Cheaper, Better, Faster Mary Hunt - Baker Publishing Group

Cheaper, Better, FasterBattery terminal—protectionA car’s starting problems arefrequently related to corrodedbattery terminals. Clean thebattery terminals occasionallywith a paste of baking sodaand water, and then reduce thecorrosion problem by smearingthem with a thin coatingof petroleum jelly. Rememberto disconnect the battery beforecleaning.Brakes—replacementHave your brakes replacedbefore the rotors have to beturned. You’ll save hundredsof dollars. Your mechanicshould check for free and tellyou how much of the pad isremaining. Don’t push it past5 percent.Brakes—when stopped on a hillWhen stopped on a hill, alwaysuse your parking or footbrake to hold the car still.Don’t hold it by applying gasto the accelerator or, in thecase of a standard transmission,by riding the clutch andapplying gas. These bad habitsaccelerate wear of the engine,clutch, and transmission.Use your brakes. That’s whatthey’re for.Bumper sticker removalRemove a decal or bumpersticker by first softening theadhesive with a hair dryer. Usea medium-heat setting for afew seconds until the adhesivesoftens and the sticker startsto peel. Continue with theheat until the entire stickerpeels off easily.Buyer consideration—costguide for any carFind out what it will cost toown a particular vehicle atwww.IntelliChoice.com. Partof Motor Trend AutomotiveGroup, IntelliChoice evaluatesdepreciation, gas consumption,insurance costs, andfrequency of repairs to derivethe average five-year cost ofoperating each car.12Mary Hunt, Cheaper, Better, FasterRevell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2013. Used by permission.