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  1. R

    When Do You Take Off Your Snow Tires

    That's something I'm glad I've never had to worry about. Most of the snowfalls we get in this part of the country are so minor, we're able to drive with our regular all-season tires. If it gets too deep to drive, we just stay home (or get a lift with someone who has four wheel drive).
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    Snow storm!

    It got quite cold in the deep south, but thankfully, no snow. We did get rain and, after the temps dropped down below freezing, some sleet. Luckily, nothing stuck, as the ground temperature was still too warm. This time of year worries me, because if any snow falls in the south, it's...
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    Rust Appearing At The Bottom Of The Doors

    I honestly wouldn't worry about a rusted door that much, BJ, as you can probably buy a new or used door cheaper than it would cost to repair the rust. But I would definitely spend some time in a creeper and check around the whole bottom of the car for rust, where the bottom of the car meets the...
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    Spring checklist

    Flipit, you should buy yourself an inexpensive (about $2.00) coolant tester, the kind that looks like a medicine dropper with small, colored balls it. Take the cap off the radiator (when it's cool!), squeeze the bulb so that you can suction in some of the radiator fluid. Wait a few minutes and...
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    Gas Pump Rip-Off

    BJ, that kind of news doesn't surprise me. Business owners are always looking for ways to make more profit (even though gasoline is one of the least profitable items in a gas station). I always do this: I keep a calculator in the car and, when I stop to get gas, I figure out how many gallons I...
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    Old Toothbrush

    An old toothbrush is great when washing the car. I use it to scrub (softly) around the mirrors, the bumpers and around the door to the gas cap. It works great in all the little spaces a brush or sponge won't fit. Anyone else use an old toothbrush when washing the car?
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    Germs and pumping gas

    I read the same thing about two years ago, so every since then, I've started wearing a pair of gloves when I pump gas. I wash the gloves when I wash my "junk rags," so they're always nice and clean. I still use hand sanitizer after I pump the gas and take my gloves off.
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    Favorite car color?

    I've always been a sucker for red cars. Red just looks so sexy for a car, but it also makes it look fast, regardless of the make of the car. My Honda is white and I hate it. It looks so generic and it's hard to wax, because you can hardly see the wax on the car, so you don't know if you've...
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    Motor Oil

    Brand choice is a matter of preference; one isn't any better or worse than the other. However, the oil you choose must have the American Petroleum Institute's starburst seal... http://www.recycleoil.org/ It just says that this oil meets or exceeds car manufacturers standards. As far as...
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    Synthetic Motor Oil

    Synthetic is great, as long as you're not putting it into an old (more than 25K miles) engine, and you can justify the cost. People make the mistake of putting synthetic oil in an old engine, hoping it will fix things or make the engine run better. It won't. What it can do, because synthetic...
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    Emergency Brakes Broke When I Stopped

    I've never heard of that happening to anyone, though it's easy to see that the brake cable could have rusted through over the years and miles. I'm glad you were near a shop so that it could be fixed without having to be towed.
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    Speakers In The Doors

    I have a 1994 Honda Accord, and the front speakers are in the front doors. Well, both are busted and I'm wondering if this is a job I can take on myself. I've always been cautious about trying to remove the door panel, as I'm afraid it won't go back on right, and the hole in the metal (where...
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    Headlights Are So Clean

    Most cars nowadays (and for the past several years) use headlight lenses that are made from a plastic material. Well, with age, light and road exposure, most of these lenses eventually yellow or cloud, and become brittle. There are several "headlight restorers" on the market (check your local...
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    Oil changes

    I used to be very good at changing my own oil, it was something I enjoyed doing and was proud of a job that I knew was done correctly. However, like sandis, I simply am too old and have too much to do nowadays to be crawling around under the car. I have a local mechanic who does it for me for...
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    Is There Any Point In A Dual Exhaust

    Personally, I don't. Most dual exhaust systems are set up for larger horsepower engines, like trucks and sporty cars (think Camero). The lack of horsepower in a PT Cruiser (and other four cylinder cars) would do a dual exhaust no justice. If it were me, I'd think about adding a turbo...
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    Why Is Toyota Still So Popular

    Toyotas are so popular because, for the past kazillion years or so, they've been one of the top vehicle manufacturers, if not THE number one car producer. Toyota has made millions and millions of safe, quality, long-lasting, economical vehicles, so one or two bad years is barely going to put a...
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    Refurbished battery

    I've bought refurbished batteries, and I see nothing wrong with them. Of course, they're not going to last five years, but if you can buy a battery for $25 that's guaranteed for a year, that sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Of course, I've always saved the cheap battery for the older cars...
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    Automatic car washes

    I'm like Fender Bender in that I prefer to wash my own car. However, if it's too cold to wash it by hand, and it's really dirty, I have my favorite places to take it. I tend to get a little queasy in the automatic car washes too. I try to just sit back and close my eyes, waiting for it to...
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    More Southern Tornados!

    Our skies finally cleared today, and the next three nights are supposed to be really cold (40's and 30's), although with the sun, the days are sure to warm up quickly. I really hope we're done with severe weather for awhile. I've had enough to last a lifetime.
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    More Southern Tornados!

    Here in Birmingham, AL, if you remember, we had several strong tornados go through areas all around us. Just recently (a couple days ago), we had more. Two people in the area were killed and lots of businesses, schools and homes were destroyed. It's just been so warm here lately (on and off...
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