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A car ding repair is easy to do if you have a good auto ding repair kit. Such repair kits are not so expensive; about $30 and it's really easy to used. Such automobile ding repair kids can be purchased at most stores selling car parts or car accessories. The task you have to do is to pull or remove glue from the surface on all panels of the vehicle and most of these cheap ding repair items for sale today are really working for this purpose if the dents or dings are not too big. For small and medium dents or dings, ding puller devices provides a simple, cost efficient removal. Fortunately there is no need to access the underside of the panel.

We see a trend today that more and more vehicle manufactures are using light gauge sheet metal in the construction of vehicles. In fact, it is not difficult to dent many new cars by simply leaning against them. The nice things about these dent/ding out, glue puller kits are that they give the do-it-your-selfers and car amateur enthusiasts a professional option to expensive dent removal services.

There are also different kinds of ding or dent repair kit and each of them offers a tool for specific damage. So you must know which repair kit you need for fixing your specific problem. This is no big deal however, because the only thing you have to do is to tell the sales person in the auto part or accessory store what you''ll need to do and he or she will find the dent fix kit for your needs. To cover yourself completely, you can buy several of them, thus having a tool for any ding or dent problem your car might incur. If you purchase three different ding or dent fix kits, you''ll have what you need for all types of dent repair.

How to use these kits? Here is what you do:

1] apply a bead of glue to the pulling nib

2] affix the nib to the lowest area of the dent you''re going to fix

3] the ding repair tool slips over the threaded stud

4] a wing nut tool is threaded down pulling the metal up

5] as soon as the dent is pulled out, a couple of drops of a release agent that normally is included in the kit is applied to the glue and the pulling nib will come right off.

These dent fix kits are inexpensive and easy to use and they will not damage your factory finish.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com. Terje gives advice and helps people with automotive issues like finding cheap car parts online as well as car ding repair and other auto repair issues.

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One of the most overlooked maintenance items on your car is the coolant system. Most people don't even think about it until they are on the side of the road with the hood up and steam pouring out of the radiator. This traffic nightmare can be avoided by some simple routine maintenance. Your coolant system should be flushed every two years and the anti freeze replaced as well. The chemicals in anti freeze begin to lose their effectiveness and rust and grime can build up in your engine and radiator. This will clog up your engine's cooling system and cause your engine to overheat. The good news is very little mechanical skills are needed to flush your system and keep your car running for the years to come. Just follow these simple steps:

1. First of all make sure your car engine has not been running and it is cool. This is very important. A radiator can get very hot and possibly burn you. With the engine cool, open the radiator cap and relieve any pressure.

2. Next locate the drain valve on the radiator to drain it. It should be located on the bottom of the radiator. Be sure to drain the fluid into a container and not the ground. Once you have drained it, close the drain valve.

3. Now you are ready to install a back flush kit. This kit is inexpensive and can easily be purchased at your local auto parts store. Follow the instructions on the back on the kit. Basically, you have to cut the heater inlet hose going to the top of the engine. This is where you install the T section provided in the kit into the line. Slip both ends of the hose onto this fitting and tighten the clamps provided in the kit. Go ahead and connect your garden hose to this fitting.

4. Now place the diverter that came in the kit into the opening on the top of the radiator. This is where the water and coolant will pour out from when you start to flush the system. A hose or tube will be helpful to direct the run off into a bucket.

5. Now it is time to start the engine, turn the heater on high and turn on the garden hose. Coolant is now circulating through the engine and coming out through the diverter on the top of the radiator. Continue this process until clean water begins to come out the top. This should only take a few minutes.

6. Turn off the engine and garden hose. Now drain the radiator again into a bucket and close the drain valve when you are done.

7. Now it is time to add the new anti freeze. Pour the entire contents of the anti freeze bottle into the empty radiator and fill it until coolant pours out of the neck. Screw back on the radiator cap and you are done. Make sure you have also screwed back on the provided cap onto the T fitting you installed.

8. Take your car for a test drive around the block and make sure everything is ok.

Now you have a back flush fitting installed for the next time you need to flush your radiator and it will be a lot quicker. You will thank yourself the next time you pass that unlucky person on the side of the road with the ominous steam cloud pouring from the hood.

Jason is the webmaster for Red Hill Supply - Online Air Tools

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First, let's answer the question; Why should you change your own oil? Because you can save time and money. You don't have to wait in line at the service garage or quick oil change shop. For ten bucks you can get the best oil and a brand new oil filter. And, it's so easy to do that you could train a monkey to do it.

Changing your cars motor oil is a very simple three-step process: 1. Drain the old oil. 2. Replace the oil filter. 3. Add the new oil. But before we go through the steps, lets answer a few basic questions.

When should I change my oil?

Look in your cars owners manual. Most auto manufacturers recommend changing the motor oil every 6,000 miles for normal service, or every 3,000 miles for severe service. I change my oil every 6,000 miles, and my engines run like new when I trade my vehicles in with well over 100,000 miles on them. One thing that I do is change a new cars oil after the first 300 mile break-in period. Then, after that, I change the oil every 6,000 miles.

What kind of oil should I use?

You are not going to save money by using an off-brand oil because your engine will wear out sooner. Use oil that meets the American Pertroleum Institute (API) classification SL. I use Valvoline, Quaker State, Pennzoil, or Havoline brand oil. These quality oils contain additives that make them work better and longer.

If you are changing your oil just before winter, use SAE 10W30 weight oil. This number means the oil will have a thin 10 weight viscosity when the engine is cold, helping the engine to start easier, and then the oil will thicken to 30 weight viscosity when the engine warms up, protecting the engine better. If you are changing oil just before summer, use SAE 10W40 weight oil. The extra 40 weight viscosity will protect your engine better when it's hot.

What's the First Step?

First let your engine cool off. Modern engines run at close to 300 degrees (F) and hot oil will definitely give you a severe burn. You shouldn't have to jack your car up unless you have some kind of ground hugging sports car or low rider. Almost all cars have enough space underneath to reach under and change the engine oil.

Step 1: Drain the old oil.

Locate the oil drain plug and place a pan under it to catch the oil. With a box wrench, remove the oil plug.

Note for newbies: To remove the drain plug, turn it counter-clockwise.

- If you have a GM dual-overhead-cam EcoTec engine you may have a difficult time locating the drain plug on all that aluminum.

When the oil stops draining, reinstall the drain plug.

Note for newbies: To replace the drain plug turn it clockwise. Start the plug with your fingers. If it seems even slightly hard to turn, back it out! You are crossing the threads.

Step 2. Replace the oil filter.

Move your oil catch pan under the oil filter. Using an oil filter wrench to get it started, remove the oil filter. (newbies: counter-clockwise, and you will get some oil on your hand.)

- A strap type oil filter wrench is the best kind to use. A socket type oil filter tool is used with a ratchet just like a regular socket. The problem with the socket type is that it tends to get stuck on the filter. Use the socket type tool if you don't have enough clearance around the oil filter to use the strap type.

With your finger put a thin coat of oil on the new filter's gasket to make it seal better.

*! Now pay attention - here's were you can screw up royal!

With your hand, install the new oil filter. If it seems even slightly hard to turn, back it out! You are crossing the threads. Most filters have an instruction printed on them to give the filter one more turn after the gasket has made contact.

Here's what I recommend: screw the filter on until its "hand tight". Then use the oil filter wrench to snug it up another 1/8 to 1/4 turn. This is critical!

When the vehicle is running, the oil pump puts the oil under pressure. If you don't install the oil filter tight enough, the oil will come gushing out. If that happens shut down the engine immediately! Without oil, an engine will lock up within seconds.

The first time I changed my oil, I used the filter wrench to tighten the filter as tight as I could get it. Wrong! The next time I went to change my oil, I couldn't get the filter off. Luckily I had plenty of room around the filer, so I hammered a screw driver through the body of the filter and used the handle of the screw driver to turn the filter off.

Warning! Don't over-tighten the filter. Follow the instructions above carefully!

- The GM dual-overhead-cam EcoTec engine has an unusual oil filter located on top of the engine. Remove the engine air intake hose. That's the oil filter canister just to the right of, and below, the end of the open air intake tube. Use a proper size wrench to remove the canister lid. This engine uses a special filter cartridge.

Step 3. Add the new oil.

Locate the oil filler cap on the valve cover. I've seen newbies pour motor oil in everything from the master brake cylinder to the radiator cap. Make sure you have located the the oil filler cap. Remove the oil filler cap.

When pouring the oil, you would be wise to use a funnel between the oil can and the valve cover oil filler hole.

How much oil should you add? Look in your cars owner manual. Most engines have a capacity of four or five quarts. Don't overfill the crank case. When you run the engine the extra oil will be blown out through the PCV value, possibly stalling your engine.

Tip: If you don't know the oil capacity of the engine, add four quarts, then check the oil level, if it's a quart low add another quart.

Replace the oil filler cap.

Step 4. Start the Engine.

Yes, I know, I said there where only three steps. You're finished, this is not really a "step".

Start the engine and make sure the oil warning light goes off. Look under the vehicle to make sure oil is not leaking out. Turn off the engine and let it set for a minute to let the oil drain down to the crank case. Then use the dip stick to check the oil level.

How to check the oil level: Remove the dip stick, wipe it clean with a rag, reinstall the dip stick. Make sure the dip stick is in all the way or you will get a false reading. After a few seconds remove the dip stick and examine how far up the stick is covered with oil. Most dip sticks have a "full" mark printed on them.

Note: I find the best way to dispose of the old oil is to use a funnel to pore it from the collection pan into the bottles from which the new oil came. When I get a big pile of used oil bottles I bring them to the oil recycling center. Be sure to mark the used oil bottles so you don't accidentally think they are new oil.

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Stephen Bucaro

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You can easily get a free auto repair manual for whichever repair need you might have. You need an internet access and have to follow a certain procedure searching for auto repair manuals, but when you have done this procedure a few times it will be very easy to find the right instructions for do it yourself auto repair and it won't cost you a dime.

There are four types of automotive description documents that you will need to choose from when you want to do a repair:
1] General manuals
2] Diagnosis descriptions
3] Repair manuals
4] Maintenance manuals

General Manuals

In addition to some general manuals, most of these are related to the make. Here you can get step by step guidance on how to repair most of the makes in the vehicle market. Let's say you have a Honda Acura 2002 model and you want to find a manual for that make and model. What you do is perform the following search in a search engine: "free car manuals+Honda Acura+2002". Then you will have a long list of sites that provide you with all kinds of descriptions for your Honda Acure 2002 model, and you can choose what you want.

Diagnosis descriptions

Automotive diagnosis manuals can also be sub-divided by make and model. But it can also be divided by the area of the vehicle that is affected, for example engine intake problems, brake problems, cooling problems, exhaust problems, start or stall problems, transmission problems etc. Let's say you have a start problem. Your search would be "car diagnosis manual+ start problem", then you should get more than enough repair information to choose from. You can even get diagnostic trees where all options are covered for nothing.

You have probably more than one time heard some annoying noise from somewhere in your vehicle, without finding the source of it. This is one of the most kinky situations to run into because you don't know if it is a serious signal or just a small thing. Some websites gives you the opportunity to diagnose vehicle problems by the noise, sound and vibrating signals - and that is great. The sooner you find it the sooner you can fix it and then you can relax. When you search, you can describe the sound, for example "whine noise" or "shifter knocks" or "driveline vibration" plus car diagnosis manual plus eventually the make.

Repair Manuals

In addition to regular manuals you can also get very instructive and detailed descriptions in other internet document or websites like articles, etc. The natural way to sub-divide such repairs before searching, is by the area of the vehicle that is going to be repaired, for instance body repair, exhaust repair, suspension fix, interior repair and even general car repair.

You do the search the same way as above; "car repair manual (or description) + the area of repair and go through the list of resources you get.

Maintenance manuals

Though vehicle maintenance is closely related to your vehicle make and model, there are some maintenance issues that are pretty much common whether you have a Cadillac, VW or a Mercedes, for example changing oil, changing air filters, engine wash, fluid maintenance, tier maintenance etc. You can get access to maintenance descriptions by searching for the kind of maintenance plus "car maintenance manual (or description)" plus eventually your make and model.

I think you'll be amazed of the amount of automotive repair free stuff online.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website cheap-used-cars.w-eland.com. Terje gives advice and helps people with automotive issues like auto repair and online car auctions.

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