Top 10 Common Automotive Defects

Top 10 Common Automotive Defects

When we buy a new car, we often take for granted that it will work perfectly fine right off the assembly line. Unfortunately, care manufacturers often make mistakes, either through a faulty design or errors made by workers in the assembly process.

As a result, many of these design errors could cause you or others you share the road with to crash, leading to injury or death. Below is a list of some of the most common automotive defects.

1) Faulty airbags. These devices were installed to keep you safe, but can be be part of the problem if not functioning correctly. Some airbags have been known to deploy while driving, obscuring the road from the driver and causing a crash. In other cases, the airbags do not properly deploy on impact, allowing significant blunt trauma to occur to the driver.

2) Faulty seat belts. Like airbags, seat belts occasionally malfunction at in opportune times and can become loose during an accident when the passenger needs them the most.

3) Faulty accelerator pedals. There have been several car manufacturers who have reported problems with the car acceleration system. The driver can be going along at normal speed and then all of the sudden the car undergoes a sudden acceleration, often causing the driver to hit the car in front of him. Sometimes the pedal literally just falls to the floor without warning.

4) Faulty tires. Tires are some of the most important components on a vehicle to insure a safe drive. A faulty tire can all of the sudden blow out in the middle of the freeway, causing the car to spiral dangerously out of control. Faulty tires can also fail to properly grip the road, especially in bad weather, due to flaws in tread design or rubber used to make it.

5) Bad brakes. Brakes are critical to the safety of your car. Some of the most serious accidents occur when the brakes fail and the driver cannot stop before slamming into another motorist or off the side of the road. Even if the brakes engage, but only partially stop the, they can result in an accident. Brakes can also engage prematurely, which can be particularly dangerous on high speed thoroughfares.

6) Faulty gas tank. A gas tank that either leaks or allows sparks access to the fuel inside can be particularly dangerous, especially during a crash. Sometimes the gas tank can even be placed improperly making it more likely to fail in the event of an accident, leading to a large explosion before the passengers have a chance to escape the car.

7) Fuel line defects. Similar to issues with the gas tank, a faulting gas line can literally be an explosive problem.

8) Flawed car design. Engineers often can fail when planning out the overall design of the car in terms of its center of mass. For example, if the car or van is too top heavy it could have a propensity to tip over when making modest turns at high speed.

9) Power steering failure. Many Americans have gotten used to how easy it is to maneuver their cars with power steering. The problem is that this ease comes with the price of being dependent on technology. If the power steering fails while you are driving, particularly if you are driving at a high speed, you could literally lose control of the car at a most inopportune time.

10) Defective electronics. It has been reported recently that certain GPS mapping systems have led drivers into hazardous conditions due to programming glitches in the GPS mapping software. Many drivers take GPS for granted and often do not expect their systems to fail or report incorrect directions. This has been known to lead some drivers into dangerous traffic circumstances.

The list above represents a list of some of the most common automotive defects consumers experience with a new car. As a result, if you plan on buying a new car it pays to pay attention to any independent consumer alerts and insist on a thorough inspection prior to trusting your loved ones lives with the vehicle.

In the event of being involved in a collision due to a defective auto part, be sure to contact a reputable car accident attorney to help protect your interests and explore your legal options.

Automotive Engine Repair Process

Automotive Engine Repair Process

As vehicle engines become old, or improperly maintained, internal engine component failure can occur. While some vehicle owners may choose to simply buy a new car, there are many people that want to repair their engines so that they do not have to take on a car payment for a new car. Especially in this economy, it is understandable how people want to stretch their money as far as it can go. In many cases, rebuilding a damaged engine is more cost effective then buying a new car in the long run.

When an engine has failed, a skilled automotive technician will remove it from the vehicle. This is a laborious process and can often cost around seven hundred dollars to remove and reinstall automotive engines. Once the engine is out of the vehicle, it normally is given to a skilled engine builder for further assessment.

Once the engine builder has the engine, it will be carefully disassembled. Notes will be taken during this process to document the damage found. Once the engine is completely disassembled, all of the components are chemically cleaned to remove the oil, carbon and any contaminates. At this point, the engine builder can use specialized measuring tools to determine whether or not the internal engine parts are within acceptable tolerances. After a full assessment is made, the engine builder will then quote out the parts and labor necessary to repair the engine.

The labor to repair an engine is the largest component of the overall engine repair bill. In many cases the cylinder block must be bored, new pistons installed on the connecting rods and the cylinder heads reconditioned. Another labor intensive process is repairing the crankshaft.

When you hear people saying that their engine has a "spun bearing," this simply means that one of their crankshaft bearings has failed. Bearing and crankshaft failure, by most accounts, are the leading cause of failed engines being removed from vehicles. When the crankshaft must be reconditioned, the process is completed in a crankshaft grinding machine. The equipment to perform this task can cost well over $50,000, which is why repairing crankshafts is not inexpensive.

After all of the engine components have been repaired or replaced, an engine builder will thoroughly clean all of the components before assembly. This is needed to remove any contaminates from the internal engine parts. With clean parts in hand, the engine builder may assemble the engine in a clean environment so that it is ready for the automotive technician to install.

After the automotive technician has installed the rebuilt engine, in most cases they will offer a limited warranty of one to three years. This warranty assures vehicle owners that the investment they made in repairing their engine is protected by a contract. With a typical car payment being $300 or more each month, vehicle owners can often save nearly $10,000 when they repair a failed engine instead of buying new. In these tight economic times, those savings can allow consumers the opportunity to save a significant amount of money over just a few years.

The Automotive Industry and Global Trade

The Automotive Industry and Global Trade

In the United States, one city is typically synonymous with the automotive industry. It's challenging to think of an American made car without thinking of Detroit, Michigan, and in recent years the financial trouble the automobile giant has endured. Though foreign manufacturers in Japan and Korea have gained strength and drivers in the US, it doesn't necessarily mean US automakers are done. MSNBC reported in late 2011 that the Big 3 in Detroit - Chrysler, Ford, and GM - enjoyed a nearly 30 percent increase due to a demand in sports utility vehicles and trucks.

Quick Facts About the Automotive Industry





Major Exporters of Automobiles

While China is one of the world's largest producers of passenger vehicles, the country is not necessarily ranked high among top global exporters. The International Trade Centre recently put out a report on top automotive exporters, with the following leading the pack:





Major Importers of Automobiles

While many countries produce domestic brands, automobile imports remain strong in economies that seek certain qualities, such as fuel efficiency and safety features. Among the top importers of automobiles:





The Aftermarket

Equally important to the automotive industry is the manufacture and sale of auto parts and accessories, commonly known as the aftermarket. Sub-industries relevant to automobile sales may include products like tires and paint, stereo and GPS, engines and chemicals needed for operation, leather and vinyl for seating and safety features.  According to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), the aftermarket in the US alone totals over $250 billion.

Though faltering economies and natural disasters have given the international automotive industry a number of challenges, one can conclude sales are destined to remain strong so long as the need for personal transportation remains. How and where people will by their cars may change over time as considerations for eco-friendly features grow in demand, but so long as people continue to buy automobiles the global industry will continue to gain speed.

LEDs: The Future of Automotive Lighting!

LEDs: The Future of Automotive Lighting!

Gone are the days when the obsolete incandescent bulbs ruled the automotive lighting industry. It's time to go hi-tech! It's time to go the LED way! Light emitting diodes or LEDs, as they are commonly referred, are a type of transistor which emits highly directional light whenever current is passed through it. These highly advanced lighting devices have a large number of advantages over their conventional counterparts including:

Today, for almost every purpose, LED lighting is available in the automotive industry. Interestingly, these illuminations can even be installed in locations where the conventional fluorescent and incandescent bulbs cannot be installed with easy.

LED: The History!

The first ever use of a LED lighting bulb in the automotive industry was on a Corvette (1984) as a high mount stop centered lamp. They worked excellently as the stop bulbs had the ability to spark up almost instantaneously. This provides the drivers with enough time to avoid any severe accident if a car undergoes a sudden braking action. Thus, the initial use of these bulbs as braking lights was not just for the mere sake of styling, but for an extremely important purpose of safety. With time, they have resulted in the development of much better brake lights.

LED: The potential hurdle!

Over time, they have emerged as a standard automotive lighting technology, especially as turn indicators and rear lights. However, the only factor that hinders the adoption of this highly efficient technology is its high price as compared to the conventional light fixtures.  However, the compactness and long lifespan makes them clearly win the race. Moreover, the instant lighting capability makes them highly desirable from the safety point of view, especially when employed as turn signals and rear lights.

When employed as automotive lighting fixtures, they are used as an assembly of a large number of LEDs, rather than a single bulb. It is because individual bulbs emit the light in extremely narrow angle and of a lesser light intensity.

LED: Emission of different colors!

LEDs (RGB) encompass the capability to emit light of almost any color from the same assembly. They can be constructed either by combining three red, blue and green lights in a single unit or by doping three different substrates for emitting three different lights.

LED: Hiding away!

One of the major advantages is that they can be twisted and turned into an assembly of thin strips, owing to their small size and can even be placed at locations, where conventional lights cannot reach. This is the reason why they are being extensively employed as running lights.

In years to come, LEDs are rapidly emerging to replace the conventional lights as automotive headlights!