Posts Tagged ‘car maintenance’

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Repair your car scratches to get a shiny exterior

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

After spending several lakh of rupees to own a car, most people get frustrated to see scratches steal away their car’s beauty. Scratches on car exteriors are unpredictable and might be caused by a number of factors. Some of the prominent causes for scratches could be brushing of tree branches and bushes, oscillating keys, other vehicles and shopping carts, the doors of other cars parked near and so on.

While some scratches can be minor, others can be deep. Sometimes, the residue of some other objects can also look like scratches. In each of the above cases, the treatment required is different. As a car owner you need to know this. It is advisable to attend to the scratches as soon as they appear not only from the appearance point of view, scratches that leave the metal exposed will make it prone to corrosion. Once the metal rusts, the issue will be complicated.

Deep scratches on the car doors can be set right with a paint touch-up. The color code of your car exterior will be printed on the manufacturer’s label pasted on the door jamb. Sometimes touch-up paints come like two tipped pens with base color paint on one end and the clear coat on the other end. Once you squeeze the paint into the cap, you can use a toothpick to fill up the scratch. You can add the clear coat once the paint dries.

To remove the minor scratches that are only on the surface, you just need to polish the area. A small amount of polish applied with a wet sponge will do this job. Be careful not to remove too much paint with the polish compound. Most importantly, you should not overdo this. It is better to test it out in a small area before stretching it further.

You can use a regular car wax on the scratches that are noticeable. Before applying this, you need to wash and dry the affected area. If the scratches are too deep, then the tinkering shop will be able to help you set right the problem and make your exterior shine.

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About the author:

Vivek is a mechanical engineer and has more than 7 years of experience as a writer. He blogs about various topics; entrepreneurship being one. His interests range from poetry, music to photography and travel. He can be reached at sdkrdk@gmail.com

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Your car is worth millions–keep it clean.

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Though we have not been meeting for some years, Harshendu Bhardwaj, one of my close friends was in fact sharing all that was happening at his side over phone. When he visited me recently, I was quite surprised to see him drive a silver colour Porsche car with all its shine. This was because he never told me that he had purchased a new car recently. On enquiry, Bhardwaj told me it was Ford Fiesta 1.4 Duratec EXI of 2008 make and that he bought it in the same year during its release in the market. I could not but help than being amazed at the way he was maintaining his car for over three years with a brand new look. My conversation with Bhardwaj revealed me more than shelling out a huge amount and buying a Porsche car all that is required by the owners is to maintain it through proper care, cleaning and servicing.

Bhardwaj said, “My car is worth millions and it is my primary duty to care for it by all means.” During my interaction with Bhardwaj over the next two hours, I could gather some useful tips on car cleaning. Bhardwaj added to my surprise when he said he was not using costly car cleaning products to maintain his car.

While baby wipes are the best to use on your dashboards, soft paint brushes can reach into all the groves. Cuticle removers can wipe off any stains on the leather that is otherwise hard to remove. Apply some cuticle remover over the stains for about ten minutes and wipe it off to get a stain free leather surface in the morning.

Wet a rag or cloth with concentrated white vinegar and run it down on the full length of your windshield to get a crystal clear view through it. Spray some WD-40 on your rusting name plate and wipe it with a clean cloth. There can be no better handy mitt than an old soft sock to buff the wax accumulated on your car.

I think I have left you with a few useful tips got from Bhardwaj that can help you retain the brand new shiny look for a long time on your car. But, don’t forget that the most important thing is to cherish the habit of a regular cleaning of your car without waiting for too long.

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About the author:

Vivek is a mechanical engineer and has more than 7 years of experience as a writer. He blogs about various topics; entrepreneurship being one. His interests range from poetry, music to photography and travel. He can be reached at sdkrdk@gmail.com

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Some fitness tips for your car

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

Every doctor will be able to tell you the few essential things like food habits and regular exercise that will keep your body fit. In the same manner, you need to cultivate certain good practices to keep your car in perfectly good condition. You must understand that no compromise can be excused in exercising a regular care for your car since it would cost you a huge amount at a later time besides pushing your proud possession to a bad shape very sooner than you can imagine. Over and above, when the sole purpose of your car is to help you complete your travel chores and daily routines, certainly you would not like to see yourself strangled helplessly with a breakdown on an important or crucial drive.

Though uncertainties are a part of everyday life, yet regular car maintenance will help you significantly bring down the number of breakdowns besides lengthening the life of your car and ensuring a smooth and safe drive.

A few important tips on car maintenance will help you to care for your car in a better way.

  • If you want to keep your car engine in a good condition, the first thing you must do is to perform a regular oil check-up and change the oil whenever it is deemed necessary. You must understand that leaving your engine with overused oil is equal to letting it ruin itself during every turn of the car wheels.
  • Take delight in washing your car regularly. In addition, you can wax it over the weekends to maintain it in a shining condition and let it stay free from corrosion. Stick on to regular service intervals.
  • Never neglect even minor niggles that can worsen in course of time and lead to other major problems. You can remember the quote, “A stitch in time saves nine”. You must not end up burning your pocket which would have otherwise cost you a few bugs in the earlier stage.
  • Though it might cost a bit more, make it a strong practice to use only original spare parts. Never look for cheaper alternatives that might not last longer as the original ones. You will appreciate that your peace of mind is worth more than the few coins that you will be able to save on duplicates and imitations.

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About the author:

Vivek is a mechanical engineer and has more than 7 years of experience as a writer. He blogs about various topics; entrepreneurship being one. His interests range from poetry, music to photography and travel. He can be reached at sdkrdk@gmail.com

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Go the Extra Mile with your Car

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Car manufacturers guide you with car servicing only for a period of 30,000 miles to 100,000 miles depending on the brand and the extent of the warranty period. Most often, the manufacturers might give you a periodical free service a few times. Most problems in cars occur only after this time, since by then various parts of your vehicle might have undergone wear and tear. Therefore, as a car owner, you need to exercise a good amount of care to ensure a long life for the car and its vital parts.

As a car owner, the best thing you need to do is to find a mechanic or service center who will periodically guide you with your car service needs. It will be very convenient if the service center occurs in midway between the regular route you often travel so that you need not make a separate visit to the mechanic at times of need. This will also ensure that you remember to service your car from time to time.

It goes without saying that besides regular maintenance of the vital parts, you should not neglect minor problems which might worsen if not attended ending up with a big bill.

Most cars are designed these days to run up to 500,000 miles. However, most people do not keep their cars for this long. However, if a proper car care is ensured, you can easily reach this mileage without having to change your car for a new one. In car maintenance, you can always remember the quote, “Trifles make perfection, but perfection is not a trifle.”

Little care on a regular basis can help your cars run the extra miles that others have not been able to cover. With a proper care, you have every reason to feel proud about your car and make others feel jealous about the condition of your car. While old cars can shine and run well with proper maintenance, even new cars can turn you down, if not properly attended to.

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About the author:

Vivek is a mechanical engineer and has more than 7 years of experience as a writer. He blogs about various topics; entrepreneurship being one. His interests range from poetry, music to photography and travel. He can be reached at sdkrdk@gmail.com

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Why fitness is necessary for your car

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

When you go for servicing your car the next time, ask the mechanic or the service center in-charge whether they have an appropriate inspection program for your car. Most service centers examine the cars with test investigation drives and give a detailed report enabling the owners to decide on their car maintenance needs.

Normally, the inspection reports comment on the condition of the parts that are crucial for safety and reliability. For instance, the report will tell you whether the suspension parts are worn out, which you would otherwise fail to notice until it was too late.

Regular car maintenance will help you avoid expensive repairs at a later stage, while you can as well prevent accidents due to failing parts during a very important drive on a busy road. Regular maintenance also helps you enjoy a smooth and problem-free drive on a day-to-day basis. You must always bear in mind that it is better to fix a small problem before it is too late, which is less expensive. Service needs if unattended can lead to further damage besides affecting the other parts.

Some of the regular car maintenance activities necessary for you as a car owner include

  • Getting to know the leakage in the air conditioning refrigerant before the leakage can injure the AC compressor. You will appreciate the stand that it is far less expensive to perform a leak check than replacing the compressor. Regular leak check must follow re-charge of the system with Freon.
  • Regular inspection of the radiator and hoses which will avoid major problems like damage due to overheated engine.
  • You need to keep in mind that little things like checking the tires for damages and ensuring proper inflation is a very important task. In fact, during every fuel refilling, you can ensure the regular practice of checking tire inflation.

Following these tips can help you ensure a secure and reliable drive without getting embarrassed or disappointed due to a breakdown during an important drive.

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About the author:

Vivek is a mechanical engineer and has more than 7 years of experience as a writer. He blogs about various topics; entrepreneurship being one. His interests range from poetry, music to photography and travel. He can be reached at sdkrdk@gmail.com

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