Spring Car Cleaning

Winter weather can do a number on your vehicle.  As we approach the warmer weather, make sure your car is in top shape for Spring!  Here are some helpful tips:

Clean and vacuum inside first.

Make sure you have soap that's specifically for cars.

Never wash your car in direct sunlight.

Use a hose with a mist-spray nozzle to wet down the car and wash away debris.

Using a bucket with tepid water and soap, sponge down all areas of the car gently, rinsing the sponge frequently. Do the fender and bumper areas last.

Blast the undercarriage and wheel wells with the hose to remove as much salt buildup as you can.

Dry the vehicle lightly with a chamois or natural-fiber drying cloth.

Remember to clean the windows and mirrors!

Stay away from automated, commercial car washes on busy, winter-thaw days. Many of them recycle a certain portion of their water, to the point that they're washing with salty water at those times. Otherwise, they're alternatives for keeping your underbody clean and for when it's too cold to hand-wash.

Look for stone chips, sand abrasions and rust. Look over the body completely for stone chips, including smaller surface nicks and scratches from traction sand thrown up bytrucks. Repair them immediately with a touch-up kit (a small bottle of touch-up paint plus a special brush for application, usually inexpensive and available at the dealership). Make sure the spot is clean and dry, without any loose or sharp edges, and apply primer if bare metal is exposed. Have a body shop repair larger patches of rust.

Lubricate your locks and hinges. Consult with your owner's manual and use a graphite lubricant on your locks if recommended. Applying a small amount of petroleum-based lubricant to door and trunk hinges might also silence any creaking that started during winter.

Inspect your weather-stripping. Get any that looks mildewy, cracked, or brittle replaced right away. According to advice from the International Carwash Association, spraying weather-stripping with silicone spray will ensure that the water will bead away.

Inspect your car's underbody for rust and winter damage. If there are any suspicious areas, have a mechaniclook at them, and fix them immediately if needed. Pay special attention to brake components (sticky calipers, corroded brake lines), and exhaust components (rusted clamps, crumbling tailpipes, holes forming in muffler) that might have salt or slush damage. Suspension and steering pieces such as bushings, strut mounts, springs and tie rods are also susceptible to winter damage.

Looking for more ideas?  Check out the whole article at: http://autos.aol.com/article/spring-clean-your-car/

Extend the Life of Your Vehicle

Do you love your car and hope that you can enjoy it for many years to come?  Here are some tips that might help you extend the life of your vehicle:

1. Be patient during the break-in period

You’ve bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer’s lot:

• During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer.
• Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
• Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breakin. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
• Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.

2. Drive with care everyday
Being car considerate shouldn’t stop after the break-in. Drive with care every day and your car will reward you with longer intervals without repair.

• Do not race your car’s engine during start-up.This is a quick way to add years of wear to your engine, especially if it’s cold outside.
• Accelerate slowly when you begin your drive.The most wear to the engine and drive train occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
• Warming the engine by letting it idle in the driveway is not a smart idea.The engine doesn’t operate at its peak temperature, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion, soot deposits on cylinder walls, oil contamination, and ultimately damaged components.
• Put less strain on your engine and automatic transmission by shifting to neutral at red lights. Otherwise, the engine is still working to push the car even while it’s stopped.
• Avoid driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly, especially when it’s very hot or very cold outside. Such driving behavior will result in more frequent repairs.
• Extend the life of your tires with careful driving. Observe posted speed limits. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on the road. Don’t run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when parking. And, of course, don’t burn rubber.
• When turning your steering wheel, don’t hold it in an extreme right or left position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage the power-steering pump.
• Consolidate your short driving trips. Most of the wear and tear — as well as the pollution your car generates — takes place in the first few minutes of driving. Doing several errands at once, during low traffic hours if possible, will keep your engine happier longer.

3. Buy gas at reputable service stations

Ask whether the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and dance, find another gas station. Some stations don’t have pump filters, making you more vulnerable to dirty gasoline. Other stations may not mix alcohol and fuel properly — or worse, water down their product. Find a station you trust and stick to it.

4. Don’t fill up if you see the tanker

If you happen to see a gasoline tanker filling the tanks at your local gas station, come back another day or go to a different station. As the station’s underground tanks are being filled, the turbulence can stir up sediment. Sediment in your gas can clog fuel filters and fuel injectors, causing poor performance and possibly necessitating repairs.

5. Go easy when you’re stuck

When stuck in mud or snow, don’t make the problem worse by damaging an expensive component. Gently rocking in an attempt to free the car is fine. But if it looks as though you’re really stuck, don’t keep at it. Throwing your car from forward to reverse repeatedly, as well as spinning tires at high speeds, can generate lots of heat and spell trouble for transmissions, clutches, and differentials. It may be cheaper in the long run to call the tow truck rather than risk big repair bills down the road. It’s a good idea to carry a traction aid in the trunk, such as sand, gravel, or cat litter.

6. Lighten up your key chain

Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others. Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.

 

To read the full list of 74 (that’s right, 74!) car-care tips, check out:  http://www.rd.com/money/74-car-care-tips-to-keep-your-automobile-in-topnotch-condition/

Yes, You Can Learn How to Change a Flat

 

Knowing how to change a flat tire can save you time and money.  Be more in charge of your vehicle by learning these easy skills courtesy of ehow.com:

1. Put the car in park on level ground and apply the parking brake. Place manual transmission cars in gear. Make sure you have pulled off the road. Turn the engine off and turn on the hazard lights. You may want to open the hood to indicate to other drivers that you are stopped for repairs.

2.  Place a wheel chock or a large rock behind (if facing uphill) or in front (if facing downhill) the diagonally opposing wheel to prevent the car from rolling. Do this even on a slight incline. Get out the spare, a lug nut wrench (tire iron) and the car jack.

3.  Remove the hubcap, if necessary.

4.  Loosen the lug nuts, which hold the wheel in place, before jacking up the car: Place one end of the lug nut wrench over a lug nut. Use a hollow pipe (about 2 feet in length) for leverage by slipping it over the end of the lug nut wrench. Turn the wrench counterclockwise to loosen the lug nut. Loosen the lug nuts in a star pattern, first loosen one a few turns, then loosen the one opposite. Work across the tire until all the lug nuts are loose and unscrewed slightly.

5.  Carefully jack up the car (see 'Jack Up a Car Safely'). Check your owner's manual for the correct and safe place to put the jack. Jack the car up a little higher than is necessary to remove the old tire so there is room to put the new, full tire on.

6. Remove the lug nuts all the way and set them aside in a place where you won't lose them and they won't roll away. The flat tire should be hanging from the threaded studs now.

7.  Remove the flat tire and set it aside.

8.  Lift the new tire onto the wheel studs. If you're confused about which is the right way to put the new tire on, check for the valve where you add air, it always faces out.

9. Replace the lug nuts. Tighten them the same way you loosened them: Give each nut a few turns, first one, then the one opposite, working around the wheel in a star pattern. Try not to tighten adjacent nuts consecutively.

10. Slowly lower the jack and remove it.

11. Tighten the lug nuts again as much as you can.

12.  Put the hubcap back on.

Check out the whole article with a video walkthrough here: http://www.ehow.com/video_1863_change-flat-tire.html

Safe driving! 

Show Your Car You Care!

Valentine’s Day is next week!  How do you show your car how much it is loved?  Here are some tips to make this Valentine’s special:

• Take your vehicle to it’s favorite car wash.

• Check your vehicles fluids and make it feel cared for.
• Take the scenic view during your commute
• Just take time to listen.  Is your engine trying to tell you something?
• Make a mix CD of all your favorite car tunes.
• Buy it that accessory it always wanted. 
• Drive safe! 

Can you think of any more ideas?  Let us know!

Sneak Peak of the 2013 Lexus ES

Now that you've seen the new GS,catch a sneak peak of the 2013 Lexus ES with these just released spy shots from Left Lane News:

Our spy photographers have just sent us the first images of Lexus ’ upcoming 2013 ES sedan. Although camouflage still hides most of the car’s exterior, a single interior shot has revealed the ES’ secret weapon.

A close-up of the ES’ gauge cluster reveals a tachometer that appears to have the words ‘Charge’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Power’, indicating that this particular prototype is for an ES Hybrid. That’s big news for Lexus ’ best-seller as a hybrid powertrain has thus far been reserved for the ES’ lesser platform mate, the Toyota Camry.

 

Read the whole article and see the entire gallery of spy photos here: http://www.leftlanenews.com/lexus-es-hybrid.html