The Online Automotive World
The internet has made so many things much easier these days. There are many automotive parts that are not available at your local auto parts store. You cannot get a front fender or a driver's side door from Napa or Pepboys. The internet is a great resource for finding those car parts that are not always so easy to locate and purchase.
The great thing about online automotive stores is that many specialize in carrying only a few types of components. Thus vendors that specialize in one particular niche of the automotive market can get better deals on their inventory and pass the savings on to the consumer.
Tips and Ideas for Your Automotive Needs:
Washing Your Car:
After spending a couple of hours waxing your shiny vehicle, doesn't it make sense to prolong the wax's protection as long as possible? Many people are victim to the common misconception that it's okay to wash your car with your household liquid dish soap. Liquid dish soap won't hurt your car's finish, but it will strip the wax right off!
Online Tech Forums:
Though we'd hate to admit it, for the do-it-your-selfer there are times when we get stuck in a jam and don't know how to proceed without some advice. There are online tech forums out there that are filled with very helpful automotive information. Much of your tech questions can be answered within hours, as many experts troll these sites looking for questions to answer or add on to.
Tranny Maintenance:
Many people are good about changing their car's oil, but fail to realize that their automatic transmission needs periodic maintenance too. Every two years or 40,000 miles, it is VERY important to flush out your old transmission fluid and replace the filter. An automatic transmission that is in dire need of maintenance will show fluid of a brown coloration on your dipstick instead of red, but don't wait until that point to change the fluid!
Checking Your Brakes:
Even if you're not very "mechanically-inclined", you can still keep a good eye on the condition of your disc brake rotors. For cars with alloy wheels, you can usually see a good portion of the disc surface (look behind the wheel if you can't see from the front).
Periodically, keep an out for surface irregularities, and if you can, run your finger across the disc surface (let them cool off first!) to check for imperfections. If your discs look like the surface of a vinyl record, that is not good! Though rotors can be resurfaced, if you wait too long, you will have to have your rotors completely replaced.
Keeping Your Battery Charged
It's been said that the battery is the heart of the vehicle. Without electrical current, the engine simply won't run. Like many other auto parts and systems, if they aren't used they will naturally deteriorate and decline in performance. Batteries are no exception.
This one is easy, however. It doesn't take much power to maintain a car battery. For instance, a simple 1-2 amp battery trickle charger will keep your battery in top-top condition without having to worry about overcharging, or worse, dead batteries. Some chargers can even maintain the battery through the 12 volt cigarette port (if active). There's nothing more simple than that. When you're ready to go, simply unhook the charger from the battery and you're ready to go!
Car Maintenance in a Nutshell
We've only briefly touched on some of the many areas of automotive maintenance. Your car has many workings and contraptions, each with a list of do's and don'ts when it comes maintenance. Are there online stores that sells everything you need? Sure there are. But is that necessarily a good thing? We believe If you find a retailer that specializes in one specific area, such as car parts and car care products, then you'll likely find their products and services are better than most general retailers can offer.
There are many types of automotive sites out there, many of which are geared towards hi-performance enthusiast. Large site authorities such as Summit Racing and Jegís have a lot to offer at good prices with their enormous inventories.
