Which car should I buy
I am planning to buy a fuel-efficient car, yet a bit raised. I will be a first time driver. Could you kindly advise me between a Toyota RAV 4, Allex and Spacio new model?
Engine capacity should range between 1.5-1.8cc. Year of manufacture should range from 2003-2005.
Doreen
The choice of 2003 Toyota vehicles you have made come with fuel efficient variable valve timing (VVTi) and electronic fuel injection (EFI) engine technology. The fuel economy statistics are impressive.
The Toyota Allex and Spacio offer two petrol engines; the 1.5 litre (1490cc) and 1.8 litre (1795cc) which provide similar fuel economy statistics.
The Toyota Allex and Spacio’s 1.5L engines cover 16.6 km per litre of petrol while their 1.8 litre engines cover 13km/ litre of petrol on the highway.
Quite interestingly, the 1.8 litre Toyota RAV4 covers 13 km per litre on the highway.
The statistics provided will drop by about two to three km per litre when driving in an urban traffic situation or when you accelerate aggresively with frequent sudden braking.
So the main difference between these three models will be based on functionality, ground clearance and price.
When you compare the Allex and Spacio, Allex has sportier looks with a quick getaway and easier to park profile suitable for a young run around city corporate.
It also has a slightly wider profile and a 5mm higher ground clearance (160mm/155mm) to manage some of our suburban side roads.
On the other hand, the Spacio is more spacious affording better legroom and cargo space to comfortably do the shopping, school and airpot drop offs.
The RAV4 offers more seating space, better comfort, road handling and loading space.
RAV4’s 180mm ground clearence allows unlimited access on and off road in case you are visiting the building site or happen to be sight seeing. The purchase or maintenance budget for the RAV4 is higher than that of the Allex and Spacio.
Why does my AC produce stuffy air?
Throughout my life, I have been driving mark IIs and I have never found any problem with them.
But recently, I upgraded to Mark X model 2007 and I found its AC chocking me and affecting me seriously to the point that I felt like I was getting flu.
I now keep clearing my throat. What could be the problem and what can I do especially with this increasing dust in our city?
Charlie Kalinzi
Sounds like you are dealing with two issues here; a potential medical condition and your car air conditioning and ventilation maintenance situation.
Car air conditioning systems simply, recirculate cool dry air in a closed environment.
This works well as long as the interior of the passenger cabin is clean and free of dust and pollen (from flowers or plants).
The primary dust intrusion starts when you step into your car interior with dusty shoes or wind blows through open windows with dust.
The secondary dust and pollen intrusion occurs when your dirty air conditioning cabin filter is not replaced on time.
The dust and pollen particles settle on the carpeting and upholstery of the car and an attempt to clean with a wet soapy rug only creates a humid situation fertile for growth of bacteria and the dust mite.
This situation causes allergies, sinuses and other respiratory conditions.
To avoid this development, hoover or vacuum clean your car interior regularly and use special carpet and upholstery dry cleaning products.
Check and replace your air conditioning cabin filter whenever found to be dirty. You may need to visit your doctor and get advice in case the allergy or sinuses persist.
Is it true that the engine check light on my Honda indicates a problem with the oxygen sensors?
Moses
The check engine light flashes or displays permanently on your dash board to signal the presence of an engine emission system fault.
An engine emission system fault can be caused by a breakdown of any of the components in the emission system such as the spark plugs, fuel filter or pump and the oxygen sensors. In your case the diagnostic report you got pointed out the oxygen (O2) sensor.
This is a component which monitors unburned oxygen from the exhaust.
The information from the O2 sensor helps the engine computer (ECM) to monitor the efficiency of fuel combustion or how much fuel is burned.
An oxygen sensor will fail over time because it gets covered in oil ash which reduces its ability to charge the oxygen and fuel mixture.
Most cars have one or two oxygen sensors per cylinder bank in other words a V shaped engine is likely to have four oxygen sensors.
A faulty O2 sensor will not provide the correct information to the ECM and will lead to increased fuel consumption.
A faulty O2 sensor ought to be replaced as soon as it is detected because not only does it increase your fuel consumption and exhaust emissions but may also damage your catalytic converter.
Ask the mechanic
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