Build a Better Body for Your Wheels

Do you love your car just the way it is, or are you looking to fix 'er up the way you really want it to be? If you're the creative type who wants to do things your way, why not take advantage of the great car body kits that are available from reputable parts dealers? You can stop in at the local neighborhood store to check out and select the parts that will bring your vehicle up to speed, so to speak. Or you can virtually browse online websites to find the parts you want to make your car everything you need.

A well-stocked auto supply kit knows your car better than you do. The associates can give you a quick rundown on what you can do to make your car better, faster, and more efficient in no time flat. They can give you detailed instructions and precise parts for any make, model, and year of vehicle, truck, or SUV you have in mind. For example, check out the wing spoiler and ground spoiler kits for your Mercury Cougar. Easy to install with solid, durable materials, you will love the way your car cruises after adding features like these.

Make sure you have the know-how to do the job right. If you don't, look around for someone who can do it for you at a fair rate. While a dealership or auto garage can put in the labor to add your new options, they could charge steep rates, so you may want to look elsewhere for help. Follow instructions carefully, and contact the parts dealer if you come up short a bolt or two. While you may feel that the part is secure minus the extra hardware, it isn't worth having it come loose and scrape the body finish or even detach because you don't feel like tracking the extra parts.

Compare prices, as they can vary widely from one dealership to another. Become familiar with some of the construction techniques and materials used to create the parts you want to add to your car. Sometimes you can find basically the same feature under a different name for a much lower cost. Do your homework and take some time to shop area stores as well as online websites. Remember, there's one born every day, so don't become a statistical scam victim by purchasing parts that won't hold up or may even be "hot."

It may be a good idea to check out the latest product reviews on the various car product websites online. You can visit chat rooms or discussions boards, and also read the detailed reviews that are often found on the Web. Posted by those in the know, you can learn more in ten minutes of reading sometimes than you can from talking with a parts dealer associate.

After installing your new body parts, keep them well maintained so that they last and help your vehicle become everything you want it to be.

by Charles Kassotis

Car Seat Covers - Drive In Style

Seat covers add a touch of class and comfort to your car, while protecting the seats against fading and wear. They also help to cover any damaged areas on the seat. However, with so many sizes, styles and makes, finding the right one can be quite a challenge.

The styles available range from plain bench, solid front or rear, front bucket high back with adjustable headrest, or split bench seat - the list is endless, which does nothing but add to your confusion.

Since car seat covers get a lot of wear, it is only practical to select auto seat covers made of materials that are water-repellent, machine washable, as well as being tough and durable. Seat covers are available in a wide variety of materials, such as sheepskin, that can withstand heat and cold and remains cool in the summer and warm in winter. It can also absorb perspiration. Other good quality and long-lasting materials are velour, canvas, tweed and Cordoba. Select seat covers that have a lifetime warranty.

The price of the seat covers will depend a lot on their quality, so try and look for high quality covers that may be on sale. It is not advisable to buy cheap mass-produced covers as they will not be long lasting. Over a period of time, you will find them shifting around and the cloth will wear away.

In case you are looking for car seat covers for your child's car seat, you need to ensure that the cover can be washed. This will help to minimize the number of germs. You never know when the seat might get messy, should your child's diaper leak, or the top of a sip cup pop out. Overall, the seat cover will protect the car seat and give the child more padding to sit on. The good news is that you won't have a problem with size, because most child car seats come in a standard size in a variety of colors, so one size should fit all.

At times, you might still face problems in selecting the right seat covers despite knowing the model and year of the car, as sometimes there are variations within the same model. It is better then to ask your dealership, because they would be in a better position to know what the correct style for your car would be.

If you want your car to look elegant, you can have it. All it takes is a bit of research and some shopping around to find the seat covers that suit your car best.

by Susan Fielding

How To Select Car Alarms Systems

It takes some time and research to determine the best car alarm system choice for you. With so many different systems available in the marketplace, you must sort through all of the options to figure out what's best for you. It's very helpful to think about your location and its crime statistics when making this important decision.

Car alarm systems offer many different levels of protection to vehicle owners. The simplest just sound your car's horn if the driver's door has been improperly opened. More complex systems do things like disabling the car's engine and locking the thief inside the vehicle to await arrest while the police are alerted to the situation and car's location. Naturally, the higher tech options involve greater up-front cost, and may also incur monthly charges for the monitoring and tracking services that are so helpful in recovering a lost vehicle.

Increasingly, car alarms systems are being purchased not just to protect the vehicle itself, but also the car's contents. A personal vehicle may contain many high tech gadgets that require protection. In the business world, a delivery vehicle filled with company merchandise certainly requires a high level of security. Quick notification of invasion of these vehicles can help prevent huge financial losses.

National, regional or local tracking capability, achieved through GPS tracking systems, are becoming increasingly popular options for car alarms systems because of the invaluable assistance they offer in location and recovering stolen cars. One very popular feature automatically notifies police vehicles of a stolen car as soon as the theft is entered into the police computers. Although the primary focus of many car alarms is still deterring crime through very loud audible alarms, remote control capabilities in some car alarms systems enable to owner to do things like lock the doors, stop the fuel supply and even engage the parking brake when their vehicle has been violated. Simpler versions of this technology prevent the car's operation if the wrong key was pressed by the thief upon his/her entry to the vehicle.

Tilt switches have also become quite popular, because of their ability to engage a car alarms system if the car is tilted to a degree that indicates possible tow truck involvement in vehicle theft. Motion sensors and interior cameras can also engage when the car is entered, and even take a picture of the criminal to aid in prosecution of car thieves. Imagine the possibilities!

by David Faulkner

Car Audio Subwoofers

Car Subwoofers are widely used by car owners and fans. However, a lot of people don't know what a subwoofers are and what do they do? Car Subwoofers are loudspeakers intended to generate the lowest frequencies, or bass end of the audible sound range. Car Subwoofers range from 4" in diameter all the way up to 36" meant for highly specialized scientific purposes. For the majority of consumer purposes however, sizes are pretty much consistent at 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18 inches, with the 6.5 to 12 inch sizes being the most used.

Because car subwoofers are specialized reproducers, their design maximizes their potential for generating the lowest frequency. Therefore they will have cones that are balanced in such a way as to promote the maximum back and forth motion, called XMAX. Middle frequencies have smaller cones and less excursion, or cone travel. Tweeters have cones, domes, or diaphragms that may seem almost motionless. Even so, they can produce sound in their frequency range that is just as powerful as their larger siblings.

Car Subwoofers cone must move in and out with the longest possible extension because sound waves get longer as they get lower in frequency. Current technology provides us with firm cone materials like Polypropylene, Carbon and Polymer Laminates that preserve their shape under stress, resist moisture, and are very light. The cone works as a piston to compress and alternatively evacuate large masses of air. To do this most effectively, the subwoofer must be connected to an amplifier that produces the high amplitude waveforms that can create this motion. Because such signals require substantial electrical power behind them to control the cone movement, the highest power available is needed strictly for bass reproduction.

Most car subwoofers are housed in a box (enclosures) to achieve their maximum audio power.

by SonicE

Car Buying Tips and Advice

There are a number of people that want to know how they can back out of a car deal or vehicle that they have already signed wondering if they back out of the deal if they will be able to get their deposit back.

So here is some good advice that you should head so that you don't find yourself asking these same questions:

First, of all you should never sign any sales contracts, lease contracts or finance contracts until you are absolutely certain that you want to go through with the deal.

Never give a dealer or private party a down payment on a car unless you are absolutely sure that you are going to see the deal through to its end.

Take your time when deciding on which car to purchase. Don't make any hasty decisions. Take a day or two, to sleep on the deal before you make a decision. Always use common sense when you go shopping for a vehicle!

The majority of car dealers want you to make a quick, emotional buying decision. They pressure you to make a decision on the spot. They don't want you to take your time making decision, because they know that if you leave the lot without buying a car there's a good chance that you won't back. This is why they pull out all the stops in an attempt to seal the deal with you once they have you there in their clutches.

Every year a countless numbers of people fall prey to these pressures, and then the next morning they wake up with a bad case of "Buyer's Remorse!" This is where all of their trouble begin, because at this point they have already signed a binding sales,or finance contract, and more than not they have already put some money down as a deposit.

Have you ever wondered why car dealers ask you to give them a deposit in the first place? It's not a legal requirement. They ask you for a deposit because once you give it to them, they control you. This guarantees that you are locked into the deal just in case the "Buyer's Remorse" monster decides to rears it's ugly head!

When you go shopping car, take your time. Don't let the salesman push into making an emotional decision. There are plenty of car for sale out there. So don't worry, your guaranteed to get the one you want. If a car dealer happens to get too aggressive, or obnoxious with you, simply break off negotiations, and get up and walk away. Remember that your the one thats in control, not the car salesman!

by James Kronefield

Car Insurance

When it comes to reducing your car insurance premiums you can do a lot to help yourself. However one of the biggest ways in which you can make savings is by choosing to look around for your car insurance. Not only should you shop around, but the best place to look for your car insurance is by doing so online.

Reducing your car insurance premiums isn't really all that hard just type in the words "car insurance" on any popular search engine and it will give you a huge range to choose from. Of course while this is the best place to look when it comes to purchasing your car insurance, there are some factors that you should have given some thought to beforehand.

To begin with when it comes to reducing your car insurance some thought should be given as to the type of car that you should get. The smaller the car, the less your car insurance will cost you, if you choose a car with a bigger engine then your premiums will be a lot higher. Another factor to take into consideration when it comes to choosing your car is to avoid buying one which is imported, this is usually because the cost to repair them is more expensive.

The more security features that you install on your car, then the safer it is classed, and as such this can help to bring down your premiums. Many insurers will have listings giving you information on the brands and types of security features that they class as being better than others, simply by installing these you can reduce your car insurance premiums.

One of the biggest ways you can make savings is by having a clean driving record; if you have points on your record then this will boost up the amount that you are quoted for your premium, however when applying for your insurance online it is essential that you be totally honest if you do have points.

Always make sure that you don't include people on your insurance that aren't going to be driving your car on a regular basis, the more people that you have on your insurance then the higher the premium will be, so if you have family members listed then consider removing them to save on your premium.

Other ways in which you can reduce your car insurance premium is to take advanced driving lessons to boost your safety record and if you are a young driver, an older driver or a woman driver then check out the many specialist sites which cater specifically for age and gender.

by Louis Rix