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Your car is one of your possessions that you can hardly afford to lose. Many activities now of modern living would call for the use of a car, with the pace of life now much faster compared to the days before the wheeled vehicle came into being. Moving about your day-to-day activities without a vehicle could mean a more tedious and time-consuming routine for you. Thus, it is necessary that you have the appropriate measures in your home designed for avoiding auto theft.It is best to have a completely closed and locked garage for your car as an essential part of your house. This will ensure that you sleep better, knowing that your vehicle is safe from any thief who may try to steal it. Imagine what effect it will have on you if you wake up in the morning to find out that your car is missing!A car parked inside a locked garage is definitely much safer than a vehicle parked in the open in your driveway. Insuring a locked garage for the night is mandatory to protect your main means of transportation in going to your place of work, in conducting your kids to school, in marketing for the needs of the family, and so many other movements you have to do as part of your daily routine.A pet dog sleeping in an area in your house right next to your garage is a very effective warning system that you can have as part of the security measures for the car as well as for the entire house. Your canine friend, with its strong sense of smell and hearing, will always detect anybody in the vicinity and wake you up with its barking in case an intruder comes near your place. A car thief, on hearing the dog’s bark, will likely back away from any bad intentions he may have.Install security gadgets in your garage, electronically activated, to create an alarming noise in case an unauthorized person intrudes into the building. Again, this electronic gadget is a practical warning device that not only alerts you of a potential thief, but on its own, may even scare the intruder away before he can do anything.Other instances that may expose your car to theft include those times when you park it in unattended public lots for long periods. Avoid leaving your car in these places. Even when you have to park on the road there may be instances when thieves attempt to steal it. When you park along the road turn your wheels sharply toward the curb, so when somebody attempts to take it, he cannot just drive away easily. It will be prudent to install an automatic steering wheel locking device in your car for added protection.Make it a habit always to lock your car when you park it, to make sure that if one is thinking of stealing it he cannot do it as easily compared with an unlocked vehicle.Sound alarm devices placed inside the car, with its wiring integrated with the vehicle’s electrical system, is also a practical warning system. Once there is an unauthorized attempt to open the car doors the gadget inside creates a lot of noise that attracts the people around and scares away the potential car thief. If you are within hearing distance, you can call the police right away for assistance.

Since the initial inception of the automotive dealership showroom, it has been said that the trick to selling cars is how you guide potential customers through the process of buying a car. For years, this very important step in the process was done via the telephone. As with all good things, new inventions come about, technology changes and the introduction of new ways to do business such as the introduction of the Internet, and emailing now affords consumers a whole new way to communicate. Because of this, the sales process changed and things became a little slower to complete. Dealers were not able to identify customer needs as quickly and as a result could not as easily help the buyer understand the car buying cycle.Now that cell phones and PDA’s have become common place, Honda Los Angeles Dealers offers constant communication and access to information online available 24/7. We are starting to see an even greater reliance on electronic communication. The current generation is heavily into things such as Instant Messaging and blogging. The use of instant messaging for most people has helped to bridge the gap between consumers and dealers. By allowing consumers to move at their own pace through the buying cycle online, dealers still keep in communication with customers and have the chance to gather information about the consumer and what their interests are.Consumers have seen this as an opportunity and now dealers such as Audi Seacoast and Ford New Hampshire have the challenge to either accept the change or fall behind in the race to keep consumers on board. Many dealers are now starting to implement features such as Live Chat on their web sites to allow sales personnel to engage in conversation with consumers while they are online shopping. Consumers can ask questions while dealers provide the details that consumers are looking for. This allows dealers to draw consumers in and still have the possibility of getting that ever sought after “Internet Lead” that every dealer so desperately wants.Some dealers are adjusting better than other in the internet leads race. Technology allows Southern Maine Chevrolet Dealers to respond to these customers through auto responders and template emails. Dealers have quickly learned that speed is of the essence when trying to convert an internet lead into a sale. He who responds first has a greater chance of closing the deal.The dealers that learn to adjust with the times and understand the usefulness of today’s technology will gain an extreme advantage over the dealers who choose to look the other way. Consumers are more savvy with want they want in an automobile as well as how the shop for one. How they shop will be forever changing with the latest technological advances.As with any new technology, there are concerns about the costs and maintenance of systems such as this, but as dealers are finding, these solutions are very low cost and easy to implement and can easily allow dealers to compete for these Internet-savvy prospects.

You may be surprised to find out that the United States consumes a quarter of the world’s oil supply but only carries three percent of the world’s oil reserves on its own territory. As a result,

The purpose of a car’s cooling system is not only to remove excess heat. It is to keep the temperature of the car engine in tip top shape at that temperature to prevent excess damage and wear to your automotive engine and its components. Why chance excess wear and tear as well as expensive repairs to your motor vehicle – whether it is S.U.V., car, truck or van?

Rust will fill and clog the passages of your radiator over time. Why chance expensive engine damage? Why take the chance of ruining an otherwise good vacation or trip due to little more than heat damage to your engine. Damage to your engine from excess heat is created over time. By simple routine radiator and cooling system maintained you can prevent much of these troubles, cares and concerns. Preventive maintenance is how airplanes are cared for. Why not treat your car of SUV in this same manner? It all comes down to a regular maintenance and inspections schedule.

 Rust may clog the passageways of your car or SUV’s radiator. Hard water deposits a scale much like the mineral scales that clog your coffeemaker, humidifier or kettle at the lake cottage. These mineral scale deposits reduce heat transfer in your radiator. Simply put your radiator will not be able to cool your car engine. Your car or SUV will overheat. Your car engine, trip vacation at least your day will be inconvenienced and perhaps ruined. Even more if two different metals touch inside your radiator system them electrolytic corrosion can and will occur. Further trouble and radiator damage is possible.If conditions are ideal or more than ideal for rust to form – rust is guaranteed to form and deposit in the waterways of your vital radiator. Rust makes up about 90 % of all solids that can choke up the water flowing areas if your radiator- including the water storage “water jacket” areas.Scale is a deposit of the solids left by the evaporation of the water and radiator antifreeze. These scales that are formed and deposited in your radiator and cooling system are very similar to the scale that forms inside a teakettle or coffeemaker after the boiling of hard water. What the solids are composed of depends upon the nature of the water itself but they most commonly include calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and magnesium oxides.Electrolytic corrosion can result from soldered seams in older style copper radiator, copper gaskets in contact with other metals, brazed joints in steel tubes and imperfect plaiting on steel or other metal parts. An electrolytic current is set up and the metal most active electro chemically slowly dissolves.What can you do to prevent all this damage to your radiator and the grief and costs involved? As always the key words are prevention, prevention and prevention. An ounce of prevention is worth kilograms of cure.Radiator saboteurs can be averted by radiator cleaners and inhibitors used properly. You will prevent most of your troubles in your car of SUV’s vital and expensive to repair cooling systems.Fall and spring cleaning of a cooling system should always include- clearing out rust and scale with a chemical cleaner. It never hurts as well to have a competent auto repair shop conduct a thorough flush of your radiator. Basically your car’s radiator is flushed “backwards” with a strong flow of coolant to remove heavily trapped sediment and that horrible scaling. Lastly and in addition during these cleaning and preventative maintenance procedures you should insist that a radiator rust inhibitor be added to your radiator coolant. A Radiator Rust Inhibitor is a blend of rust inhibitors, lubricants and biocides that restores rust- and oxidation-inhibiting properties to coolant, promoting cooling system life. Furthermore, it provides lubricant to coolant that reduces and eliminates water pump noise.After all why cause yourself needless aggravation and car maintenance costs by not applying maintenance and inspection schedule to your vehicle’s cooling system. Your summer vacation and summer road trips will soon be here. Why not make your summer vacations road trips trouble free?

Spring has arrived and it has quite possibly been six months since your classic car has been started. Hopefully before the snow hit last year you took proper steps to secure your vehicle to get it ready for its winter slumber. But even with proper preparation, there are important steps necessary to check your vehicle over before you turn the key for that first drive of the spring.VISUAL INSPECTIONStart with a visual inspection of the entire vehicle.Begin with the body, work your way around and get under the vehicle to look for leaks or any areas a critter may have nested. You can usually find nest particles that have dropped down on the floor or on top of engine. If you are lucky, no critters have nested. If they have, try to use a shop vac to suck out the debris instead of using your bare hands. Throughout the inspection you have probably noticed all of the dust and grime that has built up and you may feel inclined to wipe a few spots while you are overlooking the car. Stop right there. Do not do this until you can wash the car properly so as not to scratch or dull the finish.UNDER THE HOODBefore attaching the battery, test it and/or give it a charge. While it is charging you can check belts, hoses and wiring to make sure everything looks good. Pump the brake pedal a few times to make sure it has a good pedal and no leaks. Change your oil and filter; moisture has had time to gather and pool inside the block. The same can be said about all lubricants and fluids, but use your discretion; the longer the vehicle has been sitting the more crucial this becomes. Remove the spark plugs and check for moisture and measure the gap. While the plugs are out you may choose to add a small amount of oil to the cylinder walls to lessen damage on initial start. With oil in the motor, turn the vehicle over by hand to get the lubrication process started. Disconnect the “+” coil wire and attach the battery. I would recommend turning the key to the run position and inspect the cars wiring. Look, feel and smell for shorts. Once the wiring appears to be o.k. go ahead and crank the engine over and check your fluid levels again. With the plugs out it will turn easily and hopefully clear out any junk in the combustion chamber. Check your fuel lines, carburetor, clutch and shifter for proper movement and operation.BRAKES AND SUSPENSIONWith the weight of the wheels, wiggle the tires back and forth and up and down. This will make sure that the wheel bearings and suspension links are ready to roll. Remove the tires and check the brakes for rust, leaks, frayed hoses and adjustment. A wire wheel can be used on rotors and drums to remove rust without damage. With correct air pressure in the tires, torque the lug nuts back and roll the car out a few feet. This will assure everything is free and ready to go.INITIAL START UPGo easy on the cranking and do not be worried if the engine does not fire up right away. Never use starting fluid to help speed this process (it can crack your heads). If you have a mechanical fuel pump, it may take a few cranks to build pressure. It may be necessary to squirt a small amount of fresh gas in the carburetor and then try starting it (never squirt while cranking or running. This will start a fire). When the car starts, hold the throttle around 2200rpm to insure proper lubrication. This should be done for about 60 seconds. Let the car idle down and shut off and take another general inspection for any surprises that may have slipped past or occurred while running. If no problems exist, restart the car following the previous procedure. Run all the controls, lights and accessories and move the car back and forth a couple of times in the driveway. Once the temp gets close to operating range you are ready for a short trip around the block.No one knows your car better than you, so pay attention on the first drive and take it easy. After a couple of laps around the block, shut the car down and recheck everything again. Most failures will occur in these first few moments, so stay close to home. If everything is humming along great, put about 40 miles on the odometer (half city/ half highway) and you should be good to go.