Monday, October 21, 2013

Prepping Your Car Up For The Winter

Winter is upon us, and winter driving comes with it. While safety is an important consideration
all year long, there are certainly some auto maintenance jobs and safety checks that are specific
to chilled air and winter driving that are a good idea to check into before we're knee deep in the
season. To be sure you don't end up a road popsicle, or even worse end up with your holiday budget
on ice thanks to unexpected car repairs, have a look under the hood to be sure things are ship
shape. As with any change of season, you should go to your regular maintenance log to make sure
you are up to date on the maintenance items that should be taken care of throughout the year. The
change of seasons is a great time to go through some once-a-year or twice-a-year auto maintenance
tasks.

Winter Specific Maintenance 

In addition to the added perils of winter driving, the change in weather can bring peril to your
car's systems. Freezing temps, salted roads and wintery precipitation can gang up on your car if
you don't give it a baseball-bat sized maintenance session. These winter maintenance jobs will
keep you out of trouble:

Check your antifreeze 

Your antifreeze (the juice that goes in your radiator) is an essential part of your car's winter
protection. Your car contains a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. Make sure the level is full and
the mixture is close to 50/50. Many auto service stations and repair centers will check this
mixture free, or you can buy a tester for around $5. You did remember to perform a radiator flush
last spring, didn't you?

Inspect your tires 

The last line of defense between you and an oak tree are your tires. Winter is not the time to get
cheap about your tires, so take the time to check the tread depth. The National Highway
Transportation Safety Board says you need at least 2/32" of depth to be safe. It's been my
experience, especially in winter weather, that anything less than 4/32" (1/8") be replaced soon.
The old penny test is as reliable as anything to find out whether your treads are ready for winter
action. Also, be sure to check your tire pressure. Believe it or not, they lose a little pressure
when it gets cold, so pump 'em up. Do you need snow tires?

Replace your wipers 

Wipers? What do your windshield wipers have to do with winter weather? Two things. First, anything
falling from the sky is going to end up on your windshield, and unless you have a team of beavers
riding on the hood of your car the task of clearing it falls on your wipers. Second, in areas that
see snowfall in the winter, you're also driving through that soupy muck that's left on the road
once the highway department does their thing. This muck includes a lot of sand and salt, both of
which end up on your windshield. It takes wipers that are in top shape to keep your windshield
clean and safe.

Check your windshield washer fluid 

You'll be using lots of washer fluid as you try to keep your windshield sparkly. A mile stuck
behind an 18-wheeler will have your windshield looking like a Desert Humvee if you're low on
washer fluid. *Tip: Don't fill your washer fluid reservoir with anything except washer fluid, it
won't freeze!

Annual Maintenance Procedures 

On top of the checks you need to perform to ensure safe winter driving, now's a good time to do
some annual maintenance. These aren't necessarily specific to winter driving, but it's a good
point on the calendar to get around to doing this stuff.

Clean your battery posts 

Starting problems are a bummer any time of year. Regularly treating your battery to a cleaning can
keep electrical gremlins at bay.

Inspect your spark plug wires 

Cracked up plug wires affect performance, gas mileage and general reliability. Be sure yours are
in top shape.

Inspect your brakes 

Brakes are not a good area to cut corners. Be sure your brakes have enough meat left to get you
through the season.

Check Your Engine Oil 

This should go without saying and should be done at least monthly. But in case you're an amnesiac
... you should also do an oil change!

Cold weather safety should be a concern for anybody living in a cold climate. These tips will give
you the upper hand when Old Man Winter tries to put a chill on your winter travels. If you're
extra curious about staying generally safe in winter weather, the National Weather Service has an
excellent Winter Safety & Awareness guide that covers everything from how storms brew to a list of
history's billion dollar winter wonders.
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Steven Magill has worked with hundreds of business owners over the past couple of years, helped
them build their website from ground,improve sales and business growth. Visit his blog:
http://www.alloywheelrefurbishmentswansea.co.uk - first-class alloy wheel refurbishment service in
and around Swansea!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Vehicle Body Collision Repair

If you have your vehicle damaged as a result from an accident or something that bumped onto it and
caused some significant dent, you will have to present it for repair at the garage. It is only at
the garage and vehicle repair shops will you get quality services due to the fact that they are
always equipped with the right tools and skill sets that is needed to fix your vehicle back to
position. 

So then the first thing you want to focus on is how to get your vehicle fixed into position by the
right professionals. At such a point you may want it taken some places like collision repair,
where skilled experts will handle it. 

Upon presenting your vehicle after damage to the garages, the mechanics will perform assessment on
it right from the looks to other interior components that lie beneath the chassis. The need for
assessment is to establish what actual parts of the vehicle need repair and replacement other than
the visible body. 

First, the chassis will suggest some reshaping and then repainting. This will be handled probably
towards the end of the entire repair process, but identification of what necessary steps to take
is what is most important. You then will have information from the mechanics as of what interior
components need complete replacement along with their market prices. 

If you can acquire them from the spare parts shops then it will help you save money other than
having the mechanics go for them. On the chassis of the vehicle you might also see the need to
have its headlights replaced with new ones just incase they were damaged or worn-out in the event
collision. 

When a vehicle body is damaged in an accident you may want it repaired at the garage, where you
will pay the amount money that pertains to having your vehicle fully repaired and then return back
to pick it when all is done. It is however necessary that you also learn what goes about during
the body repair. 

Basically the process entails scrapping off the vehicle paint at the point that incurred the
damage and then having it reshaped and repainted to restore the initial state as if it were new.
If the chassis was severely dented and deformed, there might also be need to have it entirely
replaced or parts by parts until only the undamaged parts are left. 

One benefit of having your vehicle repaired by the mechanics at the garage is that they take the
least time possible and that they are also well equipped that your vehicle will have all its parts
replaced in high professionalism. You are also sure that your car will undergo mechanical checks
to establish other possible faults in it and then repaired. It is after understanding what entails
collision repair services wills you sees the reason for garage repairs.
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For more information on collision repair san diego visit
http://www.sandiegosautobody.com/collision-repair.html

Posted by Crawfordville Auto Repair & Tire
http://crawfordvilleauto.com/

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

The Automotive DIY Safety First Guide

Before you even pick up your screwdriver, you should have a safe work environment. Safety is
synonymous with planning, meaning that if you plan your work area and task ahead, your safety will
be insured. The basics are simple. Attempting to work on your own car without at least a basic
level of safety is irresponsible. But like so many small tasks that produce big results, just a
small amount of safety-conscious planning can mean you'll never be running inside for the ice pack
unless you're trying to keep your lemonade cool.

Keep your work area clean. Clutter and mess are the first enemies of safety. If cleanliness is
next to Godliness, then a messy work area is next to a picture of you landing on your buns, hard.

Always have emergency safety devices close at hand. Remember high school chemistry class? There
was a little corner of the classroom that had a collection of "just in case" items that you
hopefully never needed. But that fated day when Jeffrey's ponytail got too friendly with the
Bunsen burner you all knew where to run to put his head out. You should have the same special
corner in your garage. Hopefully you'll never need it.

Be familiar with your tools 

Many injuries in the automotive realm happen because of the misuse of a tool. Most tools, probably
99% of them, can't do any serious harm to your body. But most of them can do some not-so-serious
harm, which can put a damper on your afternoon of seasonal maintenance. Know what your tools are
made to do, what they're capable of, and where their limitations lie. It's a cornerstone of
safety.

Know the Don'ts 

Sit any mechanic down and he will run out of belly-button lint before he runs out of things to
tell you not to do. The list may be long, but there are some "dont's" that are universal and can
come up on a regular basis. They seem simple, and perhaps even obvious, but "safety first" is a
useful mantra, and these are the first rules of safety.

Have an escape plan 

We hope you'll never need it, but it's very important to be prepared should something disastrous
happen that needs professional attention. It takes a little planning, but without it you'll be
leaving your most critical thinking to a time when clear decision making is the most difficult.
It's hard to flip through the yellow pages when your thumbnail is hanging by a thread and keeps
getting caught on the page corners.

Great! Now that you know what to do when things go wrong, you're ready to make sure everything
goes right. So get out there and experience some real Automotive Empowerment. You can do it,
yourself.
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Steven Magill has worked with hundreds of business owners over the past couple of years, helped
them build their website from ground,improve sales and business growth. Visit his blog:
http://www.alloywheelrefurbishmentcardiff.co.uk - first-class alloy wheel refurbishment service in
and around Cardiff!

Posted by Crawfordville Auto 
http://crawfordvilleauto.com/