CARNAMA - Episode 20 - Rear Defroster

Episode 20 - CARNAMA - Rear Defroster !

You must have experienced this mostly during the mornings. Your car windows are covered with moisture. What do you do ? Take a piece of cloth and start wiping the windows, but the mositure returns !!!

When the temperature inside is warmer than the temperature outside, this can cause the water molecules to go through a process called condensation. Moisture is everywhere, even in a car that is just sitting. And because of interior items such as carpets, seats and other cloth or vinyl upholstery items, the outside metal surface of the car will get much colder than the interior. This causes moisture to form on the windows, especially on a cold or rainy day. Defrosters combat this phenomenon so that drivers can see out the windows and operate the vehicle safely.

The rear window on most automobiles has tiny lines going through it. These are actually electrical wires, which heat up when current flows through them. In this manner, the resulting heat is used to displace the condensation on the inside of the window, but can also work on the outside. The heating elements have very low heat so humans are in no danger of getting burnt if they are touched while powered on. They put out just enough heat to combat the moisture built up on the window. They are usually wired along the roofline of the car, underneath the headliner.

Some wew model automobiles are starting to come out with heating elements in the front windshield, as well, which will negate the need to let the vehicle warm up before turning on the defroster.

CARNAMA - Episode 19 - Wheel Alignment

Episode 19 - CARNAMA - Wheel Alignment

Everybody does it but doesn't ask this question, "what is wheel alignment and why do i have to get it done?"

In simple words, Wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground, thus maximizing tire life and ensures straight drive along a straight and level road.
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Wheel Alignment should be checked whenever new tires are installed, suspension components installed, when the vehicle has encountered a major road hazard or hit a kerb/footpath.

The primary static suspension angles that need to be measured and adjusted are caster, camber and toe, as shown in the diagram.

Advantages of wheel alignment are:

When your wheels are aligned properly, it cuts down on rolling resistance, which means that you car doesn't have to work as hard or burn as much fuel in order to move forward.

Even the slightest problem with your alignment can have disastrous effects on your tires. If your tires have too much or too little toe-in, a narrow strip on each tire will wear down very quickly, causing you to have to get new tires sooner. By getting regular wheel alignments, you ensure that your tires wear evenly, making them last as long as possible.

Having the wheels out of alignment can be stressful on the rest of the car, too. It means that you continually need to put pressure on the steering system in order to keep the car straight, and when you brake you often feel the car pull even more sharply, indicating that the brakes are needing to work harder on one side than the other.

One of the biggest advantages of having your wheels aligned properly is that your car is easier to drive. No annoying pull to one side or the other. It's much easier and more pleasant to drive a car that has had regular wheel alignments.

CARNAMA - Episode 18 - Driving in the Rain

Episode 18 – CARNAMA – Driving in the Rain

Hi Friends, so when it rains specially over the weekend, many of us want to make most of such weather (particularly in Gulf countries) and go out for a picnic or a leisurely drive. But did you know that this leisure drive in the rain is risky too. Have you ever considered that you need to be extra alert when driving during rainy weather? Here are some tips to guide you:

Ensure your car’s wipers are in good condition. Refer to CARNAMA Episode 2 for wiper maintenance.
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•Drive slowly as it takes longer to stop car in wet weather.

•Stay toward the middle lanes - water tends to pool in the outside lanes.

•Maintain increased distance from the car in front of you during wet weather.
•Drive in the tracks of a car ahead of you.

• Don't follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision.

•Be more alert when driving in slippery conditions and watch out for brake lights in front of you.

•Avoid using your brakes; if possible, take your foot off the accelerator to slow down.

•Turn your headlights on even in a light rain, or in gloomy, foggy or overcast conditions. Not only do they help you see the road, but they'll help other drivers see you.

•Avoid off-road driving: it's hard to judge the actual depth of puddles and you can easily become stuck, even in an SUV.

•Never drive beyond the limits of visibility. At night rainy roads become especially treacherous. The glare of oncoming lights, amplified by the rain on your windscreen, can cause temporary loss of visibility while substantially increasing driver fatigue.

•Never drive through moving water if you can't see the ground through it; your car could be swept off the road.

•When driving through a puddle of uncertain depth, go slow. If it's deeper than the bottom of your doors, turn around and find another route. Deep water can cause serious damage to a modern car's electrical system.

Or the best would be to just stay at home and enjoy those Pakoras !!!

CARNAMA - Episode 17 - Nitrogen in Tyres

Episode 17 - CARNAMA - Nitrogen in Tyres !

Hi Friends ! Did u know that the air that you fill in your car tyres consists of a major percentage of Nirogen gas and less of oxygen. It also consists of some amount of water vapour.

A rubber tire is like a membrane, through which oxygen passes three times faster than nitrogen. As a result, the oxygen slowly leaks out through the rubber walls, which leads to under-inflation. This in turn leads to higher tire wear, decreased safety and comfort, and higher petrol costs. In addition, compressed air contains high levels of moisture, which can accelerate the corrosion of the tyre rim.

The difference between the pressure in a tire and the pressure outside, causes oxygen to pass through the tyre. Nitrogen is less likely to migrate through tire rubber than is oxygen, which means that your tire pressures will remain more stable over the long term.

You will not be able to feel any difference in the ride or handling or braking, unless your tire pressures were seriously out of spec and changing to nitrogen brought them back to the proper pressure.

Advantages of Nitrogen in Tires:
•Increased fuel efficiency
•Reduced CO2 emission
•Increased tyre life due to more stable tyre pressure and less oxidation of the tyre
•Increased safety results in more reliable tyre pressure, lower tyre temperature improved grip and handling
•Increased rim life because nitrogen is completely dry; no oxidation of the rim
•Longer term stability of the tyre pressure
•Better grip and handling
•Reduced fuel consumption
•Longer tyre life
•Enhanced safety No oxidation within the tyre

But, filling your car tyres with Nitrogen will be costly as that compared to compressed air.

So give it a try and feel the difference with Nitrogen Tyres !

CARNAMA - Episode 16 - Inspecting a used car

Episode 16 - CARNAMA - Inspecting a used car !

Who said that buying a used car is such a difficult decision ? Infact you may end up getting your dream car within your budget. But, all decisions are not based purely on money. You have to check the vehicle thoroughly before making that decision.

Here are some tips on how to check a used car:
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1 - Ensure the car is parked on level ground, in order to look for any sagging in the car.

2 - Visual inspection of the car's paint work to see for scratches, dents etc. Usually the seller would have washed the car to make it look shining.

3 - Open the trunk (dikki) and check if all the necessary tools including the spare tyre is available and in good condition.

4 - Open the front engine cover and look for any damage, dents etc. Look at the condition of belts and tubes.

5 - Look inside the car and see the condition of the seats. Check for any tear and spill marks.

6 - Check the dashboard to see any missing buttons/switches. Make sure all buttons/switches are working properly.

7 - Switch ON the car and check all lights/indicators are working correctly.

8 - Do a test drive and listen for any unusual sounds/noises when turning or braking.

9 - Apply hard brakes to check response of the brake system.

10 - Note the chassis number and check with the dealer's workshop for service history and major parts replaced.

11 - Check all doors/ windows are opening and closing properly.

12 - If there's an onboard computer then get it tested at a service center having facility for this.

13 - Finally, if u r able to get underneath the car, check for rust formations.

So next time you decide to buy a used car, don't feel shy and go with the CARNAMA confidence ! And yes, do make sure that when you close one door, another doesn't open !!!

CARNAMA - Episode 15 - Parking Sensors

Episode 15 - CARNAMA - Parking Sensors

Hello people, having trouble parking ? No problem, here's a good solution for you, get parking sensors fitted to your car.

A sensor is placed on the rear bumper of the car, which is capable of both emitting and detecting ultrasound. As it pulses, a computer measures the time it takes for the sound it emits to be heard again. Parking sensors operate at a close range and some sensors have a minimum operating range. When the user set distance threshold is passed, the sensor will emit an audible sound alerting the driver that it is getting close to an object.

These sensors work on ultrasound theory. The ultrasound sensor is based on echo-location (like SONAR, the same thing bats use to navigate). The pitch, or frequency, of the sound is so high that humans cannot detect it, which is useful because it provides accuracy.

The ultrasonic parking sensor is considered the cheapest form of a parking sensor, thus it comes with several problems which other technologies address. The first is that it can miss small objects or objects which lay below the sensor's cone-shaped operating range and sometimes requires multiple sensors to be attached to the bumper to get full coverage on both sides of the car.

Now a days, the reverse parking sensor systems are accompanied with a view camera, that let's you 'see' the reverse view on a screen fitted in the car's dashboard.
Many car manufacturers are offering this as a standard feature on current models.

Now, who said parking a car is difficult anymore ?

CARNAMA - Episode 14 - Paint Protection Film

Episode 14 - CARNAMA - Paint Protection Film

Hi Everyone ! Let's begin the first Carnama of 2013 with something very interesting. Just try and recall that feeling when you purchased a new car and always wanted that your car should look new forever. You don't want those stone chip marks and paint wear off due to the weather.

Well there is a product to exactly achieve this for your new car (or even older cars). It's called Paint Protection Film (PPF). The clear coated urethane film helps preserve the paint finish while protecting surfaces vulnerable to stone chips, bug damage, abrasion, and weathering. Not only will your vehicle’s paint be preserved from these types of damages, the film will allow your paint to age naturally, and will not yellow from prolonged sun exposure. Additionally, you can clean and maintain your vehicle the same as before. The nearly invisible film can be washed and waxed just like the rest of the painted surfaces to retain that high gloss shine you expect.

These protective films are typically applied to the impact zones on vehicles parts, or otherwise vulnerable areas such as hoods, fenders, side mirrors, bumpers, grills, rocker panels, headlights covers, floodlights, car door protection, luggage areas, rear bumper decks, roof and A-pillars.

These are sometimes also referred to as Body Skins. There are many leading manufacturers providing the application service for such protection films, for e.g. 3M in Dubai.

So if you're gonna spend huge money on buying your dream car, just think of investing some more to protect your car from the harsh environmental impact.