Quick Handy Car Maintenance Tips

Headlight bulbs burn out all the time. But if you install a new bulb in the correct way, you will find they last a lot longer. We are speaking specifically of the halogen bulb. These are high intensity incandescent bulbs and they produce a lot of heat along with a lot of light. And this is key to why you may be going through a lot of bulbs.

The halogen bulb works in a manner somewhat different that your usual run of the mill bulb. Inside the bulb is halogen gas and a special filament. The filament is what turns white hot and produces the light. The gas works along with the bulb, but it contributes nothing to the light produced. The job of the gas is to prolong the life of the filament. The filament is constantly burning away and the halogen gas has a tendency toward absorbing the thrown off debris from that filament and redepositing these debris back onto the filament. Takes a lot of heat to make the two components of the gas and filament to work together and again, it is the heat that is key here.

When installing your new bulb, avoid touching it with your bare skin. Skin contact deposits skin oil. And when the bulb illuminates, your oil is going to create a hot spot because the oil on the glass bulb will not radiate heat as well as an oil free bulb will do. So if you have a hot spot you are going to have uneven expansion of the glass and over a period of time the glass will crack and the filament, when it is exposed to the air will rapidly oxidize and burn away.

A dashboard light on the other hand is not nearly as crucial about installation. The big problem with a dashboard light is just getting access to it. You can forget about reaching under the dash to get to these little lights too. Not going to be happening. Right here you need access to a book about your specific vehicle. It will give you in depth instruction of how to go about removing the front dash panel so you can change the light. One tool you will almost certainly need in removing a dash panel is a screwdriver tool called a torx. Beyond resembling a screwdriver you will find that the end of the torx screwdriver will be shaped like a many pointed star or it may have a hexagonal shape. They also come in a variety of sizes. So have a close look at the fasteners attaching the dash panel before diving in.

Are you looking into getting some new tires for the winter driving ahead? One thing often overlooked in purchasing new tires are the valve stems. Always indicate that you want new valve stems. The rubber and vinyl products that go into modern tires and stems does tend to suffer from ultra violet light and road salt. they deteriorate and in the case of a valve stem can cause a slow leak that can leave you stranded on the side of the road or unable to drive your car when you go out in the morning ready for work. New valve stems are inexpensive, easy to install just before the tire is put on and can save you a lot of head aches on down the road.