AUTONET TV
Archive for September 2021See the Light (Automatic High Beam Dimmers)Posted September 26, 2021 12:43 PMIt's happened to all of us. We're driving down a highway at night and over a crest appears a car with its high beams blazing. You are momentarily blinded, hoping the other driver will switch them to their low beam setting and restore your vision. Not only do we not appreciate being blinded, face it; we don’t want to be that other driver, either. You know, the one who forgets to turn down their high beams. Why do we want high beams in the first place? They can improve safety when used correctly, giving drivers more reaction time since they can see farther down the road. But research has found many drivers either don't use them or, when they do, they frequently forget to switch to low beams. Enter the automatic high-beam dimmer. The quest for the perfect one began back in the 1950s, General Motors invented something it called the "Autronic Eye." It was a phototube which sat on the dashboard and turned down your beams when it saw other headlights. While touted as being the biggest advance in night driving safety in 30 years, it didn't work all that well. But as technology got more advanced, systems improved. Today's automatic high beam dimmers usually have a camera in the rear view mirror (pointing forward). When the camera sees lights, software in the system's computer attempts to determine the source of the light, whether it is an oncoming vehicle, taillights, ambient city lights, street lights or the reflection off of a street sign. It then adjusts the headlights to operate high beams if appropriate or a less-blinding mode if they’re not. Some automakers are striving to make their headlight systems smarter and safer by developing lamps that can avoid blinding oncoming drivers by means other than simply dimming them. One idea? Splitting the beams so they will block just the portion that shines into the eyes of oncoming drivers. It's a long way from the Autronic Eye. Joe D'Auria's Auto Timing Belt Replacement in CHERRY HILLPosted September 19, 2021 11:56 AMToday we want to talk to CHERRY HILL drivers about timing belts. They're something that many drivers don't know much about and yet your vehicle won't run if it's broken – and it could cause many thousands of dollars damage if it does break. A broken timing belt is usually a tale of woe. Even though timing belt replacement is scheduled in the owner's manual, it's not the kind of thing that most CHERRY HILL area auto owners remember because it's not well understood. Contact Joe D'Auria's Auto to learn more about your car's timing belt 1401 BRACE RD Sometimes CHERRY HILL drivers can go quite a while without a failure, but we've seen them happen within a couple of oil changes of being due. It's not worth the risk. How Far We've Come (Newer Vehicle Technology)Posted September 12, 2021 7:20 AMAutomotive design has come a long way since the days of the Model T, especially when it comes to safety technology. You can thank computers for a lot of the latest innovations. Here are a few that have been making their mark in recent years. Adaptive cruise control. This is cruise control with a brain. Not only will adaptive cruise control keep your vehicle going at a steady speed, it will also slow it down and even stop it if the vehicle ahead of you slows down and stops. Automatic emergency braking. We've all been distracted while driving, and you've probably been in a situation where the driver ahead of you has suddenly stopped. Or maybe your attention wandered for a minute and you looked up to see your vehicle closing in fast on the car ahead of you. (After all, there are a lot more distractions in your vehicle these days.) New systems that use cameras, lasers and other types of sensors will warn you to start braking. If you don't heed the warning, they'll put on the brakes for you. Blind spot warning. We all worry about hitting a car approaching from behind and on either side if we are changing lanes. Rearview mirrors cover some blind spots but they're not foolproof. Enter the blind spot warning system; it warns you with a noise or a light if a vehicle is in a spot you might not be able to see. Lane departure warning. We all try to stay in our lane, but sometimes our attention wanders. If you start to drift out of your lane, new warning systems using cameras and other sophisticated sensors will tell you to get back in your lane. Some send an audible warning, others use a vibration or warning light. Some will even steer your vehicle back into the lane. Rearview camera. There was a time when trucks and SUVs were involved in horrible accidents because the drivers couldn't see what was behind them as they backed up. Children and pets were among the tragic victims. Now, inexpensive rearview cameras are required in the U.S. and Canada, saving lives and providing much more peace of mind for drivers of vehicles with rear visibility issues. It's important to make sure this safety technology is working correctly for these systems to be effective. Your service facility can check and maintain these systems as the manufacturer recommends. Joe D'Auria's Auto Another Couple of Years: Making Your Vehicle Last With Help From Joe D'Auria's AutoPosted September 5, 2021 11:39 AMA while back, the Cash for Clunkers program was all over the NJ news. CHERRY HILL people could trade in their old vehicle for a new one that got better gas mileage and receive a government rebate. A lot of CHERRY HILL motorists had so-called clunkers that they wanted to keep. They're good commuters, grocery getters or toy haulers. They enjoy that fact that they're paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their vehicles for 200,000 miles (320,000 kilometers) or more – as long as it's economical to do so. There are plenty of CHERRY HILL drivers whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles (240,000 or 320,000 kilometers). We can learn from what they're doing to keep our own vehicles on the road in NJ. That may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it's really not. First off, oil is the life blood of your vehicle's engine and it needs to be clean to properly lubricate. Skipping oil changes leads to clogged oil filters and sludge that is bad for your engine. Joe D'Auria's Auto | ||
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Steve Bender, 01/11/2022Joe, Chris, Ryan and the rest of the crew have been taking care of our cars for 30 years. They're the most honest mechanics I've ever interacted with and have worked on our various cars including: Volvo, Ford, BMW, Acura, Benz, Hyundai, Honda... If there were a button for 11 stars, that's the one I'd hit!
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