Car Swap for the Holidays

It’s somehow December, and for many Americans that means a lot of driving to visit those family members you don’t see enough during the year (whether intentionally or not). Unfortunately, while on long drives you might start to notice new problems with your car. Some drivers this year may have trouble with their Car Stereo, losing access to all those Christmas-stuffed radio stations. Others may have problems with the Center Console Screen DVD player that keeps the kids from yelling and fighting the entire way. But if you’re one of the lucky 5,000 or so Chevy Volt owners you may have another electrical issue to worry about: your precious gas-saving battery catching fire.

If you drive a Volt, don’t freak out too much. Although three of these batteries have caught fire after going through safety tests, there has never been a “real-world consumer incident”. The situation facing these Volt’s is similar to leaving leaking gasoline in a fuel tank after a crash. Anyone involved in a crash in an electric car is urged to disconnect or drain the power from the battery. The interesting thing about these incidents is that the batteries didn’t catch fire for days, and sometimes weeks, after the crash tests. Whether GM will create a way to automatically shut off battery power after a crash or completely redesign the battery is unknown, but the European version has been put on hold until the issue is resolved.

Now, there does seem to be an upside to this whole ordeal. GM is offering any Volt owner concerned with their safety a “loaner vehicle” to drive during this investigation. Yes, that means all those people concerned with gas mileage and low emissions can head to their local Chevy dealership and drive off in a Corvette for the holidays. 

The Mannesmann-Sachs Nivomat! Say What?

A friend of mine told me that his Volvo had a Mannesman-Sachs Nivomat shock.  Now, I know a lot about car parts. I know an ABS Control Module like the back of my hand, which my friend knows nothing about. After I made sure that he just didn’t get back from the dentist and was slurring his words, I decided to look into exactly what this strangely worded shock assembly is all about.  I am assuming my friend is doing the same thing in regards to an ABS Control Module.

The word Nivomat is actually a contraction of two French words, niveau and automatique.  In English, this translates to “level automatic.” Finally! Some words I actually understand.  Basically, the Nivomat does exactly what its English translation says it does.  It is a compact device that automatically levels out the vehicle.  So, when the back of your Volvo station wagon is full of all your kids’ really heavy soccer gear, your car will not sag in the back.  This will give you a smoother ride, keep your eyes on the road instead of the skies, and avoid looking like a low-rider.

The Nivomat shock assembly combines all the common components of a shock assembly; springs, struts, and shock absorber into one small housing.  The energy required to adjust the height comes from relative movements between the axle and the vehicle body while driving.  No electric engine or motor is required. After a few miles of driving the car will rise to optimum height. If the road is bumpy then the Nivomat adjusts to a higher level, for greater ground clearance.  That’s one clever Nivomat.

This type of suspension can be found mostly in European vehicles, cars that carry heavy loads, and trailer hauling vehicles.  So, the next time you’re in your friends Volvo, Saab, or Jaguar and their car is sagging in the rear you can be helpful. Instead of making a crude joke about them having “too much junk in their trunk,” you can politely tell them to have their Mannesman-Sachs Nivomat checked out.

Tips for Driving Safe This Winter

Driving in any season can be very hazardous to your health if it is not taken seriously, by you or the people around you. A car is a huge piece of metal being hurled down the street towards an unsuspecting public and if the driver does not know what they are doing, it can be dangerous.  This is not even talking about cars with broken parts like the steering rack or steering box making control of the vehicles direction impossible. No, no we are talking about drivers who don’t know how to control a vehicle properly. Many people know the basic principles of controlling a vehicle on a day to day basis, but in winter this can change drastically in a matter of min.

The first major obstacle to tackle in winter driving is the temperature, with cold temperatures comes cold tires. While too many this may not seem like a big deal but remember that rubber becomes “more sticky” as it heats up. In other words with cold temperatures comes less grip. This means handling is decreased and reaction time for the vehicle is longer. What this means to the driver is that a normal situation can become dangerous.

The second major factor is weather and ignorance of what it can do. Many people think that the brake system on their car or truck is there and it will slow them down no matter what.  This is simply not true pushing the pedal harder will not stop you faster in fact in many cases of extreme weather it will do the opposite. When the brakes are engaged the tire creates more resistance to the contact patch and sliding will occur. When the vehicle begins to slide the brakes must be released and reapplied to try and create grip.

There is a scary and dangerous thought amongst drivers of vehicles with traction control, that the system will save them in the snow. People go as far as driving at full speed on icy roads just because they have TCS in their car. Traction control is designed to find traction where there is some but it cannot control the car if there is not traction.

Driving in the snow and ice is all about common sense. Slow it down and remember that safety is the responsibility of the drive. Not only your safety but the safety of everyone around you as well, your vehicle in the end is only as good as the person behind the wheel.