MakeUseOf » automobile

3 Ways To Obtain Better Gas Mileage With Your Smartphone

Matt Smith — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:31:21 +0000

Fuel is a significant part of any vehicle’s overall cost to own. In some cases, money spent on gas can make up over half of your monthly car-related expenses. Even people who don’t drive often can easily spend over $1,000 a year on gas.

Most drivers can use a few tactics to reduce their fuel costs without switching to a more efficient vehicle, and there are free tools available on smartphones that help. They’ll help you save money without driving less or switching cars.

Fuelly

Before you can seriously approach saving money and obtaining better gas mileage, you need to know your current fuel economy. Although many modern vehicles have built-in fuel economy gauges, they are not always accurate. The most precise way to track your economy is via your fuel receipts.

Fuelly can help you with this. Simply input the gallons you put into your car, the price, the mileage since your last fill-up, and Fuelly will calculate your economy and the money you spent on gas. Now that you have this information, you can see how well your efforts to improve your mileage are working. Your information is shared with others using the service, creating a catalog of vehicles. This is also handy, because it provides a reference against which you can compare your car and your driving habits.

Fuelly is a website, and available on any device with Internet access. It’s also possible to add fuel-up data via SMS.

Garmin Mechanic [Android 2.1+]

Although two vehicles may be the same, their gas mileage may vary wildly. The driver behind the wheel is a massive variable. While some drivers are soft and easy with the gas pedal, others scream about as if a velociraptor is sitting in the passenger seat.

Each of these approaches to driving, and everything between, will give different fuel economy results. Garmin Mechanic can help you investigate your own tendencies by monitoring your speed (via GPS) as well as your acceleration and braking. You can then examine the results to see if you could have been driving a bit slower, or you could have been easier on gas pedal. You’ll also have access to a real-time fuel economy monitor.

All of these functions are enhanced by using the Garmin ecoRoute HD adapter. Using this, it’s possible to plug your car directly into your phone, resulting in precise data rather than guesses based off your phone’s sensors. You’ll also gain access to the app’s engine diagnostics section. However, the adapter is almost $100, so not everyone may find it worthwhile.

The app is free and available for Android 2.1 and up.

BestRoute / Route4Me [Android 2.0 + iOS]

One of the best ways to save fuel is to drive less, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go where you want. By better planning your routes, you can make the same stops but drive fewer miles, which should save you money at the pump.

BestRoute for Android 2.0 and better, as well as Route4Me for iOS, can accomplish this. These apps allow users to input an address and then “optimize” them, resulting in a route that is as short as possible.

Both apps can be obtained for free, but Route4Me requires an in-app purchase of a “100 address pack” for $4.99. BestRoute is ad-supported and limited to 10-stop routes. An ad-free version is available for a buck, and a Pro version with support for routes with up to 50 stops is $4.99.

Conclusion

How do you save money and obtain better gas mileage with your smartphone? Do you use a favorite navigation app to find better routes, or do you use an app that encourages more efficient driving? As always, readers are encouraged to let us know in the comments! I also recommend that readers check out our recent article about auto and gas related iPhone apps.

Image Credit: CNET

Eight Practical Auto & Gas Related Apps For Your iPhone

Bakari Chavanu — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 23:31:05 +0000

With the rise of gas these days, it pays to use whatever resources are available to get better gas mileage, through good car maintenance and low as possible gasoline rates. The iTunes App Store has a wide selection of free and affordable iPhone gas and vehicle maintenance apps that are practical and easy to use.

Most of these apps require you to provide access to your current location so that mileage destinations and other information can be determined. Since you no doubt carry your iPhone wherever you go, it’s easy to download and collect these apps in a folder so they’re available whenever you need them.

Gas Gubby

The ad-sponsored version of Gas Gubby keeps track of your gas mileage and what vehicle service maintenance you have had done. I’ve used this app for over a year to keep track of oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotations and the like. While waiting to fill up your tank or get your car repaired or maintained, it’s simple to tap open Gas Gubby and type in gas amount data, mileage, and service reminders. The app also includes a user manual for further tips and hidden features.

GasBuddy

If you‘re looking to squeeze in a few extra gallons in your next fill-up, definitely download GasBuddy and see how well it works where you live. Simply type in your city, state, and/or zip code, and GasBuddy will give you a list of all nearby gas stations and their current prices, which can often change every other day.

BackToMyCar

I haven’t had a chance to test out BackToMyCar, but it looks to be a useful app for getting back to your car when parking in a large parking lot or area. After the app finds your current location, you tap the Park button to mark your parking location.

To get back to your car, you follow the direction of the on-screen arrow which will lead you on a straight line back to your car. The app also includes features for emailing and texting parking locations, setting a parking meter or garage notification, and a built-in camera for recording your car’s location.

PIM: ParkingInMotion

Driving around and looking for a parking garage is not only frustrating but it can also mean a waste of gas. The app, PIM – Parking in Motion – features real time parking facility information for the top 300 cities of the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Just type in the location of your destination and PIM will give you locations of parking facilities types (garage, surface lot, valet), including hours. The same goes for airports.

Download the free version to make sure your city is included in the coverage.

MPG: Miles Per Gallon

If you’re curious about how many miles per gallon your automobile truly gets, the free MilesPerGallon app will help you do the calculation. All you need to do is reset your meter the next time you fill up your gas tank, drive as you please; and then with your next fill-up input the number of miles on your trip meter, and the number of gallons used to fill up your tank. From there, MPG will do the calculation for you.

HowMuchGas

HowMuchGas is not free (.99 cents), but if you want or need an app that will help you calculate and estimate the cost of long distance trips, then this app is one you might want to have in the Transport folder of your iPhone.

In addition to inputting your travel destination, you will also need to know your car’s gas mileage, the price of gas/gallon, and the type of city you’re traveling to (city, highway, combination.)

Rest Area

If you’re traveling long distances without a GPS in your car, the ad-sponsored Rest Area could come in handy for those stretches of driving for when you need to know the next upcoming rest area.

VehiCal – Car Expense Management

VehiCal is similar to Gas Gubby as an app for recording and managing mileage and travel expenses for personal and business use. You can track “fuel consumption information, including fuel economy, gas prices, and pump totals, as well as vehicle expenses with customizable lists such as repairs, highway tolls, and parking costs.” Recorded data can emailed for external use.

For other auto related apps, check out these articles: Trapster: Get Alerted About Speed Traps On Your Way and 6 Effective Tools To Avoid Police Radar Speed Traps.

Let us know what you think of these handy applications, and about any other favorite vehicle-related apps you use on your phone.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Rigs of Rods – A Free Simulation Game To Test Drive Vehicles [Win]

Ryan Dube — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:30:03 +0000

When it comes to simulations, I’m very picky. I remember when I first played Microsoft Flight Simulator, I was so disappointed because the graphics were horrid and the plane was nearly impossible to fly. On the flip side, a few years later I played A-10 Tank Killer and was obsessed with it for months. When it comes to simulations, there are three things that I always look for to gauge quality – landscape graphics, realistic controls and of course the overall atmosphere.

As I was searching for software to review, I went through about five free online simulation games before stumbling upon the one that I’d like to share with you today called Rigs of Rods.

Now, at MakeUseOf we’ve covered some cool simulations, like Google Earth Flight Simulator and Nemexia. However, Rigs of Rods isn’t your typical simulation software. It’s not only about cruising through an interesting landscape or test-driving various exotic cars (although that’s available too). The cool thing about Rigs of Rods is that it focuses representing realistic physics.

Rigs of Rods Takes Physics Into Account

The fact that the creators of this free online simulation game took actual physics into account for every little detail is remarkable. According to the website, the makers planned vehicle behavior based on “weight distribution, construction, and/or suspension.” The way planes or boats handle depends upon the physical dimensions, structure and the environment. When you first install the program, make sure to include the “content stream” with the vehicles that you want. Just keep in mind that some of them take a lot of space, and downloading the module can take a very long time during installation.

When you first launch the game, you can choose from different landscapes. In every case you will start out standing in front of a vehicle garage. If you’re more interested in a plane or boat, make sure to walk around and check to see whether there are any in the vicinity.

When you walk through the garage door, you enter the vehicle menu screen. This is where you can pick from a very wide range of vehicles, including sports cars, trucks, buses, and all-terrain vehicles. For my first vehicles, I chose a huge city bus.

The view when you are inside a vehicle is 3rd person, but you have the dashboard at the base of your window, so you can see current speed, RPMs and more. Driving these vehicles definitely has a lot of realism. Hit the curb and the whole bus bounces just as it would in real life. Drive on a slope that’s too steep, and the whole thing will roll right over.

Changing landscapes, I decided to cruise for a bit. I chose a nice, large mountainous region and then selected the coolest looking sports car I could find. I have to say, the sound effects are awesome – every time you hit the gas you’ll hear the engine rev. The only problem I found was that the steering was super touchy and I could barely keep the car on the road.

Switching to a huge 2 ton pick-up truck with double rear tires was a whole different story. Steering wasn’t quite as difficult, and this thing really has some power. Another cool touch to the simulation is that if your vehicle has large exhaust pipes, you’re going to actually see the smoke every time you hit the gas hard.

And if you have a bit too much fun peeling out and strike a dip in the road, you may end up exactly like I did.

I wanted to see if handling and behavior changed significantly between vehicles, and sure enough when I chose this monster (literally a monster truck), I found that the vehicle acted exactly as you’d expect a truck like this to behave. It bounced over small hills, climbed slowly up one side and raced down the other. The great thing about the monster truck is that when you flip over, all you have to do is hit the gas hard and it’ll spin and bounce upright again!

Exploring the simulation a bit further, I changed landscapes to an island and came across this beauty just parked in the middle of a runway. So what did I do?

I got in and flew it of course! You may find that the airplane controls take a little getting used to. It took three crashes, two of which the wings actually disintegrated in the air, until I realized that I had to ease off the throttle once I was in the air. You can switch between external and internal views by pressing “C”.

I have to say that exploring the virtual landscapes with these vehicles is a real blast. Seeing how objects interact and how the vehicles respond to different things is really fun – I could see easily burning several hours some Saturday afternoon playing around with this simulation – and I bet you could too!

Have you ever tried Rigs of Rods? What did you think? Do you know of any other cool, high quality simulator apps? Share your opinion and insight in the comments section below.

3 Handy Sites To Check Out Before You Buy A Car

John McClain — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:31:16 +0000

Buying a car can no doubt be a stressful experience. There are just plenty of things to worry about, from whether or not you’ve picked the right car, what the reviews are saying, if it’s going to be reliable, and if you’re paying too much. Let’s not forget about the unfortunate reality of having to deal with car salesmen either.

Yes, the car buying experience can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be. With the Web, it’s easy to simplify everything to avoid some of the hassle and frustration altogether.

Here’s 3 handy sites to check out before you buy a car.

CarZen

First, perhaps the most important thing to do is to research a new car and figure out what kind of car is right for you. With so many makes and models out there to choose from, how do you make that process easier? That’s where CarZen comes into play.

The site allows you to quickly select a vehicle that fits your specific needs. All it takes is just a few simple steps. First, just pick any of the body styles you are interesting in along with your price range.

A list of possible cars for you is shown below and from there, you can go on and select your personal preferences, including your specific needs, wants, and style, to narrow down the list further. Once completed, just review your results to check out the cars that are perfect for you.

Displayed for every match in your results is the percent match based on your needs, along with basic information about the car, including MSRP, invoice, and MPG. Below that, you can review the report card of how the vehicle was scored followed by a helpful overview of the model, basic stats, styles, and features.

MotorMouths

Next, now that you have an idea of exactly what car you want, head on over to MotorMouths. The Web is chock full of various car reviews and ratings from different providers, and that’s where this website can come in handy.

Just type in the make or model of the car in the search box at the top. If you have yet to decide on a car, you can also browse for vehicles.

Once on the car’s page, you’ll find the unique overall score, which is based on the scores critics awarded the vehicle in published online reviews. The site also displays the individual scores and the gist of the review, along with who reviewed the car, the critic’s credibility, and the style reviewed. Simply hit the link for the full review or the video review if there is one.

TrueCar

If the reviews check out and you’re all set, be sure to check out TrueCar before you take the plunge. The site features the real prices of new cars and trucks so that you can be certain you’re not overpaying.

Once you find your vehicle’s price report page, the interactive chart pretty much says it all. The comprehensive curve includes the dealer cost, sticker price, and factory invoice. What we’re really interesting in though is the average paid, which gives you at least an idea of what a good price for the car is.

Karl has also shown you three websites that can help you buy a car and when you finally have a vehicle, you will want to keep a perfect car maintenance schedule won’t you?

What websites do you visit before you buy a car? Have any of these helped you? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit : emilio labrador

Keep a Perfect Car Maintenance Schedule With MyCar-Monitor

Ryan Dube — Tue, 18 May 2010 23:31:03 +0000

Have you ever been driving along, looked up at your oil change sticker and cursed under your breath because you’re two months overdue for an oil change? Don’t you hate it when you want to buy a used car and the previous owner doesn’t have any records of his car maintenance schedule?

Here at MakeUseOf, we’ve covered a number of different car applications, such as websites or programs that help you to locate your parked car, or best places to rent or buy a car. Well, now you can maintain a perfect vehicle record without much effort, and never forget another scheduled maintenance again, with the MyCar-Monitor car maintenance schedule software.

MyCar-Monitor keeps a personal database of everything to do with your vehicles. That includes all completed car maintenance and repairs, all scheduled maintenance, and you can even keep records of your trips – including your total mileage and even fuel costs. The database is only as useful and accurate as the information that you put into it, but with software this convenient, putting the information into it is a breeze.

Setting Up Your Vehicles In MyCar-Monitor

When you first install and set up MyCar-Monitor, the software will quickly take you through a setup wizard where you set up a vehicle database for each car that you own. The software comes with free registration, all you have to do is offer your email address. The software suggests using the license plate number for each car, but you can give each database any unique name that you like, just give each individual car you own its own database.

Once you’ve created the database, it’s time to fill out the basic information for your vehicle. This is sort of a car “profile” where you provide the make, model, year, purchase price and current value, and all of the other identifying information about this car. This is a good process to go through, because once you do then all of your vehicle information will be stored in one place, and you won’t have to search through your files for it.

Once you’re through setting up one car, you can click on “Create a new vehicle database” to add more, or just click on “Open an existing vehicle database” to get started using the software.

Once you’ve opened a particular vehicle database, then you have access to all of the areas – called modules – throughout the database. A few modules include fuel consumption, planned and completed maintenance, accident records, trip logs and more. You can create a main screen photo gallery with pictures of your car by clicking on the “gear” icon in the main panel.

The real value of this software becomes apparent when you start exploring each of the modules. This isn’t your typical limited “free” software – this application lets you enter detailed records and information about every aspect of owning a car that you can imagine. No more struggling to maintain mileage log sheets for your business trips, just log all of your trips in the trip record. Need to keep a record of the fuel you had to purchase during the trip? Just click on “Fuel” and log each fillup purchase.

The thing that I personally have the hardest time with is remembering to change my oil. The MyCar-Monitor offers a feature in the “Maintenance” section that lets you not only keep a log of any maintenance you’ve done on your vehicle, but you can also set up a car maintenance schedule for the service and use the software as a reminder tool so that you don’t forget anymore.

The software runs silently in the taskbar, so when the activity becomes due, it will set off an audible sound (of your choosing).

While you can navigate through the software easily enough under the “Go To Module” group, if you don’t want to dig around to find the data entry form you need, just use the “Add Entry” area, which has them all grouped and easily accessible for you. Now, adding a fuel log, a reminder, or a maintenance log entry is as simple as opening the software and just double clicking on one of these shortcut links to the entry form.

If that isn’t convenient enough, then there is also a huge assortment of shortcut icons at the top of the main screen as well. Every single module or entry form has an icon at the top, so once you memorize which icon links to the forms you use most often, all you have to double click on the icon and you’re there.

Personally, my favorite part of this application is its ability to aggregate all of the raw data that you’ve entered into the database over time, and provide you with a nice, clean “summary report” that details your total fuel costs, maintenance costs, trip costs and more. There is no better way to quickly identify what aspects of owning your car are costing you the most.

Maybe you’re spending too much money on travel? Maybe there’s a recurrent maintenance problem that is consuming too much of your resources? This printable summary report will tell you everything you need to know about your vehicle activity totals.

If you are diligent about entering your information into this software during the time you own your vehicle, it could actually increase the resale value of your car, because most buyers like to purchase from someone who has kept meticulous maintenance records. There’s no better proof that you’re a good, responsible car owner than if you’ve maintained an accurate log of your car’s use and maintenance.

Do you use your own system for logging your vehicle information? Do you know any other free software that does it as well as this one? Share your insights in the comments section below.

2 Cool Free Car Driving Simulation Programs

Karl L. Gechlik — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:31:58 +0000

Do you want to try out some really cool car driving simulation programs? Well we have two of them for you that will help you improve (or learn) basic driving skills like the dreaded parallel parking and all way stop signs. Both of them are web-based so they are cross platform and will work on any OS or browser.

The first site is Learn4Good and they have a car driving simulation program called Drivers Education. Once you are there and start up the game you will be given a warning that this should not be your only tool to learn to drive nor should it substitute actual driving lessons. With that said you will continue on to choose your instructor from Jessica, Johnny, Mr. Bumper and the boss lady. Can you guess who I picked?

Yes I choose Jessica. She will politely introduce herself. Don’t stare ““ you might fail!

After that you can either choose to start with lessons or go right for the driving test. The test is fun! You also have the option to quit, change your instructor or view the help.

Here are the available lessons: parallel parking, left turn at an all way stop, left turn on a green light, proceed through an all way stop and pulling out of a parking spot.

You use the up and down arrows as well as the backwards and forwards arrows to maneuver your car. You can hit up and right at the same time to move on a angle. Use your knowledge of parallel parking to do so successfully.

When you start your exam you will have to take a test for each of the lessons. When you complete them without running people over, hitting a car or disobeying the traffic law you will move on to the next exam like so:

Continue playing and learning until you can beat all of them with your eyes closed.

They will stop you from breaking the law and make you start over – better than failing in real life ““ right?

The next site with a car driving simulation program is brought to us by Chrysler and can be found on their website.

They tell you on the site that you will experience:

Customizable vehicles.
Playable tutorials.
Real-world driving conditions.

Click play it now to begin. You will be prompted to install something called 3dVIA player ““ just follow the prompts. Once that is installed you will be ready to play.

Click on New Game to start your new game or you can continue a saved game, read the instructions, credits or the leaderboard.

We jumped right in and chose New Game and saw this:

I ran with the first lesson and went through the basics after reading some facts and waiting for the environment to load.

They will make you put on your seatbelt before starting by pressing the B key. Then you will learn how to drive and maneuver, consider this the starting board. Continue on, learn and go get your license. Enjoy.

Do you know of any other car driving simulation programs? Let us know about them below in the comments.

3 Websites To Help You Research or Buy A Car

Karl L. Gechlik — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:31:33 +0000

Are you looking to buy a new or used car? There are some awesome websites where you can research or buy a new vehicle. I will show you three websites I have used in the past to research buying a car. If you have bought a car online before, we want to hear from you in the comments below!

The first site we will be looking at has an awesome domain name and probably millions of dollars behind it - Cars.com. Their homepage looks like this:

You can use the drop-down menu at the top to build or find your perfect new or used car. And the section below it allows you to research specific makes and models. You can browse by type such as passenger cars, sports cars, SUVs, luxury, “green” vehicles and more. You can also search by year or model or make. This is a great first stop.

Below, you can see I searched for a new car from Land Rover:

They then allow you to either build your own from scratch where you can pick your options, colors and more. But I chose to see new inventory in local dealers. This is what I got:

You can sort by price to narrow your search and other options. They have an option to email the dealer or their 800 number.

The next site we will look at is called AutoWeb. They have the same features as Cars.com and they have Kelley blue book values for you if you are looking to sell or trade in your current vehicle. Their site’s homepage looks like this:

Here I chose to get a new car quote on a Mercedes Benz:

They even have Rolls Royces listed here. I continued on and saw this:

I could see the lowest advertiseable MSRP but could not get specifics unless I want to speak to a representative. I passed because there is much more information to be had on the interwebs. So I moved on to a web site called AutoTraders and I chose a Bentley:

And that took me to a screen like this where you can either get very specific about what you want or be very broad and search through everything like this:

Filling that out, I then moved on to this screen when I was able to view the actual models, years and condition in the listings below. I can have a 2006 Bentley for under $100k ““ wonder what’s wrong with it (or maybe its just the economy?)

All in all there are countless resources on the Internet for researching and buying cars in any situation. You can use websites like carfacts or this site that was shown in the Make Use Of directory called Real Car Tips.

Just make sure you use a reputable website and that you can find a real live person to talk to if you call their phone number. Also if a deal is too good to be true, chances are it is. If you are not so great with the web ask someone who is!

Leave your tips and experiences in the comments for everyone please.

Project Torque – Free Incredible Racing Car Game Online

Simon Slangen — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:30:29 +0000

Full throttle, drifting the corners and the smell of burning rubber. Auto races. There’s little more exciting, more empowering than flying over the track on your metal horse. Sadly, street races are illegal. And I don’t have my driver’s license.

To be honest, I’ve never been very interested in cars. When I’m in “car boasting” company, I’m happy if I manage to nod and look amazed at the right times. But however uninterested I may be in automobiles, I do enjoy a good ‘virtual drive’ now and then.

We’ve already written about The Best Free Racing Games in the past, but X games aren’t enough to last a lifetime.

Project Torque

Project Torque is a self-proclaimed MMORG. No, not a role-playing game, but a Massively Multiplayer Racing Car Game Online. To dispel the common misunderstanding from the start: online is not the same as in-browser. It actually means you can race against other people from all over the world – with up to twenty different participants. Take a look at the trailer below.

A fun and simple racing car game online. Aeria Games, the online publisher, has delivered splendid work with Project Torque. Not entirely surprising, though, you might already know Aeria Games from previous titles like Wolf Team and Last Chaos.

Online Racing Madness

As said before, Project Torque supports online races with anything between two and twenty different racers. To make this manageable, there are a number of supporting online elements.

You can connect with friends or other racers by using the integrated chat and email clients. Although you don’t have to even touch it to enjoy yourself, the community is an integral part of the game if you’re looking to dive in completely.

Project Torque also regularly organizes tournaments. This, as well as your overall prestige in the normal races will determine your place in the online rankings.

In-Game Shop and Item Mall

There are hardly any games left without a source of revenue. After all, keeping those servers up is a costy job, nevermind developing the game itself. Although some games have been trying in-game advertisement, most still apply a system of micro-transactions. This involves the selling of premium upgrades and car customization parts.

Participating in these micro-transactions is by no means obligatory. Players willing to spend a few bucks here and there have the advantage of quality and often exclusive items. But it lacks the hard work that makes these kind of games great. By working hard, and ascending the skill ladder. You don’t need any of the fancy premium stuff to have fun in the game.

Project Torque is just one of many racing car games online. We’d love to hear the games you play. You can give your suggestions or feedback in the comments section below.

Minimum System Requirement
OS: Windows XP or Vista 32
CPU: 2000 MHz, (AMD: 2000)
Memory: 512MB
Video: DX8 compatible, 512MB Graphics card
Sound: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
Network: DSL, CABLE
input: Analog Controller, USB wheel, or keyboard

Recommended System Requirement
CPU: 2500 MHz, (AMD: 2500)
Memory: 1GB
Video: DX9 compatible, 1GB Graphics card

4 Sites To Help You With Troubleshooting Car Problems

Ryan Dube — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:01:38 +0000

If you’ve ever attempted to research a car problem using the Internet, then you already know that finding free information or tutorials is nearly impossible. The large majority of websites that market themselves as auto repair sites are nothing more than thinly cloaked sales sites for auto parts, ebooks and manuals or a question & answer service that will charge you a fee to receive an answer.

While they may be few and far between, there are actually some websites out there that offer truly free information that can help you with troubleshooting car problems that you may be having.

Reading a manual or tutorial on the Internet may not bring you up to speed on how to break out the ratchet set and start changing your own spark plugs if you’ve never even laid your hands on the oil dipstick. However, free informational portals and tutorials can train you on how to understand how your car operates and how to troubleshoot the more common problems that many people have, with the sort of repair solutions anyone can accomplish themselves. Many times, if you take your vehicle in for repair at a local auto repair shop, they’ll find a way to stick you with a ridiculous repair bill that you didn’t really need.

If you’d like to have a few truly free resources for troubleshooting your own minor car problems, then please review the following list and consider adding them all to your bookmarks under “auto repair.” The next time your engine doesn’t start, don’t immediately call the repair shop. Work through the step-by-step guides on these sites and you may surprise yourself when you’re able to figure out how to get the car started on your own.

Site #1 For Troubleshooting Car Problems – HowStuffWorks

HowStuffWorks, the site that Aibek reviewed in 2006, has evolved significantly and is leaps and bounds ahead of any other site when it comes to learning about your car’s various systems starting from the ground up. It obviously isn’t the equivalent of going to mechanics school, but the sheer volume of information available at HowStuffWorks is enough to teach you the basics of how your car engine works as well as all of the parts and systems of your car.

HowStuffWorks is a well known and well established website for information on a multitude of topics, but their specialized Auto section has so much more additional information than any other site, so clearly organized and presented, and so much more free from the overwhelming commercialism of most of the other sites that it definitely deserves the top spot on this list.

Each section provides very detailed information on how that particular car system works, including complete slideshows and even videos detailing those parts and systems. You’d be hard pressed to get this quality of information even in an introductory automotive textbook that you’d purchase.

Site #2 For Car Maintenance – Yahoo Autos

The “Maintain” tab of Yahoo Autos is a valuable resource filled with information about car warranties and car manufacturers, but most importantly a large section on car repair tips and advice.

The tips and advice section of Yahoo Autos contains a comprehensive library of frequently asked questions and answers that span every single system of your car that you could imagine you might have a problem with.

Two things really impressed me about this section of Yahoo Autos. The first was the fact that other than typical ad banners, the site was not overrun with attempts to sell auto parts. The FAQ section really covers a great deal of information, and the answers to the questions are thorough and well written. The only drawback is that this site doesn’t have the sort of graphical content that HowStuffWorks has, like slideshows and videos.

Site #3 For Car Manuals and Repair Schematics – AutoZone

In deciding positions 2 and 3 for this writeup, it was a tossup between AutoZone and Yahoo. AutoZone is actually a better site and contains a great deal more valuable vehicle information for anyone who’s serious about DIY auto repairs. Unfortunately AutoZone is a U.S. based company, so worldwide readers may not find as much value in the site when it refers to specific parts from AutoZone stores. Given that one drawback, the repair section of AutoZone is not a sales site and doesn’t try to sell AutoZone parts.

When you register for free at the website, you have access to the entire vehicle repair section. This section includes an excellent area where you can step through troubleshooting your vehicle based on sounds, smells and more, and then drill down into the specific behavior characteristics, and the system attempts to offer you some possible causes.

In addition to this very useful resource, the free membership also grants you access to the valuable “Vehicle Repair Guides.” These are actual information guides of the quality you’d find if you ordered vehicle manuals online. These manuals are completely free of charge and include useful information like wiring schematics and specific information about the systems for your exact make and model.

When you’re trying to troubleshoot something like a car’s electrical system, there’s nothing quite as valuable to have as the actual electrical schematics for that exact vehicle.

Site #4 For Car Troubleshooting – 2CarPros

The final website I would recommend to anyone who is trying to learn how to maintain a vehicle, or how to troubleshoot car problems, is 2CarPros. Starting from the main page, the site itself doesn’t look like anything special. It’s a fairly regular looking web page with a menu and a series of articles.

The truly “special” content comes when you start clicking on the left menu items and drilling down into the articles and help guides. Each section is filled with a whole multitude of how-to guides and articles that feature high quality images, edited to point out the components and areas that you need to understand and focus on for the particular task at hand.

This is obviously quality content produced by a couple of folks who really know what they’re talking about. And as though the articles and pictures weren’t enough, they also produced and published their own how-to videos included in most of the articles.

These aren’t videos that were quickly pulled off YouTube like many other amateur auto repair sites do. These two car pros actually produced this video, branded at the bottom with their website, specifically for these articles – showing you step-by-step exactly how you can accomplish the task yourself.

Do you try troubleshooting your own vehicle? What are your favorite websites to research car problems? Share your insights in the comments section below.

5 Websites To Help You Become a Safer Driver

Paul Coffman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:01:10 +0000

Even though many car and automotive companies try their best to make cars safer, the driver is the one who is ultimately responsible for the safe operation of a motor vehicle. Technology has brought forth many things to make us safer in our vehicles, but it’s no secret that the use of technology by drivers is responsible for one of the major leading causes of accidents ““ driving while distracted.

How do we use technology to make our driving safer or improve our driving instead of putting us at greater risk for accidents? First of all, MakeUseOf has a Cars Directory which covers gas price sites, trip cost sites, vehicle pricing sites, car wallpaper sites and GPS apps sites. Most of these sites do not directly help with safer driving tips, except one. This is Risky Roads, which was reviewed here.

Risky Roads

This site is a Google Maps mashup that shows the fatal accident concentration in your selected area. The site is free and doesn’t require registration. How does it improve your driving? Once you review the hotspots for accidents in your area, you can commit to driving especially carefully in these areas. Most hotspots in my area are intersections, and I know the ones that I drive through regularly, so I make absolutely sure I’m not distracted when I’m in these areas. I pay closer attention to driving defensively.

Most fatal accidents happen within 25 miles of the victim’s home. That means we get in a comfort zone when driving in familiar territory. This site demonstrates that our comfort zone can be a dangerous place.

Safe Driving Test

A few years ago, you may have seen the Drive for Life program on television. This program included a National Safe Driving Test which played a scenario, asked a question and then gave you a few seconds to answer. The program has not been shown for several years, and their website has not been updated recently, but it is still up and running and provides some very good free safer driving tips, including clips from the show.

You can still purchase copies of the DVD of the television program as well. I really like the Test Your Wheel Personality survey. This is a free, no registration required, multiple choice quiz which helps rate your stress, aggression and driving style. Once submitted, you are provided safer driving tips to improve your personal driving habits to help avoid accidents.

Many locales provide Traveler Information Systems. In the United States, these are collectively known as the “511″ system. You can simply dial 511 from your phone to access information. Many states and cities also provide an array of online resources as part of their 511 system. These may include listings of traffic backups due to accidents or general congestion, construction zones and times, weather issues, travel times, estimated speeds on major roads, and some even have viewable traffic cameras.

511

Many 511 websites utilize mapping to provide an overview of your location, with a customizable map to allow you to toggle the parameters on and off. The 511 system is a good tool for trip planning, but it also can help improve your driving by helping you avoid areas where congestion and agitated drivers are likely to be. If you are not in the environment, it is less likely the aggression will rub off on you and you may have a stress free ride home. A few seconds to check 511 before leaving the office may save you a stressful hour in traffic. A list of current and active 511 locations can be found here.

Drive Safe with Uncle Bob

Defensive and safe driving requires instruction. The DMV book teaches the rules, but who teaches defensive driving skills without selling you or your company a program? Check out Road Trip America’s Drive Safe with Uncle Bob. “Uncle Bob” lists seventy rules for defensive driving. Each tip is listed with a link to a full length article. Check out Rule Number 5 which suggests four things that every driver should do that could eliminate all traffic fatalities.

Safercar

Finally, make it a regular part of your routine to check your vehicle at Safercar to see if it is the subject of a recall or defect investigation. Keeping your car in tip top shape and ensuring there are no inherent problems can keep you safe on the road.

Check out these other MUO articles for information regarding other sites to help keep your car running well:

- CarComplaints: Common Car Mechanical Problems Shared By Car Owners
- 10 Of The Best Sites To Keep Your Car Running At Top Speed
- CarBibles: Comprehensive Auto Maintenance Guide

Do you know of any other websites?