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June 24, 2005 - Ebb's 10 "cheap as free" ways to make your driving experience more enjoyable 1. Change your seat configuration -Moving your seat up a little or your rear support back a little can go a long way in diversifying your driving experience. You'd be surprised what a little reconfiguration can do to your mobile trips. I find that we're so concerned with getting our seats in "perfect" position all the time (heck, they have memory settings in cars now for this), that the thought of changing our seat position never crosses our minds. So try it one day; pull the seat all the way up like a race car driver and then the next day push it all the way back and drive like a pimp in L.A. It will make you feel like you're driving a new car. 2. Put your car on a diet -I can't believe the amount of "stuff" some people have in their cars. I've seen some people that have everything but the kitchen sink in their trunks or back seats. From bottles to boxes to basketballs to binders, lots of people seem to think their cars were designed to be personal storage devices. Folks, all that stuff equals added weight, and you know what added weight equals right??? Makes you're car slower cause your engine has more fattiness to move. So put your car on a diet folks; clean all the unnecessary stuff out. A few less pounds of weight can go a long way in your ¼ mile times… Go on a diet yourself too if you want to go faster. 3. Tires have air inside them; try to keep it that way -I honestly think some people think tires 1) inflate themselves, and 2) once their inflated, they stay perfectly inflated for the rest of their life. Folks, tires run out of air and cars don't like it when their under-inflated! So make it a point to check your tire pressure every once in a while, especially if they're looking low. Proper tire pressure can lead to better gas mileage and better handling. If you're unsure of what psi (pounds per square inch) to set the pressure at, check the sticker insider your driver side door area. The manufacturer has a suggested pressure to set the front and rear tires to. Don't do it according to the tire itself. Also, most gas stations have free or cheap air pumps…take advantage of that. 4. Take advantage of cheap as free service -As alluded to in the previous section, take advantage of the free services gas stations and auto part stores offer. Head down to your local Advanced Auto Parts, Autozone, or whatever car parts store and utilize their free services. Most places like this offer free services like testing your battery, your alternator, and even your starter. They also offer free installation on many components from batteries to wiper blades. A lot of these places also offer free hard to find tool rentals (deposit nonewithstading). Many also will take your used oil if you happen to do oil changes yourself. Take advantage of these free services. 5. Keep the wheels clean -Clean wheels make a car look 13% more valuable. It's true! You park two identical cars next to each other but with one having dirty wheels and the other clean ones, and I bet most people will think the one with clean wheels is in better condition and worth more. I can't stand it when I see a really nice car pull up next to me with fugly, brake-dust covered wheels. It's a tragedy. Keep your wheels clean folks. 6. Name your car -You know how people say when you find a stray pet not to name it because once you name it you'll become attached to it and won't want to give it up? Well the same holds true for cars. As hokey as it sounds, naming your car will add a dimension to your inanimate object relationship that will not only create a sense of pride in your ownership of it, but it will convict you to keep your car well maintained and clean. This is a good thing. 7. Stay on schedule -I know some people that go 7,000, 9,000, *gasp* even 10,000+ miles before getting an oil change on their car (Kate, I'm talking to you). This is not wise Daniel-san. Manufactures devise schedules for maintenance like this for a reason people. They know the car will not go anymore, or for very much longer, if you don't stick to these schedules. Concerning oil changes, I think the general consensus for most cars to be safe is every 3,000 miles. If you have a Honda or Toyota, you could probably ek it out to 5,000, maybe even 6, but anywhere beyond that is pushing it. Refer to your owner's manual for all other regular maintenance schedules. 8. Buy better gas -Yeah I know the price of oil is reaching $60/barrel, but there's a reason 89 octane gas is more expensive than 87, and 93 more expensive than 89. The reason is because it's better. Why is it better you ask? Well basically because it blows up in a cleaner, more efficient way, extending the life of your engine in the long run. So if you're concerned with that, which I think most people are, do yourself a favor and spend the extra couple bucks on better gas. (some manufacturers actually recommend lower octane gasoline. Refer to owner's manual for information) 9. Open your hood -I know this sounds preposterous, but I think there are actually people out there that have no idea what is under the hood of their car. I'm not saying this because I think everyone should have in depth knowledge of their engine, I'm saying this because a simple diagnostic observation of the engine and the engine bay can be key in preventative maintenance. It may be as simple as clearing out leaves and dead birds that are clogging up your air intake to a identifying a belt that looks like it's about to fall off. Take a couple minutes to check your engine area to see if something look amiss. Oh, and check your oil and other liquids (washer fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid, etc.) while you're down there. 10. Turn off the music, roll down your windows, and listen -Do just that. Do you hear any *clicks*, *clacks*, or *rat-ta-tat-tats*? Listening for abnormal sounds while driving is something everyone should do for peace of mind every so often. I fear we're so engaged in our high powered stereo systems, our hands-free cell phones, and our new IPod's that we neglect to just drive sans audio stimulation. Not only will it give us a chance to hear any potential problems, it will return us to a time when it was just man and his internal combustion engine. Oh what a harmonious dance it is…especially if your engine comes from Bayerische Motorenwerkes |
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