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Archive for the ‘Car Maintenance Info’ Category

If you want to save time and frustration when buying a used car then then read on.

Landcruisers are a range of sturdy cars designed by Toyota from Japan. They are widely popular in areas that require durability, reliability and off road performance. The cars were launched as competitors to vehicles like Jeep and Land Rover. The landcruiser wreckers are used parts that are sold to customers at comparatively lower prices. There are companies engaged in the activity of wrecking landcruisers and putting up part of the cars for sale. Landcruiser wreckers widely function at places in Australia like Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Queensland etc.

The basic function carried out by a car wrecker at a junkyard is dismantling of wrecked vehicles which are brought, selling their usable parts and recycling the metal parts that are left over as scraps. Often the high demand parts of popular vehicles like the landcruisers are kept at the salvage yards warehouse and sold to customers at much reduced prices as and when the demand arises.

The parts that are usually removed and sold from landcruisers are:

Light assemblies (headlights, blinkers, taillights)

Car seats

Parts of the exhaust system

Mirrors

Tiers

Engine and transmission (usually sold back to the auto company)

Buying car parts for luxury cars like Toyota invites surcharges which can be avoided by buying the parts from Toyota landcruiser wreckers. This could bring down the car maintenance cost by a considerable amount. However, you may have a concern about buying used car parts. Here are some tips to help you in buying used parts:

1.Find a reliable wrecker for getting authentic parts.

2.Some wreckers provide a guarantee on the car parts being sold.

3.Some parts sold are not used at all. They land up to wreckers as surplus from manufacturers. They are sold to wreckers because they are unwanted.

4.Look for surplus leftovers before you go into used car parts.

5.Many wreckers refund the amount paid incase results are not satisfactory within stipulated period of time.

Apart from landcruisers, other Toyota cars that are dismantled at some of the junkyards are Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Aristo, Toyota Aurion, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Avensis, Toyota Camry, Toyota Celica, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Cressida, Toyota Seca, Toyota Echo, Toyota Hiace, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Kluger amongst other Toyota cars.

Some of the most well known Toyota landcruiser wreckers in the business are:

Gold Coast 4WD wreckers.

B.I.P Toyota Wreckers, Melbourne.

Sunshine Wreckers.

This apart, some of the part can be found online. If you are not anywhere near a Toyota wrecker you can order for the parts online or browse through informations on the parts. Some websites you can visit are ones like PartsOnline.com.au, 4WDwreckers.com and findapart.com.au.

For the recreational car hobbyist, there are few better places to buy parts than on eBay. Think of it like this: if an auto parts swap meet had a child with Godzilla then eBay Motors would be their offspring. Here are the reasons why the Internet is the best place to buy parts:

1. Convenience: Thanks to the Internet, people can buy things online when they want and where they want (at work, in the comfort of their home, wherever) and they don’t have to wait any longer for the first Saturday of the month when the swap meet happens.

2. Quality assurance: Which is better: car parts that can be had really, really cheap on eBay, and other such sites, or haggling over a part by some fast-talking guy who knows there’s something wrong with the part but won’t budge on price?

3. Lots of choice: You may not get the price you want at the swap meet, but you need the part, so you’re willing to spend a little more for it. The great thing about eBay is that you can pass on the stuff you don’t like because you know something similar will probably come along shortly.

4. Price: At the swap meet you can barter back and forth, but it involves some give and take on both sides. Neither of you end up with the dollar figure you want. On eBay, though, you can set your price. If you don’t get it at that price, you can revisit your bid, but if you ride the auction till the end and bid just a dollar over the last bid, you’ll have a great chance of winning the bid at a price you’ll be happy with.

5. Background check: EBay has a feedback rating which allows you to check up on how well the seller has lived up to their word. But at the swap meet, all you have to go on is your gut instinct when you’re face to face with the guy who’s trying to push his parts on you.

6. Pay any way: Many sellers on eBay, though PayPal, accept checks, money orders, and credit cards. At the swap meet you’re either exchanging parts or cash. Paying for parts with a credit card lets you put off the payment until it’s convenient for you.

7. Warranty: On eBay, you actually get a warranty when you buy products from them. The warranty is offered by eBay, and your credit card has a “chargeback” option, too, to protect you from getting ripped off. Was there a warranty at the last swap meet you were at?

EBay Motors is a great place to find cheap car parts. The prices and convenience is unbeatable. Forget those old swap meets, stay home, stay in your pajamas, and click for more convenience and savings.

In life, we need to work along with our goals to attain true success. But this is not just rocket science. It demands proper practical steps that have to be followed gradually. If you’re working towards a five year goal plan for example, you can’t just start achieving all the goals at once. You need to take them step by step in order of importance. This is what I call ORGANIZING. Productive people are always organized in what they do. They plan their time well and delegate each action in order of priority.

Being organized is a way of planning for success. In fact, it is living success before attaining success. It works with the body, mind, and hands. I said hands because it involves writing out your goals. There are so many techniques which could be used to organize your daily life and become more productive. But I will focus mainly on making a to-do list in this part.

A to-do list, as the name implies is simply a clearly written list of activities or goals an individual aims to achieve. It could be daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly. I find it most convenient using a daily to-do list. This is because I can consistently keep up with it. This could be written in order of time, priority or whatever you feel is okay for you. Here is an example below;

Activities for today

1. Tidy up

2. Prayer

3. Car maintenance

4. Publish issue#2 of e-zine

5. Attend psychology lectures

6. Meet with group members……………

It could be an endless list of goals to be achieved. But the one unique feature of a to-do list is brevity. That is, it’s always short and brief. It is a list one needs to scribble through quickly and have in an easily accessible place like a notepad or a personal billboard or wall. The most important thing is that it should be in a place where you can easily read it and follow through.

Activities which have been accomplished could be crossed or marked out in a clear, neat and understandable manner. For example;

1. Tidy up

2. Prayer

3. Attend chemistry lectures

4. Publish issue#2 of ezine

5. Visit bank

6. Evening date……………

Depending on your style, you could use any pattern you feel is best for you or you prefer. The most important thing is that it works properly for you.

The benefits of having a to-do list are countless. Personally, it has helped me plan my time better and has improved my time management skills. It has also made me see myself as a more valuable individual. This helps me in developing a higher sense of responsibility. Another important benefit is that it has helped me achieve a lot within a short time frame. It has created a stronger sense of fulfillment and self-esteem in me, as an individual.

Having a to-do list makes you know what is more important and less important. It helps you in time management and prevents unnecessary anxiety and haste. An individual who keeps himself conscious of his time and goals gets more respect and is seen as a leader figure. Organization is the key to fulfillment. Remember to always plan your day in advance. To be continued…….

For more info visit http://www.sahbadmotivation.blogspot.com

If you own a car you know how expensive it can be to replace it. In these tougher economic times it makes sense to give your car regular maintenance so that you can not only keep the car running in tip top shape but so that you don’t have to replace the car too soon.

Every 2 Weeks

A good mechanic will tell you that every couple of weeks (or 3,000 miles) you should check the engine oil, transmission fluid and coolant. Keep a written record so you know when you need to check these items again. You will want to change the oil and oil filter about every six months.

Monthly

About once a month you should check the tire pressure. Having properly inflated tires will not only help reduce wear and tear on the tires but means you will use less gas to run the car.

At 6 Months or More

Every six months or so you should rotate the tires and once a year you should flush the radiator, replace the anti-freeze and check the air conditioning system. It is a good idea to change the spark plugs at around 24,000 miles or every two years. As well you should change the automatic transmission fluid and filter.

Brakes should be checked every 50,000 miles or so. If they need to be replaced make sure you take your car to a licensed mechanic and it’s always a good idea to get at least three estimates from different mechanics before you decide who will change the brakes.

In order to make sure you are taking the best care of your car, read the owner’s manual. Not only will it give you all the information you need to know about the car it will also give you an idea as to a maintenance schedule.

If you feel that you can do some of the maintenance yourself to save some money, get some books or videos to make sure you know what you are doing. You can also get your mechanic to give you some tips on how to check and change the oil, transmission fluid, tire pressure and coolant.

To make sure your car gets the best maintenance find a good mechanic that you can trust and set up a routine for your car’s maintenance. Finding a good mechanic can make the difference in the length of time you keep the car. They will not only be able to save you money in the long run but give you some piece of mind about the car’s safety.

Another way to make sure your car lasts longer is to park it in a garage or at least a carport when you aren’t using it. This will help to protect the car’s exterior because repainting your car can be very expensive.

Many people with occupation that they love or at least like a little bit tend to take their skills home with them and find ways to put their skills to work at home, people with automotive skills are no different. Rather their skills are fixing how a car runs if it even dose or fixing the appearance of a car they can bring those skills home and possibly make a little money on the side. One way for someone to put their automotive skills to work is to attend a damaged car auction.

At a damaged car auction you might find something that you have the skills to fix but the owner or the dealership can’t or does not want to waste the time and money on fixing it. This is very common and one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.

You will need to do a little home work when attending a damaged car auction, you would not be doing yourself a lot of good if you buy a car for a certain price but by time you pay for all the repairs the combined ending price that you ended up paying ended up being more then what you would have paid for if you would have bought the same type of car not damaged. That’s what makes the inspection portion of the auction extremely crucial.

Just because a car may look like it does no need a whole lot of work that is not always true. Looking at a cars damages from the auction platform where the car will be presented is just not good enough. All auctions will have a period where anyone can search through the lot and look at any car they want to up close and personal. This will give you a chance to look and see just how much work needs to be done and how much money it will take to get that car back on the road.

What someone should do is attend a damaged car auction lot the day before if possibly, many auctions do have a day or two before viewings, and the cars that they are interested in they should take down the information that you can get and go home and do some home work on that make, model and year. This will give you an idea of how much you should bid on the car and at what point you should stop rising the bid for knowing that there will be no way to possibly make money on that vehicle.

Also another important thing someone should remember to make the process of working on the car faster and more efficient is not to stray too far away from brands that you know most about. Buying a vehicle that you’re not familiar with may cost you more time and money then you’re willing to put into it.

If you are someone looking to make some money on the side or maybe you just want to get a good buy to have a good car for a low price for yourself then going to a damaged car auction is a great idea. You might attend these auctions and see something that most people think is nothing more than a piece of crap, but you see something that can be fixed up and be a perfect car for someone.