Vinyl was first invented in the 1920′s at a time when scientists wanted to develop a material that would help bond dislike materials together. Today, vinyl has become the second largest manufactured and sold plastic resin in the entire world. Vinyl is not a natural substance but is a synthetic man-made material. It is a type of plastic that is made from ethylene which is found in crude oil and chlorine which is found in regular table salt. When processed together, these substances are combined to form Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin, or more commonly know as Vinyl.

I’d like to digress for a moment and give a little bit more about the invention of vinyl. Again it parallels gasoline’s “accidental” invention in that the inventor was looking for one thing but stumbled upon “something else”. In 1926, a chemist named Waldo Semon was hired by the BF Goodrich Company to develop a new kind of substance that would help bond metal and rubber together. Dr. Waldo Semon was an assistant chemistry teacher with the University of Washington and started his research to develop a new man-made adhesive that would be cheaper than available alternatives.

In the course of his research and development, Dr. Semon started to run out of bromide, which was an ingredient essential in the creation of his new adhesive. In order to find a substitute for bromide, Semon thought of using chloride in his experiments as chloride was readily available. By using chloride with various other chemicals plus the addition of heat, Dr. Semon produced a compound called polyvinyl chloride( a powdered substance). Further experimentation revealed that when the powder was mixed with hot solvent, it turned into a rubbery gel like substance upon cooling. Thus was created the first ever Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) or vinyl material. The real genius here, folks, is that the man realized that his accident or mistake was actually a huge discovery!

Subsequent experiments with the PVC/Vinyl material showed that it had many practical applications and huge potential. Dr. Semon successfully molded heels of shoes with this material and also used it to form coatings for various products such as wires, pliers etc. The material produced was not successful in bonding rubber to metal, which was what he was trying to develop in the first place. However this discovery of PVC found many uses and soon products made from vinyl started entering the market in a very big way. The 1930′s saw the entry of many vinyl coated umbrellas, raincoats, etc into the markets. In the 1940′s, the makers of vinyl did their bit to help out in the manufacturing efforts of World War II. There was a scarcity of natural rubber, so vinyl was used as a coating for wires and proved to be an excellent substance for insulating wires. From that point on, vinyl was used by many different industries for many different applications and uses. After this, vinyl began to find its way into the automotive industry and was first used as a sealant for auto shock absorbers. “Automotive Trivia for a Thousand, Alex”!!!

Fast forward to our modern day. The most common uses of vinyl are in construction, especially as vinyl flooring and vinyl siding, with the automotive industry being right behind. Vinyl has many uses because of its ability to combine with various additives and modifiers, thus making vinyl highly suitable to be used in the manufacture of many different products. Focusing more directly on the automotive applications, vinyl can be “mixed” to be a strong fibrous panel material or mixed to be a soft, flexible, faux leather seat covering. There are some very important properties of vinyl that allow it to be such a versatile material. Vinyl is resistant to moisture and humidity. It is a very strong and durable plastic material. Vinyl can be manufactured in a variety of colors, both transparent and solid. Lastly, it is a light weight and cost effective material to use. With the automotive industry looking at recycling parts when cars go to the junkyard, it’s nice to know that vinyl is a recyclable plastic. This, in turn, extends the durability of the material. It may spend a decade or two on the side of the Town and Country Caravan to later become part of Kid Johnny’s Lil Tikes toy Wagon! In comparison to various other materials used by the automobile industry, vinyl requires lesser amounts of natural resources to make, uses less energy during production, and also releases lower emissions into the environment. Thus vinyl, a synthetic man-made material, has truly revolutionized the entire plastic resin industry. We of course will focus exclusively on the automotive side of things, as usual. Nuff said!

“Okay, Uncle Vinny, That’s all great and I feel so well educated, but what does this all mean? How do I make my car more beautiful and able to last the effects of time and the elements?” Well I think a good place to start is to divide this discussion into two parts (hint..look at the title ). We will need to talk about interior and exterior plastics separately despite their similarities. There is just too much to cover in one shot. In our blog about exterior materials, we’ll also throw in a discussion on”rubber” seals and window trim, too. I will save tire care as a separate topic, but yes you get extra points if you were already thinking about them! So let’s move forward and talk about the interior plastics, which vinyl is the Grand Daddy of them all.

Now before I get hate mail, I am fully aware that there are large amounts of other plastics inside the vehicle that are not vinyl. In fact, there is less vinyl in modern cars then one might think. Surfaces that once were vinyl may now be made of more modern plastic concoctions. Plastics in today’s vehicles might be ABS(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastics, Polypropylene, Polyesters, Polycarbonates, etc, etc. For example, the clear plastic over your instrument gauges (polycarbonate) and the the plastic on radio and Navigation screens will require special care, and we will talk about them, too. What we will talk about is the vast expanse of plastic/vinyl that exists on the dash, door panels and hatch areas. There is also the vinyl on faux leather seat surfaces. Vinyl exterior graphics are having a resurgence, take a look at today’s Challengers, Mustangs and Camaros with their retro body stripes, panels and logos.

The good news, loyal followers, is that makers of detailing products for cleaning and preserving these non clear plastic areas fully realize that it is nearly impossible for the detailer/owner/consumer to know exactly what type of plastic they are actually working on inside the vehicle! Fortunately for us, there are many good detailing products out there that are made to be multi-surface friendly. These product manufacturers realize that no one wants to own a box full of specific products for every plastic areas when they can do just fine with a few. So for the record, we will use the term “Vinyl” as a catch all term for any non-clear plastic. It will simplify the discussions, especially when, in future discussions, we separate “vinyl” surfaces from leather surfaces. You will see that this is the “thinking” or the “mindset” of the companies that make plastic care products. You will see shortly that they list Vinyl, Rubber and Plastics on the label of their products. So let’s move on to what type of products we are looking for to provide care for our inside, interior surfaces.

The mission of plastic care has four key components. First to be able to keep it clean. Daily road dust, cigarette smoke, and food and drinks spills are just a few things that will lead to a dirty interior. A product deigned to properly clean plastic is a must. The second reason for plastic care is to preserve and maintain the current look of the material. Many products will add polymers( and some will add silicone) or oils to allow dry plastics to re-moisturize. Cleaning and environmental expose will allow the plasticizers to “off gas”. Have you ever noticed a light haze on the glass after a hot summer’s day? This foggy film are the volatilized plasticizers from plastics. The third component we are looking for in our plastic care product is UV protection. The sun’s rays are full of both UVA and UVB rays that will degrade plastic, and eventually will cause fading and cracking of the most exposed surfaces like your dashboard and the tops of the door panels. Better products will usually state that they contain UV protectors or UV Inhibitors. Lastly, and perhaps the most critical characteristic of all is the final look of the vehicle’s interior. Do you want a super shiny interior? Take caution with using the super shiny stuff. High shine products will create a reflection of the dashboard onto your windshield, making it difficult to see the road on sunny days. Do you want a subtle sheen or satin look?, or ultimately a flat, dull, no sheen look? Different manufacturers will state how their products appears in the product label or in the product’s description. There might be a method of use that provides one look using one method and a different look with additional applications/ less wiping, etc. With the word “shiny” comes the thought of silicone based products vs. those without. It is generally believed that silicone based products are more slippery and can degrade rubber/plastics over time. While we are at it, professional detailing forums seem to prefer water based products to petroleum based ones again due to their kindness to the surface and without drying the plastic. Also any product that accidentally gets on glass is easily removed by water. I know it seems complicated but these things are important.

Well now you know what we are looking for in a plastic care product. We also know that there are multi-surface interior plastics and various plastic types inside the vehicle. The good news, as I stated before, is that manufacturers are making interior products that are usable on multiple surfaces. The key here is that some of these products are specifically formulated to only clean these interior surfaces while others are exclusively preservatives(or protectants). As if this wouldn’t be just fine to leave it simple, there are multi-purpose products that clean and preserve! Purists, me being one of them, prefer separate products, a product that has a cleaning purpose and one that has the purpose as a protectant. If the vinyl, rubber, plastic and leather ( no..not a typo. We’ll talk about the blurring lines of vinyl/leather seating in a future blog) are dirty or “soiled”, then they must be first cleaned. If they are as clean, as in an infrequently used vehicle, then light maintenance and protectant use is all that is needed. However, it is universally accepted that after a month or two of using a non-cleaning product, that it is best to remove earlier applications with a cleaner product, before applying a new coat of protectant. It seems that “stacking” of plastic care products is not so great over long periods of time.

If you can’t be bothered or have limited want to having a separate cleaner and separate preservative products, then there are some very good combo products available to you. These products will state “cleans” on the label or in the directions or uses the term “One Step”. Luckily most combo products are usually gentle in their cleaning abilities. You will find Interior products such as Optimum Protectant Plus, Meguiar’s #40 Vinyl &Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner, 3M Auto Essentials Vinyl and Leather Restore, Klasse Cleaner/Protectant, Mothers VLR, Lexol Premium Protectant and Lexol’s Vinylex to be great in this capacity and provide great results. PoorBoy’s World Natural Look Dressing is yet another great combo product. Again these are formulations that clean and condition every time they are used. Is there anything wrong with using these all the time and never using anything else? Not at all, but there are some great products that will only add protection so as to allow some combination or stacking of products. This will be more evident later in our discussions as to why separate products are helpful and synergistic (Uncle Vinny’s Vocabulary Word of the Day, folks). Usually these combo products are pretty weak in their cleaning abilities, and one reason why purist detailer’s prefer separate duty products.

Let’s take a look a some protectant only products. The king of them all is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It is water based, contains high UV protection, easy to use, multi-surface friendly and does not contain any cleaners. 303 Aerospace Protectant is great product to apply on top of other products as well. Because it has no cleaning ability, it will not disturb the underlying product and will allow itself to stack and provide additional UV protection. Sonus Eclipse Protectant, BlackFire’s Interior Protectant, 1Z Einszett Cockpit Protectant and Mothers Protectant are some of my personal favorites. These products are easy to use and produce low shine, satin looks with 1Z being almost dull. Remember, a few things here. Just because I don’t mention a product, doesn’t means that it’s” no good”. There are so many good products out there it’s impossible to mention them all. A helpful hint is to read product reviews online or in Car Detailing Forums, about various products. Hell, call the selling website or the manufacturer and ask about the product’s use and final look! The thing that is tough about selecting a product is ultimately how it looks and feels. Is it too shiny? Is it too slippery? This is an important thing, people, do not apply any product to steering wheels, seat surfaces or foot pedals that can make them slippery. You do not want to lose control of the vehicle. An important Safety Tip from yours truly! Hey I am always lookin’ out for you!

Some of my favorite plastic/vinyl cleaner only products are Optimum Opti Clean Concentrate, 303 Fabric/Vinyl Cleaner, Meguiar’s D103 All Purpose Cleaner concentrate and IZ Einszett Premium Interior Plastic Cleaner. The advantage of purchasing the concentrates is that you can get a whole lot more for your money as you are not ” buying water”. It also allows for you to change the concentration from full strength to a 10:1 dilution. This will allow these concentrated products to be used on interior, exterior, and under the hood areas. Again, please read the label carefully to produce the most gentle concentration of the product to do the cleaning job at hand. A full strength use of a concentrated product can damage colored plastic (as in bleach out the color) or cloud clear plastics. I am a huge fan of Optimum Opti Clean as its uses are limitless and is a super easy product to use.

There are two other products that I would like to mention and I use them so frequently that I feel obligated to mention them. They fall outside the above discussions so I will just mention them now before ending our Part 1 discussion. The first product is Meguiar’s Quik Interior Detail Spray. I use this as a quick touch up to get dust off the dash, but I really don’t want to clean and I don’t want to protect either. It leaves nothing behind except a nice clean smell. The other product, and if I dare say a “must have” product is Plexus Cleaner Protectant. It was originally designed for NASA and the Air Force to clean, polish and protect the clear plastic canopy areas. It is an awesome product for especially clear plastic like the instrument bezels, navigation and radio screens, dome lights etc. It is also great for exterior plastics too (yes we’ll keep you in suspense until revealed in Part II) In general, if light passes through the plastic, then Plexus would work great on it!

So we gave a look at how to care for the plastics inside the vehicle and how ultimately your care will make the inside look for years to come. There are some truly great detailing products out there to choose from. Try a few, experiment, and buy small sizes and give away the ones that aren’t to your liking! Most importantly have fun and be proud of your ride! We’ll pick up with Part II (The Exterior) next time where we will look at caring for exterior plastics/rubber items like body side moldings, black plastics, rubber trim, splash guards and the like. Keep in mind that some of these mentioned products will see double duty on the outside of the vehicle. We’ll continue our discussion soon so stay tuned!!!!

Thanks for stoppin’ by!
Stay safe out there!!

Uncle Vinny

So do we really need additional fuel additives? If you recall our discussion about gasoline (prior to 1996), tetraethyl lead was added to fuel as a catalyst and octane booster. When lead was available in fuels, lead acted as a lubricant which helped protect valves and upper cylinder areas. However, today’s unleaded fuels provide minimal lubrication properties from the fuel. Many gasolines contain unstable chemical components that can lead to deposit formation in high temperature areas in the air induction system such as the fuel injectors and at the intake valve stems where the fuel flows through to the combustion chamber. In 1995 when the EPA mandated the use of detergent additives in gasoline to reduce emissions, this action reduced the lubrication possibilities of a fuel. When you wash your nightly dinner plates with dish washing detergent you will strip way the grease left over from the foods. Detergents, like dish washing soap, break down oily lubricants. “Got it!?” So what will lubricate the valves, valve stems and guides when fuel detergents are present? What will keep the deposits from carbonizing up on injectors and around the rings? This is where engines need a good balance from a fuel additive package that can both clean engine components and also provide a lubricant to help reduce wear.

Fuel manufacturers in America have been steadily reducing sulfur content over the last decade. Crude oil contains sulfides as a natural component. Refineries attempt to remove a large portion of this sulfur from the base stock fuels. By the way, have you ever gotten that “Rotten Egg” smell from the exhaust system? Know what? That was sulfur dioxide, a byproduct of gasoline combustion and its interaction with the catalytic converter. And I guess while we are at it, Acid Rain is when water reacts with Sulfur dioxide to create Sulfuric acid. Acid rain can etch metal surfaces. Uncle Vinny has taught you some practical chemistry for the day!!!! Metal sulfides are created when the engine sees Sulfuric acid byproducts during each combustion cycle. Some of these gases pass by the cylinder rings and enter the oil areas. The motor oil is fortified with alkaline components to neutralize this blow by gases. But what about the residual components that becomes gaseous and eventually moves out the exhaust system. Again, here’re the beginnings of engine deposits. Sulfuric acid may also microscopically roughen once smooth engine component surfaces. Roughened surfaces will attract more deposits. More on that in a bit.

In the industry, the discussion on the creation of engine deposits is said to follow two distinct pathways. The Low Temperature deposits form via auto-oxidation, while the High Temperature deposits are formed from carbon deposition or coking. Remember that gasoline is mainly a mix of hydrocarbon chains and ring formations. There are waxy substances like paraffins as well as aromatic ring compounds like xylene and toluene. Let’s also not forget the oxygenate add to nearly all US fuels in the form of ethanol. Please also keep in mind that the engine components are made of metal and this creates not only a “rough” surface for deposits to build upon but also the chemical reaction sites of metal and hydrocarbons.

I am not going to get overly involved in the chemistry of how these deposits form. I will simplify the processes here. In a hot deposit situation, the engine components that are usually above 350 degrees Celsius see fuel combustion byproducts during engine cycling. Some of byproducts remain inside the engine upon ignition shut down. There they are left to cool and coat the exposed metal areas. There is also non-combusted fuel that may be present upon ignition shut down that is now also just sitting around and is seeing a heat soak situation. Instead of this fuel burning it, in a sense, “dries up” on the engine component and leave their hydrocarbon skeletons behind as a carbon deposit (a black tarry ash mound). Carbon deposits, therefore, form mostly in the combustion chambers, on injector spray nozzles, the back of intake valves and around the valve ports. There are also the “cool” areas like the fuel tank, the fuel lines and the cool areas of the injectors that see the decomposition of fuel (varnish and gums) as the fuel sits stagnant until the engine runs again.

For completeness, and not to muddle an already complicated discussion, fuel in the gas tank absorbs water. Do you remember your grandfather telling you that in cold, wet seasons to always,” Keep ya tank full!”? Well back in the day of exclusively rear wheel drive cars, the extra weight over the rear wheels was helpful for traction, especially in snow. But what it also did was minimize the air space inside the tank. A half filled tank had 50 percent of its volume full of air. There is always water content to the air, its humidity, and water will change from its vapor state to liquid form as temperatures drop. We have all seen Dry Gas at the local parts store or at the gas station. It was mostly methanol and its job was to mix with fuel tank water and create a burnable form of water. Dry Gas products were designed for a time when gas was 100% gasoline, unlike our E10 formulations of today. “Hey Uncle Vinny, Won’t ethanol in the fuel help with getting water out of the fuel?’ The answer on the immediate surface is “Yes”, but we are talking about an ethanol content of 10% by volume. So if atmospheric and gas tank conditions are right, the ethanol in the fuel might actually ATTRACT more water!!!! Yikes. Ethanol, however, is a very good solvent and ready removes resins, varnish and gums (products of gasoline use).

So what is the big deal if water sits in the gas tank? Water/ethanol mixtures tend to be acidic. If water sits in the gas tank it can cause rust in the tank (if it is metal), corrode fuel lines and prevent proper lubrication of the fuel pump (done by the gasoline). There is the discussion that the water can become a stagnant bio mass in the tank that can form blockages in the fuel delivery systems. Remember the dreaded “gasoline freeze”? In extreme cold, this separated water can freeze and prevent cold weather starting. Lastly, water laced gasoline will not allow for proper engine running. If a large amount of phase separated water/ethanol was to sit at the base of the tank and be drawn into the engine, the engine would likely stall. Modern computers are constantly making fuel adjustments with incoming air to maximize the performance and minimize pollutants during engine cycling. Improperly burnt fuel also leads to engine deposits.

Okay so I hope that I at least have you believing that engines have the ability of creating deposits from not only the gasoline itself but from the presence of water/ethanol mixture as well. So what do we do about this? A good start, in my opinion, is to use a Brand name fuel if not a Top Tier fuel. You know what I am gonna say…If you haven’t read the Gasoline Blog, take time to do so…or else! Oh, you guys are so good!! The real question lies in whether there are enough detergents and additives in the best of the gasolines. If they are at sufficient levels, then wouldn’t that be enough to prevent engine deposits? And ultimately is it worth your money and a true benefit to your vehicle to buy additional cleaning additives? Of course my answer and opinion is “Yes” to using a good quality fuel system cleaner!!!

Just like every product out there for consumer purchase, there are good ones, bad ones, useless ones and expensive ones. While we are talking about expense, call your local car dealer and ask if they have fuel injector services or combustion chamber decarbonization procedures. I know they do and they charge well for these services. If deposits didn’t occur and injectors didn’t clog and fuel systems didn’t carbonize, then why would manufacturer’s dealerships offer these unneeded services? We are talking hundreds of dollars for fuel system components and clean up procedures. What I am talking about is a good $10-12 bottle of prevention!!! The products I will discuss are products that I personally use(used) and trust. These are products that I have read extensively about and have used without incident. I won’t say that I know all of the good products available. Please note that if I do not mention a particular product that it in turn makes it a “garbage” product. My job here is to make suggestions and open your eyes to perhaps an area you never really thought about and point you in the right direction.

So what do I look for when deciding on a fuel system cleaner (FSC)? Ah ha!!! I just gave you a huge piece of advice. Did you catch it? That’s right…a Fuel System Cleaner. These products don’t just clean injectors; they clean and lubricate the entire fuel system from the gas tank to the combustion chamber to the valves. You will find Fuel Injector cleaners but for a few bucks more, go for the Complete System Cleaning formulas. These “Complete” formulas will remove water, lubricate fuel pumps, soften and remove formed carbon deposits and leave behind a coating to inhibit new deposits from forming. Ethanol and fuel additives (detergents) will remove lubrication from engine areas that have no contact with engine oil (like the upper cylinder areas, valves, Fuel pump, etc.). My choices of products are ones that do not contain additional alcohols in their mixture. This is usually on the product label or on the manufacturer’s website (see the MSDS sheet). I also like to see that the product is “Safe for Oxygen Sensors and Catalytic Converters”, “Safe for Continual Usage” and “Approved for use with E10 gasolines”..

“Okay Uncle Vinny…I am ready to add a Fuel System cleaner, but when and where?” Great and important questions! If you have been using a good quality fuel, you will have less to fear than someone who has used “Fred’s Gas” through the years and has never added anything to the fuel. Our concern with the latter is a poorly cared for fuel system may let go of some serious crap once it sees a good FSC product. A blocked fuel filter is what is most at risk. If you have a higher mileage vehicle that hasn’t seen any cleaning, perhaps starting with a few tankfuls of a good brand name/Top Tier fuel is a smart move. This will allow for a slower and “less shock to the system” type of fuel clean-up. We don’t want the car to “Throw a Clot”!! I would then add small quantities of FSC to the fuel tank, say half the recommended dose for another tank or two. Then I would run a full strength dose in a full tank of gasoline. Hopefully you will notice a better running engine, smoother acceleration, quicker acceleration and improved fuel mileage as well. It is generally believed by most in the car care community that after running a full strength FSC, a motor oil change is in order. Why? Because some of the chemicals and debris will get past the cylinder rings and enter the crankcase oil. Oil contaminated with cleaners is often thinner and do not lubricate as well as fresh motor oil. This contamination by gasoline and or additive cleaners is called “Fuel Dilution” of the motor oil.

Like any maintenance schedule, Fuel system cleaning should occur at so many months (hours) or based on mileage. Most manufacturers will recommend re-dosing before oil changes every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or 100 hours of use. If the typical driver puts on 12-15000 miles per year, then you will be using 3-4 times a year. I might reduce that to 2 or 3 times if a Top Tier fuel is used. Cost to you? $30-50 a year, maybe less depending on the product purchased and BOGO free deals found at popular auto part chains. The alternate to mega dosing is per gas refill dosing…Huh? Two of my favorites (and I will reveal others soon enough) are Red Line SI-1 and Amsoil P.I. These are among the best of the true FSCs. They state on the label to basically” Use a full bottle for first time user cleanup and then so many ounces per gallon at each refill. This routine use basically keeps things clean and doesn’t create a ton of dilution in the oil. Keep a bottle in the car and add the amount to match up with the refuel volume. Simple!!! Add a little FSC at each fuel stop…super easy to do and easy to follow. I will usually still do a full bottle dose once a year prior to an oil change, just to make sure I got the motor really clean!!!

Well I told you to stay away from mainly alcohol additives, but what should you look for in the mixture? A chemical call Polyether Amines (abbreviated as PEA). The more PEA the better!!! Usually the best bunch of FSCs have 30 to 50% PEA by weight. This is the most effective cleaning additive in the mix. There will be lots of the chemicals from naphthas to xylene, but it’s the PEA that you want. So here is a short list of those products that I use (and rotate just like gasoline brands…different additives).

• Amsoil P.I.
• Red Line SI-1
• Techron Concentrate Complete Fuel System Formula
• Gumout Regane
• STP Complete and Lucas Oil Products Deep Clean Fuel System Cleaner.

Amsoil P.I. and Red Line SI 1 are available almost exclusively online but a call to your local Speed Shop might get you lucky in finding one or the other. I often secretly dose the wife’s gas tank when she fills up with gasoline. I often do not tell her when I have put one of these products into the fresh fuel. Curiously, more often than not, she will tell me that she noticed’ a difference in the vehicle’s engine performance. What I am getting at is minimizing the placebo effect. If I told her that I added something to make the car run better, she just might believe it by my suggestion. Clean injectors will have improved spray patterns and better fuel atomization leads to optimal performance. Toluene and xylene are octane boosters which might also improve drivability. Some of these products provide Top end lubrication of the upper cylinder and valve areas. Some have written into Car forums describing quieter valve sounds from the running engine. Lastly, sulfur often forms deposits on fuel tank sending unit floats which affects gas gauge readings ( a condition I am aware of as a modern Corvette owner).The cure is as easy as a good dose of Techron (in the bottle) going into the gas tank.

Remember the old saving about “An Ounce of prevention is worth a Pound of cure”? This certainly is true when it comes to Complete Fuel System Cleaners in a bottle. A good brand name fuel is a good starting point and an occasional “shot” of extra additives just might be the trick to keeping the fuel system from getting sick. With the cost of gasoline at $4 a gallon (and rising) plus the potential costs of repair, this maintenance protocol just might save some serious money and perhaps a few headaches down the road. It’s about making your drive the best it can be…a reoccurring central theme of this car passionate blog.

I welcome your input, comments and suggestions. Perhaps we’ll take a different course for a while and talk a bit about interior care, mainly its vinyl and leather surfaces, and a likely two part discussion!!

Thanks for stopping’ by. Stay safe out there!!!!!

Uncle Vinny

A brief history of gasoline, I believe, is in order. In the late 1800′s, crude oil was heated to separate out its various components; the most sought after distillate was kerosene. This was the fuel required to run the oil lamps that provided the light for both home and business. One of the byproducts, a light and easily evaporative component was gasoline (gasolene). According to some, the term was directly coined from its ability to go from liquid to “gas”. Just imagine the wonderful experience the first time they might have tried gasoline, instead of kerosene, in an oil lamp! Molotov cocktail, anyone? Anyway, this light and dangerous distillate was often thrown way into fields or outright burned just to get rid of it.

The combustion engine was the real reason that gasoline becomes so important. It also wasn’t a surprise that electricity, and its safer and better way of illuminating the dark, put a damper on kerosene sales. As a point of interest, the first attempts at running a combustion engine on kerosene was disastrous as the “knock” that occurred ultimately destroyed engine components. We’ll discuss “knock” later. So as engines got better with improved engineering so did the need for improved gasolines. One of the first additives that were put into gasoline was tetra-ethyl lead or as some remembers it as “Leaded” gasoline. When gasoline “explodes” inside an engine it creates “knock”, a sound like someone knocking on the door. To create a smooth burn without knock, additives called octane boosters are added. Tetra-ethyl lead was a catalyst that allowed for a smooth burn but put lead into the air as a byproduct of its combustion. Airborne lead becomes especially toxic in the environment when it returned to the water supply after a good rain. So when we talk about octane think of it as the ability of a fuel to resist knock by creating a cooler, smoother burn inside the cylinders.

Gasoline with lead was eventually banned from U.S. stations on January 1st, 1996. Current gasoline is often blended with 10% Ethanol and known as E10. There has been a recent governmental push for E15 or 15% ethyl alcohol. These formulations add ethanol as an octane booster. It will also act as an oxygenate. More oxygen in the fuel leads to less emissions but less energy during combustion. “So Uncle Vinny what does this mean?” Simply cleaner burning fuel but with about 3% less power and ultimately less miles per gallon. You see my loyal followers there is lots of money and politics when it comes to gasoline. There are folks that question the whole thought of “Buying grain from the farmers to make ethanol for gas”. There is the cost of buying the grain, the energy use to convert grain into ethanol, the cost to consumers for more expensive ethanol based gasoline and the fact that the consumer gets less miles per gallon, resulting in buying additional gas to go the same distance as “pure” gasoline!!! Whew…all in one breath! Yes we do care about the environment, blah blah blah, and breathing healthy air, blah blah blah, but I used non-E10 gas in Canada and the difference in the BMW engine was noticeable. The difference in drivability was similar to the difference between drinking a wine cooler and a good robust Chianti!!! Regardless E10 is here to stay…let’s pray that E15 never happens.

We all will find ourselves pulling into the gas station at some point in the near future. Most of us will pick either Regular or Premium. Which grade of gas is the correct one to use? That’s right, you are all so smart! The owner’s manual will clearly state the engines needs and preferences. If you can’t find the owner’s manual, most manufacturers put a properly placed label in the fuel door area stating the vehicle’s fuel requirements. “Hey Uncle Vinny, If I put Super in the tank my car will go faster, right?” Here’s the truth about gasoline octane. If the vehicle calls for Regular, the extra octane in Super will be a waste of money and could affect the vehicles emissions equipment. I know that some vehicles allow the owner to choose the grade of fuel. It might state “for economy use Regular but for added performance you may use Premium fuel”. In this scenario the vehicle’s computer will recognize the higher octane and change the computer program to utilize the super fuel. Please be aware that if you vehicle mandates Premium (super) gasoline, the vehicle’s performance will be negatively affected if Regular is pumped in instead. In a pinch, as in you will die out in the desert if you don’t refuel and all they have is Regular; go ahead run the Regular gas as most modern vehicles will adjust. I would personally not tax the engine for maximum performance and would refuel with Premium as soon as possible.

“So Uncle Vinny, who uses 89 octane?” Funny you ask that! I have been searching for a definitive answer. I am not aware of any street vehicle with 4 wheels that specifically requires 89. Perhaps a brand of motorcycle or ATV or other recreational vehicle calls for this grade. What I was able to discern was that if a vehicle owner notices knock or pinging (sound like marbles in a can), then moving up from 87 to 89 to get the anti-knock of the higher octane maybe in order. While we are talking about octane, you might notice that yellow sticker that has a fraction looking icon on it, mainly R+M/2. This is how the fuel company has determined the actual octane rating or the Pump Rating. The fuel is tested in the laboratory for its ability to resist knock using controlled conditions (Research octane= R) and then tested again in a standardized engine situation called the Motor octane= M. They then add them together and get the average octane rating which is the posted rating at the pump.

Some of you are already aware of what are called the “Top Tier” fuels. Certain vehicle brands like Audi, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen will specifically recommend Top Tier fuel usage in the Owner’s Manual. Top Tier is a certification process that a gasoline manufacturer must subscribe to and provide fuels of all grade for testing. All gasoline under that brand must pass these strict requirements regardless of octane grade. Top Tier fuels are about detergency standards. If you are truly interested, and you should be being as my loyal follower, visit www.TopTierGas.com and read about all of the specific requirements the fuel must have to qualify. These detergents are about keeping the fuel system clean, from combustion chambers, to fuel injectors to the back of valves. Some of the listed Top Tier Fuel suppliers are Exxon/Mobil, Shell, Phillips 76, Chevron and Texaco (see site for all of the others). Okay I hear you in the back row…”Doesn’t all fuel have a requirement for detergency and specific additives?” Yes, all fuels must meet 1995 EPA gasoline requirements. But obviously auto manufacturers as listed above are seeing the need for better quality gasolines.

An interesting fact that I came across during research was that all fuels, regardless of the brand, comes out of the same refinery depots. What makes Shell V Power a Top Tier Fuel is the quart or so of a highly engineered additive package that are put into the 8000 gallon tanker of base Super fuel. So when you are buying from a non-brand gas station, it is likely a base additive package grade of gasoline. What you are paying for at the brand name station is the finely tuned additives that make up a high quality or Top Tier fuel out of the basic gasoline. Many people feel fine about using the no name brand gasoline, Sam’s Gas if you will. There can be an immediate financial saving but what will be the cost in engine deposits and engine performance over time? Obviously the car manufacturers that recommend Top Tier fuels know what is at risk. I think you already know my feelings on the “where to buy gas” topic. I stick with the brand names.! I don’t want to complicate things but there are some other great fuel suppliers that produce high quality fuel products but choose not to subscribe to Top Tier billing. BP and Sunoco have excellent fuels, especially in their premium gasolines. A thing I like to do, and this is not based on anything scientific, is to switch up quality fuel brands from time to time. I might go a couple of months with Shell V Power and then fill a tank with Exxon Super to change it up. Why bother? To have a different combination of additives and detergents going through the fuel system. So if one brand cleans one area better than another, then we get an engine exposed to different detergent combinations. Just a hunch….or call it Automotive Paranoia at its best!!!!!.

I hope you learned a little about gasoline…quite a pain in the gas!!!! Just like all of driving, there is more to things then just “Gas -n-Go”. I think this discussion on gasoline has naturally lead up to the obvious sequel discussion on fuel treatments and injector cleaners. The story, and this blog, continues on as it is believed by many that even the best gasolines still leave something to be desired when it comes to deposit control and cleanliness. So that’s what we’ll discuss next time around.

Thanks for stoppin’ bye!!!!

Stay safe out there!!!!

After a few phone calls, I scheduled my Jeep with the collision repair folks and summoned the local rental car guys to pick me up in front of the shop. The Enterprise people were very nice and the day started to take a turn for the better when they offered me a new black Dodge Challenger. It felt good taking it out of the parking lot and I was careful not to overwhelm the rear wheel drive traction on the wet pavement. I think I got to the first traffic light when I realized how bad untreated glass can be in the rain. Plainly stated, I couldn’t see out the windshield. My ability to see was hindered with distorted images, and intensified head lights from oncoming traffic. The rain water was sticking to the windshield despite the best effort of the wipers to squeegee off the moisture. I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable. I felt scared.

Let’s face it. Driving and our driver responses are based solely on visual information. If you don’t see it you’ll likely hit it!! I have been an avid user and believer in glass treatments that repel water since I first started driving some 30 odd years ago. The way good driving habits are passed down from parent to child, so are good safety maintenance habits. My dad was a big fan of Rain-X glass treatment and he would do the windshield, side mirrors, side and rear glass. It was a huge improvement. I was hooked on the improved visibility…and I was safer,too.

I sort of had a flash back to my teenage days as I began to clean the windows on my rented Challenger. I watched as the moisture even from my alcohol based glass cleaner stayed wet and blotchy on the surface of the windshield The next day was a rainy one again, but I could see so much better due to the rain repellant that I had applied So that’s why I feel professionally and morally obligated to get you, my loyal followers, to change your ways(of driving and not seeing). I want you to stop taking unnecessary risk by looking through untreated glass and putting you, you loved one’s and your fellow man at risk…can I get an “Amen”?

Glass treatments or Rain repellants come in many forms including the original liquid forms that I used way back when. There are liquids, gels, paste-sealants, washer fluids and even wiper blades that will add a coating. The simplest method of applying a WR(Water Repellant) is in the form of a Glass Cleaner with WR built in. Three products that are readily available are the previous mentioned Rain-X Weather Beater Glass Cleaner, Glass Science’s Rain Clear and Stoner Invisible Glass with Rain Repellant. These products are all doing a very critical first step. “What’s that first step?”…Clean your glass! If you haven’t read the earlier blog on “I Can See Clearly Now”, please do so as it is a critical step( and shame on you for not reading ALL of Uncle Vinny’s stuff ) So with these products you get speed from the combo and a decent result. Certainly much better than what you were seeing the driving world with before. But you will get better performance and much better durability with my next method.

After your glass is “clean” we are going to really clean the glass! Glass is not as smooth as you think and after years of use it often gets pitted and coated with acid rain and pollutant fall out. It picks up road debris like tar and even mineral deposits from hard water when we wash our vehicles. “So isn’t that what glass cleaner was made for, Uncle Vinny?” Glass cleaners were never able to clean to this deeper level mostly due to increasingly strict Government regulations to decrease VOCs( Volatile Organic Compound). Strong glass cleaners were strong on VOC chemicals, but that is truly another story. So stay with me here! To truly clean the glass, I recommend a surface cleaner, a glass “scrub” if you will and or a claying compound. Again, the manufacturers mentioned above have their own glass “scrub” pre-cleaners. Some will use the wording, “Glass Restorers”. Some of my favorites are Rain X Glass X-treme Clean are Diamondite Glass and Surface Cleaner, Griot’s Garage’s Glass Polish and Duragloss’ s Nu-Glass. Make sure to wear rubber gloves when working with any of these products as they can be drying and irritating to the skin. Use a microfiber pad or an old small terry cloth and follow the directions to a “T”. If you have distilled water available, put it in a spray bottle and use a light mist to remove any residual dust. Use a microfiber towel to dry and inspect. The glass should look great.

I mentioned claying before and if you are the extreme type, like me, I follow up with claying. There are specialized glass only clays that will pull garbage out of the pits and grooves that are inherent in glass. You will need to use a clay lube so as to minimize the clay from sticking to the glass. Never use Glass Clay on painted finishes as clay, in general, is abrasive despite its rather smooth feel. Again rinse/wipe with distilled water. “Hey, what’s up with the distilled water bit?” Distilled water is free of any mineral debris. Water spots occur when water dries and leaves the once dissolved minerals behind on the finish or glass. We are trying to get the glass as pristine as possible to maximize bonding of our water repellant(WR). Remember it’s not only the windshield we are treating, but all the glass and side mirrors, too. So yes you have spent a fair amount of time prepping the glass. Is it with it? Absolutely…follow along…keep up, don’t fall behind!!!!

I think the next step will result in very similar results between brands perhaps with a slight variation in the durability between brands( the time it lasts on the glass surfaces). I think that Rain-X, Glass Science, Aqualpel are great polymer based liquid repellants. Glass Science has a gel form and Rain-X has a “wax” formula as well. Aquapel, perhaps my current favorite, has a built in felt edge that carries the liquid out of its unique container/applicator. Speaking of applicators, always use a microfiber pad or terry cloth pad to apply WR products. All foam applicators, those yellow soft discs, will absolutely melt in your hand from the high alcohol content in some of these preparations.
Diamondite has a spray sealant that works quite well. Carefully follow the directions. Make sure that you have applied these products evenly and completely over the glass surfaces. I find that wiping off the residual product of nearly all WR products to be the toughest part. You will likely be respraying distilled water or even glass cleaner to remove films and smudges left behind. Here is where dedicated microfiber glass specialized towels will save you time and create excellent results.

I would be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge the newer nano molecular products (like Wolf Chemical Nano Glass Sealant )which have recently come to market. I have not yet tried it but I did work with C.Quartz nano coating on the BMW’s paint finish and was blown away!! Watching online videos of the Wolf product in action seems believable and awesome. I truly believe that this nano molecular class is the way of the future and will provide extended durability despite a bit more time to apply and remove. While we are on the durability issue, these nano coatings are “promising” at least 6-12 months of durability while the non nano preparations from 3 to 6 months. Simply stated all of these WR products create lower water surface tension and this allows water to bead up better and readily blow off with speed. Snow and mud will also slide easier off the glass surfaces due to lower friction. Future glass cleaning will require a bit less work to clean. By the way, windshield washer fluids from Rain-X, Stoner and Peak offer WR additives in the fluid itself, adding to the effectiveness of the WR you applied.

Hey…When was the last time you changed those wiper blades? Has it been more than a year? Even the best wiper blades are best replaced at 6 month intervals or when obvious streaking occurs on the windshield.
Not only will new wipers remove water better, they will also have less wearing friction on the newly applied water repellant. All of the repellants eventually will wear away and need to be re-applied. By then you too will be hooked and spoiled at how much better your vision will be in foul weather driving.

So there it is. A little about physics and a lot about treating glass! Remember that saying about “Seeing is Believing”? Well if you take that second “E” out of believing you get a more important saying, one that is the whole point of this day’s blog……”Seeing is …Be Living”. If you see better, it could save your life or someone else’s! I welcome your suggestions and comments. I do appreciate them!

Thanks for stopping’ by! Stay safe out there!

So what is “Microfiber”? “When and where did it come from”? Let’s tackle the “What is microfiber?” question first. By definition, micro-fibers are fibers made of; you guessed it, microscopic filaments approximately 8-10 times finer than silk and an astounding 100 times finer than a human hair! Microfiber is a fiber with less than 1 denier per filament. The Denier is a measure of linear density and is often used to describe the size of a fiber or a filament (9000 meters of a one-denier fiber weighs only one gram !!!). Fibers are combined to form yarns. Yarns are knitted or woven in a variety of constructions. While many microfibers are made of polyester, they can also be composed of polyamide (nylon) or other polymers. Most microfiber products in the car care arena are made of 80% Polyester/ 20% Polyamide or 70% Polyester/ 30% Polyamide. Guess what? There is even a 75/25 blend too.

So when and where was this technology developed? Synthetic microfibers were developed in Japan in the early 70′s by Dr, Miyoshi Okamoto. But like so many inventions, it took time for an application to be found. Another scientist, Dr. Toyohiko Hikota, designed the first unwoven fabric and called it UltraSuede, ultimately produced by Dupont in 1989. It was the development of filament splitting and various weaves and piles that will give rise to a complex set of microfiber towels that we as consumers must figure out prior to buying. This can be a daunting task. But hey, Uncle Vinny is here to help you out!

So back to the make up of microfibers. See those percentage numbers listed above? As it turns out, selecting a polyester percentage will dictate how absorbent a towel might be in its usage. All microfiber is about 7 times more absorbent than cotton, gram for gram. If you are looking for a towel that absorbs liquids best, then an 80 polyester/20 polyamide towel will likely be better than a 70/30 blend. In truth, the way the cloth is fabricated, its density (grams/Meter squared) and the way the fiber is”split” are equally critical in your selection of a quality towel. Even the way a towel edges are finished is critical to preventing accidental surface scratching (the best for paint finish use are soft microfiber edged bound).

Remember you father telling you at some point in your youth, “Son, you get what you paid for!” Well guess what, that also true for microfiber towels. Some towels in my arsenal cost a whopping $15.00 for a 16″ square!!!! For years the Koreans (the Southern Good Guys) were and likely still are the best source of microfiber filaments. I still tend to choose these Korean made towels over their Chinese counterparts. However, things are getting a bit muddy in the market place in that Korean fibers are now being shipped to and assembled in China as a way of reducing costs and attempting to hold the line on quality. “But Uncle Vinny, I saw a 24 pack of towels at Costco/BJ/Walmart/etc. for $20, that’s a great deal? Right?” Uhhh…so much to still learn!!

Simply stated, if you love your car, and you probably do if you are reading this blog, stick with me for a bit. Again keep in mind that “You get what you paid for” concept. A few great sites to purchase high quality microfiber towels from are (in alphabetical order) Autogeek, Chemical Guys, Detailers Domain (yo’ Jersey!!), PakShak and PoorBoy’s World. They list a plethora of information regarding the towels, build qualities and intended uses. “What a minute…Uses?” Well sure. There are interior towels for wiping the dash and leather seats, exterior towels for washing, drying, wax buffing, final detail spray, wheels only towels and let’s not forget the glass!

Can owning microfibers be expensive…well, yeah!, but they perform like nothing else! Your paint will be less swirled (scratched) and it will shine better, too. Washing with a microfiber wash mitt/sponge will remove more dirt ( and be trapped in the fibers) and using a specially designed towel for the glass will create perfect clarity. And there will be no signs of the dreaded four letter word, that’s right, no LINT. That is if you are buying good quality towels. So why not buy the cheapie weepie towels at the warehouse store? Lint is part of it but a poorly made cheap microfiber can be a lot worse than a decent cotton towel. A test that used to work was to take a used or unwanted CD (yes those ancient silver discs that occurred after the dinosaurs and before iPods) and rub/buff the mirror side of the disc. Look at it in the light. Do you see new swirl scratches on the disc? If so, this cloth is likely garbage and not to be trusted on your fine black paint.

A great all around performer is AutoGeek’s Miracle Towel. It will work great everywhere. Once you’re hooked on what microfiber can do, you can search out combo kits and expand from there. You can explore all of the weaves from waffle, to suede to terry to tight loop! Each having its own particular, specialized advantage for its intended use. A quality microfiber towel will last for 200-300 washes if properly washed and cared for. Use a gentle wash cycle and dedicated Microfiber detergent, followed by low heat tumble dry is a must. Follow the label directions and only microfiber with microfiber in the wash load ( no tee shirts or cotton fiber items). Microfiber towels once used on the finish eventually are too stained for comfort and are banished to door jamb service or to rim/wheel cleaning. After wheel duty, many are retired to my Texaco Logo trash can!

I couldn’t see myself ever detailing any aspect of my beloved vehicles without the use of quality microfibers and quality car care products. Get involved in microfibers and I promise you you will have better results, more fun and less work.Who would have thought that such a skinney fiber would create such a revolution in car care?

Well that’s enough for today. I always welcome comments and suggestions! All I wait for now is a good 70 degree day, some iTunes on the stereo and time to undo winter’s doings. Perhaps I will talk about glass sealants/water repellants and their impact on keeping glass clean and you seeing better in foul weather conditions.

Thanks for stopping’ by…Stay safe out there!!!!

I think that what makes cleaning windows such a chore is that there are two surfaces that must be perfected at the same time, mainly the inside and the outside.  Any remaining finger prints or smudges will ruin the look of the glass.  Couple this with the fact that inside and outside glass surfaces are attacked by different things just adds to the complexity of achieving the ultimate goal of clean, clear glass.

“So Uncle Vinny, when is the best time to attack this mighty task of glass detailing?”  Tending to the glass is always best following cleaning the inside and outside of the car.  Washing the vehicle will get some of the outside dirt off the outer window surfaces.  These outer areas see things that won’t affect the inside window areas.  Things like road debris, tree sap, bug guts, bird poop, acid rain/pollutants, water spots and even windshield wiper fluid residues. All of these contaminants can become affixed to the front windshield and rear glass.

Similarly, inside glass areas see different chemical pollutants.  This inside glass “dirt-film” is often a mish-mosh of vinyl off-gassing, vapors from protectants and leather conditioners, moisture from breath and rain residues as well as tobacco smoke.  These films can be worse to deal with than any of the “garbage” stuck to the outside areas. Couple these film pollutants to areas inside of the car that a contortionist couldn’t reach to clean and you see why I hate cleaning windows.

You know, doing things that have to get done even though you don’t like it is just a fact of life.  So let’s just suck it up and get down and not so dirty and see how to get these windows clean.  My recommended products for the job at hand are two different window cleaners ( I’ll tell you why you ideally need both), preferably microfiber glass cleaning towels and a window cleaning instrument called a glass reach cleaning tool.  BTW all of these products can be found at our friends at Autogeek.net or ProperAutoCare.com as well as many other good car detailing store websites.

Window cleaning chemicals used in automotive applications are different from the garden variety used for home window cleaning.  Cleaners made for auto glass are ammonia free.  While ammonia is an effective grease cutter, it can damage a car’s window tinting film (aftermarket applied films).  With the EPA interested in eliminating Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOCs) from all chemical based products, this has forced auto glass cleaners to change their formulas.  This chemical formula change has taken the “teeth” out of these cleaners.  So in today’s world, glass cleaners are a compromise of solvents.  Some solvents may be good for cleaning bug guts and vinyl plasticizers while others may be more effective on leather oil films or road grimes.

The three best window products in my hands are Eimann Fabrik’s Clear Vision II, Stoner’s Invisible Glass and GM’s Auto Glass cleaner.  This last cleaner is available at any GM (General Motors) Dealer.  Be prepared to shell out about $8 for the can.  Eimann Fabrik’s cleaner is fortified with nano-cleaner molecules that act like little atom sized scrub brushes.  This stuff works great!  We’ll talk about Stoner’s product in just a bit but first a little about glass microfiber towels.

“But wait a minute, no paper towels or newspaper, my grandma will turn in her grave!”  Now, now …just give me a moment.  Microfiber towels, especially ones woven exclusively for glass care will save you time, aggravation and are environmentally friendly (no garbage created).  They also don’t leave ink residue like newspaper which could stain light colored dash or seat surfaces.  Most paper towels (and cheap microfibers for that matter) will almost always leave lint behind.  Oh, that’s just what I want….lots of lint on my hard to attain clean windows!!!

Remember when I told you not to wash the vehicle in direct sunlight due to the quick drying effects of the sun’s heat?  Well don’t clean windows in the sun either!  The chemical bases for these window cleaners contain chemicals like alcohols which are designed to clean and evaporate quickly.  You will create a heartache disaster if you attempt to under take this task in the baking sun.  So start your glass cleaning in a cool, shaded area that still has good lighting.  I will mist the inside glass with the Eimann Fabrik Cleaner (or the GM Glass Cleaner) and wipe off with a glass cleaning micro-cloth.  Remember that glass cleaning tool I mentioned?  Well two products that are readily available are the Stoner Invisible Glass Reach & Clean tool and the Glass Master Pro Glass & Surface cleaner.  These are basically micro-fiber cleaning pads that are attached to wand handles (see photo).  These tools allow you to reach into areas that are almost impossible due to long dash board areas or steep angle of low inclined windshields.

I will now mist the glass with the second cleaner, mainly Stoner’s Invisible glass product, and work the area with the window cleaning tool. Using these two different glass cleaners attacks the film deposits using different chemistries; each product has its strengths and its weaknesses. Some folks may be just happy with one cleaner and a once-over with the glass microfiber. Remember I’m Uncle Vinny and I’m picky. You will not likely need the reaching tool on side windows.  Some new vehicle designs do however have race-sloped back windows and these car owners will find using these glass cleaning reach tools a joy (and a back saver).  Even reaching the cabin end of my Corvette’s hatchback glass is nearly impossible without this tool.

Compared to inside glass, I find cleaning outside surfaces a bit easier.  Many times just drying the vehicle off following a car wash will leave the windows in good shape.  I’ll often give them a light spritz of any handy glass cleaner and a quick wipe with a clean microfiber and we’re good!  If there is a place to spend time, I guarantee you that it will be time spent on the windshield.  Depending where, when and how much you drive your vehicle, the windshield might be in quite a mess.  If the glass here is spotted with water marks (white calcium ghost spots) or embedded debris, a good glass restorer is perhaps what is needed.

Glass restorers are basically glass scrubbing cleaners.  They are often strong solvents with abrasives suitable for glass.  I often wear rubber gloves to prevent contact between my skin and the restoring chemicals.  Griot’s Garage, DP and Glass Science Glass Scrub are good products to help remove stubborn contaminants.  They are easy to use. Just follow the directions on the label (as always!!!).  Some can be applied with electric buffers but a number of these restorers are designed to be done by hand buffing. Please….remember those safety glasses!

Once the glass has been restored, go back and mist the windshield with cleaner and wipe. The glass should look the best it’s looked in weeks or months or ever!  If you have gone through restoring the windshield, my recommendation would be to seal the surface with a glass sealer treatment like Rain-X, Glass Science Rain Repellant, Aquapel or similar product.  We’ll talk more about these in our next blog!

Before we say we’re done, drop the side windows of the car down and clean the top 2-3” that might have been hiding away inside the door rail trim,  Put the windows back up and start the walk around the car.  A final inspection if you will.  Look not only at the glass but through it as well.  Look for any blemishes or finger prints.  Some may be on the outside, some may be inside. Locate them and eliminate them.  Onelast thing…check your side view mirror surfaces.  Give them a treat and clean them too.  Now step back and take a deep breath.  Look at those windows!  You can see clearly now and clearer vision brings with it a greater level of safety.  Uncle Vinny doesn’t want anything to happen to you (or your loved ones)!

So in my next blog, we’ll talk about window/glass treatments that can improve your vision of the road in wet weather and help the glass to stay cleaner for longer periods of time.  Thanks again for all of your comments. I truly appreciate each and every one.  I look forward to any of your questions or suggestions on future automotive topics.

Thanks again for stoppin’ by!!!!

Stay Safe out there!!!!

Uncle Vinny

On that note, may I first clarify that I am under no financial duty to recommend or support any product, company or manufacturer. If I like it and it works for me, then you’ll hear about it. I have tried a lot, and I do mean A LOT, of car care products. Some sound good and just don’t keep up their end of the bargain. Those products that I routinely re-purchase and find myself looking to use over and over again are the products that I will recommend to you. Hey, you’re my “loyal followers”. Uncle Vinny ain’t gonna let you down!

So as you recall, you need a good wheel cleaner, ideally a good wheel brush, a wash mitt and a tire protectant. Let’s first talk about my all time favorite wheel cleaner, P21S. This is a German made product that I believe has been around since the mid 1980′s. It comes in the regular spray version and a gel version (for really soiled wheels, heavy brake dust). This product is to be sprayed on to a cool dry wheel and let it sit for a few minutes, agitate and hose off. Remember that the thing that really “dirties up a wheel is the grime and brake dust residue from the brake pads. To agitate the dirt that is saturated with the P21S wheel cleaner,  I use 2 different types of brushes.

The first brush is a soft nylon brush called a Daytona Brush. It is awesome at reaching behind wheel spokes and around brake components (be easy here). It is bendable to help reach tough spots. I often gently spray water onto the brush and into the wheel area as I move around the brush. The second brush is a Montana Boars Hair Wheel Brush. Boars hair brushes are extremely gentle on all finishes including paint. There are polished wheels that can be easily scratched. My Jeep SRT-8 wheels are polished aluminujm (clear coated) that despite all of my tricks can easily show light scratches. Boars hair brushes are actually horse hair, as an FYI (you might win some money at Jeopardy one day). I will often lightly spray water on the wheel as I work the brush around. Don’t be bashful to re-spray the wheel cleaner onto the wheel. It may need a second dose.

Another really good and recently “devised” product is one that comes from the good folks at TKO Performance. It is called the Corvette Wheel Lug Nut Brush (aka E-Z Lug Nut Cleaner). It is a “T” shaded plastic device that has on one end a foam sponge. You basically insert the sponge end atop the lug nut and twist the T handle back and forth to clean. A quick spray of P21S into each lug and a twist and its so much cleaner, without any wear to the wheel. The sponges are replaceable but I must have a dozen or so cleanings and the sponge end still looks good. Heres an Uncle Vinny trick using this device. When drying off the wheels, use an old, ready for the garbage micro-fiber cloth and cover the sponge end of the device. Now re-insert it on top of the lug nut. As you rotate the devise it will do a final cleaning and drying. Works great. Re-adjust the micro-fiber cloth and do the next lug.

This next product is also a new one for me and it works great. It’s called Wheel Wax. It doesn’t take a lot of thought to figure what this product does. Nice clean wheel gets nice coat of wax. Why bother? Waxed surfaces not only shine better but the micro porosities in the wheels’ finish are sealed up. Wheel Wax is a polymer sealant and not a true wax (yes, more on that discussion, boys and girls, in a future blog). The idea is that a sealed wheel will attract less grime and dust and hence be easier to clean. It works great…and it has a nice banana type smell.

So what’s left to do before you buff off the Wheel Wax to reveal the awesome shine and protection? That’s right, you remember…treat the tires.”Uh, Uncle Vinny did you make a mistake?” Of course not. You want to treat the tires BEFORE you polish up the wheel. You most likely will inadvertently get some of the tire dressing on the wheel. When you buff the wheel, any residue from the tire dressing comes off too. You will buff the wheels with a dedicated to wheel use micro-fiber cloth. Remember that trick with the EZ Lug devise using the draped cloth over the top? Works great on getting out any residual sealant, too.

There are two camps of thought on tire dressings, spray on or wipe on. Spray on tire products are fast but can get on vehicle surfaces and I guarantee you will stain the pavement you’re working on. I have been using all types of tire dressings over the years. For flat out speed and bang for the buck good looks, I say Stoner’s More Shine tire spray just rocks!!! It runs about $5-6 a can (less if you buy a case directly and use the easy to find $5 off coupon). Get some buddies together and split the case of 12. Their Trim Shine product is designed for exterior black trim but I love it for under carriage and wheel well black plastic. I have black plastic mesh on the Jeep’s grill and this stuff in no time makes it look great. I have been using the aerosol versions of these products but I am sure the trigger pumps ar equally good and may have their advantages.

Any good vinyl and rubber dressing will also do a good job on the tire’s sidewalls (never ever apply to the treads very dangerous, slippery stuff). You will need to spray these dressings on to a poly foam applicator or in a pinch a few old cotton tube socks. Saturate the applicator and in a circular motion wipe on the tire’s sidewalls. My personal favorites are 303 Protectant (which has a lot of uses and a product I go through by the gallon) and Vinylex. The 303 does not have a cleaner while Vinylex does. Both are great to have around and I do own both. I like to vary products. It keeps me busy. The most recent product that I am trying is Optimum OptiBond Tire gel. It is slightly viscous but the tires look great, and they look great for a long time (several weeks). Also keep in mind that Uncle Vinny doesn’t like the bling bling super shiny look to his tires. These dressings will make the tires look new and clean, not plasticy. Now step back and take a look…really nice wheels!

So now you’re well versed in wheel and tire detailing. Welcome to a bigger world. Oh, by the way, if you revisit my last blog, the products listed above can be found at the mentioned online car care sites.

I’ll be on vacation in the coming weeks.  Look for my next blog towards the end of the month.

Thanks for stoppin’ by!!!

Stay safe out there!!!

Uncle Vinny

Flanking the back areas of this gas station, is a mini-market, a quick change oil facility, an automated car wash with human help drying off the remaining water from the car wash process.At some point during the fill-up my wife turns to me and says, “What’s wrong?” For the moment I am totally focused on the crew wiping the nice black Mercedes with their blue towels.While still intranced, I responded to her with a grunt that could only be interperted as a totally disgusted reaction toward what I was seeing. I  focused back on my wife and told her that, ” They just brought up all the dirt from the bottom of the car, brought it up to the top and they buffed it into the finish!”  In my mind’s eye I could actually see the swirl marks and scratches now scarring the once pristine paint surface. Gratefully we were done filling as Ahmed popped his head into the car window, BP card a receipt in hand.I was relieved we were leaving.  I try not to look over at the car wash area whenever I frequent this station, It’s just too painful.

As you might have guessed  I, and a lot of other car enthusiasts for that matter, are not big fans of automated car washes. As I discuss with you the subtle details of proper car washing ,and drying for that matter, you will see the reasons for why we feel car wash places can be hazardous to your car’s paint. The art and science of washing, drying, waxing and in general keeping a car looking clean and showroom new in called “detailing.” It is all about paying attention to the little details that makes the difference in a vehicle’s appearance. We’re not just talking about its appearance today but how the vehicle will look in the years to come.

So how do we get started? Perhaps the best place to start is to discuss briefly “why” a car needs to be washed. The answer is only partially to make it look clean and shiny. Along with dirt and dust that clings to the car’s surfaces, there are things like industrial fallout and pollution particles. We’ve all heard of acid rain and it’s a common occurence. These droplets of water and other atmospheric particles are deposited on to the surface of the  car (paint, glass, rubber trim, etc.) during a rain storm. Add to that some of nature’s wonderful concoctions like bug guts and bird poop and a car’s finish can be damaged pretty quickly. Let me expand a little on bug splatter and bird droppings for a moment. These pollutants must, must, must be removed as soon as possible. This natural, chemical-full matter is highly acidic and will “etch” or burn itself into the paint. It will leave a blemish on the paint that resembles a whitish outline of the blob (ghost image) that was there and these do not readily come out. They often need to be polished out. Sometimes the “checking”  left behind is too deep and maybe a permanent mark on the paint. Make plans once a week to spend about an hour (or so) to wash the vehicle to get this acumulation of stuff off the paint. You will need a hose for water, a nozzle, two buckets, car wash soap, wash mitts, wheel cleaner, tire dressing, and some type of drying apparatus.

The first step to properly washing the car is for you to dress appropriately for the job at hand. Ideally you should wear a soft cotton top and sweat pants/shorts. Nothing with buttons, snaps, zippers, or studs. In addition, you should not be wearing any type of  jewelry. No watches, rings, bracelets, or body jewelry. I have found that when trying to wash difficult to reach places on my vehicles, I often have to stretch and lean and lay on some of the surfaces. If there is a primary mission right up there next to importance of a clean car, its one that has no detailer induced scratches. We want a soft tee shirt touching the surface when we lean or brush against the surface; soft sweat pants and not denim jeans with a belt buckle touching the fenders. Can you image the disaster a nice engagement diamond ring would do if, by accident, it scratched the hood. The marriage would be over before it got started!

The most common mistake I see that people make, beyond their clothing choices, is that they wash the car in the midday sun. I can not tell you how many times that I see this happen as I drive through neighborhoods  and all I can do is to shake my head. So pick a shady spot or wash early in the morning or early evening. Never when the sun is highest and hottest in the sky.  You won’t have to deal with the effects of quick drying water or soap suds. Maybe I am getting a little ahead of  myself but there is some thoughful prep work that must occur before the hose water even gets turned on.

The first thing I do before starting the actual wash is to wet down the pavement below and around the vehicle. This will minimize soap and other chemical stains to the blacktop (or whatever surface you are on). I begin with cleaning the wheels. You will need a good quality wheel cleaner and ideally a soft wheel brush or an old wash mitt. Follow the directions on the wheel cleaner’s bottle to the “T”. Some will require a “wet the wheel with water” approach prior to cleaner application. Please make sure that the car has not been driven for a while so that the wheels are cool to the touch. Cleaning chemicals and hot surfaces create problems that we do not need. Again follow the label on the product bottle.

Apply the wheel cleaner to the wheels and allow it to sit as long as directed on the label, typically 1-5 minutes. Wheel surfaces will often require agitation of the accumulated dirt and brake dust  in order for them to get clean. Usually a light water spray and a use of the specialized wheel brush or old wash mitt will help get them clean. In some instances, a second spray of wheel cleaner is necessary. Make sure that you  rinse the wheels really well. Once you are happy that the wheels are clean, you can move on to the next step…actually washing the car. Oh, and by the way, don’t feel bashful about spraying the rubber tire area with the wheel cleaner. Wheel cleaners are strong degreasers. This will help clean the grunge off the tire itself. However, if you do plan on cleaning the tires, I would hope that you have a tire dressing available to reapply moisture and shine to the rubber surface. What nicely washed car has dirty, undressed tires?  Not mine.

This is a good time to do a first water spraying of the entire vehicle. I want this done as soon as I have rinsed the wheels off to ensure that any wheel cleaner accidentally sprayed on  to the finish is NOT on the body paint for any length of time. Wet the entire vehicle from top to bottom and the undercarriage, too (wheel wells). My last pre-rinse will always be top to bottom so any dirt or grit is moved to the ground. Make sure that you don’t splash water off the driveway onto the paint. You can bet dirt specks will be raised up onto the finish an that’s a “no-no”!

While the vehicle is dripping wet, grab those two 5 gallon buckets. One will be the wash bucket and the other will be the rinse bucket. I mark mine with a permanent Sharpie marker with a big “W” and “R”. You are going to add your car wash soap to the wash bucket and follow the recommended capfuls per gallon on the label directions. The rinse bucket will be for water only. Never, ever, ever use dish washing detergent to wash a vehicle’s paint surface (okay there will be only one time you will use dish wash soap…which I will discuss in a future blog). Car wash soaps are pH balanced and formulated with oils and conditioners to pamper the paint.  These added oils are designed to also  micro-encapsulate any rogue dirt particles and minimize any accidental scratching that might occur. So foam up the wash bucket and dip in your wash mitt. Saturate it with lots of soapy suds.

Now before you bring a soapy mitt to the car’s surface, re-wet the surface with the hose. I want you to start washing from the highest point on the vehicle which is the roof area. Wash the roof and all surfaces with front to back, straight line motions. Avoid circular motions if at all possible. This is how swirl marks are created during car washing. A small dirt or sand particle attaches to the wash mitt and cuts a circle as you wash. The advantage of front to back washing motions is that if a dirt particle is caught, it leaves only a thin straight scratch that will not attract the sunlight like a circular swirl will.

Before you go back to the wash pail for more soapy water, quickly rinse out the mitt in the all water rinse bucket. This will allow any dirt that came off the paint to drop off. Once rinsed it’s time to go back to the soap bucket for more car soap suds. This is how the “two bucket car wash system” works. The sequence is always wash, rinse, more suds and wash another area. You will continue your wash from the top to bottom until all the surfaces are clean. Take your time. If the car’s surface begins to dry quickly, re-wet the car with the hose water. If the rinse bucket water looks dirty, spill it out and refill with clean water. Once the vehicle has been washed, take a moment to rinse and inspect the painted surfaces and glass to make sure that they are all clean and free of dirt. If you are happy that all looks good and clean, do the inside of all the door jam areas (don’t forget the inside trunk or hatchback jams as well). When this is clean, retire this mitt for today. Do not use it again until it’s been laundered. Now find that old wash mitt that you cleaned the wheels with and give it a good rinse in the rinse bucket. Now get it full of soapy water and take it to the inner wheel well painted areas, under the front and rear bumper areas and even the exhaust pipe tips. Again make sure to continue the rinse and wash sequence in the two bucket system. Do not allow this old wash mitt that is touching these dirty areas to get anywhere  near the paint finish.  Re-rinse the entire car with the hose. Discard the soapy water and rinse water. Give these buckets a really good rinse to ensure all dirt is gone.

One of my favorite products that I use is a foam gun. It was designed by  Gilmore and a search will reveal a few places on the internet where it can be purchased (www.autogeek.net is one such site). The foam gun is a device that you partially fill with car soap and add water to as well. It hooks up to the hose via its hand nozzle. When you squeeze the hose trigger out comes a foamy water mix, far superior to the sudsy water  found in the wash bucket. So my personal method is to incorporate all three. A sudsy mitt, foam gun to add even more suds during the wash and the rinse bucket to clean the mitt as described above. This foam gun is an awesome device and I wouldn’t think about washing any of my vehicles without it.

Here are some of my recommendations on products which are readily found at car parts stores and certainly at online websites. For car soap, stay with a brand that promises to be gentle on the finish, has conditioners (oils) to lubricate the paint and won’t strip previous car wax. Products from Meguairs, Turtle Wax, and Mothers are a few good examples. You will find more choices online. I mentioned Autogeek.net so to be fair here’s another excellent site, www.ProperAutoCare.com. These are two wonderful internet companies to work with and are passionate about cars and trucks. Wheel cleaners from P21S, Meguair’s and 3M, and the like, will do a good job. Just make sure it is a general all wheel cleaner. All wheel type cleaners tend to be gentler than say one made exclusively for chrome or billet aluminum wheels. If there is a choice between a neutral (ph7) and an acidic wheel cleaner (or high alkali cleaner for that matters) choose the more neutral cleaner. It is easier on the wheels…and on your skin.

It’s now time to dry your vehicle. I am a big fan of microfiber waffle weave drying towels. They are soft and absorb lots of water. They are becoming easier to find in the local car parts stores. Armor-All, Microtex, and Carrand’s Auto Spa line are just three examples of good, soft drying towels. Please make sure if these towels have sewn on tags that you surgically cut them off the towel before use. These tags can scratch the finish, and we’ve worked so hard for that to not happen. Follow the cleaning directions on the tag before discarding. Microfiber products are wonderful and well, that’s right, you guessed it..will have a future blog all to themselves. For now, wash them with delicated soap by themselves and air dry if possible (no heat). Whew! Drying the car is similar to the wash sequence. Start on top, then the windows and then the lower body. Do not use this towel waffle weave microfiber on the sheels. Use an old terry towel to dry the wheels, one that can be discarded if it gets really dirty. Residual brake dust can soil this waffle towel and make it unusable on the finish. Keep it pristine if possible. Most dirt will wash out. My most expensive microfiber towel is a 24×40 in.drying towel and it cost me over $30. So this stuff ain’t cheap.

The last thing to do before saying that you’re done, is to treat the tires. You most likely, on purpose or not, degreased them when you cleaned the wheels. A quick coat of tire spray or rubber-vinyl conditioner will do wonders. Try your best to be neat and not to get these coatings all over the clean paint or clean wheels. These are potential dust magnets so best to keep it limited to just the rubber tire surfaces. Yes there is the glass, and plastic and other rubber trim pieces that can and should be attended to, but hey I can’t tell you everything in one blog, now can I?

So next time you are watching a car rolling out of a car wash booth, pay attention to how many mistakes are being made, and wonder as to how clean the towels are that are drying the finish. Did you see the attendant wipe the lower rocker panel and then wipe the roof or trunk? Or worse yet, drop the towel on the ground and pick it up to re-use it! Watch and you’ll cringe too. They say the “devil is in the details”. I say that’s where the beauty is!

Again thank you for all of your well wishes and comments. I do appreciate each and every one. If you have a topic that you would like for me to discuss, please write in a comment. I’ll keep the next blog a surprise. Maybe we’ll talk about some of my favorite car care products, maybe a discussion on waxes and sealants. We’ll see.

Thanks for stoppin’ by!

Stay safe out there!

Uncle Vinny

Let’s face it, some people just don’t care about gas mileage and some just can’t be bothered with it. Hey, in New Jersey, a very popular vehicle is the Chevy Suburban. These are among the largest SUV (Sport Utility Vehicles) available usually outfitted with large displacement V-8 motors. Those that “swear we need this huge truck” often have large families. If you wish to get your 4 children and 2 dogs around, you need this vehicle. Thinking about having the gang all together takes precedence over whether the vehicle gets good gas mileage or not.

It seems good gas mileage is a “state of mind” type of deal. My Jeep SRT-8 gets about 12 mpg around town. If I get on occasion say 12.5 mpg, then I am all proud of myself! Some folks use 15 mpg as their acceptable level yet others expect nearly 25 mpg and higher. Just a a little side story first…it has relevance, trust me! Not long ago, I was able to get 31 mpg out of my 2006 Corvette Z06. “But Uncle Vinny, that’s a beast of a V-8 motor and an absolute rocket, what gives?” This  feat was accomplished on the highway, windows closed, A/C off, alone in the car, traveling at a cruise control set 55 mph and transmission in 6th gear(top gear). This sentence contains almost all of the secrets to getting the best gas mileage out of your vehicle. So let’s really get started!

Remember when I said that a well maintained vehicle is a safe one? Well it turns out it’s also a gas efficient one, too. A properly kept vehicle is usually operating at its peak performance levels. Fresh motor oil has the best friction reduction properties. Make sure that you are using the proper grade of oil called for by your vehicle’s manufacturer. Using a thicker grade of 10W40 over a recommended 5W30 will cost you mpg. There is less internal stresses, less power loss in an engine circulating a lower viscosity oil. Even though some may argue that a 10W40 may provide better protection, it will cost fuel savings and after all that is our discussion. Some have suggested a waste of 1-2% fuel efficiency when using a 40 weight oil instead of a 30 weight oil. Also keep in mind that if your car is under warranty, and you decide to use a non recommended viscosity, the manufacturer can void the warranty. If the vehicle is not running a synthetic oil, a switch to one may prove worthy in a 2%  improvement in fuel mileage. Oils touted as being most fuel efficient are often 0W30 and 0W20 oils. By the way, you will not get a great improvement in mpg by making any one change, it’s an additive effect. Each modification to the vehicle or driving habit adds a little toward maxing out each gallon of fuel.

A clean air filter is another good maintenance item. An air filter’s job is to trap dirt and debris and prevents them from being ingested by the vehicle’s motor. Most modern cars are equipped with computers that adjust air/fuel mixtures in response to dirty, more restrictive air filters. Trapped dirt leads to more restriction and less air entering the intake and motor. More restriction and less air means less power. A clean filter may improve acceleration by as much as 5 to 10 percent. On older carburated vehicles, a clogged filter will definitely affect gas mileage. This is a set up found usually on pre-1980 vehicles. So for most of you, think of this as a good maintenance item that provides more power and more power is ALWAYS better! If you take the filter out and cannot see diffuse light through it, then replace it. While you are there, tap the filter to free dust/dirt and leaves off. Reach into the airbox and make sure it too is free of dirt and debris. Please remember, an Uncle Vinny personal safety note, always wear protective glasses/goggles when ever you work on a vehicle.

When was the last time you fed your vehicle a good quality fuel system cleaner?  These cleaners added to the fuel tank will often treat 15 to 20 gallons of fuel.  Dirty intake valves and the number of miles poorly spraying fuel injectors waste fuel.  The best time to add these is just before filling the tank with fuel.  Do it right at the station.  Usually a helpful attendant will gladly add it prior to filling up the tank.  Most experts agree that the fuel cleaner is best added just BEFORE your planned oil change.  Loosened debris and some of the residual chemicals from the cleaner do enter the oil and “dilute” it.  Another quick tip,  run the treated take to 1/4 full before refilling.  This will maximize the time treating the engine.  Follow the label directions on the bottle especially in regards to repeat use( some say okay for each fill up, others every 3 to 6000 miles!!!!).  We’ll have a future blog on fuel system maintenance.  In the mean time a few good brands, and ones that I have personally used, are RedLine SI-1, GumOut Regane,  Amsoil P.I. and Chevron Techron.

Another item recently discussed was tire pressure. Under inflated tires waste gas, are unsafe and hurts performance. Usually a 3 psi ( pound per square inch) of under inflation for a vehicle’s tires costs 1% loss in mpg. I recently checked a friend’s tire pressures and the tires were down nearly 9 psi. That’s a 3% loss in fuel economy. If you are in the market for new tires, and gas mileage is important to you, then look for some of the newly touted higher fuel mileage tire designs. These tires have tread patterns conducive to decreasing rolling resistance and tire compounds that help to roll better as well. Wide, chunky tread tires with sticky tire compounds are not the best for gas mileage. They may be good for other things, which we will likely talk about in a future blog.

Remember my rant from a previous blog about folks just driving way too fast. Well slow down and save gas. The “double nickel” or 55 mph speed limit implemented in 1974 was designed primarily for fuel mileage (secondarily we saw a 15.3%  decrease highway deaths!). Gas mileage on some vehicles can be improved by 25% if you travel 55 mph verses 75 mph. Another way to see this difference is a fuel rating of 20 mpg at 55 mph compared to a fuel mileage of 15 mpg at 75 mph. Comparing the two in dollars and cents, you will have 50 extra miles to drive before using 10 gallons of gas at 55 mph. That’s a savings of 3.3 gallons (15 mpg) or about $9.50( $2.85  gallon of premium gas).   But wait there’s more!  I have seen my share of aggressive drivers who gun the car off the line, slam on the brakes and punch the” go pedal” to the floor once again. They make a gazillion lane changes while performing their best NASCAR moves and all for what? To get a few cars ahead of you? This is not only a safety issue but also wastes fuel. This behavior puts a lot of extra wear and tear on all the involved vehicle systems. Extra throttle, extra brake use, extra strain on the suspension components and additional tire wear all occur during this event…let alone increasing the chances for driver error.

Jack rabbit starts, heavy unnecessary accelerator use wastes gas (yes I know it’s fun getting pushed back into the seat, the rush of power). A nice steady increase up to cruising speed is best for gas mileage. Most automatic transmissions will go into overdrive mode and this higher gear often allows for lower rpms and for higher gas mileage. If you have a manual transmission, you can select the highest gear as soon as you are at cruising speed. If the vehicle is equipped with a cruise control type device use it on the highway. This device will help with gas mileage as it will attempt to keep the vehicle at a constant speed.

When traveling at highway speeds, it’s best to do so with the windows up and the A/C ( air conditioner)off.  Now don’t do this on a hot day folks. If you need the A/C, set it at its lowest setting that is comfortable for you. With a lower setting (72 degrees) the compressor will run at a minimum. The compressor is a belt driven item and sucks power from the engine. When more power is needed, the engine works harder and hence uses more fuel. At around town speeds, use the windows. Keeping the windows up at higher speeds increases fuel efficiency by decreasing the car’s wind resistance. The more aerodynamic a vehicle is, the less power it needs to push itself through the air. A vehicle needs less power to drive the A/C at higher speeds than the power needed to overcome the drag of open windows (think of the air trapped in the car traveling at a higher speed, to the way a parachute slows a person falling to Earth).  Speaking of aerodynamic drag,  if you are not using that roof top carrier, take it off.  It has been shown that the “hamburger box” style can ruin your gas mileage by as much as 5%.

When traveling, attempt to make as few stops as possible and combine trip destinations. Visit a shopping center and park in a location that will allow you to walk (yes that’s something we can all do for better gas mileage and health) to the cleaners to drop off laundry, then to the next door bank and finally to the supermarket before returning to the car. Fill up on gas before you go home so that a special trip to refuel isn’t necessary. If you are waiting in line or just waiting for someone to come out and meet you, shut off the car.  Idling wastes gas!  Remember you are not traveling any where, an idling vehicle gets ZERO miles per gallon.  I use the 5 minute rule.  If you are going to be sitting and idling for 5 or more minutes, shut ‘er down!

And speaking of extra cargo, clean out your trunk of extra junk…uh, that’s the car’s trunk! I have been shocked by what family members tend to keep in their hatch and trunk areas. Are they awaiting a surprise visit from Monty Hall and hoping to win a prize if they have a (fill in the blank)? I recently found in my sister’s hatch area a snowbrush (uh, it’s July), a heavy drill, books, gloves, empty boxes, etc., etc. all adding to the weight of the vehicle. In fact, she made me laugh when she asked me onetime if I “did anything to the car because it seemed to be quicker off the line”. No, I just took out about 50 pounds of stuff. For each 100 pounds of excess weight, it can cost you 2% in fuel economy.  Remember, every little effort to save fuel adds up, a little here and a little there.  Think of it the same way that loose pocket change adds up in that piggy bank.

So do you remember when I said in the beginning of this blog that the short story about my Corvette Z06 had almost all the answers to getting good gas mileage? No, it isn’t about the fire-breathing 427 under the hood. It’s about a light weight, aero-dynamically shaped, well maintained vehicle using synthetic 5w30 motor oil with an engine churning in 6th gear at a cruise control set to 55 mph, windows closed and the A/C off!  Hey my buddy’s Honda sedan can’t get 31 mpg numbers on the highway. He also can’t get the dash computer to read single digit mpg readings when he mashes his right foot into the accelerator pedal…snicker, snicker.

I will begin a series of blogs on exterior car maintenance beginning with car washing techniques and eventually moving into other car detailing areas.  I appreciate all of your comments and compliments!  Hey, tell a friend about this blog!

Thanks for stoppin by!

Stay safe out there!

Uncle Vinny

Not too long ago, my son and I took a trip to a Corvette Car Show down in Atlantic City.  People really do drive too quickly especially on the Garden State Parkway.  Now here I am, driving my 505 hp Z06 corvette at a mere 75 to 80 miles an hour and I am being passed by a 1980 something Geo Metro doing upwards of 90!  Now let me rant for a minute.  I am driving a “supercar” that can actually do close to 190MPH and stop on a dime and may I remind you that every operating system has been monitored to be in top maintenance and the Metro driver is so confident that his dilapidated machine isn’t going to lose control!  I was just waiting to see when his already half hanging off rear bumper was going to rip off and sail away!  I did say I was going to rant!!!   Hey if this driver wants to plant his vehicle into a nice tree, be my guest…just don’t take any of us with ya!  Okay enough of that…but do you get my point?

We are all so trusting in the capabilities of all of our rides that we unknowingly “bet “our lives on our vehicles every time we turn the ignition key.  How often do we all just get in and go…and go quickly up to highways speeds (and then some). My best advice is to always keep the maintenance of your vehicle up to date.  I know, “Uncle Vinny that’s tough and expensive to do”.  Yes and so is mechanical work, body work, lawsuits, hospital bills, and caskets! So my first recommendation is to visit a trained mechanic and have the vehicle looked over.  I would advise you to do some homework prior to your appointment and investigate what the auto manufacturer recommends for service up to your existing mileage.  And where are you going to find this info?….Yep the glove box car bible, your Owner’s Manual.

Now please keep in mind that if you “missed” the 15,000 mile service and you are at 30,000 miles, there is going to be items from both lists that may be called for as far as maintenance.  Your mechanic will help advise you.  The mechanic, along with the recommended services, will check all of the system from tires and suspension, the battery, the charging system and belts, the cooling system, all fluids, exhaust system, lights and will likely link up to your OBD system.  The OBD is the On Board Diagnostics module that will keep errors or trouble codes in memory.  This will help find system problems.  Once the mechanic has all items evaluated and up to par, you can have higher confidence in your vehicle’s safety and performance.  So just as you prepare for the other aspects of your vacation like hotels and restaurant reservations, take time prior to leaving, say 2 weeks before your trip, to get the vehicle up to the task.

There are certain things that you should routinely do prior to taking your car out on the road.  At each gas fill up, let’s assume a weekly task, check you motor oil level. I would recommend that you do this yourself as you can see if it looks really black, is gritty, or if it looks foamy or whitish. Gritty oil is often a sign of oil in service for too long an interval and should be changed.  The grittiness can also mean engine wear.  A white, foamy look to oil can be a cooling system/head gasket issue and needs immediate attention. Assuming that the oil is changed at an appropriate interval, a dark color to the oil may be very normal. Motor oil will change color as it absorbs combustion byproducts.

Another item that is often overlooked is tire pressure.  The tire pressures for your vehicle are often listed on the driver’s door inside frame or possibly on a sticker in your glove box.  Tire pressure should be checked monthly and only after the car has been stationary for at least 4 hours.  Underinflated tires waste gas, ruins tire treads, can create handling/braking problems and can lead to tire overheating and blowouts!  And please do not think that “more is better” when it comes to tire inflation.  More air can also lead to handling problems and tire wear issues.  Oh and please use the tire inflation placard numbers on the door jam.  I cannot begin to tell you how many people use the tire’s imprinted Maximum Inflation Number to set their tire pressures!  When tires get hot, the air inside expands and will raise the pressures.  Tire pressures also change from climate temperature changes.  For each 10 degrees of temperature change, tires will change 1 PSI (pounds per square inch). If it goes from 70 to 80 degrees the tires will have 1 PSI more of pressure.  Conversely, if the temperatures outside get colder by 10 degrees, then your tires will be underinflated by 1 PSI.  Air also escapes from a tire naturally, so keep an eye on them.

Worn tires usually look bald meaning that the treads have lost their groove patterns.  Often worn tires show there “Wear Bands”.  These are bands of rubber that run across the width of the tire, often perpendicular to the tread pattern.  When visible, the tire is at or beyond its serviceable life.  Another trick  to evaluate remaining tread is to use a US quarter.  Hold President Washington’s image upside down and insert the top of his head into the tread.  If you can see the top of Washington’s head, the tread is too shallow and needs replacement.  Tires are often replaced in pairs.  Recent recommendations are to replace tires that are 6 years and older regardless of mileage due to internal degradation. Rubber gets weak over time due to Ozone and UV light. The TireRack.com has some of the best tire information available on the internet.  If in doubt, visit a local tire shop and get a professional opinion.

Check around the vehicle for leaks, check fluids and that all of your lights are working.  If your wiper blades are streaking and squeaking, it’s best to change them.  Most wiper blades last only three months.  A personal favorite of mine are the Rain-X Latitude blades, recently highly rated by Consumer Reports.  You should also pack in the trunk a box with an additional quart of motor oil, a gallon of windshield washer fluid, a first aid kit, jumper cables, a small tool kit, protective gloves, a blanket, road flares and a flashlight.  I would also include a tire gauge, glass cleaner and a roll of paper towels and tire inflator repair sealer (can).  It would also be wise to pack a spare ignition key just in case you lose one.  A fully charged cell phone and a cigarette lighter charger goes a long way to improving safety.  Make sure to pack the wall charger, too!

One thing that I truly believe in is a GPS system (Global Positioning System or Navigation System).  If your vehicle did not come with its own navigation system, this technology can be had for $200 or less!  Not only do they provide maps and directions, but can offer locations of rest stops, hospitals, gas stations and lodging.  Some newer models also offer traffic updates to alert drivers to traffic accidents and lane/road closures.  I have personally owned Garmin Nuvi units and they are awesome little pieces of technology…and add to the peace of mind as you are on your trip.

In my next blog, I’ll talk about improving gas mileage as we see gas prices creeping higher once again.  Thank you for your comments and compliments!  I appreciate all of them!!!

So, stay safe out there…enjoy being American….Happy 4th of July!!!

Thanks for stopping’ by!!!!!

Uncle Vinny