Everything You Wanted To Be Familiar With Automotive Fuses

Image source: http://cdn3-www.craveonline.com/assets/uploads/2014/09/ForzaHorizon2Cars.jpg

Pick out a flat area of your driveway to do this oil change on. Doing the oil change after raising the temperature of the oil makes it easier, so take you car out for a short drive. Just long enough for the temperature gauge to start to register should be far enough.

While selecting the used car part for your vehicle, make sure that you consider some of the important. This is so because, as purchasing the right part can save your lot of money, similarly, purchasing wrong or inappropriate part will only waste your effort and money.

They are going to ask you some questions in order to give you an estimate. They will ask things such as the date you want your vehicle delivered how many vehicles you want transported and rather or not you want door-to-door service or if you will be dropping off and picking up your vehicle at the terminal. Also, if you have oversized vehicles, that is an additional cost.

The scientific name for LED is light-emitting diode. It is actually not new. It has been applied in many fields as instruction lights. In the field of your card account lighting, LED was first applied in brake lights due to its quick response. It is a good solution to trail the traffic behind the driver to cut down road accidents. With the development of technology, high brightness LED lamps have been invented. This is also the technical guarantee for LED lights to become car headlights.

The Citigroup layoff only add to the 100,000 jobs already lost during the credit crisis. 3,200 jobs were lost by Goldman Sachs Group last month, with Morgan Stanley about to cut 10% of their workforce.

The some standard features of Hyundai Santro are dual side impact beams, standard inside rear view mirror, clear head and rear lamps, half wheel cover, S vinyl molded roof lining etc. other additional features Power Steering, Low Fuel Warning Light, Rear Seat Headrest, Cup Holders-Front, Air Conditioner, Fabric Upholstery, Tinted Glass, Brake Assist, Child Safety Locks, Engine Check Warning, and Engine Immobilizer etc.

Buying damaged vehicles for sale can be a lucrative business. Some people advertise and even pick up the wrecked cars. When you run a used car part business, you can market to people who like to work on their own cars. Some used part dealers collect a lot of damaged cars and allow customers to remove the parts themselves. Other dealers remove all usable parts and dispose of the rest of the vehicle.

In a couple of weeks we were ready for our first trip towing a car. I dutifully read all instructions given and the car's manual on towing. With some trepidation I drove my car up the ramps and onto the tow dolly. The tow dolly has a pin that you remove to get the ramps to the ground and when your car is in place it pivots back in place. That is the theory. In reality my car wasn't heavy enough to make the tow dolly pivot back into place. Of course it cannot be used until the ramps are off the ground.

We zoomed around and away on his motorcycle everyday the hot shot picked me up from high school. We had many hours to kill before he took off to work to paint trains. It was an adventure. We traveled one hundred twenty miles per hour down empty late night expressways to the beach only to wonder what life was going to let out to be.

Everything You Need to Know About Rock Sliders

Image source: http://robhasawebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/survior-2014-survivor-san-juan-del-sur-john-rocker-cast-podcast-2.jpg?b78a4b

If you own a 4x4 Toyota Hilux and you want to protect it, you have probably already bought bull bars, side rails and headlight protectors, but one item that all 4x4's require are rock sliders. This is a metal rod that rests between the front and back wheel of your vehicle and protects your rocker panels from debris and rocks. They also server as a good pivot point when manoeuvring over obstacles and can be a stepping surface when you want to enter or exit your Toyota. But before you go looking for Hilux rock sliders for sale, you need to look at the factors that make the best rock sliders.

Material Types

The best materials for sliders would have to be 1020 DOM and 1020 HREW, they are intended for hard use.

HREW and DOM Steel

HREW and DOM refer to the processes, while 1020 refers to the materials properties (the grade of steel used in HREW&DOM is usually SAE 1020 mild carbon).

HREW (hot rolled electric resistance welded) tubes are economical, strong steel tubes, they are a good option for rock slider. DOM (drawn over mandrel) is stronger then HREW but that's why it's also more expensive. These types of steels are cold-worked and drawn over a mandrel, which makes them smoother and improves the steels molecular structure.

Choosing between HREW and DOM for your rock sliders is not that important, as both of them are strong (although DOM is a bit more resistant to abuse, thus being pricier).

Aluminium

Aluminium sliders are more expensive and more fragile then steel (mostly because steel is very accessible). Aluminium is not recommended for anyone who would like to do rock driving or climbing with their 4x4, as they can very easily bend from the pushing force of the rocks. If you don't plan on using your Toyota for heavy mountain riding and are okay with spending a bit more money, you should at least look for Aluminium UHMW.

Coatings

It is not advised to look for coated and painted Hilux rock sliders for sale, as no coat can withstand the rock abuse and they tend to be more expensive then uncoated rock sliders. Instead you should buy uncoated (since it is cheaper) rock sliders which you can coat and paint yourself.
Paint: The cheapest and best way to paint a rock slider is with a $1 bucket of paint. Why, you might ask? Well with the constant rocks hitting your truck, the paint will get chipped very often, so you will need to reapply it constantly. Buying expensive paint for a temporary problem is not the best solution.
If you want a bit more protection, you can go with hard bedliner coating. They also come in a variety of colours, but will not stand up to prolonged rock sliding. This is a better option for back country exploration or driving then just using paint, it will hold up for a longer period of time.
For best looking coat, powdercoating is the way to go. But this stunning, hard coating is still no match for a big amount of rock hits. To apply a powdercoat you will need special equipment that most people don't posses at home and car garages use this to their advantage. It is quite expensive and should not be applied if you plan to abuse your rock sliders.

Application

Rock sliders can be applied in a couple of ways, they can be welded or bolted to the body or the frame of the vehicle. They need to be fastened securely to your 4x4 for support when you're doing fast four-wheel drives or in case you flip your Hilux. If your car is flipped and stuck, you can use the rock sliders as a pivot point to attach a winch to them, and then pull the truck back down.

But you might be wondering should you bolt-on or weld your rock sliders? Well if you don't own a welder, then you will be forced to pay someone to weld them for you, or just bolt the rock sliders on. But to answer this question, we have to go deeper, since it comes down to more than just the possession of a welder.

Bolt-ons

If you want to apply bolt-ons you'll have to drill holes in the body of your Toyota. This is a permanent modification, as you cannot remove the holes after they have been drilled. Another thing to consider is the corrosion that might result from water sipping in through the holes. You can try and counter the corrosion with special paint that are waterproof, but you still will have to unbolt the rock sliders to check for both corrosion and dirt build ups.

By bolting the rock sliders you will also experience long term consequences and an overall lowered car value. If you plan on adding other accessories or removing your rock sliders you will be left with gouging holes in your vehicles body. And as much as this might not bother you, potential buyers might not be so fond of it, resulting in you selling your car for a lower price, or even not selling it at all.

In strength both welded and bolted rock sliders are equally sturdy, as long as the application process was done correctly.

Weld-on

Welded to the body

People usually don't weld their rocker protection gear on the body, but rather the frame. Those who do however do it custom, usually because the rocker has been modified due to corrosion and rust. Welded-on-body rock sliders can't be directly attached to the body of a non-unibody vehicle. On a body-on-frame ladder vehicles, both the body and frame are isolated from one another. So if you for exampled welded a rock slider on your body and then applied a straight stringer from the rocker to the frame, you'd lose the isolation to prevent this you can apply rubber bushing in-between the body and frame.

Welded to the frame

Much like welding on the body, you would also need to prepare your frame before welding the rock slider on it. To achieve the maximum protection and use of your rock sliders (to be able to slide off rocks and over obstacles), they will need to be firmly attached to your 4x4 vehicle. The steel used to create most 4x4 frames is 3,17mm 4.76mm thick if you were to weld a rock slider on a material of that thickness you would create a bit amount of stress on the frame, which could lead to cracks and damage. To prevent this you can weld the rock slider on special frame plates that can be attached over the frame, this will make the overall frame thicker and distribute the stress more evenly.

Euro Tail Lights An Awesome Mod!

Image source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/3a/9e/0b/3a9e0ba9d672e4850647864659d5258a.jpg

Car manufacturers over the years have developed some radical looking tail light designs for their vehicles. The '65 era Thunderbirds, for one, featured sequential tail lights and, years later, Chevy introduced the '90 Lumina van with monster-sized, can't miss tail lights. Today, tail lights on many cars simply do the job, but leave little to the imagination. Fortunately, after market operators have jumped in and developed some awesome looking mods -- some call them Euro tail lights -- that even your Granny can install.

What are Euro tail lights? For starters, there is some disagreement on the name but essentially they are also known as Alteeza tail lights, the name of a popular manufacturer of this style of tail light. Others prefer terms such as "clear tail lights" or "red tail lights" but in any case they are mods that change the appearance of stock tail lights. In short, you are installing crystal clear or red lenses that go over bullet-style taillight and turn signal lenses. The new lenses, coupled with style rings and platings, help to accentuate the light emitting from auto tail lights and turn signals thereby giving the vehicle a unique look far removed from the original design.

Euro tail lights are marketed in a variety of styles and bezel colors including chrome, carbon fiber, black, etc.; some styles are paintable for a customized look. In addition, new LED or light emitting diode tail lights are also catching on. This particular mod features the installation of new bulbs that light faster and brighter than stock tail light bulbs; they contain no filament and can withstand rough road conditions better than the standard bulbs. Eventually, all cars will likely have LEDs as standard equipment, however you don't have to wait that long.

Of course, if you already own a European make automobile you are likely satisfied with the stock design. Your BMW tail light assembly or Audi tail light assembly is the basis for many of these mods. Still, if you want to squeeze a little extra style out of these types of vehicles there are mods for them as well.

So, are Euro tail lights street legal? They certainly are and they are Department of Transportation (DOT) and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) approved. No worries about being pulled over by "the law" unless you modify the mod illegally!

Yes, you can upgrade your Ford, Kia, Mercedes tail light or virtually any other automotive tail light legally and quickly. Some makers boast that mods can be completed in as little 15 minutes, so you will break hardly a sweat and have a cool upgrade on your vehicle in no time. Blink! Blink!

Environmental Sustainability - Still a Business Imperative

Image source: https://realestate.ipe.com/Pictures/web/a/i/x/The-green-imperative-_562.png

Who cares about greening business when the economy is deteriorating? You do, if you are a corporate leader with your eye on the horizon. Yes, even though 2008 was a global economic reset, environmental sustainability remains a powerful strategy -- in operations, supply chain, human resources, product management, and marketing -- for 2009 and beyond.

Declining markets and lack of credit challenge companies on every level. These pressing issues may temporarily mask the urgency of environmental concerns. Yet, environmental issues are not going away, and it would be a mistake to take your eye off the green ball (or your green strategy).

Here are four reasons that an environmental strategy remains important to your business:

1. Cutting costs. Systematically examining all aspects of your operations for eco-efficiencies can reveal ways to save substantial costs. Opportunities range from the simple -- such as installing devices to save water and electricity -- to the more complex -- such as light-weighting packaging.

A couple of examples of how companies' eco-efficiency efforts can save money, reduce waste and improve environmental impacts include:

* Harrah's Entertainment, which estimates it is saving $10 million annually with its energy and environmental conservation initiatives, and
* Wal-Mart, which, the New York Times reported, saved $3.5 million per year by recycling and selling loose plastic. Wal-Mart also predicts it will save $500M by 2020 by identifying ways to more efficiently load trucks.

Takeaway: In the short-term, companies are under pressure to manage limited resources and cut costs. Using an eco-efficiency lens to identify and implement projects can save money and reduce environmental impacts in both the near and the long-term.

2. Identifying and reducing risks. An environmental focus can uncover and help manage risks in the supply chain and from actual or pending environmental regulations.

Analyzing and reducing the environmental impacts of a company's supply chain is critical in an age of increased scrutiny. Just ask any one of the toy manufacturers or consumer goods companies who failed to monitor their suppliers. These companies became a lead story flashed around the world within 24 hours.

Takeway: Not only is environmental oversight of the supply chain good management, but it is also necessary to ensure consumer and environmental safety and avoid becoming headline news.

Understanding environmental regulatory risk is also increasingly important. Several examples demonstrate that environmental regulations in the US will evolve rapidly.

* California and 13 other states will soon be setting auto emissions and fuel efficiency standards,
* Discussions about federal climate change regulations are ramping up with administration and congressional support, and
* The Environmental Protection Agency Administrator has made assessing and managing chemical risks one of the agency's five priorities.

Takeaway: Support for environmental and climate change regulations is growing. Companies need to understand what these new or revised laws mean for their business.

3. Connecting to customers and driving revenue. Consumers are buying less, so it is more important than ever to maintain a connection to your customers and encourage loyalty.

Recent surveys suggest that consumers continue to demand environmental and social values in products along with price and quality. One of these surveys, from the Boston Consulting Group, [January 2009 - http://www.bcg.com/impact_expertise/publications/files/Capturing_Green_Advantage_Consumer_Companies_Jan_2009.pdf] found that despite a down market, consumers care about green product attributes, especially in food, appliances and personal care purchases.

While consumers may be confused about what "green" or "sustainability" means, they are beginning to understand that products they purchase have a life cycle impact on the environment. Brands, such as Tropicana and Fiji Water, are taking advantage of this trend by assessing their products' environmental footprint and communicating it to consumers, sometimes right on the label.

Takeaway: The conscious consumer will continue to purchase based on "value" as well as "values." Companies need to rethink their product portfolio, understand their products' environmental impacts (and attributes) and communicate this to a savvier consumer.

4. Enhancing brand and image. Stakeholders, such as employees and customers, are loyal to companies that do the right thing and communicate about it in a transparent and compelling way. With faster communications, a company's reputation is on the line daily.

Employees are a particularly important group to highlight. Retaining employees, especially high-end knowledge workers, is critical to weathering these markets. Green initiatives provide opportunities to engage employees and boost morale.

Focusing existing staff on sustainability initiatives can build on employees' knowledge of the company and produce measurable benefits. For example, a major cosmetics manufacturer launched green teams that have pushed the company's environmental agenda forward and identified millions of dollars of savings. These employees knew where to find savings and how to effect the changes they recommended.

Takeaway: Green initiatives are a way to engage employees, build morale and potentially save money.

Bottom Line: While the economic crisis has created an unforgiving environment for businesses, environmental sustainability remains a business imperative. A focus on sustainability can help you manage short-term challenges, cut costs and position for future growth.

Copyright (c) 2009 Daniel C. Esty, author of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage

Enterprise Zone Credits And Local Businesses

Image source: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/hbsworkingknowledge/files/2014/08/mills3-fig1.png

The state of California has set up its tax code for businesses so that those conducting business in one of forty-two enterprise zones qualify for several enterprise zone credits. Yet many businesses that qualify for these enterprise zone credits fail to take advantage of them, most often because they are unaware of the credits available. If located in an enterprise zone, your California business can benefit in several different ways.

An enterprise zone is a location in the state of California that has been identified as economically challenged. In order to bring businesses to these areas, the state offers a variety of California enterprise zone credits. By encouraging business through the use of enterprise zone tax credit to flourish in these areas, the state hopes to provide jobs for people living in the zones as well as help to stimulate the local economies.

A company with headquarters in one of the enterprise zones may qualify for enterprise zone tax credit in a variety of ways. The employees that are hired by your company may allow your company to earn enterprise zone tax credit. If your employees live within the enterprise zone, have been unemployed or received public assistance, have been in the military and are disabled, qualifying ex-felons, disconnected youth, Native Americans or Pacific Islanders, then they may qualify your business for up to $13,000 each in California enterprise zone tax credit. If you now realize that your company would have been eligible for this enterprise zone tax credit in previous years but you did not claim the credit, this may also be remedied with amended returns for the past three years.

If you add equipment to your business that allows for a reduction in fuel, you may also benefit from enterprise zone credits. Up to $4,000 in California enterprise zone tax credit on a $10,000 purchase of energy saving equipment such as geothermal heat pumps, small wind generators, photovoltaic systems or solar water heating equipment is available.

Your enterprise zone company could reap an enterprise zone tax credit for the purchase of energy efficient vehicles as well. Hybrid vehicles are very popular because they offer great strides in fuel efficiency, and if your company purchases a hybrid or diesel vehicle you will receive a California enterprise zone tax credit for your effort to reduce your fuel consumption. This credit is also available to individuals who purchase these modern vehicles.

The best way to get reliable information about whether your company is located within a California enterprise zone, and the types of enterprise zone credits for which you may be eligible, is via a professional certified public accountant familiar with these useful tax credits for businesses.

Employee Timesheets Management Tracking Software

Image source: http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2011/04/28/10579209/c_Time-Sheet-Manage-Employee.jpg

Best Software of employee time tracking and updated locations of your field employees to report their time on the job and travel time using their mobile customizable reports include grouping, sorting, filtering, and scripts to compute mathematical result by Field service Software. Scheduling field service and sales resources and managing operations are challenges for all service organizations. Many organizations rely on paper-based and telephone-based processes to link field resources with the office. Traditionally, field resources have been required to physically visit an office or call office staff on the phone to receive instructions, which is costly and takes time that could be better spent servicing customers.

Timesheet Management Software to tracking or updated locations of your field employees to report their time on the job and travel time using their mobile by Field service Software. You get complete visibility into your business work orders, expenses, inventory, bill of materials, and other things office with locations if you have multiple offices, you can assign employees to their offices, divisions or groups. You not only know the updated locations of your employees, you also know the time they spent on each job can track how many hours they work, reducing conflicts over payroll amounts.

Field enterprise employee work order track job status time arrivals and departures do work hours, cost, and job status. Get the full reporting your android phone or tablet and iphone or ipad this allows your business to access the same payroll benefits as our Time clock feature without having to provide a separate smart phone for each member of the crew? Employee Timesheets Management Software to the Employee Hours Report can be used for payroll, eliminating paper time sheets or requiring employees to physically clock in at a location. Coupled with our other features, the Employee Hours feature helps you keep track of your employees, where they are working, and how long they are working in real-time.

Employee status is also shown on any phone screen to crew leaders and admin can clock in members of a crew who do not have smart phones or tablets. Like work in progress. You see the current job, hours for today, hours for this week, and task status.

Field Force Tracker is designed to give you complete view of your field staff management solution of their customers scheduling and manage staff effectively track the status of work orders through keep track of the hours your employees work in real-time using the Time Sheet feature of the Field Force Tracker. Where are they at any given time? How many hours have been worked? Their assigned and past jobs see whose working and who worked on them last time.

Eliminating Pesky Auto Squeaks & Rattles from Your Car, Truck Or SUV

Image source: http://wpmedia.driving.ca/2016/08/car-noise.jpg?quality=70&strip=all&w=800&h=520&crop=1

Rattle, rattle. Rattle. Rattle noises sure are irritating. That sound or series of noises may have come with the car when new - somehow getting by quality control at the factory and the factory quality assurance system or they may have been "acquired" after an accident and subsequent auto body repair job. Regardless the relevant question is - how on earth do you get rid of that endless clack or clatter, jangle or pinging sound or series of odd sounds?

It seems that most rattles can be seen to be caused by a loose bolt or nut, Objects such as bolts and small pieces of body deadener in a door wells, pillars and quarter panels often cause rattles. Door wells can be checked by striking the underside of the door with a rubber mallet. The impact made by the mallet will indicate if loose objects are in the doorwell.

All bolts and screws should be tightened periodically. In the event that tightening the bolts and screws located on such assemblies as the door hood and deck lid, does not eliminate the rattle, then the trouble is most likely caused by misalignment. The position of the doors, hoods and deck lids is adjustable and rubber bumpers are provided to help eliminate the possibility of rattles. Make sure that such bumpers are in position.

Rattles and squeaks are sometimes caused by the weather-stripping and anti squeak material that is "out of position" on the doors. Apply additional cement or other adhesives and take care to install the material or materials in the proper location or locations to eliminate this difficulty.

As a general rule in the auto maintenance trades it can be stated that most squeals and rattles can be eliminated by carefully going over the car, truck or sports utility vehicle once or twice a year and making it a solid practice of tightening all bolts, nuts and sheet metal screws joining the various panels and shrouds "under the hood".

Pay particular attention to the any bolts or fittings attaching the bumper or bumper units.

As well make sure that the door latches and striker plates are tight and also correctly adjusted. Again to note that rattles and squeaks are sometimes caused by weather stripping and anti squeak materials that have somehow slipped out of place. When such conditions do occur, apply additional cement or adhesives and install the material in its proper recommended position to eliminate this difficulty. Lastly if necessary, obtain new weather stripping and sound deadening materials from your local dealer or big box auto supply store or outlet. Install this with the proper or appropriately recommended proper type of cement as recommended by the auto manufacturer themselves for your climate and driving conditions.

In the end when it comes to the nuisance and irritation of rattles the story can be told of a young nephew who enjoyed cracking his "knuckles". His uncle scolded him and told him that you should not do that - its bad for the joints. The smart aleck kid told his senior "Uncle Henry that is a misconception. On the internet it is reported by experts that cracking your knuckles has no noticeable effect on them in the long run and is of little consequence". To which the uncle replied "You would be amazed what they do to adult's nerves". So is it with auto noises and rattles as these vehicles drive down the road, city streets or highway.