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Driving is very Serious! 
Stay alert, Arrive Unhurt, and Drive Safely!
Watch for pedestrians and enjoy what you drive.
In the UK, it's the DVLA, but in the USA, stay in touch with
the Department of Motor Vehicles
to keep current with your Driver License!
Now that you have learned to Drive, you need a New Car!
Then you need to protect your car from the summer sun.
Summer is a cruel time of year for an automobile. More damage is done to your
vehicle during these months than probably all other months combined. The unrelenting
sun attacks everything from your automobile's paint to its rubber trim and plastic.
Nothing escapes the intense UV rays found during the blistering summer months.
Outside turns into one big giant oven, and whether your car costs $12,000 or
$120,000 dollars makes no difference to Mother Nature. She is indiscriminate in her
attack; however, there is much you can do to make it more difficult for her to erode
your investment away and make it through the summer unscathed.
Yes, don't forget your car is exactly that - an investment. In fact, for most people
it's usually the single largest investment after their homes. Protect your investment
by reducing the amount of time that your vehicle is actually exposed to the sun. If the
parking lot at work offers covered parking then use it, even if you have to pay extra
to do so. Covered parking is not available? Then create your own by using a car cover.
Car Covers
Donning a car-cover is the next best thing to covered parking. When you know that
you will be exposing your car to the elements for an extended time - cover your car up.
Today's car-covers no longer take several minutes to put-on. They are designed using
advanced computer drafting software, and typically can be put-on in less than a minute.
Besides being easy to use, there are numerous other benefits of using a quality car-cover.
 
Probably the best benefit is that they help to protect your vehicle from the "elements."
There are some covers that do a better job than others. Figure-out what it is that you
are looking for in your cover. Are you looking for an all-season cover? Is your vehicle
exposed to snow? Do you store your car indoors, but there is still fine dust settling on
your car everyday?
A vehicle stored indoors is suited for a 100% cotton cover just to keep fine dust off
of its surface. This type of cover should be restricted to indoor usage only, because
exposing an all-cotton cover to wet weather will ruin it. Anything other than garage
usage requires a rugged exterior cover.
Many exterior covers are available that repel the elements well. Then there are some
that do it extremely well. Some of the best ones are products manufactured by DuPont.
Car covers that utilize DuPont's Tyvek material are effective at stopping dirt,
environmental, and weather elements while being breathable.
Covers that seal-up your car like a giant Ziploc are not a good idea, unless that is you
think your car is a giant sandwich. Keeping food airtight and sealed helps preserve it.
Not so with a car-cover. The most effective car-covers offer protection from the
elements but are also highly breathable.
Keeping Your Vehicle Clean
Shielding your automobile from the sun is one way to preserve it. Preventing dirt and
grime from getting a grip on your vehicle is another. Keeping it off is necessary in order
to prevent your paint from deteriorating. Dirt that sits and lounges on your car has
many chemical properties that will etch their way into your vehicle's surface. Eventually,
your vehicle will lose its luster and shine. One way of preventing this is by replenishing
the nutrients that a vehicle's paint loses during the summer.
It is necessary to first clean your vehicle with a good quality cleaner. Quality in this
field is gauged by the harshness of the detergent or cleaning additive. Also look for
products that are ph balanced. An improper balance can essentially turn your car into
a giant dust magnet.
There are plenty of products that have excellent cleaning power without being harsh on
your vehicles finish or your hands. A cleaner should be easy to rinse-off and safe for your
immediate surroundings. Is your run-off water draining into your grass? Are dogs or
children nearby? These are considerations to think of when choosing your product.
Cleaning is only the first step. Once your vehicle is free from topical contaminants
then you can choose to either apply a polish and wax, or just wax. Polishes have an
outstanding effect on dark colored vehicles. If you are an owner of a dark colored
vehicle, then you owe it to yourself, and your car, to try a polisher out. The results
will truly amaze you.
 
Polishing & Waxing Your Car
As the name implies, a polisher actually polishes and further removes surface
containments from your vehicle's surface. A polishing agent strips most road film and
environmental properties from a vehicle's clear coat. A vehicle that is already dull and
has swirl marks or haziness can be restored by using a good polish.
Never stop at the polishing stage. A polishing compound not only removes impurities
from a vehicles finish, but it also removes any and all wax previously applied to the
surface. All-in-one products that combine polishes and waxes may seem appealing and
easy, but try to keep these separate processes. The failure to reapply wax after the
polishing stage will leave your vehicles surface unprotected and completely naked.
A good application of wax should be applied to your car at least 3 times a year. If you
have the time, remove the old wax before you apply a new coat. Applying many layers
of wax often has a negative effect. Applying wax over an old coat of wax will make it
difficult to bring out a shine because the new wax has just sealed-in the impurities in
the underlying coat.
Waxes provide a barrier between your vehicle's surface and the world. A word that you
will hear commonly associated with waxes is Carnauba. Carnauba is one of nature's
hardest and most enduring by-products. There are different levels of Carnauba, but
#1 is generally regarded as being the most expensive and of the highest quality.
Using a wax that contains a high percentage of Carnauba requires a degree of
maintenance. Since Carnauba is a natural product, it needs to cleaned and reapplied
in a systematic approach. An alternative to natural based waxes are synthetically
derived products.
Synthetic waxes generally require less overall maintenance than their natural
counterparts. However, make sure that you steer clear from products that have a
gimmick as their selling point. For example, synthetic waxes that have Teflon added
to them. There hasn't been any objective research to validate any significant benefits
of Teflon in a wax product.
Revitalize your Car's Exterior Trim
Products to revitalize exterior trim are almost always exclusively synthetic. Many times
maintaining rubberized trim is neglected by the owner. Unprotected trim will eventually
turn an unsightly white and/or simply deteriorate completely. Replacing trim is an
expensive prospect, and can be avoided altogether with simple maintenance.
Your tires are not trim. The properties which make-up your tires are entirely different
from the rubber surrounding your doors, windows, and bumpers. Avoid using products
designated for tires on trim or rubber and vice-versa. Each of these areas has
products designated specifically for them.
Protecting the Interior
The same can be said for not using exterior products on a vehicles interior. The days
of using ArmorAll on your tires, the dashboard, and your vinyl seats are long gone.
Each of these areas now has their own products. Most have been formulated to
prevent interior fogging and glazing of your windows when they evaporate.
Dashboard products are geared towards low sheen and are slick-less. A shiny
dashboard may look nice but it is highly impractical and dangerous. The dashboard
can reflect onto your front window. It also can reflect light back into the driver's
eyes making for a dangerous situation.
Most interior products contain additives to reflect UV rays and to keep your interior
from cracking and drying-out. Carpet and fabric cleaners are easily applied, and seat
cleaners are available for a range of fabrics from leather to cloth.
Using a collapsible sunshade in your front window is a great economical way to
protect your vehicles interior. Also consider having your vehicle's windows tinted. Not
only does tinting reduce the interior temperature, it also serves to filter harmful UV rays.
Check with your local laws on what degree of tinting is permissible for your locality.
There are a myriad of car-care products available on the market today. Most of them
will help you protect your asset from the summer's scathing sun. Just remember to
keep you car out of the sun as much as possible. Keep your car clean and grime free.
Re-nourish your clear-coat, and provide a barrier against the elements with a quality
wax, and don't neglect your trim and interior.
 
Check out these other sites for your car & Driving Safely!
Taxi
Insurance - specialist on-line calculator
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