It’s a familiar scenario. You’re on your way to work, maybe running 10 minutes late, and you’re trying to make up for lost time. So you put your foot into it a little bit more and also decide to multi-task, perhaps get a head start on email on your BlackBerry. Before you know it, you’ve got one hand frantically tapping away on the small keypad, the other on the wheel, and your eyes are working overtime to keep track of it all. Your foot, however, is doing just fine laying heavily on the accelerator. Doesn’t sound too safe, does it?Almost all of us make them, so here’s a list of some of the most common and dangerous mistakes witnessed on the road:Pushing ButtonsCar companies and their suppliers jump through lawyers’ hoops when developing central information consoles that can include satellite navigation, stereo controls and climate gauges. And with good reason. Tweaking these devices while driving is a leading cause of accidents and near misses, according to Drive for Life, the National Safe Driving Test and Initiative. Most new consoles won’t allow you to plug directions into a sat-nav while the car is in gear, but almost all allow you to play with the stereo. Try to do this when stationary, at traffic lights if you must.Aggressive DrivingAggressive driving is a factor in about 56 percent of fatal crashes, says the latest study on driving habits from the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. Though subject to debate, the study has classified aggressive driving as “speeding, tailgating, failing to yield, weaving in and out of traffic, passing on the right, making improper and unsafe lane changes and running stop signs and red lights.” The group says that most drivers admit to making the same mistakes they hate to see other drivers commit. Mobile DevicesAs a group, teenagers are more likely than most to take their eyes off the road to concentrate on mobile devices, including cell phones, iPods and instant messaging gadgets. They are also the age group most likely to impress their friends both with the latest in gadgetry and by taking risks behind the wheel. The National Safety Council points out that traffic crashes are the leading cause of fatalities in teens, accounting for 44 percent of deaths.Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C. have banned the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. California is scheduled to ban their use by July 2008. Another side effect of the ever-changing technology? Shorter attention spans, which isn’t the ideal trait of conscientious drivers.Driving While Upset”Well the morning was complete. There was tears on the steering wheel dripping on the seat,” lamented cheeky British pop mites The Arctic Monkeys on their new tune ‘Do Me a Favor’. All very well if you, like I did, took an Audi A4 S-line Convertible to see them at this year’s Coachella Festival, but what happens if you’ve had a great, sober festival, but end up in a fight with the wife while driving home (which didn’t happen, obviously, as she adored the sporty drop-top)? Other situations that inevitably distract from good driving habits are fighting over maps and directions or looking for a free parking space. Try to pull over if you feel your concentration is not fully on the road and take a walk to cool off. As a married man who’s terrible at reading maps and spotting parking spaces, all I can say is, “But I told you so.”Turn SignalsHere’s a harsh lesson learned. When my brother and I rolled up at my sister’s wedding in her hubby’s Jaguar XKR convertible, we expected a bit of respect and not, well, giggles. My brother was driving and we traveled about 20 miles in convoy alongside many of the other guests. We had enjoyed the admiring looks and stares from others on the way, figuring it was the fire-red convertible and the two good-looking lads up front.Only during the groom’s speech later did we find out that we’d driven his car the whole way with the left turn signal bleeping, to much mirth all round and conversation about stupid drivers and their habits. Turn signal errors in my experience are more common in trucks, SUVs and convertibles, when wind and cabin noise can crowd out the click of the signal, leaving the driver oblivious to their error. News source: AOL Autos

1. Talk to others who are customers of the auto repair shop and see if they would recommend it.2. Check for ASE certification, AAA approved car repair shop.3. Get a second opinion. If you disagree with the estimate or diagnosis take it elsewhere.4. Look for a clean shop. A repair shop that takes pride in itself will do the same for your vehicle. But if is to clean be careful they may not be busy and have to much time to clean it should look used.5.Ask about shop equipment. If they are proud of it,and know how to use it they’ll be happy to show it off. Also a shop that has expensive equipment will have a higher quality employees. 6. Talk to your mechanic. If they are unresponsive then go elsewhere.7. Ask for your old parts to be returned you don’t have to take them home but be sure you see them preferable already in your vehicle when you pick it up8. Check the parking lot if it is empty( all busy shops have some vehicles sitting around waiting for parts or whatever) keep looking also look for cars similar to your own

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I have a lot of experience with grease spots on laundry. I used to work at an auto repair shop, and now I’m married to a kitchen manager. Can we say grease city? I knew you could.When I was working at the auto repair shop, I asked the guys how they got the grease stains off their clothes and they typically had two methods: Simple Green and Dawn dish-washing liquid. I’ve found if Simple Green can’t get it clean, Dawn could, and vice versa.One thing I really like about Simple Green is, it works on lots of grease problems. It’s really handy to have around for that very reason. It also whitens up white tennis shoes! It does EVERYTHING! Crew Chief note: for years I have used Dawn to clean oil out of cooling systems when thy have a oil cooler leak seems to cut the oil and float it away the best I just wish I knew why the strange thing is it doesn’t work well on greasy floors News source: Home-ec

The Plus concept was developed by performance-minded car owners and tuners who wanted to be able to put wider, bigger wheels and tires on their cars without sacrificing speedometer accuracy. The ProblemYour car’s speedometer is calibrated by telling the needle you see on the dashboard how many times the wheel spins around. The problem is, if you make your wheel diameter smaller, it’s going to spin more times to go the same number of miles. Your car doesn’t know you monkeyed around with your tire and wheel size, so it will give you an inaccurate reading.The SolutionIn order to keep your speedometer accuracy, you need to change your tires and wheels in such a way that the overall diameter of the setup does not change significantly. For instance, a 225/60-16 has the same rolling diameter as a 245/50-17. The larger tire will give better traction and cornering because it is wider and has a lower aspect ratio, but won’t throw off the speedo. The Plus OneThe Plus concept takes it a step further, and formulates the tire size you’ll need if you increase your wheel diameter by an inch, for instance changing from a 15-inch to a 16-inch wheel and tire. As the wheel diameter goes up, the aspect ratio goes down to compensate for the changes. There are also formulas for Plus Two, Plus Three and so on depending on how big you want to go.You can even do a Plus Two or Plus Three, as long as you keep the dimensions under control. For a cool way to see the difference your tire size choices make, and to calculate what your options are, check out this Plus Sizing Conversion Calculator from the able minds at Miata.net.Crew Chief note Chris-longhurst.com is also an excellent site for this info News source: About auto repair

Convertibles were actually introduced by Buick, Chrysler, Lincoln, and other car manufacturers in the late nineteen twenties. A convertible is a car that has a top that can be put either up or down. A true convertible also has glass windows built-in on the side of the car that can be wound up and down. In the earliest days, a car that had an open top and curtains on the sides, in place of windows, was known as touring cars. They were not true convertibles.Convertible tops started out as being manually operated. It usually took two people to unhook, then fold down or fold up, the heavy, clumsy, top of a car. Finally, in the late nineteen thirties, Plymouth introduced the first car that had a power convertible top that could be raised or lowered with the push of a button. This revolutionary idea has carried on to the convertibles of today.So, how does a convertible work? First, not just any car can become a convertible. A car that’s going to have a convertible, or have a fold down top, must have a reinforced body. This is because the absence of an actual, built-in roof can cause the body of a car to actually bend out of shape. The workings of convertible roofs vary somewhat, depending on their manufacturer. Most are primarily constructed of a lightweight metal frame that is covered with vinyl or canvas. And, the back windows in a convertible are usually made of a clear, hard lightweight plastic. Basically, though, along with the reinforced body, a power convertible top can be put down by releasing the latches that attach the roof the to the body of the car. These are usually located on the frame of the windshield. Then, the driver pushes a switch on the dashboard. The switch, which is powered by the car’s battery, sends power to a motor. The motor, which operates by gears, makes several hydraulic cylinders move. The motor is attached to the cylinders by hidden wiring in the inside of the convertible top. These cylinders are located in the side and/or the back of the convertible top. When the cylinders retract, the top, which is made of hinged vinyl or canvas, folds down. (Likewise, when the cylinders extend, it pushes the top of the car up and into place.) Most cars have convertible tops that simply fold down and lay on top of the back deck. Some of the most expensive models, however, have tops that are actually stored in the trunk when they are not put up.Then, to raise a convertible top, the driver pushes a switch on the dashboard, and the whole process is reversed as the hydraulic cylinders push the car’s top back up and into position. The driver then refastens the latches that attach the roof to the body of the car.If you are putting a convertible top up, and you need to stop for some reason, many cars have hydraulic check valves and solenoid valves installed in them. These valves help to hold the top in place.The most common problem with a convertible not working at all, is that the motor has quit working. The motor can be easily replaced with a brand new one, or, a good-used motor from a junkyard. ——————————————————————————– News source: Car Pros

Diagnosing your fuel system can be frustrating enough, but turn the irritation level up a few notches if you’ve been through it from top to bottom and still don’t know where the problem lies! If you suspect a fuel pressure regulator isn’t holding its own but can’t find anything wrong with it, try checking out the vacuum line. A leak can appear in the vacuum port of the FPR (mechanic speak for fuel pressure regulator) and cause it to lose fuel and pressure through the vacuum hose.An easy way to test for an FPR leak in the vacuum side is to replace the vacuum line going into the FPR with a length of clear tubing. Now you’ll be able to see leak as it happens. IT will most likely show failure when your vacuum is at its lowest point, as in during acceleration.Crew Chief NoteWhen you remove the FPR hose wait a minute or so sometimes it will take that long for fuel to show up so dont make a hasty decision if you dont see fuel right away News source: About Auto Repair

Once you’ve figured out what all the gobbledygook on the side of your tires means, you’re probably asking yourself, “Do I really give a hoot?” Believe it or not, that’s a good question! Some of the info will certainly apply to you, but some of it can be flushed out of your consciousness without worry. What Matters to Me?The SizeObviously, the size is the single most important piece of info on the tire – get it wrong and it might not even fit. Size includes the width, aspect ratio and wheel diameter. These three measurements will be universal no matter what brand of tire you’re looking at. There’s a lot of room for experimentation and error in this realm, so tread with care. Be sure you know what happens when you change sizes before you deviate from the standard.Speed RatingThe average driver doesn’t need to be too concerned with a tire’s speed ratiThere aren’t any tires out there that will blow at 70 mph. However, there are tires that will blow at 120 mph, so if you are planning on driving at those speeds, you better pay attention to this number. Loads and PressuresThese ratings aren’t going to be too important to you, either, but there are a few interesting points of information here. For instance, if you are comparing two tires that are the exact same size, but one of them has a higher maximum tire pressure, this tire may get slightly better gas mileage since a firmer tire offers less resistance. Your load ratings will only be important for trucks. If you are hauling some serious tonnage or pull a heavy trailer you might want to invest in a tire with higher load capacity. This will keep your rear tires from pancaking and improve stability.Treadwear and Traction Finally, some numbers that are useful again! A higher treadwear rating means you’ll be able to drive more miles before you need new tires again. And tires with higher treadwear ratings tend to offer gas mileage advantages because they are made with slightly harder rubber. which means less resistance. The downside to harder rubber is less cornering performance, so if it’s important to you to be able to carve up some mountain roads don’t go for the high treadwear rating, go with the higher dry traction rating instead. News source: About auto repair

There’s a trick to freeing a stuck-on wheel that almost never fails. You already have the lugs removed, but now reinstall them leaving about 5 turns before they start to get snug. Now lower the car to the ground, get in and start it up. Drive back and forth 4 or 5 feet a few times. Now jack the car up and test the wheel. It should be nice and loose now, ready for you to replace with your spare so you can move on down the road.Crew Chief note: apply a lube to the mounting rim I find antiseize or brake lube works the best and makes It easier to remove next time. News source: About auto repair

Numerous topics on window problems lately. these are usually in the wiring from the door to the body where they flex. There are 2 ways to repair this. Cut open the boot and using connectors repair the failed wires the problem is there is usually 1 broken wire and several more that are ready to fail The correct way to repair this is to remove the door panel disconnect the wiring and pull it out either out of the door or if you need more clearance remove it entirely from the body (this is the best route). repair the wire using solder and shrink wrap extending wires where necessary. when done this way you should never have to worry about it for the life of you vehicle. Time consuming yes but the correct way to do it.

OK before my regular readers start yelling this is a car site let me say we have touched on several other subjects that I thought were important.When was the last time you checked your dryer vent lint trap.There is a product in certain fabric softeners that will plug the screen and inhibit the passage of air.Place the screen under running water and see if the water will flow through the screen if not it is safe to presume air will not flow smoothlyScrub the screen with a soft brush (toothbrush works)until the water flows. At this time also check the vent tube and outlet for excessive lint build up. My dryer is a little over a year and a half old and there were signs of obstruction on the screen the vent looked fine.