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Let's talk about infuriating. You waited in line for 10 minutes to get a skim latte which made you late to work, but as you're walking into your building, you drop it, making the whole morning a waste. Apply the same feeling to the automotive realm and you're looking at flat tire on a wheel that you can't seem to get off the car. It's stuck, and even tapping firmly around the edges isn't getting it loose (yes, the lug nuts are off ... right?).
There's a trick to freeing a stuck-on wheel that almost never fails. You already have the lugs removed, but now reinstall them leaving about 5 turns before they start to get snug. Now lower the car to the ground, get in and start it up. Drive back and forth 4 or 5 feet a few times. Now jack the car up and test the wheel. It should be nice and loose now, ready for you to replace with your spare so you can move on down the road.
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The Auto Repair team of researchers have been hard at work trying to solve the problem of the automotive cup holder. Ok, it was me, my brother and my sister-in-law, but we've spent years griping about spilled drinks and sticky, non-working cup holders. How many times has your center console turned into a tiny bird bath filled with coffee or soda? Unless you're Jon Bon Jovi or 50 Cent, you don't need a hot tub inside your car.
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Don't hate me for being over 30, I know that most cars on the showroom floors of today have little to no chrome, but if your car does sport some of that super-shiny metal, you'll want to keep it bright.
Chrome will keep it's shine indefinitely if it's kept clean and dry, but what if the guy before you didn't do such a good job on the upkeep? There's a wonder-solution out there, and it isn't a space-aged polymer. It's not a polish and it's not an electrolysis machine. It's been around forever, and it's plain old steel wool.
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As somebody who lives your life in the Automotive Empowerment Zone, there's no way you're paying somebody $20 to plug your tire when you can do it yourself for $5 in 5 minutes. All you need to do now is find the hole.
If you don't see a screw, nail or piece of garden equipment sticking out, it can be tough to figure out where the air is escaping your tire. Whether it's a slow leak that you're sick of filling or a total eruption of the tire, finding the hole is all about the bubbly.
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It may seem silly to spend your valuable time picking leaves off your car, but in the long run it might be worth it.
Most of the time, leaves and other airborne solids blow right off your car. A Chevy Cavalier traveling at 120 mph has no leaves whatsoever inside or out. Using the same example, the driver of a Chevy Cavalier traveling at 120 mph has no brains inside or out, but that's another story.
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Your car tires are the only thing keeping your car on the road, so making sure you have enough tread depth to drive safely in any conditions should be a top priority. Hydroplaning in the rain is caused by a worn car tire's inability to cut through the water and touch the road, causing your car to "float" across the street's surface. The more tread on your tires, the less likely you will hydroplane. The same goes for driving in the snow.
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Ever get in your car, put your car key in the ignition, and realize you can't turn the car key? It happens to everybody. Before you turn green, burst out of your blouse and rip the head off the key trying to force it, try this more gentle approach. Your car has a steering lock that clicks into place when you take the car key out of the ignition. This prevents thieves from being able to steer your car if they hotwire it. Sometimes the wheel is turned to just the right place to keep your key from being able to disengage that steering wheel lock. All you have to do is turn the wheel a little bit in either direction while you turn they key. Voila! Everything's moving again. Now get to work!
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If you turn your car key and get nothing, or get anything less than an engine roaring to life, you might be in for a bad day. Starting problems can be very frustrating because there are so many things under the hood that can keep a car from starting. Heck, pretty much everything under the hood can keep the car from starting.
In order to troubleshoot a no-start problem, you need to start at the beginning of the line, the battery, and work your way back. Some tests for a no-start problem are simple, others are a pain in the neck and a technical nightmare. Nonetheless, you need to figure out why the car won't start, so we'll try to help. If your key won't turn in the ignition, try this fix.
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If your car is making a grinding sound when you apply the brakes, you should look into the matter quickly. Leaving disc brake repair until later can result in costly brake component replacement.
If your brakes are making a grinding sound when you come to a stop, you are at the very end of the life of your brake pads. By the time you hear this sound, you may have to replace your brake discs.
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Rattles and ticks and clicks and pops - it's a secret language that only the most trained ears can decipher. That's what the pros would have you think anyway. There may be lots of possibilities when you are diagnosing a strange sound, but narrowing the field can really help.
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