In places like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and New York, living space is at a premium. So much so that in Tokyo, cars there have adjusted to the available space. While a normal garage space is around 9 feet high by 16 feet wide, Tokyo's garage space is perhaps 6 feet wide by 10 feet high. How tight tunnel car wash equipment is it? Passengers have to get out of the car before it is placed in the garage and the driver has to get out using the sliding passenger door. It's that tight. Appliances have not been spared with this dilemma. Washing machines are now being integrated with dish washers. These semi-integrated washing machines are now popular in Hong Kong, London and New York as well.
The price of a semi integrated machine may be slightly higher than that of an integrated washing machine but if combined with the price of a dish washer, the price is competitive enough. Prices have dropped around 22% since semi integrated washing machines were first introduced and there have been new entrants to the market, mostly Chinese brands that may or may not be as reliable as the other branded machines.
Here are some things to consider when looking for a semi-integrated washing machine:
1. Branding. I have to admit but there are brands that are particularly reliable for these machines most especially those brands that have been established as home appliance companies. Sometimes it is better to pay a bit extra for these items.
2. Installation. Unless you are an electrical engineer or a license electrician with some knowledge of plumbing, have the vendors install the machine. It's a bit complicated because of the combination of the two washing machines: one for the dishes, the other for clothes. Also the plumbing for this may be a bit complicated as some brands have two out pipes to separate water from the dishwasher and water from the clothes washer.
3. Warranties and extended warranties. These machines have warranties of about two years and if the company offers extended warranties, take it. It's a complicated machine with many parts and the rule of thumb is many parts, many breakdowns.
4. Running both machines at the same car wash equipment for sale time. That is possible but it may easily break down the machine faster. Since you can schedule washing of clothes, better not to use the two machines at the same time. Running them together may also be noisier since the revolutions per minute of dish washers are faster than that of cycles for clothes.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Car Paintwork Damaged by Bird Lime? Learn What to Do About It
Bird poo, bird s***, bird lime, bird droppings, whatever you want to call it, if you take pride in the appearance of your car, you can't ignore it. Depending upon the weather, after a decent 'fall' the finish on your paint can be so badly damaged it's going to need a trip to the body shop.
If you haven't experienced it you are either very lucky, are extremely diligent, or don't take too much notice of your car's paintwork condition! The usual tell-tale is that when you wash your car you notice a dull patch on your touchless car wash equipment pride and joy. All the washing (and usually all the polishing) in the world and it's still there.
First of all, a little about what actually causes the damage.
Until fairly recently it was assumed that the lime itself within bird droppings was actually eating into the paintwork itself. Recent studies by car polish experts Autoglym (whose products are approved by manufacturers such as Bentley, Jaguar and Aston Martin, so they know a thing or two) have carried out extensive tests that dispelled that myth.
The lacquer that covers your car paintwork expands and softens slightly as it warms, such as when parked in direct sunlight. Those warm panels soon cause any 'deposit' to harden. When things cool down again the lacquer moulds itself around the offending item and behold, the damage is done.
Tests were carried out with strongly alkali, neutral and strongly acidic 'bird dropping substitutes' (I know, the mind boggles doesn't it?) and negligible differences between the damage caused was seen. It was noted that those 'deposits' with a 'higher grain to liquid content' caused a greater levels of dullness.
So, if your pride and joy has suffered, what can you do?
Well, depending on the severity of the damage you have different options;
Catch It Early
Ideally of course you will mobile car wash for sale spot the droppings quickly and be able to wipe them off carefully with a wet cloth. If so, well done, no damage done.
Light Lacquer Damage
If after a wash you see a dull patch (it's the light refracting badly through the damaged lacquer), you can try and gently polish the area and see what happens. Don't do it if you're not comfortable with what you're doing. If in any doubt, go see an expert. You may just be very lucky and the lacquer damage is sufficiently minimal that an accommodating body shop may be able to 'flat and machine polish' the offending area with 100% success. Or you may decide that the 'almost perfect' result is acceptable to you in the face of the alternative, which is...
Irretrievable lacquer and/or paint damage
In a lot of the cases we see, the finish is too far gone for polishing. The only alternative is to refinish the offending panel, which will invariably involve a visit to the bodyshop. It's worth mentioning that the damage can be inflicted in hours, it needn't take days or weeks to happen.
If you are unlucky and it's necessary to repaint part of the panel, if the resultant repair ends up within around 150mm from an adjacent panel, it may also be necessary to 'blend' the new colour across the adjacent panel to avoid any colour mismatch.
In terms of costs, shop around to find a reputable bodyshop that will charge less than £200 for a single panel, plus around £110 per 'blend' if needed. Bonnets (hood), bootlids (trunk) and roofs are of course very often the damaged panels and you can expect to pay a little more for those.
So, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The fact is that untreated bird droppings very often causes damage that needs a bodyshop.
The only way to avoid it? Don't park outside (tricky) or carry some specialist wipes (Autoglym make some) and be extremely vigilant!
Oh, and on a final positive note: Try imagining all those Autoglym testers mixing up a range of different 'bird dropping substitutes' without smiling to yourself...
If you haven't experienced it you are either very lucky, are extremely diligent, or don't take too much notice of your car's paintwork condition! The usual tell-tale is that when you wash your car you notice a dull patch on your touchless car wash equipment pride and joy. All the washing (and usually all the polishing) in the world and it's still there.
First of all, a little about what actually causes the damage.
Until fairly recently it was assumed that the lime itself within bird droppings was actually eating into the paintwork itself. Recent studies by car polish experts Autoglym (whose products are approved by manufacturers such as Bentley, Jaguar and Aston Martin, so they know a thing or two) have carried out extensive tests that dispelled that myth.
The lacquer that covers your car paintwork expands and softens slightly as it warms, such as when parked in direct sunlight. Those warm panels soon cause any 'deposit' to harden. When things cool down again the lacquer moulds itself around the offending item and behold, the damage is done.
Tests were carried out with strongly alkali, neutral and strongly acidic 'bird dropping substitutes' (I know, the mind boggles doesn't it?) and negligible differences between the damage caused was seen. It was noted that those 'deposits' with a 'higher grain to liquid content' caused a greater levels of dullness.
So, if your pride and joy has suffered, what can you do?
Well, depending on the severity of the damage you have different options;
Catch It Early
Ideally of course you will mobile car wash for sale spot the droppings quickly and be able to wipe them off carefully with a wet cloth. If so, well done, no damage done.
Light Lacquer Damage
If after a wash you see a dull patch (it's the light refracting badly through the damaged lacquer), you can try and gently polish the area and see what happens. Don't do it if you're not comfortable with what you're doing. If in any doubt, go see an expert. You may just be very lucky and the lacquer damage is sufficiently minimal that an accommodating body shop may be able to 'flat and machine polish' the offending area with 100% success. Or you may decide that the 'almost perfect' result is acceptable to you in the face of the alternative, which is...
Irretrievable lacquer and/or paint damage
In a lot of the cases we see, the finish is too far gone for polishing. The only alternative is to refinish the offending panel, which will invariably involve a visit to the bodyshop. It's worth mentioning that the damage can be inflicted in hours, it needn't take days or weeks to happen.
If you are unlucky and it's necessary to repaint part of the panel, if the resultant repair ends up within around 150mm from an adjacent panel, it may also be necessary to 'blend' the new colour across the adjacent panel to avoid any colour mismatch.
In terms of costs, shop around to find a reputable bodyshop that will charge less than £200 for a single panel, plus around £110 per 'blend' if needed. Bonnets (hood), bootlids (trunk) and roofs are of course very often the damaged panels and you can expect to pay a little more for those.
So, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The fact is that untreated bird droppings very often causes damage that needs a bodyshop.
The only way to avoid it? Don't park outside (tricky) or carry some specialist wipes (Autoglym make some) and be extremely vigilant!
Oh, and on a final positive note: Try imagining all those Autoglym testers mixing up a range of different 'bird dropping substitutes' without smiling to yourself...
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Top 4 Ways to Baby Your Mercedes Benz Car
You spent the money on this amazing machine, so nothing's too good for your baby. But as a practical matter, babying your Mercedes Benz gives you a fine ride for as long as you own it, and helps you preserve the resale value. Here are five things you need to do.
First, change the oil regularly. There's nothing easier you can do for your Mercedes Benz than treat the engine well. Fresh oil does the job.
But how often touchless car wash equipment is "regularly"? It used to be every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. But if you use Mobil 1 oil in your Mercedes (and their engineers say you should), engine advances in the past decade or so have made "regular" seem like not very often. Most Mercedes models, even at the high end, say you can change your oil at between 10,000 and 15,000 miles. Hey, the engineers designed your fine machine, so maybe you can trust what they say about oil changes.
Second, you need to wash and dry your Mercedes properly. You've spent a hefty amount on your Mercedes car, so don't take away the magic by ruining your paint job. Washing and drying properly will help you preserve the paint.
Washing a Mercedes isn't rocket science, but here are some specific things to keep in mind:
1. Pick a shaded area to let your car cool down before you wash it, and to prevent water spotting later during the drying phase
2. Consider cleaning the wheels first to give your car time to cool down, and use only non-acidic wheel cleaner
3. Use only sheepskin or microfiber mitts (or towels) to avoid damaging the paint
4. When tunnel car washing machine you rinse the car, do so from the top down, to avoid getting dirt and gunk in already rinsed areas
5. Use only non-abrasive soap for washing, wash from the top down, and rinse your mitt or towel first before you dip it in the soap again (to get rid of dirt you've already cleaned off, so it won't scratch your paint)
6. Dry with a waffle weave towel
Third, keep your Mercedes well waxed to repel dirt and gunk that can damage the paint over time. You have several options here, but Mercedes enthusiasts everywhere will give the thumbs up to non-petroleum carnauba wax. It not only gives your exterior a nice luster, but also fills in minor scratches. You'll want to buy a wax with 20-50% carnauba and the remainder being brightening agents and perfectly safe natural oils. After you've freshly washed your car, apply the wax in straight strokes with a foam pad, and take it up quickly with a soft terry cloth towel before the wax dries too much. That will give you the shine you're looking for, without making a mess.
Fourth, don't forget to condition the interior! That means the leather (or M-B Tex) and wood. You'll want to use a non-solvent based and non-petroleum based cleaner. Word on the street is that there's no reason to buy anything special from Mercedes. You can go to your local auto store and buy products made by Meguiars, a well recognized brand that lots of Mercedes Benz car owners swear by.
Now you know how to baby your Mercedes. It doesn't take a lot of time, but the extra attention you give your baby now will pay you back down the road.
mercedes,benz,parts,part,accessory,accessories,engine,transmission,car,auto,used,amg,clk,class,sl,c You spent the money on this amazing machine, so nothings too good for your baby. But as a practical matter, babying your Mercedes Benz gives you a fine ride for as long as you own it, and helps you preserve the resale value. Here are five things you...
First, change the oil regularly. There's nothing easier you can do for your Mercedes Benz than treat the engine well. Fresh oil does the job.
But how often touchless car wash equipment is "regularly"? It used to be every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. But if you use Mobil 1 oil in your Mercedes (and their engineers say you should), engine advances in the past decade or so have made "regular" seem like not very often. Most Mercedes models, even at the high end, say you can change your oil at between 10,000 and 15,000 miles. Hey, the engineers designed your fine machine, so maybe you can trust what they say about oil changes.
Second, you need to wash and dry your Mercedes properly. You've spent a hefty amount on your Mercedes car, so don't take away the magic by ruining your paint job. Washing and drying properly will help you preserve the paint.
Washing a Mercedes isn't rocket science, but here are some specific things to keep in mind:
1. Pick a shaded area to let your car cool down before you wash it, and to prevent water spotting later during the drying phase
2. Consider cleaning the wheels first to give your car time to cool down, and use only non-acidic wheel cleaner
3. Use only sheepskin or microfiber mitts (or towels) to avoid damaging the paint
4. When tunnel car washing machine you rinse the car, do so from the top down, to avoid getting dirt and gunk in already rinsed areas
5. Use only non-abrasive soap for washing, wash from the top down, and rinse your mitt or towel first before you dip it in the soap again (to get rid of dirt you've already cleaned off, so it won't scratch your paint)
6. Dry with a waffle weave towel
Third, keep your Mercedes well waxed to repel dirt and gunk that can damage the paint over time. You have several options here, but Mercedes enthusiasts everywhere will give the thumbs up to non-petroleum carnauba wax. It not only gives your exterior a nice luster, but also fills in minor scratches. You'll want to buy a wax with 20-50% carnauba and the remainder being brightening agents and perfectly safe natural oils. After you've freshly washed your car, apply the wax in straight strokes with a foam pad, and take it up quickly with a soft terry cloth towel before the wax dries too much. That will give you the shine you're looking for, without making a mess.
Fourth, don't forget to condition the interior! That means the leather (or M-B Tex) and wood. You'll want to use a non-solvent based and non-petroleum based cleaner. Word on the street is that there's no reason to buy anything special from Mercedes. You can go to your local auto store and buy products made by Meguiars, a well recognized brand that lots of Mercedes Benz car owners swear by.
Now you know how to baby your Mercedes. It doesn't take a lot of time, but the extra attention you give your baby now will pay you back down the road.
mercedes,benz,parts,part,accessory,accessories,engine,transmission,car,auto,used,amg,clk,class,sl,c You spent the money on this amazing machine, so nothings too good for your baby. But as a practical matter, babying your Mercedes Benz gives you a fine ride for as long as you own it, and helps you preserve the resale value. Here are five things you...
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