month to make more sales. This helps in counting their monthly sales giving you the advantage as a buyer.

Secondly, try to get ideas by observing the treatment you get from the dealings of the sales people. Although not always true, yet you can get valuable and correct non-verbal signals from the salesperson, which can help you to know about the expectations after the purchase of your car. Avoid helping the salesperson understand your feelings about your likes and dislikes. It is recommended that you don’t get too personal and close with the salesperson. This is because they can mislead you in getting defocused in buying the right car.

Before deciding on buying the exact car, don’t forget to calculate briefly on the amount, which your car can cost you in terms of insurance, fuel and maintenance. It is recommended that you arm yourself with knowledge on these areas as these factors determine the after costs and can cost you in the long run. Also don’t forget to enquire about the car loans and the interests offered by different companies before buying your dream car.

Do not forget to check your credit reports and correct any sort of errors, if present, so that you can get your loan approved faster. It is also very important that you read many reviews on your dream car before purchasing it, so that you educate yourself properly and own the best car with the best features.

Tags: General

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How to Drive in the UK?

The context completely curtails the minute yet important details that should be followed, while you are driving in a place within UK. Most of the rules that are mentioned would help you to drive safely and prevent violation of any particular driving law in the territory causing you to face trouble.

In the days of advanced transport, it really becomes necessary at times to know how to drive your way down the streets in the proper manner. Just steering the wheel does not effectively mean that you have learned to swerve around the road. Neither does proper shifting of gears give you proper credit of driving a car. While, driving it is highly essential that you notice the signals, restrictions and different regulations and at the same time abide by the rules, which are native to the region. This is the same throughout the world, be it US or UK. Everybody must maintain the law that controls traffic in a particular region.

When individuals drive in the UK, they always follow the left lane, as according to rule the cars are all left-driven, and if required are overtaken by the other cars, from the right. These are certain restrictions that must be followed at all times and if the individuals come across any round about turns, then they should give preference to the car that is coming from the right. At certain points, you would be able to notice broken lines shown, which means that you must stop and wait to see, if any other vehicles on the road is willing to pass.

Most of these rules and regulations are clearly mentioned in the Highway Code, published in book by most of the motorist organizations and are easily available at the bookstores. As far as the motor cyclists and their co passengers are concerned, it is mandatory for them to be wearing helmets at all times of driving. The same thing goes for the drivers of vehicles and their co passengers, with the slight difference that they would have to wear their seat belts at all times. These are some of the basic guidelines, but should be followed very carefully, or else the chance of severe accidents is very high.

You should not face any problem regarding the fuel supply at a place like UK because they are available at frequent intervals of one another. The ones on the motorways are at difference of around 50 miles, but they remain open 24 hours of the day, to make up for the frequency inconvenience. Until any of the streets provide you with a lower limit by the sign boards, the standard limit of driving on the single carriage way would be 96 km/hr (60 MPH). This remains for the dual carriage way also, where the speed limit is increased to 70 MPH (112 km/hr), whereas that in town is about 30 MPH (48 km/hr).

However, these cases also you have exceptions, which allow cars to run at 40 MPH (64 km/hr) in some of the freeways of certain towns. Moreover, the parking scheme in UK is like pay for park and is the same throughout; individuals would be advised not to park in the places, which are marked with double-yellow lines. Most of these rules may seem just warnings, but if they are violated then the penalty for the same is very high.

Tags: Car Safety, General

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