Ah—the smell of fresh air in the morning. There’s really nothing quite like it. It’s an early Monday and you’ve just gotten out of the house, quite early for work. With a mild smirk that comes with starting a good day, you insert your keys into the car door, looking forward to the easy-breezy drive you’ll be taking to work today. “Life is sometimes good.” you even think to yourself.

But, surprise. You open the car excitedly only to be greeted by the smell of death. Apparently, you’ve left one of your windows partially open, and last night’s rainstorm managed to seep into your car’s cabin. That, my friend, is the smell of mildew. More than just a hassle, constant exposure to it might even lead to lung problems. But today, you simply have no choice: so you suck it up, get in the car, and drive—a good start to the day ruined by what could’ve been an easily preventable mildew problem.

Don’t let instances like this ruin your driving experience again. Lots of things can be done to prevent the build-up of nauseating and sometimes toxic odors in your car. In fact, here’s a short list of what you can do:

1) Whenever and wherever you park your car, ensure that all your doors and windows are closed. This’ll prevent rainwater, dust, as well as small bugs and animals from getting in your car and cooking up a nasty surprise for you in the morning.

2) Don’t leave anything perishable in your car. A piece of pizza left overnight in a locked vehicle is a potential ecosystem the morning after.

3) If you smoke in your car, open the windows. Cigarette smoke easily clings to soft fabrics—which is what most cars’ interior cabin is covered in. So if you have to smoke in the car, leave a window or two open.

And finally, whenever you’re about to leave and lock your car, take a moment to look around. Take out anything that’s perishable or might leave a noxious odor. If you can, wipe down any wet surfaces. Prevent ever having to drive to work smelling like mildew or some other nasty odor again—keep your car smelling as fresh as the day you bought it. It’s just a matter of basic hygiene.

Sunny and windy Sunday mornings shouldn’t be wasted on just bumming around the house, sitting on your favorite couch as you mindlessly surf the channels on TV. Forget the idea of a lazy Sunday for a minute. Get off that bum and make something out of a good weekend—why not give your car a good washing?

The first thing to remember about car washing is the amount of water you’ll need. 20 years ago, this would not have been a problem. But since the threat of dwindling fresh water supplies all over the world is increasing, it’s our responsibility to keep our water consumption in check. Set aside the amount of water you’re going to need; don’t be wasteful, but don’t be too stingy either. Depending on your vehicle’s make, model, and how and where you use it, you’re probably going to need a couple buckets of water to do the job right.

Now park your car on a flat, level spot that’s shaded from the sun; this’ll make the job easier for you. Next, make sure that you use the proper kind of soaping agent—some service shops use a combination of shampoo and water to create the perfect, softest lather for car washing. You can use that option to save on a couple bucks. But if you can afford it, find some soap that’s specially designed for the job. Don’t ever use detergent soap as it may contain scrubbing granules that might damage your paint job.

Next, you’re going to need some clean rags to wipe that car down. We suggest starting from the roof, working your way down to the sides and eventually to the tires. Lather up and wipe in even, circular motions. If your arms are getting tired, alternate wiping between both hands. Think of the calories you’ll be burning. That’s two birds with one stone: a good car wash as well as a good workout.

If you encounter any hard spots of concentrated grime, make sure to water them down first before wiping with a lathered-up rag—this’ll reduce the risk of hard, stuck-up dirt from accidentally scratching your car as you wipe. Some paint removers can help in breaking down these spots, but be careful with the amount you’re using to avoid chemical damage.

Before washing the windshields, raise the wipers to get them out of the way. If you’ve a set of window cleaners, make the same even, circular wiping motions to lather up one side of your windshield. With a cleaning squeegee, wipe off the lathered area towards whichever side of the windshield you’re working on. Then simply repeat this process on the other side of the windshield to get it completely clean and clear.

Now get down and dirty by brushing those tires clean with a durable brush and the same lather you’re already using. After that, it’s just a matter of rinsing the entire car off and letting it dry. Have fun!

In a world that’s sometimes all about appearances, having a good-looking car can make all the difference. And how do you make even an old, restored car look good? Simple: shine it, and know how to keep it as shiny as possible. This is one of the easiest DIY maintenance jobs you can perform, so don’t worry—just read on for instructions:

1) First of all, wash your car with regard to your immediate environment. If you live in a dusty area, then maybe a weekly washing and waxing might be necessary. If you live in a place with a fairly cleaner atmosphere, then just do it monthly. It depends on you and your surroundings, really.

2) The fact is, wax doesn’t really do anything to make your car’s colors really pop-out. It’s more of a final protective touch, so let’s leave out wax for the moment. Whether you drive an old or new model, you should use high-quality paint cleaner—but only after washing and drying your car. This way, you’ll get all the surface dirt off. This’ll help in ensuring a perfect finish later on, especially if you live and drive in a rather messy environment.

3) Find the best car polish you can afford. This is best applied with the softest cloth you can find. Micro-fiber cloths are the best; if you really want a good, bright shine, use only this kind of cloths for your exterior.

4) Once all that’s dried, now’s the time to break out the wax. Make sure you wax your car in the shade as not to bake your car in the heat of the sun, causing even more surface nicks and scratches. Again, apply and remove all these products with micro-fiber cloths, ensuring a perfect, car-show finish.

Having the perfect, protected shine on your car’s exterior won’t just give you confidence. If need be, it can even raise your car’s re-sell value. So go ahead and don’t be stingy. Treat the outside of your car like the way you treat its inside—keep that car looking great and make your impression on the road.

Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080902123131AAljQK1

For all the dog and cat lovers out there, this article is for you. Depending on how your pet behaves or how you want your pet to behave in your car, you can install a variety of products to keep your pet safe and comfortable while avoiding the natural hassles that come with giving your pets a ride-along. Here’s a quick rundown of some pet-friendly products for your car:

1) There’s always the traditional cage or kennel wherein you can keep your pet. If your dog or cat isn’t very well-behaved, we suggest this option as it’ll keep any mess to a minimum. Plus this’ll make it even easier to carry your pet around. Just lay down some old newspapers on the bottom of the cage for easier clean-ups.

2) In the backseat of your car, you can even install an auto zip-line that limits the movement of your faithful companion to just the extent of the zip-line. This’ll allow free movement in the backseat while safely restraining the pet with a comfy vest.

3) Another option to keeping that feisty feline or K-9 in the backseat is the backseat barrier. This’ll keep your pet from moving to the front of your cabin, ensuring a hassle-free and safe driving experience.

4) For the carefree, all-around puppy or kitten, there’s the backseat-bridge. This handy device can make a level ground off of your backseat, giving your pet a lot more room to move around. This gives him a feeling of safety and comfort, and might even improve his behavior while riding along in your car.

Of all these devices, perhaps what’s most important are the water-proof seat covers you can buy almost anywhere. Because however you control or discipline your pet, you never know when they’ll decide to drop a load anywhere, anytime. Remember: prevention is always better than a cure. In this case, that means covering up parts of your car that are prone to little cat or doggy messes.

Install any or even all of these devices and enjoy a more relaxing, comfy ride with your favorite pet!

Source:

http://www.things4yourdog.com/pet-products-for-cars

Good driving doesn’t just depend on responsive handling, acceleration, and braking. Visibility plays a huge part too. So if one or both of your side-view mirrors are shattered for some reason, you’ll need to take care of that immediately—lest you risk greater maintenance issues due to the visibility problems that come with broken side mirrors.

Unless you’ve broken off the entire side-view mirror assembly, this’ll probably be the easiest DIY car-repair job you’ll perform in your life. After all, it’s just replacing a shattered mirror or two. The hardest part of this procedure will be finding the correct-sized mirror to replace the one you shattered. Besides that, you’ll also need these tools and materials to do the job right:

1) Generic Tube Silicone: available at any car-repair store, you might even have some at home.

2) Masking Tape: available wherever office supplies are sold.

3) Putty Knife: available at either a car-repair store or an art supplies shop.

4) Flat-head screwdriver: check your toolbox.

5) Old rags or newspapers: available wherever.

If you’ve found the correct-sized mirror for replacement, let’s get down to the repairs:

1) Inspect the damaged area. If there are any pieces of the broken mirror left, slowly remove them with your hands. If necessary, pop them off with the flat-head screwdriver, catching the pieces with the rag or newspaper and not with your naked hand. Dispose of the broken mirror pieces.

2) With the putty knife, scrape and peel-off any residual adhesive that held the old mirror to the assembly. Take your time and try to do this slowly as not to cause further damage.

3) Apply about 3 tablespoons worth of silicone on the area. Try to spread it evenly with the putty knife or a piece of wood you can just dispose of later.

4) Now carefully place the new mirror on the area, taking care to position it properly. Use the masking tape (or any kind of light-duty tape) to hold it in place as the silicon dries behind it.

5) Give it about 5 hours for the silicone to fully harden until you take the tape off.

6) Once you’re sure that the mirror’s secure, wipe it off completely for full visibility.

From now on, drive a little more carefully to avoid having to do this again. And should you break more mirrors in the future, at least you’ll know how to fix the problem from the comfort of your own garage. Just check back with us if you need to retrace the steps.

Source:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2117800_repair-broken-side-mirrors.html