Safety Tips:
Never work underneath a poorly supported vehicle .
Never mess about with the airbag circuitry. Leave it to the professionals. Use the correct tools. Cheap tools can be dangerous and are a waste of time.
Five Tips to Saving Money on a Car
The costs of both purchasing and maintaining a car can quickly become overwhelming, but public transportation is not always a viable option. Knowing how to make an astute purchasing decision and self-maintaining your vehicle will help keep costs lower, as will knowing when to consult a mechanic. Here are five tips for saving money on your car from purchase to trade-in.
Don't be seduced by fancy options. Car dealerships love to shout about the all-leather interior or all-wheel drive. However, paying for options you don't want or need is a waste of money. You also need to consider that many of the high-end options cost more to maintain and repair. If you don't want certain options, don't pay for them. Furthermore, if you're planning on purchasing a used car, pay cash for the car.
Learn how to change your own oil. This will save you money in two different ways. First, you can save big by purchasing your own supplies and doing it yourself. Second, you will know that the oil put into your car is new and of the correct weight, in addition to being absolutely sure that the oil plug is replaced correctly. While most oil change establishments are legitimate, there have been reports of recycled or inferior oils being used unbeknownst to the customers. There is also always the possibility that the oil plug has not been replaced. As improper oil changing can ruin your engine, it pays to learn to do it yourself.
If you drive an automatic transmission, use your parking brake. When you park your car, using just the parking gear on your transmission selector places tremendous strain on the parking pawl. It resembles a small pin. If the pawl snaps off, it can render your transmission useless. You can reduce that strain by using the parking brake every time you park. As the cost of a transmission rebuild can cost thousands of dollars, training yourself to do this can save you quite a chunk of change.
Use the right fuel type for your particular car. Follow the manufacturer's suggestion and use the type of fuel listed in the owner's manual. While you may think that a higher octane gas will boost engine performance, using the type recommended by the manufacturer will extend the life of your engine and prevent wear and tear.
Know your mechanic. Even for the most routine maintenance, you should use a mechanic that has been recommended to you. An incompetent mechanic can damage your vehicle and cost you outrageous amounts of money.
Using these five tips will help you save money while still owning the vehicle you need. Performing routine maintenance yourself, knowing your mechanic, and not paying for fancy options are all wallet-friendly ideas for saving money on you vehicle.
This post is brought to you by sell used car San Diego, a company that helps you sell your car. -- Sean
Car tips. Never use the spray-on D-icer on to your windsreen as this burns right through the rubbers through time and can cause your windscreen to leak....just use lukewarm water!. -- damien rogan.
Car Tips. When your polishing a car and you can stand when the white haze gets on to the black rubbers and plastics on the exterior use a light power wash afterwards! works for me every time.....i wash the car throughly with cold water (hot water turns ur lights dull and makes the front ones that yellowy colour) then i come and rub on the polish not having to be neat about it....polish off the white haze then come along with the power washer on low power and wash all the plastics to take of what the polish left! only way to do it. -- damien rogan
Car service. To gain that little bit of extra power front your car when servicing your cars engine (oil,spark plugs etc...) take of the distributor cap and clean all the corrosion of all the little terminals! a round wire brush on a cordless works for me. damien ireland. -- damien rogan
Gas Line. I remember my auto shop teacher telling me once about a time that he was driving through the desert and the gas in his fuel line kept boiling and causing the engine to die. He got to a store and bought a bunch of wooden clothes pins and clamped them all over the fuel line to act as an insulator. Problem is, those clothes pins are probably pretty hard to find now because who hangs their clothes out on a clothesline any more? -- David Lamb
Motoring Tips Hi There,
While searching the internet I came across your website Hints-n-Tips.com and I was impressed by the useful information it provided, especially the in the Motoring section.
Here are a couple of tips I'd like to contribute to the site:
1) Scenerio: So you get into your car but it won't start...your battery is dead. No problem a kind passerby offers to give you a boost but your engine still won't turn over. The good news is that no matter how weak your battery is, it's never completely dead. Crack open a can of pop and pour it on the corrodid areas of your battery terminals. The acid from the pop will dissolve the corrosion improving the connection and your chances of the jump-start working.
2) Use WD-40 to remove excess wax from your car bumper and small crevices.
I am the Co-Founder of an auto brokering company called "Personal Auto Brokers." We are a personalized car shopping service that guides consumers through the car buying process, locates the vehicle they're looking for, negotiates lower pricing on their behalf and handle all the paperwork. We help people save time, money and hassles.
Kind Regards,
Gina Goldnberg
Drilling windshields Mark your spot with a felt tip, then make a small well from putty over the marked spot. Fill this well with a touch of light oil. Drill slowly using a carbide tipped drill bit. The oil keeps the drill bit cool and makes the job that little bit easier. If you are drilling through glazed tiles it helps if you use a masonry nail to score the point of drilling. The bit will not slip off the glazed surface. Finally, if you have drilled a hole through a glazed tile and inserted a rawlplug, make sure the plug passes through the tile before you insert the screw. This way the tile will not crack. Happy DIYing -- Alan Brighton" English Bob
WD40 Auto Detailing. Having a hard time getting the bug-gunk off of the front of your vehicle? Spray bug-gunk area with WD40 and let it stand for 10-15 minutes. Then wash it off. It works!-- Cynthia Wilburn Ahualoa, Hawaii
Engine Oil. The life of your car engine would be prolonged if you change the oil AND the oil filter at the recommended milestones or earlier. Change the fuel filter at every alternate service.
I drive a VW Golf Diesel and it has done 117,000 miles. The engine has just started to ease up, with increased power and more mpg.
Prior to this, I had an Audi 80 Sport, which accomplished 228,000 miles, without ever opening up the engine! -- Harish Pattni
Fan belt: In case of emergency a pair of stockings can replace a broken fan belt for long enough to get the car to a garage. – Mario Golshekan.
Radiators. If your radiator springs a leak, stick a bit of chewed chewing gum over the hole to plug it up until you get to the garage. - Anon.
Icy windscreens can be scraped using a phonecard if no ice scraper is to hand. – Essy Edmunds.
There is no advantage in "revving up a diesel" when you have just started it up. -- Raymondo, MOTs Means Us, Milton Keynes, England
To remove a hard to reach oil filter from your cars engine simply use an old belt. Loop the belt through the buckle and wrap it around the filter. Wrap the overlength of the belt at least once around the filter in a way to allow you to pull in a counter clockwise motion. I have worked on several types of cars and when ever the fancy oil filter tool fails the belt works. -- John E. Gotrik, Statoil Stavanger Norway
Extend engine life by changing the oil at a greater frequency than that recommended in the handbook. Adding a PTFE additive to your oil helps too. My car has done 188,000 miles and the engine is only now starting to lose performance. My car is a diesel -- André Martin, Paris, France.
Light clusters. To make the rear light cluster on your old car look like new rub down with "00" wet&dry then spray with clear lacquer, they stand out if you are selling the car it could get you the best price for a little investment -- jean watson
Radiator Tip. If your radiator on your car leaks then break an egg into the radiator and run the vehicle up to working temperature, this will often cure the leak for quite a long time, try it it works. See you later Pete -- peter westall
Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states. ~~ Demosthenes
