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Ultimate Car Expert Terminology Cheatsheet (Part 1)

We bring you through this two-part special of the technicals of every car terminology you should add to your vocabulary from A to Z.

   A

            1. A-line: This line traces over the roof, from the front to the back, and forms the shape of the vehicle.
            2. ABS: Anti-Lock Braking System. This is a system to prevent skidding, especially in wet conditions.
            3. ARFThe Additional Registration Fee is a levy the buyer has to pay when buying a new car. The higher the OMV of the vehicle, the more cash one will have to fork out.

              B

            4. Beltline: This line can be found extending under windows from the front to the back.
            5. Brightwork: These are any functionals or aesthetic reflective additions to the car.

              C

            6. CEVSCarbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) was introduced in 2013 to encourage the purchase of low carbon emission vehicles. Depending on the car’s carbon emission volume, one can either receive a rebate or a surcharge.
            7. COE: Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is a document that one requires to register for a new car.
            8. Carburettors: Used in petrol engines to mix the petrol with air for delivery to the combustion chamber.
            9. Character line: A strip around the vehicle that generally features to give the car a distinctive and notable appearance.
            10. Cladding: These are panels around the car edges that can be aesthetic or functional.
            11. Combustion chamber: The area at the top of the engine cylinders where the fuel is introduced and either ignited (petrol) or compressed (diesel).
            12. Compressor: A system used by some manufacturers to improve the power of engines by forcing air into the combustion chamber at greater pressure.
            13. Cylinder: One of a group of chambers in the engine within which the combustion process takes place. Most configurations are either 4, 6 or 8 cylinders.

              D

            14. Disc brakes: A disc rotates with the wheels, straddled by a caliper that can squeeze the surface of the disc at the edge to slow the wheels.
            15. Drive train: All parts of a vehicle that create power and transmit that power to the wheels.
            16. Drum brakes: A braking system that uses a metal drum. Brake shoes press against the drum to slow down or stop the car.

              E

            17. Engine management system: An extremely sophisticated computer which monitors the condition of the engine at all times.
            18. ERPDuring certain hours of the day, the Electronic Road Pricing system vacuums money from a stored-value CashCard that every car owner must insert into a beeping grey device.
            19. Exhaust: The pipe through which the waste gasses from the combustion processes are removed from the engine and the car.

              F

            20. Front wheel drive: The power of the engine is transmitted to the front wheels by driver shafts.
            21. Fuel injection system: A fuel pump sends the petrol to the engine bay, and it is then injected into the inlet manifold by an injector, for the engine to run smoothly and efficiently.

              G

            22. Gearbox: Transmits the power from the engine to the wheels. It acts to transmit different levels of power.
            23. Glow plugs: Used in diesel engines to heat the combustion chamber so that the diesel compresses and expands rapidly.
            24. Grille: The metal grate at the front of the car which provides cooling and also gives the car its signature look.

              H

            25. Hip point: The distance between the pivot point of a person’s hips, the vehicle floor and the ground.
            26. Horsepower: The common unit of engine power. One horsepower equals to approximately 550 foot pounds per second.

              I

            27. Intake charge: The mixture of fuel and air that combusts in the engine to create power.

              L

            28. Leaf spring: Suspension made from thin, curved steel. Absorption of bumps is increased by the curved shape.
            29. Live Axle: A solid axle that means when one wheel turns, the opposing wheel must also turn.
            30. LTAThe Land Transport Authority collects vehicle taxes, including the majority of what an individual pays for a new car including the ARF, COE and road taxes.

Look out for part two coming out next week!

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