I Had No Idea! (Four Things You Didn't Know About Vehicles)
November 17, 2024
Bet you didn't know:
Some of the earliest rearview mirrors were marketed as "Cop Spotters" so drivers would know when police were following them. Who wants a ticket, anyway? According to eBay Motors, Elmer Berger first patented a rearview mirror that was mounted on the front fenders, on the spare tire secured to the side of the car of at the top of the driver's door frame.
About 80 percent of your vehicle is recyclable. So says The Balance. That means four-fifths of most vehicles can be recycled. Much of that recycling is done by automotive aftermarket recyclers. Between the U.S and Canada, they reclaim enough steel to produce 13 million new vehicles.
The man who invented the first modern cruise control couldn't even drive a car because he was blind! His name, says Smithsonian.com, was Ralph Teetor. Blinded at a young age by a knife accident, Teetor was inspired to create a speed control by a couple of things. One, the U.S. imposed a mandatory 35 mph/55 kph during World War II to conserve fuel and tire rubber, and Teetor wanted drivers to go a safe and steady speed. Plus, a chauffeur who drove him around used to randomly slow down and speed up which irritated Teetor. So he invented a speed control to encourage drivers to drive at a more constant and safer speed.
The first grooved tires were invented in 1904 by Continental. But that was a big improvement over the very first "tires" which were actually metal hoops that made riding in the first cars a pretty rough experience. The first rubber tires were solid rubber, not inflatable like today's tires. Things have come a long way. Modern tires are made with sophisticated rubber compounds that can deal with heat and cold. Plus their tread patterns help drivers get better traction on wet roads when it storms. Still, it's important to make sure yours have enough tread and are properly inflated for maximum safety and performance.
Quite frankly, there's a lot we don't understand about the vehicles we drive. They're much more complicated than the old horse and buggy that preceded them. Leave your vehicle's maintenance and service to highly trained technicians who DO understand how to maintain, diagnose and repair today's modern, sophisticated vehicles.
Top Tech Auto Repair Royal Oak
3110 Rochester Rd
Royal Oak, Michigan 48073
248-585-0980
http://www.toptechautorepairroyaloak.com
Need Service?
More articles from Top Tech Auto Repair Royal Oak

Getting from E to F (Fuel Gauge Problems)
April 27, 2025
Who thinks about their fuel gauge? You probably don't until it doesn't work any more. Then you have to guess how much fuel is in your tank, and that's no way to live life on the road. Fuel gauges, like every other part in your vehicle, can fail. And when yours stops working, you will probably... More

A Fluid Situation (Check Fluid Levels)
April 20, 2025
There's one fluid in your car you are always careful to keep at a certain level: the fuel. If you don't have fuel, you're not going anywhere. Your vehicle has other fluids which are vitally important to proper and safe operation, too. So, here's a "level" headed approach to those "other" fluids... More

STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT STEERING (Loose Steering)
April 13, 2025
Perhaps you've heard someone use the term "loose steering." And it's pretty much what it sounds like. You turn the steering wheel and the vehicle's wheels don't seem to go exactly where you thought you were pointing them. You have to constantly make steering adjustments. Loose steering is slop... More