Alpha Auto

OEM parts are parts my by the original equipment manufacturer made expressly for a specific vehicle. They are more expensive than their after market counterparts, parts made by third parties after the original sale of a vehicle. Examining the issue of cost from an insurance perspective, the more affordable option is favored. In fact, because after market replacement parts are almost always less expensive than OPEM parts, they are actually often required by an insurance company for a 100{7cc2b685b5c4e0283b205ce525fa06355b5800ac675a504fb004b86701a39362} percent reimbursement if you’re involved in an accident. From a buyer’s perspective who also factors cost as a high priority, these policies are important to understand thoroughly. Imagine you’re in a collision in a vehicle stocked with OEM parts, only to find out you’ll be paying the cost differential between it’s after market version.

This is where ‘ifs’ come into play. It’s no wonder a consensus hasn’t been made on the “best,” “safest” or “most inexpensive” option. Probability and preference are facts that can be used in a straight out side by side cost comparison. Individual conclusions can be made in the absence of a community standard, provided all of the angles are explored and factored in to your decision.

Moving on to another such angle, many will argue that OEM replacement parts are superior given the strict safety testing and standardization to which they are subject, and are quick to forgo insurance reimbursement for this peace of mind. It’s a position that unsupported however, at least according to a contradiction by by the Insurance institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) who claim that after market replacement parts do not in fact degrade the safety of an automobile in a crash.

The third main argument for cost comes from those concerned about resale value, which diminishes greatly with the use of after market replacement car parts.

Knowing these, an informed consumer can ask themselves the following questions, the answers to which will depend solely on personal values and financial position.

Do I have a history of collisions?

Can I immediately afford OEM parts?

If I can’t, can I afford to incur after market replacement costs in the event of an accident?

Will I sell, or how soon do I plan to sell my vehicle?

Do I value an insurance reimbursement over a higher resale value?

Finally note that with a high-end vehicle, you may be forced to purchase OEM replacement parts simply because after market replacement are less common for top of the line imports.

Windshield cracks and blemishes can be troublesome. You can never really guess what is going to happen; they almost always start small and end up spider webbing across the remaining windshield. Some rock blemishes only leave chunk of glass missing. If not treated correctly it can turn into a large crack as well.

Taking care of small chunks or blemishes is the easiest fix for a windshield. There are professional companies that will come out to your vehicle and use a resin mixture to fill the star or crack that is existing. By filling the mark the crack is aesthetically more pleasing, and more importantly the resin prevents the crack from spreading further. This method is great for prolonging the life of your windshield and saving you money up front. However, eventually the windshield will need to be replaced.

If your windshield has a large crack, the best option is to replace the entire windshield instead of attempting a repair kit. Repairs are meant for smaller stars and chunks, but larger cracks are uncontrollable. The most important thing to do is prevent the crack from getting larger. Avoid temperature change. Do not wash your car; the cold water from the hose on a hot or warm windshield causes the crack to spread. Try to leave the car in a protected garage as much as possible to avoid cold or hot weather from expanding the crack.

Once the crack is large enough that you can’t stand it anymore, it is time to replace the entire windshield. This process only takes a couple hours at a local auto glass shop. Better yet are the companies that come to your home of office and replace the windshield on site. Make sure to call the auto glass shop as soon as possible to make sure they have your windshield in stock. They will usually need to order one, but it does not take very long to get it.

Paying for a new windshield can often be a drag, especially if it happens often. After all, most cracked windshields are not the driver’s fault, just bad luck. Many auto glass shops will bill your insurance for you. However, for many drivers this is not the best option. It all depends on your insurance deductible. New windshields can cost anywhere from $300-$700. If your deductible is more than that, it is easiest to just pay for the new windshield out of your pocket. This is also the quickest way to have the issue resolved. However, if your deductible is significantly less than the cost of a new windshield, then let the insurance pay for it, that is if it is included in your policy. Again, this decision is based solely on the cost of your insurance deductible and the convenience of making a claim.

Used Fuel Injectors

The shop may install a used fuel injector into your car as replacement for an inefficient or broken injector. Offhand, this can be a great solution as you can readily observe some improvement in the way your vehicle runs. However, used fuel injectors are not always the best choice and cannot guarantee the best performance. At most, it is a hopeful attempt to remedy your car problem.

Refurbished Fuel Injectors

On the other hand, refurbished fuel injectors are parts that have been restored to the original manufacturer’s specifications. They are old fuel injectors that have been subjected to rigorous diagnostic testing to determine spray patterns, flow rates and overall performance. They are then recalibrated to ensure efficient handling of the specific type of fuel they will be used with.

A “refurbished” fuel injector is almost like a new part without the sheen of those newly manufactured parts. However, its components have been checked and regulated to meet the standards. And they are often sold with a warranty. With a refurbished fuel injector, you can be sure to obtain marked improvements in your fuel line system, exactly what you want to achieve when you decided to change the old fuel injector on your used car.

Compatibility

Whether you are buying a used or refurbished fuel injector, make sure that the replacement you are getting is specifically made for the type of fuel used by your car. As motoring today uses different forms of fuel, from petrol to LPG, ethanol, methane, etc., it becomes important to match the right fuel injections system and parts with the corresponding fuel application.

The most appealing part of a vehicle is the appearance. For the most part it helps if you have minimal body damage ie: dents, scrapes, dings, scratches etc. I usually recommend having major dents and body damage professionally repaired. It may cost more upfront but in the end it will retain the value and aesthetic demeanor of the vehicle over time.

1) A Good Wash

• Go to your local automotive store or and buy a wash bucket, microfiber wash mitt, a good car wash soap and a good medium grade clay bar. Most stores you can find these items in a kit or kits ranging from anywhere from $20-$50. You can also get this step done at your local detailing shop costing upwards of $250-$500, but if you are trying to keep costs down a DIY is the way to go!
• Use warm water and clay bar the vehicle first. you may have to repeat this step 2-3 times to get all the dirt and grime off that is not visible to the naked eye. Let’s say its like a facial cleanser for the surface of the body panels.
• Get your bucket use a generous amount of soap and add water. next rinse off the vehicle to make sure all contaminants are off. Give the vehicle a good scrub and rinse repeat 2-3 times depending on how dirty the vehicle is to begin with. dry off with a cowhide or micro fibre cloth or let it air dry under the sunlight.

2) Exterior Polish/Wax

For this step I recommend taking your vehicle to a professional as if you have not polished before you run into the risk of burning through the clear coat and paint thus costing even more money than what you set out to spend. Basically, what a good 2 step polish does for the vehicle is bring back that deep lustre and high gloss shine giving the vehicle a “like” brand new look again. You may also polish your head lights, tail lights and wax your windows for a great finished look. For the DIY you need a good multiple speed polisher, polishing pads, and a good 2- step polishing kit. These items can also be found at your local Automotive store or online detailing stores. For the do-it-yourselfers I will have another article available on the step by step on how to polish and wax.

Car remapping can be defined as the process of adjusting settings of engine control unit (ECU) chip that is installed in your car. The reason due to which car owners opt for the remapping is due to standardization of car’s original settings determined by the car manufacturers. Because driving standards in all the countries are not same and therefore keeping those standards in concern the parameters of ECU are determined for each countries.

You would have also noticed that whenever any car is launched in the international market different types of engine configurations are determined for different regions. This is mainly because the driving standards applicable in one country and not feasible in another country. That means we can say that in real terms no ECU is adjusted to perform according to fullest of its efficiency.

Going through the problem, the car which you used to drive, might be generating high power and fuel efficient performance in comparison of the original car manufactured by company. As an impact of this to get rid of this problem the best way is to remap the engine of car according to actual standards of the engine or according to your requirement.

Apart from above mentioned reason of car remapping there is one more reason when you might have to get engine remapping of your car. For instance if you replaced or upgraded your existing exhaust system of your car, then also it becomes imperative for you to remap the engine control unit of your car in accordance to settings of upgraded exhaust system.

Major benefits of car remapping:

• Increase in power and torque generation efficiency;
• Increase in fuel efficiency;
• Improved acceleration and braking system, offering you smooth handling of the car;
• Appropriate control over the car as the result of upgrading braking system;
• Comfortable and relaxed travel due to improved suspension system;
• Increase in aestheticism of your car through new set of alloy wheels.

Upgrading tools for car remapping:

Well, after understanding the concept of car remapping and the benefits associated with it, let us now focus on the upgrading tools used for car remapping.

Wideband AFR Meter: Air fuel ratio meter (AFR) is one of the complicated and highly required upgrading tools for car remapping. The main objective of this tool is to determine that the fuel is reaching to the engine in smooth way along with the proper flow of air. It would be interested to know in the early days these the cost of meter was quite costly, but in current scenario with increasing trend of car remapping high quality of air fuel ratio meters are being offered various renowned manufacturers.

Dynamometers: Where use of air fuel ratio is little difficult, tuning the dynamometer is undoubtedly the simplest methods of car remapping. It is not only safe for the engine but also for the person tuning the car. The main objective of tuning the dynamometer is to determine the standard parameters of power generation efficiency of the car and abort the functionality of the car if it detects that the car is being driven beyond those parameters. Along with this the dynamometer is also protective and not only protects from any type of physical damage to the person but also protects him from any type of legal action determined for upgrading the performance of the engine through remapping.

The hydraulic clutch system is comprised of many pieces. This includes the clutch plate, the pressure plate, a release bearing and release fork, the operating cylinder and master cylinder, a hydraulic line, the joint and the pedal.

Firstly, you will need to check the flywheel. Sometimes the problem may be that the flywheel will need to be machined. Before changing the clutch, you will also need to remove the gearbox to avoid damaging that part.

Changing most components would require you to jack the car up. Where the clutch is, is where you should place the jack. You will then need to remove the transaxle by unhooking the clutch cable and the battery cable that is blocking the kit.

Now, you will have to remove the bolts that are holding the engine mount. This is also useful when removing the transaxle easily. You will only need to remove one of the engine mounts in order to do a clutch kit replacement. Removing the transaxle will also require you to remove bolts around the flywheel bell housing.

You have now removed the transaxle and are ready to reach for the damaged component. You will need to loosen the bolts of the pressure plate to slide the clutch disc out. After machining or replacing the flywheel, make sure that any dirt has been removed from the crankshaft flange so that the flywheel turns correctly. You can now put a brand new clutch disc in place.

From here, everything you did is in reverse. To replace the transaxle you need to align the part with the spindled hole of the disc. Move the transaxle until the input shaft glides into the spindled hole of the clutch disc. All bolts should be tightened correctly before removing the jack. Loose bolts can cause major problems and hefty repairs.

Seal the paint work

A paint sealant like a synthetic wax is a practical option to apply to your car if it is likely to be left exposed to the extreme winter conditions. Use a proper paint sealant to give the desired protection against road salts and water. Many of the modern sealants are very effective at creating a useful barrier to stop oils, chemicals or other contaminants from causing damage to the paint work. A single application of a top-rated paint sealant has the potential to last the entire winter season.

Keep the car clean

Driving on the road in the winter can increase the risk of the car getting chipped or scratches because of the many items of debris on the road. Any deep scratches that are left in the car’s paint work can lead to moisture penetration which will continue to freeze and thaw. Over time this will start to weaken the local paint work and oxidation will start to set in.

A regular car wash is a great way to minimize the risk of paint related oxidation. Also, the entire body of the car should be checked for paint scratches and chips. If any defects in the paint are noted, they can be repaired with a suitable paint sealant.

Treat the leather interior

The cold winter months can have a negative impact on the leather interior of a car. The dry and cold weather is very effective at pulling the moisture from the leather upholstery. The best course of action is to treat the leather before the start of the cold weather arrives. Ideally, it is wise to start the work on the leather before the daytime temperature drops below 50° Fahrenheit. If the treatment is left too late it can be difficult to get the leather to accept the conditioner.