How to Choose the Best Engine Oil for Your Climate

By Liz Tomas

There are many different types of engine oils. Most oil companies offer engine oil that contain additives and other chemicals to improve engine function. Oil is an integral component of the engine. It reduces the friction that occurs between the engine's moving parts. If oil was not present, then heat resulting from friction would damage the engine. Engine oil ensures that the engine is running properly and can also prevent engine parts from corroding over time

Determine the minimum and maximum temperatures in your area. In particular, what are the minimum and maximum temperatures in the summer and in the winter. Temperature is one of the most important factors when choosing engine oil.

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Check the car's manual to see if a specific engine oil is recommended. Most manuals will provide information on the best type of oil for that engine as well as which suits the different climates.

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Decipher the numbers and different grades of engine oil. The engine oil grade contains two numbers with the letter "W" in the middle. The first number refers to the viscosity of the oil at low temperatures and the second number refers to the viscosity at high temperatures. The W indicates that the first number is for running in winter.

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Choose engine oils that have low first numbers if your climate is frequently below freezing. The colder the temperature the thinner the oil needs to be to move around the engine. Very thick engine oil will not work well in cold temperatures, and you will have difficulty starting your vehicle. Very thin oil used for cold temperatures tends to be fully synthetic, which enhances the power and performance of the engine and is also excellent for cold starting. Synthetic oils are made of compounds derived from mineral oils.

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Choose engine oil that has a higher first and second number if your climate is normally warm and does not get very cold in the winter. These oils provide good protection but are thicker as the climate is warm and there is no issue with cold starting the vehicle. Most engine oils for hot climates tend to be semi-synthetic. Semi-synthetic oils are blends of synthetic oils and mineral oils.

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Add a cold weather fuel treatment to your fuel if you live in extremely cold climate. The additive helps to lubricate the engine and stop the oil from thickening in cold weather. These additives contain anti-gel agents to prevent fuel and oil from thickening.

Source: ehow.com

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How to Choose Brake Pads

Let’s face it: the brake pad is arguably the most important safety feature of your car. The brake pad rubbing against the brake rotor is what provides the friction that slows your car to a stop. Most often nobody ever gives them a second thought unless the car isn’t stopping well or some sort of crazy noise is happening when stopping the vehicle. The type of materials that the brake pad is formulated from will directly affect stopping distance, rate of wear, noise level, and how much dust is created. It will also directly determine how often you will need to take your vehicle in for auto repair. Lets look at each type of brake pad materials in depth: Asbestos Brake Pads: The original brake pad material, due to asbestos ability to resist heat and making noise. Unfortunately, asbestos causes health issues (namely a form of lung cancer called mesotheliomia) and has been mostly fazed out over the last 30 years. Keep in mind though, brake pads containing asbestos are NOT banned in the US. Some brake pads still contain asbestos, so treat ALL brake dust with caution. Some brake manufacturers still sell brake pads made with asbestos, and the box will usually be labeled accordingly. Just remember, there are no labeling laws or restrictions. Organic Brake Pads: Made from organic materials such as glass, rubber, resins, and Kevlar. Low to moderately priced. Often softer than other brake pad materials which provides a quieter stop. Because of the softer material, these brake pads often wear faster and create higher amounts of brake dust. The materials that these are made of are more benign and don’t pollute the environment as much as other brake pads. Because of the design, organic pads aren’t suitable for heavier vehicles like trucks or high performance vehicles. Best suited for smaller vehicles that are driven modestly. Semi-Metallic Brake Pads: The most common type of brake pad found on vehicles sold in the US. Made of materials blended with small strands of metal, hence the name. Low to moderately priced. High durability - lasts longer than organic pads. Since metal is highly conductive of heat, the metal strands in the brake pad help pull heat away from the brake rotor and fiction surface, helping to keep the rotor from overheating. Unfortunately, because of the metal particles, the pad can wear away at the brake rotor more quickly than other types. Not the best choice for high performance vehicles, but suitable for most passenger cars and OK for heavier vehicles such as trucks. Ceramic Brake Pads: Good braking performance, wears well, and lightweight. Increasingly found on new cars sold in the US. So what's not to love? These pads are often expensive. Made from ceramic fibers with small amounts of metal filler. Good at dissipating heat even after repeated hard stops. Produces less dust so you don’t have as much wheel staining. Good for high performance cars that require frequent hard stops. However, for most drivers, the performance of ceramic brake pads isn’t worth the extra cost. Summary: Regular brake pads will offer a sufficient compromise between stopping performance, brake dust, and noise for most drivers. Spending over a $100 on a set of brake pads for a family sedan is probably a waste of money on needless auto repairs. Source:car-repaironline.com

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GM Grille Guard

Style and exquisite appeal has been one of the great concerns of vehicle aficionados nowadays. On this regard, vehicles have become one of the possessions that are always subjected for modification and customization. And in showing off a vehicle’s appeal in a more extravagant way and at the same time aids in providing extra level of safety and protection for the driver and other vehicle occupants is by equipping it with a grille guard or the GM grille guard in particular on your GM vehicle.

Just like other grille guards that you can see on different vehicle makes and models, GM grille guard is a tubular device crafted out of steel or aluminum, crafted to provide protection on your vehicle’s front most especially if you are fond of adventures and off-road travels. Although some thinks of grille guard as a mere accessory or add-on, yet the protection that it grants during minor crashes and collisions is indeed a great advantage. Having a good quality of this stuff will keep you from spending your money for a number of auto parts replacements most especially when bender fender occurs. Indeed, this grille guard can provide the looks and protection that you have been long carving for.
With proliferation of GM grille guards nowadays in the market, you must take great consideration in getting a genuine part to be employed on your GM vehicle; lucky for you since we can provide you with a guaranteed premium quality GM grille guard. By just following our step-by-step on-line ordering procedures and completing the data needed for your orders, it will be addressed as soon as possible and shipped right through your doorsteps. Check us out now!

source: replacementgeneralparts.com

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Replace Your Brake Pads

By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

Car on jack stand for brake pad replacement.

photo by Matt Wright, 2007

What You'll Need:
• lug wrench
• c-clamp
• open end or adjustable wrench (depending on your car)
• Allen wrenches (depending on your car)
• hammer
• small bungee cord

Preparation
Make sure you've got everything ready to go before you remove your old brake pads. Most important, be sure safety is at the front of your mind. You'll be taking the wheel off so be sure you have your car jacked up and resting securely on jackstands. Go ahead and break the lugs before you jack it up. It's much easier and safer with the wheel on the ground.
Never work on a car which is supported by a jack only! Unless you turn green and your clothes tear themselves to pieces when you get mad, there is no part of your person that can hold a car in the air if the jack slips. You may need to replace your brake discs depending on the amount of wear they have. You should inspect your brake discs regularly.

Remove the Wheel

With the wheel off you can see the brake disc and brake caliper.

Matt Wright

You broke the lugs while the car was still on the ground, so they should be pretty easy to remove. I like to remove them from the bottom up, leaving the top lug nut to be removed last. This keeps the wheel in one place while you remove the rest of them and makes it easier to safely catch the wheel once you remove the last nut. If you remove the lugs and still can't get the wheel off, try this stuck wheel trick.

Unbolt the Caliper

Remove the two bolts which hold the brake caliper.

Matt Wright

On most cars, the next step is to remove the brake caliper so the brake pads will slide out through the top. On a few cars the pads will come out without removing the caliper, but not many. You'll see the brake caliper in the 12 o'clock position just above the lug bolts, riding atop that shiny brake disc. On the back of the caliper you'll find a bolt on either side. It will either be a hex bolt of an Allen bolt. Remove these two bolts and put them aside.
Hold the caliper from the top and pull upward, wiggling it around to loosen it up. If it's stubborn, give it a few taps (taps, not Hank Aaron swings) upward to loosen it a bit. Pull it up and slightly away, being sure not to put any stress on the brake line (that black hose that's still connected).
If there is a place to safely set the caliper back there, do it. If not, you'll need to take your bungee cord and hang the caliper from something, the giant coil spring staring at you is a good spot. Don't let the caliper hang by the brake line, it can cause damage and lead to brake failure!

Remove the Old Brake Pads

The old brake pads will slide right out.

photo by Matt Wright, 2007

Before you pull out the old brake pads, take a second to observe how everything is in installed. If there are little metal clips around the brake pads, note how they are in there so you can get it right when you put things back together. Better yet, take a digital picture of the whole assembly. With the caliper out of the way, the brake pads should slide right out. I say should because in a new car they probably would. Since our cars are not always new, you may need to coax them out with a litte tap of the hammer to loosen them up. If your car has little metal tabs holding onto the brake pads, put them to the side becase you'll need them in a minute. Put the new pads in the slots with any metal clips you removed.
While you're here, it might be a good idea to inspect your brake discs.
Go ahead and slide the new pads into place now, making sure you don't forget any of the little retaining clips you removed earlier.

Compress the Brake Piston

Slowly compress the brake piston.

photo by Matt Wright, 2007

As your brake pads wear out, the caliper adjusts itself so that you will have strong brakes throughout the life of the pads. If you look on the inside of the caliper you'll see a round piston coming out. This is what pushes on the brake pads from the back. Problem is, it's adjusted itself to match your worn out pads. Trying to get it over the new pads is like parking a Cadillac in New York City. You can do it, but the damage level will be high. Instead of destroying your new pads, you'll push the piston back to the starting point. Take the c-clamp and place the end with the screw on it against the piston with the other end of the clamp around on the back of the caliper assembly. Now slowly tighten the clamp until the piston has moved far enough in that you can easily plop the caliper assembly over the new pads.

Re-Install the Brake Caliper

Your new brake pads are ready to stop!

photo by Matt Wright, 2007

With the piston compressed, you should be able to easily slide the caliper assembly over the new pads. Once you have it on there, replace the bolts you removed and tighten them snugly. Press the brake pedal a few times to make sure you have solid brake pressure. The first pump or two will be soft as the piston finds its new starting point on the back of the pad. Put your wheel back on, being sure to tighten all of the lug bolts. Now double-check your lug bolts just to be sure.
You're done! Feels good, right?
Source: by Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

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How to Choose the Right Tires For Your Car

First of all, is the normal highway tire your car came fitted with. This tire is meant for city and highway use. It is designed for optimal performance on paved roads and offers a mix of good handling, safety, fuel economy, life and smoothness. It can take bad roads and to an extent, unpaved roads or driving on grass and sand. In other words, it meets and the requirements of normal use.

Then there are mud tires. These have a special tread design that forces mud away and allow for it to maintain better contact with the road. These tires are best suited for bad and wet road conditions and work best on back country roads and partial paved surfaces in wet areas.

Snow tires (also called winter tires) have an asymmetrical tread design that allows for better gripping of slippery and wet surfaces.

Off road tires (also called rally tires) are designed with heavy treads and ribs on the side that permit much better traction in off road conditions. They are usually more flexible than standard tires to allow them to contour and grip uneven surfaces. They are made to operate at low pressures and to flex to allow for the absorbing of bumps.

These are the four main types from which you can decide how to choose the right one for your car. Remember that each type of tire is designed for a specific application. It is not a good idea to use a tire for any purpose than it has been designed for. Mud or snow tires, if used on dry paved surfaces will not only wear out fast, but will provide inadequate traction and also tend to heat up more than standard tire. Snow tires or normal tires are not designed for off road conditions and if used there could easily blowout.

When choosing the right tire for your car, buy the type that best suits your driving conditions. If need be, get different sets for different conditions, i.e. standard tires for most of the year and snow tires for winter. If you have doubts or are confused, you local tire dealer or garage can give you advice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3282807

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Choosing Wax - Paste or liquid?

By: Tom Morr/autoMedia.com

The car-care aisle in the average auto-parts store has a mind-boggling array of products. The wax section alone offers products formulated for new paint, old paint, clear-coated paint, scratched paint, oxidized paint—just about everything but roller-applied paint. Many of these products claim to restore routinely maintained paint to its original factory finish (when used as directed). So how do you know which wax is best for your car? We'll attempt to boil it down to the basics. Synthetic Vs. Natural Thanks to modern chemistry, car care products are easier to use than ever. In the olden days, rubbing/polishing compounds were used solely for scratch- and swirl-removal. Then paste wax was hand-applied Karate Kid style to protect the finish and bring out its shine. These days, waxing and polishing can be "engineered" into the same step. Modern polishes eliminate fine scratches in addition to "conditioning" the paint by restoring certain oils. These characteristics combine to improve the overall gloss and protection/toughness of the finished job. (Conventional wisdom for dark-colored cars is to use a non-abrasive polishing product followed by a pure wax to produce superior results as opposed to a one-step polish/wax process). Better yet, liquid waxes can be formulated to withstand the heat generated by orbital buffers; paste waxes tend to melt and burn under high-friction conditions. In other words, superior paint-care results can be achieved in a fraction of the time it used to take. Liquid Vs. Paste This debate overlaps the synthetic/natural decision. In general, liquid waxes are synthetic (created in the laboratory) while paste waxes can either be "natural" (as in originating in nature) or a combination of natural wax and synthetic additives such as polishing polymers. Paste wax is still preferred by many purists (those guys with handlebar moustaches who wear British touring caps). Because most paste waxes should only be applied by hand, the process allows passionate enthusiasts to literally pet their pride-and-joys while making the paint shine. Pro detailers tend to prefer liquid waxes, which can either be applied by hand or machine. Time is money, and a detailing pro wielding a high-speed buffer can finish multiple vehicles in the time it takes the mustachioed purist to complete his hood, trunk and both fins. On a related note, purists contemplating making the jump to an electric buffer should cut their teeth on a lower-speed model (and ideally on someone else's car). For the same brand and style of wax, liquid and paste produce comparable results (protection and shine) and offer the same longevity between waxings. Paste waxes generally cost more up front but can be a better value—a tin of paste usually yields more than twice as mnay waxings as a bottle of liquid. Colored Wax Infomercials tout the benefits of newfangled colored waxes that are intended to conceal scratches by filling in the offending areas with like-hued wax. But as many of the old-school car-care companies point out, literally thousands of colors of automotive paints are introduced each year, making an exact colored-wax match highly unlikely. Also, most modern cars have clear coats. One well-known manufacturer of car-care products claims that using colored wax over clearcoat is like putting shoe polish on your windshield. Carnauba Some waxes tout carnauba as the secret to their success. Carnauba wax is actually a resin produced by the palm tree Copernicia Cerifera (commonly known as the carnauba tree). The hardest natural wax known, it protects the trees' leaves from harsh South American tropical-rainforest conditions. Pure carnauba is as hard as a brick, so petroleum distillates and mineral spirits are added to soften the wax—above about 30% concentration, carnauba is too stiff to use as an automotive wax. Many name-brand wax manufacturers use only #1 yellow-grade carnauba, which is the highest grade available and also the most expensive. Incredibly durable, carnauba dries to a deep, natural shine (compared to beeswax, paraffin and synthetic waxes, which can become cloudy). These days, choosing car wax often boils down to convenience. Fans of the by-hand wax on/wax off method can pick between liquid or paste wax. Buffer masters are best served with liquid waxes. Swirls and fine scratches can either be removed in a separate step using a product designed for that purpose or in a single step with a wax that's formulated with its own polishers. The bottom line is that using name-brand products as directed on the label should produce that wet, glossy look. However, no car-care product can bring dead-and-decomposing paint back to life. If the wax won't buff out (because it's trapped in pits and pores), it's time to re-paint the vehicle. Source: autoMedia.com

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CHOOSING A BATTERY

The best time to choose a new battery is before the one presently under the hood gives up all together. Unless you left the lights on, or there is an electrical short, automotive batteries will not generally suffer from sudden death. If your vehicle seems to be laboring to turn the starter first have the charging system tested at your local Advance Auto Parts. If the charging system checks out, a battery load test will determine if the battery needs maintenance or outright replacement. If replacement is the only option then making the best choice in batteries depends on several different factors.  Source Bumbeck/autoMedia.com

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