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on this page: Perform Your Own Automobile Maintenance and Automobile History
Perform Your Own Automobile Maintenance
by: David Maillie
Today’s cars can typically be expected to pass the 200,000 mile mark with consistent automobile maintenance. With the price of automobiles, you will want to protect that investment by performing regular maintenance. If you can do much of the work yourself, you will save a lot of money in labor. Invest in a good set of tools and choose quality parts when performing your own automobile maintenance.
If you have some skill, but want to learn more look for courses in general repairs and maintenance. These can often be found at your local community center, Community College or an automotive technical school in your area. Consider investing in a good repair manual for your car, such as a Chilton’s manual. The internet is a good place to look for articles and information. There are many sites devoted to auto repair and maintenance.
You will want to keep track of all maintenance performed on your car. You can do this in a log, a notebook or on your home computer. There is software available to help you keep track of maintenance. These programs track repairs, maintenance, replacement parts used on the vehicle and fuel consumption. You can use the same software for multiple vehicles.
Most software allows you to create a service schedule and will remind you when it’s time to perform maintenance tasks on each vehicle in your household. The software contains a wide variety of tips for car care. In addition, many have reference and diagnostic tools to help you diagnose various problems with your cars. Many companies offer a free trial that can be downloaded on the internet. This allows you to try out the program before investing your money.
Your owner’s manual will give you some basic information about when certain maintenance tasks should be done. Most tasks will be listed according to the mileage on the car.
3000 Mile Maintenance
Change the oil in your engine every 3000 miles. The filter should be changed at the same time. Newer synthetic oils are said to last longer without breaking down. When you change the oil, check the fluids, the air filter, tires, hoses and belts. At this time check the battery cables and terminals for corrosion. This can be removed with a wire brush or sandpaper.
5000-10,000 Miles:
Have your tires rotated and balanced every five to ten thousand miles. This helps the tires wear evenly and extends the life. The best tires should be put in the front of the car. Check the tire pressure regularly and check the tread for signs of uneven wear or damage.
15,000 Miles:
Change the air filter every 15,000 miles. A clean air filter improves the fuel economy of your car. A dirty air filter can cause the engine to run rough and stall. At this time you should also check the pads and shoes on your brake system. Check the brake fluid and top it of, as needed. The fluid should be clear. If you notice noise when the brakes are applied or the steering wheel shakes or vibrates, this can be an indication that the brakes need replacing. In this case, don’t wait check the brakes and replace as needed.
30,000 Miles:
Check the fluid level on your transmission. The owner’s manual will have information about the kind of fluid that should be used in your car. The manual should have directions on how to drain and replace the fluid. The pan gasket should be changed when the fluid is drained. Also at this time, give the car a tune up. Replace all spark plugs and wires.
50,000 Miles:
Change the coolant at 50,000 miles. See the owner’s manual for directions on how to perform this task.
Remember to take care of your car’s finish. You want the paint to remain in good condition for as long as possible. Wash the car regularly, even in the winter when salt from the roads can ruin the finish. Apply wax to protect the paint from the sun, salt and weather conditions. Don’t neglect the headlights, which can become cloudy and won’t operate as well. New Lite Headlight Cleaner and Restorer will return cloudy headlights to like new condition. Learn more about this product at http://www.mdwholesale.com
Automobile History
An automobile is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own motor. Different types of automobiles include cars, buses, trucks, jeeps, and vans, with cars being the most popular. The term is derived from Greek ‘autos’ (self) and Latin ‘movére’ (move), referring to the fact that it ‘moves by itself’. Earlier terms for automobile include ‘horseless carriage’ and ‘motor car’. An automobile has seats for the driver and, almost without exception, one or more passengers. It is the main source of transportation across the world.
In 1807 Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first internal combustion engine (sometimes abbreviated “ICE” today). He subsequently used it to develop the world’s first vehicle to run on such an engine, one that used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen to generate energy.
This spawned the birth of a number of designs based on the internal combustion engine in the early nineteenth century with little or no degree of commercial success. In 1860 thereafter, Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir built the first successful two-stroke gas driven engine. In 1862 he again built an experimental vehicle driven by his gas-engine, which ran at a speed of 3 km/h. These cars became popular and by 1865 could be frequently seen on the roads.
The first American automobiles with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines were completed in 1877 by George Baldwin Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent on the automobile in 1879. Selden received his patent and later sued the Ford Motor company for infringing his patent. Henry Ford was notoriously against the American patent system, and Selden’s case against Ford went all the way to the Supreme Court, who ruled that Ford had to pay a penalty to Selden, but could continue manufacturing automobiles, because the technology had changed quite a bit by that time.
Meanwhile, notable advances in steam power evolved in Birmingham, England by the Lunar Society. It was here that the term horsepower was first used. It was in Birmingham also that the first British four wheel petrol-driven automobiles were built in 1895 by Frederick William Lanchester who also patented the disc brake in the city. Electric vehicles were produced by a small number of manufacturers.
The first automobile patent in the United States was granted to Oliver Evans in 1789; in 1804 Evans demonstrated his first successful self-propelled vehicle, which not only was the first automobile in the USA but was also the first amphibious vehicle, as his steam-powered vehicle was able to travel on wheels on land and via a paddle wheel in the water.
On 1895-11-05, George B. Selden was granted a United States patent for a two-stroke automobile engine (U.S. Patent 549160). This patent did more to hinder than encourage development of autos in the USA. A major breakthrough came with the historic drive of Bertha Benz in 1888. Steam, electric, and gasoline powered autos competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s.
The large scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Oldsmobile in 1902, then greatly expanded by Henry Ford in the 1910s. Early automobiles were often referred to as ‘horseless carriages’, and did not stray far from the design of their predecessor. Through the period from 1900 to the mid 1920s, development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to a huge (hundreds) number of small manufacturers all competing to gain the world’s attention. Key developments included electric ignition and the electric self-starter (both by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes.
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