Berlin (dpa) – Engineers at German carmaker Opel have invented a new car headlamp with a high beam which does not blind oncoming motorists at night.

The so-called matrix headlight uses light emitting diodes (LEDs).

The headlamp is made up of four segments each containing four LEDs which can be dimmed individually. A vehicle-mounted camera recognises vehicles which are ahead or passing and adjusts the light output accordingly.

In most countries motorists are required by law to ”dip” their lights or switch to low beam in traffic in order to avoid dazzling drivers coming toward them.

Ingolf Schneider, who heads the project at the General Motors subsidiary, said the new technology makes driving at night and in adverse weather conditions much safer. According to the expert, around two-thirds of road accidents occur at night or when visibility is poor.

Main beam lights which have to be dipped manually are used on average for only five per cent of driving. Some cars are fitted with state-of-the-art headlamp assistants which activate high beam lights for around 20 per cent of a given journey. Outside built-up areas the new matrix lights shine ahead with full intensity the whole time.

Opel says the new matrix headlamps could be fitted to cars as an option within two to three years.

Let’s face it- Modern motorists have to work hard to save any money at all on their cars. Parking, fuel and just staying on the road are very expensive. Drivers have to go looking for the best car service and the best car insurance. They have to try to fit a car budget into basic living expenses, which some people have likened to having an extra child in the family. So you can’t really hold it against people trying to get a new car when they want to get their purchase prices down by trying to haggle with the car dealers.  

There’s a major hurdle, though. Car dealers aren’t charities. They’re in business. They have to make money. Those are their issues, and if you don’t understand that, you’ll get absolutely nowhere.  If you want to haggle, you have to haggle with a close eye on realistic deals, not just pure optimism. Most dealers will shut down if they think you want an unreasonable price or a deal that’s just too good to be true.

Basic deal making issues

Getting a good deal in any kind of business is very much like negotiation and mediation in business. It takes two. You need to be aware of the dealer’s bottom line, and limitations. You also need to be sensitive when you start getting negative feedback.

There’s a simple way of understanding dealing with car dealers:

Try to put yourself in the dealer’s position for a while- You don’t know the dealer’s dollar values, but you can take a pretty good shot at figuring out what’s realistic by looking at their advertised deals.

1.  If they’re offering really good deals, their margins are excellent, they’re probably doing promotional deals, and there’s probably some good room to maneuver.
2. If they’re offering “take it or leave it” deals, they’re unlikely to move much on prices or options.
3. “Extras” are based on what’s available. The dealer’s not being nasty by refusing to consider these things.
4. The mainstream name brands are a lot more likely to generate good deals. These are high volume vehicles where dealers can pick up good prices.

Negotiating with dealers

There’s an old saying from Aesop- “Negotiate from a position of strength”. As a buyer, your positions of strength are actually two positions- You have money to spend, and it’s the dealer’s job to make sales.

You can do yourself a big favour by bringing these two elements together when doing business with a car dealer:

• Set a limit on your spending and quote a figure. The dealer doesn’t need to be told much more to figure out the sort of deals they can offer. They will come up with something.
• Make it clear you really are a genuine buyer. This will get a very quick response. Forget about “I’m just browsing”. Cut to the chase and make it clear you mean business if you get the right deal.
• Don’t nitpick. Also make it clear you really must have a good deal, but are prepared to listen to genuinely good deals.

Follow those basic rules, and you’ll be online getting your car insurance  in about an hour.

When you’re paying for car insurance, you like to think you’re properly covered and that someone’s paying attention to your needs. When you’re paying for car service, you like to think that the people doing the service can at least explain in some known language what the issues are.  If you’ve ever been in the position of feeling like a tennis ball going between your car insurer and your car service people about a claim, you’ll know that that’s an experience you can happily do without.

Well, is that so unreasonable? Car insurance claims aren’t supposed to be some sort of mystic ritual. Yet, it happens, and motorists are left trying to figure out why their car repair seems to be some sort of mystery to the people supposed to be paying for it. It’s bad enough having the issues of car repairs without having a further problem or several created by someone short changing you on the insurance cover.

There are two elements in this equation:

The car insurer: If you’ve checked out some car insurance policies, you may have spent a few pleasant hours wading through almost incomprehensible language detailing policy cover. This enchanting experience is often made worse by ringing up and asking for explanations, which are frequently also clear as mud.

This is old style insurance at its worst. If you’re under 50, you may not know that the old paper technology insurance was a horror story for many motorists. You may also not know that these fossils were simply transferred into electronic form when digital technology came along. The result is that the old style policies are still around, still making life difficult for motorists. That’s also the likely reason you’ve found yourself behind the eight ball when getting cover for bona fide repairs.

The car service company: To be fair, the best car service companies aren’t the problem. The only real issues are likely to occur with lower quality service companies which may or may not be acting in your interests. There’s no good reason why a car service bill should be anything other than 100% clear and easy to relate to car insurance cover.

The time to start getting suspicious about your car service is when the car insurer clearly doesn’t trust the car service information.

The probable reasons are:

Overcharging- Not exactly unknown, and always expensive. The insurer may actually be worried about legitimate cost issues.

Anomalies between claim and charges- This is a problem that may arise when the car service “volunteers” to do extra work not related to the claim. In theory this is doing you a favour, in practice it’s adding to charges. The insurer should come back to you and explain any issues, so you can get a revised bill for services which reflect actual costs related to the claim.

The solution

Don’t guess about your car insurance claim problems, do something about them. The best option for motorists is to get the new online car insurance, which is a paperless process, very fast and extremely efficient. There’s no bureaucracy, no weird old policies and you get the help you need on the spot, either online or by phone. You’ll get results and keep your costs down.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• motor insurance service issues (1)

urnsville residents no longer have to leave town to purchase E85 for their flex fuel vehicles. The Holiday at Hwy 13 & Nicollet Ave in Burnsville is now offering the cleaner-burning fuel, which is currently priced about 20 percent less than regular unleaded gasoline. Flex fuel vehicles, also known as FFVs, are factory-built to run on either E85 or gasoline or any mixture of the two fuels. There are more than 225,000 FFVs registered in Minnesota.

Once scarce, finding E85 in the Twin Cities has become relatively easy. The Burnsville station is the 80th public E85 outlet in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area. Located in the city’s new “Heart of the City” development and adjacent to the Metro Transit Park & Ride, the site is a convenient stop for motorists looking for E85.

Read

If you remember we were looking towards 2030 to see which cars would suit those times, well there’s a curious kind of futuristic award from the Friends of the National Automotive History Collection (NAHC): Collectible Vehicle of the Future! Well, more specifically 2034.

“The NAHC is the world’s largest public archive of automotive lore and a treasure for automotive historians, journalists and collectors. Its collection of books, manuals, photos, company histories and historic documents is open to the public.”

This year, they pinned the award as the Collectible Vehicle of the Future 2009 on the Ford Flex. The reason?

“We are delighted that the Ford Flex has been recognized by the NAHC as having a design that will become a collectible of the future,” said Kate Pearce, Flex marketing manager at Ford.

“We knew from the start that we had a vehicle with stand-out design that looks like nothing else on the road, but that also meets the needs of our customers looking for passenger space with innovative technology and great fuel economy,” she said. “Reaction from our customers has been fantastic and we hope they will enjoy their cars long into the future.”

Previous winners were:

• 2008 Dodge Challenger
• 2007 Dodge Viper SRT10
• 2006 Pontiac Solstice
• 2005 Ford Mustang
• 2004 Chrysler 300
• 2003 Dodge Viper
• 2002 Ford Thunderbird
• 1996 Chrysler Sebring Convertible
• 1995 Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Aurora

It’s great that the judging body has taken into its criteria the vehicle’s fuel economy features. It looks like the future’s going to be more green come the year 2034.

Press Release

Incoming search terms for the article:

• ford mustang blog comments powered by disqus (1)

Although this is primarily a car blog, I believe that this particular article be added as this may save a lot of people from road accidents. Since the invention of the mobile phone, most drivers just cannot stop checking their email or SMS while driving. Although it’s already been outlawed on a lot of states, some people still risk killing others or themselves just to check out who texted them.

It’s fortunate then that the application called Drivesafe.ly was created to help people hear their SMS and emails while on the road. This allows them to see straight and keep their hands on the wheel while listening to the message on their mobile phone.

“DriveSafe.ly is taking off because people want to stay connected while they drive, and do it in a safe way” says Heath Ahrens, CEO of iSpeech and creator of DriveSafe.ly. “I recommend that everyone install DriveSafe.ly, not because I work for the company behind it, but because I actually use it and it stops texting while driving.”

Indirectly, this also allows blind people to hear messages to their mobile phone. This application could do a lot of good for a lot of people making their lives a bit safer on the road. It’s so good that it has been nominated for an award.

“DriveSafe.ly, which was just yesterday nominated for the prestigious 2009 Mashable Open Web Award for Best Mobile App,reads text messages and emails in real-time without any action from the user.”

Please install it for you and the people around you while you drive.

Press Release

Valvoline Instant Oil Change makes it easy for motorists to take advantage of the new Valvoline Engine Guarantee.

Drivers can participate in the program hassle-free by taking their vehicles to any Valvoline Instant Oil Change for service. Once signed up for the program, VIOC will take care of all record-keeping for participants, as long as they continue to return to VIOC for service.

Amid a number of confusing and convoluted claims, the Valvoline Engine Guarantee stands in contrast, speaking directly to what vehicle owners care about most – staying on the road. It’s no surprise that the maker of the world’s first engine oil is now offering the world’s first 300,000-mile engine guarantee.

“We’re putting our money where our mouth is,” said Sam Mitchell, president, Ashland Consumer Markets (Valvoline). “We want to keep people on the road. Period. Vehicles that use Valvoline continue to perform. We have the utmost confidence in our products, so we’re excited to now offer this best-in-class guarantee.”

Drivers can check out details of the new program by visiting any Valvoline Instant Oil Change for their next oil change service. Or, they can go to www.vioc.com for more detailed program benefits and limitations. Vehicles are eligible to be registered only before reaching 75,000 miles.

Press

Incoming search terms for the article:

• valvoline (2)
• vioc (2)
• f1-120306 (1)
• TRANSOR US-1 EDM Dielectric Oil (1)
• valvoline instant oil change (1)
• valvoline motor oil (1)

As far as the Volkswagen Routan is concerned, you can chalk up another glaring feature from this new minivan. Normally you would be looking at the interiors and the technological advancements. But if there is one thing that now places it along the lines of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, it has to be the WiFi feature that has been added to it.

Thanks to Autonet mobile, people who find themselves on the road can access the web anytime that they please. This adds another dimension towards the benefits motorists can get from certain vehicles, a minivan in this case, which is known to be a family-type of a vehicle. Placing a Wi-Fi access only adds to the various thing they can do while on the road which can become boring at some point, especially in long trips.

“Volkswagen is committed to delivering vehicles that epitomize and enhance our digital customers’ lifestyle, and the Routan is a modern family vehicle” said Mark Barnes, COO of Volkswagen. “Internet access is a clear benefit to our customers. We’re excited to work with Autonet Mobile to bring connectivity to our Routan customers.”

(Source) Press

To coincide with a national observance this month, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is urging everyone to show a caring attitude toward their tires.

National Tire Safety Week, held during June 7-13, is a period that emphasizes the simple steps drivers can take to ensure their tires are in good working condition. Research reveals that motorists rank tires as the second-most important safety feature in vehicles next to brakes, yet only a third of consumers properly check their tire inflation pressure.

Improper air pressure in tires can lead to a multitude of problems – from uneven and accelerated tire wear, to structural damage in a tire. An underinflated tire also has the potential to affect tire performance, including making a vehicle less fuel-efficient. With temperatures rising and vacation travel commencing, the attention given to the care and maintenance of tires should be heightened, according to Goodyear officials.

“Checking tires for proper inflation and tread condition is one of the most critical – and easiest – maintenance procedures for a consumer,” said Joey Viselli, Goodyear brand director. “It doesn’t take much time or sophisticated equipment. Drivers can check their tires by themselves, or any of our retail outlets would be happy to provide the service.”

Goodyear-owned retail outlets and participating independent Goodyear retailers offer a service known as “Free Air,” in which consumers can stop in without an appointment for a free tire check. This includes an inspection of the tread condition and tire inflation, with air added at no charge if the inflation level is down.

According to recent research by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), not only do most drivers ignore their tires, most simply do not know enough about how to care for the tires correctly.

Goodyear recommends that motorists should check tire inflation at least monthly or before a long trip. Tires should be inflated to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations printed on the vehicle door placard or in the owner’s manual, not the maximum limit stamped on a tire sidewall.

In addition to proper inflation, according to Viselli, another way consumers can potentially benefit from increased fuel efficiency is by choosing a tire such as Goodyear’s new Assurance Fuel Max. Available at Goodyear retail outlets since April, Assurance Fuel Max has a fuel-saving tread compound that helps reduce energy loss as the tire rolls. This helps to save 2,600 miles’ worth of gas over the life of a set of tires.

Among other initiatives from Goodyear during National Tire Safety Week are these:

• Goodyear outlets will distribute the RMA’s “Be Tire Smart, Play Your PART” consumer booklets. Those guides stress the importance of inflation pressure, wheel alignment, tire rotation and visual checks of tire tread.
• On www.goodyeartires.com, visitors will find extensive information on tire care, product selection and more. Through a link, visitors can request a copy of the “Goodyear Tire Buying Made Easy Guide.”
• With their lighted message boards, Goodyear’s famous blimps continue to spread the tire care message while in flight, urging consumers on the ground to check tire pressure and treadwear.

Press

Technorati Profile