Car Problems? Check Your Battery

Many vehicle's electrical problems often start with the death of a battery – the one fix a person forgets to address. People will end up spending tons of money trying to diagnose their vehicle's failure to run when in fact, maybe the last time they had their battery replaced was over five or six years prior. Yes, car batteries need replaced just as flashlight batteries and such. But unlike flashlight batteries, your vehicle will rarely show signs of the diminishing power, it will suddenly just fail you.

While car batteries are much better today than they were even a few years ago, most fail in the 5-7 year range, if not before. And cheaper batteries might not last even that long.

Is your battery running at full capacity? A new 12-volt car battery, fully charged, should be putting out about 13.5 Volts. With the car running, by the way, the voltage should be 14.0 to 14.5 Volts, which also confuses a lot of consumers. A battery won't charge unless the voltage applied to it is greater than its basic voltage (otherwise current won't flow). So to charge a battery that is nominally 13.5 volts, you need 14 to 14.5 volts to make things happen. If the car is less than 14.0 volts when running, you may have an alternator problem.

With the car off, your battery should be at 13.0 to 13.5 volts, once it is charged. Anything from 12.5 to 13.0 volts is suspect, and if you are having problems and the battery is of any age at all, you should replace it. Below 12.0 volts, your battery is likely shot. You can use a voltmeter to test your battery, many automotive places have one and will test your battery for free. If your battery is at 11.5 Volts it may not start the car. Below 10.5 Volts it is basically dead and can cause things to happen to your vehicle such as the car alarm going off, lights blinking, etc. Most consumers imagine that a 12 volt battery is half charged at 6 and fully charged at 12, but the fact is it is fully charged at 13.5 and half charged at 12.


Car batteries do not have a lot of depth of charge which means this depth becomes shallower over time. As a car battery ages, it may hold little more than a surface charge. There is enough charge to crank over the engine and start the car - once - before the alternator kicks in and recharges the battery, which in turn will now have just enough charge to re-start the car. Draining your battery becomes easy to do – whether it is a cold day and your engine has to work harder to turn over or if you leave your dome light on too long.

If your vehicle has an aftermarket stereo installed, these tend to draw more power from your battery, even when it is off. Navigation systems can also draw a lot of power. People with subwoofers often install a separate battery to power them. The standard car battery can easily be drained flat by large aftermarket subwoofer amplifiers and other audio, video, and navigation accessories.


Changing your own battery does require some knowledge in how to do it properly. If you are not familiar with what that is or how you could easily short circuit your battery or vehicle, you may want to allow a professional to do it for you. If your battery is over five or six years old, you may want to have it tested. After all, it would be cheaper to have it replaced than to pay for towing.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used car Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Six Sexy Cars of 2010

When one searches online for the top ten sexiest cars in 2010, the results are numerous. The criteria varies as much as the one doing the judging. What makes a car sexy to? It may depend on what you think is sex - power, beauty, speed, price - these are all considerations.

So what are the top sexy cars based on speed, beauty and their high price?

1. Mercedes Benz E Class - This vehicle comes in a four-door sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon. Depending on your style, all of the cars can be sexy. There is definitely power in these babies. The E350 Couple is available with a 268 hp 3.5-liter V-6. If that isn’t enough, the E550 Couple has a 382 hp engine with a 5.5-liter and V-8. The E550 is also sportier in body style and has a 7-speed automatic transmission. This vehicle is not only beautiful but provides a large range of safety features such as ABS, brake assist, PARKTRONIC with Parking Guidance, etc.

2. Cadillac CTS-V- The 2010 CTS-V couple debuted this year, 2010. The coupe will have the same 556 hp engine and transmission choices as the CTS-V sedan. The coupe and the sedan are both powerful vehicles that come standard with 19 inch aluminum wheels, Brembo brakes and Magnetic Ride Control. The coupe will feature unique centered twin exhausts, a larger grille for air intake and optional saffron interior trim color.

3. Lamborghini Gallardo - In 2010 Lamborghini made the 560-4 coupe. This vehicle has 560 hp at 8,000 rp and 398 ft-lbs of torque at 6,500 rpm. The engine size says it all with a V10 and 5.2 liters. This vehicle can hit 62 mpg in 3.7 seconds, just in case you are in a hurry. It can also climb up to 124 miles per hour in 11.8 seconds. This vehicle is not known or its fuel efficiency but what sexy car is?

4. Porsche 911 Turbo - The 911 Carrera comes either as a coupe or cabriolet, with rear wheel drive or all wheel drive. The C2 and C4 are powered by a 345 hp direct injection 3.8-liter flat six-cylinder engine. The Turbo coupe and cabriolet models sport a 500-hp twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat six engine and standard all-wheel drive. Transmission choices include either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission known as PDK.

5. Audi R8 - This vehicle is built only for two but comes with a lot of power and is known for its Quattro all-wheel drive and mid-mounted engine. The 2010 series has a 525 horsepower engine with 5.2 liters (up from 4.2) and a V10. If safety is a concern, as it should be with the speeds this vehicle can obtain - the Audi R8 includes ABS, tractional control, antiskid systems, side airbags, knee airbags.

6. Corvette Grand Sport - Corvette is the American brand for sexy. The Corvette Grand Sport is available in coupe and convertible body styles, each with a six speed manual or six speed automatic transmission. The engine in the Grand Sport is rated for 430 horsepower and 424 lb ft of torque. This Corvette is different than previous Z51 models as it has a greater degree of handling performance, wider wheels and tires, revised shocks, stabilizer bar and spring modifications.

Which car do you feel is the sexiest? Maybe you will have to try one out for yourself.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used car Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Tips for Avoiding Car Break-Ins

Vandalism occurs more often than we would like, and is a common day to day activity in our communities. Having your car broken into is an opportunity that vandals are seeking. If you car looks easy to break into, then it will likely be targeted by a break-in. Vandals look for easy targets, expensive merchandise, and an opportunity to steal from others for their personal gain. You will often see signs in parking lots warning of break-ins and stating that the property managers are not responsible for lost or stolen goods. Here are some tips to avoid your car or truck being broken into by a vandal.

The first tip, which is also the most practical, is to lock your car doors at all times. Some people may feel comfortable while at work or at home to leave their car unlocked. However, this is one of the first sign that a thief will look for. It is easy on some vehicles to tell if the doors are locked or not. Even while you are driving, you should lock the doors because some thieves can high jack your car to steal it. A lot of thieves will bypass a car if it is locked because they do not want to run the risk of being seen trying to unlock the vehicle or break the windows.

The next tip is to park in well lit, high trafficked or policed areas. A lot of vandals will not commit their crimes where they can be easily seen or identified. It can be very obvious if someone is breaking into a car because they will either have to break a window or spend minutes figuring out a way to unlock the doors. If there are a lot of people or police officers patrolling the area, most criminals will not risk being caught and will avoid stealing items from your vehicle.

You may not realize that you do this, but a lot of people leave bags or expensive items visible in their car either on the dashboard or on the car seats. This is another sign that vandals will look for when targeting a car to break into. Often after returning from the mall or while parking at work or school, you leave shopping bags or clothes and even sunglasses in your car. This will make your vehicle a target for stealing. You should put all items left in your car, including sunglasses and empty bags, in the trunk of your vehicle or locked in the glove compartment. You should not leave anything out.

If your vehicle has a removable face stereo system, you should remove the face plate and bring it inside with you. Stereo thieves will often break into your car to steal a stereo system knowing that you have taken off the face plate and hid it somewhere in your car. If you take the face plate of the stereo inside with you, you may avoid having the whole system stolen from you. You may have your car broken into, but they will most likely not steal the stereo without the operating face plate.

You can also purchase a car security system as an extra measure of safety to avoid a break in. Older models can be easy to break into and are often targeted by vandals. If a thief sees a security system in your car, they will most likely skip over it because they do not want to draw attention to themselves by a loud warning signal.

About the Author: Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable Austin used cars and is known as one of the best used cars austin dealers. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Leasing versus Buying a Vehicle

If you are in the process of purchasing a vehicle you may be asking yourself if you should buy new or used or lease a car or truck. Most people want to find the most economic strategy especially when purchasing a vehicle because of the value of depreciation and the outlook on our current economy. Is it more cost effective to lease or own your car or truck? What are some of the advantages or disadvantages of both? This topic has even been in the news recently and was discussed on Fox News. Here is a look at the comparisons of leasing versus buying a vehicle.

If you need a loan to purchase the vehicle, you should know that the types of loans are different. A loan for leasing a vehicle is for the use of it. While on the other hand, a loan to purchase the vehicle is for the ownership of it. You have to decide if you want to pay the loan simply for using the car or truck or owning it. It is important to analyze your financial situation and what costs you can or want to afford. Leasing allows you to drive a new vehicle every two to three years, or when a new model is introduced. Buying will offer you lower monthly payments over a long term payoff. Essentially, owning is more cost effective.

The next comparison is cost. When you lease a vehicle you do not have to worry about the depreciation value, but at the end of making your payments to use the car you will have nothing to show for it. Once your use of the car is up, you stop making the payments to lease and have to return the vehicle. You will also have to pay for any damages that it incurred while you were leasing it. When you buy a vehicle, you own it. The car or truck will lose value because of depreciation and if you decide to sell or trade in, you will not receive as much for it that you purchased it for. If you make a decision to buy, you can then have the option of buying new or used.

Buying a used car or truck is the most cost effective option if you decide to purchase. When you buy a used car the down payment and monthly payments are much lower than a new car. You will also lose less in depreciative value because you have paid less for it. Overall, the total cost is much less than a new car. New vehicle cost has gone up in recent years while most people’s paychecks have not. The overall yearly cost to purchase a used car is three times less than leasing a new one.

About the Author: Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable Austin used cars and is known as one of the best used cars austin dealers. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Ads on License Plates

There are vanity plates or what some call personalized license plates, and then there are specialty plates that represent a cause. What about plates that advertise? Plates that are really pre-programmed screens similar to those in elevators or information-access points that would show a pixilated display on the car's standard license plate when in motion, but when the car stops for more than three or four seconds, it begins to show advertisements.

 
If it sounds like science fiction, think again as the state of California is already looking into allowing such plates to help boost the state's $19 billion budget deficit.

 
How will traffic cops see plates numbers when needed you might ask? The plate is designed to switch to the standard plate setting when coming within a certain distance of a police cruiser due to sensors in the license plate and in the cruiser.

 
There are pros and cons of the plate. The pros being the money it could raise. How would it work? The proposal is that the motorist pays extra for the plate to the state's department of motor vehicle. In exchange, that motorist could receive money from advertisers to show their ads while driving around. The plates could also be used to generate Amber Alerts or traffic information, but its uncertain as to whether the motorist is paid for these systems. Whatever the ad is, it has to be preapproved. This could include private messages that the driver wants to show.

 
California, the state of technology and computers, feels such plates show the innovativeness of the state. The flip side of the plates is when computer hackers get into systems, as everybody knows they do, no matter how sophisticated or protected the data may be. A hacker could not only put up their own messages, mess with somebody's personal messages, but on a more serious note, change the plate number and disguise the vehicle. And what about rear-end collisions? These plates aren't made of steel which bend and flex with car crashes - the computer monitor would be destroyed, losing the drivers plate information instantly.

 
The citizens of California are more concerned about the safety hazards the plates could represent in having people driving around with television screens on the rear end of their cars. The question is whether drivers will pay more attention to the plates than the road and other drivers. The state of California says the plates will only play ads when the car is at a standstill - such as at a traffic light or possibly in traffic congestion. But doesn't one still need to be paying attention even when going from a standstill to motion?

 
California isn't the only state looking into these types of plates. Florida is also studying a prototype that is similar. England and Australia are also looking into the idea.

 
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety is also looking into the matter but for different reasons. They feel there is already too much advertising clutter trying to capture peoples attention that now drivers just don't notice ads. Not to mention, most drivers are too busy with their cell phones to notice one more piece of advertising.

 

 Will the state of California approved the plates? It is hard to tell, but it is definitely on the table for further discussion.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used car Austin and the surrounding area. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.