We’re not lawyers, so do your own research before deciding anything. Disclaimer done, here’s what you need to know about mobile phone usage in your vehicle.

The legalese is as follows – holding a mobile communication device and operating any of its communicative functions while underway on the road or any other public place is an offence.

The penalty? A fine of up to $1,000, or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.

In other words, the driver has to be performing ALL of the following:

1. Holding a mobile phone
2. The vehicle is being driven, as opposed to standing still
3. The driver is using any function of the mobile phone.

Then, and only then, has an offence considered to have been committed.

So here’s the rub.

Let’s say you’re just holding your mobile phone while driving, but it’s turned off. That doesn’t meet the three criteria above… UNTIL a message, call, notification, etc. wakes up the screen, in which case it is considered an offence.

Bottom line – put the phone away while driving. As long as it’s out of your hands, you are fine.

Can I hold and use my phone at a red light?

Since the car is not underway, it doesn’t meet all three criteria above. The problem with this is becoming distracted by the phone.

How many times have we encountered the lights turning green, only to have some numbskull still sitting stationary at the lights for an extended period?

What about if I use my phone while it’s in a holder?

Again, the problem here is the distraction the phone creates. Although using a phone while it’s in a holder does not meet the three criteria listed above, one can still be nailed for driving without due care or reasonable consideration if the cops deem it necessary.

Worse still, if an accident arising from distracted driving results in injury or even death, then expect the charge to be much more severe.

But… but… but… I need to use my phone!

Pull over and park at the nearest carpark. Here you can use your phone to your heart’s content.

Look, we all have busy lives to run, but be considerate and don’t ruin anyone’s life, including yours. No point crying over spilt milk when something untoward happens.

Handsfree Driving

The advent of in-car connectivity means hands-free driving is now even more simple and easy to use. We’re talking Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Not only do they play your music or podcasts over the car’s stereo, but they can also manage incoming calls and texts, reading the latter out loud if so chosen.

Certain functionalities such as receiving and ending a call, and adjusting volume can be done via steering wheel-mounted buttons and rockers. This allows one to keep both hands on the wheel more of the time.

If you have an older vehicle, consider fitting an aftermarket head unit that features Apple CarPlay and/or Android Auto.

Again, as with any mobile device usage on the move, distraction is the major concern. Don’t become too engrossed with what’s on-screen while using these iOS and Android apps. In fact…

Customise to minimize

…did you know that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can both be customised? Here’s how.

Enter Apple CarPlay, and tap on your vehicle under My Cars. Then tap Customise, and tap on the red ‘dash’ icon next to each app that you wish to exclude.

The steps are similar for Android Auto. Launch it on your phone, tap “Customise launcher” and uncheck the apps you wish to exclude.

The first apps to exclude would be instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. These are the largest sources of distraction while driving, and excluding these apps means you won’t even be notified by them while connected to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

This would help one keep their attention on the road more of the time. Messages can be read and replied to after you’ve done your driving.

The bottom line is that using a mobile phone in a vehicle can be very distracting. Leave mobile phone usage until after the journey is completed.

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!

It’s a rite of passage every petrolhead goes through, and it probably starts with “I heard about this tip back then about…”.

With petrol prices ever increasing, plus the onslaught of inflation and global conflicts, car owners worldwide are always looking for ways to help increase the fuel efficiency of their cars, in a bid to return to petrol stations with less of an empty wallet.

While there are certain truths being passed around when it comes to saving fuel, there are also several “myths” that you can dismiss as being true. Conveniently, the AutoApp team has broken down some of these for you.

Myth 1: Keep your car idling, it saves more petrol than restarting it

Picture this. You’re early to your kid’s tuition class, and you are waiting in the car park. Instead of shutting down the car, you keep it running, thinking that while idling you are saving fuel.

Sorry to burst your bubble pal, but leaving your engine running while your car is idle actually uses up more petrol than it is required to restart it. A study conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund, a non-profit organisation based in the United States, you should turn off your car’s ignition if you’re waiting for more than 10 seconds.

While idling, you consume roughly between 1/3 and 1/2 of a litre of fuel, depending on your vehicle. Plus, modern vehicles with direct fuel injection and electronic ignitions start more easily and suffer less wear and tear in the process.

Plus, idling in enclosed spaces is illegal anyway, so next time it’s a good practice to switch your vehicle off.

Myth 2: Coasting in Neutral helps save petrol

While yes, it is true that when you place your car in neutral, the engine starts to idle and consumes a small amount of petrol. But, you may not know that as you start slowing down, the engine begins to work harder to prevent the vehicle from stalling.

This is because the wheels are not turning the engine, so the engine has to inject fuel into the combustion chambers in order to maintain idle RPM.

Therefore, with modern automatics that are designed to be as efficient as possible, keeping your car in Drive will save you more petrol.

MYTH 3: Air-conditioning vs winding down windows

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of rolling down your windows on a cool day and feeling the cool breeze on the open road. It does feel good, and you would think that it is an effective method in saving fuel too, as you may not need to use your air-conditioning.

But, when your vehicle’s windows are down, you allow air to flow into the vehicle instead of where it would traditionally flow over, thereby inducing more drag. Like mini parachutes, these small pockets of air can produce enough drag that inadvertently affects your vehicle’s overall drag coefficient.

For best fuel efficiency, you would need to keep the windows up and turn off your air-conditioning. This is pretty extreme though, and we do not recommend it, especially in our hot and humid climate.

Thus, our suggestion would be to turn on your air-conditioning, but keep the temperature and fan speed to respectable levels. This will enable you to be efficient, and save fuel in the process! Don’t blast, or your fuel will go fast.

MYTH 4: Cruise control can help to save petrol

This is true to a certain extent. While cruise control might be effective on flat roads when your vehicle maintains a constant speed, rapid and sudden acceleration on steeper terrain may burn out a lot of fuel.

Since the vehicle is given a speed to maintain, its internal computers will try their best to keep up, even if it means revving the engine to death.

If you’re planning to use cruise control whilst driving, be cautious and anticipate any upcoming incline. Before cruise control can intervene, you can try applying slight pressure to the accelerator pedal slowly and as needed. This allows you to maintain speed without sudden engine revs induced by the cruise control system.

MYTH 5: The smaller the car, the more frugal it is

If you were to look at cars purely by body size, one popular belief is that smaller cars get better fuel efficiency numbers due to their lighter builds.

However, with technology improving by leaps and bounds over the recent decades, a car’s efficiency is now determined by various other factors such as under-the-hood performance, materials, and body aerodynamics, not just its size.

Our advice is to get a vehicle that fits your needs. A large SUV sounds excellent on paper, but it doesn’t really make sense when you’re driving it alone all the time with no one else to ferry around.

MYTH 6: Petrol consumption increases as a car gets older

Wear and tear is perfectly normal on a vehicle, especially if it’s of an older age. However, as long as your car is well maintained, fuel consumption over time should remain the same, or at the very least, increase ever so slightly.

Regular maintenance will keep your engine running at peak efficiency, so don’t worry about getting about an older car!

Catch the latest news right here on AutoApp!

Fuel prices are on a sickeningly upward trend. At the time of this article, RON95 petrol costs at least $2.71 per litre after discount, while RON98 is selling for an eye-watering $3.19 for a litre of the flammable stuff! While it may be tempting to contemplate switching to a hybrid or even Electric Vehicle (EV), the current state of COE is likely to put many existing car owners off such thoughts to begin with. So here are five ways that you can improve the fuel economy of your car without forking out an additional dime.

1. Boot the junk in the trunk

As motoring journalists, we’ve lost count of how many cars we’ve seen carting around excessive ‘shtuff’ which didn’t need to be there. This author vividly recalls a scene years ago when one of his friends, who was driving her family’s Nissan Sunny, opened the boot to look for a set of jumper cables, only to be met by overflowing junk that was just shoved tightly in there.

Every additional kilogramme in the car causes more fuel to be burned. Leave the unnecessary bits and bobs at home and watch as fuel economy improves. However, if your car has a spare tyre, we recommend leaving it in the car since a flat tyre without replacement can quickly ruin one’s day.

2. Tank half-filled

In the same way that excess ‘shtuff’ causes excess petrol to be expended. More fuel in the tank weighs a car down more, which also leads to higher fuel consumption. The temptation to brim the tank at every fuel stop is great — this author knows it all too well. However, filling the petrol tank halfway means less weight to drag around. While requiring more fuel stops, this simple trick would undoubtedly improve fuel economy.

However, do not let the fuel level in the tank run too low. Topping up immediately once the low-fuel light on the gauge comes on is fine in most cases, but not too long thereafter and preferably before. This is because fuel pumps use petrol to keep themselves cool, and running the tank too low can lead to a hotter pump that may fail earlier in the long run.

3. Properly inflated tyres

Under-inflated tyres cause more drag with the road and rob precious fuel from the petrol tank because the engine needs to work harder to accelerate and maintain speed. The simple act-turned-habit of weekly tyre pressure checks and inflation to the car manufacturer’s recommended specifications has a pretty significant impact on fuel economy. Try to check and adjust tyre pressures when the tyres are ‘cold’, meaning within 2km of a cold start first thing in the morning. This is also where a portable rechargeable tyre inflator can come in handy to check and adjust cold pressures after a car’s been parked overnight before setting off.

While properly inflated tyres positively impact fuel economy, the urge to follow hyper-milers to over-inflate tyres must be avoided. Not only does the risk of tyre blowout increase, but this can also lead to reduced steering control, as well as additional uneven wear on the centre of the tyres, requiring more frequent tyre changes — not a financially prudent move.

4. Improve aerodynamics

We’re not referring to bodykits here. Aircon turned off with windows down at lower street-speeds to improve fuel economy is fine, but wind the windows up fully and turn on the aircon when out on the highway. Leaving windows down at highway speeds induces turbulence, which then causes more drag on the vehicle. Presenting a more streamlined shape to the air at speed with windows up drastically reduces this effect.

Same goes for other adornments such as roof racks and boot-mounted wings. While daily-driving and especially at highway speeds, these can induce more turbulence and therefore reduce fuel economy. Remove them where possible, unless and until they’re needed such as for a weekend’s wilderness-getaway or track-day respectively, and then and only then have them re-installed.

5. Drive more smoothly

The best way to improve fuel economy is to drive more smoothly. We don’t mean plodding along and holding up traffic — in fact, extended driving at speeds below 50km/h uses more fuel. Rather, gradually accelerate to match traffic speeds on the street, and keep to the speed limit on highways. Avoid sharp acceleration and sudden, jerky bouts of braking.

While on the move, anticipate traffic ahead. The less the brakes are used, the better for fuel economy. In the same way gradual acceleration saves fuel, gradual deceleration also does the same when acceleration will likely be needed again such as on the highway following traffic.

Use the expressways as much as possible. Start-stop traffic on the streets inevitably causes more fuel to be consumed due to frequent rounds of acceleration and deceleration, as opposed to the expressway where cruising speeds can be maintained for longer. While cruising at a steady state and right around speed limits, the engine uses minimal fuel to keep the vehicle moving along, as compared to acceleration where more fuel is sprayed into the engine to achieve increase in speed.

Even better is coasting in gear. This causes the fuel injectors to turn off completely and you won’t be using a drop of petrol. Some drivers might be tempted to slip their automatic gearboxes into N (Neutral) and coast even further. That’s actually a more advanced technique that only works if you know what you’re doing and it’s frankly too long and potentially contentious to explain here. For the most part, avoid doing this and just leave the gear selector in D while you’re coasting.

Try these five tips and you may be surprised how much further you can actually go on the same tankful of petrol.

Looking for car reviews? Read them here!

Alright, so you’ve taken all the steps we suggested in our previous wet weather driving article and are now as prepared as ever for a sodden journey. But as we’re all too familiar with in Singapore, sometimes the rain can be so intense that the drains are overwhelmed with water, and thus flash floods can pop up in an instant.  

So what’s a driver to do when the road ahead looks more like they need a boat than a car? Here are our pro tips:

Avoid it if you can

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and that holds true here as well. The best way to keep your car from being damaged by floodwaters is to not drive through them at all!

Not only do you run the risk of your engine cutting out, but even if you make it out the other side, driving through deep water can have lasting effects, like corrosion on the mechanicals or underneath the body; contaminated fluids; intermittent electronic issues if the wiring gets wet; or a damp and musty interior if water gets in. 

Thankfully, unlike other countries where flash floods can occur because of an overflowing river, in Singapore the underlying causes are almost always an inundated drainage system, so there are rarely any serious safety risks to floods here (fun fact, 15cm of moving water is enough to sweep a person off their feet; just 30cm is enough to move an entire car).

Listen out for traffic updates on your car radio, monitor the traffic situation on Google Maps or Waze, and check the NEA’s myENV app or PUB’s new Telegram channel for up-to-date flood warnings. Armed with such information, hopefully you’ll be able to alter your routes or modify your plans to avoid going into flood zones entirely. Much better to be stuck in traffic than stuck in water!

If you’re already in an area where the waters start rising though, or going through a flood is otherwise unavoidable, these are some things you need to note.

Know your car well

Being familiar with the ins and outs of your car has many benefits in general, not just when dealing with floods. But in this particular situation, it’s especially crucial to know where your air intake is, because that’s the easiest way for water to get into your engine. And once that happens, it’s game over. 

Pop the bonnet and have a look at where the intake tract originates – in most modern cars, it’ll be a plastic duct attached to the radiator grille, leading to a large black box (which houses the engine air filter), and then into the engine itself. But in some cases, that intake duct might route to the lower portion of the bumper.

Analyse the conditions

Armed with that knowledge, you can then make a better assessment of the situations you can and can’t attempt. Try your best to estimate the depth of the flooded area based on the road furniture or the cars around you. 

As long as the water doesn’t rise up above kerb height, or halfway up a car’s wheels or up to its sills, then it’ll generally be ok to attempt driving through. But if you can’t see the road surface or lane markings through the water, that’s usually a good indicator not to try. As a general rule, if you have any doubt at all, then it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Driving through the flood

If you’ve assessed that the water levels are low enough to make an attempt, try to stay in the middle of the road. Roads are usually crowned, which means that the middle is slightly higher than the sides where the kerbs are, to facilitate water drainage. Unless the road is undulating, the crown is where the water level will be at its shallowest.

Unless your car has a snorkel and looks like either of these…

… don’t even think about charging through the water full speed ahead. In addition to the obvious, which is water splashing too high, getting into your engine and knocking it out, you might also do physical damage to your car. Water may be a liquid, but it actually behaves momentarily like a solid if enough force is involved, and too much speed can easily break plastic clips or dislodge body panels.

Instead, select a low gear (1st in a manual transmission; “L” or “S” in an automatic/DCT/CVT, or 1st as well if it has a manual selection function), enter the water at a moderate speed, and “push” it aside with the nose of your car. Wait till a bow wave has formed in front and stay just behind it. The height of the water immediately behind the wave is slightly lower, which will improve your chances of making it through. 

Do not get greedy with the accelerator and overtake the wave, as the water level will probably build up above your intake. Yet, it’s also important to keep your momentum up, so don’t completely get off the throttle until you’re out of the water up, even if the wheels are spinning. 

This video of Rufford Ford in Nottinghanshire, England, shows textbook examples of what you should and shouldn’t do:

Despite driving an SUV from the best off-road vehicle manufacturer in the world, the driver of the red Range Rover Velar at the start of the video still gets defeated by the water, especially with so much of it splashing over his bonnet. Contrast that to the white VW Scirocco driver at 3:03, who slows slightly after entering the crossing, always ensuring he can see the bow wave in front of, and makes it out despite driving a fairly low car.

If you survived the watery onslaught, congrats! Just make sure you do a couple of hard stops at low speed to dry the brake discs and pads. You don’t want wet brakes to prevent you from stopping at higher speeds.

Worst case scenario

If you got it all wrong and your car did die, don’t panic. Your best solution is to turn on your hazard lights, sit inside or get out and seek shelter (depending on the situation), and wait for help to arrive. 

Whatever you do, don’t try to restart the engine. Unlike the air/fuel mixture that gets sprayed into your cylinders, water doesn’t compress, so when the engine turns over and tries to force the pistons up during its compression stroke, it’ll simply stop in its tracks at best, or at worst, bend or break something within the bowels of your engine, like a connecting rod. 

If the engine stopped purely because of water entering the cylinders, it can still be flushed out with minimal long-term effects. But if attempting to fire up the engine caused something else to break, you’re looking at replacing your entire motor.

AutoApp can prepare your car for the year-end monsoon with our wet-weather packages. Download the app here or in case of any emergency, contact our hotline at 91 028 028 and we’ll be happy to advise accordingly.

Have you been honked at for no apparent reason at all? Or tried to change lanes to make that left turn but no one would let you into their lane?

We’ve all been on the receiving end of another road user who has inadvertently ruined our drive or upset us, even if only momentarily. Chances are, either you’ve been a victim of someone’s bad driving habits, or you yourself are annoying another road user with habits of your own.

Since there is no requirement for recertification after you’ve passed your driving test, bad habits can creep in over time. Here are 10 such practices that should be avoided:

• Road hogging
• Failing to give way
• Not ‘zippering’ when merging
• Not obeying STOP signs
• Wrong use of hazard lights
• Wrong use of fog lights
• Not signalling
• Unnecessary braking
• Tailgating
• Impatient honking

Road hogging

The problem

This usually happens when you’re blocked by a slower vehicle in the right-most lane, otherwise known as the passing lane for obvious reasons. Yet, some motorists feel like they are in their God-given right to remain in this lane just because they are driving at the speed limit. Worse still, some stay in this lane permanently below the stipulated limit.

This causes some drivers to pass on the left (for international readers, vehicles in Singapore drive on the left-hand side of the road) or undertake as it were, which is inherently more dangerous.

Best practice

Firstly, make it a habit to use the passing lane sparingly. It should only be used when you need to go past another vehicle. Next, check your rear view mirrors frequently. If you see a faster vehicle closing in, move to the lane on the left and let that vehicle pass. Don’t take it upon yourself to ‘enforce’ the speed limit by staying in that lane. Leave that to the cops.

Failing to give way

The problem

Road users in Singapore are probably the worst at this. Having driven all over the world, drivers in just about every other country I’ve experienced will slow down and let you merge in front of them without a fuss — as long as you signal, of course.

However, this rarely happens in Singapore. Instead, local motorists tend to accelerate to get in front — the moment you signal your intention to change lanes. Maybe, my fellow countrymen (and women) see it as a loss of face or ‘queue-cutting’. Whatever it is, it makes the task of changing lanes and possibly exiting the expressway or road a lot more stressful than it needs to be. The driver who needs to cut in might get desperate and resort to a more aggressive driving style which only serves to aggravate the road users around them.

Best practice

If you see a fellow motorist indicating to change lanes, slow down and let them cut in. That’s how most of the world drives, believe it or not.

Not ‘zippering’ when merging

The problem

This is a variation of failing to give way. This situation happens in heavy traffic conditions where two lanes merge into one. It can also apply if a lane is blocked by an accident or road works, and vehicles have to merge to the next available lane.

This inevitably turns into a test of wills where only the bravest will dare to cut into the path of the next lane, causing those behind the timid driver to be stuck.

Best practice

In such a situation, the fastest proven way to clear traffic is known as the “zipper merge”. Just how the teeth on a zipper alternates, drivers from the blocked lane should switch lanes just before the obstruction and alternate with the vehicle in the next lane as shown in the video below.

Not obeying STOP signs

The problem

This one is obvious and is also against the law, but how many local motorists actually come to a complete stop at a STOP sign? Many accidents have been caused by not taking these signs seriously.

Best practices

It may feel silly to stop for no apparent reason, especially when there are no other vehicles around. But developing a habit to adhere to STOP signs might just save your life one day.

Wrong use of hazard lights

The problem

Hazard lights, blinkers or flashers are really effective at making your car noticeable to other road users. Which is why they should only be used for emergencies to let others know that your car is stopped in a place it shouldn’t be. To this end, it’s slightly infuriating to see drivers turning them on while driving in a heavy downpour. This can actually confuse the motorists behind you, as the hazard lights could be interpreted as a vehicle that has come to a stop. Worse still, if this practice pervades, then what happens if a car really does come to a standstill for some reason and the driver behind assumes that the car with the hazards on is still moving? CRASH!

Another favourite is to turn on the hazard lights when reversing into a parking lot. If there’s more than one lot available, how am I to know if you plan on reversing to the left or right?

Best practice

In the occasional thunderstorm when visibility drops to near zero, the red glow from the tail lights when you turn on the headlights are usually enough to make your car visible to others even if you can’t quite see them in your rear view mirror.

And instead of reaching for the red triangle button on your dashboard when you’re about to park, it’s better to simply indicate which side you’ll be reversing into. That together with the combination of the reverse lights coming on when you select ‘R’ is more enough let others around you know of your intentions.

Read on to learn how you could enhance your car’s visibility a step further:

More on how to use your hazard lights here.

Wrong use of fog lights

The problem

It’s a beautiful night out, clear skies and perhaps even a full moon. Yet, some drivers still insist on leaving their fog lights on – front and rear, no less. Why?

Best practices

The rules state that fog lights should only be used in inclement weather. Exactly how you define ‘inclement’ might be subjective, but we’re pretty sure there should be some rain, mist or hey, fog, to warrant the use of the type of lights they’re named for.

While leaving your car’s front fog lights on during clear nights is just showing off, running with rear fog lights on is extremely annoying for those in following vehicles as rear fog lights are very bright for obvious reasons.

Instead, rear fog lights should be switched on only – and only – in the case of extremely poor visibility conditions like a torrential downpour when you can’t see more than a car-length ahead.

Not signalling

The problem

At some point, every driver has been behind a vehicle that abruptly brakes and makes a sudden turn or veers into your lane without using their indicators. We’re not mind-readers.

Best practice

This one’s simple. If you plan on turning off the road or switching lanes, let others know by indicating the direction you want to go. The earlier mentioned bad habit of failing to give way has also led to some drivers preferring to use the element of surprise lest others know of their lane-changing intentions and thwart their plans.

Unnecessary braking

The problem

Ok, we’re not all Lewis Hamilton in the driving department, but just about any car built in the last 30 years is capable of cornering at 30km/h or less without the need to brake. Worse still, on a STRAIGHT stretch of road, with no vehicles in front, why do some drivers still tap their brakes?

Best practices

The brake system might be the most important piece of safety equipment on any road-going vehicle, but overusing it leads to premature wear and tear as well as increased emissions and fuel consumption, if you’re constantly slowing down excessively and thus needing to accelerate again.

Instead, maintaining your speed with gentler accelerator inputs and moderating your speed by coasting (letting the car roll momentarily without touching any pedals) is a much smoother way to drive. Not only will your passengers thank you for it, your wallet will, too.

Tailgating

The problem

Remember the “two-second” rule about following the vehicle in front? Some drivers don’t, apparently, and end up in rear-end collisions which, according to our traffic laws, rightly or wrongly puts the driver behind entirely at fault no matter what the driver in front did.

Best practice

This is another easy one. Put more space between you and the vehicle in front. Here’s a pro tip; the larger the vehicle in front, the more distance you should leave between vehicles. If you’re behind a lorry or bus for example, make sure you can see the driver in his mirrors. That way, you’ll know for sure that the driver in the big vehicle can see you.

Impatient honking

The problem

You’re stopped at the traffic lights and the nanosecond it turns green, the driver (usually a taxi) leans on their horn to get you moving. Not only is this unsettling for the driver in front, it also contributes to noise pollution.

Best practices

Okay, once in a while, the driver daydreams or more likely looking at their smartphone while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green. If you must, a quick tap is less aggravating than a full-on blare.

For more tips and trick to raise your driving game, check out another AutoApp article here.

As we close in on the end of the year, one of the things we can all look forward to (or not, depending on your outlook in life) apart from the holiday season and Christmas shopping, are the Northeast monsoon rains. Chilly sweater weather might bring some appropriateness to what typically comes to mind when one thinks of Christmas cheer, but unfortunately it also brings another hazard commonly associated with wintry conditions: slippery roads.

You might notice that almost every time a rain storm happens, there are bound to be accidents on the expressways. With a few simple preparation tips, you don’t have to be part of this statistic.

Preventative maintenance

As with nearly everything in life, it doesn’t hurt to stay prepared. Which is why the first step to driving in the rain driving is to properly maintain your car. 

Tyres are you most important ally in wet weather driving – they’re the only things keeping your car on the road and away from the guardrail or longkang. Make sure there is sufficient tread and that there is no uneven or abnormal wear anywhere on the tyre.

Same goes for the wipers, give the blades a wipe to clean them every now and then so they don’t leave streaks across your windscreen, and replace them every couple years. Between the raindrops falling from above and other vehicles kicking up spray from below, visibility is very much reduced in rainy weather, so you’d want as much help as possible keeping your vision clear.

Additionally, consider applying a water repellent coating such as Rain-X on your windscreen and wing mirrors, and for hatchbacks, SUVs and MPVs, the rear windscreen as well. It’s so effective that on the highway, you can drive without the wipers on and the water will just roll off the glass itself! Not that we’d recommend it, of course…

Just one thing to note about Rain-X however; as the coating wears down, it’s been known to cause juddering of the wiper blades across the glass in some cases, although it’s more just an issue about the noise it makes rather than its effectiveness. The AutoApp team is split on this, as some have never experienced such juddering in their cars, so your mileage may vary.

Use Common Sense

Though not the be-all-end-all solution, the application of common sense is a universal help to driving in the rain. 

Reduced visibility in wet weather applies to everyone, so in addition to ensuring your own vision isn’t obscured, you want to try and make yourself as visible as possible. This is why you should turn your lights on once the heavens open, as those four spots of illumination front and rear help make your car much more prominent to other motorists, especially through spray.

What you shouldn’t do however, is turn on your hazard lights. Some people have the misguided belief that blinking hazards lights are even more visible, and though that’s technically true, it also means that other drivers won’t be able to tell if there’s a genuine problem that they need to stop for or not.

Finally, the slippery conditions mean that you should definitely also reduce your speed, keep a greater distance from other vehicles, and avoid making sudden steering or pedal inputs. Not only is there reduced friction and therefore grip which will increase your braking distances, but tyres can also only displace a finite amount of water before the rubber loses contact with the asphalt. Driving too fast into standing water is a guaranteed recipe for aquaplaning, which brings us to the next point:

Pro tips on dealing with aquaplaning

Aquaplaning or hydroplaning is the phenomenon of more water building up beneath your wheels than the tyre treads are able to displace, causing the whole tyre to ‘surf’ on a layer of water. It is one of the most dangerous situations any driver could find themselves in. One of the primary aims of driving in the rain is to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Here’s a pro-tip they don’t teach you in driving school:

• Follow in the tyre tracks of the vehicle in front of you. 
  These tracks appear as a result of water being displaced by its tyres, temporarily leaving a drier groove for your own car to handle before the surface gets covered up again.

If aquaplaning does happen though, especially due to driving into a deep puddle, the best way to handle the situation is by doing nothing. No, we haven’t lost our marbles; the goal is simply to not make any movements that might unsettle the car. Just maintain a steady throttle or gradually lift off, all the while gripping the steering wheel and keeping it straight. Any sudden input, such as hard braking or steering, will unbalance the car and send you skidding into the guardrail or another car.

AutoApp can prepare your car for the year-end monsoon with our wet-weather packages. Download the app here or in case of any emergency, contact our hotline at 91 028 028 and we’ll be happy to advise accordingly.

You may have heard terms like Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) or Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) being mentioned in the context of cars. If you want to know the difference and how it might affect your next purchase decision, you will be enlightened by the end of this article.

Most cars are either pulled by the front wheels or pushed by the back wheels.

In regular day-to-day driving, you’d never be able to tell which wheels are responsible for moving the car. So does it really matter to the average driver whether the car is front or rear-wheel drive? Well, actually, yes, and for reasons other than how it affects the way the car drives.

A short history

The majority of cars being made today are front-wheel drive (FWD), but this is only a relatively recent convention. Since the earliest days of the motor car until about the late 1970s, the rear-wheel drive (RWD) layout was far more prevalent; mounting the engine up front and in a straight line with the transmission, propshaft, and rear axle was mechanically more simple, and was a solution to distribute the weight of all the heavy components.

Though the 1930s saw the advent of the mass-produced FWD car with the Citroën Traction Avant (below), it wasn’t until the 1950s that this drivetrain layout became more popular, thanks to the Citroën 2CV, Citroën DS, Saab 92 and 93, and Austin Mini. 

Still, at this point, RWD remained the general convention, and it was only in the late 1970s and 1980s that car makers started adopting FWD en masse, an engineering principle that remains to this day.

FWD: Benefits

The chief impetus for car manufacturers making the switch to FWD was its space-saving properties. By mounting the engine and transmission side-to-side across the car as opposed to front-to-rear in the case of RWD, more of the car’s length can be devoted to the passenger compartment instead of the drivetrain, thus freeing up more space without increasing the car’s overall length.

Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the original Mini (above), which had the ability to carry four adults and luggage within a 10-foot (3 metre) length. Likewise the latest BMW 1 Series, which has 33mm more legroom despite a 20mm shorter wheelbase (the distance between the axles) compared to its predecessor.

With the drivetrain weight pressing down on the driven wheels, FWD cars tend to have more traction and stability in slippery conditions – a trait most welcome when you come across ponding during any of our tropical thunderstorms.

FWD: Disadvantages

That said, putting all that weight up front has its drawbacks, mainly with regards to handling. Simply put, the extra inertia means FWD cars don’t respond to direction changes as quickly or eagerly as RWD cars, which makes them less fun to drive (generally).

You’ll be hard-pressed to find many FWD cars that make more than 300hp. Much of this has to do with the way weight transfers to the rear under acceleration. If you have stood in a bus or MRT, notice how you have to brace yourself to prevent from being flung to the back?

In a car, all that weight shifts to the back and presses down on the rear wheels. This helps a RWD car because it creates additional grip on the powered wheels where it can better utilise all the available power.

When this happens in a FWD car, there’s less weight (mass) pressing down on the front wheels making less grip available. When this happens, power that can’t be utilised is wasted as wheelspin.

To mitigate this, carmakers usually locate the heavier components such as the engine block in front of the front axle. While this also helps with braking, it also makes the car less responsive to steering inputs.

You can test this out yourself the next time you visit the supermarket. Try pushing the trolley among the aisles with a big bag of rice right at the front, then move it towards the back and see which is easier.

Also, because the front wheels have to handle both steering and acceleration duties, FWD cars will wear out their front tyres much quicker than the rears, necessitating more frequent rotation and maintenance.

RWD: Benefits

RWD on the other hand, may be the less common layout these days, but it certainly still has a place in this world, particularly for the cars most people deem desirable – luxury and sports cars.

This is why sports cars and luxury cars are usually RWD, because speed, dynamics and power are important characteristics of these kinds of vehicles.

Splitting steering and acceleration duties between the front and rear wheels, and having the weight of driveline components distributed more evenly means that RWD cars can serve up more precise and balanced handling, as well as handle more power.

RWD: Disadvantages

The biggest drawback of a RWD layout is that it takes up a lot of space. Firstly, the engine and gearbox tend to be arranged in a front-to-back or ‘North-South’ orientation. To optimise handling, some manufacturers even locate the engine behind the front axle.

This in turn, means that the engine and gearbox start occupying space in the passenger compartment. If the car is big enough, like a Mercedes S-Class for example, there’s still plenty of room to spare, but in a smaller car such as the 2012-2019 BMW 1 Series, rear passenger legroom starts to get a bit squeezy.

From a manufacturing perspective, a RWD is more expensive to produce because they require more parts than a FWD car that has everything it needs in one compact package. The longer driveshaft which connects the engine to the rear wheels also adds weight which impacts fuel economy.

What is a turbocharger?

Here’s all you need to know to get up to speed (hur hur) on turbochargers!

There are plenty of ways to improve a car’s performance, and turbos are one of the most potent and cost-effective. It’s a device that crams more air into an engine, which then allows more fuel to burn, creating more power.

If you have seen a satay seller fanning the charcoal embers, the turbocharger does the job of the fan.

Originally developed to mitigate the power loss of aeroplane engines at high altitude, turbos started to appear in sports cars since the mid-1960s. These days however, turbochargers are found in all sorts of vehicles. From tiny hatchbacks to the biggest SUVs, because it turns out they boost not just performance, but economy and emissions as well.

How it works

Remember the TV show Top Gear? Jeremy Clarkson once provided a very succinct explanation on how turbos work: “Exhaust gases enter the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens, and then you go faster”.

That makes it sound devilishly complicated, but it isn’t. That said, to understand how a turbo works, we first need to know how engines work, and for that, there’s a simple phrase to remember: Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow. I promise that isn’t a kinky bedroom routine.

Suck: Engine draws in air and fuel. Non-turbocharged engines are naturally-aspirated.
Squeeze: The mixture of air and fuel is compressed to a high pressure.
Bang: Spark plugs ignite the air/fuel mixture. This mini-explosion and rapidly expanding gasses provide the force that powers the engine, and thus the car.
Blow: The spent gasses spin the turbocharger before leaving the exhaust pipe.

Turbochargers – which ironically look like snails – derive from the Latin word “turbo”, or spinning top. They contain two turbines connected by a shaft. Exhaust gasses – which would otherwise be wasted – are passed through the turbo on their way out of the car, spinning one turbine; meanwhile, at the other end of the shaft, the other turbine draws in fresh air, compresses it, and forces it into the engine.

Because there’s more oxygen, the engine can take on more fuel too, creating a bigger Bang and thus producing more power.

Pros and Cons of turbocharging

The biggest advantage of a turbo engine is its potential for more performance. But another derivative of that is the ability to produce the same power as a naturally-aspirated engine, but more efficiently. With a turbo, carmakers can give you the same performance with a smaller engine, thus saving fuel and reducing emissions.

As they are a separate system to the engine, turbos add cost and complexity. Because they involve hot exhaust gasses, lubrication and cooling are crucial considerations as well.

Finally, because the turbo only works if there’s a sufficient volume of exhaust gasses flowing through the turbine – i.e. the engine needs to be running at a certain RPM – it also makes the throttle less responsive to your inputs. This is turbo lag.

Conversely, naturally-aspirated engines contain fewer parts so are generally more reliable and cheaper to maintain, and their instant throttle response is more predictable for fast driving.

Turbocharging is just one way of cramming more air into a combustion engine and belongs to a larger classification known as forced induction that also includes supercharging. Very simply put, a supercharger also concentrates a larger volume of air than an engine could on its own. the only difference is that it is powered by a mechanical belt rather than exhaust gases. The benefit of this instantaneous boost since the turbines spin along with the engine when it’s running.

The downside of supercharging however, is that at higher speeds, they are not able to cram exponentially more air the way turbochargers do as the engine revs climb.

Turbocharging v Supercharging

To make things even more interesting, there are engine with multiple turbochargers; two, three and even four turbos working in tandem to make lots of horsepower and torque.

Or how about combining the both a supercharger and a turbocharger. Volkswagen has produced several models with both forms of forced induction and termed it twin-charging. The idea was to combine the advantages supercharging and turbocharging with none of the disadvantages. As turbocharging technology advanced, engineers were able to achieve performance, fuel consumption and exhaust emissions objectives with simpler turbocharging solutions.

Warning lights in your car’s dashboard are your friend, not enemy, so no need to fear them. This is what the most common ones mean:

Cars are incredibly complex machines with thousands of moving parts making up dozens of interconnected systems, all being run via advanced electronics backed up by an array of sensors. With so much computing power on board, few, if any abnormalities will escape your car’s attention, and it’ll be bound to let you know about it. 

But while a warning light appearing in your instrument cluster indicates that something has gone wrong somewhere, there’s usually no need to panic. Apart from a couple of exceptions, most warning lights won’t leave you stranded, meaning you can probably safely drive yourself to a workshop instead of immediately paying for a tow truck. But which lights need addressing ASAP, and which can you afford to put off? We cover the most common ones here:

(take note that different cars might have slightly different icon designs; check your car’s owner’s manual for further information)

Braking System Warning Light

Under normal circumstances, this light simply serves to remind you that your handbrake is still engaged. But if it comes on while driving, it’s one of the most serious warnings of all, and indicates a problem with the car’s braking system itself. Faulty brakes are obviously a serious safety concern, and thus the car should not be driven any further.

Oil Pressure Warning Light

Another warning light that requires urgent attention, this signifies that your engine is low on oil pressure which can also be a sign that you’re low on engine oil itself. Oil is the lifeblood that keeps your engine running, so if you see this light come on, turn off your engine immediately and do not drive any further, as a lack of oil can result in catastrophic and irreparable engine damage. When you’re parked safely on level ground, check the oil level. If it’s below the minimum mark, top it up. If the oil level is sufficient, this could point to an oil pump issue and you should call for a tow truck or better yet, AutoApp.  

Temperature Warning Light

A potential worry for drivers of older cars, especially in our hot climate, this light warns you if your car is overheating, although ideally, you should have noticed your engine temperature gauge rising before this occurs. Stop your car as soon as it’s safe, switch it off and check the coolant level once the engine is cool. If it’s low, you’ll need to top it up before continuing; but if a different fault is causing the issue (e.g. a clogged radiator or faulty water pump), it’s best to have your car towed to a workshop. Long term engine damage can occur from overheating so this is not a problem you want to put off.

Battery Charge Warning Light

This light comes on if low voltage has been detected in your car’s battery, which could mean a failing alternator. This is an issue as if the battery dies while driving, the spark plugs will cease to work and the engine will shut down, and you’ll also lose the power assistance to your brakes and steering. Try and find a safe place to park up and call for a tow truck; it’s unlikely the car will be able to start up again once it’s turned off.

Check Engine Light

The Check Engine Light (CEL) is probably the most commonly encountered warning light of them all. A CEL can have a wide variety of causes, so the only way to accurately diagnose the problem is with an On Board Diagnostic 2nd generation (OBDII) scanner (workshops will have them but you could also buy them online). These causes usually don’t require immediate attention – ranging from faulty sensors, to failing spark plugs, to bad catalytic converters, or even just a damaged fuel cap – so your car can still be driven, but it’s best to have it checked over by a workshop to prevent potential damage.

Tyre Pressure Warning

For newer cars fitted with tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), this light will come on if it detects low air pressure in any of your tyres, which can indicate a puncture, or simply neglected tyres that need re-inflating. If this light appears and none of your tyres are flat, head to a nearby petrol station and adjust the pressures accordingly; if it continues to lose air, it means a tyre has likely been punctured, and you should head to a tyre shop to repair or replace it.

ABS Light

This light signifies that there is an issue with your car’s Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). It’ll usually be a sensor or wiring issue, but when the light is on it means the whole ABS system is disabled. Your brakes will still function normally, so you can still drive your car, but note that there will be nothing preventing your wheels from locking up if you have to perform an emergency braking maneuver.

Airbag Light

Similarly to the ABS light, the airbag warning light alerts you that the airbags are disabled, which means they won’t deploy if you have a crash. The car will otherwise function perfectly normally, but for safety and peace of mind, you’ll probably want to have this issue diagnosed and rectified sooner rather than later.

Low Fuel Light

This one should be a no-brainer, but just in case any clarification is needed, this light indicates that your car is low on fuel. Not to worry, as in most cars you’ll typically have 60-100km of range left before you actually run dry, but driving around with low fuel levels all the time can cause extra wear and tear to your fuel pump. 

Bonus fact: Can’t remember which side of the car your fuel door is on? Have a peek at your fuel gauge symbol – the arrow or fuel nozzle on the side of it indicates whether you should park up to the left or right of the petrol station pump.

High Beam Light

We really shouldn’t have to say this, but given the number of times we’ve been blinded by other drivers at night in Singapore, we fear this knowledge might not be as common as it should be. This blue symbol shows up when your high beams are on, which, given how well-lit most Singaporean roads are, really don’t need to be used here. So as a courtesy to avoid dazzling and distracting other motorists, please have a look at your instrument cluster and ensure your high beams are not perpetually active.

We’ve all been taught to use our indicators if we want to turn, and our hazard lights if there’s an emergency, but did you know there are other uses for them?

The orange lights at the corners of every road vehicle are one of the most crucial features on a car, yet are commonly under-utilised. We really shouldn’t need to say it, but please don’t forget to use your indicators when changing lanes. 

Apart from just helping to signal your intentions or warn other road users of hazards though, there are actually additional uses for your indicators, ones which you won’t find in any driving instructor’s syllabus:

Don’t use your hazards in heavy rain

Singaporeans and Malaysians are no strangers to the occasional intense monsoon shower, where rain is so heavy that you can’t see beyond a few car lengths. But while staying visible to other motorists is a legitimate concern, what you shouldn’t do under such circumstances is switch your hazard lights on.

While yes, it would make your car stand out amidst the spray, it can also be a hazard in itself. Hazard lights are meant to signify an emergency situation; having them flashing on a moving car makes it harder for motorists to distinguish if there is actually an obstacle on the road that needs avoiding. In addition, having your hazards on means you can’t use your turn signals as per normal.

What you should do instead is simply turn on your headlights and foglights (where applicable), slow down, and keep a further distance from the vehicle in front.

That said, if you do find yourself suddenly having to perform an emergency stop, it is entirely permissible to flash your hazards to give a bit of extra warning to the driver behind.

Remember to say thank you

Speaking of hazard lights, did you know that you can also use them as a way to say “thank you”?

We’ve all been taught to give a wave whenever someone does something nice for us on the road, be it letting us out of a side road, slowing down and leaving a gap for us to switch lanes, or even moving over from the fast lane to let us past. 

But there are times when it might be difficult for other drivers to see you inside the car, for example if you’re overtaking, or if it’s at night. That’s why in places such as America, Europe, Japan, and Australia, a lot of drivers choose to use their hazard lights instead, and it certainly wouldn’t do any harm if more Singaporeans practised it too.

Just a couple of flashes will do (you’re not having an emergency after all), and it’s a much more obvious way of getting the message across.

How to request an overtake

Although drivers are supposed to keep the right-most lane (Lane 1) of expressways and highways empty unless overtaking, given the volume of traffic on our roads, it sometimes doesn’t quite make sense to keep popping in and out of Lanes 1 and 2 to get past slower traffic. This is why many drivers feel justified in ‘camping’ out on the right if there are vehicles in the other lanes, despite being ample space to pull in. Depending on traffic flow, it’s usually inconsiderate, but not illegal.

But what if you, for whatever reason, still wanted to overtake this driver? How would you signal your intention in a polite manner?

Well, if you frequent the North-South Highway in Malaysia, one action you might observe is for the faster vehicle to signal right. Clearly there wouldn’t be space to physically overtake on the right, given that both vehicles are in the right-most lane, so in these circumstances, the signal is in fact a request for the slower car to move left so that the faster car can pass.

It’s a more subtle and polite gesture than flashing your high beams or worse, horning, as those actions could easily be misconstrued as aggressive. That said you should still exercise discretion when doing this; there’s no point trying to force an overtake when there isn’t a space in the next lane for the vehicle in front to pull into, or if there is already a line of cars ahead.