WarpSpeed

The National Safety Commission Alerts

Safety is No Accident. Visit the National Safety Commission - America's Safety Headquarters for driver safety information, auto recalls and teen safe driver tips.

An automobile's cruise control is a valuable piece of technology. Along with saving gas, the benefit of cruise control is its ability to prevent a driver from exceeding the speed limit. A driver who sets the cruise control at the posted speed limit can pass police officers and cruise through radar sites without having to worry about whether or not they are speeding. Cruise control can save drivers a lot of money in gas and speeding tickets but cruise control can have a down side too. Someone who relies on cruise control too much may find themselves on "auto-pilot" and neglect to pay full attention to their driving. A driver still needs to devote full attention to the road and have a "seat-of-the-pants" feel for their vehicle. This is especially true when driving in the rain.

Rain presents two distinct dangers to a driver; both with essentially the same end result. After a dry spell of any period, accumulated oil, grease, and dirt on the road can create extremely slippery conditions. The roads are most dangerous just after it starts to rain when a light sheen of water is standing on the road. The oil, grease etc. rise up in a layer on top of the water creating conditions similar to ice on the road. It creates such a problem during the summer thunderstorm period in the southeast that it is referred to as "Florida ice." After a period of heavy rain, the oil and grease will wash off the road and the slippery conditions diminish.

Heavy rain however creates a separate and equally dangerous situation. When water stands on the road, it can become deep enough that the tires can’t squeeze the water through the tread fast enough. When this happens, the tires can actually rise up on top of the water and ride across the water like water skis creating a condition known as "hydroplaning." Hydroplaning can start at speeds as low as 35 mph and becomes especially dangerous at speeds above 55 mph. The higher the speed, the greater the chance of hydroplaning.

In either situation, the first step a driver should take to counteract skidding is to take his/her foot off the gas pedal in order to slow the car's speed. Unless you have anti-lock brakes, you shouldn't apply the brakes until you have the car under control and the speed is reduced. Applying the brakes in a car without anti-lock brakes only adds to the problem. Grasp the steering wheel in both hands, steer toward the direction of the skid and then steer to keep your car centered in your lane.

This is where cruise control presents a problem. Cruise control will want to keep your vehicle going at a constant speed and speed only adds to the problem. Cruise control is disabled when you step on the brakes but that is exactly what you don’t want to do in a skidding situation unless your car is equipped with anti-lock brakes. The safest thing to do when it starts to rain is to disengage the cruise control and lower your speed. Driving in the rain really requires heightened awareness and that seat-of-the-pants feel for the car. Save your cruise control for fair weather.

Hmm, funny this, it is saying the exact same thing I've been criticized here for, by saying that too much of a good thing ( I.E. technology) can be bad for your driving skills and drivers become complacent and too reliant on it essentially on auto pilot , guess I was right after all? In spite of the haters and critics.. Not likely to get apologies or credit for it though, that takes some people to admit they're actually wrong and man enough to admit it .

Clearly it is nonsense and clearly it was written by an illiterate.

Rare occasion, when we agree.

Cruise control don't cause accidents its the idiot who drive the car, i use every opportunity but not when i drive the TGF's car.....it no have.

And this..

Good to hear Clare it was something so simple, I was dubious about it being a valve, the symptoms and timing just wasn't there, it made no sense.

Why has nobody thought of this before?

Top Gear thought of it several years ago:

Can't find the original segment online

Not quite the same thing, they might have been legitimately onto something if they weren't such boobs.

Why has nobody thought of this before?

Yep this is a technology I can get on board with. Nothing but advantages.

No disputing, for the money it looks far better then the big dent and hole in it, but difficult to tell from that angle with that light just how good the blend is. But for your purposes it's an obvious improvement and also looks as if they did a good job cleaning up too unless, you also did a bit of your own?

Don, going to an edge just looks like a shadow especially if the edge is uneven like a door edge, very hard to tell otherwise, where as an experienced eye can tell a blend immediately on any paint color and as it ages at different rates it gets even more obvious.

I agree with T/A, you may not hear a valve noise, but to my understanding you had the head shaved the second time so it shouldn;t be warped anymore, I have to believe having been running ok previously it is not a burned valve from the previous over heating, but like some others have said it may be something secondary like an electrical issue?

I was stopped by the cops in Bangkok at night when on red plates. He pointed at the sky and said "Only drive when light, not when dark; you go home now." Then waved me on with a smile.

Did you point him to the brand new headlights on the front of the vehicle and show them how they worked? He may not have known about them since so many Thai's don't use them and act as if they're unneeded accessories put there just for looks. It's such nonsense to be treated like a newborn all the time, even getting that stupid license is nonsense when the test is so childish for long time experienced drivers.

Turps is usually the same as thinner (especially in Thailand) which he already tried, suggested by the natives and it is really too harsh for paint removal from paint, can use it on other surfaces but it will attack the finish on car paint and once dry will dull the shine most times.

Umm yes I understand but so how much "extra" do you think it would cost to paint to the next edge?

I'm speechless Clare, I know you came her for advice and not to get lectures but the advice was already given previously so now that's all that's left. It wasn't just the mechanics son that advised you to spend a little more to have the job done right and not cut corners, but once you fixed it I would have sold it on. Have it compression checked and maybe diagnosed first before considering a new engine but if it is a valve it's still going to be much cheaper to get a used head, have it reconditioned properly this time and then once repaired sell it on this time..

Do you hear any top end valve clatter when it runs? Not likely you burned a valve due to the previous overheating that wouldn't have shown up already previously. Also not too often you burn a valve that way, most often it happens when the engine runs too lean which was also discussed previously. Generally Honda's are quite durable but they're still machines that require care, you have to be fair here, this car has been abused recently and probably for a while prior to your ownership based on the history given so far and it has not had proper repairs done since then either so it has really been the owner(s) fault more then the cars IMO, sorry that stings but it's honest and factual. Lessons learned, it's better to wait and get it done properly and completely then to rush a cheap job and get stuck paying more to have it repaired repeatedly the wrong way. This is a spare car for you as I understand it, it could have waited until you had enough to repair it properly IMO, but that's what it is, MO.

I understand feathering, but I disagree, it never looks as good feathering as it does going to a gap, there is always going to be difference but it is less catching to the eye to go to a gap instead. I can spot feathering in a heart beat whereas painting and then feathering in a sense, to a gap, is nearly impossible to detect if one does it correctly

Next time buy a white car ;-)

Then they'll use blue paint.. Or some other ridiculous color.

We're still WD 40ing the truck this morning and 99 % is gone and it looks pretty good again. The guys at school don't give a flying rat about it.

Thanks once more for the real useful tip. The scanner didn't work and her reading ability.made a big can to 75 baht. ( The smallest size)

So I bought another one and felt like Robin Hood.Should have bought all of them...lol

All the stuff I've tried was about 600 baht, way cheaper than to respray the truck.

Good to hear you're having good success, it sucks when you have to correct someone else's inconsiderate mindlessness and it costs you but obviously finding a cheap easy solution is always a relief when you manage to mend the mess up and they really couldn't care less. I always use WD40 to clean up over spray when I get cars painted and again on the race car for all sorts of clean up especially rubber which it's constantly gets covered with after a race it works really well on the seals and freshens them up at the same time, or when it's necessary to change sponsor graphics and remove the remaining adhesive. It is good for any petrolem based products paints and such are usually petroleum based as well.

Ermm based on the part he has masked (which IMO is not enough masking there is going to be quite a bit of over spray on old paint, especially on the roof and hood) why is he seemingly painting the back door only a few inches over and not the whole thing? He should be going all the way to the next door opening gap and doing both doors entirely gap to gap and also not masking the bottom of the rear door so the paint blends from panel to panel if he stops in the middle of the door it will not blend as well and the new paint will be far more obvious next to the old paint especially with uneven edges. On another note this old guy looks like the same guy that painted 2 of my previous cars though. That guy did a decent job for the money but he didn't listen when I asked him NOT to paint the lower air dam as I had spent hours prepping it for a special flexible paint made for that part of the bumper cover and it wasn't to be glossy but matt, silly too because not only did he do more work by not paying full attention but he used more paint then if he had understood properly in spite of him saying he did and ultimately he ruined my prep and end resulting finish too.

I can see seals exposed all over the place too, going to be a fair bit of overspray on the seals, get a hold of some WD40 and a few single edged razor blades to remove it, you're going to need it. If you use the WD40 quickly while the paint is fresh it'll come off pretty easily but you may need to use the single edged razor blades to gently rub off the thicker parts.

Ace and Scott, thanks again. I've attached the 2014 guides downloaded from Honda in English but sadly it covers different hardware and I suspect software too. However, I have sent a letter to Honda Thailand and will go visit the largest Honda Dealer in CM tomorrow. I hope someone there will share the time to help us learn. Oh, my 26 year old star programmer too is stumped and does not have the time to play with the system to find a work around.

I have started to keep a notebook left in the car to note discrepancies and troubles; admittedly not the huge kind but the simply stupidly annoying kind that a bit of consumer research would have shown up. Take for example the horn that does not sound but a tweet when remotely opening the locks. My Toyota sounds off like a ship's horn and the lights flash brightly, useful at finding it at the new malls with acres of cars all the same height and nearly the same color (white or gray, or light tones that can't be differentiated).

I hope these manuals help others.

Sorry the size is far less then the limit but the larger two (Owner's Manual and Detailed Tech Manual) won't load. Contact me if anyone wants a copy if you can't find the link on you own.

Forget the remote, put a tennis ball on your antenna. Personally I can't stand a loud horn when locking or unlocking, I don't want to hear that at the inconvenient hours I so often do and I also don't like announcing to all of my neighbors that I'm home or leaving as I'm also sure they don't want to hear my horn either. Anyway good luck with programming your GPS, some technology is really the bane of society today, not ALL tech is good, many driver aids on the surface seem good but they are more like drivers crutches and drivers rely to heavily on them and when they fail or drivers get complacent about them and end up ignoring them (and they do all the time) then really bad things happen. Texting or talking on the phone while driving without a blue tooth is one very important example. BTW my suggestion is regardless of the GPS, map out your route on google maps before you hit the road whenever possible so that way you have an idea if your GPS is leading you astray during your journey as they often do.

Yeah well you've been living in Asia too long, some things can't be copied and only the original will suffice. It may serve a purpose but I just wanted to make the point that it's not as good as the original, an American V8.

Next time buy a white car ;-)

Then they'll use blue paint.. Or some other ridiculous color.

Ok sounds nice and all with ok numbers but NOT like a Chevy! That's just blasphemous and I'm not even a Chevy fan, but American V8's have a unique sound that "snaps" unlike any other anywhere and that's really irrefutable.

Regards, I wanted to include this in my previous post but missed the edit timing. Likes are the only thing that matters by some members measure around here. They "like" to throw it around if you don't have them regardless of how good your advice may be and how often you help someone out? My druthers wouldn't care either way honestly, but it is nice to help out and get recognized for doing so as Lost did in his post as well.

Seems reasonable, finish? Well that may be another thing but it seems you're not all that concerned with finish at the moment, and getting repaired will slow any further damage like with rust so I'd go for it.

Did you try WD40? Very often if the paint is relatively new light and hasn't fully set yet, (meaning weeks not days) then WD40 will take it off quite well. You spray some on and let it sit a bit and then spray some more on a paper towel and rub it, because the paper towel both absorbs the WD40 and holds it and has just the right abrasiveness without attacking the car paint.

I'd like to thank you very much for your post. I've finally found WD 40 at a home mart and it works well.

I don't even wanna think about the money and time we've spent to get that far. Was really a great tip, deeply appreciated. Thanks.

Well done, glad it worked out for you.. I only work for "likes" though. Jesting of course, but it does seem I get shorted quite a bit on good advice, without them when others don't ? I only hope the other "remedies" tried previously have not done some other more permanent damage, like paint dulling, that may come out in the near future. BTW I'm sure you do DRIVE it in the sun though right?

Who's they? WD40 is all over Thailand, Home Pro etc. I can't speak for Sonax, not the same and I know that WD40 can remove some paint if it doesn't have too much time to set up but now you're running it close to that time limit. Especially in the hot sun.

Yes, it's their house brand.

Did you try WD40? Very often if the paint is relatively new light and hasn't fully set yet, (meaning weeks not days) then WD40 will take it off quite well. You spray some on and let it sit a bit and then spray some more on a paper towel and rub it, because the paper towel both absorbs the WD40 and holds it and has just the right abrasiveness without attacking the car paint.

Nope, don't sell tires, just race and daily drive on them and just giving my well versed opinion on the B-quik Thunderer brand.