Lucas Baltes

In these times of drought and strict regulations in using water for washing your car, it has become harder and harder for people to be able to keep their vehicles clean using a traditional hose and bucket technique. For gear heads, this can be a hard thing to deal with, since we hate seeing our cars all filthy and covered in grime.

Fortunately, car care companies already have developed a product to address this issue – a waterless car wash. They claim that you can wash your entire vehicle safely without scratching the paint and more importantly not using a single drop of water.

Can we do this safely without scratching the paint?

For this to work, you will need a lot of microfiber towels, depending on the size of your vehicle maybe around 5 to 10 towels, more if your vehicle is really dirty.

Have two towels in handy at all times, one to take out the dirt and the other to dry out excess waterless mixture. Start with the roof, spray a liberal amount of waterless wash solution on the surface and let it sit for a little bit to loosen up the dirt. With your first microfiber towel, gently wipe off the saturated part in a straight line. Do not go back and forth, you’ll just spread out the dirt. take your second microfiber towel then wipe off excess cleaner or dirt.

Do this process one section at a time until you finish. Don’t forget to clean the wheels too, spray the waterless cleaner on the wheels then wipe with a separate towel.

This will really work well to remove light dirt and grime on the car. I’m not so keen on using this on a very dirty car as you risk scratching the paint, although manufacturers claim otherwise. Using an optimum no rinse wash would be a better option for this.

We can all recollect the excitement of our very first car or the strange anticipation in receiving a new car. It’s shiny, clean and brand new; but something’s missing. A personal licence plate fills that space in a very satisfying way to both the owner and any passengers with the privilege to journey within it. However, buying a personal number plate as a gift to you is not the only way to share this identity formation. Buying personal plates is currently at its peak, however so is investing in them. These plates as an alternative investment hit a wide audience of buyers as well as all vehicles from luxurious cars to the more affordable cars, motorbikes and vans.

Alternative investment is meant to increase your cash flow in applicable and uncomplicated customs and different paths. One path is to find customers such as by making a website based upon how you find perfect plates for customers, have them announce their desired plate to you and for you to then research through ‘quick private number plate searches’, order it and sell it to the buyer. Ordinary names and words can be bought in advance for an even quicker purchase for customers. An alternative path is to use the DVLA as your main buyer as a trustworthy and valued company, or other researched and trusted suppliers.

If you’re the type of person who enjoys reading or listening about celebrity life, then you’ll love to know that ‘we commoners’ aren’t the only ones so drawn to these unique plates. Even Her Majesty the Queen herself has her own ‘A7′ plate displayed on her car. Famous entrepreneur, Lord Alan Sugar’s personal number plate is portrayed in the opening credits of ‘The Apprentice’ to show his accessorized Rolls-Royce and these were bought in no means less simple than how we do.

Whether looking for a car storage solution for a couple of months or looking for something more permanent, we have written this article to help you choose the right car storage facility to suit your needs.

Two basic considerations need to be contemplated when looking to store your car. Are you looking for Indoor or Outdoor car storage?

1. Storing your vehicle outdoors will undoubtedly be less expensive than indoor storage. Your vehicle will be in the open, exposed to nature’s elements, which if left unchecked could lead to paint fade from the sun’s UV rays, mouldy interiors, bodywork to rust and mechanical components to seize – not things any car owner would like to happen.
2. Storing your vehicle indoors is usually kinder to a vehicle than outdoors. An indoor, dehumidified facility will provide the ideal climate to preserve and protect your pride and joy. However there are several more considerations now to consider.

There are specialist companies out there who are offer car storage. As with any business, the quality of service you and your vehicle are likely to receive will vary widely. It therefore pays to do your research and shop around. There may be different aspects that appeal to you rather than cost and distance a particular company is from you.

Starting the search for a car storage company.

Three main areas to investigate.

1. Word of mouth: Ask around, you may have friends whom have used a similar service or local automotive specialists whom can recommend a reputable company.
2. Motoring magazines: These often contain a number of specialist companies, who you will need to call for more information.
3. Internet search engines: Websites will contain more information than magazine advertisements and should describe in detail their services, pricing and photographs of what the storage environment is like.

Green living refers to an activity that contributes to minimizing or eliminating toxins from environment and improving personal health and energy. There are many activities that can have a positive impact on the environment, such as eating organically grown food, choosing paper bags instead of plastic bags, recycling beer cans, installing an environmentally friendly floor in your home or driving a fuel efficient car. A recent emerging trend is recycling of automobiles to achieve a greener environment.

When the majority of cars have outlived their usefulness, they are taken to scrap yards where the cars are shredded and the remaining material (primarily comprising of iron and steel) is then recycled back into automobiles, appliances and other products. Automobiles make one of the most recycled products in the world as three out of four tonnes of new steel is made from recycled steel. Other car parts such as brake pads, shoes, oil filters, rubberized seals, polyurethane seat foam, seat covers, floor mats, rims, windshield glass and side windows glass can also be recycled for use in new automobiles.

Automobile recycling confers countless benefits on the environment. It helps preserve natural resources and protects the environment from contamination by recycling usable components and parts. It helps reduce water and air pollution and saves landfill space. As automobile recycling minimizes the need for processing virgin materials, it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions particularly sulfur dioxide which have detrimental effects on the environment and human health.

Automobile recycling uses far less energy than that needed for car manufacturing. This, in turn, reduces the amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other carbon compounds released into the atmosphere and helps conserve valuable reserves of gas, coal and oil. Recycling vehicles and their spare parts can save as much as 80 million barrels of oil and 40000 tonnes of coal a year.

So do you think you are ready to drive in Los Angeles? Get ready to deal with atrocious traffic, validated parking, parallel parking and just lots of mayhem on the road in general. You may have heard horror stories about the horrendous traffic and driving, but is it really that bad? Here are some insider tips that will give you the real scoop on Los Angeles traffic.

Traffic is usually always backed up no matter what time of day it is; it’s not unusual to have a traffic jam on the 101 at 11pm on a weeknight. One great help is to download the Google Maps app if you have Blackberry or Iphone. If you select “traffic view” this program will highlight the most congested routes as red and the open roads with green so you can plan an alternate route. Always leave early because traffic can be unpredictable.

If the freeways are congested it may be easier to take short cuts. It may be more convenient to take Laurel Canyon Roads into the San Fernando Valley if you happen to be nearby instead of taking the 101 freeway. The 101 freeway tends to be one of the most congested roads in L.A It also happens to have a lot of potholes so you may want to avoid the damaged parts of the road in order to maintain the life on your tires.

Make sure you obey all parking regulations unless you want a massive fine. It’s not uncommon to get a ticket just five minutes after you’ve double parked because enforcement is always out and about. You want to make sure park as closely to the curb as possible because you can get fined if you are more than 18″ away from the curb. Always make sure you turn your wheels in the appropriate direction if you are parked on an incline or you will get fined.