Chris A. Harmen asked:




An auto lift is a vital tool for any automotive repair shop. It provides access underneath a car or truck, making repairs a snap. The most crucial element to consider when choosing an automotive lift is selecting one that meets your needs. You will save time and money in the long run if you put price aside and focus on choosing the auto lift possessing the key elements necessary for how you will use it. The following paragraphs detail the types of automotive lifts available.

Auto Lifts For Home Use

If you are seeking to perform automobile repair and maintenance in the same style as an automotive shop, you should consider purchasing a lift for your home garage. A home automotive lift is convenient and it increases your accessibility to making repairs to your own car. This investment can save you money long term as you will not need to take your vehicle to an automotive repair shop for repairs that you can make yourself since you have a lift in your own garage.

Home auto lifts include four posts that pneumatically lift your automobile, providing access to the undercarriage of your car for oil changes, transmission repairs, and more. Home automotive lifts also provide extra storage as you can elevate your vehicle when needed to increase floor space in your garage. Many people who collect antique vehicles use lifts to raise their collection so they can park their every day vehicles underneath.

Automotive Lifts For Automobile Repair Shops

Professional automobile repair shops, garages, and commercial facilities often choose heavier duty auto lifts. Standard models can have one, two, or four lifts, depending on the balance, weight capability, and stability required for the space available to house the lifting equipment.

Heavier lifts require a good bit more maintenance than home auto lifts due to the industrial use. Maintenance for these types of automotive lifts is best left to a professional who is familiar with the workings of the lifts and the proper maintenance of safety features.

One, Two, And Four Post Lifts

Most users find that one post lifts provide the best use of space. Two types of one post lifts include centered lifts and offset lifts. Centered one post lifts are stronger than offset one post lifts, but the offset version allows for parking a vehicle underneath a lifted vehicle, which provides a better use of the space available. Four post automotive lifts allow for the same underneath vehicle parking as offset one post lifts, but the four posts take up more space and require more power to operate. The main advantage of a four post lift over an offset one post lift is the amount of lifting power possible, four times more than a one post lift. The advantages and disadvantages of two post models fall in between the one and four post lifts.

Automotive lifts allow you to approach your vehicle from any direction, providing you with the access to make repairs only able to be done by an automobile repair shop in the past. Whether you seek an auto lift for your home garage or for your commercial repair business, there is a lift to suit your needs.

Samantha Mccartney asked:




Keeping up with all of our responsibilities and to do list is not always an easy thing to do. We are all busy people with busy lives. However it is important that we take care of our responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is our vehicles. We need to take care of them on a regular basis and when they need repairs. We all want to have great looking vehicles and we also should all be concerned with safety. Putting of auto body repairs on your vehicle can really lead you into a web of problems down the road, so be sure to take care of these repairs quickly to prevent that from happening.

One repair that should be taken care of as soon as possible is if your windshield needs repair. If your windshield is cracked or chipped it can be repaired most of the time. Many auto body shops even offer a service that will come to you, wherever you may be whether work or home. However, if you wait too long you will be forced to replace it, which will cost you more time and money. It is very unsafe to drive with a chipped or cracked windshield, so don’t put this off.

Also if you vehicle is missing paint in any area, even a small area, you should get paint touch up. If you do not get the paint touch up done on your vehicle you will be facing more repairs down the road. The paint on your vehicle is a sealant that keeps water from rusting the metal body of your vehicle. Without the protection of the paint your vehicle could begin rusting. Fixing rust of a vehicle is much more expensive and time consuming than getting paint touch up.

Another area to look at on your vehicle is the headlights. If your headlights are cloudy, hazy, or discolored then you are driving unsafely. Headlights in such condition reduce your night vision by 90%, that is a lot. So, if you want to keep safe on the road you will need the service called headlight restoration. You may think it is no big deal. However, since you night vision is reduced so much there is a bigger chance for you to be involved in an accident. That accident will most likely lead to more repairs for your vehicle and you may even have to pay for repairs for the other vehicle involved in the crash. That is a web that I would never want to get caught in.

These are just a few examples of how not getting an auto body repair completed in a timely manner can lead to more and more repairs. That can only mean more and more money out of your wallet and more time out of your schedule. So, don’t get caught in a web of repairs, get your vehicles auto body damage repaired as soon as possible. Start looking for a qualified auto body repair shop today to help you!

Andy West asked:




Car repair coupons are essentially like free money. Every car needs a certain amount of regular maintenance and repairs: oil changes and tune ups to keep it running its best, and replacement parts such as tires, brakes, batteries, and alternators as the old parts wear out. Since you already have to pay for these repairs anyway, these should be used to knock the cost of regular maintenance down a little.

Car repair coupons can be found in a lot of different places. Local auto repair shops often place advertisements and coupons in local newspapers, magazines, and other publications. Online coupon sites, such as Valpak are also a great resource for coupon clippers. Finally, many shops send out their own mailings or post their current specials right on their website. Here are the four types you are most likely to find.

1: Oil changes are the most frequent type of maintenance cars need. By about three thousand miles, the oil and oil filter in your engine start to wear out. Replacing the oil and filter regularly keeps your engine running smoothly, prevents harmful buildup inside your engine, and even helps to maintain optimal gas mileage. Dirty oil, on the other hand, creates buildup that can damage the engine, leads to dried-out and leaky seals and gaskets, and creates more resistance on the engine as it thickens — causing your fuel bill to increase too.

Since oil changes are needed so frequently, there are tons of auto repair shops and quick lube places ready to compete for your business. Because of this, shops almost always include a coupon for a discounted oil change.

2: Tune Ups. After oil changes, tune ups are the next most common repair that car owners have to do: Tune ups typically should be done once a year, or every twenty or thirty thousand miles, depending on the manufacturer’s recommendations. A tune up typically includes replacing the air filter, the spark plugs, PCV valve, and the distributor cap and rotor; some parts only need to be replaced every two or three years, such as the oxygen sensor and the spark plug wires. The mechanic will also visually inspect the car’s various systems to make sure everything is functioning correctly.

All of the potential replacements can make tune ups very expensive, particularly if the mechanic finds something wrong. Auto shops will give you a discount on at least the basic tune up, so that if something else turns out to be wrong, at least the bill won’t hit you quite as hard.

3: Wheel alignment is another one of those things that you should have checked regularly. Most auto repair shops offer an inexpensive wheel alignment check that will tell you if you need your wheel alignment done. Proper wheel alignment produces the least amount of rolling resistance on your car, ensuring that you get the optimum gas mileage; it also causes the entire tread of the tires to make contact with the road as you drive, which spreads the wear out along the entire tread and helps your tires to last longer.

With the expensive but very precise equipment most repair shops use these days, wheel alignments can be pretty expensive. To compete with one another for your business, many repair shops will issue alignment coupons periodically, often offering a significant discount off the normal price.

4: New Tires. With the length of the average commute these days, most people end up needing to buy new tires every couple of years. Since tires can be pretty expensive, many tire shops and service centers send out mailings and print them in local papers. If you know you will need tires soon, be on the lookout for these coupons.

There are many other types of car repair coupons than the four listed above. These are just the most common. You’ll notice as you hunt for coupons that you also find some for replacement windshields, bodywork, and even general repairs. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find a coupon from an auto repair shop that simply states dollars off for any repair work made over a certain amount spent. You’ll find that looking for discounts is like an Easter egg hunt. The coupons are all right there under your nose; you just have to look for them.

kathy f asked:


I have 2 of the old valves in my condo; one under the
kitchen sink for the kitchen and laundry area, and
the 2nd in a closet for the bathroom. I know plumbers
charges are high, but I need to know in advance to prepare for the shock.

Brenda Williams asked:




Have you ever driven down a major highway behind a truck and had a rock fly back in your face? Thank goodness for windshields protecting us against the dangers of debris in the roadway! That’s the good news. The bad news is that sometimes, the debris that flies up into your windshield can actually damage it, forcing you to have it repaired (since it is against the law to drive around with a damaged windshield). The damage may appear in the form of a small nick or dent in the glass; however, over time, this nick will grow and spread out, causing more damage to the windshield if it is not repaired.

Windshield repairs are necessary more often than many people realize. Small cracks often appear in windshields without any warning or after long drives behind trucks or large vehicles that can cause small stones from the road to fly through the air at great speeds. Since cracks in windshields tend to start out small and grow large quickly most people hurry to an auto glass repair shop without exploring the options.

Deciding which windshield repair shop to go to requires a lot of research. Windshield repair requires a specialist to ensure that the replacement is done correctly and safely. Since the windshield plays such an important roll in your vehicles performance it is important that the car owner chooses the best auto repair shop available. This is not a good time to attempt to cut down on price by contacting the cheapest repair company.

In order to avoid being responsible for the brunt of the charges contact your car insurance company to see if they will cover glass repair. Most insurance policies will cover this repair which will make it possible for you to choose a repair shop based on the quality of their service rather than their cost. Also, going through an insurance company will guarantee a hassle free repair. The auto glass company will know that they are going to receive prompt payment from a major company and, in most cases, the repair shop will be one recommended by the insurance company which means that they have previously provided satisfactory work for the insurance companies policy holders.

The next time that you have to get your windshield replaced, a good rule to remember is to never wait until the hole has spider veined out across your windshield because then you could be driving down the highway and suddenly have your entire windshield shatter in your face, which wouldn’t be a good thing either. This could cause a serious accident for you or the people around you. On the other hand, you don’t want to jump up and have your windshield replaced if all you have is a small nick in your windshield because it may take that nick a while to finally expand out into a spider vein. It may not even spider out at all, which would mean that you would’ve wasted all of that money.

Craig Wilson asked:




Like it or not, if we use our cars for what they are designed for they will need regular servicing and repairs, some more than others too! Bearing in mind the other costs associated with vehicle ownership and the humble motor car suddenly takes on the look of a necessary evil. The servicing and repair costs are one area where we stand to save ourselves some money if we are educated in the ways to do this.

No, I am not talking about everyone taking Motor Mechanics 101 at their local college and trading their good clothes for a pair of overalls, what I am talking about is being educated and informed on certain aspects of how the auto repair industry works. For instance, many workshops will use only genuine replacement parts and charge for these accordingly when the aftermarket equivalent may be many times cheaper and superior in quality. Heck, some aftermarket parts even offer a warranty that exceeds the warranty offered on the genuine part!

Knowing if a particular service or repair is needed or whether it is simply an ‘up-sell’ can potentially save you thousands of dollars over the life of your car. When taking your vehicle in for routine maintenance or even a breakdown repair we are often faced with additional items that need to be carried out, but how do we know if these are absolutely necessary or even needed? These ‘required’ services can turn a low profit job into a gold mine for the workshop owner.

We are really at the mercy of the mechanic when we have limited knowledge of our motor vehicles and make no mistake, he knows this. Someone that has no idea about the working of their car can seriously stand to lose quite a bit of money to dishonest workshop operators. Simply knowing how to spot the difference between an honest, reliable mechanic and one that sees you and your car as another mortgage payment or funding for their next family vacation, can not only save you thousands of dollars but can also save you from frustration when the job is not done correctly.

Sure there are good, honest mechanics out there, but there are also a number of sharks that will take you for all they can. With a little bit of education this situation can be turned around to our advantage and taking the car in for repairs will no longer feel as painful as having a tooth pulled!

Bruce asked:


Tried cleaning all pieces. Made rope of plumbers putty, slipped it under flange and then tightened down. Looks like most of putty oozed out. water does not drip from under sink, it just runs into drain.

Barry Newton asked:




Ok you have sandpapered all the rust off, filled it with body filler and painted it and you are pleased with the rust removal repair. A couple of weeks later you walk out and notice a bubble on the paintwork in exactly the same place you did your repair and you have to start the rust removal repair all over again. How can this happen?

Well here is the main reason:

Preparation. This is the most important part of the rust removal process. If you don’t get this right then the rest of the repair will be a disaster. First you need to mask of the area that you do not want to be touched. This is tedious but if you want your repair to look professional then it is a must. Use masking tape and brown paper. Next grind or sandpaper the rust until you are back to shiny metal. Now this is where a lot of rust removal repairs go wrong. You need to be thorough.

Even if a black dot of rust left it will spread again like a cancer and you will eventually be back to where you were before. If you do find a black dot of rust you do not want to keep sanding this down as it you will wear the metal down to a point that it is so thin that it will be susceptible to rust again and defeats the whole purpose of the original rust removal.

One way I use to get rid of them is to drill a hole right through the centre of that pesky dot until it has disappeared. One or two tiny holes made by an 1/8th part drill will not cause any weakness to the panel and you can cover them with filler after a good brush with rust treatment, Any larger holes should be fixed with glass fibre and even larger holes will have to have a patch welded in. So if you sand the panel down and still get black patch say bigger than the size of your thumbnail stop there and seek professional advice, unless you have access to the correct body work equipment and know how to do the larger repair.

Assuming it is not a big job the next common mistake is using body filler. Even some professionals will fill the repair and and leave it overnight uncovered. In the morning they return to the job and spray it with primer then the top coat. Little do the know that body filler is porous and attracts moisture. It will go unseen and lie dormant until one fine day when the moisture will rise to the surface and raise its ugly head. You won’t see it until a bubble appears on your paintwork.

In order to prevent this happening, you must spray the body filler as soon as you can with a protective coat even of top coat and you can sand it off in the morning. I have even taken a welding torch over the top of my repair to heat the filler and eliminate any moisture. Do not take the chance that it is bone dry or you will live to regret it.

This is a very brief summary of how to remove rust and make a good long lasting rust repair. It is not a difficult repair and these tips could save you a ton of money in repair bills. If you want to know how to repair dents and other motoring money saving tips please visit my Auto Repair site.