National Car Care Month infographic by Sanctiond

Sanctioned has come up with an infographic with a few tips on how to keep your car looking its best all year round.

Mister Cartoon's Sanctiond line has a collection of 15 car care products including car wash, waxes, polishes, spray detailers, interior cleaners and conditioners, and a trio of innovative tire shines.

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Volvo V40 R-Design

Volvo launched 2 variants of the Volvo V40 at the recent Paris Motor Show, namely the V40 R-Design and the Cross Country models. The are already available at the dealerships here in the UK.

The problem with the previous range of models was that they were not particularly exciting. Being the car brand of choice for the vampires in the Twilight movies did not do much to change the image.

However, the Volvo V40 R-DESIGN may be what might change that. With its sporty looks, I feel that this performance hatchback is a perfect competitor to the BMW 1 series. As a family man with kids, I really appreciate the fact that it has 5-doors.

According to Lex Kerssemakers, Senior VP of Product Strategy, the new R-Design was created specially "for people with a passion for things that add extra spice to life".

What makes this car stand out is the overall design. The exterior of the car features brushed metal detailing, glossy black grille and LED daytime running lights. As for the interior, it has triple stitched sports Nubuck/ textile/ leather seats. While driving, you can switch seamlessly between Eco Mode, ELegance Mode and Performance Mode.




As for engines, it is available in petrol and diesel engine versions – including a high-output, five-cylinder petrol engine 254hp unit (T5) with Six-Speed Geartronic automatic transmission.

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New Toyota Vios

Video of the New Toyota VIOS at the 34th Bangkok International Motor Show.

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Measuring surface roughness in your workshop

I was watching a show on TV with some of my friends, where these guys were literally taking badly rusted cars - they were literally junk pots, and turning them into beautiful "vintage" automobiles that would go for several hundred dollars. We were chatting about a similar program on MTV I used to watch called "Pimp my ride" where cars fit for the junkyard were modified, cut, converted and painted into beautiful machines.

The guys I was hanging out with happen to be engineers and we ended up discussing the pro and cons of sand blasting rust off cars. I learnt that's not a very good idea as it can do more damage. Anyway, sandblasting is quite popular and that was what the guys in the show were doing. They removed the rust, patched the holes and scratches, painted them to what I thought was a really high standard. However, my engineer friend told me that the only way to confirm the smoothness of the surface is by using a 'surface roughness tester' also known as a profilometer. Yes, you learn new things everyday.

Apparently you can quantify the roughness of a surface by measuring the surface's profile. Most of these are big machines in the labs but I also found out that there are even hand held portable versions. For example, blast cleaned surfaces can be tested for the peak-to-valley height using a Portable Surface Roughness Tester Profilometer (yes, that's the official name of these machines). I did not get much of the technical stuff, but that's how the experts test the smoothness (or roughness) of metalworking or even a paint job.

So if you have a workshop and want to known as a professional today, your shop floor has to have one of these gadgets.

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Comparing Toyota models with other brands

When I ask people what comes to their mind when they think about Toyota cars, among the answers I get include "reliability", "quality" and "value for money". However, all these are perceptions of the brand in the minds of consumers and I was wondering whether these were actually true.

I was looking at the Highlander (known as the Toyota Kluger in Japan and Australia) which is one their  best-selling mid size SUVs. The 2011 model only has some minor cosmetic changes to the 2nd generation. They also have a Hybrid variant. I really like this model but the question was with regards to the Highlander cost of ownership.

2008-2010 Toyota Highlander

Well, I found this site which allows you to compare the Highlander with other brands. It was quite interesting because according to the site, the Highlander costs much less to own as compared to it's nearest competitors, namely, the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Ford Explorer.

The projected ownership costs include depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, state fees and repair and maintenance costs. This was based on 2012 model year study carried out by intellichoice (www.intellichoice.com) 

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How Porsche is inspiring new drivers

I have never driven a Porsche - I want to but never had the opportunity. All I know about the car is what I read in magazines, read on the net and what I heard form friends who had the chance to drive one. Anyway, recently Porsche  got together 50 people who were not Porsche owners, set a MPG challenge and gave them a Panamera to drive for 24 hours each after

I guess that's a cool way to attract new potential customers.

Lucky buggers. 

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Jaguar Land Rover investing more in technology and innovation

In its 65th anniversary year, Jaguar Land Rover recently announced plans for further investments in technology and innovation at the Geneva International Motor Show.

This includes the introduction of 8 new or updated products this year and £2.75 billion (US$4.2 billion approx. ) investment in new product development. They are also increasing total investment to more than £500 million (approx. US$755 million) to their state-of-the-art Engine Manufacturing Center in the UK, doubling the number of jobs to 1,400.

The new model releases will include the world's first 9-speed transmission in a passenger vehicle, alongside its new all-electric Defender research vehicles. The Jaguar XFR-, which is their Jaguar's fastest and most powerful sports saloon car, also makes its eagerly awaited European debut alongside the new two-seat sports car, the Jaguar F-TYPE.

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