When your check engine light illuminates, it is often the first sign of car trouble. There are various reasons why your car's check engine light could come on, from a loose gas cap or faulty chip to a blown head gasket or something much worse. But when it comes to your engine overheating, there are 5 probable causes behind the problem. And the signs are not hard to see.

One of the first signs of an overheating car engine is usually seeing the temperature gauge nearing or exceeding the maximum internal engine temperature level illustrated on the dial. But most often, you just see smoke coming from the hood! You might also smell burning oil or fuel, which is another sign of your car engine overheating. Continue reading to learn five likely reasons why your car engine is overheating.

Radiator Issues

There are two common radiator defects that can lead to a car engine overheating. First, you could have a bad radiator fan. This fan blows air over the radiator fins in order to help control the temperature of the coolant. If it comes loose, has broken shrouds, or spins freely when the engine is off, it cannot perform its intended duties, causing the coolant temperature to rise and overheat the engine. But if the fan is not the problem, it could just be a faulty radiator. Leaks, clogs, and broken lines can cause a radiator to malfunction, and subsequently, cause a car engine to overheat.

Cooling System Issues

A vehicle's cooling system lines can get blocked or clogged with rust, dirt, or sediment. This inhibits the cooling system from being able to do its job, thus causing the engine overheat. This is why regular fluid flushed and replacements are imperative. Another common cause of an overheating car engine in terms of a vehicle's cooling system leaks. Leaks in the cooling system are a frequent cause for overheating car engines. Also, if you use the wrong concentration of coolant, it can have the same effect. Be sure to get an even water-to-coolant ratio.

Thermostat Issues

A bad thermostat is another common reason for overheated car engines. It is a heat-sensitive valve that opens and shuts in accordance with engine temperature. If something goes wrong and the thermostat gets stuck in the closed position, the car engine's temperature will skyrocket.

Water Pump Issues

The water pump is colloquially known as the "heart" of the vehicle since it pumps coolant much like a heart pumps blood. But a vehicle's water pump pressurizes and propels coolant through the cooling system, so it plays a major role in a car's temperature control. If something goes wrong, the coolant can't make it to the engine, and the engine gets too hot.

Belt and Hose Issues

Broken and loose belts, as well as, worn or burst hoses, are common causes for overheating car engines. Belts turn the water pump, which is essential for the cooling system and more. If they stop working, so does the cooling system. A faulty hose means leaks, which means a lack of coolant. This also causes a car to overheat.

One of the most important checks you should carry out when buying your tokunbo or some Nigerian used cars is a VIN check. The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a 17 character alpha-numeric code that is unique for each vehicle.. and it can be used to check the entire history record that has been reported on each car.

Some of the information you can get through VIN checks are:

1. To check if the car has been involved in an accident

2. To check nature and extent of any accident that may have occured

3. To check if it is a flooded car

4. To ascertain the last reported mileage and determine if the odometer has been rolled back

5. To know if the car has been recalled and the type of recall

6. It shows the number of owners. I am sure you won't want to buy a 2010 car that has been used by 10 people.

7. It would be nice to know if the airbags of the car you are buying ever deployed especially if the deployed just before exporting it to Nigeria.

8. The VIN tells the type of title document the car had before export. If it had a clean title, salvage title, rebuilt title, parts only title (dismantled title), non-repairable title etc.

9. Are you buying a car that was stolen before export! The VIN report can help you clarify.

10. It tells the location the car was used. Whether USA, Canada, European countries etc.. as well as the state or province.

11. It tells you the year of purchase and if it was used as a personal or business vehicle.

12. It gives the service history of the car e.g oil change, tyre replacement, brake check etc..

Note: The importance of VIN checks cannot be overemphasized but to not rely solely on it as some VINs may have been altered and some records may have been omitted or not reported.

Ferrari can be pretty anal when it comes to modifying its cars or even using its badges on a vehicle other than its own. Now the Italian supercar-maker is threatening to take legal actions against the British owner of the world’s fastest limousine, a modified 360 Modena that can go up a top speed of 166mph – 267 km/h. According to reports, Dan Cawley, 36, of Cheadle, Manchester, has 14 days to remove all prancing horse badges, Ferrari names and “360 Modena” symbols from the 6m (20ft) supercar-limo.

“What kind of precedent does it set when you can’t do what you like with your own property?” asked Mr Cawley. Ferrari’s lawyers support that since Mr Cawley cut the 360 Modena in half and inserted a 3m (9.5ft) section of hand-built carbon fibre, the car is no longer a Ferrari, so he has to remove the badges and logos or else he’ll face legal action for infringing the Ferrari trademark.

http://carfreaksng.com/2017/08/10/ferrari-threatens-take-legal-actions-360-modena-limo-owner/

The 2018 Audi A8 represents the future of luxury.

It is larger than the outgoing model, comes in 12 exterior colours, a new Single-frame grille, with HD Matrix LED high-beam headlamps aka lasers, the car isn’t extremely futuristic.

Compared to the current A8, the interior has a new virtual cockpit that displays important vehicle information in full HD resolution of 1,920 x 720 pixels, 10.5-inch centre infotainment screen. Virtually everything in the car relies more on the touch-screen and voice commands to access various functions.

The New A8 also has an autopilot system which uses laser scanners, radar and other sensors to get the mapping of the surroundings, this helps to relieve the driver, especially during traffic. The autopilot can also park perfectly even when the driver is not around, but the process can still be monitored by the driver with his smartphone which must have been used to activate the autopilot system earlier.

Other features include; 41 different driver assistance systems, 3D audio sound systems, cameras and sensors, connected smart phones, temperature control systems as well as a foot rest at the back-seats that have foot massaging functions. Talk about luxury.

In the mechanical aspect, the eight speed tip-tronic four-wheel- drive Audi A8 comes with a pair of turbocharged V6 engine which have a 3.0-litre TFSI petrol mill that gives 340 horsepower, and a 3.0-liter TDI diesel with 286 horsepower. Audi promises 4.0-litre V8 engines for both gasoline and diesel power, W12 model and e-tron plug-in hybrid in its future models.

The most interesting feature of the Audi, is its smooth ride like that of a Sedan but still maintains its sports car agility. This was possible due to the new AI active suspension, that consists of an electric motor and numerous other components for each wheel, allowing the system to adjust suspension load independently.

The new 2018 Audi A8 will launch between September and December in Germany, with starting price that range from N37.8m ($103,000 ) to N39.3m($107,000) compared to the current A8‘s price of N30.3m($82,500).

See more photos below;