Global warming is one of the most hotly debated issues today. Cars have been identified as one of the leading contributors to the escalating global warming problem. To minimize the effects of autos on the environment and limit its impact on global warming, a potential solution has been identified: green cars.
According to those who believe in global warming, drivers need to start using green motorcars. But what exactly are green cars and would they really slow down global warming?
Electric and hybrid cars are two such types of green cars. In reality, electric vehicles are not at all environment friendly. In order to get an electric car to run, it must be "charged" in power stations. These power stations convert only 30% to 40% of the energy into electricity. When the electricity is being transferred from the station to an electric car, 30% of the electricity is lost along the electric cables. Thus, by the time the electricity reaches the electric car, much of the energy is lost. Electric autos may cut down pollution in inner cities, but they aren't efficient at all.
Hybrid vehicles, on the other hand, are becoming the preferred automobiles by many motorists. A hybrid car has both an electric motor and a gas engine. The energy generated whenever you brake is what powers up the motor battery. Compared to electric models, hybrid autos appear to be more environment friendly -- in theory, at least. In practice, however, hybrid autos are still not up to par.
Which?, a British consumer magazine put four hybrid vehicles to the test by driving them all throughout London. The four hybrid models performed poorly. George Marshall-Thornhill, the senior research at Which?, wrote: "Some of these should have performed much better."
Hybrid motorcars are not at all completely "green" either as the batteries would still need to be disposed of. They aren't exactly biodegradable. Cost is another disadvantage of hybrid autos. For most people, hybrid vehicles are expensive compared to the regular engine-run autos. Since hybrid is a relatively new car concept, they are still not produced in a large scale so as to drive the costs down.
The bottom line is that green cars like the pure electric and hybrid automobiles end up using more energy, are more difficult to dispose of and are just too expensive for common motorists. Perhaps in a few years, green cars would be a legitimate option for motorists, but for now it still falls short of being a practical solution to global warming.http://www.ezinearticles.com
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Making Sense Of An Auto Warranty
An auto warranty is a type of contract between the purchaser and manufacturer or seller of a vehicle. Like any other contract, they can often be over-complicated and full of legalese, making it difficult to understand the various aspects of your warranty coverage
Case in point: standard new-car warranties these days are often 30, 40 or even 50 pages in length, with dozens of different subsections and clauses. Unless you're a contract lawyer, you could rightly begin to feel intimidated, and even assume that it is beyond your comprehension.
But the fact is that the majority of new-car and used car warranties are very similar, and they routinely contain many of the same common points. Here is a brief overview of the most common types, and the basic points you need to understand about each.
New cars are actually sold with several. The first of these is called the basic, and it covers most major systems and parts of your car. The basic for most cars sold in the United States is limited to three years or 36,000 miles. However, there are a few notable exceptions, including Hyundai, which offers a five-year basic, as does their affiliated company, Kia.
Basic warranties will cover the car's electronics, most interior parts and details, rims, and ignition components. It is important to note that tires are never covered in basic, and certain interior parts, such as carpeting and mats will usually not be covered either.
The other warranty that all new cars are sold with is called the powertrain. This is also sometimes known as the drive train, and it covers the larger mechanical aspects of the car. These would include the engine, transmission and differential, and usually the axles and drive shaft.
Powertrain tend to be in force quite a bit longer than the car's basic warranty. It is not uncommon to see a 10-year powertrain on new cars, and although this sounds like an awesome deal, it is important to remember that the larger mechanical parts of new cars are normally not the parts that break down.
Unfortunately, smaller and electronic-based parts tend to be the ones that are the least reliable, and these are not included under the powertrain. That means that they will only be replaced or repaired during the time limits of the basic warranty -- normally three years or 36,000 miles.
In other words, don't be too overwhelmed if a new car offers a 10 year powertrain warranty. It would actually be far more impressive if they offered a 10 year basic one, which covers nearly every part and system of the car. But unfortunately, you're unlikely to see a basic one in effect for that long.
Finally, new cars also have what is known as an "adjustment warranty." This is simply a very basic cover between the purchaser and the car dealership that sold you the vehicle. These cover most parts and systems within the car, but are normally in effect for only 30 days.
The adjustment warranty is actually of little consequence when buying a new car, because every part that it covers will also be covered by the manufacturer's basic cover. It is really only there to increase the purchaser's peace of mind, and help make a sale. In other words, never base your purchasing decision on an adjustment auto warranty, even in the rare cases where it is valid for 60 or 90 days.
http://www.ezinearticles.com
Case in point: standard new-car warranties these days are often 30, 40 or even 50 pages in length, with dozens of different subsections and clauses. Unless you're a contract lawyer, you could rightly begin to feel intimidated, and even assume that it is beyond your comprehension.
But the fact is that the majority of new-car and used car warranties are very similar, and they routinely contain many of the same common points. Here is a brief overview of the most common types, and the basic points you need to understand about each.
New cars are actually sold with several. The first of these is called the basic, and it covers most major systems and parts of your car. The basic for most cars sold in the United States is limited to three years or 36,000 miles. However, there are a few notable exceptions, including Hyundai, which offers a five-year basic, as does their affiliated company, Kia.
Basic warranties will cover the car's electronics, most interior parts and details, rims, and ignition components. It is important to note that tires are never covered in basic, and certain interior parts, such as carpeting and mats will usually not be covered either.
The other warranty that all new cars are sold with is called the powertrain. This is also sometimes known as the drive train, and it covers the larger mechanical aspects of the car. These would include the engine, transmission and differential, and usually the axles and drive shaft.
Powertrain tend to be in force quite a bit longer than the car's basic warranty. It is not uncommon to see a 10-year powertrain on new cars, and although this sounds like an awesome deal, it is important to remember that the larger mechanical parts of new cars are normally not the parts that break down.
Unfortunately, smaller and electronic-based parts tend to be the ones that are the least reliable, and these are not included under the powertrain. That means that they will only be replaced or repaired during the time limits of the basic warranty -- normally three years or 36,000 miles.
In other words, don't be too overwhelmed if a new car offers a 10 year powertrain warranty. It would actually be far more impressive if they offered a 10 year basic one, which covers nearly every part and system of the car. But unfortunately, you're unlikely to see a basic one in effect for that long.
Finally, new cars also have what is known as an "adjustment warranty." This is simply a very basic cover between the purchaser and the car dealership that sold you the vehicle. These cover most parts and systems within the car, but are normally in effect for only 30 days.
The adjustment warranty is actually of little consequence when buying a new car, because every part that it covers will also be covered by the manufacturer's basic cover. It is really only there to increase the purchaser's peace of mind, and help make a sale. In other words, never base your purchasing decision on an adjustment auto warranty, even in the rare cases where it is valid for 60 or 90 days.
http://www.ezinearticles.com
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