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Archive for the ‘Trends in Automotive’ Category

According to the organizations that keep track of Internet search statistics, the number of people looking for information around the term ‘truck auto repair’ has been on an abated upward trend in recent years. The term itself can be seen as being a reference to the whole range of auto repair services (that is, vehicle repair services) that are targeted at trucks. Of course, what qualifies to be termed as a ‘truck’ varies from person to person. On the one hand, there are some people who view a truck as any vehicle with a larger portion of it customized for carrying cargo (so that a pick up also qualifies to be called a ‘truck’). On the other hand, there are others restricting the name ‘truck’ to the reference of those heavy commercial vehicles, otherwise known as lorries.

Whatever the description of a truck one ultimately falls for, the term truck auto repair refers to the whole range of restorative and maintenance functions carried out on such trucks. On the restorative side, we have the repair of both the minor and major faults that the trucks in question develop; whereas on the maintenance bit, we have regular procedures that are carried out to enhance the performance of the truck.

Traditionally, truck repair was carried out in general garages (so that the occasional truck could just check into the garage like any other vehicle, and get sorted). In recent days, though, we have seen the emergence of specialized truck repair centers; with many companies that own and make extensive use of trucks opting to establish in-house truck auto repair departments.

Now whether you opt to outsource the function, or keep it in-house, it is essential to be ‘quality-focused,’ and not just ‘cost-focused’ when shopping for people to provide you with truck repair services. In other words, you should not only be looking for the most cost-effective service provider, but also for the most competent service provider. Insisting on going for the very cheapest service providers you can lay your hands on can often backfire in nasty ways. This is like where such cheap service providers (who may be making use of unqualified mechanics) end up messing your truck so much that you end up spending much more money having it sorted. Of course, this is not to say that the priciest service providers are always the best. It is to say that when looking for truck auto repair services, you need to keep in mind the fact that your truck is a highly-priced asset; whose health you surely cannot entrust to anyone.

Also worth taking note of is the fact that the truck repair business is one that has been very greatly affected by technology in recent years. You therefore need to ensure that the truck repair service providers you go for are those who have kept, or at least made an attempt to keep up with the technology. At the very least, ensure that they are people who are technologically-competent to handle your truck (especially if it is a new truck). Take note that some of these technological advancements are fast ‘rendering obsolete’ truck repair service providers who don’t make an effort to keep up!

If you have been unable to purchase a car because your poor credit history you’ve probably considered visiting what is known as a buy-here, pay here car dealer. There are a few things you should know before heading down to the nearest buy-here, pay-here car lot.

Buy-here, pay-here dealers specialize in selling used cars and provide in-house financing to credit challenged customers. Buy-here, pay here dealers can be found in most major metropolitan areas. While many are locally owned, there are some that are affiliated with national franchises. What started as a small trend in the automotive industry is now a large and growing industry that has expanded into other areas including furniture, computers and even tire rims.

The current economic crisis has been a boon for the buy-here, pay here industry. While subprime lenders have pulled back, buy-here, pay here dealers have thrived serving customers unable to qualify for mainstream loans.

Buy-here, pay-here dealers buy cars at discounted prices, often at large wholesale auctions available to dealers only. They then require a hefty down payment and will finance the remaining portion of the car themselves. A good portion of their cost is covered by the down payment itself, leaving the majority of the remaining payments almost all profit.

This is why some car dealers have been heavily criticized. Quite often, the cost of the car is well above market value, and the interest rates tend to be rather high as well. Customer complaints and lawsuits have surfaced citing a variety of complaints.

If you are considering a buy-here, pay-here dealer as an option, be sure to do your homework.

Find out if you can purchase a used car for the down payment amount you are being asked. You may very well, be able to find a private owner willing to sell their car at a discount to you. If you have no option but to work with a buy-here, pay-here dealer, as is the case for many people, make sure to work with one who will report timely payments to the credit bureaus and be sure to negotiate the interest rate and total price down as much as you can.

Ask your auto accident attorney about the dwindling number of road accidents happening in our nation. There is a big chance that he or she will cite many of the recent automobile innovations as the real cause behind the decrease in the frequency and severity of vehicular accidents. Sure enough, improving the behavior of the drivers is the biggest factor in bringing down the rate of accidents happening on the road. But no one can deny that the added features and devices that ensure safe driving are also contributing to the overall goal of making the streets safe not just for motorists but also for pedestrians as well.

One good car innovation that your auto accident attorney will tell you about is the parking sensor. This device is automatically turned on as soon as the driver puts the gear in reverse. It equips the car with magnetic sensors that alert the driver when any part of the car is close to any surrounding object, including other cars on the parking area. By prompting the driver that there are other objects that are too close to the vehicle, the device can effectively prevent accidents while the car is being parked. This device can even calculate the specific distance between the vehicle and the objects to help the driver in maneuvering the vehicle to safety.

Next, your attorney will most likely mention airbags as some of the most advantageous auto innovations that have now become a standard in auto manufacturing. It is true that no matter how one tries to drive carefully, there are still countless unforeseen scenarios that can distract the driver and cause a car accident. One perfect case is when a deer suddenly runs to the other side of the road and the driver instinctively pulls the steering wheel to avoid the animal but eventually loses control of the vehicle. For a case like this, the best and often the only way to protect the driver is through the effective deployment of airbags.

And finally, the most important automobile innovation that must be in the mind of your accident attorney is the seatbelt. No one can dispute the crucial role that seatbelts play in ensuring that victims of car crashes will not suffer severe injuries or worse. A lap-shoulder seatbelt is the most effective type of seat restraint for automobiles.

In the 1990′s the big word was ergonomics, comfort and style, but now the biggest trend in automobile design is efficiency, aerodynamics and fuel saving. Thus, the cars still have to look nice but they also need to shave off a few miles per gallon using the very best aerodynamic designs available, because that is what the consumer wants.

Indeed, that is what the government legislators have demanded as well with new high mpg standards on all new cars. Does this mean the death of the SUV? Well, something like that, and sure, they will still be available for the wealthy, and they may continue to buy them despite the dirty looks they get from self purported eco-friendly consumers.

You can expect more tear drop shaped vehicles and low air dams that prevent too much air from going underneath the car. You will be seeing shells underneath the belly of the automobiles also and more cars with skirts covering the back wheels for more efficient airflows.

The most interesting trend will be that the cars will be smaller and incorporate much more unique lightweight materials such as space age carbon composite construction like in the aviation sector. Soon the glass will also disappear and perhaps be replaced with see-through carbon nano-tubes with graphene coatings, thus, lightening up the vehicle by several 100 pounds.

Already, the 2010-2012 concept cars are appearing at the big car shows and they are out of this world in design. Meanwhile the first compact foreign vehicles from China and India are appearing in the US with dealerships ready to go. You might want to search and see these on the Internet. The TaTa Motors Nano, the SmartCar and the Chinese mini-car knock-offs are now available for the first time in the USA.

Aerodynamics is one of the leading factors in vehicle performance. Car racing has focused on this aspect ever since the 60s, when the first inverted wings were installed on formula cars. In time, the development of aerodynamic devices grew stronger, often borrowing ideas and solutions form the flight industry.

By improving aerodynamics, engineers saw faster lap times and more driver control over the car, both at high and low speeds. The final element that contributes to improved handling and grip is the downforce – using the underbody of the vehicle to facilitate airflow and “stick” the car to the tarmac.

Since the introduction of aerodynamics, automotive engineers used the distribution of downforce as the major decisive factor in car performance. Because of aerodynamic advancements, some racing cars reach cornering speeds of 4 G (four times the acceleration of gravity). The same factors that apply to racing cars also stand true for street legal vehicles. The shape of the car, the airflow created by accessories and car parts, the effect of the rear wing spoiler or frontal spoilers – all these contribute to the aerodynamic level of the car. For improved downforce, you can try several solutions, such as installing a well calibrated rear wing or lowering your car’s suspensions.

History and trends in aerodynamic development.

Modern cars are always tested from an aero dynamical point of view. Wind tunnels are used on car prototypes to see what each segment of the car does to airflow, and other tools such as computational aerodynamics and aerodynamic design and optimization are employed in order to find the best airflow solutions.

The concept of body streamlining appeared after Chevrolet-Chaparral implemented some groundbreaking airflow elements in their Can-Am cars. The rear axel of the car had a wing attached to two struts and the wing was adjustable at pit stops to tune the car for the best efficiency. The idea became very popular in a short while, and other aero dynamical improvements were soon to follow. Lateral sealing skirts were later developed and formula racers ended up reaching speeds of 1.7 G. Lotus introduced the ground effect car – the bottom part of the vehicle was shaped in such a way that the volume of downforce provided was much greater than with previous models.

Today’s cars, from a Ferrari F50 to a Smart, employ aerodynamics as an essential factor in their construction. Manufacturers focus on this aspect of car making – improved aerodynamics reduce fuel consumption, habitat noise and also provide the driver with more control and stability, thus improving vehicle safety.

Copyright 2005 Jason Bibb

Very soon Artificial Intelligence will indeed surpass human intelligence. Very soon the human mind’s ability to reason will be left in the dust by artificial intelligence computers and unless the human mind is interfaced with the artificial intelligence brain, humans will never catch up. Artificial Intelligence will be much different than the days of the Old Blue beating the human chess champion, as that was not true Artificial Intelligence; smart enough to beat a human, yes, but Artificial Intelligence, no, not really.

Indeed, artificial intelligent computers will write their own programs as they encounter situations and try different things to achieve a goal. If they fail they will record those mistakes and never make them again, meanwhile they will send this information to all the other artificially intelligent computers linked up so they too will learn net-centrically or thru a common collective of computer shared data. This will mean that every lesson learned gets learned once and passed onto the whole.

Human Brains which are hooked into these systems will find additional abilities and unlimited data available, digital online real time libraries of all the information every collected by machine, as well as humans in the collective. Artificial Intelligent machines will be commonplace; net-centric cars, aircraft, home appliances, entertainment devices, military defense and health care to fix broken humans. Of course the high tech world with the use of these machines in everything from robotics to space applications will move at light speed due to the incredible efficiency of real-time collaboration.

Discoveries in Artificial Intelligence may become the single greatest achievement to the ongoing human saga and forward progression of the human species. In fact the road ahead is beginning to look more like a runway. I appreciate your reading of this article and hope you will enjoy the discussion and thoughts it evokes. Perhaps this article is of interest to propel thought?