A Dog Seat Cover To Protect Your Car Seat

Dogs love to go with their owners everywhere, whether just for a stroll in the park or a drive through the city. Dogs love open roads and they certainly bask within the presence of their surroundings. However, taking your pooches for a ride can sometimes get messy. So, if you're seeking for a way to protect your car seats then a dog seat cover is your best bet. While there are many types of it available, you might want to be a bit discerning to get the best deal for yourself as well as for your tail-wagging buddy.

Economically convenient

Regular covers may be economical but investing in quality seat covers designed for pets can diminish much of the mess and frustration. You will notice wear and tear whenever your ill-tempered doggies ravish your covers. Dog specific seat covers are perfect for getting the job done and cost just as much as those designed for people. Such covers are durable, created with materials best suited for handling pet odors, hair, and pet clawing. Your pups may provoke little messes, but with the right seat cover, you can heave a sigh of relief when your pet misbehaves. You would also want to make sure your pooch is both safe and comfortable while during long or short rides.

Style and design

They differ in design, style, and material. They come in a wide selection of features, patterns, fabrics, colors, and textures. Plus, there are generic covers designed purposely for vehicle types such as luxury seats, bucket seats, and even truck benches. They also come in various sizes and have a sufficient abundance of colors to pick from. Most covers come in standard four popular colors such as beige, brown, blue, and black for cars. You can also ask supply companies for special color and design orders.

You can choose covers in hammock styles, deluxe covers, reversible rear covers, single dog seat layovers, microfiber car seats, plaids, quilted bedding, dog mats, and suede cargo covers. The choices are limitless, however, it is important to be discerning as well. Make sure that the cover you have purchased should fit your dog appropriately.

Safety

Surely, safety and comfort is key when grabbing seat covers for your dog. For safety measures, assess your backseat area. Many covers slip over headrests in many vehicles. Better securely fasten the covers down to avoid injury to your pet, your car, and you as well. You can check the necessary instructions that come with your cover purchase. When in doubt, call the manufacturer with any issues pertaining to your purchase and they would certainly be willing to assist you.

Handy solution

A car seat cover for dogs is not something new since pet owners have been craving an easy solution for their pets' messes. With the proliferation of dog products, companies have started cashing on the bigger picture. So, to protect the fabric and cushion of your car seats, the best solution is to invest in a nice, high quality dog seat cover.

A Discussion on the On-Going Industry War Between Mobile Carwashes and Fixed Carwashes

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I ran a mobile car wash business and little did I know, I would find myself involved in the very beginning of a multiple decade war between mobile and fixed site car washes - a battle against the established status quo and the new mobile car washing sector. Obviously they didn't want me driving around in the business districts and washing cars for all the employees at all the different corporations because that meant I took business away.

Of course being a young buck and highly competitive, I figured I was up for a fight, and that's exactly what I got. Although this was the first major battle of fixed site car washes versus mobile car washes, it would play out nation-wide, and it still goes on today. You see, car wash owners have a huge investment, often over a million dollars including building, equipment, and the land underneath, they need to protect their investment, and get a decent return on investment, thus, mobile car washing is a threat to their bottom line.

Typically what happens is the carwash local owners get together and complain to the local municipality, and complain that the mobile washers are polluting by putting used wash water on the ground and it will drain off into rivers, lakes, or the ocean, calling it an environmental issue. The reality is that mobile carwash systems use very little amounts of water, and mostly clean regular customer's cars that are not that dirty from the prior week. Also they barely use any soap because it takes more water to rinse and they must bring the water with them, which is always in scarce supply.

Meanwhile, the fixed sit carwashes spray up underneath the cars, and they have a reclaim system, but as the cars drive off of the carwash lot the cars would drip water from their undercarriage onto the ground, and that water has grease and oil in it, thus, also an environmental issue. It is interesting that today, that little local war which I was involved with goes on still today in cities across America. Still, the history of why is particularly important to how these local car wash wars play out today.

Interestingly enough, the carwash owner who was most adamant about removing me as a competitor in the marketplace way back in the 1980s also happened to be a board member at the International Carwash Association (ICA), and this association representing a $13 Billion year industry and some 80,000 fixed site car washes in the US today, certainly doesn't want any threats in the marketplace, especially now in during a recession. Well, if you are wondering how come this controversy in the industry persists today, it does make sense to understand its history.

Ever since that time the fixed site operators have often gone after mobile car washers, and even to this day they work very hard in getting environmental regulatory bodies to put them out of business. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

A Custom Car Audio Box is a Good Opportunity to Add Your Personal Touch

A custom car audio box is necessary in a vehicle to protect the system and to provide a good clean space. You can have boxes for speakers and subwoofers. For the subwoofers there are very many types of box enclosures and they include a sealed enclosure. Here, the subwoofer is completely sealed in a box while isolated from the rear and front woofers. The advantages of this custom car audio box is that they need less space and they are easy to assemble. But, they have a low bass and less efficiency because they require more amplifier power. Ported or vented enclosures are more efficient but, their design is more complex than the sealed enclosures and they are much larger, requiring more space.

The more complex boxes are the reflex pass band enclosures and they are designed to bring more efficiency to the system. Another advantage is that they have a filtering characteristic which enhances its function. Some of its disadvantages are that is is very complex and very large. It also has decreased frequency power and a decreased power handling capacity. When building your own custom car audio box you must refer to the manufacturer to be given the right information about suitable boxes. If boxes are not compatible with the system, the sound will be of poor quality and sometimes one can ruin the functions of the system. You can find easy steps on the various sites to follow while building your own custom car audio box.

Firstly, your box must be very rigid and preferably made out of fiberglass. It might be difficult to work with fiberglass especially because you need some layers since you want it to be firm. Gluing and sealing all joints will make sure that your subwoofer makes the right noise. Leave your glue for at least 24 hours for it to cure well. You need screws to hold the screw joints together and they need to be as firm as possible. A box for each subwoofer may not be always common but it can be necessary. This is just in case one subwoofer collapses, if you have only one box for two, the noises can get out of control. You can get the steps to build ports from your manuals. Follow each step carefully so that you can achieve your desired results.

When you are done bracing, it is good to put a damping material inside the box to increase the efficiency of the subwoofer. While on the finishing touches, you will need to apply paint and do not forget to use primer under the paint. A carpet or padding will be necessary as well as applying adhesive to box and carpet. The volume of a box should be calculated properly and if you need additional help, there are sites that provide that information and more. When you are done, it is time to test the box and if it is okay, you should be pleased with the results of your custom car audio box. Depending on the make of your car and subwoofer, you can view the various processes on the internet and other sources. It can be enjoyable making these boxes and it is a good opportunity to add your personal touch.

A Discussion on Mobile Car Washing and Storm Water Run-Off Enforcement - Reality Check

Over the years, states, cities, and county governments have become more stringent with their storm water rules. In 1972 The Federal Clean Water Act prohibited anything but fresh water from flowing into the waterways in the United States. That law was put forth by Congress and signed by President Nixon was to prevent oil spills, and strip mining from polluting fresh water supplies; lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and the affluent flowing into the ocean. Nevertheless, now we have NPDES permitting which are required by all levels of government.

It seems lately it's been getting out of hand, and actually it's been getting a little ridiculous for about the last 10 or 15 years. Almost 2 decades ago now, I can remember doing car wash fundraisers in a California city, and being harassed by the storm water enforcement for allowing the wash water to run off into a storm drain. This made the citizens quite irate, because the fundraiser was for a local youth soccer team. And it is well-known that car wash fundraisers are about as American as baseball and apple pie. Today, we have storm water enforcement people running around telling mobile car wash and mobile detailers that they can't let the water run off into a storm drain.

That is how the law reads, and it is not allowed. Still, if you wash your car in your driveway you might use some wicked household chemicals to clean your car and perhaps 100 gallons of water will flow into a storm drain. If a mobile washer cleans your car, chances are they will use 4 to 5 gallons to wash your car, and that's not enough runoff to go much of anywhere, in other words it probably won't even make it to a storm drain, and barely down the gutter to the house next door. Nevertheless, we have increased enforcement on these types of small businesses.

This is not to say that some mobile car wash companies or operators are not breaking the law by using the wrong kinds of chemicals to clean cars, and letting lots of water flow into a storm drain. Yes, that is not allowed, and they should be talked to about it. But, we must also understand that when cars drive down the road they leak oil, and the first time it rains all of that oil and all those petroleum distillates go into the storm drain, and therefore they flow into rivers, lakes, and the ocean. And let's not forget there are over 300 million vehicles in the United States, and they sell 17 million more every year.

Shouldn't we go after the things which are hurting our environment the most first, and then work down the line? That's not to say we should let people get away with things they shouldn't do, but rather we should enforce the law equally without hypocrisy, or rethink what we're doing with regards to environmental rules and regulations. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. You may e-mail me if you have any concerns, questions, case studies, or comments.

A Collision Repair Pathway - What Are You Passionate About

What Are You Passionate About?

Enjoy Life I recommend that you find what your passionate about and do it. Let's face it, no one wants to spend the rest of their life hating their job. Life is too short... make each day count. While you're thinking about your passions, I'll tell you about mine and one other story.

Donnie's Story I started working on cars as a hobby when I was a kid. My father, brother and I enjoyed tinkering around with cars. In high school, I enrolled in an auto mechanics class. This class allowed us to perform the mechanical aspect as well as body work and painting. There, I painted my first car. It was a 1974 Camaro. It took me the entire year to repair all the small dents and get it painted. However, the paint job turned out awesome.

Passion I was impressed with the satisfaction of being able to stand back and see the end result. This was when I discovered that I was passionate about the auto collision pathway. From there I attended a school for collision and refinish and entered the field of collision repair. In 2004 I decided to take the skills that I've learned and teach it to others. I remain passionate about collision repair and teaching.

The Different Roads - Same Passion This pathwaytraining took me down several different roads. It started as a hobby, which lead to a career. Then the career took several different roads (technician, estimator, manager, owner, teacher). However, my passion for working on cars continues to be a passion for me.

Make It Count As I mentioned earlier, make each day count. We all have a numbered days on earth so follow what you are passions. Whether your passion is Collision Repair or not, do what you enjoy doing.

A Comprehensive Guide to a Mobile Car Wash - Machines & Supplies

A mobile car wash company is an attractive business opportunity for professional cleaning companies. The market for this service is ever growing. Fleet maintenance companies who own or manage a large fleet of vehicles often seek the help of mobile cleaning professionals to keep their vehicles clean on site. Additionally, many large companies offer auto detailing services as a perk to employees by contracting out a mobile auto detailer.

Since mobile car detailing is a field of immense growth, many cleaning professionals are seeking entry. However, it is important to recognize that mobile cleaning is quite different from standard detailing at a car wash facility. Let's examine why.

An Overview of Auto Detailing

The process of cleaning vehicles is a more complex process than other cleaning jobs. The main difficulty is the wide variety of surface types.

The exterior metal parts and body of a vehicle are hard and durable. One requires a powerful cleaning machine, such as a pressure washer, for cleaning the engine components and exterior of the vehicle. In addition, the oil and fuel stains on the engine components are not easy to remove with less powerful machines.

However, most of the interior surfaces of a vehicle are soft. For example, seat upholstery, mats, and carpets are made of soft materials. Powerful pressure washers are not suitable for cleaning such surfaces, as their high output pressure will damage and soak them. As such, interior detailing requires a specific type of cleaning machine - a carpet extractor or carpet cleaner.

Mobile auto detailers not only have to have the right equipment to clean vehicles, they must be able to transport this equipment easily. As such, mobility is key. The following are brief descriptions of the ideal systems for mobile automobile cleaning.

Pressure Washers

Pressure cleaners are essential for cleaning the exterior hard surfaces of automobiles. Pressure washers pump water or steam at high pressure levels onto the surface to blast away stains and impurities. These machines are ideal for removing oil stains, chemical blots, petroleum residues, mud, grease, tree sap, bird splatters, and more from automotive exteriors.

However, one must consider the specifications of pressure washers for auto detailing: that is, output pressure level, output temperature, and flow rate. Ideally, the output pressure level of pressure washers must be less than or equal to 1500 psi. A higher pressure level may harm the surface, while a pressure level too low may not clean effectively.

Output temperature is important as well. Steam output is the best for a mobile car wash. If steam is not an option, hot water should be used. Using a cold water machine will cause you to use extra water, resulting in excess run off. And, when traveling to a customer's place of business, this is not an option.

Excess runoff is also a result of high flow rates. Therefore, moderate to low flow rates are ideal for cleaning automobiles in remote locations.

Carpet Cleaners

Carpet cleaners are also part of the auto detailing supplies needed. These are used mainly for cleaning the mats, seat upholstery, and other interior parts of a vehicle.

One must select a carpet cleaner that makes use of low flow technology. Otherwise, the seats and carpets of the vehicles will not dry as quickly as the vehicle owner wants. Also, damp carpets can lead to mold or mildew growth, particularly in environments with little air flow as with automobiles.

Carpet extractors are also available in heated or non-heated configurations. For the greatest cleaning power, purchase a heated carpet cleaner with temperatures up to 210°F.

Green Chemicals

Green chemicals are ideal for portable car wash services. These chemicals help in removing dirt and other impurities, but do not cause any harm to the vehicle, the people who travel in the vehicle, or the environment. It is better to select green products that are completely sourced from plants and readily biodegradable. Be on the look out for advanced green technologies that improve the cleaning power of these solutions.

A Checklist for Purchasing a Used Car

When purchasing a used car, you should check several things, including how the vehicle runs. If you do not know enough about engines, you can ask to test drive the vehicle to your mechanic or bring a knowledgeable person with you.

Locate a vehicle and call or email the seller. Ask basic questions such as the condition of the vehicle, about service records and if it has certain options you are interested in. If you are still interested in purchasing the vehicle, make arrangements to test drive the vehicle. If you are purchasing from an individual, you will have to find out when that person is available, but if you are purchasing from a dealership, you can show up any time during the used car dealership's business hours.

Check the outside of the vehicle. Look for dents and other damage that might be expensive to repair. Open the doors and look at the door jambs - if there is a different color paint, that indicates that the car was previously painted. Another place to look for different color paint is inside the trunk.

Check the mileage on the vehicle. If the vehicle shows low mileage, especially for its age, look at the wear on the brake pedals and under the floor mats. A vehicle with 60,000 miles on it most likely won't have a severely worn brake pedal. If you see a severely worn brake pedal on a car with purported low mileage, be very suspicious. Likewise with worn carpet under the floor mats. The seller or another person could have tampered with the odometer.

Start the vehicle and listen to the engine. Listen for knocking and squeaking noises. If you do not hear anything out of the ordinary, test drive the vehicle. Make sure the seller has enough gas in the vehicle to drive it for at least a mile, preferably two. Some noises and problems do not appear until the vehicle warms up.

If you are still happy with the condition of the vehicle, take a closer look at the engine. Look at the belts to ensure there isn't excessive wear. Check the oil. The oil should be clean - medium brown to dark brown. If it is black, even if the seller insists he just changed it, it shows that oil changes have not been done regularly. If the oil has a milky look to it, run and run fast, unless you know how to fix a head gasket.

Check the transmission fluid. The fluid should be bright pink. Smell it - if it is not bright pink and smells burned, the vehicle will either run hard or has transmission problems. You could be facing a transmission job in the near future.

Check the interior of the vehicle. If the interior is in good condition and everything else meets with your expectations, ask to see the CARFAX or ask to have your mechanic check it out, if you did not bring a mechanic with you. If you are satisfied that the vehicle is everything the seller said it would be, strike a deal to purchase the vehicle.