Fleet Management and Fuel Savings
?Fleet Management and Fuel Savings
Does anyone remember the days when the only time we thought about high diesel fuel prices was when OPEC decided to mess with us? Fuel cards use to be handed out and drivers would fuel at any place they wanted. Actually for companies that still does happen. I guess for those few companies that still do that and back in the old days no one really paid attention to fuel management. It wasn’t that important. Today fuel management better be part of the picture or companies are just not getting the fuel savings that they should be.
Some people say you can’t control your fueling or diesel fuel prices, we save sure you can. The answer is fuel management as part of your fleet management for your company.
Any company can improve their fleet fuel efficiencies. It takes work and commitment from everyone in the organization both direct and indirect suppliers but with proper fuel management system in place your diesel fuel prices will go down. Many companies are making change in their fleet management programs to help reduce operating costs. We believe with the tips below as well as a solid fuel card program, your fleet manager will see the difference.
To help you adjust, here are Ten Ways to Cut Fuel Costs:
1. This is another lesson your drivers must be taught. Jackrabbit starts waste fuel and save less than 3 minutes per hour driving, but can result in using 40% more fuel so that is not going to help your fuel savings or help your own time delivery. Take it easy.
2. You’re not 16 years old anymore. Speeding is dangerous; it wastes fuel and creates higher levels of toxic emissions. Speeds over 60 mph drastically impact fuel efficiencies – cars travelling at 75 mph use 20% more fuel. Trucks travelling at 75 mph use 50% more fuel and they also emit 100% more carbon monoxide, 50% more hydrocarbons and 31% more nitrogen oxides. If those numbers don’t want you to put restricker on your trucks, I don’t know what will. If you think saving a couple of cents on your diesel fuel prices is big, wait until you put this in place.
3. Be aware of the time truck engines idle. No longer can we leave trucks and equipment running all day long. Stop your engines! Excessive idling adds to your fleet fuel costs by as much as 50% and can shorten the life of engine oil by 75%, adding more costs. Initiate a campaign to reduce idling time and reward participants. Allowing an engine to idle more than 3 minutes causes expensive damage which harms efficiency, shortens engine life and increases maintenance costs. It all adds up to big savings if you handle your fleet management correctly.
4. Extra weight places unnecessary strain on your vehicle’s engine and greatly affects its fuel efficiency. By removing as little as 100 pounds you can significantly improve your miles per gallon and we all want better miles per gallon out of our diesel fuel trucks. Check each vehicle and take out that unnecessary weight!
5. Proper tire inflation improves gas mileage or diesel fuel mileage. Statistics show improperly inflated tires can cost up to 2 weeks worth of fuel per year! How big is your fleet? Two weeks per year per vehicle adds up to thousands of dollars in lost profits! In addition proper inflation results in improved vehicle and braking performance, and increases tire life. You can never be to safe.
6. Whenever possible, invest in modern, fuel-efficient vehicles. Modern diesel engines are far more fuel-efficient and perform better with modern diesel fuels such as ultra low sulphur diesel, biodiesel and diesel fuel additives. Though it may seem expensive, new diesel vehicles can save thousands of dollars in maintenance, fueling and productivity per vehicle. Measure each piece of equipment for fleet fuel efficiency and get rid of the bad ones! Replace and upgrade your equipment regularly. It may hurt now but it will pay you back when you look in your fleet management program
7. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. If you can measure and your fleet management program better when you have the right information. Tracking miles traveled, average speed and engine efficiency is critical to cutting fueling costs. This information will help your drivers and managers optimize routes with better planning. Mapping software and GPS will eliminate thousands of unnecessary miles per week. Less time on the road means less fueling consumed, less wear on vehicles, decreased expenditures and overall increased productivity which will lower your overall operating ratios.
8. Does your company have solid Preventive Maintenance program or is your program when it breaks we fix it. Many companies “”fix it when it breaks.”" This attitude costs too much in wasted diesel fuel prices. A well maintained vehicle performs better, improves fleet fuel efficiency, reduces toxic emissions and, in the long run, will cost less to maintain.
The two most important things that we feel are part of savings in fuel management system are:
9. It starts with the people who have their foot on the gas pedal. Your drivers can control fuel consumption each time they fire up their engines, and proper training can improve fuel efficiency, economy and emissions. Hard acceleration, speeding and idling are the biggest causes of fuel waste. Initiate a training course for drivers and reward participation.
10. This is the most powerful way to lower diesel fuel costs and increase productivity. Is to have a fleet manager or an outside fuel management company that are experts in diesel fuel prices, fleet management services, fuel cards, diesel fuel additives, fuel cards, mobile fueling and have relationships with fueling companies. When you can have an expert on your staff with fueling knowledge your company will see more fuel savings through any of the methods above or with fleet credit card to provide fleet management solutions.
Until next time, go start your fuel savings by following these tips. You also might want to consider a better fleet card, diesel fuel additive, shop for lower diesel fuel prices and lastly you can’t go wrong with a good fuel management system.
The Advantages of Diesel Powered Engines
?The Advantages of Diesel Powered Engines
Diesel trucks are commonplace in the workforce. From semi tractor trailers to dump trucks and flatbed trucks, the diesel engine is the preferred workhorse of transport, heavy hauling, and construction crews. Diesel engines have the highest thermal efficiency of any combustion engine, giving them a higher power output than gasoline ones because of the compression ratio. Originally used to replace the steam motors, their efficiency continues to be the choice for large scale power plants that reply on efficient power output. These types of motors can be found in ships, locomotives, and large trucks.
Due to the higher energy density of the fuel, they burn less fuel than gasoline combustion engines and because they do not rely on an electrical system, like a spark plug to ignite the fuel, they are more reliable in damp conditions. Because diesel fuel is heavier than gasoline, its properties actually lubricate motor parts, which means they can run twice as long as their gasoline powered counterparts. Diesel engines generate less waste heat in cooling and exhaust and run more efficiently than gasoline ones when using partial power output. With all of the advantages over gasoline and turbine driven engines, it is no wonder that these motors are the choice of hard working blue collar Americans.
Replacing parts and servicing diesel power plants is also relatively easy compared to gasoline types. Used diesel truck parts are just as reliable as original parts for diesel engines and can be easily interchanged from trucks that have been decommissioned, making servicing diesel truck engines a relatively easy task compared to servicing and replacing gasoline motor parts.
Fire Trucks and Tow Trucks
?Fire Trucks and Tow Trucks
The fire engines were initially used in the mid-nineteenth century and were compliance before the introduction of fire trucks. By the end of century, they changed from automobile version or horse-drawn to hand water pumps mounted at the rear. The first engine was used in the year 1850 by Cincinnati Fire Department. They actually represented large shift methods of fire fighting including bucket lines. Most of these engine models are found in urban cities and as they are in limited demands, the trucks manufactured from 1900 to 1960 were very limited to distinctive designs from local producers. There were not only fire trucks, but also some competitive departments in local areas. Because of expensive paint color, most of the manufacturer began painting their trucks red and black.
Fire trucks became more popular in the market by the turn of century as lots of towns switched from volunteer to professional departments. The cities filled with crowd needed advanced technology with excellent water pumps. Till late 1920s, fire departments decided to use fire powered engines and the Cincinnati, Ahrens-Fox Manufacturing Company became very popular for replacing fire horse-drawn engines with these trucks. The main manufacturer of these fire trucks is Mack Trucks who started in the year 1911 and has gained a good reputation in the market till today. In 1960s, there was some fire diesels trucks manufactured which were the modernized trucks with enclosed cabs for crew.
Tow trucks are basically a vehicle which is used for transporting motor vehicles from one place to another. These services are mostly offered by emergency road service operator. The first tow truck was invented by Ernest Holmes in the year 1916 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was initially a garage worker; an improved design which resulted him to produce wreckers. There are lots of different kinds of tow equipments such as boom that are fitted with most of the trucks. These trucks are most of the times operated by private firms except for toll roads and major highways. Those organizations who are involved in operating huge fleet of vehicles often own one of these trucks and school bus companies.
There are lots of government departments who use two trucks such as departments of public works, fire departments, transportation authorities and police departments. There is a tow truck act in one of the Australian states called New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Tow trucks have been in the market for a very long time and most of the times they are used for hauling cars and automobiles. These trucks are designed as long iron bar with hitch on one end and dual wheels on other end. Gottlieb Daimler was the first automobile manufacturer who produced and launched this tow truck in 1890s. There are other manufacturers in the market who are involved in producing these trucks such as Ford, International, White, Chevrolet, Dodge, Jeep, Federal, Diamond T, GMC, Nash and Studebaker. These trucks are quite ubiquitous on highways which are often not noticed while passing. Overall they are quite beneficial in towing vehicles.
2010 Chevy Kodiak – Should You Buy the Monstrous Truck For $70K+ Or the New Traverse
?2010 Chevy Kodiak – Should You Buy the Monstrous Truck For $70K+ Or the New Traverse?
The 2010 Kodiak is a medium duty truck from the house of Chevrolet, which will be offered in both C5500 and C4500 regular cab models. Power to the model comes from the 35 gallon diesel fuel tank placed under the hood, but the new Traverse presents a more efficient option to the bulky Kodiak; here’s more.
The improvements to the 2010 Kodiak will include extra space for 2 passengers, air suspension seats for front passenger and driver and LED roof marker lights and these features will be made available in all the models of Kodiak. So as to utilize the fuel properly, the engine will be equipped with green fuel caps for diesel engines and revised rear cab mounts.
The 2010 Chevy Kodiak C4500 model will be offered as a 4�4 crew cab and regular cab, which can accommodate up to 6 passengers. The new Kodiak will be offered in V-8 turbo diesel and gasoline engines.
The 2010 Chevrolet Kodiak, Isuzu H-series and the GMC Topkick will look similar in terms of size and shape; all these models fall under the large truck class. The model will suit well as dump trucks, cargo haulers and work trucks. The next generation model is expected to be included with the features like powerful audio system and DVD navigation system.
Apart from the sound system, it will also be featured with all the safety amenities that include traction control, antilock braking system, seat belt pretensioners, rear view mirrors, antiskid brakes, four wheel disc brakes and electronic stability program. The starting price of the 2010 Kodiak will be $70,000.
On the other hand, the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse is available under the $60k mark, and presents a far efficient alternative to the bulky Kodiak; so what’s your take on these two trucks?
Finding Good Deals For Used Diesel Generators Isn’t Hard But it Does Require Research
?Finding Good Deals For Used Diesel Generators Isn’t Hard But it Does Require Research
Everyone knows that used diesel generators can be an expensive purchase. However, there are ways to ensure that you get a good deal. It’s important to know what you’re looking for and because you will need to do research, you should quite easily be able to get yourself a good deal. Spending any more than £8000 is a no no when it comes to these items so do your research properly.
Take your time to find out about what you need and whether or not it’s available on today’s market. Most of the time, you should find a company who stocks what you need whether it’s brand new or used. Used equipment is a much easier way of doing things because a reseller won’t sell bad equipment because they’re unable to – you can be sure that it’ll be in working order.
The other good thing with used equipment such as used diesel generators is that it’s probably be tested and recently put through a service to ensure it’s of good enough quality to resell. Sometimes you can buy from places that offer a guarantee as well which is good – it’s all about taking your time and finding the best dealers.
Used diesel generators are usually sold for about £5000 so make sure that you have set a budget that’s realistic and reasonable. You don’t want to over spend and you don’t want to end up in a situation where you might as well have bought the item from a brand new retailer.
Make sure that you know your stuff before you go shopping. Do a lot of research to find out what sort of thing you need and find out about all the different options available. This shouldn’t take long but don’t be afraid to set aside a few hours each day to find yourself a bargain.
Most used diesel generators are easy to find but if you don’t do your research, you can end up with a deal that’s simply not good enough. Take your time and make sure that you know exactly what you need – think about alternatives if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for.
Finding A Truck To Tow A Toy Hauler1
?Finding A Truck To Tow A Toy Hauler
So you got yourself a new ATV or fun runner, but you are wondering how in the world you are going to find a truck that can stand the weight of your toy hauler. This is a common dilemma for new owners of these big toys. This article shows which trucks are able to tow a toy hauler; including features, weight capacity, and other pertinent information.
Ford F550 4X4 Hauler
The Ford F550 4X4 Hauler is a good choice for transporting a toy hauler over long distances. The F550 has been in a class of pickup trucks that have been the best in America for 24 years and running. Some features of this powerful and durable truck are the fact that it is not only tough, but has an attractive body frame. The truck has a 6.4 liter Powerstroke Turbo diesel engine. The GVWR is 17,950. It includes dual fuel tanks, so you can travel long distances without having to stop for a fill-up. It also features a Tow Command System with a high capacity trailer tow package. Other interesting features about this truck include heated captain chairs, all weather floor mats, plus many other appealing features.
Chevy Silervado 3500HD L2
The Chevy Silverado 3500HD L2 model is perfect for hauling a toy hauler. It costs considerably less than the Ford F550 mentioned above, and can do just about the same job. Some highlights of the 3500HD include a 6.0 V8 engine, automatic transmission with a tow haul mode, and can pull up to a maximum of 18,500 pounds. Other nice features about this truck include your choice of extended or crew cab options, as well as an integrated trailer breaker control. This vehicle has won its share of awards for its outstanding performance.
GMC Sierra 2500HD
The GMC Sierra 2500HD costs about the same as a Chevy Silverado 3500HD. It was voted the Best Pickup Truck in 2007 by Motor Week. The truck comes in two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and can pull a load of about 13,000 to 16,000 pounds, which is usually sufficient for hauling an ATV or fun runner. Other pertinent features of this truck include 6.0L SFI V8 engine, antilock four-wheel disc brakes, as well as fog lamps and 17-inch wheels. Safety features include the On-Star system, air bags, and a theft-deterrent system.
Dodge Ram 3500
The Dodge Ram 3500 is an excellent choice for pulling a toy hauler. It can haul up to 16,350 pounds easily. The truck packs a 6.7L turbo diesel engine, along with an option for four-wheel drive. The Dodge Ram also has other interesting features, such air bags with side-impact protection, options for a four-door or two-door model, and many other features to meet the needs of the individual purchasing the vehicle.
As you can see, there are quite a few options when it comes to finding a truck to pull your toy hauler. A lot of what you choose to buy will depend on price, whether you want to buy new or used, and what other features besides pulling capacity are important to you. Folks have been happy with each of the models of trucks listed above, so now it is time for you to start researching what truck is best for your needs.
Features to Look For in a Pick Up Truck
?Features to Look For in a Pick Up Truck
A Chevy pickup has been specially designed to tow heavy cargo. When looking for a suitable truck, firstly, decide beforehand that would you prefer a wide cargo or a passenger space. Both options are available so if you feel like it you could also change the prowess for a spacious passenger cabin. You should always consider the cargo and the comfort factor and remember that a truck with a large back space will tend to have smaller passenger accommodation. If the truck is for 5 or 6 passengers then the cargo bed is at least 5 feet long whereas 2 or 3 seater trucks have up to 8 foot cargo area. You can find various cabs and bed configurations in most of the trucks.
Select the engine which matches the hauling requirements. The full sized trucks can pull 9000 pounds of weight while the smaller trucks pull 3,000 pounds of weight. If you require excess weight pulling than this, you can also upgrade the truck engine to V-8 or a diesel engine. Some pickups are not aerodynamic and have powerful engines. They are mainly used as commuter vehicles. Full sized trucks are not as efficient as compact pickups.
If you are just looking for a Chevy pickup for transporting load from one place to another, a small truck with a good gas mileage will be perfect for your requirements. The fuel efficient smaller trucks get 23 mpg in mixed driving. You will find them at much cheaper rates and hence are more economical in the long run. You should always give the advance safety features of a truck the top priority. Pickup trucks can easily be a part of roll over accidents as compared to cars and vans. A number of models fail to protect the passengers in crashes. The advanced safety features of a Chevy pickup can help prevent the mishap to a great extent. The electronic stability control in it helps to avoid accidents.
Some pickups also have air bags on the side for the passenger sitting at the front and curtain air bags for the rest of the passengers. You can also get a backup camera installed which might seem expensive but it can greatly reduce the chances of backing over any object. These are the some of the significant features which you should always look for and will make your truck shopping simple.
Saving Fuel For Car and Truck
?Saving Fuel For Car and Truck
There is a nineteenth century technology that has been dusted off and brought up into our present time. This technology improves the gasoline engine which only uses twenty-five percent of the gasoline supply to the engine. The rest is thrown out the tailpipe as waste. This simple, efficient and economical system uses your existing motor to make HHO from a water bottle, improving your gas mileage. As we all know, water is FREE! The engine of your automobile as it drives sends electrical current into the water by electrolysizing it. The HHO gas developed by electrolysis goes into the same chamber as the gas, breaking the gas molecules into smalller particles, thus you get a more complete burning of the gas which improves your gas mileage. Examples of car performances:
*Tom Lang of California got 41% improvement on his gas mileage for his existing car.
*Bill Lang, his brother, averaged 35% improvement on twelve different cars in Clearwater, FL.
*A 1999 diesel 18-wheeler truck had a 25% increased fuel efficiency.
*Ozzie Freedom’s 1999 Toyota Corolla gained a doubling fuel effect by getting 61 MPG!
Besides a great fuel-saving device, this system will eliminate a great deal of pollution coming from your vehicles’ tailpipe. Mechanics will tell you this fuel-kit system will clean your motor. Do not be surprised in seeing WATER coming out of your tailpipe! We sometimes call HHO, the ‘green’ gas. We have turned a nineteenth century technology into a modern step towards ‘green power’.
So help solve the energy crisis in America and help America become more energy independent by looking into this water-on-demand technology and kit. If your a backyard mechanic, professional mechanic or know one, you can install an inexpensive system with very little time on your existing truck or car. To learn more, look below for your link to gain additional information.
Extreme Chevy Truck Accessories – Not for the Weak at Heart
?Extreme Chevy Truck Accessories – Not for the Weak at Heart
So here we go guys today I will be covering some of the Extreme Chevy truck accessories. The accessories mentioned below generally go beyond the normal every day truck owner and enter a realm of power and torque. You will find I have chosen what I believe to be the top 5 performance upgrades for Chevy trucks. I hope you find this information valuable when building your next Extreme Chevy truck.
Extreme accessory #1 – Power Programmers. Okay guys there are two different power programmers I recommend. The first being for Diesel owners and that is the Bully Dog Triple Dog Outlook combo. This programmer is top of the line and gives you the ability to adjust horsepower on the fly. Bully Dog is the best choice for Diesel trucks. Now if you own a gas truck I recommend the Hypertech HyperPAC. This tuner is versatile and will do everything you need including diagnostics. This is considered the world’s first performance automotive computer.
Extreme accessory #2 – AEM Brute force air intakes. I know every one is always talking K&N when it comes to filters and intakes, however the AEM Brute force intake is what I recommend hands down. The AEM Brute force is top of the line allowing the most airflow you will find. Throw on a throttle body spacer and you have really made some improvements to your stock system.
Extreme accessory #3 – Borla exhaust system. When you make the other mods it is essential to do the exhaust to get the best performance out of your truck. For the Chevy I recommend the Borla system. Borla is a stainless steel mandrel bent exhaust system that increases horsepower by increasing air flow. Remember what comes in must come out. The concept of tuning your truck should start with airflow and your exhaust system is a vital part of this. Borla will perform the task well and will also give your truck a nice deep sound.
Extreme accessory #4 – Procomp lift kits- Now not everyone is looking at lifting their trucks however if you are we recommend the Procomp lift kit for your Chevy. This kit is complete with shocks, springs and hardware and is one of the most popular kits for the Chevy trucks.
Extreme accessory #5 – Flex-a-lite fans. Not everyone thinks about cooling however when you are tuning your truck for more horsepower cooling plays a vital role. We want to protect our investment so it is common sense to do something fairly simple to keep our motor cool. The Flex-a-lite Syclone fan moves up to 2500 cfm’s of air and only drawing 17 amps. Not bad at all for protection in my book.
Okay so there you have it. Listing only 5 I missed a few accessories such as upgrading your braking systems. I tried to stay with the most basic and not go overboard so I hope this information was helpful on your journey to building your Extreme Chevy truck. By doing your homework ahead of time you will find the right accessories. Remember when talking about tuning that Airflow is vital and the fact that what goes in must come out.
2006 Toyota Tundra Review
?2006 Toyota Tundra Review
Well, I’ve been shopping again. I have been looking at a couple of trucks and I like the Nissan Titan. It’s nice and has a lot of features. I am a Toyota fan and I do like the Tundra. It’s based upon the Sequoia frame – rather – they share the same frame, so it rides nice. The 271hp V8 helps tote things around, too. With a 6800-pound towing capacity, even if you have the double cab, you still have room for the family and the camper and the boat and the gear . . .whew.
One of the neat things about the new trucks is style. When I opened the door, I was surrounded in leather. The DVD navigation system may be a bit much for my use, but the double cab had a rear seat DVD player that would be perfect for the kids. It also had a vertical sliding rear glass, just like my 4runner and Sequoia.
I can’t decide if I’d rather have the Access cab, or just go ahead and get the double cab. The access cab has almost a full size door opening up into the back seats, and I probably won’t be hauling around any big adults in the back. Unless they wanted to watch the DVD player.
It may sound odd, but you can get a limited slip rear end on the 2 wheel drive models. It keeps the rear tire from spinning. . .well, one tire from spinning. I’m sure with that monster engine, it wouldn’t take much to get the tires smoking. The mechanical limited slip is an option all unto itself. As I discovered further, I think I’d rather have the entire package of safety features. They are stability control, traction control, brake assist, fog lamps, running lights, and AUTOMATIC limited-slip rear differential. Sounds daunting, but I’m sure this package would be worth it in the long run.
So, double cab? SR5 or Limited. Hmm. Step side? Not for me, but it is stylish looking. I’d have to option mine up a bit to get the homelink, DVD’s, Leather, and side curtain air bags if I do get the double cab.
It’s a nice truck. Manly enough for me, but still soft enough the wife could drive it if I let her. If you get a chance, check them out, because Toyota did it right with the Tundra this year.
Enough Hybrids – Lets Go Diesel2
?Enough Hybrids – Lets Go Diesel
Last summer’s gas crisis made people wake up and realize that economic cars that get good gas millage and are less harmful to the environment are going to become more of a necessity in decades to come. Hybrids are all the rage, but they have plenty of downsides such as relative high costs, expensive to maintain, and well most of them are pretty lame. So what can we do to get good fuel economy and have cars that don’t suck? Get more diesel cars and make them affordable.
Do a search on cheap diesel cars and you will pretty much find a couple rabbits and Mercedes 300D’s and not much else in the US. New cars are coming out and some of them are actually pretty cool. Volkswagen is leading the trend with cars like the TDI Jetta and the Audi R8, while American car companies of course don’t have much of anything but large and quite expensive trucks.
While I still think electric cars can be the future for the time being Diesel engines provide us the ability to have crazy good fuel economy, solid reliability, and most of them utilize turbos which can make the potential to have more power and more fun easy to achieve.
The rest of the world has had a large selection of diesel cars for years and some even produced by none other than American car companies. So question is why can’t we get these? Maintenance and operating costs of diesels are relatively low and they tend to have the uncanny ability to rack up thousands of miles and take lots of abuse. If you do not agree just take a quick look at the average milage of the still running examples of the first two cars I mentioned before from VW and Mercedes. Chances are you can easily find several clean and perfectly good running examples with 300K plus miles.
So my call to the big three is take advantage of some of the cars that we have given to the rest of world and bring them here. If we don’t then I’m sure companies like Toyota and VW will lead the trend and leave us behind once again.
Pre-Owned Trucks
?Pre-Owned Trucks
Buying a pre-owned truck is a very good idea, if you can not really afford a new one. However, the only problem is that you may not be able to judge whether the truck being offered for sale is good or not. Therefore, the best option in such a situation is to buy certified pre-owned trucks.
There are certain companies in United States that deal in pre-owned trucks. They make it a point to inspect all the used pickup trucks for any faults before selling them. The pre owned trucks that clear these tests and are put on sale thereafter are called certified pre-owned trucks.
Usually, the company that sells pre-owned trucks devices a rigorous test to inspect these trucks before they are presented before the customer. The test involves a thorough check of crucial and normal parts of the truck.
They make sure that nothing may escape the check. The check also involves timely replacement of water, oil, oil filters, air filter and the engine belts.
In certified pre-owned trucks, the engine is thoroughly checked, including the radiator. The check also involves a pressure test on the system that cools the engine. The engine hoses are also checked and if there is a leakage or breakage, the hose is replaced.
The engine is also checked for a proper freeze protection. Also, the engine’s exhaust is checked for any clamp, mount or leakages. The housing of the engine’s air cleaner is also checked along with the air-to-air piping. The steering shaft and its U-joints are also checked.
The certified trucks also undergo a complete body check in which the doors are inspected along with the cargo latches and the lift gates. The truck’s cab’s appearance is also checked for any significant damage. The air ride system installed in the truck is also checked.
Apart from the usual checks of the body and the engine parts, the certified preowned trucks also undergo a fluid analysis. Under this analysis some fluid samples are taken from the truck’s engine and its radiator. The fluid samples are then analyzed under a laboratory setting. The fluid analysis is helpful in detecting the presence any risk of component failure.
After these numerous checks the trucks are then offered to the customers for sale. The certified pre-owned trucks are a safe bet, because after so many tests and analysis, every problem with the vehicle is likely to get identified and sorted. As a result, the truck delivered to you has more chances to offer you a much utility and service.
Enough Hybrids – Lets Go Diesel
?Enough Hybrids – Lets Go Diesel
Last summer’s gas crisis made people wake up and realize that economic cars that get good gas millage and are less harmful to the environment are going to become more of a necessity in decades to come. Hybrids are all the rage, but they have plenty of downsides such as relative high costs, expensive to maintain, and well most of them are pretty lame. So what can we do to get good fuel economy and have cars that don’t suck? Get more diesel cars and make them affordable.
Do a search on cheap diesel cars and you will pretty much find a couple rabbits and Mercedes 300D’s and not much else in the US. New cars are coming out and some of them are actually pretty cool. Volkswagen is leading the trend with cars like the TDI Jetta and the Audi R8, while American car companies of course don’t have much of anything but large and quite expensive trucks.
While I still think electric cars can be the future for the time being Diesel engines provide us the ability to have crazy good fuel economy, solid reliability, and most of them utilize turbos which can make the potential to have more power and more fun easy to achieve.
The rest of the world has had a large selection of diesel cars for years and some even produced by none other than American car companies. So question is why can’t we get these? Maintenance and operating costs of diesels are relatively low and they tend to have the uncanny ability to rack up thousands of miles and take lots of abuse. If you do not agree just take a quick look at the average milage of the still running examples of the first two cars I mentioned before from VW and Mercedes. Chances are you can easily find several clean and perfectly good running examples with 300K plus miles.
So my call to the big three is take advantage of some of the cars that we have given to the rest of world and bring them here. If we don’t then I’m sure companies like Toyota and VW will lead the trend and leave us behind once again.
