White, blue or black smoke? The story that each colour tells

Diesel engines burn a lot less fuel per kilometre travelled compared to petrol ones, in some cases as little as half or even less. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • White smoke means you are burning coolant (blown head gasket like the “100” guy from two weeks ago).
  • Steam -sometimes confused as white smoke, the difference being steam disappears after a short time - simply means it’s cold outside and has little to do with the mechanical fidelity (or the lack thereof) of your car.

My car is a 2003 Probox, and it has given a good account of itself. Recently, I noticed that when reversing, it emits smoke. I have tried to correct the problem but to no avail. Please help diagnose the problem if you can. Ernest

 

What colour is the smoke? Different colours of smoke are indicative of different things: the 50 shades of grey may indicate oil burning, as will blue smoke, while black smoke shows either your vehicle is over fuelling -running rich- or suffering from poor combustion (clogged air filter, vacuum leak).

White smoke means you are burning coolant (blown head gasket like the “100” guy from two weeks ago). PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

White smoke means you are burning coolant (blown head gasket like the “100” guy from two weeks ago). Steam -sometimes confused as white smoke, the difference being steam disappears after a short time - simply means it’s cold outside and has little to do with the mechanical fidelity (or the lack thereof) of your car.

Which is the best car for tall people like me?

Hello Baraza,

I have been suffering from a slipped back disc (herniated lumber) as they call it in medical terms for almost a year now. It is quite painful and an inconvenience.  Don’t even wish it on an enemy. I am struggling to finish writing this and stand up.

After getting little relief from therapy and pain killers, I decided to seek a different opinion from a renowned Kenyan neurosurgeon.

He told me something interesting about vehicles. That Kenyans like importing used Japanese vehicles manufactured for Japanese market. 

Since Japanese are inherently short, vehicles manufactured for their market are designed to be used by short people. When a tall person uses such vehicles, they are forced to squeeze into a small space and exert unnecessary high pressure on the lower back (lumber).  Prolonged usage can cause problems such as what I am undergoing.  

Sadly for me, I have done Japanese vehicles since 2003 and I am 1.86m, which cannot be described as short.  His advice was that I should consider a German vehicle because Germans are naturally tall, and a vehicle for their market has enough driver room. He further told me that a VW Polo has better front leg room than a CRV (my current car).  He said that as one drives, hinds of the thighs need to be firmly placed on the seat (right angle to body at hips) and not raised so as to reach the pedals.

Further reading on this informs me that one needs a car with a smooth ride and not bumpy, easily adjustable seats and generally comfortable.

With the factors of generous leg room, comfortable and smooth ride and easily adjustable seats, would you recommend  a VW Toureg, BMW X5 and Audi Q7 or any other non German model that fits the bill  (2012 model).  Or even Volvo XC 90? I am not into Mercedes models as I detest the class tag that pursues it everywhere.

Thanks. Jeff

 

Hi Jeff,

My deepest sympathies on your herniated lumbar. Get well soon.

Now, you bring up an interesting discussion, which contains little nuggets of truth in what is a wildly racist allegation. I dislike being told the following statement, but I think this is one situation where it applies: let the neurosurgeon stick to his healing ways and take a back seat on commenting on matters motoring, especially where the supporting evidence is politically incorrect.

It is true that the Japanese population is mostly diminutive, but it is not exactly true that they make their cars with only themselves in mind. Even so, while they are mostly short in stature, that does not necessarily mean there are no tall Japanese, or larger-than-life foreigners living in Japan. Most car manufacturers, irrespective of country of origin, make cars that cater for a wide range of body sizes and heights, and there is a neat little trick that they use to surmount this little obstacle: Adjustability.

 Have you ever driven a car that did not have an adjustable driver’s seat? Me neither. The difference comes in terms of engineering and development costs: more expensive cars have a wider scope of adjustability in the driver’s (and sometimes passenger) seat; adjustability that covers lumbar support among others. A good number of cars have rake, reach and height adjustment (or at least a combination thereof) for the steering column as well. These are specifically to cater for the different body types.

The most impressive adjustability I have come across was in the Scania trucks I was fooling around with six years ago: the possibilities are infinite. Scania is Swedish and the Scandinavians are known to be a tall race; and a Scania cockpit will accommodate Anthony Jackson’s 6’ 6” frame without complaint. But I have also seen Scania bus and truck drivers who are only five feet tall and they still handle their vehicles with ease.

That being said, there is a certain height beyond which people would have a problem in vehicles that are not Scanias. I approximate that height to be just somewhat north of 6’ 2”. Any taller than that and you severely limit your accessibility to a number of cars. If you clock seven feet in height, perhaps you better stick to Scanias only. Your 186cm height is just around the 6’ 2” height I was referring to. You are right on the threshold between normalcy and Scania.

There are vehicles which are deliberately puny - ironically these vehicles are Japanese - called kei cars, and the reason for their existence is not to cater for short statures, but as a tax dodge for easier city use.

There are specific dimensions they have to adhere to since space in Japan is at a premium, and these dimensions have an adverse effect on parking.

 

First time car-buyer? Play safe and stick to Toyota

Hey Baraza, I am in Form Four. I have a dream (I don’t know if it’s too big for my age) of owning a car when I join university. Please advice on a good starting car, one that’s fast, unique (unlike the Subies and Evos and Golf GT) and one that won’t give me a hard shove to the pocket when it comes to fuel consumption. I have in mind a manual Toyota Runx, 1800CC. Please advice. Kitunguu

 

Greetings, candidate!

All the best in your looming trials. Your dreams are valid. It’s not just a random felicitation, you really ought to have the best outcome in the upcoming national exam, and I will tell you how to increase your chances of success.

Focus... and I’m not talking about a Ford hatchback.

Think about your academics and divorce your thought processes from pointless distractions such as ‘what car I’ll drive when in university’.

For you to drive a car in university, you first have to make it to university, and one of the ways of doing that is by passing your national exam.

You won’t pass your exam by daydreaming about potential transport solutions in your foreseeable future. Nobody cares about that, besides you.

That being said, the 1.8 litre RunX is not a bad place to start. It’s fast, relatively speaking; though it can’t hold a candle to the ubiquitous Evos, Subies and GTIs that you so fastidiously consider eschewing - and with good cause; those cars call for a bit of prior seat time lest you wreck yourself before you have a chance to giggity-check yourself. Those are a league or two above the Toyota.

The uniqueness of the RunX is not much of a stretch; there may be a few RunX’s around but they’re not as many as one would expect a sporty Corolla derivative to be, and the few that were imported are becoming less visible as we have the Auris box where the RunX used to be, it’s so cold.

Maintenance? What maintenance?

Note: a Ford Focus is also not a bad place to start, incidentally; but play safe and stick to Toyota for now. It’s a tiresome chorus but one steeped in reality...

 

Let’s talk fuel ratings

Dear JM Baraza, Thanks for your weekly Wednesday car clinic columns! It’s is one of the reasons I still read the Daily Nation. On to my question, without wasting space and your precious time. What is the short and long term effect of using our petrol (which I believe is rated around 91-93 RON) on these second hand cars we buy, some of which come with a recommended rating of 96-98 RON? And is their a specific adjustment we can make or are we cursed to using V-Power (even though I don’t know it’s rating, I assume that since it dents a hole in my pocket at Sh133 per litter, it must be good, why is it even expensive anyway?) until Jesus comes back or the car wears out, whichever comes first? Erick

What is the short and long term effect of using our petrol (which I believe is rated around 91-93 RON) on these second hand cars we buy, some of which come with a recommended rating of 96-98 RON? PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

 

Hi Eric,

The odds are pretty high that the car will wear out before the Messiah makes his grand return, but let us not dabble in religious talk for now, it can get really touchy, really fast.

Most car engines will safely run on slightly lower-than-recommended octane ratings without any major side effects because their compression ratios allow it and the ECU retards the timing constantly until it stops detecting knock. It is usually in performance or modified cars where we may find an actual urgency in the need for high octane.

You don’t necessarily have to run V-Power though it is advisable to run it through your system once in a while because of its cleansing properties. A specific adjustment you can make is to retard the ignition timing yourself, but again this is not necessary because the ECU will do it for you on the fly.

 

Mark II is a more sensible purchase

I am helping a sibling buy a car, and I prefer the Mark II, which is retailing at Sh450,000, while she prefers Premio KAY that retails at the same amount because of  fuel consumption. Advise. Brenda.

 

It’s her car so let the girl choose. You said it yourself: YOU are helping HER get a car, so if she wants a Premio, let the girl exercise her privilege of choosing.

That being said, the Premio at the same price as the Mark II means you get less car for the same money. You haven’t disclosed the Mark II’s vintage (though they’re all attractive in their own plus-sized way irrespective of generation) nor did you disclose either vehicle’s mechanical condition. So this is how to go about it;

Have someone with a good eye check them both out. The one that looks shabbier or on the brink of throwing some warning lights gets the boot, and its rival wins. If they’re both in similar condition with similar mileage, then the Mark II is the more sensible purchase. The fuel economy issue can be sidestepped by gentle driving; a practice that has a two-fold benefit because it will also keep you out of the drink in the current cold, wet, low traction environment.

The Mark II’s rear-drive platform and six-cylinder engine makes for a perfect drift car, especially on a wet road, but drifting is not fun if it is not deliberate.

Simple acts such as exiting a junction can quickly turn into an exercise in sphincter-tightening when the mouse presents itself to play once the traction cat leaves the room under a heavy throttle hoof.

 

Subaru Legacy vs Outback

Dear Baraza,

What’s the difference between Subaru Legacy and Outback?  

And what about their pros and cons. John

 

Dear John

Between the two, the difference is the same. But one has higher ground clearance.

Your dreams are valid…

Hi JM

I always find myself reading your Wednesday  car clinic articles keenly, yet I don’t own a vehicle or have the intention to buy one soon. For your information, the only moving object I have in my possession is an old wheelbarrow.

 

Hi Ben,

One common phrase Kenyans love is “your dreams are valid”. I don’t know what dreams you have or what you plan to do with the wheelbarrow, but hang in there. Thanks for reading my column.