Time to take your car in for service? Before you call to make an appointment, check out this super useful tool we have on Edmunds.com. I was recently reminded of its existence in the Tips & Advice section after one of our editors posted about taking our long-term Hyundai Veracruz in for service this week. I wish I had known of its existence before I took my car to the dealer the last time (which was before I worked here).

It’s a great resource for estimating how much a visit to your dealership’s service department should cost you. You get a customized estimate for your vehicle’s exact year, make, model, trim level, engine and transmission, mileage and zip code. No generic country-wide figures here! Plus you can see info about any recalls and technical service bulletins that have been issued for your car. And we’ve got information for cars as far back as 1990.

So fear not the hidden, confusing fees! Go forth to yonder service desk, armed with a realistic idea of what that 15,000 mile service should really cost you, thanks to our handy little tool.

NHTSA's done a lot of good work under Chief Nicole Nason, about whom we wrote only weeks ago. Here's another new annoucement  that The Driving Woman is applauding: At NHTSA's consumer site, Safercar.gov,  you now can signup for automatic e-mail alerts if the government recalls tires or child safety seats.

This is great news, because so many people miss these recall notices. (More than a few lives would have been saved a few years back if everyone riding on Firestone tires had known about the recall.) According to Consumer Reports, the agency plans to extend the automatic e-mail notification service to passenger-car recalls in the future.

Lest you be concerned about too much spam, there are only about 20 tire recalls and 8 car seat recalls per year, so it's not overwhelming. And you can get the notification via email or RSS feed. So if you don't already know, determine what kind of tires you have and go sign up! 

There’s a new line of tire-storage products that may help to ease the anxiety of compulsive garage organizers––you know who you are.

Tire totes make it easy to carry winter tires to their storage place.


 
The Tire Garage lets you store winter tires outside.



Wheel felts protect those expensive rims.

These products, designed by Motivation Design, located in Salisbury, MA, are the same folks who designed the Kurgo dog restraint system for cars.  They are sold through catalogues or on websites by outfits like Herrington’s, Classic Motoring Accessories, and Tire Rack.  Some tire manufacturers, like Michelin, also sell them in dealerships.

For the garage obsessed, I can’t think of anything more appealing––after every nut and bolt has been put in a labeled drawer––than Motivation Design’s Tire Totes. As spring approaches and you take off the snow tires, slip tire cozies onto those expensive tires, seal with Velcro and use the handle to carry them to their appointed place.

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A sixty-pound dog, unrestrained in a vehicle traveling at 30 mph, can cause an impact of 1,200 pounds.  That’s enough to hurt another passenger in the vehicle or send Fido right through the windshield.  Now, imagine how it could distract a driver who is trying to control the vehicle in an emergency.

That was the message from state troopers, who joined Volvo Cars North America and Bark-BuckleUp at the Chicago Auto Show to promote pet travel safety.  But troopers made it clear that there is another important reason for Fido to buckle up.  When emergency workers have to open the vehicle after an accident, sometimes the pet will prevent access. And if emergency workers do get the vehicle open, the pet is in danger of jumping out into oncoming traffic.

"Volvo believes this campaign to educate and inform consumers as to what happens after an accident will save lives." said Daniel Johnston, Product Communications, Volvo Cars of North America. “We all understand that unrestrained pets can be problematic; talking to emergency workers points up how dangerous it can be after the accident occurs.  Volvo’s relationship is one of helping BarkBuckle Up get their message to people."

Bark-BuckleUp is an organization co-founded by Christine Selter, which is launching an international campaign about pet travel safety. “It’s like Myspace for pet owners,” says Selter.  “Our group grew a lot during the pet food recall.  We conduct focus groups and tests on different pet safety products and link to them on our website. Pet owners can read stories and get more pet safety information on BarkBuckleUP.com and our other pet owner website PawYard.com.”

For more about how to keep your best friend safe, see our Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Dogs.

Over at the Green Car Advisor, Mac Demere has given us a pros-and-cons look at biodiesel that's worth reading. He makes using biodiesel sound a bit daunting, and advises against using used restaurant oil as a fuel generally. But I know another Edmunds contributor, Dave Chameides, happily runs his VW -- for free -- on waste vegetable oil. Dave converted his wife's car, too, and now the family of four is running petroleum free -- in car-happy Los Angleles, no less. What a concept!

We'll be adding some new stories on biodiesel on the Edmunds Green Car Guide soon, as well. But if you want to keep up with everything green on a daily basis, including the new Ford "Ecoboost" direct injection technology, Caddy's E-flex hydrogen small SUV concept, and the latest on CAFE and fuel economy regulation, lithium ion battery developments, hybrids and so on, keep your eyes on the Green Car Advisor. It covers a world where technological development is progressing faster than you can say, "Fill 'er up!"

Honda Odyssey Ranked Best in Bumper Tests

Bottom line. It costs a lot to repair a bumper on a minivan. We’re talking a range of $5,000 to $8,000. And that’s for driving at low speeds.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just released the results of low-speed bumper tests for six 2008 minivan models. The tests, conducted at 3 and 6 mph, measure how well vehicle bumpers protect a vehicle from costly damage in typical fender benders (such as commuter traffic or parking lots). 
 
The star of the test was the Honda Odyssey with a total damage cost of  $5258. The worst performer was the Nissan Quest with more than $3,500 damage in one 6 mph rear impact test and more than $8,000 in all four tests combined.

The upshot was that the Honda Odyssey tested best followed by Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Sienna, Chevrolet Uplander, Kia Sedona and Nissan Quest.

The good news? The minivans as a group, performed slightly better than cars. The reason is a no- brainer. Their bumper bars are mounted higher. 

Until I got into the car biz, I thought about tires as a necessary accessory that needed to be changed, rotated or put out to pasture. A decade later I'm thinking differently. Last  week I went to the jungles of Bahia, Brazil to see how Michelin's rubber trees are individually scraped for their sap and visited the plant where rubber is condensed into blocks to be shipped to Michelin’s plants in South Carolina.  What truly astounded me was that it takes ONE YEAR for a rubber tree to create 5 kilos of the white sap, which equals enough rubber for a tire of a small car!  Tires have taken on a whole new meaning for me.

In the course of a conversation with Lynn Mann, the spokesperson for Michelin, North America, she told me about the Tweel, the airless tire that is less than a couple of years from market for front loaders like Caterpillars and ten years away for passenger cars.

So, what's a Tweel?  A combined tire and wheel that could never go flat because it contains no air. Michelin describes the Tweel as a single non-pneumatic solution (airless) instead of the traditional tire and wheel combination, made up of a rubber tread bonded to the hub by flexible spokes. The flexible spokes are fused with a deformable wheel that absorbs shocks and rebounds. (Check out the pictures—they tell the best story!)

"The cool thing is the Tweel is maintenance free. It's a single unit you can literally buy off the shelf and bolt it on,” Lynn explained.
 
Besides the fact that puncture isn't even in the cards, Michelin claims that the tread will last two to three times as long as radial tires. Plus, when it starts to show wear it can be retreaded. For instance, you could resurface with a summer compound during the hot months and a winter compound, during the cold months. If you factor in less material (for manufacturers that could eliminate many of the 23 components that go into a new tire) and installation fees, that makes the Tweel a very eco-conscious product. The cost…to be determined.

Running on empty just took on a whole new meaning.

Hey readers! Want to give your Dad a gift for Father’s Day that will appeal to his inner car guy? It’s very easy to be creative when it comes to cars. And you can go from practical to more exotic.

Starting with useful, tirerack.com offers four gifts that he won’t say no to.



Gas-guzzlers Delight: The Accutire Air10 Gauge with built-in LED flashlight. It can be set to vehicle specifications to help keep tires at their most fuel-efficient.
 
Repairs Done Easy: ContiComfort Kit automatic tire repair tool seals up tire wounds so you can make it to the repair shop or even your next appointment.

The Tool Kit: The Emergency Repair Tool Kit comes with air compressor, jumper cables and first aid --- everything you’ll need in case of a breakdown.
 
Trendy Storage: For that extra set of Winter (or racing) tires, tirerack.com carries the Seasonal Tire Tote, a trendy looking cover-up for storing tires.

Ok, ready to go big?

Tom duPont, Publisher of the duPont REGISTRY A Buyers Gallery of Fine Automobiles,” a magazine that caters to those who go beyond just wealthy” has some ideas that should appeal to Dad’s wild side.

The Car of His Dreams: Help Dad relive his glory days by getting him the vintage car he’s always dreamed of owning. Consider the 1965 Mustang or the 1967 Corvette.

Mini Wheels: if your Dad spends more time working than driving bring his love of automobiles to the office with a model of the 1968 Lamborghini Miura S or the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB.

Unleash His Inner Andretti: Give your Dad a real thrill with a course at a program like Panoz Racing School.

Time Flies: Buy him a hip car watch. Check out he TAG Heuer Carrera, Breitling for Bentley or the HUMMER TechnoMarine.

Go Gear: Many of the coolest car companies carry their own line of clothing. Choose from Ducati, BMW, HUMMER, Jaguar, Ferrari and more.    

Rent Happiness: If Dad’s dream car is priced a little high you can always rent for the day.  Companies including 702 Car Rentals carry Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and Maseratis that are available for the day.

The Men’s Luxury Toy Expo & Auction in Phoenix: This three-day event in in July that features a Judged Auto Show, a Men’s Luxury Auto Club Gallery and a Cigar Lounge.

Two-Wheel Fantasy: From New York to Asia, tour companies offer motorcycle-driving experiences that include cruising in remote destinations to riding back roads in South Africa.

And, if none of the above appeals to your fancy, why not do the tried and true? Take you Dad’s car to the spa for a wash and a detailing.

If you're the owner of a 1997-2001 Toyota with either a 2.4-liter four-cylinder or 3.0-liter V6 engine, listen up: Autoblog reported last week that Toyota will be extending powertrain warranty coverage to a full 8 years on certain models fitting this description. It's part of a settlement of a class action lawsuit filed by Toyota owners who needed engine replacements due to the buildup of oil sludge or gel in their cars' engines.

Up until now, Toyota had offered only a Customer Support Program for owners who experienced "gelling" -- whereby the company would examine cars on a case-by-case basis and decide whether to cover the cost of engine replacement. If it was determined that the sludge was the result of owner negligence (not getting the oil changed frequently enough), the owner had to foot the bill. Under this new warranty extension, Toyota will reportedly reimburse owners of affected cars for all costs, no questions asked. The only way to know if you qualify is to wait for a notice in the mail (or ask your Toyota dealer to run your car's VIN).

Toyota is not the only manufacturer that has struggled with the oil sludge issue -- various VWs, Saabs and Chryslers built during this time period were susceptible as well. The exact cause has never been fully spelled out that I'm aware, although in Toyota's case, it's generally thought that these were higher-efficiency engines that couldn't tolerate anything other than by-the-book oil changes.