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With winter fast approaching (in fact it seems as though winter is already here judging by today’s temperatures) cars will need to be treated with extra care. I always remember during the last winter season the amount of time that my engine would not start because of the freeze. Well the good old days of having to scrape the ice from the windscreen and having to use warm water from the household kettle is nearly upon us. We didn’t really have much of a summer and so it seems Winter may just come that little bit earlier this year. With used cars especially, the cold weather can have quite an impact as the engines are more worn than that of their contemporaries with a newer engine. They also seem to take longer to start up in some cases and can be compared to an older person who has problems with their joints for example! Another quite common issue during the festive season is the car door “sticking” and unable to open. I have seen this on many occasions and I am in the unfortunate position of living across the road from a field, which when the wind is active, blows the frozen due off the grass and onto the right hand side of my car; therefore including the drivers’ door. Now many times in the past not only has the door “stuck” but also the door handle, window etc. Frequently I had to enter the vehicle from the passengers’ side just so that I could get in! Whilst this proved to be quite inconvenient, it was my only way of being able to make the car function unless I was willing to wait until the sun arose. However, during the early hours of the morning this was next to impossible and so it was my only option. In terms of unfreezing the windscreen – many people seem to think that de-icer is the best way forward. Whilst I agree to a certain extent – de-icer alone will not always provide the desired results and you will find that the cars windscreen will appear blotchy and only offer a clear view in certain areas. The very best way to remove ice from a cars windscreen is to boil some water in the kettle and then mix it with cold until it is just warm. The reason for this being that hot water could indeed crack the car windscreen and cold water will only make the freeze worse! Therefore, by using warm water – it provides a feasible solution to removing the ice. This, combined with anti-freeze is by far the best option on those cold winter mornings when you are in a rush to get to work.

Touching upon an earlier entry, I too have been researching into some documentation about the safety of cars and the new types of inventions being made by the top car companies to provide vehicle drivers with a safer driving experience. Having already discussed the topic of airbags and how they were only brought into production a few years ago, it seems that the guys over at companies such as Volvo (who have a very strong reputation as having some of the safest cars ever built), BMW and Honda etc are introducing new concepts into vehicle safety and are even trying to help the consumer save money on their fuel / oil. I was discussing such topics with a friend of mine yesterday who informed me of a new fuel efficiency program being introduced by a company over in America who are working on a special device that will allow car owners to save money on their petrol (or gasoline if you are American). The most impressive thing about this new invention though was the fact that it could be used on all types of cars; new cars, used cars, vans, commercial vehicles etc and wasn’t restricted to any of the above due to it being an external device that “clips” onto the fuel pumps under the bonnet. The mechanics behind this being that it will make the fuel “thinner” that will, in turn, mean less fuel is being wasted or absorbed by the engine itself. By doing this, less petrol will be consumed, which will mean the car can clock up more miles than it normally would (improving the mpg rate). Now as noted above – apparently this new piece of technology will be available to all cars and not just new ones being built in the factory. It will be available over the counter at various vehicle outlets worldwide and is set to take the car market by storm. However, before any of the readers get too excited, no date has yet been set for its release and there has been no “official confirmation” by any of the manufacturers. Therefore, at the moment – it doesn’t exist. I suppose you could kind of liken it to the various prototype cars that are often on display throughout the various car sites and television programmes. Call it a “teaser” of some sort. Thinking about is, if this did get the go ahead, it could not only be cars and vans that could benefit but also bikes, trains and maybe even aeroplanes.

It seems that the car manufacturers of today are certainly putting much emphasis into car safety when building their cars. Putting things into perspective then, it was only a few years ago that drivers did not have the added benefit of air bags for example. That shows just how far safety in cars has come and what measures have been taken to ensure less injuries are resulted from accidents. Taking things a bit further are a group of technicians in Japan that are believed to be producing a new invention that will improve the quality of standard airbags to help further reduce the impact on cars in the event of a collision. It comes as no surprise then to hear that these technicians are from Honda who is known to be one of the market leaders in safety and performance. Their vehicle efficiency is also second to none and the reputation that they have gained over the years is outstanding. So, getting back to the airbags then – it is being reported that these new airbags inflate at twice the speed of the current airbags. They are also meant to inflate at separate stages in order to decrease the level of impact generated. Things seem to have come a long way if this new invention is to come to light. My only query though is whether or not all cars of today should be equipped with such features? Ok so with new cars it would appear to be much easier to incorporate but what about with older used cars? Could such things be “added” into the structure of a car that hasn’t had airbags incorporated into its initial design? Is there room for additions? Obviously these new safety measures are being put in place for a reason and so I am of the opinion such things should at least try to be incorporated into ALL cars on the road….if possible.