Ways To Extend The Life Of Your Car
Ok, now that I've scared the be-gee-bers out of you, if doing it yourself is still your goal, do your research. Get a Chilton's manual, or a Hayes manual for your specific car. Make sure you have the appropriate tools for the job and understand the proper steps to accomplish the job.
In all cases, consider a locking cable and a storage bag. The locking cable helps with theft protection. You will sleep better at night knowing both car and cover are safe and sound.
You want to use a thinner grade of oil when it is cold out. If you use a single grade of oil you should replace the oil with a winter grade. You may not need to make this adjustment if the type of oil you are using is a multi-grade oil. Check with your car dealer or with your mechanic or auto parts near me. They can tell you if you should make the change.
Properly inflated tires will wear evenly and offer the best control over the vehicle. If tires are over or under inflated, the treads will not make proper contact with the road and can wear quickly. As the road heats the tire, uneven pressure is more likely to cause a very dangerous blowout. You can also increase the fuel efficiency by anywhere from 1 to 3 miles per gallon by keeping your tires inflated correctly.
First of all, you can check online. This is always a plus side of buying auto parts in this day and age. However, if you aren't good at working on cars, this will only leave you up a creek without a paddle. On the other hand, if you happen to buy them online and have a good friend who is good at working on cars, this could definitely help.
If you are having running problems and the spark and compression check out OK then its fuel. Either too rich or gasoline has gone to gel and plugged up the jets in the carburetor or in some cases too lean. Motorcycle carburetors have two kinds of jets which are simple brass plugs with a metered hole in them to allow for fuel flow. You can remove the carburetors and remove the jets(one main jet and one pilot jet) and clean them. Take care not to gouge the soft brass and use a small piece of copper wire to poke out the gelled gasoline using carburetor cleaner or B-12 Chem Tool.
Remove the old pads. Remember, usually how you take something out, is how you also put it back in so pay attention. Also, if the parts are completely dirty, spray some brake cleaner onto any of the brake parts to help them function better in the long run.
Some junkyards strip their own parts and have them on shelves in a big warehouse. You purchase them at a counter, just like a new auto parts store near me. Some of them have employees that will go "pull your part" from a vehicle when you order it. While some may think this is a great idea, and will save them some work, it may not be the best way to insure getting a good part.
You need to check your tires on a regular basis. This includes making sure your tire pressure is at an acceptable level. Tire pressure doesn't sound exciting, but it is necessary for proper braking and cornering. Tire pressure can also affect your gas mileage. auto stores around me up a tire pressure gauge at your local auto store near me and use it once a month. It's a cheap and easy way to keep your car safe.
When banks reposes cars they hire private companies to auction these cars (so they can recoup at least some of their money). These companies can be found with a little research (try typing auto auction in your favorite search engine). I found a company two hours away that holds weekly auctions every Saturday. Their site is well organized and beginning on Mondays you can see an upcoming list of all vehicles for sale, along with pictures and relevant information like year and mileage. There are a wide variety of vehicles from old to new (we once saw a brand new souped up H3). This particular company also incorporates monthly auctions for seized items from the US Marshall's which can include motorcycles, motorhomes, and boats.
In all cases, consider a locking cable and a storage bag. The locking cable helps with theft protection. You will sleep better at night knowing both car and cover are safe and sound.
You want to use a thinner grade of oil when it is cold out. If you use a single grade of oil you should replace the oil with a winter grade. You may not need to make this adjustment if the type of oil you are using is a multi-grade oil. Check with your car dealer or with your mechanic or auto parts near me. They can tell you if you should make the change.
Properly inflated tires will wear evenly and offer the best control over the vehicle. If tires are over or under inflated, the treads will not make proper contact with the road and can wear quickly. As the road heats the tire, uneven pressure is more likely to cause a very dangerous blowout. You can also increase the fuel efficiency by anywhere from 1 to 3 miles per gallon by keeping your tires inflated correctly.
First of all, you can check online. This is always a plus side of buying auto parts in this day and age. However, if you aren't good at working on cars, this will only leave you up a creek without a paddle. On the other hand, if you happen to buy them online and have a good friend who is good at working on cars, this could definitely help.
If you are having running problems and the spark and compression check out OK then its fuel. Either too rich or gasoline has gone to gel and plugged up the jets in the carburetor or in some cases too lean. Motorcycle carburetors have two kinds of jets which are simple brass plugs with a metered hole in them to allow for fuel flow. You can remove the carburetors and remove the jets(one main jet and one pilot jet) and clean them. Take care not to gouge the soft brass and use a small piece of copper wire to poke out the gelled gasoline using carburetor cleaner or B-12 Chem Tool.
Remove the old pads. Remember, usually how you take something out, is how you also put it back in so pay attention. Also, if the parts are completely dirty, spray some brake cleaner onto any of the brake parts to help them function better in the long run.
Some junkyards strip their own parts and have them on shelves in a big warehouse. You purchase them at a counter, just like a new auto parts store near me. Some of them have employees that will go "pull your part" from a vehicle when you order it. While some may think this is a great idea, and will save them some work, it may not be the best way to insure getting a good part.
You need to check your tires on a regular basis. This includes making sure your tire pressure is at an acceptable level. Tire pressure doesn't sound exciting, but it is necessary for proper braking and cornering. Tire pressure can also affect your gas mileage. auto stores around me up a tire pressure gauge at your local auto store near me and use it once a month. It's a cheap and easy way to keep your car safe.
When banks reposes cars they hire private companies to auction these cars (so they can recoup at least some of their money). These companies can be found with a little research (try typing auto auction in your favorite search engine). I found a company two hours away that holds weekly auctions every Saturday. Their site is well organized and beginning on Mondays you can see an upcoming list of all vehicles for sale, along with pictures and relevant information like year and mileage. There are a wide variety of vehicles from old to new (we once saw a brand new souped up H3). This particular company also incorporates monthly auctions for seized items from the US Marshall's which can include motorcycles, motorhomes, and boats.
