Written on 4:59 PM by Unknown
due to a strong phinshing attack our website withstood!
sincere appologies to those affected
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Written on 4:52 PM by Unknown
our site was attacked !
sorry for the inconvinience
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Written on 7:55 PM by Unknown

Replace a Torn Window Screen
Time: An hour for a first-timer. (It will go quicker after that.)
What you need: A flathead screwdriver, scissors, a utility knife, mesh-screening material ($7 for a small roll), spline ($3.50), and a spline
rolling tool ($3.50; all available at
lowes.com).
How-to:Step 1.
Remove the screen (on its frame) from the window. It usually pops out,
or it may be held in by clips. Place it on a flat
surface and use a screwdriver to pry off the
spline―the strip of rubber or plastic that holds the screening in the
frame.
Step 2. Align the new mesh on top of the frame, keeping
the grid straight. With scissors, cut the replacement screen to the
size
of the outer edge of the frame. Cut a small
square from each corner (about the width of the frame) to prevent the
material
from bunching where the edges meet.
Step 3. Starting in one corner and working your way up one side, push the screen into the channel with the convex (pointy) end of
the spline rolling tool. The goal is to achieve a slight indentation; no need to jam it in.
Step 4.
Before moving on to another side, insert the spline. Use the concave
end of the spline rolling tool to push the cord into
the channel over the top of the screen; hold the
screen as you go so it doesn’t bunch. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the
remaining
sides.
Step 5. Push the spline into the corners with a screwdriver. Cut the spline overhang with scissors. Use a utility knife to trim the
excess screen around the frame.
A pro charges: $75, plus $14 for supplies
DIY cost: $14 for supplies
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Written on 7:54 PM by Unknown
Secure a Window That Slides Down
Time: 30 minutes.
What you need: A ruler or dowel, a pair of window controls ($3.50,
hardwarestore.com), box nails ($1 each,
lowes.com), a hammer, a measuring tape, and a pencil.
How-to:
Step 1. Push up the window as high as you will want it to open; use a ruler or a dowel to hold it in that position.
Step 2.
Place a window control in the channel on one side. Align the top edge
of the control with the bottom of the sash; nail it
into place. (The wavy part of the control holds
the window up and, when pushed in, allows the window to slide over it
and
close.)
Step 3. Measure the distance between the nails and the sill and mark the same distance for the other channel. Nail the second control
into place.
Step 4. Remove the ruler or dowel and lower the window.
A pro charges: $75
DIY cost: $7.50 for supplies
|
Written on 7:51 PM by Unknown

Repair a Small Crack in Drywall
Time: 30 minutes of active work, plus 25 minutes of drying time.
What you need: Spackle ($3.50,
homedepot.com), a putty knife ($6,
homedepot.com), a fan or hair dryer, fine-grit sandpaper, interior-latex primer, a small paintbrush or roller, and paint (ideally left
over from when you painted the room).
How-to:Step 1. Scoop enough Spackle on the putty knife to cover the crack. Spread it over the flaw completely. Do not scrape away the excess.
Step 2. Aim a fan at the spot or blast it with a hair dryer set on low for 10 to 15 minutes to expedite drying.
Step 3. Once it’s dry, sand the surface lightly with sandpaper until the patch is smooth and flush with the wall.
Step 4. To disguise your handiwork, apply a thin coat of primer using a small brush or roller. Run the fan or hair dryer for three
minutes to promote faster drying.
Step 5. Apply two coats of matching wall paint. Use the fan or dryer for two to three minutes after each coat.
A pro charges: $75
DIY cost: $0, after the initial $9.50 for supplies
Posted in
Home,
Repairs
|
Written on 7:54 PM by Unknown

Replace a Doorknob
Time: 10 minutes
What you need: A Phillips screwdriver, a doorknob set (which comes with screws; $20 and up), and a thin nail or paperclip.
How-to: The directions that follow are for doorknobs with hidden screws. See screws on the outside of the knob? You’re in luck: Yours
will be even easier to install than the model shown here. Jump down to the note below.
Step 1.
Look for a small hole on the outside knob (A). Push a nail (or a
paperclip) into it and the inside knob (B) should come off,
revealing a faceplate (C) secured by screws.
Remove those and the faceplate and the outside knob will come off.
Step 2. Unscrew the latch plate (D) and remove the latch assembly.
Step 3. Insert the new latch, curved side facing the direction in which the door closes. Fasten latch plate with the screws.
Step 4.
Position the new faceplate on the inside of the door and the outside
knob on the other side. Thread the spindle (the finger-length
shaft) through the faceplate and latch and
into the knob.
Step 5. Drive the screws through the faceplate and the latch and into the base of the outside knob.
Step 6. Slide the inside knob onto the other end of the spindle. Turn until it clicks into place.
Note:
For doorknobs with exposed screws, undo the screws and both knobs will
come off. Unscrew the latch plate and remove the latch
assembly. Insert the new latch and fasten, as
in step 3 above. One knob will have a spindle attached to it. Thread
the spindle
through the door and latch assembly so it
pokes out the other side. Slide the base of the second knob onto the end
of the
spindle. Fasten with the screws.
A pro charges: $75, plus the cost of a new knob
DIY cost: $20 and up for a new knob
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Written on 7:52 PM by Unknown

Fix a Faucet That Spits
Time: Five minutes.
What you need: Two rags, an adjustable wrench or pliers, painter’s or masking tape, dish detergent, a sponge, and a wire brush.
How-to:
Chances are you have a dirty aerator―the mesh piece located inside the
tip of the faucet. All you have to do is take it out
and clean it. (If it’s beyond repair, buy a
replacement at a hardware store.) Before you start, place one rag over
the drain
to catch any falling parts and spread another on
the counter so you can lay the pieces on it. Cover the jaws of the
wrench
or pliers with tape to avoid scratches. Unscrew
the tip of the faucet, turning it counterclockwise with your fingers or,
if
it’s on too tight, one of the tools. The aerator
may be made up of several components. Set them down in the order you
remove
them. Wash each with warm water, dish detergent,
and a sponge; use a wire brush for caked-on grime. Reassemble the parts
in
the reverse order, screw the unit back on―and
overflow with pride.
A pro charges: $100
DIY cost: $0
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Written on 7:42 PM by Unknown

The most cost effective first step is to buy an amplifier wiring kit off of an internet auction site, etc.
This will come with a huge power wire, a short ground wire, a remote
wire, and many times an inline fuse and various connectors to help keep
the install organized and looking clean. Some stereo shops have huge
spools of wire available by the foot. This is another cost effective
alternative to buying a wiring kit, if you know the dimensions of your
car.
Run the 12v power wire (usually the longest wire in
the kit, mostly red, typically ranges from 8 gauge to 0 gauge) from the
battery through the firewall and then to the amp. You can find a
hole somewhere in the bottom right of the firewall. Don't connect the
power wire to the battery or the amp just yet.
Find a solid metal ground somewhere near the amplifier.
You'll need to stay within 2-3 feet of the amplifier to maintain the
best ground connection. A way you can do this is pull up the carpet and
scrape the metal until it is bare metal with no paint left on it. If the
amplifier is to be mounted in the trunk, many times bolts from the
suspension can be found directly above one of the rear wheels. These
suspension components usually bolt directly to the frame, making them an
ideal grounding point.
Pull the aftermarket CD player out of the dash.
There is a blue wire with a white stripe hanging out of the back of the
deck known as the remote wire. The remote wire is a simple 12v signal
that the cd player outputs to tell the amplifier to turn on.
Take your remote wire
that came in your amp kit and splice/solder it onto that blue and
white-striped wire and run it through the dash and then along the door
jam.
While you have the CD player removed, plug the RCA white and red plugs into the back of the deck where it says "Subwoofer Output."
If your cd player does not have a "Subwoofer Output", or if you are
using a stock cd player, you will need a device called an inline
converter. It's a small box that has 4 input wires and the 2 necessary
RCA output that will run to the amplifier. It takes the high level
speaker voltage and drops it to a low level signal the amplifier can
process. The 4 input wires can be connected to the rear speakers (+ and -
for left and right).
Run all the wires straight back to the amplifier.you
should run the power and remote control down the right as factory
speaker wires run down the left due to fire risks if the power cable
shorts out and you have your speaker cables down the same side it will
blow your head deck (cd player). RCA cables should be run down the
center of the car as RCA cables can pick up sounds from wire looms and
also air con vents power wires.
Use Speaker Wire to connect subwoofers to amplifier.
Gauge isn't extremely important here, as long as the wire is copper,
the resistance-per-foot is in the milliohm range, meaning there will be
miniscule, if any, voltage drop across the wire.
Hopefully by now you have a subwoofer box/enclosure.
There are many different types of enclosures (sealed, vented, bandpass,
infinite baffle, etc.). There are numerous articles explaining the pros
and cons of each type of enclosure, far too many to list in this
article. If you really want the best response possible, your subwoofer
manual will list the ideal enclosure volume for each type of enclosure.
If you don't want to go through all of the volume calculations, just buy
a box slightly bigger, and stuff it with pillow stuffing from walmart
until the subs respond the way you want them to.
Be sure to know the impedance of the subwoofer(s) you are using and try to match the amplifier's impedance accordingly.
For example, if you have an amp that is 500w @ 4 ohms, and 1000w @ 2
ohms, you'll want to try to run your speakers at 2 ohms. Two 4 ohm subs
can be wired in parallel to achieve this. If you're new to the impedance
calculations, many amplifiers will have specific wiring diagrams in
their manuals to assist.
Put a fuse into 12v wire in the engine bay no more than 0.5m
away from battery. If your amp kit came with an "inline fuse holder",
you'll want to find a nice location to mount it in your engine bay. Once
it's secure, cut a length of the power wire to reach the fuse, and
connect it to one side of the fuse holder. The other side (the side you
just cut) is stripped and connected to the other side of the fuse
holder.
Connect the power wire to your battery.
There's nice ring connectors and even new battery terminals you can buy
(and sometimes come with the amp kit), that make the battery connection
much more solid, and looks better too.
Lastly, connect the battery cable to the amplifier.
Then under the hood clamp the wire down to the battery. A word of
warning, sometimes you'll see a nice big spark the first time you touch
the power wire to the battery. Don't worry about it! This is the
amplifier charging the huge capacitors contained inside
Do not turn up the volume or gain too high or you may produce clipping in the subwoofers.
This is where the output of the amplifier peaks and stays there for a
split-second. This is bad for the subwoofer because it holds the cone
(the big circle part!) in it's fully extended or fully compressed state
for the duration of the clip. Not only are you not producing a single
decibel of sound during this microsecond, but you're also working the
voice coil very hard and damaging it. A good rule for beginners is to
play a nice loud song of your genre at your cd players 3/4 volume
setting. Now, with the gain at zero, turn it up until it's obvious that
it isn't getting any louder. The gain knob isn't a "volume" knob by any
means. A gain knob should usually never be at it's full position.
|
Written on 7:38 PM by Unknown
Let's see why
there is water inside the lamp assemblies in the first place. As the
outside temperature goes down and your nice warm headlamps cool off
(either from being in the sun or just from being turned on), cooler,
moister outside air trickles into the housings. The housings are vented
top and bottom to allow for pressure differences, or they would quickly
crack and fail. When the clear plastic lens is even a little bit cooler
than the air inside the housing, droplets of moisture will condense on
the inside of the lens. That’s normal. When the outside temperatures
come back up in the morning, the moisture will evaporate.
Some vehicles don’t vent as well as others. Some drivers keep their cars
parked in shady, damp areas or in cool, damp underground parking
structures. And the moisture collects not as tiny droplets of mist but
as what looks more like raindrops, and can even run down the glass and
pool inside the housing.
Check to see if there’s a Technical Service Bulletin for your make and
model of vehicle. If so, there may be a retrofit housing or an upgrade
to the venting system. If not, you’re on your own. The first thing to
try, if all you have is droplets, is to leave your headlights on while
driving for a couple of hours, forcing the moisture off. If you have a
spoonful or more splashing around, you may need to remove the housing
and dry it out. Pour off the excess water, then add a few ounces of
rubbing alcohol to the housing, sloshing it around and pouring it out.
Repeat. Let the housing dry for a couple of hours in the sun or inside a
nice warm house, preferably in some air that’s moving. Check that any
vents aren’t plugged with spider eggs or mud. Install the housing and
try to park facing south.

Posted in
Car,
tips,
Work
|
Written on 7:36 PM by Unknown
As cars become more computerized and more connected, how much data
is my vehicle collecting about my driving, and who has access to that
information?

A modern car knows where you are, is constantly tracking your driving
habits, and may even be able to call for help if you crash. It's
revolutionary, potentially lifesaving—and just a bit creepy. Most of a
vehicle's computers are scattered around the car and carry out mundane
tasks—operating the engine and transmission, windows, seats, and the
radio—and these computers don't have data-storage capability.However, the airbag-deployment controller is a bit different. It
contains a component called the event data recorder (EDR), which
monitors the vehicle's network of sensors for signs of a crash and
stores a few seconds of the data stream, dumping and refreshing the
information constantly. The type of information collected in the EDR
varies among manufacturers, but it generally includes throttle and
brake-pedal position, steering angle, yaw rate (the vehicle's rotational
velocity), speed, and impact-sensor data. This information is saved
permanently following an airbag deployment and can be accessed through
the OBD-II port by a technician using specialized equipment. EDRs have
been used since the 1990s and have recently been standardized by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—EDRs will be
required equipment on all cars beginning in 2013, with the aim of making
their data easier to obtain for crash investigations. Lawyers have used
this data in court cases to demonstrate driver behavior during an
accident. In a Pennsylvania lawsuit related to the Toyota Prius
unintended-acceleration controversy of 2009 and 2010, a team of Toyota
engineers and NHTSA officials accessed the EDR of the car in question,
showing that the driver was depressing the gas pedal instead of the
brake, as he'd claimed.
Most navigation systems are separate from a car's computers and cannot
track your location. Nav systems rely on the Global Positioning System,
which is a one-way data stream to the car. Your car may know where it
is, but nobody can track it via the GPS link, and no location data is
stored in the EDR.
But everything changes when you add a cellular connection. Cars equipped
with telematics systems such as OnStar or Hyundai Blue Link have
two-way links to service providers that relay GPS data. The operators of
these services do, indeed, have the ability to see where you are, how
fast you're going, and what state your car is in mechanically. They can
also track and remotely disable a stolen vehicle. The Nissan Leaf uses a
similar two-way connection to regularly send data on usage and location
to Nissan, which the company uses for future electric vehicle
development. But these services aren't supposed to work without driver
permission. The car can initiate a call in an emergency situation, such
as when an airbag is deployed, but otherwise the driver must authorize
an external connection to the vehicle.
Companies have been caught snooping, though. OnStar found itself in the
midst of a public uproar last September when it quietly changed contract
terminology and started tracking customers with the intent of selling
information about their driving habits. OnStar reversed the policy under
pressure from consumers and Congress. Recently, insurance companies
Progressive and State Farm have begun testing tracking systems, which
policyholders plug into their OBD-II port. The systems record data on
driving habits, and in exchange customers can potentially get lower
insurance premiums, but any data collected belongs to the insurer
(including any crash data).
What can you do about it? If you're a new-car buyer, not much. But pay
close attention to the language of the user agreement for any telematics
service—if you don't like what you read, opt out of the service. With
EDRs, it's enough simply to know your rights. The law is still playing
catch-up to the technology, but at this point you do not have to
surrender the EDR data to the police without probable cause, a warrant,
or a subpoena.
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Written on 7:32 PM by Unknown

A brief but very
effective guide to changing the oil in your car. A simple necessity to
prolong the lifetime value of a valuable asset. Learn how to do a
perfect oil filter change with VideoJug's help.
Step 1: You will need
- 1 jack, hydraulic or mechanical
- 2 jack stands
- 1 wedge or more
- 1 new engine oil
- 1 funnel
- 1 new oil filter
- 1 chain wrench
- 1 combination spanner
- new drain sealing washer
- large open container
- 1 empty sealable container
- 1 a plastic bag or a sealable zip bag
- old newspapers
- rags
- 1 pair of work gloves
Step 2: Warm up the engine
Part
of preparing this job is to drive your car around the block for 2 to 3
minutes before you start. Running the engine will heat the oil. The hot
oil is thinner and will drain more easily and completely from the
engine.
When the temperature gauge indicates that the engine is warm you can drive back and get stuck in.
Step 3: SAFETY WARNING
Don't
run the car too hot to avoid skin burns when touching engine parts
later. Wait for 2 hours if the car is hot from a long drive.
Step 4: Set up a safe working environment
Park the vehicle on a solid and level surface. Make sure the workspace is well lit.
Shift automatic cars into the parking position,
in manual cars shift into first gear, and engage the parking brake firmly.
Turn the ignition off.
Release the bonnet with the lever in the interior. You will have to open the bonnet at a later stage.
Block the tires with a wedge for added safety.
Now line up your tools close to the car- You don't want to start searching when you are under the car.
Step 5: SAFETY WARNING
Take extra care when securing your vehicle. You will have to work under the car and you want to rule out any risks.
Step 6: Access car's underside
You
will need to get under your car for an oil change. If you have a pit
you are lucky to have easy access, otherwise you will have to carry out
this job by sliding under the car.
Most likely you will have to raise the car on jack stands to have enough room.
Apply
the jack at the lip running along the frame. Raise the car with a
mechanical or hydraulic jack and settle it on jack stands.
Repeat this process on the other side of the car.
Step 7: SAFETY WARNING
Never get underneath a car supported by a jack alone. Use additional jack stands.
Step 8: Protect the floor
Unfold the newspaper and spread it widely under the engine. Have the empty waste oil container ready to be used under the car.
Step 9: Locate the oil drain plug
You
will now have to slide under the car to locate the oil drain plug. The
drain plug is found at lowest point of the engine closest to the ground.
Look for a big nut with a washer underneath.
Step 10: SAFETY WARNING
Do
not confuse the oil drain plug with the transmission drain plug. The
oil drain plug is generally smaller and can be easily recognised by the
bigger heat of the metal surrounding it. If in doubt consult a service
technician.
Step 11: Remove oil drain plug
Wear work
gloves if you want to keep your hands clean. Take a spanner with the
appropriate size and place it over the drain plug nut. Applying a little
force, turn the spanner counter-clockwise and dislodge the nut. Use
your fingers to turn the nut slightly loose. Keep the nut in the thread,
though, don't undo it all the way.
Slide the empty waste oil
container under the drain plug. Make sure it will be right under the
stream. Remove the plug entirely and store it in a safe location. Get
your face out of the way of the hot oil stream and slide out from under
the car.
Let the oil drain completely. The initial stream will subside after about 2 minutes.
Step 12: TOP TIP !
Let the oil drain for up to an hour. This is worth the time, as you will get rid of almost all the old oil.
Step 13: Vent the oil system
Now we have to open the bonnet to get access to the engine from above.
Move the bonnet catch for final release.
Lift the bonnet and secure it with the prop rod.
To
drain the oil completely we have to let air enter the system, so first
remove the oil filler cap and keep it on the engine block.
Next identify the oil dipstick.
Look for removable thin metal strip. Remove the dipstick entirely.
Posted in
Car,
Mechanics,
Work
|
Written on 7:38 PM by Unknown

The sunroof in my Pontiac Sunfire has been getting fussy lately.
Sometimes it initially won't close but finally does after a few tries,
and it's making some bizarre popping and scraping sounds. With winter
coming up, I want to get it fixed. Can I do this myself?
You'd think sunroofs would be just as reliable as power windows, but
turning a sliding panel on its side makes the mechanics far more
difficult. A sunroof doesn't just slide back and forth; its mechanism
must also tilt the panel up and down to accommodate the sliding and
venting motions. So in addition to the electric motors and switches and
slides in windows, sunroofs have plenty of additional parts—which are
typically the ones that break. Popping and scraping noises are generally
not happy sounds for cars to make; in a sunroof they indicate surfaces
binding, drive gears slipping, or, put plainly, that something
mechanical isn't working correctly. It'll probably break for good when
it's least convenient (and raining).
There are two approaches to repairing an ailing sunroof: the first is to
fix what you've got, the second is to replace the whole megillah. All
the greasy bits of sunroofs live between the roof sheet metal and the
headliner. Before you start pulling the car apart, find a place to work
inside or check the weather forecast—being caught with a hole in the
roof during a downpour wouldn't be fun. The first thing to try is
removing the glass panel. If you can, tilt the sunroof panel to the
"vent" position, which should give access to the screws holding the
panel. Remove them, and with the sunroof glass off, you should gain
access to the moving parts for an easy inspection. Look for cracked or
stripped gears, a buildup of dirt and debris, or anything else that
looks like a problem. With the glass panel still off, turn on the car
and cycle the roof control through the open, close, and vent positions
to identify problems.
In your case, it sounds like you might be able to get away with
replacing the gear on the motor at the front of the sunroof, but without
opening it up, it's impossible to know. If you do find and fix the
problem, clean everything, then slather it with lithium or marine grease
for smooth future operation. If you find nothing, don't bother putting
the sunroof back together because you're just going to end up removing
it all anyway. Installing a new sunroof is a big job—you'll have to take
off the interior trim around the door pillars as well as any overhead
handles or dome lights, then pull the headliner down, disconnect the
sunroof wiring harness, and unbolt the whole mechanism. It's in one big
rectangular piece called a cassette, which should swap for the new piece
without any fight. Be sure to do a function test before putting the
interior back together; it may need a little jiggle for a perfect
alignment. To answer your final question, yes, you can do this repair,
but it's complicated enough that it may be worth the cost to have a
mechanic do it.
|
Written on 7:46 PM by Unknown

Car and Truck Air Filters? For
those of you accustomed to doing some maintenance on your car, this
discussion is of interest to you. You may have heard previously that
your car or truck "has an air filter." Actually, it has at least two -
and perhaps three or more. However, we are only going to be talking
about just one filter: the one that filters the air coming into your
automobile passenger cabin from the outside.
What Is A Cabin Air Filter?
With exception to perhaps a very few cars or trucks, most modern
vehicles come with heat and air-conditioning systems. In most vehicles,
air circulates within the passenger cabin, and originates from one of
two places: from within the cabin itself, or from the outside
environment.
How Does It Work?
On most vehicles'
air-conditioning control console there is a button depicting a circular
icon with an arrow suggesting some kind of cycle. This button stands for
"air recirculation." When activated, this control causes the air within
your car or truck passenger cabin to recirculate to be reheated or
re-cooled.
When the recirculation button is turned off, a vent
within your car's ducting system causes air to be drawn from the only
other place available: the outside.
Now in order to avoid having
the interior of your car or truck become dusty or suck up an
accumulation of leaves, bugs, and other unwanted goodies from the
outside world, your car's manufacturer has thoughtfully provided the
outside intake vent with a filter. Some of these filters do such a good
job of separating incoming air from irritants such as dust and pollen,
some people seek respite from ambient dirty air by sitting inside their
car.
Why Does The Cabin Air Filter Need Replacement?
The problem with this filter is that it does its job too well.
By catching nearly every particle - from pollen up to small leaves and
twigs - this filter gets clogged within a few months, sometimes even
within a few weeks. When this happens, your air conditioning air fan has
to work especially hard at drawing air through the now-clogged filter.
When this happens, all of that incoming fresh air is drawn through the
thick layer of crud that has already been filtered from previous volumes
of air.
That fresh air, after coming through a dirty filter, is now not-so-fresh.
The air passing through that soiled filter now poses a possible health
threat to those within the passenger cabin. The accumulation of mold,
mildew, pollen, dust, and other nasty particles can make for an
unhealthy - sometimes hazardous - and often smelly breathing space.
Not Replacing It Could Be Dangerous
If you don't change your car or truck cabin air filter, eventually the
filter will rot and break apart. This can cause damage to your system's
air fan, and may cause it to stop running altogether. If the air fan is
not allowed to turn freely and thus move at least some air with which
to cool its motor, the motor itself may overheat - thus causing it to
either burn out and possibly create an electrical fire.
How Often Should You Replace The Filter?
This said, it goes without saying that you should change your cabin
air filter regularly. Just how often depends upon several factors.
If you use your air conditioning or heating system all the time, you
may need to change your cabin air filter as often as every several
months. If you live in a wet and sometimes moldy climate, you may think
about changing it even more frequently. In areas that are dry and
particularly dusty, you may have to change the cabin air filter just as
often. If you operate your car or truck in a place that is somewhat
temperate and not too dusty, you might be able to get away with changing
the filter only once a year.
Save Some Money: Change It Yourself
Let's face it, professional car and truck repair is expensive.
Even if it's simple to do, to have someone else replace your passenger
cabin air filter is an invitation to an expensive repair bill. Many
mechanics make lots of money within the first hour or two that they work
on your vehicle. For something as simple as replacing your cabin air
filter - which may take all of ten minutes - you may get charged a
minimum labor fee of one hour.
This said, why not just change it yourself?
Find Out How
Depending on how you are car or truck is designed, changing the cabin air filter could be easy, or really hard.
If you've never done work like this before, it's best to rally up the
support of a friend with some know-how, and preferably who has worked on
cars before. Do some Internet searches together to find out the steps
for replacing your car or truck cabin air filter. Preferably, you would
find some instructions that provide pictures.
If an Internet
search doesn't do the job, then you may have to buy or borrow a service
manual showing the replacement procedure.
In the absence of any
available instructions like this, consult with a friendly automotive
mechanic who might be willing to show you the location of your car's
cabin air filter. Assuming you had a fresh filter in your hand at the
time you asked the mechanic, he might be willing to just show you how to
do the replacement. Maybe even for free!
Uh... I Haven't Changed Mine Lately!
I recently was doing some unscheduled maintenance on my car, when I
inadvertently found the cover that protects my cabin air filter from
direct exposure to the outside elements. The cover keeps rain, direct
wind, and most airborne debris from striking my car's cabin air filter.
As an extra protective measure, my car's cabin air intake is positioned
to take up air from underneath my car's hood to further ensure minimal
exposure to outside debris.
No matter how well the filter is protected, it will still accumulate dirt and crud over time.
Luckily for you, I can show you what my car's cruddy filter looks like! See the accompanying pictures.
Some Tips
Upon pulling your car's old cabin air filter, be careful not to flip
it up or turn it over. If it's really old, make certain not to tear it -
thus allowing dirt and filter pieces to fall downward into your car or
truck air system.
Before inserting the new filter, I bought a
can of Lysol and sprayed it liberally into the intake vent while the air
system blower was running. By doing this, disinfectant strikes the fan
and the ducting within my car's air system, thus killing any resident
mold or mildew.
Again, see the accompanying pictures. Change your
car's cabin air filter as often as needed - definitely at least once a
year. Good luck!
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