Month: June 2018
Holiday travel can be a bust if your vehicle breaks down on the way to visiting friends and family.
With today’s busy schedules and high-tech vehicles, most drivers are left with neither the time nor inclination for an afternoon of tinkering on their car. But motorists can still do their part.
According to the experts at the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), good communication between the repair shop and the customer can help ensure satisfactory service.
ASE offers the following tips to help make the repair process go smoothly.
* Do your homework before taking your vehicle in. Read the owner’s manual to learn about the vehicle’s systems and components. Follow the recommended service schedules and keep a log of all repairs and service.
* Don’t ignore your vehicle’s warning signals. There may be explicit dashboard messages or subtle changes in performance. Make a note of any problems – and under what conditions they occur.
* Inspect your car frequently. Check for unusual sounds, odors, drips, leaks, smoke, warning lights and gauge readings. See if you notice changes in acceleration, engine performance, gas mileage or fluid levels. Also, check for worn tires, belts or hoses, and problems in handling, braking and steering or vibrations.
* Communicate your findings. Be prepared to describe your car’s symptoms. Carry a written list of those symptoms to give to the technician or service consultant. Do not suggest a specific course of repair; let the technician diagnose and recommend a remedy.
* Stay involved. Do not be embarrassed to request simple definitions. Professionally run repair establishments recognize the importance of two-way communication in automotive repairs. However, don’t rush the technician to make an on-the-spot
diagnosis.
* Leave a telephone number where you can be reached. Ask to be called and apprised of the problem, course of action and costs before work begins. Before you leave the shop, be sure you understand all shop policies regarding estimates, guarantees and acceptable methods of payment.
ASE is dedicated to improving the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians. ASE-certified technicians wear blue and white ASE shoulder insignia and carry credentials listing their exact areas of certification. Their employers often display the blue and white ASE sign.
Your cars plastic bumpers dont always need replacement when minor damage crop up such as scuffs and scratches. Repairing these scuffs and scratches are not as difficult as you imagined or as complicated as fixing up scratches on sheet metal that are likely to form rust.
Save time, money and effort repairing your damaged bumper with these simple and convenient steps:
Materials Needed:
Automotive Clear Coat
Automotive Paint
Automotive Primer
Dish Soap
Grease and Wax Remover
Paper Towels
Sand Paper
Step 1:Clean the scratched area with dish soap to get rid of any wax or dust particles on the surface. Use a piece of cloth enfolded around a finger to get hold of the scratches and scuffs. Wash the soap entirely and pat dry the surface using paper towels before proceeding to the next step.
Step 2:Check the intensity of the scratches and scuffs. Run your fingernail tip across the scratch and if it can hold the rut, this means that the scratch is deep, otherwise, the scratch is shallow.
Step 3:Polish the scratch with 120-grit sandpaper until it becomes smooth, even and free from tough edges. Bear in mind that plastics are softer than metal so ensure not to sand too much in one spot to avoid having a low part on the surface.
Step 4:Spray about two light coats of automotive primer on the polished spot. Wait for about 30 minutes allowing the coat of primer to dry.
Step 5:Polish the automotive primer evenly with 300-grit sandpaper until it becomes soft to touch. Swab the spot with grease and wax remover to take away oil and dust elements.
Step 6: While holding the spray can about eight inches away from the exterior, spray two to three lean coats of automotive paint straight on the scratch. Let each coat dry for 30 minutes prior to applying the next coat.
Step 7:Using the same procedures as with spraying the paint, apply two coats of automotive clear coat. Let the automotive clear coat dry completely which takes up to 24 hours before attempting to drive the car.
Getting rid of the scuffs and scratches from your cars plastic bumper can be costly especially when the job is done at a professional auto care clinic. However, you can save a lot if you do the repair yourself.
Vehicle repair shops can be a lucrative business opportunity, especially in today’s difficult economic times, when new cars seem to be endlessly going up in price and older models need to be fine-tuned as often as possible in order to keep them in optimal condition. To undertake those auto repairs, mechanics need vehicle-lifting equipment to be able to assess the vehicle and decide what sort of repairs will be necessary.
When mechanics search for lifting equipment they can trust, they choose MAHA USA because they know that this leading manufacturer of automotive lifts has an impeccable record when it comes to safety testing. As an innovator within the mechanical engineering industry, MAHA USA has helped to create automotive vehicle lifts that exceed both client and industry expectations.
Based on an extensive background of forty years in the mechanical engineering industry, MAHA USA has developed a reputation for quality. Their subsidiaries and dealers across 130 countries worldwide provide customers with their expert brand of vehicle testing and maintenance equipment and play a key role as a contract partner in the development, planning and execution of country-specific test concepts.
Having the right size lifting equipment is imperative to having a well run vehicle repair shop. At MAHA USA, you will find an impressive collection of automatic lifts that suit your company’s individual needs. For example, you may wish to select from their exemplary collection of two post automotive lifts, which includes the HL Freedom 10,000. This outstanding piece of equipment offers the user 10,000lbs of lifting capacity and features an automatically engaging single lock release system on each column, for the pinnacle in safety and strength.
This exceptional manufacturing company also offers automotive lifts for heavy-duty vehicles such as large trucks. Among their extensive collection of innovative lifting equipment, they offer mobile column lifts that can lift vehicles weighing up to 144,000 pounds. These mobile column lifts are the perfect tool for any automotive or heavy-duty repair shop. In addition, due to MAHA USA’s dedication to safety, their mobile column lifts are not built simply to pass ALI certification standards, but to supersede those standards and guarantee unmitigated safety for repair shop usage. Clearly, MAHA USA is the best choice for automotive and heavy duty lifts that surpass every expectation.
Because of their unrelenting dedication to customer service, MAHA USA will work directly with you to discuss what sort of equipment will suit your facility. They can offer you suggestions in terms of size and structure, as well as discuss with you the technical details of the equipment so that you are given a complete picture when choosing from the company’s vast collection of superior automotive lifts and vehicle repair equipment.
MAHA USA equipment is ideal for a variety of automotive businesses. From auto repair to service centers and dealerships, MAHA USA has the right equipment for your facility. So why wait? Go to MAHA USA today and find out how they can help your business to speed past the competition.
About MAHA USA:
With subsidiaries and dealers in over 130 countries, MAHA USA is one of the world’s leading providers of systems for vehicle testing and maintenance. For more information, please go to Maha-usa.
Automotive transmission is one of the most expensive of the various car repair procedures a vehicle will be needing in its service life. Any auto service mechanic can tell you this. Its cost is not even close to what you may have spent on your auto AC repair. If you think that engine repair and brakes repair are so much more expensive than auto AC repair, just wait till you learn how much you will have to shell out for automotive transmission repair.
Early and frequent automotive transmission repair is something that any vehicle owner will want to avoid. This can be done by complying with all the required automotive transmission maintenance procedures. You can ask for assistance on proper compliance with all these automotive transmission maintenance procedures and tune ups from a trusted professional auto service shop. Doing this, however, does not mean that you can totally avoid car repair henceforth. The need for repair will still occur, but not as often. The auto service shop and its mechanic you choose should, therefore, be capable of helping you not only through automotive transmission maintenance and diagnostics but also for any necessary repair in Tampa.
A vehicle owner should also learn how to make transmission diagnostic tests regularly. One such test is the visual inspection for leaks. The ground or garage floor beneath the vehicle should always be checked for the presence of puddles or wet spots. Colored liquid can be a sign of danger. Dark or reddish liquid could mean dangerous leakage of the automotive transmission fluid. This could lead to failure of the transmission system and should immediately prompt the vehicle owner to bring the vehicle to the auto service shop in Tampa.
The vehicle owner should also check on the state of the transmission fluid. This is done with the use of the vehicles dipstick. The dipstick should first be wiped clean on a cloth rag, though. It is then dipped into the transmission fluid. The transmission fluid that adheres to the dipstick should then be allowed to drip on clean white paper. The ideal result is clear red fluid free of sediments. A dark color or the presence of metal fillings or flakes as well as a burnt smell means the fluid has oxidized. This means the transmission system should be checked at an auto service shop in Tampa.
Using the wrong type of transmission fluid is another cause for damage of the transmission system. Automatic and manual transmission systems each have their own special automotive transmission fluids that can not be used interchangeably. When doing transmission fluid change for the vehicle, the vehicle owner should make sure that the proper automotive transmission fluid is being used. This will be taken care of by a reputable auto service shop in Tampa.
The responsibility of the vehicle owner extends to observing the vehicles performance while driving. If the transmission gears lag in response and exhibit any noises, vibrations and jerks, the transmission system may already be worn down. It is time to have the vehicle checked at an auto service shop in Tampa.
The vehicle owner should always drive the vehicle properly in order to care for the automotive transmission system. Overheating should always be avoided because it results in burnt transmission fluid that creates oxidation deposits blocking the transmission system, warped metal parts, hardened rubber gaskets and seals, and leakage of transmission fluid. In effect, overheating threatens the entire transmission system. Overloading the vehicle and stop and go driving in hot Tampa weather should be avoided because they cause overheating.
A vehicle owner should always be aware of proper automotive transmission maintenance to lessen the need for towing services from tow trucks and car repair in Tampa.
If you want your trip to look its finest you will spend money on a set of rims and tires, however customized wheels are going to set you again anything as much as $1,500 per tire! In case you are laying that form of money out in your wheels it’s good to know tips on how to take care of them and hold the automotive looking its very best. There is no level in pimping your journey just for it to look shoddy and dirty.
You may or might not have realized that selecting new tires is normally not as simple as simply going to a retailer or browsing online and deciding on one. You might be able to choose some wheels by taking a look at ones that match the scale of your present tires however you’ll want to additionally decide what the impacts of these tires shall be on the efficiency and handling of your vehicle.
Looking after your wheels takes the identical effort and routine as taking care of the rest of your car. First, it’s essential wash and clear off the detritus from the street after which polish them to ensure they’re shielded from the grime which goes to assault them in future. Make sure you use an excellent detergent and comply with up with a wheel cleaner; observe this up with a very good quality wheel polish and protectant spray.
But, in the end, the wheel you decide will replicate what sort of statement you want to make. You have gone to the trouble of ditching your previous wheels that you owe it to your self to make the smartest selection doable when wading by the wheels supermarket. One happy side of getting so many decisions and so many sorts to select from is that it is very seemingly you are going to find one that matches you and your automobile to a T.
To modify steel rims, printed designs will be pinned to the automobile’s tire. It can be coated with thicker paint to take care of its design. The heavy weight of the steel materials serves as its main disadvantage.
You are going to wish some tools to be sure you get the most out of your tires and rims. An previous, comfortable toothbrush could be very useful for getting around the rim and into the nooks and crannies. You will also need a sponge and a smooth rag – never use anything which is abrasive, and by no means use abrasive cleaners on your rims or tires (these will scour the finish and result in them becoming dirty quickly and they’re going to also lose their sheen).
Looking after your wheels is important if you need your automotive to look great. The automotive bodywork must gleam, but it’s the wheels which will actually make the vehicle stand out within the crowd. You might be paying top dollar to your wheels so be sure you put money into the precise tools, cleaners, polishes and protectants to ensure they all the time look their greatest when you’re out on the road and cruising.