Category / Ford Parts

Why You Never Stand A Chance When Buying A Vehicle June 13, 2011 at 5:00 am

Why You Never Stand A Chance When Buying A Vehicle

If you are in the market for a vehicle and think you can do a little research on the internet and then go and make a great deal you will get ripped off…

The reason that the average car buyer will never get a good deal on a vehicle is most vehicle purchases are made using emotional triggers that the auto dealers use to manipulate the ususpecting public.

They include:

Fear Of Loss – once the car dealers have figured out your hot buttons and which model you are interested in they will make you think that there is only a few models left. If you are looking at a used vehicle this is even more evident.

Prestige – auto sales people will make you feel like a million bucks when driving the vehicle. They’ll even ask questions like “Will this fit into your garage?” which assumes mental ownership because now you can picture the vehicle in your garage.

Value – every auto dealer will tell you how great the resale value of their vehicle is. While almost every vehicle loses an average of 25% the first year there is no such thing as a vehicle that has value.

While there are a few good auto delers out there most of them will try and squeeze every penny out of you so they can line thier wallets. Think about this. Do you know a poor car dealer? I sure don’t.

There are a few steps that you can take to gain a competitive advantage:

1. Do your research online and do not go into any dealership until you have a good idea on what make and model you are interested in
2. Call the dealership before going to test drive. Most dealerships have an Internet Department and will sell their vehicles for less than by just walking in. Contact this department first.
3. Don’t negotiate payments, just total amount of purchase. Most buyers fall into the trap of monthly payments and do not look at the total overall cost of their purchase.

With a few minutes of work you could save yourself thousands of dollars… if you would like additional money saving tips visit: http://www.BeforeYouBuyACar.com

When Your Cars Parts Are Hard To Find June 6, 2011 at 6:46 pm

One of the major problems that classic car owners have is that they have a hard time locating the right kind of auto parts or replacement parts for their vehicle. This is mainly because most auto parts stores at present offer only auto parts for the most popular vehicle makes and models as well as the auto parts for the newest cars in the market. They do not take into consideration that there are still old cars still alive and working that also need some auto parts replacements.

So how do you find that elusive auto part for your car?

Join Auto Clubs
You can try joining auto clubs and ask around with other members who own the same vehicle as you. That way, you can ask them where they get their replacement parts. You can search for such auto clubs using car magazines or you can search through the Internet for them.

Be An Online Hunter
Take full advantage of what the Internet has to offer. You can exhaust all search engines for auction sites or online bulletin boards. Many stores or sources of auto parts replacements for classic or old cars advertise their products online. Put these sites in your archives so you can visit them regularly and check for updates. Or, you can also contact these sources yourself and ask them if they can get the auto part that you want for you.

Be A Scarp Yard Scavenger
On one of your spare and free days, you can take a dive to a local scrap yard. Many owners of classic cars share that they are able to look for good replacement parts for their classic vehicles from scrap yards. They do maintain though that you should be patient enough to go through the stack of cars at these scrap yards.

When Fuel Pumps Give Up The Ghost May 29, 2011 at 8:18 am

Cruising down the highway at 70mph in your 98 Bimmer you notice a strange sound coming from somewhere underneath your car. You proceed down the road a few more miles before exiting and making the turn into your subdivision. The sound magically disappears and you dismiss it as something that must have wedged itself underneath your car and then worked itself free. However, your car engine buckles, hesitates and then dies as you make the turn into your driveway. Fortunately, you made it home. Unfortunately, your fuel pump has gone to auto parts heaven.

Sure, we can dream that your fuel pump died just as you got home. How convenient. In all likelihood the problem would have surfaced while you were on a long trip, on a Sunday afternoon, miles from no where. Fuel pump failures can happen without warning and without any engine codes signaling the problem. In other words: when it happens you are SOL.

Replacing a fuel pump is a job that many weekend mechanics would feel comfortable with doing provided they are at home and have the right tools on hand. Still, you will be working with gasoline which will require you to prop your car up and then drop the gas tank down to replace the pump. I did say that the fuel pump is located inside of the gas tank, didnt I? Oh, yeah, one small matter…you need to have the replacement fuel pump on hand before proceeding with the work.

You can go to a local auto parts store and have your pick of low priced generic pumps that just may last you a few years. Chances are that once you have gone to all the trouble of installing the low priced model, you would have wished you put in a Bosch fuel pump or given your Bimmer a BMW fuel pump even though it would have cost you plenty to buy one, right? Well, not exactly. By shopping online you can turn up some very good prices provided you select the name brand fuel pump and that you buy it from a reputable dealer. Ebay may work well for buying dolls and trinkets but your automobile parts should come from someone you can trust.

Once you have the right part on hand you can continue with the job. Follow your owners manual instructions to get the job done and done right. Your Bimmer will be glad, particularly if you remember to install a new fuel filter with your fuel pump.

What Your Minivan Should Have May 21, 2011 at 7:55 am

When it comes to practicality, nothing comes quite close to owning a minivan. A minivan is also known as a multi utility vehicle, or MUV, and also known as a multi purpose vehicle, or MPV. It is just like a van however, it has rear side doors and windows and its interior can actually take in around seven people or more. It also could take in various types of cargo. Thus, the very reason why when it comes to practicality, people often choose minivans.

Aside from your minivan holding a large amount of people and cargo, a minivan should also have adjustable pedals and telescoping steering wheel. This would be a good thing for parents or drivers of minivans to be comfortable. Adjustable pedals and telescoping steering wheels are of big help to people who are not physically that long.

A center folding storage tray always helps a lot especially to those with kids who would have to eat inside the minivan. Simply described, a center folding storage tray is actually just a tray with cup holders. They fit in between the front captain chairs.

The automobile world calls this mirror the overhead convex mirror. However, to parents and to guardians, they call this a conversation mirror. It works as a spyglass. Parents and adults in the front could simply look in the mirror and they would be able to see what is going on at the back without having to turn their heads. This assists parents to keep the whole situation at the back in control.

A low tire pressure warning system is another feature that your minivan should have. This gives the drive the ample amount of information regarding their wheels. Of course, it is important to have the tires inflated just right. If they are over inflated or under inflated, the chances of having a blow out or of meeting potential accident situations are increased.

A reverse sensing system or a rearview camera would serve as your eyes. They are extremely helpful especially when backing up a driveway or a parking lot. The thing is, with a minivan, you cannot see much at the back especially if you have a group of children with you as passengers.

With all the amazing technological breakthroughs in the automotive industry, Car Parts Rush stands by its commitment of delivering excellently engineered Ford parts to go with Fords efforts of sustained production of environment-friendly vehicles.

What Is Your Car Trying To Tell You? May 13, 2011 at 2:54 am

Over all my years of driving the one thing that still causes me the most concern is when I hear a new noise. This drives me particularly crazy every spring. After months of having the windows rolled up it’s very disconcerting when you first roll down the window to get a whiff of that fresh springtime air and you start hearing all those noises you car makes, and perhaps has been making all winter long. Then you start to think “what’s that noise?”, “how long has it been doing that?”

You drive your car everyday. You know how it should handle. If you notice something amiss, and more than once, get it checked out. You may save yourself a lot of inconvenience and money in the long run. You and your mechanic need to be a team when it comes to the maintenance of your car. You however need to be the eyes and ears of the team.

Every so often pay attention when you’re pulling your car out of a parking space. Is there any fresh fluid? It’s hard to tell sometimes due to the stains left from other cars. How about your driveway? Are you seeing new stains? If you are, what color is the fluid? Oil will be quite obvious, appearing black or dark brown. Antifreeze is fairly easy to recognize too with it’s yellow green color. Also, antifreeze has an unmistakable odor. A reddish fluid could be transmission or power steering fluid.

How is your car handling? It is pulling to one side when you stop? It may be time for a front end alignment. Keep a check on your tire pressure. Under inflated tires can cause lower gas mileage. Get your tires rotated on a regular basis to help prevent wear.

Are you breaks squealing? Get to the mechanic as soon as possible, don’t let this problem go on. If you do continue to drive you may find yourself replacing worn rotors along with break pads. Rotors can be very expensive.

Is you car acting sluggish? It is not accelerating like it used to? It may be time for a tune up. Are you noticing a hesitation? May be the gas filter.

Make sure you have your oil changed every 3,000 miles. This is a very good rule for any car, new or old. When I bought my new Toyota truck twenty years ago the first thing my mechanic said was that if I kept the oil changed I’d “get at least 200,000 miles out of the engine”. Well, fifteen years later I had 189,000 and the engine was still going strong. Unfortunately the frame was rusting, which was her ultimate demise.

Cars manufactured today are much better than they were 20 years ago and if you listen to what you car is trying to tell you, you should be able to have many worry free years with your car too.

Weather and Car Cover Fundamentals May 6, 2011 at 3:29 pm

Selecting a car cover for your truck, van, SUV, or passenger car is a matter of finding one that fits your car and going with that one, right? Well, there is a lot more to it than simply purchasing a car cover. Size does matter, but so do quality, durability, and price. Lets examine some of the fundamentals in selecting a car cover for vehicle.

Car covers — or weather covers as some prefer to call them — have been successfully covering vehicles for several generations now thanks to the ingenious and persistent work of designers who properly measure each new model to make sure that every cover is custom fitted. One of the first companies to get started in the business was Covercraft, founded in 1965 in Southern California. Covercraft, like so many American success stories, was a two man operation that outfitted car covers for street rods, import makes including Porsche, and for the aftermarket supply network. The company boasts of having produced 55,000 styles of car covers for just about every make and model of vehicle on the road. There are other brands on the market; however Covercraft is dominant and favored by automobile wholesalers such as the Auto Parts Warehouse.

When selecting your car cover, you will learn that a manufacturer can make several different car covers for one model. Basic covers offer limited protection from such hazards as bird excrement and flying debris while premium car covers offer extensive protection from the following:

  • Harmful and penetrating solar rays.
  • Moisture, including rain, snow, sleet, hail, and ice.
  • Flying debris and/or small impacts to the vehicles body: dings, scratches.
  • Pollution, dirt, and dust.
  • Bird excrement, tree sap, etc.

    The top of the line car covers typically come with mirror pockets to give your vehicle the best fit. Most car covers are generally made of 1, 2, 3, or 4 layers of durable polypropylene [a thermoplastic polymer that is highly resistant to acid and chemical solvents]; more layers mean better protection for your vehicle from the above mentioned hazards.

    So, arent weather covers for people who park their vehicles outside, hence the name? No, garaged vehicles are also subject to pollution and dirt; if you are interested in keeping your car looking showroom new than a car cover makes perfect sense.

    Prices can range from approximately $45 to just over $200 for a top of the line model. You can save money by purchasing from an online wholesaler who will obtain the car cover directly from the manufacturer, bypassing the middleman. Most car covers come with a warranty and should give your car years of protection for a small amount of money.

  • Volvo Takes Home 16 Gold Medals During Michelin Challenge April 29, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    During the most recently held Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2006 done in Paris, the Volvo Car Corporation took home most of the awards that were given away. In fact, Volvo entered this competition bringing with it its environmental car program flagships as entrants. The Volvo entrants included the new Multi-Fuel prototype car, two cars that held engines which were capable of running on renewable fuels, and a car that held a clean and fuel-efficient diesel engine.

    The Volvo entrants took home sixteen gold medals in total. This number is quite the highest number of gold medals that any other entrant took home in the passenger car class. According to automobile experts, this simply proves that Volvo is indeed still leading in being the car manufacturer that has the capacity to produce vehicles that hold a high level of environmental and safety performance.

    During the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, all entrants and participants, which included Volvo, had to complete in seven various areas. Acceleration, braking, emissions, slalom, noise, fuel efficiency, as well as carbon dioxide emissions were these areas where Volvo competed in.

    Despite the entrants being Volvo prototypes, it did not become a hindrance for the company to take home such quite a high number of gold medals. In fact, Hans Folkesson who is the previous senior vice president of research and development at Volvo, states, We wanted to display the technology that we already offer and at the same time present our efforts for the future in the areas of the environment and safety. Volvo Car Corporation is working with several different areas of technology for sustainable mobility, something that is reflected in our broad range of environmentally adapted cars. We hope that our work will inspire politicians, government agencies, manufacturers, and distributors to improve the infrastructure for sustainable fuels so that the technology will benefit the environment and society to an increasing extent.

    Volvo 140 Owning Up to Its Personal Space in Automobile April 23, 2011 at 8:41 am

    Volvo 140 Owning Up to Its Personal Space in Automobile History

    In its own history, Volvo is a Swedish world leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, buses, and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and service, and this group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Cars, however, which is the manufacturer of automobiles that we know at present, has since been owned by the Ford Motor Company starting the year 1999.

    The name Volvo is a Latin word that means I roll. This name surely fits well as a description of their products vehicles that the company crafts. However, originally, it is a name for a ball bearing that was being developed by the company which, at that time, provided funding to a small number of employees for them to be able to set up the car manufacturing business. Today, the Volvo Group has been manufacturing vehicles in twenty five countries with its sales in more than 185 markets around the globe.

    Some of the reasons why Volvo had took the initiative to sell the automobile manufacturing was because of the increasing development costs for new car models, added up with the fact that at that time it was a relatively small producer of such. Its strategy was then to grow as a truck manufacturer where it had a stronger market position. Now, Volvo the line of vehicles is included and part of the Ford Motor Companys line up.

    The list of Volvo models could look seemingly endless with new models coming up out in the market regularly. A part of the list includes the Volvo 140 which consists of the models Volvo 142, which is a two door vehicle, the Volvo 144, which has four doors, and the Volvo 145, which is an estate wagon. This model was first introduced in 1967. The Volvo 140 series was the start of using a three number system for their crafts. It is some sort of acronym for the first number indicates the series, the second number displays the number of series, and the third number shows the number of doors.

    The very first Volvo to feature the classic boxy look is the Volvo 140. This provided a lot of interior space, as compared to the Volvo Amazon. It also bore a radical new design with the only similar features to the Amazon being the split grill and some parts of the interior. The basic shape of the Volvo 140 lived into the 1990s with the 200 series. It used the same 85 hp engine, and then later was changed to the B20 engine. A 115 hp engine was also made available. Going back to 1966, the Volvo 140 had been awarded and had been named as the Car of the Year for that year by the Swedish magazine Teknikens Varld.

    Volvo Parts and Used Volvo Parts provides you the best value for Volvo car parts online. It is considered as one of Internets most powerful and advanced auto parts shopping systems.

    Used Car Parts Can Have Great Value April 14, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    Doing occasional tune ups and taking car of your car is nothing new. You will always need to maintain your car even if its old or brand new, with oil changes and checking the engine. So it would be better for you financially to choose good quality second hand parts.

    Getting used car parts is like looking around for a second hand car. You should look for the parts in the same places you would normally to get a second hand car. You can look for the parts in the classified ads, check different shops that would sell the parts or the easier way would be to go and surf on the internet. It would save you time and effort.

    There was time when these parts could only be found at the dealerships and mechanic stores. Now searching for used parts isnt thats hard as long as you remember a few things. You should know exactly what you need, what part goes with your car etc.Once you know what part you need you can figure out how much you are willing to pay for the part. Some parts don’t have to be the original. There are parts that can be bought at surplus or a compatible part from another car make and model enabling can be used making a person save money for other things.

    Once you get all the information you need you can check out either local shops or dealers. You can also go check out junk yards, because a lot of parts there can be used again. Or searching the internet where you could also order the parts and it would be delivered.

    So dont make excuses about fixing something on your car, the faster you do it the better the outcome. Dont wait till its too late.

    Types of Air Filters for Your Vehicle April 7, 2011 at 12:06 am

    How often do you replace your cars air filter? Every 10 thousand miles? 12K? 15K? During the life of your car assuming you plan on keeping your vehicle for many years you could easily go through 8, 10, even 15 or more air filters. Of course, that is if you choose to purchase disposable air filters every time your shop. However, did you know that you now have another choice, in a reusable air filter, which costs a bit more but will likely outlast your car? Read on for an informative comparison of the two types of air filters available for your vehicle.

    If you maintain your own vehicle, you probably make regular trips to your auto parts store for oil, filters, wipers, and the occasional air filter. Concerning your air filter, your choices include Fram, ACDelco, Bosch, and Purolator air filters, all very well known and trusted brands. You are not likely to pay a whole lot for one, perhaps between $6 and $15, depending on your vehicle make, model, model year, and engine. For many people purchasing an air filter once a year is a simple procedure: see which one is on sale, buy it, toss the old one, and insert the new one.

    Consumers are now discovering an additional option to disposable air filters, one that race car owners have known about for ages: reusable air filters. Thats right, instead of paper air filters that must be changed regularly and can contribute to overflowing landfills, drivers can now purchase reusable air filters made of cotton gauze and aluminum wire mesh. These higher air flow filters provide excellent filtration and are designed to increase horsepower and acceleration. K&N, for example, sells a line of air filters that are warranted to last one million miles, can be cleaned as little as once every 50 thousand miles, and are emissions legal in all fifty US states. Prices for reusable air filters range from as little as $30 to approximately $60 or more.

    Besides the obvious environmental and performance benefits, a reusable air filter will save you a lot of money in the long run. For the owner of a car who keeps his vehicle for 150 thousand miles not uncommon these days he could easily replace his filter twelve times during the life of the car. If he pays $12 per air filter an average price his expenditure is $144 for the life of the car. A $50 reusable air filter is a one shot charge and can be recouped within the first few years of owning the car.

    Today, you have real choices when it comes to selecting an air filter for your car. Purchasing a reusable air filter is an environmentally responsible, cost effective, and power enhancing decision that you will never regret.