Car Reliability Rankings 2010 - The Best Small Cars

One of the most important criteria, if not the most important criterion, of automobile quality is reliability, that is, infrequency of serious problems, as few people want the annoyance, inconvenience, and expense of dealing with such problems.

This article provides lists employing this criterion that will help guide consumers to the best small cars on the U.S. new and used car market.

The lists in this article include automobile models that are 180 inches (457.2 centimeters) or shorter in length. They include sedans, coupes, convertibles, hatchbacks, and wagons, but do not include sport cars. They also exclude those models with only a one-year data history, as a one-year data history may provide a poor guide of what a consumer may anticipate for more than one year.

The first list gives those small car models with a 2010 Auto Reliability Grade Point Average between 3.25 and a perfect 4.00 for the age range 0-to-4 years. These small cars are:

The Toyota Prius, a 4-door hybrid hatchback with a 2010 0-to-4-Year Auto Reliability GPA of a perfect 4.00,
The Toyota Yaris Hatchback, with a GPA of 4.00,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xA, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xD, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
The Honda Fit, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
The Honda Insight, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion tC, a coupe with a GPA of 3.75,
The Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit, a 2-door and 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 3.67,
The Toyota Corolla, a sedan with a GPA of 3.50,
The Toyota Matrix, a wagon with a GPA of 3.50,
The Honda Civic Sedan, with a GPA of 3.50,
The Honda Civic Hybrid, a sedan with a GPA of 3.50,
The non-turbo Subaru Impreza Wagon, with a GPA of 3.50,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xB, a wagon with a GPA of 3.33,
The Ford Focus Sedan, with a GPA of 3.25,
The Hyundai Elantra, a sedan or wagon with a GPA of 3.25.

Of these 16, Toyota Motor Corporation accounts for 8 (50%), Honda Motor Company accounts for 4 (25%), and Volkswagen AG, Fuji Heavy Industries' Subaru division, Ford Motor Company, and Hyundai Motor Company each account for 1.

The second list gives those small car models with a 2010 Auto Reliability Grade Point Average between 3.25 and a perfect 4.00 for the age range 2-to-6 years. These small cars are:

The Toyota Corolla, a sedan with a 2010 2-to-6-Year Auto Reliability GPA of a perfect 4.00,
The Toyota Echo, a 2-door hatchback and sedan with a GPA of 4.00,
The Toyota Prius, a 4-door hybrid hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
The Toyota Yaris Hatchback, with a GPA of 4.00,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xB, a wagon with a GPA of 4.00,
The Honda Fit, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
The Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit, a 2-door and 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
The Toyota Matrix, a wagon with a GPA of 3.75,
The Honda Civic Hybrid, a sedan with a GPA of 3.75,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xA, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 3.67,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus IS300,IS350, a 4-door hatchback and sedan with a GPA of 3.50,
The Honda Civic Sedan, with a GPA of 3.50,
General Motors Corporation's Pontiac Vibe (a Toyota-engineered product marketed by GM), a wagon with a GPA of 3.50,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion tC, a coupe with a GPA of 3.33,
The non-turbo Subaru Impreza Wagon, with a GPA of 3.25.

Of these 15, Toyota Motor Corporation accounts for 10 (67%) (including the Toyota-engineered product marketed by GM), Honda Motor Company accounts for 3 (20%), and Volkswagen AG and Fuji Heavy Industries' Subaru division each account for 1.

The third list gives those small car models with a 2010 Auto Reliability Grade Point Average between 3.25 and a perfect 4.00 for the age range 4-to-8 years. These small cars are:

The Toyota Corolla, a sedan with a 2010 4-to-8-Year Auto Reliability GPA of a perfect 4.00,
The Toyota Echo, a 2-door hatchback and sedan with a GPA of 4.00,
The Toyota Prius, a 4-door hybrid hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xB, a wagon with a GPA of 4.00,
The Honda Civic Sedan, with a GPA of 4.00,
General Motors Corporation's Pontiac Vibe (a Toyota-engineered product marketed by GM), a wagon with a GPA of 4.00,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus IS300, a 4-door hatchback and sedan with a GPA of 3.75,
The Honda Civic Hybrid, a sedan with a GPA of 3.67,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xA, a 4-door hatchback with a GPA of 3.50,
The Honda Civic Si, a sedan with a GPA of 3.50,
The Toyota Matrix, a wagon with a GPA of 3.33,
The Mitsubishi Lancer, a 4-door hatchback and sedan with a GPA of 3.33.

Of these 12, Toyota Motor Corporation accounts for 8 (50%) (including the Toyota-engineered product marketed by GM), Honda Motor Company accounts for 3 (25%), and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation accounts for 1.

The fourth list gives those small car models with a 2010 Auto Reliability Grade Point Average between 3.25 and a perfect 4.00 for the age range 6-to-10 years. These venerable, durable small cars are:

The Toyota Echo, a 2-door hatchback and sedan with a 2010 6-to-10-Year Auto Reliability GPA of a perfect 4.00,
The Toyota Prius, a 4-door hybrid hatchback with a GPA of 4.00,
The Honda Civic Sedan, with a GPA of 4.00,
The Toyota Corolla, a sedan with a GPA of 3.75,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus IS300, a 4-door hatchback and sedan with a GPA of 3.67,
The Honda Civic Si, a coupe and sedan with a GPA of 3.67,
The Honda Insight, a 2-door hybrid hatchback with a GPA of 3.50.

Of these 7, Toyota Motor Corporation accounts for 4 (57%) and Honda Motor Company accounts for 3 (43%).

The final list gives those small cars with at least a 5-year data history which have achieved a 2010 Auto Reliability Grade Point Average between 3.25 and a perfect 4.00 for all of their age ranges offering data. These both meritorious and venerable small cars, together with their overall 2010 GPA, are:

The Toyota Echo, a 2-door hatchback and sedan with a overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of a perfect 4.00,
The Toyota Prius, a 4-door hybrid hatchback with an overall GPA of 4.00,
The Toyota Corolla, a sedan with an overall GPA of 3.81,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion xB, a wagon with an overall GPA of 3.78,
The Honda Civic Sedan, with an overall GPA of 3.75.

Of these 5, Toyota Motor Corporation accounts for 4 (80%) and Honda Motor Company accounts for 1 (20%).

Blizzak WS70 Snow Tires - The Latest Winner From Bridgestone

The Blizzak WS70 snow tires from Bridgestone are a brand new snow tire for 2010 that built upon the already class-leading features of the WS60 model for everyday passenger cars, vans, and minivans. This short article provides more information for your purchase decision.

The WS70 covers a multitude of winter conditions in its design. Deep grooves are designed to extract snow, slush, and water from the tread. Thousands of sipes or cuts cover the traction surface to make tiny bites into hard snow and ice. An asymmetrical tread pattern provides amazing traction in corners, and while launching and stopping the vehicle. No longer do you have to worry about those slippery off-camber downhills with a light at the bottom!

Bridgestone's famous UNI-T tire structure technology is used to provide both snow traction and highway stability in one package. This endows the WS70 with safe, secure handling in conditions from dry road, to pouring rain, hard ice, and deep powder snow.

Like the WS60, the new Blizzak WS70 has a tread pattern comprised of multiple 3-D zigzag sipes and grooves with an endless array of edges and points to grip every bit of surface the tire comes in contact with. This flexible but stable outer layer allows the vehicle to descend slippery hills, stop quickly at icy crossroads, turn tightly in the ice and snow, and accelerate quickly from a dead stop. The WS70 carries on its predecessor's resistance to hydroplaning in slush and rain with deep grooves that fill up and extract water and slush quickly from the contact area.

The Blizzak WS70 brings a new formulation of Bridgestone's advanced NanoPro-Tech nano-tube synthetic compound to the winter snow tire world. This new compound does an even better job of sucking away and drying out the thin film between tire and road or ice than the previous incarnation of Bridgestone's tire compound. This enhances a key factor that makes these tires famous for winter traction. In testing sessions, the WS70 even squealed around corners when driven on hard ice as if it was on dry road!

If you have one of the following cars, this tire would be an excellent choice: Toyota (Camry, Corolla), Subaru (Outback, Forester, Impreza), Honda (Odyssey, Accord, Insight), Mazda (MazdaSpeed3, Mazda6), Poniac Vibe, Chrysler (PT Cruiser, 300), Mercury (Milan, Rendezvous), Volkswagen (Passat, Jetta, Golf), Volvo, Saab, Cadillac (CTS, CTV), BMW (3 series, 5 series), Chevrolet (Malibu) and a lot more.

For 2010's best all around best snow tire you won't find anything superior than the Bridgestone Blizzak WS70.

When to Replace Tires Of Your Car

Maintenance is the key factor in ensuring the healthy life of your vehicle. Most of us give our attention towards the up-keep of the interiors and the exteriors forgetting about the replacement of tires. The tires usually come with a warranty period.

 

When the warranty period expires, it is not mandatory to have the tires replaced. Sometimes, the vehicle owners do not realize that their tires have gone bad unless they experience flat tires suddenly. Therefore, it is very important to have your tires inspected on a regular basis.

The first step for inspection of tires is checking for the wear indicators. Almost all the tires nowadays come with a pre-built wear indicator. The wear indicators cannot be noticed in the new tires. As the tires are used and get worn out, the wear indicators become visible as hard rubbers popping out. 

Usually the wear indicators are visible when the treads are worn down to about one-sixteenth of an inch from the upper surface of the tire. According to the road safety rules and laws, this is when the tires should be replaced. While inspecting, if you notice such wear indicators in 2 or 3 areas of the tire, it is the right time to replace them.

There is one more method known as penny method to test the tires wear and tear condition. You simply need a U.S penny for carrying out this test all by yourself. You will have to place this penny between the treads of the tires that you are going to inspect. 

Place the penny in such a manner that the top of President Lincoln's head embedded in the penny fits inside the tread. If the head region of the penny is not covered, then it is high time you replace the tires of the car.

Basic Knowledge Regarding Body Auto Parts That Help Your Vehicle

The field of automotive vehicles is vast and is changing rapidly. Every day, some or the other new automotive parts are launched in the market. It becomes very difficult to cope up with the details of all such items. But you need not worry much as we are here to help you. 

Body auto parts comprise in a number of things. Some of these key things are exterior and interior auto accessories, discount car accessories, charging and starting systems, and many more.

 If you are a vehicle owner then you seriously need to learn a few basic things regarding the below mentioned automotive parts. Make sure you go through the key points given below.

1. 96 Jetta VR6, GTI Alternator Electrical Charging MK3
This wonderful alternator comes with electrical charging feature. It costs around 100 dollars.

2. BMW Alternator E36 328 Charging Electrical  This electrically chargeable alternator costs around 75 dollars. The price is quite economical.

3. Mercedes 94 S420 S Starter Starting Motor with Shield
Mercedes 94S420 S starter starting motor comes along with a shield. You can bring home this item for just 100 dollars.

4. Painless 50103 Charging System Shutdown Relay Kit
Charging system for painless can be easily acquired from the market for about 46 dollars.

5. VW XCS Xtreme Voltage Stabilizer Golf Jetta 20V 1.8T
This is a low priced voltage stabilizer for your car that can be acquired for a nominal price of about 30 dollars.

6. Stanley 1000 Peak-Amps/500 Starting Jump Starter
This starting system jump starter can really solve a lot of your vehicle related issues. 80 dollars is its total price.

7. Taylor 21504 remote or battery charging connectors
Remote charging connectors from Taylor are priced around 40 dollars. They are really helpful for all of you.

8. BMW Advanced Battery Charging System
Battery charging and starting systems are an integral part of your vehicle. This system is available for just 30 dollars.

9. Advanced Battery Charging System with Alligator Clips
Priced at around 70 dollars in the market this is a great battery charging system that comes along with alligator clips. Its advanced features really offer you some great options.

10. Optima Car Truck 6 Volts Red Top Battery Starting Power
This is a heavy red top battery with a price range of about 180 dollars. It is meant for huge vehicles.

So, this was some of the basic knowledge regarding body auto parts that can really help your vehicle perform in a better way!

Auto Mats Are Accessories for Cars

People that take pride in their appearance often dress up their wardrobe with fashion accessories that reflect their taste and sophistication. Wearing designed labels and being constantly in step with the latest styles these types of individuals also take pride in what they drive.

 

Choosing to be seen in prestigious cars that also shows their level of commitment to the finer things in life, people that put their energy into making the best impression often add accessories to their automobiles. 

By finding that only the best is good enough many owners of luxury vehicles prefer to install car floor mats that are monogrammed with their initials, rather than purchasing factory car mats from the dealership.

Where prestige and style meet the customized auto mats are special ordered to the specifications of each customer. Being able to select the fabric, color, stitching and either a logo or personalized monogram to enhance the uniqueness of their car floor mats, people of discriminating taste, can have the perfect designer accessory for the cars as they do the right wristwatch or handbag for their belongings.

Being accustomed to having only the best, drivers that insist on rewarding themselves with the finest things that are available in life are finding that the custom fitted car mats which complement their vehicles are in step with their tailored clothing and high level of success. With the ability to choose from auto mats for every make and model of luxury automobile the finest accessories do not have to be the ones that are worn with a designer label.

3 Reasons People Buy The Wrong Radar Detector

Before most large purchases, people usually do a considerable amount of research. Buying a radar detector should invoke a similar response; added research due to the cost of the product being purchased. However, some people fail to realize this as a somewhat large purchase, and instead, buy the first radar detector they can find. The 3 main reasons people generally buy the wrong radar detector are being scared of spending money, failure to do enough research, being overly excited.

First of all, with a poor economy it is no shock that people are more hesitant to spend their hard-earned money. That is perfectly fine. Why would you want to purchase an inferior product, though, unless of course you could never justify spending the additional money? The key here - premium products hold a premium price-tag. Do not be afraid to spend a little more money to ensure you have a great product.

Secondly, failing to conduct enough research will often times lead to the purchase of an inferior product. Whether you do not know where to look or do not look hard enough, without enough information about the benefits of a specific product will usually lead to purchasing a radar detector you would rather do without.
 

Finally, consumer excitement is one of the largest problems with any 'mistake' purchase. Consumers are very stuck on the "want now" mindset, forgetting what they may be sacrificing by sticking in this mindset.

Understanding that some of the premium products require customization, personal ordering, or ordering online is just not something consumers are used to.

 

Overall, if you want a premium radar detector, do not be afraid to spend a little extra money, do your research up front, and try to avoid the here-and-now mindset. 

If you can be patient, do research for a week or two, order your radar detector online from a premium company, and be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars, you are setting yourself up for success with an extremely high-quality, long-effective product.

Cheap Van Lease - Best Way To Save Money On Your Move

Running your small company business requires different services. Owning the right vehicles for your work can be a challenge. However, you can get the services of vans from other companies that lease such vehicles to businesses like yours. You can use these vehicles to spread your business without having to buy your own vans. The best solution to your demands is therefore to go for cheap van lease services as this will allow your business to grow and expand without straining. 

The initial cost of getting the vehicles to your service is minimal compared to the option of acquiring your own vans.

You have the freedom of choosing the right size for your demands in this option. Many companies that offer vehicle leasing services can provide you with just the right size for your work. All ranges are availed for you; hence you can have from small van lease services to all the sizes in the range as offered by these companies. Because of the many companies available, you have the advantage of choosing the company that promises you cheap services that will not play harm to your business development for your company. You can get the best and cheap deals if you do your comparison and choice carefully.

You should always consider the elements of comparison when you are looking for the best cheap deal for your business needs. The rate of leasing may be low, but without making comparisons in other domains pertaining to the hire deals. Maintenance charges for the van are a part of the whole deal. Hiring rates can be lower but this rate can make it an expensive venture for your needs. The van model offered for lease should also be of your concern because the quality and ability of these vehicles differ. It is therefore important to compare all these before making your cheap van lease for your demands.

The business of leasing vans for business us is a contract. You will find it important to read the terms of your engagement and be acquainted with them. Having this knowledge will aid you to avoid running into trouble and confusion involving payments and other logistics. With cheap van lease, you not only enjoy short term but also long term benefits for your business. With this option at your hands, you avoid depreciation risks as you enjoy cheaper up-front charges as a benefit for your business. In the long run, you will find this option a better one for your small scale but growing business. So, use that option at the earliest which is good for you!