Why You Should Never Use Wax On Your Car

Writen by Gregg Hall

I am going to make a statement that is probably going to shock the car care world. You should never wax your car. Pay attention, wax is for candles and candles only! Wax is designed to melt and melted wax just traps dirt and other contaminates and holds them next to your car’s finish. If someone or something brushes against it you now have tiny scratches all over. This is by far not my only reason for not using wax on cars, read on.

Since January of 2005 when the United States and other governments announced a mandatory reduction in the use of volatile organic compounds or VOCs in manufacturing processes and consumable products there has been a move to look for other products and methods for protecting a car’s finish. Car care products may not be comprised of more than 15% VOC. This is seriously bad news for manufacturers that have built there businesses around Carnauba wax which by its very nature must use large amounts of solvents to make the naturally hard Carnauba soft and pliable so that it can be applied on a vehicle.

Lots of companies had to get rid of complete divisions of car wax products; others had to completely and totally re-engineer products. Still there are others who are completely disregarding the regulations until sanctions are placed against them. I think there is a revolution happening in the car wax industry and I say it’s past time!

The majority of us, at least in the United States were raised and taught by our dads to use Turtle Wax or some kind of Carnauba Wax on our vehicles and I am no exception to this. But, I am always on the lookout for new technology, especially when the current product is really not all that great. Once I found out about the superiority of polymer based products I quickly became a big fan.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem cleaning and shining my car but when I can use a product that will last for 150 washes instead of 15 or 20; I have to go with the 150! I would much rather be out driving my ride and showing it off than sitting in my driveway sweating to death waxing it every weekend. If you would rather be working on your car than driving it you may want to think about making an appointment with a psychiatrist because you definitely have something wrong with your head!

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New Ford Vehicles For 2007 Says Fields

Writen by Jason Moore

Mark Fields, the executive vice president and the president of the Ford Motor Company Americas, has recently sent out a statement refuting the report given out by Wall Street. According to Wall Street, the auto company is very slow in doing restructuring. Aside from this, the business organization also claims that the Ford Motor Company would not be able to keep up for it does not have enough new products that they could send out to the auto market.

Aside from Wall Street, Merrill Lynch has also got some things to say about the auto manufacturer. John Murphy, from the mentioned organization, even writes, “The pace of Ford’s new product introductions is well behind the industry average, which is an ominous sign for Ford’s market share and leaves its current restructuring efforts short of rightsizing the company.”

New Ford vehicles are already in the process of production, according to Fields. He even claims that by next year, 2007, the market would come to know more Ford vehicles and cars that would be new to them. However, Fields, during an interview with a reputable press reporter, would not identify the models that the company would be sending out. Along that line, he only emphasizes that the list of Ford vehicles have received a lot of new developments which the company still has not yet announced to the public. In this sense, auto parts makers would then have to predict just what parts they need to create. They could create Ford F350 pickup parts but they could never really see what other replacement parts could these new and upgraded Ford cars and vehicles really need.

Fields further states for emphasis, “It is going to be a busy year for us. We have a lot of products coming.” And with that said, the auto market sure has to be on their feet if they want to keep up with any new offerings the Ford Motor Company could be sending out to our streets and roads.

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Toyota Rav4 2.0 D-4D NRG (2002) Review

Writen by John Applin

I bought this car as my first major step up from the bangers that I used to drive. My last car was a Daihatsu Sportrak, a brilliant little petrol 4×4, built like a tank, especially good in summer with the removable hard tops although not really suited to long motorway driving. It was this car that prompted me to look for another 4×4 when it finally died.

I was looking for a similar sized 4×4 that was more comfortable on long journeys, it had to be diesel to improve on fuel costs compared to my previous car.

After much searching, and looking at various different models such as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, Honda HRV, Honda CRV, Landrover Freelander, and Daihatsu Terios, I came across the short wheel base (SWB) version of the Toyota Rav4 (there has since been a new model in which the short wheelbase version is no longer being made and the range has been given an all round facelift). The first thing that stood out is that it looks a lot more stylish than the other 4×4’s in the same class, especially the diesel engined version, which I opted for, with the bonnet scoop for the turbo intercooler.

It turns out that the diesel engine that comes in this model (2.0 D-4D) is really quite efficient, I’m currently returning 41.7 mpg on average which is mostly town driving. Another good point about this engine is it’s low CO2 output (190g/km) which is 1 in the eye for all those 4×4 haters out there as it has lower emmissions than most cars, be aware though that the increasing vehicle excise duty rates means taxing the vehicle can be quite expensive but you will reclaim this money with the savings on fuel.

The model I purchased was the 2 door NRG which came with the optional leather seats and 6 disc changer which is located under the passenger seat. The leather seats are extremely comfortable on long journeys, the ride feels sturdy yet does not break your back when encountering pot holes.

For a 4×4 the RAV corners exceptionally well with little or no roll. The RAV was rumoured to be the ‘4×4 GTi’ and I can confirm those rumours, it pulls very strongly through each gear and will easily top 100mph. The RAV comes as a full time 4 wheel drive apart form the NV model which is 2 wheel drive. Personally I think this model is pointless, who in their right mind is going to buy a 2 wheel drive 4×4?

The RAV is billed as a softroader which means it has car like driving characteristics but has the ability to cope with the occasional off roading should you need it. The idea of softroaders came about because car companies realised that people buy big 4×4s because they think they are safer, they also realised that very few of those people actually used their 4×4s off road, so softroaders retained the high driving position and size of ‘proper’ 4×4s while simplifying the 4×4 running gear and softening the suspension to make them more suited to driving on the road. While it does not come with the low transfer box which comes with the larger 4×4’s, it will handle most of the off road scenarios that you’re likely to come across. The 4×4 factor really comes into it’s own under extreme weather conditions, meaning it will handle better and therefore be safer, that coupled with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) means that you feel more confident driving this car in bad weather than any standard 2 wheel drive car.

One unique feature about this D-4D engine is the variable nozzle turbocharger, this allows the turbo to adjust how much air is allowed to enter the turbo and thus produces an extra 5bhp over the old D-4D engine and delivers a constant torque of 250Nm between 1800rpm and 3000rpm.

Maximum power of 114bhp (85kW) occurs at 4000rpm. Not to mention it creates a satisfying turbo whine once you reach the turbo band!

Something you do not get with the 2dr RAV4 is a boot. With the rear seats pushed all the way back (the 2 independent rear seats adjust forward and back and also incline) there is pretty much no usable boot space whatsoever. This renders the SWB 2 door version of the RAV 4 unsuitable to families of more than 2 unless you’re going to use the RAV as a second family car. For me it’s ideal as I rarely have more than 2 people in the car at any 1 time. If I do need any boot space for anything significant it’s not a problem because the rear 2 seats fold forward and lock into place, and if necessary can be completely removed with the simple push of a lever.

With Toyota being a Japanese car firm you also get the benefit of excellent build quality and exceptional reliability. This will save you money in the long run and will outweigh the premium that you will pay for a car of this make. Toyota recommends that major services should be performed on the RAV 4 every 20,000 miles which also means that you should see less of the dealer or local garage which is always a good sign.

Key Features

Available in three and five-door bodystyles

Full time four-wheel drive (two-wheel drive NV version not available with D-4D engine)

Latest technology, common rail, 2.0-litre D-4D diesel

Exceptional fuel economy, low noise, low emissions

Available in four trim levelsl (NV, NRG, GX and VX)

Excellent combined fuel consumption of 39.8 mpg

0-62mph in 12.1 seconds, maximum speed of 106mph

WIL (Whiplash Injury Lessening) front seats, ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and twin front airbags standard on all grades

MPV-style versatility with rear seats designed to slide, fold, tumble and be removed

Air conditioning standard on all grades

Remote alarm and Thatcham Category One immobiliser fitted as standard

Roof rails standard on all grades

Offered with three-year/ 60,000 mile warranty as standard

On sale in the UK from 1 September 2001

D-4D engine is a

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