Serving the Gainesville and Hawthorne Florida Area
Cleaning Your Car and Engine
Detailing: $100 to $300
(Prices good for most domestic or import cars and light trucks)
Washing your car or truck
Keeping your car washed and waxed is one of the best ways to keep it looking new. Insects and tree debris contain acids that can permanently damage the paint on your vehicle. You can do this yourself, or take your car to a professional car wash. If you do the job yourself, it's best to buy a special car wash detergent or soap. You can find car wash detergents at any parts store and many department stores with an automotive department.
You COULD just use dish soap or laundry detergent, but they can dissolve some of the chemicals that make up the paint. This can cause the paint to dull or fade prematurely.
Car Wax
Keeping a good coat of wax on your car can protect it from damage between washes. Insects, tree sap, pollen, salt air, and acid rain can badly damage a car's finish. A good wax will provide a protective layer, making it easier to remove the stuff that gets on your car.
Clear Coats
Just about all cars today have a clear coat on the paint. If you've ever seen a car that looks "milky" with white-ish splotches on the hood and roof, this is because the clear coat has failed. With a solid color it used to be possible to buff the paint and remove an oxidized layer, revealing good paint underneath. With a clear coat this isn't possible. Buffing a failed clear coat will just make itr worse. That's why it's smart to keep modern cars cleaned and waxed: you can't just buff out dull spots and bug pits anymore!
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Car Wash Finder
Engine Cleaning
It helps to keep your engine clean. Working on it is a lot more pleasant. Grease and oil on rubber stuff under the hood can soften and destroy the rubber. This includes hoses and the insulation on electric wires! On a clean motor new leaks are easier to spot.
That being said, it's also a good way to make your car not start.
3 ways to clean an engine
There are basically 3 ways to clean an engine:
STEAM CLEANING
Steam cleaning is very powerful, but it can tear stuff up under the hood. Some professional shops have steam cleaners, but they're expensive. You could probably rent one, but I'd recommend another method for DIY engine cleaning.
SPRAY CAN ENGINE CLEANERS
Common in any parts store, most of these wash off with water. They do a fairly good job, but to wash all that oil, grease, and engine cleaner off in your driveway might be considered a bit polluting. Also: be careful with the water: modern cars have numerous computer sensors. If the wire connector gets wet it can cause the computer to malfunction. ON ALL VEHICLES the high voltage wiring of the secondary ignition system (plug wires, coil, distributor) are VERY SENSITIVE to moisture.
SPRAY CAN SOLVENTS
They are called carb cleaners, brake cleaners, and so on: they contain highly volatile solvents that cut grease and oil quite well.
Some are highly flammable and are petrochemical based. Others are non-flammable and fluorocarbon based.
The good thing is that they use no water. The bad thing is they are expensive.
My Engine Cleaning Advice
For small greasy or oily areas use spray solvents. If you use the "wash off" engine cleaner, stay away from the distributor and coil area with the water.
IF YOU GET IT WET AND IT WON'T START
Most often it's the distributor cap which has gotten wet. Remove and dry out the cap.
WD-40: The WD stands for Water Displacement, and it can be used to dry out connectors and so on.
Auto, Car, and Truck Article List
A
ABS: Anti-Lock Brake Systems
ADVANCE: Car ignition timing
ALTERNATORS and Car Battery
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS
B
BAD CAR DESIGNS
Bad Drivers: How NOT to drive
BATTERIES: Auto, Car or Truck
BELTS AND HOSES
BEARINGS
BODY AND BUMPER REPAIRS
BRAKE REPAIRS: Car or Truck
C
Car Washing and Care
CARBURETORS:Car & Truck
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT
CLEANING: Engine Cleaning
CLUTCH REPAIRS: Car & Truck
COIL (IGNITION)
COMPRESSION: Car Engine
COMPUTER CAR CONTROLS
CRUISE CONTROL / LANE GUARD
CV JOINT OR CV AXLES
D
DISTRIBUTORS (IGNITION)
E
ELECTRIC WIRING REPAIR
ENGINES: Car & Truck
ENGINE CLEANING
EXPANSION PLUGS
F
FILTERS: OIL, AIR, ETC.
Flywheels, dual mass flywheels
FREEZE PLUGS
FUEL AIR MIXTURE
FUEL INJECTION: Car & Truck
FUEL PUMPS: Car & Truck
G
GAGES AND "IDIOT LIGHTS"
GASKETS AND SEALS
GLASS: WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS
H
HEADS & HEAD GASKET
HOSES AND BELTS
I
"IDIOT LIGHTS" AND GAGES
IGNITION COIL
IGNITION TIMING: Car & Truck
J
AUTO JACKS: lifting cars safely
K
L
LEAN "Car runs lean"
LIGHTS: WARNING OR "IDIOT LIGHTS"
Limp Home Mode
M
MIL Light
MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS
N
NO START: Car Won't Start
O
OIL CHANGES
OIL: What's right for your car?
OIL LIGHT ON OR GAGE LOW
P
PCV Valve
Q
R
RADIATORS: Car and Truck
RICH: Car runs rich
S
SEALS AND GASKETS
SELF DRIVING CARS / CRUISE
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT
SPARK PLUGS
STARTERS: Auto, Truck
T
THERMOSTATS
TIMING: IGNITION TIMING
TIMING BELT & TIMING CHAIN
TIRE REPAIR
TRANSMISSIONS: AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSIONS: MANUAL
U
V
VACUUM ADVANCE
WARNING LIGHTS OR "IDIOT LIGHTS"
Car Washing and Care
W
Washing and cleaning your car
WATER PUMP REPAIR
WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELDS
WIRING REPAIR
X
Y
Z
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