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Sales of the consummate gasoline/electric Toyota Prius hybrid reached a milestone mark of more than one million worldwide, Toyota announced today. Since the Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, then in Europe and North America in 2000, total cumulative sales through April 2008 hit 1,028,000 units, with—believe it or not—most units being sold in North America. Toyota says it believes that, compared to emissions of straight gasoline-powered vehicles, this many Prius hybrids on our earth’s roadways have done their eco-friendly part, resulting in a 4.5 million ton reduction in CO2 emissions—that nasty stuff environmentalists and other people who like to breathe believe to be a big cause of global warming. In their quest to build and sell even more fuel efficient vehicles, Toyota also offers other hybrids, such as the Camry and Highlander , and various Lexus models, like the GS 450h and LS 600h sedans and RX 400h luxury crossover SUV. They’re not alone in their efforts, though, as more and more manufacturers are aiming to do the same with their own brand of gasoline/electric hybrid technology, from compact cars to midsize sedans and SUV s.
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The entire 2009 Volkswagen model line will be covered by a no-charge Carefree Maintenance Program that covers scheduled maintenance described in each vehicle’s maintenance booklet for the length of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty—three years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first. The maintenance intervals covered under this program and detailed in each vehicle’s maintenance booklet are 10K, 20K, and 30K miles for most 2009 model year Volkswagens. These long service intervals are aided by the use of synthetic oil. Co-developed with Chrysler, the Routan minivan requires services at 6K, 12K, 18K, 24K, 30K, and 36K miles. The Carefree Maintenance Program will launch with the introduction of the Tiguan, Volkswagen’s all-new crossover vehicle . Research Volkswagen in the buyer’s guide, complete with pricing, specifications, and photo galleries.
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As snow storms grabbed headlines this weekend, many drivers found their vehicle lacked the traction necessary to safely transport them to work, school, or the grocery store. While winter's days are counting down, it is clear from the number of roadside mishaps that not everyone was properly prepared. (Check out this Weather Channel video.) Being safe is a combination of the right tires, the right driving techniques, and simply common sense. You may find that the tires that came on your car are perfectly adequate on most days. Do you truly know what the tires are and what conditions they were engineered for? Many drivers think that an M+S (mud and snow) rating stamped on their tires' sidewalls assures decent traction in sloppy conditions. Granted, more-aggressive tread patterns such as those on all-terrain or even mud-terrain truck tires can offer better bad-weather traction compared to some pavement-friendly skins, but tire manufacturers actually engineer tires for specific low-grip conditions. (Learn more about winter tires .) A main difference among winter tires, all-season-tires, and summer tires is the pliability and durability of their rubber at different temperatures....
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The Automobile Association of America (AAA) has released a list of useful winter driving tips . For those traveling in Northern climes, start with the basic advice to make sure you have good all-season, or winter, tires on the vehicle and simply take your time. Seems obvious, but judging from the number of vehicles seen slid off the road, we could all use a quick reminder. More specifically, the AAA advises: Increase your following distance. Build in a six-second time gap. Pick a marker or sign and begin counting when the car ahead passes it --"one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two..." Exercise caution. Ice is most likely to form first and be slipperiest in shaded areas, bridges, overpasses and intersections. Improve visibility. Clear snow and ice from the entire car. Brush away snow from the hood, roof, trunk, turn signals, lights, windows, mirrors, and fender wells. Drive with headlights on low-beam. Lights at low-beam provide better road illumination in snow and fog than do high-beams. Slow down in bad weather. Remember, posted speed limits are set for ideal road and weather conditions. Avoid sudden starts, stops and turns. Accelerate carefully so car wheels don't spin...
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An engine that's burning oil spews obvious signs and signals. Clouds of smoke at startup or when getting on and off the throttle visually show where that quart of oil every 500 miles is going. If the dipstick is reading low and there's no sign of oil smoke, suspect an oil leak. While the source of oil leaks can be hard to locate, a common and relatively easy to repair source of oil leaks is from where the valve cover meets the cylinder head. If oil is going missing and the area around and under the valve cover is soaked then it could be time to replace the valve cover gasket. Read the complete article on " Valve Cover Gasket Replacement ."
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