Schedule Check Engine Light Is On Inspection
The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Check Engine Light is on Inspection. Once the problem has been diagnosed, you will be provided with an upfront quote for the recommended fix and receive $20.00 off as a credit towards the repair. YourMechanics technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews… LEARN MORE
The Biggest Benefits Of Leasing A Car
Weve discussed a few of the advantages of leasing a vehicle already, but lets go into greater detail.
Of course, theres a much lower financial obligation when it comes to leasing a Toyota instead of financing one you can enjoy low monthly lease payments, you can transfer ownership of a lease more easily, you dont have to worry about long-term costs like increased maintenance fees or resale hassles, there are no upfront taxes, and there could potentially even be tax benefits for you if you lease the car for business purposes!
Leasing a car means you have several options and no long-term obligations. You can customize your terms to fit your needs, get the latest and greatest safety and technology features offered in vehicles every few years, and youll get to feel the excitement that comes with getting a new car more often!
Essentially, you get most of the benefits of owning a new car, without some of the risks. Plus, GAP Insurance is included in all Toyota lease contracts. That means, in the event of total loss or theft of the vehicle, Toyota will absorb the difference , after you pay the deductible, between what you owe on the remainder of your lease and the amount of your insurance settlement.
Common Ac System Failures
Because automotive air-conditioning systems operate under pressure, they need to remain completely sealed from the surrounding environment. Anything that allows refrigerant to escape or contaminants to enter can cause a failure.
If a leak is present in any component, simply recharging the system with new refrigerant will be at best a temporary fix. Identify the leak, replace the faulty component, and then evacuate and recharge the system.
Not only will a system leak stop the AC system from cooling, it can damage the compressor. The compressor can overheat and damage itself by trying to run with too little refrigerant in the system. Compressors generally are not serviceable and are an expensive item to replace.
To operate correctly, the AC condenser needs a steady flow of air through its fins. Road debris and dirt may reduce airflow, causing system malfunction. The condenser is mounted directly behind the vehicle grill, leaving it somewhat exposed and at risk for partial blockage.
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An All Electric Cars Heater In Cold Weather
As mentioned, the battery in an electric car is less efficient in colder weather. It is recommended to warm the battery before starting to drive. As with a battery in a regular car, the energy is drained during the colder months.
In cold weather, electric cars can lose a significant portion of their range, sometimes up to 30%. The heater uses the battery to heat the vehicle. But, how does the heater operate in colder weather?
- Resistive heaters start quickly. Resistive heaters can begin operating as soon as the car is on. This is because it is generating the heat it will use to warm the interior of the car. Once the battery is running, it will supply the resistive heater with energy to run.
- Heat pumps need time. In colder weather, heat pumps cannot work immediately. They have to warm up just like the battery. While they are using electricity to function, the heat is not generated from within. Rather, it is using the heat generated by the battery itself, so if the battery is cool then so is the heat pump.
- Preconditioning. Many electric vehicles offer preconditioning options. Preconditioning is when you pre-warm the battery and car before using it. This should be done while plugged into a charging port. This is beneficial because then the battery does not have to use extra energy while in use.
Yet, despite this, electric cars are still popular in colder climates. They are still efficient and while they may have some reduction in their energy, they still will function properly.
Producing More Engine Power
Using all of this information, you can begin to see that there are lots of different ways to make an engine perform better. Car manufacturers are constantly playing with all of the following variables to make an engine more powerful and/or more fuel efficient.
Increase displacement: More displacement means more power because you can burn more gas during each revolution of the engine. You can increase displacement by making the cylinders bigger or by adding more cylinders. Twelve cylinders seems to be the practical limit.
Increase the compression ratio: Higher compression ratios produce more power, up to a point. The more you compress the air/fuel mixture, however, the more likely it is to spontaneously burst into flame . Higher-octane gasolines prevent this sort of early combustion. That is why high-performance cars generally need high-octane gasoline their engines are using higher compression ratios to get more power.
Stuff more into each cylinder: If you can cram more air into a cylinder of a given size, you can get more power from the cylinder without increasing the fuel required for combustion. Turbochargers and superchargers pressurize the incoming air to effectively cram more air into a cylinder.
Inject the fuel:Fuel injection allows very precise metering of fuel to each cylinder. This improves performance and fuel economy.
In the next sections, we’ll answer some common engine-related questions submitted by readers.
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Whats The Difference Between Financing And Leasing
So, the perks of leasing a vehicle sound pretty great to you, but is leasing a vehicle right for you? Even if you can afford to finance or buy a vehicle in full, that doesnt mean its the best decision for your lifestyle.
Financing a vehicle is essentially when you take out a loan from the dealership, and then you pay it back in monthly installments until youve paid for the car in full. Toyota Financial Services offers financing contracts for up to 84 months, so your monthly payment can be made smaller with longer terms, or you can make sure you are always behind the wheel of a new Toyota with shorter ones.
The key difference between financing a vehicle and leasing a vehicle is that once the contract ends, people whove financed their cars now own them. That also means that financing contracts have higher monthly payments than leases. To learn more about financing a Toyota vehicle, to read our article about how financing a car works.
In comparison, leasing is generally the best option if you like to drive new cars more often, want to pay lower monthly fees, and would prefer a short-term commitment.
If youre someone who always wants the latest and greatest technology the newest phone, the best wearable technology then leasing is likely a smart option for you. It will allow you to enjoy the perks of getting a new vehicle every few years, without the added costs and commitments that come with owning a large asset.
How Do Hybrid Vehicle Engine Work
The classifications above are defined by the ability of the electrical motor. In the following sections, the different types of hybrid implementation in design will be discussed.
We will look at three types of hybrid designs. They are:
- Parallel hybrid
- Series-parallel hybrid
Parallel Hybrid
Imagine a car engine producing power and transferring that power to an axis which, in turn, transfers that power to the wheels. At the other end, you have an electrical motor transferring its power to the same axis.
This is the basic principle of a parallel hybrid. Both the internal combustion engine and the electric motor send power to the same axis. In most cases, the electrical motor is between the engine and the transmission.
Series Hybrid
You may have heard of extended-range electric vehicles. They are hybrids that use both electric motor and an internal combustion engine.
The key with series hybrids is that the engine is not connected to the wheels in any way. Instead, the engine is connected to a generator, which supplies electricity for the electric motor.
The internal combustion engine turns on when there is no more charge in the battery, powering the electric motor directly. It can also be used to charge the battery.
Series-Parallel Hybrid
As its name suggests, the series-parallel hybrid combines the design of the parallel hybrid and the series hybrid.
In other words, the internal combustion engine provides power to both the wheels and a generator.
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Find The Perfect Rental Car
Learn about the dozen plus car rental categories with different features and characteristics that suit different rental needs.
Tips for long road trips with kids
Should I rent a diesel, petrol, or electric car?
COVID-19 Cancellation policies
Can you drive out of state in a rental car?
How old do you have to be to rent a car?
When is the cheapest time to rent a car?
Limited vs. unlimited mileage
Which rental companies accept debit cards?
What are the rules for child seats in rental cars?
Which rental car do I need for harsh terrain and climate?
How Do Electric Vehicles Work
Fully electric cars lack an engine. In terms of components, they have a much simpler design with no need for alternators, exhaust systems, fuel injections, cylinders, and so on.
Because of the lack of a large engine, many electric cars, in addition to a trunk, possess a front trunk, sometimes called a frunk. This may come in handy as it provides more storage space in the car.
Instead of an engine, one or several electric motors are used. The motor placement varies according to the model of the car. Some have it exclusively on the front axle, while others have dual motors for the front and back axle.
Some high-end electric sports cars even use a motor for every wheel. Whatever the price, electric vehicles work in very similar ways.
An all-electric car consists of several components, including:
- Battery
- Traction battery
- Transmission
There arent too many components, nor do they need traditional oil lubrication, an exhaust system, and so on. Thanks to this, electric cars are much easier to maintain and service than traditional internal combustion engine-powered cars.
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What Does This Mean For Your Career
Almost every new car sold in the U.S. is equipped with air conditioning. What was once considered a luxury is now an expectation. Automotive AC technicians diagnose and repair AC systems on a regular basis at dealerships and independent shops. Technicians often hear customers complain about warm air, loud noises, and even water leaking inside the car!
How Does Car Wi
Before you invest in a brand new car Wi-Fi system, it’s important to know how it works, how fast the technology is, and what features to expect.
Car Wi-Fi systems are becoming more and more common, but it’s not always easy to find out how these devices work, how fast they are, or what you should look for when shopping for one of them.
Besides the price, there are plenty of things to consider before you settle on a brand new car Wi-Fi system. And if you are new to this automotive technology, stick around to learn the basics.
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How A Car Works
The process by which a car works is a lot simpler than you may think. When a driver turns a key in the ignition:
- The car battery powers up sending
- Power to the starter motor, which
- Turns the crankshaft, which
- With the pistons moving the engine fires up and ticks over
- A fan draws air into the engine via an air filter
- The air filter removes dirt and grit from the air
- The cleaned air is drawn into a chamber where fuel is added
- This fuel-air mix is stored in the chamber
- The driver presses the accelerator pedal
- The throttle valve is opened
- The gas-air mix passes through an intake manifold and is distributed, through intake valves, into the cylinders. The camshaft controls the opening and closing of the valves.
- The distributor makes the spark plugs spark, which ignites the fuel-air mix. The resulting explosion forces a piston to move down which in turn causes the crankshaft to rotate.
What happens in the cylinders is the magic that gives power and motion to the car wheels. Most car engines use a four-stroke combustion cycle. This cycle starts with piston at the top of the cylinder. Then:
Inside A Car Cylinder
Four Stroke Combustion Cycle
Intake stroke: intake valve opens and the piston moves down allowing the fuel-air mix to enter the open space.
Compression stroke: the piston moves upwards. This compresses the fuel-air mix by forcing it into a smaller space. Compression makes the fuel-air mix explode with greater force.
The bottom of each piston is attached to the crankshaft.
How Does A Dash Cam Work
So, how does a dash cam work? As there are several dash cam options, how they work also varies. But the most common are those t that you can simply mount on your own, on the dashboard. These record everything happening in front of the vehicle and save it to an SD card. Other types are also able to record what happens inside the car or behind it.
There are guides on how to fit a dash cam yourself, but getting a professional to do it for you is easier. The price for installing one is usually around $60. After installation, all you need to do is keep the device powered. Generally, this is done using a cable that connects to the cigarette lighter. However, some also include their own battery, which should be kept charged between uses.
Rather than using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth software, all the data is stored on a micro SD inside the device or on USB. To access the footage, you simply take out the memory card and slip it into a compatible device, which then connects to a computer or smart TV.
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What Is Involved In A Car Wrap
All car wraps are created in three phases: design, production, and installation. During the design phase, our team of in-house graphic artists will work closely with you to create the perfect vinyl wrap design for your specific needs, while also ensuring that the design measurements perfectly match the measurements of your vehicle. Once the design phase has been completed, our production team will print the vinyl car wrap using the latest printing materials, as well as laminate the vinyl with a special UV protection layer to help prevent damage from the elements. The vehicle wrap will then be installed on the vehicle, ensuring that no bumps are bubbles are left in the wrap.
What Is A Vinyl Vehicle Wrap
Vinyl vehicle wraps, also known as car wraps, are a large vinyl graphic or decal that can easily be applied directly over a vehicles original paint job. Since all vehicle wraps are made from high-quality vinyl materials, they can be easily removed from the car at any given time without causing damage to the underlying paint. Applying a car wrap to your vehicle will allow you to change the vehicles appearance by simply changing the vehicles colour or by completely transforming it with a unique pattern or design.
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How Long Does It Take To Charge An Electric Car
There are also three EV charging speeds:
- Slow – typically rated up to 3kW. Often used to charge overnight or at the workplace. Charging time: 8-10 hours.
- Fast – typically rated at either 7Kw or 22kW. Tend to be installed in car parks, supermarkets, leisure centres and houses with off-street parking. Charging time: 3-4 hours.
- Rapid – typically rated from 43 kW. Only compatible with EVs that have rapid charging capability. Charging time: 30-60 minutes.
What Is A Car Engine
The engine is the heart of your car. Its a complex machine built to convert the heat from burning gas into the power that turns the road wheels.
The chain of reactions that achieves this goal is set in motion by a spark that ignites a mixture of gasoline vapor and compressed air in a momentarily closed cylinder and burns rapidly. That is why the machine is called an internal combustion engine. When the mixture burns, it expands and provides energy to power the car.
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To withstand its heavy workload, the engine must have a sturdy structure. It consists of two main parts: the lower, heavier part is the engine block, a housing for the main moving parts of the engine The removable top cover is the cylinder head.
The cylinder head contains valve-controlled channels through which the air-fuel mixture enters the cylinders, and others through which the gases produced during their combustion are expelled.
The block houses the crankshaft, which converts the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotary motion on the crankshaft. Often the block also houses the camshaft, which operates mechanisms that open and close the valves in the cylinder head. Sometimes the camshaft is mounted in the head or above.
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What Is A Hybrid Car
A hybrid car is one that uses more than one type of drivetrain to make movement. Most of the time, this means that the car takes gasoline to power an internal combustion engine and has batteries to power an electric motor. The aim of hybrids is to provide the owner with superior fuel economy while still allowing them the convenience of filling up their cars at standard gas stations. There are perks and drawbacks to every hybrid car, and with their popularity still rising ever since their introduction in the North America in 1999, they are poised to remain popular for some years to come.
