Easy DIY Tips to Free Your Frozen Emergency Brake

The emergency brake of a car, otherwise named parking brake or hand brake, is a purely mechanical system. Unlike most “regular” car brakes that are operated by hydraulics, emergency brake of a vehicle is operated by a system of cable(s) and springs, which is covered by a sheath. In cold environmental condition, many times it so happens that water gets trapped inside the sheath and freeze solid. The ice then prevents the cable inside the sheath from sliding thereby making the entire system inoperative. Jamming of the cable by dried dirt and grease is also a common phenomenon with parking brakes. In such situations, it takes a lot of time for the hand brake to get back to its normal operational state. But if you know the tricks you can thaw it easily. Here's how you do that:

First, start the car engine. Then release and set the hand brake repeatedly in order to dislodge any frozen solid particles from inside the brake system.

If the emergency brake is still frozen, block as much of the open space between sides of the vehicle and the ground.

Now, shovel snow or pile up other material along the sides of the car. The objective of doing this is to create an airflow path from front to the rear of the car so that any "losses" from the under the sides of the vehicle are minimized.

Then leave the car ALONE for sometime, and allow it to "warm up". Once the car engine has warmed sufficiently, the heated air pulled through the car radiator and heat created by the car exhaust system will pass under the entire length of the vehicle. This will expedite the entire thaw process significantly.

Finally, attempt to release the parking brake or hand brake again. If you find it still frozen, allow some more time for the brake system to thaw, and/or block any remaining open spaces at the front and rear of the vehicle. To increase the heat generated therein, depress the accelerator slightly. This will speed up the mechanical fan of the car engine, and force more hot air underneath the vehicle.

While doing all these, make two things sure- the end of the car exhaust pipe is not be obstructed in any way, and the exhaust gases from it is not trapped under the vehicle.

Follow these few simple steps, and your car emergency brake will soon be operational.

Top 8 All-time Favorite Family Cars in India

A car is an asset that once driven home for the first time, it no longer remains only your passionate buy, it becomes a part of your family. A sense of belonging for the car starts seeping in amongst all your beloved family members. So, when it comes to buying a family car, it becomes a really difficult situation.

In India, automobile market is filled with a bunch of attractive cars, but not all of them are suitable for a big family, say of six - you, your spouse, your kids, your parents and may be your pet! While buying family cars one has to consider certain things- whether it is big enough to accommodate all your shopping bags, comfortable to go on frequent long commutes, whether it is child-friendly and safe, and whether it is affordable.

There are certain family cars in India, which caters to all these needs and much more. Here are those all-time favorite family cars of India:

Tata Sumo – a flagship family car from Tata Motors, Tata Sumo is known for giving an impressive mileage
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Tata Safari - on-road performance of this highway cruiser is next to nothing.

Toyota Innova – One of the most popular of all family cars, Innova is known for its high-end engine technologies like VVT-i and CRDi

Maruti Eeco – Looking to maintain a perfect balance between price, performance, and functionality? Go for this family car.

Mahindra & Mahindra Xylo – with a spacious cabin and folding rear seats, this family car is simply the best for your near ones.

Mahindra & Mahindra Scorpio – one of the most sophisticated family cars with fire-retardant upholstery.

Mahindra & Mahindra Bolero – this is looked up to as one of the most true-value family cars for having the highest ground clearance.
Chevrolet Tavera – like most luxurious Chevrolets, this SUV is sufficiently spacious and can accommodate ten passengers.

Tata Aria to be Launched in India Soon!

Tata Aria is raring to set the Indian roads on fire. Slated for a May/ June launch this year, the all-new seven-seater SUV-MPV crossover is going to be one of the most sophisticated vehicles from Tata Motors. Though the exact price of this latest Tata launch has not yet been finalized, it is expected to come with a price tag of around Rs 12 Lakh-Rs 14.5 Lakh.

Tata Aria comes with a 2.2-liter direct injection common rail diesel engine that currently powers the Tata Safari and Fiat Grande Punto. The engine is capable of generating a maxaimum power of 140 Bhp with maximum torque of 320 Nm. The newest SUV model from Tata Motors wil be the world's first utility vehicle to feature all wheel drive option, ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), Six SRS Airbags and Traction control with Cruise control.

Tata Aria will be available in three variants:

- Tata Aria EX to be priced around Rs. 12,00,000.00
- Tata Aria GX to be priced around Rs. 13,00,000.00
- Tata Aria LX to be priced around Rs. 14,00,000.00

Tata Motors will offer four-wheel and two-wheel drive options in all its variants.

With an array of advanced features that stylize other vehicles like Ford Endeavor, Chevrolet Captiva, and Toyota Fortuner, Tata Aria promises to give all its contemporaries a tough competition ahead. Tata Motors plans to roll out this flagship SUV model in markets of the U.S., the UK and Europe in the next ten years. For the European markets, the company would be catering to a wide range of power-train options.

Volkswagen to Launch Electric Car in India by 2013

Another three years of wait for car lovers, and Volkswagen's electric car will be right here to set the Indian roads on fire. The German auto maker is mulling a grand launch of its newest rendition in the country by 2013, and presently, working on its final testing. Plan wise, Volkswagen electric car will set precedence to the company's electric range of E-Jetta as well.

Volkswagen intends to create a major dominance in the global electric car market by the year 2018, and so planning a series of new launches back to back for the next couple of years or so. According to an industry source, the car maker will debut its VW Golf and Jetta electric car models in the U.S. auto market by 2012.


Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO Volkswagen, recently announced a plan for "electrifying the brand's model line up". The company wants to build electric cars that everyone can afford. First up will be 500 battery-powered Golfs that is coming next year. It will be followed by a production hybrid version of the next-generation Jetta in 2012 for the U.S. market. The company is in talks with Toshiba and Sanyo, the two behemoths in the world technology market, to source powerful and economic lithium-ion batteries.

Honda to Launch VFR 1200F Tourer in India

A good news for all the sports enthusiasts, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Limited is going to launch a new iconic sports tourer model VFR1200F in India by the end of this year. Honda’s Indian arm will be launching the model in a CBU format and the bike will be priced higher than its existing imported bikes like Fireblade, etc. The model is currently being manufactured in Japan and the first batch of the model will be ready by the end of this year. It is revealed that the bike will be priced around 20 Lakhs.

The new Honda VFR 1200F is powered by Unicam valvetrain, manufactured on the CRF450R motocrosser, with a four-valve head and flatter and with an efficient combustion chamber. The new Honda VFR1200F model has 1237cc 76-degree design which shows latest innovations by Honda.

Honda is planning to launch the bike to India to set a new trend for the bikers. The bike will be coming to India via CBU, attracting 110% duty, which makes it clear that the big will be very high priced.

Hats of to the VFR1200F Indian launch but thumbs down for it’s high price.

Hyundai Santa Fe SUV to Hit Indian Roads this Year

Hyundai is soon going to launch its most awaited Santa Fe SUV in 2010, which will be available to its customers in 2.4-liter and 2.2 liter petrol engines. A new 2.2-liter CRDi turbo unit develops 197 horsepower and 422 Nm of torque between 1,800 and 2,500, rpm along with six-speed manual transmission. Another option is the 2.4-liter petrol unit that develops 174 HP mated to a manual transmission, with an option of a six-speed automatic gearbox.

The interiors of the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV car gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel, new instrument panel, navigation system, a smart key, large LCD screen connected to the parking assist system, optional rear-view camera, start-stop button and active head rests for improved safety.

The most alluring part of the new Hyundai Santa SUV is that it has an ECO light that illuminates in red, white, or green according to the behavior of the driver. The standard manual Hyundai Santa Fe have a shift light that illuminates when the optimum shift point for fuel economy is reached.

Other style changes include exterior mirrors, chrome door handles, with built-in indicators, and 17-inch file-spoke alloy wheels. Fuel consumption stands at 27.6 mpg, while CO2 emitted is 203 g/km.

But there is no information available yet about the price of the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe in India and it is expected that the SUV will take on the Honda CR-V and the Chevrolet Captiva in the Indian market.

Nissan to Launch Ultra Low Cost Car in India

Tata Nano to find a competitor soon. Japanese auto major Nissan Motor has entered into a JV with Renault to make small cars in India. The new ultra low-cost passenger car, which will be pried at Rs 134,000, is all set to take on the might of Tata Nano, presently the cheapest car in the world. Makers of Nano, listen up!

Apart from Renault, Nissan has also roped in Bajaj Auto for this venture. The Indian car maker's margin on three-wheelers is said to be more than the current margin of Nissan in the four-wheeler segment, and with this launch, Nissan plans to increase its profitability by taking advantage of Baja's expertise in low-cost production techniques.

Gilles Normand, Nissan's corporate vice president in charge of Africa, the Middle East and India, said in a recent interview that with this venture, the car maker plans to capture the potentiality of Indian auto market in the low-cost passenger car segment, and take advantage of its expertise in small-car production. India, known for being the prime destination for small cars, witnesses a significant yearly sale of cars that are priced below Rs 360,000.

So, if you are considering another stylish addition to your small car collection after Nano, then here it comes – just a wait of another couple of years, and Nissan Mirca will be right here in India by 2012.

Audi Launches SUV Q7 4.2l TDi Quattro in India

Audi Q7, the luxury SUV segment leader has just welcomed a special edition in the form of the 4.2 TDi Quattro. The massive diesel engine makes this the fastest and the most powerful SUV in India. Earlier too, the Q7 had set the sales chart on fire with its brilliant launch of previous versions; but this time the impact is expected to be even bigger.

The new Audi Q7 4.2 TDI Quattro comes with a V8 diesel engine that produces 362 horsepower or 340 PS. This gives it the ability to achieve a speed of 0-62 mph in 6.4 seconds with a top speed limit of 146 mph. Impressive ... isn't it? The super SUV transmits its power through the 6-speed tiptronic automatic transmission to a sportily tuned quattro driveline, which splits the propulsive force in the ratio of 40:60 between the front and rear wheels under normal driving conditions.

Now, coming to the best part, the new Audi Q7 4.2 TDI gives a combined fuel economy of 21 mpg. So, all you car enthusiasts, who have a thing for all things BIG and powerful, here comes your SUV of dreams. The limited edition Audi Q7 4.2 TDI will be available at an introductory price of Rs. 58,68,000, while later, it will go up to Rs. 66,12,500 ex-showroom Mumbai, once the limited edition offer period is over.

India: The World's Second-Fastest Growing Light Vehicle Market

India's auto industry is witnessing an unprecedented boom. At a time when the global auto market went into a self-withdrawal mode affected by the fuel price hikes and the sluggishly receding economic downturn, Indian car market showed its grit and managed to stand out. Zooming much ahead of the erstwhile matured car markets of Germany, France, Japan and the US, it went on to emerge as the world’s second-fastest growing light vehicle market, second only to China.

What do you think have played functional in this phenomenal growth performance? --- A perfect gelling of the government’s economic revival package with the country's low car penetration, new model launches, lower interest rates, and a stable economic growth have all combined to keep the demand for cars ticking.

According to a recent data released by the industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the light vehicle market in India grew 27.5% in 2009-10, while the world light vehicle market contracted by a significant 14% (the worst in the last eight years!). The auto market growth in Germany, France, Russia, Japan, UK, and US, however, has been just around 23%, 11%, -50%, -9%, -6% and -21% respectively. China was the only market where the light vehicle sales grew 42%.

In India, sales of light vehicles, including passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and utility vehicles, were primarily driven by a rapid growth in the demand of passenger cars by 25%.

Mercedes Benz Launches E Class Coupe in India

Mercedes launched its E Class Coupe version today in India. The E class coupe is priced at Rs 54.83-lakhs onwards ex-showroom in Mumbai,. The stylized features of Mercedes E Cass Coupe includes pillarless side windows, long low stance and so new E-class coupe simply demands to be driven.

This latest launch Mercedes Benz E Class Coupe is loaded with many specialized features. Car comes equipped with the agility control suspension system, with the pre-safe system. A pre safe system is a brake feature that automatically applies the brakes in case of emergency, and attention assist that keeps the driver alert using about 70 parameters.

Engines and Models offered by Mercedes E Class Coupe are, the E250 CDI BlueEfficiency with 204bhp and 51.02kgm of torque and the E350 CDI BlueEfficiency making 231bhp and maximum torque of 55.1kgm.

Inspired styling elements include the distinctive V-shaped front end with its expressive twin headlamps and LED driving lights. A two-louvre radiator grille with prominent Mercedes star further enhances the car’s bold looks.

Sales of Volkswagen Polo at its Peak

Volkswagen Polo was officially launched on February 23 and with its launch it has received an immense consumer response. And the car is now churning out a whooping amount of 110,000 cars every year. Moreover, if you are thinking to go for New Volkswagen Polo then you have to wait for one and half to two months. Also, the company has confirmed that it has 1,500 units of bookings since launch.

The New Polo was launched at a price tag of Rs. 4.34 lakh (ex showroom New Delhi) is now being sold at Rs. 4.42 lakh (ex showroom New Delhi) effective March 2, 2010 due to the change in excise duty announced in the Union Budget.

The petrol variant of Volkswagen Polo is equipped with a 1.2 litre engine with an output of 75HP @ 5400 rpm and a Torque of 110NM @ 3750 rpm. The diesel variant is also equipped with the 1.2 litre engine with an output of 75HP @ 4200 rpm and torque of 180 NM @ 2000 rpm. The New Polo comes in three trim levels Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. The car is also powered with 5-speed manual gear box.

The interiors of the care are decked with storage compartment in front doors for 1.5 litre bottles, folding rear seat backrests, sunglass storage inside glove box, and the two-tone dashboard. All these features renders a high design quality to the car.

The most unique feature to this segment is, the car offers remote keyless central locking that includes remote window up / down on the Highline. Standard for all cars are the tilt & telescopic steering which allows for perfect ergonomic seating for driver for fatigue free driving. And the best part about the car is it also offers green-tinted heat-blocking glass.

Skoda Has Come up with the All New Superb 1.8 TSI Petrol

Skoda Auto India has come up with the all new Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI (Petrol) with Manual Transmission (MT). And with this launch of Skoda, the company has completed one successful year of the launching of Skoda, that was introduced in India in March 2009. The 1.8 litre engine equipped with the TSI technology has an inbuilt turbocharger with a high pressure direct injection system. This combination of the powerful TSI engine and an efficient 6-Speed manual transmission is expected to give better fuel efficiency and will also improve the driving experience. The new Superb 1.8 MT Elegance will also be equipped with the same equipments as of siblings.

A delight to all the auto enthusiasts, the Skoda Superb Petrol 1.8 TSI MT is powered with a Manual 6-speed transmission, which is absolutely a unique feature to its segment and offers smooth driving experience. Moreover, this feature gives a complete control on the engine performance, as well.

The all new Superb can also be opted in the following engines
-TSI Automatic Transmission (Petrol)
-2.0 TDI CR Automatic Transmission (Diesel) and
-The 3.6 V6 FSI 4x4 Automatic Transmission (Petrol).

The Superb 1.8 TSI MT can be chosen from aesthetic array of colors, like Rosso Brunello, Cappuccino Beige, Black Magic, Diamond Silver & Candy White. And the car is priced at a price tag of Rs. 1,828,563 (ex-showroom delhi).

Striking features of Superb 1.8 TSI petrol

-Luxurious Interiors - The interiors of the car are very impressive and top notch is with large multifunction display for the comfort of diver as well as passengers.
-Manual 6-speed transmission – Unique to its segment, this feature gives complete control on the engine performance.
-Smart Gear Change Indicator – This feature takes the driving conditions into consideration and recommends the most suitable gear level to the driver on the Multifunction Display.

Yamaha to Launch R125

Yamaha's most awaited and highly anticipated R125 is going to be finally launched now. The Yamaha R125 is the younger sibling of the R15 and will be launched in the month of April itself. This motorcycle is powered by a 124.66cc engine which gives a maximum power of 14.5 bhp at 9000 rpm and maximum torque of 12.2 Nm at 8000 rpm. The motorcycle has a wheelbase of 1355 mm and ground clearance of 155 mm. The Yamaha R125 is expected to be be priced at Rs. 83,754/- (ex-showroom, Delhi). Moreover, the bike can be chosen out of 4 colors: Midnight Black, Burning Blue, Sports White and Impact Yellow.

Dimensions of Yamaha R125
Length:2015.00 mm
Width:660.00 mm
Height:970.00 mm

Striking Features of Yamaha R125
-Digital and attractive fuel guage
-Specially designed passenger footrest
-Digital-2 trip meter
-Low fuel indicator
-Low oil indicator
-Low battery indicator