Archive for February, 2010
Hyundai I30 Wagon: To Be Well-Received In Australia
Unveiled in the Australian International Motor Show the Hyundai i30 Wagon is definitely one of the vehicles that was worth watching out for. It offers a slightly longer wheelbase and more luggage capacity compared to its predecessors. The external sheetmetal is slightly featured to accommodate these changes.
Features of the Hyundai i30 Wagon
Hyundai i30 Wagon also integrates Hyundais renowned iPod connectivity features AUX controls six speakers six airbags wheelmounted audio functions and ESP stability control. Based on the i30 hatch model the new automobile also features 17″ alloy outside mirrors and side repeaters. There are notable differences between the Hyundai i30 Wagon and the Hatch though. Among these include the i30 CW is:
230 mm longer in body total of 4475 mm
40 mm taller in body total of 1565 mm
It also has a turning radius of 10.42 m compared which is longer compared to the 10.34 from its predecessor. You can expect the versatility of a hatchback vehicle combined with more space for passengers and cargo. The unbeatable combination is characteristic of most Hyundai cars being introduced in the market today. This car is suitable for urban dwellers with an active lifestyle whole still meeting the needs of a small family.
Integrated within it is a 1.6 litre CRDi turbo diesel engine or a 2.0 litre petrol engine depending on the drivers preference. The powerful engineering within it ensures that drivers and passengers will get the best comfort possible while delivering on maximum driving performance. The steering and suspension of this model is also tuned for the unique driving conditions of Australian roads. With all these features and benefits in mind there is certainly enough reason to choose this car for your next purchase.
Green Credentials
Designed in Europe while engineered for Australian roads the Hyundai i30 Wagon does not lack green credentials. It leaves minimal environmental damage because it uses fuelefficient technologies. Individuals who are concerned about their environmental footprints should seriously look into this car model because Hyundai prides itself for fuel economy.
Previously Hyundai was seen as the cheap alternative for better models. But new lineups and models such as the Hyundai i30 Wagon is proving that this car manufacturer has many things to boasts about. It has become one of the companies that offer Australian motorists some of the finest cars in the market today. And better things are definitely yet to come.
According to Kevin McCann the Sales amp; Marketing Director of the company the “i30 Hatch was a huge success” it is only to be expected that the newer model will be wellreceived. It is one of the best alternatives for families who need extra space without shouldering the cost of expensive SUVs and busy individuals who always need to be on the go.
With a price range of between 20890 and 29890 no one can deny that the Hyundai i30 Wagon will soon become one of the hottest commodities in the market even during tough economic times. Hyundai is also set to release a limited series of a sportwagon model to be introduced in Continental Silver or Vivid Blue colors.
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About the writer: I am 23 year old student on my last year of study at the University of Sydney Sydney majoring in Information technology.
How To Prepare Your Vehicle For Storage
If you have a vehicle that you are going to need to store for a while whether it be for an extended period of time or you are storing a vehicle for seasonal use there are several things you must do to protect it. These steps will ensure protection for your automobile and insure it will be ready for use when you retrieve it. Taking the time to prepare your car right will save you a lot of grief and money later on.
The first and most critical step is to find a suitable location for long term storage. The location should be secure dry and clean. Make sure the storage place is dry and free of moisture. Moisture humidity and condensation are the biggest hazards to exterior interior and engine. Rust and corrosion can form on exposed metal and mold and mildew can grow in the interior as well. The best place is a climate controlled storage facility.
Believe it or not you are also going to have to protect your vehicle from rodents. Storage or not rats do get in and they can wreak havoc and destroy the wiring system. They can also get into the interior and build nests there. One option is to place rat poison or some other pest control device around the car. If the storage unit has power you could get a noise box that repels rats and mice. You can buy them at your local hardware store. These are very safe and will not hurt pets or children.
If you are having a difficult time finding the perfect location to store your vehicle then you should know that there are places that offer automobile storage. These service providers will offer you a dependable storing space to store your automobile. They are very much dedicated to take extra care of your vehicle so that you will never have any problem to put it on the wheels again once it is out of the store. The competitive affordable price range helps you to be economical too. Finally you can have your peace of mind by knowing the fact that your vehicle is in a safe and secured place.
Now that you have selected the perfect location in which to store your vehicle you have to now prepare the car for storage. Step one is to change the oil and replace it with a synthetic. Changing the oil before storage will reduce moisture in the system and help prevent corrosion in the engine. The reason for synthetic oil is because of the coating properties and it will not break down as quickly as conventional oil.
You must completely fill the gas tank. Many people siphon out the gas and leave the tank empty. This is not correct nor is it a good idea because the moisture left in the empty tank will encourage rust. Fill the tank as high as you can and leave it. This will prevent moisture from forming and prevent rust accumulation. It is also a good idea to add in a gas stabilizer as well.
Next stop the battery! The next step is the battery. If the vehicle is in for short term storage you may want to hook up battery charger to the battery. This will insure all electrical equipment like stereo will have power and any saved settings will be there when you return. For longer periods of time remove the battery. Batteries can crack and leak acid everywhere. In this case it is best to just remove it and replace it when you return.
Next it is time to prepare the external weather stripping and tires. The best product to use for this is lithium grease. Stay away from petroleum based products. They will eventually dry out and crack the rubber. To apply the grease spray it on a rag first and then wipe it on the tires and weather stripping. Be sure to cover the gaskets in the doors sunroof and trunk. For the interior use a leather or vinyl conditioner. This will safeguard these surfaces from cracking and drying.
The last step is to thoroughly clean the exterior. After you have washed it apply a coat of wax and buff it out. If you have an air buffer this process will be a lot easier and will be more effective. Then cover the car with a good quality car cover. If you follow these basic steps your expensive automobile should be in the same shape you left it before your journey.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Simply Self Storage What Could be Easier than Simply?
Simply Self Storage is the largest privately owned self storage company in the United States and Puerto Rico. We own and/or operate over 228 facilities with over 16.1 million square feet of storage space.
How To Install A Mazda3 Shark Fin
When I bought my 2008.5 Mazda3 the first thing I noticed was the huge horse whip style antenna jumping off the roof of the car. I’m not much of an AM/FM radio aficionado and with optional satellite radio or an iPod in tow there isn’t a whole lot of reason to be but for important traffic updates and local news it can’t be beat.
The shark fin works as a sleek compact replacement for your stock horse whip antenna and is extremely easy to install. We did hit a few snags though so read on to see how we did it and what not to do.
What You’ll Need
1. Flat Head Screw Driver Optional
2. Painter’s Tape or Masking Tape
3. Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol We used 70 and definitely recommend sticking at 70 rather than the more potent 98
4. For Waxed Cars Only 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner or 3M Prep Solvent 70 or Dawn dish soap liquid
5. Hair Dryer Heat Guns are too powerful and will damage your paint!
6. A stool of some kind Unless you are tall enough to reach over the Mazda3 and push down on the middle.
1. The first thing you are going to do is unscrew the Elroy Jetson style antenna from its base. The antenna is all one piece so it should come right off.
Okay this is where we goofed it up a little bit. The picture above still has the antenna on while we were applying the rubbing alcohol. I don’t think it really matters whether the antenna is on or off when you apply the rubbing alcohol but we were very eager to get started so it’s on in the pic above.
2. Apply the rubbing alcohol using a paper towel or blue shop towel and wipe the entire surface where your shark fin antenna will be. Don’t use cotton balls or cotton pads because as we learned above it leaves streams of cotton everywhere.
Note: For waxed cars you’ll want to use the 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner/3M Prep Solvent 70 or Dawn liquid dish soap first to remove the wax from the install area. Then use the Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol to go over the same surface again and let it dry.
Before planning the location of your shark fin make sure there is no left over residue or other elements dirt dust etc. on the install area because it will lessen the integrity of the doublesided adhesive gasket on the bottom of the shark fin.
3. Place the shark fin over the antenna base and approximate the position over the antenna connection site. The reason you want to be as exact as possible is that you are positioning the shark fin so that you can place painter’s tape or masking tape around all four sides and not have to realign it when you want to connect the shark fin to the antenna base. Once you are satisfied with the positioning of the shark fin proceed to step four.
4. Place painter’s tape around the shark fin starting with the front of the shark fin and then moving to the back. Then place painter’s tape on the left and right of the shark fin.
Note: We used just one piece of painter’s tape to make sure the front end was where it needed to be. If you want absolute precise alignment we recommend placing the tape over the front of the shark fin in two three pieces in a triangular configuration.
5. Peel back the preslit paper on the underlying adhesive gasket from the back. It’s sliced right in the middle of the back so you can pull it away carefully!! to a little ways past the corners of the back of the shark fin. You are doing this because you will start the final placement of your shark fin in just a few short minutes!
There are two attachment screws provided dubbed M5 M6 that should fit your antenna base quite nicely. Inside the shark fin antenna there is a coiled up connector that you will use to connect your shark fin antenna to the antenna base. Refer to the photo above where you will see how we connected the cord to the antenna base using the larger of the two screws and did so with our fingers rather than using a flat tip screw driver. The instructions caution against over tightening so we’d recommend leaving the screwdriver in the garage for this one.
Tip: Tilt the back of the shark fin towards the antenna base to ensure enough slack while the fin is being connected.
Before mounting the shark fin you need to make sure the part of the roof that it will be placed on is at room temperature. We opted not to use a hair dryer because it was about 70 degrees out and the sun was going down. In hindsight we would probably use the hair dryer anyway because our shark fin pops up a little bit in the front meaning it didn’t bond well up there. I doubt it had anything to do with the adhesive gasket and more to do with the temperature of the roof.
6. Use a hair dryer to get your install area on the roof to room temperature. Be careful and do not focus the hair dryer in any one spot of the roof to avoid damaging your car’s paint.
7. Remove your adhesive paper completely and prepare to mount the antenna.
8. Visually align the front of the shark fin to the pieces of tape used in Step 4 and between the two side pieces. Do not press down on the adhesive gasket yet this is sticky stuff! and make sure the shark fin is aligned properly on all four sides. I was the camera guy so I checked it from all four sides while my installer realigned the shark fin as needed.
9. Once you’re aligned properly press down firmly on the the front of the shark fin for about a minute. It is absolutely crucial that you press the front down first.
10. Now that the front of the shark fin is mounted you can simply hold down the rear of the shark fin for about a minute hold firmly! and then remove the masking tape.
Success! The shark fin has been installed!
That’s all there is to it!
Initial Impressions: The shark fin actually improved my local radio reception and I’ve been pretty happy with it thus far. I’m disappointed that the front end didn’t bond as well as it should have but I think that might have been user error. After all we didn’t have this guide of dos and donts to follow when we installed it.
Final Thoughts: If you are into aesthetics or perhaps better radio reception I would definitely recommend that you pick up a shark fin. It’s more of an aesthetic treatment rather than an AM/FM booster but I certainly appreciate not having a bumper carlike wand whipping around on top of my car while I’m on the highway.
Disclaimer: This install guide was created to help you along in a visual way and to review what we learned from our experience of installing it for the first time but you should still study the install procedure sent in the shipping box. It’s very thorough and might cover a few things we omitted in our guide.
About the writer: To learn more about the Mazda 3 Mazdaspeed 3 or to meet other Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3 enthusiasts please visit our Mazda 3 Forums.
