AUTO CARE TIPS  FROM “AUTO REPAIR FOR DUMMIES”

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Tips for Getting into Your Car without Your Keys

If you've ever locked your keys in the car, you know how frustrating it can be. Assuming that you’ve decided not to risk hiding an extra set of keys on your car, here are a few things you can try to get in without a key.

If you tend to leave the keys in your car fairly often, consider hiding an extra key somewhere on the vehicle. A little magnetic key box that sticks to the metal surface of a steel body or frame is best, but be sure to place it in an obscure and hard-to-reach area where it can’t jiggle loose and fall off.

• If your vehicle has door locks that are recessed inside the interior door handle, get professional help.
• If you have the old-style door locks with little buttons on the window ledge, straighten a wire coat hanger and bend the end into a little hook. Insert it between the rubber molding and the side window and then carefully hook it around the door button and pull it up.
• If you have smooth buttons, you can try to hook one using the hanger technique, but most will refuse to budge.
• If you happen to lock yourself out of the vehicle while you have the trunk open, you may be able to move the rear seat out of the way and gain access to the rear of the car (or you can hide an extra ignition key in the trunk).

Fortunately, many new vehicles come with electronic door openers or “digital keys” that don’t allow you to lock the doors with the keys in the vehicle. The downside is that if you lose the gadget, it can take days and hundreds of dollars to replace it, and you’ll probably need to have the vehicle towed to a dealer who will order a new key.

If your vehicle has an electronic door opener, you may be able to get the door open, but if you’ve lost the opener outside your vehicle, the ignition may fail to start without it. Some vehicles have override switches for this eventuality, so find out whether you’d be able to start your vehicle without your opener, and locate the override switch now, if there is one.

If you need professional help, call emergency road assistance and ask if they will be able to open the door. If not, ask them to send a local locksmith. The good news is that each car key is coded by the auto manufacturer, and if you have the key code number and personal identification, a locksmith can make you a new key. Write down the key code number and leave it where someone at home can read it to you in an emergency.

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How to Choose the Right Motor Oil

The various types of motor oil on the market are designed for different purposes. To choose the proper type of oil for your vehicle, you need to understand the significance of the oil additives, viscosity ratings, and classification codes.

• Oil additives: To help the oil keep your engine cool, clean, and corrosion-free, refiners blend in various additives, which can account for as much as 25 percent of the cost of the oil.
• Viscosity ratings: Oil is rated and identified by its viscosity, which determines its ability to flow.
• Two types of oil are on the market: single-viscosity oil and multi-viscosity oil. Almost every vehicle is designed to run on multi-viscosity oil. The lower the number, the thinner the oil and the more easily it flows. In 10W-40 oil, for example, the two numbers mean that it’s a multi-viscosity oil. The 10W is an index that refers to how the oil flows at low temperatures (in Winter); 40 refers to how it flows at high temperatures.
• To find out which viscosity to choose for your vehicle, look in your owner’s manual for an oil viscosity chart.
• Oil classification codes: The starburst symbol on an oil container label means that the oil meets the current engine protection standard and fuel economy requirements of the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC), a joint effort of U.S. and Japanese automobile manufacturers.
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• (a) API starburst symbol, (b) API donut symbol for gasoline engine oil, and (c) API donut symbol for diesel engine oil.
• Synthetic oil: Some claim that synthetic oils allow longer intervals between oil changes, result in less wear on engine parts, and operate at higher engine temperatures. The longer interval claim has yet to be proven.

To choose the right oil for your vehicle, ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind of oil have you been using? If your vehicle is running well, there’s no reason to switch brands.
• What kind of oil does your owner’s manual recommend? If your vehicle is still under warranty, using something other than the recommended oil may invalidate the warranty on a new vehicle.
• Do you live in a very cold or very hot climate? Is it mountainous? Are there sharp changes in temperature where you live? Multi-weight oils cover a range of temperatures. The lower the number before the “W,” the better the oil works in cold weather.
• How old is your vehicle?If you have an old vehicle that has been running on single-weight oil for most of its life, it has built up quite a bit of sludge because some single-weight oils don’t have detergent in them.
• If you suddenly switch to multi-viscosity oil, the detergent in it will free all the gook in your engine, and the gook will really foul things up.
• How worn is your vehicle’s engine? If your vehicle has logged a great many miles over several years and has been running on 30- or 40-single-weight oil, multi-weight oil isn’t consistently thick enough to lubricate the worn engine parts that have become smaller while wearing down, leaving wider spaces between them. To keep the oil thick enough to fill these gaps, switch to heavier single-weight oil as your vehicle gets older and starts to run more roughly or burn up oil more quickly. If you’ve been running on 30-weight oil, switch to 40-weight at least during the summer, when oil tends to thin out.

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How Often You Should Change Your Oil?

Dirty oil just doesn’t do the job as well as fresh oil does. The additives in dirty oil boil out, contaminants form in the crankcase and eat metal parts, and water collects over time and forms sludge. The oil holds more and more abrasive particles of metal suspended in it, and these particles wear away the parts of the engine that the oil is supposed to protect.

You know you should change your oil at regular, reasonable intervals. But what is a reasonable amount of time — or mileage — between oil changes?

All oil looks pretty black within a couple of days after an oil change, so the only way to avoid running on oil that’s so dirty that it becomes a liability is to keep a record of when it was last changed and to change it frequently — as often as every 1,000 miles in extreme operating conditions. By changing your oil frequently, you may get twice the mileage out of an otherwise good engine.

You’ll be surprised by what some “extreme operating conditions” are: If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving in city or rush-hour traffic, make a lot of short trips each day and leave the car parked long enough to have your engine cool down between them, and don’t often get up to high speeds on a highway, your engine rarely gets hot enough to evaporate the water that forms in the crankcase and builds up sludge in the engine. Other extreme conditions are if you drive in very hot weather or in areas with a lot of blowing dust or dirt, or tow or haul heavy loads all the time. In any of these circumstances, change the oil as often as every 1,000 to 3,000 miles on older vehicles. On new vehicles, follow the manufacturers’ recommendations for extreme use.

Some manufacturers suggest that oil be changed every 7,500 miles or more, but that’s based on optimum operating conditions, and the manufacturers are the ones who get to sell you a new vehicle if your old one wears out prematurely. Although new vehicles can run longer on the same oil than older ones can, and improvements in motor oil have extended its efficiency over longer periods of time, to be on the safe side, you might want to change your oil every 5,000 miles or every six months, whichever comes first. If you’re a freeway driver who goes on a lot of long journeys at high speeds, you can probably extend the oil change interval, but on anything but the newest vehicles, don’t go longer than 5,000 miles between changes. And never, under any circumstances, go farther than the manufacturer’s recommended maximum interval between oil changes.

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How to Dispose of Motor Oil Safely

The best way to clean up spilled oil is to cover the oil with a generous layer of kitty litter, let it soak up the oil for a few hours (it will even pull some up out of the concrete or asphalt), then sweep up and properly dispose of the oil-soaked stuff. Next, squirt some liquid dishwashing soap onto the stain and scrub with a stiff brush; or on unpainted concrete, scrub the area with a solution of half laundry soap and half bleach. Wipe up the dirty cleaning liquid with paper or cloth towels, and rinse the area well.

Never dump oil onto the ground, throw it out with your regular garbage, or flush it down a drain. It’s a major toxic pollutant that needs to be treated accordingly. In many locales, putting oil filters into a landfill is against the law, so you may risk a fine.

So what do you do with your old oil? Decant the oil from the garbage bag that was in your collection pan into clean disposable containers with tight-fitting, screw-on lids — the bottles that the new oil came in or old, washed soda bottles work well. Place a funnel in the neck of the container, tie-off the bag, and hold it above the funnel. Then cut a tiny hole in a bottom corner of the bag and let the oil drain out of the bag into the funnel and container. You may want to cover the ground underneath the container with a thick layer of newspapers.

Oil recyclers probably won’t accept oil that’s contaminated with another substance or in a dirty container, so take it to a toxic waste disposal center.

The Steel Recycling Institute says that if all the oil filters sold in the United States each year were recycled, enough material would be recovered to build 16 stadiums the size of Atlanta’s Olympic Stadium! Many auto parts stores and some service stations accept old oil and oil filters for recycling. If you don’t have one close by, look in your local yellow pages for the nearest oil recycling center or toxic waste disposal center, or visit Earth911 or the Filter Council Web sites and enter your zip code.

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Auto Repair Safety Rules

When you’re repairing your car or doing basic maintenance, practice these safety methods to avoid injury to yourself and damage to your automobile and to be prepared in case of a mishap:

• Don’t smoke while you’re working on your vehicle.
• Never work on your vehicle unless the parking brake is on, the gearshift is in Park or Neutral, and the engine is shut off (unless it has to be running for you to do the work).
• Be sure that the parts of the engine you’re working on are cold so that you don’t get burned.
• Never jack up a car unless the wheels are properly blocked.
• Use insulated tools for electrical work.
• Before using a wrench or ratchet on a part that seems to be stuck, make sure that if it suddenly comes loose, your hand won’t hit anything. To avoid the possibility of bruised knuckles, pull on wrenches rather than push them whenever possible.
• Before working on your car, take off your rings, tie, long necklaces, and other jewelry, and tie back long hair.

• If you’re using toxic chemicals such as coolant, cleaners, and the like, keep them away from your mouth and eyes, wash your hands thoroughly after using them, and either store them safely away from pets and children or dispose of them in a way that’s safe for the environment.
• Know that gasoline is extremely dangerous to have around. Not only is it toxic and flammable, but the vapor in an empty can is explosive enough to take out a city block.
• Work in a well-ventilated area. If possible, work outdoors in your driveway, your backyard, or a parking lot. If you must work in your garage, be sure to keep the garage door open and the vehicle as close to the door as possible.
• Keep fire extinguishers handy. Place one in your garage and one under the front seat of your vehicle. (Be sure to secure it with a bracket that will prevent it from rolling under the pedals.)

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Items You Should Always Keep in Your Vehicle

You can pack your auto repair toolbox with the best tools that money can buy, but all those fancy gadgets and gizmos won’t do you any good if they’re at home when your vehicle breaks down 30 miles from civilization. Don’t tempt fate: Keep basic tools and materials onboard at all times.

Besides car toolbox filled with the tools you need for quick repairs, be sure to keep the following items on board:

• Rags: Keep a clean, lint-free rag in your vehicle to wipe your oil or transmission dipstick or to clean the inside of your windshield if it clouds up.
• Spare parts: If you replace your spark plugs, save the old ones if they’re not too worn. Carry them in your trunk-compartment toolbox for quick replacements if necessary. The same goes for old air filters and other minor gizmos. A couple of extra nuts, bolts, and screws also are useful to have on hand.
• Emergency parts: Carry a spare set of windshield wiper blades, an extra radiator cap, and extra fuses. If you plan to travel in hot weather in remote regions, top and bottom radiator hoses are a good idea. Although they’re more costly, it’s good to carry extra accessory belts.
• Spare tire: Check your spare tire often. It’s humiliating to find that your spare is flat, just when you need it.
• Lug wrench: A lug wrench is sometimes provided, along with a jack, on new vehicles. If you buy a lug wrench, get the cross-shaft kind, which gives you more leverage.
• A can of inflator/sealant: This item saves you the trouble of changing a flat on the road. It attaches easily to the valve stem on your flat tire and inflates the tire with goop that temporarily seals the puncture.
• Jumper cables: One of the most common automotive malfunctions is the loss of power to start the engine, either from an old or faulty battery or from leaving the headlights on by mistake.
• Snow and ice equipment: If you live in a cold area, carry tire chains or a bag of sand. A small shovel is useful for digging your tires out, and a scraper allows you to clear your windshield of snow and/or ice. A can of de-icer is useful in icy weather.
• Flashlights and reflectors: A flashlight in your glove compartment can help your kids locate dropped toys on the floor of the car, enable you to see under the hood if your vehicle breaks down, and serve as an emergency light for oncoming traffic if you have to stop on the road for repairs.
• First-aid kit: Keep a first-aid kit in your vehicle. Choose one that’s equipped with a variety of bandages, tweezers, surgical tape, antibiotic ointment, something soothing for burns, and a good antiseptic.
• Hand cleaner: Most hand cleaners are basically grease solvents.
• Gloves: Keep a pair of gloves in the vehicle for emergencies. Industrial rubber gloves, available at swimming pool supply stores, aren’t affected by gasoline, solvent, or battery acid.

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Monthly Auto Maintenance Checklist

Part of the Auto Repair For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Taking the time for regular under-the-hood vehicle checks will help prevent problems later. Spending 15 minutes every month for an under-the-hood check may prevent 70% of problems that lead to highway breakdowns. Convinced? Then run through the following list once a month or every 1,000 miles:

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How to Check a Vehicle's Coolant/Antifreeze

The radiator in your vehicle cools your engine and needs water and coolant (antifreeze) to function. Keep the following points in mind as you check the level of the liquid in your cooling system and add more, if necessary:

• Rather than open the cap on the radiator, just check to see whether the liquid reaches the “Full” line on the side of the coolant reservoirshown here. It’s part of the coolant recovery system. If the liquid doesn’t reach the “Full” line, open the bottle and add a 50/50 mix of water and coolant until it does. Some coolants are premixed, so check the bottle to see whether you need to add water or just use it as-is.
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• Check the coolant stored in the plastic bottle connected to the radiator.
• Only in an emergency should you add only water to the coolant system. Most modern engines have aluminum cylinder heads, which require the protective anticorrosive properties of antifreeze. A 50/50 mix of liquid or coolant is usually sufficient.
• Some coolant recovery systems are pressurized and have a radiator pressure cap instead of a normal cap. Some older vehicles have no coolant reservoir, so to check and add coolant, you have to open the cap on the radiator.
• Never add coolant to a hot engine! If you need to add more liquid, wait until the engine has cooled down to avoid the possibility of being burned or cracking your engine block. Don’t open the caps on either of these systems when the engine is hot; if you do, hot coolant may be ejected.
• Coolant is usually red, green, blue, or yellow. If it looks colorless, looks rusty, or has things floating around in it, flush your cooling system and add new coolant.
• If the coolant has a sludgy, oily surface, immediately take the vehicle to your mechanic to check for internal head gasket leakage. The service facility has special equipment for performing this check.
• While you’re messing around with your cooling system, feel the radiator hoses, too. They’re the big hoses that go into the top and come out of the bottom of the radiator. If they’re leaking, cracked, bulgy, or squishy, they should be replaced.

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All tips courtesy of “AUTO REPAIR FOR DUMMIES”