How To Service Your Car (diy)

It is widely understood that despite a cars age, it should be serviced once every 15,000 klms/ 10,000 miles to keep them up to scratch. If there is any major problem with your car take it to a mechanic straight away as i do not recommend attempting to fix anything yourself.
Ideally to start a service, you will need a pair of car ramps and a drainage bucket, and then the first port of call would be to check the water level in the radiator. You can do this by looking at the header tank and checking that the water is in between the low and high level. If it is low, make sure that the car engines temperature is cold and then look in the top of the radiator. If it is full replace the radiator cap, then top up the radiator header tank so its on the full mark. When changing coolant, use radiator coolant only.
Also check the hoses connected to the motor are not soft and leaking, this should be shown by a powdery substance at the end of the hoses where the clip is situated. If it is not leaking, but is soft, you should replace it on your next service.
Follow this by checking on the fan belts for cuts and nicks that will develop into bigger ones resulting in fan belt breaks that could thus result in breaking down and calling the RAC.
The oil filter is one thing that should be changed every service. The main cause of wear and tear in a motor is dirt and sludge that comes with the running of the motor over a period of time. If the filter is not changed you could end up with a motor that blows smoke and is hard to start. Some car oil filters are in extremely difficult hard-to-reach areas and can be nightmares for beginners, but you can obtain a filter remover from any car parts store.
The oil itself should be of the highest quality and should be the same type as listed in your car service manual. If you do not have a manual, most auto part stores can tell you the amount of oil you need. Make sure you dont over fill capacity because too much oil is worse than not enough. Before you screw the oil filer on, smear the rubber lip with lubricant such as oil or a little grease for easy assembly and next time removal.
After changing the oil, all the air filers need to be changed every time the car is serviced if it is to run smoothly and more economically. Your petrol consumption relies on this very important point, despite the age or transmission of your vehicle.
The battery should be checked for loose ends and terminals and the battery post wipes and cleaning with a rag. Do not use any harsh cleaners, except when they are covered with green particles, then you can remove them with hot boiling water which will clean up the area and a small amount of Vaseline put around the bottom of the post, as this is where acid particles leak from.
The battery cells found under the battery caps have distilled water in them and this should just cover the top of the cells only, not be completely full. The terminals should be tightened firmly so they make good contact.
All the tyres should be checked for wear and tear, especially on the inside of the tire, and the spare checked for pressure and doors and bonnet hood should be coated in dry lube
Automatic transmission should be carried out by a transmission specialist because of the cleanliness involved, if any small particle gets inside the gearbox, it will play havoc with the gearbox. I made that mistake with a friends Kia in Poole, never again. However this should ideally be done every 30,000 klms/20,000 miles and doesnt need to be done every service.
Manual gearbox fluid should be just under the filler hole. If you take out the filler nut and you have oil pouring out all over the ground, it was obviously too full.
When checking the brakes and power steering fluid, ensure it is at the full mark and not over, and to complete the DIY service, check all lights and indicators and replace them if faulty.
After attempting this DIY service, be sure to take it next time round to an actual mechanic to make sure everything is looked over properly, but every second service, if known how, can be done quite easily yourself.
How to change a tyre
One of the most annoying things that can happen to you whilst driving is experiencing a puncture. Slow down to 5mph and pull over to a safe place away from other traffic, and if its dark, preferably near a light. Do not attempt to change a tyre yourself on the hard shoulder or any busy road, call your breakdown company like the AA or RAC to do this for you.
Ensure you have parked on level ground and remove all passengers from the car to a safe place away from any traffic.
If the tyre can be changed easily just follow these simple instructions to help.
1.Obviously make sure you car is parked on level ground with the handbrake on, with the hazard lights flashing.
2.Check that your spare tyre is suitably inflated and make sure you have a car jack, the locking wheel nut (for some cars) and a wheel brace. (All of which should be in the boot)
3.With the car still on the ground remove the hubcap or cover concealing the wheel nuts then use the wheel brace to loosen the nut holding the wheel in place by turning it in an anti-clockwise direction, for half a turn. This can be quite tricky as some nuts need all your body weight to loosen them, be careful of your back.
4.Continue to loosen the nuts by half a turn each, work on opposite ones so the left over support is even.
5.Using the car jack raise the car slowly till the weight of the wheel is high enough off the ground to get it off.
6.Finish removing all the nuts and put them somewhere safe. The wheel should be hanging and can freely be removed.
7.Lift the spare wheel onto the wheel studs, the air valve should be facing outwards
8.Replace the nuts, tightening them in the same pattern as you loosened them.
9.Slowly lower the jack and remove it, then tighten the nuts again, as much as you can. Stand on the wheel brace to make it as tight as possible, but this time in a clockwise direction.
10.Replace the wheel cover or hubcaps and youre free to go.
Changing a tyre on your Kia in Bournemouth doesnt always require calling your breakdown cover. I wouldnt recommend doing this alone for the first time, but if you are with someone else, it could be a learning opportunity, and it is always a handy skill to know should ever you get a puncture and you dont have breakdown cover.

Why Do We Care For Our Car More Than Our Health

In a perfect world, your weight and your body’s fat percentage could be controlled simply and easily by monitoring the calories you consume and the calories you burn. Consume more than you burn and you gain weight and increase your fat. Burn more than you consume, and the fat disappears and the weight comes off.

But your body is a machine, just like a car is a machine (well almost, there may be a couple of small differences). In a perfect world, you could put gas in your car and it would perform perfectly. Since most of us understand cars better than we do our own bodies, let’s consider the following parameters:

– would your car work the same whether you put 85 octane gas in or 95 octane gas? – what if your spark plugs were dirty and your fuel filter and carburetors clogged? – what if your car had super dirty oil, no oil, or a clogged oil filter?

Just imagine you inherited a half million dollar Rolls Royce. Would skimp on cheap gas an oil changes with this vehicle? Or would you baby it, take care of it, and do whatever you can to ensure it keeps its value and lasts for a very long time?

Auto Detailing Calgary How to Get Soda Stains Out of Your Car Seat

You know you love your car. You love driving around, and going to different places throughout the day. You stop to fill up on a little gas and decide to get a cherry soda. Why not, it is hot out right? You just got your car detailed, so you tell yourself you are going to be very careful drinking this tasty beverage. You are driving down the road and go to take a sip, and all of a sudden the car in front you slams on their brakes and that soda is all over you and the seat. How are you going to get the soda stain out? This article will explain exactly how to do that and possibly prevent them for happening in the first place.

Soda stains are pretty hard to prevent in a car. It just seems like they are a natural occurrence, especially if you have kids. The only true way to stop soda stains from happening is keeping you car soda free. Why not, it is your car after all. If your family loudly opposes this idea you can let them only bring bottled soda in the car, because that at least has a cap on it whereas soda cans do not. Another thing you could do is to spray a fabric protector on all of your car seats according to the manufacturer’s directions. While this won’t stop your kids from simultaneously pouring grape soda on your nice white car seats, this will make clean up a little easier on you. Of course you can put car seat covers on all of the seats. Then all you would need to do is throw the covers in the washer machine the next time a soda spills.

How to get the soda stains out may be a little trickier but it is possible. Let’s first discuss how to clean up a fresh soda stain, which may be easier to deal with than a set in stain. So, you just spilled some soda on your car seat. The first thing you should when it is safe to do so, such as after you pull over, is to blot the soda with a paper towel. Keep on blotting until you get all the liquid up. Make sure you do not use a scrubbing motion because you will only rub the stain into the seat. Once you do that take a spray bottle filled with 4 cups of warm water and a tablespoon of detergent and spray the stain. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then proceed to blot this up with paper towels. Repeat until the stain is gone. If you have leather car seats dampen a paper towel with warm water and blot the soda up. Make sure to dry the spot with more paper towels until dry.

If you have stains that are set into the seat of you car you may want to use a foaming upholstery cleaner according to the manufacturer’s directions. You could alternatively use a steam vacuum with a hose attachment on the stain, and follow the directions. As always when cleaning any fabric make sure you test the method on a small spot of the upholstery that isn’t as noticeable to make sure it doesn’t do any damage.

Classic Car Restoration Hobby To Career

Classic car restoration can be both a satisfying hobby and a lucrative career. In fact, the lucrative career usually starts out as the satisfying hobby. Such was the case with me. Car restoration to me was like a kid working on model cars at the table. Only my table was a garage floor, and my model would actually squeal tires when Ifinished. I have been building and rebuilding classic cars for 37 years now, and I have picked up some experience and lessons learned that I would like to pass on to you.

The first thing you need to determine is your budget. How much can you afford? Unless you are very rich, you probably shouldn’t shoot for history making classics. Model T’s and such are most likely not in your grasp. Realize though, that some of the cars that weren’t the hottest model on the streets in the 60’s really turn heads today when you roll by a crowd in the gleaming relic. One thing that will help you keep cost down is to find a car that is in already decent shape. The less abused, the easier and less expensive it should be to restore (not to mention the saved labor time).

You will also need to decide what type of car you are after. In this day and age of mini compact fuel efficient cars, muscle cars seem to be making a real comeback among collectors.

Then you will need to decide whether you want to go for a true classic car restoration; using all original parts, or a custom updated version of the classic. True classic generally will take alot more time and money. Tracking down the parts you want can be very difficult, though the internet has made a profound difference in the ability to locate parts. Specialty auto parts websites, internet auction websites and junkyards are all great places to find what you need. There is very little room for creativity in true classic, as your aim is to reproduce what used to be. In custom car restoration, there is plenty of room for expression and creativity. It is generally less expensive, but will also sell for less (much less) than a true classic. It is, however, very fun to put your own spin on a classic. Plus, with the right flare and twist, you can sell customs very quickly and easily.

Car Air Fresheners – Keeping The Car Interior Smelling Fresh

No matter how you look at it, it is enjoyable to sit inside the car that smells good. But no one would want to stay long inside the car if it smells wrong. Most of the time, the profession or what a person does affect the smell inside the car. So if the person breeds dogs for a living, the car’s inside would have canine scent. Thus, the use of car air freshener is a huge suggestion for such thing.

In the past, we would usually see a Christmas tree hanging by the car’s rear view mirror. This little dangling token is more than accessory used to decorate the car for it is also serves as a scented air freshener. However, such air fresheners are no longer common today. Nowadays, car interiors are able to have freshening scents thanks to the dedicated car air freshener diffuser installed in the dashboard of the car. With this little device, the entire interior of the car will be able to have a freshening scent. With the help of the car’s ventilation, the fragrance is then evenly distributed inside the car. The scent would then be smelled by anyone inside the car be it at the front or the backside of the car.

Unlike the old car fresheners where one has to hang them on the dash board or open a can of car freshener, the car freshener dispensers used today are different. When it comes to dispensers, the scents used come as cartridges. Since the scents are in cartridge form, they can be replaced easily with a new or a different one. Usually, these cartridge scents may last for months, however, it will always depend on its use. Furthermore, cartridges differ in terms of cost as well as scents.

Generally, the traditional car fresheners would be the best option if car freshener diffusers are impossible inside the car. Fortunately, one can use a mounted car freshener, which comes in different brands. If one doesn’t want mounted car fresheners, then another options is aerosol sprays. These kinds of car fresheners have different fragrances, which can be used easily. If possible, car fresheners can be made personally.