Many people have the notion that for them to destroy their cars, they have to drive too fast and be careless about how they handle their cars.

While this will contribute to the destruction of the car and you incur huge repair costs at the Porsche repair shop, there are many other factors that might be putting your car at the risk of destruction. Here are some of the things you might be doing wrong:

You don’t monitor the oil levels of your car

As a car owner, you know that the oil is the lifeblood of your engine. While this is the case, most car owners don’t give the issue the seriousness it deserves. Some of the car owners will simply dip the oil stick in the engine and if the oil is at a given level, they go ahead and start the car.

For your engine to last for a long time you need to be very cautious of the oil level of your car. As rule of thumb, never let it run dry. You should note that when you let the oil run dry, you starve the other parts of the engine of lubrication putting the car at the risk of serious damage.

At the same time, you should avoid adding a lot of oil to the car. Putting in a lot of it tends to cause serious problems to the car. This is because the oil is pushed into places it isn’t meant to be.

Keep a keen eye on the car oil by inspecting it at least once every week. When you have to refill it, ensure that you use the right one. Do you drive a Porsche? Go for oil that is specifically designed for the car. While it might be a little expensive than the regular oil, it will go a long way at keeping your engine healthy.

You don’t jack the car properly

When you have a flat tire or any other problem that requires you to jack up the car, the process might seem to be simple, but it isn’t always the case. A lot of car owners jack their cars the wrong way which results to damage to the car. One of the most common problems of jacking the car the wrong way is denting of the sill.

While carjacking might seem simple, you need to do it with care. When jacking, ensure that you are on solid ground. Don’t do it on soft earth or gravel. This is to prevent the jack from collapsing and damaging the car as it hits the ground.

Jump start the car properly

Jump-starting a car only requires you to connect two batteries and you are good to go, right? Wrong. Plenty of people have damaged their cars thinking that all they need to do is to connect the batteries.

Before you jump start the car, read the specified procedure as given by the manufacturer. You should note that some cars have highly sensitive control boxes and the sudden increase in power can damage them.

At the same time, some cars get their immobilizer systems damaged when the key is in the ignition at the time of jumpstarting.

You are only using water in the radiator

You need water in the radiator but did you know that you need more than water? You also need a coolant. For ideal results, you should use 50% water and 50% coolant. The danger of using untreated water is that it boils fast especially when you are driving in a hot area for a long time.

At the same time, the water freezes fast when you drive in a cold area for a long time. It’s very dangerous when the water freezes in the engine and causes it to crack.

You don’t give your car time to warm up

Many people get into their cars and drive off. This is wrong and its one of the reasons they keep on visiting Porsche mechanic shops due to a malfunctioning engine.

Remember, when the oil has been settling for a long time, there are some parts of the engine that aren’t lubricated. This means that when you start the car and drive off, you will be putting these parts at the risk of getting damaged.

For you to be on the safe side, when you get into the car, start it and let it run for some time so that the oil can go to the other parts of the car.

Car window tinting is one of the most effective ways of improving the look of your car. Are you looking to tint the car? Here are a few things you should know about the practice:

Tint for the right reasons

In addition to car tinting increasing the value of the car, the practice comes with plenty of other benefits that include:

Increase in value: Have you observed that a tinted car looks more elegant than one that isn’t tinted? Since most people judge anything by the first look, since your car will be looking elegant, in the event you decide to sell it, you sell it at a higher price.

Less damage: During tinting, you place a black film on the car glass. When you are involved in an accident, the film holds the glass together thus protecting you from cuts. In some cases, the film prevents the glass from shuttering especially when the impact isn’t much.

Theft prevention: The car film prevents passersby from seeing the insides of the car. Due to this, they can’t see what is inside thus they can’t steal. The windows are also held into place by a strong adhesive thus they don’t break easily.

Car protection: The tinting film also protects the insides of the car from the harmful sun rays. Due to this, the insides of the car last for a long time without any damage.

Are you looking to tint your car for any of the above reasons? You should go ahead and do it. You should note that tinting your car won’t protect you from injuries in the event you are involved in a road accident.

Understand your film options

Did you know that there are many types of window films on the market that you can go for? They come in different sizes, shapes, and designs. It’s up to you to choose the ones that are ideal for you. When choosing the tinting film to use in your work, choose one that is of high quality.

In addition to the film lasting for a long time, it also will provide you with a better tint. Although, the tint tends to be more expensive, it’s worth it as it will give you a better service. The key to finding a better tinting film is to buy one from a reputable store.

You also should ensure that the film you buy is UV reflective. This is to ensure that the insides of the car are protected. UV reflective tints prevent the harmful rays from getting into the car thus protecting them from fading.

For you to be safe when driving, go with window tinting that have an anti-glare ability. The feature makes it easy for you to drive even when the sun is too hot thus increasing your safety. When choosing the anti-glare window tint, choose the right one that provides you with the protection you are looking for.

Ensure that the tinting is done right

In addition to choosing the right tinting film, you also should ensure that the tinting is done right. As rule of thumb, you shouldn’t do it by yourself. The best way out is to hire an expert to help you out.

The professional will carefully apply the tinting material while ensuring that no ugly bubbles are left behind.

Before you start tinting the car, first understand your state laws pertaining to car tinting. Some of the states allow it, while others don’t. Some states will allow darker shades, while others won’t. For you to avoid being on the wrong side of the law, take time to research and find the allowed tinting material in your area.

Take good care of the tint

Applying the tint isn’t enough. You need to take good care of it, for it to last for a long time. Auto window tinting Springfield experts recommend that you be cautious how you handle the tinted windows. As rule of thumb, avoid scratching them with a nail or any sharp object.

You also need to clean the windows. When doing it, avoid using harsh chemicals that will damage the tinting film. You should use a soft piece of cloth and some water to get rid of the dirt or any other debris that might be on the window surface.

Are there water stains on your ceiling? You have a leaky roof and you should fix it as soon as possible. If you have roofing skills you can go ahead and try to fix the roof but if you have never done it before, hire roof repair contractors to help you out.

Find the leaks

For you to fix the leaks you need to find them, right? The best place to start looking for them is uphill from the stains. Pay attention to the roof penetrations. These include roof vents, dormers, chimneys, and anything else that projects through the roof.

It’s common to come across some leaks that are hard to find. In such a case, use a helper. The helper should go inside the house to notify you when he/she notices a leak. You should start by soaking the area above the area where the leak appears. Let the hose run for a few minutes before moving it up the roof. You should do this until you find the leak.

If you do this and still don’t find the leak, remove shingles and by doing so you will track the leak right down to the source.

Fix the problematic part

How you repair the roof depends on the source of the leak. The areas to pay attention to include:

Damaged plumbing vent boots: What are your vent boots made from? Plastic? Metal? Or two-piece metal units? How you fix them depends on the material used in making them. Inspect the pieces for cracks and broken seams. Are they damaged? Replace them.

Fix roof vents: Are there cracked housings on plastic roof vents? Are there broken seams on metal ones? When you have this problem you might be tempted to try and fix it using caulk but this won’t fix the problem. The best way of doing it is by replacing the damaged vents.

Pay attention to the walls and dormers: Sometimes water gets in from above the roof, especially around the windows, through cracks, between corner boards and siding, and many other places. The roof might be leaking due to old caulk, missing or cracked corner boards and issues between window edges and siding. Fixing this issue is easy. If the problem is due to old caulk, consider replacing it. If there are cracks in the corner boards, replace them.

Fix the step flashing: You use the step flashing along the walls that intersect the roof. Each short section of the flashing channels water over the shingle downhill. When the flashing rusts or a piece gets loose, water will run behind it and get into the house.

If the flashing has rusted, you should replace it. This calls for you to remove shingles and prying the siding loose. You should then remove and replace the step flashing.

Roof repair tips

For you to properly repair the roof you need to consider a number of tips. Some of the tips to consider are:

Don’t rely on caulk: While you might find caulk being used by a lot of people, it might not be the ideal product for your roof repair. Remember, it’s rare that caulk will cure your roof leaking problem. The best way out is to try a mechanical way of fixing the problem. Instead of using the sealant, repair or replace the flashing. The only time you should use caulk is when fixing extremely small holes.

Always fix even the smallest holes: When finding the source of the leak, it’s common to come across small holes. Some people ignore them as they deem them harmless. Don’t do this. Tiny holes can be sneaky as they can cause rot and other forms of damage for years before you see signs of a leak.

If there are exposed, misplaced roofing nails, remove and put them in place. It’s easy to fix small holes but if you have never done it before, hire an expert to help you out.

Pay attention to leaks around the chimney: A lot of issues can develop around your brick chimney. One of the most common is rusting of the flashing around the chimney. When having this problem, the best way to fix it is to get a new flashing. If there are other issues with the chimney, get experts from roof repair companies to help you out.

If you have many large oak trees, they might drop a lot of acorns to the extent that you feel like hiring a tree removal company to get rid of the trees. Before you decide to remove the tree, you should try controlling the acorns on your yard.

One of the main reasons why many homeowners want to get rid of the trees is because the acorns destroy their yards. For you to keep your yard clean, you should come up with measures to pick the acorns as soon as they drop.

Tips on how to pick the acorns

There are plenty of ways in which you can pick the acorns. Some of these ways include:

Lawn sweeper: If you already have a lawn mower, a lawn sweeper will greatly help you in getting rid of acorns from your yard. All you need to do is to attach the sweeper to your lawnmower and it will follow the mower from behind.

The sweeper will collect twigs, acorns, leaves, and any other materials that might come across. When you are buying the sweepers, there are plenty of them in the market that you can go for. There are those that use a suction device and others that rely on the scooping action to complete the task.

Leaf vacuum: Also known as a lawn vacuum, the leaf vacuum is used in collecting leaves, but you can also use it to vacuum up the acorns. The machine is powered by a small motor and after sucking up the debris, it directs it to the attached bag.

When you are buying or renting the machine, you should ensure that the motor is powerful enough to retrieve the acorns.

Rake: Raking the acorns is highly effective, but it’s often ignored by many people as its slow, especially if you have many oak trees that are dropping plenty of acorns.

You should use raking when you have just a few trees. After gathering the acorns into a pile, you should then scoop them using your hands or shovel.

Tarps: If you don’t want to go through the trouble of collecting the acorns after they have fallen off the trees, you should simply place a tarp beneath the base of the trees. After the acorns have fallen on the tarp, your next move should be to fold and empty the tarp.

You can rake the acorns into piles and dispose them in a green waste or compost bin.

Nut gatherer: This is a manual device that is made up of a long pole and cage that rolls along the surface of the lawn. When you pass the weasel over the acorns, the acorns are collected inside the basket. You should empty the basket as soon as it gets full.

How to control the annoying oak tree

You might be having too many trees or the trees might be producing a lot of acorns than you can handle. In such a case, you have to control the acorn production.

One of the ways of doing it is to use chemicals. There are plenty of chemicals in the market that you can use to reduce the number of acorns produced. The chemicals work in different ways, but in most cases, they stop the maturation of the fruits.

If you have tried to control the production of acorns and still the trees are still going on with acorn production, you have no way out but to hire a tree services MD professional to remove the tree.

When hiring the professional, ensure that he/she is certified and experienced enough to safely remove the tree without damaging the surrounding buildings.

While the trees provide shade and provide your home with character, if you don’t want to deal with acorns, you should avoid planting them in your yard.