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Latest News From Bumper to Bumper Radio

4 Reasons to Avoid Using A/C Recharging Kits | Good Works Auto Repair

These days, the internet is a treasure trove of information for Do-It-Yourself’ers. Just take a quick look at YouTube and you’re likely to find hundreds, or even thousands, of videos on any home or auto repair topic that you can imagine.

While online tutorials may be just fine for simple tasks like how to check your tire pressure, they’re not usually the right answer for more complex auto maintenance needs. The same holds true for DIY tools such as A/C recharging kits. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why you might just want to avoid A/C recharging kits altogether and leave your A/C repairs to a professional.

#1: A/C recharging kits may not fix the root of the problem.
If you’ve taken a look at your A/C system to try to determine why it’s not working properly, you may have noticed that it’s low on refrigerant. You might think – “Well, that’s just like my car’s engine using oil. All I have to do is top off the refrigerant and everything will be just fine. After all, most A/C recharging kits come with a can of refrigerant for this very purpose.”

This all sounds logical but it’s time to go a little deeper. The truth is that A/C systems do not ever userefrigerant. If it’s low, that means there is a leak. Simply topping off the refrigerant level may buy you some more time but it will not solve the problem. Additionally, using the stop leak sealer in the DIY kit does not always stop the leak and it rarely offers a long term solution.

Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book Drive Holiday Cheer with Limited-Edition

ATLANTA, Nov. 18, 2020 -- Like most things in 2020, this year's holiday season will look and feel different in many ways – including how people will travel. According to a recent survey from Cox Automotive*, 86% of U.S. adults are planning to hit the road by car or RV this holiday season, versus flying. To make road trips a little warmer and help people drive in style, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book created limited-edition "ugly" sweater light up face masks and steering wheel covers to spread cheer all season long.

Keeping the holiday spirit alive is more important than ever this year, and so is having the best car for holiday travel. Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, the trusted names for car buyers, instill confidence in shoppers when it comes to researching, purchasing and maintaining the best car to match their lifestyle and travel needs. With cars becoming more of an escape and safe haven, it is important to keep them looking their best, especially for the 7-in-10 consumers that are committed to purchasing accessories for their cars. And, with people anticipating 1-3 pit stops on their long holiday journeys, having a festive mask readily available will be key.

2021 Ram 1500 Named to Car and Driver's 10Best Vehicles for Third Consecutive Year

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 18, 2020 --

Ram 1500 lineup earns the award and is the only pickup on this year's list

Car and Driver evaluates each contender versus its peers using a 100-point scale, basing each score on intended purpose, value and vehicle operation

Car and Driver has named the 2021 Ram 1500 to its "10Best vehicles for 2021" list for the third consecutive year. Previous winners were invited to defend their crown and the new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX was also submitted for evaluation. The award applies to the entire Ram 1500 lineup, the only pickup truck to secure a spot on this year's list.

Car and Driver evaluates each contender versus its peers using a 100-point scale, basing each score on how well it meets its intended purpose, how good a value it is and how compelling it is to operate. This award recognizes the smartest, most entertaining cars, trucks, SUVs and vans on sale today. Vehicles are judged with an emphasis on value, mission fulfillment and if they're fun to drive.

"We are incredibly humbled that Ram 1500 has earned a spot on Car and Driver's 10Best vehicle list for the third consecutive year and feel validated that we continue to build the best trucks available," said Mike Koval Jr., Head of Ram Brand. "We are honored that Car and Driver's recognition includes the all-new 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, which sets the benchmark for extreme performance pickup trucks and clearly telegraphs the Ram Truck brand's leadership in the segment."

This is the third year in a row Ram 1500 – the most awarded light-duty truck in America – has been named to Car and Driver's 10Best.

Increase in Demand Pushes State Averages More Expensive

Motorists are paying more to fill up than last Monday in nearly 30 states with the vast majority paying just a few pennies more. On the week, South Carolina (+8 cents) saw the largest increase followed by these states who each had a six cent increase: Michigan, New Mexico, Indiana, Delaware, and Minnesota.

With the majority of states seeing increases, the national gas price average pushed a penny more expensive. The overall weekly increases seen across the country are likely a reaction to the latest Energy Information Administration’s report showing increased demand (from 8.3 million b/d to 8.7 million b/d) while supply dwindled by 2.3 million bbl.

“Following a jump in demand, we’ve seen a number of state gas price averages increase on the week. However, the majority of these increases were just a few pennies,” said Jeanette Casselano McGee, AAA spokesperson. “With many states seeing rising COVID-19 case numbers and a number of officials warning against holiday travel, demand is likely to see a dip in coming weeks.”

Smart Cruise Control Steers Drivers Toward Better Decisions

Vehicle manufacturers offer smart features such as lane and braking assist to aid drivers in hazardous situations when human reflexes may not be fast enough. But most options only provide immediate benefits to a single vehicle.

What if, like a murmuration of starlings, our cars and trucks moved cooperatively on the road in response to each vehicle's environmental sensors, reacting as a group to lessen traffic jams and protect the humans inside?

This question forms the basis of Kuilin Zhang's National Science Foundation CAREER Award research. Zhang, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan Technological University, has published "A distributionally robust stochastic optimization-based model predictive control with distributionally robust chance constraints for cooperative adaptive cruise control under uncertain traffic conditions" in the journal Transportation Research Part B: Methodological.

The paper is coauthored with Shuaidong Zhao, now a senior quantitative analyst at National Grid, where he continues to conduct research on the interdependency between smart grid and electric vehicle transportation systems.

Creating vehicle systems adept at avoiding traffic accidents is an exercise in proving Newton's First Law: An object in motion remains so unless acted on by an external force. Without much warning of what's ahead, car accidents are more likely because drivers don't have enough time to react. So what stops the car? A collision with another car or obstacle -- causing injuries, damage and in the worst case, fatalities.

Bumper Audio Clip of the Week

Bumper to Bumper helps a listener who is having an intermittent electrical issue with her vehicle.