The Internet keeps on expanding and has developed ample parking for all kinds of automotive-related Web sites, including dozens that offer helpful information about safety features, recalls and even how a car works.
The big search engines such as Yahoo and Alta Vista pull up dozens of Web sites purporting to offer advice on maintenance, but the World Wide Web is a lot like the anything-goes Wild West. Browsers have to evaluate the information presented and consult different sites for second and third opinions.
Dennis Virag, head of the Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, Mich., says there is lots of useful information available on the Internet but you have to be consider the basic source.
“Your need to be selective and sort through the information. There are some some very good sites out there,” Virag says.
To help in your search, here are some sites to consider. The list ranges from sites packed with information on latest models maintained by the manufacturers to those that offer information on state lemon laws requiring automakers to re-purchase vehicles that mechanics can never seem to repair, at www.lemonaidcars.com.
One of the most informative Internet sites is maintained by the National Highway Safety Transportation Safety Administration at www.nhtsa.dot.gov, which includes information about recalls, crash tests and the results of safety studies. The NHTSA site generally is regarded by veteran browsers as one of the most useful sources of information on the Web and can be helpful to consumers.
Another site containing useful information worth browsing before purchasing a new or a used vehicle is at www.pueblo.gsa.gov. This site is part of the U.S. government’s effort to educate consumers and includes a section devoted to cars with useful tips on purchasing cars and consumer rights.
The Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov, also contains information about purchasing vehicles, particularly used ones. The sites developed by the federal government also are generally highlighted in the Auto sections of the major Internet Service Providers or search engines such as AOL, Yahoo and Excite.
Another source of useful safety information on the Web is a site maintained by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by major insurance companies, at www.highwaysafety.org. The insurance industry, with its economic interest in protecting a vehicle and its occupants, is considered a pretty good source of information about how cars stand up in crashes.
The Center for Automotive Safety, which has been a chronic critic of the auto industry and ally of trial lawyers, also maintains a site at www.autosafety.com.
Clarence Ditlow, director of the center in Washington D.C., says it is reorganzing it site. “We consultants can drive you crazy. We have a lot of content and we’re putting in the new hardware,” he says. The center’s site, however, contains some useful information such as the names of lawyer, who handle lawsuits against the automakers.
Another site that contains timely information about cars and trucks is maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov. The EPA site is useful for tracking down information about problems with a vehicle’s pollution control equipment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency site, www.fema.gov, includes tips on how to drive on snow.
Car buyers, students or other interested parties looking for general information about how a car works might want to click through www.innerbody.com, an educational site that includes a detailed explanation of a vehicle’s internal operations and discusses what makes the wheels move. The Innerbody site is operated by Intellimed, which began by providing data for health-care providers and has branched out into other ventures, including supplying byte-size bits of information on various technical and scientific information via the Internet.
Consumers looking for tips on car maintenance or help in trying to figure out how to solve specific problems with their vehicle can visit sites such as www.MisterFixit.com or www.ExpressAutoParts.com, which are among several that offer mechanical advice.
Mr. Fixit is operated by a retired handy man and mechanic who sells advertising to help support his effort. ExpressAutoParts is a commercial site that can be accessed through AOL’s automotive site.
Companies that specialize in car repairs such as Midas, www.midas.com, also have their own Web sites that offer information helpful to consumers.
Magazines devoted to automobiles, such as Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Automobile, www.automobilemag.com, www.caranddriver.com and www.motortrend.com, also have their own Web sites.
Other publications that can be found on the Internet such as African-Americans on Wheels, www.automag.com, offer information tailored to specific groups. After some recent surveys indicated black drivers tended not to use seat belts as often as white drivers, the magazine has had a number of articles recently about getting more blacks to wear seat belts regularly.
Motor sports have spawned hundreds of sites, ranging from the official NASCAR site, www.NASCAR.com, to e-zines that comment on races week to week during the season, which runs from February to November, to sites launched by fans of drivers.
It’s also possible to find sites dedicated to automotive art, auctions, employment and used cars, among them www.autodealerjobs.com, www.carart.com or www.kelleybluebook.com.
Anyone wondering what future cars and trucks might look like can try browsing through the site of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas at www.evaa.org or www.uscar.org, the Web site for the research project that is sponsored by the Big Three and the federal government.
There are also Web sites devoted to engines and engine repair. Also, Hemmings Motor News, www.hemmings.com, which describes itself as the world’s largest marketplace for antique, classic or vintage cars, maintains an extensive web site that it claims now has links to 6,413 different clubs and 1,953 car shows as well as 375 different museums around the world. Another site that maintains links to an array of other clubs and automotive-oriented Web sites is www.eAuto.com.
The search for old parts also has gotten easier thanks to the expansion of the Internet since it is also possible now to find several sites specifically to buying, selling and trading of old components.
