Warm Up That Engine!

Image taken from the web

 

Hello there and welcome! So the winter season is fast approaching. What does this matter? Well things are going to be getting colder and that means warm ups. I am of course stating this for your automobile. I thought it the appropriate time for a refresher on it.

 

Now Now pump your brakes folks.  The Digital Garage is well aware of the myths of car maintenance and warming up your engine is one of them. There are indeed a few different so called "best" methods out there for warming your car up. In the end it comes down to two simple factors:

 

1. A cold engine under high revs will wear greater then a properly warmed up engine

 

2. An engine in use will warm up faster then one at idle.

 

Now what does it matter anyway? Well the engine is a machine with moving parts and lubrication. As such it has a optimal temperature range where everything is interacting nicely with each other. Too cold and the engine under stress will wear out because the liquids in it have an operating temperature where the protective qualities work best and that temperature has not been met. Too hot is also bad as we all should know as well.

 

So what does that mean for us really? It is simple you DO NOT want to get in your car, start it, and drive off right away as if everything is good to go. Likewise you should not let the car sit for 10 minutes to warm up.

 

So what should you do? Well you should start your car and let the engine warm up a little. Some sites claim around a minute. Now that may be ok but here at the Digital Garage I let car sit at idle on a cold day for 3-5 minutes. I do this for 2 reasons. One when my engine is real cold I can tell by the noise the car makes and it just sounds like excess wear and tear. Secondly I take parkways to work and I jump on them relatively quickly. This means I may need to undergo pretty rapid acceleration which puts extra strain on a cold motor which you want to avoid until your engine is up to temperature. So ideally an engine should be left to warm up for 2-4 minutes on average. Then wen you do drive it the vehicle do not beat on it. Keep the RPM's down on the engine as best you can. This use of the engine will actually warm it up to optimal temperatures faster then if you let it sit at idle. This means it depends on where YOU live and what YOU will be doing with the vehicle. If you will be on side streets and back roads or roads without much traffic then you can get to driving after 1-2 minutes. If you will be jumping on a highway right away it may pay off to let it sit for around 5 minutes so you can safely navigate the highway without straining your motor.

 

So at minimum let the engine sit for a minute before you drive on those cold days and try not to beat on the vehicle when you do drive. You may not care now but extra wear and tear on a machine WILL equal more money spent and sooner then you would like. Stay safe out there and I will see you on the road. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Digital Garage wishes you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving! This is a busy travelling time so stay safe out there on road. If you celebrated a little too much stay off the road and stay safe!

See you on the road.

Bumper Stickers.. Thoughts?

Image taken from the web.

 

Hello everybody James from The Digital Garage here.

 

So.. bumper stickers. These are those stickers that you find on cars that try to be witty, or they demonstrates someones view points on religion, politics, etc. I find that bumper stickers tend to be most often on vehicles that are not kept up particularly well. That old sedan or compact that is missing some if not all the hubcaps? Bingo! Bumper Sticker target consumers.

Now I do not wish to confuse a bumper sticker with a decal. A decal to me is something that often goes on a window of a vehicle or even somewhere on the body that is not the bumper. On top of the difference in location a decal, to me, is more advertising the company whose product your using. Aftermarket seat or supercharger? Slap a decal on your vehicle either on the window or somewhere else, to mimic race car sponsorship placement, and display your company allegiance. Installed a turbo in your car? Put a turbo decal next to the vehicles model name to make it look snazzy

 

Why do I make the distinction? Well to me a decal makes sense. A decal can be put on performance vehicles as well as show vehicles and not be out of place. They will look fine and can help achieve a particular look (such as a streetable race car look). Bumper Stickers on the other hand, while funny at times, are unnecessary. To me they make a vehicle look trashy even with the most cultured of bumper stickers. Not to mention that not all bumper stickers are made equal and while some may withstand the elements others may fade out which only enhances the trashy look of a vehicle.

 

Well that is my thoughts on bumper stickers. In short if you take pride in your car I highly recommend skipping the bumper stickers. If you want to apply something to your car I recommend decals. They are free advertisement for companies and demonstrates more acutely what you may enjoy doing rather then a semi witty sticker.

 

What are your thoughts on bumper stickers?

 

See you on the road.

Some Trunk Essentials

Hey everyone, James here from The Digital Garage. One thing you can do to improve piece of mind on the road is make sure you have some basic essentials in your vehicle somewhere. This is most usually the trunk. Even if you have a service that will come to your aid it is important that you have some equipment in your vehicle. Why? What if your cell phone is dead or has no reception? What if you are off the beaten path and cannot wait for the potential hours it would take for help to arrive? Not a fun situation. This will be a short list of some items you should have in the vehicle and some that you may want to add. Keep in mind that you also need to understand how to use these items or they are practically useless to you.

Some Trunk Essentials:

1. Spare Tire (Or the "donut")

Images taken from the web

 

Your vehicle should already include some form of spare tire. Either a full size spare or the infamous donut spare. Think about your vehicle for a moment. Do you know where you spare is? Even if you do it is a good idea to check it and make sure that it is still road worthy. If you have a full size spare make sure it has enough air in it. If you have a donut make sure you understand that it is NOT meant to be driven on for a extended period of time. If you do not have a spare in your car for whatever reason make sure you get one.

 

2. Car Jack

Image taken from the web

 

Chances are your car may come with some form of jack in the event you have to change a tire. locate it and if it does not then make sure you invest in one. It is important to invest in a quality car jack that is rated to lift whatever vehicle you have so make sure it is rated for the weight. I personally am not a fan of the jack stands but they are also an option.

 

3. Lug Wrench

Image taken from the web

This is another tool that should be included with any car but if not it will be essential for changing your tires. Often called a tire iron the lug wrench along with the 2 above mentioned items will be needed to change a flat tire.

 

4. Emergency Car Tool Kit





Image taken from the web

 

 

It is always a good idea to have some tools on hand that are tailored to a vehicle. There is no need to keep a entire service center's worth of tools just the essentials. Great thing is a lot of companies make an emergency tool kit for cars which will usually include jumper cables and some tools that will be of the most use for you. If you shop around you may even find a kit that is made for your type of car (Truck, SUV, Car, etc). This is a great asset but make sure you are knowledgeable enough to use it.

 

5. Roadside Flare

Image taken from the web

 

The last thing I will cover here is the roadside flare. The Flare or even a high visibility cone is situational but helpful. If your car is stranded in the road or off to the side and your lights wont work for whatever reason these will get you seen. The Flares will be marked with how long they will last. People may not take notice of hazard lights on a car but they will take notice of a flare. Take care in use and in storage of a flare as you do not want to burn yourself or set your car on fire. They make flameless flares and some people deem the flare optional because of the safety concerns.

 

And that is all for now. These items of which 3 of them may already be in your car can lend you piece of mind on the road. Now there are more items that you could add to this list and there will be more to come but regardless of where you live or what you drive these 5 items should find a place within your car. Be safe and make sure you understand how to properly utilize whatever tools you keep in your vehicle.

 

See you on the road.



Welcome!

     Alright Welcome to the Digital Garage! My name is James and I run The Digital Garage. The Digital Garage is based in the United States of America. This is an Automotive blog site that has no budget, no experts, and no connections to anything in the industry!.. At least at the moment. So what is the big deal? Well The Digital Garage will showcase vehicles, automotive technologies, products and heck anything that seems cool. No gimmicks here just a down to earth and honest ramblings and reviews of anything within the Automotive spectrum and maybe a few things outside of it.

 So welcome. The Digital Garage is open!