Cars FAQ


Cars Portal

Question: Do cars burn more gas after a cold start on a wintery morning?
After starting my drive at 5am, I see the smoke coming out of my car in the rear view mirror. The smoke disappears after the engine has reached its normal operating temperature. Similarly one can see smoke at the tail pipe of almost all cars coming out of various subdivisions in the morning. But no car on the highway has a smoke trail behind it. Hence the question - do cars burn more gas after a cold start until engine becomes hot enough?

Answer: Most cars will have a "high idle" when you first start them on a cold morning. There's a sensor that checks the temp of the air being sucked into the engine. If that temp is too cold, it makes the engine run a little faster (just as if you had pressed down a bit on the gas pedal) until the engine compartment warms up. So, the difference that you're probably seeing in the amount of "smoke" (exhaust) before and after your car warms up is simply due to a higher idle, and therefore more exhaust pressure - the hot air is moving faster out into the cold air, so it gets farther before it cools enough to "disappear".

As for the "subdivision" versus "highway" difference, that's probably more a matter of speed. For example - if you lit a cigarette (not that I'm encouraging anybody to smoke) and held it up to your window, you'd see more smoke if you were driving slow than if you were driving fast - same effect.

 

Question: How should two cars turning left in open intersection place themselves?
When the different directions are separated except at the intersection and there's no stop sign, what are you supposed to do if both cars wait in the middle to turn left...and end up blocking each other's view ?! How should the cars place themselves? The other car always goes to his side of the middle so he blocks my view to oncoming cars, so I don't even know when it's safe to turn.

Answer: In situations like this, I wait until the way is clear to go into the middle to turn so I don't end up blocking someone's way or vice versa. If in doubt, let the other driver go first.

 

Question: What cars are comparable to the nissan maxima?
Within the next year I am planning on getting a new car. I really like the Nissan Maxima, but I would really like other cars to compare it to. What other cars are comparable to the Nissan Maxima, as far as price, quality, appearance, etc....

Any advice is helpful!

Answer: Honda Accord EX V6, Mazdaspeed 6, Volkswagen Passat,

 

Question: What are some of the safest cars on the road?
I'm starting to research different cars because I need to get a new one somewhat soon. I know I want a used car that has low mileage and is in good shape. Car safety is also really important. Can you recommend some websites that are good for overall car research and car listings? Thanks!

Answer: Acura RSX & TSX
Ford Fusion
Honda Accord 4 cyl
Honda CRV EX 05 & up
Honda Civic EX
Honda Fit
Hyundai Sonata 4 cyl 06 & up
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Optima 06 & up
Mazda3 w/ cur. air bags
Mercury Milan
Pontiac Vibe 06 & 07
Scion tc
Subaru Impreza (not WRX)
Subaru Forester (not XT)
Toyota Camry 4 cyl
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Matrix 06 & 07
Toyota Prius

all perform well in crash tests and
are very reliable.

consumer reports

 

Question: Can I disconnect jump start cable when the cars are running?
Hi all!

I think my car has a bad battery. I was successful in jump starting my car with another car. I could get it started and running for a few minutes with jump start cables. I then turned both cars off, disconnected the jump start cable. My car couldn't start then without the cable.

Can I disconnect my jump start cable when the two cars are still running? That way I can drive the car to an auto shop and have the battery replaced.

Thanks.
Felix.

Answer: Absolutely, you can leave the car running! But, don't rule out the alternator and charging system!

 

Question: Cars in the 1920s were made to last a lifetime. How long do you expect your car to last before you sell it?
Collectors pay top dollar for cars made in the 20s.

Back then automakers took pride in their product.

Now, anybody driving a car more than 10 years old doesn't want to invest a dime in it because it's virtually worthless on the used car market.

These days, filling the tank of a 10 year old car doubles its value!

And does it seem like we're getting raped when we pay the money for what we believe is quality, but the car doesn't end up lasting any longer than a Yugo?

Am I the only one that feels rage about the poor quality & workmanship and the high prices we're forced to pay because of government mandated bumpers, lights, gismos, gatdgets, bells & whistles?

Answer: My cars usually last about 10 years. I think my DH and I keep cars MUCH longer than the average consumer. DH just traded in a 1979 Chevy van for a 2004 Ranger and I have a 1998 Ranger that I bought new and traded a 1989 Mustang for.

 

Question: Can you put two cars on two different insurance companies?
If i have two cars, can i put one on Geico and one on state farm. I'm having very bad experience with State farm and i'm thinking of switching with one car at at time. Is it possible to have the two cars in my household on two different insurance company eventhough both cars are in my name?

Answer: Many companies will not allow this. Lets say you have a young driver in the household and you put yourself and the kid on the one policy and just yourself on the other policy. You are then able to rate yourself as primary driver on both policies. Or lets say one of the vehicles is leased and the leasing company requires high liability limits. You put one car on one policy with 100,000/300,000 liability and the owned vehicle you have 15,000/30,000 liability. These are both examples of insurance fraud and reasons that insurance companies require all or nothing.

 

Question: What kind of cars are most reliable even when they are getting older?
When a car gets to have over 100,000 miles on it it is considered old, but not all types of cars are the same.

Which types of cars would you say are relaible even when they are older, ie hondas, chevy's etc

Answer: The ones which are cared for and maintained properly will last longer than the others without regard to who makes it. Some people refer to some types of vehicles as being "bullet proof" or "indestructible". Those people don't take care of vehicles; they abuse and destroy them.

 

Question: Is it dangerous to leave cars air conditioning on while car is off?
My mom says if you leave your cars air conditioning on when you turn the car off, so it automatically is on when you turn your car on, that it hurts the engine. Is that true or is she full of BS? It sounds like complete BS to me.

Answer: No. It isn't dangerous. When you turn the key to "start" all electrical circuits which are wired through the ignition switch are disconnected, except those which are used for starting the car. When the engine starts and you release the key, from the start position, then all the circuits are again connected. I know a lot of people, most of who don't know the starter from the distributor, who insist that the AC needs to be switched off before starting the car. I don't switch it off and never have had a bit of trouble, with either the engine or the AC on any of my cars.

 

Question: Is there a big disadvantage to importing Japanese cars to the UK to make up for the lower cost?
Well, I've been thinking about buying a Japanese sports car, but in searching online for different ones I keep on getting links to websites that specialise in importing (2nd hand) Japanese cars to the UK. In some cases, the cost is around 30-40% cheaper than an equivalent car in Britain.

Also, the Japanese seem to take better car of their cars in general as the condition of the vehicle has a bigger impact on the resale value in Japan.

So what is the disadvantage?

Answer: Make sure that the car will be able to pass any pollution tests you may have in the UK. Or see if you can get an exemption.
Research any taxes,tariffs or extra unseen fees associated with registering the car there.
Research the company you are thinking of doing business with.
Find out the differences between the UK models and those for registration in Japan. Can you read the owner's manual, etc.
If it is a UK firm doing it, why don't they just import the cars and make the profit themselves?
If it is a Japanese firm, how can you safeguard yourself should any litigation arise from the transaction?
Just a few thoughts, hope they help.


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