Understanding the Secrets of Window Cleaning

Let’s face it. When it comes to window cleaning of our vehicles, many of us fail miserably. We try with so many different washer fluids as well as paper towels and store cleaners, yet we never do obtain the invisible glass that we covet so deeply. We must be going wrong somewhere, but where exactly?

Paper towels work well to a certain extent, but use the wrong one, and you could end up with tiny debris or ‘hairs’ on your windows. Not something to look forward to.

Providing the solution to this problem is a very simple answer which has been used by the older generation for years now, newspapers! There is something unique about newspapers that make them extremely efficient to use to clean car windows. In addition, they are practically free as we are utilizing old newspapers that you would want to throw away anyway.

How to we clean car windows with newspapers? Here is a step by step guide of accomplishing just that:

1) Make sure that you have a good cleaning solution with you, the average window cleaning solutions that are available in the market today would work just fine. If you are not happy with them, you could create your own by adding 1 part of alcohol and 10-12 parts of water together with a little bit of ammonia to the solution, this would work exceptionally well as a window-cleansing solution.

2) Next coat the entire surface of the window with the solution, and wipe the window clean to remove dust and pollen using a paper towel.

3) Next come the newspapers. Add water to the newspapers to make them soft, and shape them into a ball. In a circular motion, start from the edges of the windows and work on cleaning your windows until you see them really clean. If the newspaper ball gets too damp and starts to break, make a new ball and continue along the same line.

4) Finally, do not forget to perform the same for the other side of the window to obtain the best possible results. Repeat for all your windows, and you would find them all gleaming in no time.

A word of caution, while newspapers work well on glass, they do not work on plastic window tints, so if you have tints installed, avoid using newspaper on them as they might cause scratches on these window tints. In this case, use soft polishing towels that might prove to be a bit more costly, but they do the job well enough. Keep these tips in mind the next time you tackle your windows, and good luck in making them look as good as new!

Windscreen Maintenance

The windscreen of a car is an extremely important portion of the vehicle. Considering that your visibility is largely dependent on how good your windscreen and its condition is, it is imperative that you keep you windscreen clean and in the best of conditions. Visibility is usually affected by either condensation on the windscreen, or sometimes extremely heavy rain that leaves water stagnant on the screen.

For stagnant water issues, you could use a water repellent on your windscreen. There are many types of brands when it comes to water repellents such as Rainax in the market today, and most of them do the job effectively. These repellent serve to capture water droplets and move them away from the driver’s visibility range, thus making visibility a lot better even without the use of wipers.

The repellent is also easy to apply as they usually come in liquid form, simple apply them with the use of a damp cloth. Pour the solution on the outside of the windscreen, and use to cloth to apply it uniformly across the entire surface. For best effects, go in circular motions and apply come force when you apply the solution onto the windscreen. Lastly, wipe off the subsequent white layer that forms for best effects.

Condensation is the major culprit that fogs up the car’s windscreen, and makes driving unsafe during rain and cold conditions. Contrary to what many think, the solution to this problem is actually simple and easy to accomplish, one only needs a sponge and some dish washing liquid soap.

 

Soak a few drops of the liquid soap onto the sponge, and sweep the sponge across the entire surface of the windscreen. Take note that this has to be done on the inside, not the outside of the windscreen. Thus wipe the sponge across the windscreen from inside the car in a vertical motion, try to make these movements as vertical as possible. Avoid going in circles as it would not be too effective. If you see bubbles or soap on the windscreen, use a dry cloth to with the windscreen clean. Establishing this action would help avoid condensation issues and assist extensively to better a driver’s visibility during difficult conditions.

Remember, maintaining your windscreen well would definitely help in ensuring that your driving experiences are much safer ones. Safety first!

Window Tints - How Important Are They?

In tropical countries such as Malaysia, window tints have become more of a requirement rather than a luxury. Almost of all the cars in our country are fitted with window tints, and with good reason too! With the increasing temperatures due to the effects of global warming, the importance of window tinting rises as well! And the fact that these window tints also offer added aesthetic value to your vehicle is an additional reason of why you should install them in your vehicle! Let us now browse through the importance and advantages that are offered by window tinting:

1)    First and foremost, window tints protect the driver and passengers of the vehicle from the harmful UV rays of the sun, as well as help to keep the temperature within the cabin of your vehicle low. When you receive too much of sunlight on your skin without any filters, you risk being exposed to possible health problems such as skin cancer, that results from excessive exposure to harmful UV rays from the sun. Window tints help deflect these harmful rays successfully, thus you are protected from the UV rays while you are driving under the sun. The window tints also help to avoid your cabin overheating, thus you could safely leave your car exposed for hours in the sun, and it would not feel like an oven when you get into it. Expect a lower internal temperature within the vehicle when you have the tints installed.

2)    Window tinting makes your car look substantially better. With numerous colors and shades to choose from (in accordance to the color of your car), increase the aesthetic value of your car by applying window tints on the window that would not only protect you and your car, they would also make your car stand out in a crowd! It could also prove to be a crucial criterion to mention when you are planning to sell your car in the future, and could result in your fetching a higher price for your car.

3)    It helps in theft protection, as car thieves would not be able to see inside your vehicle easier, and would not be able to penetrate the windows easily as they are protected with an extra layer.

4)    Window tinting also assist in protecting the polymer components within your vehicle better, as they get more protection from the damaging sunlight once you have your tints on. This would mean your car’s interior components would end up lasting longer, and results in less expenditure in replacing or repairing these components.

Having understood the importance of window tinting, if you have not yet installed tints on your vehicles, I guess it is time you do so?

 

Gleaming Your Wheels Effectively

If you are looking to having a sleek looking car, in addition to making sure that the paint work gleams, you would also have to ensure that your wheels shine at the same time! Most people fail to keep their wheels gleaming as they do not know the exact ways or methods to keep their wheels sparkling clean. Perhaps this articles might help guide you in the right direction in this aspect!

Firstly, ensure that your rims are clean before you plan on making them gleam. How do you make your wheels clean you may ask. Well, work on one rim at a time, and spray the dry rim with a rim cleaner, one that is available in most auto stores or even departmental stores. Let the chemical soak for a bit before you rinse it off with a pressure spray. If you don’t own a pressure spray, a normal water hose would have to do. Remember to direct the spray downwards so that the abrasive wheel grime does not damage your vehicle’s paintwork. Thus try to use a medium-pressure spray, a high-pressure spray would be difficult to control.

The chemical within the wheel cleaner would be able to successfully clean any brake dust on your wheels, thus it would help your wheel cleaning and gleaming process extensively. Next use a solution of soap and water together with a sponge and clean away all remaining dirt and grime from your rims. Remember always to rinse the sponge clean before you dip it into the bucket again, as this would significantly reduce the amount of grime that would pollute your soap and water solution.

Some of the tight areas within your wheels would not be accessible with your sponge, thus what you could do is to use a soft- or medium-bristle toothbrush to access and clean these areas. Avoid using hard-bristle toothbrushes as they can scratch your wheels. The toothbrush would be exceptionally useful if your wheels are designed complicatedly.

Next you would need to rinse off the soapy solution off your rims, again with the use of a medium-pressure spray, or you could also use a normal hose. Finally dry your rims with a dry cloth or towel. The use of a dry cloth would help remove any water spots or remaining bits of dirt and grime off your wheels, making them gleam and shine just like how you have always wanted them to be! Follow the above-mentioned pointers, and be the proud owner of a vehicle that has extremely shiny and gorgeous rims that would be the envy of all!

Careful Selection and Maintenance of Vehicle Rims

When a car owner wants to modify his or her vehicle, one of the first things that would be considered would be an upgrade of the car rims. The fact that a change of car rims reflects positively on the aesthetics portion of the car is reason enough for most car owners to swap to bigger and lighter rims. But one has to be careful before swapping the original rims with new ones, as there are several factors that have to be considered before the modification is done.

The selection process has to start by first determining if the size of the new rims fit your car’s specifications. Most cars come with standard 15-inch rims, and car owners usually try to swap these rims for 16-inch, 17-inch and even bigger rims. Swapping to one size bigger usually does not pose much of a problem, but if you are jumping two sizes, check with your vehicle’s specifications to ensure that rims of that size are allowed. As long as the overall diameter of your new wheels is similar to your current measurements, or less than 3% bigger, you would not face any complications with the rims. Usually car owners purchase lower profile tires to match their bigger wheels when the swap to larger rims, to compensate for the larger wheels. As long as you have sufficient wheel arch clearance with the new rims, you are doing good.

Selecting lighter rims would also be a commendable move, as it would proceed to reduce the overall weight of your vehicle, and in return you get better fuel efficiency figures from your car. Top speed and acceleration figures would also improve when you have lighter wheels, nevertheless make sure that your wheels are not too light, or they might affect your stability factor.

In terms of maintenance of vehicle rims, you could either accomplish the maintenance works yourself or send it to auto spa to help you with the maintenance. If you want to accomplish the task yourself, get a rim cleaning solution (usually a spray), and spray the rims with this solution before letting the chemical soak for a few minutes. Next you would need to rinse the chemical off with a medium-pressure water spray. The chemical would be able to clear off any brake dust from your wheels, and next you would need a water and soap solution (with a sponge) to help clean away all remaining dirt off your rims. Finally rinse your rims again, and use a dry cloth to wipe your rims dry. This task is pretty simple, and as long as you have the right solutions in place, you should be able to complete it in a few minutes.

Keep your car looking good at all times with proper selection and maintenance of vehicle rims! 

The Importance of Proper Tire Pressure

Almost every day we hear of accidents happening on the federal roads as well as highways. Most of the time, these accidents are caused by negligent drivers that do not take care of their vehicles. One of the most commonly ignored maintenance portion of a vehicle is the tire maintenance.

A lot of drivers out there are not actually aware of how important is it to maintain proper tire pressures in their vehicles. Nor are they aware of the dangers they face when their tires are under-inflated or over-inflated. Maintaining a good tire pressure would do a world of good for your vehicle, and would assist greatly in enhancing safety features for not only you but also your family.

When it comes to tire conditions, there are three different situations that one could face. The first is tires with the correct pressure, the second is under-inflated tires and the third would be over-inflated tires.

Under-inflated tired come into more contact with the road, thus they need more traction to move. In return, the load on the vehicle increases, and you realize that your tires wear our much faster than usual and your fuel consumption increases.

When your tires have more contact with the surface, heat tends to build up faster especially when you travel long distances. This could damage the tires internally, and damage the material properties of the tires themselves.

Unwanted mishaps such as sudden tire blowouts could materialize due to this excess heat as well. And the consequences could be catastrophic if you are travelling at high velocity and the tire explodes. With under-inflated tires, wearing happens more on the sides of the tires, and uneven wear properties expedites the need to replace these tires, which would definitely burn a hole in your wallet.
On the other hand, having over-inflated tires proves almost as bad as having under-inflated ones. With over-inflated tires, you have less contact area with the surface, thus stability of the vehicle is compromised.

Expect less grip on the road, especially during rainy days and during sharp cornering. The tires also do not wear out evenly, as over-inflated tires tend to wear the centre segment of the tires faster and reduce their lifespan. Over-inflated tires are also stiffer, thus you would experience bumpier rides as well with them.

To conclude, it is always advisable to keep a portable air compressor as well as a reliable tire pressure gauge within your vehicle at all times. This could help you ensure that you maintain the correct tire pressure whenever you are driving. Check your tire pressures at least once every two weeks, the more frequent the better.

Tips to Improve Fuel Efficiency

In view of current uncertainties over global oil prices, fluctuations of fuel prices at fuel pumps are regular occurrences. Drivers are now more aware of the importance of driving more fuel-efficient vehicles, and are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce the fuel consumption of their vehicles. So how can you actually lower the fuel efficiency of your vehicles and lower your daily vehicle running costs? Rather than placing trust in fuel-saving scams that are aplenty in the market today, there are more functional methods to improve on fuel consumption.

Maintenance is definitely the key to ensure your cars perform well in terms of fuel efficiency. Keeping your car well-maintained through a well-planned service schedule and implementation guarantees lower fuel-consumption as your vehicle performs more efficiently. Make sure you regularly change you oil filters, air filters as well as spark plugs during routine vehicle services. Using fully synthetic engine oil also assists in lowering the fuel consumption of your vehicle.

Ensure that your tires are well-inflated in accordance with the specifications that are given. Under-inflated tires reportedly increase fuel consumption to up to 20 percent, and also make your drive dangerous.

Over-inflated tires are no better, thus ensure that your tires are optimally inflated. Also try to avoid carrying large amount of things or loads in your car, as this tends to increase the drag on your vehicle and thus increases fuel consumption. Remember that the more the load that you carry, the higher the resistance your vehicle faces, and the higher the fuel consumption would be.

In terms of driving style, avoid hard braking while driving. Plan your braking in advance, as this would help lower fuel consumption. Maintaining your car’s velocity at a constant would help to conserve more fuel. If you are driving a manual, try to drive at the highest gear possible as driving at a lower RPM would assist greatly to decrease fuel consumption. The use of cruise control would also be of great help to better your vehicle’s fuel consumption.

If you have the luxury to choose travelling times, ensure that you travel times where traffic is not heavy, as getting caught in traffic only serves to increase fuel consumption further. And if possible, avoid using the air conditioner and wind down the windows while driving. The use of air conditioners actually increases the load on your engine and increases your fuel consumption up to 15 percent.

Take note of the above tips if you are serious of reducing your vehicle’s fuel consumption. Trust me, they work.

Introducing the Shell V Power 97 Fuel

The latest in high-performance fuels in the market today is the Shell V Power 97 Fuel, an innovative formula that is all-set to assist you in getting the most out of your car, regardless of how you drive. The Shell V Power 97 Fuel is created to provide your vehicle with the required power in a faster and more effective method, and also promises to provide you with a more sustained and consistent performance.

Let us now look at what makes the Shell V Power 97 Fuel so attractive. For one, the 97 Octane formulations within the Shell V Power 97 Fuel is designed to complement the acceleration potential of all cars out there, thus regardless of what car you drive, you would be able to reap benefits by opting for this fuel. Similar to the Shell V Power Racing, the Shell V Power 97 Fuel has been formulated with the revolutionary Friction Modification Technology, a technology that produces more effective and functional combustion, resulting in higher power within your engine, regardless of what car you drive.

This same Friction Modification Technology is used by Ferrari Formula One car through the Shell V-Power race fuel, and it works by reducing friction between moving parts within the engine of the vehicle. This is accomplished by introducing a surface coating component that works brilliantly to protect critical engine parts within the engine block, especially within the combustion chamber. By achieving this, the transfer of energy from the fuel and the combustion process to the wheels becomes more efficient, and less energy loss is experienced. And the use of this Friction Modification Technology would successfully prevent the accumulation of power-stealing deposits on your engine’s systems such as its valves and injection systems for instance.

The utilization of this technology would also assist in eliminating existing deposits which would assist greatly in increasing the ability of your engine. In short, if you have a new car, it would perform much better than before, or if you have a fairly old car, you could successfully rejuvenate its performance! And in all, you are able to produce and transfer energy at a more optimum level, and this significantly improves performance figures of your vehicle. And when you consider that you are getting the benefits of a performance fuel at the price of a regular RON97 fuel, what more attraction do you need?

The Shell V Power 97 Fuel would undoubtedly make a difference to your car, right from the first time you pump this fuel for your car!

Efficient Gasoline Consumption

One who owns a car knows the importance of driving a car that is fuel efficient. With the recent fluctuations of the global oil prices, the urge to own or purchase vehicles that are not fuel-guzzling becomes higher by the day. Even if you own vehicles currently, there are methods to ensure that your cars perform efficiently in terms of fuel consumption. Let us look at a few ways of reducing fuel consumption when you drive your cars.

If you have not yet purchased a car and are planning to, make sure that you choose one that sips less fuel and is more efficient performer. Selecting cars with small engine capacities would help achieve this, and if you comfortable with driving a manual, select a car with manual transmission as this also helps to reduce fuel consumption when compared with automatic-transmission vehicles.

Drive more sensibly and defensively to enhance fuel efficiency properties. Avoid aggressive driving, sudden accelerations as well as sudden braking as this would increase fuel consumption. Speeding also increases fuel consumption, thus keep to lower speeds or the speed limit to save more on fuel. Drive with a lower load in your car, thus ensure that there are no unnecessary things in your car as it would only serve to increase your the load on your engine. The use of cruise control and overdrive gears can also help to ensure efficient gasoline consumption for your vehicle.

Keeping your car in good shape also helps conserve fuel and lower its consumption. Make sure that the engine’s wear and tear is minimized through regular visits to the service station when required. Use recommended grades of motor oil for your cars and not lower grade versions as this could prove to increase fuel consumption. Regularly change your oil and air filters, and keep your car engine in tip top condition. Also make sure that your tires are inflated properly, and under-inflated tires tend to increase the load on your engine, and subsequently increase fuel consumption. Your tires should also be well aligned and balanced to ensure that the load on your car is balanced and fuel consumption is lowered.

Other tips include avoiding heavy traffic hours as well as not letting your car from idling for too long. It would also help if you plan trips in advance, perhaps by combining them to decrease the number of times you need to drive out. Follow the tips above to ensure a more fuel efficient drive every time you get into the car.

What is the difference between RON95 and RON97?

There have been plenty of debates over the two types of fuel that we currently get at our petrol stations, RON95 and RON97. Many have claimed that pumping RON97 would make your engine perform better, while opting for RON95 would not be good for your engine as it is cheaper and less powerful than RON97.Some have also claimed that RON97 has the ability to clean your engine better as this choice of fuel has better cleansing properties. Before we debate on this, let us first look at what RON stands for, and how different is RON95 compared to RON97.Understanding the basics always help, and trust me when I say that you would have a completely different idea of RON95 and RON97 once you have completely read this article!

RON, or in actual Research Octane Number, refers to the ability or the rating of the fuel to withstand auto ignition (also known as knocking) inside auto-combustion engines. The higher your RON figure is, the more difficult it is to ignite within your engine. Thus RON97 is more difficult to ignite compared to RON95, and RON95 is harder to ignite when we compare it to RON92. Usually high-performance vehicles are designed to run on higher octane numbers, especially sport and racing cars.

This is to ensure that premature ignition of oil within the engine does not happen, and the vehicle waits for the spark plug to ignite the fuel as per normally required. This situation could occur if your engine overheats or ignition timing is not proper. Early-ignition, which is called knocking, is unfavorable as it reduces the performance levels of the engine on the whole. High-performance vehicles operate at relatively higher temperatures, and are more prone to situations such as auto-ignition and premature ignition, thus the manual of these cars would recommend a minimum of RON97 for those engines.

In reality, the higher the RON number, the fuel would tend to burn less easily! And it would prove to be more expensive as well, thus always check your car’s manual and check what the requirements are. Most cars only require RON95, thus it is advisable that you pump RON95 instead of opting for RON97 and hoping that your car performs better (it does not work that way). RON97 is certainly not more powerful than RON95, nor would it be able to provide you with more power for your vehicle! If your car requires RON95 and you pump RON97, then you are practically throwing money away as you are not gaining anything from your actions!

Facts to Consider when Purchasing a Used Car

When you want to purchase a car, you would usually have two options, the first is choosing to buy a new car, while some others opt to purchase used cars or second-hand cars. Those who opt for used cars are usually driven by the cost factor, as used cars are usually significantly cheaper than new cars. Nevertheless, one must be careful while purchasing used cars, as you would not know the actual condition of the car until you buy it and use it for several weeks or months.

Let us now look at facts and criteria that one must consider before purchasing a used car. You could either buy it straight from the owner, or from used car dealerships. Buying from owners would allow you to get a lower price, as used car dealerships tend to charge higher prices due to company policies and processing fees. In this multimedia age, one can scout for the required car online, and find the car of choice, regardless of from owners or dealerships. Once you find the car of your choice, simple make an appointment with the relevant party, and check the car out!

It is exceptionally important that one should look at all the relevant documents such as the vehicle grant, insurance papers and PUSPAKOM inspection papers before one decides to buy the car. Ensure that all the documents are valid, and ensure that you double-check on the legitimacy of the papers. Also check with the Road Transport Department and the Traffic Police to ensure that the car is not blacklisted before you purchase the car.

If you are well-versed with the maintenance portion of a car, you should then proceed to inspect the vehicle as well as the engine of the car in question. If you do not have experience in this field, it is advisable to bring along a foreman or a mechanic to help you inspect the condition of the car. Cars with full service records are preferable, as you have a clear record of whether the car has been maintained properly or not.

And never buy a car until you test-drive it and are fully satisfied of how the vehicle performs in terms of handling, braking, transmission control, cornering and all other aspects. If you are not happy with the way the car performs, do not compromise and purchase it for a lower price even though the owner might offer it to you, as you might encounter a host of other problems within weeks of buying it.

Avoid buying cars that are more then five years old, as all the components within the car would then be due for an overhaul, and you would end up having to change the components one after another. All the best in finding the ideal used car for yourself!