Car Insurance

(ARA) - Navigation and DVD systems, satellite radio and airbags
– have you ever thought about how many electrical cables are in
your car? It used to be just power windows and lights, but with
today’s sophisticated vehicles, the electronic systems have
multiplied.

The typical minivan has myriad electric motors, solenoids,
relays, switches and miles of magnetic-field-producing wiring
strung around its interior that control everything from the power
windows to the engine’s emissions system. All of these systems
operating in close proximity sometimes can cause electrical
interference that will make components malfunction.

“The more electronic devices you put in a vehicle, the more
likely they will interfere with each other,” says Erin Wright of
the systems protection group at Federal-Mogul, an auto component
specialist.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a persistent concern in
newer vehicles with multiple electrical systems. This is the
disruption of one electronic device caused by a nearby electronic
device. “Static on the radio is a common example of EMI.
Something is interfering with the system, and the signal is
disrupted,” Wright explains. This disruption could be troublesome
if it interferes with a critical system.

There is now an innovative new component available for auto
manufacturers that will alleviate this problem. TwistTube 2470,
developed by Federal-Mogul, offers an effective way to shield car
wiring systems from electromagnetic waves. The first
textile-based EMI product, it can be easily wrapped around wires
to provide lightweight and flexible protection from
electromagnetic interference and other damage.

Until recently, most manufacturers used a foil-based product to
protect wires. But it was difficult to install and the material’s
lack of flexibility and frequent tearing often left cables
exposed. The new complex engine environment demanded a better
solution.

“TwistTube 2470 is flexible, lightweight and tear-resistant, and
therefore easy to install,” says Wright. “It also extends the
life of components because it does a good job of protecting
cables from abrasion,” she adds.

TwistTube is durable as well and was developed with the harsh
engine environment in mind. Unlike similar foil-based products,
it can withstand extreme temperatures and is not affected by
typical automotive fluids.

Winter will be here soon enough indeed. Once, Winter is in full
swing there are serious issues for school buses and school bus
safety. The key is preventative maintenance. Many buses blow
exhaust underneath either one or both back tires to keep warm and
melt ice and snow after they stop to get traction. School Buses
Must Be Prepared For Winter Driving otherwise buses get stuck in
route or accidents can occur. Many times there is no sense in
using buses on some days meaning if no one can get there, why
have school that day at all; All the children Left Behind?

School districts are taking the threat of snow and ice seriously
during winter, preparing the buses for winter driving conditions
in Oregon.

http://www.koin.com/webnews/2004/20040105_buspreps.shtml

One of the most important things you can do of course is to wash
these buses and to do it correctly. Many times a good pressure
washing company can assist in routine maintenance cleaning of
frames to make sure the road salt and such get off the buses
which can cause excessive wear to things like brakes. Magnesium
Chloride is a huge issue on winter roads: This years Winter will
cost government agencies 2 Billion in plowing and spreading salt
and chemicals on roads for safety.

It will cost the environmental clean-up and corrosion damage to
the trucking Industry 5 million. Some of that will be spent in
Truck detailing centers in places like Detroit, Chicago, Denver,
Green Bay, Cleveland, New York and Boston. What do they put on
the roads? Under 25 degrees Fahrenheit, they use Calcium
Chloride, it generates heat when it hits moisture and melts ice
and snow, giving off a little advection fog. Calcium Magnesium
Acetate 20 degrees-Liquid deicer, limestone and acetic, best for
bridges and other areas to reduce corrosion to prevent loss of
structural integrity.

Calcium Magnesium Propionate-Powder form made from farm products,
cheap and only $300 per ton. Still undergoing tests due to
environmental problems, which may be associated with it.
Magnesium Chloride 5 degrees to negative twenty-Does not hurt
concrete, 40% less chloride into environment, comes in either
solid or liquid, liquid preferred, Potassium Chloride- 25 degrees
to 12 degrees-Similar to urea. Good deicer and fertilizer. Smells
terrible later. Sand-good traction; but major mess later.
Environmentally okay, after all it is only sand, sand blasts
trucks and screws up paint. Sodium Chloride-15 to negative six
degrees-deices, often mixed with sand and salt applications. They
call it road salt or you have heard the term rock salt. Urea is
used in -25 degrees to 11 degrees- Looks like small white
pellets, used usually as a mixture to save costs with other
de-icers. Note the freezing temperature is often a factor of
altitude and wind chill. What is the trucking Industry doing
about this problem?

Manufacturers such as freightliner is using robots to put on
special adhesive to prevent corrosion between parts. More
stainless steels are being used and other alloys with nickel
content. New primers and coatings are being used available from
PPG as well as new glass and ceramic coatings such as the NASA
formula used and sold by Adsil.

Resins and sealers are used by some to seal components and body
parts. Anti-static discharge points are put in strategic parts on
trucks. PeterBuilts all come with underbody splash shields now.
Mack has galvanized cabs and undercoating on fuel tanks.
Transport Topics in another related article in 2004 quoted fleet
managers as saying increased washing frequency was by for the
best preventative maintenance and was the main advise of fleet
owners and managers to prevent corrosion. Many times part of the
strategy of a deicer application is to allow the trucks to spread
it around and mix it correctly. So the application means just
dumping it on the ground and letting the trucks mix it. And the
buses and trucks are not alone in this problem. Think on it.

Everybody is talking about the process of powder coating automotive parts. Powder coating has grown in popularity over the past few years for a number of reasons. How many of us see powder coating being used on shows like “American Chopper” or “Overhaulin’”? The general public knows from watching these shows that powder coating is out there. But what is powder coating and how exactly is it done? Anybody know?

Preparation is imperative in achieving a quality finish. The item being coated must be completely bare of any paint, dirt, oil, or any other substance. To achieve this, sandblasting equipment is used. If it is not possible to use this equipment, it must be done with chemicals or by hand. The items are then baked to remove any moisture from the metal. After all materials have been stripped off, the item is treated with a degreasing solution to help prevent corrosion.

Powder coating is a process by which selected items are coated with a fine powder of ground resin and pigment, which is basically ground up paint particles that form a powder-like substance. The items being coated are placed on a rack, which grounds the items. A gun is used to spray the powder onto the items. A large oven is then used to heat and cure the coating. Temperatures used to cure the items typically are between 400 and 450 degrees. Heating the items makes the pigments melt, gel, and then cure to form a durable finish. The finished product is a uniform coating. Powder coating can be used on steel, zinc, and aluminum as well as other materials. The quality of the finished product has the ability to outlast and outperform painted parts. A variety of up to a few hundred different colors are available to choose from. It also exceeds paint in resisting acids, solvents, impact, and abrasions.

Powder coating can be used to coat items such as valve covers, wheels, bumpers, trim parts, engine parts, sway bars, coil springs, strut bars, and many items in between. There are many options as to who does the powder coating for you. There are companies in most metropolitan areas that either exclusively powder coat or companies that offer it along with their other services. Online companies also play into the equation with a number offering services as well. There are normally two systems for purchasing powder coated parts. For popular parts, companies may stock core parts available to be coated in a variety of colors. You order the part and ship yours back for a core. For more custom jobs, you must remove the part and ship it to the powder coater. Companies such as Eastwood also sell do-it-yourself kits. These kits start at $99 and you can use an electric oven or toaster oven to bake and cure the finish. An air compressor capable of a 5-10 PSI output is also required.

If your auto has been damaged by hail or has a some pressure dents you no doubt have been shocked by the smash repairers quote.

“What? $5000.00! But it’s only a little bit of hail”, you say.

“Yes, but we have to cut back the paint on the roof, the hood and give it a complete respray, including baking and also redo the clear coat. It’s the only way we can do it”

Well not any more!

One of the best ways to handle hail damage is paintless dent removal.

Usually repairs can be completed on the same day. There is no paint matching necessary and the factory finish remains intact.

Specially trained operators with a few tools can straighten out doors, fenders, the roof so you wouldn’t even know there was a ding.

There is know drilling, putty or painting required. It can be used on dents, creases, protrusions and even difficult to get at areas.

And the great thing is the cost. Because it’s mostly labour, you are not paying for materials. Costs are usually 1/3 to 1/2 the price of traditional methods.

Make sure you go with a provider that will give you a warranty on their work.

Summary So if you are thinking about fixing dents - think paintless dent removal - as an alternative to the traditional smash repair shop.

Are you tired of driving your cars only on the road? Are you
looking to get a little bit dirty? Or even a lot dirty? If you
need a change from RC street racing, it is time to go off-road
with the extreme off-road RC trucks. With a large variety of RC
trucks to choose from, there is something for everybody, and
every skill level.

Why an RC Truck?

If you have experience with RC cars, you might be thinking, why
do I need an RC truck? What is wrong with my RC car? Well if you
currently drive a streetcar, you do not know what you are
missing. With a remote control truck, you can live out all your 4
x 4 dreams. Depending on the type of truck you get, you can take
your truck in the dirt, in the mud, through snow and ice and even
drive it through streams and puddles!

Get wet and dirty with extreme RC Trucks! The types of trucks
that you can buy range quite dramatically. The most popular types
of RC trucks are:

1) Monster trucks
2) Sport trucks
3) Suburban style
4) Hummers
5) Ford styles

You can get RC trucks in almost any make; however, the Hummer
styles have become quite popular as well as the Ford styles. This
is likely due to their reputation as being rough and tough
trucks.

Can You Race RC Trucks?

RC trucks are not only for taking off-road. You can experience
the speed and thrill of the race by racing your trucks as well.
There is a whole segment of Radio Control trucks that are mean
solely for racing. These trucks are generally built with a
smaller body and are designed to be lightweight so that they can
go faster. In order to race off-road trucks successfully you need
the perfect combination of a fast truck, a rugged truck, and a
light truck.

You can race off-road trucks on specially designed dirt
racetracks with obstacles and jumps. Some tracks are especially
designed with ramps, mud puddles and obstacles that you need to
race through and avoid all together.

Other racetracks are built the same as RC car tracks. These
courses are built for speed and are carried out on pavement or
some other track like surface.

What Is The Best Type Of RC Off Road Truck?

There are many different types of off road truck, and the best
kind depends on what you are looking for. The first thing that
you need to determine is if you are looking for an electric or
nitro vehicle. The electric trucks are typically less expensive;
however, they are not usually as fast or as rugged as their
gas-powered counterparts are.

A good quality off road 4×4 car is the Traxxas Stampede. This is
an extra tough and powerful truck. The Stampede is known as the
pit-bull of trucks because it is the meanest and toughest around.
With its huge tires and high clearance, this truck can handle all
types of terrain. Because of the quality, rugged construction,
this truck is especially for first time RC truck owners. First
time drivers can be especially tough on a truck as they learn how
to manage their vehicles. You do not have to worry about breaking
a Traxxas Stampede truck easily. The truck comes with a fully
assembled chassis, a ball bearing equipped engine with a recoil
starter. The truck comes ready to run, just paint whichever color
you choose, add the decals and you are ready to drive.

The T-Maxx is another great 4 x 4 truck. This truck is built for
racing with 60 percent more horsepower than you can find from
other racing engines. This truck is nice and lightweight, which
is the perfect formula for off-road truck racing. Every good
racer knows that you need more power and less weight in order to
achieve faster speeds and quick acceleration. With the T-Maxx
truck, you achieve top speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour, and
do wheelies on demand. This is the perfect truck for
performance-minded drivers.

The Final Word

There are many different types of off-road extreme RC trucks. The
type of truck that you choose will depend on what you are looking
for, and what your budget allows. If you are looking at an
electric truck, the prices will start around $100. The prices on
these trucks increase as you add features, and nitro-fueled
trucks are more expensive as well. No matter what type of off
road RC you choose, you are sure to have fun feeling like a kid
again, driving it through the mud, snow, and taking it off dirt
jumps. Whether you are a professional or a hobbyist, the name of
the game is to have fun.