I was looking around Target one day, and I noticed they had some Black & Decker 2 gallon compressors (BDCP200AV, same as BDCP200 but with a free auto vacuum) in their clearance area. They were marked @ $70, and there was a sign saying 30% off. I thought 30% off $70 was an unbelievable price. But I asked and found that the $70 price was already reduce by the 30%. I passed, but then a day later changed my mind, and decided to get it.
The compressor came with various adaptors, including a tire nozzle. But there was no gauge on that. So I went to Walmart, and bought a tire inflator tool that had a gauge.
This compressor is a great addition to my garage. With a 25 foot hose, it makes it easy to keep the tire pressure of my car at the proper levels. And by keeping my tires inflated, my gas mileage is improved.
The adaptor I got a Walmart is easy to use. It snaps on to the valve stem, and I just pull the trigger, and put in a burst of air. When I release the trigger, the gauge shows the actual pressure in the tire. If I go over where I wanted it to be, there is a button to release just a little air.
We had Progressive Auto Insurance for three or four years, and it was a miserable experience. Every six months, instead of just sending a friendly notice saying it is time to renew, we would get a cancellation notice saying that unless we paid by such and such a time, our insurance would cancelled. The one time we had a claim, I ended up doing a bunch of the leg work myself, making phone calls, etc. This was stuff that I never had to do when I had a claim with Safeco, or with Allstate. When we bought our house, we insured it with Allstate. We looked at switching our auto insurance over, but I had to wait for a ticket to fall off. The ticket was due to fall off in October, and we were planning on switching. One of the other requirements was that we had been continuously insured for the previous year. Around June or July, we got a letter from the state of New York saying that because our insurance had lapsed, we he to turn in our plates, or be fined, or possibly go to jail. What the hell? I called the state, and they said our insurance had been cancelled 18 days earlier. What??? I called progressive, and was told our insurance had been cancelled due to non-payment. What? I talked to my wife, and we had never gotten a bill. We had not gotten a cancellation notice. We got nothing. Progressive claimed they sent us a couple things. WE NEVER GOT THEM! So now we were forced to resign with Progressive. We had to pay the state hundreds of dollars in fines. So instead of being able to switch over to Allstate in October, we had to wait one year from that point. So we got a big Screw You from Progressive. As soon as we could, we dumped Progressive. It was a horrible experience.
When I bought my car, it had mud flaps. Actually, they probably more properly called mudguards. They are factory. Not some cheesy things hanging down. But on a recent trip, I started wondering how much drag they created. Whether they were working like little parachutes. I debated about leaving them on, or taking them off. My wife also has a 2000 Honda Civic, the same as mine, and her car didn’t had the mud flaps. And I didn’t see any damage caused by not having them. So I decided to take them off.
There were only 3 Phillip’s head screws holding each of them off. It should be easy. Yeah, right. The problem was that it was hard to get a screw driver in there. For the front wheels, I was able to turn the steering wheel and get two of the screws pretty easily. But the third required a slight smaller screwdriver. I know I have a stubby little screwdriver around here somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. The back mud guards were a lot more work. I had to actually jack up the car, and remove the back wheels to have enough room to get the screwdriver in there.
I was worried about how my car would look without them. I thought they made my car look maybe a little more sporty, but I like the look of my car without them even better. And I think it has helped improve my gas mileage on freeway driving slightly. But it all adds up.
I did a Google search on car waxes, and found great reviews for this stuff. I have been using ArmorAll’s Ultra Shine Wash & Wax. It does a great job, but doesn’t really hide all the little scratches. I was wanting something that would help hide the scratches. Anyway, I had read great reviews of Zymol Cleaner Wax. It was more expensive than some other stuff, but if it did a better job… It contains carnauba wax, beeswax, vitamin E, aloe vera, banana-coconut extracts (it smells great), almond meal, and shining agents. It almost sounds like a skin moisturizer and not a car wax!
I followed the directions. I even but diaper clothes to use. I applied the stuff, and then wiped it off before it dried. It was a lot of work. Very tedious work. It did help to hide some of the scratches. But it left some residue in some of the little seams. I suppose I could pick that out with a toothpick. It also left a pale residue on some flat black trim that I managed to get it on.
Overall, it was kind of a pain to use. I have only used it once, and am not jumping at the opportunity to use it again. I MAY try it with my electric buffer/polisher and see how it does.
One use that I have found for it is to remove scratches from CDs and DVDs. I use put a little on the diaper cloth, smear it around, and wipe it off.
The headlights on my Honda Civic where very cloudy. My headlights worked, but the light was very diffused at night. I was considering buying new headlight lenses.
But then one day when I was getting new tires installed, I saw a product at the tire store that would restore the headlights, and get rid of the fog. I asked them about it, and the guy told me they don’t sell it, but offer the service to do it. I wasn’t interested in paying for the service.
When I got home, I looked online, and found there were a bunch of products for headlight restoration. And some people swore by simply using toothpaste. But then other places said the toothpaste would work only temporarily, because it didn’t seal the plastic or something.
I went to the local Advance Auto Parts, and found Crystal View Headlight Restorer. It wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than new lenses. I bought it and decided to try it.
It takes a while to complete all the steps. But basically, you are using a series of polishing stuff and sandpapers, to polish the lenses. It’s not hard, but it does take some time. You want to make sure you read the instructions, and follow them carefully. Take your time!
The results were great. One lens could have been a little bit better, but that was my fault. I should have spent a little more time polishing it I guess. But the headlights work great now. I have much more visibility for night driving.
I found a great video on YouTube showing how to use Crytsal View Headlight Restorer. Here it is: