Custom Motorhome Interior Design

When it comes to creating a custom interior design for your home on wheels the possibilities are endless! When considering a home remodel or renovation the first step is to talk to a contractor who understands buildings codes and local regulation. Likewise, when you decide it's time to give your motorhome or RV a new face, the best option is to contact someone with years of experience in custom RV renovation.

Time to Renovate:

Now that you've made the big decision to keep the RV that's taken you on so many great trips and created so many amazing memories, you'll need to make a plan of action for remodeling. Three of the biggest components to any remodel are floors, cabinets, and furniture. By updating any or all of these items you will drastically alter the appearance of your RV.

RV's can be fitted with beautiful wood flooring that will look just as good in your RV as it does in your kitchen at home. For those who prefer tile, that's no problem at all! All types and patterns of tile can be installed whether it be sleek modern look or a floor fit for a king, you decide how grand the appearance.

Next on the list to be remodeled are cabinets and furniture. Undoubtedly technology has changed substantially over the past few years. This means that there is a good chance that your RV is sporting a TV that isn't quite up to par with today's standards. By remodeling your cabinets you will not only be able to fit a new flat screen TV, but will simultaneously create more cabinet space! There are just as many options for furniture. You can choose to reupholster your existing furniture, or outfit your RV with all brand new seats to match your new floors and cabinets!

By Cinda Nelson

A Guide to Buying a Used Audi A4

Throughout the years, the line of Audi A4 cars has exemplified a good reputation in the world of luxury cars. The Audi A4 competed with BMW 3 series, Ford Mondeo, Mercedes C Class, Lexus IS, and Volkswagen Passat, amongst others.

The generation of A4 cars also features A4 Avant, which is a station wagon, and A4 Cabriolet, which is a convertible. Eventually, it added two performance cars in its line of luxurious collection, namely, the Audi S4 and Audi RS4. What is good about the Audi A4 is that entails both the workability of an estate car and the performance of a sports car.

If you are considering purchasing a used A4 car, you may conduct a number of inspection and evaluation on the car's features, which include the engine, brake pedals, wiring, control, handling, lights, gearboxes, and so on. Aside from the lower price tag, other advantages that come with purchasing a used Audi include the car's outstanding build quality, excellent exterior and interior, great driving and handling, attractive and stylish design, and the Audi badge that refers to the car's upkeep of its value.

There is a variety of diesel and petrol engines available for an Audi A4 car, which is why it will not be difficult for you to replace its engine if ever the used car that you are planning to buy has an inoperative engine. Moreover, it uses a cost-effective 1.9-litre TDI diesel engine, and its 4-wheel drive grip comes with different Quattro models.

However, the Audi A4 has a few drawbacks in comparison to its rival cars. One is its rear legroom, which is less spacious compared to BMW 3 series cars and Mercedes C Class. Moreover, a used A4's 1.9-litre TDI diesels are occasionally noisy, and some of the car's parts are not as fully equipped as a new one, which is why you need to ensure that you have checked the primary parts of a used A4 before you purchase it.

The Audi A4 is ideal for couples and families, for its attractive and high-quality estate models can be widely utilized by most families who often travel. It is also highly practical when it comes to fuel costs, for its three 1.9 liter TDI diesel engines, which are offered in 100bhp type, can certainly cover approximately 50 miles per gallon. Lastly, you might consider the fact that Audi A4 is one of the fastest cars present, and it can be used in both long and short distances.

By John Alvar

Top 5 Classic Commerical Vans

The van: Functional in purpose; typically white, containing an uncultured slob of a driver. At least, that's the stereotypical view which many people have formed. There are thousands, if not millions, of vans on Britain's roads every day and for many people they are a nuisance, whereas for others they provide a living. Down the years, some vans have obtained a more treasured status, be it through their design, longevity or performance. Here's a top five:

Ford Model T

The Ford Model T was one of the earliest classic cars and included variants of van from about 1912 onwards. With over 15 million vehicles of all types being produced by the time production ceased in 1927, the Model T has been recognised as the most influential car ever produced. Commercial vehicles included pickup trucks and closed vans as the functional practicalities of road transportation were properly realised for the first time.

Morris Minor Van

Nowadays, the Morris Minor in all forms is considered a classic vehicle and the van is no different. Beginning as part of the Series II in 1953 and continuing with the Morris Minor 1000, the van was just one of many variants of the "Moggie". With a burgeoning enthusiasts market in the UK, the popularity of this classic vehicle is set to endure.

Bedford CA

The Bedford CA was in production from 1952 until 1969. In the years before the Ford Transit was launched the CA was perhaps the foremost light commercial vehicle available in Britain. Used by many corporations, including British Rail who maintained a fleet of their own delivery vehicles, the CA was very common indeed. In later years, many of the CA chassis were rebuilt to form mobile homes, ice cream vans and various other vehicles. Nowadays they are rare and can be hard to track down for classic vehicle enthusiasts.

Ford Transit

The Ford Transit, the self-proclaimed "backbone of Britain" has become ubiquitous since its introduction in 1965. With more than six million vehicles having been produced since then, and in a huge variety of designs, the original models are fondly remembered and sought after. Indeed, so widespread has the name become that for many "Transit" is used universally for any type of van!

Reliant Regal

Made famous by Only Fools and Horses, the Reliant Regal was first introduced in 1953. By the time it was enshrined in British popular culture by the Trotters, the Regal had actually been out of production for some years, having been replaced by the Reliant in 1973.

By John Ryman 

Parrot Hands Free Kit

A Parrot hands-free kit? What, you may ask, is a Parrot hands-free kit? Simply put, it is a Bluetooth-capable kit that can be installed in your vehicle to allow for hands-free telephone communication while driving. Because of the number of car accidents caused each year due to distracted driving involving mobile phones; it is now against the law in the United Kingdom to use your mobile phone whilst driving.

However, the benefit of this kit is that it is literally installed into your vehicle and automatically connects with your mobile phone upon starting the engine. It connects via Bluetooth capabilities in a way that avoids messing with a headset or a long, overly obnoxious, microphone wire hanging from an earpiece that you usually end up having to hold with one hand anyways so that the other party can hear you when you talk. I never understood how that could be considered hands-free when you're using the same number of hands you would be using if you were holding the phone itself.

As I was browsing the web and checking my options, I noticed that the Parrot hands-free kit comes in a wide variety of different models. For the average, everyday user, there's just a plain old run-of-the-mill standard kit made solely for telephone calls. It is compact and I really like the small design because I imagine it would probably compliment just about any vehicle interior. Of course, let's not forget the fact that it has a voice recognition feature to truly make your phone a hands-free device. You speak a name and tell it to call and, Voila!, instant phone call. It doesn't get much simpler than that now does it?

Another option I'm pretty impressed with in regards to the different models is the Parrot hands-free kits that are compatible with iPods and iPhones (although they will work with any MP3 player, SDMMC or USB device as well). The main difference with these models, obviously, would be the music. Select the music you want to hear and it's played through your vehicle's speaker system for maximum quality.

Another great feature about this system is that upon receiving phone calls, it will drown out background and interior vehicle noise, including the music, this gives you optimal phone call quality. Not to mention that the phone calls also play over the vehicle's speaker system. I'm thinking I could definitely find a use for one of these kits!

By Daniel A Baker

In Car Camera Systems Should Help to Lower Your Insurance Premimum

According to the Automobile Association (the AA), average car insurance premiums have increased by over 30% in 2011 with insurance for 17-22 year olds increasing by 47% on average. The sharp increase in vehicle insurance premiums means that many drivers simply can't afford to drive or own a vehicle.

One key reason for insurance premium increases is the rise in 'cash for crash' fraudulent claims. Some drivers are now unlawfully benefiting from staging accidents or purposely causing accidents. These fraudulent drivers then benefit from insurance payouts, which in turn drive up the cost of insurance premiums for honest and law abiding citizens.

In light of this fraud there is now a new technology available to honest drivers, which are commonly known as in car camera systems. These small cameras are fitted to the windscreen of the vehicle and record the road ahead, inside the car or even out of the rear of the vehicle and provide the driver with vital evidence should they become involved in an accident. Some systems even record the vehicle speed, GPS location and G-forces of the vehicle with an accelerometer to display the exact forces of the vehicle before, during and after a crash. What's more these devices can be bought for as little as £190.

The benefit of such technology is that a driver can quickly submit the evidence of an accident claim to their insurance company. Without this vital evidence it can take up to six weeks or more to assign fault when two drivers are arguing over the accident.

The main costs caused when investigating and deciding fault are:

• Hire cars for the duration of the decision before fault is decided
• Further cost of hire vehicles once fault is decided
• Vehicles off the road with potential loss of earnings for both parties

Many drivers who have been caught out in a 'cash for crash' accident suffer even more severe losses. In these circumstances the drivers are often forced to directly suffer insurance loss, and can lose their no claims. Once the time comes to renew their policy these 'crash for cash' victims are then forced to pay higher insurance premiums and are at risk of not being able to get insured again.

Insurance companies have known about these 'black box' type of systems for many years (since 2002) now with Aviva launching their 'Pay as you Drive' scheme based on these types of systems.

What shocks the every day driver is that insurance companies don't openly offer any saving to drivers using in car cameras. This is surprising as there are clear benefits of using the in car camera systems

If a CCTV system can help to lower buildings insurance, why can't a camera in a car do the same?? More action is needed from insurance companies.

If they offer savings to drivers, more drivers will use these devices, which will help to enhance road safety, will prevent dishonest drivers from abusing their insurance policies and which will in turn help to lower car and vehicle insurance premiums once again.

By Joe Louis Williams 

Luxury Car Truly Luxurious

As items that formerly made a car or 4WD luxurious begin to filter down to cheaper models, luxury car manufacturers have to continually up their game. This means more extravagant features, more complicated technology, and more comfort. The frontier of the features that put the luxury in luxury car is one of the fastest-evolving terrains in today's consumer landscape. Here are some key features that make today's luxury cars truly luxurious.

Automatic Climate Control:
But even the highest-tech single-zone climate control systems are often not good enough for the luxury landscape of today. Many cutting-edge luxury vehicles are now offering dual-zone climate control systems that can provide temperatures differing as much as ten degrees for the driver and the front passenger.

Steering Wheel Controls:
The cruise and audio system controls are often built directly into the steering wheel in many of today's luxury cars. This allows drivers to keep their full focus on the task of driving while making adjustments to their audio or cruise controls.

Moonroof:
Moonroofs are sunroofs that feature not just a metal panel but a glass panel that can allow sunshine or moonlight into the car, compact SUV, or four wheel drive even when the roof is closed as well as a fabric-covered panel that can regulate the degree of light let into the car. The glass panels featured in moonroofs are usually tinted and can usually be tilted to regulate airflow.

Luxury Upholstery:
Although genuine leather may cost extra even in a luxury car, the upholstery will usually be made from at least a leather substitute or another form of expensive, comfortable fabric. You can expect the seating in a luxury vehicle to be more comfortable than the seating in a regular vehicle.

Adjustable Driver's Seat:
The driver's seat in a luxury car can usually be adjusted in a minimum of six directions with only the slightest effort. Cushion height can be regulated, fore and aft travel can be adjusted, and the angle of recline can be set to within a fraction of an inch.

Adaptive Cruise Control:
This feature uses a laser or a radar system to adapt the cruise control speed to the speed of the vehicles surrounding the car when necessary. Light braking is automatic and the driver will receive an alert if a nearby vehicle begins to brake hard.

By Hugh McInnes

Safety of SUVs

When SUVs first entered the scene, their tendency to rollover during accidents created a stigma; no one wants to drive a car that tends to fatally injure occupants in a crash. In the years since, technology has improved SUV safety to the point of involving less driver deaths than cars of similar weight. In fact, from 2005 through 2008, there were 28 driver deaths per million registered SUVs in the U.S. versus 56 driver deaths per million for cars. Pickup trucks had 52 driver deaths per million for the same time period. Looking at these numbers, you could say that SUVs are even safer than cars. So how did such a turnaround happen?

First, let's look at the physics. SUVs typically weigh more and ride higher than cars. This is both a good thing and a bad thing; good because this offers more protection in a crash, and bad because the higher center of gravity causes the vehicle to roll onto its roof more easily. These rollover accidents are a major source of severe injuries to passengers.

To combat this problem, car manufacturers developed new technologies and implemented new designs to decrease the chances of a rollover, as well as reduce injuries should a rollover occur anyway.

Electronic stability system. This prevents conditions that could cause a rollover. If you lose control, the system will limit acceleration and apply antilock brakes to keep the vehicle on course. It can't prevent a rollover entirely, but it can prevent the circumstances that generally lead to a rollover. This feature has been so effective that most automakers have made it standard on SUVs, and the NHTSA now requires it for 2012. Some advanced models can even detect an occurring rollover and take action to stop the motion.

Improved body design. Automakers have lowered the overall center of gravity, making SUVs more stable naturally. How did they do this? By building the SUV on a car frame, creating the now-popular crossover.

Side curtain airbags. In a rollover or side impact accident, these deploy from the ceiling to cover the side windows. They stay inflated long enough for several rolls to protect occupants and keep them in the car. Flying out of the car is a main cause of death in rollover accidents, so this feature has greatly reduced the mortality rate of rollover accidents.

All of these advances are wonderful at keeping passengers safe, but what about occupants of the other car in a crash? In recent years, automakers have lowered SUV frames so that in an accident, the powerful SUV frame will engage a car's crumple zones rather than the cabin. This change alone has reduced fatalities among the other car's drivers by 21 percent in head-on impacts and by almost 50 percent in a side-impact crashes.

In addition, SUVs typically have large blind spots. To overcome this problem, many SUVs now offer a sonar-based "park assist" system to indicate proximity to an obstacle or person. Or, a rear backup camera automatically offers a wide-angle view behind the vehicle when the transmission is shifted to Reverse.

By David Lacrisse

At a Glance Ford Focus Electric

BEV Focus offers an electrified difference

The Ford Focus Electric will be going on sale in late 2011, the latest and perhaps the most intriguing model in the compact Focus model range. Powered by a permanent magnetic electric traction motor developed by LG Chem, this lithium-ion battery pack achieves 123 horsepower and 181 foot-pounds of torque. The electrified 5-door hatchback is being built at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan.
Although not yet available for sale, there are some things about the Focus Electric we already know. For one, the Escort EV is expected to get a better mile per gallon range than the Chevrolet Volt. It will be able to recharge in 3 to 4 hours, which is half the time of the Nissan LEAF, with its 240-volt charge station. Top speed is 84 miles per hour and pure electric range should beat the LEAF's projected 90 miles.
MyFord Touch
New features and technologies will be introduced by the Focus EV including a customized version of the MyFord Touch driver connect system, designed especially for electric vehicles, an innovative value charging feature powered by Microsoft and a tech-pleasing smartphone app called MyFord Mobile that helps plug-in owners control their vehicles from a distance.
Ford has placed five-way buttons on the Focus' steering wheel, which allows the driver to customize a pair of 4.2-inch LCD instrument cluster screens showing battery charge status, distance to the next charging station and other operating and technical features. This information enables the driver to keep track of how he drives, ideal for the person who want to maximize range and efficiency by changing driving behavior accordingly.
Suspension & Braking
The BEV Focus incorporates a front independent MacPherson strut suspension and rear control blade multilink independent system. Electric power assisted steering, power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes with four-sensor, four-channel anti-lock braking system, disc brakes and regenerative braking are some of the important features found in the electric Focus.
The electric Focus sits on a 104.3 inch wheelbase and has a length of 171.7 inches. This vehicle is 72.4 inches wide and 58.9 inches tall. Seating five passengers, this Focus offers a 60/40 split rear bench seat, 15-spoke 17-inch wheels, push button start and a voice activated navigation system.
Additional Features
Sirius Satellite Radio is standard with the EV Focus and includes a six-month trial subscription. Owners will have access to more than 130 radio stations playing commercial-free music, offering talk, entertainment and sports options.
One of the most innovative features of the battery electric Focus is its illuminated charging port, which leaves no question whether your Focus is ready to go or not. When owners plug their connector cord into the Focus Electric charge port, which is located between the driver's door and front wheel well, it activates light rings around the port to show that it's connected. Your charge is still in progress when the rings are flashing. Your charge has been completed when the rings are solidly lit.

By Matthew Keegan

2009 Ferrari California Overview

California is known for many things: the governator, UCLA, and Hollywood, but amongst its many connotations, the name California is so rarely bestowed upon something of beauty, magnificence and sheer power. Until 2008, when Ferrari made the decision to manufacture a 2+2 front engine, Grand Tourer coupe cabriolet known as the California. Revived from the 1950s Ferrari 250 GT name, the California was announced by Ferrari at the 2008 Paris Motor Show as an entirely new model line for Ferrari. Although often times confused as the successor to the 575 Maranello, or as the similar Grand Tourer, the 599 GTB Fiorano, the California is differentiated primarily as a front engine V8 Grand Tourer versus the Maranello and 599 GTB Fiorano which house V12s.

The introduction of the Ferrari California introduced a number of firsts for Ferrari. It would be the first Ferrari to feature a front-engine V8, a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, a folding metal convertible roof, multi-link rear suspension and direct fuel injection. These combinations of firsts make the California a very interesting car, especially once you start getting into the specifications and begin to understand that the California is more than just a Grand Tourer.

So, without further delay, let's get into the details. The California is powered by a 4.3 liter V8 that puts out 453 horsepower at 7,750 RPM and 357 ft-lb of torque at 5,000 RPM, yielding an impressive 108 horsepower per liter, one of the highest ratios for a naturally aspirated V8. The 2012 Ford Mustang GT features a 5.0 liter V8 that produces 412 horsepower, yielding 82 horsepower per liter and the 2006 Corvette Z06 7.0 Liter LS3 engine produces 505 horsepower, yielding 72 horsepower per liter. Not even a supercharged 6.2 liter LS9 engine from the Corvette ZR1 beats the California's horsepower per liter, with 638 horsepower, the ZR1 yields 103 horsepower per liter.

Although the per liter horsepower is extremely high, the overall output would be considered fairly low when comparing to other performance vehicles so one would assume that it cannot be that much faster. But it is. Thanks to being the first Ferrari with a 7-speed dual clutch automatic, the California can go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds[validate], the same time as a Ferrari F430, despite weighing 180 kilograms (400lbs) more and having 30 horsepower less. The Ferrari California can then be pushed to a top speed of 193 MPH, thanks to over 1,000 hours of testing in wind tunnels to help perfect the aerodynamics into a beautifully shaped and drag efficient car, which is certainly an understatement.

The design of the car must have first been dreamed by a kid with limitless imagination, and then taken by an artist who knows how to portray power with legs, where, finally the Ferrari engineers spent countless hours perfecting the unique blend of V8 performance, with Grand Tourer cruising with the finesse of an Italian exotic.

In 2008 Ferrari announced plans to produce nearly 5,000 Californias in the first two years of production, pushing total Ferrari production up by 50%. Despite the unusually high production numbers for Ferrari, all California's have been sold up to 2011 for a refreshingly cool $192,000. In 2011, Ferrari announced a refresh for the 2012 California, to feature lighter aluminum alloys yielding a lower weight of 3,758 and an increased power output of 30 additional horses due to a remapped ECU.

By Ivan Rudnitsky