Posts Tagged ‘ car care ’

I got this CarMD vehicle health system kit off of Amazon.com for a few bucks under a hundred dollars. I saw an advertisement for it in my Men’s Fitness magazine and thought it would be good to help diagnose problems with our cars. This way I could keep the repair shops honest and not...
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Years ago I bought a used Nissan Maxima and I got a great deal on it. I got it for $5,000 less then it was worth at the time. Part of the reason I got such a great deal was that the thing literally reeked of cigarette smoke. It smelled like an ashtray on...
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It’s something that most of us rarely put much thought into – cleaning the engine and engine compartment. Have you ever cleaned that area under the hood on your car? Do you know how to clean it? Why would you want to clean the engine compartment? Well, I’m going to cover all that along...
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Sunroofs are a lot of fun on a hot or breezy day. Oh to have the feel of wind blowing through your hair. The problem is that sunroofs are notorious for leaking and ruining your headliner and leaving your carpets wet and smelly of mildew or mold. Who wants to get in their car...
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Most every car you find on the road today is made with clear, plastic headlight lenses. You will not see glass headlights on cars made since the early 1990′s. This is because glass headlights break easily in car accidents and the glass shatters everywhere. The auto industry found plastic headlights to be better constructed...
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I am an automotive detailer for several car dealerships in the Chicago area. I am very busy detailing cars from about 9 am until dark. In some cases later especially on busy days like Saturdays and Sundays (Sundays I do more sideline work and this pays more then the car dealerships do). In the...
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This may sound stupid, but just because it sounds like the squealing is coming from the serpentine belt doesn’t mean that it really is. The squealing you may be hearing could also be coming from a bad water pump, the alternator, the air compressor and even the belt tensioner pulley. Any of these items...
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advertising Tire pressure is one of those things that most of us take for granted. We just go out and drive our vehicles and really never pay much attention to our tires unless we notice one is flat or severely low on air. But did you know that you actually need to be a...
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If you have a 1996 or similar year and model Ford Contour they all have one similar problem that by now you should have run into – the alternator dies. It is a multiple part fix, however. Replacing or rebuilding the alternator will not complete the fix. Besides I do not recommend rebuilding the...
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Is your car or truck’s headliner looking sad? Does it sag or hang? Is it ugly and annoying? Well, I am a professional car restoration expert and I am going to tell you exactly how we fix all sorts of automotive headliners in our shop. It isn’t that hard to do and, depending upon...
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If you are either a backyard mechanic, a newby (beginner) learning the ropes or trying to install a car stereo for the first time or even an experienced master mechanic, the Haynes Techbook Automotive Electrical Manual is a must. I bought one of these how to/technical manuals for $5 off Amazon.com and I am...
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I drive a recent model year Pontiac GTO and my wife has a Honda Odyssey minivan. Both of these vehicles were suffering from the same cloudy, foggy headlight condition. the headlight lenses themselves had become yellow and cloudy and you could definitely tell when driving at night that the headlights weren’t as bright as...
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I own a 1997 Ford Crown Vic (Victoria) and it is definitely a great running car that I’ve had for many years and put a lot of miles on (274,000 to be exact). It does have a few glitches every now and then though. One of the most annoying ones is when my turn...
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Want your car to run smoothly for years to come? Want to save big money on car repairs? Want your car running and looking great? Well, you have to take good care of you car if you want it to last and be dependable. What does that mean? It means you need to know...
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If you’re looking for a cheap way to gain added horsepower and fuel economy for your car then there isn’t a better way than to install your own hydrogen generator. There are kits out there that provide either the parts and components or the whole entire kit for use in your car or truck....
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If you own a Ford Taurus like me then you have probably run into a interior lighting problem like I did. You know, when you close the door after turning off your car and the interior lights just decide to stay on all night. No matter what you do with locking, unlocking, or even...
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I own a 2009 Honda CRV and since the day I bought it I have found that there was an annoying smell of burning rubber or something like that coming from the wheel well areas on the right side of the vehicle. The smell is strongest from under the right rear wheel well and...
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If you drive an older car then I am sure you have probably heard its belt squeak at some point in time. You probably just put up with it until it became unbearable and then had the squeaky belt or belts (some cars have more then one belt) replaced. You might also have found...
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If you’re like me you’ve probably grown tired of the oil change shops trying to up-sell you to completely unnecessary repairs or replacements for your vehicle. Every time I’ve gone to the local Jiffy Lube for an oil change are always telling me to change my fuel filter. Even if I just had it...
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Changing your cars air filter may sound benign and simple, but it is often overlooked, forgotten and even bypassed. Being that I am a auto mechanic I have seen just about everything one can imagine when it comes to cars and car repair, but one thing that bothers me and that I see all...
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