Cars, SUVs, Trucks

Posts Tagged ‘car safety tips’

Osram is one of the top companies for car headlight products. Their products are used as standard options at several of the top car manufacturers. There are more options than just the standard range, which includes a 12 volt headlamp bulb. Drivers who want to increase the light or style of their headlights can choose from Osram’s upgrade products.

There are three types of bulbs in the upgrade range. They are the Osram Cool Blue, Silver Star, and Night Breaker. These bulbs are legal on the roads in the UK and Europe. They come with the E1 standards test mark. The design of these new products was created as a replacement for current bulbs, which allows them to fit in your existing holders without need of modification or tools to make them work.

Before using any of the three: Silver Star, Cool Blue, or Night Breaker, you will need to find out which bulbs you have in your vehicle. This information can be found in the owner’s manual of your vehicle. You may also use Google to search for information by using “Car Bulbs Finders” in the search box. Many of the retailers of headlight bulbs list information online in an interactive site to help guide you.

The Osram Cool Blue series are designed for drivers who want to stand out from the crowd and give their headlights a really distinctive night time look. The Cool Blue bulbs have blue filtered glass, which emits a blue tinted light that is very similar to high intensity discharge xenon bulbs.

There are ECE rules which limit the degree of blue light your headlights are allowed to have. Osram Cool Blue bulbs are dark and street legal, and one of the only ones you can find.

The Osram Silverstar bulbs are tailored to improve a drivers night time visibility, and is a considerable improvement over the standard halogen headlight bulbs. Crucially the Osram Silverstar is designed to produced 50% more light onto the road, especially in the 50 to 75 meter range therefore enabling a driver to react earlier to hazards, road signs and potential obstacles.

The Osram Night Breaker is considered the flagship of bulbs due to the pressurised xenon gas construction. There is also a different filament construction to the bulb helping to emit more light. In fact the Night Breaker has 90 percent more light and 35 metres more distance than halogen for night driving. The light emitted is 10 percent clearer.

The keen driver who wants the best visibility and product will want the Osram Night Breaker bulbs.

It is simple to improve your standard headlight bulbs when you choose the Osram Cool Blue, Nightbreaker, or Silver Star. Night safety and sight is greatly improved and any of these three bulbs can fit your needs well.

Fitting new aftermarket Car Bulbs can be a quick and easy way to really modernise the look of your car lights and it won’t cost you too much either. Because there is now a wide range of bulbs to choose from in various fittings, including H7 Xenon, there will always be one to suit your vehicle and your budget.

The first indication that you will get that you car engine is overheating will usually be when the water temperature gauge starts to rise above its normal level and towards the red zone. This will normally be followed by an overheat warning light illuminating on the dashboard and may even be accompanied by steam rising from under the bonnet. It is important to stop if you have any of these warning signs, as continuing to drive on could cause severe and expensive damage to the engine.

If your vehicle is overheating you need to pull off the street and turn the vehicle off immediately. You do not want to continue to a mechanic garage or station as this will result in irreparable damage to the engine. The cylinder head when it gets too hot will warp or crack, thus replacement is needed in that situation.

As soon as you are off the street you need to turn your hazard lights on for the other drivers around you. If there is no fire coming from under the bonnet you can open it in order to get more air to the engine, helping it cool off. You should never touch the engine as it can burn you.

It can take a significant amount of time for the engine to cool down, so you should be prepared for a long wait. If the car overheats during the night hours make sure your sidelights are lit and that you turn the headlights on so you can see what you are doing around the engine.

Once the engine has cooled down you will probably need to top up the coolant level. In an emergency it is fine to use ordinary water but make sure it is not too cold or it could crack the plastic water reservoir. If you need to add a lot of water to your coolant it will significantly dilute the concentration of the antifreeze within it, and this will eventually need to be remedied by a qualified mechanic to prevent the coolant freezing during the winter.

The cap to the coolant filler can be very hot even after the car has cooled down. Steam tends to be trapped inside which will rise, burning your hand. It is best to wait until the outside of the radiator is cool to the touch before opening the cap. You can also use a rag to remove the cap.

Stand a way from the engine when you are filling it with water so that you will not be splashed by the warmer liquid. You will also need to stop frequently to check the fluid levels as there is a minimum and maximum line to fill to. Once you have filled the reservoir you can check the engine temperature gauge. If it is back to normal you may proceed on your drive.

It is safe to drive if the coolant was the issue; however there could be another issue which has caused the engine to overheat. You will want to avoid long trips until you can get the car into the garage. If the engine gets hot shortly after you begin to drive again, pull over and call for roadside recovery to tow your vehicle to a garage.

When packing for a motoring holiday it is also a good idea to pack some spare Car Bulbs as well, just in case a bulb does blow during the holiday, as finding a replacement abroad can prove difficult. It is also a good idea to install long life Headlight Bulbs before setting off, as this will reduce the possibility of a bulb failure even further.

When summer is approaching, the longer days and warmer weather offer an excellent opportunity to enjoy your car on the open road. However even though the threat of extreme bad weather has passed, there are still potential hazards on the roads that can easily catch out an unprepared driver.

Temperatures during the summer months will rise, yielding in some places a lack of rain. Debris that is not taken away by rainfall can increase on the surface of the roads. Other surface issues such as oil, dust, and rubber can also be plentiful in areas where rain has not occurred often. A lack of rain can make the road more slippery.

Slicker conditions appear after a short amount of rain. The debris is still on the road, but now it is mixed with the water which is not running off in the drains. This condition can surprise the unwary motorist more than you might consider.

When driving on the road after it is has rained following a prolonged warm spell be aware that your braking distances will increase considerably, and take particular care when cornering as you will find the level of grip is much lower.

Asphalt will be slicker after hot and dry conditions. The surface as it heats becomes polished. Vehicles help to increase this heated condition on well travelled roads.

The warm and enjoyable weather will bring out more than a keen driver. It will also bring out the holiday motorists with their caravans. The open road becomes a mecca for those who enjoy a long drive in the country with their convertible or the travelling family wanting to camp out. Holiday caravan drivers can put a small ruffle in the drive, but you should not irritate them. They have every right to be on the road, thus remaining calm is essential even if you are wishing to pass.

Caravan drivers tend to drive for longer hours and distance. They may even be uncertain of the roads they are on. If children are in the caravan there can be more distractions. Moving without signalling can be a common occurrence of the caravan driver. You should be ready for the unsuspected. You will also need to contemplate whether you should pass them and be wary for any curves where a slow vehicle may be.

Research announced that running your headlamps during the day can decrease the chance of an accident by 12 percent. This is due to the fact that other drivers may see you better with the lights on even with sunglasses or patches of shade on the road. There can be a huge contrast between areas of the road with bright sun.

If you are considering running with your car lights on during the day it is well worth upgrading your Auto Bulbs, to maximise their visibility and endurance. One area that your lights will really benefits is by fitting New Sidelight Bulbs, they are straight forward to fit and are available as either xenon or LED bulbs.