(Part 2) Best products from r/cars

First off, it's ok. I use those car washes often, because I don't have the facilities at home to wash my car there. Here's my step by step for easy, simple car care that does the 90% solution. (I.E. NOT paying $120+ for a detail, and NOT spending 6 hours on my car every week)

Go the the car wash, at night so the sun isn't baking the soap into your car.

Initially rinse the car at a low-power setting (usually not pulling the trigger on the wand will result in a half power spray) This is so that you aren't driving contaminates into your paint.

Soap the car down with the soap setting, still just spraying it. Soap the whole car and make sure to work top-down and the contaminates are running off.

Rinse car again. Rinse the brush too, very well. Feel it with your hand and ensure there's no grit.

Soap up car with brush, don't push hard, just light swirls.

Rinse car.

Immediately pull out shammy cloth or microfiber towels and dry car.

Go home for the rest of these steps.

buy Zymol brand cleaner wax

This stuff is fantastic. Ok, start on the top, spread a small, half dollar size squirt on the paint, and rub it out to cover 2-4 sq feet, keep rubbing and then stop, let it dry. (0-30 seconds, maybe as long as a minute) Then use a second cloth (dry) and rub it off, work in small circles. The paint below should be crystal clean and most of the slight spiderwebs in paint should be filled.

Do this to the whole car.

Go back and look over the paint. You'll find some deeper scrapes and scratches that aren't totally gone. That's ok. Use this: Meguiars Scratch-X It's great, use a small ammount (dime size) and rub into the scratches, polishing them and wipeing off the dried material with a second, clean dry cloth.

Now your whole car should be shiny, and not have any spider webs! Use any simple Meguiars brand polish to make it shine a bit more, but at this step I just use the spray on stuff.

Make sure to buy many many micro fiber towels. They are cheap. If you drop one on the ground, put it in the wash and grab another. I go through 8-10 when washing/ waxing. I know it sound common sense, but only use one for wax application, one for wax removal, one for glass, etc etc.

Now for wheels, I use this: TUFF STUFF It's safe for everything, it's also what I use to remove stains in the interior and clean my floor mats. It's super cheap and works great!! Spray on a wheel, wait 30 seconds, wipe off. Removes 90% of road grime and brake dust immediately. May need to touch up a couple spots. Rinse wheel off. Spray tire foam on the tire, wipe off excess.

Your car should look great and be scratch free. I will typically go out and 3-4 days later gently wipe off my car with micro fiber towels, and then go over with the quick detail spray by meguiars. Takes 10-15 minutes and the car instantly goes back to looking like I just washed it. During the summer I'll do this 2-3 times between real serious washings, so I only have to wash fully once a month!

(but my car is silver and easier to keep clean)

Definitely check out /r/AutoDetailing where I learned my method.

The way I do it:

Equipment:

1. Optimum no rinse I use the green version (the one linked) that has wax, but there's also a blue one without wax. Either one is fine I just prefer this one.
   
   
2. Bucket. Any clean one will do.
   
   
3. A shit ton of microfiber towels. The Rag Company is a popular brand to go with. I just go with a pack from costco and they work fine for me.
   
   
4. Spray bottle. 1-2.
   
   
5. Isopropyl alcohol. Dilute it down so it's 10-20% in concentration. Put it in the spray bottle or use a cup/bucket.
   
   
6. Nanoskin or clay. I use nanoskin so I linked that. Otherwise just get some clay. Most people in /r/autodetailing say any brand of clay is usually fine. I use nanoskin because it's a bit quicker and I have a new car so it works fine. Some people seem to say that clay gets your car a bit cleaner, but it's not worth the time trade off for me especially since my car is still new-ish so still clean.
   
   
7. Opti-seal. I like using this because it's quick, easy and works great. Gives a good shine too.
   
   Washing:
   
   
8. Use the rinseless method. You'll find it in the wiki of autodetailing. To prep: dilute ONR down to the recommended amount in your bucket. Fill up spray bottle. Throw microfiber towels in the bucket in the rest of the solution. Ring out the towel so it's not sopping wet, but there's still solution. Fold the microfiber towels into four.
   
   
9. Work on only one car panel at a time. Spray the panel with the ONR. Wipe panel down firmly, but not really hard, with one side of your towel. Then turn to a different side of the towel. Do not re-use that side of your towel. Use a fresh side of the towel for every panel. Use a dry towel to wipe off that panel so there are no water streaks. Repeat until your car is washed. ONR works fine on glass too so you can just do your windows as well.
   
   Rinseless washing is great when your car is mildly to semi-dirty. This means if it's mostly just dust on your car this is great. Otherwise if it's caked with mud this won't work. You'll have to go somewhere to hose your car off with water first so it's not as dirty.
   
   Clay Bar/Nanoskin:
   
   Note: This is only necessary if there are actually micro-contaminants. I would do it on a new car regardless since it has been sitting on a lot. On a normal basis you only need to do when your car doesn't feel glass smooth after a wash. Usually no more than 1-2 times a year.
   
   
10. Because you can also use ONR as your clay lube I just pour out my bottle of ONR spray back into the bucket and pour in enough ONR until it gets to the concentration needed. ONR says 2oz per gallon of water. Fill your spray bottle back up with the new concentration.
    
    
11. Here you'll be working with small sections of a panel at a time. I suggest you just look up a youtube video on how to clay a car. Basically though you spray the section, clay/nanoskin the section until smooth, and wipe off the section with a dry towel. Repeat for your whole car. Note that you'll have to massage the clay or wash off your nanoskin every so often to get rid of those contaminants.
    
    Sealant/wax:
    
    After you're done with claying your paint is clean so you'll want to put wax/sealant on it to protect it. It'll make your car nice and shiny too.
    
    Start with an isopropyl alcohol wipe. What I do is dunk a towel in the alcohol solution and wipe down every panel and drying after it. You can also just fill another spray bottle with it and spray. This will get rid of oil/wax/sealant so the sealant goes directly on the paint. Then just apply the sealant/wax on following the instructions. With opti-seal you just spray and wipe. With some other items you'll need to apply and wait to cure and buff out any remaining wax/sealant.
    
    For wheels and tires I suggest you just check out the wiki on autodetailing. I just simply wipe off the tires with ONR but ONR isn't the best at getting oil. I'm too lazy though to worry about it too much as long as the wheels look clean it's fine with me.
    
    I'm lazy and do a rinseless wash 1-2 times (usually 1) a month. Some do it weekly. I put sealant on every 3-4 months or so. I've only clayed my current car once so far.
    
    

A set of wheels and tires dedicated for Winter / snow driving, and having the oem set for spring / summer / fall. Check out Blizzaks. Unless the tires you have are some really good all seasons, your tires will freeze and not get good traction in the winter. I'm from the South though so I'm not an expert on the subject, but think this is worth mentioning first.

Digital tire gauge. Don't get an analog gauge because they lose calibration easily. Check tires often.

12V tire compressor kit.

Sunshade for front windshield.

Legal tints for side and rear glass.


Dyson handheld vacuum. So clean everyday.

Ice melter.

Here's a nice cleaning kit by Meguiar's that costs $25, Amazon link, contains Gold Class soap, wax, applicator pads, microfiber towels, quick detailer, scratch remover, and clay bar. Nice little kit to start you out on getting some nice car detailing supplies. There's also the New car care kit but I prefer the other one, just get your own wash mitt and bucket. But seeing you're in the northeast right now, I guess all this would be pretty useless to you as all the salt and slush you guys are going to get for the next few months.

Lint - free paper towels or toilet paper. Don't bring linty towels in your clean car!

Invisible glass and RainX protectant on windows! And for your inside windows, keep a 100% clean microfiber to dry polish the inside glass to remove any smudges that appear. Keep your glass towels in plastic baggies separately and label them, you don't want them getting mixed in with wax towels.

Here's a long thing I wrote for a friend just getting started. It was an email and i don't feel like fixing links.

1. Menzerna (Now called Jescar) Power lock Sealant:
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050IQH9K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
2. Optimum Spray Wax (this is a topper wax to go on top the sealant, or touch up areas any time):
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GG9FI8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
3. Meguiar's Drying Towels (I HIGHLY recommend these, super effective) I got 2:
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009IQZFM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
4. Mother's detailer kit (gives you detail spray, clay bars, and micro fiber towel as a bonus)
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/Mothers-07240-California-Gold-System/dp/B0002U2V1Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1476666101&sr=8-3&keywords=mother%27s+detail+kit
   
   
5. Applicator pads
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/Viking-862400-Blue-Microfiber-Applicator/dp/B0051MYL8E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1476666178&sr=8-3&keywords=wax+applicator
   
   
6. Buffing towels (for buffing in the wax or sealant)
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/Detailing-Multi-Use-Microfiber-Professional-Dual-Pile/dp/B01L4L4L26/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1476666651&sr=8-17&keywords=microfiber+buffing+towel
   
   
   
7. Proper wash mitt (just a microfiber towel won't cut it) - there's also a 2 pack with prime.
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/Meguiars-X3002-Microfiber-Wash-Mitt/dp/B000RXKR6M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476667551&sr=8-1&keywords=meguiars+wash+mitt
   
   
8. Car wash (this can be found at any autozone like store as well, this is a big bottle)
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-05664-California-Gold-Wash/dp/B0009H51B2/ref=sr_1_9?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1476668207&sr=8-9&keywords=car+wash&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011
   
   
   
   
   Do you have 2 buckets to use? Always set one bucket up with the soap water, and the other with just water. Soak up your mitt, wash the car, rinse the mitt, then soak again in the soap water. This helps reduce contaminants. If you want to go the extra mile, get these for the buckets to prevent dirt from swashing around the bucket:
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/Grit-Guard-Insert-Red-Diameter/dp/B000N3W8J0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476667750&sr=8-2&keywords=grit+guard
   
   It fits in a home depot bucket.
   
   If you have particularly pesky tar or bugs on the car, you'll need this that you can get from any autozone type store:
   
   https://smile.amazon.com/Stoner-Car-Care-Tarminator-Remover/dp/B0002LBGWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476667917&sr=8-1&keywords=tarminator
   
   WARNING **
   
   When using the power lock (or any sealant / non-liquid wax), DO NOT let it touch any black plastic or rubber parts of the car!!!!! If it does, just wipe it off with a wet micro fiber cloth. Failure to follow this will result in a white hue on the black piece. You could always painter's tape off those areas that are hard to avoid.
   
   Steps for this process:
   
   
9. wash the car, two bucket method with wash mitt.
   
   1b) Bring the car to an area with as little sun light as possible for the next steps!
   
   
10. Leave car wet. Use detail spray to keep all surfaces lubricated. Rub all surfaces down with a flat piece of the clay bar (flatten in your hand). About 2" diameter or so. Every panel or when the clay bar looks dirty, just kneed it a few times, folding it and re-flattening it. Every so often, throw out the clay and get some more. If you drop the clay on the ground, it's garbage throw it out. Each clay bar should last you multiple details of your whole car, just tear pieces off.
    
    
11. Dry the car down with the MF drying towels. Buff in any water spots, streaks, etc from the detail spray. If an area needs a little extra love, spray some detail spray on it and rub her in.
    
    
12. Use applicator pad. Apply a bit of sealant on the pad, even it out in the pad, and apply a thin layer of wax across the paint surface (NOT BLACK TRIM). You can use sealant on windows if you desire. Re-apply sealant to the applicator pad whenever you need more.
    
    
13. let the sealant dry (20-30 minutes, depending on conditions). It will haze when dry.
    
    
14. Use buffing cloths to wipe the haze out. You may need to do some hand "buffing", use different angles of sight to make sure the paint is now completely smooth and clean.
    
    
15. Let dry a bit, 20 minutes?
    
    
16. Spray VERY LIGHTLY with the optimum spray wax on paint surfaces. There are 2 settings on the bottle, make sure it is on the setting that spreads out the wax not a stream.
    
    
17. Buff in the spray wax with buffing towels.
    
    
18. ENJOY protection. Watch the beads of water fly off the car for the entire season.

First off look up how to turn the engine by hand. If it turns, you probably won't need to tear the engine apart.


Start out with basic troubleshooting. First check all fuses (They will visually look burnt) and make sure there's good gas in the tank. Replace your fuel filter (Takes like 2 seconds on most older cars). See if your battery is good and has charge, probably needs to be replaced if it sat for 15 years. Then see if you can turn the key and the starter will work. If the starter works and the engine doesn't fire; check the spark plugs, distributor, and associated wires, etc. If the car still doesn't run install a fuel pressure gauge (Easy to do, plenty of youtube guides) and see if you have fuel pressure. If you don't, that usually means you need a fuel pump (Also easy fix). Just read about each component and take it one step at a time and it should go pretty easily starting out with electrical (Fuses, Spark, battery, and starter), moving onto fuel delivery (The gas it's self, fuel filter, carburetor, fuel pump, fuel lines, etc).

https://www.amazon.com/Popular-Mechanics-Complete-Care-Manual/dp/1588167232

That book is massively helpful on doing/understanding any essential repair, troubleshooting, or maintenance on older vehicles

>This caused a around 1mm mark on my car. Would you guys think this is a scratch?

You may be able to buff it out if it's minor.

http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G10307-Scratch-X-2-0/dp/B0002UNON8

>I know some people really recommend using the parking brake on manual cars, but should I be using it on my car? My car is automatic and not manual, but if it is recommended and safer, I may just give it a try.

Yes, use the parking brake. When you park an automatic, there is a small dowel about the size of your pinky that snaps out of one part of the transmission into another. That is all that holds your car in place when you shut it off.

>Any other tips would be great, I am just completely excited to be driving, it is quite fun!

Check fluids and tire pressures weekly. Oil, coolant, brake fluid.

Always address any new sights, sounds, or smells immediately before they can snowball into big bills.

Look wwwaaaaaayyyy down the road whenever possible. You can often avoid troubles if you see them in advance. The same goes for using your mirrors.

Enjoy!

You can't clear up a solid 2-4 hours to clean your car?

Honestly, some good car soap/shampoo, a bucket/grit gaurd, some good wax, and few cans of engine degreaser should be all you need to look pretty good.

I'd recommend this, this, and these to get started.

After you get the engine clean, and the outside cleaned and waxed, just vacuum out the inside and clean up any dust, grit, or dirt you might see. This should all take about 4 hours if you take your time.

First of all, get yourself a nice set of microfiber towels. Anything from The Rag Company is solid, or a pack of the ones from Costco are good too.

The best way if you have time and access to a hose is the 2 bucket wash method. The way most people scratch their car while hand washing is the drying process. That's the part that people usually rush when really that's when most of the damage is done. Either dry it with a leaf blower or a microfiber towel and make sure the towel is clean after each wipe. If it's visibly dirty at all, flip it over or get another towel.

If you don't have access to a hose, or if its winter or whatever, use Optimum No Rinse. ONR is pretty much universally praised in the detailing world. This post should get you started.

After each wash, a quick way to wax/seal the car is to use Opti seal. Just spritz once or twice on a panel while you're drying and buff it off. It's that easy. The one bottle should easily last you a year or two.

A hand wash and wax with a dedicated wax product is always the best option. And you can buy all those products yourself for $50-60 and DIY the job yourself every saturday / day off for years.

If you're short on time and cash, just buy this $20 Meguiar's car care kit on amazon: http://amzn.com/B004HCU77I

It has: Ultimate Wash and Wax, Ultra Plush Microfiber Wash Mitt, Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towel, Ultimate Liquid Wax with Soft Foam Applicator, Supreme Shine Microfiber Towel and Endurance Tire Gel with applicator.

That's what I assumed unfortunately.

I got a $20 scanner on Amazon, and it can check inspection monitors. It's a simple tool, but it will go through the list of monitors (evap, cat, etc.) and tell me if it is ready or not.

I guess I will just have to hope for the best if I don't see any CELs. Thanks for the answer!

Here are the two best intro books on the subject:

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Car-Vehicle-Dynamics-Experiments/dp/0768011272

https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Vehicle-Dynamics-Premiere-Books/dp/1560911999

Formula SAE in college is a great resource. Look for a co-op opportunity in vehicle design (it'll probably have to be in Michigan unless you're lucky or go into commercial truck). Experience is highly valued when you're trying to get that intro level job because co-ops and internships are so widely available in the industry.

If you'd like to learn to be a better driver and gain some knowledge about the fastest way to get around a track, I recommend reading something like this book, it made me aware of mistakes I was making and is very easy to read. it shows diagrams of lines to take into corners etc. It doesn't have to be that one, there are many like it, that's just the one I personally used.

Can't say I agree with you on A/C, but everything else is spot-on.

The biggest thing with bluetooth is that you can actually add it yourself, with any car that has an aux jack already... for like $20.

Like... bam.


People act like it's a vital feature that you could never not have built-into the car.

Meanwhile, go ahead and try to add a backup camera to a car gracefully. It's doable, but you'll still be doing some surgery every single time.

Outstanding achievement by Ed Bolian. Definitely recommend reading his book; For the Record: 28:50 - A journey toward self-discovery and the Cannonball Run Record.

If you are into this sort of stuff, you might also find the account of Alex Roy. Roy set the previous record in his M5, breaking a long dry spell in this arena and likely egged Bolian on to try, worth a read or watch. Roy's book is The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World. The film, 32 HOURS 7 MINUTES, is also worth a watch.

And for all those couch pilots saying how easy this record would be to break; let us know how it goes!

Short of something obvious like around new construction where nails and screws falling off truck bumpers will be more common it's pretty much just random chance. If it keeps happening it might be worth buying yourself a tire plug kit like this and an inflator so you can fix it yourself. In the mean time call around and see if you can find a local tire shop that patches tires for free.

I'm not a mechanic, but:

If the CEL is on it has codes.
If the CEL is off it doesn't have codes, either because it is fine, or because the owner cleared them with a reader.

Get in the car and turn the key but don't start it, see if the CEL lights up, if it doesn't, they likely pulled the bulb because afaik, it should always light up when the key is in the on position but the car isn't started.

As for stores, you need to specify a location.
I personally use this one along with Torque and [DASH]
(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dashlabs.dash.android&hl=en)

In the USA I believe Autozone does free scans, but they sell readers as well.

if it has an aux port you can get a bluetooth adapter kit for $30 install is easy. It works off a cigarette to USB adapter that you can charge your phone with. You have a pause button, track forward and back. IT will have a speakerphone, and if it's any good it will be able to do effective noise canceling. this is the one I like https://www.amazon.com/Anker-SoundSync-Bluetooth-Streaming-Multi-Point/dp/B0176G5TRO

There are excellent books on this. If you have a kindle, one book worth getting is Ultimate Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley. He knows his shit, and this book will give you a boatload of information. Best $12 I ever spent. The general knowledge stuff will help you be a much better driver on the street as well, especially in adverse conditions.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Speed-Secrets-Complete-High-Performance/dp/0760340501

I'm from Romania so I've got it from a local store. The price is similar on Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Version-Bluetooth-Multi-Language-12Kinds-Android/dp/B00N2K6M2A

For Linux a very good starting point is obdsim project.

Good luck with you project and keep us posted.

You kidding me? This is the easiest tire damage to fix. Get a plug kit like this for under $10 at the nearest auto parts place, follow the directions and throw a plug in, continue driving. I've put probably 5,000 miles on a set of rear tires, both of which had plugs in similar locations. Saved the day when a girl I know thought she was totally SOL and would have to buy a new tire.

Any small, round puncture like that will plug very well.

I got these from Amazon and they are plug and play and work SO much better than the stock halogens. I've had them for about 2 years now and haven't had any issues, and there was no aiming required it was perfect when I installed them.

I've stored a bunch of cars.

Buy a battery tender:
https://smile.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-lightweight-automatic/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1499787047&sr=1-4&keywords=battery+tender

Make sure it has a full tank of fuel.

And that's about it if all you're doing is storing it for a winter.

A cover is a nice-to-have to keep it from collecting a huge layer of dust/grime and to protect it from a winter of people brushing against it if it's in the flow of traffic.

Do not put it on jack stands. Dangling wheels aren't good for all the rubber bits in your suspension. Just make sure there's air in your tires and they'll be fine after seasonal storage.

Try this, the book is basically perfect for what you want:

https://www.amazon.com/Popular-Mechanics-Complete-Care-Manual/dp/1588167232

Tells you all about maintenance along with why you do it and how all the important bits of a vehicle works. Plus lots of pictures and easy to understand stuff.

You mention being versed in CAD. Have you studied vehicle design for input on the suspension, driveline, other aspects? If any engineering schools local to you offer it, it's probably money well spent to take a Vehicle Dynamics class. At minimum, here is the book my alma mater uses for that class which is very well written and easy to understand: http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Vehicle-Dynamics-Thomas-Gillespie/dp/1560911999

KDLINKS R100 Ultra HD 1296P Front + 1080P Rear 280° Wide Angle Anti-Glare Rearview Mirror Dual Lens Dash Cam with IPS 5" Screen, Superior Night Mode, Advanced Dashcam Parking Mode, Support 64/128GB. This is what I use. It rocks.

why do you need them all in one?

There's a Stanley jumpstarter/compressor, and here's an off brand (I think) fast charger.

Together they're $107, with free shipping if you have prime (it may also be free economy shipping too).

I have a large portable pack that charges pretty well but its pretty big

https://www.amazon.com/STANLEY-J5C09-Jump-Starter-Compressor/dp/B002X6VXL4/ref=zg_bs_318336011_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E15ZRP18HQF033EHAJNX

Take a heat gun to the badging and run some floss behind the letters and it should come right off. As for residue, use this awesome cleaner from Turtlewax. It worked for me, and I think the car looks much better.

I think that /u/rld14 pretty much covered it. But there are a few things I would add. Some of these may not apply to you, but this thread could be useful to others.

• Put the battery on a Battery Tender. You can do this in the storage unit if there is a power outlet (unlikely), or you can take the battery home and hook it up there.
  
  
• Add a fuel conditioner like STA-BIL to prevent the ethanol in the fuel from absorbing water. This should be done in addition to filling up the tank completely.
  
  
• If you don't know what kind of washer fluid was used, make sure to drain the washer tank. The previous owner may have used a summer blend that is not freeze resistant.
  
  
• Check the coolant/anti-freeze with a coolant tester If your coolant is old or too dilute it could freeze in the block during storage. That would be a nasty surprise come spring!

I always keep some bug and tar cleaner w/ a microfiber towel in the trunk for inevitable bird poop. Does a pretty good job of removal even if it has been on there for a couple days.

These kits are pretty good. Takes around 30 minutes per light.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004GFTC0E/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1395025061&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

Toothpaste if you feel like spending almost nothing, but unless you apply a protectant it'll oxidize pretty quickly.

this is what I use along with a wax every few months and headlights don't oxidize anywhere near as quickly

If your headlights are in projector housings, you can get away with using *just* the right LED bulbs. The big concern is where, vertically, the cutoff is, so it doesn't blind other drivers (nor look like trash). I've had great luck with Beamtech's bulbs on Amazon [ LINK ] depending on the car I put them in. Again, gotta' have projector housings (which I think your car has, for DRL's), but these bulbs are oriented with the LED's at 3 & 9 o'clock when mounted, and cutoff at just the right height.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J5C09-Starter-Built-Compressor/dp/B002X6VXL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416412116&sr=8-1&keywords=air+pump+jump+box

I have it, I love it, it works solid.

https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Wireless-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Smartphones/dp/B018E0I01I/


I use this in my 92 Miata and it works great!

Picking up one of these kits was easily worth the money. My headlights were completely fogged over, so I used the toothpaste trick. Cleared it up a fair amount, but it was back to bad in about a month. Used that kit, took about an hour and some elbow grease, and they looked literally brand new when I was finished. 7 months later, they still look absolutely great.

Buy some foglights, cheap, and help improve looks / night driving. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QXE8HIO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501792259&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=civic+coupe+fog+lights&dpPl=1&dpID=51dwytkwhBL&ref=plSrch


I have these in my foglights:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XHDYTGL/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1501792409&sr=8-11&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=h8+led+bulb

A set of opt7 35w hids in my low beams. (Glare is not a problem if you aim after installing hid lows)

And these in my high beams / drl:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XC168CY/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1501792539&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=9005+led+cree&dpPl=1&dpID=51u2e6nmyRL&ref=plSrch

I then have some Philips tailight bulbs, and an eBay led interior kit.

>And weight on that tire would just be taking away from your other tires.

Except that's a good thing...

For tires to generate lateral force, they need a normal load on them (i.e. weight) and they need to slip (hence slip angle).

So by that logic, you just want to pile on more weight and you get more lateral force. This is true, but the problem is that pneumatic tires have a sensitivity to that weight. This means that for more and more load you pile on them, the less lateral force you get back. It's why race cars want to always be as low as possible, you transfer less weight.

Essentially, because the weight got transferred off the tire, it lost more lateral force capability than the outside tire gained.

If you don't believe me, read either:

The Racing & High Performance Tire by Haney

or

Tune to Win by Carroll Smith

or

Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics by Gillespie

or

RCVD by Milliken and Milliken

or you can choose to ignore a random person on the internet that says he has several years of engineering experience for several racing series.

The book is an excellent read:
https://www.amazon.com/Driver-Dangerous-Pursuit-Outlaw-Racing/dp/0061374997

You can also get a tire patch kit and do it yourself, takes 10 minutes and costs less than $10. You can buy it at Walmart, or any auto parts store. It should contain the following: Rubber strips, rubber cement, and a plunging tool.

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-1034--T-Handle-Tire-Plug/dp/B000ET525K

Like that. It comes with instructions, but the gist is to coat a rubber strip in rubber cement, then fold it to form a "U" shape on the tip of the tool. Plunge the strip through the hole, then snip off the excess. The "U" shape allows for the rubber strip to maintain pressure against the hole. You can also do this yourself if you have some good rubber laying around from another tire, some rubber cement, and a screwdriver.

they are pretty cheap...theres also cables you can hook up to your android phone and do the same thing

https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Wireless-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Smartphones/dp/B018E0I01I/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=car+radio+transmitter&qid=1559200293&s=gateway&sprefix=car+rad&sr=8-4 had this one for a year and was good quality sounds 90% of the time the other 10% just had to repair on a new station.

Read Ultimate Speed Secrets

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Speed-Secrets-Complete-High-Performance/dp/0760340501

Understand the concept of the traction circle.
Learn how your vehicle behaves, as another poster suggested, utilize an empty parking lot in the rain or the snow.
Smooth is fast, don't be a ham fisted dolt.
Driving is like a dance, use your current maneuver to set up your next.

Never push your car on public roads. Keep it on the track, or where you can't hurt someone else.

> rear-view mirror with compass

i said the same thing a few years back. The new ones are actually really good. I've had 0 problems with mine. Worth trying.
https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Wireless-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Adapter/dp/B018E0I01I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1480507866&sr=8-3&keywords=fm+transmitter

I bought the cheapest one off of Amazon (~$15) and it has served me faithfully for 3 years and has no learning curve.

Edit: This one.

I finally bought one of these. I keep it in my car, I have a nagging P0420 code that pops up every once in awhile and it's much easier to read and clear than having to pay someone else or go to Autozone.

I use this to keep my vehicle's battery fresh:

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1522698360&sr=1-4&keywords=battery+tender

It's all automatic, there isn't anything to adjust and you could keep it on your battery indefinitely.

A wall wart is where the transformer is built into the plug, usually a black cube about 2" with the dc wire coming off of it. The idea would be to have the AC to DC happen at the end of the AC line.

Like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LX3AS6/ref=sxbs_sxwds-rbp2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2898770402&pd_rd_wg=jcBEg&pf_rd_r=R31605ND3DRXBXHCFY0C&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B004LX3AS6&pd_rd_w=JJTWW&pf_rd_i=battery+tender&pd_rd_r=JABMBT6QPDBKXR44DGY0&ie=UTF8&qid=1491332230&sr=2 or this: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-lightweight-automatic/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=pd_sbs_263_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000CITK8S&pd_rd_r=DE87QSEWNR2XHEWDTBQQ&pd_rd_w=AtVc4&pd_rd_wg=wduLj&psc=1&refRID=DE87QSEWNR2XHEWDTBQQ



You can always use a bigger wire than required to carry current, the length might be an issue but the currents are so low so it wouldn't be a concern esp. with the bigger wire, as long as you can make the connectors work.

Here are the connectors I was picturing. I use them for my RC batteries. You can clip the red and black together. https://www.amazon.com/Anderson-Power-Products-Silver-Contacts/dp/B00BN0WMA2/ref=pd_cp_23_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00BN0WMA2&pd_rd_r=2MKMXG57SB6NNP5BP3QG&pd_rd_w=HMJVM&pd_rd_wg=PTBBq&psc=1&refRID=2MKMXG57SB6NNP5BP3QG

Try this on for size: http://www.amazon.com/The-Driver-Dangerous-Pursuit-Outlaw/dp/0061374997

I can confirm this is a really compelling read.

> I'm just worried Canadian Tire is going to list out a bunch of stuff for me to fix

I think you can count on that. That's why they DO inspections.

> How often should I change my oil?

On a beater? Every 5K to 7K miles, regardless of time.

> I don't want to pay $100 just for them to run the code

You can buy a code reader on Amazon for $20, and it can also reset the light. Of course, the light will just come on again soon if there really is a problem.

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Autel-MaxiScan-MS300-Diagnostic-Vehicles/dp/B001LHVOVK

Works great.

less than 15 for both ;) http://www.amazon.com/Version-Bluetooth-Multi-Language-12Kinds-Android/dp/B00N2K6M2A

I feel your pain brother, 2006 Cadillac CTS. The good news is that I can vouch for this. Totally worth the money.

If you have a cigarette lighter, use this. https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Wireless-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Adapter/dp/B018E0I01I

It transmits through bluetooth and it also comes with an aux cable if you want to plug in an iPod or mp3 player. I use it on my 2001 Acura MDX. Let me know if you have any questions.

Of course it's written by Alex Roy. Because of course it is.

http://www.amazon.com/Driver-Dangerous-Pursuit-Outlaw-Racing/dp/0061374997

I don't remember that part from the book

https://www.amazon.com/Driver-Dangerous-Pursuit-Outlaw-Racing/dp/0061374997

two bucket method and grit guard. Dont apply wax in direct sunlight

http://www.amazon.com/Grit-Guard-Insert-Red-Diameter/dp/B000N3W8J0/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1426439413&sr=1-1&keywords=grit+guard

Your choice are:

• Cassette tape adapter
  
• FM transmitter
  
• Or replace the radio

Here's a link to the kit with sealant: 3M 39045 Headlight Renewal Kit with Protectant

I didn't know. Well, you can buy one online for $20 though.

http://www.amazon.com/Autel-MaxiScan-MS300-Diagnostic-Vehicles/dp/B001LHVOVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325197785&sr=8-1