Essential Car Care

One of the most important car maintenance tasks you should do regularly for your automatic transmission cars is to check the automatic transmission fluid.

1. Park the car in a level spot. Start the engine. The shifter must be in the “park” position.

2. Pull out the transmission dipstick. Consult your manual to know where you can find it. Wipe it off with a clean lint-fee rag. Insert the transmission dipstick back carefully.

3. If the car has just been used, the fluid level should be at the upper end of the HOT indicator, while if the engine’s not been running long, then it should be at the COLD end of the dipstick. The general rule is that brownish and blackish liquid must be replaced as soon as possible, but do check your manual just to be sure.

Ever noticed your neighbor’s dogs peeing on your all aluminum mag wheels, then wash it out immediately for the high salt content in their pee tends to eat away aluminum. This could lead to problems such as rusting at the wheel nuts and corrosion in the underside of the rims that can render them ugly and even lead to failure. Wash away debris and pee off the wheels so they don’t affect the appearance, you can also tell the neighbor so they get down to cleaning it for you as it’s their dog that did the thingy’.
Dogs have an insatiable appetite to mark their territory and having smelled scent from another dog triggers them to mark it over with their own product. This is bad news for alloy and aluminum wheels for it can find any kinks in the clear coat of the wheel rim (clear coat lacquer) that protects it from the elements. Getting some wiggle in your steering lately, might be some debris caught in the inner part of the rim you can’t see. Get the wheel taken out and better yet rotated so they wear out evenly. Have the service guy clean out the wheel to get rid of road tar and other contaminants which may be sticking to the other parts of the rim and wheel. Try some pepper oil and spray it onto the wheels, dogs hate it (produces a burning sensation onto their tender noses) and it’ll sure teach them not to do their business on your beautiful and shiny wheels.

Tires though made tough, need inspection from time to time which can give the driver an overview of their health. Unlike the other parts of your car, these rubber wonders of technology are the ones in contact with the road thus the ones that are sure to suffer even with normal driving. Have a tire that seems to get flat once too often, there might be a leak with the tire valve or a puncture that is too small to cause a major flat. There could also be a leak in the side walls where the rim meets the tire, this can be corrected easily by having it re-mounted. Technicians use a sort of sealant that makes the tire stick to the rims thus preventing leaks.
Erratic wear might be an indicator of unbalanced wear or a problem with the suspension, mention that to the mechanic next service appointment for inspection. Treads have a maximum wear indicator in the form of a bump (three or more) in between the tread impressions. Once they line-up with the tread’s surface, it’s time to get new ones. This is more a safety issue, for a worn out tire would not be able to grip the road properly in wet weather sending you hydro-planing across the road. Buckle Up and drive safe.

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Most car manufacturers advise car owners that they change engine oil once a year for a brand new car or when they reach 7,500 miles. Whichever comes first. That is for gasoline powered engines. But for diesel powered engines, the time or mileage is shorter, usually you are required to change oil every 300 miles or once every six months. All this recommendations are applicable in normal or ideal driving conditions. And unfortunately, normal ideal driving for most of us means, in actuality, severe service driving. Severe service driving, which we often think as ideal driving are the often short trips under 10 miles, city driving… most likely a stop and go traffic situation, driving in dusty roads and sustained highway driving in hot seasons.

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As we drive our automobiles today, most of us would want to enjoy the same comfort levels that we are accustomed to at home and at work. With the push of a button or the slide of a lever, we make the seamless transition from hot environment to cooling and back again without ever wondering how this change occurs.

Most people are so fixated with exterior appearance of their car; little do they know that the cleanliness of the interior part is as important. Vacuuming the carpets and wiping the seats and sides prolongs the life of the air condition. Not only does it maintain the cleanliness of the inside but it prevents the car’s air condition from accumulating dust. Thus helps the efficiency of the vehicle’s AC system.
This will significantly minimize the frequency repair and reduce higher operating costs and add comfort.

While it may be quite expensive to maintain a car, there are just some problems that should never be disregarded. Delaying repairs can often lead to more problems, and bigger cost. Here are the top 5:

1. Brakes - these are the no. 1 safety item on your car. If your pads are worn down, or your hydraulic system is leaking, fix it immediately.

2. Oil - changing your motor oil can help prolong the life of your engine and transmission oil changes can save you from a costly transmission overhaul.

3. Timing belts - a failure on timing belts can ruin your engine.

4. steering - not only is a worn-out steering system a major hazard, it can also cause your tires to wear out faster.

5. water pumps - once you hear a humming sound, that is an indicator that the internal bearing is going bad, and should be replaced.

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Yes Indeed. When people buy cars, one significant factor to think is safety. By that, we mean car features that can guarantee safety or at least minimize injuries during accidents and other road disasters.

MSNAutos.com reports that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers has come up with a list of safety picks for 2008 to conduct car shoppers in getting the safest vehicles possible. The safety picks were chosen from among the various car segments: small cars, minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks. The crash assessments were made in the front, rear and side of the cars and measurements were done on the intrusion into the passenger compartment, the injury on dummies, and the control of restraint systems.

Fourteen Japanese cars have completed it to the list such as Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Impreza, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX, among others. Way to go, Japanese cars!

The retractable roof of a convertible gives it the edge that cannot be matched among breeds of automobiles. But the irony of which is that this feature that makes a convertible attractive is the same reason it is difficult to maintain. The convertible roof needs to be cared of and maintained in a special way. To address this dilemma, RaggTopp line of products will do the works. It is safe to use RaggTopp products in fact it is being endorsed by HAARTZ which is the leading manufacturer of convertible top fabric around the globe. RaggTopp products are silicone free that is why they can do no harm to your convertible.

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There have been recent studies that have shown that Nitrogen gas for use in inflating your car’s tires makes them last longer. Well, there might be a good scientific backing for this for many of the new muscle cars that are coming out onto the market have them in their tires.

Nitrogen being an inert gas that prevents the problems associated with regular compressed air which contains a sizeable amount of moisture that causes corrosion in aluminum and steel wheel rims. Oxygen causes oxidation which can eventually weaken wheels whatever type they may be. Nitrogen is also cooler than regular air which can translate to better mileage which may be needed due to ever increasing gas prices. As it turns out, the tires on your car looses air even if it does not have a puncture which translates to 2 psi per month compared to 6 months for nitrogen gas.

Nitrogen also causes less problems with your car’s wheel valves making them last a tad longer than usual. Wheel valves should be replaced everytime you have your tire changed to ensure they are at par with the wheel. They might be slowly leaking air which if added to the leak in the rubber tire can get you in an odd spot when you least expect it.

Also, it would be a good idea to make it a ritual to have the tire pressure checked everytime you fill up to ensure your wheels are running as designed. Uneven wear, cupping and other wheel maladies should be taken seriously for they are indicative signs of other problems such as in the suspension. Low tire pressure leads to poor mileage (it also heats up the wheels excessively even causing failure). If you have experienced having to run on a flat tire due to an emergency or unexpected flat the tire would surely be a goner for the plies of the tire tends to separate on the sidewalls for they are not designed to come in contact with the surface of the road. Till next time, keep safe on the road and off guys. Drive safely.

Thanks to Marcel for this Interesting post on StudyDriving : Nitrogen For Your Wheels

After you have applied and dried up the car polish, it is recommended that you apply car wax after. It may not be as strong and lasting as car polish, but continuous application can give your car a much deeper shine, glossier look and good finish. Applying it after a good car polish can multiply the shine which will produce an outcome that is almost unbelievable for some. Here are some important pointers in applying car wax:

• Apply in the same way as you apply car polish
• Car Wax is either in paste or liquid form
• Paste form is a bit more difficult to use. Let it dry to a haze and then buff dry after.