Cars Tips

Buying a car, truck or SUV from a private seller

Buying a used car from a private seller can be a hit or miss proposition. There are some advantages and disadvantages so let's look at them. Advantages:

• You can get a good feel for how the seller treated the car. Look for maintenance records and receipts for major repairs.
• No high pressure sales tactics.
• You can get a better deal most of the time.

Disadvantages:

• Sellers can be dishonest and hide major flaws with little liability after the sale since most used cars sold privately are AS-IS.
• Most sellers will not let you take an extend test drive overnight like dealers do.
• No warranty is provided unless there is an existing warranty and it can be transferred.
To combat the disadvantages there is an online solution to help you. Find out is a seller is honest by getting a vehicle history online at CARFAX Reports. If the seller has a factory warranty or an aftermarket warranty on the used car, make sure you check with the company to see if it can be transferred. If it can not, check our advice on warranties.

Tips on finding a used car from a private seller

• Look to local papers, auto locator publications, thrift papers, local bulletin boards, and friends who might know someone selling.
• Be courteous of the hour when you call. Many people are in bed by 10:00pm. If the ad states a time to call...... follow it. If not, I would not call before 10:00am or after 9:00pm.
• Have pen and paper handy when you call the seller. Write down key facts like mileage, asking price, directions, how long have they owned the car and why they are selling.
• Research the car online before you go to see it. Having the "Blue Book" value in your head can give you a starting point for negotiating.
• Have a mechanic look at the vehicle. Most local mechanics will be happy to put the car on a lift and do an inspection for you. Expect to pay for this service, but if you have a good relationship with you mechanic he may do this for free.
• Take a long test drive. Make sure you do some highway driving and also some back road driving to get a feel for the car. Some suspension problems will not show up on the highway but as soon as you hit a bumpy road they will appear.

Good luck!

Fuel Savings Tips

Millions of dollars worth of gasoline is wasted every day by motorists, because simple and inexpensive vehicle maintenance is neglected.
Fuel Savings Maintenance Tips

• Check vehicle gas caps - About 17 percent of the vehicles on the roads have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.
• Make sure tires are properly inflated - When tires aren't inflated properly, it's like driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.
• Replace spark plugs regularly - A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles. That results in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug plus causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be replaced regularly.
• Replace dirty air filters - An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a "rich" mixture - too much gas being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents a gallon.

Fuel Saving Driving Tips

• Don't be an aggressive driver - Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets.
• Avoid excessive idling - Sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon. Letting the vehicle warm up for one to two minutes is sufficient.
• Observe the speed limit - Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each mile driven over 60 will result in an additional 10 to 34 cents per gallon. To maintain a constant speed on the highway, cruise control is recommended. 

Get The Best Deal on a Car

How To Get The Best Deal on a New or Used Car Before you make an offer you need to find a dealer with the car you want. You have three options in doing this:

• Drive around all day and night searching for a dealer who has the car you want.
• Spend countless hours online finding local dealers who have websites. And THEN spend more time digging through their websites to find your new car.
• Fill out a request form online and have a dealer contact you if he or she has the car you are looking for. This option alone can save you hours of your valuable time.

So you know what you want, you know what it costs, and you where to find it, so how do you go about getting it? First and foremost is getting into a negotiating frame of mind. Always remember you can walk out at anytime and leave your offer on the table. Dealers want you to buy right then and there. They play on your impulses and try to rush you into a deal. Don't play their game, it's not the end of the world if you don't buy right then and there.
Before leaving the house: When you go to the dealer have all your research documents with you incase you have to review anything. It's always nice to have supporting information when you are trying to get the lowest price.
While at the dealer: Be calm and pleasant, treat the salesperson with respect. He is a working stiff just like you. You will get nowhere being arrogant because you know the true invoice pricing or other details about the dealers pricing.
Making the offer: Explain to the salesman that you have researched the dealer's invoice price and any incentives they get from selling the car and you have calculated the price you are willing to pay. How much over invoice should you offer? 4% - 6% has been a good number.
Tip: offer 4% over invoice if you trust the dealerships service department and plan on getting your car serviced there. Why offer them less if you like their service? Because they will end up making more money on your in the end by servicing your car. Make sure you mention this to the salesman, it's a good bargaining chip.
If they do not take the deal, politely leave your name and phone number and go home. Better yet, go to another dealer and see if they are willing to take your offer. Remember you can always go back and they can always call you when they realize you will not be buying on impulse and really mean business.
You have spent hours researching, why throw that away buy getting nervous and signing a deal you do not feel is fair.

How to Properly Repair Paint Chips

 The repair of a scratch and a chip are the same. A scratch is merely a chip on uni-directional steroids. The only problem with a scratch is that it takes more time to be able to blend in the new paint.

Items you need:

• Touchup or color matched paint
• Compatible primer - I like Wurth Rustop primer
• Organic cleaner - P21S Total Auto Wash or Wurth Citrus Degreaser
• Solvent - Rubbing Alcohol or Prepsol or Enamel Reducer
• 3M Imperial Hand Glaze
• Sanding Block 2000 grit
• Car wash
• 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
• Round undyed wooden toothpicks
• Large lightweight cardboard boxes (large shoe box or bigger)
• Several 100% cotton towels
• New Pencils with unused erasers
• Rubber glue
• Several heavy clean plastic cups
• Roll of quality paint masking tape

Paint chip repair is a learned skill and should be practiced on an area of the car that is not that visible. The hood and nose are two areas that should be tackled last. Test all cleaners or solvents on the paint prior to usage. Try using the seam underneath the rocker panels. Apply a little cleaner or solvent to a cloth and rub the seam. If you do not get any color on the rag, then the cleaner/solvent should be safe for the paint. If you do get color on the rag, then you may wish to consider another solvent.
CHIP REPAIR STEPS:

• 1. At least 24 hours before you want to start, use the rubber glue to attach small 600 grit sandpaper circles (the diameter of the eraser) onto several new pencils. The eraser must be unused and flat on top.
• 2. Step #1: Wash the car with a quality car wash and dry thoroughly.
• 3. Paint chips come in two flavors. The worst case has exposed the bare metal, while the less severe has left the original primer intact. Clean the area thoroughly with the P21S or Wurth Citrus degreaser. If there is rust on the exposed metal, clean off with the pencil eraser. Use a toothpick to gently probe the area and make sure that the edges of the chip are secure and not waiting to fall off and destroy your work. This is an optional step! If you do not feel comfortable with sanding or your paint is one of the new clear-coated finishes, you should jump to step number 5. Take a new pencil/sandpaper tool, dip into clean water and put a few drops of water on the chip area. *SLIGHTLY* rough up the chip and a small portion of the surrounding paint. Lightly turning the pencil will rough up an area the diameter of the eraser and this should be more than enough. Keep the roughed up area as small as possible, the object is to give the new paint approximately 1 mm of old paint to "grab" around the perimeter of the chip and not dig scratches.
• 4. Move onto the next chip and repeat the above. Depending upon the amount of time available, you may wish to tackle 10-20 chips at one time. Try to stay within the area that may be covered by your box(es).
• 5. When finished sanding all your chips you are tackling at this time apply a small amount of Alcohol or Prepsol or Enamel Reducer to a rag and wipe each chip and surrounding area to remove any sanding dust and grease/oils. Use additional solvent and new area of the rag for each chip. Allow to dry (these are highly volatile and will evaporate quickly with no residue).
• 6. If the original primer is intact, and "pencil sanding" does not disturb the primer, then skip the next step and go directly to painting (# 9)
• 7. Make sure that the chip and surrounding area is clean. If not, reclean with the Prepsol, Alcohol or Enamel Reducer. Pour or spray a small amount of primer into a clean plastic cup. Dip the point of a wooden toothpick into the primer to get a thin coating on the first 1-2 mm of the toothpick. If there is a blob on the end, gently scrape it back into the cup. Place the tip of the toothpick against the center of the chip and allow capillary action to literally flow a *THIN* coat of the primer into the depression of the chip. Move onto the next prepared chip. If you have finished priming all your prepared chips before two hours are up, cover with a box, taped down with masking tape and go have a beer. The key is to allow the first coat of primer to dry at least two hours. Dispose of your cup and start with a fresh cup and toothpick. Apply another thin coat of primer to each repair that needs primer. Priming is completed when no metal is visible and the level of the primer is *BELOW* the level of the surrounding paint. This is important! Cover and allow to dry for two hours or until dry.
• 8. Apply a small amount of Alcohol or Prepsol or Enamel Reducer to a rag and wipe the chip and surrounding area to remove any sanding dust and grease/oils. Allow to dry. Repeat for all the chips that are on today's list of victims.
• 9. If you are using a touchup, shake the bottle thoroughly. If you are using color-matched paint, mix thoroughly and pour a small amount into a clean plastic cup.
• 10. Dip the point of a new toothpick into the paint to get a thin coating on the first 1-2 mm of the toothpick. If there is a blob on the end, gently scrape it back into the bottle. Place the tip of the toothpick against the center of the chip and allow capillary action to literally flow the paint into the depression of the chip. Repeat for each chip. The key is not to use too much paint. Do not redip the toothpick. Use only the amount that will flow from one dip. Temptation to add more paint with each application will be almost overwhelming. Fight it!
• 11. Cover with your paint box and allow to dry 2 hours and repeat 8-12 times till the depression is filled with paint and bulges slightly upward and covers the roughed up area with a thin coating of paint. The first 2-3 coats may not completely hide the primer. This is fine because you have many more coats to go. Fight that urge!
• 12. The paint application is completed when the new paint bulges slightly upward (a fraction of a millimeter) and had covered the roughed up area with a thin coat of new paint. Allow the paint to dry for at least a week.
• 13. The touchup paint has been applied to the surface and allowed to dry for at least 1 week, and resembles a minute mound on the flat plane of the existing paint. The object is to remove the mound and make the surface of the paint one continuous flat plane. The Finesse Block offers the ability to gently remove only the high spot of the repair. Unlike sandpaper or polish on a rag, the five usable sides of the block are flat and act like a "wood plane" to remove only the elevated areas of the repair. The 2000 grit will not leave scratches.
• 14. Soak the Finesse Block in clean water for 24 hours prior to use. Put a small drop of car wash on the chip repair. This acts as a lubricant for the sanding block. Then gently "plane" the high spot on the paint. I prefer to "plane" in one direction (usually back to front - drawing the block towards me). If the block dries out, re-wet and continue use. When the new and existing paints are blended (smoothed to the flat plane) to your satisfaction, clean the area using a quality car wash and lots of water and then use a quality glaze to restore the high gloss finish. I prefer 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. Don't use a machine on your car, as it deserves to be caressed by hand. Use a machine on your Yugo or SO.
• 15. When applying either a glaze or a wax, apply to your soft cotton cloth or applicator pad (don't squirt the stuff on the car) and work in one direction only. Don't go around in circles like dear old dad. Circles are many times the cause of "swirl marks." A front-to-back, back-to-front motion (the way the air flows over the car) will help minimize swirl marks or at least make them less visible. Buff out with a soft cotton cloth. If it looks good, wax with a quality hard wax and you are done.
• 16. Tip for applying wax. If you are using a quality Carnauba based wax, try applying it with your fingers instead of a pad or cloth. Hold your fingers together and use your fingertips as an applicator pad. The tactile feedback from your fingers will tell you when the wax has been worked into the paint. If grit should lodge under your fingers, you will know immediately and not grind it into the paint. A pad will not allow this tactile feedback and these devil grits become sandpaper. A circular motion of the pad will make a 360-degree swirl mark. All marks on paint are most visible at a 90 degree viewing angle. Thus the front to back marks are most visible from the sides, whereas a circle stands out from any viewing angle.

Rust Prevention and Removal

Serious rust damage, including a hole right through the metal, can begin with a minor scratch in a parking lot from a shopping cart, according to Rich White of the Car Care Council. "Steel is strong and lasts a lifetime when it's protected, but when that protection is invaded, the metal is exposed to the elements. That's when rust begins its invasion." Cover paint chips as quickly as possible, White recommends. For a quick fix until you can get some touchup supplies, dab a little clear nail polish on the scratch. Touchup paint can be found for virtually every vehicle ever built, including antiques. Use the paint code number shown on the identification plate located on a door jamb, in the glove box, under the hood, in the trunk under the carpet next to the spare or wherever else the car maker has hidden it. The owner's manual will tell you how to find it.
"Some uncommon colors will have to be ordered where auto parts are sold or from the Internet. Also available are scratch repair kits including everything needed from preparation to finishing a deep scratch," White said.
Small dents can be fixed with paintless dent repair, a service found either through local automotive suppliers, the classified section of the phone book or on the Internet.
Like so many aspects of car care, preventive maintenance is much easier and beneficial than corrective measures. Maintaining the original integrity of the finish keeps the vehicle in "like new" condition. The basic rules of body and paint maintenance apply:
Avoid parking in the hot sun; it can damage interior surfaces as well as the exterior. Wash the vehicle frequently, including areas underneath, with mild, safe products. Select and use cleaners and waxes carefully. A cleaner that is effective for one type of finish could be disastrous for another. Consult the vehicle owner's manual to be sure.

Secrets To Make Your Car Last Longer

Most cars are built to last far longer than most people imagine; the difference between a clunker and a cream puff is mainly the difference between how the previous owners took care of it. Many mechanics can tell you a lot of this information, but most won't or can't because of time restrictions, lack of communication skills or simply the profit motive.
So if you're ready, turn the ignition on your attention and let's get started. After reading this article you'll drive more miles with more smiles.
According to current auto insurance statistics, the average car's useful life is ten years (or 100,000 miles). By following proper preventative maintenance, you can often double your car's useful life and spend less time visiting your mechanic.

• 1. Research by major car manufacturers reveals neglect of routine service and maintenance is the number one reason for major car repairs. Routine maintenance doesn't cost; it saves money, aggravation, frustration and lives.
• 2. If you have a major repair to do, it's wise to get at least three estimates before you decide, if possible. Don't just judge lowest price, but judge by competence, ability, experience, equipment and after-service care.
• 3. If you find a good mechanic who you can trust, stick with them even if their prices are a bit higher. All things being equal, you'll save time, money and aggravation in the long run. Plus, your mechanic will get to know your car more intimately.
• Read and follow your owner's manual. It's your bible for making your car last longer. Be sure to keep it in your car, such as the glove compartment or trunk.
• 5. According to research, a garaged car last longest, a carport is the next best, and a car cover is close behind. If you can't garage, carport, or cover your car, park under trees or other covering to protect it from the sun.
• 6. Avoid jackrabbit starts and stops. Stop and accelerate gradually. This will save gas, and conserve wear and tear on your brake linings, transmission, and suspension.
• 7. In extremely slow or stop-and-go traffic, don't ride the brake pedal. This wears out your brake linings prematurely and wastes fuel. It's best to shift into a lower gear.
• 8. Avoid running your car with the tank low on gas. Keeping the tank low in gas increases the chance of dirt, water and moisture settling into your fuel system.
• 9. A government study has confirmed the top three causes of car breakdowns while on the road are (1) tire trouble, (2) cooling system problems and (3) running out of gas.
• 10. Regular oil changes are the most important thing, dollar for dollar, you can do to protect your engine and make it last longer. Follow these suggestions and double your cars useful life.