Keeping Up On Brake Pads

Are you the "Get your hands dirty and do it yourself" kind of person? Well, if you are and you are into your own vehicle maintenance don't forget to check your brakes. Weak brakes can lead to collisions so we want to show you how to check them to keep them in top notch shape!

HSW has a fantastic step by step tutorial:

Fix my brakes for me, I need help!

Washing your car can be a pain in the rear. Especially when you get to the wheels. But once done, there's something gratifying about driving around in your gleaming ride. Then it never fails. The next day you look at your front wheels and notice they're all dirty again. What's going on?

What you're seeing is all the brake dust from your front brake pads. The fine powder is created from the rotor wearing away the brake lining. When you step on the brake pedal, it's this wearing process on the brake material that creates the necessary friction to stop the vehicle.

Brakes are designed to wear out. But sometimes we may go too long between brake jobs and run into additional costs we could have avoided had we checked the brake pads regularly. If the pads wear too far, the metal backing on the brake pad comes in contact with the brake rotor. Once you make metal to metal contact, you've not only damaged the rotor, but put yourself in a dangerous situation. And, you've added a good bit of money to the costs you're facing for new brakes.

This article will give you the insight you need to inspect your brake pads so you can avoid a major brake problem both mechanically and financially. Let's start with how to determine brake wear.

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Preventing Car Rust

Rust... in a car it's the root of all evil! It's not just something that affects the metal on the outside of your car keeping it pretty and preventing it from being an eye-sore, but it can affect the workings of your car...

For cars, rust is a disease, and it can spread like one too... once oxidation happens and a small hole opens it can spread like wildfire.

Howstuffworks has a fancy guide to preventing rust to keep your car in top shape:

Keeping your car in good working order requires regular maintenance and careful observation. One problem any motorist wants to avoid is rust. Rust not only makes your car less attractive, it can cause serious damage if left unchecked.

Rust is iron oxide, a molecule consisting of two iron atoms and three oxygen atoms. It's the product of an electrochemical process called corrosion. To create rust, three factors must be present: an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte. An anode is a piece of metal that will readily release electrons under the right circumstances. Cathodes are metals that will accept electrons. Electrolytes are liquids that facilitate the movement of electrons.

Keep reading to learn how to prevent rust: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/vehicle-maintenance/prevent-automotive-rust.htm .

Keeping Your Car Clean

One of the best ways to protect your car and its paint is to clean it regularly. Dust build up is rusts best friend, and when you mix constant dirt, water, and heat the results can be bad.

It's not just the outside that deserves a good cleaning, but the inside too. Let's face it, we're all a bit lazy and that's probably why some of our cars look the way they do.

So to keep your car looking new we have some awesome tips from Jalopnik and don't worry... these work well even for the lazy.


3.) Every time you leave, take something out

Suggested By: mcdbrendan, Right Foot to Boxer, BrtStlnd

Why it's effective: There are three cleaning regimens that will keep your car clean. Each one requires a different degree of diligence, but they all work.

Every time you stop for gas, reach into all the cubby holes and pull out the trash so you can throw it out.

Every time you stop and get out of your car for any reason, grab all the trash in your car.

If you stop and your car already looks clean, look around for one thing in your car that doesn't strictly need to be there and take it out.

Photo Credit: 8one6

2.) Make a routine for washing

Suggested By: TimTim, Jstas

Why it's effective: There's no quick fix to keeping your car washed regularly. You have to either set up a schedule for taking your car to a carwash, or you need to start a routine for washing your own car.

Mark it out on your calendar and use the two-bucket method. One bucket has clean water and the other bucket is soapy. Scrub your car clean, soap it up, then wash it all off from the top down. Stay regimented and your car won't ever stay dirty.

Video Credit: Ben Bunch

1.) Keep it clean so it stays clean

Suggested By: horspowr1001

Why it's effective: The easiest way to keep your car from getting dirty is to clean it once and make sure it stays that way. Once it's clean, it's easy to keep it clean, as reader horspowr1001 explains:

Read more: http://jalopnik.com/5922778/ten-easy-ways-to-keep-your-car-clean

Car Cleaning Tips

Are you as lazy as some of the rest of us? Do you not feel like hand washing your car all the time? There are steps you can take to keep it clean a little at a time.

10.) Don't eat in there

Why it's effective: If you can avoid eating in your car, you won't have to deal with all the wrappers, cartons, stains and crumbs that inevitably follow.

9.) Wax it occasionally

Why it's effective: It means you have to buy something and it means you have to spend some time after washing your car, but it's an investment that pays off. Waxing your car occasionally makes washing it the next time easier.

8.) Knock your shoes before getting in

Why it's effective: Wherever it snows and gets slushy, you really can't keep your car from getting dirty on the inside, but you can do a lot just by knocking your boots before you get in.

Sit down on the seat with your legs outside and knock your cold, block-like feet together. Then you just swivel in. It means your footwells won't be quite so grimy and icy.

Read More: http://jalopnik.com/5922778/ten-easy-ways-to-keep-your-car-clean

Why it's effective: The easiest way to keep your car from getting dirty is to clean it once and make sure it stays that way. Once it's clean, it's easy to keep it clean.

Pittsburgh Blues Festival

The Pittsburgh Blues Festival kicks off tonight featuring Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience.

The Pittsburgh Blues Festival, presented by Peoples Natural Gas, takes place July 20-22, 2012 at Hartwood Acres. This is the 18th year for this fundraiser, which benefits Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

The line-up of blues musicians includes a variety of blues styles, from zydeco to boogie.  The weekend begins with a Mardi Gras party. Admission to Friday (only) is FREE with the donation of a
bag of nonperishable groceries for the Food Bank, thanks to sponsors Giant Eagle, Fox 53, and WDVE 102.5 fm. Terrance Simien is billed as a fierce guardian of true Zydeco blues temming from his 8th generation Creole heritage.  Anthony Gomes will warm up the evening – a past winner of the Blueswax “Blues Guitarist of the Year” award. In past years the Food Bank has collected as much as 12 tons of food on free Friday.

The rest of the line-up is pretty classic – Canned Heat, Mavis Staples, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Bernard Allison Group, Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers, Albert Cummings and Barbara Blue. Canned Heat stormed onto the music stage as the headliner at Woodstock and became known as “kings of the boogie.” Mavis Staples, of the famous gospel family singers, is one of blues’ remaining first ladies; she won a Grammy in 2010 for her latest release You Are Not Alone. Bobby “Blue” Bland started out with B.B. King, and is the inspiration of record for dozens of today’s best blues musicians...

Read more info: http://www.pghblues.com/about.html

We Now Have The Dodge Dart!

Pleasant Hills Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram now has the all new Dodge Dart, and the Dart has certainly been a welcoming new attraction. It's sleek style, the technology inside, and 41mpg are enough to make anyone's head turn. Now Dodge is ramping up advertising with the latest commercial for the Dart aired during the MLB All-Star Game.

DigitalTrends writes:


The Dodge Dart media campaign won’t kick into high gear until September, but that hasn’t stopped Chrysler from giving us a glimpse at this hotly anticipated compact car.


The spot, which is titled “How to Change Cars Forever,” aired last night during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and kicks off the Dart’s “New Rules” ad campaign.


With the Jay-Z and Kanye West single “No Church in the Wild” bumping in the background, we’re treated to a humor-filled, rapid-fire look at what goes into designing a car from the ground up: apparently lots of coffee and little sleep. There’s even a brief cameo by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for that obligatory celeb tie-in.


“Adding a dose of fun, creative license and Dodge brand humor, [the ad] captures the meticulous process of starting with a simple idea and developing it into a revolutionary new car,” says Olivier Francois, head of marketing for Chrysler Group LLC. “[With the commercial] we wanted to provide a peek inside what it takes to bring a new car to fruition.”

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/chrysler-preps-dodge-dart-marketing-push-during-mlb-all-star-game/#ixzz20QqYPIEF

Chrysler Car Nationals

Info from http://www.carlisleevents.com/events/chrysler-nationals/

Any Chrysler owners up for a small road trip? Each year thousands of Chrysler vehicles converge on Carlisle, PA for the Chrysler Nationals. This year should be one of the best featuring current and classic Chrysler vehicles from every era.

What is this event? 

There’s nothing quite like it anywhere in the world with over 2,100 vehicles from all eras of the Chrysler brand: classics, muscle cars, high-performance new models and more. You need to be here for: the enormous showfield - organized by year, make and model; indoor displays; kids’ activities; industry guests; car and engine giveaways; and NHRA drag racing. Interested in parts buying? Look no further! You’ll be amazed at the size of the swap meet, the variety of vendors, the car corral, and the Manufacturers Midway. Whether you prefer the A, B or E body style – this show has it all! 

For more info visit: http://www.carlisleevents.com/events/chrysler-nationals/