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CAR REPAIRS

Care Tips for Your New Vehicle

May 1, 2018 by admin 6 Comments

How to keep your vehicle running smoothly for years to come.

You have just driven off the dealer’s lot and are in possession of your first new car in some time, perhaps in many years. Likely, you will own this vehicle for the long haul, perhaps keeping it for a decade or longer.

Today’s cars typically do not have a formal break-in period that older models once had. That is due to cars being engineered differently as current technologies such as computer chips control everything from engine performance to emissions. Still, there are some things you can do to pamper your ride, protecting the average $36,270 investment that Kelley Blue Book says we are making as of January 2018.

Volkswagen Atlas
This Volkswagen Atlas is a three-row, midsize crossover SUV.

Read the Owner’s Manual

The best place to start when desiring to become familiar with your car is with the owner’s manual. This book is usually found in the glovebox and is often overlooked by car owners.

Your owner’s manual was developed by the manufacturer, who best understands how your car operates. You will find everything you need there, including how to operate that complex navigation system, explain warranty information and answer just about every question you have about your vehicle. Consider it your car’s “bible” or the book of wisdom when it comes to your vehicle.

Know the Oil Change Intervals

Your owner’s manual shows oil change intervals that may be much higher than what you were accustomed to performing in the past. Today’s engines mean that you may be able to put 5,000 to 7,500 miles on the odometer between changes, saving you money.

New engines, however, should have an oil change soon after you buy the car. Mike Allen, writing for Popular Mechanics, advises changing the oil after 20 miles and again after 1,000 miles. The goal here is to rid the engine of residual metal flakes that can appear in new engines. Follow your manufacturer’s recommended oil change intervals after that.

2017 Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang remains America’s best-selling sport coupe.

Normal vs. Severe Driving Operation

Perhaps your manufacturer insists that there is no break-in period for your new car. Even so, you may want to spend the first several hundred miles easing up on the accelerator and brakes. Familiarize yourself with the way that your new car moves away from a dead stop. Shift your transmission into gear, release the brake, and gradually press down on the accelerator. Bring your car up to the locally posted speed and maintain your speed as you drive.

By carefully accelerating and maintaining your speed you will also learn how to maximize your vehicle’s fuel economy. When stopping, gradually press down on the brake until you come to a full stop. Driving at high speeds can cause your brakes to wear out faster too as more energy must be used to slow down your car. If possible, reduce your speed by coasting before applying the brakes advises Edmunds.com.

Understand Vehicle Technologies

There was a time when a car equipped with an AM/FM radio with cassette player was considered “loaded.” Today’s cars have far more features standard or available including power windows, door locks and side mirrors; an infotainment system; a navigation system and other technologies that were not available the last time you bought a new car.

This can mean you are unfamiliar with what is in your car and how these technologies work. Refer to your owner’s manual and acquaint yourself with your vehicle’s operation. Test every system, familiarizing yourself with the way each one works. If you detect a problem, you will be covered under your manufacturer’s bumper-to-bumper warranty plan, but only if you inform your dealer of your findings.

2017 Nissan Titan XD vehicle
This 2017 Nissan Titan XD is designed to pull up to 12,000 pounds.

Trailer-Towing Guidelines

Perhaps you bought a car, truck or an SUV because of its towing capabilities. Towing, however, should wait until you have driven your vehicle for a while.Your owner’s manual will probably advise you when towing can may begin. For example, Ford advises owners to “…drive your new vehicle at least 1,000 miles before you tow a trailer.” Too much pulling way too early in the vehicle’s life may prove too much for the engine and the transmission.

You can also keep your car looking new by washing and waxing it. Remove bird droppings as soon as possible to protect the paint. After a major winter weather event, wash your car to eliminate corrosive road salt. Vacuum and wipe down the interior regularly, apply sealant to the dashboard and across the doors, and keep your tires properly inflated at all times.

Beyond the First Few Years

Finally, if you plan to keep your car for many years beyond the warranty coverage period, purchasing an extended warranty may be smart. However, we advise you making this purchase just before the original warranty elapses to ensure you’re not paying for duplicate coverage. Warranties are pricey, so shop around.


See Also — My Car Maintenance Schedule: Normal or Severe?

Photos copyright Auto Trends Magazine. All rights reserved.

Filed Under: Special Tagged With: car care, car maintenance, CAR REPAIRS, extended warranties, FORD MUSTANG, Nissan Titan XD, OWNER'S MANUAL, TOWING, Volkswagen Atlas, wash, wax

Check Engine Light On: How to Diagnose (OBD-II)

December 26, 2017 by admin 1 Comment

OBD-II device: your solution for what ails your car.

All cars built since 1996 are equipped with an industry-standard on-board diagnostic system. That system is always at work in the background, but will immediately alert you to a potential problem by turning on the check engine light and keeping it on until your car is serviced. There is no need to panic: as long as the light is stable and not flashing, you can perform a diagnosis yourself.

Get a Diagnostic Device

OBD-IIPurchase a diagnostic device. The current diagnostic system, also known as OBD-II, provides easy readout information to help you determine what is wrong with your car. Handheld diagnostic devices cost about $80 — what you would pay a mechanic for a diagnosis — and are available through your auto parts store. Choose one that is not specific to a vehicle brand, a device that can read and interpret data from any modern vehicle. See: What Does the Check-Engine Light Mean?

Locate Your Car’s OBD-II Port

That port is usually located under the lower dashboard on the driver’s side. Your owner’s manual will also list its location.

Connect to the OBD-II Port

Attach the cable portion (male) of the reader to the OBD-II (female) port. Press the on button to activate the reader and to obtain a read out. See: CNET: A Brief Intro to OBD-II technology

Interpret the Code

The screen of the reader will list a code, typically a letter followed by four numbers. For example, P0549. Certain code readers explain what the problem is by listing that information along with the code. Other readers provide a list of codes in a book that is included with the code reader. If the code is not listed in the book, it might be specific to your make only. Contact your vehicle’s service department for a diagnosis.

Reset the System

If the code suggests a problem that you can handle yourself such as a loose sensor, you can make the repair and attempt to clear the code from the OBD-II system. Your code reader may also come equipped with a reset button that will clear the code. If no reset button is available you can remove and reinstall the battery terminal in the reader. Then, restart your car and observe whether the code has cleared. If it has, then you have avoided a shop visit. If it hasn’t cleared, then contact your mechanic.

An OBD-II reader can pay for itself after just one use. You may prefer to see your mechanic anyway with the information obtained at least alerting you to the repair that must be made. Never ignore a check engine on light as whatever problem you have can worsen and cost you more money in repairs.


See Also — Product Review: Lemur BlueDriver OBD2 Sensor


Wikimedia file photo credit — Ahsanriaz6157  Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)


Filed Under: Maintenance & Repairs Tagged With: car maintenance, CAR REPAIRS, check engine light, diagnosis, OBD-II port

Product Review: Lemur BlueDriver OBD2 Sensor

May 8, 2015 by admin 3 Comments

Professional diagnostics at an affordable price.

If your vehicle’s instrument panel suddenly activates a warning light, what will you do? For some drivers, they will automatically head to a garage to have a mechanic connect expensive equipment to their car to determine what that error code means. Typically, a fee of $60 to $80 is charged to clear the code. If there is a problem, then repairs are made for an additional cost.

That’s a lot of money to shell out only to tell you that your gas cap is loose or to inform you that some other minor problem is present, one that you could have handled yourself. For that reason, consumers have been turning to various OBD2 (OBDII) devices to decipher that information and to save them money.

Lemur BlueDriver

OBDII Devices and Your Car

The only problem with some of the various OBDII devices is that they may require tools to install. Worse, a handful are only suitable for PC or Mac connectivity — switch to a new operating system and your reader may no longer provide the reports you need. Bye, bye investment!

And how do I know this? Because I was presented with an OBDII reader nine years ago when I was still using a PC. Just two years later that tool was rendered inoperable as I switched to a Mac. That earlier device was fine, but it still meant taking extra steps to get my computer to read the information.

Lemur BlueDriver OBD2 Sensor

Just as all technologies evolve, the same can be said for OBDII readers. Indeed, when I was presented with the opportunity to test the BlueDriver scan tool from Lemur, I jumped at it. After all, when you discover that the latest gizmo can be read by a smartphone or a tablet, then its ease of use should be considered.

As always with all product reviews that appear here in Auto Trends Magazine, the product is supplied by the manufacturer — usually through a public relations firm. Our reviews are objective and that means we share with our readers the good, the bad or the ugly. Typically, however, we research the product before accepting it — we don’t want to waste your time or ours by sharing a dud device. Even so, if a product has some shortcomings, we will tell you about them.

Happily, the Lemur BlueDriver OBD2 Sensor (retail $99.95) performs as promised. It is designed for all model year 1996 and later cars, those that are equipped with the current generation on-board diagnostic (OBD) port. That port is usually located under the left side of your dashboard or nearby. If you cannot find it, your owner’s manual should point you in the right direction.

Lemur BlueDriver

Smartphone or Tablet Connectivity

Simply take the BlueDriver out of its package, connect it to the port and sync it with your smartphone or table. Instructions are given on how to accomplish this feat — it took me no more than three minutes to make a connection to my iPhone 5. Yes, this system works with iOS and Android units, so no drama there.

We used my wife’s 2013 Toyota RAV4 as the test mule for the BlueDriver device. Just before I made the connection, I scanned the device to obtain the related app. A blue light activates on the BlueDriver when it is connected.

Head over to the app, open it up and you will be presented with nine icons, including a flashlight. Here, you can read codes, clear codes, obtain vehicle information, perform a smog check and retrieve the current mileage status among other tasks.

Start Your Engine, Then Launch the App

To read the driver codes, your vehicle must be turned on. Then, launch the app and tap “read codes.” Within a few seconds your car will be scanned for current information. That information can be shared with another computer — even one located across the world. At the same time, if there is a problem that needs mechanical attention, you can forward that report to your mechanic for his review.

For graphing and logging wonks, the BlueDriver app is a data dream come true. You can choose between metric or imperial units, then scan your vehicle. Current information is displayed to your device and then can be saved as a .csv file as a data log. Send it to your personal computer, open a spreadsheet program and then review your data.

You can pan and zoom the graph as well as tap and hold to enable crosshairs. Whatever viewing changes you make, the data will continue to stream. Icons on the top right of the screen enable you to share the graph.

One important menu item is “freeze frame data.” Here, you can check what information your engine was sending the precise moment the check engine light comes on. This feature is very important as it doesn’t require the engine light to stay on.

Repair Reports and Tips

What is also important is the repair reports that tie in with your vehicle. The report will explain what the code means, list possible causes, identify the fix most likely required, and also identify other remedies drivers have undertaken. As many of us know, diagnostics isn’t always precise, at least not on the first attempt. Wasting your time and money should not be an issue.

Given that my wife’s car is new, I didn’t expect to find problems. But just having an OBDII device handy, is very helpful. That the Lemur BlueDriver OBD2 Sensor does the job as advertised is a relief. And if you’re not particularly technologically adept, the company has manuals and YouTube videos to walk you through the process.

Photos courtesy of Lemur Vehicle Monitors.

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: ANDROID, BLUEDRIVER, CAR REPAIRS, DIAGNOSTIC TOOL, IOS, LEMUR BLUEDRIVER OBD2 SENSOR, SCANNER, SENSOR

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