Maintaining your Car

Fix Your Cracked Windshield

Crack or Chip in your Windshield? Repair it Yourself!
If you’ve been a driver for any length of time, you’ve inevitably been in this situation: You’re driving down the highway, and a rock from the car or truck in front of you kicks up and hits your windshield, leaving a tiny crack.

Chances are, you grumble in disgust as you think about when you’re going to find the time to have the windshield replaced. And if you don’t have glass coverage, you probably figure that crack will just have to stay until you can come up with the money to replace it.

But what you may not realize in this scenario is that your windshield does not have to be replaced at all.

Car glass repair has become quite popular, and for good reason; it’s safe, affordable, and actually so simple that most drivers can fix cracks or chips in their windshields themselves with a car glass repair kit.

First let’s clarify something about chips and cracks on windshields. Most of the time, small cracks and chips under a foot long do not require complete replacement of the car glass.

In fact, repairs are usually preferred, because the rigid tests on the bonds of windshields in brand new cars are not performed on replacement windshields. Using a car glass repair kit, therefore, allows you to retain the bond of the windshield’s factory seal.

Replacing an entire windshield can be expensive; most start at $300 and go up from there. But a do-it- yourself car glass repair kit is often less than a third of that price. There are quite a variety of kits available that are quite simple to use, with repairs taking up very little time.

Don’t let that chip or crack go on for too long-

It is advisable to repair any damage to your car glass as soon as possible – even the same day, if you can. Ignoring a crack or chip in your windshield is not advised, for several reasons:

• Ignoring a small crack could result in the crack growing until it is too large for repair, and you will have to pay for a complete replacement.
• Small cracks could compromise the integrity of the windshield, causing it to spread completely at the slightest bump.
• Chips and cracks can impede on the driver’s ability to see correctly.
• Dirt and grime can seep into your vehicle through a crack or chip.

http://glass-staramerica.com

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The Purpose of the Check Engine Light

What Is Your ‘Check Engine’ Light Telling You?
The Car Care Council reports that one out of 15 vehicles inspected at its National Car Care Month Vehicle Check-Up Events had its “check engine” light illuminated. This light is one of the most vital components to a properly functioning vehicle.

It alerts the driver to a variety of potential problems based on the vehicle’s on-board diagnostic system. When the check engine light comes on, it means that a system in your vehicle – such as ignition, fuel injection or emission control – is not operating at peak performance, even if your vehicle appears to be running normally.

A glowing check engine light doesn’t mean you must immediately pull over to the side of the road, but you should get the car checked out as soon as possible. Ignoring the warning light could severely damage engine components and incur additional repair expenses.

If your check engine light comes on, first check the gas cap to make sure it wasn’t left loose after refueling. Sometimes this can trigger the light. If the cap was loose, the light should go out after a few short trips.

If the light remains on, have the system checked out as soon as possible. A light that flashes indicates a more severe condition that should be checked out immediately to prevent damage to the catalytic converter.

When you experience a flashing light, minimize driving at high speeds or under heavy loads. When scheduling a service, make sure the automotive shop that diagnoses your car has professional technicians who are properly certified for OBD II (on-board diagnostic systems) diagnosis and repair.

The technician will connect your vehicle’s computer to a diagnostic computer, which will provide a “trouble” code indicating why the light was activated.

While the diagnostic computer is connected to your car, the technician can check the idle speed, throttle response, engine temperature, fuel system pressure, manifold vacuum, exhaust emission levels and many other key indicators.

Once the problem is diagnosed and fixed, your car’s computer makes sure everything is back to normal, then turns off the check engine light. The Car Care Council recommends reading your vehicle owner’s manual and familiarizing yourself with the purpose of the check engine light and every other gauge and warning indicator on your dashboard.

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign, promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair. Car Care Guide

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Important to Listen to Your Car

What Is Your Car Trying To Tell You?
Over all my years of driving the one thing that still causes me the most concern is when I hear a new noise. This drives me particularly crazy every spring.

After months of having the windows rolled up it’s very disconcerting when you first roll down the window to get a whiff of that fresh springtime air and you start hearing all those noises you car makes, and perhaps has been making all winter long. Then you start to think “what’s that noise?”, “how long has it been doing that?”

You drive your car everyday. You know how it should handle. If you notice something amiss, and more than once, get it checked out. You may save yourself a lot of inconvenience and money in the long run.

You and your mechanic need to be a team when it comes to the maintenance of your car. You however need to be the eyes and ears of the team.

Every so often pay attention when you’re pulling your car out of a parking space. Is there any fresh fluid? It’s hard to tell sometimes due to the stains left from other cars. How about your driveway? Are you seeing new stains? If you are, what color is the fluid?

Oil will be quite obvious, appearing black or dark brown. Antifreeze is fairly easy to recognize too with it’s yellow green color. Also, antifreeze has an unmistakable odor. A reddish fluid could be transmission or power steering fluid.

How is your car handling? It is pulling to one side when you stop? It may be time for a front end alignment. Keep a check on your tire pressure. Under inflated tires can cause lower gas mileage. Get your tires rotated on a regular basis to help prevent wear.

Are you breaks squealing? Get to the mechanic as soon as possible, don’t let this problem go on. If you do continue to drive you may find yourself replacing worn rotors along with break pads. Rotors can be very expensive.

Is you car acting sluggish? It is not accelerating like it used to? It may be time for a tune up. Are you noticing a hesitation? May be the gas filter.

Make sure you have your oil changed every 3,000 miles. This is a very good rule for any car, new or old. When I bought my new Toyota truck twenty years ago the first thing my mechanic said was that if I kept the oil changed I’d “get at least 200,000 miles out of the engine”.

Well, fifteen years later I had 189,000 and the engine was still going strong. Unfortunately the frame was rusting, which was her ultimate demise.

Cars manufactured today are much better than they were 20 years ago and if you listen to what your car is trying to tell you, you should be able to have many worry free years with your car too.

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How to protect your car from rust.

Next to our homes, our vehicles are the next biggest investment we make. Some of the cars, trucks, and SUVs today cost more than some homes!

Therefore, we want to protect them from the ravages of the environment such as rust. Certain problems are inevitable, but rust is one that can be prevented.

Some of the areas of vehicles that are most affected by rust are body panels including doors, fenders, the hood, and tailgate. The reason for this is that they inherently have areas that retain moisture.

Depending upon the model of vehicle, there are many other areas that can retain moisture as well. Certain cars retain more moisture just due to the way they are designed, so you have to be especially careful and vigilant with them.

Some factors that you have no control over include the environment in which you live. If you live in a coastal area you are exposed to more salt air for example.

If you live in an area where there is snow and ice on the road, the authorities usually use salt on the roads which can result in rust on your car`s undercarriage.

When you find yourself in these types of environments you must wash your car more frequently. I recommend washing your car down weekly if you are in an area with salty roads or if you are living so near the coast that you get a salty film on your car.

Here are some overall tips for rust prevention that will go a long way to helping you to prevent rust formation on your vehicle:

1. Keep your car clean and coated with a finish protectant at all times.

2. Keep the underneath of your car rinsed continually when you are in an area where a lot of salt is present as mentioned above.

3. Keep your tires and wheels clean and polished and free from moisture holding material like leaves.

4. Make sure any drainage holes in the frame, floor, and the bottoms of the doors are clear so that any moisture can get out.

5. Always open your doors after washing your car to allow any accumulated water to drain out.

Remember this, rust proofing only helps with new vehicles. If you try to do it on a pre-owned vehicle you may trap dirt and moisture and increase the risk of rust.

Be sure to go to CarCareWizards[dot]com for the car care products you need.
By Gregg Hall

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