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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-10-14, Page 29THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1987. PAGE 29. Check your headlights before the snow flies If you check out your car’s headlights now, you could save yourself a lot of grief this winter. Major manufacturers (notably the Ford Motor Co.) are moving towards the use of halogen-bulb headlights, because a stone or other object hitting the front glass element will not knock out the entire lieht. However, manufac- turers suggest that a damaged headlight lens be replaced as soon as possible, because moisture and dirt can shorten the bulb’s life. For cars with “ordinary” head­ lights, some simple precautions can help avoid big trouble. If you chip a sealed-beam lens, you can make it last longer with a glass- repair kit sold in most automative stores. The same kit can be used to repair the halogen-bulb lens as well, and could avoid a hefty repair bill later. With winter approaching, you might buy a replacement sealed- beam headlight now, instead of waiting until something goes wrong. You may want to buy both a Gas additives solve problems Within the past 12 to 18 months, a number of new car problems have been in the news. These problems have centered around the great strides forward in automobile technology and great strides back­ ward in gasoline technology. First, increases in engine octane requirements have been occuring as automobile manufactuers have been pressured to find new ways to further improve fuel economy. Second, the combination of new fuel injector technology and lower fuel quality has caused many new engines to experience loss of performance due to injector clogg­ ing. Finally, the removal of lead from gasoline is threatening to autos designed to run on leaded gasoline with catastrophic valve seat wear. When these problems occur, the solution is often expensive. Premi­ um gasoline is more premium than ever, with cost differentials be­ tween premium and regular gaso­ line pushing three cents or more per litre in many cases. Fuel injector clogging requires a visitto the dealer or repair shop for a costly injector cleaning service or, in some cases, injector replace­ ment. A new approach to handling these problems is the use of special chemicals added to gasoline in the vehicle tank. One company has introduced a whole new line of four do-it-yourself gasoline additives. Each of the four formulas is designed to solve one of the problems mentioned above. This problem-solving approach is ex­ pected to be the new trend in gasoline additives. The days of mystery are fading away. Now gasoline additives are more than just a wish and a prayer. With products like these; auto DIYers can find the product that solves their particular problem instead of buying a general purpose gas additive that may or may not help. Also, these types of products are often able to solve the problems of dirty fuel injectors, power loss, hesitation, stalling, surges, slug­ gishness, rough idle and lost fuel economy with only one treatment. Old gas additives had to be used with every tankful to be fully effective, and problems would persist for several tankfuls before the additive could help. The new stronger additives work much more quickly, and need not be used more than once every two to three months. high and a high-low-beam unit, but if you only opt for one, it is wiser to get the high-low beam unit only. If a high-beam light quits, you can always switch to low-beam without being a menace on the highway, butifthe low-beam goes, you shouldn’t depend on your high-beams to get you safely home. Switching to one low-beam is almost as dangerous as driving with no lights at all. Ifyourlightsaredim, you should check the wiring, usually the connector at the sealed-beam unit. Itsfront-mounted position sub­ jects the connector to salt, sand, gravel, water and other damaging substances, which can cause the connector to corrode. If you want to check this yourself, the inner contacts can be carefully cleaned with an ignition file or a small hobbyist’s file. Sometimes even the tiniest speck of dirt can interfere with a clear electrical circuit. The headlamp switch can cause problems, as can the steering­ wheel-mounted dimmer switch most often used today. Sometimes the headlamp switch contains the circuit breaker for the headlights; in other cases, the circuit breaker is a separate unit. Although the new dimmer switches are a nuisance to replace, they offer better service than the old floor-mounted switches, which were always prone to water, salt and rust damage - and usually stuck in the high-beam position. ffiWTTW Remember last Winter? DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE COLD THIS YEAR. GIVE YOUR CAR THE TUNE-UP IT NEEDS. SO WE CAN WINTERIZE YOUR Locked out? SAVE DOLLARS ON YOUR AUTO INSURANCE PROTECTION TODAY! CALL US FOR AN APPOINTMENT NOW! The American Automobile As­ sociation offers these strategies: •Check all doors and windows. In a panic, you might ignore the obvious. •Call an auto club's emergency roadside number, if you’re a member. AAA sends a locksmith for free. •Call a 24-hour locksmith (in the Yellow Pages). To unlock car: $30 to $65 a night, $15 to $30 during the day. To have a key made also: $70 to $120 a night, $25 to $60 during the day. If you have your key code number, found on the key’s disk or stamped into the key, in an Continued on page 35 BOOK NOW BLYTH INSURANCE ARE YOU BUYING A NEW CAR? Be sure to check the replacement cost endorsement Doesn’t it make sense to see the qualified brokers at Elliott Insurance Brokers about finding an easier route? If you have a good driving record, chances are Elliott Insurance Brokers could save you money! 523-4481 523-4251 CAR BEFORE THE SNOW FLIES •FREE BRAKE AND EXHAUST INSPECTION •LICENCED MECHANIC ON STAFF DICKSON’S AUTO REPAIR 523-9706 — All 1 ICTr IFS U IVIUJI nsti OIL GARD IS THE SENSIBLE ANSWER! Oil Gard will soften and help to preserve your present Oil Gard will penetrate and slow down the growth of rust Oil Gard is a proven product for new or used vehicles. It is the preferred method of most car collectors. Oil Gard is affordable.