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One of the major contributions of the giant Japanese car company, Toyota Production System to the business world, is the concept of continuous improvement which is the underlying principle of Kaizen including the development of a Kaizen scorecard.

The word “Kaizen” is derived from the Japanese words, “kai” which means change and “zen” which means good. The common English meaning of this term is continual improvement. In the context of management, Kaizen is a workplace quality strategy that was pioneered by the Toyota Production System. The Kaizen revolution in Japan happened during the 1950s right after the World War II. Statistical control method experts were brought in to the country to restore its damaged economy. The War Department’s Training Within Industry (TWI) training programs were set in place in line with this objective. These training programs were centered on job instruction and job methods. The bases of the revolution of the Kaizen principle were the Shewhart cycle by W. Edwards Deming and the statistics-based processes developed by Joseph M. Juran. Toyota Production System pioneered and made the Kaizen strategy popular. In this company, line personnel stop all production line activities when an abnormality arises. The employees and their supervisor discuss and exchange suggestions to help resolve a problematic situation.

Through the years, more and more firms worldwide have employed Kaizen to improve their profitability. The Kaizen strategy aims to minimize waste in the organizational processes. Waste refers to those activities that increases cost but do not add value. With the correct implementation, it can improve organizational performance, prevent employees from experiencing mental and physical exhaustion, and encourage people to do experiments that can eliminate waste in businesses processes. The Kaizen principle is applicable to all levels of the organization from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to employees as even to external stakeholders. It may be done either in an individual format, by suggestion system, and by large or small groups.

When implementing the Kaizen strategy, the company needs to evaluate itself through logical and practical metrics. One of the basic Kaizen metrics is the overall duration of a production cycle. By learning how long it takes to finish one production cycle, management will be able to identify in what area there is efficiency and where there is none. When uneconomical processes are eliminated, the overall productivity of a company is improved. Another essential Kaizen metric is task flow. This involves the harmonious working relationships between employees from different ranks and departments. Efficient production could only be achieved when all segments do their respective tasks. Follow up sessions are also essential in itas this is where operational activities are evaluated and assessed.

Developing a Kaizen scorecard is one of the crucial tasks of management as this indicates and outlines how the concept of continual improvement is integrated into company activities and processes. Kaizen, by its nature, is a continuous process so necessary changes may need to be done from time to time. Nevertheless, with the correct Kaizen implementation, improved organizational productivity and profitability could be expected.

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Source by Sam Miller

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When you troubleshoot the check engine light of a 2002 Toyota Tundra, approach it by using an OBD2 scanner which is designated for this vehicle. On most generic scanner, it can be used on most brands of vehicles and if you don’t specify if to be good for this 2002 Toyota Tundra, you might not get the right fault codes.

To fix the 2002 Toyota Tundra fault codes, please remember the following:

1.) The diagnostic connector for this vehicle is located on the right side of the steering column, below the instrument panel.

2.) This vehicle model uses a two-trip detection analysis in which the fault code stored in the memory will not be flashed in the dash panel. Instead, it will be flashed only on the 2nd time the fault code is detected. This usually happens when you are using a generic scanner but it won’t happen if you or the garage is using the authorized Toyota scanner.

3.) This Toyota Tundra model also uses “Freeze Frame Data” system in which the actual engine condition factors are displayed in the generic scanner when the fault code appears. These factors normally include the engine temperature, the vehicle cruising speed and others sensors specs related to the fault code. This data is very important in pinpointing the suspected circuit or wiring causing the code. However, in case there are multiple codes showing in the generic scanner, the data described here only applies on the first code that shows up. This will prevent the user from toggling between codes for other data that can lead to confusion.

Troubleshooting TIPS:

The most common fault code of this 2002 Toyota Tundra model is the failure of the 4 oxygen sensors. If you have a 4.7L engine, two of these sensors are located at the engine exhaust manifolds and the other 2 behind the catalytic converters. In case these sensors are your fault code, contact your Toyota dealer right away for it might be covered under the vehicle’s warranty. This is especially true if the vehicle has below 100k mileage. However, if the vehicle has no coverage and you have to the repair the problem yourself, try these:

1.) Measure the oxygen sensor signal voltage as indicated by an authorized vehicle wiring diagram. The sensor exhaust manifold voltage reading should be oscillating between 0.1 volt to 0.9 volt. A fluctuation difference of 0.5volt to 0.7volt is considered normal and no fluctuation indicates a defective oxygen sensor.

2.) When measuring the rear oxygen sensors at the catalytic converter, the voltage reading fluctuation should be less because these sensors are use to monitor the muffler efficiency. Any fluctuation of around 0.2volt to 0.4 volt is considered normal.

3.) If the front exhaust manifold sensors are found defective, make sure the exhaust manifold itself is not leaking or cracked. Unless the manifold is fixed, the new oxygen sensors installed will fail again.

4.) Unless you have experience in testing electrical components, it is highly recommended to get an online mechanic assistance when working on these oxygen sensors. A simple mistake such as incorrect use of electronic diagnostic tools can damage the engine computer.

If you can implement these techniques, you should be able to fix most of your check engine light 2002 Toyota Tundra fault codes.

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Source by Richard Trent

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The Toyota embroidery machine ESP9100NET is a commercial type machine, although that is not to say that it is not practical for a private person to use if they wish to produce items to sell, if they fancy having a cottage industry for embroidered items.

I will say that perhaps a commercial machine is superior to a domestic machine in that you will have the facility to embroider on difficult items. Hats for instance, caps, bags, pockets etc.

Of course, using this type of machine wouldn’t suit everybody but it is an example of top quality Japanese manufacturing. It will give you embroidering speeds ot up to 1200 stitches per minute, now that is fast.

You can have either 6 or 15 color automatic color changing needle system with a large sized embroidery area of 50cm x 38cm which is standard then you can have an optional attachment which will give you 100cm x 36cm.

There are different ways to control this machine, you can use a PC or laptop computer which would allow the operator to view the design to be embroidered.

You can edit by using software or a USB memory stick and many other ways.

You get a good range of tubular and flat hoops, and something really special – a sequin attachment for those special fancy designs.

There are attachments for this machine that make it possible to work on horse blankets or carpets, football boots, training shoes and belts.

This is such an easy machine to use that it is claimed to be the best package available today.

This machine will give you maximum versatility for embroidery. Name tags, corporate logos or any kind of design can be embroidered onto anything you like.

The Toyota EXP9100NET is light enough and portable enough for you to take it anywhere. Perhaps you are going to a trade fair – take it with you, demonstrate to prospective customers just what you will be capable of producing.

Maybe you are just thinking of starting an embroidery business, I would advise that you check out the Toyota embroidery machine EXP9100NET before you decide on any other brand.

This machine is an upgrade to the ESP9000 machine which was a very successful machine. You can expect to find new electronics, new accessories, new motors and new production control software.

With this machine, even though it is reasonably small, you could easily start up a quite lucrative venture from the comfort of your own home.

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Source by P. Hamilton

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If you own a Toyota vehicle you will at some time

experience the dreaded rip or tear in your seat upholstery.

This is even more of a fear if you buy your car used or

have had it for many years. However, there is no need to

worry because there are many locations where you can find

Toyota car seat upholstery to either repair or recover your

seats. The following options are great sugggesions for

finding the right option for your seat repair needs.

Junkyards

Wrecked cars are frequently destroyed on the outside or for

insurance purposes, but many times the upholstery on the

inside is in good condition. If you are looking for Toyota

car seat upholstery all you need to do is head to the

junkyard and look for Toyota vehicles that have the same

color interior as your vehicle. Then you offer to buy

whatever piece of the car’s interior you need. Once you

have your Toyota car seat upholstery you can remove it from

the salvaged seat and repair your seat or else you can

switch the seat out. Whatever is easiest should be done.

Professionals

There are also a range of professionals that can install

Toyota car seat upholstery. For example, the Toyota

dealership is one option, although probably the most

expensive. Then, there are other car shops that focus on

repairing Toyota car seat upholstery as well. Before making

this decision you should consider the amount of damage you

have as well as what your budget is.

Repair Kits

The other option you have for Toyota car seat upholstery is

at home repair kits. There are all kinds of upholstery

repair kits available online and in automotive stores.

These kits are best used for small nicks and holes in your

upholstery as they are not perfect, although some products

claim to be. You will need to evaluate your personal

situation before deciding to use a repair kit.

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Source by Charles Truett

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Before “hybrids” and “e-cars” were vogue, and when testosterone still flowed heavily through the veins of All American Men, there was a saying… “There’s no substitute for cubic inches.” Meaning, that the bigger the engine, the badder it was. Not only in terms of sheer horsepower, but more importantly in terms of raw, spinal-fracturing torque.

Bigger was better, in the days of old Detroit… Before the bailouts, before the bankruptcies, before the Unions and the “government” became co-owners, and before the “green” brigade began to dictate to the American People what they should or should not be driving.

Have you noticed that today, any old “pony” car is called a Muscle Car? Apparently, any old Mustang is a muscle car, so is any old Challenger, ‘Cuda, or anything else with decals and scoops from the late ’60s and early ’70s. It’s sort of like the “Woodstock” or the “Hendrix” enigma, where every person you meet, from that era, was actually at Woodstock and was actually purchasing and listening to Jimi Hendrix records. But the fact of it is, most people never made it to Woodstock and by some magical time-traveling event, The Osmonds and The Jackson Five became “Hendrix.”

For a car to be a “Muscle” car, it had to have gobs of torque and gobs of horsepower. An in-line six cylinder Mustang coupe from 1966 is about as far removed from a muscle car as you can get. To be a true muscle car, you need cubic inches. Your 426 Hemis, 428 and 429 Cobra Jets, 455s, 440s, Boss 429s, and your 427s. A 327 Chevy stuffed in a Chevelle is not a muscle car.

The baddest production engine of all time would be the Ford 427 S.O.H.C Hemi. Oh yes! Built by Ford to do battle with Chrysler’s 426 Hemi on the NASCAR tracks, the old “Cammer” as she is known, was so brutally-bad that the 426 Hemi couldn’t even come close. For that reason, and because Chrysler cried so much, ol’ Bill France and the NASCAR boys wouldn’t allow her to run on the NASCAR circuits, in the days when you could still, “Race on Sunday and Sell on Monday.” For, as I’m sure you are aware, those days in NASCAR are long gone… The “Car of Tomorrow” is a cookie cutter “car,” where the only differences between a Chevy and a Toyota, on the tracks of NASCAR, are the decals adorning the cars…

Anyway, the “Cammer,” holds the record for the “King of Horsepower from the Land of Gob.” In stock form, she’s got 800 horsepower, all from a naturally-aspirated engine, designed and built nearly fifty years ago. But if you still aren’t satisfied with her performance, stick on a blower and run some nitro through her and you’ll have 1,400 horsepower at your command… Jeepers, that’s a lot from a fifty-year old vintage piece of Detroit Iron.

Why was the Cammer such am incredible engine? Because it was huge with 427 cubic inches. Again, there is no substitute for cubic inches… And she was made even more lethal by adding single overhead camshafts to each cylinder bank. You had horsepower and torque that was endless and almost impossible to transfer it all to the tarmac.

Penis enlargement is a lot like those Muscle Cars with the Big Blocks under the hood. Cars with huge engines, with ferocious amounts of torque and horsepower, that couldn’t handle worth a damn, but could surely go like hell in a straight line. What better parallel to a penis can you find? Heck, all you need is lots of cubic inches (size volume) and straight line performance is all you truly need.

Turning your small-block penis from one of those in-line six cylinders into a fire-breathing seven-liter big block is easier than what most men think. You need to increase its stroke (penis length) and enlarge your bore (penis girth). This will give you all the extra cubes you need to get that Big Block Penis.

With penis exercising, increasing your stroke (length) is simply done using your hands to stretch out the ligaments which anchor the penis to the body. These exercises, when done properly, will increase your stroke for more gut-wrenching penis torque.

Boring out your small-block penis is done in the same method. The hands, again, are used to squeeze extra cubes into your penis by beefing up your block. By squeezing more blood into the penile caverns, we increase our penile bore (girth) and this give us more top-end penile horsepower.

What could be easier?

Georg von Neumann

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Source by Georg Von Neumann

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Ford introduces new Ecosport as its first global compact SUV in Brazil and later in Asian markets. Recently, Ford of Europe did the same designed for global market but announced it was his first Kuga compact sport utility vehicle. Both Ford Ecosport and Kuga offer passenger car-like comfort and SUV versatility that deliver superior fuel efficiency, class-leading safety and cutting edge technologies.

Ford of Europe announced that their “experts identified the varied and often conflicting tastes around the world to create an intercontinental call to the first compact SUV the company’s global.” This applies to both Ford models but Kuga is more comfort and technology inclined in most matured countries as opposed to Ecosport version which is a much simpler and cheaper SUV. So the EcoSport is intended for emerging and is unlikely in mature markets such as Europe, North Amercia and Asian countries where the Kuga will be sold.

The cheaper Ecosport is more welcomed in Brazil in view of the high taxes that slowdown in selling luxury SUVs. Kuga is badly hit as consumers are more likely in search of fuel efficient small SUV. However, in China Kuga is selling as good as Ecosport due to lower taxes. In fact Kuga attracted more attention than Ecosport and apparently selling more when the two compact SUVs were exposed, one beside the other, in the Hall of Beijing during the show.

To create an SUV cheaper and profitable to do in Brazil, Ford designed the EcoSport B on a platform, a compact hatchback with spare tire from the outside. This could save space with this approach but at the same time it also challenges most SUV manufacturers since most of them now no longer carry the spare tire from the outside.

As for the Kuga with more space than the Ecosport, comes with more technology. The features include Ecoboost engine which is more powerful and efficient. For Ecosport it has its minor benefit such as electric lock lid of the trunk, thrown into a hidden crevice of the right tail light. But for more advance technology designed for the Kuga, it has a system of automatic opening lid, triggered by the movement of the foot below the rear bumper. That shows the differences between development and underdevelopment.

However, the Kuga left panel of the interior looks like Ecosport, following the visual identity of the Ford world, known as kinetic design. Ford designed the EcoSport and Kuga as well as other models with the customers in mind in addition to fuel efficiency, world-class safety, powerful performance and practical versatility.

With different SUVs flooding the market each year with more advance technology what do you prefer for an SUV – luxury or affordable type?

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Source by James Ma

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You hear a lot of horror stories about the Freelander 1 – repeated head gasket failures; complete drive trains destroyed; engines blown up… – are they really THAT bad?

The first thing to realise is that not all Freelander 1’s are made equal. Within the Freelander 1 range there are four different engines:

– the DI diesel Freelander (produced from 1997 until 2000 with a 2.0 litre Rover L-Series engine);

– the 1.8 petrol Freelander (produced from 1997 until 2006 with a 1.8 litre Rover K-Series engine);

– the TD4 diesel Freelander (produced from 2001 until 2006 with a 2.0 litre BMW M47 engine);

– the V6 petrol Freelander (produced from 2001 until 2006 with a 2.5 litre Rover KV6 engine).

The drive train for all Freelander 1’s is based on an IRD unit at the front (the equivalent of a transfer box); a viscous coupling unit in the centre of the prop shaft and a rear differential, quite clearly at the rear. Apart from some minor differences, particularly with the V6 Freelander, this drive train is the same across the range of Freelander 1’s.

So what is it that causes so many problems with the Freelander 1’s? What is it everybody seems to be complaining about?

The common faults with the Freelander 1’s can be split into three categories:

– Drive train issues;

– Engine issues;

– Electrical issues.

The Freelander 1 is a brilliant 4×4, extremely capable off road – it will give any Defender a run for it’s money – with the massive benefit of being an incredibly comfortable vehicle; no bouncing up and down hitting your head on the roof in these! However, some owners experience massive failure of the drive train, followed by an equally massive hit to the bank account to put it right. Complete destruction of the IRD and / or the rear differential. Why? Is this a fault of the Freelander 1? No. There is absolutely no problem with the Freelander 1 drive train design; nor is there a weakness in the system which causes it to fail. All of these drive train issues are caused by a failure in communication. Yes, you read correctly, a failure in communication.

There are two common causes of the unfortunately all too common drive train issues. The first is the viscous coupling unit (VCU). This innocent looking unit actually has a life span, in our experience it is approximately 70,000 miles. Because it is a sealed unit it is very difficult to test if the VCU is due to be changed and the most reliable way of protecting your drive train is to bite the bullet and change it every 70,000 miles, just as you would a timing belt. The communication problem is that it has never been included in a service schedule, as the timing belt is, and hence many owners are not aware it needs to be changed. The result? It tightens up, puts strain on the drive train and destroys, generally the IRD unit. If this change was on a service schedule the Freelander itself would not be criticized for the resulting failures.

The second drive train issue is caused by mismatched tyres. There is only a 5mm tolerance in the rolling radius of the tyres and if mismatched tyres are driven on this can destroy the rear differential in as little as 5 miles. Although the Freelander hand book does specify that all four tyres should always be replaced together, unfortunately many tyre fitters are happy to replace just two at a time – even just one if you insist! Again not the fault of the Freelander, we need those that serve us to understand the catastrophic effect of creating a mismatch by only replacing one or two tyres.

So far our Freelander is innocent. The drive train problems are caused by a lack of communication.

So now we come to the engine problems. There are four different engines, so here you have to judge each Freelander individually.

The DI diesel Freelander, with its old style diesel engine and minimal sensors, is an absolute workhorse. If this was the only engine in the Freelander range we would be out of business! No common faults here. This Freelander is definitely innocent of all charges so far.

Now we get to the 1.8 petrol Freelander. Unfortunately we do believe this is the Freelander which caused all Freelander’s to be charged with being “THAT” bad! But is it really the fault of the Freelander? The Rover 1.8 K-series engine is a magnificent piece of engineering, used extensively in racing for its incredible lightness. It did, however, have an initial design fault. The cylinder head gasket was just too flimsy for the Freelander and the use of plastic dowels did not help. This has caused pretty much every 1.8 Freelander to blow the head gasket, usually by 70,000 miles. But a solution was soon found in the form of a modified multi layer steel head gasket with steel dowels; with this fitted properly all the problems go away. So why do some owners experience multiple head gasket failures? One reason is some garages have fitted another SINGLE layer head gasket when they have done the replacement – bound to blow again! The other reason is, once a head gasket has blown there are many parts of the system which can be affected, even more so if sealing liquids have been added to the coolant (the Freelander’s hate these sealing liquids); and if all these affected areas are not addressed and rectified then further problems with the cooling system can occur, which can ultimately lead to another head gasket failure. Just putting in a new head gasket is not a total fix once a head gasket has failed. In addition using blue or green coolant, rather than red, can erode the head gasket hence causing head gasket failure. The 1.8 Freelander is guilty as charged as it does have an inherent issue at manufacture; however repeated failures are not the fault of the Freelander.

The TD4 diesel Freelander is probably the most popular of the range. This is a much more complex engine than the L-series diesel, and hence, as with any modern vehicle, does tend to have a few more issues – many of which are caused by sensors! The low pressure fuel pump has a shorter life span than would be ideal, however we would generally say there is only one major problem these engines have, which is over and above what you would expect to see from any other engine, this is the problem of the engine being suffocated and eventually being completely destroyed. What causes this? It is caused by the failure to replace the crankcase breather filter when the Freelander is serviced. Now this breather filter is on the service schedule, so we cannot blame communication this time. We generally only see this problem when the Freelander has been serviced by a generalist garage. It is evident that some generalist garages do not realise this filter exists (it is tucked away at the rear of the engine) and fail to change it. Once again, the TD4 Freelander is innocent of all charges so far.

The final Freelander up on charge is the V6 petrol Freelander. This is the one with the power. A beast of an engine which really does need a specialist and specialist tooling to fix it. This one will put a smile on your face as you drive down the road, but will it get you where you want to go? As the name implies the V6 Freelander has a six cylinder V engine. The main issue with these engines is that the thermostat is in the centre of the V – where all the heat is – and is encased in a plastic housing. This means it can be prone to leaking. In itself, changing a thermostat is not such a big deal, however, if the owner does not notice the loss of coolant this can result in head gasket failure, which on this engine is a big job. So is the Freelander V6 guilty as charged? If you check your coolant level regularly it would not be a big deal, but we admit there is an inherent issue there.

On to the final category of common faults, the electrics. In this category are the sunroof, the electric windows and the central locking doors.

The sunroof does cause a problem on the Freelander with many owners finding closing it up, taking the fuse out and pretending they never had one being a lot less stressful. The problem, however, is caused by our winters and some servicing. If the sunroof is not greased at the services and is not opened and closed regularly, the result is that it rusts and seizes. Our beloved Freelander is innocent.

Sorry Freelander, we love you to bits, but when it comes to windows and doors you are GUILTY. Be prepared for the wires to snap on the window mechanisms hopefully leaving your window up rather than down. Be ready for one or more doors to refuse to unlock / lock when you press the central locking buttons and if you have never had any of these problems you are blessed.

Before delivering your sentence on the Freelander 1 remember that all vehicles have their foibles; you are never fully aware of them until you research or own one. In addition, if you read all the forums do remember people generally go to a forum because they have a problem, you will not find many owners without problems posting there. There are forums for every vehicle, all full of owners with problems.

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Source by Sue L Maddock

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Blue Sky is the intrinsic value of an automobile dealership, over and above the value of its tangible assets. It is sometimes equated to the goodwill of a car dealership.

Most articles regarding the blue sky value of new car dealerships cite a multiple of earnings formula, such as three times earnings, four times earnings, and so forth. The idea that “blue-sky” can be determined by anything times anything is just plain wrong.

Even NADA the National Automobile Dealers Association in its publication entitled “A Dealer Guide to Valuing an Automobile Dealership, NADA June 1995, Revised July 2000 bemuses, in part, with respect to valuing a dealership by using a multiple of earnings: A Rule of Thumb valuation is more properly referred to as a “greater fool theory.” “It is not valuation theory, however.”

In its Update 2004, NADA omitted its reference to “fool”, but referred to the multiple formula as rarely based upon sound economic or valuation theory, and went on to state: “If you are a seller and the rule of thumb produces a high value, then this is not a matter of great concern. Go for it, and maybe someone will be stupid enough to pay you a very high value.”

A dealership’s blue sky is based upon what a buyer thinks it can produce in net profit. If potential buyers think it cannot produce a profit, the store will not sell. If it can produce a profit, then variables such as desirability of location, the balance the brand will bring to other existing franchises owned, whether or not the factory will require facility upgrades, and so on and so forth, determine whether or not a buyer will buy that particular brand, in that particular location, at that particular time.

I have been consulting with dealers for nearly four decades and have participated in over 1,000 automotive transactions ranging from $100,000 to over $100,000,000 and have never seen the price of a dealership sale determined by any multiple of earnings unless and until all of the above factors have been considered and the buyer then decided he, she or it was willing to spend “x” times what the buyer thought the dealership would earn, in order to purchase the business opportunity.

To think otherwise would be to subscribe to the theories that (1) even though you think a dealership could make a million dollars, the store is worth zero blue sky because it made no money last year; and (2) if a store has been making $5 million per year you should pay say 3 times $5 million as blue sky even though you think you will not produce that kind of profit. Both propositions are absurd. If a buyer does not think a dealership is worth blue sky, then what he is really saying is that he sees no business opportunity in the purchase and therefore, in my opinion, he should not buy the store.

Each dealership is unique with respect to its potential, location, balance that its brand brings a dealer group, and condition of facility. The sale is also unique with respect to whether it is a forced liquidation, orderly liquidation, arms length, insider, or a case where an anxious buyer is trying to induce an unwilling seller. There are management factors to consider, length and term of leases, possibilities or non-possibilities of purchasing the facilities and whether or not the factory wants to relocate the store or to open a new store up the street.

In the car business it is impossible to pick a dealership or a franchise out of a hat, multiply its earnings by some mystical number and predict either what the dealership is worth, or what price it would sell for – and it doesn’t matter if you are talking about a Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, or any other dealership. At any given time one franchise might be considered more or less desirable than another, but they are all valued in the same manner.

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Source by John Pico J.D.

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Roof racks are a great way to carry the big, bulky items that take up too much room inside your vehicle. However, they are not designed to carry heavy weights, and if you do this you are likely to damage your vehicle and risk a serious accident. Most four wheel drives will only carry a maximum of 100kg on the roof racks. Some full length steel racks weigh around 50kg, and as a result your carrying capacity is drastically reduced. A few jerry cans and you are already looking at being over the limit. It is important to ensure that the total weight on your roof does not exceed what the manufacturer states as being the maximum.

Not all racks weigh 50kg; many don’t weigh more than 15kg. However, it does depend on the design and materials used. What is just as important as checking the maximum load your roof is designed to take, is looking at what your roof racks will carry. Some roof racks are only designed to carry 30kg each, and again these can easily be overloaded. Take note of what conditions the racks are designed to operate in as well. I have seen numerous roof racks that state ‘not for off-road’ use. If you get a set like this, put a few jerry cans up top and then travel on gravel, sand or other bumpy roads you risk damaging the racks, losing your load or damaging the roof of your vehicle.

Its all too common to see people either loading their roof racks up with more gear than what should be carried, or loading their roof’s up with more than what should be carried. Again, keep the heavy stuff inside your vehicle, and the big, bulky stuff on the racks. By doing this, you ensure that the centre of gravity is kept low, and this makes the car more stable. When you are four wheel driving, this is of extreme importance. Even when you are on the road it is much safer to have a lower centre of gravity.

The primary reason that roof racks are rated for different weights is their design and the material that is used. You will find that plastic racks generally won’t be able to carry as much as weight as steel or aluminum. Aluminum is lighter than steel, which is helpful if you want to carry heavier loads up top (again, I don’t recommend this!)

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Source by Aaron Schubert

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What is the science behind a water SUV conversion kit? Many people love to drive their large SUV. Driving a large sport utility vehicle gives the driver a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Unfortunately, with the current high global crude oil prices, fueling this large vehicle is getting very expensive. Due to its weight and its size, a SUV does consume a large amount of gasoline and can only get a low mileage. Are there any ways sport utility vehicle can reduce fuel cost? One suggestion is to use a water car conversion kit. This article will provide some information on the concept behind water car.

A car cannot use water as fuel because it is not combustible. Water is good for cleaning the windscreen and as a coolant for the radiator system. However, one of the component of water which is hydrogen gas (H2) is capable of acting as a supplement fuel to gasoline. H2 has a high burning rate and is much cleaner and efficient than fossil fuel.

Hydrogen gas can be extracted from water with an electrolysis process. By installing an electrolysis device on a SUV, H2 will be generated when electric current is passed through water. The next step is to release the H2 into the air intake system. From there, the hydrogen gas will be diverted into the engine combustion chambers. Due to the potency of H2, the gas mixture will burn at a higher rate and will generate a bigger engine power output. Theoretically, if a SUV is using the same amount of fuel but is receiving higher engine yield, it will travel further thus increasing its mileage and saving cost.

To implement a water SUV conversion kit is quite easy. Anyone with some basic car maintenance skill can do it. You can get the modification process started with a budget of about $150. Most of the components can be purchased from a hardware store. What you will need is a good step by step guide to assist you. With the present high gasoline cost, any idea that can reduce a SUV fuel consumption will be a blessing.

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Source by Will Yap