Used Car Maintenance and Cleaning

Maintenance is an essential part of owning a used car. Usually, once you take ownership of a car from a reputable used car dealer, you will be continuing a routine of good maintenance already set in place by the dealer to maximize the car's value. Now the purpose of maintenance will shift from keeping the car in a condition to sell to keeping the car running and safe for you to drive.

Used cars naturally require more frequent maintenance than new cars and, even with little experience under the hood, most used car owners are able to regularly complete the tasks outlined in this article.

Checking the tires regularly helps ensure the best handling and fuel consumption. You should check the pressure of your tires a few times a month with a tester that can either be purchased from most automotive accessory stores or found at some gas stations. It is recommended to purchase your own tire tester for use at home as, once you have driven to the gas station, the air in your tires will have warmed up, leading to an inaccurate reading.

The ideal tire pressure for your car can be found either in the owner's manual or printed inside the car.

An often overlooked maintenance task, particularly in areas with infrequent rainfall, is checking the windshield wipers. Windshield wipers that are cracked or have become bowed in a way that limits their contact with the glass should be replaced straight away.

Vacuuming the inside of your car is a quick way to get most dirt out before you take to the interior with a damp cloth.

Remove all the mats and seat covers that can be easily removed and vacuum them outside the car. The floors will be easier to vacuum without the mats in your way.

With the vacuuming complete, use a cloth damp with water to wipe the dashboard, door panels and any other areas that require cleaning.

To stay safe, and to avoid run-ins with the law, be sure to check your lights are working regularly. You should check your head lights, brake lights, tail lights and signal lights before you begin driving. If you do not have access to a second person to stand outside the car and tell you if your brake lights are working, just move your car close to your garage door or other moderately reflective surface and watch for the reflection of your lights.

While you can do many tasks yourself, a regular maintenance check-up and tune-up should be sought from a professional mechanic. In most tune-ups, mechanics will ensure the proper operation of your brakes, battery, air filter, fan belts, wheel bearings and shock absorbers. Spark plugs may also be replaced and your tires may be rotated and aligned.

A professional check-up is recommended every 20,000 miles to ensure the safe and reliable running of your used car.



November 13, 2009
By Bruce Haapman
Bruce writes on behalf of Wisconsin Used Cars

Car Cleaning

How to Choose Car Paint Colors

I have noticed that the first thing that a person notices is the color of the car am driving. People do not even notice the registration on the car. That's why i have become so selective in choosing the cars that i drive. Selecting car paint colors for a full overhaul of your car is not easy though. These days, there are thousands of shades and variations of blue, Green, white, yellow and so on. You need to have a color code to define the exact color that you need.

I got these kind of challenge sometime back, i was forced to visit my local car dealer shop. I looked at the cars they had on display. Once i had identified the car paint colors i liked, i asked them to give me the numeric color code of that car, which they did willingly. They had to go to their computers to be able to identify that particular color code. I would not want you to go through the same process if you really do not want to.

You will realize that there are six basic car paint colors in the United States i.e. beige, blue, silver, Black, Grey and red. Variations of these shades should easily be found. Some of the car colors that have found demand in the States are Classic Black, White and Silver, orange power, blues and greens that give a sporty look, brown on the inside among many other shades. Blue is considered as classy as black while orange is the color of fashion.

Beside choosing a particular color for your car, you will need to either do the painting yourself or employ the services of a professional painter. This will cost a little more and at this point you should be better of having your job done by a paint shop.



November 10, 2009
By Peter Gitundu
Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Paint. For More Information on Car Paint Colors, Visit His Site at Car Paint Colors

Car Painting

Car Cleaning Tips

There are basic tips on how to clean your car. There are also important things you can work and take note of starting from the time you wash your car up to maintaining its beauty and shape.

When it comes to cleaning your car, washing is one of the important things to be done. Make sure to wash your vehicle. You can utilize one in the morning and another one in the evening, to keep it away from water spots. Once they appear, it would take one week or more before you would be able to remove this dirt. You can then start washing at the top portion of your car, all the way down. Then, you can dry your vehicle immediately.

Just a cautionary piece of advice, particularly when using micro-fiber in cleaning your car, industrial sealant manufacturers admonishes it already for washing your automobiles. These micro-fibers are made up of 80 to 85% polyester, meaning it is plastic. In case you don’t know, plastic scratches for over a period of time of usage. This will strip off the coating of your vehicle.

Here is step by step process you can work with:

Step 1- Washing your car

• Wash your car thoroughly to be able to remove all kinds of dirt as well as debris from your vehicle.

• Be sure you use quality mitts. First, use only high-quality and “clean wash” mitts. After this, you can use two mitts. One would be for the upper and the other for the bottom part of you car.

• Don’t ever use dish soap or any washing solution due to the fact that this may strip away the wax, which protects your car. It will also dry the paint off your vehicle.

• On your last rinse, use running water. Never spray your vehicle with water using a hose. The end result will be that the water will dry off easily.

• When drying your vehicle, regularly utilize 100 percent cotton terry type of cloth towel. An alternative would be micro-fiber towels of high quality.

• Once you notice that your car is dry, check the direction of your car from both the sunlight as well as an artificial lighting. This is in order for you to check on the uneven tone of you car’s paint. Plus, touch the surface of the car using your palms. This is in order for you to check of any imperfection that may be quite visible to the naked eye. The perfect touch would resemble touching a piece of glass.

• Wash the tires of your vehicle at least four times a year to avoid cracking.

Step 2 - Cleaning your vehicle

• Just in case you forget to clean the upper part of your car and it will show some imperfections, you need to note down that you will have your car cleaned thoroughly. Aside from this, it should be ready for polishing and waxing. To get rid of stubborn dirt, you can use the abrasive method less.

• Be sure to use white coat-safe materials. Regular rubbing compounds can be very damaging to your car and must be avoided at all times.

• If needed, ask for assistance from any professional that has complete materials for getting rid of paint problems.

Step 3 – Polishing your beloved car

• Although polishing is not that important, it should be done frequently, especially with dark vehicles so as to be able to bring out its outstanding shine and beauty.

• To get that expensive looking shines, after polishing of your car, use a wax type of coating.

• A clean polish is excellent for vehicles. This is especially convenient if you want a polish solution that can help your car avoid any building up of dirt.

• Unlike waxes, clean or pure polish is used best for new paint only. This is due to the fact that it can bring out the best from the color of your vehicle.

Step 4 – Waxing your car

• Make sure that you will also work on the dark side and cool surfaces of your car.

• In waxing you car, make sure you apply the wax very thinly. You can then spread the coating so as to get the best color.

• Take note that when you are waxing your car, you need to use dual action products or white foam.

• You should apply the wax entirely. Leave it for a couple of minutes. Then, remove it by polishing it gently in order that the gloss of your car can be maintained.

• Check out the market for quality towels or micro-fiber clothing. This is the best material to use in taking off the wax you placed on your car.

Step 5 – Maintenance of you car

• Once you notice any dangerous agents being applied on your car, you need to have this removed at once. This can also be done if there are any water spots. For animal dirt, you can use an instant detailing agent before this will result to further damaging your car.

• To keep your vehicle always looking good and in best shape, make sure you use quality products available in the market. This is especially with products used for sealing the color and protecting your car regularly.

• If you notice that the products you applied seem very hard to polish, this is a good time to apply new wax on your car.



September 18, 2009
By David H. Urmann
For more information on Car Cleaning Tips please visit our website http://www.AUTO-CLEANING.COM

Car Cleaning Tips

There are basic tips on how to clean your car. There are also important things you can work and take note of starting from the time you wash your car up to maintaining its beauty and shape.

When it comes to car cleaning, washing is one of the important things to be done. Make sure to wash your vehicle. You can utilize one in the morning and another one in the evening, to keep it away from water spots. Once they appear, it would take one week or more before you would be able to remove this dirt. You can then start washing at the top portion of your car, all the way down. Then, you can dry your vehicle immediately.

Just a cautionary piece of advice, particularly when using micro-fiber in cleaning your car, industrial sealant manufacturers admonishes it already for washing your automobiles. These micro-fibers are made up of 80 to 85% polyester, meaning it is plastic. In case you don't know, plastic scratches for over a period of time of usage. This will strip off the coating of your vehicle.

Here is step by step process you can work with:

Step 1- Washing your car

- Wash your car thoroughly to be able to remove all kinds of dirt as well as debris from your vehicle.

- Be sure you use quality mitts. First, use only high-quality and "clean wash" mitts. After this, you can use two mitts. One would be for the upper and the other for the bottom part of you car.

- Don't ever use dish soap or any washing solution due to the fact that this may strip away the wax, which protects your car. It will also dry the paint off your vehicle.

- On your last rinse, use running water. Never spray your vehicle with water using a hose. The end result will be that the water will dry off easily.

- When drying your vehicle, regularly utilize 100 percent cotton terry type of cloth towel. An alternative would be micro-fiber towels of high quality.

- Once you notice that your car is dry, check the direction of your car from both the sunlight as well as an artificial lighting. This is in order for you to check on the uneven tone of you car's paint. Plus, touch the surface of the car using your palms. This is in order for you to check of any imperfection that may be quite visible to the naked eye. The perfect touch would resemble touching a piece of glass.

- Wash the tires of your vehicle at least four times a year to avoid cracking.

Step 2 - Cleaning your vehicle

- Just in case you forget to clean the upper part of your car and it will show some imperfections, you need to note down that you will have your car cleaned thoroughly. Aside from this, it should be ready for polishing and waxing. To get rid of stubborn dirt, you can use the abrasive method less.

- Be sure to use white coat-safe materials. Regular rubbing compounds can be very damaging to your car and must be avoided at all times.

- If needed, ask for assistance from any professional that has complete materials for getting rid of paint problems.

Step 3 - Polishing your beloved car

- Although car polishing is not that important, it should be done frequently, especially with dark vehicles so as to be able to bring out its outstanding shine and beauty.

- To get that expensive looking shines, after polishing of your car, use a car wax type of coating.

- A clean polish is excellent for vehicles. This is especially convenient if you want a polish solution that can help your car avoid any building up of dirt.

- Unlike waxes, clean or pure polish is used best for new paint only. This is due to the fact that it can bring out the best from the color of your vehicle.

Step 4 - Waxing your car

- Make sure that you will also work on the dark side and cool surfaces of your car.

- In waxing you car, make sure you apply the wax very thinly. You can then spread the coating so as to get the best color.

- Take note that when you are waxing your car, you need to use dual action products or white foam.

- You should apply the wax entirely. Leave it for a couple of minutes. Then, remove it by polishing it gently in order that the gloss of your car can be maintained.

- Check out the market for quality towels or micro-fiber clothing. This is the best material to use in taking off the wax you placed on your car.

Step 5 - Maintenance of you car

- Once you notice any dangerous agents being applied on your car, you need to have this removed at once. This can also be done if there are any water spots. For animal dirt, you can use an instant detailing agent before this will result to further damaging your car.

- To keep your vehicle always looking good and in best shape, make sure you use quality products available in the market. This is especially with products used for sealing the color and protecting your car regularly.

- If you notice that the products you applied seem very hard to polish, this is a good time to apply new wax on your car.

(ArticlesBase ID #423010)



September 2, 2009
By: David H. Urmann
For more information on Car Cleaning Tips please visit our website.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/car-cleaning-tips-423010.html

Removing Unwanted Paint From a Car

Buying a new car can be draining yet rewarding all in one. Once the new car is off the lot and in the driveway it is like bringing home a new toy. The beautiful glisten of the brand new paint, the new car smell of the interior and the smooth acceleration of the brand new engine can make any new car owner fall head over heels for their new car. You’ve been taking care of that car since day one; not getting a scratch on it and washing it once a week. But you can’t avoid everything. Driving to work one day you see paint splattered on the roadway but you can’t move into the oncoming lane of a two lane road because you are approaching a blind bend. The paint is unavoidable. You drive the car right through the paint and it still has its strong scent. That can only mean one thing. The paint is fresh and it is now all over your brand new car.

How do you remove unwanted paint from a car? This method works but it takes a lot of time and a lot of elbow grease. The first step in removing the unwanted paint is to get the car out of the direct rays of the sun. If the paint is only on one side of the car; turn that side of the car away from the sun. Make sure you wash the car before doing anything else. There are plenty of different items that can be used for removing unwanted paint from a car. Some of them are paint thinner, goo gone and anything with acetone in it such as nail polish. Paint thinner can work but you have to be very, very careful. The paint thinner can ultimately remove the original paint from your car.

After applying these substances to the vehicle make sure you rewash the car and then put a coat of car wax on the area that was covered in the unwanted paint. When removing the unwanted paint from the vehicle make sure you don’t use your fingernail to scratch off the car paint but use a soft rag dipped in soapy water. Spray the paint remover onto the areas of the car you are working on at the time and rub gently but with some elbow grease. Also, don’t work on the same area for an extended period of time or the original paint job will begin to wear off. Move from area to area, slowly removing the unwanted paint.

Since you drove through the wet paint on the roadway, it is splattered on the tires and on the plastic covers above the wheel attached to the body of the car. Those plastic covers can be removed to clean them. Also, take off each wheel and clean it with soap and water. That should be enough to get the paint off of the wheel. If not, you can use paint thinner since there is no other paint on the wheel.

The process works but it takes a good handful of hours to get the paint completely off of the car without ruining the original paint job.



August 3, 2009
By Brenda Williams

http://www.nationaltransportllc.com/nashville-car-transport.php Nashville Automobile Shipping http://www.nationaltransportllc.com/nashville-car-transport.php Nashville Auto Transport
Source: http://www.bharatbhasha.com/automobiles.php/102300

Auto Detailing Made Easy Must Read For a Car Owner

Auto detailing is a task for the persevering and patient person. Yes, this is true especially if you want to give your car that extra shine you won’t get anywhere else. In this case, some people think that auto detailing is a task that is exclusive to some class of people with the perfect match in terms the behavioral requirements in this job. There is truism in this claim in some degree though.

We love our cars as we love our homes. Then, our cars deserve the best care that we could possibly afford in order to preserve it up to a certain extent. So, this is one of the basic reasons why many people consider auto detailing a mandatory service that cars should receive at certain time intervals.

So, how do you give your car some auto detailing service? If you do not have enough money but you have the patience and time together with some small amount of money for certain tools you will need, you can auto detail your car yourself. This is because unlike other vocational tasks, car detailing can be done if you only have the right amount of perseverance coupled with tools to do the job. You can then follow the steps that auto detailers do.

Here are some of the things you should consider when you are auto detailing.

1. Complete the tools you need to make auto detailing easy. Tools you will need are different sizes of brushes, finishing, wax, sealants, water buckets, sprayer, tire black, rags and other tools.

2. Interior detailing should come first before the exterior.

3. Vacuum all portions of the interior and make sure you remove dust from all surfaces and spot all carpeting then take away all dirt and dust. Also, make sure you clean all interior surfaces.

4. Give the interior a final touch up to clean portions that have not been very thoroughly cleaned.

5. Then, you can proceed in detailing the exterior of the auto. Put on some degreaser to tires and wheels.

6. Use different brushes to reach all portions. This is actually the heart of auto detailing—cleaning all hard to reach spots and details and making sure no form of dirt stays after car detailing.

7. Wash wheels thoroughly.

8. Wash the engine bay. Do this using hot water as this will make detailing this part easier.

9. Use APC-soap mixture in cleaning engine parts.

10. Then, rinse all fenders, support, underside and all painted parts.

11. Wash these parts of the car with hot water.

12. Check and remove all tar-based dirt.

13. Wash exterior from top to bottom.

14. Dry the body and perform spot drying.

15. Use clay if it is still needed.

16. Polish all painted portions and make sure you apply wax and sealants to appropriate portions only. Apply LSP and do some quick detailing to make sure no form of dirt whatsoever is left.

So, this is basically the list of steps that auto detailing shops do and you can also do the same to your cars or vehicles.

Auto detailing will prove to be rewarding if you know how to proceed with this task. You only have to follow this list of steps and be methodical when you do it.



June 24, 2009
By Alex BAumm
About Author:
At the largest http://www.carclubtalk.com Car Forum there is a special subforum on http://www.carclubtalk.com/auto-detailing Auto Detailing, http://www.carclubtalk.com/defensive-driving Defensive Driving. Please don't hesitate to join our community of car owners. Alex Baumm
Source: http://www.bharatbhasha.com/automobiles.php/85881