Car Insurance

Having been in the car wash business all my life, I always
noticed the biggest bird droppings on white cars. Of course there
are more white cars then any other color. I also found yellow
vehicles had more bird droppings than normal. I had once or twice
tried to put myself in the birds position and thought if I was
rolling in for a bomb run in a parking lot or flying over a
highway trying to hit an enemy insurgent Honda, which car would
be easiest? Most of us would assume a red car or some other
color, but in fact the birds seem to like to make their bombing
runs on white cars?

A study by a student named Charles West from Bristol University
in the United Kingdom did a study with 1760 cars and learned that
most often the birds made their decision based on the color of
their cars and white being the favored color to dive-bomb. The
birds attempted to hit the cars and had a 70% kill ratio of
landing the turd on the car they tried for. Some birds did not
have the bombing skills of our current net-centric Predator UAVs
with smart munitions.

This study debunked on old wives’ tale that seagulls always
favored cars, which were blue. In some areas the myth is so
pervasive that few people buy blue cars. Fact is a deep, dark or
pearl blue colored car is much safer from being a target of our
fine feathered friends than the deadly white color. Next time you
are shopping for a car you might want to forget the rebates and
be careful not to buy a white car or SUV. If you forget, I’ll see
you at the car wash as our industry is going to the birds indeed.

Detailing Under the Hood correctly can bring in extra business
for a Detail Shop, which often does wholesale detailing for new
car dealerships with trade-ins or used car dealerships with a
never-ending stream of hap hazardly detailed cars from the auto
auctions. One thing many detailers do not pay enough attention to
is the Battery Box, Battery, cables and terminals. When a car
buyer looks under the hood and sees the battery is covered with
greenish-white residue they are hardly impressed. When the car
does not start either it is a little tough to sell. Also a light
film of battery acid on the out side of the battery can be enough
to cause a 2% negative charge and slowly drain the battery. You
can get an extra ten dollars for a battery cleaning.

If you wholesale detail price is hovering around $65.00 you will
find that for an extra $10.00 that most dealers are willing to
pay for it. When customers come in on a retail level we often get
$15.00 for battery and terminal cleaning. You do not need very
many supplies to do this. A plastic terminal wire brush cleaner,
a metal brush with a wood handle, air hose, safety glasses,
one-half inch wrenches, loctite battery protector and sealer, an
empty water bottle with a pot sip cap, one gallon container of
distilled water, some solid gloves and some baking soda. A tray
to lay your equipment on is also a good idea. If you do this on a
retail detail advise the customer that they will need to reset
everything afterwards. Clocks, etc.

In a motor home many things will need resetting. First thing to
do is to remove battery and clean battery tray with baking soda
and water, while this is cleaning itself spray some water on the
battery and sprinkle baking soda on it, then dry it off using the
air hose or you can spray degreaser on the sides and top of the
battery and wipe it off. Then wire brush clean the posts, remove
them if you think you need to, and obviously you do not want to
touch both posts at the same time. Then spray the battery with
rubber dressing and wipe off.

If you have removed posts put them back on. Check water and fill
up evenly with distilled water. If it is a sealed battery and you
pop the tops, clean underneath before adding the water if needed.
Usually they do on used cars. Put caps back on and then
re-install battery and then look at the cables to see if they are
damaged and if so clip them and re-attach cables after cleaning
terminals as close as possible to the ends. If you have to
replace the terminals then that is a $10.00 additional cost.

Your Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, or Chevrolet Silverado truck is a
real workhorse when it comes to moving people and stuff. Chances
are your cargo bed is utilized regularly as you carry lumber,
gravel, furniture, or even groceries. To shield your cargo bed as
well as the interior of your truck from abuse, custom made liners
and floor mats offer special protection for your vehicle that no
off the shelf product can possibly match. Let’s take a look at
some key features that custom made liners and floor mats offer.

Custom made Husky liners offer maximum protection for your truck
or SUV because they incorporate the following characteristics:

Each liner is custom made to the exact specifications of your
truck’s cargo bed. No “one-size-fits-all” product here.

They’re made from tough polyethylene material to stay soft in
extreme weather conditions: summer’s heat or winter’s intense
cold.

Contain molded-in tread pattern grips cargo to minimize shifting
of your people, pooch, or packages.

Come in three colors: gray, black, and tan to match just about
any vehicle.

Resist snow, ice, hail, sleet, rain, mud, dirt, gas, oil, even
battery acid.

Similarly, custom made Husky floor mats offer the following
important features:

Developed with the toughest rubber to withstand abusive foot
traffic.

Warranted to not crack or break. Compare that with one year
limited warranties from off the shelf products!

Unlike awkward fitting off the shelf models custom floor mats
offer a precise fit. No dangerous folding or slipping while
driving!

Resist snow, ice, hail, sleet, rain, mud, dirt, gas, oil, even
battery acid.

To purchase a cargo liner or floor mats through an online
retailer, you will receive the best service, price, and selection
if the following is offered to you:

A toll free number.

Competitive prices.

Online ordering with instant assistance, if needed.

Free and quick shipping and handling.

Besides handling the full sized offerings from Ford, Dodge, and
Chevrolet custom liners and floor mats can be made for a wide
variety of other vehicles, all the way from the compact Subaru
Forester to the hulking Hummer H-2.

Unlike off the shelf versions, custom made cargo liners and floor
mats are thicker, more resistant to abuse, and even look better.
You paid a lot of money for your vehicle, now why would you want
to outfit it with something that is costly, won’t last, and looks
like junk?

If you have recently taken the time to have your car detailed .
It’s likely, You may NOT be getting all that you paid to have
done. Yes, its true we detailers do fail to perform the
professional looking car detail you deserve.

I must admit in the early going, I fractured a sacred detailing
law or two. In an effort to make more MONEY I cut a few corners
to get done faster.

Now that I have confessed my Sin

I Will attempt to redeem myself, by helping you to spot some
commonly overlooked areas that are missed when detailing a car.

So that you, the do it yourself car enthusiast. Even if you chose
to let someone else clean your car, can get the best possible
look.

Under the hood

Either out of haste or inexperience detailers do not properly
clean the

Firewall

This can be easily handled during the engine compartment cleanup.
By using a good degreaser, small brush, and a strong burst of
water. Making sure all the visible nooks and crannies are clean.

(Always cover any parts that can hinder the smooth running of
your car)

If you were to look up, at the inside of the hood you would see
painted areas running along the inside of your hood, with a
padding in the center.

Always check to see if this area is clean as well. Basically when
you drop your dough, or chose to do it yourself this should all
be clean.

This can be handled by using the same method as the fire wall,
but follow up with a hand mit and soapy water.

(I will assume the engine is dressed afterwards to enhance the
final appearance of your now clean engine compartment.)

Door Jams

At first glance all seems well, right? Or is it.

Look at the door real close. Now you see it don’t you, Many times
the bottom of the door panel is still dirty. If you look at the
rubber seal in the door at the top when you pull that up is it
clean?

This should be cleaned and a rubber dressing applied to it as
well. The whole of the door way should be free of any grease or
dirt period.

Trim and Moldings

Are the moldings restored to look fresh, and rejuvenated in
relation to the rest of the car? Again these are things that can
be and should be addressed in order to justify the price.

Due to the fact that all cars are different in this regards, a
simple close look at the trim and moldings, will tell you what
you need to do next. (But hopefully you will not have to.)

Trunk

Like under the hood, you want to make sure that all the painted
areas on the inside of the lid are clean. Also the rubber is
dressed with a protectant. Cleaning this is easy with a wash mit
and soapy water. Be sure the groove that outlines the trunk is
cleaned also.

Though this is not a comprehensive list of everything that could
be missed, in my experience these are the more common ones. If
you like more information on how to spot overlooked areas, You
can recieve the Free Auto Detailing Tips Newsletter at your
request.

You may have noticed that cleaning rims on cars can be very
tough, but not with your Ex-Cell pressure washer. Cleaning rims
on your car is no longer a challenge your pressure washer will
excel in getting the tough stains of brake dust and grease from
your rims. If you do not have a home pressure washer yet, we
recommend the Home Depot; Ex-Cell Pressure Washer.

To clean your rims really well you may wish to purchase some rim
cleaner, there are several brands at auto supply companies and
discount department stores. It only takes a little bit of product
to clean rims with your Ex-Cell unit and you will be amazed at
the results.

Follow this easy step by step method. First Step back about two
feet and a little off to the side of the rim then Rinse the rim
at close range, about 8 inches away while trying to spray in the
cracks and from many angles. Spray the rim in circular motion
following the out side of the rim and rinse the tire also,
especially if you have white walls. Put the wand down and spray
the Rim Cleaner on the tire and white walls, rinse the white wall
this time from 5 inches away, but stand back. Hold the pressure
washer wand and tip and follow the white wall around the tire.
Next spray the rim with Rim Cleaner generously and allow ten
seconds to pass then rinse the rim at about 8 inches away with
the Ex-Cell Pressure Washer. Always clean the rims first and
after you are done with the entire car rinse the rims slowly from
a distance and dry.