Times Advocate, 1994-10-26, Page 13October 26, 1994 Page 13
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Are you ready for cold weather driving?
As the mer-
cury drops
to levels far
below
freezing,
medical ex-
perts issue
warnings about .,potential health
dangers. While we heed the advice
to take necessary precautions. we
realize how vulnerable man really
is.
We also need to realize that ma-
chines are vulnerable as well. This
is evident hy the tens of thousands
of people whose cars fail them on
that first cold morning.
Most of these emergencies
should not be attributed to the
weather hut, instead. to neglected
mechanical maintenance. Most car
failures can he avoided hy basic
preventative measures.
A list for cold weather
dependability
1. Battery. Is it fully charged? If
not. either the battery or the charg-
ing system may need attention.
2. Cooling System: Is your anti-
freeze still strong enough to pro-
vide protection against freezing:'
Are pelts and hoses O.K.? Are the
thermostat and pressure cap func-
Reconditioning
your car's
interior
Most car
interiors arc
usually
made out of
vinyl, leath-
er or plas-
tics and it is
expected that by the year 2000 over
40 percent of the cars interiors will
be made out of some kind of plas-
tic. New cars with their vinyl or
leather interiors look and smell es-
pecially good but after a couple of
years due to normal wear and tear
on the car's dashboards, door pan-
els, vinyl or leather seats, they tend
to lose their colour and lustre and
begin to look old and faded.
Before you try and rccolour or re-
condition your car you should try
and clean it with a mild cleaner
(soap and water) or a vinyl cleaner
which does not contain any abra-
sive solvents. A good vinyl cleaner
will help you remove some of the
grease, grime or silicones that may
have been left behind by either
food or products used to protect or
shine your surfaces. If this does not
revitalize or clean the surface then
stronger action will be needed.
I. You can either replace or reup-
holster the dashboards, door panels,
seals. or even vinyl roof tops that
are faded or plain soiled. This can
be dont at any good detailing shop
and although it is one of the options
you have, we find that it can be a
particularly expensive way of re-
conditioning your car.
or
2. You can change the colour or
simply recolour by spray painting
the surface yourself.
Option #2 is what we recommend
as it is more economical and the
quality of finishes available today
can make your car look like new.
There are several paint manufac-
turers that provide you with paint in
aerosols or in litres that can do this
job. It is however very importall► to
remember to use a paint or dye that
is flexible and that will penetrate
the material you wish to colour or
you will cnd up with a finished sur-
face that will peel or crack after
just a fcw months and you will
have to repaint the entire -surface
again.
Several products were tested by
Hot' Rod Magazine, Collector Car
News and CAA and they found that
out of all the products tested Vinyl-
kote was the easiest and most effec-
tive product available. They quote
"Vinylkote is easy to apply and
' dries in less than 15 minutes. Once
dry the vinyl stays supple and re-
tains its original look. After a few
,months of use the treated vinyl has
jghciwn no signs of cracking or peel -
ng." Vinylkote is not a paint. It
acts like a dye, is easy to use and
can be applied to either vinyl, leath-
er or plastics and unlike other
paints Vinylkote will penetrate into
the surface so much so that the
Vof the vinyl or leather is left
inci and in perfect relief.
1
tioning like they should?
3. Engine: Time for a tune-up?
The best battery cannot start an en-
gine that needs maintenance. Mal-
functioning emission controls arc
found to be a cause of erratic en-
gine operation in cold weather.
4. Tires: Avoid trouble by going
into winter with good tires, proper-
ly balanced and aligned.
5. Oil and Filter: An engine with
dirty oil won't turn over as easily
on a cold morning. Oil and filter
should be changed as pan of
sea-
sonal service.
6. Brakes: For safe, smooth stop-
ping, check brakes before ice and
snow cover the roads.
7. Lights: All lights, including
flashers, should be checked; burned
out bulbs replaced.
8. Windshield wipers: Replace
worn blades, ideally with winter
blades which repel ice and snow.
Keep a spare jug of windshield
fluid in the trunk.
9. Inside the trunk: How is your
spare? Do you have a jack? A
windshield scraper?
Any car should start and run de-
pendably in even the coldest of
temperatures (sometimes with the
help of auxiliary heaters for frigid
starting) but the decisive factor be-
tween "go and "no go" usually is
preventative maintenance.
A QUESTION OF ECONOMICS...
WHAT MAKES THE ACCORD
'IMPORT 'BEST NEW
CAR OF FAIIIIILY 10 BEST
CARS OF
THE YEAR' SEDAN' THE YEAR'
Association qf Canada - - Car & Driver Magazine -
-- Motor- ?rend Magazine -
THE MOST ECONOMICAL
CAR OF THE YEAR?
1995 Accord Sedan EX
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Is
Is it the Honda low
monthly payments?
S2Accord Sedan EX
8 per mth/48 mths1 -
LIMITED TIME
OFFER!
Or is it the Honda Dealers who offer them?
Backing up3'orir lease or purchase u'ilh expo, -I, reliable sales
and service lbw sel 1 he standard in r cr rstomner satisfaction..
Possibly, the Best Car Dealers in the World.
Lease available through Honda Canada Finance Inc. (Based on a new 1995 Honda Accord f x with automatic transmission, (CD563S).
$298 per month for 48 months (total payments S14.304) A $2.800 down payment first mnnthy payment and security deposit are required. 96,000km allowance
(mileage limit applies) All freight, P.0.1.. taxes, licensing and insurance extra. O.A.C. At me end o148 months you may return the car to your Honda Dealer or '
purchase it for a predetermined amount. Dealer may sell for less. Other lease conditions appb- See your participating Ontario Honda Dealer for more information today
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