He's no Darling to Motorists

by Matthew Pressman

Alistair Darling has hit motorists hard in his first budget as chancellor and he is justifying his swingeing tax and fuel duty hikes as 'cracking down on pollution'.

Even though the chancellor delayed the 2 pence per litre increase in fuel duty due to be imposed in April until October, it is only temporary respite for motorists who have seen fuel prices soar in recent months. In addition to increasing running costs, many motorists face higher-than-inflation duty charges on their vehicles as Darling aims to penalise the highest polluting drivers.

The existing emission bands have been re-classified and the new highest - band M - will contain vehicles that emit over 255g of carbon dioxide per kilometre driven. From April next year, owners of vehicles in that band - so-called gas guzzlers - will pay £440 per year to tax their cars. To make matters worse for those drivers, from April 2010 purchasers of brand new band M vehicles will pay an increased first year duty of £950, which will then be reduced to £445 in subsequent years.

Of course, the flip side of such draconian tax increases means that if you are happy to pay the new duty, you will be able to pick up a bargain 4 x 4, as used car prices have literally tumbled overnight. Even those who don't have cash to burn may be tempted to say yes to car credit in order to secure a superb deal on a used 4 x 4, whose used car values dropped eight per cent in just 24 hours.

However, many motoring organisations have suggested the chancellor's claims that the increases are being imposed for 'green reasons' don't ring true. Their protests appear to be backed up by simply looking at the Treasury's revenue projections for duty; the chancellor is expecting to rake in £465m in 2009-10, rising to a staggering £735m the following year.

Those figures have prompted many to claim that the chancellor is all stick and no carrot, leading CBI director-general Richard Lambert to fiercely denounce the move. He points out that the so-called 'green measure' is a cynical exercise to raise revenues and that the majority of the UK public would see it as such.

Although the green lobby are applauding the chancellor's move, whether the majority of the public will see it as a necessary tax on the most polluting vehicles remains to be seen; but in the meantime chancellor Darling is certainly looking forward to counting his increased tax revenues.

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What You Need To Know About Dents

by Paul Fountain

If you get dents in your car your initial reaction is to be shocked, the next reaction is to get angry and the third reaction is to calm down and take the necessary steps to fix the issue. But, when it comes to fixing the issue, are you fixing it in the proper manner? In other words, are you still keeping to long established methods of fixing a dent as opposed to taking advantage of the far more cost effective process of paintless dent repair?
When something novel comes along there will be those people who will move at the opportunity to use the innovations that new methods have to offer. Then again, there will be those people who may not like trying something new simply because they are more familiar with an original process they are familiar. (This is why some people still buy videos and will not to upgrade to DVD.) While this gripping on to the old may seem rather gracious, it can also prove to be a waster of time and extremely expensive. One such example of this can be found in the car world in the form of sticking with traditional bodywork as opposed to paintless dent repair.
For those not familiar with paintless dent repair it references a method when a dent is molded into the car's original form without the requirement of repainting the car. Now, this may seem like a radical diversion from the usual process of fixing and repainting a dent. Obviously, that's because it is! It is also a much more cost effective process of repair as it eliminates the extra costs involved with repainting the finish of an automobile. Yes there is the possibility for a number of unplanned expenses associated with the repainting of a car's finish. In some instances, the new finish may not match the old finish and this can lead to a notable devaluing of the car. (Envision paying a ton of cash in repairs and finishing up making the car's trade in value go down!) As many understand, the possible expenses involved with refinishing the paint on a car can be huge so why not consider paintless dent repair and skip this step?

Once again, the issue is commonly an observance to tradition. That is, car repairs become a member of the "this is the way we always did it and this is the way we will continue to do it" methodology. However, if most people prescribed to this thought pattern we would not be driving automobiles...we would be riding around on horses! Sure, paintless dent repair may look like a radical deviation from what was done before but it is a valuable process that is a much more cost effective improvement over the bigger task methods of the past. As a result of this paintless dent repair is a much wiser solution for your minor repair needs. After all, it is a sensible method that is free of a number of the common nuances involved with old fashioned repair work. Clearly, that is a better module to choose.

Paul Fountain is a certified Paintless Dent Technician and a web advisor for http://www.PDQTools.com To learn more about Paintless Dent Repair please visit PDQ Tools.com.

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A Step into the Future - Hydrogen Boosted Engines

by Darren Williger

The Increasing costs of gas in the past years have brought us to think of newer and cheaper ways to fuel our automobiles.
Auto Makers have been digging down deep to find new ways to create a fuel economy that we can afford and is effective. They have come across and ideal way to improve the fuel economy by adding the hydrogen to the fuel/air mix inside the engines of the cars. One of the problems of using hydrogen is that it's not readily available at the local gas station as the idea wasn't much explored until now.
One of the pluses of using the hydrogen Boosted engines is the cost and environmental advantages these types of engines will give you. The Hydrogen boosted engines will put out low amounts of NOx emissions unlike the gas engines. This feature will allow the entire external NOx emissions control to be excluded saving once again on costs. The NOx emissions control is a major problem now for diesel engines. The filter in the diesel that collects the particles from the emissions needs to be changed regularly raising the costs of diesels once again.
The amount of small exhaust emissions in the Hydrogen boosted engines is very low cost and needs little controlling. They require no Nox or Particulate control. The Oxidation catalyst is very low cost and can save a small fortune on the construction of the engine. Further cost lowering elements related to the emission consist of the engine using clean hydrogen during the cold start phase where 90% of the emissions where in the emissions test.

The current costs of the Hydrogen boosting systems can be added right away to existing engine compartments giving the advantages right away. The cost of this system is less than half of the diesel added compartments. The hydrogen boost system creators are sure that this new system will improve the vehicle and save on costs.
Currently the prototypes of the hydrogen boosted engines are being installed in the SUVs that can handle the size of the compartments and its added systems. They are starting tests on its lasting durability and performance. They will be reporting on its performance within the year before further testing is done.
More studies on the Four Cylinder gas engines will be done as gas prices continue to climb and generate more competition for the fuel economy.
The Hydrogen Boosted engines will be a great hope for stretching your gas out per mile and having fewer problems with the engines burning out the gas faster. Hydrogen boosted engines will conserve the gas you have and make it stretch further.
Though the hydrogen boosted engines are not available now you will be able to purchase them faster than you expect. The Manufacturers are looking to offer you the solution you have been waiting for and help you save on your overall gas spending. So if you currently own gas...sit tight a bit longer and don't go diesel it will pay off soon enough.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for PlantWebsite.com, EcoSection.com, and WindPurifier.Com

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Water Powered Engine - Is A Water Powered Engine Possible?

by Cody Wheeler

How Can Water Power A Car?
The atomic breakdown of water, as most of us know, is h20. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. When an electrical current is introduced to water, the bond is broken down into a gas known as HHO. Since we cannot create or destroy energy, but just alter it, it is still two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, however it exists in a different state, HHO Gas, which is a very stable and efficiently burning gas.
This is the precedent for the water powered engine. Many people think it is possible to build an engine that will use this gas only to completely power a vehicle on water. And is most likely is. However, there are probably only a handful of people in the world that can build this engine, and if they did, they would most likely be either paid off not to reveal it or killed. A sad, but true story.
That being said, fear not. There is an alternative to the completely water powered engine. Using the atomic breakdown of water mentioned above, HHO gas, it is completely possible to successfully alter a current gasoline or diesel engine to use water to boost its engine efficiency.

Building a Water Powered Engine
The way this works is by introducing the aforementioned HHO gas into the combustion process of your vehicle. The resulting mixture is an extremely efficiently burning one, and also extremely "green" as well. You are essentially creating a partially water powered engine. This mixture will yield up to a 75% increase in most cases, sometimes even more. We have seen numbers in the 200% range with tweaking.
The process to create a water powered engine is very simple. It can be done in a few hours with parts from a hardware store. It costs around $75 for the entire conversion, but will end up paying for itself in less than two months in pretty much every case. On top of that, it will also increase your vehicle's life by cutting down on harmful carbon deposits from dirty gasoline.
This technology is 100% proven and legit. If you want to build a water powered engine this is your answer!

A completely Water Powered Engine may never be a reality, but the water fuel conversion is the next best thing and will save anyone who does it a lot of money in the long run, as well as reducing the burden his or her vehicle puts on our precious environment. Come visit us and we'll even give you a free fuel savings guide that will show you some easy ways to save gas without touching your engine.
For more information, please visit WaterFuelConversion.

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Auto Restoration - Successful Steps To A Great Looking Car

by Craig Thornburrow

Auto restoration is a big undertaking, but if done right can save you money and give you more customization. Below is a general overview of the points needed to do the work and your particular job may differ in some ways. Most importantly you should focus on doing these procedures safely while using the proper protective gear for yourself as well as others.
There are seven steps to a basic auto restoration.
Inspection and Evaluation
1) First wash the vehicle to allow for a clear look of all surfaces.
2) Make a list of parts needed that can be seen at this time.
3) Make a list of labor that that can be seen at this time.
4) Make list of tools and materials needed, such as a compressor, air regulator, air hose and hardware, hand tools, and other metal working tools as needed. Sandpaper and fillers will be necessary as well.
Disassembly
1) Expand on part list as you disassemble vehicle.
2) Organize lose parts.
3) Take detailed photos/video of complicated areas before disassembly.
4) Find safe storage for delicate parts
5) Do not dispose of any parts unnecessarily until the vehicle is finished. This is very important.
Clean, Strip and Protect Metal Parts
1) Before stripping be sure to have tools and materials in place for coating, such as: A good rust converter for rust that will not be removed, and a good primer to help protect the metal while body work is being done.
2) Power sand, sand blast, plastic media blast or chemically strip: Rotary sander should be variable speed used below 1000 RPM.

Do the Metal Repairs and Filler Work
1) Get decent tools like a die grinder, stud welder, MIG welder and hand tools.
2) If the job is large, concentrate on one or two areas at a time.
3) This is the time for filler tools and materials. Use decent filler and sandpaper; it isn't worth purchasing cheap products. A dry guide coat is recommended for leveling the fillers.
Finish the Body Work and Start Priming
1) Polyester Putty is usually the final filler.
2) Direct to metal primer then 2K (filler) primer is applied.
3) Undercoating is usually done prior to doing the finish painting. Good "direct-to-metal" paints can protect the underside from deterioration.
The Painting Process
This is one of the most important processes of auto restoration and takes a lot of preparation and time. If you are planning on restoring your car, definitely look into this process further, as well as the other processes.
Compounding
After waiting for the paint to harden somewhat you can sand with ultra fine sandpaper (usually between 600 and 2500 grit) to remove orange peel, dust nibs, runs and other surface imperfections. If paint is fully cured, compounding and polishing takes longer, but is less likely to be damaged.
As mentioned earlier, if you are truly planning to restore your automobile, hopefully this gives you a rough outline of what you need to do, but you should certainly look into it further to give you a full idea of a complete auto restoration.

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on auto restoration and an auto restoration part at http://www.autorestorationtip.com.

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Reduce Harmful Emissions With the AdBlue Concept

by Robin Futcher

From January 1st 2005, vehicles produced in Europe will have needed to meet even tighter emissions standards, namely Euro 4.
In order to meet the new standards, all heavy good vehicles need to reduce the amount of NOx (Nitrous Oxides) they emit.
Euro 5 is nearly upon us and is scheduled for introduction in October 2009. The new limits outlined in Euro 5 are even more stringent than before, in fact almost half of the previous standard.
Vehicle manufacturers are opting for SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) as the preferred technology to meet the demands set out by Euro 5. This involves incorporating the urea into an aqueous solution called AdBlue. The alternative is EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) but this technology has its limits and at present will not be able to meet the demands of Euro 6 due in 2012
There are a number of advantages with SCR technology as around 85% of the nitrous oxide is converted into water vapour and nitrogen. (the air we all breath is approximately 74% nitrogen). In addition to this fuel savings of up to 6% have been boasted by some of the leading vehicle manufacturers. This has encouraged many of the leading manufacturers to concentrate their efforts on developing SCR vehicles in their range. With fuel pump prices now at a record high, support for SCR is growing fast.

Concern has been identified at the outset though as AdBlue is highly susceptible to contamination unless handled correctly, which has led to some dispute surrounding the creation of new ISO standards, who should be involved and how should they be implemented.
At present the AdBlue solution is produced in Europe and shipped to the UK, although there are plans to create production plants in the UK none are available to date.
With this import requirement and considering the sensitive handling aspects of the solution, sceptics fear that this technology may never really settle into the UK market.
However unless an alternative cleaner fuel solution is made available before October next year all modern fleet operators will have to adopt this new technology sooner or later.
The transport industry are encouraging the authorities to develop new standards to help guide consumers through this new technology.

Additional information on the Euro standards can be found at http://www.adblueonline.co.uk Additional resources include information on handling equipment, market prices and AdBlue storage guidelines.

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Drive Safely!

by Steve Shefford

Learning to drive is not just about reaching a stage where you can pass a driving test. It is about becoming a safe, confident driver with good skills and experience.
The test is actually the easy part of learning to drive! It is what comes next: driving alone and coming up against new experiences like motorways that is harder.
Statistics show new drivers are more likely to have an accident within the first two years of passing their test due to a lack of skills and experience.
That is why the overall aim should never be to just pass the test. Your driving instructor should introduce you to as many different situations and conditions as possible. They should be dedicated to building confidence and making you aware of all types of hazards. After passing the test, experience and skills develop over time. However, you can help yourself by taking a Pass Plus course which allows you to safely gain more experience; improve existing skills; acquire new skills, reduce accident risk and even obtain a discount on your car insurance.
Driving on motorways soon after passing a driving test is another risk. Motorway driving is a skill in itself and sadly, many people who drive on these dangerous, high speed roads have not taken any specific training on them. Many drivers who pass their test never drive on motorways because they lack the confidence of driving in a completely different environment, one that they were not able to practice with their driving instructor before they passed their driving test.

Motorway tuition is therefore a good idea, and many driving schools offer specialist instructors who can help you become a much safer and more confident driver after passing the driving test.

Steve Shefford is the director of Learner Land School of Motoring, the Essex driving school with a difference. Learner Land School of Motoring is dedicated to producing safe, confident drivers. For this reason, Learner Land only provides FULLY qualified and experienced driving instructors who show a professional attitude and an honest commitment to their work. For more information visit http://www.lldrivingschool.co.uk

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