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Blog
An Efficient Car Charger for iPhones
Key Takeaways The Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger offers a strong magnetic grip for steady phone positioning while driving. Rapid 15W wireless charging is suitable for Qi-enabled devices. It’s compatible with MagSafe iPhones and Qi2 Android phones. Every time I drive, I mount my phone to use its GPS. Yet even on pretty tame turns, the phone mount always flops…
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Best Black Friday Car Deals for 2024
There are a few things to consider when shopping this time of year: Dealerships tend to be more eager to move leftover models (2024s) now because they have likely been financing them for a while, and they are eager to make way for the 2025s. This is to the shopper’s advantage, if 2024s are available. However, there are trade-offs: A…
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The Biggest Signs Your Car Is About to Need Major Repairs
Most of us—close to 92%, in fact—own a car. This country is so car-centric you have to do a lot of planning and investigation if you want to (or have to) try living without one. The good news is that modern cars are pretty durable in general—today’s cars have an average lifespan of more than 16 years and close to…
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How to Jump-Start a Car With a Dead Battery
Jump-starting a car used to be a simple affair, but since cars have become more complex there are new risks, and you should be cautious if you jump-start one on your own. Plus, you might want to think twice about asking a stranger for help. “When a vehicle battery dies, most people immediately think to jump-start the battery using jumper…
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Car Battery Charger FAQ – Consumer Reports
There are two main types of chargers: trickle and maintainer. Basic trickle chargers slowly replenish the battery, but they need to be monitored and manually disconnected when the battery is topped off. A maintainer may be all most people need. True to their name, these budget-friendly chargers are meant to preserve the charge level, not resurrect a dead battery. Unlike…
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Car Brands With the Highest Road-Test Scores
The staff at CR’s 327-acre Auto Test Center study the automotive market, identifying the new models and trim levels that are most relevant to our members. We then spend more than $2 million each year buying examples anonymously to evaluate as soon as they go on sale. By doing this, we know what the car-buying experience is like, and we…
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Car Brands Ranked by Maintenance and Repair Costs Over Time
Knowing the typical ownership costs for each brand can help you save money in the long run by avoiding surprises, either by choosing a less expensive brand to maintain or by budgeting accordingly. “The difference to maintain a car on average between some brands can be thousands over a 10-year time frame,” says Steven Elek, Consumer Reports’ program leader for…
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Don’t Rush Into an 84-Month Car Loan
Chuck Bell, programs director for advocacy at Consumer Reports, recommends that consumers take a conservative approach to how much they spend on a vehicle. “In the past, the rule of thumb for car financing was the 20-4-10 rule: Make a 20 percent down payment, take a 48-month [four-year] loan, and spend no more than 10 percent of your budget on…
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Make a Car More Accessible for Aging, Disability Injury, Pregnancy
As it turned out, there was. “When they looked at me and at the car, they decided I needed to come up even higher,” he says. He drove away from the CarFit event with a 2-inch cushion, a better view of the road ahead, and a newfound respect for the CarFit program. “Even in what I thought was my great…
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How to Rid Your Car of Odors and Smells
For cleaning interior surfaces, Crossen and others recommend cleaners meant specifically for cars, but some household cleaners will also work. When we interviewed Jeff Stout from Yanfeng, the world’s largest supplier of automotive interior parts, he said that isopropyl alcohol is a safe way to kill any germs on a car’s interior surfaces. In fact, it’s what Yanfeng uses in…
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