Car Articles

I’d say that currently the Nissan GT-R is probably one of the baddest, meanest, fastest cars on the market – or at least it will be when available over here.  That’s a shame in a way, because Europe really should be the home of fast, sporty cars that everyone lusts after.  However, the GT-R will even leave a Audi R8 standing, so we’re left really with few options.  If you did want something from the true home of the supercar (Italy by the way, in case you weren’t paying attention), luckily Ferrari will give you something that you can almost blast off in.  That car is the F430 Scuderia.

The Ferrari F430, it would be fair to say, is very similar to the F430.  But only in so far as looks are concerned.  It would be an injustice to say that is it the same car, because underneath the bonnet (and along with plenty of the design) there are significant changes.

Weight of course is always an issue, and cars have indeed been getting heavier (but as I pointed out in my last article, a good deal of that weight is used to create safety structures to protect us in the event of a crash).  However, this often means that a car with more power will do the same speed as last year’s model, as the weight has gone up.  Not so with the Scuderia, the weight has in fact gone down.  It comes in at only 1350kg, a whole 100kg less than the standard car.

Both power and torque are up, with the 4.3 litre engine really going for it by providing 503bhp and 470Nm.  Tell that to your diesel driving mate and see the look on their face.  Naturally, the standard manifolds and intakes wouldn’t be enough, so plenty of these are finished by hand.  The exhaust system is now also more free-breathing to give the engine even more life.

Naturally, it’s no use having all that power if you have a duff gearbox.  Ferrari have learnt from their F1 success here and provided the ‘Superfast2’ – this thing will switch ratios (think cogs) in 60 milliseconds.  Luckily, this will drive the Scuderia hard.  So hard in fact, that the 0-60 time of only 3.6 seconds is the same as that of the GT-R.

Of course, the need to get all that power onto the road requires something more than driver skill.  This is where the very clever E-diff comes into play, giving four modes that have a huge impact on the stability and traction control of the car.  This switch is on the steering wheel, just as you would find it on an F1 car.  So, all very inspiring so far.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on how much of a purist you are), this is case of paying more to get less.  You see, the £172,500 price tag is rather steep.  Especially given that it is about 50 big ones more than a bog-standard F430.  What do you get ‘extra’ for your money apart from more power?  Let’s take a look.

Carbon ceramic brakes are standard on this beast of a car – and you’ll need them when you are trying to stop at 199mph.  Just remember, you need some heat in them to make them work.  Naturally you don’t get carpet, whilst lightweight specialist sport seats and swatches of carbon fibre keep the curb weight nice and lean.  Fantastic.

The exterior is great.  The F430 is in my opinion a car that you’ll love or hate visually.  I really fall into the latter category.  This one looks even better, with 20 inch alloys, a lowered ride height and a lovely baby blue finish – though I doubt they call it that.

There are rumours that it is quicker than an Enzo – though personally I feel that is not the point.  The fact that the dynamics were honed by a certain M Schumacher is much more to the point.  So, if you’re a playboy or a Russian mafia type, I’d say this is the car to go for.  Especially if you like the odd blast around the track.  Just remember, the £100,000 you’re spending on this instead of 2 GT-R’s will be worth it!

Lewis Hamilton, the Great British hopeful who missed out on becoming one of F1’s youngest ever champions by an incredible one point last year has managed to clinch pole position for this year’s Grand Prix in Australia. This is the seventh pole of his F1 career and should provide an excellent start for the young driver.

Hamilton’s McLaren team mate Heikki Kovalainen (a Finn who previously drove for Renault F1 in 2007) will feature in row two of the grid alongside Felipe Massa - the now Ferrari driver. This should be quite useful for tactical plays between the team-mates, always useful for the early races.

Kimi Raikkonen (not my favourite driver, but someone I have a lot of respect for the skill of unlike Fernando Alonso, who is now the driver for Renault and places at 12th place) has placed all the way down the field to 16th after he came to halt in the pit lane during the qualifier.

Due to the new F1 rule set (something I’ll cover in another post), Raikkonen was not allowed to participate in the second session even if his car was ready to go, due to the help he received from mechanics in the pit lane.

So, how does the grid line up for the first race of the season overall? Well here are the times from every qualifying racer:

Times
01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.714
02. Kubica BMW Sauber 1:26.869
03. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.079
04. Massa Ferrari 1:27.178
05. Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:27.236
06. Trulli Toyota 1:28.527
07. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:28.687
08. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:29.041
09. Glock Toyota 1:29.593
10. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari No time
11. Barrichello Honda 1:26.173
12. Alonso Renault 1:26.188
13. Button Honda 1:26.259
14. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:26.413
15. Webber Red Bull-Renault No times
16. Raikkonen Ferrari No time
17. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari 1:27.207
18. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:27.446
19. Sutil Force India-Ferrari 1:27.859
20. Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:28.208
21. Piquet Renault 1:28.330
22. Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:29.059

Of course, I’d love to see Lewis Hamilton take the win. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy and if his performance on Top Gear is anything to go by, he’s even faster than the mighty Stig. As Anthony Davidson has been on television I’d love to see him win a point in the Super Aguri-Honda car - he’s been claimed to be one of the better drivers on the grid and only a weaker car has slowed him down. I can’t wait to see the season start - it’s sure to be a very strong one this year.

I’d like to say a hello first of all, as a new writer to Car Articles.  As a way of introduction, I’m a writer based in the North of England with a wide variety of experience with cars - both new and vintage.  The fastest thing I’ve driven is probably a Porsche 911 that had enough torque to pull your head off.  The slowest remains a Fiat Punto 1.2 with less than 100 hp but an amazing 47 miles per gallon fuel economy.

With the introduction out of the way, I’d like to offer this rather interesting tale.  I was driving my car, which had recently been for a service, when I started to hear a squeak from the front wheels (mainly the right side though).  This squeak gradually turned into a squeal.  This squealing soon extended itself from merely a passing irritation into a really annoying, near-constant noise from hell.

Let me clarify the problem a little bit.  The noise wasn’t caused by worn brake pads - I’d had these changed only a month before.  Not only that, but the squeal only appeared when I WASN’T using the brakes.  So just what was going on?

My motor (a Vauxhall Astra 1.8 SXi) was duly returned to the servicing garage, to find out what on Earth was the matter.  It was of course looked over and the verdict returned.  It passed an MOT satisfactorily but more copper grease (or slip) needed to be applied in order to stop the friction that was being created and as a consequence making a noise.

Not wanting to pay the extra cost (I knew that I was getting the timing belt changed anyway so thought I’d leave it till then) I got my car back with the squeal.  Naturally, I decided to look into the problem.  I narrowed it down to a few things such as a bent brake disc (bad news), worn callipers or the cheapest (and best option) a simple case of too much built up brake dust.

When you apply pressure to the brake pedal, this transfers hydraulically to the wheels, where callipers clamp down and put pads into contact with the disc.  This creates the friction that in turn stops the car.  Braking 101 for you there.  However, when a new pad is fitted, copper grease should be added to the disc to move away heat and allow smooth movement of the whole machinery as the wheel turns.

Essentially, my car wasn’t properly looked after (quite embarrassing for a car nut).  A build up of brake dust (the particles from a pad) got onto the disc, so when the wheel turns into a certain point, the noise was being made - essentially a high frequency vibration.  This is in turn no good for your car really and can in fact damage your alloys.

So baring all this in mind, what would I suggest?  Make sure that your car is looked after, your alloys are clean and your brakes are squeal free.  Of course, having the brakes squeal when you’re applying pressure to the pedal signifies a completely different set of problems that I’ll address another time…

N.B. There’s a whole host of alloy cleaners that are on the market.  I used Simoniz on mine as it contains brake dust repellent.  Let me know what you try and if it’s any good.

It seems that costs of driving could be leading the UK’s drivers into leaving repairs that are needed on the their cars, this is leading to many more accidents on the country’s roads than would normally happen if these cars were kept in proper working order with all repairs no matter how minor being done as when needed.

This is so serious that it is estimated that around twenty three million people are putting their lives not to mention that of their families, friends and other road users too. All this risk is being taken when they are fully aware that their vehicle has something wrong with it that should be fixed as soon as possible.

This research has been under taken by the insurer esure who asked drivers about their driving habits and more importantly how the maintain their vehicles. They found that many drivers are ignoring the warning lights that become illuminated on the cars dash board. The main reason for this is the thought of how much the repair is going to cost, rather than worrying about their safety.

The survey also found that vehicle owners would rather spend money on leisure activities than on a simple fault that has appeared on their vehicle. Yet even a minor fault could lead to an accident and all sorts of problems.

Source [Lombard Direct]

With wet and icy conditions sweeping across the UK, new research has revealed that one-in-ten cars – the equivalent to 2.7 million nationwide – have a tyre fitted with tread that is below the current 1.6mm legal threshold. The survey also showed that 19 per cent of cars are being driven on tyres with tread that is below 2mm the depth at which a number of leading national car fleet owners change their tyres. Research by the Motor Industry research association showed that in wet conditions it takes nearly eight meters more to stop from 50 mph when tyres are worn down to the legal minimum of 1.6mm.

“Driving on excessively worn tyres is dangerous at any time of the year” said ford parts representative. “But in icy conditions it really is gambling with yours and other road users lives”.

AA Warranty recommends you get your car checked out regularly while under warranty as this can save a fortune in replacement parts. AA Warranty is also urging motorists to consider mechanical breakdown cover and take it more seriously. According to the AA research, the most likely car part to fail during winter is the ignition coil pack – costing on average £180 to replace. This is closely followed by the cylinder head gasket, where a replacement can cost up to £390. Among other car parts in the top 10 list of probable failures are engines, gear box car parts, ECU’s, alternators and starter motors.

When most cars are four years old, the manufacturers warranty has long expired, replacement parts should be obtained from Genuine parts suppliers to ensure the new parts are covered under warranty and are and exact replacement.

Guest Article by www.fordsparts.co.uk

Buying a car involves a lengthy decision making process involving an array of influencing factors; colour is one of the most important among them. The colour renders a personality to your car— black is cool, silver is stylish without being ostentatious, red is sensual and white cars are conservative!

But just a few years on the road and the car loses its original colour and showroom shine—the white that once made the swan feel proud is now shabby grey; the luscious red has lost all its luster, the elegant black no longer looks glamorous and the radiant silver now looks worn away.

But you can turn the clock and set things right—-what you need is knowledge about proper car paint care. The article below tells you what affects your car paint and shine, how to avoid problems and how to restore back the lost luster of your pretty car.

Resist the environmental damage

Vehicles come with a range of finishes— matt coating, acrylic, enamel, etc. Regardless of the type of finish, the exteriors of all vehicles are subject to environmental wear and tear. To protect the paint of the car from the invasion of these environmental factors you should go through a preventive maintenance regimen.

For example, how do you deal with the ultra violet rays that come along with sun exposure that eventually diminishes the gloss on your vehicle finish? Because metal retains heat, it causes permanent stains. You have to use protective coatings and sealants to neutralize the effects of ultra violet rays.

The next factor is chemical abuse that results from air pollutants transformed into sulfuric or nitric acids. These acids, can be deposited onto your vehicle in either a wet or dry state and slowly eat up the paint. To resist this kind of damage, you need to go for frequent washing.

Your car often becomes the victim of the road salts triggering off the chemical reactions that can accelerate the pitting and rusting of the car’s surfaces. Many out-of-sight areas including the undercarriage are especially prone to assault of the road salts.

You have to resort to a specialized undercarriage rinse in combination with rust inhibiting agents to deal with these kinds of damage.

Nothing can replace the benefits of regular washing

It is important to have a car wash at least once a month. The moistures can not accumulate on the car body, when it is clean; the moistures gain hold in the dirty areas and lead to corrosion.

Go for a pressure wash from time to time to dislodge the dirt especially from the areas like behind the moldings, inside wheel arches, under the bumpers etc.

After-winter is the best time for pressure wash as it drives out all the salt accumulations that speed up the corrosion process.

Follow the washing with waxing for the enhancement of visual appearance of a finish

Wax your car regularly for the maximum protection of the paint and minimizing harm of chemicals. This gives the paint protection from fading and keeps the car looks shiny.

It should only take 30 minutes to wax a whole car.

Use high quality car wax and rest assured for three - four months.

Repair the chips and scratches

For the prominent chips, you have to order matching spray paint from the manufacturers and apply the paint with the help of a toothpick. You can also fill up the scratches the same way.

Use Polishing compounds for repairing the minor scratches and chips.

Invest some time for trying the above mentioned cleaning steps—you will feel proud to move around in your gorgeous car for years.

10 Tips:How To Change Your Car Tyre

It always happens in the awkward of moments: it happened to Ronny when he was going on a blind date; it happened to Sheila when she was on her way to attend her best friend’s wedding!

Just imagine the horror of Sheila when she discovered herself in her best little black dress and designer stilettos in the middle of nowhere with a flat tyres! And just imagine Ronny in his Armani suit kicking off the car in dismay because he is not actually a master in the art of tyre changing.

The predicaments of Sheila and Ronny can be good eye opener for any driver:

It is possible to change the car tyres fast and without making a mess of your car and yourself by learning certain tricks. The first among them is keeping your calm.

If you suspect a puncture in the tyre, follow these steps one by one:

So now that you are safely off the traffic way let’s come to the job of tyre changing.

1. Switch off the ignition and engage the hand brake.
2. Now you will need to take out the carpet of your car boot and remove the spare tyre, jack, and wheel wrench.
3. Before you jack up the vehicle loosen the wheel nuts on the tyres.
4. Now use the car jack to raise up the vehicle. A little home work task comes in handy here and it makes sense if you have already taken the trouble of going through the manufacturer’s manual. However, you may also find instructions printed on the jack or other portions of storage areas.
5. now you need to remove the wheel nuts from the tyres; again maintain your calm and put them safely aside.
6. Remove the flat tyre and keep it on one side.
7. Now put the new tyre on the car. Tighten the wheel nuts just lightly. You need to give the final tightening when the car is off the jack. Double check so that the holes in the tyre rightly align with the studs that stick out. Also make sure to place the tyre on with the air valve facing you. Take a cue from other the tyres while trying this step.
8. Now slowly lower the jack and let the wheel touch the road. Use your wheel spanner to tighten all of the wheel nuts securely.
9. make sure you have put all the tools and the flat tyre back into the boot of your car.
10. give a thorough check to the wheel nuts for the last time to see it is tightened properly

A last note of advice to help you avoid ruin your day completely; get your flat tyre repaired at the first chance you get, since a spare tyre often doesn’t allow you to drive for more than certain distance.

Take a trip along the motorway during the long summer weekends and you will be amazed by the procession of breakdown trucks along the road! These are all the unfortunate road trippers that are forced to end their holiday before time.

Here are the reasons why you can not afford to set out on a holiday on wheels with out the proper pre trip check up for your car!

• A pre trip check up saves you from the frustration of ending the holiday ahead of time, it saves lots of your £’s on repairs.
• It will save on the towing charges and lodging expenses in case you have to take a break due to a car break down.
• There are other costs like making long distance calls, renting a car to get back to home etc that can make it all a costly affair.

You only need to invest as little as ten minutes of your time to eliminate the most common causes of such an expensive ordeal! Just consult our pre-trip checklist to make your long drive successful in every aspect.

Contact a qualified mechanic to perform a pre-holiday check up on your car. The technician will take the following aspects into consideration.

Top up for fluids: Your car uses several types of fluids to give it a smooth run. Starting from the brake fluid to engine oil, fluids for power steering and transmission fluids—all must be inspected to prevent them running out.

In addition to that windshield washer solvent and the antifreeze fluids are important aspects to take notice of.

Checkup for hoses and belts: This is important to ensure that the electrical system including air conditioning and power steering are in perfect health.

If it is detected that cooling system hoses are deteriorating then you should replace the hoses and clamps to avoid problem on your trip.

Check up for tyres: This is the most important aspect of pre-holiday check list as it is the wheels that carry you along the road. The examination of tyres should cover such aspects as

• Inflation
• Traces of uneven wear
• Wheel alignment
• Bulges and bald spots

This check up does not take much of your time; so you can go for a last minute check up as well. But in case, you drive an old model, it is recommended that you opt for a pre planned maintenance plan, with adequate time for repair ahead of the trip.

The pre trip check ups have many benefits; you can get your car examined by your local mechanic who should be familiar with the car. But the greatest advantage is that it allows you to enjoy the trip without any stress and anxiety.

Get the Showroom Shine within Minutes

Your poor car! How much it has to put up with - the dirt, the grit, the lashing of storm, the assault of snow and what not! The result? Even the most expensive car on the road starts lacking luster within a year.

As the common idea goes: it requires a long session with a sponge and bucket to get your car spanking clean. But few of us have that time to invest on a regular basis.

What if you can get the desired sheen without needing to devote so much of your precious time?

Well, our quick cleaning tips are aimed to do just that; it teaches you the secret of keeping the car shiny without needing you get stressed over it!

Target the different parts of the car separately

Attack the grime of interior and outside of your car with different approaches; use different products to clean different parts of the car such as windscreen or car tyre. 

Dealing with the interior

The commonest problem suffered by your car’s interior is spillage—from your coke can, from your kid’s ice-cream cone, from your wife’s make up and so on.

Together they can create enough blotches to give your car upholstery a worn-out look.

But you can fight against them…how?

• A good preventive solution is to use the coating of a product like Armor All. This coating helps you to easily wipe out the spots as soon as they appear.

• If the upholstery is made of leather, apply warm water mixed with mild soap and sponge the streaks with it.

• Getting rid of the blemishes from fabric is a real challenge: but we have the solution for it too. Just stir in some baking soda in warm water; now apply this liquid over the spot and wait for half an hour. After that soak the area with a dye-free towel to get rid of that stain. 

• One point to remember: avoid using silicon based products as they are prone to create a greasy effect.

Dealing with the exterior

• Use a very soft sponge which you should wipe the car body in a circular motion. This prepares your car to get a pre-wash.
• In pre washing stage avoid foam-creating pre wash product or those that come with built in polish. This locks in the dirt under the layers of the wax and makes your job tougher.
• Now is the time for final wash. At this stage, first clean up the body and then move on to the tyres and bumpers, the dirtiest parts of your car!
• For windows use glass cleaners specially made for the car and not house glass cleaners. White vinegars make a very good home-remedy to eliminate the blurry look from your windshields.

Polish it up

To give the quickest possible polish to your car, follow these steps:

• Give the car a jet wash.
• Now apply the polish when the body is wet and rub.
• Rinse off with another jet wash and rub the body with a soft sponge.
• Also use a chamois leather to wipe off the damp polish residues.

Get the help of some reliable car cleaning products popular in UK:

Autoglym products are equally suited to the professional users, as well as the family car owners.

And here you go with the cleanest car: let your car dazzle your neighbours with it’s newly acquired showroom glamour!

The interior of your home or your car needs some personalized touches to have a warm and inviting look.

The interior of the car is important as it is the area where you actually spend all of your time. Choosing from the right accessories & keeping it clean are just so of the many ways you can add to the comfort of your driving experience.

You must be careful about the textures and materials of all the accessories so that they blend into an overall ambience to create a harmonious effect. At the same time the interior of the car should match its stylish exterior too.

The choice of the accessories has important role to play. Starting from the seat cover to floor mats and dash covers to cargo liners or audio systems, mirrors or steering wheels. You can make huge difference to your car interior by being a bit creative. How? Here are a few useful tips.

1. The seat is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the interior of your car. Using a seat cover, you can bring a difference in the look of the car interior from time to time. However, those who want a more sophisticated look can go for leather upholstery. These days, vinyl materials are used extensively as a cheaper alternative of the leather.
2. To make a lavish statement consider using customized door knobs, dashboard covers and console. Fiber glass can help you to create a color coordinate look for the dash and door panels along with a customized audio system.
3. Now choose a carpet to complement the other accessories. If you like a sporty look, you can choose from several neon color shades which have become hugely popular these days.
4. However, the final magic is done by lighting. Light emitting diodes or other small lights are a good item to create a stylized look; to make a trendier statement, make use of colored lights, colored LEDs and mood lights in strategic places of your car. For more enhanced effect, place the lights in the headliners and cupholders.
5. To make your car interior even more comfortable and relaxing consider using orthopedic cushions, different types of customized storage solutions, steering wheel covers and sun shades.