Category Archives: Automotive

Grab The Led Motorcycle Light Bulbs

Light Emitting Diodes or LED bulbs are a recent innovation in the lighting world. They are very powerful yet consumes very less energy. You can save so much of battery power by installing the LED lights for your motorcycle. No one would have imagined that LED lights would storm the automobile world when it came into the market in the 60″s or so. Today they are a craze amongst the motorcyclists and more and more people want to be proud owners of LED lights.

LED lights emit light when they are connected to an electric circuit. As it lights up, it provides an excellent bright light, which will make the night rides on your motorcycle very comfortable. It is not just about the lighting. Installing LED lights for your motorcycle also means that you are upgrading the look of your bike. It will look very sleek and elegant with these lights on. Can you resist the temptation f looking glamorous and stylish?

Once you install the LED lights for your motorcycle, you can forget all worries about the headlamps. It gives you the freedom to ride any time during night or day and in any weather. The light produced is so bright that you just don”t have to worry about visibility before taking your bike out. These lights are also very sleek in design. It does not look messy or huge on your bike. It gels well with the overall look of the bike and gives a very elegant look to your bike.

LED lights are very strong in their design. They are solid in their make unlike conventional lights. Conventional bulbs are very fragile and you have to ride with the fear of damaging them. LED lights are strong and can withstand shocks and impacts to a great extent. You can ride on those bumpy roads without the fear of damaging your motorcycle”s headlamps.

Led lights have a really long life. it is not easily damaged and hence you can forget replacing it once you install them. They have found place not just as headlights but also as taillights and signal lights.

LED lights are available in many colors. If you want to create style statements of your own, you can choose from the different colors available and create a unique look for your motorcycle. What is more? It lights up in seconds, bringing out the beauty of your motorcycle in seconds!

Using LED lights can also help you conserve the environment. These are environment friendly lights, which consume lesser power and generate lesser heat. In an era, where people are becoming more and more eco friendly as well as fighting issues such as global warming, using LED lights is a small way to contribute for that cause. The initial investment cost of these lights is offset by the longer life and the many other benefits it offers. LED lights have a very promising future in the automobile industry. Get LED lights for your motorcycle and be part of this change!

Automotive Service Warning Lights That Your Vehicle Needs Automotive Repair!

Paying close attention to your vehicle’s warning lights is one of the surest ways to know whether your vehicle needs a minor automotive service, or a more extensive automotive repair. The dashboard lights are color-coordinated according to the severity of the warning (i.e., yellow is caution, red is serious). Each time you start the car, all of the lights and indicators appear as the car’s computer checks each system. When the lights go out, the computer has verified that each of the vehicle’s systems is functioning properly.

If an indicator light remains on several minutes after the car has been started, or if it comes on while driving the car, you should be concerned about it. You will want to treat all dash warning lights like traffic signals.
The two basic kinds of warning lights; Yellow and Red, are further described below:
Yellow Warning Lights –

On most cars, a yellow “Service Engine Soon” light means “proceed with caution.” Your car’s computer system has indicated a potential problem and is alerting the driver.

The computer system is capable of correcting some minor abnormalities, but if the light continues to come on after multiple car starts, it is telling you that you need to consult a technical manual and/or schedule an automotive service. If the light comes on while you are driving but doesn’t come back on again, the computer system probably corrected the problem without any further intervention.
Common problems that may cause the “Service Engine Soon” light to come on are:

* computer-related problems, such as faulty sensors
* anti-lock brake systems
* safety restraint systems, such as air bags
* emissions components

Red Warning Lights –

A Red Warning light indicates an immediate danger to your car and you should immediately pull over and turn off the car. Whatever caused the red light to come on can be a safety issue (i.e., brakes), so proceed with caution as you maneuver to stop the vehicle.

Unfortunately, when the red light comes on, the problem is already occurringthis is NOT a pre-warning. It can be a matter of seconds before permanent engine damage occurs. Call for road-side assistance for automotive repair.
Problems that normally cause red warning lights are:

* low oil pressure
* engine over-heating
* brake failure
* transmission over-heating
* low battery voltage.

Like smart phones, vehicles these days are ‘smart’ and are continuously monitoring the performance of your vehicle.

For professional automotive service, contact our ASE-certified technicians at A&C Automotive & Machine by calling 651-674-4733, or go online at http://aandcautomotive.com for more information. Since 1985, our auto center has served vehicle owners in North Branch, MN, and in the surrounding areas of Harris and Stacy, MN.

How to install throw over saddlebags on your motorcycle

This article specifically for Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycles it also applies other motorcycles

We sell a great line of quality bargain priced motorcycle saddlebags in various styles that fit a huge number bikes. About once a day I get an email asking about fitting the bags on a specific bike.

Before we start let’s make sure they will fit:

Let’s assume you are interested in some of my great leather throw-overs that measure: 14″ WIDE X 7″ THICK X 11″ TALL

This means that each bag is 14 inches long (measured horizontally), seven inches thick and 11 inches tall (measured vertically)

First Measure from the top of your pipes or chain (if the chain is unguarded), whichever is higher, to the bottom of your seat. You need 12 inches, if the dimension is any less don’t buy the bags they are too tall. Don’t worry about the shocks. Throw overs go over the shocks.

INSTALLING YOUR SADDLEBAGS

1. Remove your seat. Most Sportster motorcycle seats are removed by unscrewing the Philips head screw located at the rear of the seat. Slide the seat forward while lifting up slightly to detach the keyhole bracket from the seat post. Then slide the seat to the rear to detach the seat tongue from the rear tank bracket. The process is the same for solo and two-up seats.

2. The yoke is the part of the bags that fits under the seat. Unlace the yoke, position both bags in the location you want them to stay. Overlap one side of the yoke over the other. Using a marker, mark where the yoke lays over any obstructing hardware and the outline of outer edge of the upper yoke where it overlaps the lower wing of the yoke. Note: The saddlebags typically lay over the shocks. Some saddlebags are supplied with an additional yoke extender to be used with extra -wide bikes. This is typically not needed.

3. Lay the bags out flat, place the yoke over a piece of wood, telephone book or something similar. Line the marks up that you made in step 2. The existing holes work for the vast majority of motorcycles.

If the holes don’t line up, use an awl, ice pick or drill and make about six holes through both pieces of the yoke. Use the piece of leather strip to lace them together.

NOTE: On most motorcycles it is not necessary to make new holes. Some combination of the existing holes should fit.

4. Place the saddlebags on your bike. Reinstall the seat. Use the lower tie downs to secure the bottom of the bags.

5. Give your bike a final safety check. Make sure the seat and saddlebags are secure and the bags cannot come in contact with your wheel, spokes, belt or chain.

As always don’t stab, slice, fold, spindle or mutilate yourself while using sharp instruments!

Nanotechnology For Automotive Lubricant Systems.

How and why tungsten nanospheres work:
To start, nano particles (spheres) are hard to imagine. So small, that they can interact with engine lubricant and other matter on a molecular level.
This interaction allows them to become one with both the metal surfaces and the lubricant they are exposed to, enhancing engine efficiency, power and gas mileage.

The tungsten component is chemically inert, stable and unaffected by temperatures encountered in application as a lubricant. Tungsten nanospheres will not alter the carrier, exposure to them alters the way the metal of the friction surfaces interact with the lubricant .

Once the metals are exposed to the tungsten component in the carrier fluid, metal to metal friction is dramatically reduced, if not eliminated.
This increases engine efficiency and gas mileage.
The end result is a dramatic reduction in wear, the friction that causes wear, heat, and power losses. This will also increase gas mileage.

Primitive man discovered that rubbing dead animal fat on things made them work better. Ever since, man has quested for better means of lubricating the things he (or she) has created.
Lubrication has progressed from animal and vegetable based oils and greases, to highly refined mineral bases, silicone and synthetics. Graphite and Molybdenum have been used as additives in varying degrees in the past.
Tungsten nanospheres are an exciting development in lubrication for the 21st century.

Benefits:Lower friction, improved lubricity, lower energy costs.
Measurably better gas mileage , reduce wear, increase engine efficiency and
increased horsepower. Lower operating temperatures (as less energy is converted into heat). Increase in Oil / lubricant life and longer changeovers.
High Load bearing property means Reduction in wear of mating parts.
Offers increased corrosion resistance. Nanoparticles cannot clog oil or fuel filters as .5 micron particles easily pass through filter.

Characteristics :Nanoparticles are defined as any particle with a size less then 100 nanometer (0.1 micronmeter). When materials are made into nanoparticles, their reactivity increases. Nanoparticles have a very high surface area to volume ratio, due to this, a higher percentage of atoms (in nanoparticles) can interact with other matter. Therefore, the surface area (measured in square meters per gram) is the most important unit of measure for nanoparticles.The higher the surface area,the higher the lubricity.

Tungsten nanoparticles as applied to engine lubrication:Tungsten nanoparticles are one of the most expensive and highly developed lubricant additives available today.
Nanotechnology, as applied to lubricant additives, suspends the tungsten spheres in the circulating lubricant. This allows the tungsten component to be applied to all metal bearing surfaces, as well as cylinder walls, pistons and piston rings. An important characteristic of nanoparticles, is that they bond to the metal friction surfaces. Essentially plating them, preventing metal to metal contact. Tungsten is one of the most wear resistant substances known to man. Tungsten nanoparticles are temperature resistant far beyond what is encountered in any automotive application.

Improve Service Department Training With Service Manager Training

Times are tough and companies are trying to regain lost profits through avenues that might not have represented their strongest profit opportunities in the past. A prime example of this could be seen in the automotive industry as dealerships look to beat the decline in vehicle sales by turning to their service departments.

Up to now, the service departments were usually regarded as extra available services where a car owner could visit if they selected to.

However, the downturn turn in the financial environment has offered a new perspective of this prospective profit center. One of the biggest ways to maximize your potential opportunities in your service department is to take advantage of automotive consulting.

The ability to completely capitalize on the potential which exists in a service department demands that a company reassess its current understanding of what is possible. Growth exists as more clients make the choice to hold onto their vehicles longer, rather than turning them in for a new model. This creates the demand for increased maintenance and repairs, resulting in the opportunity for service departments to expand their profit prospective. With automotive consulting you can start to take the first steps in turning around your service department and maximizing sales, that would greatly aid dealerships to balance the loss of new car sales.

Service Manager training is one of the primary aspects of automotive consulting. Your Service Managers should be educated on what they need to do in order to take on this new responsibility of service department profitability. The Service Manager training wouldnt just aid with increasing customer pay, but will also provide the knowledge which is required to get clients to return to your establishment.

One of the key lessons that would be expressed by an automotive consultant is that consumers are not attracted to dealerships which are looking for their customers to get in, out, and gone. Long term retention depends upon building a relationship with your clientele so that not only do they feel welcome, but theyll feel walk through fire to return to your establishment whenever they require service.

It can prove difficult for a service department to take make the needed changes, but with the help of automotive consulting you could greatly increase your odds of a smooth transition. Your Service Managers are going to be required to completely change management approach and their success is difficult to achieve without the proper guidance. Service Manager training is imperative to educate your Service Manager and get your Service Department back on track.