How to Spot a Water-Damaged Used Car

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How to Spot a Water-Damaged Used Car

By Jim Gorzelany, CTW Features

Consumers should beware of flooded used vehicles they may encounter in the resale market 

Nearly a quarter of the U.S. felt the wrath of Superstorm Sandy this October, and thousands of residents found their cars submerged in a torrent of sea- and rainwater. As reported in the industry publication Automotive News, Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Honda are scrapping about 15,000 storm-damaged new cars and trucks. As many as 200,000 vehicles from privately owned used-car lots must be replaced.

What’s more, cars that may have been initially drivable are sure to exhibit mechanical problems or other difficulties as time passes, since salt water can be particularly damaging to a vehicle’s components. The transmission and fuel, brake, power-steering and electrical systems are especially vulnerable to increased wear and premature failure.

“In addition to the obvious damage done to upholstery and carpeting, flood water is a corrosive and abrasive mixture of water and dirt that works its way into every seam and crevice of a vehicle,” says John Nielsen with AAA in Orlando.

Experts caution consumers to be on the alert for water-damaged cars for sale by private owners or on used-car lots that have been cleaned up, but should otherwise have been relegated to the scrap heap.

“Fraud is an unfortunate reality in post-disaster environments,” says Joe Wehrle, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau in Des Plaines, Ill. “Unscrupulous salvage operators and dealers often try to conceal from potential buyers the fact that vehicles have been damaged by a natural disaster.”

While it may ultimately take a full inspection by a qualified mechanic to determine if a vehicle has hidden water damage, the National Automobile Dealers Association in Washington, D.C., advises a used-car shopper to follow these timely tips to help spot a vehicle that may have been caught in a flood:

• Check the vehicle’s title history by running its VIN (vehicle identification number) through Carfax (carfax.com), Experian’s Auto Check (autocheck.com) or the NICB’s VinCheck (nicb.org) to see if it’s been reported as being flooded or salvaged. Numerous sources report flood and damage information to Carfax and similar services, including insurance companies and state Departments of Motor Vehicles.

• Closely examine the vehicle’s interior and engine compartment for evidence of water and grit, and look for water or condensation in the headlamps and taillights.

• Look for carpeting or upholstery that may have been shampooed after flooding, and keep an eye out for water damage on the lower door panels.

• Pull up the carpeting in the passenger compartment and trunk to check for water residue or stain marks, signs of rust and evidence of mold or a musty odor.

• Get a flashlight and look under the dashboard for evidence of dried mud and other deposits.

• Check for rust on screws in the center console or other areas that might have been submerged.

• Open the hood and look for mud or residue in crevices, behind wiring harnesses and around small recesses in and around components.

• Check electrical wiring and relays in the engine compartment and under the dashboard for rusted components, corrosion or water residue.

• Look under the car, in wheel-wells and around door, hood and trunk panels for evidence of rust not otherwise associated with later-model cars.

“When in doubt, have the vehicle checked out,” NADA chairman Bill Underriner says. “Your safety and your family’s safety are far too important to risk.”

How to Spot a Water-Damaged Used Car

Electric vehicles make slow inroads

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Electric vehicles make slow inroads

By Sandy Bauers The Philadelphia Inquirer

Behind the wheel in an empty spot of his Cherry Hill, N.J., law firm’s parking lot, Peter Spirgel grinned wickedly. Then he floored it.

Whooah! The Tesla sedan — a Model S Performance, for those who attend to such details — shot from a standstill.

Just eight days into ownership, Spirgel was still like a giddy kid, noting the luxury details, the 17-inch screen that governs everything — “like driving an iPad,” a friend said — and, not least, the engineering marvel of a top-end electric car.

When Spirgel took delivery, he became another statistic, albeit a snazzy one, in the growing electric-vehicle marketplace.

Throughout the nation, cars that get their fuel from a plug, not a nozzle, are making inroads.

Two years into electric vehicles being broadly sold to consumers — notably, through the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf — they remain a fraction of the nation’s passenger fleet, due partly to cost.

But nationwide, more than 40,000 plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in the past two years, and in one year, sales tripled. The vehicles are seen as key to meeting the new fuel-efficiency standards of 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025.

Electric vehicles are catching stares in parking lots and thumbs-up on highways. Charging stations are burgeoning, too.

So far, the Volt, which goes 40 miles on a charge before switching to gasoline, is outselling the Nissan Leaf, which is all-electric and gets about 100 miles to a charge.

“I think people are afflicted with range anxiety,” said Tom Saxton, vice president of the advocacy group Plug-In America. He defines it as “the irrational fear of running out of charge” before reaching one’s destination.

But do the math, Saxton said, and you’ll be OK.

The East Coast lags behind the West Coast — partly, researchers say, because there are fewer high-occupancy-vehicle lanes. Restricted to carpoolers and, more recently, hybrid or electric vehicles, they offer a dodge around congested traffic.

And other barriers remain, including familiarity with the technology.

Plus, of course, the cost. Base price for the Leaf is $27,700; for the Volt, it’s $31,600. Both totals are after the $7,500 federal tax credit.

(Charging changes the equation. A charging company executive said that, nationwide, gasoline costs 16 to 18 cents a mile vs. two to three cents a mile for electricity.)

So officials are squeamish about putting public money into a technology that, for now, only the rich can afford. But they are happy to encourage adoption by, say, smoothing out building codes and inspections for charging stations.

Spirgel, CEO of the Flaster/Greenberg law firm, is happy to play the role of early adopter. “Someone has to start this transition. And if people start driving these, the batteries will get better, they’ll get a longer range, they’ll get cheaper.”

Electric vehicles make slow inroads

Runflat tires: many pumped up about them

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Runflat tires: many pumped up about them

(BPT) – The last thing any driver wants is a flat tire. It’s also the last thing tire manufacturers want to happen. Even though tires are a lot more high-tech than the average consumer imagines, tire makers are well aware that flats can deflate the public’s opinion of a tire. That’s why tire engineers have been working overtime to make tires stronger and more resistant to road hazards. Unfortunately, though, sometimes the nasty nail in the road still wins … until now, thanks to runflat tires.

“A runflat tire is essentially designed to carry the load of the vehicle when the tire’s punctured and enables the vehicle to continue to be driven at a reduced speed for a limited distance,” says Andrew Briggs, director of product planning for Yokohama Tire Corporation, makers of a variety of truck and car tires, including runflats. “Thanks to runflats, consumers can have peace of mind and don’t have to worry about being stranded on the road because of a flat tire.”

Although runflats have been around since the 1990s, the technology has taken quantum leaps in the last few years, says Briggs. “For example, our AVID ENVigor  ZPS (Zero Pressure System) delivers high-performance and security. Because of the tire’s reinforced sidewall, it can be driven up to 50 miles at 50 miles per hour after the loss of air. In addition to the mobility aspects, there are financial positives as well. If pressure is lost with a conventional tire, wheel damage can occur, which can be very expensive.”

Drivers often ask how they’ll know whether they have a flat if they have runflat tires on their car. “Runflat tires can only be installed on vehicles with a tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS,” Briggs says. “The TPMS will alert drivers about the air loss, and because of the way runflats are constructed, drivers can feel confident they can reach their destination without having to change the tire.”

Along with TPMS, more car makers, such as BMW, Lexus and Mini are switching to runflat tires on new models. “Besides being handier for consumers, they save vehicle weight and space,” says Briggs. “There’s no longer the need for a spare tire, a jack and tools.”

According to Briggs, consumers will see more high-tech runflats and other types of tires in the future. “Tire technology is always evolving,” he says. “As an example, we’re currently using the oil from orange peels in some of our compounds to improve gas mileage and handling. Point being, we’re always working to make tires better, last longer and, yes, continue to perform even after loss of air pressure.”

Briggs says whether you have runflats or traditional tires, maintaining them is important and can save money at the gas pump. Here are some of his tire tips:

* Keep your tires properly inflated. Once a month, when the tires are cold (at least three to four hours after the vehicle has been driven), check tire pressure with a reliable tire gauge. Be sure the valve stems have a plastic or metal cap to keep dirt out and seal against leakage.

* Tires must be replaced when the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch to prevent skidding and hydroplaning. An easy test: place a penny into a tread groove. If part of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread when placed head-down into the tread, you’re driving with the proper amount of tread. If you can see all of his head, you should buy a new tire.

* Tire alignment should be checked once a year. Misaligned tires can cause the car to scrub, which lowers mileage and creates unnecessary tire wear.

* Drivers should use extreme caution when driving at zero pressure and should avoid aggressive handling actions and any unusual service condition, such as trailer towing or hauling heavy loads.

Runflat tires: many pumped up about them

Toyota Furia Concept Makes Global Debut at 2013 North American International Auto Show

Toyota Furia Concept Makes Global Debut at 2013 North American Internat ... http://p.ost.im/p/dPMswW

Toyota Furia Concept Makes Global Debut at 2013 North American International Auto Show

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 14, 2013 – Toyota revealed the Corolla Furia Concept at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This exciting compact sedan concept hints at the styling cues consumers can expect to see on the next-generation Corolla.  The concept represents an exterior styling study by Toyota designers, and it builds on the brand’s product development priority to develop more dramatic, expressively designed vehicles.“The Corolla Furia Concept is an early indicator of where our compact car design may lead in the future,” said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division. “It blends a heightened emphasis on dramatic design and modern elements of high technology to generate curb appeal that will surprise a lot of people.”The Furia is designed around a theme of “Iconic Dynamism,” which uses pure and simple surface elements to create a confident, decisive and recognizable appearance appealing to more youthful consumers. It features a more provocative, dynamic interpretation of a compact sedan that displays a more stable, athletic stance with 19-inch allow wheels pushed to the vehicle’s corners with short overhangs to help emphasize its long wheelbase.

The Corolla Furia design includes a swept windshield, with a sloped roofline and pronounced fender flares, to help communicate a sense of motion even when the car is stationary. The aggressively styled front fascia, with a blacked-out grille treatment, helps highlight a pair of sculpted front LED headlamps that combine with the rear composite LED taillight assemblies to add a sense of advanced technology to the Furia’s impactful exterior. Carbon fiber accents adorn the Corolla Furia Concept’s wheel wells, rocker panels, and rear valance, which includes ornate metal exhaust outlet surrounds to add a sense of modern athleticism.

Toyota Corolla Furia Concept 

Overall Length	4620 mm/ 181.9 inches
Overall Width	1805 mm / 71 inches
Overall Height	1425 mm / 56.1 inches
Wheelbase	2700 mm/ 106.3 inches
Wheels	19-inch aluminum alloy

# # #

Media Contacts:

Toyota Division Communications Greg Thome                (310) 468-3279 or greg_thome@toyota.com Moe Durand                (310) 468-1601 or maurice_durand@toyota.comMedia Web site:                      www.toyotanewsroom.com Toyota Public Web site:          www.toyota.com

Toyota Furia Concept Makes Global Debut at 2013 North American International Auto Show

MPG Ratings: Fact or Fiction?

Here’s why the posted fuel economy figures for new vehicles rarely ma ... http://p.ost.im/p/dPDyCh

MPG Ratings: Fact or Fiction?

By Jim Gorzelany, CTW Features

Fuel economy remains a top consideration among new-car buyers, but disgruntled motorists are beginning to raise complaints – and in some cases legal actions – against automakers because their mileage doesn’t match up with their vehicles’ “official” estimates.

Why are the Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel economy estimates often off-base? It has a lot to do with the manner in which gasoline-powered cars are evaluated for their energy consumption. While it seems logical to determine a vehicle’s fuel economy by simply filling up the tank, driving it on a given stretch of road or a test track for a set number of miles and basing the results on the number of gallons consumed, this is not how the experts do it.

In fact, tested vehicles don’t reach the pavement at all. Rather, a car’s fuel economy is measured in a laboratory on a machine called a dynamometer, which is like a treadmill for cars, using a standardized test that’s mandated by federal law. Automakers actually do their own testing and submit the results to the EPA, which subsequently reviews and confirms the data.

A professional driver runs the vehicle through five separate standardized driving schedules, one each to simulate city traffic, highway cruising, driving at higher speeds, operating a car with the air conditioning on and in stop-and-go driving with lower ambient temperatures.

Throughout the test, a hose is connected to the vehicle’s tailpipe that collects the engine’s exhaust, and the amount of carbon present is used to calculate the volume of fuel used. The EPA claims this is more accurate than using a fuel-gauge to physically measure the amount of gasoline being burned. Still, a “fudge factor” of 0.7 is applied to the evaluation process to help bring the EPA’s estimates closer to reality.

But out in the real world, a host of other physical and personal factors affect a vehicle’s energy consumption. For starters, cars and trucks used for evaluation in the EPA’s tests are broken in and are in top mechanical shape. Even relatively minor upkeep factors like having incorrect air pressure in the tires can cost an owner a few mpg.

Also, cars and trucks subjected to fuel economy testing are “driven” without a full complement of passengers, cargo and options aboard – all else being equal, the heavier a vehicle is, the more fuel an engine will need to burn in order to reach and maintain a set speed. What’s more, the EPA says that small differences in manufacturing and assembling can cause minor disparities in fuel economy from one model to another.

Other physical factors like the particular blend of gasoline sold in a particular area at a given time of the year, trip length, traffic conditions, terrain, temperature and the weather all affect a car’s mileage. Certain exterior accessories like roof racks can increase a vehicle’s aerodynamic drag, and will in turn decrease a vehicle’s mileage, especially at highway speeds. Heavy acceleration and braking, high-speed driving, excessive idling, towing and engaging four-wheel-drive will also drain a vehicle’s gas tank at a higher-than-average rate.

While the EPA’s fuel economy estimates may not be a completely accurate prediction of the mileage a motorist will register, they’re still valid as a source of comparison for car shoppers, even if only on a relative basis. For example, if one model is estimated to get a third better fuel economy than another, it’s reasonable to expect the latter will cost about a third more to keep the gas tank filled, all else being equal.

Despite the EPA’s best efforts at estimating the fuel economy of each vehicle model, the end result remains, “your mileage may vary.”

MPG Ratings: Fact or Fiction?

Save the earth, drive your car?

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Save the earth, drive your car?

Interview with Stephen Dubner

Mass transit in the Northeast was hit hard by Sandy. New Yorkers had to do without the subway, for example, but now the transit system has mostly recovered. It’s a perfect time to be thankful for the extensive network of public transportation that exists in the city. In fact, it means that New Yorkers have one of the smallest per-capita carbon footprints in the U.S.

But you’re probably sensing a hidden side here, right?

“Mass transit can be an incredible boon for the environment,” says Eric Morris, a regular contributor to Freakonomics and a professor of urban planning at Clemson University. He told Freakonomics’ Stephen Dubner: “It can also not help the environment or maybe even hurt the environment.”

Wait. What?

“Obviously, the energy expenditure in moving around a transit vehicle per passenger mile depends on the number of passengers,” Morris continues. “Whether you have one passenger in a bus or 40 passengers in a bus, you’re going to be expending almost the same amount of energy.  So it all depends on the ridership and the occupancy that transit vehicles and, for that matter, autos carry.”

So here comes the rub. The average American car carries 1.6 people — not many, of course, when you’re comparing it to mass transit. On the other hand, the average bus carries only 10 people. And a bus burns a lot more fuel than a car. Not exactly what mass-transit advocates would have us believe.

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Click through to see how your state commutes. Explore the interactive map.

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Which led Morris to this rather surprising conclusion: “Typically, moving a passenger a mile by bus requires roughly 20 percent more energy than moving a passenger around by car…So, just in terms of energy expenditure, bus actually fares worse than car.”

And trains? Trains are on average better than cars, roughly two-thirds of energy per passenger — although that number is warped a bit by the New York City subway, which is just a monster of efficiency.

The caveat here: it’s hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison, since transportation is so complex. But here’s Eric Morris’s point: In terms of energy efficiency, mass transit is not the panacea that a lot of people would like to think. Yes, it works great in a dense urban area like New York, but Morris argues that we’ve already picked a lot of that low-hanging fruit, and that light-rail systems in places like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Memphis actually do worse than cars in terms of energy efficiency, simply because they’re underused.

“In general, pumping up ridership by constructing new transit systems or adding new transit service has to be looked at very skeptically,” he says. “On the other hand, if we can persuade more people to leave cars and move onto the existing transit system that we already have, that’s a complete win for the environment.”

There are a lot of trade-offs here that are hard to measure. A few examples: commuting time, land usage for parking, the cost of ownership of different kinds of vehicles, and the traffic fatalities that come with car travel.

And you’ve got to consider your success in what Morris says — persuading people to leave their cars. As the Onion once put it: “98 Percent of U.S. Commuters Favor Public Transportation for Others.”

So if liberals hate the idea of discouraging mass transit, here’s an idea that conservatives can hate: you can compel people to leave their cars by raising tolls and gas and parking taxes to incentivize more people to ride the transit systems we’ve already spent billions on.

 

 

 

Save the earth, drive your car?

January 2013 Newsletter

http://illst.us/w40xn7

MORE WOMEN HAVE DRIVER’S LICENSES THAN MEN IN US

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MORE WOMEN HAVE DRIVER'S LICENSES THAN MEN IN US

BY JOAN LOWY ASSOCIATED PRESS 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women have passed men on the nation’s roads. More women than men now have driver’s licenses, a reversal of a longtime gender gap behind the wheel that transportation researchers say is likely to have safety and economic implications.

If current trends continue, the gap will only widen. The share of teens and young adults of both sexes with driver’s licenses is declining, but the decline is greater for young men, according to a study by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. The study looked at gender trends in driver’s licenses between 1995 and 2010.

“The changing gender demographics will have major implications on the extent and nature of vehicle demand, energy consumption, and road safety,” predicted Michael Sivak, co-author of the study. Women are more likely than men to purchase smaller, safer and more fuel-efficient cars; to drive less, and to have a lower fatality rate per distance driven, he said.

Over the 15 years the study covered, the share of men ages 25 to 29 years old with driver’s licenses dropped 10.6 percent. The share of women of the same age with driver’s licenses declined by about half that amount, 4.7 percent.

Male drivers outnumbered women drivers from the moment the first Ford Model T rolled off the assembly line in 1908, the year the automobile became popular, and through most of the last century. In the 1950s, when only about half of adult women had driver’s licenses, jokes about women drivers were a staple of comedians.

But the gap gradually closed. By 1995, men with driver’s licenses slightly outnumbered women, 89.2 million to 87.4 million. By 2010, 105.7 million women had licenses, compared with 104.3 million men.

Likewise, in 1995 men with driver’s licenses outnumbered women in every age group except those over 70. By 2010, women outnumbered men among drivers ages 45 and older and between ages 25 and 29 years old. The share of older women who are also on hanging onto their driver’s licenses has also increased.

“I want to be in my own car for as long as possible. I want to be independent for as long as I can,” said Diane Spitaliere, 58, a retired government worker in Alexandria, Va.

Male drivers under age 44 are still slightly more numerous than women of the same age, but that’s only because young men outnumber young women in the general population, the study said. There now are 105 boys born each year for every 100 girls in the U.S. Women outnumber men later in life because they live longer – an average of 80 years for women, compared with about 75 years for men.

Rising Internet usage may be part of the reason for the decline in the share young drivers, especially young men, Sivak said. A previous study by the transportation institute published earlier this year found that countries that have higher Internet usage also have a lower licensure rate of teens and young adults.

“There is some suggestive evidence that Internet contact is reducing the need for personal contact,” he said.

Other researchers have theorized that digital media and technology may make driving less desirable and public transportation more convenient. Texting while driving is dangerous and illegal in most states, but there’s no risk to texting or working on a laptop while riding a bus or train. Some transit systems have been seeing significant increases in riders.

Another reason for the growing disinterest among young men in driving may be the erosion of the “car-fetish society,” travel behavior analyst Nancy McGuckin said. “Today’s young adults grew up in the back seat of cars stalled in congestion, hearing their folks swear at the endless traffic. Nothing romantic about that!”

It is also “no longer cool, or even possible, to work on your own vehicle. The engines are so complex most people don’t even change their own oil,” she said. “Independence, freedom, being able to customize the car to reflect you – these are not part of young people’s association with vehicles.”

There also may be economic reasons for the shift, McGuckin’s research indicates. Employment of 16- to 24-year-olds as a share of all workers has declined. At the same time, the rate of young men ages 18 to 34 years old living at home has been going up and is greater than the rate of young women living at home.

It may be that unemployment and underemployment have made auto insurance unaffordable for young men, said Alan Pisarski, author of the Transportation Research Board’s comprehensive “Commuting in America” reports on U.S. travel trends. “Insurance for males under 25 is just colossally expensive,” he said.

There has also been a sharp decline in vehicle trips and the number of miles traveled by vehicle for 16- to 29-year old males, according to McGuckin’s analysis of massive government travel surveys between 1990 and 2009. The declines for women were not as great.

“The car companies are very worried,” she said.

Gloria Berquist, vice president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the alliance is aware that the share of teens and young adults obtaining driver licenses is dropping, although the association hasn’t seen the research on the gender differences.

“Some research has shown that young adults today connect with their friends through their smartphones, but at some point younger consumers still need to get from here to there, and a car is still a priority where public transportation is unavailable or limited,” she said. “This is especially true for younger adults when they enter the workforce.”

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Follow Joan Lowy at HTTP://WWW.TWITTER.COM/AP-JOAN-LOWY

 

MORE WOMEN HAVE DRIVER'S LICENSES THAN MEN IN US