How Do You Protect Your Car From Hail?

Every year, hail storms pound the country causing millions of dollars in destruction. Even a brief hail storm can cause significant damage to your car. Keeping your car under cover during these times will offer the greatest protection against damage.

Here are other ways to protect your car from hail damage.

Plan ahead. If a storm is forecast, make arrangements to park your vehicle under cover, delay your trip or use an alternative mode of transportation.

If caught in a storm, look for safe shelter. Options include bridges, service station awnings and covered car parks or ramps.

In a severe storm, avoid parking under trees as branches could fall on your vehicle.

If you have to leave your car outside, cover it with a thick blanket or hail car cover to minimize hail’s impact.

If there’s nowhere to go, stop your car. The impact from hail is stronger when a vehicle is in motion.

At home, park your car in a garage or carport. If you don’t have a covered parking spot, consider a specially designed car cover to minimize vehicle damage.

If nothing else, consider duct taping heavy blankets to your vehicle.  Moving pads work well. During the taping process, it is recommended to do so towards the bottom of the vehicle so that the sticky residue doesn’t have an effect on the vehicle’s paint.

How to Pinstripe Your Car

Car pinstriping is one of the best ways to make your vehicle very unique. Pinstriping has been used commercially since the 1800s, and is a definitive style for the decoration of style. Pinstriping can be as plain or as fancy as your patience and level of skill allows.

Pinstriping is, as one may gather from the name, the use of thin “pinstripes” in ornate decorative patterns, commonly used on automobiles and motorcycles. Pinstripes are usually done in two colors: one that compliments the body color, and another, thin line, which contrasts to make the stripe stand out.

Before you start, the vehicle surface must be absolutely clean—no grease, wax or polish. If it's not, you'll have paint adhesion problems with the stripe.

Mechanical Pinstriping

A mechanical auto pinstriping is the best for striping long areas like trucks, vans, or station wagons. The main advantage is that it puts down stripes of consistent width, letting you concentrate more on keeping the contour of the stripe aligned along your work surface. The Buegler pinstriper and accessories are one of the preferred by body shops and pinstripers for their high quality construction and consistent operation.

Striping with Stencil Tape

There are several different stencil tapes that are suitable for almost any auto pinstriping application. Stencil tapes let you lay down stripes of different colors without waiting for the other stripes to dry. Stencil tape striping requires brushes: the pinstriping brush is the most important element for an excellent final result.

Freehand Striping

This method is the most advanced one and requires the most practice to master, but offers unlimited flexibility. The easiest method for the freehand striping novice is to lay down a strip of masking tape about ¼ inch from where you would like the line to be. Use the tape as a visual guide for your stripes. Do not use standard masking tape for edging pinstripes. the pinstriping paint will seep and bleed under the edge of standard masking tape. The pinstriping can be as plain or as fancy as your patience and level of skill allows.

How To Repair A Punctured Tire

A punctured tire happen as a result of several factors; low quality tire, sharp object on the road, rough roads or an inbound tire pressure that causes it to burst. While you do not know where and when the puncture could happen, what you can do is not to get off guard. Be always ready with all the right tools to help you repair a tire puncture no matter where you are. These include:

Tire Spray

This is an essential tool to help you seal punctures temporarily before you go to the mechanic. It can save you from a lot of trouble especially if you have no spare tire with you. This kind of spray seals small punctures quickly so that you can continue with your journey for the time being. It is also useful to people who have no idea how change tires.

Spare Tire

Be it a large or a small puncture, a spare tire is an absolute must have. You cannot tell when a puncture requires a change of tire. This is why you should have a spare tire always in your vehicle. Besides, many punctures cannot be repaired quickly if you are not an auto mechanic. Even if you know how to fix a tire puncture, you may not have enough time to get it done if you are in a big hurry.

Jack and Spanner

Even if you have a spare tire in your car, you cannot do anything if you have no jack and spanner with you. Unless you have a number of strong people to help you lift the vehicle, it is useful to have a jack on hand. A jack is what you use to lift the vehicle to remove the punctured tire from its position and put the spare tire. On the other hand, a spanner is used to unfasten the nuts on the punctured tire and fasten the nuts on the spare tire to ensure that it is held firm on the car.

Ultimately, you should know when it is time to say goodbye. Needless to say, no tire can last forever. Check if the puncture of your tire is bigger than a ¼ inch in diameter, if your car has been driving on a flat tire that is potentially causing a zipper or blowout, or if the puncture is located on the shoulder/belt edge.If you see any of these signs, then it is time to get rid of the tire. Also, check the manufacturer’s policy of your tire for repair limits.

How Do You Know If Your Brake Rotors Are Bad?

With regards to automotive safety, the brake system is on top of the list, so have your brakes checked by an auto service professional at least once a year. Learning the key warning signs that your brakes may need maintenance will go a long way toward keeping you and others safe on the road.

It starts off as a faint sound in the beginning, but eventually it become noisier and more obvious. A smell, feeling, or sound can be the start of a brake issue that is worth investigating sooner rather than later. Waiting on brake repair inevitably can result in something more expensive and more parts wearing out that could have been saved if the repair was done sooner.

Listed below are five of the most tell tale signs that you need a brake inspection.

1. Listen for screeching, grinding or clicking noises when applying the brakes. These noises aren't normal and shouldn't be ignored. Abnormal sounds are often an indication that it's time to replace a part in your brakes.

2. You feel your car pulling every time you push down on the brake pedal. That's a good indication that the brake linings are wearing thin.

3. Look for wear between the wheel's spokes. Look for an outer pad; it should be pressed against a metal rotor. If you see less than 1/4 inch of pad, you may want to have your brake pads inspected or replaced.

4. Sometimes, a vehicle will vibrate when you come to a stop. This is more than just a nuisance; it could mean something's wrong with your brake rotor, among other things. Have your brakes and your tires inspected to identify the exact problem.

5. If your brake warning light is illuminated in your car it is time to schedule a brake test As soon as possible. There could be serious issues going on with your brakes and it is not smart to delay an inspection.

Car Security Devices

Because a car is a valuable investment and fairly easy to resell, this makes it a primary target for criminal and thieves. To help protect the cars and minimize this ever-increasing crime, the majority of cars today are designed with the most advanced security systems. These car alarm systems consist of signals, sirens and sensors that produce a warning alarm in the case of a car theft. Some of these modern alarm systems for cars include:

Door Sensor

It instantly responds whenever a thief attempts to open the door of a car. The sensor is connected either to the interior lights or to the siren of the vehicle. Most security systems use a switching device built inside the automobile. The moment the thief starts to open the door, the door transmits the electricity to the interior lights and thus will probably scares the thief away.

Shock Sensor

This works on a basic principle, by which when a thief moves or hits the vehicle, the sensor transfers a warning sign based on the intensity of the automobile motion. Therefore, once the car experiences a shock and receives an unfamiliar change in its pace, then a full scale signal alarm goes off. Sometimes, the sensor is attached to the fuel engine that stops supplying fuel, once a sudden drastic change is detected in the intensity of its motion.

Window and Pressure Sensors

These kinds of sensors work well in detecting broken car windows. These are attached to a microphone that is found in the computer-controlled system. If a thief tries to break the windows of an automobile, the sensor identifies the air pressure and  sound of the car. The mic inside the car monitors the air variations and air pressure, converting them into electric signals and transmitting them to the system. By doing this, it activates the siren as a way to alarm the criminal.

Motion and Tilt Sensors

These are really useful in the event that a thief attempts to tow the vehicle to another place. The sensor is made up of perimeter scanners that monitor any kind of lifting, tilting and even a slight movement of the vehicle. This way, you can easily keep tabs on all the activities taking place in a predetermined perimeter in the parking area. If the radio transmitter scans a motion, it sends signals to the receiver monitors.

All these car security systems are extremely effective in protecting your car against thieves. Keep in mind, choose an alarm with a loud siren, otherwise it will not be capable of deterring thieves.

Things to Check on a Car Before a Road Trip

If you do not like getting late at an appointment or stuck down the road as a result of automobile breakdown. Here are the things you need to check before driving your vehicle. Do this preferably before you begin your day:

Checking Outside the Vehicle

• Check if the tires are inflated properly. It would be better if you are using a pressure gauge. Regardless, simply examine if the pressure is noticeably low in all the tires. Also, it is better and safer to check them every two weeks and re-inflate them to their ideal pressures, including the spare tire.

• Check underneath your vehicle and even at the top. Stray cats and dogs might even be there. There is actually no need for an explanation for this one.
• If you are one of the people who often park their vehicles in public parking spaces, then you are definitely aware of the unwanted pamphlets and ads that are purposely stuck under the mirror housings, door-handles, wiper blades, just about anywhere. Needless to say, check for them before you get in your car.

Checking Inside the Vehicle

• Examine and adjust the position of the seat as well as the rear view mirrors. Having a comfortable driving position is absolutely necessary while driving.
• See if the car headlights, A/C, along with other electronics are shut off before turning on your engine. Most likely, your vehicle will start without any trouble even if they are on, but they can affect the life of your car battery. And, it could ruin the important electrical wiring in many modern automobiles.
• As you turn on the ignition, wait for every warning light to illuminate in the group of instruments before you start your car. As soon as you start the vehicle, all of the lights should disappear shortly after, except for the handbrake signal light. In the event that any light stays on such as the battery or oil level indicator, have your car examined from an authorized car service center.
• Another important thing to do inside you car is to check that all the indicator bulbs or headlamp are functioning perfectly. And although the use of horn has to be minimal, it is still necessary to make sure that it is working properly.

The ideas mentioned above are some of the basic things you need to check both at the interior and exterior of your car, before you begin driving. It is always a good idea to take a few seconds to examine whether your car is in its best condition to travel. All these will help save you some money and make your journey on the streets much safer.

How To Prevent Car Theft

Most of us don’t think about car theft prevention until it’s too late. But the fact is, learning how to prevent a car theft is knowledge you need. Here are a few tips to help you prevent your car from being stolen.

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Always lock your doors and windows and keep the keys with you. Even with today’s remote keyless entry systems, a surprising number of motorists still don’t bother to close their windows and lock up their vehicle. Never hide a second set of keys in your car. It might seem like a good idea, but thieves know all the hiding places.

Try to park your car in a secure attended car park if you are leaving it anywhere public. Park your car under a street lamp or in well lit open space if possible. If you do use a parking garage, try to park as close to the attendant or a security camera as possible.

Use the security features your car already has. Many modern cars have systems which enable them to lock automatically as you pull away. Enabling these systems will help protect you of having your car stolen.

Use a steering wheel lock. Steering wheel locks make it very difficult for thieves to drive away with your vehicle. They could be a good investment especially if you park your car on the road at night.

Park your vehicle with wheels turned toward the curb. Many car thieves use tow trucks to steal vehicles, so make your car tough to tow away. Wheels should also be turned to the side in driveways and parking lots so the vehicle can only be towed from the front.

Have your car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) etched on each of the windows. Car thieves want to get off cheap. They don’t want to go to the expense of replacing all the glass. This would deter a thief planning to disguise the identity of your car by changing its appearance.