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You don’t have to be a car detailing professional to give your car a shine that looks like it belongs on a showroom. Everyone is enamored by the mirror look that you can see yourself in but the truth is even though those cars on the showrooms are detailed by professionals, you can get the same results at home with just a little instruction.

If you are going to use traditional waxes you should go online and look up the best brands of car wax. Remember that there is a lot of hype in the car wax market and there are a number of brands on the market that are at best, mediocre. On the other side of the coin, some of the costlier waxes may not be worth the investment. According to reviews by Consumer Reports, Turtle Wax and Black Magic waxes got high marks, but you should do your own research for non abrasive car wax.

Prior to waxing your car you need to prepare the surface by washing it thoroughly, you may have to repeat the process to be sure you have removed all the dirt and grime. After washing, be sure to dry the car totally before you begin applying wax. Never wax your car in the sun on a hot sunny day if it is bright out park the car in some kind of shade to wax it.

Next, take a sponge and get it moist then put a small dab of wax on it and rub it over the car in a circular clockwise motion. You should ideally work in three foot areas at a time moving around and covering the entire car. Once you have the entire car waxed, go back to where you first started.

The wax should be dry at this point and it is now time to begin the process of removing the wax from the vehicle. A lot of professional detailers I know use cloth diapers to remove wax. Be sure that they are 100% cotton, synthetic blends can scratch. Terry cloth towels do a good job as well. To remove the wax you will want to move in the opposite direction that you applied the wax in, so if you applied the wax clockwise, you should remove it counterclockwise in small circles to buff it off the vehicle. Change towels or cloths frequently so you aren’t reapplying wax.

Afterwards, take a totally clean cloth and go over the entire vehicle once more to be sure you haven’t missed any spots.

It isn’t difficult to have a professional quality wax job on your car. It just takes a little work and about an hour or so.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about car detailing as well as car wax tips at http://www.waxyourauto.com

Leather is very durable and lasts a long time but it also shows wear. Cars with leather interiors need detailing on a regular basis to look half-decent.

American leather comes with a durable vinyl coating and refinishes and re-colors well. Seats that look like a detailed road map do well to be restored and this increases the resale value of a car by several hundreds of dollars.

To properly detail your leather seats, first thoroughly clean all leather panels to be restored. Use a water based and alcohol cleaner for best results. Sand out all cracks using 320 or 400 grit sandpaper, as far down as to bare leather if necessary. Once you have achieved your level of surface smoothness, seal all of the cracks and sanded areas using a water-based leather sealer or primer. Be diligent in this process, as if the leather is not sealed adequately it will absorb moistness and then stiffen. You can re-color or re-coat water based leather using vinyl paint. The result is highly flexible. This process is not to be mistaken for dyeing. Your last step is the clincher and seals the deal! Finish with a clear coat. The gloss can be adjusted with a duller or gloss reducer additive.

The next thing will look at is color matching, since the top color in automobiles today is gray let’s take a look at that. Begin with the lightest color of the pigment structure which is White, then yellow (90% of time it is yellow,) then black.

It is common to select a small amount of red or orange between the yellow and black. This helps to dirty up the mix a little bit. The eye matches best! For practical reasons it is a good idea to work on both colors and repairs. Do some good damage to your practice piece and then work to repair and re-color it. When you feel you are comfortable with this process they can move next to doing work on your actual vehicle.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing leather detailing or color matching yourself you can always find a detail shop to do it for you. The best and most qualified car detailing shops can go to great expense in providing superior franchised equipment, however, unless they can also provide the best and experienced detailers to operate the equipment, using the proper technique, they can very well find themselves without any customers.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about car interior detailing as well as car care products at http://www.waxyourauto.com

When imagining ourselves riding a bike, we would want to project the “cool cat” look. An image of Tom Cruise riding a bike, chasing jet fighter planes with his Wayfarer on comes to mind. Now that is the epitome of coolness that a bike brings. But have you ever thought of going hundreds of miles per hour and smashing yourself into traffic no that would be splattering.

Choosing a helmet won’t be as easy as fitting shirts. Carefully try on helmets one by one until you get the prefect fit and weight since you might be wearing this gear for hours and hours.

Certificates

Before narrowing down your selection to a few pieces that you have meticulously selected, check first whether the brand complies with any testing and impact certification from a reliable government or test facility. Many helmets found in stores carry certain stickers that certify them as crash worthy and can withstand to a certain amount of compressive force. But if your location doesn’t support any crash test certification, make sure to thoroughly check the item before committing to it. A good way to check for the helmet’s quality is the EPS or the expanded polystyrene. This looks like a high density Styrofoam that is placed between the outer shell and the soft foam pads. This material absorbs the opposing impact or pressure between your skull and the outer shell when a crash occurs.

Fit

The helmet’s fit is as crucial as the materials used on the helmet. After narrowing down to a couple of helmets, try on the helmet side by side as well as front and back to check on whether it is loose or not. Fit the helmet for about 15 to 20 minutes and check if it is comfortable enough. Check also the foam pads if it covers the surrounding of the ear and not the ear itself. It is known to riders that helmets keep you focused on your ride because it filters out the surrounding noise especially the blaring horns.

To finally check on the helmet that you will be buying, tighten the chin strap until you can feel the pressure on your chin. Suddenly pull the lower back portion or pull it on a rolling motion towards the front. If the helmet falls off, then you would need a smaller size. A helmet that falls off on the initial impact is as good as not wearing any at all.

Features

Helmets now come in all sizes, shapes, colors and weight. Technology has evolved the protective gear industry by utilizing high break yield but light weight materials such as graphite and carbon fiber. Some brands make break-resistant face shields with UV film protector as a series standard. Full face helmets are usually aerodynamic in design to prevent drag and have adjustable vents for the cool air to pass through.

James Brown writes about StylinConcepts.com coupon code, RideGear discounts and AutoBarn.com promotion code

Offered at the local garage, auto repair shop, and dealership for between $15 and $70, the oil change is considered one of the most common do-it-yourself automotive tasks. Once you begin to take matters into your own hands, you face the potential to save a lot of money in the long run. Before you begin the task of changing your car’s oil, a few tools and supplies are needed - ratchet (or open end wrench), oil filter wrench, oil catch (recycle container), funnel, new oil filter, new oil, and clean rag.

Before changing your oil, the engine of your car should be cool, which increases safety. Next, designate a spot where you will change the oil that is level and on solid ground. Most people select the inside of their garage or driveway. Laying a piece of plywood or cardboard underneath the engine will work against damaging oil leaks. Once you have all of the supplies and tools, you may begin the oil change.

1) Drain the Old Oil

First, you will remove the drain plug, which resembles a large bolt at the bottom of the oil pan. This allows the oil to drain out of the oil pan at the bottom of your engine. Before you complete this step, you will place a recycling container underneath the oil drain. Once you remove the drain plug, the oil will drop into the top of the recycling container. When all of the oil is drained out, you will replace the plug and tighten it. Seal the oil-recycling container, which is later dropped off at a site that accepts used oil (usually a full-service gas station).

2) Remove the Old Oil Filter

During an oil change, the oil filter is also replaced. With an oil filter wrench, turn the filter counterclockwise until it becomes dislodged. You should proceed with caution because it still possesses a great deal of oil and can make a mess. Depending on your car model, you might be able to reach the filter from the top of the car, but most often, this is a job that is performed from underneath.

3) Preparing the New Oil Filter

Once the old oil filter is removed, you need to prep the new filter by lubricating the rubber gasket located on the end of the filter with new oil. Next, the new filter should be filled with oil until it is about 2/3 full.

4) Installing the New Oil Filter

With care, screw the new oil filter into place, holding it upright and turning clockwise. A wrench is not needed to install a new filter. Once the new filter is screwed on tight (until one hand cannot screw it any longer), you need to refill the engine oil.

5) Refilling the Engine Oil

Unscrew the oil fill cap and insert a funnel. After double-checking how much oil your engine can hold, pour a little more than 3/4 of that amount into the engine. Check the oil level to make sure how much more you need to add to make it at the appropriate level. Once completed, make sure to place the oil cap back on.

Michael Murray is an author of automotive articles and owner of a blog all about how to beat a speeding ticket.

Here’s some information that should bring you to a screeching stop: Your lifetime odds of being killed in a motor vehicle accident are about 1-in-100.

Furthermore, each year one of nine drivers is involved in a reported motor vehicle collision. The best offensive against roadway hazards is driving defensively. Defensive driving means driving safely, in spite of conditions around you and the actions of other drivers or pedestrians.

Strive For Perfection

* Try to make every trip a “perfect” trip.

* Always buckle up. According to the National Safety Council, drivers who buckle up have a 45 percent better chance of surviving a crash, and a 50 percent better chance of surviving without a moderate-to-critical injury.

* Hold the wheel at about three and nine o’clock so you can steer quickly and precisely.

* Stay alert. No eating, drinking, fiddling with the radio, or distracting conversations.

* Pull off the road to use a cellular phone.

* Avoid operating a vehicle if you are overly tired, drowsy from medications, ill, or extremely stressed or excited.

* Signal lane and turn changes.

* When you’re in the right lane of a multilane highway, help traffic merge smoothly by moving over a lane if traffic permits.

* Honor speed limits. They are set to protect you and pedestrians.

* Rush hour is especially challenging. Be ready to brake at all times, and expect drivers around you to stop or change lanes abruptly.

* If an approaching vehicle is signaling to turn, wait until it actually turns before proceeding.

* Proper, routine maintenance can help you avoid mechanical problems that can cause an accident.

Stay Alert, Plan Ahead

* Assume a “what if” posture. Know what you’ll do if a driver swerves or stops suddenly.

* Watch for drivers who are preoccupied or driving dangerously. They count on you to react to them, instead of watching out for you.

* Be cautious at stoplights and stop signs. Look both ways before you enter a green-light intersection, or when you have the right of way.

* Search the roadway and off-road areas twenty to thirty seconds ahead for potential hazards.

* Be particularly watchful in school zones, at blind intersections, and around pedestrians and workers.

* The most dangerous spots to encounter pedestrians are those places where you don’t expect to see them. Be alert.

* Don’t play chicken. If someone seems determined to enter your lane, yield the right of way.

* Use caution approaching curves and the crest of hills.

* Be a loner. Avoid clumps of cars on the highway.

Protect Your Space

* Maintain a safe following distance by staying three to five seconds behind the car ahead. Increase your following distance as your speed increases. At higher speeds a three-second gap will not give you enough time to take evasive action if an emergency occurs in front of you.

* At 40 mph, stay four seconds behind; at 50 mph and higher stay five seconds behind. Increase your distance at night, on rough roads, and in bad weather.

* Tailgaters are a dangerous nuisance. Pull over after signaling, or slow down slightly without braking and allow them to pass.

* On multilane roads remember that other drivers have blind spots. Don’t linger in them if you are at the rear side of another vehicle. Move forward or back. Also, avoid driving next to other vehicles so you have more room to react to other drivers.

* Look for these warning signs for impaired drivers: wandering from lane to lane; driving unusually slow or fast; running stoplights and signs; moving erratically or out of control; and driving with lights off at night. Stay as far away as you can. If possible, notify the police.

John Myre is the author of the award-winning book, Live Safely in a Dangerous World, and the publisher of the Safety Times Reproducible Articles..

So you want a new car stereo system, do you? Maybe the thing that has been holding you back is the expense of having it installed. Well, you know you don’t have to be a teenager to be able to install it yourself! It really isn’t all that difficult if you have the right parts and instruction. In addition to saving money you get the satisfaction that you did it yourself and it is a great learning experience.

The first caveat I must give you is to slow down. Do not get in a hurry and try to shove something in where it doesn’t go. The majority of car stereo systems are simple to install and usually have matching male-female connectors that only work one way to make it easy. Take your time so you don’t ruin the hardware you have bought and paid for.

First off before you decide whether or not to install it yourself you need to consider what kind of system you are going to install in your car. If this is your first install you want to stay away from anything that is too complicated. If you are planning a system with TVs, LCD panels, and other more sophisticated items you would be better off leaving that to the pros.

If you are going with just a normal stereo with a head unit and speakers you can definitely do it yourself. Head units are really simple and thank God most of them follow the DIN size standards. You will recognize that in many cases that after you have removed the factory installed radio an aftermarket system will easily go in the same place with little or no adjustment.

If you have an import vehicle from Japan you will likely be using ISO mounting during the install process which is when the radio is screwed to the already existing factory radio brackets. Another way of mounting is called ring mounting which is the mounting kit that comes with an aftermarket radio to mount into the hole left by the factory radio. Sometimes trim and dash rings have to be filled in around the radio or they made need to be trimmed to make the stereo fit properly. Most places have kits that make this simple and you should go ahead and get a head removal tool as well to make that process painless.

The speakers are usually very simple to install. In most cases you will just use a set of speakers that fit into the same place as did the factory speakers just be sure that there are no unsightly holes or gaps afterwards. In many cases the simple act of building a fiberglass or wood baffle can eliminate this problem and give you a much better sound.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about car stereos as well as car parts at http://www.automotivepartsdirect.com

If you are looking to buy any kind of vehicle, whether it is a car, truck, or a piece of farm equipment like a tractor, one of the things that a lot of people do not think about checking into is whether or not it has been flooded before. Even if a vehicle has been flooded, a record of the flood may not be obtainable from a vehicle history report. If the owner of the car did not report the flooding of the vehicle to the insurance company, then it will not appear on a vehicle history report, such as one obtainable from Carfax.com. There are, however, other ways to check to see if the vehicle you are considering buying is water damaged. It is not as difficult as it might seem to detect whether a vehicle has been water damaged or not, although if you do not know what to look for, you can be duped in a New York minute. How can you tell if a car has been water damaged? Here are a few tips.

The first thing that you should do is check and see if there are any signs of rust in the trunk, dashboard, glove compartment, and under the seats. Check also for silt and mud. These are dead giveaways that the car has been flooded.

Also take a good look at the upholstery in the car. If it does not appear to match the interior or if it fits loosely, then it might be a replacement for the original material that was in the car.

Open the car door and put your head inside and inhale deeply. There should not be a musty odor in the vehicle and you should also not smell any air fresheners. Air fresheners are usually used by car dealers and individuals who have something to hide.

Test all the electronic components of the vehicle and make sure that they work. The turn signals, heater, windshield wipers, and etcetera should be checked several times to insure that they work correctly and are reliable.

Check underneath the dashboard and move some of the wires back and forth. Bend them. If they have been wet before they will be brittle and will probably crack as you flex them.

Last, but not least, have a mechanic that you trust do an inspection of the car. Always do this before you purchase any used vehicle to make sure that there is nothing wrong with the car that the owner did not tell you about.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.