AUTOMOTIVE ARTICLES FOR JUNE
Vinegar For Car Cleaning
Many folks receive car grooming gifts for Christmas. Some receive them for their birthdays. If you got something else, don't despair if you want to get the chrome and paintwork nice and gleaming. If you've got a bottle of vinegar in your kitchen cupboard, you can clean your car perfectly well - without getting your hands all itchy and cracked from using ferocious chemicals. But hang onto your chamois leather cleaning cloth - this is still a great way to clean your car.
And many of these tips for cleaning a car with vinegar can be applied to other cleaning jobs around your home - you can use them for cleaning bathrooms and other places with chrome fittings, and for window cleaning and mirrors cleaning.
Chrome responds very well to being cleaned with vinegar. Use full strength vinegar and apply it to chrome - inside and out - with a soft cloth.
Vinegar diluted to half strength is also very good for cleaning vinyl upholstery. As vinyl upholstery is a pig to sit on, especially on a hot day or with the heaters on, not many cars these days have vinyl upholstery (thank goodness). This tip will be best kept for older classics that have the old-style seat trims - or you can use vinegar to clean vinyl upholstered kitchen chairs.
Leather upholstery (much nicer and found in all the best cars) can be cleaned by mixing equal proportions of vinegar and vegetable oil (which includes linseed oil as well as more familiar ones). Rub this mixture into the leather with one soft cloth, then buff with another. This can be used for cleaning leather of all sorts, including shoes, leather sofas and leather jackets.
If somebody has been carsick, vinegar can help to absorb the smell. This is not done by cleaning up the vomit residue with vinegar (although this will help to kill any germs). Instead, place a bowl of vinegar on the floor (keep it in the bowl) and close the doors and windows very tightly. The vinegar will absorb the smell and/or replace the smell of vomit with the cleaner smell of vinegar. Alternatively, you can absorb the smell by sprinkling the site with baking soda and then vacuuming up the powder later.
This one's a bit harder to apply to other parts of the house, but mixing 3 parts of water to 1 part of water and covering your car windows with this is supposed to stop your windscreen frosting up overnight if you leave your car out overnight in winter.
Neat vinegar is great for removing flyspots (and other bits of insect) on windscreens and windscreen wipers. Dilute the vinegar to about 50% with water and you can use it to clean windows and clean mirrors. Simply spray on the vinegar/water mix and buff the glass thoroughly with a soft cloth (this is where your chamois leather will come into play). This gets glass gleaming and doesn't leave any streaky residue - and you can use it for cleaning other windows and other glass as well.
Any of these car and house cleaning methods can be enhanced by adding about 10 drops of essential oil to the vinegar and shaking well before use. This beats many of the artificial car scents you can buy and are better for you to breath in, too.
Nick Vassilev is the director and owner of Anyclean, a successful office cleaning london business established in 1998. His company offers a wide array of office cleaning services to large and small commercial clients throughout Greater London.
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Keeping Your Car's Fluid Levels in Check
By Snowden Cane
One of the major components of car care is making sure your fluid levels are in check. In particular, your oil, your transmission fluid and your coolant, or anti-freeze as some of you may know it.
Let's start with your oil. Oil levels need to be checked monthly. Find your dip stick, pull it out, wipe it off, shove it back in and carefully pull it back out. Your oil should be a nice translucent light brownish color. It it's black, it's time for an oil change. If it's milky you may have bigger problems and you definitely need to have it looked at. Look at your dip stick after a fresh dip and make sure your oil line is where it should be. There is an indicator on the stick that will help you determine that. If you need oil, either top it off with some new oil or bring it to someone who knows how to add oil, if you don't. Either way, your oil should be changed out completely every three months for optimal results.
Your next step is to check your transmission fluid. It's very much like checking your oil but your car has to be running and in park, of course, before you pull out your dip stick. Pull your dip stick, wipe it and shove it back in and pull out again. This time look at your levels, again there is an indicator to help with this. Transmission fluid should be a nice pink or red color and should not smell likes its burned. If levels are low then either top it off or see your local lube shop for some assistance.
Lastly, it's important that your coolant is at a proper level. Coolant does just what is sounds like, it cools the engine. No coolant can be very bad. Your engine can seize up entirely and then you won't be going anywhere in that vehicle for a long time, if ever again. Make sure your engine is off and that your vehicle is completely cooled before you touch your radiator cap. Another good tip is to make sure your car is on level ground. If your coolant is low, certainly add more but know that if this keeps happening, you probably have a leak and you need to have your radiator checked out soon. Coolant should be changed about every 2 years.
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Cash For Clunkers Facts
You'd think that the US government under the leadership of Barack Obama is actually doing you a favor by offering a $4,500.00 incentive if you buy a new car or a late model car. Before you jump on the opportunity, thinking of it as the best opportunity in the light of the global economic crisis, here are a few cash for clunkers facts that you should know about.
First, majority of Americans do not favor this incentive program because they understand that there is some form of a hidden agenda behind this program. According to a Rasmussen poll conducted recently, only 35%, mostly comprising of government employees, consider it a great idea. More than 50% of Americans know the bad implications of this program of the Obama government which only attempts to lure people to buy cars produced by both foreign and domestic manufacturers, which are lighter, smaller, and more fuel-efficient.
Accordingly, these cars are eco-friendly, based on the presenting features, and this means that you are helping the environment somehow when you use these cars. There's really nothing wrong with that. It can be even heroic to run in aid of the environment, which if truth be told, does urgently need all the help it can get. The thing is, they do not provide enough comfort to the passengers; worse, they may even endanger the lives of those who choose to ride in these small vehicles.
Would you really risk your life as well as the lives of your loved ones to enable the earth to survive? Environmentalists and Obama's supporters perhaps would not have to think twice, but what about you? Knowing even just a few of the cash for clunkers facts should be able to help you decide.
While these rather small vehicles may have passed the regular safety tests now customarily conducted on all vehicles being sold in the US, Obama's government failed to consider the fact that smaller-sized vehicles are at greater risk of being run over by bigger vehicles, such as SUVs. Certainly, you can't go out and drive these cars on an express lane or on highways where other vehicles are going at full speed!
Moreover, this ploy of the government is pushing people to go into deeper debt, as if the recession has not done enough damage already! So many Americans have lost their jobs and are struggling to get by daily. Now with this program of the government, they are being tempted to buy something that they may not even have a need for, but which is good the environment. When you think deeply about it, it seems rather insensitive for the government to have even thought about this plan. Just imagine the number of Americans who have to suffer the cost of the monthly amortizations. Do you think the $4,500.00 incentive is enough? Well, think again, because you will be spending a lot more than that in the long run.
It pays to know more of these cash for clunkers facts; they can save you not just money but your life.
For more information please go to: Cash for Clunkers
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Car Care Basic - Wax On, Wax Off
By M Kirby
Are you an unmotivated slacker who leaves your auto detailing duties to the pros? Or, a time-rich overly obsessive perfectionist who spends your Saturdays at the park with a toothbrush and a gallon of Armor All scrubbing your ride's nooks and crannies? Either way, one thing's certain, car care is crucial to keeping your ride looking right.
Here it is straight; neglecting your vehicle's paint always results in serious consequences. And, we're not just talking about the embarrassment of rolling around town in a faded and crusty ride. There's also the extensive damage to resale value (and your reputation) that you have to deal with later. Not only is failure to wash and wax your ride the worst form of car neglect, it's the best way to announce to fellow motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists that you're a lazy slob.
The two most important steps to car care are washing and waxing. As a rule of thumb, you should wash your car every week and wax it every six months. And, make sure you always use quality car polishing pads, soaps, chamois and waxes; they make a difference.
Start with the basics. These simple steps form the foundation for further care and should be performed regularly to avoid any extra work in the future. Hose off the dirt. A strong stream of water removes loose dirt and crud so you don't clog your wash mitt with mud and end up inadvertently leaving swirly scratches in your paint. Next, hit the wheels. It's important to use a separate brush for this step since nothing gets dirtier than the wheels.
Now, wash the roof. As the dirt washes away, it flows down toward the unwashed portion of the car. Work in small areas, never letting the soap and water dry on the car. Once a portion is soaped and scrubbed, rinse it off and move on to the next. Once you've scrubbed the entire vehicle, hose the whole thing down for one final cleansing rinse, grab a chamois and get to drying.
Now it's time to wax. Grab yourself some of those high-quality car polishing pads we talked about, park your ride in the shade and apply some wax. Just like when washing, work in small section and never let the wax dry on your paint. Once the wax has been applied, it's time to buff it out. This is when the magic happens. Once finished, touch the paint and experience how smooth it feels. Now, put on your shades and hit the road with your new found pride of ownership.
Though his ambition is handicapped by laziness, Michael Kirby manages to research and write about car polishing pads, along with all-things-automotive at http://www.AutoAnything.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M_Kirby
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Tips For Maintaining Your Car Annually
There is a time and a season for everything. Cars need to be properly taken care of. During the winter months, certain maintenance procedures should be completed, and others can be saved until the summer.
The winter brings harsh and dangerous road conditions. That is why it is so imperative that you keep your car in top shape by having it routinely checked by your local Utah auto repair dealer. Winter is no time to slack on repairs and maintenance checkups.
Annual maintenance checks are important to keeping your car working its best. Utah auto repair technicians do a wonderful job checking your car through out the different seasons. However, there are still maintenance checks that need to be done any time of the year. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Regularly check your battery to make sure it is working. Utah auto repair technicians can check your battery for you. You do not wish to be stuck with a car that won't start, do you?
2. Check the spark plugs. Spark plugs need to be working correctly. They affect your car's gas mileage and reliability.
3. Have your brakes inspected. Go to a Utah auto repair shop to check your brakes. Everyone benefits from working brakes, including you, your passengers, and everyone on the road.
4. Change your oil. It is important to replace your oil to keep your car in good and working order. This is a well known tip, but it is none-the-less important.
5. Remember to rotate your tires. Keep a log of when you have rotated your tires so you know how much wear and tear your tires are getting. Having a Utah auto repair shop rotate your tires will make your tires last longer, and save you from having to buy brand new tires as soon.
Master Muffler is Utah's leading muffler, brake and auto repair shop, and has 13 locations from Brigham City to Provo. Visit or call one of their locations for a free quote on how to improve your miles per gallon up to 30% for your car, truck or van. Visit their website at www.mastermuffler.net.
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Auto Buying and the "Lemon Laws"
It's always risky buying a car, whether it's new or used. However there are some safeguards to minimize your risk. Whether you are buying a new or used car, be sure and do your research on auto reliability, gas mileage, resale value, and fair market price. You may also want to check insurance rates. If you are buying a used vehicle you may also want to take it to a mechanic to check out. The one thing you do not want to forget to do is to run the VIN number (Vehicle Identification Number) through a database to find out more about the history of the car.
Good bodywork can disguise a lot of problems if it has been in an accident. It may even have been totaled and rebuilt. We have a lot of shops that do that in our area. You want to avoid them like the plague. Be sure and do your research online before buying any car. Always check out the VIN number to see the history of the vehicle. You would think that if you pay the money for a brand new car you would be safe. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Many new cars are built with serious defects. That is where the "lemon laws" comes into effect.
Basically, under the lemon laws, you are covered for a year if your car turns out to have mechanical problems. The dealer who sold you the car either has to return your money, or exchange your car. However, the dealer will be allowed to subtract money for the depreciation of your car.
In order for your car to qualify for coverage under the lemon laws, you must have experienced one of the following:
- Four attempts to fix a problem without success, using both the dealer and
manufacturer.
- The inability to drive your car for 30 days or more because of any mechanical problems.
You should not have to go to court to get your money back under these laws. There are some federally approved arbitration programs that your dealer may be affiliated with. If that is the case, you will have to first submit your claim to them. If you were unhappy with the outcome, then you would have to go to court. If this happens to you, be sure and check with your state's Attorney General's office for full details on how these laws apply in your state. Keep accurate records. Minimize your risk, and protect your pocketbook.
About the Author: Nikki Willhite has been writing and publishing articles on the Internet on the topic of Frugal Living for over a decade. Visit her at http://www.frugalhappyfamilies.com , where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money! Article first published at http://www.allthingsfrugal.com
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