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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:07:59 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>Cars</category><category>Garages</category><category>New Cars</category><category>Deals</category><category>How to</category><category>Info</category><category>DIY Auto Repairs</category><category>Car Repairs</category><category>About</category><category>Tips</category><category>Dealerships</category><category>Cash for Clunkers</category><category>Cheap Used Cars</category><category>CARS program</category><category>Maintenance</category><category>Car Insurance</category><category>Auto Loans</category><category>Auto Parts</category><category>Save Money</category><category>Trade-Ins</category><category>Privacy Policy</category><category>Battery</category><category>Information</category><category>Mechanics</category><category>Used Cars</category><category>News</category><category>Automotive Industry</category><title>D I Y Auto Repair and Auto Enthusiasts Blog</title><description>D I Y Automotive repair, car maintenance, and car enthusiast news and informational resource!</description><link>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>13</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog" /><feedburner:info uri="diyautorepairandautoenthusiastsblog" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-1680856394094226671</guid><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-08-06T03:37:35.459-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">New Cars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Deals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Trade-Ins</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">CARS program</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Information</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Save Money</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cash for Clunkers</category><title>Top Selling Cash for Clunkers Cars List</title><description>Data has been released which indicates that US car manufacturer, General Motors has sold the most cars under the Cash for Clunkers 2009 stimulus program so far.  Transportation data released on Tuesday shows that GM has sold 18.7 percent of the new cars.  Coming in second is Toyota Motor Corporation with 17.9 percent of the sales, and Ford is third with 16 percent of sales.  The program officially started on July 24, 2009 and allowed consumers to trade in their gas-guzzling clunkers for more fuel-efficient cars.  The clunkers stimulus voucher of $4,500 provided the incentive for people to make the trade-ins for the purchase or lease of a new vehicle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Ford Focus&lt;/span&gt; had been the top selling vehicle under the program but was recently surpassed by Toyota Corolla.  According to a list from the Department of Transportation, the following individual makes and models of cars have been the biggest sellers for the Clunkers program so far:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;1) Toyota Corolla&lt;br /&gt;2) Ford Focus&lt;br /&gt;3) Honda Civic&lt;br /&gt;4) Toyota Prius&lt;br /&gt;5) Toyota Camry&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Data has suggested that Ford, GM and Chrysler have accounted for 47 percent of the new car sales under the program, although the list above illustrates the popularity of foreign cars with 4 of the 5 listed coming from Toyota and Honda.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Cash for Clunkers&lt;/span&gt; or C.A.R.S. (Car Allowance Rebate System) program has been considered a huge success so far as the government approved an additional $2 billion to be pumped into the program since its inception.  Originally, just $1 billion was alloted for the program, but within its first week sales were on fire.  It was reported that over 180, 000 trade-ins were done within that first week, eating up most of the funding.  Most of the trade-ins have been trucks with the Ford Explorer and F150 leading the way.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's being questioned now just how much more money the government may put into the program, or if it will officially end after this $2 billion.  The Clunkers program is set to run through Labor Day 2009.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More info: &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2009/07/cash-for-clunkers-rules-for-trade-ins.html"&gt;Cash for Clunkers Rules for Trade-Ins&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/cash-for-clunkers-stimulus-bill-program"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cash for Clunkers stimulus bill program&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(&lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;Additional story info: WashingtonPost.com)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-1680856394094226671?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/x0RGNC9k4cw" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/x0RGNC9k4cw/top-selling-cash-for-clunkers-cars-list.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2009/08/top-selling-cash-for-clunkers-cars-list.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-5976582720690624681</guid><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:08:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-25T11:35:23.204-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">New Cars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Dealerships</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Trade-Ins</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">CARS program</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Information</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cash for Clunkers</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Used Cars</category><title>Cash for Clunkers Rules for Trade-In's</title><description>When Congress finally signed the bill that included the Cash for Clunkers program, many consumers and auto dealers rejoiced.  This new incentive program was designed with several things in mind.  First, it was created to eliminate gas guzzling clunker cars off the roads since they are not so environmentally friendly.  Second, it was implemented so that consumers would start spending again on new cars, which in turn would boost struggling car manufacturers and dealers.  It's no big secret that the economy has been in a serious downturn, and many people lost jobs, especially from car companies.  With this new plan in place, it is hoped that consumers will start spending, buying up or leasing new cars, which will jumpstart things for the economy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's important for the prospective new car buyer to understand exactly what &lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Cash for Clunkers rules&lt;/span&gt; they need to follow when it comes to making their trade in.  Not following any of these rules will surely exclude you from the savings benefit of this new incentive program.  The most important thing to note is that your "clunker" car must be road-ready, and drivable.  If it is unable to drive on the roads, it won't be eligible for the clunkers program.  The clunker vehicle must be insured and registered in your name for at least one full year prior to you making the trade-in.  Another rule is that the car must be less than 25 years old.  A 26-40 year old plus vehicle may look and drive like a real clunker, but it won't qualify.  Third, the trade-in can only be applied towards a brand new vehicle, which in this case would likely be the 2010 models at dealerships.  If you are choosing to lease the car instead of buying it, your lease must be for 5 plus years.  And the final rule to note is that the Manufacturer's Standard Retail Price of the new vehicle you're trying to buy or lease can not be over $45,000.  That unfortunately excludes many fancy SUV's, Mercedes and sports cars from the deal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you follow the rules listed above to the fullest, you are more than likely to be able to trade in your used clunker for a much newer, nicer and more fuel-efficient automobile.  This will not only help your wallet and the environment but with enough people jumping on board for the Cash for Clunkers program, it should give the economy a nice boost as well.  The program will officially run from July 2009 until November 2009, or until all of the allotted funds for it have been exhausted, whichever may come first.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;b&gt;More information on Cash 4 Clunkers:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/cash-for-clunkers-stimulus-bill-program"&gt;Cash for Clunkers Stimulus Bill program&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.infobarrel.com/How_to_Participate_in_Cash_for_Clunkers_Program"&gt;How to Participate in Cash for Clunkers program&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-5976582720690624681?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/G1bAe3Av7cE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/G1bAe3Av7cE/cash-for-clunkers-rules-for-trade-ins.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2009/07/cash-for-clunkers-rules-for-trade-ins.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-2912333266714088262</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:46:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-07-25T11:33:59.282-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Deals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cheap Used Cars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cash for Clunkers</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Used Cars</category><title>Cheap Used Cars Online Search</title><description>These days one of the best ways to save money is in terms of your automobile of choice.  Finding a deal online for a cheap used car can help you save in terms of not having those high monthly payments.  With the extra money you can make regular do it yourself maintenance repairs and services done rather than paying a high monthly lease or buy out price.  Some of the most reliable types of used cars include the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic.  Other popular used models are the Ford Mustang, Ford F Series and Chevy Silverado.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best places to &lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;find cheap used cars online&lt;/span&gt; may include the online auction site, eBay, as well as the free auction ad site, Craigslist.org.  These are places that hundreds of buyers and sellers go to list their used cars for sale.  Also, using Google search for "used cars" will produce numerous results.  Make sure to carefully view all ads you find, as some may be from dealers and some are from everyday individuals looking to get rid of their car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-2912333266714088262?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/89-zmgWHb6Q" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/89-zmgWHb6Q/cheap-used-cars-online-search.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/12/cheap-used-cars-online-search.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-2118972909958544730</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:15:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-28T18:20:54.671-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Deals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Car Insurance</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Tips</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Save Money</category><title>Affordable Auto Insurance in 6 Steps</title><description>&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Affordable Auto Insurance&lt;/span&gt; is the way to go so you can spend your hard-earned money where it matters most!  These days with the economic crisis wearing on many American families, a good way to add money to your wallet is to find the best, most affordable auto insurance for you and your family.  &lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Car insurance&lt;/span&gt; can be a major expense for some, but it doesn't have to be.  Studies show that consumers don't tend to shop around for insurance as much as they do for the vehicles themselves.  Additionaly, it's been shown that insured motorists tend to stick with one car insurance provider for many years.  With auto insurance you can easily trim plenty of savings based on the coverage you choose, options you take, and discounts you receive.  Here's some helpful tips that will help you get more affordable auto insurance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;1) Shop around for the best deal -&lt;/span&gt; It's advised that when you go looking for a new car insurance policy that you get at least 3 quotes.  Your driving record will definitely impact your ability to shop around for a better deal.  If your record is iffy, try Geico, State Farm, Progressive and Allstate and others before heading to local independent insurance companies.  If you are going with an independent, be sure to check their credit rating at Standard &amp; Poor's or Moody's.  Insweb.com functions as an independent insurance agent and lead generator where you can compare prices on insurance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;2) Use Any Discounts Available - &lt;/span&gt;There's a variety of insurance coverage discounts which can depend on company or state of the insurance agency.  Combination discounts, defensive-driving classes (10%), good-student discounts (up to 25%), Retirement discounts, Safety discounts, Loyalty discounts, and Association/group discounts are amongst those to check out when applying for insurance.  Association or group discounts can include everything from Mensa to military groups, your alma mater or a large employer.  Combination discounts can be insurance policies that come from the same company insuring your home.  Another discount type may be given for auto safety features on your vehicle such as antilock brakes, airbags and automatic seatbelts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;3) Increase Deductible -&lt;/span&gt; This is the amount you pay out of pocket for a claim prior to your insurance company covering costs.  It solely applies to your collision/comprehensive coverage and not your liability.  The deductible is the insurance that specifically covers your car.  If you increase your deductible, you can cut your premium dramatically.  Raising a deductible to $500 or even $1000 can drasitcally reduce your premium.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;4) Drop certain coverage -&lt;/span&gt; Consider dropping collision and comprehensive insurance totally if your car is worth less than 10 times what you'd pay for coverage.  These components of car insurance can make up about 40% of the cost of premium, covering the car's replacement value.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;5) Fix credit report up - &lt;/span&gt;Having a great credit report can impact your ability to get a great insurance deal.  If you're bad with payments elsewhere you may have to pay 30-40% more than other insured motorists for your insurance.   Insurers use something called an "insurance score" to determine a driver's risk potential. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;6) Choose Best Car for Insurance -&lt;/span&gt; Sports cars, and cars with high theft rates or repair costs will always cost more to insure.  When debating amongst car models or types consider checking with an insurance agent about which vehicle will be less costly to insure.  You may be driving a lower-profile vehicle, but getting a better deal overall for your money in the long run based on insurance and safety. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Info source: smartmoney.com)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-2118972909958544730?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/tIRN-xKkV78" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/tIRN-xKkV78/affordable-auto-insurance-in-6-steps.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/affordable-auto-insurance-in-6-steps.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-7266337986897599166</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:56:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-23T12:07:09.451-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cars</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><title>The 20 Top-selling Cars in US</title><description>The following is a list produced by Reuters of the 20 Top-selling vehicles through October of 2008 in the United States.  Topping the list are Ford F-Series pickups followed by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.  Chevy and Honda seem to own the list so far with four entries each.  Also, judging by the list the impact of rising gas prices and a struggling economy has given way to an increase in consumers buying more fuel-efficient, reliable, commuter or economy cars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;RANK VEHICLE                     2008     2007  '07 RANK % Chng&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;blockquote&gt;1 Ford F-Series P/U           436,022  588,952       1  -26.0&lt;br /&gt;  2 Chevy Silverado-C/K P/U     402,191  526,575       2  -23.6&lt;br /&gt;  3 Toyota Camry                386,118  398,868       3   -3.2&lt;br /&gt;  4 Honda Accord                333,011  332,815       6   +0.1&lt;br /&gt;  5 Toyota Corolla              307,071  317,796       4   -3.4&lt;br /&gt;  6 Honda Civic                 304,297  278,764       8   +9.2&lt;br /&gt;  7 Nissan Altima               241,529  239,800       9   +0.7&lt;br /&gt;  8 Chevrolet Impala            231,841  270,504       7  -14.3&lt;br /&gt;  9 Dodge Ram P/U               213,684  301,689       5  -29.2&lt;br /&gt; 10 Ford Focus                  175,958  145,977      15  +20.5&lt;br /&gt; 11 Honda CR-V                  171,193  184,003      11   -7.0&lt;br /&gt; 12 Chevrolet Cobalt            168,940  169,400      14   -0.3&lt;br /&gt; 13 Chevrolet Malibu            151,429  108,930      26  +39.0&lt;br /&gt; 14 GMC Sierra P/U              145,067  174,621      12  -16.9&lt;br /&gt; 15 Toyota Prius                142,365  150,572      16   -5.5&lt;br /&gt; 16 Ford Escape                 135,558  139,911      17   -3.1&lt;br /&gt; 17 Ford Fusion                 128,381  123,729      20   +3.8&lt;br /&gt; 18 GM Pontiac G6               126,494  121,278      28   +4.3&lt;br /&gt; 19 Toyota Tundra               121,451  162,348      23  -25.2&lt;br /&gt; 20 Honda Odyssey               121,249  144,718      21  -16.2&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jim Henry of Businessweek mentions that the Ford F-150 has been in a four year nosedive while the Ford Focus has had to fight its way onto the list since last fall.  The Toyota Camry could soon top the list if the F-150 continues to plummet in sales, as people go for more reliable cars.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-7266337986897599166?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/rFacpjFYAHc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/rFacpjFYAHc/20-top-selling-cars-in-us.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/20-top-selling-cars-in-us.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-9055220904157863546</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-23T11:29:45.458-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Garages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mechanics</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Car Repairs</category><title>Economy Down, Auto Repairs Up</title><description>According to the Morning Sentinel of Maine, people are choosing getting their cars repaired over buying brand new vehicles with hefty car loans or monthly payments.  The recent economic woes such as high gas prices, Wall Street's dismal days and high-level bank failures have really been driving business to the shops in Maine.  More and more people are deciding they'd rather not buy a new car or take on even more debt from another monthly payment.  Due to this, mechanics and garages have seen business booming.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From the Morning Sentinel article:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;"We are seeing people hanging on to their cars longer rather than buying new ones," Rees said. "It used to be if I told them they were facing $1,500 worth of repairs, they would say 'I'm going to trade the car in and get something new.' They're not saying that now. They're preferring to get the car fixed so they can keep it."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wayne Ladner of Richmond rides around in a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta that he keeps repairing. He said he likes not having a car payment in these tough times.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"What happens with a lot of people is they end up refinancing their house, and gone and done other things to make do and can't buy another car with all this debt," Ladner said. "No car payment is a beautiful thing. Even if you throw $300 or $400 at the car once in a while, it's not a car payment, and you can ride around debt-free for the next six months."&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Story source: &lt;a href="http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5636316.html" rel="nofollow"&gt;Morning Sentinel&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So while it might seem like the economy has been hit, there are always speciality businesses and services which can come into higher demand.  In this case, mechanics and garage shops have been thriving in many areas.  Until the dust has settled with the economy, why not stick with your older vehicle and make repairs, rather than take on more car loans and car debt?  You can also  &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;perform D I Y auto repair to fix your automobile&lt;/a&gt; and save money without spending for that pricey new automobile!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-9055220904157863546?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/2Dvg5XgkEGQ" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/2Dvg5XgkEGQ/economy-down-auto-repairs-up.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/economy-down-auto-repairs-up.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-5749515696618274070</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:51:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-22T17:59:06.757-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Automotive Industry</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Auto Loans</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><title>Automotive Industry Bridge Loans</title><description>Right now the Big 3 automakers are in trouble due to the struggling US economy.  Stephen Collins of the Automotive Trade Policy Council has written a recent article which discusses the current economic crisis as it relates to the automotive industry.  Collins provides the crucial issues involved in the current economic meltdown hurting major auto makers, and explains why federal assistance is important.  The following points are paraphrased from Collins' article.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1) Nation's financial crisis has hurt automotive industry  -&lt;/strong&gt; Due to the economic problems all over, it has frozen credit at every level of the auto industry.  This has really hurt auto sales.  Collins mentions this is the most immense collapse of sales since World War II.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2) 2007 Advanced Technology Vehicles money unused -&lt;/strong&gt; A 2007 plan approved by Congress was supposed to give $25 billion to auto makers to improve and increase automotive fuel efficiency.  This money has yet to be given away, and as Collins mentions it wasn't earmarked as emergency money either.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3) Short term bridge loans essential -&lt;/strong&gt; If our nation wants its core manufacturing industries to thrive and be a backbone, then $25 billion in short-term bridge loans should be approved, Collins states.  He adds that we are the only nation who doesn't have a directed national industrial policy.  Other nations have these to protect their core manufacturing industries.  Collins argues that we simply can't abandon our core, because it will only serve to damage our industrial base and eliminate millions of jobs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Collins makes compelling statements for why the auto industry needs this short term assistance from Congress.  Some people argue that the bailout of auto makers should not take place, because other businesses need a bailout more.  Some ask the question - "why not bailout every industry then?" or "when do the bailouts stop?"  It will remain to be seen in the coming weeks if the United States Congress will approve the controversial bridge loans which could help to save or at least heal the US automotive industry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/23/collins-how-to-help-the-big-three/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Read full Washington Times article here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-5749515696618274070?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/TvEUPxDPyaI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/TvEUPxDPyaI/automotive-industry-bridge-loans.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/automotive-industry-bridge-loans.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-459692680176912430</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:35:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-28T18:49:21.160-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">News</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Deals</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Car Insurance</category><title>Auto Insurance by the Mile!</title><description>A recently created company called Milemeter is offering &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/affordable-auto-insurance-in-6-steps.html"&gt;affordable auto insurance deals&lt;/a&gt; to motorists based on miles purchased rather than month-to-month or yearly-priced rate policies.  Milemeter is a newly set-up company by some creative entrepreneurs who want to spread the word about their new type of insurance policies.  They joined with the Texas National Organization for Women (NOW) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to make this all possible.  According to an EDF spokesperson this allows Texas motorists to buy affordable auto insurance and also have a positive impact on the environment with few tailpipe emissions as well as less demand for road and parking lot constructions.  Overall this &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/affordable-auto-insurance-in-6-steps.html"&gt;more affordable auto insurance&lt;/a&gt; may dramatically help to improve air quality and fight climate change.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Dallas-Texas insurance company offer Texas motorists insurance quotes directly over their website and make the claim process more simple.  The policy contracts last either six months after the date the vehicle was purchased, or until the vehicle miles traveled exceeds the amount of miles purchased (determined by initial odometer reading). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some things to consider with Milemeter's per-mile car insurance:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;- There's no GPS or tracking used to determine your mileage, only odometer readings.  This gives consumers the ultimate in privacy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Annual vehicle inspections are not required for the insurance policy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Rental vehicles are given liability coverage but not coverage for damage to the car.  Milemeter suggests purchasing the rental company's damage waiver deductible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Milemeter doesn't cover multiple family cars.  Their policies only apply to a single vehicle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Milemeter doesn't provide insurance for motorcycles or recreation vehicles yet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-  Comprehensive and Collision Coverage are combined into a single coverage option they call "Physical Damage".&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More info on MileMeter:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Contact MileMeter &lt;br /&gt;1-866-833-5233&lt;br /&gt;1700 Pacific Avenue&lt;br /&gt;Suite 2400&lt;br /&gt;Dallas, Texas 75201&lt;br /&gt;website: www.milemeter.com&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-459692680176912430?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/0KVZ2nPL5Qc" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/0KVZ2nPL5Qc/auto-insurance-by-mile.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/auto-insurance-by-mile.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-444063377071937428</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:10:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-25T17:42:22.409-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Maintenance</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Tips</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">DIY Auto Repairs</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">How to</category><title>How to Change Spark Plugs</title><description>&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSyooBKM6mI/AAAAAAAAAA0/nZeoSoBlE_E/s320/spark-plugs2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272774669203466850" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If your car experiences trouble starting up, it may be due to faulty or bad spark plugs. Replacing a car's spark plugs is a relatively easy &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;do it yourself car maintenance&lt;/a&gt; job.  It is recommended that spark plugs be changed about every 30,000 miles.  It is best to have them changed with a major tune-up, but you can also do this on your own.  The maintenance will involve removal of the old spark plugs, gapping the new spark plugs and then installing the new spark plugs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before starting this maintenance job, the vehicle's manual should be consulted to identify spark plug location, how many spark plugs the vehicle has, correct gap for the spark plugs, and the size socket needed to remove them.  (Note: Diesel engines don't have spark plugs.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can buy the new spark plugs you need at many local auto parts stores or even retailers such as Wal Mart and Sears.  Some spark plugs need to be "gapped" while some modern models of spark plugs will not need to be gapped.  The store employees should be able to identify which spark plugs you will need and gap if necessary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Items needed:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- New spark plugs&lt;br /&gt;- spark plug socket&lt;br /&gt;- gapping tool&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Removing Old Spark Plugs:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;1)&lt;/span&gt; Make sure the car engine has cooled down.  Open the hood of the vehicle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt; Locate the spark plugs in a row along one side of the vehicle's engine.  Some cars will have spark plugs and spark plug wires located on both sides of an engine.  Your car's owner manual will help you identify where the spark plugs are located.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;3)&lt;/span&gt; Remove each spark plug cable by pulling on the rubber cap.  A solid twisting/pulling should loosen the caps.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;4)&lt;/span&gt; Use the spark-plug socket and remove each plug from the engine.  It is advised to work on replacing one spark plug at a time.  This way you can make sure to properly fasten each spark plug wire and cover to its proper spot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Gapping New Spark Plugs:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many new spark plugs will need their gap adjusted to the proper measurement per your car's repair or owner manual.  Check them before attempting to install the new spark plugs. The shop where you buy the new spark plugs may also be able to tell you the correct gap.  You can purchase a gapping tool at a low price ($1.99 or so) from most automotive parts stores.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;1)&lt;/span&gt; Use the gapping tool to find the recommended gap measurement for your vehicle.  For example if it is 0.050", check it against the 0.050 setting on the gapping tool.  The gap will either be smaller or wider than necessary, requiring adjustment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt; Carefully bend the electrode (metal part at very top of spark plug) a tiny bit at a time using the spark plug gapping tool.  You'll either be trying to make the gap wider or smaller based on what you observed when measuring the gap.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;3)&lt;/span&gt; Measure with the gapping tool after you've adjusted the gap.  Repeat step #2 as necessary.  Do this for each of the new spark plugs individually to make sure they have the proper gap.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Installing New Spark Plugs:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;1)&lt;/span&gt; Insert each new spark plug one at a time into its proper slot and tighten with socket.  Make sure not to over-tighten. (1/16th of a turn is recommended).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt; Re-attach the spark-plug cables/wires onto each of the plugs they originally came from.  A soft pop sound is a good indicator that the plug wire has snapped onto the spark plug.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;3)&lt;/span&gt; Remove all tools from near the engine and close the hood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;4)&lt;/span&gt; Start the car and listen to make sure the car runs properly.  If the car doesn't start or has trouble starting, make sure all of the spark plug wires are pressed securely onto each of the spark plugs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That's all there is to changing spark plugs in the car!  After a few times, you'll develop a better proficiency for this easy &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;do it yourself maintenance&lt;/a&gt; and it will take less time.  Always consult your manual or local auto shop if there are complications or issues.  If you notice that the old spark plugs are bent, broken or black, you should consult a mechanic as this can be an indication of a more serious issue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(&lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;Disclaimer: DIY Auto Repair &amp; Auto Enthusiasts Blog strongly advises readers to consult the specific manual for the vehicle they are working on.  This set of instructions serves as a basic guide for the vehicle maintenance and the authors are not responsible for damage or injury resulting from this maintenance.  Proceed at your own risk&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-444063377071937428?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/g9BRoYc0s6g" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/g9BRoYc0s6g/how-to-change-spark-plugs.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSyooBKM6mI/AAAAAAAAAA0/nZeoSoBlE_E/s72-c/spark-plugs2.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-change-spark-plugs.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-8722736058220043142</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:38:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-24T14:00:03.810-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Maintenance</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Battery</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Tips</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">DIY Auto Repairs</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Car Repairs</category><title>How to Jumpstart a Car Battery</title><description>&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSsjvbIF4rI/AAAAAAAAAAs/GvpmTl6J_Og/s320/battery.jpg" border="0" alt="ford truck battery"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272347086409818802" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If your car's having trouble starting, don't panic and think that there is some sort of expensive automotive repair necessary.  It may just be a drained or dead battery.  Luckily, if you have the skills to &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;do your own car repair&lt;/a&gt;, you can &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;jumpstart your car battery&lt;/span&gt; and be safe in case it happens in the future.  It will also save you money as many garages charge a fee for jumpstarts.  Services like AAA for motorists offer free jumpstarts in many instances, but make sure to refer to AAA for more info.   Knowing how to &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;do the car maintenance&lt;/span&gt; yourself will allow you worry-free driving in the event of a future breakdown, stall or dead battery.   You'll also be able to help other stranded motorists as well! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Jumpstarting a car&lt;/span&gt; is relatively easy and requires that you follow important safety precautions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here's a step-by-step instructional guide to jumpstarting a car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Required items for jumpstart:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- a set of Jumper cables with thick wires, &amp;amp; clean, rust-free clamps.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- A car with a battery (fully charged, the same voltage as your car's battery)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Also recommended but not required:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-Rubber gloves&lt;br /&gt;-Wire brush&lt;br /&gt;-Protective goggles&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The above items are recommended for proper safety when performing the jumpstart.  A wire brush will help remove any debris, dirt or corrosion dust around the battery terminals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Need to Know Info:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Most car batteries will be located under the hood of the car.  In some instances, smaller or older cars will have the battery under the seat or in the trunk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- Be familiar with the battery and its terminal locations before the jumpstart.  Every battery has (+)positive and &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;(-)negative&lt;/span&gt; terminal.  Positive terminals are usually red or orange wires, covers, or connections.  Negative terminals are usually black wires, covers, or connections.  In some cases, you may have to remove a plastic battery cover in order to locate the terminals.  You also may need a wire brush to remove dust or debris around them, to insure a clean connection.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Connect the Jumper Cables:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSm5IRIKGtI/AAAAAAAAAAU/LhCcuu2YlVU/s320/cables.jpg" border="0" alt="jumper cables"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271948390501587666" /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Making sure the jumper cables are properly connected is the key to safety.  When you're charging the dead battery, you'll be sending an electric current to it from the other battery.  If the cables become lose and cause a spark, they could ignite hydrogen gas buildup from the battery.  Follow the instructions below to safely jumpstart your car battery.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt; 1) Connect one end of the positive jumper cable (+ or RED) to the positive post (+ or RED) of the dead car battery.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt; Connect the other RED (+)  jumper cable's end to the positive RED (+) post of the charged car battery.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;3) &lt;/span&gt;Connect one end of the negative jumper cable (- or BLACK) to the negative (- or BLACK) post of the charged car battery.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;4) &lt;/span&gt;Connect the other end of the negative jumper cable (- or BLACK) to a solid, non-paint coated metal part of the engine of the dead car.  MAKE SURE THIS PART IS AS FAR FROM THE DEAD BATTERY AS POSSIBLE. This will ground the circuit and insures maximum safety.&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Starting the Car:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;1)&lt;/span&gt; Start the engine of the car with the fully-charged battery and let it run idle for approximately five minutes to charge the dead battery. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt; Shut off the engine of the car with the charged battery.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;3)&lt;/span&gt; Disconnect all cables IN REVERSE ORDER being careful not to , making sure the cables don't touch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;4)&lt;/span&gt; Now, try to start the engine of the dead battery.  If it works, you're good to go!  If not, try the following alternative:&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Alternative Method to Start the Car:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;1) &lt;/span&gt;Start up the car with the fully charged battery and let it run idle for 5 minutes to charge the dead battery. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;2)&lt;/span&gt; Leave the car with the already-charged battery running.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;3)&lt;/span&gt; Try to start the engine of the car with the dead battery.&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Additional Instructions and Advice:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;*** From here, it is advised if your car starts that you leave it running for at least 30 minutes to allow the alternator to charge the battery.  This should give you enough time to get to a garage or service station to have your battery replaced or issue fixed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;***It's also advised after starting the car that you let it run for several minutes, then shut it off to see if it will start again on its own.  Do this before the other car with the fully-charged battery has left!  If it doesn't start on its own, you'll need to re-do the jumpstart, or call a tow truck to get your car in for service.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More Do it Yourself Car Repairs:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-change-flat-tire.html"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How to Change a Flat Tire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How to Do it Yourself Oil Change&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;(Disclaimer: Perform the above auto repairs and or maintenance under your own discretion/caution.  The authors of &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;D I Y Auto Repair &amp;amp; Auto Enthusisasts&lt;/a&gt; are not liable for injury or damage resulting from improper maintenance).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-8722736058220043142?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/vzlkPISMVzE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/vzlkPISMVzE/how-to-jumpstart-car-battery.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSsjvbIF4rI/AAAAAAAAAAs/GvpmTl6J_Og/s72-c/battery.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-jumpstart-car-battery.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-1221385633755348863</guid><pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:16:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-23T12:48:05.260-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Maintenance</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Tips</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">DIY Auto Repairs</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Car Repairs</category><title>How to Change a Flat Tire</title><description>&lt;img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSm6rBbBYdI/AAAAAAAAAAc/y7RHGgCvYMg/s320/tire.jpg" border="0" alt="tire on car"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271950087092789714" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Changing a flat tire is an essential &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;Do it Yourself car repair&lt;/a&gt; skill to have if you encounter one of your tires going bad on the road.  Once you've done it a few times, you'll easily be able to change your own tire in future emergencies, or help other motorists that are stranded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Items Needed:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- lug nut wrench&lt;br /&gt;- car jack&lt;br /&gt;- 2 foot pipe with jack for leverage&lt;br /&gt;- spare or new tire&lt;br /&gt;- Machine's mechanic hotline #, just in case&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Put the car onto level ground in PARK.  Apply the parking brake.  If the car is a manual transmission, place it in gear.  Be sure to pull the car off the roadway to avoid an accident.  Turn off the car and put on its hazard lights.  Opening the hood of the car may signal to other motorists that you're stopped to perform repairs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Place a large rock, heavy object or if you have it, a wheel chock behind the diagonally opposing wheel to prevent the car from rolling.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Retrieve the car's spare tire, a lug nut wrench/tire iron and the car jack.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If needed, make sure to remove the hubcap.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before you jack the car up, make sure to loosen the lug nuts that hold the wheel in place.  Do this by placing one end of the wrench over a lug nut.  Place a hollow pipe (approximately 2 feet) over the end of the lug nut wrench to create leverage.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Turn the lug nut wrench counterclockwise to loosen each of the lug nuts.  Loosen the nuts in a star pattern by first loosening one lug nut a few turns, then loosen the lug nut opposite it.   Keep loosening the lug nuts across the tire until all lug nuts are loose and unscrewed slightly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Carefully jack the car up.  It's strongly advised that you check the car owner's manual for the correct procedure.   You will need to jack the car up slightly higher than normal, in order to put the new full tire on in place of the flat.  CAUTION:  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WORK OR GO UNDERNEATH THE CAR WHILE IT IS JACKED UP.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remove all lug nuts and put them somewhere they won't get lost or roll away.  Let the flat tire hang from the threaded studs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remove flat tire and put aside for now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lift new tire onto wheel studs.  Make sure the air valve side of the tire faces outward.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Replace all lug nuts.  Give each lug nut a few turns, and then go to the opposite, working around in a star pattern.  Avoid tightening adjacent lug nuts one after the other, if possible.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lower the jack very slowly and remove it from underneath the vehicle.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tighten lug nuts as much as possible to ensure tire will not come loose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Replace the hubcap, and put flat into trunk..You're ready to hit the roads!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;More Do it Yourself Car Repairs:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-jumpstart-car-battery.html"&gt;How to Jumpstart a Car Battery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How to Do it Yourself Oil Change&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style:italic;"&gt;(Disclaimer: Perform the above auto repairs and or maintenance under your own discretion/caution. The authors of &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;D I Y Auto Repair &amp; Auto Enthusiasts&lt;/a&gt; are not liable for injury or damage resulting from improper maintenance).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-1221385633755348863?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/6rNMtP17hds" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/6rNMtP17hds/how-to-change-flat-tire.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BM2IbO4Q34Q/SSm6rBbBYdI/AAAAAAAAAAc/y7RHGgCvYMg/s72-c/tire.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-change-flat-tire.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-1010488808371016503</guid><pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:45:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2009-04-02T17:53:33.066-07:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Privacy Policy</category><title>Privacy Policy</title><description>This website/blog uses third-party advertising companies to serve ads when visiting this site. These third parties may collect and use information (but not your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, you can visit &lt;a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html"&gt;Google's Advertising and Privacy page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you wish to opt out of Advertising companies tracking and tailoring advertisements to your surfing patterns you may do so at the &lt;a href="http://networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp"&gt;Network Advertising Initiative&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Google uses a cookie called the Doubleclick DART cookie to serve ads across it's Adsense network and you can get further information regarding the DART cookie at &lt;a href="http://www.doubleclick.com/privacy/faq.aspx"&gt;Doubleclick&lt;/a&gt; as well as opt out options &lt;a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html"&gt;here at Google's Privacy Center&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Privacy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at this site http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/ The following discloses how I gather and disseminate information for this Blog.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;RSS Feeds and Email Updates&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If a user wishes to subscribe to my RSS Feeds or Email Updates (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Users may opt-out of these communications at any time. Your personal information will never be sold or given to a third party. (You will never be spammed by me - ever)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Log Files and Stats&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like most blogging platforms log files are used for this site, in this case logs are done by Statcounter.  This service helps to collect and store information such as internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring, exit and visited pages, platform used, date/time stamp, track user’s movement in the whole, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cookies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. This blog doesn't use cookies. However, some of the business partners or affiliates may use cookies on this site (for example - advertisers).  I can't access or control these cookies once the advertisers have set them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Links&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This Blog contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of all these other sites. I suggest users to be aware of this when they leave this blog and to read the privacy statements of each and every site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Blog.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Advertisers&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This weblog site uses outside ad companies to display ads on this blog. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the advertising companies and I do not have access to this information. This may include the following advertising companies: Google Adsense, Linkshare affiliates, Commission Junction affiliates, eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates. Please check the advertisers individual websites for respective privacy policies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This privacy policy updated April of 2009.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-1010488808371016503?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/0D9XQcf5yQs" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/0D9XQcf5yQs/privacy-policy.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/privacy-policy.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4379585034705549297.post-114122713777052057</guid><pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:16:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2008-11-23T12:08:12.951-08:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Garages</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">DIY Auto Repairs</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Dealerships</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">About</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Info</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mechanics</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Car Repairs</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Auto Parts</category><title>About DIY Auto Repair</title><description>If you've got your own car, the smartest investment you can make is to learn good old-fashioned, &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;Do It Yourself (DIY) Auto Repair&lt;/a&gt; for your car.  With &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;DIY Auto Repair&lt;/a&gt;, you're going to save yourself a lot of money in the long run.  Some of the car repairs you'll perform on your own will be easy, while others will require more attention and effort.  But there's several ways you'll save money if you handle repairs on your own.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first way you'll save is by avoiding the high cost of labor that car mechanics charge including dealerships and your local garages.  Dealerships and local garages operate as businesses and some will charge extra in order to keep their bills payed, and business operations going smoothly.  If you're making your own repairs to your car, you won't have to worry about that extra money leaving your wallet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Secondly, many of the auto repair places will tend to charge a high mark-up on auto parts, whereas if you buy them yourself, you can shop around for the best deals.  Places like Advanced Auto, NAPA, Pep Boys, and Auto Zone can give you price quotes, or you can try your luck with online automotive parts services.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Additionally, you can avoid the tendency of many garages, repair shops and auto dealerships have in trying to charge you for other repairs you might not need right then.  While there are many reputable dealers, garages &amp;amp; repair places, there can be a few here or there who will try to make more money off less knowledgeable consumers.  Or, there's the idea that once your car is there, you know no better.  When you Do It Yourself, your car's at your fingertips, so you decide what needs to be fixed immediately, and what can wait.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This weblog provides helpful information to make &lt;a href="http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/"&gt;DIY Auto Repairs&lt;/a&gt;.  In addition, it is a resource for all sorts of news for automotive enthusiasts, including the latest news from the auto industries, info on cheap car insurance, cheap used cars, car loans, car parts and much more.  We strive to provide helpful info for all those interested in car care, purchase and general learning.  Thank you for visiting our site!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4379585034705549297-114122713777052057?l=diyautorepair.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~4/6yGW6gsjxWY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DIYAutoRepairAndAutoEnthusiastsBlog/~3/6yGW6gsjxWY/about-diy-auto-repair.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (infosource09)</author><feedburner:origLink>http://diyautorepair.blogspot.com/2008/11/about-diy-auto-repair.html</feedburner:origLink></item></channel></rss>

