BMW engineers say their laser headlights have big advantages over LED’s, or light-emitting diodes, and they are working to commercialize the lights.

Laser headlights use less than half the energy of LEDs, and their ligth intensity is a thousand times greater, BMW says. Moreover, a laser diode is one-hundredth the size of an LED diode, which allows designers to shrink the headlight. “We see a lot of advantages,” says Hanafi Abdul, BMW’s optical systems designer. “We can reduce power consumption and weight, and it provides our stylists more freedom to produce beautiful shapes.”

In each headlamp, three small diodes generate blue laser beams only 10 microns wide. Those beams are aimed at small mirrors, which reflect them onto a lens. Inside the lens is a yellow phosphorus, which emits an intense white light when activated buy the lasers. That light is bounced off a reflector onto the road ahead.

-autobody news, vol. 1 issue 10

“Greenwashing Your Car”

Greenwashing A form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly. -Wikipedia

Global warming is a hot topic and business is looking to profit from it. It seems every industry is trying to capitalize on “going green.” The automotive industry is no exception.

New York State will soon mandate autobody shops use only Waterborne paint when refinishing. Sounds good! Right? Whether or not you’re a “Warmer” (global warming is happening), or a skeptic, (global warming isn’t happening), it’s hard to disagree that reducing the amount of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) in the atmosphere is a good thing.

I thought it would be fun to look closer at how the changeover to Waterborne painting may be more a marketing ploy then humanities selfless urge to save the planet.

Currently, the paint on your car is a Two-Stage paint. This means that there is a “base coat,” which is the color, and a “clear coat” that goes over it to give it a glossy look.

If you are involved in an accident and didn’t sustain any bodily harm,keeping the following things in your car can keep you from getting a ticket and help you be prepared!

What to Keep in Your Car

• Vehicle Registration. Like proof of insurance, registrations can be processed and reviewed electronically. But, just like your proof of insurance, it is best to keep the physical copy of the registration in your vehicle at all times. Again, rules governing the proof of vehicle registration vary by state, so don’t take the risk of being unprepared. Additionally, make sure that your vehicle is up-to-date on its registration. You don’t want to unknowingly be cited for an unregistered vehicle in addition to being involved in an accident.

• Proof of Insurance. The best way to satisfy the proof of insurance requirement is by keeping your insurance card in the vehicle. While many states have electronic reporting rules that can allow motorists to prove that they have sufficient liability coverage via electronic means, keep a physical car insurance card in the vehicle at all times as a backup. Additionally, DMV.org notes, drivers can face legal penalties for not being able to prove that they are covered. These penalties vary by state, the website says, but they can consist of anything from a fine to actual jail time, depending on applicable laws and the circumstances in which they are caught without a policy. REMEMBER: You can face legal penalties for not being able to prove that your vehicle is insured. Penalties vary by state, but can consist of anything from a fine to actual jail time.

• Dedicated Accident Information Kit. It’s extremely helpful to have a dedicated kit that will allow you to move forward if you have an accident. Having pen and paper handy in the aftermath of an accident will allow drivers to note down critical information about the other driver, including license plate and driver’s license number, make and model of the other car, and auto insurance company and policy numbers.

Such documentation, along with photos and other detailed descriptions of the accident and resultant damages, can help ensure that car accident victims have to jump through as few hoops as possible in order to either minimize their financial liabilities or maximize their ability to collect what they may be owed after such a crash, adds.

According to the website, it’s also very important for a motorist not to admit fault at the scene of an accident, while remaining as polite and honest with the other driver as possible. They should also be on the lookout, Edmunds.com says, for the other driver changing his or her account of what happened in an accident after the fact, or claiming property damage or physical injury that was not apparent at the time. This is another of the headaches involved with auto accidents that having proper documentation, government-issued and otherwise, can help avoid.

In general, Edmunds.com says that information is the accident victim’s friend. “Make sure that your company has your version of what happened and check your policy – if the damages paid out by your insurance company are below a certain amount, the accident may not be considered chargeable. And you will avoid the penalty of a premium hike,” the website advises.

Thanks to “Wired How-to Wiki”

“Another technological first is the EcoDryscrubber, a system used to help collect the overspray during the painting process. Paint particles attach to a limestone powder and are eventually turned into concrete for use in other applications.“We’re the first Volkswagen plant and the first OEM automotive manufacturer in the world to have this technology,” Rich states. A 21-year veteran of the automotive industry, Rich says, “Volkswagen is much more engineering strong” than other automakers for whom he

has worked. Considering his first Volkswagen experience was painting a 1969 Beetle in shop class during high school, Rich has come full circle.” -Das Auto, Winter 2010

It’s mildly startling to learn that the paint department emits most of the pollution generated from an automotive assembly plant, due to the spraying process. There’s overspray; there’s waste; and there’s disposal of the overspray and the waste.

The paint operation at the Chattanooga facility will use an economical dipping

process. It also skips the primer coat and bake-oven step, saving 20 percent on water

and chemical use. Even the top-coat process saves 123,000 gallons of paint

and solvent. In the spraying process, Volkswagen uses a dryscrubber system for less water usage, which is more economical. When spraying the top coat on the car body unit, there will be overspray that doesn’t make it on the unit. Paint that doesn’t make it on the unit is filtered into a limestone powder that can then be used in cement. It’s a much more

efficient system than wet cleaning. Percentage of water and Chemical Savings….20%

Courtesy of Das Auto Magazine