History of the Mercedes

We associate the name of Mercedes with wealth or car quality. What many of us don’t know is that the car itself dates back to over a hundred years.

To tell the story of Mercedes brand cars, you first must know the characters involved with the company. Those characters are Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz. Both men were born only 60 miles apart in southern Germany. Daimler was born March 17, 1834. A decade later, on November 25, Carl Benz was born. Although they grew up with little in common, machines from an early age fascinated both boys. Because their approach to building cars was quite different, it is doubtful, though, that they met or even knew what the other was doing.

In 1886, Carl Benz built a motorized tricycle. His first four-wheeler, the Victoria, was built in 1893. The first production car was the 1894 Benz Velo, which participated in the first recorded car race, the Paris-Rouen race. In 1895, Benz built his first truck.

In 1886, Gottlieb Daimler literally built a horseless carriage. Although we think of the car as being German, its history dates far back into America as well. In 1888 Daimler made a business deal with William Steinway (of piano fame) to produce Daimler's products in the US. From 1904 until a fire in 1907, Steinway produced Mercedes passenger cars, Daimler's light trucks, and his engines on Long Island.

Ironically, history says Daimler, generally considered to be the father of modern automobiles, never liked to drive. On March 6, 1990, Daimler died, leaving control of his company to his chief engineer Wilhelm Mayback. By November 22 of that year, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschat had produced a special car for Emil Jellinek. Jellinek named the car after his ten-year-old daughter Mercedes. This car was lighter and smaller than the standard car of its day and because of this was able to reach a top speed of 55 miles per hour.

Up until 1908, Daimler had overshadowed Benz in racing endeavors. At the 1908 French Grand Prix, Benz took second and third place behind Lautenschlager driving a Mercedes.

At the beginning of the First World War, both factories were converted into production sites for war materials, although both resumed producing cars after the war. Social unrest and a falling economy characterized post-war Germany. Little or no fuel for cars and a 15% luxury tax made automobile production increasingly disastrous.

The German economy continued to worse and a new Benz automobile eventually cost 25 million marks. Although nearly 15 million cars were registered in the world in 1923, over 80% of them were registered in the US and over 1/2 were Fords. The Mercedes was too expensive.

In 1924, from sheer economic necessity, Benz and DMG signed an "Agreement of Mutual Interest." Although both companies retained their identities, the agreement was valid until the year 2000. The two companies merged with relative ease on June 28, 1926.

A new insignia was needed to represent the merger. The design was a three-pointed star wreathed with laurel. The word "Mercedes" was at the top and the word "Benz" was at the bottom. The merger did the new company well. Production of Mercedes-Benz rose to 7,918 Mercedes-Benz automobiles in 1927. The Mercedes-Benz diesel truck was put into production in 1927, also.

The first two automobiles to sport the Mercedes-Benz name were the Stuttgart and the Mannheim. Then in 1928 the Mercedes SS was introduced by Mercedes-Benz. This graceful body was made possible by a hood line that barely cleared the engine.

Mercedes-Benz launched their biggest and most prestigious car to date in 1930. The 770 Grosser was powered by an 8 cylinder, 7.6 liter engine. A car for the truly wealthy of the world, it was quite an automobile for showing off in a world economy still reeling from the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

The cars of the 1930s produced great racing success for Mercedes-Benz. The silver metal bodywork gave rise to the name Silver Arrows when the W25 racer (of Rudolph Caracciola fame) had the white paint removed to lower its weight.

W125 (200 mph top speed) won seven out of thirteen races in 1937 followed by the successful W154. In 1939 Mercedes-Benz built a small V8 races specifically to win the Tripoli GP. It did win!

The Mercedes-Benz 170V gave Mercedes the capability of surviving and then recovering from WW II.

Today the Mercedes of course is still being built and is still revered as a car of quality.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Used Oil and Its Effects On The Environment

Motor oil leaked from individual vehicles—or outright dumped by homeowners and commercial garages inevitably finds its way into local water bodies. Topsoil and natural vegetation would ordinarily filter many of these pollutants out, but the impermeable pavement that covers much of the surface where these pollutants originate carries it right into storm drains and into streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean where it can poison marine life—which we might eat—as well as entire riparian or coastal ecosystems.

This pollution also finds its way into underground aquifers that supply our drinking water, so reducing it is a human health measure and could also save municipalities millions of dollars a year in drinking water treatment facilities and operational expenses.

While government agencies try to craft and implement development and zoning standards to help reduce storm water runoff problems caused by commercial and industrial entities, there is still much that individuals can do to reduce their impact as well. Indeed, upwards of 40 percent of oil pollution in the U.S. comes from the improper disposal of used motor oil by individuals.

What is Used Oil? The Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of used oil is as follows: Used oil is any oil that has been refined from crude oil or any synthetic oil that has been used and as a result of such use is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities. Simply put, used oil is exactly what its name implies—any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used. During normal use, impurities such as dirt, metal scrapings, water, or chemicals can get mixed in with the oil, so that in time the oil no longer performs well. Eventually, this used oil must be replaced with virgin or re-refined oil to do the job at hand EPA's used oil management standards include a three-pronged approach to determine if a substance meets the definition of used oil. To meet EPA's definition of used oil, a substance must meet each of the following three criteria:

1. Origin — the first criterion for identifying used oil is based on the origin of the oil. Used oil must have been refined from crude oil or made from synthetic materials. Animal and vegetable oils are excluded from EPA's definition of used oil.

2. Use — the second criterion is based on whether and how the oil is used. Oils used as lubricants, hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, buoyants, and for other similar purposes are considered used oil. Unused oil such as bottom clean-out waste from virgin fuel oil storage tanks or virgin fuel oil recovered from a spill, do not meet EPA's definition of used oil because these oils have never been "used." EPA's definition also excludes products used as cleaning agents or solely for their solvent properties, as well as certain petroleum-derived products like antifreeze and kerosene.

3. Contaminants — the third criterion is based on whether or not the oil is contaminated with either physical or chemical impurities. In other words, to meet EPA's definition, used oil must become contaminated as a result of being used. This aspect of EPA's definition includes residues and contaminants generated from handling, storing, and processing used oil. Physical contaminants could include metal shavings, sawdust, or dirt. Chemical contaminants could include solvents, halogens, or saltwater.

How is Used Oil Recycled? Once oil has been used, it can be collected, recycled, and used over and over again. An estimated 380 million gallons of used oil are recycled each year. Recycled used oil can sometimes be used again for the same job or can take on a completely different task. For example, used motor oil can be re-refined and sold at the store as motor oil or processed for furnace fuel oil. Aluminum rolling oils also can be filtered on site and used over again.

Recycling Used Oil Is Good for the Environment and the Economy – Here’s Proof
•Re-refining used oil takes only about one-third the energy of refining crude oil to lubricant quality.
•It takes 42 gallons of crude oil, but only one gallon of used oil, to produce 2 ½ quarts of new, high-quality lubricating oil.
•One gallon of used oil processed for fuel contains about 140,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy.

To prevent your own oil leaks and spills, take the following into consideration:

•Take steps to prevent leaks and spills. Keep machinery, equipment containers, and tanks in good working condition and be careful when transferring used oil. Have absorbent materials available on site.
•If a spill or leak occurs, stop the oil from flowing at the source. If a leak from a container or tank can’t be stopped, put the oil in another holding container or tank.
•Contain spilled oil. For example, containment can be accomplished by erecting absorbent berms or by spreading an absorbent over the oil and
•Clean up the oil and recycle the used oil as you would have before it was spilled. If recycling is not possible, you first must make sure the used oil is not a hazardous waste and dispose of it appropriately. All used cleanup materials, from rags to absorbent booms, that contain free-flowing used oil also must be handled according to the used oil management standards. Remember, all leaked and spilled oil collected during cleanup must be handled as used oil. If you are a used oil handler, you should become familiar with these cleanup methods. They may also be part of a spill response action plan.
•Remove, repair, or replace the defective tank or container immediately.

By taking care not to contribute to the problem of used oil being improperly disposed of, you can help maintain our clean and healthy drinking water for years to come.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Protecting Your Car From Blind Spots

Whether your car is small or large, you will have blind spots. Every year, children are injured and killed because drivers (in some cases, parents) don't see them while backing up. Statistics show that at least 50 children are backed over every week in the U.S. Part of the culprit is that Americans prefer larger vehicles which also come with larger blind spots. But passenger cars have theirs as well and all cars should be modified or maintained for any blind zones around them.

To modify your vehicle the best you can for blind spots, start with your rear-view mirrors. While the interior mirror should be set to see straight back along the road, the mirrors mounted on the doors should not duplicate this view. The proper use of the rear-view mirrors is to let you visualize the blind spots flanking your car. So here is what you do. First adjust your driver’s seat to the correct position. Second, lean your head and torso over to the left until your head contacts the window glass. Now, adjust the left-side mirror outward until you can barely see your own fender in it. Next, lean over to the right a similar distance, and adjust the right-side mirror so you can just see your own rear fender.

With your rear-view mirrors adjusted as so, you are covering a rear blind spot. This means that you won’t need to swivel your neck around to be aware of traffic hiding at 60 mph right beside you while the interior mirror will still let you see the traffic directly behind you. Mirrors adjusted as so are particularly important on multi-lane highways where you may have to keep tabs on lanes on both sides.

Even with your mirrors adjusted properly and owning a rear-view camera, it is important to check your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds while driving. Mirrors will not reveal a vehicle that is changing lanes from two lanes away. After checking your mirrors, use your head to look back before changing lanes.

As for having a large vehicle, you may want to invest in a back-up camera. This is especially a good idea if you live in an area with many pets or children. Some new cars come standard with some kind of sensory device or camera to help drivers with rearward motion. A small camera system is mounted above the rear license plate and a color LCD monitor mounted to the inside front windshield with suction cups is all it takes to make your vehicle safe.

Because blind spots cause so many accidents, some new vehicles are coming with Blind Spot Detector Systems. BSDS uses radar sensors invisibly mounted to the back of the rear wheels and the side exterior of the vehicle, which detect objects approaching the driver's blind spot area. Each sensor uses two overlapping radar beams to cover the large observation zone and reliably detect objects traveling at high speeds. In addition, BSDS is efficiently designed only to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes. When an obstruction is detected, BSDS alerts the driver to a potential collision with a light on the side-view mirror.

Regardless of how you protect yourself from blind spots when driving a vehicle of any size, you can be sure you’ll save yourself a lot of money, time and just maybe a life by just taking the time to take it into consideration.


Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Putting a Bed Cover on Your Truck

If you own a truck, you know how important it can be to keep your belongings that you store in the bed protected from the weather or theft. This is why so many people opt for installing a truck bed cover on their pickups. Unlike camper shells, bed covers do not create additional vertical cargo space but do offer a nice low-profile solution to keep items safe. They are also easy to install and remove. An added benefit is that truck bed covers can reduce drag on your vehicle meaning you can get an increase in miles per gallon of 5 to 10 percent.

Today’s truck bed covers come in a variety of designs and with a variety of materials. Design selection includes soft rollup, folding, retractable, hard, hinged, and toolbox.

Historically, the most basic type of truck bed covers are made from cloth or vinyl and use a rib-like system to support the fabric and keep it taut. The next most common type of truck bed cover is the roll-up truck bed cover which is a unit mounted at the front of the bed just behind the cab. There is usually a small rectangular box attached at each side of the bed and inside the box is a retractable fabric or plastic cover that can be rolled out and secured to the end of the bed. This type is more convenient to use as it doesn’t involve any difficult or time-consuming assembly or disassembly unlike other styles.

Hard plastic or fiberglass truck bed covers are quite popular because they have the best appearance. These covers tend to be painted to match the truck (unlike the other styles which are generally black), fiberglass is solid in construction, and can be locked making it more secure than the other types. Fiberglass tops are usually heavy and requires gas struts to assist in opening and closing them. They operate much like a vehicles hood, opening from the tailgate end of the bed (back to front). Some of these truck bed covers are available with multiple compartments that will open front to back, back to front, side to side, or even rise vertically. Fiberglass or hard plastic truck bed covers are sometimes installed as a factory option with some new vehicles.

Folding truck bed covers are favored for their fast bed access, simple installation and value. The hinged truck bed covers transform your truck’s bed into a full-blown trunk. Fast, pivoting access is the hallmark of the hinged tonneau. Retractable tonneau covers offer the best security for your truck bed. Once you add a retractable tonneau cover, it’s like having an industrial strength garage door protecting your cargo. Plus, retractable tonneau covers deliver a stylish, low profile that not only looks great, but helps to improve fuel economy.

And last, the toolbox truck bed covers bring together the best of the bed world – tool storage and bed coverage. Toolbox bed covers are for truck owners who want a tonneau cover but don’t really want to give up the advantage of owning a truck toolbox.

Truck bed covers also help protect your vehicle’s bed from rusting or filling full of leaves and debris while parked.

So whether you want to save gas, protect your belongings or keep your truck bed free from debris, a truck bed cover is the way to go – it’s just a matter of deciding which one.

Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.

Choosing The Right Camper Shell For Your Truck

Camper shells have come a long way when it comes to design, fit and purpose. Many people are opting to add camper shells to their trucks as it creates more cargo space and protects ones belongings from the weather and theft. What most people don’t know is that the addition of a camper shells also helps improve your truck’s fuel efficiency as it enhances the aerodynamics.

Most camper shells today come made either of fiberglass or aluminum. Each have their own qualities that you should weigh before choosing which is right for you.

Fiberglass:
• Shells are made from custom molds, which are designed specifically for your truck make, model, and year.
• Contour around the cab of your vehicle for a nice custom fit and a sleek look.
• Start in the $1,000 price range.
• Come painted to match the paint code of your vehicle, as specified by the truck manufacturer.

Aluminum tops:
• Are made from a standard mold and is only made to fit the bed of your truck (front of the cap may be taller or shorter than the cab of your truck).
• Do not contour around the truck's cab.
• Start in the $400 price range
• Have only standard colors to choose from.

When picking out your camper shell, carefully examine how it was built. There are some brands of camper shells that are of high quality while others of less quality. What can you look for in evaluating the quality of your camper? Start with things like how the windows are installed – are they crooked or do they have gaps? How are the cuts of the doorjambs? Are all the lines clean and even? Many campers are made from molds, especially those designed to fit your truck. But even with a mold, some manufacturers skimp on the details.

What about durability? Fiberglass should be examined for thickness, at a minimum you want to see a double-layer. Some are made with a honeycomb reinforcement which creates a double pocket and adds rigidity.

What kind of locking mechanism does your camper shell come with? Some manufacturers use rotary latches, which work nicely. Check to see if your camper shell is built with galvanized cables or stainless-steel rods. The stainless-steel rods are more secure while cables can come loose at the crimps. Other locking features include a pop-out lock that fits flush with the cover, keyless remote options, or slam latches.

When paying to have your camper shell installed investigate how well it is being put on. Installing a camper shell takes some precision. Inexpensive installation may include the use of foam tape. Professionals suggest a shell should be installed with two, two-bolt seals, so that you get four weather-stripping seals across the bottom of the camper.

The mounting mechanism should also appear unobtrusive. You should just see the top of the bolt with a washer on it; not a big bulky clamp.

What is the downside of putting a camper shell on your truck? The only major complaint truck owners have is that camper shells are relatively heavy and inconvenient to remove and replace on a frequent basis. It usually takes at least two people to remove or install. But beyond that, putting a nice protective cover over your truck’s bed may be worth the occasional struggle to remove it.


Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV’s. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.