As a car owner, you have the responsibility or obligation to share just like anyone in creating a healthy environment that is free from pollution. Yeah, maybe this is such a utopian illusion exaggeration but simple steps do count a lot. The existence of vehicle emission testing or air pollution test is not only the solution you can take to make maintain the symbiotic relationship of your car to the environment. Greener cars are in demand nowadays but you don’t have to leave your old car for that, here are some tips make to your car environmentally friendly.

Pass the emission test. Although as mentioned already as is it not the sole solution, this should be your number one priority when it comes to making sure your car is not emitting toxic pollution. Passing this test would show how well-maintained your car is and how it is going to be one of the cars that pollute less.

Park if you need to Stop. Even if you to stop for a few minutes or you just stop by to get some snack on drive-though fast foods, or re-fueling, don’t have the habit to leave your car in idle. Idling even for few minutes’ wastes gas, emits pollution and can damage your engine system.

Saving Trips. This is the same with combining errands. As I mentioned on my previous post, cutting a 20 mile trip out of your schedule each week can reduce your global warming pollution by more than 1,200 pounds a year and save you over $100 in gas expenses.- Making a plan to get all the errands done can be your solution. If you already used to making plans, cutting unnecessary trips will be easily followed.

Let it Cool or Wait until its Cool. Don’t you know that refueling when the sun is still up creates smog formation? If it’s not emergency situation, opt to refuel after 6:00 pm. 6:00 is the perfect time to have already a temperate atmosphere. When your refuel ar warm time, it reduces VOCs and NO_x vapors to react with sunlight that becomes ground-level ozone.

Don’t top. Topping off the tank of your vehicle emits additional smog vapors. At the first click when the pump shuts off, stop refueling immediately. Don’t overfill.

Twist it hard. Close your gas cap tightly after refueling. Gas or fuel is evaporates faster than water since it is thinner in composition. Statistic estimated that over 145 million gallons of gas evaporate annually coming from a missing, damaged and loose gas caps. Tighten those gas caps now. and that a 4000 leaky gas caps equals one ton of pollution being contributed to the air.

Don’t get chilled. Don’t overuse air conditioner if you feel you really don’t need it. Aside from increase in fuel consumption, the use of air conditioner like refrigeration contributes largely on air pollution. Air conditioner uses the chemical Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This chemical when released in to the air rises to the stratosphere. This reacts with other chemicals found in the stratosphere which reduces the stratospheric ozone layer. We all know how important ozone layer is to earth, right? Maintain your vehicle A/C system to avoid leaks. *This is especially to car owners of pre-1995 models. If you own one be a convert.*

Delete speeding out of your Vocabulary. Speeding demands the cooling system of your car to function fast as well. The cooling system also uses chemical like with the air conditioner. In event of engine overheat; the vapors coming from your engine are now smog that contributes to air pollution.

Be a Convert. It is a fact that newer cars emit less pollution and has better fuel efficiency. If your car model year is pre-1995, you don’t have to buy a new one as the solution but just change the air conditioning system of your car from CFC R-12 to R-134a that is safer and friendlier to ozone layer.

Smart driving includes thinking for better ways to save more gas. You can’t just show how smart you drive behind your steering wheels only but also with what practical disposition you will take in cutting expenses on gas, help reduce pollution and having fun at the same time. Driving less is one smart tip for you to consider. Besides parking you car obviously would save gas and emission.

• Walk if you Can. Most car owners get used to hop immediately in their car without realizing that where they will go is only a block away from where they come from. If you are just going to buy some snack with just a little distance, get on your feet and do some brisk walking. After all, walking is a very good type of exercise.
• Be a public commuter once in a while. True, this is better way to cut your gas expenses. Sharing rides through using public buses or train can save money for you, traffic congestion on the road and air pollution. Emission from individual cars amounts a great threat to global warming. Running after public buses could also be a fun experience. Don’t miss yourself with this kind of simple adventure.
• Carpool. Same with being a public commuter, sharing ride is one solution everyone should take. When you going for a trip in a group and you are going to use two or more cars, car pooling would be great. First, your destination is the same and second, you will also feel how fun and exciting car pooling it. Once me and some my colleague went for an out-of-town trip and we decided to carpool, although it cuts some time from our travel schedule it save us some gas and we bought additional booze instead.
• Take Advantage of Telecommuting. Really, if people would opt for telecommuting at least once in a week, we would save so much from traveling from one place to another. If employers could allow telecommuting, then be more considerate to how we contribute to pollution just by using our car just to go for work.

Some FACTS you may want to know. ( I read it in my nephew’s science notebook )

• If all commuters worked from home just one day a week, we could save 5.85 billion gallons of oil and cut over 65 million metric tons (roughly 143 billion pounds) of carbon dioxide each year.
• Cutting a 20 mile trip out of your schedule each week can reduce your global warming pollution by more than 1,200 pounds a year and save you over $100 in gas expenses.
• Sharing ride other means to get to somewhere could save yourself money, reduce congestion on the roads and cut your global warming pollution. A passenger car cost about 31 percent of fuel per mile, additional maintenance and deterioration of your car.

Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy.

 

Really, as an insurance agent I know how expensive insurance are. From all the type of insurance, money is the only way to have them. What are the applicable insurance for an individual? Do you know? There are lots actually; health insurance and life insurance ties in number one as the most sought insurance for most of us. But there is also the accidental death and dismemberment insurance, home insurance, pension-tem insurance and a lot more. Of course, for every car owners out there, car insurance is a must. Aside from the fact that is mandated in some of the states here in US where you can’t drive a car without it, car insurance can save your soul from any contingencies that may arise. Accidents do happen. Yes?

But like with the quote, safety is the cheapest and effective insurance policy you can avail for your self. Safety includes how you take care of your car, its maintenance, making sure that the complete line of safety lineaments are in perfect working condition. And of course, the best safety of all is observing good driving habits which include submitting yourself to further driving lessons. Although maintenance and repair do take some portion from your budget, its way too small compared to the insurance policies you will pay in case you met an accident and you were the one who was at fault. Insurance policy just comes second in Safety when it comes to protecting your life.

When cleaning your car’s interior, the seatbelts always come as a negligible part that escapes your clean streak eyes. Yeah, you may be nodding now since seatbelts comes as a tiny strip of leather or fabric material as compared to the seats and carpets that is always on the top of your list when it comes to detailing your car. Is the beige seatbelts of your car that had come as a package when you purchased your beloved ride colored black now? Or are you bothered by mould smell inside your car when you run out of air freshener above your dashboard? If you answer yes for both questions, its time to play hero and save your seatbelts that loyally affixed there to keep your driving always at safe.

There is no further explanation how important seatbelts are, to our safety. Your wife or girlfriend needs a seatbelt when they want to a hitch a ride with you, of your own kids when you want to have a ride with you. Don’t you know that pets have their own kind of seatbelts too? But whoever that will use the seatbelts of your car, cleaning it is a must to avoid early damage of its buckle, brittleness of its strap and of course the smell and cleanness of it when you use. Imagine how confident and groovy you feel with the new polo you wear and just suddenly in split second ruined by a stain when you put on that dirty seatbelts on your body. Bad thought, isn’t it?

Well, this may sound complicated but cleaning seatbelts is way toooooo easy. You just need time, effort, cleaner, water, detergent and then soak and rinse. Finish!

Here’s the step:

1. Unbolt the belts from your car. But first, you must know what type of seatbelts you have to know the way you are going to unbolt it. If the buckle of your bolts already shouts how rusty and dirty he is, use a tap and die solution. Look for the cross-pins, if it can easily be remove be glad but if not, you have no choice but to clean your seatbelts by moving the buckles up and down when cleaning.
2. After unbolting, prepare a good hot soapy water solution using a detergent where you are going to soak the seatbelts in until the water becomes gray or black. That’s a good sign that dirt has been removed from your seatbelts.
3. Prepare another clean bath but this time with warm water only. If the previous solution is now dingy; dump it and soak the seatbelts again to another clean bath you made.
4. Get the seatbelts out of the water and brush it carefully not to destroy its fiber. The secret is to follow the grain of the seatbelt’s webbing.
5. Once done, rinse the belts into flowing water until that soapy froth is gone.
6. If there are still grimes and the areas that you think a good old soak can pull, re-brush the areas with a household degreaser or grease spray** that is formulated for grease and stain removal. Use this grease spray to clean the hard-plastics and buckles of the seatbelts.
7. After cleaning, hang dry the belts. Make sure that the belts do not retract when you hang it to dry it fast. If the seatbelts are not properly died, it would leave a mould smell. Clip both side of the belt to keep it stretch.
8.  If discoloration is noticeable, you can use spray aerosol paint that matches the color of your seatbelts.
9. Reinstall the freshly cleaned and revived seatbelt to you car.

 ***seatbelts material is quite sensitive to concentrated cleaner solution. It is best to choose mild and solvent based cleaners.

Thieves, rejoice now for my title. But let’s just be practical and a little less hysterical for paranoid car owners out there. You see, being forgetful is an incurable disease we all sometimes have. There’s a moment we locked our keys inside the car, or that unlucky times our door locks hang up to us. If not, hurry, come out in the open and share you luck if you haven’t experience, or nearly experience any of this. Now here’s the situation;

“What will you do if you locked yourself OUTSIDE your car?

Exempt yourself with this question if you have a car that has a warning device that would warn you if you happen to leave your keys still in the ignition keys. But if your car doesn’t have a feature like this, answer with me this question of how are you going to get inside your car in case you are locked outside? Just pray this would not happen to you in the middle of the night, or in a hot sunny day. I could imagine how frustrated and annoyed one could get.

Here’s some tips.

Spare Keys. Maybe you were an active Boys Scout of America back when you were a kid, always prepared for no matter what contingencies may arise. But hey, carrying your spare keys can save yourself immediately from this scenario. Spare key will take just a little space from your wallet since wallet is carry-around stuff so you would never be in panic where to find it in case. Yeah, wallet is a good choice rather than putting it on your car’s underbody. It’s like giving your car to thieves’ altogether.

911 or SOS. Really, if you don’t want to try this, call the help of an expert instead. After all, why tire yourself if some professional locksmith can do the job for you without causing trouble too your car. If you have extra budget with you, then this option should be your only option. Just don’t leave an impression that you don’t own that car, locksmith would definitely ask/investigate you if the car is really yours.

Lock pick. Technically a lock out tool or in parlance term, a Slim Jim. This is a thin strip of metal usually 60cm long that will work perfectly with older model of cars with button type pf door locks. Carefully insert the slim jim right between the weatherstrip of your car’s door and slowly pull and unhook the locking mechanism of your door. Although this will be hard and quite complicated, observe patience and you can do this. But if you feel you can’t use this as option, just try another way to unlock your car.

Tennis balls. Yeah, this is a popular trick in opening your car. Click on that link for the video of how the Blondie chic unlocks her door using tennis balls. I have not tried this trick if this is legit but I will write a follow up if I’ve got the time to try this. What I gather from the video is that punching some hole through the tennis ball just through middle and not goes to the other side. Press the ball with the keyhole facing the car’s lock and force the ball to excrete enough air to push the car’s lock. Read additional information here.

Fisticuff. If you have talents/powers like chuck Norris. (Haha) But there is hammer, or stone or any hard things that could break open your window glass. This most likely your last resort or initial reaction of stupidity in event of emergency. Just protect yourself from the broken pieces of glass it could cut you hands out. K?

Mine’s a convertible (un Miata Mx5 de Mazda señor y señora), so here is my personal tip to keep your convertible clean and function well. Take advantage of the spring season and fold down that convertible top and breathe some fresh air and temperate weather while driving.

• Polished your levers and rods operating mechanism with lubricating oil of your convertible top by keeping it free from rust. But be careful about spilling some oil on your fabric.
• Check on the top fabric and make sure that it doesn’t get away with the operating mechanism. Keep it intact.
• Keep your convertible top free from dust since its folds in well. You probably don’t want the dust to settle with the top into the well.
• Fix immediately any sign or early damage or weak spot before it opens out or else it will become worse.
• Always clean your top as frequent as possible. Dirt accumulation could wreck the fabric of your top. Use a vacuum or broom if necessary.
• Store a vinyl repair kit so you can immediately apply some on holes and other imperfection on your top’s surface. You can get one at $9 so store one. Read the instruction and label first before using.
• Along with the vinyl repair kit, store also a colour spray for parts of your convertible top that is already fading. Before spraying, cover first the surface that is doesn’t spraying yet.

So while you have already a schedule for spring cleaning, include your convertible top in your routine.

Let me show you a disassembled car.

See that? Amazing isn’t it?

Can you imagine yourself knowing all this parts or components of a car?

Most importantly, in case you need some parts to be replaced, you must know first what to buy before heading to get that specified part for your car.

Here is some guide to know that what you are going to purchase exactly matched your car’s specifications.

Basically, these are what you should know about your car before getting any car parts replacement and even accessories. Of course by knowing this, you wouldn’t have to worry about the size of certain car parts like tires or fenders, the design and style like with bumpers or grills since these parts are commonly distinct to a particular vehicle make model and year.

1. vehicle make ( Mazda, Toyota, Chevy, Dodge, Nissan, Land Rover and the list go on, just know what is the make of your car.

2. Vehicle model (of course when it comes to model it must be of the vehicle make it is from. Like with Mazda; the model could be miata. For Toyota, corolla, vios, and so on.

3. Manufacture year (This is important since some parts are exclusive for a particular model year. For instance, a particular headlight is made only for a 1995 manufacture year and these 1995 taillights cannot fit for a 1994 and down models.)

                    With engine parts and other fuel system parts, here is information you need know about your car:

4. Type of transmission ( Manual or automatic)

5. Fuel system ( By use of carburetor or fuel injector)

6. Cylinders number and alignment. (Know if your car has a V6 engine, or a flat type with only 4 cylinders, v8, or in-line type)

7. Engine displacement (Basically the total volume of combustion capacity of the engine, expresses in cc or cubic inches)

For now, these are the general information you should start knowing when it comes to your car. This are just enough for you not to make a mistake in getting for a replacement especially if you are doing the repair or replacement by yourself.

Morning rush! Really the time of cramming to the extent of having our breakfast inside the car, familiar scenario right? Quite familiar that many of us including myself have mastered to drive safely even one of our hands is holding a cup of coffee just to start our day without an empty stomach. As much as we mastered driving while drinking coffee, we just can’t steer clear from having our coffee spilled. It would be fortunate if it didn’t spill on our clothes because that’s another problem. So, most of us fling our coffee on the car’s floor and on the seats. But, although it saves our clothes from being stained with spilled coffee, our carpets or seats cannot.

Removing coffee stains would be easy if we clean the stain before it even dries up but most of the times we just cant do it. If you are lucky to stop and the coffee stain does not dry up already, here are some tips and home made remedies you can do.

What you will need:

• Sponge
• Paper Towels
• White Vinegar (If you don’t have a carpet cleaner)
• Vacuum cleaner
• Warm Water
• Dishwashing detergent
• Stain repellant (if you have any)

Here’s what you will do:

** To create a carpet cleaner, Mix 1 quart of water, ½ tsp. of detergent and 1 tbsp of white vinegar.

• Get your paper towels or a towel and blot the stains as if you are absorbing the stains up. Then rub it off and remove as much of the coffee stain as possible. Soak up any residues until it looks like nothings left to blot.
• After blotting, clean the surface with a carpet cleaner or the home-made mixture/alternative carpet cleaner. Apply some more and leave it at least 10-15 more minutes.
• After letting in the solution or carpet cleaner to be absorbed by the carpet, clean it with towel soaked in warm water to completely remove the mixture.
• Let it dry completely.
• Apply a stain repellant to protect your carpet again from future stains.
• After it naturally dry up, dry it again with vacuum to remove the dirt as well.

IF after following this steps and the stains are still there, then its time for you to call expertly detailed by a professional. After all, auto shop uses expensive and specialized stain cleaner that can effectively removed the stains in just a minute. This, or don’t take your breakfast in your car again. Hehe

I’m quite ecstatic bout the latest modification over my most priced possession – my well loved Mazda Miata MX-5. I’m not really into extreme car modification but simple mods and relatively cheap one can’t really hurt me – or my car. What modification? Installing neon lighting on my car’s underbody and my license plate, shift knob and dashboard has really set my car on a “bright” mode. My interior looks just awesome with this new lighting effect, making my sports car a little sportier without even changing or modifying its body. After installing these neon lights, I feel like my car is floating since its kind of glowing from under. Haha ;))

Although if you want to install one in your car, be careful about over doing it. There are still standards that the law set over lighting specification but, if done moderately it can even contribute to how you make your car more visible at night. Get one for yourself for as low as $24. Or if you want you can do canvassing if there are still available low prices in other store online or in your local auto shop. Cheap right? With few bucks, you can have already neon lights that you can install in your bumpers, antennas or it can even be a headlight accents.

I would gladly opt for simple modification like neon lights rather than this:

HAHA -:D although no pun intended but still, this is my personal taste speaking

do you want your car to be made into this?

Spring season has already started and another two more months then it’s summer time already. It’s time to keep your winter clothing at your closet and snow boots away from your daily attire. But don’t you know that during spring is the best time you can properly and actually tune your cars up? Because of the temperate climate, setting up your car or planning for a maintenance routine would have a greater chance of being easily and properly done. Well, it is just logical since at winter season, your car is sure to succumb early wear and tear and also, winter season can make your car filthy with road grimes.

Of course you can call professionals to do regular maintenance and cleaning up the car for you, but if you have just ample free time in your hands, you could even do the cleaning by yourself. This way, you didn’t just save some bucks but you also have some good “bonding” moment with your car. I’m sure you will agree on me with this one.

So you are heading for cleaning your car first, what is there to clean by the way? All of it anyways, from the exterior to interior parts, you should clean it all over. Since during winter, the road is washed with a salt solution that is very damaging to your car. So this spring time, you really have to wash your car from top to bottom.

Focus your cleaning more on the following:

1. Engines. Check on the engine oil and fluid levels. During winter season this may have been dry up or frozen down so you better check on this immediately.
   
   
2. Wiper Blades. Replace your wiper blades since it had to be replaced every six month anyways. After winter, your wiper blade is sure to be left brittle and ready to retire. Your tires as well
3. Tires. Inspect your tire pressure if it’s still sufficient. If not, top it up to keep your tires from tire wear. Do also the same with your spare tires.
4. Brakes. Also, check on the brake fluid as well as the all the components of your brake system.
5. Filters. Change all your filters. (oil, fuel, air, APV) Winter season can brittle up your filters.
6. Interiors. Spring time is the perfect time to vacuum off the dirt from your carpets, floor liners that have built up during the winter.
7. A/C system. Obviously, you didn’t regularly used this during the cold season but in spring time where you are blessed with only temperate weather, check on your air conditioning system in preparation for the hot hot summer.

This are just some tips that can help you. As I said, you can just directly visit your service mechanic to do check the car for you. But if you are a Do-it-Yourself buff like me, feel free to follow this tips I’m sharing. Happy Spring Time !!