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Basically, fixing and repairing your cars headlights is something everyone can do. You could take your car to your local car dealer and pay hundreds of dollars or you could repair them yourself for as little as $15. I would rather keep my money than make my local dealer rich with their outrageous markups and prices. Here is how to properly evaluate, fix and repair almost any automotive headlight problem.

First, determine what the problem is. Are they dim, not working at all, hard to see with at night, have water inside, failed inspection? If they don’t come on at all either you have a burned out bulb or an electrical problem. An electrical problem can be expensive and very labor intensive to fix – but they are usually vary rare. So lets first look at the bulb. The bulb unscrews out of the back of the headlight lens on most newer cars (on older cars with glass headlights the whole lens is the bulb and you just replace it with a new glass replacement $10 – $20 at Walmart). After removing the bulb, look at it. Does it look burned out? Is it black, melted, discolored? If so, replace with a new one. You can purchase replacements at your local automotive store or Walmart for under $20. Insert the new bulb or bulbs and make sure not to touch the glass part of the bulb with your fingers – the grease we emit on our fingers will cause the bulb to wear more quickly or even blow. After installing the bulb try the lights. 99% of the time this is the reason they will not turn on. If it still doesn’t light you have an electrical problem and this should be referred to your local mechanic.

If you have water in your lens this is caused by a leak, crack, or hole in the lens. With the newer plastic lenses you need to remove the lens and then carefully drill a small hole into the bottom of the lens (be careful not to hit the bulb. Let the water run out and then patch with silicone (easily obtained at Walmart or your local automotive store). Then find the source of the water. Usually the seals start to go bad after 3-5 years. You can cover the seal around the lens with silicone to reseal the lens. If the leak was caused by a crack a clear sealant like urethane can be used to seal the crack or small hole. If it is a large hole it would be best to replace the lens.

The other major problem is cloudy, yellow headlight lenses which can lead to diminished output, poor nighttime visibility and basically an unsafe car. There are now headlight repair, restorer and cleaner kits available to cure this problem. In the past you had to resort to replacing your lenses which can be very expensive – $200+ per lens not including installation and labor at your local car dealer. Now for under $20 you can fully restore your headlight lenses to like new optical clarity and greatly improve your nighttime safety. For more information on these kits please see the link below.

There you have it – the three biggest problems with automotive headlights and how to fix and repair them for greater safety for nighttime driving – and save big by doing it yourself. Please take the time to make your headlights and rest of your car as safe as possible. As having volunteered for a volunteer emergency squad for years I have personally witnessed dozens of fatal crashes that could have easily been avoided by just properly repairing and fixing the headlights. Be safe, drive safe – remember the life you save may be your own. Please pass this around so that it may benefit as many people as possible and increase the safety on our roads.

David Maillie is an alumni of Cornell University and holds numerous patents including his recently awarded patent for headlight repair, cleaner and restorer. He can be reached at M.D. Wholesale: MDwholesale.com

Who in their right mind would not like to buy a good used car for a very low price? Not many of us, that’s for sure. Americans love getting good deals and there are few products that Americans seem more obsessed about getting good deals on than cars.

While it’s possible to get a good deal on a new car, it is in the arena of pre-owned or used cars where it is possible to get some really good deals on cheap cars. And there are several ways to buy a cheap used car.

One can look through the local newspaper in order to find cheap cars for sale within the area where you live. While the selection of cheap used cars for sale listed in local newspapers is often very limited, great deals can sometimes be found, especially if you find a seller who is either lazy or does not know the value of the car they are selling. Sometimes you can run into trouble buying a used cheap car from someone advertising in the newspaper because the stranger you are buying the car from may be a real miscreant who lies about the car’s history and its condition.

A second way of buying a cheap car is through a used car dealership. Often used car dealerships have limited selection in the way of cars you can buy from them. Also, used car dealerships may sell the cars they have for sale at higher prices than what you could find if you buy a car from a private seller who advertises in the newspaper. However, many used car lots and used car dealerships do thoroughly examine the cars they sell.

An option to find cheap used cars for sale that was not available ten years ago is going online to find a car on the Web. There are dozens of Web sites that sell cheap used cars of many, many makes and many, many models. Some of the cars listed on the sites are being sold at used car lots and some are being sold by private parties. Often very cheap deals can be found on the used cars for sale on the Web. However, often the best used car and the cheapest used car one can find for sale on the Internet is a few states away and this can be a hassle.

A fourth way of finding a cheap used car for sale is by going to a car auction and making a bid on a car. Often when cars are repossessed because money is owed on them or they are seized by the government due to criminal or tax evading behavior of the previous owner, they are sold at auctions. Repossessed cars bought at auctions can sometimes be very cheap and people can sometimes get exceptional deals on cars when they buy repossessed cars at government auctions. However, buying a repossessed car at a government-sponsored auction can be a hassle because auctions are often held inconsistently and infrequently; it is sometimes difficult to look and examine the cars being sold at auction before they go on the block; and you never quite know how much a certain car is going to cost at an auction.

With all the options available to people buying used cars and cheap cars, a customer is bound to find a cheap car for sale that suits his or her purposes and budget.

Submitted by T. Kopel. For more information how you can buy repossessed cars at auction for cheap, please visit us at visit us at http://cheap-used-car-for-sale-101.blogspot.com.

Sometimes when people want to buy a good pre-owned car for a low price they go to government-sponsored automobile auctions. Because the government is not allowed to make a profit on the cars it auctions off, there are plenty of opportunities for people to find incredible deals at government car auctions.

Most of the cars sold at government auctions have been seized from people who for one reason or another were unable to make payments on their cars. These cars are then repossessed by the lending institutions or banks that provided the automobile loans that were used to buy the cars in the first place. Other automobiles that are sold at government auctions come from people who failed to pay their income tax or other taxes and do not have the cash to pay the government what is owed. The government then liquidates part of the tax cheat’s estate and takes possession of items such as cars. A third way cars come to government auctions is if they belong to a criminal and are taken by the government as a result of a criminal procedure. Sometimes the automobiles sold at government-sponsored car auctions are old fleet cars that were used by the various branches of government.

With the exception of the government fleet cars, it is often difficult to ascertain information regarding the history or a car being sold at a government auction. Often, there is no way a person can find out who owned the car before it was seized, why the car was seized and is now in the hands of the government, and what the maintenance record on the car is. While it may be possible to do a background check based on a car’s vehicle identification number (VIN), it is often difficult to get a really good picture of the condition of a car that is sold at government automobile auction.

In the days and weeks leading up to some government-sponsored car auctions, customers are allowed to examine the cars, trucks, SUVs and automobiles that will be sold at the auction. However, other government-sponsored automobile auctions where seized and repossessed vehicles are sold do not let people examine the cars closely before they are sold.

Car dealerships often send representatives to government auctions in order to buy pre-owned cars at low prices. These auto dealerships will then usually sell the cars they buy at car auctions for prices much higher than those they paid for the vehicles.

Like all auctions, customers at government-sponsored automobile auctions must place bids on how much they are willing to pay for the car on the auction block. Whoever makes the highest bid for a car sold at a car auction gets the car. While it is next to impossible to get an automobile loan for the exact amount one pays for a car at a government-sponsored vehicle auction, it is possible to get a loan for a specified amount before one heads off to the auction.

It is not unusual for high-end and luxury cars to be sold at government-sponsored car auctions, although most of the cars sold are the normal trucks, cars and SUVs one sees everyday on the road.

Submitted by T. Kopel. For more information on car auctions and how you can buy repossessed cars for cheap, please visit us at visit us at http://car-auction-101.blogspot.com.

Recently, our country has been hit with a surge of high gas prices. With no decline in prices on the horizon, people are being forced to ration their gas intake. There is a silver lining from the events of the present; the rationing will help reduce gas emissions, which in turn will help the environment. There are some easy and effective steps the consumer can take to help save on gasoline, improve mileage and help reduce gas emissions. They are listed in the following paragraphs.

Before one hits the road there are several actions that can be taken to limit the frequency of “filling up at the pump”. They are: 1) keep tires properly inflated to manufacturer specifications, 2) use the recommended grade of motor oil for your vehicle, 3) get regular tune-ups, filter changes and engine lubes, 4) buy fuel-efficient replacement tires, 5) plan ahead for the shortest, gas saving itinerary, 6) ride a bicycle and 7) take a walk.

If you do need to drive in order to reach your intended destination, then the following are some fuel saving tips. First, do not speed. Speeding forces the engine to use more gas. Second, do not drive aggressively. Third, avoid excessive idling. Excessive idling produces zero miles per gallon. Another tip is to use the air conditioner, sparingly. Finally, when at all possible use cruise control to keep your speed constant.

When taking a trip, the most cost efficient ways are to avoid carrying items on top of your vehicle; travel light and when renting a car ask for a model that is the most fuel-efficient. Likewise, if you commute some tips to save on gas are to stagger your work hours, to avoid rush hour (stop and go traffic eats up a lot of fuel). When at all possible take public transportation or consider telecommuting. Finally, join your neighborhood car pool.

The last suggestion on how consumers can save on gas involves one to make a long-term investment. The investment to make is to trade in that old car for a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle. Newer vehicles are generally more fuel efficient and with all the new hybrid vehicles on the market you have even more choices. There are now even hybrid trucks and SUVs. The suggested actions are a few ways on how you, the consumer, can show your power at the pump.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get car care products from http://www.carcarewizards.com

There are many alternative fuels available on the market today. President Bush seems to be on a mission stating that Americans are “addicted” to oil.

Alternative fuel is quickly replacing gasoline, resulting in fewer pollution and cost efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy is guiding the efforts due to a need to limit air pollution levels to protect human health and the environment. The following are a list of alternative fuels that are becoming more and more mainstream. Eventually, these fuels will replace our dependency on gasoline.

Ethanol is a fuel made from crop grain. It is a renewable fuel. Ethanol is used in 10 percent blends with gasoline to create gasohol. Ethanol is not considered an alternative fuel unless it is mixed at 85 percent with gasoline to create E-85. You will start to see E-85 being provided at all major gas stations in the very near future.

Another alternative fuel that is replacing gasoline is Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). LPG consists mainly of propane, propylene, butane and butylenes in various mixtures. LPG is a byproduct of natural gas processing and petroleum refining. LPG can also be produced domestically; therefore, lessening our reliance on foreign companies to provide our fuel.

Methanol is an alcohol free fuel. A process using natural gas as a feedstock produces methanol. The alternative Methanol fuel is being used as M-85.

Biofuels are also beginning to enter the mainstream. Biofuels are chemicals made from cellulosic biomass such as herbaceous and woody pulp from agricultural and forestry residues. A majority of biofuels consists of municipal waste and industrial waste. Biofuels are also domestically grown, reducing our reliance on other countries to supply our fuels.

Finally, good old electricity is being tapped into to help power vehicles, known as hybrids. Batteries provide the electricity used to power these vehicles. The batteries are charged from electricity that is produced at a power plant. Power plants utilize fossil fuels to produce energy. There are no emissions from a hybrid, which is good for the environment.

We have listed several alternative fuels that are going to continue to replace gasoline on a massive level. These fuels are better for our health and for the health of the environment. They also will cut our reliance on foreign countries to provide us with our fuel. The end result will be lower costs at the pump.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For car care products go to http://www.5starshine.com