Maintain Your Car Shine During Summer

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”  The age-old quote does have some clout in the modern day world we live in.  A clean paintjob can make your car shine and reflect (pun intended) your character.  Wax, basically used on wood to create a water resistant barrier, and polish, used on modern vehicle paint, can make your car dull.  It creates a cover over your paint job that makes it age faster.  The main cog in keeping your paint job new is to avoid friction, meaning abrasive polish, waxing or buffering.  Below is a quickstep process for keeping that shine.

1.    Pure liquid and non-abrasive application will preserve your paint, so choose a product that does not include wax, abrasives or polish.

2.    Make sure it is a spray or mist.

3.    Wash your car with clear water and grease cutting liquid soap.

4.    Starting at the top, hose the car down, then grab a bucket of soapy water and a soft brush and do the same. 

5.    Hose the car while you scrub with the brush.

6.    Take a soft towel and dry the vehicle without letting the soap dry. 

7.    Starting with a clean dry towel on clean dry paint, apply the spray conditioner sparingly to the top of the vehicle and spread it out.

8.    Acrylic conditioners are absorbed into the paint and have a application spread rate of 10 to 1 in area sprayed to area covered.

9.    Do not over saturate your paint.

10. After completing the top follow the same conditioning pattern as when washing, finishing at the bottom.

11. The total application time for a spray mist conditioner is under 10 minutes per vehicle.

12. Conditioners do not harden and will continue to add conditioning strength to the paint days after the application.

13. The effects will last for months, vehicle easily clean up with just water. No soap is needed when using a true acrylic paint conditioner.

14. The Shine will lasts for months, no wax is needed.

15. Reapply once a month and your factory shine will last longer than with any wax or polish being sold today.

(Courtesy of wikiHow)

Need some tips on washing your car effectively?  Check out these quick tips on our recent blog:

Big Brother: Traffic Cameras and How They’re Making Us Paranoid

I know you’ve seen these inconspicuous little buggers on top of stoplights, on street corners, and in your nightmares.  They record your movements through traffic with the flicker of a flash, causing paranoia that could lead to a citation in the mail, with a photo of you disregarding the law.  A smile planted on your face as you cruise through a stoplight is all the evidence they need. 

Red light cameras are made to deter running red lights. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2007, almost 900 were killed and nearly 153,000 were injured in crashes that involved red light running. About half of the deaths are pedestrians and occupants in other vehicles who are hit by the red light runners. The IIHS has reported huge decreases in red light running in several cities in which the cameras were used.  Since they’re working, the cameras have been installed in more major intersections. 

Some drivers ask if this is an invasion of privacy.  Nope. Driving is a regulated activity on public roads.  When you receive a license, you must obey the laws of the road, which contains nothing to prevent local governments from documenting violators.  According to an article appearing in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the city of Lilburn, GA issued about 1,500 citations in January 2008. The citations dropped by 80 percent to around 300 in January 2009, after a new Georgia law mandated a longer yellow light duration. The extra second on the yellow light may have reduced the problem of red light running for the driver, but it almost worked too well for the city. Red light cameras were no longer issuing enough citations to keep them "profitable" and as a result, Lilburn and four other cities in the same county suspended their red light programs.

The red light camera system looks like it’s here to stay, for mow.  For more info on how they work, visit: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/red-light-camera1.htm

What in the World is “Hypermiling”?

The focal point of personal funding woes begins at the pump.  Our recent blogs have discussed what precautions you can take to avoid high gas prices In lieu of rising gas prices; a select few have decided to go the distance.  Literally.  Some individuals have been getting above 65 mpg. Is this a typo?  With LASIK eye surgery I can honestly say it’s not.  Hypermiling has become the newest craze and in today’s blog, we delve into what it is and how it’s done.  Oh, and as a precaution: DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!

Hypermiling is an unorthodox technique for increasing your mpg.  These techniques include coasting for blocks with the car engine tuned off, driving at or below the speed limit, pumping up tire pressure far beyond recommendations and carefully manipulating the gas pedal to avoid fuel-burning excess.  Options also include keeping the air-condition turned off, and the window cracked slightly.  Hypermilers also carry a journal that records their daily commute, gas consumption and mileage.  All in an effort to avoid the ever increasing price of gas. 

Hypermiling has become a niche, with websites dedicated to the cause.  Driving Safety advocates forbid some of their habits, but applaud others.  Some Hypermiling habits are very dangerous.  “Turning the engine off while coasting can, in some cars, leave the driver without power steering or brakes and allow the possibility that the steering wheel will lock up. Drivers can endanger themselves and others if they go too slow for the pace of traffic.” The list goes on.   

However, some Hypermilers ARE safe.  They obey all traffic laws and mix city and highway driving in a combination of strategic and gas saving options.  Using a truck for a windbreak is dangerous, but safer Hypermilers stay the recommended distance while still maintaining a saving of mpg by putting safety before mileage. 

Drive Safely!