The Ins And Outs Of Motor Oils – Don’t Leave It To Guesswork!
Published March 16, 2011
Motor oils are just motor oils, right? Wrong! Today’s vehicles are fine tuned for perfection and the right motor oil is vital for engine health and car performance. Old cars need the right oil too. There’s very different specialist lubricants for cars, commercial vehicles, farming and industrial vehicles. And there’s natural and synthetic engine oils, each designed to provide optimum performance for the job in hand.
There’s different specifications for motor oil grades. There’s fully synthetic oils, semi synthetic oils and mineral oil-based versions to meet the detailed specifications of vehicle designers and manufacturers. All of which offer the maximum protection to petrol and diesel engines, whether it’s priceless, state of the art ‘blue sky thinking’ futuristic car builds or museum and vintage vehicles.
Depending on your vehicle you might be best off with an oil that lubricates your engine across a broad range of temperatures, whether or not you’re driving something with a high performance engine. You might benefit from choosing an oil with great cold starting properties as well as excellent lubrication when things get hot. And everyone wins when the engine oil you put in your motorbike, car, van, truck, bus, tractor, HGV or mega-machine gives you superb engine cleanliness. It means less wear and tear. And lower fuel consumption, which is always good news in times like this when petrol costs are sky high.
Some oils are directly compatible with catalytic converters and engines designed to give off low emissions. And there’s specialist oils for all manner of areas including special transmission oils, clever fluids for your suspension, thick greases and weird oils that never, ever freeze.
Some car marques have oils of their own, specified by the manufacturer for the best performance. Like BMW and Honda motor oils. If you’re not sure which oil products suit your vehicle best, look your make and model up online or check things out in your manual. But whatever you do, don’t leave it to guesswork!
Replacing Your Number Plates – Smarten Up Your Act for 2011!
Published January 14, 2011
You might think number plates are just that… number plates. But there’s a lot more to car number plates than meets the eye. Ask any petrol head of any age and they’ll go into detail for you. As well as having practical applications – you can’t drive legally without number plates – they’re decorative items. People buy novelty and designer car number plates for weddings, teenagers’ bedroom doors and walls, garages and car show rooms, award ceremonies and family occasions. And, apparently, show plates are flying off the shelves this Christmas.
Then, on the serious side, there’s number plates. If you have a minor collision and damage or break your number plates, or they’re vandalised, you’ll need a new set fast. If yours is due to fall apart or so worn out it’s hard to read, it’s better to act now than leave it too late.
You need a replacement car number plates that are street legal for a start. So make sure your number plates supplier knows what’s what as far as the law’s concerned, or who can point you in the right direction for reliable advice. Find an online supplier if you’re short of time and don’t fancy struggling around the shops. A good online car plates firm will give you a choice of standard UK, 3D and carbon fibre fonts and a broad range of dimensions, to suit vehicles of every size and marque. If you need something out of the ordinary, make sure your supplier can create a number plate to your spec.
The same goes for colours. Pick a supplier who delivers the full range of legal colour-ways, from your standard black and yellow or black on white to stylish black and silver metal plates for vintage and classic cars. Check your supplier can create back and front plates, and knows the legal difference. And make sure there are good accessories available too – stuff like exciting fixings, metal plated or coloured number plate surrounds, football team crests, logos, slogans and more, all legal and above board.
Top tips for getting your new number plates right first time? Measure, measure and measure again. Any good supplier will be able to create bespoke car plates for you, but it’s vital to get your dimensions bang on. And because every vehicle’s plate fixings are in a different place, make sure your supplier doesn’t pre-drill your new car plates.
How to Sell Your Car for Free Online
Published August 27, 2009
We’ve all been there. We want to sell a car, and after months of leaving it parked by the side of the road collecting dust and stone chips, we decide to forgo the cash and advertise it in the local or larger city papers. You may receive more phone calls, but many want a bargain (and we all know, you value something more than other people do) and so you’re not prepared to go that low. You may try advertising online, but the fees can be exorbitant, and it’s a lot of bother for what can often be little result. And then the sites you choose to advertise on are usually linked to some other business, so you end up with spam or catches you’re not aware of when you entered your credit card number (such as a two-week limit for your ad). If you wanted spam or popups or whatever kind of ad-ons the site is trying to sell, you’d want to advertise for free. It’s like paying a company to allow them to advertise on your car. You don’t exactly go to the shop and pay for someone to advertise their product on your car by way of a bumper sticker. Well, some do, but it hardly makes sense.